Chapter Text
You had stayed speaking with Adaman long enough for the day to properly begin, the whole settlement was up and busy by the time you got your head around what you had done. The butterfrees in your stomach were only getting worse the more you thought about it.
You needed to make a plan. You also needed to pick some goddamn berries! With all that was happening you had been too distracted to do your one task. Twice! You should pick double the amount you need because you had to go see Melli again and that meant nervous Magikarp feeding. Honestly, you weren't sure why it helped your anxiety so much but from the day you first found them it had been your go to place to de-stress and think. The only downside was it was dangerously close to the Arena. Dangerously close to Melli and to the conversation you knew you needed to have.
Fuck emotional maturity! Why can't I ignore it all? I could run away to the fieldlands, there's Magikarp there and I'd sure as hell be warmer than the goddamn mountains.
Continuing to complain to no one but yourself, you collected all of the ripe berries you could find. By the time you got to the waterfall and the magikarp your arms were practically aching with the weight of the basket, setting it down on the wall of the bridge you leaned over so the fish pokemon would spot you and come and flock to you. Plucking an oran berry from the basket, you roll it in your hands for a few seconds, lost in your thoughts, before finally remembering yourself and tossing it to a nearby fish.
You had been there for what must have been hours, you had already fed them the majority of your berries and given them all names. You were currently procrastinating by sitting at the waters edge and petting them, singing to them. Silly little made up songs about their cute whiskers and insatiable desire for berries turning slowly into singing your thoughts and love songs from your home time as you desperately tried to calm down your nerves enough to go and see Melli.
Sighing as you noticed it was just past mid-afternoon, you rose from where you were sat and bid your sweet, underwater friends goodbye, beginning your ascent to the Arena. If you left it any longer, Melli would find you on his way back to camp. The thought of him catching you singing about how you feel about him sounded way more embarassing than just apologising to him, as that's what you had decided to do. Apologise and admit nothing. You had already made things weird by proposing, you didn't need to add a stuttered confession to your list of fuck ups.
Inhaling deeply you came to the entrance of the arena, curiously he wasn't at his usual spot by the banners. Hoping the Lord Electrode was doing okay you crept forward into the arena, you felt nervous being this close to the Lord Pokémon without its warden, feeling almost like you were snooping in a place you shouldn't.
After a few steps you stop in your tracks and you hear Melli mumble rambling in the distance, followed by bored Voltorb sounds indicating this had been going on for a while.
"Oh Arceus, why do they have to be so pretty? And so kind to the dumb fish? I swear there shall not be a single berry left for my poor Pokémon between here and the Mirelands, all because they keep feeding those dumb Magikarp. And they were singing to them Today! Like they're little babies! Ridiculous!"
You settle on creeping closer to witness your crush's raving for yourself, despite already knowing his exact facial expressions from previous experiences. It was a harsh thought but maybe, if you could embarass him by catching him mid rant, maybe he wouldn't be so insufferable when you apologised? It was a flawed logic but you could hope at least.
Lost in your own musings, you compeltely overlook most of his words, his confessions to the Voltorbs about his crush on you flowed completely out of your head as he said them. Well almost all. His words hit you as soon as you saw him, sat on the floor with his arms folded, monologing to his audience.
"They were singing them love songs! They never sing me long songs!" Slumping his shoulders dramatically and letting his head fall into his hands he continued, unaware that he was being observed by you. "I just want them to sing love songs to me. Songs about me."
His sorrow, ignored by his crowd of tiny ball Pokémon in favour of soft buzzing to each other as they noticed you. Growing more excited by the second, mischeiviously hoping Melli would day something else incriminating. Gesturing to them as quietly as you could to calm down and stay quiet, you crept slightly closer, not paying as much attention as you should and stepling on a twig.
Melli's head whipped up and towards you panic plastered on his face, as the sharp snapping sound reverberated around the arena. You winced at the noise knowing you had been caught and looked down at the ground, not daring to meet his gaze just yet.
"How much did you hear?" Melli squeaked, his voice now a whisper.
"Not a lot, truely, but I got the general idea." Removing your foot from the twig you kick it aside so you can delay looking at the man before you.
"And? Will you not apologise to me? For making me feel this way?" He began a tirade of false confidence as was his go to but you were suddenly so tired of hearing it, you had already grown so unacustomed to not being on the receiving end, you had lost your tolerance for it.
