At Your Side

Long after the sun had gone down over Pallet Town, under the loom of the quarter moon, two young trainers huddled together within more than a few blankets they had used to make a nest in the middle of the floor. There were Super Nintendo controllers in their hands, but their movements were dull and lethargic. The weariness hadn't eased at all during the day.

Red and Green were simply seeking distraction. They didn't look before picking a game out of the stack, nor did they care what VHS tape they had stuck in the player for later. The only thing that made either of them smile was bringing over extra pillows and bedding for Green's stay and fashioning it all into a mountain to snuggle into.

The way they were seated allowed for no personal space. The two leaned together with purpose, even if it hurt Red's forearm to do so. Green's knee overlapped his friend's. Their heads rested against one another. Red sighed. He knew that at some point they should talk. He hated to cut through the silence, especially considering how comfortable they were. Luckily for Red, he wasn't the one to speak first.

"Hey. You know me Red, and how, er. Hard it can be for me to be anything but great." Green raised his head a bit, just enough to look his friend in the eyes. Eyes which gave a roll in response to the statement. "Listen! I'm being serious, you idiot!"

Red snickered quietly. "Yeah, yeah. Just tell me."

"Well, I…" Green paused. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, and his eyes were rapidly budding with tears. He hoped with everything he had that Red didn't notice, but of course he did. The younger boy's eyebrows furrowed. He once again rested a hand on Green's knee. In turn, Green gulped loudly, and had no choice but to relent and let some of his fright out. He whimpered while he spoke. "I can't dance around this, Red. I was so scared. I was so scared that I was going to die all alone in the dark…"

"But you didn't…" Red drew one of his arms up along Green's back, stopping once it was around his shoulders to bring them closer together. He felt pain deep in his chest seeing Green really cry for the first time in their lives. His friend was an interesting breed. Jovial, energetic, cocky, antagonistic. He held himself with confidence and backed up his attitude with his skills in battle. Even if Red had beaten him a couple times when they faced each other, and they possessed the same number of gym badges, Green was a potent force who commanded respect. He had never shown this much weakness in front of anyone. This much humility. Red felt honored to experience it, yet at the same time, deathly afraid. "I'm glad I was there. And I'm still here."

"You are." Green made a sudden move for the hand Red was resting on his knee, clasping it tightly. Red seemed surprised for a moment, then curled his fingers with Green's. "This is so bad. I never wanted to be held back like this, but I feel like if you left right now I'd throw up."

Red had to hold back a loud snort of laughter. He knew this was a serious conversation, but also that his friend could be so dramatic when he spoke. He did, however, nod in understanding. "We're stuck together for a while. So you shouldn't worry about that."

The older boy shook. "Can… Can I ask you something? A favor. And you have to promise not to laugh at me, got it?"

As if Red hadn't been swallowing giggling fits since the minute him and Green met. But he nodded once again.

"I want to see if this will help me feel any better." Green's face quickly changed from his normal subtle tan to deep pink. He swung himself around to nestle as comfortably as he could into Red's lap. Red had the knee jerk reaction to lay his legs out flat, but stopped halfway so that Green was somewhat cradled there. Green had his arms resting against Red and could feel his rapid pulse on the back of his hand. "Sorry… Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Red shook his head vigorously. Though his face was quite possibly the same color as his friend's, he felt an extreme amount of relief from the contact. Green sat a few inches taller than the other trainer, yet they fit snug up against one another. He leaned his forehead against Red's cheek.

"You're warm. And I can hear your heartbeat." Green murmured. His hazel eyes were fluttering, heavy with exhaustion. His own heart was thumping slowly. He was expecting them to talk more about what had happened at the casino. He wanted to hear how Red laid a smack down on the hideout guard. But the longer he cuddled with the other trainer, the more he felt as if he wouldn't want to do or say anything else. He was letting sleep win.

He was only interrupted by Red nudging him away slightly, so he could lay them both down and nuzzle up together under the blankets. "Is… This okay?"

Green nodded, earning a soft smile from Red. "Do you feel better now?"

"Much." The brunette snickered. "Now shut up, knucklehead. I'm trying to get some shut-eye."

"Goodnight, Green." Red sighed. "I'll be here when you wake up."

This became a routine for the boys in the coming weeks. Each night, they would pick a game to play on the Super Nintendo, a movie to pass out watching, and sleep like babies in their blanket pile. The time they spent enjoying physical contact continued to increase. Both boys felt that it set their minds at ease, so they never questioned it. There was a sense of unspoken dread that hung around, first knowing that Professor Oak and Daisy would be returning in a few days, and second that soon after they would be back out on the road continuing their journey. Green had horrifically conflicted feelings about this. As he got ready in the mornings, he would study his reflection in the mirror. His thoughts would get the better of him.

