A/N 2019:
Greetings, reader. Hope you're well.
TL;DR – grammar choices I've made while writing this fic. If you're interested or need something clarified, read on. Otherwise, thank you for visiting this fic today. I appreciate your time, and I hope you enjoy the second instalment. Happy reading!
I realised I need to clarify what I'm doing with capitals and smalls for pokémon names. So, in this story, as in the games, Pokémon in general has a capital – for both the singular and plural. However, each species has a lowercase first letter. I've always been of the opinion that pokémon names work the same as animals': 'cat' and 'dog' are lowercase, thus 'pikachu', 'nidoran' and 'clefairy' should be too. My own personal preference goes against the canon of the games though, so whilst I prefer writing pokémon with a lowercase, like right now, it will be capitalised in the story.
But, when a Trainer (also capitalised in-game, which bothers me – we don't write 'I'm a Human', or 'My mother is a Nurse'…) doesn't give their Pokémon a nickname, and refers to them by their species name, that Pokémon will have a capital letter. For example, Leaf's ninetales is called Ninetales, and Blue's arcanine is called Arcanine. The same way your dad is lowercase, but you might directly call him Dad. Sorry for any confusion and for the frustrating inconsistency. I hope that helps a little when you're reading.
One more thing. In my writing, the plural of a Pokémon is always just that Pokémon's name, unchanged. You can have one snorlax or many snorlax. I know the community is a bit divided on this one, but personally I feel it sounds grammatically incorrect to say 'many snorlaxes'. Feel free to healthily disagree with me on this point. I just wanted to clarify the grammar style of this fic.
A/N (original):
As you can see, reader, this fic sort of grew into a monster. It was meant to be a story in two parts, but already it's going to have to be at least three. There's just too much of their story to tell! Please bear with me as I write the third part; I promise I'll have it done as soon as possible. They just take forever to write (look how long it's been since I posted part one!).
Anyway! I hope you enjoy the second instalment. It's another mammoth read, so better go make yourself another hot chocolate!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or 'All This and Heaven Too' by Florence + The Machine.
Happy reading!
H . E . A . R . T . L . I . N . E . S
Part Two
and the heart is hard to translate, it has a language of its own
The wedding was held on a blissfully sunny day in mid-summer. The sky was strong blue as far as the eye could see, and though the sun burned overhead the guests weren't uncomfortable. It was as though they'd been blessed with the perfect day.
And Pallet Town's tiny church had never been more charming.
It seemed half the town had been somehow packed into the old-fashioned wooden pews. Lengths of white cascoon silk were looped under the windows. Big white ribbons tied into fat bows decorated the ends of the pews. Rays of sunlight illuminated the stain-glass window behind the altar, bathing the floor in rainbows.
The bride was a vision in ivory. She floated down the aisle to the airy notes of the organ, following a trail of roselia petals scattered by her sweet clefairy, her bell-skirt swishing with each step. Diamantes glittered in the train that trailed at her heels and in the veil that masked her face. Loose ringlets cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She held a bouquet of fat ivory roses at her slender waist.
The groom stood a little straighter, one foot tapping nervously. An indescribable and very private sort of joy painted his features. Adoration radiated from his eyes as he watched her approach. His proud poliwhirl stood beside him, carefully holding the box containing the wedding rings.
The ceremony was short, sweet and traditional. The rings were exchanged, and when it was finally time for the long-awaited kiss to seal the deal, there was a collective murmur from the guests as he took her waist and drew her close, catching her lips with his own.
The reception was held in one of Pallet's only function halls; a cream-walled room with large windows and thick, gold carpet. Long white-clothed buffet tables presented an assortment of hor d'ouevres and glasses of champagne and punch. The guest tables were dotted around the room, leaving a large space in the middle for a makeshift dance floor. The atmosphere buzzed with the pleasant chatter of human and Pokémon voices. Soft, jazzy music set a comfortable mood.
Leaf wore green to the wedding. Her dress was a soft, misty sort of colour that made her hazel eyes look greener than usual, and she'd pulled half of her thick brown hair back into a medieval sort of 'do. She was standing by the buffet table, selecting from the very tasteful stack of wedding cupcakes when a voice in her ear startled her.
"Dance?"
When Blue had first called about Daisy's wedding, Leaf had thought he was using his 'uncontested favour' to get her to go. But it had turned out Daisy had invited her anyway, and he was just passing on the message. She'd intended to bring Red, but he'd scheduled an interview with some magazine or other to cover his term as Champion. Surprisingly enough, Blue hadn't brought one of his bimbos for company, like she'd expected. She hadn't been looking forward to forcing brainless small talk and fake smiles.
"I'm clearly busy right now," she replied sarcastically, swiping some frosting from the cupcake with her fingertip and showing it to him.
Blue turned and leaned against the table, his eyes grazing the dance floor casually. Dozens of couples – mostly older – were swaying around, laughing and smiling together. A few braver pairs were reminiscing the old days with some swing. One annoyingly proficient duo was doing something fancy. They probably competed. There was always one of those couples at every wedding. Several Pokémon played cheerily together in small groups.
Leaf took the opportunity to glance at him briefly while he was looking elsewhere. He looked good, she had to admit. His tuxedo was smooth, gunmetal grey with dark buttons. The crisp white shirt underneath was set off by the black bow tie at the collar. His dress shoes were black leather.
He turned, catching her eyes, and she jerked guiltily, blushing and snapping her gaze back to her cupcake. But she could feel him smirking.
"Do I get your tick of approval?" Blue asked smugly.
"Actually," she replied tartly, "I didn't know you had such good fashion sense."
"I try to keep it on the down-low," he said. "Otherwise everyone'd think I'm gay."
"Well tall, blonde and well-groomed over there sure does," Leaf replied, glancing furtively to a nearby table, where a guy with meticulously swept hair and an outrageously purple blazer was trying to inadvertently catch Blue's eye.
Blue blanched. "Put the cupcake down, and come dance with me. Right now."
"Aww," Leaf teased, licking frosting from her finger. "But look, he's so… hopeful. Ooh! I think he's going to come over!"
"That's it," Blue growled, yanking the cupcake from her and dropping it on the table. Leaf was still giggling when he seized her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. He glowered at her as they settled into a comfortable hold and joined the casual sway-step that seemed to constitute the dancing.
For a moment they were quiet. Then Blue said, "I normally hate weddings, but this one actually wasn't too bad, all things considered."
Leaf was stabbed with a sharp pang of guilt. She still hadn't told him she was engaged. In fact, she'd been putting it off. She was nervous about his reaction; he could hardly be expected to be happy for her. He already thought little of Red as a boyfriend. No doubt he'd say things like she was too young, it was a thoughtless decision, she should live more of her life first…
Besides, Red hadn't bought a ring yet, and without it the engagement didn't really feel legitimate. She'd told herself she'd tell everyone when she had the ring on her finger. But she felt uncomfortable keeping it from Blue. Somehow, she knew it would only make it worse.
Leaf pushed it all to the back of her mind. "Daisy looked gorgeous."
As if she was dropping a hint, Blue glanced down at her. "Is that the dress you wore to junior prom?"
She blinked in astonishment. It was, but junior prom was years ago, and she hadn't worn it since. She'd gone as Red's partner, surprising all her old classmates who hadn't seen her since middle school, and she'd hardly even seen Blue that night. In fact, she could barely remember seeing him at all, or who he'd gone with.
