I happen to love the Soulmate-Identifying Tattoo fics on AO3, especially the "first words" ones, and at some point, I started wondering what it'd be like for Pokemon couples and . . . yeah. Plot bunny. I'm sure most of you know the feeling. God, trying to narrate with a little kid's vocabulary is even more annoying than I remembered.
This story is perilously close to fluff. In fact, depending on your definition of it, this might actually be fluff. So maybe run away. I think I might be causing the apocalypse.
As always, please direct any questions to my tumblr, land-under-wave. Responses will be tagged "Fic Notes." I'm also accepting drabble requests, for the interested.
The day the words show up on his skin, Red's just turned five and is starting to learn to read. Mommy's putting on his clothes and he's just stuck his arms up into the air so she can put on his shirt when she lets out an, "Oh!"
Red can't speak, so he looks at Mommy and asks, "What's wrong?" with his eyes. Mommy's super good at reading him, so she says, "Your words have appeared. Here, look," and points to part of his arm near his armpit. Hey! Pay attention to me! it says.
Red gets through most of it okay, but he can't figure out the big word near the end. He can't sound it out because he can't talk. He tries to say it in his head instead. Attention. At-ten-tee-on. Is that a real word, or is it something that came out funny because someone said it wrong? And what's it doing on his skin, anyways? Is it magic?
Red looks at Mommy and points at the big word, and she smiles at him and says, "Attention." Ohhh. Okay. But why are those words there? They're really not very nice words.
"They're the first words your soulmate will say to you," Mommy explains, because she's awesome and Red is pretty sure she can read his mind. Now he has a new question. What's a soulmate?
"The person who matches you best," Mommy says. "The person you'll love the most."
But Red loves Mommy the best!
Mommy must've guessed what he feels, because Mommy says, "Don't worry, Red. You don't have to love them. It's just that out of everyone in the world, they're the one you match the best, so if you love them, you'll probably love them the most."
That's a little better, so Red smiles at Mommy. But still. They're not nice words. So whoever his soulmate is must not be a very nice person. Red doesn't like that thought. If the person who matches him best isn't very nice, does that mean Red isn't very nice?
Then Mommy tells him she just made a cake and Red forgets all about it.
.
.
.
A couple months later, Red's mother has to do something she calls an errand at Professor Oak's house and brings Red with her. Red likes Professor Oak. Professor Oak has lots of Pokemon and lets Red play with them.
This time, it's a bit different. "Red, my grandson's come to stay with me," Professor Oak says. "Would you like to play with him? He's around your age."
There aren't that many kids in Pallet Town, and no one else who's five, so Red nods, super excited. The Pokemon will be here next time. When will he ever meet another five year old?
"His name is Green," Professor Oak says, and his mother smiles really wide. "Oh, would you look at that? Your names match! I'm sure you'll be great friends!" And this makes Red even more excited. This is gonna be awesome!
Professor Oak brings him upstairs and opens the door to another room. There's another kid with funny spiky hair sitting on the ground, playing with a train. There are more toys scattered around him, including the coolest car Red's ever seen, a shiny dark blue even cooler than the blue-purple the sky gets on really nice days.
"Green, this is Red," Professor Oak says, and the kid looks up. Red sits down and stares at all the toys, including that car, as Professor Oak leaves. Is he allowed to play with it? Red really hopes so.
Then a bunch of spikes shove themselves into his face, and Red steps back, because he kinda thinks the spikes will hurt him if he doesn't. "Hey! Pay attention to me!" comes as a shout, as Red's figuring out that the spikes are actually Green's funny hair.
Red falls onto his back, and his heart go thump-thump for a moment before going back to normal. Oh, he thinks, staring up at Green's green eyes. So he's my soulmate? But Red doesn't want Green as a soulmate, cause Green does seem like he's kinda a jerk. Maybe someone else will say the words to him, too?
Green gives him a really funny look, like he smells weird. "Quit going all spacey on me!" he cries. Red sits up, makes a face, and folds his arms, like Mommy tells him not to do cause it's childish. He's sorry, Mommy, but Green keeps being so mean to him. Mean Green. Oooh, that rhymes. It's perfect for him.
Green grabs the car, so hah! Red is right, he is mean! "I won't let you play with this," he says. Red sits back up and tries to shout, "No!" but he still can't talk, so nothing comes out.
