Authors Note: I am really enjoying writing this! I hope you all are too. I have a soft spot for Polishipping it seems :P anyway enjoy the newest installment!
Chapter Nine
What started out as just a few days at staying at Gold's house had actually turned into a few weeks. Both boys were very content in just enjoying each others company, and took this time to relax and recuperate. It was a culture shock to Red, but after the initial impact to the system he had taken it all in very well, much to Gold's surprise.
The Champion was slowly, but surely coming out of his shell, even conversing with his Mother of his own accord on several occasions. It made Gold happy, to think that just being by his side, and reassuring him was actually helping heal his damaged mind.
It might have had something to do with the fact that he had allowed Red to share his bed this whole time, and the raven-haired boy was something of a cuddler. By having Gold's arms around him, the anxious Champion would easily succumb to the sleep that threatened to consume his mind, and no nightmares plagued his brain whilst in a state of unconsciousness.
The two had developed a very close friendship in such a short period of time, they spent time doing simple things that Red had yearned for. Just sitting on the sofa watching television, eating dinner together, letting their Pokemon play together in the yard, or even going to the local shops to stock up on supplies.
Life was once again simple, and Red loved it.
It was an overcast Sunday morning when the raven-haired boy awoke, his crimson eyes flickering gently, adjusting to the light seeping into the room. Once again he felt safe and secure, feeling Gold's warm arms circled around his body. A small smile tugged at his lips as he snuggled closer, wanting to absorb more of the younger boys warmth.
The movement caused Gold to stir, and sleepily he opened his eyes, yawning softly. He beheld the image of the Kanto Champion, snuggled against his chest, his nose nestled into his collarbone. This wasn't the first time that Gold had awoken to this scene, but this time he couldn't help but feel like it was different.
Red was completely at ease around him, he was no longer anxious or nervous, and on many occasions he even laughed at his bad jokes. The sound of Red laughing was the most beautiful sound in the world, and so rare that the amber-eyed decided to treasure it forever.
Without thinking the younger boy's fingers reached up and combed through the Champion's raven locks, hearing a sigh of contentment escape his lips. Was it normal to be this close to your friends? He had never shared a bed with Crystal, or Silver for that matter before. He just assumed it wasn't something you shared amongst friends, but here he was snuggled up with the Kanto Champion.
A small frown etched onto his countenance. A few weeks ago he felt nervous about being in close proximity with the raven-haired boy, believing that he had some sort of ulterior motive, but it turned out that Red was actually very child-like in many of his reasoning's. As long as he could share Gold's bed then he was perfectly happy.
Gold just didn't understand why.
"Red...?" He whispered, gently tapping the side of the sleeping boy's face, attempting to awaken him from the slumber that consumed his body. Weakly he shifted against Gold's chest, before crimson eyes fluttered open, melting into pools of amber.
"Hmm...?"
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to wake you..." Red smiled softly.
"I was already awake. I was just listening to your heartbeat." Immediately the blood rose to Gold's cheeks, and he flushed in embarrassment.
"W-what?"
"It's a soothing sound. It usually helps me sleep." Just like that Red closed his eyes once more, nuzzling against the younger boy's chest, sighing in contentment. Meanwhile Gold felt like all the words he longed to say were becoming a tangled mess in his throat. Why had he been so flustered over that silly innocent comment?
"I...uh...w-well..."
"Are you okay?" Red asked, once again opening his eyes, staring into the face of the younger Champion.
"Uh...yeah, why?"
"You keep stuttering, like you can't speak..." The amber-eyed boy felt his heart rate quicken in pace, and inwardly cursed. If Red was listening to his heartbeat then surely he would pick up on that too, and also question the reasons behind it. Truth be told, Gold had no idea why his heart was behaving so appallingly.
"Now your heart is beating fast...are you sick?" One of Red's cold hands rested on Gold's forehead, innocently, checking to see if his friend had a temperature. Of course the amber-eyed boy wasn't sick at all, he was perfectly healthy, but feeling the Champion's cold fingers on his head was doing little to calm down his heart rate.
"I'm not sick, Red..."
"Are you sure? Your cheeks are red too..."
