Green didn't come to visit the next day. Or the day after. Red knew that this was part of the ploy-see if you can even make it through two days without me, Red- , but goddamnit, it worked. He had been up here for three years, and one year he had been completely alone, all by himself. Now, after just two days of complete isolation with even Green not visiting him, he didn't know how the hell he had managed to get by back then.
Maybe it was because during the first year, he had been completely oversaturated with human interaction and he just needed to get being all by himself out of his system. After that, he remembered, he had actually felt a little sting of loneliness, until Green found him. Of course Green hadn't come to visit him every single day. One time, a whole week had went by where Green didn't come up here. But that had been okay because at least Red had known that he'd be back eventually. Now however, he realized that he had taken the visits of his old rival for granted, and that they wouldn't last forever.
Would he be able to go back to isolation again, knowing that Green was far, far away, discovering the world? Knowing, that no one told his mom he was fine?
And then he thought about the times he traveled through Kanto. Discovering towns and cities that he had only ever seen on pictures online, finding all kinds of new pokémon, completing the pokédex... he did miss that.
Traveling, training and battling was his purpose, after all. But then again, during his visits, Green had told him that all of Kanto and possibly even the other regions were still all over the story of the silent Champion who had just disappeared. The news covered this almost every evening. Naturally, there were also several youtube videos with millions of views that showed how he had just wordlessly left the talkshow, and the comments underneath these videos were all very recent.
Countless youtubers had uploaded their conspiracy theories about the situation. According to them, he was controlled by Team Rocket, or the illuminati, and he left before he could say too much. Or he got kidnapped after the show.
The most popular theory that a guy called Dane Shawson had posted was that he was a robot made by the government, who just didn't know much about human interaction and had a short circuit during the show, and he had taken the clips where he awkwardly stuttered into the camera or behaved a little weird as proof. Also that one embarrassing clip where he had been deep in his thoughts, accidentally knocked a glass of cold water over his lap and jumped up and yelped as if something had just bitten him (a video that also had millions of views. Yep, people couldn't get enough of him).
If Red got down this mountain, he would have to face the media and give answers. He got anxiety at the thought of twelve year old fangirls rubbing themselves over him again (which would be even creepier now that he was twenty years old) and people shoving cameras in his face. And his mom... he was dying to see her, but he was also terrified of her reaction. She was his mother, she would be happy to see him of course, but he would also have to answer why he had done what he had done, why he had never called her, and how he could square the fact that he just left her in her worry and loneliness with his conscience. And the truth was, he didn't have an answer. He had just needed to get out. The pressure of satisfying everyone and living up to his title as the undefeated, very best trainer ever had just become so much that he had went partly insane for a little while, so the one time he didn't think about other peoples' feelings, he had deeply hurt the people he cared about most. Was it worth it? He knew he did have to face her and everyone else eventually.
And also, was staying up here forever all alone worth it? Wasn't a little media attention better than dying on a snowy mountain with absolutely no one to keep him company?
And besides, it had been three years. Sure, at first, the paparazzi would be all over him, but soon enough, the people would get tired of him and focus their attention on something more exciting.
Talking about Red, the silent Champion who just disappeared, wouldn't be as interesting anymore if he became Red, the talking ex-Champion who had safely returned.
All these thoughts came to him on the second day he was alone, hoping Green would come back on the third. But he didn't. The days were longer than he remembered with nothing to do. He trained his pokémon, but even that wasn't as exciting alone. He had to admit, he missed Green filling the silence with his words. The auburn haired man had a way of making introverts like him feel comfortable; he gave him space and opportunities to just zone out, but he also gave him the feeling that he wasn't alone. He never felt like Green expected any reactions from him, he just...talked. Would he be able to make it through eternity without hearing Green blabber about unimportant nonsense ever again?
And as he just thought the day was finally over, looked at his watch and realized it was only 2 PM, Red made his decision. He looked at Pikachu, who seemed to notice the change of mind in his trainer. He looked up at Red, trusting, black eyes meeting undecided brown ones.