"It is," she confirmed. "It's kind of creepy that you remember."
Blue shrugged indifferently. "I have a good memory."
"Who did you take again?" she asked.
"I didn't," he replied, and she detected smugness in his voice. It came back all of a sudden, and his tone made sense.
"Oh, that's right. You ended up stealing Estelle Marks from Robbie Redfern!" She laughed, then frowned. "But I thought you were with Phoebe Forrester that night."
"Actually," he corrected, "it was Yasmin Bellefleur. But I did hook up with Phoebe too at some point."
Leaf shook her head, unable to fight her smile. "We all should have seen it coming."
"What?" he asked.
"Your future ways," Leaf said, with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "You've always been a hit with the ladies. The plans for the Weeknights were set in motion years in advance."
She pulled back to grin at him. Something in his eyes made the smile fade. "What?"
He looked away, over her shoulder. "Nothing."
Unsettled, Leaf glanced around for something to inspire a change of topic. Nearby, Daisy and her new husband were dancing together, her dress glinting and winking in the light. Daisy was looking at her, and when she caught Leaf's eye a slow, disarming smile spread across her face.
"Your sister is watching us," Leaf commented, unsettled.
She felt Blue's head turn, and caught a waft of his very pleasant cologne. "So she is."
Without warning, he dropped his hand from her waist, letting go of her fingers. "I'm getting a drink. You need one?"
Leaf frowned at him in confusion. "I'm fine."
Without another word, he strode off through the dancing couples, leaving her wondering if she'd offended him somehow, and not knowing what to say to make things right.
Leaf was sitting in the lounge room, humming to herself, happily lost in a post-wedding dream-state. After the reception, everyone had seen Daisy and her husband off in the shiny white limousine that would whisk them away to their tropical, Alolan honeymoon. Then, like many of the local guests, she'd wandered home in the balmy evening.
Now she was looking through the photos on her digital camera, deleting the duds. The night beyond the dark windows was alive with the songs of bug Pokémon. The TV babbled in the background. Every now and then she took a sip from the glass of wine on the coffee table. It was nice being home for summer break.
A key sounded in the front door, and Leaf got up as Red trudged in. She skipped over to him, careful not to slosh wine on the carpet, and went up on tiptoe to kiss him. His arms found her waist for a moment.
"How was the interview?" she asked, smiling up at him.
He sighed. "Long. Depressing. How was the wedding?"
"Long. Inspiring," she replied, poking her tongue out. "But I still think we should have a spring wedding. I'm thinking April. Want some wine?" She waggled the wine glass in front of him. He shook his head, smiling softly.
"Let me dump all this stuff," he said. "Then I'll come join you."
She settled back on the sofa. A few minutes later, Red dropped down beside her, lifting her legs to resettle them over his knees. They watched the TV for a while in companionable silence.
Then Red said, "I've got some news."
Something in his voice – was it guilt? – made her set the glass down. She said warily, "Good or bad?"
He laughed. "Good, I hope." He paused for a moment, maybe trying to figure out the best wording. "I've been asked to participate in an educational program for students in Kanto."
Leaf couldn't help it. Her heart sank. Still, she plastered on a bright smile. "Well, that's exciting. What would you be doing, exactly?"
Red relaxed a little; evidently her reaction was a relief. "It's week-long inspirational camps that encourage students to connect more with their Pokémon, and with battling. Sort of a reach-for-the-stars kind of thing, you know? Believe in yourself. Follow your dreams. That sort of stuff. I'd be interacting with the students both in groups and one-on-one."
"Sounds like you'd be perfect," Leaf said, and wondered why he couldn't notice how glum she'd become. "Who asked you?"
"The head of the Department of Education – Ken Bellbird, you know? He called me after the interview today. It'd be for at least six months."
The muscles in Leaf's cheeks were starting to hurt from keeping the smile plastered. "Have you already said yes?"
"Well, no," Red replied, his enthusiasm waning a bit. "I wanted to talk to you first."
And now Leaf knew she was in a rut. If she said yes, who knew how long he'd disappear for? She'd only had him back for a few weeks! And what about their wedding plans? There was so much to organise.
But if she said no, she'd look like one of those controlling girlfriends. Fiancées. Whatever. Besides, she could see how much he wanted to do it. Frustratingly, she knew she couldn't make him turn it down, despite the red flags waving furiously in her heart.
"I think it's a great idea," she lied. "It's a great opportunity."
How many times had she said that now? She was starting to sound like a broken record. One day, he'd realise what she really meant was she wished he wouldn't do it.
But not today. Red smiled broadly. "Really? That's great; I wasn't sure you'd like it. I know this complicates organising the wedding a bit, but I'll still be around to help–"
"It's okay," she interrupted quickly. With every word her heart sank a little bit more. "The girl's meant to do most of it anyway. I'm sure I can handle picking out invitations and flowers by myself. You'd be bored anyway."
He pulled her into his lap, curling his long arms around her. "You're the best, you know that? I love you."
She reached for her glass and took a generous mouthful.
Yep. The best.
Leaf wished she'd known in advance how difficult it was going to be, trying to study and organise a wedding at the same time. There was simply too much to do. There were guest lists to finalise, venues to book, colour themes to select… followed by invitations, dining sets, place cards, flowers, bridesmaid's dresses (oh dear, she still had to choose her bridesmaids, too) and all these other apparently-important decorations.
Plus, she had to try all kinds of cakes from all sorts of bakeries and select a design for the wedding cake from the best one. And there was the catering – she still needed to choose the menu, and the drinks. And she hadn't even thought about her dress yet.
It didn't take long at all for her to realise she was going to need some help.
She sat outside the café, her knee bouncing anxiously, chewing her lip and twisting the delicate gold band round and round her finger. Red had picked a lovely, squirtle-inspired design, as a touching nod to her very first partner in crime. She adored it. Every time the diamond came up it glinted in the sun.
Every time, another kick of nauseating nerves hit her stomach.
When Leaf spotted Blue's fox-brown hair she jumped up so hastily she knocked the table and almost upended her chair, startling several Pokémon. A few people glanced over curiously but she ignored them. Smoothing her front, she sucked in a shaky breath, fluttered nervously with her bangs, plastered on a huge fake smile and skipped over to greet him.
It had been a few weeks since Daisy's wedding, and she'd been so busy enjoying the last of her summer break that she hadn't even really had time to contact him. Then she'd gone back to school in Celadon, and it had been crazy ever since. She was surprised to discover she actually sort of missed him. Not that she'd admit it – and definitely not to his face. Nonetheless, a lazy grin spread across Blue's cheeks when he spotted her, and he accepted her hug without any arrogant comments, to his credit.
The words rose to the tip of her tongue like vomit; totally unstoppable. She was just going to have to go for it – get it out of the way first and hope for the best. "I have something to tell you!"
He raised one eyebrow, looking at her appraisingly. "What?"
It was now or never.
With a violent twist in her stomach, she thrust her hand up. "I'm getting married!"
If the diamond had been twinkling before, it was nothing compared to the dazzling sparkle it had going on now. It was almost blindingly glittery. Blue just stared at it, flabbergasted. She waited for him to speak, holding her breath and worrying at his totally unreadable expression. Surely that wasn't a good thing.
Finally, he recovered enough to say, "Congratulations."
The air gushed from her lips. That wasn't what she'd expected at all. But this was the part where she was supposed to be excited, so she whipped up another bright smile and said, maybe too cheerfully, "Thanks!"