Green looks at him funny again. "What's wrong?" he asks, and Red points at his mouth and then shakes his head. He doesn't know how else to show that he can't speak.
"Oh," Green says. He seems to know what Red means. Maybe he is a nice person then. Red hopes so.
Then they argue for an hour about Green's toys with a lot of yelling by Green and hand gestures from Red, and by the end of the day, Red's figured out that Green isn't just a meanie, he's a super meanie.
.
.
.
Green's on the front step the next day holding a pie and looking at his feet. "Gramps says I should apologize," he mumbles, still not looking any of them in the eye. He shoves the pie at Mommy. "Here." He runs off before they can say anything back.
"Is something wrong, Red?" Mommy asks. She's looking at his arm, so Red looks down and sees that he's touching the area where his words are.
"Nothing. It hurt for a little," Red lies. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't want to tell Mommy that Green said those words. He wants to keep it to himself.
.
.
.
Green shows up to school on Monday, refusing to hold Professor Oak's hand while Professor Oak talks to the teacher. "Hey! Red!" he says loudly instead, coming over to the play area. Wait. Is Green going to be here forever? Green sits down next to him and stares at Red's block tower. It looks like he is.
"You really wanna play with Red?" another kid says with a sneer, one of the ones who likes to make fun of him for not talking.
Green folds his arms, but he does it the same way as Mommy when Red's done something bad. "If I didn't want to play with Red, why would I be here?" he demands, as if it's the clearest thing in the world.
Okay. Maybe not so much of a meanie after all.
.
.
.
Over the years, they develop a little pattern. Green learns to interpret Red's expressions and read his mind the way his mother can, and in turn insists Red carries around a notebook for everyone else instead of just gesturing at them.
He still hasn't met anyone else who says the words to him.
At some point, Red realizes, "Oh. We're best friends, aren't we?" Then Green yells for him to hurry up, are you a slowpoke, we don't have all day! So Red runs after him and his revelation, how it might relate to his words, this whole soulmate business is put away for later.
The good thing about Green is that even when he goes ahead, he always waits for Red to catch up.
.
.
.
Until he doesn't.
Lately, Green's been getting grumpier and shorter-tempered. He spends less time with Red and more in his grandfather's lab, or with other kids. Red puts a hand on his shoulder and tries to communicate all his feelings through touch, like he always does, but this time it makes Green jump and glare at him before stomping off.
Red feels like Green's leaving him behind. Is your (probable) soulmate supposed to do that to you?
"He's a teenager, Red. It's hormones," his mother says. Red looks at her, and she sighs. "Yes, you're a teenager too, but it's affecting him differently. God knows what goes on in his mind."
Red used to know what was going on in Green's mind. Now he doesn't.
He wonders for a moment if it's the words, if Green's somehow realized, but it can't be. His words are small enough and in a weird enough location that Red's been able to hide them from him through all these years.
Honestly, Green makes no sense. If anything, Red's the one who has the most reason to be weird around him.
One night, Red lies in bed and wonders if he is in love with Green after all. He ponders it for a while and decides yeah, he kinda is, actually. It's almost a relief to figure that out.
The next day, he still can't find Green. So really, that hasn't solved anything at all.
.
.
.
When he turns sixteen, Red's doctor says he's old enough to have surgery for his muteness. He warns Red to think that over carefully before deciding if he wants to try it.
He and his mother pore over the pamphlets his doctor gives him for a few weeks. Red thinks about all the differences that'll be in his life if he can speak.
Red's used to communicating without words. But it might be nice not to carry his notebook around anymore. Conversations will flow more smoothly. If he meets new people, they won't think he's being rude when he doesn't talk. The few bullies that haven't been chased off by Green will certainly be surprised. Just thinking of the looks on their faces is almost enough to make Red say yes instantly.
The risks are surprisingly small for a surgery. His mother has been saving up for years, just in case, and insurance will cover a lot of the cost, too.
Yeah. Red thinks he does want to try it. If it goes all wrong and damages his vocal chords permanently, he won't be losing anything he hasn't already lost. And if he decides he doesn't like talking, he can always become an elective mute.
Red tells his mother, who tells the doctor, who arranges for someone at a hospital in Viridian City to do it at the end of summer. Now it's only a matter of waiting.