'I don't want to leave just yet.' Green would lower his gaze to his feet. 'That's so pathetic though, isn't it? Being so attached to Red over what happened?'

The confused trainer would look for answers in the sparse moments where him and Red were doing other things. He would tap questions into the laboratory computers, and search engines would pull up all kinds of information for him to dig through. There were a few coined terms he considered, and numerous ones he could live without understanding, like Stockholm syndrome. That one made him feel gross.

The idea of "transference" resonated with him, and he thought about this one the most. The thing that stumped him was that transference was about falling in love. Green chewed the inside of his cheek. He was unsure about it. He did feel safe and protected around Red, even though he was adamant he could defend himself. His pride was fighting him on every angle here.

'If you were so tough, and so strong, and capable of defending yourself, then how come Red had to rescue you?' Green brooded over those memories again. He felt warmth creep over his cheeks when the image of his friend throwing open the hideout's closet door popped into his head. He could still hear Red's fretful whispers, his begs for Green to come to. The warmth of his breath and the sounds of his sighing. The other trainer's hands on his arm, shaking him gently but holding on firm, as if his grip would prevent Green from passing away underneath him.

Love, huh? Green didn't know about that.

He knew what a crush was. He thought, at one point, that he had silly feelings for Red's cousin Leaf. But that was a totally different experience from what he remembered. He thought Leaf was pretty, and he liked the fact that she wasn't afraid to get dirty and roughhouse with him and Red when she came to visit. Was that love, though? He didn't think so.

Green decided as he left his grandfather's lab for the afternoon that if anyone would know what love was, it would be someone grown up with more experience. Currently, the only person he trusted enough with such a question was Red's own mother. He shuddered imagining himself being so vulnerable with anyone outside of Red. The boy figured out a plan as he strode to his neighbor's house and ventured inside.

"Back already, Green?"

Red's mother stood in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove with a big wooden spoon. It smelled like stew all throughout the house. "Yeah. Um, Mrs. Red's mom?"

"Oh, Green." She seemed to giggle. After turning the flame her stew was cooking over down, she ambled over to the kitchen table and sat with her young neighbor. "You remember that you can just call me Mrs. Anzen if it's easier for you."

"R-right!" Green was immediately thrown off. He had a perfect make believe conversation all set up in his head, and Red's mother had to ruin it. Great. "Well… I have a couple questions if you have some time!"

Red's mother nodded, and tilted her head with a smile. Green allowed himself to speak. "You guys just got back from the doctor, right? Where's Red?"

"He's upstairs, resting. The medication they've been using to get rid of the leftover poison in his arms makes him so tired."

"Right…" Green felt a mix of emotions hearing this. Relief that Red wouldn't hear this conversation, but pangs of guilt reminding himself that Red sustained those injuries attempting to save him. He shook it off for now. "So, me and Red have been watching a lot of movies, and I was curious what the feeling of being in love is like?"

"The- what?" Red's mother had to blink to prevent Green from noticing her eyes were wide. "That's not a question I'd expect from you. Not that it's wrong to ask, but… Hmm… Well…"

Green leaned forward in his chair. His bright hazel eyes met curiously with Red's mother's deep forest ones. He made a silent urge for her to continue, which ended up earning the young trainer a smile from his friend's mother.

"Maybe talking about it will help you figure things out in your head, right? I don't see any harm in it." The woman pulled her jet-black curls behind her shoulders. "Love is one of those emotions that can be pretty difficult to describe. I've felt it, of course, and spoken about it with so many others. Love, to me, always felt calm.

"And what I mean by that is, when I was in love with the right person, I felt safe. Taken care of, protected, always in good hands. I knew I always had someone to lean on when things got tough for us, and that being in love would be a home. Whatever happened on the outside, I'd be safe when I walked in the door."

In disbelief, Green felt his heart flutter. He never knew Red's father and was almost certain that he had died when the boys were very young. The trainer avoided mentioning this and allowed Red's mother to continue.

"When you're young, and you start feeling love for the first time, it can be confusing. There's many different ways to feel love. Like, the love you feel for your family. Professor Oak and Daisy. Falling in love will be a different creature. It's unnerving to feel for the first time. The way your stomach tingles, and you can't sleep sometimes because your thoughts are tied up with the person, you're thinking about the position they have in your life, and how important it is to you. So, Green…"

Green had fallen into a reverie, associating the words with his own emotions, comparing, contrasting, deep diving. Hearing his name made him readjust his hazy attention to the present moment. Red's mother was resting her chin on her hand, half smiling inquisitively at her son's friend.

"What was the real reason you asked?"