Eep! Hello again! This time, I've decided to venture to the realm of Pokemon!
Actually, I've been a fan since around the time the franchise began. ^^; It's been beyond incredible to watch something you loved as a child expand into a worldwide phenomenon and to have other people understand why you love it, too.
I have many ships, but my two main ones are AAML and Rocketshipping, which is here. I will explain...my headcanon for James is he is so innocent, and he has been around Jessie for so long, that other girls kind of have ceased to exist for him. He understands it's wrong in the sense that they could be fired from Team Rocket, but beyond that, he just wants to keep his best friends - his family - by his side for as long as he can. Therefore, he wants to be distracted, but at the same time, he feels guilty for betraying Jessie like that, in his own mind.
This is slightly AU-ish, and there's not a set region here. Based on Zahra (a one-dimensional OC I made up for this fic) and her Pokemon selection, this is only through Kalos, nothing from Alola.
I don't own Pokemon; Satoshi Tajiri does. Please enjoy the Rocketshippy goodness!
He had to stop and exhale twice before actually entering the bar. James hated strobe lights and pulsing music, but it was more conducive to ignoring his troubles. Or rather, he was looking for trouble. But he was hoping to not make it double.
Threading his way through the throng of partiers, and making his way to get a drink, James pondered his current circumstances in a mild state of disbelief.
One: A rare occurrence that a Team Rocket mission had been successful. The team had managed to take an entire group of Lapras successfully, and the Boss, not usually an emotional man, had burst into triumphant tears.
"This calls for a raise and a vacation!" he declared gleefully. This was how the trio had managed to escape for a few days to a luxurious villa, courtesy of the Boss and with his compliments, along with a generous monetary compensation.
Two: The trio had been separated. Jessie, James, and Meowth, usually three peas in a pod, had gone their separate ways for the last couple days, only reuniting at night and dropping into bed exhausted from their days of squandering time. Meowth had refused to tell the humans where he had been going, and they knew better than to ask. Jessie, always as materialistic as ever, had taken her share of their raise and opted to visit different shops in the area. Upon her returns, she would drop armfuls of shopping bags on the floor and flop into bed still fully dressed.
As for James, he continued to hit up different bars night after night, which led to point three:
He was hopelessly and completely in love with Jessie.
Of course, he had realized right away what complications that fact could have on their team. If the Boss found out, there would be a terrible punishment for the three of them, despite Jessie and Meowth having no fault in the matter. James wouldn't allow their little family to be separated. So he was forcibly distracting himself, but failing miserably.
James's problem was he only noticed redheads, or, on a very rare occasion, a girl with unnaturally dyed hair. But he could never get past a dance or a drink. If she would invite him over, he would stammer and blush and decline fervently, dashing out of the bar and to the Boss's villa, where he would slide into bed next to Jessie.
It was completely innocent, of course, because that was how it had to be. But James would go to bed with guilt weighing down on him, both from his botches in the bar and from his weakness to go back to his Jessie.
Did she have an abrasive personality? Of course she did. Did she scare the ever-living daylights out of him? At times, certainly. But James couldn't remember a time when Jessie and her Pokémon hadn't had his back, and he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't returned the favor. Jessie could be quite understanding and compassionate when someone could get past the coarse outer layer, and James didn't want to ever let her go.
Jessie and Meowth were his family. Team Rocket was the only family that mattered to him, and he couldn't ruin it because of his feelings.
His new mission was to eliminate his romantic notions for Jessie. She was definitely a flowers-and-chocolates kind of girl, and James would've bent over backward to give that to her, but not while still under the employment of Team Rocket.
Finally reaching the bar, James caught the bartender's attention with a wave of his fingers.
"One White Russian, please," he requested, and slid a generous amount of money the bartender's way. The bartender, a stout, elderly man, widened his eyes at the tip, but said nothing. "Make it a double, please!" James called, and the stout man nodded, attending to James's request. While waiting for his drink, James turned to survey the night's potential choices. A bevy of blondes and brunettes quickly flashed in and out of his vision, and he shook his head. No, those wouldn't work. Not for him.
There were a few redheads, but none with a body tempting enough to drive Jessie from his thoughts. A phlegmy cough distracted him momentarily, only to discover his drink was ready. Catching the glass smoothly, he took a sip and sighed. The alcohol was perfect; the perfect woman would serve to make the night complete.
Before James lowered his drink from his lips, he felt a tap on his left shoulder. He craned his head and found himself eye-to-eye with a girl who had short, neon-pink hair and was all curves. Not svelte curves, like Jessie, but curves that made a guy want to pay attention.
"Hi!" she yelled over the pounding music. "I'm Zahra! What's your name?"
