Oh gosh it took me a loooong time to finish this chapter. It was pretty hard to write because it's kinda about a mundane subject. Sorry about the... uh... housewifeyness of this chapter O.o But yeah, both tea AND curry make an appearance in this chapter lulz 8) I hope the next chapter will be the result of some inspiration. Not really feeling it lately. School started up again :(

So yeah, in summary, might be a little OOC because I was tired while finishing this up.


Pearl felt proud of himself. He now knew a small portion of Hoenn by heart. He had always been good with observation skills, even to the point of being able to predict a Pokemon's next move by its gait. Obviously, this gave him a good sense of his own location in relation to everything else. This, in combination with his good memory, helped lead him back to Littleroot without mishap. It was really a shame that he missed a part of the road between Littleroot and Oldale, perhaps he could have avoided that whole incident north of Oldale if he had a chance to observe. He gulped. Thinking about that episode made him feel a little nauseous. If Pearl was good at reading Pokemon and his surroundings, he certainly traded that off with being able to read people.

This brought his mind to Ruby again, who was sitting directly opposite him at the table they had eaten breakfast on. Pearl definitely couldn't figure Ruby out. He had done a lot of things for Pearl, but at the same time he had a sharp tongue. Those eyes didn't help Pearl's image of him either. No, those blazing red eyes burned holes worse than the one in the back of Pearl's shirt. Yet at times they sparkled—

Pearl shook his head to clear it of any images. He was going to take Wally's advice and do what was best for him. He was going to forget Ruby's alter ego, the boy who had turned to him with sloppy black locks, deep red eyes, and moist lips, the boy who, frankly, hardly looked like a boy at all. He was only going to see Ruby as the person in front of him, the boy with the cat's eye glasses, the fashion magazine, and the odd spiked beanie. This boy was the unpleasant one.

Ruby took a dainty sip of his jasmine-green tea mixture. He had been completely unsurprised when Pearl came bursting through the door, smiling broadly about his directional success. Nothing seemed to faze Ruby now. This sort of pissed Pearl off, considering the blond boy himself had been freaking out nearly an hour ago.

"'Sup, homo?" Misery loves company, after all.

Ruby's brow furrowed. He continued reading the magazine, its cover graced by a thin, brown-haired girl with sharp features. The headline emblazoned beneath her read, "Leader Roxanne: Her Rock-Solid Fashion Tips Revealed". Pearl's eyes trailed across the cover and landed at Ruby's fingernails. They were narrow, well-trimmed, and very clean. Their corresponding fingers were the same: thin and white. They looked so fragile, however much evidence there existed to the contrary.

Pearl's stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts, which he considered needed interrupting anyway. Ruby glanced up at the audible rumble. He looked behind him. "Mother," he called softly.

The bespectacled boy put down his magazine and went over to the stove. "I forgot she went on a date with my father." Ruby made a face as if to say, again.

"Does she do that a lot?" Pearl asked, wanting to confirm that expression Ruby had.

"Yes, quite often." Ruby got out some dishes and a small packet.

"So you cook for yourself?"

"Dinner, yes. My mother makes breakfast, while I usually buy lunch." The other boy had a large knife in his hand and was chopping something.

Soon a healthy stir-fry was sizzling on the stove. Pearl's mouth watered slightly from the fragrance, an action which reminded him a little of Diamond, his manzai partner with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Pearl chuckled. It had only been a day since they were separated, but Pearl missed Dia and his cooking a lot.

Ruby added the finished stir-fry to a pot and poured in water. "I'm going upstairs for a bit, so please call me down when it's begun to boil."

"What? I don't know a fricking thing about cooking!"

"I'm sure you know what boiling water looks like," Ruby replied coolly. He disappeared up the staircase.

Pearl went over the stove, dismayed at the task. He could see small, bright bubbles forming along the sides of the pot and around the mixed meat and vegetables. It was sort of relaxing, watching the occasional bubble slowly detach itself from the side, float up, and release its gaseous contents into the air. It was also kind of boring. Pearl hated boredom, and there was nothing to do in Ruby's house but think. He had already done enough of that already, so he turned away from the bubbles and started to explore Ruby's house.

