So this is just a quick Checkmateshipping oneshot. I can't believe there isn't more of this shipping out there! Give Cheren some love!
Anyway, enjoy! :)
Worth The Wait
Cheren looked up as he heard a knock on the door. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall and he frowned. Another challenger, and at noon? He shook his head.
"What a bother" he said out loud.
He set down his plate and walked to the door.
"Listen you are going to have to-"
"Cher!" he heard an excited voice squeal.
His head snapped up at the sound of the nickname and voice he hadn't heard in years.
"White?"
Cheren hadn't seen the small brunette since she had battled N and Ghetsis on that fateful day. She had happily decided to go and try to conquer other region's leagues, and he hadn't seen or heard from her since.
"Hi Cheren, long time no see!" she exclaimed, quickly throwing her arms around him in a hug.
Cheren froze, and his heart started pounding, just like it used to. He hadn't seen White for almost two years, but he sure had thought about her. He had been head over heels for the small girl since they were ten and it seemed that things hadn't changed a bit. White however, never seemed to return his feelings, and he knew she saw him as just a friend, nothing more.
"Hi White" Cheren said quietly, tightly wrapping his arms around her as well.
White pulled back after a second and Cheren stifled a frown, though not without trouble.
White curiously looked around the room.
"So you did it, you finally became a gym leader" she said with a smile.
Cheren lightly nodded, following her gaze and looking around the room as well. He had drastically upgraded since the last time she had seen him. Back then he was Alder's apprentice, but now he had a gym of his own, and a nice one at that.
Her gaze turned back to him and he began to feel self-conscious as her eyes swept him up and down, finally locking on his.
"So Bianca didn't lie" she said with a slight smile.
Cheren gave her a confused look, "What do you mean?"
"She told me you had really grown up, and you sure have" she said with a smile, nodding towards his tie.
Cheren slightly blushed, "Well, you've grown up as well" he said.
White had lost the cap that made her look like a newbie trainer. She had replaced her white tank top and black vest with a tight fitting purple sweatshirt but her shorts had stayed the same.
She smiled, "Yeah, I guess we all have" she paused, "and I like the contacts as well"
Cheren chuckled lightly and nodded, "Thanks"
He had had a lot of trouble getting used to not having glasses, as it was a nervous habit of his to push them up the bridge of his nose. But he had wanted to impress White so he bought some contacts, just in time for her to leave.
"So, would you mind giving me the tour?" she asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
"Sure thing" he said with a smile and motioned for her to follow him.
It was a rather structured gym. Three battlefields, all evenly spaced and on a neatly swept surface. He showed her around the inside as well. Everything was white and brown, wood floors, white beds, everything impeccably clean; but that would be expected with Cheren's personality.
"Wow, this is an amazing gym" White said with awe, brushing her hand along the marble counter in the kitchen.
Cheren turned his head to the side, concealing a blush, "Thanks"
He once again looked up at the clock and realized the tour had actually taken three hours and he noticed exactly how hungry he was. He walked over and picked up his sandwich, sitting down at the table and motioned for White to join him. She practically skipped over and sat down in the chair next to his, propping her legs up on his lap.
Cheren smiled lightly, being brought back to his childhood. White and Cheren had known each other since they were born and they were almost like brother and sister. White had little quirks, such as putting her feet on his lap when eating, that she had developed with Cheren over the years.
He was brought out of his thoughts as she snatched half of the sandwich off of his plate. He frowned and glared at her. That was another quirk, she always stole his food.
"Thanks Cher" she said and took a bite.
Cheren hated to admit it but his heart melted when she used that name and he was suddenly fine with it if she took the entire sandwich.
"So, now that you know what I've been up to, what about you?" he asked, straightening his tie.
She swallowed, "Well, I went to Hoenn and I blew through that league in record time," she said, "And I also entered and won the grandfestival in Hoenn as well" she said with a grin.
Cheren widened his eyes, "Wow, that's impressive White"
His heart sank though. As much as he was glad White was doing so well, a different emotion pulled at his heart. She was so talented, at both battling and apparently contests. She was the legendary hero, and probably would be a trainer known around the world soon as well. He looked down at the plate in front of him. He wasn't anything special; he was a bookworm who was more interested in mathematics than having fun. She was energetic and carefree, he was calm, and a worry wart.
"Chereeeeen" she said, waving a hand in front of his face.
He was snapped out of his thoughts and realized he had been in his own little world, not listening to her.
"I thought I lost you there" she said with a giggle.
He chuckled as well but frowned when he heard the doorbell.
"What was that?" White asked, looking at the ceiling.
"Probably another challenger" he said with a sigh, wiping his mouth and standing up.
"So that's your doorbell? Yikes, I would think that would get annoying after a while"
Cheren chuckled and nodded, walking over and pulling open the door. Sure enough it was a challenger. As a gym leader he had to accept all challenges so he reluctantly motioned the trainer inside and out onto the battlefield.
"Ooh can I watch?" White asked, tugging on his arm.