And then, Pikachu nodded, and Red smiled. "Let's show these assholes", Red mumbled. He waited until it was dark, then he called out Charizard, who stretched and yawned and gave Red a frustrated look.
"Buddy," Red just said and gave him a pat on the long neck. "We're going home."
Beep.
Green's phone announced a new message for about the millionth time.
Every time he hoped it was Red, but it was yet again just his grandpa, writing him countless texts. It was 2 AM, so Oak was really impatient.
Green opened the message with casual interest.
"Green. I already told you to come here three days ago and you haven't even answered me yet. I expect you to be in my lab by 10 Am TOMORROW."
Green rolled his eyes and shut his phone off. The Great Professor Oak always said "Jump" and expected Green to ask "How high?", but he was growing tired of it.
If his grandfather so urgently needed him, he would go there eventually, but he would do it on his own terms. The old man needed to realize that his life didn't revolve around him and his dreams.
Green sighed, propping his head up on his hands while he looked into the darkness outside his window. The cool air stroked his face. He tried not to focus on the fact that he was despereately hoping to see the flame of a Charizard in the sky. How pathetic was that! Sometimes he was scared that he was following the example of everyone else when it came to perceiving himself. To the people, he was either "Green, the grandson of the famous Samuel Oak", or "Green, the friend of the famous Champion Red". And here he was, barely even feeling like he existed anymore without having Red around. Was his self esteem really that low? Did he really define himself as "Red and Green" too?
His analytical mind had tried to find the source of this, had tried to reach every corner of his brain to figure out why he felt like he was nothing when Red wasn't here. Maybe it was because the only time people approached him was to ask him about Red. Maybe it was because his grandfather barely even looked up anymore when he visited him in his lab because he knew he didn't have Red with him. Maybe it was because even Red's mom, Delia, who had always treated him like her own son, had suddenly grown distant after her actual son wasn't here anymore.
He had visited her every day and told her about Red, and while he did, her eyes were curious and alert. But after he finished his report, she always looked away warily and said "Thank you, Green" with a tired voice.
The first time this happened, he hadn't recognized the silent "Please leave now" behind these words, so he had cheerfully started blabbering about unimportant stuff again without really realizing it, like he always did. Back in the day, when everything was still okay, she had looked at him with fond amusement whenever he did this, because this was just what he did. He talked. When he talked, he didn't have to think. Sometimes, he truly didn't notice just how much he was talking; he just did it. Talking was almost like breathing at this point.
But on this particular day, she suddenly snapped, with tears in her eyes: "For god's sake, Green, can you stop talking for one second? I don't care that you caught a new kind of pokémon! I don't care that you won another battle! And for the love of god, stop acting like you're my son! You're not! If you want to do something useful, bring me my real son back! You know where he is, why aren't you doing anything?"
He flinched as if she had just slapped him, and she might aswell have. Delia had never talked to him like this. She had been the closest thing he had ever had to a parental figure; on mother's day, he made her cards, and when she went on vacation with Red, she always took him and Daisy with her. She had given him kisses on his cheek and fawned over him every time he visited Pallet Town, asking him if he was eating right and if he was taking care of himself, and on his birthdays, she had baked him his favourite cake and bought him presents. And now, while she snapped at him, she looked at him like she was sick of him. Just like everyone else. After Red was gone, magically, everyone had lost interest in Green.
He could tell she felt sorry immediately after she said it, but her mind was too busy with more important stuff to actually feel bad, so she just said: "I mean... it's really a lot to handle right now. I need time for myself, okay, sweetie?"
Maybe it was pathetic, but the way she called him "sweetie" made him feel all warm again and calmed him down. He knew he was grasping for straws and soaked up every bit of affection he could get, and he was absolutely sure that it was unhealthy, but what could he do?
You're fine. She still loves you, it's okay.
He grinned at Delia and shrugged, putting on his mask again. "Tsk, it's okay! I have better things to do anyway!"
"Green...", Delia had said with a sad expression on her face. She knew him better than anyone else, and she was sure that she had just added another brand new scar to the already impressive collection in his broken soul. His smug demeanor was nothing but an attempt to deny reality, and to not show anyone including himself just how broken he felt inside. She hated herself for contributing to his unhealthy mindset.