Without looking directly at her, Blue said, "We should sit down. People are staring."
He chuckled, but it didn't sound right.
"Oh! Right!" Leaf replied. "I got us a table, so…"
They seated themselves. The silence was tense and sort of awkward. She guessed he was trying to figure out what to say. For her part, she had absolutely no idea. She'd only worked out the presenting-the-ring-to-him part. The rest was adlib. And it wasn't going very well so far.
"I know you must be kind of surprised," Leaf began uncomfortably. "So I'll just do all the talking."
He made no objections, so she kept going. "We're getting married next April, in the springtime–"
"Romantic," he interjected, though for once she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. She chose not to respond and continued speaking as though he hadn't.
"We're thinking maybe in Central Park in Celadon. There's a rotunda by this pretty lake, and in spring the blossom petals float all over it like snow–"
"I've seen it," he agreed. "Nice choice."
This time she couldn't ignore it. "Are you – you're being serious?"
He shrugged casually, but his eyes were watching her keenly. "Aren't you?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed, reddening. "I – well I just thought – never mind. Anyway, Red's away on weekdays, doing an inspirational camp that visits all the high schools in Kanto; he's only home on weekends. And with studying I'm struggling to organise everything."
"You need a wedding planner," Blue concluded.
"I need a maid of honour," Leaf corrected. She glanced at him in embarrassment, biting her lower lip for a moment. "I wanted to ask if you'd do it."
There was a long, rich silence. Blue simply stared at her. "You want me to be your maid of honour?"
Leaf nodded. He continued to say nothing, his expression unreadable. Without warning, he flagged down a waitress and ordered himself a Komala coffee. Leaf said the first thing that came into her head, and the waitress disappeared.
Blue returned to the conversation. "I thought the maid of honour was – you know – a maid… maids being girls, and all. Isn't that sort of the point? Why don't you just ask Daisy?"
Leaf wriggled a bit in her seat. "It's the twenty-first century. I'm pretty sure anything goes." She took a breath and caught his eye. "You're my best friend. Even if I had someone else to ask, I wouldn't want to."
Blue sat back in his seat, staring at the table and lounging casually while he thought. But his eyes were troubled. Finally he cast his gaze back to hers. "I can't do that, Leaf. It's too weird."
This was more like the Blue she'd expected to have to coerce. She held his gaze. "You have no idea how much it would mean to me."
"Aside from not wanting to," he said flatly, "You know I hate weddings. You think I'm going to be any help when it comes to choosing invites or ribbons or crappy lace decorations?"
"I value your opinion," Leaf admitted, her cheeks flushing. "And I know you have an eye for detail. Don't even try to deny it. Your apartment is way too stylish."
"That was Ally–"
"Buttercup?" Leaf interrupted shortly. "The blonde bikini model from Vermilion? No, it wasn't. I asked her and she said it was all you."
"Traitor," he muttered darkly under his breath. But he still wasn't changing his mind. And it was obvious he wasn't going to.
When their drinks arrived, Leaf sculled her pinap juice like it was water after she'd been lost in the Haina Desert for days. At least it stalled some of the awkward conversation. Blue's cappuccino went untouched.
Leaf put the empty glass down, tucked her bangs behind her ear, and said, unable to look at him, "I don't think I really thought I'd be able to convince you to do it. So I can't really be disappointed that you're not. But it was worth a shot, right?"
She cast him a weak, tight-lipped smile and collected her bag, leaving some coins on the table. "I've got to run, but it was nice to finally see you. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
He looked like he might speak, but she saved him the discomfort and shouldered her bag, leaving him to his coffee and hurrying away down the sidewalk.
x
She was curled on her dorm bed, flipping through a bridal magazine when her cell phone rang. She stared at it in confusion for a moment, glancing at the clock on her small desk. Who would call at one seventeen in the morning?
For a horrible moment, she wondered whether something had happened to Red, and she stumbled up hastily, falling upon the phone and thrusting it against her ear. "Hello?"
There was a short silence. Then, "I'll do it."
She choked on her own breath. "Blue? Jeez, I thought something had happened to Red. God, you scared the crap out of me! What are you–"
"I said I'll do it," he repeated shortly. "I'll do the stupid bridesmaid – maid of honour – thing."
"You will?" Leaf gasped. It was so unexpected she had no idea what to say.
"Yes," Blue grumbled. "Just call whenever you're doing… wedding stuff–" he struggled, like it tasted sour in his mouth, "and I'll tag along, all right?"
Something warm and fuzzy tingled in Leaf's heart. She beamed at the wall. "Thanks, Blue."
He muttered something unintelligible and hung up.
Grinning like a mad woman, she clutched to the phone to her chest and did a stupid little dance around the room.
x
Red was surprised when she announced who her maid of honour was going to be. She sprung it on him over a late breakfast one weekend visit home.
He nearly choked on his leppa juice. "I thought that was usually a girl's job."
"That's what he said," Leaf replied happily, mixing food for their Pokémon, who were playing outside. "But I don't think it matters these days."
Red raised his black eyebrows, then grinned. "Does this mean I can call him a girl?"
"If you have a death wish," she replied with a laugh. She wiped her grimy fingers on her mom's old apron and grabbed some bowls to divide the food. Red's pikachu appeared on the branch outside the window, pressing his yellow face to the pane eagerly.
"Yes, yes," Leaf called. "It's coming now."
"Well, should I get a girl to be my best man?" Red asked, humour colouring his voice. When her expression became questioning, he flashed a quick grin and continued. "Aren't the maid of honour and best man supposed to get it on after the wedding, or something?"
Leaf pulled a face and punched him playfully on the shoulder. "No. You can have a best man."
"Who'd have thought," Red said jovially. "Blue picking out lace and silk and doilies and–"
"How do you know what a doily is?" Leaf interjected, and he spluttered into silence. A grin slowly stretched across her face.
He reddened. "Well, uh – I don't, really."
"Uh huh," Leaf said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Sure."
The red extended to his ears, and he ruffled the back of his hair sheepishly. His fringe tumbled into his eyes. It was really starting to get too long. He'd need a haircut soon. She resisted the urge to brush it back with her fingers, knowing she'd want to kiss him, and then they'd lose the whole morning.
Instead, she rolled her eyes lightly at him and grabbed up the pokémon food. "Eat your breakfast."
Red grinned boyishly and speared his waffles. "Yes, ma'am."
As September bled into October, and the weather became insistently cooler, Leaf was forced to acknowledge that she simply couldn't put off organising the wedding any longer.
She'd had essays and tests for the past few weeks, and had happily let them consume her life until one day she glanced out the window and caught sight of the bursts of vibrant red, orange and yellow in the trees. Autumn had well and truly arrived, and the passage of time suddenly alarmed her.
Without hesitation, she yanked up her cell and dialled Blue's number.
He answered right before it went to message bank. "Hmm?"
"It's me," she said thoughtlessly, then realised he probably knew hundreds of girls and was likely scratching his head in confusion. "Um, Leaf."
"I know it's you," Blue said flatly, surprising her.
"Well, it's hard to know," she said defensively. "You know so many... people." She'd been about to say 'women', and was relieved she hadn't. She really didn't have time to get into a spat with him.
"Was there a point to this call?" Blue grumbled. "Or are you just going to loudly disapprove of my social life until I hang up?"
