A/N: I have been gone for a very long time, due to life. Though I know this work is a bit different from what my older fans were used to, I couldn't help being intrigued by the idea of this fic, and it ended up coming to life on its own. I have ideas for at least one more in this potential series- namely, what goes on in Blanche's apartment on the same day- but I don't know how well-received this will be. So, my darlings, let me know what you think, please.

Just as a side note, I did decide to go with the a genderfluid (or agendered, non-binary, etc) interpretation of Blanche for the purposes of this fic- I'm not suggesting that this view is the only valid one, merely that this is the direction the story seemed to take me. I don't own the characters, and can't make any declarations about their sexes or genders- all I can do is give you a story which, hopefully, you will enjoy. With that, I'll stop annoying you with personal commentary, and let you read the story.

XO ~Wings

Silence was something Candela had never done well with. Even as a child, she'd loved to fill her house with noise and laughter, and that tendency had never diminished. She was certainly older and wiser now—she ran Team Valor, after all, and was an incredibly gifted trainer—but she didn't do very well in the quiet.

It wasn't something she had to deal with often. She spent most of her time training either her Pokémon or herself, pushing her entire team to greater and greater heights, but every now and again, her friends decided that she needed "downtime." As much as it irritated her, she understood that they were doing their best to look after her, and she didn't complain. Much.

Sighing, Candela collapsed backward onto her bed, glaring at the ceiling. She heard her Flareon make a concerned noise from where he was curled up at the top of the bed, but it never took him long to go back to sleep, on days like this. Unlike Candela, Blaze didn't hate inactivity.

"Spoiled," she muttered, but they both knew she didn't really mean it. She loved Blaze, but she also trained him hard. He loved the challenges as much as she did, but he was better at stepping back from it all, too. Candela couldn't remember ever just relaxing, spending a day in bed and enjoying it.

Standing and stretching, enjoying the way her muscles responded easily, she left Blaze to his nap and headed out to the kitchen to grab something to eat. She knew Spark was supposed to come by at some point with food, and that he'd promised to entertain her, but the polite knock on her apartment door definitely wasn't Spark's usual, cheerful greeting—which usually involved opening the door without permission, coming in, and interrupting whatever it was she'd been up to.

Curious, she opened her door to find Blanche standing there, looking a bit uncomfortable, with a tray of cookies in their hands.

"Blanche?" Candela blinked, only remembering her manners and stepping aside after several slightly awkward moments. "Is everything okay?" Her fellow leader was also a friend, of course, but they tended to spend time by themselves, avoiding the chaos that Candela and Spark seemed to have around them so often. For them to willingly spend time with Candela…

"Spark sent me," Blanche said in a rush, stepping inside before gently nudging the door closed with their hip. The truth was a bit more complicated than that, but they definitely weren't sharing that information with Candela. Not when they were still so embarrassed that Spark had intuited a formerly well-kept secret.

"Aah, I see. So you've brought my snack, hmm?" As always, there was a hint of flirtiness in Candela's voice, a note that rarely failed to bring a flush to Blanche's cheeks, no matter how hard they tried to fight it. Candela never seemed to notice, but Blanche had noticed a long time ago that she seemed to alter her behavior a little when they were around others, presumably so she wouldn't embarrass Blanche.

They wondered how she'd feel if she knew that Blanche always missed that little inflection, when Candela was businesslike with them.

"Yes. Spark said something about a date, and requested that I bring these to you and spend some time with you. I got the feeling he wanted my apartment empty…" Blanche shrugged one shoulder, their ponytail shifting on their jacket in a way that made Candela want to reach out and stroke her hand down the fine strands, to see if they were as soft as they looked. She frequently had to resist that urge, when it came to Blanche. But they didn't like physical contact, so she always, always held back.

"Probably not empty. Your twin was visiting you this week, right?" Candela wasn't exactly a fan—they clashed far too often when in close proximity—but there was no doubt that Blanche was more settled when they were together. Blanche didn't seem to notice, however, that Spark frequently hung around more often when Niore was visiting.