"I'll visit him again tomorrow," Green said as if nothing had happened. "See you then!"
"Green," Delia said again, and he turned around with his usual smile and just said "Yeah?"
She sighed. "I love you, okay? Please forget what I just said, I didn't mean it. I'm just really, really stressed right now. Please understand, Red is missing and I...I think I'm going insane with worry. I'm very grateful that you come here every day and tell me how he is. When you have children, you'll understand."
"Of course!", Green said, chipper as ever, and set off to Veridian City, still wearing his mask and whistling on the whole way back. From then on, things had become weird between him and Delia.
He was careful not to say the wrong things or to talk too much, didn't want to lose her precious affection. So he left whenever he heard her tired "Thank you, Green", and came back the next day, hoping to find her in a better mood.
Green sighed again, trying not to think about Delia or his grandfather, and especially not about Red, the golden boy who was evidently better than Green in every way.
He was tired of waiting and brooding. Tomorrow he would leave for Oak's lab, and after that, he would leave, period. Red could go to hell if he was that stubborn.
And the best thing about all of this was that disappearing wouldn't even be a selfish action; once Red came back, everyone would forget about Green. No one would silently sit at the kitchen table, wondering when and if he would come back and waiting for someone to bring news about him. No one would snap "Goddamnit, can you stop talking? You're not my kid! Green is my kid!"
Maybe they'd be sad for a week or so, but after that, life would go on for everyone. And while they would all be fawning over Red, he, Green, would train and become the actual most powerful trainer in the world. He would defeat every Elite 4 in existance, would fill up the pokédex with data of pokémon from all over the world, and eventually, he would beat Red, and everyone would finally start realizing how talented he was.
But then again, there was that one thought that was stronger than any other: You'd have to do this without Red.
And that thought stung. He hated how everyone preferred Red over him, but he didn't hate Red. Red, his only friend in the world.
That's when tears welled up in Green's eyes and he buried his head in his arms as he did so often when he sat here, alone in his little one room apartment. His only friend. He really was pathetic.
Charizard knew exactly where to go. The giant dragon was visibly excited about finally leaving MT. Silver, doing loopings and teasing Red by almost throwing him off his back.
But Red wasn't scared; he trusted Charizard, and he truly felt alive for the first time in four years. He had been hesitant at first, but now, leaving this god forsaken place was the only thing in his mind. The adrenalin at the hands of his rushed decision did the rest. He was Red. The most powerful trainer in Kanto. Hell, in the world even. He wouldn't bow in front of the media. To hell with the paparazzi! He would just go with Green, leave Kanto, travel the world and see and discover new places and pokémon. He would leave the people here behind with their witchhunt mentality, he'd compete with Green again, he'd absolutely destroy him in battles, and maybe he would finally get to break down one or two of the protective walls his old rival had built up around him. The thought of it all made his legs twitch with excitement, and as Charizard did another looping, Red let out a loud "WHOHOOOOO!", which was accompanied by a happy growl of Charizard and his Pikachu excitedly yelling "PIKA PIKA!"
They were about to conquer the world, and nothing could stop them. Red's heart was beating with excitement, and he felt insane as he started laughing like a little child on the playground, but also, he really didn't care.
He couldn't wait to see Green's stupid face.
The same scenarios repeated themselves over and over in his head. How he'd surprise Green on his way to Pallet Town by letting Pikachu give him a little shock. How he'd throw eggs at his window to wake him up.
How he'd dress up as a Team Rocket member and scare him.
At this point, he did wonder if he should get his brain checked out, but come on, scaring Green, that cocky jerk with the giant ego, was fun.
When he saw the first lights of Veridian City, Green's home, his grin grew wider. He hadn't ever visited Green here, after all, he had moved out from home while Red was on MT. Silver, but he had told him his adress once, and Red could only guess that it was near the gym.
Leafstreet 16, 4th floor.
Red had to fly low to see the street signs, and he was glad that it was so late already. No one was out on the street in this little backwater, and all the lights were already out. All but one.