"No, but maybe someone should," Leaf retorted smartly. "Actually, I was calling because we need to get started on this wedding soon. I've been caught up studying and we're starting to run out of time."
"Right," Blue replied, sounding suspiciously sarcastic. "What time and where, your highness?"
"Funny," Leaf deadpanned. "Does Tuesday work for you? I can do Wednesday if you–"
"Tuesday's fine," he interrupted. "Please note I won't be alive before eleven."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Make it midday."
"Done. Enjoy the rest of this delightful afternoon, sweet lady." And he hung up. Leaf mused that he'd probably still been in bed, and even more probably with some company.
Serves him right, she thought, sort of savagely. One day he's got to realise real life exists outside his little sex-bubble. He can't go on like this forever.
Mind you, if she was being honest, she couldn't really imagine him any other way.
x
He was almost forty minutes late when finally there came a knock at her dorm door. Leaf got up from her desk, storming over and yanking the door wide.
Blue looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. His hair was all over the place, his clothes were crumpled, and even as she stood staring in disapproval he yawned hugely.
"You're late," she said shortly.
"Had to get rid of–" He broke off and thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. "Monday."
"We set the date for Tuesday," Leaf pointed out, irritated. "What day did you think it would be when you woke up this morning?"
"Can we go already?" Blue asked lazily. "The sooner we go the sooner we get back."
"If it's that much trouble, don't bother," Leaf snapped, and slammed the door in his face. She stomped around her room, raging inwardly and grabbing her things to leave. Not a minute later, the knock came again.
She yanked her cardigan over her tee, wrenched open the door and glared at Blue. "Go away."
"Can't," he replied blandly. "I'm the maid of honour. It's my job."
"Then do it properly!" Leaf cried. He lazed against the wall, his hands in his pockets, while she locked the door with the key and pulled it shut.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he commented placidly.
"Someone didn't bother getting up at all," she shot back, stomping down the hallway towards the elevator. Blue followed at an easy stroll.
"Incorrect," he replied. "I'm here, aren't I? I wouldn't have gotten up if I didn't have this wedding date thing."
She whirled on her heel. "What's your problem? I didn't force you to do this, remember? You agreed of your own free will. If you're serious about doing it, stop acting like a spoiled brat and be my friend. If you're not, go home. I have too much to do to put up with this crap!"
He held up his hands in surrender, strolling into the elevator after her. "Got it."
She growled under her breath and jabbed the lift button angrily. The doors slid closed with a small ping, and they began to descend. Silence reigned for a few long seconds. Leaf stewed in her irritation.
"Under the pump, huh?" came Blue's voice. There was no aggression in his tone. The elevator arrived at the ground floor, and they walked out across the foyer and into the autumn afternoon.
Leaf sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I've got mid-terms coming up and I should really be studying for them. But I can't procrastinate anymore; this needs to get done. I'm just stressing."
Blue nodded his head to the right. "Car's this way."
They were quiet as they clambered in and pulled away from the kerb. It wasn't until they'd left the university campus and were on their way that Blue said, without taking his amber gaze from the road, "Why are you procrastinating at all? Aren't girls supposed to be super excited about all this crap? I thought you'd have most of this stuff done by now."
Leaf didn't reply. How could she explain, without sounding like she was complaining, that it was difficult being enthusiastic about the wedding when her fiancée was hardly around to even discuss it? No matter how she looked at it, Blue would only be critical of Red, and that was something she did not need added to her growing Pile of Angst.
"I am excited," she said eventually. It sounded lame. He said nothing.
x
In the end, it was actually a pretty successful day. She'd finalised the guest list the night before, and they picked out invitations ("These ones. They make me want to vomit less. Alright, alright… they're classier than the other ones, okay? Seriously. It's probably not ethical for a girl to punch a man in a bridal shop.") and then found matching place cards. Both were placed on order.
Whilst grabbing a late lunch, Leaf called the council in Celadon City to enquire about the rotunda in Central Park. After being redirected through to about five different people, she cracked it and was finally put through to someone helpful. There was only one date left in spring – late May – but it was better than nothing. In fact, she was thankful there was even still an opening. She booked it.
"I didn't realise how expensive weddings were," she complained after she'd hung up. The deposit was going to take a hefty chunk out of poor Red's savings. All the money she'd earned was paying for her degree.
Blue snorted into his burger. "Of course they're expensive. The whole day is a colossal waste of time and money."
"The memories are priceless," Leaf argued. He simply shrugged.
It was with a considerably lighter heart that Leaf made her way back to Blue's car later that afternoon. Some of the weight had lifted from her shoulders. The rest of the wedding preparations didn't seem quite so daunting now that she'd actually made a solid start.
"So," Blue said, interrupting her thoughts. "What's next? Cake?"
She glanced at him in surprise. "Look at you, getting all into it."
He shrugged it off, but his cheeks coloured. "Just making a suggestion. You're probably going to want to get that out of the way as soon as possible."
"You're right," she sighed. "That's the next big thing."
"Monday?"
He was full of surprises today. She slung a sideward glance at him and smiled. "Monday."
They were walking along a pretty street, under a row of big, fat oak trees that had burst into colour. Across the dewy lawn of a park, children and Pokémon were playing together, shouting happily. The sun suddenly burst from behind the clouds, filtering down to the pavement and illuminating the leaves underfoot. Leaf scuffed her sneaker through them and tilted her head back to look up into the trees.
"Don't you think this time of year is just beautiful?"
Blue snorted beside her. "I'm a man. We don't use words like 'beautiful'."
She pulled a face at him. "What would you say, then?"
He shrugged, smiling lazily. "It's all right."
"All right?" Leaf repeated, unimpressed. "God, men are boring."
Without warning, he stooped and scooped up an armful of wet leaves, throwing them in her face.
Leaf shrieked, swiping leaves from her hair and collar furiously. "What was that for?"
"Boring, was it?" he goaded, flashing a quick-fox grin.
She narrowed her eyes, easily baited, then bent down. He'd darted off before she'd even straightened, and with an indignant "Hey! Not fair – I get a free pass at you!" she chased him across the grass. It went on for a few minutes, the two of them running around and laughing like kids, throwing and kicking leaves at each other until they were heaving for breath, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
"Truce," Blue finally panted, offering up his hands in peace. His hair was all over the place, several leaves poking out of his coat collar. "I'm not as fit as I used to be."
"You're telling me," Leaf quipped, smacking his imaginary belly cheekily. She was still grinning when he suddenly slung an arm round her shoulders and dragged her close, smushing a handful of leaves in her hair. She squealed and protested, but she was too tired to properly fight back. Leaves dropped from her hair as they strolled back to the car.
"Wait," Blue said, before she opened the door. He turned her shoulders and began efficiently de-leafing her, his expression concentrated. She yelped when he accidentally snagged a knot in her hair, and he grinned apologetically, gently plucking a rogue leaf from where it had stubbornly glued itself to her cheek. The pout faded from her lips as she stared at him in astonishment.
How had she not really noticed how good-looking he was before? Well – okay – she'd known for a long time that he was genetically blessed. Unfairly so, in her opinion. She wasn't even going to try and deny that.
But he really looked good when he smiled like that – open and unabashed. No, he looked better than good. He looked great. Why didn't he smile like that more often? Her heart gave a funny little squeeze.
The silence was just that split-second too long.
Leaf quickly dropped her eyes, feeling very confused, and strangely guilty. She was getting married soon. Surely there was some kind of unspoken law now about finding any other people attractive. Not that she was really betraying Red, was she? Could she even call it that?
