Don't tell me you haven't heard...

I paced the floor of the gym wildly, my heart skipping a beat as i contemplated the moment my one true love, of whom i could never tell, would be coming back to town. Two years ago, my rival, the champion, left to go to Mt. Silver. No one knew exactly when he would come back, but when a hot new rookie trainer took his pokemon up there and beat Red... well the champ declared his streak over. I expected this would happen sooner or later, but hell i wasn't complaining!

Red was coming back...

I paced and paced and paced like there was no tomorrow, wishing that my feet could move faster. Red was coming here, what would he look like after two years? Would he still be my childhood friend? My rival? Would he understand just how much this meant to me?

Cerulean's gym leader was here, prepping the Viridian gym with dazzling things to welcome the champ once again, but i knew this was unnecessary. Red wouldn't appreciate it.

His mother was here though, he would appreciate that. And Gramps was here too, just for the arrival of our long lost hero. Mt. Silver must have been treating him decently, for him to have survived. Everyone was itching to hear stories and know what exactly had happened that whole time.

"Green what are you doing?" Misty asked in an irritated tone.

"What are you doing?" i countered, seeing that she was up on a ladder with her hands above her head, holding a coiled up streamer and trying to weave it between a light.

"I'm helping set up, like you should be!"

"I agreed to let everyone meet at my gym, not to decorate it." I noticed now that this was looking more and more like a party, and less and less like my lair.

"Iiii! Eiii!" Eevee pawed at my pantleg for attention. She was just as giddy as i was, only to see Pikachu rather than Red.

"You excited little girl?" i asked, reaching down to pick her up. "You get to see your friend Pikachu."

"Vii!" she chirped and squirmed out of my arms only to take off running somewhere else. The eccentric little thing was always on the go.

"Arent YOU excited to see Red?" Misty asked in a sarcastic tone. It was no secret that she had been in love with the boy just like the rest of us, from the start. Her blue eyes were wide with mischief. Not only did people know she liked Red, but people knew i liked Red as well... It wasn't a hard secret to keep, nor did i want to.

I wasn't afraid of my sexual preference in Red, but that was only because i didnt consider myself gay. It wasn't a guy thing after all, it was a Red thing. Red could be a girl, it would make no difference to me. I loved him.

"Of course im excited." i said honestly. And extremely nervous...

The world may know now how i feel about Red, but he himself hadn't the slightest clue. The last thing i said to him before he left for Mt. Silver was "don't die." and that had been in a snide way.

Who was i kidding? Red wouldnt understand... Red probably spent the last two years thinking about how I was a jerk... if he even thought about me at all.

...

Pushing my way through the crowds in MY gym, i stopped, suddenly realizing that Eevee had not run off to make he chase her like usual, but she had taken off because her nose had lead her straight to Pikachu, who looked bigger than i remembered. His fur looked more wiry, less soft and fluffy than last time. His eyes were darker, shadowed by the strength it took to get through the last two years. I blinked in surprise. Where was the cute little ball of static that left with Red two years ago?

"Eevee, come on, you cant run away like that, not when there are so many people around." i bent down and placed my hand on her head. Pikachu looked up at me, a familiar expression in his eyes. I smiled and reached out to him.

"Hey buddy, look how strong you've gotten!"

"And look how nice you are." a muted voice touched my ear, and a strange electric current raced through my body. It was not from Pikachu either. I looked up, only to see that Red was standing, staring down at me with dark crimson eyes. I couldn't breathe for a second, and certainly couldn't speak.

He was lean and muscled, with thick, midnight colored hair down to the nape of his neck. His red eyes gleamed like a pokemon straight from Hell, and his solemn face made me feel small in comparison.

Where was my confidence? Where was that fire that made me want to defeat Red so long ago? I pushed up off the ground and stood, fidgeting with the collar of my shirt. Well at least i was still taller than him.

"Red..." was all i could manage.

And then he hugged me. Im sure it was nothing, he had probably done a lot of hugging in the last twenty minutes or so. Everyone wanted to see him, everyone wanted a piece of him. But that hug meant more to me than it could have to anyone else.

My arm, which were squished between us, unraveled and somehow made their way around his back. His toned and muscular back. He didn't look that different, unlike Pikachu, but he felt different. He felt harder, more firm and less like a child. Red was seventeen now, like me.

"How was Mt. Silver?" i curled my fingers against his shoulders and to my surprise he did not try to pull away. One of his hands curled around the back of my head and tightened in my hair.