"Dammit Red..." He glanced away, immediately closing his eyes to attempt to calm himself down. Why was he getting so flustered around the older boy? They had been fine for weeks, and yet today it was like all his hormones were on overdrive; as if the person in his arms wasn't Red any more but someone who he could feel himself tragically falling for.
"You're cute..." Red smiled, laughing softly. "Really cute actually."
"Red...please just stop saying stuff like that..." Gold uttered weakly, worried that his voice might fail on him at any second.
"Does it upset you?" The raven-haired boy asked quietly, looking up into Gold's flushed face. The younger boy shook his head in response.
"N-no...it doesn't upset me...just...uh..."
"You smell nice too~!" Red grinned brightly, burying his nose against the amber-eyed boys neck, inhaling deeply. Once again Gold flushed; Red was even closer than before, pressing their bodies flush against each other, the only piece of clothing separating them were their pyjama pants.
"R-Red..." Then the Champion paused, noticing something that hadn't been there before, and without any given warning used his hand to feel for what it was that was pressing against his leg, causing the younger male to yelp in shock.
"R-RED!"
"Did I...do something bad?" Immediately the raven-haired boy withdrew his hand, noticing how Gold's demeanour had altered slightly. He wasn't even looking at him any more, and his face was still flushed.
"You just...you fucking touched my dick!" The language used made the diminutive boy tense slightly, before gently pushing his hands against the younger boys chest.
"I'm sorry! I...I didn't know! Something was touching me...so I...I'm sorry...!" Gold's fingers gripped the Champions wrist, not tight enough to hurt him, but enough to stop him from moving it away.
"You didn't know?! You have one too!"
"Well yeah...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you angry..." Crimson eyes flickered away in sadness, and that was when Gold realised that he had made Red upset with his outburst. He wasn't angry at him, he was more shocked about it. He never expected another guy to willingly touch his dick like that.
"Red...I'm not mad..."
"You shouted..."
"You shocked me!" He spurted out, gently releasing the others boys wrist, and trailing his fingers down his arms. "I'm not mad at you Red, I promise."
"Did you like it?" These questions were not doing Gold's beating heart any good, and once again he felt like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him completely.
"Wh-what?"
"Did you like it?" Red repeated simply, crimson eyes melting into amber, as he slowly pulled his hands away from Gold's chest. "I can do it again if you want me to."
"Wh-what...?! Red...that's not..." Before he could finish his sentence he felt the Champions lean fingers gently touching his hardness through his pyjama pants, and gasped softly. This was wrong on all levels, being intimate with the Champion of Kanto in this manner, yet even though his mind was screaming to push him away the energy just dissipated into the atmosphere.
"Are you hard because you want me?" Red asked simply, his eyes never leaving the younger boys, as he continued to agonisingly stroke his fingers up and down his shaft, causing his body to tremble slightly.
"I-I...uuhhh..." He had no answer. Usually the excuse would be morning wood, but with Red touching him in this manner it certainly wasn't helping his resolve.
"Do you want to penetrate me with this...?"
"Red please...don't use vulgar language like that...it's...uuhhh..." Gold attempted to finish his sentence but Red's fingers were far too distracting. His mind was starting to haze over with forbidden desire, a desire to take off the remainder of their clothing and see where it lead. Red smiled softly, before using his other hand to join in his ministrations.
"What if I wanted you to...?" Weakly amber eyes closed, as laboured breaths erupted into the atmosphere. Just what was Red saying? They weren't together, they were merely friends, so why was the situation progressing further out of control?
"R-Red..." Gold moaned weakly, attempting to calm himself down only it was to no avail. The other boy was totally un-fazed, focused completely on his actions. In his own mind this didn't seem an odd thing to do, and Gold hadn't gained the courage to sit down and explain the rights and wrongs of his behaviour.
"Gold..."
"Red you...y-you need to...ah...s-stop..." Gold groaned, pressing his forehead against the other boy, hiding his expression from view. He wanted to hate this, to push the Champion away and tell him he was acting completely out of order, but right now his whole body was betraying him.
Red paused in his actions, his hand still gently cupped around the other boy's clothed arousal, causing Gold to shiver and exhale shakily.
"But...you seem to like it..." He almost whined, looking down at the flustered boy, who now had managed to gain some control from somewhere. His hands pressed firmly on Red's chest, not daring to move them. He couldn't let this continue. It was wrong.