Cheren smiled, "Of course"
Cheren found himself suddenly nervous. He had never been nervous battling before, but with White watching intently from the sidelines he found his eyes flicking over to her rapidly.
As soon as the match was underway however he slipped into his normal routine and with his trusty Stoutland, he easily defeated the trainer. He gave the normal speech he gave to trainers when they lost, letting them know what the rules were for trying to challenge the gym again. He bid farewell to the trainer and closed the door with a relieved sigh.
"I see you haven't lost any of your battling abilities" White said with a grin.
Cheren laughed nervously, "I guess not"
"That was amazing, you know I've always been a little bit jealous of you" she said, sitting on a stool at the counter.
Cheren coughed, surprised by this, "Why?" he asked, a little louder than he should have. What on earth did he have that made White jealous?
"You're so smart, and you seem so calm when you battle, like you already have everything a few moves ahead all planned out."
Cheren blinked a few times, trying to process this. She was jealous of the way he battled. Possibly the best trainer in history was jealous of him.
"That's ridiculous" he said, walking over and putting the used plate in the sink.
White made a face, "You need to learn how to take a compliment"
Cheren chuckled, he had heard her say that many times over the years, and he was beginning to get used to it.
"Fine, thank you White" he said, trying to sound charismatic.
"That's better" she said with a nod and a smile.
They spent the rest of the day talking about everything they had missed in each other's life. The hours seemed to fly by in record time and before they knew it, it was already almost one in the morning.
"I guess I should be getting to bed" Cheren said, lightly yawning.
"Yeah, I guess" White said, sighing.
"So where are you going?" he asked.
White gave him a confused look, "What do you mean where am I going?"
"I figured you would be with Alder and the Elite Four by now, since you got back this morning"
White nodded, "Yeah I'm headed over to the Pokémon League tomorrow. But…. If it isn't a hindrance, I was actually kind of hoping to crash here tonight" she said, glancing over at the couch that looked extremely comfortable.
Cheren's eyes flew wide open.
"Yes, yes of course you can stay here, stay for as long as you like" he said quickly, not wanting to miss what he considered to be a chance of a lifetime having her stay with him.
"Okay thanks Cher, I'll just sleep on the couch" she said, standing up and walking over to the large fluffy piece of furniture.
"No, no you won't. I have a spare bedroom" Cheren said, getting up and walking over to pick up her bag. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible, so maybe she would be tempted to stay for a while.
"Oh, okay" she said, following him down the hall. He pushed open a door and motioned her inside.
"I hope this is fine" Cheren said nervously, suddenly seeing all the flaws in absolutely anything.
"Are you kidding? This is great!" she exclaimed, flopping down on the large white bed.
Cheren sighed in relief, "Good. Alright then White, you have a good night's sleep"
White nodded, "You too Cher"
He walked out of the room and quietly shut the door. He felt jittery inside at the notion of her sleeping in his gym. Impressed by his gym. He grinned to himself, hoping he would be able to fall asleep with all the excitement he felt.
Cheren woke up to a knock on his door. He quickly blinked his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow.
"Who is it?"
"It's White, can I come in?" he heard her ask quietly.
"Yes, of course" he said quickly. As he heard the door creak open he leaned over and turned on the lamp, putting on his glasses so he could see.
He watched as she quietly shut the door behind her and walked closer to him. She had her arms wrapped around herself and a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong White?" he asked, concerned.
"I-I had a bad dream" she said.
To any normal person this would have sounded childish but he knew better. White had had incredibly horrifying dreams since she was very little and had always come for comfort in Cheren. Usually at sleepovers she would say this and he would allow her to sleep by him, comforting her throughout the night. He realized he had gotten to be almost like a security blanket to her and for some reason he liked it.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She nodded, "Can-can I sleep in here with you?"
"Of course you can, White" he said in the most soothing voice possible.
She slightly smiled and he pulled the covers down a bit. She started to climb in but paused and glanced up at him, smiling.
"I like your contacts, but I have to admit I like you in glasses better, you look more like my Cheren that way" she said, climbing in beside him.
He froze, his heart pounding at what she had said.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"You know" she said, laying her head on his chest like she always did, "Like the Cheren I grew up with, the one I know so well"
His lips twitched into a smile and he nodded, pulling the covers back up and gently stroking her hair like he always did to comfort her.
It felt routine even though he hadn't consoled her because of a bad dream in years.
"Are you alright?" White asked, tilting her head up to look at his face.
Cheren scrunched his eyebrows together, "Yeah, why do you ask?"
She shrugged, "Your heart is just beating awfully fast"
He blushed profusely at this remark but didn't respond. He leaned over slightly and turned off the light, deciding to keep on his glasses however after her comment.
He stayed awake, now not able to fall asleep. He wanted to revel in the feeling of having the girl he loved clinging to him, even if it wasn't for the reason he wanted.
He looked down at her face and squinted, realizing her eyes were still open.
"I really missed you White" he said quietly.
She glanced up at him and he saw a small smile on her face.