"Charizard, fly a little bit lower", Red said quietly with a rough voice he hadn't been using in years. It sounded strange in his ears, deeper than it used o be. He saw a sign. Leafstreet.
"Nice", he quietly cheered, and Charizard followed the street until they came to the house where the light was still on. Green was the biggest workaholic Red had ever seen, so he was absolutely sure that this was his house. And sure enough, the house number was 16, and the light on the fourth floor was on.
Red spontaniously decided to scare Green by having Charizard suddenly appear by his window and spit out a flame, and he grinned at the thought. But when he reached the window and saw Green inside, he let go of that idea immediately. A weird emotion came up in him. Green was sitting at his desk directly in front of the window, his face buried in his arms, and seemingly fast asleep. His desk was a mess, and four giant books were scattered over the floor. They looked like they had been thrown there. The rest of the room didn't look better. Piles of laundry were all over the ground, the bed was so full of items and objects that Red had to wonder when was the last time his rival had used it.
As calm and collected as Green was on the outside, as messy was his home. Green really was an incurable workaholic. He had more in common with his grandfather than he knew.
Red stared at him for a while, trying to identify the emotion that had welled up inside of him, then he decided to not wake him. But he definitely would get a reaction out of Green tomorrow, of that, he was sure.
He climbed on Charizard's neck and let himself and Pikachu into the room before calling the huge dragon back into the ball. As he looked around, he noticed that the only part of the tiny apartment that was clean was the kitchen.
He flinched as Green sighed and shifted a little in his sleep, his legs twitching every now and then as if he was running away from something even in his dreams.
"Wow, he really has been letting himself go, huh?", he whispered to Pikachu, and it answered with a sad "Pika."
He hadn't even noticed any changes in Green whenever he visited him. He had always seemed so happy and excited and cocky and superior. The only negative emotion he ever showed was annoyance or anger, nothing else, and Red was a bit disappointed that after they had been knowing each other for like eighteen years now, Green still only ever showed him that side of him. The happy, mean, smug side that always wanted to tear him down. Just once, he wanted to get into Green's head and see if he was really that much of a robot, or if he actually had feelings. He had to! Red had seen it after defeating him at the Indigo Plateau. Green had looked devastated, and after his grandfather had basically yelled at him (which, by the way, had been aired on live television with millions of people watching and cheering), he had looked broken. Literally broken. It had become a meme online, so in a way, Green was famous now, but he had become a laughing stock for it, which had just made the walls around him thicker and stronger. Red had seen the sadness once, and never again. After his defeat, Green had become even more obnoxious and cocky.
Red sighed and bent down to pick one of the heavy looking books up- an encyclopedia about pokemon and battling- when suddenly he heard a loud aggressive growl and felt a sharp pain on his arm. Should've seen this coming, Red thought grimly. Biting into his arm was an Evee; small, but determined not to let go. It hurt like hell, but he showed no reaction as he raised his arm to be at eye level with the little cat like pokémon.
"Hey, buddy. I missed you too."
The response was an angry growl. Worriedly, Red looked at the desk, and as he had feared, he now looked into confused green eyes, wide awake and startled.
Not the kind of reaction I've been aiming for, but still something, Red thought. It didn't feel satisfying though; if Green worked nearly as much as it seemed, he desperately needed sleep, and as much as Red loved teasing him, he didn't want to fuck with his apparently already bad health.
One positive thing was that the disheveled, sleepy look really suited Green. Pretty cute, Red had to admit while bracing himself for whatever was to come now.
He could see the excitement in Green's eyes, but only for a second.
"How did you get in here?", he nagged. "I have a door bell, you know."
Red shrugged, ignoring the trails of blood starting to run down his arm because Evee still hadn't let go, and Green still hadn't told her to. "I didn't want to wake you."
"Good job, doofus," Green said, then he took his sweet time yawning and stretching (exposing his flat stomach for seconds Red would have enjoyed if his arm didn't feel like it was getting stabbed right now) before finally and casually telling Evee to stop biting him.