"Red y-you...you can't go around jacking off your male friends-!" He blurted out, wishing that he'd thought it through properly. "It's not a normal thing to do!"
"...it makes you happy, no? I want to make you happy." Red replied simply, not moving his hand from Gold's arousal. "Besides...you can do it to me if you want to. I don't mind." The tips of the amber-eyed boy's ears felt as if they were on fire, and heat rose profusely to his cheeks. How could Red be so relaxed about all this?
"Th-that's not it at all!"
"Is it because you don't like me...?" Sadness crept into the older boy's voice, but when crimson eyes melted into amber orbs, it seemed that the question was completely unfounded.
"Of course I like you Red..."
"So what's the problem?" It was becoming progressively difficult to understand Red's simplistic view of the world, how being intimate in this manner was perfectly acceptable, and he could not seem to see the error of his ways.
"Is this really so black and white to you? Do you really not see anything wrong with this picture?" Gold asked quietly, his eyes entirely focused on the Champion, who weakly shrugged his shoulders.
"I like being with you, you make me happy; and I want to make you happy."
"Is that as a friend?" He pursued. Gold needed to know. If Red's perception was flawed then he needed to hear the words from his mouth directly. He never expected the raven-haired boy to shake his head in response, and move closer until their noses were touching.
"More than that...a lot more..." The youngster could feel his resolve slipping, even though he was foolishly trying to hold onto it just a little longer. They were so close, noses touching; lips millimetres apart. Gold's heart was pounding in his chest, wondering just what was going to happen next.
"This feels...different than before..." The Champion admitted softly.
"From before? Are you telling me you've done this before?" Red shook his head, deciding that now was the time to tell the other boy the truth about his ordeal. All about Green, about how he had foolishly believed that he had been in love with him, and that it was them against the world; only to be completely betrayed and broken.
"I loved someone a long time ago...and they betrayed me; they used me...made me feel worthless..." Amber eyes stared into shimmering crimson irises, flashed with pain. "I loved him so much, he was my everything. I was very young back then, and even then I acted much the same as I do now. He would tell me off every now and then for acting 'strange', saying that other people wouldn't view it the same way as I did.
"He got mad when I beat him at video games, told me to shut up and then instantly regretted it. Stuck up for me when the local bullies thought it was funny to pick on me about my uniform. Shared our first kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas, claiming that we could continue as long as we kept it a secret..."
"Red...if someone really cares about you, and the relationship then there's no reason to keep things secret. Even I know that." Gold piped up sadly, watching as the Champion nodded in affirmation.
"I know that now...but then I was stupid. When we got older, and we started to go through puberty he...hated me, said it was my fault that he turned out the way he did. He said I was nothing without him...and I believed him at the time. I was upset when he told me we couldn't do the things we used to as children and all because he worried too much about what the world would think.
"He took his frustration and anger out on me, blaming me...he said I was always his, and that no-one else could ever have me..." Red trembled as the memories resurfaced, and instantly he moved his hands to cover his face, hiding his gaze from prying amber eyes. Gently Gold wrapped his fingers around his wrists, coaxing him to calm down.
"Hey...it's okay, he's not here now. He can't hurt you any more."
"I-I...know..." Weakly, with some help from Gold, Red removed his hands from his face, gazing weakly at the other boy. He was completely focused on his countenance, every little detail. Gold hated seeing Red this way, seeing him suffer so painfully. He wished that somehow he could ease that pain.
"Do you...still love him?" The question was surprisingly painful to the younger boys ears as he said those words, wondering if his position was nothing more than a stand in for someone who he could never compete with. Red weakly shook his head, his body trembling slightly.
"How can I after what he did?"
"I'm not saying you have to, I just needed to know if you still have feelings for him or not." Why he needed to know, Gold was unsure. Was it to clear his own conscience? To ensure that he wasn't stamping on the feet of his potential rival of love? Was that how he viewed it all? He thought that simply speaking about it all would help clarify those feelings, but he had been wrong.
"N-no...I just want to forget all about him."
"Then forget about him." In a smooth motion, completely without the concept of consequence the amber-eyed boy gently pressed his lips against Red's, hearing him inhale at the contact. Eyes fluttered shut on both sides, time almost standing still. Weakly hands gripped each other, fingers entwining, as painful tears rolled down the Champions' face.