"Lonely." he whispered. "I missed you."

I realized now that Red had grown. Not in the literal sense, but in a personal way. He was understanding, forgiving, and more than that just all around mature.

"I missed you too..." i pushed my nose into his shoulder and breathed in the earthy smell off of him. That was the smell of memories... the smell of battle and defeat and every morning i woke up from dreaming about his red eyes.

"Hey Red!" it was the pewter City Gym leader.

Instantly he broke away from me, almost as if he realized just how long that hug had lasted. My hands felt empty suddenly, and i blushed a terrible shade of red.

"See you later." He squeezed my shoulder gently before turning to greet the gym leader.

He said he would see me later... and no matter mow many times i said that this was a common phrase... and it didn't have a significant meaning, my heart felt heavy with grief. Everyone else, particularly Gramps and Misty, had occupied the champions time for the rest of the party. And i hadn't seen Red since.

I leaned down to pick up a red plastic cup that was empty on my dirty gym floor in frustration. I shoved it into a trash bag and kept going, damning all those people to hell for being such grumpig.

I walked further, to the next piece of shit on my floor, and leaned down to pick it up and throw it away. I would have to hire a maid to come in here before i could do more battles! I was muttering under my breath when i suddenly heard something.

"Pii... pika!"

I turned and looked around, trying to figure out where that noise had come from. "Pikachu?"

"Vii! Eeviiii!" my own pokemon called in return, but it was not to answer me. It sounded strained, almost like a groan.

"Eevee!" i dropped my trash bag and ran to were the sound was coming from. It was behind a small wall, hidden in the shadows were no light touched it. I had an idea of what was happening, but i didnt want to believe it until i saw it with my own eyes.

"Pikachu!" i gasped, watching the electric mouse mount my prize pokemon and shudder violently. Little sparks flew from its cheeks as it pressed my pokemon to the floor and held tight to her backside.

The two ignored me, yapping and chirping and squeaking with delight. I had to turn away then, covering my face and wishing that this was not happening. My prize pokemon... purebred Eevee and that mutt Pikachu. As much as i liked that pokemon, i didn't want it to be fucking mine!

With a groan i turned to leave, knowing it was too late, and that stopping pokemon love would be cruel. I ran a hand through my hair thinking that this couldn't possibly get any worse, and trying to block out the angry breathing from behind the wall.

"They missed each other." An alluring voice made me gasp.

"Red!" i jumped and stood rigid, my heart rate increasing profoundly. Was he ok with this? With his Pikachu mating with Eevee? The way he stood, leaning against the wall and looked up at me with a precious little smirk on his face told me otherwise. I swallowed hard.

"I told you I'd see you later." he flashed his teeth at me. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"I... I'm not." i rubbed my neck with a sweaty hand. "I just thought everyone had left."

"I was actually hoping i could stay here for the night."

I blinked at him, not giving myself away and revealing that i was indeed surprised to find him right here with me. The noises behind me started to fade now, and it was just me and him. The only people on this planet.

"With you." Red added when i didn't respond.

I could only stare at him, right in the eyes, wondering where he had been my whole life, and why it took him leaving for two years to realize i was in love with him.

I nodded ever so slightly.

Red reached up then, and grasped my face between his hands, gently leaning forward and pressing his lips to mind. There was no hesitation in the way he kissed me, and it was almost like he could read my mind. My hand curled around the small of his back as his tongue slipped past the soft expanse of my bottom lip. Submissive? My tongue slithered under his, and as he pressed me up against the wall and started to grind against my leg i felt like i might burst.

He moaned softly and pulled his face back an inch. "How long have you loved me?" he whispered.

"I... i don't know..." i lied, and was very good at it too.

"I've always loved you." he kissed the corner of my mouth gently and cupped his hand over the back of my neck.

"Pikaa!" a sudden jolt of electricity made my pokemon yelp. Red pulled back quickly and i whirled to see Eevee lying on the floor with her eyes wide, the tips of her fur sizzling.

My mouth was open wide as Pikachu pulled back and shook himself free of the jitters. His dark eyes were wild and his tail stiff as a board. His huffed heavily and looked back up at us, no sense of guilt on his little face at all.

"Pii..." he shivered and licked his lips.

Red looked at me with a mock expression, though i was a little upset, i couldn't bring myself to blame Red. I blinked in astonishment, losing all understanding of what was right and wrong in this world.

With a heavy thud i pushed Red back up against the wall and proceeded to kiss him.