Reluctantly, the tiny pokémon let go and shot him and Pikachu one last deadly look. Evee, like her trainer, had never really gotten over the rivalry between Green and Red, despite Pikachu's attempts to make friends with her.
"You shouldn't leave your window open," Red said while inspecting the bite marks on his arm.
Green just blankly looked at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, how inconsiderate of me to leave my window open. I understand that makes it incredibly hard for freaks like you to resist breaking in."
Red shrugged. "Just worrying about your safety. You're not exactly a Nobody around here."
"It's okay," Green said. "Evee just showed you what we do with creeps."
"Touché."
They awkwardly stared at each other for a few seconds. They weren't on top of MT. Silver anymore, and Green didn't have to fill the silence with words unlike the times Red had been silent all the time. They both had so much to say, and yet both of them were speechless, which was a memorable moment because Red had never seen Green speechless before.
Apparently that happened when he was surprised. Red wondered if Green had to mentally prepare himself every time he was about to bend someone's ears.
It was amazing what a changed environment could do to people. Red knew he wasn't even supposed to be in here, and Green hadn't expected Red to suddenly stand in his bedroom at 3 AM.
"I like your voice," Green said now. "Haven't heard it in a while."
Red shrugged again. He felt stupid for doing that because surely it was already the third time in a time span of like two minutes. "Was about time, you know..."
Green nodded, but didn't really look at Red, and the silence that followed made Red regret coming here. This was not how he had imagined it all to go down.
Why was talking to Green so awkward all of a sudden? Was there an MT. Silver Green and an MT. Silver Red who lived in some alternate dimension and had to start from zero again now after being back in town?
Maybe it was because Green didn't know how to assess Red now? The circumstances were definitely different, and the power dynamic between the two had clearly changed aswell. Back on MT. Silver, Green had had all the power; he could leave forever if he wanted, or he could come back and keep Red company. But down here, it was Red who was likely to disappear again, being sucked back into the show business and forgetting about Green. Green didn't know his intentions, and how things would go on from now, and what role he played in Red's life now. As Red realized that, he remembered how he had started ignoring him at a certain point because meeting other famous people had been a priority, and he also remembered how Green had still called him and defended him. He wanted to slap himself.
Also, on MT. Silver, Red had been... just Red. Red without all his other friends, without relations to his mother or Green's grandfather, without his previous dreams and ambitions. Now he was suddenly Red, the celebrity again, with his past and present surrounding him constantly. Red realized that there really was an MT. Silver Red and a Kanto Red.
He breathed out, not realizing he had been holding his breath in the first place. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, which made Green frown.
"Although I do believe you have a long list of reasons to apologize for, you need to be more specific, Red."
"For being an ass," Red admitted. "I...kind of lost touch with you after I became...I don't want to say famous...but yeah, that's what happened."
"I know. You owe me," Green said, half joking.
Red was relieved to see the mischievous glint back in his old rival's face. He felt his tense muscles relaxing, but was still unsure of how it would go on now.
"I could tidy up that bed of your's. The desk doesn't look like an appealing sleeping place to be honest."
"Well, if you had announced yourself like normal people do, I would have had time to tidy up the whole room, but no..."
"What is all of this, Green?", Red asked while looking around. "This..is where you live?"
"Well, gee, sorry you don't like it. Didn't feel like putting live, laugh, love tattoos and flower pictures on my wall. Not my style."
"It's just not what I expected. This apartment so isn't you."
"Then what kind of apartment would be so me?"
"A big one", Red said and was surprised at how fast the answer came. "To fit your entire ego in there, and the huge hand gestures you always make when you talk."
Green made a "Tsk" sound, and Red continued. "And I thought it would be tidier, being that you're such a perfectionist control freak. And, I don't know, it looks so...bland. Come on, Green, you're fruitier than me and I'm openly gay."
"I'll be sure to call the 'Home improvement' team to cover an episode with your decor tips. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear your ideas."
"Seriously though, what's up with this?"
Now it was Green's turn to shrug. "I'm rarely here to be honest. This is just my sleeping place."
"Well, your only piece of furniture that facilitates sleep is currently unaccessible, so..."
