Work Text:
It was quiet on the cobblestone streets of Centra City. The confetti and streamers and balloon strings had been cleared away, leaving nothing but the numerous buildings with sleeping residents inside. There’d been such a cacophony before. The commotion of welcoming new trainers, battles between leaders and rivals, and the camaraderie of people and pokémon both being happy together.
The city was nothing like that now. The streetlights kicked on and illuminated the way back to the hotel. Now that he was by himself, there was nothing there to keep that door to his thoughts closed. One after the other, they slipped out from behind it. Green let them come as he stumbled his way along lonely streets and sideways.
The light of a vending machine irritated his eyes and he stopped to buy a drink. A bench nearby was inviting and Green sat upon it, cracked open his soda, and kicked back.
He was an idiot.
Not an easy thing to admit to himself, but Green was alone and there was no one around to brag to or impress. Just himself and his can of soda and his thoughts and the empty streets of Centra that were hauntingly delightful. The wind passed over him smoothly, he took a sip of his sugary, caffeinated beverage which would keep him up for hours to come and told himself once more that he was an idiot.
He was usually much more suave about these things. He’d be attracted to someone, subtly drop hints and masterfully charm his way into their thoughts, some meaningful glances here, some lingering touches there, and he was in. It was easy and he always came out of it satisfied, more experienced, and better for it. He knew how to play the game, but all that knowledge went out the window with Red.
Green set his near empty can of soda on the bench and raked his hands through his hair in frustration. Nothing was ever simple with Red. It was always overcomplicated with too many feelings involved. It was part of the reason Green had moved on...or liked to think that he had. They had history. They had memories together from childhood that only the two of them knew about. There was vulnerability there that Green would rather ignore than confront.
There was some animosity, Green wasn’t going to lie to himself on the bench in the middle of an empty street. When he was eleven, there’d been hate between them. Mostly one-sided, because Red didn’t have a hateful bone in him. But with distance and time came reflection and change. Green knew he’d changed for the better, but it’d been so long since he’d seen Red; years apart and they met up here, in Pasio.
Years apart, and Green’s feelings punched him in the gut with the power of a hariyama when he’d first seen Red in Centra. Dumb red hat, stupid blue pants with flames (seriously?), and embarrassing sleeveless jacket aside, the look in Red’s eyes was just as intense as Green remembered. That crimson glow surrounded by dark brown… The same as when they’d battled at the Indigo Plateau.
Green had fumbled but still held out his hand to shake in greeting and Red had taken it.
Things were awkward after that, as things were after not seeing your rival for a while. He knew he couldn’t circumvent the whole bullying thing and how awful he’d been, so apologies came first. Red responded well enough and accepted. Then came what they both were passionate about: battling. They battled each other, other champions (both former and current), and some other promising trainers that only lacked experience.
During the entire time that he and Red rekindled their friendship around Pasio, Green’s feelings didn’t subside. Ignoring them wouldn’t change anything, only action would. Subtlety was more his speed, but Red responded well to bluntness. Green wasn’t against changing up his strategies and did so. He invited his rival and best friend out after dark—when the city was quiet and the trainers were sleeping—to an area of Pasio that was equal parts beautiful and romantic.
South of Centra, there was a lake surrounded by a lush forest. There wouldn’t be any pokémon, but the sights were worth seeing and the company would be nice, he hoped. They took Pidgeot and Charizard and flew over. Their night began along the lake shore.
Green steered the conversation as he knew to do, as he had done previously, as he had done since they were kids, and Red gave short answers in that deep voice of his, saving his words for Green’s ears alone. The water was cool to the touch but the warm summer air took the worst of the chill away. They held their own shoes and walked and talked and when Pidgeot cried or Charizard roared, they’d gaze upward to watch their pokémon fly around in the clouds.
It went well, the conversation. And it was nice, the lake. The moonlight glimmered on the surface of the water and shined in Red’s eyes and if it were anyone else, Green would’ve voiced that thought, scored some cheesy romance points, but he kept his mouth shut and inched closer to Red on their walk. They bumped shoulders and brushed arms and laughed easily and Green felt confident to take the next step.