For once he wasn't being told that this was wrong, that he was supposed to hide who he was. That no one else would understand him, or his behaviours. Feeling the other boy's soft lips against his own just made perfect sense, as if all the planets were aligning. This wasn't painful, this made his heart swell with love. It beat ever faster for the younger boy, ever so slowly stitching back together the pieces that were once unable to be fixed.
Gold had that little piece of red string knotted tightly around his little finger~
XxX
"Wait...you what...?!" A high pitched voice squealed, as the goggle headed boy grimaced. He should have known better than to confide in his oldest friend, Crystal. She had the tendency to talk non-stop, and gossip was something of a thing for her.
"Did you not hear me the first time?" She twirled her straw between her fingers as icy blue eyes shined with delight. It had been a while since the two of them had gone out for a coffee at Cherrygrove's newest coffee house. It was near enough to New Bark Town if Red decided that he couldn't handle Gold's mother for a minute longer.
"I just didn't imagine you telling me these sordid details~"
"What details?! I haven't described anything!" Gold protested, as the blue haired girl laughed.
"So...was it JUST a kiss, or did something more happen?" She pursued, wiggling her eyebrows. The goggle head sighed, placing a hand to his head.
"You and your perverted fantasies..."
"That is not true! I just need to know these things, you are my best friend after all...and I think Silver deserves to be enlightened if you're planning on getting with someone else." Amber eyes blinked in response. Why was Silver being brought into this? The red head loathed his presence with a passion, and made it perfectly clear on many occasions.
"I don't get it."
"You know how I thought the two of you would get together! You were so perfect! But now you're telling me you're into the Kanto Champion instead?! It's a lot for my fangirling mind to deal with..." She almost swooned, sipping her orange juice through the straw. Gold sighed, almost regretting his decision to meet up with her in the first place.
"I never said I was into him!"
"Yet you kissed him...do you make a habit of kissing people you don't like?" Crystal pursued, her eyes delving into the very core of the boy sitting opposite her. He sighed, combing his fingers through his raven hair.
"That's the thing, it's hard to make sense of. Like...I enjoy being with him, and spending time with him, but I'm not sure about the rest..."
"How did you feel when you kissed?" Gold thought back to that moment, and remembered at how it was he who made the first move, and that he didn't feel as disgusted as he had thought. It seemed a normal thing, something that he could possibly get used to.
"I guess...I liked it..." She smiled.
"Oh my gosh, you have no idea how cute this all is!"
"It's just you and your damn fantasies..." She playfully slapped his arm, and he couldn't help but smile in response. Crystal was a bit of an air head, but deep down she was a trustworthy friend, someone who had been there through thick and thin. He knew asking her for advice, no matter about her perverted mind, she would be honest about it all.
"Well...have you spoke to him about it?"
"No...not as such. We just glossed over it, and I rang you to meet you here." She looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing on the tip of her straw, eyes lost in concentration.
"Well...from what I can gather it seems Red is interested in you, and you obviously have some form of attraction for him so why not speak about it? Just sit down and discuss both of your feelings." If only it was that simple. Red's reasoning was very child-like, Gold had figured that out pretty early, but would speaking about what happened really help anything?
"You think we should talk about it?"
"I do. It's the only way you'll know for sure if he likes you." Gold's amber eyes met the floor in thought. He was unsure to why he felt hesitant to speak up about his potential feelings, he was very aware of the hurt and torment that the Kanto Champion had been through. Suffering at the hands of another, someone who he had no chance of competing against.
"I'm just...worried." Blue eyes blinked.
"Why? Gold you are great! You're funny, charming, caring, and absolutely gorgeous! What's not to like?!" He felt heat rise to his cheeks at the compliment. It was odd to hear his childhood friend say those things so casually.
"He's been hurt, Crys...like more than we could ever imagine. I guess I'm scared to bring up past memories...or make things worse."
"I'm sure he knows you are nothing like that jerk that hurt him, and if he doesn't then you need to make sure that he knows! Ensure that you won't hurt him! Make the promises he wants to hear, if you're sure you can keep them." She smiled, and it was in that moment that Gold realised. She was right. If he did like Red, as much as he thought then he needed to be upfront about it. He needed to admit these feelings not only to himself but to the raven-haired boy in question.