"Hey, you just came back after three years without ever calling or asking about anyone, you have no right to be snooping around my business!", Green said in that naggy tone of his that indicated he was trying not to sound too harsh.
Red raised his hands in defense and said "Well, sorry" , which made Green grin.
"Well, if it's that important to you: you just got here at the wrong time. I usually do use my bed. Not just for sleep, obviously, I mean, look at me."
Red smiled and rolled his eyes, but in his head, he had to admit that Green had a point there.
"I'm just busy right now. Running a gym comes with lots of paper work, many people don't know that. Today was a lot to chew on, so, yeah."
"Sure."
Silence again.
Then Red said: "I'm gonna tidy your bed now, you can't just sleep at your desk, that's got to be unhealthy. I'll just sleep on the floor I guess, and tomorrow we'll go to Pallet together."
"Whoa there, who said you're staying here?"
"I did, weren't you listening?"
Green bit back another grin. Red was definitely back. He watched as his old rival picked the items up from his bed and carelessly threw them on the ground.
"You call that cleaning?"
"I said I was gonna tidy your bed so you can sleep. If you want me to be all neat at 3 AM, I expect you to pay me."
Green let out a frustrated sigh. Yep. Red was back.
When the bed was finally free, Green made a point of making himself as comfortable as possible in there. "Ahhhh, how nice it is to sleep in a warm, soft bed. Must suck for you since you have slept on stones for the past few years."
Red didn't answer for several seconds, then he said: "At least I still have my dignity. You fell asleep at your desk. And you drool and snore by the way."
The revolted grouching sounds coming from Green's bed were music to Red's ears, and soon he fell asleep, knowing he had made the right decision of coming here.
When Green woke up the next morning, he had almost forgotten about last night. When he remembered, he thought it was a dream at first, but there Red was, on the blue carpet floor seemingly without a care in the world.
It had got to be uncomfortable as hell, but Red lay there, completely relaxed and rhythmically breathing in and out, his mouth slightly hanging open. It was a sight you don't see often. Before him lay the champion of Kanto, the most powerful trainer in the world, and at the same time, his childhood friend, vulnerable and unaware of his surroundings and my god, was this a beautiful view.
Green could have watched him sleep forever, his heart jumping joyfully in his chest. He stripped all the implications behind this feeling away and just enjoyed it without thinking too much. This feeling had often appeared when he looked at men, and he just took it for what it was without ever acting on it. He had played with the thought of being gay for a few years now, but then again, he really, really liked boobs.
His heart especially did weird things every time he saw Red, but he had never dared to go there with his mind. Red was his friend, nothing more. Besides, he didn't even know what it was, his weird appreciation for the male body even though he'd had girlfriends in the past who he had been romantically and sexually interested in. He knew that some people were attracted to both genders, but this was also a place he didn't want to let his mind wander to.
What would that do to his image?
It was another reason why he admired Red. He had never cared. When they were fourteen years old, Green had pointed out a pretty girl to him once, and Red had shrugged and casually said "Eh, I'm not really into girls."
"What are you into then?", Green had asked, confused. The concept of homosexuality had still been foreign in his mind back then.
Red had looked at him like he was an alien. "Um...guys...?"
And Green had answered: "Oh. Cool."
And that was it. They never talked about it again and Green realized that it didn't change literally anything between them, so he really didn't care. When Red became famous, he still went out with guys in public, holding hands and even kissing them in front of anti-gay protestors.
It was weird; on the one hand, Red had tried so hard to be liked by people, but on the other hand, he had rebelled against these idiots with too much time on their hands publically.
But that's how Red was. If Green had to describe him with one word, he would say contradiction. Red was a walking paradox. On the one hand, he preferred silence and being by himself, on the other hand, he was the center and the light of every party. On the one hand, he was really worried about what people thought of him, but on the other hand, he emitted so much self confidence that if he gave every single person in Kanto a piece of it, no one would ever feel insignificant anymore. On the one hand, he hated talking, but on the other hand, he was one of the most eloquent and philosophical people he had ever met. On the one hand, he had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong and really cared about people and injustices, and on the other hand, he didn't think twice about packing his things and leaving for three years without saying a word to anyone.