And not that she actually thought Blue was attractive.
"Uh, Leaf?" Blue's voice sliced through the tangled web in her brain. She glanced up, hoping she wasn't blushing. He was giving her a strange look, a mixture of concern and confusion. "Everything okay in there?"
He rapped his knuckle pointedly against her head.
She laughed awkwardly, swatting him off. "Of course. I was just… thinking about the wedding."
For whatever reason, it was the wrong thing to say. The fragile, magical moment was savagely ruined. Blue shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes light and casual to match his tone of voice. Both were fabricated, and it was painfully phony compared to how beautifully natural he'd been a moment ago.
"Ah. Better not let it slip your mind for too long. You don't want to forget about it."
He intended for it to be a joke; even offered an accompanying smile. But somehow, Leaf couldn't bring herself to find it amusing. She didn't even smile a little bit, and they quickly busied themselves with getting into the car.
The drive home was noticeably quieter.
"And the invitations match the name cards! It's so cute!" Leaf babbled, digging in her handbag for the envelope containing the samples she'd collected with Blue. "They've both got the little golden strips of glittery ribbon along the sides – wait a sec, I've got them here somewhere…"
"Leaf," Red sighed exhaustedly. "An invitation is an invitation. I'm sure whatever you've picked is fine. You don't have to show me."
Leaf's heart sank. "But… don't you want to see?"
Arcanine and Ninetales snapped at each other playfully, play-fighting on the lounge room carpet. The TV babbled idly in the background.
She was back in Pallet Town again for the weekend. Honestly, though, while she loved being home, it was starting to become a bit tiresome travelling down from Celadon all the time. It was against University rules for visitors to stay in the dorms, but it would be nice if he came up to see her sometimes. She'd told him she'd happily split the hotel cost.
Of course, whenever he was in Celadon for work, he had lunch with her on campus, but it wasn't quite the same. She tried not to feel disappointed, but it was hard not to feel the sting of bitterness when she was reminded of the grand speech he'd made last spring when he'd proposed, about not taking her for granted anymore and how things were going to be different. They sure felt disappointingly similar sometimes.
Red smiled faintly. "Quite frankly, I don't really care whether we get married on the beach, or in a church, or even just down at the town hall with no-one else there. And I couldn't care less about invitations, name cards – any of that stuff." He took her face in his hands, his gaze imploring. "I just want you. If we're married at the end of the wedding, I'll be happy. That's all that matters to me."
She forced a smile of understanding. He planted a kiss on her forehead, rubbed his hands over her shoulders, then stepped away. "I'm gonna jump under the shower; I'm exhausted."
For a few minutes, Leaf stood in the silence with a heavy heart. Why was she bothering if he didn't even care? Maybe they should just go down to the stupid town hall right now and get it over with. That'd teach him.
She took a deep breath, forcefully quieting the hot anger bubbling in her chest. Then she straightened her shoulders. Tomorrow she was going to try wedding cakes with Blue, and it was going to be fun. And then she was going to start looking at dresses, and that would also be fun. And in the long run, Red would actually appreciate all the effort she was going to, because it would be a truly beautiful wedding and they would have a perfect day. And he'd realise then that it would have been a shame not to make it special.
She shook the negativity from her mind, chiding herself for feeling ungrateful. At least she knew when he looked at her that he absolutely loved her, unconditionally. How many other people could confidently say the same? He was sweet and caring, and so affectionate. While Blue always seemed like it was his mission to experience as many girls as it was possible to in one lifetime, Red made her feel like she was the only girl in the whole world. She was so lucky that he'd picked her.
Reassured, Leaf smiled to herself and skipped off to find the flyers for the patisseries she'd be visiting tomorrow.
x
"Ooh, this one's cute!" Leaf gushed as they pushed open the door. A little chingling-shaped bell tinkled merrily overhead, announcing their arrival.
The front wall of the cake shop was completely windows, framed by bellossom-patterned pastel floral drapes that were tied aside with ribbons. Inside was bright and cheerful, with a handful of small tables with checked cloths. Leaf clapped her hands together, delighted by the gorgeous cake-filled glass displays, and the shelves of home-made sitrus and pomeg berry jam.
She beamed up at Blue. "I love it already!"
"You said that about the last three," Blue muttered, staring around dubiously. "It's like the country kitchen of the great aunt I'm glad I never had."
"Oh, shush," Leaf snapped good-naturedly. She was in too high spirits to be annoyed with him today, even though he'd grouched in every patisserie so far.
"As long as no-one sees me in here," he retorted, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Who are you expecting to bump into?" Leaf demanded as a pleasant-faced old woman emerged from a room out back and spotted them. Blue said nothing, and she forgot all about it as they headed over to the counter.
"Morning, dearie," the woman said. "What can I get for you?"
"Actually," Leaf replied, "We have an appointment at twelve-fifteen. To look at wedding cakes?"
"Oh," the old woman uttered, and produced an A4 planner from near the till. She flicked through it, running one gnarled finger down the page until she came to a stop. "Oh, yes. You must be… Leaf Evergreen?"
Leaf smiled. "That's me."
"Take a seat, dearie – any of the tables is fine," the woman gestured loosely. "I'll bring some of the cakes out."
She hobbled off.
"She could be my gramps' grams," Blue commented under his breath. "How old do you think she is? Do you think she remembers the prehistoric age?"
Leaf grinned, elbowing his ribs. "Be nice. She's sweet."
"Bet her cakes are sweeter," he shot back, leaning round her to ogle the display fridge. An assortment of freshly-baked, pokémon-shaped pastries were arranged on glass stands, looking mighty appetising. Leaf's mouth watered.
A noise out the back interrupted their drooling, and Leaf snagged Blue's sleeve and dragged him to the closest table. They were seating themselves when a younger woman appeared, her arms laden with small boxes.
She smiled in friendly greeting, and the resemblance to the older woman was instant.
"Hi. I'm Deirdre – sorry about my grandma. She's supposed to let me take care of the register. She can be a little cranky sometimes."
"She was perfectly lovely," Leaf replied.
Deirdre, who looked to be in her early thirties, didn't look reassured. "Well, I hope so. Anyway, welcome to Mrs. Crabapple's Cake Shop. Before we start, did you have some sort of idea of what you were thinking of going with?"
"Not really," Leaf replied apologetically. "We were just going to try them all and sort of… pick our favourite, I guess."
"And by 'our' she means 'her', of course," Blue added lazily.
Deirdre grinned. "Not a problem. It's more fun that way. Everyone needs a little spontaneity in their lives." She winked at Leaf across the round table, dusted her fingers on her apron, and began opening the cardboard boxes.
"Now, this one's a vanilla sponge with whipped vanilla frosting and sugar pearls. We use vanilla sprigs specially imported from the Kalos region to flavour all our desserts, by the way. And this one's a marble cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla swirls, but it can have vanilla frosting if you'd prefer. Oh, and the Moomoomilk in all our creams and butters comes from jersey farms in Johto. It's nice and heavy, so it really gives our cakes a very full flavour. Now that one over there…"
Before long, there were about a dozen boxes strewn across the surrounding tables. Leaf watched Blue chew contemplatively on a morsel of chocolate fudge dream cake with choc-bits, dark chocolate frosting and fresh strawberry halves on little beds of whipped cream. An aproned mr. mime had come out from the back at some point, and was now humming happily to itself as it swept around the tables.