Nothing too invasive, just a short peck on the cheek. Something to get his message across. Innocent enough. A suggestion. An idea. An offer being presented and placed on the table.
Green just didn’t account for that idea being so wildly out of left field for Red that he recoiled, holding a hand up to his cheek with thick brows drawn together in confusion.
Rejection was something Green had entertained for a moment. A possibility, but not an inevitablility, or at least, he’d hoped so.
But Green had risked their friendship and everything that came with it for that kiss. A simple kiss that had lasted no more than a second. A press of lips against winter skin. A touch that Green had thought would lead to more. A kiss that would be the beginning of many, or at least, he’d hoped so.
Green pulled his hurt in close and hid it from his expression. He apologized quickly with a smile made of nothing and continued to walk, putting more distance between them. Fingers that had been twitching with anticipation now fidgeted with distress. He ran on auto-pilot, bringing up topics from the back of his mind that were perfect to change the subject to something they both had in common. It was easy, easier than leaning to his right and kissing Red’s cheek, easier than acting like rejection didn’t hurt when it tore him up inside.
Red didn’t talk as much at first but eventually he felt enough pity for Green to engage with his typical one word answers. He didn’t look over at Green anymore. He didn’t laugh. He tilted his hat down and kept his eyes on the sand.
Nothing much happened after that. They rounded the large lake, took a quick peek into the forest, and then whistled for Charizard and Pidgeot to come down. The flight over was uneventful, so different from when they were first crossing the waves. They’d raced to that lake with the forest surrounding it. Green had won. Red had been bitter about it. They’d teased. They’d joked. They’d laughed, and would they ever do that again? Green’s stomach twisted at the thought.
When they landed Red gave him a quick thanks for the night and went on his way, his eyes never once rising to meet Green’s. That was all that needed to be said. That was all Green was going to get, and, maybe, that was all he deserved. Green turned on his heel and walked the quiet streets of Centra, alone and broken.
Then came the vending machine and the soda and the bench. Then came the thoughts and the reminiscing. Green reached over, picked up his soda, and finished it off with one long drink.
Anger came first.
Green was a catch, alright? A ten outta ten on every scale, charming, handsome, bilingual, and a fashion icon! He was worth dating. He was worth pursuing! He was worth kissing back. He was worth more than a shocked expression that looked as if he’d burned Red rather than just pecked him on the cheek.
Maybe he’d gone about it wrong…? The wrong atmosphere? The wrong place? Red loved nature; he always flourished in it, so Green had kept that in mind when choosing a spot, but maybe he wasn’t fond of lakes. Maybe Green should’ve taken him to that terrible ice glacier to the east so they could nearly freeze to death. Maybe a kiss of warmth would’ve been better received.
Perhaps he hadn’t waited long enough. Perhaps he hadn’t read Red correctly. Perhaps he’d misinterpreted all the smiles and laughs that Green would only see when they were together, the soft-spoken, infrequent words that Red would give him and only him. Perhaps he’d been wrong to see something in those actions, to put value in them. Perhaps they'd meant more to him than to Red.
Green looked up at the sky and the clouds that swirled around in circles upon circles. He’d liked walking with Red by his side, the sound of their pokémon actually getting along for once. He liked hearing Red's laugh and his voice. He liked Red, and he’d exposed himself so tremendously in that one action that brought him so much joy and soul-crushing sorrow.
No one witnessed Green’s heartbreak. No one saw the tears running down his cheeks. No one heard anything. He kept his gaze up toward the clouds, the moon, and the few stars in between and tried not to think about Red’s eyes or the one and only time his lips would touch that cheek.
Even with anguish sitting heavily in his chest, Green Oak was composed and in control. He let his feelings show in small amounts. He placed the pieces of his heart carefully on the cobblestone street to let out those tears, to feel and experience them, and then picked them up again. He slotted them back together as best he could and cleared his face of tears. He picked up his soda can, tossed it in the trash, and continued on to his hotel.
He’d be fine with time...or at least, he hoped so.