Hello everybody! So, I need to explain a few things before we get started. First of all, I'm working on a bunch of oneshots and any multi-chapter fic plans have been put off until summer. Secondly, Vanilla and Pumpkin is dead for a while. Sorry.
Anyway.
This was written for a contest for the livecastershipping group on deviantART. Eli is my beta reader, Konpeki Rei's, OC from his Teen Titans fanfic Guardian Reaper. It's a great story and it's on this site, go check it out. I'll wait. On that note, KR also checked over this story for me, so thanks dude.
I don't own Pokemon. If I did, well, this would be canon.
UPDATE: This story got third place in the contest! Woo hoo!
Curtis gulps as he scans the cream structure before him. Soft red velvet cushions his sneakers. He tugs at his beanie, obscuring any sign of his trademark green, leaving only blonde tips in sight.
He has finally, finally got a day off from work. A day off from being Pokemon Idol Christoph, a day off from the cameras and media. So where was he spending it?
Among the cameras and media.
It wasn't by choice. He wanted to spend it fishing, or maybe visiting the Nimbasa City amusement park. Take in the world from the Ferris wheel. But he wanted to spend time with her above all else.
That's how he ended up in front of the cinema at Pokestar Studios, amidst the crowd gathering for a showing of the Brycen-Man. His ears could only pick out snippets of conversations due to the din.
"Mommy! I want a balloon!" "Omigosh, wasn't that Sabrina?" "Four bucks for a small popcorn? Really?" Curtis envied the owners of these words, greedy for a chance to sample their normal, humdrum lives.
A light touch draws him out of his reverie, a familiar tap he recognizes as hers. He turns around and smirks. "Hey, Mei."
The girl, clad in a pair of black leggings, blue gym shorts, and a long sleeved tee, gasps a little. "You... you recognized me? I thought this was a good disguise..." She tucks a rebel strand of chocolate hair back underneath her bandana, clearly an attempt to hide her distinctive buns.
Curtis gives a silent laugh. 'Now you know how I feel,' he thinks, but aloud he answers with "you're the only person I know that sneaks up on me like that on a regular basis. I knew it had to be you."
Mei flushes a pale pink, but quickly recovers and grasps Curtis' palm. "C'mon, I know a place where we can hang out. No crowds or anything." The boy allows himself to be dragged into the building that houses the soundstages and up the stairs inside. The pair reaches a doorway at the end of the corridor- and a leather-clad arm stretches out as a barrier. "Hey! Unless you're Mei or her crew, ya need to be movin' along, ya hear?"
Mei sighs and unties her bandana. "Jeez, Eli, it's me. This is my friend. Excuse us, please?"
Eli nods in shame. "Of course, Miss Mei, ma'am. Sorry. Go right ahead." The tough guy act drops and a foreign lilt enhances the young man's voice. He lowers his arm and Curtis skirts past the bouncer. His jaw drops as he descends the stairwell. The room is bright and posh, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and bouquets in glass vases. Scripts sit neatly in a row on a desk by a flat-screen TV. Racks of costumes stand proud against the walls. Behind a partition jutting halfway across the space, two ladies with manicured nails and perfect coifs gossip over a salon chair. "You have your own dressing room?"
Mei nods, hands clasped behind her back. "Yep! And today it's yours too!"
The Idol-in-disguise blinks. "M-mine?" he stutters.
"Uh-huh!" she replies. "I'm allowed to bring friends. We can hang out here. Mr. Deeoh won't mind." She plops down on the sofa, feet propped up on the reflective surface of the coffee table.
Curtis slumps down next to her. "And you don't have to do any filming or anything?"
The starlet shakes her head, tendrils swishing. "Nope. Isn't it great? We both have the day off!"
The Idol-in-disguise lifts a solitary eyebrow. "Then why are we here? Why not the amusement park like we usually do? No offense, but I enjoy riding the Ferris wheel with you. It's one of the highlights of my day." Inwardly, he kicks himself for revealing that snippet of information. Thank Arceus, however, as it doesn't seem as if his friend has heard him.