Green's still pulling his disappearing act, so instead of chasing him around Pallet, Red just goes to Professor Oak and leaves him a message. Green shows up the next day shouting, "What the hell, Red?"
Red glares at him. What the hell yourself?
Green looks appropriately contrite for approximately five seconds before plopping himself down on Red's bed and demanding details. Red isn't sure whether it's a good thing that he's still mad at Green but gives him the details anyways.
.
.
.
To Green's credit, he stops disappearing on Red for the entire time before the surgery. He still gets jumpy, especially if Red touches him, but he's always there. Do hormones make you ticklish or something?
Red asks him once what he'd been doing all that time, but Green shifts his eyes away guiltily and mutters, "Stuff." Green lies all the time, but he's terrible at deception. He wears all his emotions on his sleeve, so it's very easy to read him. Red likes that about him.
They spend their days together in Professor Oak's fields, taking care of the Pokemon. Red is pretty sure Green plans on following his grandfather's footsteps, with how Green has his own notebook and writes down observations carefully.
Red doesn't know what he wants to do, but he finds himself thinking that living together with Green and watching him fret over that Bulbasaur's gradually decreasing appetite and that Tauros's mild limp might be nice. He's getting ahead of himself, though.
He's looking forward to being able to talk. If only because it's probably faster to say, "Calm down, Green, its hoof is healing fine," than to write it down and stick the notebook into Green's face.
.
.
.
The day of the surgery is less of a day and more of a night, since Red has to go to the hospital before dawn. He's not really surprised to see that Green is on his doorstep, arms folded, foot tapping impatiently. His mother isn't either. She just sighs, starts the car, and says, "Get in, boys."
The drive to Viridian City takes an hour. Red's too numb to feel nervous as his mother talks to the hospital receptionist. Green's nervous enough for the both of them, anyways. His face is pale and fists clenched so tight that his nails will leave marks left there for hours after.
"Don't you dare die on me," Green mutters to him, moments before Red leaves for the operation.
Red touches his words. Don't worry. He won't. He has too much left to do.
(Including telling Green about the being in love with him thing)
.
.
.
"Say something, Red," says his mother, when he opens his eyes and the world starts swimming back into view. It's after the surgery, he's in the hospital room, and Red feels mostly fine. He glances over. A woman he recognizes as his surgeon is also standing there.
Red tries to force noise out. He's observed the way people move their mouths, even tried it himself, though sound's never come out, so it shouldn't be that bad. "Hi," he manages after a few tries. It sounds funny, but it's pretty good for someone who's never spoken before, he thinks.
His surgeon's eyes crinkle at the corners as his mother laughs and cries.
.
.
.
Green comes into his hospital room, looking a little anxious, not that Green would ever admit it. According to his mother, he was down at the cafeteria eating lunch.
Red smiles at him and feels the love swelling in his chest. "It's nice to meet you, Green," he says, and by the way Green's eyes go wide, he knows those are his words. Funny thing, that. Red hadn't even realized that being able to talk would mean he would probably say Green's words.
Red reads the question in his eyes and rolls up his sleeve to show Green the tiny letters inked on the underside of his arm. He sees the realization sinking into Green as he reads them and recalls those far-off days.
The moment ends abruptly when Green screeches, "You asshole!" and storms out the room as his mother is coming in. "Red, what just happened?" she asks.
Red laughs, and it feels strange but wonderful. There's nothing that can kill his mood right now, especially since he can hear a nurse lecturing Green in the hallway, and that's all the revenge he could ever need. Besides, he knows Green will come back at some point and they will sort this all out and make up just like every other time they fought.
Maybe kiss and make up, this time.
.
.
.
(Green comes over that night, and he yells at Red for a while about how unfair that was and they bicker for a while, mostly verbally, even after Red apologizes. Green shows him his words, half-hidden on his arm, and then he kisses him, just as visiting hours end.
The hospital smells of antiseptic, and Green leaves moments later, but Red touches his lips and smiles)
I did a little research, and according to that, there is no actual surgery to cure muteness. The closest they've come is something along the lines of implanting electrodes that cause a machine to speak for you. I figured that this being a different universe, there would be different diseases and different technology, so that's my justification.