The place was very small and sparse. Squished in one corner were the refrigerator, stove, kitchen sink, and what looked like a large china cabinet. Everything valuable owned by Ruby's family seemed to be crammed into the cabinet's drawers and shelves. Old books, souvenirs, and photo albums made up a large part of the contents. Without hesitation, Pearl opened the glass door and took out a heavy, yellowed album that had caught his eye; it was titled "Little Ruby". Perhaps, Pearl thought, he could use this as blackmail if he needed to.

He went back to the table and carefully opened the first page. Baby shots. There were a lot of those. Pearl flipped through until he found a picture of Ruby as a toddler. Even then, he was wearing that weird white hat, though its band was black and red, quite unlike the green one Ruby had on today. He turned the page. Under the next picture was written "Ruby's first Pokemon battle" in small, neat handwriting. The crimson-eyed toddler in the photo was covered with mud and scratches. He and a similarly muddy Poochyena were facing a stern-looking man with a huge coffee-colored Pokemon, both parties with determined looks on their faces. Pearl had never seen Ruby battle, except that one time when he used a Swampert to overpower a poor Poochyena. Even then, Ruby took care not to get himself or the Pokemon dirty. He didn't even seem the type to like fighting.

Curious, Pearl turned another page and snorted. It was a photo of Ruby and Sapphire when they were younger. Ruby looked like he did in the previous picture, dirty and scratched up, with a few bandages on his face. He was giving the camera a confident grin. Next to him, Sapphire was wearing… a frilly pink mess, coupled with a matching headband. Her hair was neatly kempt, and her skin was very clean and white. She was looking up at the camera with a shy smile, hands clasped neatly in front of her. Pearl practically shook trying to hold back his laughter. Either this picture wasn't real, or they had bonked heads and went through a major body switch.

He turned another page. It was Ruby, a bit older than the previous picture, without his hat. Pearl's eyes widened. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before—

Hissing reached his ears and he looked up in time to see the water in the pot practically frothing over. "Oh shit. WHITE-HA—I MEAN, RUBY!"

There was a loud thumping on the staircase and Ruby appeared. "Ah! You idiot, I told you to call me when it's boiling, not turning my stir-fry into vapor!" He rushed over to the stove and turned down the heat. The froth lessened immediately. Ruby ripped open the packet he had set on the counter and poured it into the pot. "All right, just let that go for a bit, and it should be ready soon." He turned to glare at Pearl. "You almost ruined your own dinner."

"My dinner? You said you cook your own dinner."

"You simply asked me if I cooked for myself. I don't recall you asking about this particular dish." Ruby sighed heavily, heading over to the table to rest himself in a wooden chair opposite Pearl. He had something in his hand, which he quickly hid in his lap.

"So… whatcha got there?" Pearl asked, careful to keep the photo album in his own lap hidden from view.

Ruby looked away and his face turned very slightly pink, or so it seemed to Pearl. "Nothing of importance." He looked at Pearl again. "What about you? Your arms go so straight down in your lap; it looks as if you need to use the restroom."

Pearl felt an itchy, nervous feeling gather at the top of his head. "Nothing, really. Hey, whatever you're cooking might be done now," he offered, gambling to change the subject. He didn't want Ruby thinking he was ogling at the other boy's baby pictures; that sounded too stalker-ish.

The other boy's eyes narrowed. "Hardly. There are still 5 full minutes to go." Pearl felt uncomfortable in his seat. He just needed to stall for 5 more minutes, then when Ruby got up, he could check what it was the raven-haired boy had had in his lap. "I hate to mirror you from earlier today, but we can make a small deal right now," Ruby said. "I'll show what's in my lap at this moment, and in exchange, you show me what you could possibly be hiding."

Pearl was aghast at this sudden act of diplomacy, but he felt his head slowly nod on its own. His grip around the photo album tightened. The other boy's eyes flashed bright red for a moment, and he lifted a flimsy piece of cloth from its resting place on his lap. "It's not quite done. Normally I wouldn't let anyone examine my work before it's completed, but I'll make this a special case. I keep my word, after all." Pearl leaned closer to the fabric on the table and gasped. That gorgeous stiff collar, those bold and bright stripes of orange, those brilliant white bands! Pearl recognized this as none other than a marvelous replica of his own good taste. Ruby smirked. "Is it to your liking?"