"Thoughts?" Leaf asked after a few moments.
Blue cocked his head thoughtfully. "It's very rich."
"Hmm," she hmm'd, frowning slightly. "Maybe it's too rich. Not everybody likes chocolate. But it's such a pretty cake…"
"I like it." Blue shrugged.
"Good," Leaf laughed, rolling her eyes. "Then you're in charge of eating all the leftover pieces on the day."
"Bring it on," he replied challengingly, waggling his eyebrows.
"You have frosting all over your face, you grot," she laughed, swiping at his cheek with a napkin. He squirmed away, and before she knew it, he had a piece of chocolate fudge dream in one hand and was grabbing her head in the other. She started to protest, but he pounced and shoved the cake in her gob.
"Blue!" Leaf complained, but it sounded more like "Mmloo!" through the mouthful of cake. Blue just chuckled, dusting his hands off.
"Now finish your dinner or you won't get any dessert," he joked. She rolled her eyes at him.
Deirdre's laugh broke into the moment and they both looked around. Unbeknownst to them, she'd been watching from behind the counter. Now she was smiling broadly, a twinkle in her eye.
"It's nice you're having fun," she said. "Most people who come to look at wedding cakes are just completely stressed. It's refreshing how relaxed you are. When's the big day?"
Blue watched with amusement as Leaf tried to chew furiously so she could answer.
"Don't kill yourself," he remarked dryly. "I have a mouth and a voice box, and both work perfectly fine." He turned to Deirdre. "May twenty-fifth."
"A spring wedding," Deirdre sighed in approval. "How romantic."
She was wistful for a moment, her gaze somewhere far-off. Then she came back to earth and smiled again. "Well, you two look very happy. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful day."
Leaf gagged on her cake. Blue jerked violently in shock, slamming his fingers against the lip of the table and knocking his fork to the floor. They glanced wide-eyed at each other, promptly flushed, and looked away twice as fast. Deirdre looked appropriately alarmed.
Coughing and spluttering, Leaf chased the wad of chocolate cake down with some water and said, "We're not – he's not – I'm marrying someone else."
"Oh." Deirdre looked confused, then embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. I just assumed he was your fiancée."
Leaf laughed nervously. "No, he's the maid of honour."
To diffuse the intense awkwardness, she forced a grin and punched his shoulder. "This guy'll probably never get married. Right, Mr. Eligible Bachelor?"
Blue gave her a surprisingly sharp look, then said sort of curtly, "That's right. Commitment's not really my thing."
Deirdre laughed uncomfortably.
"We'll think about the cakes and give you a call," Leaf said quickly, feeling like the little patisserie was suddenly swelteringly hot and stuffy. "Is the end of the week okay?"
"No problem," Deirdre replied, writing it up on a post-it. "Let's make a time now to look at cake designs..."
The date was set for the following Wednesday, and they exchanged semi-awkward cheery farewells, then Leaf and Blue beat a hasty exit. They hurried up the street in silence. Leaf pulled her coat tighter round her as a chilly wind kicked leaves along the sidewalk.
"How embarrassing," Blue finally commented. "Bet she felt like a right idiot."
"It was an easy enough mistake to make," Leaf replied diplomatically. "I guess we probably should have expected it to happen."
He made a noise of agreement. They said little else, and for the rest of the afternoon she was paranoid that he was avoiding her eyes.
But it was probably just her overactive imagination.
"Chocolate marshmallow magic?" Daisy asked, with a knowing smile.
Leaf looked up from the honeymoon photos, grinning across the quaint kitchen. "You still make those?"
Daisy laughed; her mane of golden ringlets bounced against her back. "Only for my favourite kids."
"Worst babysitter ever," Leaf said, rolling her eyes. "I don't think you're supposed to have favourites."
The kitchen filled with the sounds of the kettle boiling, Daisy clattering about making tea, and Clefairy's cheerful singing over the TV adverts from the lounge room. After a few minutes during which Leaf flicked enviously through the glossy pictures of their Alolan paradise, Daisy said, "It's been a while since you were here last, hasn't it?"
Leaf put the photos down, gazing round her neighbour's small house. The kitchen was an arrangement of soft yellows and creams, with flowery curtains at the window over the sink, and mis-matched cups and saucers lining the shelves. The little wooden table was set with odd cutlery and placemats, with a chipped little lilligant-shaped vase filled with friendly daffodils.
Aside from the flowers, which had obviously been picked recently, nothing had changed.
"Nothing's different," Leaf commented, earning another lovely laugh from her old babysitter. The Oak's cosy home would always be a place of warmth and safety, she realised. Everything about it was familiar and welcoming, from the idle tick-tock of the round-faced clock on the mantel in the lounge to the squealing of old Granna's torkoal-shaped kettle – which Daisy still stubbornly refused to replace. Even the old framed photos of Daisy and Clefairy's Contest days hadn't moved an inch on the wall.
So many memories here, Leaf thought nostalgically. How many summers had she spent here, fighting with Blue during imaginary games, then later video games; crying to Daisy when he took her things and hid them out of spite; baking pink-frosted "clefairy-cakes" and squeezing home-made sitrus berry lemonade on particularly hot days; sitting up late in middle school, watching Daisy's soapy dramas from the kitchen table while she pretended to do her homework…
Somehow, even though her childhood was scarred by the ugly black mark of her mother's long illness, the overall recollection of her youth was a happy one. For that, she felt truly lucky, and she owed it all to Daisy and her huge heart.
"This place will never change," Daisy agreed cheerily, setting the mugs down. Leaf grinned at hers. It was a souvenir mug from Jubilife City, and she'd swirled a mountain of whipped cream on top, dusted it with sprinkles, and dropped ditto-shaped marshmallows everywhere for a grand finale – just like she remembered.
"This drink summarizes my childhood," Leaf said fondly.
"And mine," Daisy replied. "Granna started them. Soon I'll be making them for my kids, and they'd better carry the tradition, or else!"
Leaf nearly spluttered whipped cream all over the table. "You're–?"
"Oh, no!" Daisy exclaimed hastily, fluttering her hands and blushing madly. "Goodness, not yet!"
She tilted her head so the curls tumbled to one side, contemplative. "Mind you, if I was pregnant already, I can't honestly say I'd be unhappy."
Leaf set her mug down, licking cream from her upper lip. "Well, you are married now. I'm sure people will start expecting babies soon. But don't you have things you want to do first?"
Daisy fingered the corner of a photo. "Not really. We've got to move my things into the new house, of course. And maybe we'll just be happy newlyweds for a while. But I think Nate's pretty keen to start our little family."
She smiled affectionately into her mug, and Leaf felt a pang of envy. Daisy had always seemed to positively radiate happiness. She wondered if Daisy had had as stressful a time organising her wedding as she now was. She couldn't imagine so.
Presently, Daisy tentatively caught her eye. "Speaking of family… the honeymoon actually wasn't the reason I invited you over today."
Leaf obediently pushed all the photos into a messy pile. She licked her lips, suddenly feeling uneasy about whatever Daisy was about to say.
"I'm concerned about Blue."
Leaf blinked, surprised. "Why?"
Daisy absently stroked the rim of her mug with one thumb. "He's been very distant lately. He's always liked to keep to himself, but he's been worse than usual for a while now. And I'm worried about his… lifestyle."
She glanced up when she said it, and Leaf knew exactly what she was referring to. But surely she wasn't only just cottoning onto Blue's ways with the ladies now.
