Title: The Last First Kiss
Characters: Red, Green
Summary: There's an unspoken love between the two that only seemed inevitable since the start of their nascent relationship. It was only a matter of time before the two acknowledge it.
Notes: One thousand four hundred seventy-seven words. Originalshipping. Gameverse.
Song Playing: "Inevitable" by Anberlin.
"Hydro cannon, Blastoise! Woooosh!"
A Blastoise plushie knocks a Charizard plushie out of Red's hand, who looks up at his rival friend. Unsurprised by the violent gesture, he calmly picks up his Charizard, giving it an absentminded pat and places it beside him.
"And the winner is Green Oak, the undefeated champion of Kanto! Look at the crowd roar!" Green jumps up to mimic an audience only visible in his mind, as he wildly waves his Blastoise around in the air. "Will Green be the strongest Pokémon trainer Kanto has ever seen?"
Red smiles a little, as he crawls over to tug on Green's shirt to bring him back to reality. "You have been beaten once or twice, you know," he says, bemused.
"Well, that doesn't count because I was sick then!" Green retorts. "Besides, I know I will be the champion of Kanto. Just watch! And I'll even let you challenge me… that is, if you manage to pull your sissy act together!"
"We'll see about that," the raven-haired boy answers, looking down at the Charizard plushie in his hand.
.
Two boys sit at the edge of the dock, staring out at the lake below Pallet Town. It's the day before Red and Green's journeys respectively begin, as they set out to receive a Pokémon from Professor Oak and ultimately, face off and compete to see who can reach the top first.
Green grins with delight, knowing that his grandfather has a special Pokémon saved just for him. Shame he wouldn't tell the boy, continuously stating that it wouldn't be fair otherwise. So instead, the cocky, but good-natured boy resorts to boasting in front of his best friend, Red.
"And Gramps said that this Pokémon's pretty hard to get! Pretty lucky of me, huh? I wonder which Pokémon it could be… maybe… I'll get a super awesome Squirtle that already knows the strongest moves!"
"Or perhaps your grandpa has something else in store for you altogether," Red responds quietly, though with an understanding smile. Despite Green's complaints about how his grandfather seems to treat Red better, the raven-haired boy knows all-too-well that Professor Oak thinks nothing but the best for his grandson.
Rolling his eyes, Green merely scoffs at the response, refusing to acknowledge any possibility that he would get such a plain Pokémon. Paranoia takes over, however, as he thinks of how his grandfather's eyes widened when he first took notice of how Red approached the Pokémon in the lab.
"You have yourself a rather talented friend, Green," his grandfather remarks after Red leaves for dinner.
"What do you mean, Gramps? He always loses the battles we have!"
"But battles aren't everything, my grandson." Professor Oak pats Green on the head, much to the boy's agitation, and goes back to mull over Red.
Green admits it. He is slightly jealous of the fact that despite being the grandson of Professor Oak, the fact that his grandfather displayed a larger interest in his friend confused him… even angered him. But at the same time, the boy couldn't help but wonder if this is possible admiration for his friend who merely grew in knowledge of Pokémon.
"Hey, what are you thinking about that you're not talking? Well, not that you ever do." He nudges Red impatiently.
"You."
Curious red eyes meet forest green, and Green finds himself looking away to hide the rush of warmth in his cheeks. "W-Why are you thinking about me?"
"No reason," Red answers, turning his attention back to the lake.
And at that moment, Green realizes that he finds himself feeling utterly self-conscious, wondering if those piercing red eyes could see through into his heart, or perhaps even hear his heartbeat speed up a little.
He's my friend… a rival, too, I guess… but he's also… what?
.
Green finds himself staring at the ceiling with frustration. It's not even the fact that the excitement of starting his journey is keeping him up. Instead, his thoughts are completely consumed by feelings that seem to clash with one another; feelings that all seem to revolve around Red.
Over the years, it never occurred to him that his heart flutters a little every time he sees Red. Given, it could just act like that because Red's his friend. And well, Green grudgingly admits to himself that he doesn't really have any other friends (save Leaf, but she's a girl and doesn't count).
Red's a rival, a friend, nothing more… maybe. But as the eleven-year-old tries to wrap his mind around those two labels, a third label seems to come in: love.
He shakes his head wildly, knowing all too well that it's not possible to love a friend in that sense.
Instead of lying in bed to allow his thoughts drive him insane, he grabs his cell phone (bought just for this journey) and calls the first number on the list: Red's.
"Hello?" a voice whispers after two rings.
"Red, can you meet me at the dock?"
"… okay," Red murmurs. "This better be good."
"Yeah, yeah, it'll be the best thing to wake up to at two in the morning," Green responds. "Well, no… I just need someone to talk to… I can't sleep." A mix of a grunt and an 'okay' comes from the other line, and with a small smile, he adds, "Thanks. You're the best."
The other boy doesn't respond, but Green could tell from the comfortable silence that Red is smiling as well.
.
Green is already there when Red arrives, and he's shocked that the boy is able to make a break out of the house so quickly. Generally, he would have had to go through Daisy, but seeing how it is two in the morning, it makes sense that his sister would be sound asleep.
Quiet as ever, Red sits down next to the other boy, lightly tapping him as a greeting.
"You're late," Green says flatly.
"You never mentioned a time," Red murmurs smugly. Outspoken as always, but Red appreciates that about his friend. Green is always capable of filling this silent void that the raven-haired boy has spent all his life trying to avoid. He feels complete being near Green, and if time could ever stop, he would let it so that he could spend all his time with the other.
It's a shame that the two must separate for their journeys, and Red can't help but sigh at the thought. He can only hope that his new Pokémon friend will be social enough to help fill that void like Green does.
Red's thoughts are interrupted by Green, who asks, "Why the long sigh?"
"I don't want to leave," he responds softly. "Or… I just wish time didn't work like it does."
Green raises an eyebrow. "You make no sense, you know that?"
Red chuckles, but shrugs a little, almost as if to say that it couldn't be helped. It doesn't matter if he makes sense or not, at least in his mind. The only thing that matters is that every last second is shared with someone who has helped him out of what would have otherwise been an unavoidable chasm of silence.
"What am I?" Green asks suddenly. "And I don't want your one-worded answers or anything! Come on, you must be able to get at least a sentence out. I've seen you do it!"
Red tilts his head to the side. "My friend," he starts, receiving a glare from the other boy (unbeknownst that Red hasn't even finished).
"I said don't give me a one-worded ans—"
"—who I love."
His lips twitch into a smile as he watches Green's face contort between a mix of horror and embarrassment. It's replaced, however, by a wistful look, as Green leans in to close the space between the two, awkwardly bumping noses with Red.
Startled at first, Red eventually relaxes and tilts his head to the side in order to press his lips against Green's. It feels odd kissing his own best friend, but those slightly chapped lips open to allow a sweet breath escape and make his heart race. Hungry for more, he leans in a little, noses bumping again as the two keep their lips locked.
After several seconds, Red pulls away in order to bury his head into the crook of Green's neck to inhale a scent which seems to have picked up a new definition. If comfort could have a smell and taste, Green is just that… and he never wanted to taste anyone else's lip's or feel someone else's touch.
"We're meeting back in Pallet Town again, right?" Green asks quietly, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Red's body. He never realized how lanky the kid was until that very embrace. "After I become champion and stuff."
"Yeah," Red whispers, his breath tickling the brunet's skin. "We'll meet again."