Could he compete with the one who broke his heart? That he was unsure of, but he would damn well try~
XxX
Red's whole countenance beamed of pure joy when Gold returned back home. He had been helping Gold's mother tend to the flowers in the garden to pass the time, but upon seeing those amber eyes, and that bright smile immediately his heart leapt into action. Without thinking he rushed to him, arms wrapping around his smaller frame, causing Gold to gasp at the sudden contact.
"You're back!" Red cried happily, literally picking the other boy up off the floor. Gold flushed slightly.
"I only went to see Crystal...I said I'd be back in a few hours."
"I know...I just missed you..." The Kanto Champion whined softly, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of the other boy. The scent of tea tree and mint; the shower gel that had been a Christmas present from his mother.
"Is it okay if we talk in my room?" Gold asked, watching as Red pulled away suddenly. Crimson eyes flashed with pain for a moment, before the goggle head realised his mistake. "It's nothing bad, I promise."
"Uh...yeah, sure." The younger boy readjusted his jacket on his shoulders as Red moved away obediently. He had to remember that how he worded things played a major role in how the other boy reacted, so he had to ensure that there was no other way of interpreting things. Gold smiled brightly, and led the way back into the house, Red following closely behind.
Once Gold had closed his bedroom door, he attempted to get his breathing to a steady rhythm. Nerves swarmed throughout his entire body, causing his fingers to tremble. Weakly he rested his forehead against the door frame, eyes closed.
"Are you okay?" Red's voice was near, and soon enough a pair of strong arms coiled around the younger boy's waist innocently, resting his head on his shoulder, large crimson eyes concerned.
"Just feeling a bit nervous to be honest..." Gold admitted shakily.
"Is it about what happened before?" He nodded weakly.
"I don't regret it, if that's what you think. No...I just...I know how badly you have been hurt in the past." Gold inhaled deeply, feeling his heart rattle angrily against his ribcage. He just needed to get the courage to speak about everything, even when he had thought it was impossible. Red's child-like reasoning didn't make him stupid after all.
"Gold...I know you're not a bad person." Red spoke up, gently nuzzling against his shoulder blade. "You don't have to feel like this..."
"Did I act wrongly earlier, Red? Was it out of order to kiss you like that?" Then he turned to face the Kanto Champion, amber irises melting into dazzling crimson. A small smile teased the older boys lips, as he shook his head.
"I'm glad that you did. Its...been a long time since I've felt like that..."
"I just don't understand what's got into me...I'm never usually like this." Gold groaned, placing a hand to his head, fingers gripping locks of his hair. He was turning into a sappy mess, and for what? He was developing feelings for not just anyone, but the Kanto Champion himself. He was more or less a celebrity. Gently Red's fingers gripped Gold's wrist, pulling his hand away.
"Please don't beat yourself up about it..."
"I felt like I took advantage of you because you were feeling weak...gosh I'm so stupid." Red shook his head, gently moving his hand along the other boy's arm, until he found his hand, entwining their fingers.
"I like you Gold. I like you a lot. You didn't take advantage of me." Heat rose to the younger boys cheeks, as he closed his eyes. This whole experience was new to him, he never imagined that he would get feelings for another boy, let alone someone like Red. It was hard to get used to.
"I hate seeing you upset when you speak about him..." Gold admitted, causing the older boy to pull him against his chest in a strong hug. Arms cradled him, fingers combing through locks of soft raven hair.
"I'm not upset any more." Weakly Gold closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. Ever since he met the Kanto Champion up on Mount Silver; isolated and alone all because of someone else, his heart went out to him, and now it was betraying him completely. Why did he allow his feelings to get so out of control, and how had it happened so fast?
"You make me happy, Gold." A tender kiss brushed against the younger boy's forehead. "I love being here with you, sharing these moments with you. This is completely different to how it used to be when I was a child, so please...don't beat yourself up about it."
"We have only known each other a few weeks...and already it's so intense." Gold murmured weakly, fingers gently gripping the back of the older boy's shirt.
"Time is irrelevant." Red mused. "You can know someone your whole life and they can still betray you, and kill you inside. It doesn't matter how long we have known each other." He made a valid point. Gold had known Crystal for years and years, and never once felt the inclination to start dating her, or had any feelings for her in a romantic sense.