Mei pauses and eventually says "I just... want to relax. Just you and me, talking for a while, not doing anything, not worrying about the other leaving. No worrying the ride will end. Just... hang out. Be ordinary. An ordinary day. Is that a problem?" A sad question creeps into her brown eyes.
Curtis gives a closed-mouth smile. "It's fine. Ordinary, huh? Well, show me an ordinary day in the life of Mei, champion of Unova and movie star."
Mei nods gleefully and grabs a remote off of the table. "Wanna watch some TV?" Curtis shrugs, and she flicks the ON button. The screen blinks to life, revealing an iconic- and familiar- face chatting on a talk show.
Mei squeals. "It's the new interview with Christoph!" Her pupils are drawn to the handsome features of the singer, his headset perching just so, his ruffled tie crisp. "I missed it because I had rehearsal yesterday, but a rerun is just as good!"
Curtis blanches, but manages to say "you're a Christoph fan?"
The girl beams. "He's awesome! I have all his CDs! But... hey, isn't that an Eevee?" Indeed, a Pokemon sits by his side, but not one of his personal favorite Electric type.
The interviewer seems to have the same thought. "What's this? Today you have Eevee with you, don't you?"
Curtis already knew how the rest of the conversation would go, and barely resists the urge to mouth along. On the television, Christoph chuckles. "That's right! This Eevee was traded to me by a very dear friend. Isn't it the coolest?" A pale red tinge creeps to his cheeks as his "very dear friend" coos over the Normal-type Pokemon.
"Isn't it funny, though, how he just got traded this Eevee? I mean, this was filmed the day after Igave you one!" Mei exclaims, and the golden-haired male freezes. But the female Trainer shrugs and answers her own question. "Eh, coincidence, I guess. Oh yeah, that reminds me- Spinda's doing great!"
Curtis grins and his hand drifts to his belt. After a few seconds' deliberation, he grabs a Pokeball and holds it in front of his companion. "Wanna trade again?"
"Shoot! Hold on- I need to get to a PC!" she squeaks and vanishes from the room. Curtis extends his legs and stands, walking to the desk across the room. He glances over the titles on the screenplays. The Boxcar Cinccino... The Trumpet of the Swanna... A Tale of Two Skitty... The Empoleon's New Clothes... Galvantula's Travels... Snivy in Ivyland... He smiled at the last one; it was a favorite of his as a child. The door opens and Mei reappears, a Net Ball in her clutch.
Curtis deftly throws his Pokeball, and Mei does the same. They catch the other's toss, the procedure simple after so much practice. Curtis makes a motion for her to open hers first. She does, and a small egg-shaped creature with a geometric pattern on its shell lands in her arms. "Toga-ripp!" it chirps.
"A Togepi! Aw, aren't you a cutie?" She brings the Spike Ball Pokemon towards her cheek, where it pets it fondly.
"Straight from the Kanto region. Plus I made sure it doesn't know Metronome, so you can use it in your movies," Curtis happily boasts.
Mei flushes some. "That's... that's really sweet of you... Oh, open mine!" Curtis presses the release button on the ball. It shakes, and the beam of light reveals a blue fish-like animal with two dangling yellow orbs.
The boy gasps in recognition. "Is this a Chinchou?" The Pokemon nods, its antenna swishing. "It's an Electric type... and a Water... wait, is that?..." He fingers the Chinchou's lip, and he notices a tiny hole. "Mei, did you go fishing for this?" The girl is positively Lava Cookie red at the query. Curtis walks over and wraps his free arm around the actress' shoulders. "Thanks, Mei. This means a lot to me."
Gently, she rests her chin in the crook of his neck, noting how broad it is. "Anytime, Curtis." He pulls away and looks back at the TV. "You don't mind if we finish watching the interview?" she questions.
