El Fin! The very last theme!
Title: Hidden Among Us
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #50, Hidden Among Us
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*
Notes: () for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Warnings: Gender confusion, Shonen-ai
Summary: Lance and Red have an arranged marriage. Does the red string of fate bind them?
Red is searching for that special someone.
There's a legend, a children's story really, that every one has someone else that they're destined from. When the children are born, the Lord of Heaven will take a red string and tie it around the little fingers of the two children destined to be together.
It's a beautiful story, but Red has been searching for a long time, and he isn't sure that the one who belongs with him is out there anymore. What if she's dead, or already married, or – or there are so many other things that could go wrong!
She might be a drunk, or have some incurable, chronic disease, or be years younger than he is!
There are other things he frets about, and so, when his mother announces that she's found him someone to marry, he doesn't protest.
He's too tired to.
When Lance first sees Red, he thinks he's a child – and really, he's so young, but at the same time, so disillusioned.
It makes the Dragon Master rather disappointed, and somewhat relieved, that there's a six-month courting period they have to go through before marriage.
Well, at least they can be friends, right?
Right.
However, he didn't expect to wind up in a luxurious – but strangely empty – house. Apparently, their six months were going to take place there.
They would be all alone during that time, with only each other for company.
At this rate, they would drive each other crazy, or learn to live together. It could go either way.
Red sighed.
This was not fun…
"You're making breakfast?" Red asks on the first day.
Lance nods, his hands still busy slicing and dicing, a knife each, as silver flashed sunspots into the trainer's eyes.
"… You can cook?"
"It is generally expected that your wife should be able to cook, yes." Lance says quietly. Red has no answer for that.
He watches Lance as she prepares food, and doesn't really understand what's going on, but…
Actually, he doesn't know anything about this girl at all… but if he has to live with her for the rest of his life, he'd better get to know her.
Breakfast is quite simple, steamed rice and miso soup, and a dish of chicken and chopped vegetables cooked in egg. It's quite good, even better than his mother's cooking, so he ticks that down as a point in her favor.
She's pretty too. He was worried about marrying someone horribly deformed or ugly, but she's not even plain. She has long red hair pulled up in jade pins, and sparkling golden eyes.
So why doesn't he like her?
There's nothing physically wrong with her that he can see. She's perfectly behaved, and she does all the dishes without complaint. She's definitely a useful housewife, but for some reason, he can't make his heart warm up to her.
He's watching her as she sweeps the front walk. She looks nice in her kimono, dark green patterned with cranes, and she's slim and pale, but…
Why can't he love her?
Is it true that he's locked his heart away?
Or perhaps he just needs time to get used to the idea of marriage.
On the second day, they go out together to explore. The house is rather huge, and Red has a sneaking suspicion that there's magic woven into it. It's not malicious though, so he doesn't attack, and the wards tingle when they pass through.
Lance accepts this all really well, and Red wonders if she knows magic. She might, if he's lucky.
His mother should have mentioned compatibility…
In any case, when they go in the music room, Lance's eyes light up, and as she moves, he can see something solidifying in her hands. It's a flute of polished silver.
How interesting.
He sits down at the piano and listens to her play, and she is quite talented. A few minutes later, he joins in, counter pointing her melody, and it's so peaceful that they don't stop until the sunsets and they both suddenly feel hungry.
Lance apologizes and goes off to make dinner, but Red stops her.
He says that it's not fair if she has to do everything, and so he'll cook tonight, and he does, though the honey barbequed chicken does come out a tad too sweet.
Still, as they sit on the porch and eat quietly, while watching the sunset, he's willing to acknowledge that this isn't as bad as he feared.
On the third day, they just sit in the library and talk. And so the pattern repeats. They're very polite, and almost affectionate, and two months in, Red kisses her for the first time.
She's pretty, and the kiss is nice, so he does it again, and before he knows what's going on, his hands have slipped inside her kimono, and she's lying underneath him as his hands roam over her soft body.
Of course, it's about then when he realizes that she isn't quite the proper designation to use, but he really. Doesn't. Care. At that point, and besides, Lance doesn't say a word.
And when they touch, it's better than he ever imagined.
Afterwards, they're both wrapped in towels, and he cuddles her, because it's just too hard to switch his mindset, and she doesn't mind submitting anyway. And she's not perfect, but no one is, and he's happy with what he has.
And no one will ever need to know this secret.
And Lance nods, as she listens to him talk, and he pets her hair.
End Fic
Completed 9/1/06
You know, I find it very ironic that I finished all of the 50_themes themes before the mods put me on the list! Man… talk about slow service…
Lance: *Hugs Red*
Red: You know, I noticed you wrote a few of these things with me as Ash…
Phantomness: Sumimasen… but I ran into a mind block. 'Sides, the Shipping encompasses you both, since you're both based on the same game character, hai?
…. Tis a creepy fic at the end, ne? I think all my characters are insane…