"Oh enough Melli" you snapped, harsher than you meant.
As silence fell over you both, each wrestling with your own anxieties, all you could hear was your heart pounding in your ears. Collapsing down so as to sit beside him, just slightly too close, you finally looked him in the eyes. They were watery with tears, scared of the rejection he was expecting to follow.
"I'm sorry, Mells. Adaman told me what making you that mirror meant to you and it was never my intention to make you uncomfortable. Well, truth me told I was trying to annoy you but still. I didn't know that it meant what it does." Your gaze falters and you look away, your thumb unconsciously rubbing the handle of your basket as you fidget nervously. You interupt slightly as you hear him inhale as if to start speaking. "You don't have to forgive me and you can reject my proposal, that's fine, but please, I want to still be friends, at least".
"At least?" Comes his reply, genuinely confused, not expecting you to confess feelings for him but praying to any god that was listening that you would.
Swallowing nervously, your voice cracks when you speak.
"I like you, Melli. And, I don't want to scare you and say that we should get married, but I would like to see if we could be more than friends. I've wanted to tell you for a while but never dared."
You fall silent, letting him process your words. It felt good to finally admit the thing that had been on your mind for months, but your chest felt like it was being crushed the more time passed without his reply. Focusing on your breathing you collect yourself, trying not to have a panic attack as you sit and wait for a response. Any response.
After what felt like hours, you couldn't bare it any longer and began to shift yourself away from the lavender haired man you loved. Attempting to rise from you seat of the ground before a hand caught your arm, tugging you back down.
"Look at me?" Melli's voice was softer than you had ever heard it and it made your heart ache to hear more.
Turning your face back to him you lifted your eyes to meet his, hearing his sharp inhale when your gazes finally lock onto each other. Before you knew what was happening his lips were on yours. His hands hovering over yours not daring to touch, it felt awkward but it was what you'd wanted for so long that you didn't care. His soft lips pressed firmly against yours, still with nerves as his eyes never left yours. Pulling back quickly as if realising what he'd done he turns his face away from you, a blush staining his entire face. You blinked a few times to re-centre your thoughts, finally remembering to breathe.
He'd kissed you.
You both sat there for long time in silence, though this time a comfortable one. Both of you settling down from your nerves, blushes receeding before getting bold enough to look at each other for a breif moment before your blushes began anew. The bizarre situation you found yourself in suddenly dawned on you and you couldn't stop the giggle that left you, pushing Melli to the side gently to get him to join you in laughter, and he did. It was like you had both finally remembered you were best friends, laughing at the blushes on each others faces, both teasing the other for admiting they caught feelings.
"Consider your proposal, undoubtably rejected." He laughed as he pushed you over softly, in retaliation for you pinching his still bright red cheeks.
"Fine, I'll have my mirror back then" Sticking your tongue out at him from your new home in the grass, smiling at him softly with a loving look as he turned away and loomed over his shoulder at you.
"Good luck with that! Adaman helped me fix it to the wall yesterday, well out of the reach of you little people" he flicks his hair over his shoulder to emphasise the little people comment and it makes you smile wide.
Pulling his tunic to get him to face you again, you stayed prone, the grass surprisingly comfortable.
"Well then I suppose you'll just have to pay more for it! But, I warn you my costs are steep." The teasing lilt to your voice and the fact you were still lying almost beneath him had him intrigued, a faint blush threatening to take over his features as he quirked an eyebrow at you.
"Mmhmm. It will cost you one whole kiss. Right here." You confirm tapping your index finger to your cheek.
"Your prices are extortionate but I suppose I have no choice"
He re-positioned himself so as to hover above you, stradding your waist, chucklimg lightly as your face scrunched up reflexively has his hair fell in your face. Brushing his hair away from you, he trailed his knuckles against your face faintly before leaning down slowly to press a kiss to your cheek. You smirk, eyes full of devilment as he falls closer to you. Lips barely an inch from their destination you catch his face with your hand and guide him to meet your lips. Your eyes closed in bliss as you feel his lips move against yours, bodies pressed closer than would be decent if someone were to catch you. You swore you could stay like this forever, well, if it weren't for the chorus of overexcited Voltorb.