This story is inspired by my last two weeks at a field trip. If you have any questions, just give me an PM, and I'll answer :)
All the food is a small fraction of what we had in our camp. Dry-tech is complete meals in small bags, where you only need to add hot water. It's ok once in a while, but try eating only that for two weeks.. That's when you use the harissa, which is a really good chili paste, goes to anything :) But the stronger stuff... We left those for willing visitors ;)
This story is a bit different from my last ones, even as I wrote it I was very uncertain if anyone would be interested in this, but I've published it anyways, and I hope you'll enjoy it!
I want to thank my fantastic reviewers for helping me improve this story, which was slightly rushed to begin with. I really appreciate it! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon
Blue Fossils vs. Gary Oak
It had been amusing at first. Of course, it still was. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and cute. Even with dust adorning her face, mud crusts on her boots and unnameable stains all over her clothes, she was glowing. A girl able to patiently accept the downfall of her vanity as she tugged at hopeless locks of greasy tangles, deserved some level of respect.
Even in the field she managed to look stunning, red roses in her wind blown cheeks and sparkling green eyes. Leaf Green sighed in content relief as her dark brown hair was tamed into a tight braid. Gary Oak left her to it, with a curt "It's too warm in here." The cool mountain air felt good after the blazing warmth of the primus flame. They had good weather, the sun was coming to a full circle, entering the sky from behind the cliffs. Light reflected from the delta, while fog rolling down the distant plateau was set in a pearly shimmer. Just another midnight sun, really.
He stretched his sore muscles, felt the need for sleep and rest take him. A glance at the clock revealed it to be 2 am. No wonder he was tired. Most of the other fossil hunters were already in a deep, content slumber. He let the arctic wind caress him once more, before returning to the food tent for his toothbrush.
"I'm going to bed. You're staying up?" He flashed Leaf a once-charming smile, which she responded to absentmindedly with a nod.
"We are soon finished." The full grin of one of his assistants answered him, her doting eyes shining rather awkwardly. Leaf's green ones slit shut as she hummed in agreement.
"Ok. Goodnight." One bubbly and one sleepy "goodnight" followed him as he zipped the opening shut from the wind.
After finishing his evening rituals, he could finally slip into the cold sleeping bag. From the professor's tent he could hear light snoring. Someone was scurrying about outside, he heard the sound of a rifle being picked up and casually flipped onto someone's shoulder. Beartic land should not be taken lightly. Presumably the person was on the usual night time toilet round the girls had to endure, not to be envied. At least the weather was quite nice. The flapping sound of tents being pulled and dragged indicated the wind was picking up, drowning out other sounds and lulling him to sleep.
The next morning greeted Gary with the muffled voices from his comrades. Their expedition leader, Dr. Kenzo, was talking with someone over the satellite phone, judging from his heightened volume. The nice weather was the topic of conversation between the others, who was spread through camp, drowsing or basking in the never-setting sun.
Shaking the sleep out of both interior and exterior, Gary took a sneak peak in his secret mirror. His hair was amazingly spiky and still bore the illusion of reflecting his vanity. In truth, the pride he held in his appearance had been brutally discarded for this field trip. He had not minded this sacrifice they all made, until he met Leaf. This girl was strong, ever cheerful, unexpectedly tipping his usual tranquil state of mind. Being the charming heartthrob was hard sporting eight days old stubble and a face covered in dirt – as was unavoidable.
Very little privacy could be expected in a camp of twelve people, always together against the weather and wildlife, with few days to do their job. A mumble had started throughout camp the last days, people longing after the soon upcoming shower, or the benefits of a certain pint of golden drink, one of those with white foam on top... He had to admit, both sounded pretty good about now. And maybe a restoration of earlier standards would correct this twist of the world order, in which Gary Oak did not get the girl.
Still a bit groggy he sat heavily down on his container-seat, glancing with slightly contorted features upon some blue bags forgotten in the pile of other food-items.
"Tired of dry-tech?" The mirth ridden voice of Leaf almost made him jump, thankfully he quickly recovered.
"Aren't we all?" He let his brow arch for emphasis. "It's biscuits and jam for me from now on..."
She looked at him in shared sympathy. "Personally I don't dislike the oatmeal that much, but if not that, why not make toast?" She had a strange, unreadable glint in her eyes.
"You should know by now, as you were on Beartic watch last night, we can't use the toaster with the bears in the area. We are not alone in liking the smell." He shot a longing gaze at the iron toaster.
"But we can!" Leaf was beaming, her voice turning into a singsong glee. If only ever that happiness could be directed at him... "It was false alarm, Kenzo got the message this morning." Well that was a relief, at least.
A toasty experience later, involving creamy jalapeno cheese, cured sausage and chili sauce, his mood was considerably lighter. This might also have something to do with the girl by his side, munching her own meal happily as they laughed and joked together.
"So Gary, you seem to have grown a liking for the harissa, one should think you would try something like this too." A small bottle with orange liquid was dangling from her fingertips. On the label one could read the warning words: Ass Blaster. As if he would miss her mischievous glint behind the angelic, innocent smile, anyway.
"No thank you. We had a visitor trying that one last year. After a while he started to cough, and his face went increasingly red. In the end he threw the food away, thinking we didn't notice." The memory brought a devious smirk to his lips, and earned him a fit of giggles from the girl beside him. "But you might want to try these, doesn't they seem delicious?" A box was invitingly shaken under her nose.