"Er… I think it's a little bit late to try and give him advice…"
"I know," Daisy agreed, nodding. "And I'm not trying to make out like he's some poor, lost soul who needs guidance and direction. Blue's very headstrong, and he knows what he's doing. I'm not going to try and stop him. But…" She hesitated. "I worry that he's not happy."
Leaf fought a wry smile, biting back a snarky retort. "I think he's fine."
"For now, maybe," Daisy agreed. "But what about when he grows tired of this, and wants something serious? What if he can't break these habits?"
"Shouldn't that be up to him?" Leaf answered, raising one eyebrow.
Daisy gave her a pointed look. "If we leave it up to him, he'll just carry on like this and never face reality. He's very good at playing ignorant, and at convincing himself to believe whatever he wants, as long as it makes his life easier."
Leaf rested her chin on her hand. She couldn't exactly argue; Daisy was right, of course. But she didn't see what was wrong with the way Blue was. Well, of course she could – in her opinion Blue's behaviour was immature and self-centred. But the way he lived his life was his decision. It had nothing to do with her.
Besides, he wasn't the sort of person who ever responded well to criticism.
The silence stretched.
Finally, Daisy said, "Don't you want him to be happy, Leaf? A healthy kind of happy?"
"Of course," Leaf replied automatically.
But she didn't add that she thought Daisy had no right to try and change Blue, especially if he didn't want it. Nor did she think Daisy was right to decide what was healthy for Blue and what wasn't. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe that was what being a sibling entitled you to. What did she know?
For about the millionth time, she felt envious of Daisy and Blue having each other, and wondered what it must be like.
Maybe like my relationship with Red, before we dated.
She realised Daisy was waiting for her to speak, and pulled her thoughts together. What were they talking about again? Oh, right – Blue.
And his happiness.
"Look, I understand where you're coming from," she began carefully. "And I actually agree with you. I don't like what he's doing, either. But it's not exactly my place to interfere."
Daisy gave her a long look. It was remarkably like one of Blue's – startlingly sharp, and which pierced her to the core.
"You've always been very important to him, Leaf. He's always trusted and respected you."
Leaf snorted ungracefully into her mug. "You're kidding, right?"
Daisy frowned heavily. "You know, deep down, that it's true. People come and go in his life, but you're always constant. He's always made sure to keep you close."
Heat warmed Leaf's face; she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She was suddenly reminded of the astute look in Daisy's eyes when she'd watched them dancing at the wedding, and became very nervous very quickly.
"Look, Daisy, you know I love your brother–"
"Yes," Daisy interrupted. "You do. And he cares about you. He'll never admit it to anyone, especially not me or you. But I know – and you know – he does."
Leaf found herself on the receiving end of an uncharacteristically hard stare, but couldn't speak. The next words made her wince inwardly.
"If you really love him, how can you stand by and let him do this to himself?"
Leaf swallowed, feeling guilty. Daisy was winning. She was backing her into a corner, and leaving her with no choice but to consent to help.
She sighed unhappily, the fight sagging out of her. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing dramatic," Daisy assured her. "Just try and convince him to see one girl for a while – get him into a steady relationship. He'll listen to you. Please try, Leaf."
When Leaf glanced up this time, Daisy's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Feeling wretched and horribly uncomfortable about the whole thing, she nodded her agreement.
She didn't know what made her feel worse: the highly likely prospect of her failing and letting Daisy down, that Blue would be so mad if he found out she was conspiring against him with his sister, or that she'd been weak enough to get conned into it – against her better judgment – in the first place.
As she pulled her jacket on in the hall, Daisy said, "You know, I've always thought you two would have been perfect for each other."
Leaf rolled her eyes jokingly. But there was something stubborn in Daisy's expression, and her efforts were wasted.
Still, she replied lightly, "Of course you have. It'd be the perfect story line for one of your sappy dramas. Shame it never actually happens in reality, right?"
Daisy smiled, but it was disarmingly sober. "Lucky it was Red who snapped you up, or you would've been in big trouble. We would have had to have words."
Leaf plastered a grin on her face and shut the door behind her. But the instant she turned away, the smile dropped from her lips. Somehow, the entire mood of the visit had drastically shifted to a very weird and sombre place.
She felt out-of-sorts for the rest of the day, and the alarming sincerity in Daisy's face would bother her for a long time afterwards.
The winter night that Leaf visited Spore was remarkably cold and wet. The slick roads of inner Viridian City reflected the bright traffic lights in blurry coloured splodges. The sky overhead was gloomy and overcast; the moon and stars were completely hidden from sight. It was a particularly miserable, depressing sort of evening, and her spirits were accordingly flat. Not for the first time, she lamented that she'd agreed to come out tonight.
She stood at the pedestrian crossing, her eyes scouring the neon signs decorating the wall of buildings until she picked out the bar. As the walking man turned green, she pulled her coat tighter around herself, crossing the road briskly to join the long line of people waiting out front.
How long had Blue been working here? She couldn't even remember him telling her he'd gotten a new job – and at a club, of all places. She thought he was still looking for research positions. She definitely would have remembered.
Unless it had really been that long since she saw him last. Guilt kicked nastily in her stomach. She pushed Daisy's reprimanding voice to the back of her mind. She wouldn't be impressed with how long it had taken Leaf to make good on her promise. Well, she was here now. Blue had mentioned she should drop by sometime, so against her better judgement, here she was. She still had no idea how she was supposed to convince him to get into a serious relationship, and she was dreading having to do it more by the day.
If it comes up naturally, Leaf told herself, I'll say something. I'll figure it out.
And if it didn't come up naturally, well, then at least she'd had good intentions. Right?
Right.
Fifteen minutes later, she was carded and being ushered inside. The back of her hand had been stamped with a melting leppa berry in a thin circle, and she glanced at it as she shoved her I.D. in her back pocket.
The place was low-roofed and smoky, with dark red carpet and velvet sofas arranged around the walls, which were decorated with tastefully gilded mirrors and painted scenes of forest pokémon hiding among the shadowy, magical-looking woods. It was a big club, with lots of different areas to relax, including two VIP spaces cordoned off with thick ropes. There was a wide dance floor of polished floorboards, and an old-fashioned wooden bar running the entire length of the back wall. Multi-coloured neon lights whirled every which-way, flashing off the mirrors and sparkling in the mirror ball above the dance floor.
And the place was jam-packed.
Leaf pushed her way to the edge of the club, ignoring several hopeful sets of eyes following her, and rose on tip-toe in hopes of spotting Blue anywhere. It was nearly impossible to see anything over the heads of the crowd, and she was about to give up and leave when she finally caught a glimpse of familiar tousled reddish hair near the bar. Actually, he was behind it, which she realised when she finally managed to get close enough to it.
Blue was working, mixing and pouring drinks for the people draping themselves impatiently over the counter. He was dressed in a smart, collared black shirt and a pair of fitted slacks. With his sleeves rolled and the top few buttons left undone, he somehow managed to appear both professional and relaxed. He looked… uncomfortably good. The sudden flush crawling up her cheeks wasn't just from the stuffiness of the club. Leaf tried to ignore it.
She pushed into the crowd at the bar, working her way closer to where he was. By the time she got almost near enough, she'd been jostled so much that her cheeks were rosy and her eyes shone bright with frustration. She grabbed at the bar and clung on for dear life.