"I guess...you're right." Red smiled, and pulled away from the hug. The tremors in Gold's body had subsided, and now he was once again at ease.
"Besides...I really liked that kiss..." The Champion flushed slightly, glancing away. The only other person who he had kissed had been Green, and that was back when they were children so it wasn't exactly the same. Before it was sloppy and inexperienced, now it felt a lot more controlled, with more feeling.
"Are you hinting?" Gold smirked, and Red's eyes widened in realisation. Was that how it came across? He would be a liar if he said he hadn't been hinting about kissing the amber-eyed boy again.
"Maybe..." It was now that the Kanto Champion had realised just how near the other boy's face was to his own. His heart started to hammer aggressively in his ribcage, as their eyes met, and the distance between their lips seemed to get shorter by the second.
This was so much different to how it was with Green. When they had shared a kiss Green had made it blatantly obvious that they had to keep it secret, that no-one could know about what they did; yet with Gold everything seemed so free, and out in the open.
"Then what's stopping you?" Gold purred softly, moving closer to the older boy, who didn't move an inch. Their noses brushed softly, and he could feel his heart pound in his chest. This was natural, nothing was forced, no harsh words erupted into the air. It was so much different to his last encounter.
Gently their lips found each other, ever so slightly brushing against the other's, breaths hitching in anticipation. Red closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling completely, and gasped softly when he felt the younger boy's arms circle his waist. The Kanto Champion returned the gesture, pulling the amber-eyed boy flush up against him.
It was beautiful, and both boys completely melted. This experience was so new to Gold, and yet deep within it felt so perfect. Nothing was rushed, hormones stayed in check, and they simply enjoyed the moment. However it was tragically cut short.
"Gold!" Quickly they parted, and the amber-eyed boy tensed at the sound of his mother calling him from the hallway. Using the back of his hand he wiped his mouth, before clearing his throat.
"Y-yeah?"
"You need to see the news! It's important!" Both boys glanced at each other briefly, before deciding that it was probably beneficial to investigate just what was on the television.
When they walked into the living room, the figure of Gold's mother was entirely focused on the news broadcast. Without even thinking about the consequences Red gently entwined his fingers with the other boy's, meeting his gaze.
On the television set there was a news reporter, standing outside what looked to be a Gym building. When crimson eyes focused properly he realised that the whole scene seemed familiar somehow, those trees seemed to jog a memory from somewhere that was meant to be hidden forever. A pain in the seams of his heart slowly unravelling.
"- we are unsure to who will be running the Gym in his absence, and we are also unsure of how serious the condition is..." Gold blinked, and spoke up.
"Mom, who are they talking about?"
"It's the Viridian Gym Leader in Kanto, apparently he collapsed at the Gym today." Red's countenance fell, eyes flashed with pain. The Viridian Gym leader was none other than Green, the one who had tried his utmost to ruin his life.
"Collapsed?!" Gold cried, and his mother nodded, never diverting her eyes from the television.
"There's speculation that it's due to a brain tumour..." At that moment Red felt as if his heart was literally sinking deeper into a sea of despair. Green might have cancer? Was that why his persona seemed to change? A small frown etched onto his face, as subconsciously he gripped Gold's hand tighter.
"Arceus! That serious?!" The amber-eyed boy cried in shock, knowing that the news would have a detrimental affect on the Kanto Champion, even if his countenance seemed nonchalant right now.
"They are going to keep everyone updated apparently. He's been taken to Saffron City Hospital." Gold's mother spoke up, her eyes drinking in the news. It was such a shock. Green was in hospital. It had been years since Red had seen him since that traumatic incident back in the Pokemon Centre.
Was it wise to go and visit him, even though he caused so much pain and upset? Would Green even remember who he was, or even want to see him for that matter? Gold glanced at Red, noticing how the other boy was starting to tremble with anxiety.
"Red?"
"..." No words escaped his lips, he just stared at the television screen, at the image of his old best friend being wheeled out of the Gym on a stretcher, pushed into an ambulance. He looked so fragile, so weak; unlike the Green he knew. Then with a firm resolve, crimson eyes melted into amber, and he spoke the words that he never thought he would say;
"I want to see him..."