"Yes… Oh." Wearing a shocked expression that made Candela want to kiss her—as if she hadn't already wanted to do that—Blanche sat down on one of the barstools by the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Candela carefully took the cookies from her, not wanting them to spill all over the floor. They looked pretty delicious, which suggested that Blanche had made them. Spark's food tended to look like a complete disaster. He usually forgot he was cooking, or decided that recipes were boring.

"You think that Spark is… oh." Blanche looked so confused and scandalized that Candela couldn't help laughing a little, before she bit into a cookie. It was her favorite, of course—chocolate chip—and still just slightly warm. The taste made her moan, but it was when Blanche's gaze was drawn to her lips that she felt her throat go suddenly dry.

"What's the matter, Blanche? Surely you wouldn't mind if they were hanging out, right? Even if they were having some adult fun, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Neither of them is the type for prolonged emotional attachments." Candela forced her own gaze away from Blanche's face, trying very hard to behave herself. It had gotten increasingly hard, recently.

"But it's… horribly complicated, getting together with someone you work with. Mixing business with pleasure is always a bad idea; in this case, it could be a catastrophe, considering they're usually at odds. They should both know better than to court disaster that way."

Something about the prim, proper way Blanche delivered their opinion flipped a switch in the back of Candela's mind, and even though she knew it was a horrible idea, she found herself moving to cage Blanche against the bar, a hand on either side of their waist while she moved between their legs, bending forward slightly so their gazes were level.

"Maybe there are times when logic causes more problems than it solves. Spark is driven by his instincts, but he's happy. Can you honestly say the same?" Candela had never intended to push Blanche this way, but now that it was happening, she couldn't seem to stop. She'd had dreams of those eyes, those lips, that long hair spread all over her pillow as she leaned in to nip at Blanche's neck, to mark the pale skin and stake her claim… But no dream had ever felt as good as this moment, no matter how dangerous and reckless.

"Candela?" Instead of sounding like a question, it came out sounding more like a plea, but before Candela could remember herself and pull back, Blanche's hand had come up to cup her face, the touch light and cool. Somehow, it sent waves of heat through her skin, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips nervously.

"Well, Blanche? Are you happy with your life the way it is, always behaving, doing the logical thing?" Suddenly, it was the most important question in the world, though Candela wasn't quite certain how she'd wound up between Blanche's legs, trapping them, but feeling incredibly vulnerable, like she was under one of Blanche's microscopes. She wanted to be so much more than that, but she didn't know if Blanche even knew how to want someone in that way. They were always so focused, choosing facts over feelings.

Blanche had lived in the chill of their isolation since childhood, since they'd known they were different, but then, nothing had ever caused a heat wave to dance over their skin this way, had made them feel simultaneously shy and daring, had inspired them to want to taste someone's mouth, see if her lips were really as soft as they appeared. Nothing… until Candela had appeared in their life, with her sarcastic comments, brash noisiness, and heart full of so much passion it was impossible not to notice it.

It had been the one chink in their armor, but that chink had turned into a fracture, and now, Blanche felt their armor shatter apart from that point, exploding around them like ice shards as they tangled their fingers in Candela's short hair and took control as the brunette so often did, just taking what they wanted… and almost crying out from relief when those ridiculously soft lips were kissing theirs back, both hungry and tender.

Candela was certain she was dreaming now, but it was a dream she never wanted to reach the end of, not when Blanche's fingers were tugging at her scalp, while soft noises escaped from their throat. She doubted that Blanche was even aware of it, but it was definitely taking her own thoughts in a less-than-PG-13 direction, and she knew that if she didn't draw back soon, she was going to get caught up in the inferno they seemed to be building. She could already feel it spiraling through her blood, and she knew that one of them had to think rationally, had to consider the next step carefully. Because she knew Blanche wasn't made for casual; if something happened, it wasn't something they would be able to forget.

Even though it had probably already gone too far for caution to make much of a difference, Candela forced herself to pull away anyway, her breathing as ragged as if she'd just run miles.

Blanche missed Candela's heat the moment the shorter woman pulled away, but the fire in those warm amber eyes quickly reassured them that they hadn't somehow done something wrong. Candela's hands were fisted, as if she was trying to control herself, and Blanche knew that the legendarily untamable Candela was holding herself in check—for them. They felt something twist in the vicinity of their heart, and found the courage to reach out and take one of those hands, coaxing it to relax so their fingers could lock together. Candela was utterly still, despite the fire in her eyes, and it was the most contained that Blanche could ever remember seeing her. Though they were grateful for the obvious attempt to give them a chance to acclimate, there was something intrinsically wrong about Candela reigning herself in.