"I missed you too Cher"
This shocked Cheren for some reason, "Really?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded.
She made a face, "Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?"
He honestly didn't have an answer to her question so he just shrugged, "I don't know, it's just hard to imagine you feeling something for me" he said.
He froze, mentally slamming his head against the wall at how his words came out. It made it sound like she had felt things for him romantically, not just simply had a feeling, like happiness, sadness, or in this case the feeling of missing someone.
He was shocked however when she continued the conversation like nothing had happened.
"Yeah, I didn't think I would miss anyone here, or you, or Bianca, but I really did. I didn't at first, but then the thought of everyone….. or you, would creep back into my mind and I would start feeling homesick."
A large smile broke across his face, "I'm just glad your back now" he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
He saw her frown and he suddenly felt worried, his smile fading. She propped herself up on his chest and looked him square in the eyes.
"Something has been bothering me though"
Cheren's eyes widened, "And what might that be?"
"Well" she started and he could hear the hesitancy in her voice, "Bianca, whenever she was telling me all about how things had changed, and everything that had gone on, she kind of mentioned something about you"
Cheren's heart once again started pounding and his eyes flitted from side to side. What could Bianca have told White? He gulped, fearing for the worst.
"What about me?" he asked, starting to slightly shake.
"Well, she had said that you had talked and asked about me a lot while I was gone; well… more than a lot."
Cheren paused, that wasn't too bad.
"And she also added that that behavior would be understandable coming from you"
He once again started to shake, but felt oddly excited.
"Oh, and why would that be?" he asked, sweat starting to form on his forehead.
"Well" White started, "She said that you have had a" she stopped and Cheren wondered if his heart was going to fly out of his chest at the velocity it was beating.
"You have had a crush on me since we were little" she blurted out quickly.
Cheren suddenly stopped shaking. She had finally said it; it was out, now they just had to address it.
"Oh yeah?" he said, not knowing what to say.
"Well, you know, is it true?" she asked, her eyes flitting back and forth, looking into his, searching for answers.
Cheren paused a moment, carefully choosing his answer. He could lie; Bianca was always blowing things way out of proportion. That would salvage their friendship. But what if she felt the same way and he missed his opportunity, but it could also bring their friendship to a close.
Cheren sighed, knowing he couldn't lie to her.
"Yeah- yeah it's true" he said quietly.
He looked down, not wanting to meet her gaze. He waited for her answer, and when it didn't come he began shaking again. Was she really that mad at him that she didn't answer? Or perhaps she was in shock? Or maybe-
He was jerked out of his thoughts as he felt something soft press against his lips. His eyes immediately flicked back up and he felt like he could faint. She was kissing him, she was actually kissing him. This wonderful girl who was so special and could have any man she wanted, was kissing him.
She pulled back after a second or two and frowned.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked and he realized he had been completely still throughout the kiss.
"NO!" he shouted, praying his lack of movement wouldn't make it so she didn't want to kiss him again.
"Oh, so you just didn't want to…." she trailed off and Cheren began to panic. Her thinking that he didn't want to kiss her was even worse than her thinking she was doing something wrong. In all honestly Cheren hadn't really ever been with a girl and that was only the second kiss he had ever gotten, not to mention the one he had waited for, for almost ten years.
"No" he said as calmly as he could and wrapped his hand around her face.
"Then why-"
He crushed his lips to hers; cutting her off and he could sense her surprise. He began to worry when she stayed still, just like he had but after a few moments he felt her lips move slightly with his.
They continued their lip lock for a good ten minutes, seemingly making up for the lost time, before they broke for air.
"That was wonderful" he said breathily.
"Yeah it was" she said with a smile.
He was suddenly overtaken with sadness however as he realized their small moment of ecstasy wouldn't continue. She would be leaving the next morning, and he probably wouldn't see her for another few years again. He wanted her to stay; he wanted her to be all his, and no one else's. He never wanted her out of his sight. Now that he knew she apparently seemed to feel the same, the thought of her leaving and not staying by his side crushed him.
"I don't want you to go tomorrow" he almost whined. He wanted her to always be sleeping with her head on his chest. He wanted to be hers, and he wanted her to be his.
He felt her hand brush against his cheek, "I won't" she said softly.
His eyes widened, and searched for hers in the dark, "You won't?" he said, sounding almost giddy.
She chuckled, "After that, how do you think I could?"
"Oh, thank you White" he said happily, again greedily bringing her lips to his.
She pulled back after a minute or two and smiled.
"Goodnight Cher"
"Goodnight White" he said, an air of excitement still in his voice.
She once again snuggled down on his chest and he smiled, leaning back and putting one arm around her shoulders, the other behind his head.
It almost felt like a dream to him, and he contemplated whether or not to pinch himself. He had spent most of his life pining after this girl to no avail and now, years later, she finally returned what he felt for her for so long.
'Yes' he thought to himself, 'It was well worth the wait'
A/N: So I hope you enjoyed it! This is my first oneshot and first Checkmateshipping story, so I hope it was enjoyable. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated!