Author's Note: Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I always end up doing too many things, and then never have enough time! I also apologise for the short chapter, but enjoy the fluffyness people!
Chapter Four
It was midnight on Christmas Eve, and a certain raven-haired boy was far too excited to sleep. Both he and Green shared his bed, which was a normal thing for them. It was easier to keep warmer during the night through sharing body heat, and no awkwardness sparked between them. Crimson eyes stared at his best friend's back, hearing his soft bouts of breathing, and knowing that Green was sound asleep, and probably would not awaken until morning.
Red sighed softly; wishing himself to sleep so he wouldn't be exhausted when he had to wake up eventually, it was just an impossible feat right now. His brain was alive with thoughts, and feelings he didn't even think existed in this punishing and demanding world. The kiss he shared with Green sparked something deep within, and he just couldn't stop replaying it over in his head.
Nervously he shuffled into a half sitting position, so he could see Green's relaxed features as he slept, blissfully unaware. The brunet's hair was fanned out over the pillow, and his arm was rested carefully on his side. A small indecisive frown crept onto the younger boy's countenance as he placed a nervous hand on Green's shoulder, and shook him gently.
"Green…?" He earned a groan in response, as the older boy started to vaguely stir from his slumber, hazy emerald eyes rapidly blinking to filter enough light into them. He turned slowly, noticing the raven-haired boy was almost leaning over him, and he was quite obviously wide-awake.
"Hnngghh….wh-what is it?" The brunet groaned, using his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"I can't sleep…" Came the simple reply, as Red continued to just gaze at his best friend's sleep deprived form. A desperate yawn erupted from his throat, as emerald eyes focused on his own. It didn't take a genius to figure out when something was troubling the younger boy. He always had this look of uncertainty about the world when something didn't make sense to him.
"Why? Are you excited about tomorrow?" He nodded a little, as his nervous disposition got the better of him and he was forced to look away. For an odd reason he couldn't stop his heart from beating faster for Green, and it was ever since they shared that beautiful chaste kiss under the mistletoe.
"Come on Red…you can talk to me."
Slowly Green moved so he was propped up on his elbows, watching as the raven-haired boy bowed his head shyly, nervously chewing on his bottom lip. It was obvious there was something wrong, and Green was prepared to lose sleep over it, because the likeliness of it happening in the next few minutes was slim.
"I-I…" The younger boy stammered, before covering his face with his hands, attempting to conceal the furious blush that had singed his cheeks.
"Have I…done something to upset you?" Green asked, which caused Red to shake his head wildly.
"N-no! It's just…um…" Suddenly speaking about his issue was much harder to deal with than it seemed a few minutes prior to Green's awakening. He could literally feel his words becoming a tangled mess in his throat, unable to communicate in the way he so desired.
"Red…relax for a minute, yeah? Whatever it is can't be that bad." Green issued calmly, before manoeuvring himself into a sitting position, so his arms could wrap around Red's trembling body. The younger of the two found himself relaxing almost instantly, and he melted into Green's tender embrace. His eyes fluttered shut, inhaling deeply, not wanting to move from this position ever.
"Green…." He muttered quietly, moving his hands so they gripped the back of his best friend's pyjama top, which was blue in colour, with tiny Eevee's dotted about on the fabric. Red wore red pyjama's with Pikachu's on.
"Yeah…?" A small smile flashed across the raven-haired boy's features, as he snuggled closer to Green's protective warmth, never wanting to let go.
"I really like you." Without warning Green felt his cheeks flush a faint shade of pink, as the younger boy moved closer, nuzzling against him like an Eevee seeking attention.
"I like you too…Red, you know that…" With those words out in the open Red moved so he could stare into Green's eyes, smiling innocently; as if the toxicity of the world could never scratch the surface of his purity.
Then, with no moment to think the idea through rationally, he moved forwards, crushing his lips against the brunet's once again, hearing him inhale sharply. Red had no idea why kissing Green was such a normal thing to do, but it made him feel happy, and in his own innocent mind that could only be linked to something positive.
Slowly Green pulled away, completely shocked by Red's outrageous behaviour. He never expected the shy diminutive boy to ever dream of being so full on with anything, and yet he had literally pounced on him without a second's thought. Red giggled shyly, his eyes trailing downwards, unable to meet his best friend's emerald gaze.
"Okay….why did you just kiss me again"? The brunet inquired, watching as the smaller boy shrugged weakly.
"It's nice…" That was the innocent boys reasoning, if it made him feel happy then obviously it was a good thing. Besides, Green didn't seem too bothered by it, so why stop? The emerald-eyed boy however, could see an error to his thinking, but he knew if he dared speak out about it, then it might send Red into another panic attack.
"Just remember…you can't do this in public, okay?" Crimson eyes blinked innocently, as he attempted to process the words Green just said. Why were so many things frowned upon in society? Wearing the girl's uniform was bad; kissing his best friend was bad, but why? He wasn't hurting anyone, so why did they feel the need to attack him personally for it?
"So…I can when no-one is around?" The younger boy asked, desperately seeking confirmation. The brunet felt embarrassed, he never thought that he would be okay with kissing his best friend, and there not be any awkwardness, and he would be a liar if he said he didn't actually like it.
"Red…why do you want to kiss me all the time? Friends aren't supposed to kiss, you know…" The raven-haired boy tilted his head to the side curiously.
"It's…nice, and makes me happy." He could feel his heart start to swell once more inside his chest, as his mind lingered on the thoughts. Kissing Green was so natural to him, as if it were a normal part of life. There was no ulterior motive behind it, just a simple chaste action to show the other how important they were.
The brunet smiled, and gently tucked Red's hair behind his ear. Crimson eyes just seemed to melt into his own, not daring to break eye contact even for a second. The smile on the younger boy's face beamed brightly, emitting happiness like a beacon of light for ships lost at sea.
"You're so important to me…" He mused quietly, as they continued to gaze at each other. Green's words filled Red with so much joy, he had no idea how to express his gratitude. Every waking moment with his childhood companion was perfect, and ideal in every single way. He never wanted their friendship to fade with time, or break apart at the seams when things got tough. Green was a constant entity, like time; allowing the raven-haired boy to steadily move forward in life. If he was gone, living would have no purpose.
Wrapping his arms around the younger's boy's smaller frame, Green ushered both of them to lie back down, snuggling up close for warmth. Not that Red minded, in fact, he sighed dreamily, so utterly content with lying in Green's arms. He didn't care if people frowned upon their innocent behaviour, or classed it as being morally wrong- to Red, being with Green was as easy as breathing, and he didn't intend to give it up, ever.
XXX
The two entangled boys awoke from their slumber, when the first rays of sunlight filtered through a slight gap in the curtains, indicating that it was in fact Christmas Morning, and there were lots of gifts stacked under the tree waiting for them. Red was perfectly content, his forehead pressed tenderly against his best friend's shoulder, enjoying the soothing warmth he emitted, but he knew deep down that they couldn't stay here forever.
"Merry Christmas, Red" Green murmured sleepily, pulling the smaller boy flush up against him, giving him a much needed cuddle. Red beamed in delight, enjoying the attention, and made no protest at the close proximity.
"You too, Green" However, their beautiful and innocent moment was hastily cut short, by the screeching of Red's mother, calling up the stairs for both boys to wake up. The raven-haired boy sighed softly, desiring to stay in bed with his best friend, curled up safely in his arms, but he knew that it wasn't possible for now.
"Ugh…we should get up." Green mused, groggily moving into a sitting position, and stretching his limbs back into animation. Crimson eyes flashed with pain and anguish but for a moment, before he painted on that butter-wouldn't-melt smile, as if everything was perfect, and fine. Even though it wasn't.
"Yeah! I wanna open presents!" He enthused, watching his best friend shuffle to the edge of the bed to put on his slippers. With a suppressed sigh, the smaller boy copied his actions, slowly getting to his feet, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, that had congealed overnight.
"Oh, wait until you see my present. You'll love it!" Green grinned proudly, turning to face Red, whose behaviour appeared rather diminutive. He noticed immediately, and instead of ignoring the issue walked over to the smaller boy, and rested his hands on his shoulders.
"Red…what's wrong?" Crimson eyes diverted to the plush carpet in thought, attempting to sort out the metaphorical hurricane that ravaged his brain on a twenty-four hour basis, and got increasingly worse whenever he tried to understand the feelings he had for Green.
"I wanna stay here with you…" His voice was quiet and unassuming, his bare foot scuffing against the carpet in a bashful manner. Green couldn't help but flush slightly at the words that willingly escaped his lips, unsure of what to say to that comment, or if he should say anything at all.
"Once we've opened the presents, we can come back upstairs to cuddle some more, okay?" Having that recognition immediately set the boy into animation, and a bright grin crept onto his countenance. With a nod, and a strong resolve in mind, he moved Green's hand from his shoulder, only to clasp it tightly with his own.
"You're the best, Green!."