Green let himself fall back on his pillow, finally tearing his gaze off of Red's sleeping form, and grabbed his phone to check if any more messages had appeared.
Indeed, three texts and one missed call. This was unusual, even considering how impatient Oak was.
He clicked on the messages.
2:03 AM: "Green, I can see that you read my messages."
2:10 AM: "I will not tolerate this ignorant behaviour of your's any longer."
3:00 AM: "Well, I assume you went to sleep, but I expect an answer from you tomorrow morning first thing you wake up, and it better be 'I'm on my way'".
Green groaned. He was glad Red would come with him. At least that would distract the old man a little. Or not. Most likely not. He could already hear his grandfather's voice: "Why aren't you more like Red?"
And he already had the bitter answer ready: "I will more than gladly disappear and not answer you for three years compared to these three days."
Before he could start fuming and obsessing over his bitterness, he heard Red shifting and taking a deep breath, and when he looked at him, he was rubbing his eyes and then sighing contently.
Pikachu was waking up aswell- totally in tune with his trainer, as always- and stretched with an adorable "Pikaaaaa"- sound.
"Morning," Red mumbled sleepy. He did look pretty cute. No homo though. Green chuckled silently at that ridiculous thought before he replied "Yeah, same to you."
"So, what's the plan?", Red asked, his deep voice still sounding a little nasal because of how tired he still was.
"Better get up and leave for Pallet now so we can be there in fifteen minutes, tops," Green said. "I swear, Gramps is about to come here and rip my head off."
He saw Red go pale. The taller man sat up with shock written all over his face. Evidently, he had forgotten about Pallet Town.
Yesterday's euphoria and adrenaline had worn off, and now Red had to deal with the uncomfortable part of his return: facing his mother.
Green looked at him without sympathy. He had left on his own free will, now he had to suffer the consequences. "Come on, dude, your mom wants you back. She'll be mad, but most of all, she'll be happy you're back."
Red kneaded his hands and looked at his lap. "I...maybe coming down here wasn't that good of an idea."
Green felt anger and fear flash through him like lightening, two way too familiar feelings. Seconds ago everything had been fine, and now they were going back to square one; Green trying to convince him to come back, and Red being a stubborn piece of crap. In one motion he jumped out of bed and stomped towards Red. "No. You do not get to do this. You don't get to come back into my life down here and then have second thoughts about it. I won't let you."
Red looked up at Green, trying to hide how shocked he was at the strong reaction, but not quite managing to.
"You're twenty years old now, Red. You can't hide and run away forever. Grow up. You fucked up, now fix it. That's what adults do."
Anxiously he waited for a response. This had been harsher than he had intended, and now that his frustration calmed down a little, he felt like he had overreacted. And the only thing he had probably reached with it was scaring Red off once and for all.
But Red just bit his lower lip, looked back at his lap, and then said: "Okay."
Green let out a sigh of relief. "Good, good...I guess... we should just leave right now then." Before you can second guess it again, he silently added. He couldn't bear the thought of Red disappearing again after he was so close to have him back.
Red nodded grimly, and they silently left the apartment. Green locked the door, then he lead him down an old, creaking staircase, and when they exited the building and called out their Charizard and Pidgeoto to fly them back, Red hesitated. "I'm scared."
Green nodded. "You'll manage. Your mom will jump for joy, and gramps will be too busy criticizing me to pay much attention." He knew that wasn't true- his grandfather would likely not pay any attention on him while Red was there-, but maybe it would cheer him up.
They got on their pokemons' backs and took off to the sky. Green looked at Red when the first buildings of Pallet Town showed up, and he saw a slight smile play around his lips, his tension easing off a little.
This was home. This was everything he knew and loved. Why had he been worried?
They landed in the front yard of Red's house, where Delia was currently busy with yard work, her movements melancholic and robotic.
She barely turned around when she heard them, only said "Hello, Green" with a sad voice that pained Red.
He cleared his throat.
"Hi, mom."