song inspiration: Everytime We Touch, by Cascada
Yellow turns her head back a bit to say something and his whole world record-screeches to a stop as the wind dances gently in her long, long hair and her eyes sparkle in the sunlight and she seems to glow in the summer ambiance around the playground.
He's known her for two decades and been married to her for one and he loves her more every single day. And he's proud of it.
Since moving back to Pallet together to spend more time with Red's mother, there has been a whole lot of reminiscing. But Mom is in Viridian City this weekend with some friends, so Red and Yellow have spent the whole afternoon exploring old haunts. Of course, she has been here before and the two of them have created memories here too.
Like this one.
With that same wind carrying through her long skirt and bumping against her big hat, Yellow perches on an old swing set and Red pushes her gently.
These are the same swings where Green once bullied him into giving up a sand shovel, the same swings where Blue once told Red she could teach him how to fly, where Green helped him home after he cut his knees in the bark, where Blue confessed to him about her loving Green, where he brought Yellow on their first trip home. On these swings, Green broke the news to Red about his parents, Yellow kissed him for the second time, and Blue cried. On these swings, Red realized that he wanted to marry Yellow.
So he's a big fan of this playground, now. It's the only reason he let Pallet add his name to the park plaque, because, unlike so many billboard adds in big cities and gym pamphlets, this is a place that matters, that means guardian safety and vivacious freedom and home.
"Red." He blinks.
"What?" Yellow is grinning.
"I asked you a question."
"...I love you," he answers resolutely. That is the answer to most important questions, after all, and when she laughs, he knows that she's forgiven him.
"Love you too," she says, and it sends tingles through his chest so fast and hard that he needs to swallow it down before leaning to kiss her beside the long chain holding up the swing seat.
It's incredible, he thinks, that the rush has never gone away. Sure, they have sedate serenity now, and it is a blessing after the pretty crazy lives that they still live. Coming home to that cabin in the forest, or to Pallet, is a special feeling that he cherishes.
There is thrill, electricity, that pirouettes in his heart and sends lightning down his nerves when she looks at him, and it is unmatchable, the feeling he gets when she kisses him.
"Tell me again," he requests, earnest.
Now, it's true that he's been electrocuted more times than he can count — but that's something completely different and not nearly as nice.
But he puts that thought away because there are so many more beautiful things to dream about instead.