"Nah. Besides, today we're just hanging out. Last time I checked, watching a TV interview qualifies as 'hanging out.'" He recalls the Chinchou to its Net Ball and sinks into the plush seat covers. "Sit down, Mei. I won't bite." Mei sets Togepi down on the middle cushion of the sofa before curling up on the edge, hair bun caressing the armrest. Togepi gives another purr and adjusts itself between her bent legs. Laughing, Curtis kicks of his sneakers and places his entire lower body on the couch. He tries to focus on the interview, but it's a challenge, what with the distraction of feeling Mei's toes wiggle against his soles.
"Christoph, tell me. I know being a Pokemon Idol is exhausting," the interviewer begins, "but when you do get time off, what do you do?"
The singer scratches his cheek. "Well... I fish a lot, as I've mentioned before. It's relaxing. But whenever I have a free moment, I like to talk to a friend of mine. This friend... is really special." The audience "aww"s as Christoph blushes.
"Is this the same friend that gave you that Eevee?" inquires the interviewer.
The Eevee nods, letting out an excited "ee-vwui!" Christoph chortles and gives the Evolution Pokemon a hug. "Yep, that friend... she's great."
Curtis glances at Mei, who is engrossed by the program. That's right, Mei, you are great. You're special, you're dear, you're... a lot of things to me, he muses.
"OK, thank you, Christoph!" The interviewer leads the crowd in a burst of applause and cat calls. "Don't change the channel, because we'll be right back with our second guest star, Nancy!"
Mei jerks a finger on the power button of the remote just as an ad for Join Avenue begins to play. "So, what do you want to do now?"
Curtis rubs his nose. "Don't hate me, but... because of my job, I haven't seen any of your movies. I've been in other regions while they've been playing." He holds up his hands. "Blame my job; if I had had a chance, I would've been at the premieres!"
Mei's jaw drops, but it soon returns to a smirking expression. "Then it's a good thing a showing of Brycen-Man is about to begin, huh?" She snatches the boy's palm and jumps over the sofa towards the stairs. "C'mon, Curtis, it's show time!"
It seems to Curtis like only seconds between his suggestion and when the curtain rises on Mei's first film, The Riolu Girl vs. Brycen-Man! Curtis has to admit, Mei looked awesome- almost beautiful- in the spandex costume, and her delivery of her lines was dead on, causing his pulse to elevate. "Bring it on!" Riolu Girl shouts, and goosebumps begin to form on his elbows. All too quickly, the credits begin to roll and the packed theater claps estaticaly. The blonde boy is among them, giving a soft whistle that causes the girl in the seat next to him to gently swat his shoulder. "Stop it!" the heroine of the film whispers.
Outside in the lobby of the theater, countless fans rush up to Mei, handing her goodies and showering her in praise. Mei graciously accepts the offerings, but Curtis notices a slight difference between her behavior here and when it's just the two of them. This Mei is more flighty, more classy. No contractions in her speech, but frequent airy laughs. He realizes it's all an act, just like in the flicks.
Eventually, the masses disperse and the pair return to the harmonical solitude of the dressing room. Mei grins and turns to look Curtis dead in the eyes. "So, what do you think? Do you like my movies?"
He bites his lower lip in reflection. "Yes, but..."
The Champion of the Unova region, the budding starlet, his best friend, looks crestfallen. "But?" Togepi's Pokeball wriggles in angry on her belt.
"But I like you better," he finishes with a sigh. "Just plain old you. Not Riolu Girl, not actress Mei, none of those facades. I like ordinary Mei the best." He rotates 180 degrees and begins to climb up the steps out of the room.
A hand seizes a handful of his puffy jacket. "That's OK. Because if I had to choose..." She leans in close to his ear, her breath brushing his hair around. "I'd say that I like ordinary Curtis more than Christoph."
He spins on his heel, his eyes widen, his mouth contorts. "You knew?"
Mei laughs. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. But on a more serious note," she asks, intertwining her fingers with his. "How was an ordinary day with me?"
The beam she receives is reply enough, but a few words never hurt. "The best ordinary day ever."