XXX
Christmas Day went off with little fuss. The present opening ceremony lasted for longer than anyone first perceived, considering everyone in town had literally showered the diminutive boy with gifts, not that he minded.
However, he didn't seem to understand why he had so many presents, and had offered many times to share them out to his own Mother, and Green. They had to explain simply that these were for him because he was special, and nothing more was said on the matter.
Green had bought him an Mp3 player, with a playlist of all their favourite songs, so if the emerald-eyed boy was somehow engaged in other matters, Red would always have that to serve as a constant reminder. Another adding factor was the information he received from the Doctor about Red's mental condition.
Music was a great natural remedy, for whenever he worked himself up, or didn't understand something and became distressed; music therapy was the best choice.
Red immediately loved it, and said that it was the best present he had received, even though compared to the various other gifts it really wasn't anything spectacular. The crimson-eyed boy failed to see it that way. It was a present from Green, so instantly it meant more to him.
The rest of the day went off without any un-necessary drama. Both boys spent the majority of their time making snowmen in Red's back yard, and throwing the remnants of the substance at each other, laughing wildly with joy. It had been such a fun day, a day that Red hoped would forever remain locked securely into his memories forever, because precious memories don't last for an eternity.
Nothing does, and everything is bound to change over time.
Red learned the facts of life the hard way.
XXX
"Stop kissing me already!" Green blurted out, moving his head sharply to the side, as Red leaned in for another kiss. Their unusual, yet methodical relationship had been going along smoothly for the best part of two years, making them both ten years old, and in another year's time, they would be able to finally start their journeys as Pokemon Trainers.
However, even though time had progressed, and both of them were starting to grow up, Red was still a child in his mind, and couldn't understand why Green didn't want to kiss him anymore.
"Why?" His tone was quiet, and submissive, crimson eyes flickering away to the carpet. The brunet sighed, running his fingers through his now longer auburn spikes.
"Urgh…because I said so!" Green's voice was raised in pitch, and this in turn caused Red to become quiet and unassuming. He hated making his best friend angry, so he did as he was told, fisting his hands together in his lap obediently, refusing to make eye contact.
"S-sorry…" Growing up over the years, it was hard keeping their relationship a secret, not that they did anything other than share a kiss and cuddle every now and then.
However, Green was not stupid, and he was fully aware of the fact that when puberty decided to kick in, that their relationship would change. He wasn't sure how exactly, but he knew for a fact that kissing Red wouldn't be a natural and normal thing anymore. He would be shunned for this behaviour.
"Red…" He sighed, emerald eyes boring holes into the core of the smaller boy's pure soul, desperately not intending to cause him any upset. "I'm not doing this to hurt you…"
"Is it because we're growing up now?" The words came as a shock for the older boy, who was certain he saw pain and anxiety flash across those beautiful innocent features.
"Soon we'll be going on our journeys to become Pokemon trainers. We won't be able to do this then." Raven hair shielded hurting crimson eyes from the onlooker, as his hands remained fisted in his lap, refusing to move.
"Are you…ashamed of me?" Without even thinking, the brunet moved his hands to grip the younger boy's arms, shocking him into making eye contact instantly.
"I would NEVER be ashamed of you! You are my best friend!"
He could vaguely see tears forming in the corner of Red's eyes, and his bottom lip quivering slightly in sadness. He never meant to make him cry, or upset…he just wanted to protect him from the savage and unforgiving world. Kissing boys would never go down well in a twisted, small-minded society that shrouded them, and considering Red's mental state, it would ultimately lead to devastation.
"Green…"
"I would give up my life for you, Red! I would do anything to protect you…I'm not doing this to hurt you…"
The sincerity behind the brunet's words affected the raven-haired boy to some degree, and as he squeezed his eyes shut, he allowed the painful tears to escape, and trickle down his cheeks. A soft sigh escaped into the atmosphere, before those tears were being gently wiped away.
"Please…don't cry…." Weakly, Red's hands moved and clutched Green's jacket. He didn't want to lose the only person who made life bearable, who seemed to understand the pain that he endured every day. Who had the patience to explain everything, and wait until he understood perfectly. No one else mattered more to him than Green.
"…you won't l-leave me…will you…?" Red murmured in-between sobs, as the brunet continued to gently caress his face tenderly, wiping any rogue tears that fell down his cheeks.
"Don't think such silly thoughts, Red. I'd never leave you. I love you, you're my best friend."
And those cursed words, were the words that haunted Red throughout the remainder of his life, replaying like a broken record reminding him of so many things, but the main thing; that in the cruel unforgiving world around you, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself~
XXX