It's a couple years after the fact.
They're situated in a small, sturdy cottage in the shadowy emerald depths of Viridian Forest. Red is Kanto's champion. He spends the interminable weekdays defeating challengers who make it past the Elite Four in a repetitive cycle. Yellow runs a humble organic business from home. She sells medicinal products and Pokémon treats made from local berries and plants. Life is a little mundane, but they're not complaining after what they've been through. Daily battles are just enough to keep Red on his toes; Yellow is perfectly content knowing she's supplying people with things to keep their Pokémon happy and healthy.
Uncle Wilton's weathered pendulum clock chimes five on the wall. Chuchu is helping Yellow wrap up jars of berry jam on the kitchen table when the front door creaks open. Immediately Chuchu bounds to the floor to greet Pika. When the pair's usual enamored chittering doesn't reach her ears, Yellow's chest tightens. Pika tends to mirror Red's emotional state as a result of the bond between them, and though silence isn't unusual for them, both Pikachu are always lively when reunited after a long day. Yellow turns towards the door, subconsciously holding her breath. Red's face is pale and he's squeezing his eyes shut with a hand braced against the muted wallpaper.
"Are you okay?" Yellow inquires tentatively, stepping around the pair of Pikachu embracing on the wood floor as she makes her way over to Red. Inhaling sharply, Red rubs his eyes before meeting Yellow's worried gaze. He shakes his head, "I… I don't know."
"Why don't you sit down?" Yellow takes his wrist and leads him, slowly, into the sitting room. She holds his shoulders steady as he slumps down into a worn armchair, stuffing spilling out of the patterned fabric in spots. Almost everything in the cottage is a hand-me-down from a friend or family member - they tend to be frugal (more so than Blue and Green, anyways). Yellow takes one of Red's calloused hands in her own, "Do you want something to drink? Or eat? What can I get for you?"
Red shakes his head once more and his hold tightens on Yellow's hand.
"Don't go," he murmurs, hand sliding up Yellow's arm, scrunching up the baggy sleeve of the sweatshirt she has on - his - and pulling her towards him. Yellow obliges. She's glad the armchair is roomy as she situates herself on Red's lap. He squeezes his eyes shut again and wraps his arms around her back, holding her like he hasn't seen her in years.
"Someone, today," Red mumbles, burying his face in the crook of Yellow's neck, "I don't know what it was… something with ice. I can't remember the name of it. It froze Aero until he fainted, and I just… Couldn't get that out of my head. It was just like - you know. I don't know how I kept battling after that."
Yellow feels his tears soaking through the thick cotton of the sweatshirt she has on. She wonders how often things like this paralyze his mind. Combing through the hair at the nape of his neck at an idle pace, she reassures him, "You're okay. You never have to worry about that happening again, you know."
"I just - I never want to be without you again… It was almost okay, then, because you were right there with me. I don't want to be alone if - if something like that happens again," Red sniffs and his shoulders hike a little as he sucks in a couple miserable gasps of air. Yellow thinks she feels her heart break in two in her chest.
"I'm sorry, dear," Yellow says, kneeling on Red's lap so she can wrap both arms around his neck - she knows it's easier for him to be vulnerable if they don't have to look at each other, "It's okay now. I'm here. Aero's okay, and so are you. It'd be hard for someone with bad intentions to find us out here anyways."
Red's back rises as he takes a deep, shaky breath. Feet clicking against the wood floor, Pika and Chuchu skitter over to the foot of the armchair. Yellow feels the warmth of one of Red's hands leave her back when he reaches out to pet the Pokémon. His hand returns to the small of her back and she leans into his hold so she can see his face. It breaks her heart to see him hurting, reliving something he shouldn't have gone through in the first place.
"You okay?" Yellow balls the ends of her sleeves in her fists and gingerly wipes Red's damp eyes before her hands come to rest on either side of his face at his jaw. He swallows, nods, "Helps to - to let it out. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Yellow smiles, but it's a sad one, "Don't think about that. I'm here. With you."
She hates that what Guile did to them is still forever ingrained in each one of them - their juniors included. The effects of being so close to death became rooted deep in each of them in individual ways that they still struggle to separate themselves from and deal with. She's just glad that they still have each other.
"Come on," Yellow slides off Red's lap, careful not to step on their Pikachu as she eases herself up from the armchair, "I know you're tired."
Red nods, halfheartedly trying to stifle a yawn. Yellow extends her arms out to embrace Red when he stands up and grasps his shoulder in her signature I-want-a-kiss cue. Red complies, leaning down while she stands on her toes to combat the height gap between them and press their lips together. Red smiles into the kiss and mumbles, "I love you."
Yellow steps back, beaming, "I love you more."