"Uh…J-James," he stammered before throwing himself into gulping down his drink quickly. He would need another one as soon as possible. He gestured to the bar. "Care for a drink?"
"You bet!" she answered, launching herself onto the stool next to him. "One Hurricane, please!"
"Another double White Russian," James added, and the bartender went to it, anxious for another large tip from the rich blue-haired man.
"Wanna get away to someplace quieter?" Zahra yelled, and James nodded, praying the old man would hurry up with their drinks. As though reading James's mind, the old man slid the pair's drinks over to them and they both stood. Zahra took James by the arm and dragged him to a private room outside the main floor of the bar.
The silence was screaming in James's ears, but a smile broke out across the pink-haired girl's face. She obviously didn't notice James's shaking hands or the cold sweat breaking out over him. This was the part of the night that tested James the most, and he had yet to succeed with one girl.
He hoped he would be able to make it through a little longer tonight.
"So…what're you doing here tonight? I had to leave my Fairy Pokémon for one night; I love them to death, but sometimes they drive me crazy! What about you?" she asked, leaning forward slightly and gulping her drink down hastily.
"Uh…" James said, stalling for a moment, "I just needed to be alone with my thoughts for tonight." Zahra rocked backward on her feet.
"That's understandable." She stared down into her Hurricane for a minute before looking back at James. "Wanna hear about my Pokémon?" He nodded, and she launched into an excited yarn about her Fairy Pokémon, and how close she was to becoming a Gym Leader. He listened intently as she went on about her team of six, including, but not limited to: Jigglypuff, Floette, Spritzee, Mr. Mime, Altaria, and Klefki.
"I once had a Mime Jr.," James explained quietly, reminiscing about his small Psychic friend, and Zahra clapped her hands.
"That's so cool! Where is it now?" she inquired, and James had a flashback to when he and Jessie had to drop off all their Pokémon at Headquarters and move on to the next region. It was a tearful goodbye and Jessie had pinched him when the Boss's back was turned so the Boss wouldn't see James's tears at leaving his Mime Jr. The pinch wasn't meant to be abusive, and James knew that, but the one thing that stood out more than the agony of leaving Mime Jr. was Jessie's fingers squeezing a bit of his belly. It had felt unnervingly good and at the time, he hadn't understood why. Now he knew, and the memory of leaving Mime Jr. was bittersweet, yet something of an epiphany.
"It's with some friends," he answered, and Zahra threw herself backward onto a small couch.
"You're so uptight!" she bubbled. "Let's get you some more alcohol, eh?" James clenched his fist. This night was not at all going to plan, and he wasn't going to keep this girl trapped here if he wasn't going to put his heart into it. Zahra deserved better than that, and he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did something as selfish as take advantage of an inebriated girl for his own gain.
"Hey, listen, Zahra, I'm going to head home now. You get home safely, alright?" James asked, laying one hand on her shoulder to steady her. The pink-haired girl merely stared up at him, buzzed and a little too punch-drunk happy to care.
"Sure! Come visit me sometime!" she exclaimed, and James gave her a small smile. He gently pressed a light kiss to her cheek and left to call a cab.
When he got back to the Boss's villa, Meowth was tucked in a mound of pillows on one couch, snoozing away and as happy as a Shellder. James slipped out of his coat, being deliberate in placing it on the hook, before turning to the king-sized bed to look at the source of all his problems.
Jessie was sprawled out over the covers, fast asleep and still wearing a light blue sundress from that day's shopping trip. Her strappy sandals were still tied on her small feet, and James sighed in mock frustration. Carefully, he untied the sandals from her feet and threw them off to the side, being cautious not to hit Meowth in the darkness, and tucked her under the covers. Jessie always claimed she didn't need extra blankets, but she didn't know that James had seen her shivering one too many times and he wouldn't think twice about giving her as many blankets as she wanted.
Over the past few nights, James had come home to Jessie wearing a smile as she slept, and not a constant scowl, as he was used to. He quite enjoyed seeing her relax and be happy.
Sliding off his own shoes, James didn't bother to change his clothes before sliding into bed next to Jessie.
She had an odd scent. It was something like determination mixed with fierce anger and unlike many women, who preferred floral scents, Jessie preferred milk and honey-scented lotion. To James, there was absolutely nothing better. To her credit, Jessie didn't smother herself in the smell like Jessiebelle had; there was just enough to keep James hanging on and wanting more.
Gingerly, as he did every night on their vacation, he slid his arms around Jessie's waist and pulled her close to him. He inhaled, relaxing with the knowledge she was in his arms and safe and happy and healthy.
Eyes closing almost instantly, he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck.
"Love you, Jess."