The excitable blond boy thought it was of course fabulous. Truth be told, he'd been itching to replace his shirt. It was rather chilly having a hole in one's back. "It's awesome!"

Ruby still had that smirk smeared on his face. "Your turn."

Pearl's own smile faded. He wasn't about to back down on a deal, so he tentatively pushed the photo album onto the table.

"What in the world were you doing with that?" Pearl looked away. The album was still open to the picture he saw just before calling Ruby downstairs. It was that picture of little Ruby without his hat. He was obviously at a formal event; his small body was dressed in a crisp polo and nice pants, and his dark hair was neatly arranged. However, a small patch of hair on the right side of his head seemed to be missing. In its place were two bright white scars. They looked a lot like claw marks, Pearl thought.

Ruby was oddly silent for a bit, adding to the already awkward silence between them. He got up from the table and checked the pot on the stove. "It should be about ready now." He searched through the bottom of the cabinet for plates, spoons, and a ladle. He reached a spoon into something hiding behind the large pot, pulled out a spoonful of rice, and placed it on one of the plates. He continued doing so until the rice covered exactly half of each plate. He then carefully ladled the concoction in the pot onto the other side. Satisfied with his work, he brought both plates back to the table, moved the photo album, and set them down. "I hope you like curry."

The wonderful smell reminded Pearl how hungry he was. His first mouthful was warm, spicy, and full of rich flavor. The meat was tender and the vegetables not too hard and not too soft. Ruby was a good cook, even if the flavoring came from a package. "This is really tasty!"

It didn't take long for Pearl to finish his hearty plate of curry rice, while Ruby was taking small bites and dabbing his mouth after most of them. The blond boy stretched and smiled contentedly. The boy across from him swallowed and asked "Now, really, what were you doing with that ratty old photo album? Gazing upon my childhood? I'll have you know I was one of the most beautiful and well-mannered infants in existence."

Ruby had clearly seen which picture it was open to. Was he trying to avoid the subject? "I found a picture of you and Sapphire in there. She looks so weird in a dress!" Pearl said, grinning. The crimson-eyed boy's face darkened, and he said nothing. Pearl tried again. "Uh… there was another picture of you battling someone with a huge Pokemon. You looked really into it." Again, Ruby remained silent, the only sounds coming from his direction the scraping of his spoon on his plate.

"Poking your nose into other people's business is considered rude, you know," he finally said.

Pearl was indignant. "What the—I was just bored after watching your stupid pot for fricking ever!"

"And apparently so engrossed in my past that you were unable to do your job properly. You won't be able to succeed if you're so single-minded."

"Goddammit you," Pearl said, his face heating up. "What's wrong with a few pictures? Did something so bad happen that you have to diss people every time they bring them up?"

"You don't even know," Ruby replied frostily, his eyes turning a dark, dull red.

"Mind informing me, prissy-ass?"

The other boy's face turned redder. "If you'd offered even a word of thanks for all the things I've done for you today, I might consider telling an ingrate like you."

"WHY are you doing all this shit for me anyway? I never asked for it!"

"Would you rather have been left out for the Mightyena to scavenge? I can arrange for that, you know."

Pearl made a frustrated sound and slapped his hand on the table. "Just get back off your fucking high horse! I have practically nothing in this awful region and you try to keep everything a secret! Just tell me what's going on!"

Ruby mirrored his slap on the table. "For the love of beauty, do not question me further on this issue! At this moment you don't need or deserve to know!"

This stopped Pearl. He bit lip—hard—and leaned back into his chair.

The crimson-eyed boy snatched the dishes off the table and went to place them in the sink. "Wash the dishes, it's the least you can do. Then, I had better see your pitiful self in bed before I take that horrid scarf and choke you with it."


Kinda makes you wonder what's next. Pearl is certainly curious about Ruby's past now... although idk if he really wants to know, he might cry manly tears XD

Reviews are delightful, criticism is not asked for, but accepted nonetheless. At least give me some love for this fic? I know it's a really weird pairing, but I want to make it work somehow 8)