"Ass-kicking jelly beans? I'll pass for now, unless you try one first." Their eyes met, mirth morphing into a full fledged burst of laughter. She leaned in, sharing this moment of camaraderie, of friendship. Her body was suddenly very close, laughing lips teasing his own. His whole body was painfully aware of her presence, each small movement she made. He grew very silent, against his will mesmerizing over her body and beautiful face.
An abrupt escape as he stood up made her snap out of her mirth with a quizzical look. "We should get ready for the hike." He walked out, the echo of his strangled voice reverberating in his head.
Strapping the backpack secured, he looked at the others as they gathered their things, going to the toilet for the last time or making casual conversation. He settled one of the hunting rifles on the shoulder, easing into the familiar feeling. The group of younger assistants and students gathered around him, Leaf included. They would take a hike to the local mountain top, while the older expedition members took another route to a designated spot.
They walked in a slow tempo, suiting everyone fine, as they made their way to the first plateau. Emerald horsetails gave the illusion of grassy hills, while the white dryas graced them with their fragile beauty. The next stretch of the route was conquered while avoiding treacherous mud, and trudging steadily upwards. Gary observed as Leaf overcame all obstacles with a patient determination, felt nerves bundle in his chest when she slipped. His gaze never left her on her last climb to the top, as she let her feet slide down with the shale, finding foothold in the nearly vertical slope where there was none moments before.
It was all worth it, seeing her eyes widen by the view revealed at the top. Brown and grey mountains cut up in all directions, snow and sediments joining in formation. The mouth of a blue glacier hugged the sea, while a meandering river caressed the valley below. Gary let himself relax into the scenery, placing himself beside Leaf and offering her chocolate biscuits. She accepted with a grateful smile, as others settled down and started sharing their goods.
"It's beautiful." Leaf's eyes traced the horizon, overwhelmed by the magnificence. Some loose strands of hair swayed gently around her face, urging him to tuck them behind her ear, and slip an arm securely around her. They were on an amazingly romantic spot, seemingly giving him an opportunity of the rare kind to share this with her – if not for the four others in their group, two of them giving him admiring sneak peaks at regular intervals. Thus his hands were kept securely cradling a soda. Poor substitute, although it was refreshing enough.
They met up with the other group after a couple of hours, to reveal a paleontologist's heaven. A nice outcrop stretched before them, and with plastic bags they started to collect. Leaf wandered about, picking the sky blue bones gingerly, fragments of ribs and vertebrae collected with the care of one finding true treasure. Occasionally she would mumble "nice jawbone, and that is clearly plesiosaur teeth" or "what a beautiful phalange". Leaf was in paradise, as she found material for her thesis. She wanted to study the ancestry of Lapras, filling the gaps in this pokemon's evolutionary line.
He walked with her for a while, but apparently he couldn't hold a candle to the beauty of blue fossils. Thus he found himself gazing out at the ocean below, desperately ignoring the giggles of two delighted girls glued to his shadow. The great casanova Gray Oak was outdone by the 235 million year old remains of pokemon.
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The morning sun was bright against sore eyes. Faces and places invaded the mind, filling a void, demanding attention.
"...And I'm so excited about my specimen, what kind of new pokemon it will turn out to be, I really hope the resurrection will go smoothly. I want it to be my friend!" Her green eyes had been shining through her subtle make-up and glossy brown curls. Her happy, bubbly passion had made her glow, turning not few heads. Around Gary the other girls had been twirling their now clean locks of hair, occasionally letting themselves be mesmerized by their smooth, un-dusty skin. He had to admit, clean-shaved and with a beer in his hand, he had felt pretty good, appearance resurrected. The field was fun, but coming back to civilization's simple pleasures had simply been heaven.
"I'm sure it will all be fine." He had smiled reassuringly, fixing his eyes on her. "I'll be there to help you. I've been through the process a couple of times now." A tiny smile had graced her face, and she had put her drink to her lips, contemplation flashing in her eyes.
That part of the night was pretty clear.
They had all been dancing, a big group together, turning loose suppressed feelings, letting a wild streak surface which could not be tolerated in the wilderness. She had twirled, laughed, each sensitive movement had kept him enraptured. Spring bright eyes and flowing hair, he was drawn to her. She had been leaning in, they were close, more so than friends should be. All caution had been thrown out the window, restrains drunk away with glee.
Only a glimpse of this remained with him.
Together they had run down the street, hand in hand, laughing.
Last memory of the night.
He woke up to a merciful headache – nothing a good meal couldn't fix. Something soft by his side was prompting him to let his gaze wander to a tuft of brown curls protruding from the duvet. His arm around her tightened, holding her closer just for the feeling of her body against his.
"Leaf." He spoke softly, even with a slight rasp to his voice. She mumbled something incoherent, curling up even more and burying her face deeper down. He felt a smile tugging its way to his lips, and his fingers began to gently play with her hair. In response she turned around, starting to stretch her limbs. Green eyes widened, her whole body freezing up as she saw him. "Good morning." He couldn't repress the smirk, nor his satisfaction.
She reluctantly answered. "Good morning." Her eyes told it all – vulnerability and doubt, but still a hint of happiness, right? He leaned in, closing the distance until their noses touched.
"For me, last night was no mistake, you understand? I care for you, Leaf. In fact I think I'm in love with you." No more than a whisper, he still managed to say his thoughts into the breathless silence. The waiting was painful, excruciatingly so, stretching out eternally, scrutinizing him, hunting for dishonesty, but slowly believing? She cracked a smile, growing wider by the second. A warm embrace set his world to rest.