"You don't have to hide who you are, any more than you've ever made me hide who I am around you. We'll figure this out. There has to be a solution that works for both of us." Blanche's voice was a little unsteady, but growing increasingly stronger. Problem solving was, after all, their area of expertise. And if watching a slow smile bloom on Candela's face had a warm glow of satisfaction filling up their chest… that was beside the point.

"I think you might actually be right about that—which isn't unusual for you, I guess. Look, Blanche, I know I'm impulsive and pushy and loud and sometimes a bit careless, but… Well, hell, you've put up with me for this long and never seemed to mind, at least as far as our friendship has always gone. Do you want to try and figure this out? There were will be times when I will screw it all up, and you'll probably do the same by trying to be perfect, but… Do you want to take the chance?"

Even with their hands entwined, Candela still looked anxious, as if she was afraid that Blanche was going to spook and run away if they realized what was going on. Clearly, she'd never noticed them watching her, melting for her carefree laugh, the heart they'd thought forever frozen thawing any time those luscious lips smiled for them. To Blanche, Candela had always been the ultimate temptation—one they'd thought they could never have. It had always seemed as foreign an idea as dancing in fire, but now…

Blanche rose to their feet, body pressed against Candela's again, and caught the fiery trainer's gasp with a kiss, one that seemed to slide into their blood and turn it molten. It was a slow, careful kiss, as gentle as the first had been fierce, but neither of them minded. And when Blanche drew back, they rested their forehead against Candela's for a moment, a small smile on their lips.

"If that was insufficient to serve as confirmation, the answer is yes, Candela. I would like to try this with you." Blanche paused, eyes darting away for a moment before returning. There was a bit of hesitation in their eyes, but bravery won out.

"There is something else I would like to try." There was a pause, but instead of pushing, Candela waited. She wasn't a patient person by nature, but when something mattered, she gave it her all. And whatever Blanche had to say, it mattered.

"There are many things that I have never done, and though it would be a mistake to rush things… I have been told that cuddling is quite enjoyable, with someone special." It was the last thing Candela had been expecting, but suddenly, she knew exactly how she wanted to spend their afternoon.

"Spark gives good advice. How about we spend the afternoon cuddling on the couch and watching crappy old movies while we demolish these cookies you made us? That'll let you see if you like cuddling, and then none of you can yell at me for doing non-relaxing activities with my day." Grinning broadly, Candela tugged Blanche into her entertainment room, opening her DVD cabinet with a ridiculously overexaggerated bow that made Blanche giggle, to both their surprise.

"I think we should watch… This one," Blanche said after a moment of deliberation, selecting a movie about treasure hunters. It would satisfy their love of history and Candela's love of adventure, making it a good choice.

When they first sat down, Blanche felt awkward, unsure of what to do. But Candela, sensing their worry, draped an arm over the back of the couch, directly behind them. When Blanche leaned back, their head was pillowed in the crook of Candela's arm, and it was surprisingly comfortable.

"It seems that it was good advice," Blanche said as the opening credits started to roll. "But it wasn't Spark who suggested it. That was actually Niore." The comment was off-hand enough that Candela knew Blanche wasn't thinking about her twin's reputation for being heartless, but instead seeing it through the eyes of a close sibling. Though she'd never seen Niore's softer side, it was obvious that they loved Blanche very much, and the feeling was mutual, despite everything. It was something she would have to think about, but just then, all she wanted to do was enjoy a quiet evening on the couch with one of her best friends. Her apartment, which so often felt constricting and quiet, was suddenly her favorite place on earth; she knew that, somehow, there was nowhere she'd rather be at that moment.

And after the movie, when Blaze wandered out to curl up on her other side, his soft, warm fur brushing against her thigh through her track pants, and Blanche was snuggled up under her arm breathing softly, with their Vaporeon, River, draped sleepily over their lap, she realized that sometimes, silence wasn't so bad.