This, she thought sourly, is why I will never feel like a loser for wanting to stay home instead.
"What're you drinking tonight?" a voice asked in her ear, and she turned sharply. A guy – older than her but young enough, probably – was leaning beside her, pressed uncomfortably close by the crowd and offering a smile that her nerves interpreted as more of a leer.
"I'm not," she shouted over the thumping music.
He lowered his ear to her mouth. "What?"
"I'm not drinking!" she repeated.
He leaned back to survey her, raising one eyebrow. "Well, we can't have that. Pick your poison."
"Sorry?"
He smiled smoothly with unmasked confidence. Clearly, this guy thought he was the lord's gift to women. Leaf glanced around hopefully for an escape route, but she was stuck.
"Let me buy you a drink."
She blushed even more – if that was possible – looking anywhere but at him. "Oh, no thanks! I'm fine!"
He touched her lower back subtly, but it felt like a hot iron poker burning her skin. She squirmed, trying to put some distance between them. Whichever way she inched, however, seemed to somehow move her even closer. Before long, his fingers were curled round her waist, touching her hip. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"Kind of packed here, don't you think?" he said in her ear. She shuddered unpleasantly. "Let's go somewhere quieter."
He began to tug her away from the bar. She panicked, her pulse spiking. "Wait! No – I'm not–!"
"Hey!" a sharp voice interrupted. "Everything alright here?" She turned back thankfully to face her saviour.
Blue was eyeing the guy suspiciously. Upon recognising her, his eyes widened. "Leaf? What are you doing here?"
The fingers dropped easily from her waist as the guy disappeared into the crowd. Leaf sighed with relief, frowning over her shoulder as she was jostled again. Her heart was still racing at a thousand miles an hour and she felt sort of shaky. She swallowed down the panic that was still flitting nervously around the edges of her brain.
"Come down this way," Blue called, indicating with a nod.
Leaf pushed her way free from the crowd, skirting it to meet him at the end of the bar, where he was drying his hands on a cloth. When he spotted her, he tossed it lazily at the bench and pulled her aside, over near a glowing, stocked fridge.
"Are you alright?" Blue demanded, checking her over with his eyes. Leaf stared down at her hands, unable to hold his gaze.
"That guy didn't cause you any trouble?" he continued sharply.
Leaf shook her head, her heart rate finally calming a little. "I'm fine."
Blue paused, then appeared to relax a little. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you at your new job."
"I didn't think you'd actually come." He sounded incredulous.
Leaf folded her arms uncomfortably. "It was your idea."
She risked a glance up at him, and spotted his collarbones poking out from under his collar. Her stomach did a squirmy flip-flop and she quickly looked away again. God, what the hell was wrong with her today? She was so jittery. It was probably just because she was still weird about that guy having gotten into her personal space.
Speaking of that guy…
"Hey, um," Leaf began. "About before, with that guy. Tha–"
"Blue!" someone called from down the bar.
Blue's attention was diverted. "Coming!"
She shifted awkwardly, her heart sinking in disappointment. She'd wanted to express her gratitude properly, but the moment was gone. "Sorry, I'm distracting you. I'll go."
"No, stay," he blurted, then added hastily, "Since you're already here. You may as well. I can introduce you to some cool people."
Blue dragged a stool over and gave it a quick smack. "Sit tight for a sec. You want a drink? I'll make you the house special."
He didn't even give her a chance to reply.
Left alone, Leaf reluctantly made herself comfortable, resting her elbows on the bar and increasingly wishing she'd just stayed home as she watched the gyrating crowd of sexual tension. The music thumped in her ears like a wild electric heartbeat. Blue reappeared shortly, depositing before her a lethal-looking concoction of lime green and blood red. She eyed the martini glass dubiously.
"Leppa Potion," he explained, wiggling his eyebrows. "Uh, maybe you'd better drink it slowly. It probably wouldn't take much to knock you out."
"Hey!" Leaf objected, but he was already moving off along the bar, calling to someone. She caught the tail end of what sounded like "Keep her company" before she lost sight of him.
The next second, someone was sliding round the bar beside her. Someone small, female, and dressed like a sexy Halloween version of a princess. She was a pale little thing, with shocking black tresses in thick voluminous waves, and huge, impossibly blue eyes. Her delicate mouth offered a friendly, genuine smile. She was astonishingly pretty.
"Hi!" she greeted brightly. "You must be Leaf? I'm Polly!"
She smiled again, and Leaf noticed that her nose crinkled. Gosh, she was so cute.
Leaf shook the small, proffered hand, offering a nervous little smile in return. "Hi."
"You're Blue's friend, right?" Polly said. "He said you haven't been here before. What do you think of the whole woodsy, dark fairytale theme? Cool, huh?"
"Yeah," Leaf agreed weakly. "It's pretty cool."
She glanced surreptitiously along the bar, but Blue was busy making drinks. A couple of guys who passed by whistled appreciatively at Polly. She promptly turned to banter coquettishly with them until they moved off.
Leaf couldn't decide if she was astounded or impressed. "You don't feel uncomfortable?"
Polly laughed. "A girl's body is her greatest weapon. You just gotta learn how to use it properly." She winked playfully. "How's your Leppa Poition? Blue mixes a wicked cocktail."
"Oh, it's… um, yeah, delicious." Leaf hastily picked up the glass, sloshing a little over the lip and raising it awkwardly in a toast… to nothing.
If Polly thought she was weird, she didn't show it. She chattered away pleasantly until Blue suddenly appeared before them and she broke off abruptly with a quick little grin.
"We were just talking about you."
Actually, Leaf had absolutely no idea what they'd been talking about. She'd been hardly listening. Everything was starting to get a little overwhelming. She was completely out of her depth here. She should be home, watching some trashy reality TV show in her pyjamas.
She furtively sought Blue's eyes in a silent plea for help.
Blue, however, was smirking at Polly. "Should I be worried?"
"With looks like yours and that killer ego," Polly playfully returned, "it's us girls who should be worried, right, Leaf?"
She nudged her and Leaf stumbled on her prompt agreement, blushing madly.
They flirted back and forth for a bit, then Polly tossed her fantastic locks over her shoulder, whipped up a round serving tray and declared, "Well, now that you're here I should probably do some actual work. Nice to meet you, Leaf."
Leaf forced a quick smile. With a final smouldering wink at Blue, Polly slipped off easily into the crowd.
Leaf glanced up at Blue, but he was following Polly with his eyes. She recognised the predatory look in his expression and sucked in her bottom lip, something unpleasant bubbling in the pit of her stomach.
Clearing her throat, Leaf reached over and lightly smacked his arm. "Don't even bother. She respects herself way too much."
Now he looked at her. He flashed a daredevil grin. "I like a challenge."
Blue kicked his eyebrows suggestively at her and tossed a final contemplative look in the direction Polly had disappeared. Then he headed back to work.
Leaf swilled and knocked back the rest of her cocktail, but it did little to help the sour taste that meeting Polly seemed to have left in her mouth. It was definitely time to leave. Blue was obviously busy, and she was wildly out of place, so she scooted off the stool and wove her way towards the exit.
Out on the frosty street at last, Leaf yanked her coat on and tied the waist tightly, shooting the club's neon sign a stony glare. Tonight had been utterly abysmal. Why had she even come?
She stomped briskly off up the street, feeling annoyed and strangely insecure, for reasons she couldn't even begin to explain to herself.
To be continued…
