Work Text:
La Primera sat in her office, finishing up her last bits of paperwork for the day, when she heard a knock on her door.
“Come in.”
The door creaked open, and Geeta was greeted by the signature red eyes of her assistant. “Hey, boss,” Rika started, “you still up to hang out tonight? It’s just gonna be me and you now.”
Recently, Geeta had let Rika talk her into going out with the rest of her coworkers once a week, after all of their work was done. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had a good time.
“Yes, of course, but what happened to everyone else?”
Rika shrugged. “Well, Hassel is taking Poppy to see a movie, and then helping her train. Larry left early after the last challenger, he said he’s not feeling well. And Penny had plans with her other friends.”
“I see.” Geeta’s expression was hard to read at the best of times, but in the low light of her office, it was impossible.
“Yeah, you’re stuck with me, I guess.” Rika paused. “ If you even still want to go out, that is.” Rika could feel her palms sweating, not sure if she was more nervous about losing a chance to bond with Geeta, or about socializing with her one-on-one.
Geeta smiled. “Of course I still want to go out. Truth be told, I’ve been enjoying our weekly get-togethers, and I’m sure it will be just as enjoyable with just the two of us. Besides,” her smile flickered playfully, “there are worse people one can be stuck with. I can’t think of any, but I’m sure someone has you beat.”
“Oh, how you wound me so, La Primera!” Rika smiled and threw her hand to her head dramatically. “See you in 20.”
Rika waited anxiously at the front doors to the league building. She knew Geeta, of all people, wouldn’t be late, but it felt as though time were lasting three times as long as it normally would. She checked her watch. Still hadn’t changed.
Finally, Geeta walked through the door, smiling as she met Rika. “So, do you have anything planned? I know we were talking about board games at Hassel’s place tonight, but obviously that’s out.”
Rika shrugged. “You know, we could take this childless opportunity to go to a bar. I know a great place, right near my house.”
Geeta smiled. “Trying to get your boss drunk, are we?”
Rika blushed. “No, I just thought-”
Geeta laughed. A rare sound, but one that never failed to lighten Rika’s spirits. “I’m kidding, Rika. Let’s go to this bar.”
Rika breathed a sigh of relief, and took out her phone to get a flying taxi.
That night, Rika and Geeta had a fantastic time, drinking and laughing and getting to know one another better. Geeta tried to keep pace with Rika, a mistake she would surely regret in the morning, as she absolutely could not hold her alcohol as well as her assistant could. After a few hours, Geeta was slurring her words and spilling her drinks. When they finally left, Rika had to get her shoulder under her to support her as they walked.
Rika plopped them down on a bench right outside the bar, letting Geeta get some fresh air. “Shit, boss, I couldn’t find someone more hammered than you if I looked for a Corviknight in Tinkaton territory.”
Geeta ignored the comment, taking in a deep breath of the crisp, cool night air. “Ri… Rika… thank you for this. It was fun…”
Rika smiled, and patted Geeta on the back. “Wanna come to my place for a bit? We could put on a silly movie, maybe one of those weird PokéStar ones? Y’know, give you some time to sober up before sending you home.” But Geeta wasn’t paying attention. When Rika looked back at her, she was patting a Tandemaus on each of its heads. Rika smiled, and joined in.
“You know,” Rika said, “when I was a kid, these things really freaked me out.”
“What? Really? But they’re so cute!”
“Yeah, but like. What’s their deal? Is it one Pokémon? Two? They both fit in a ball together, but they’re clearly separate entities. I mean, what happens if they split up? Is that a new Pokémon altogether? What’s it called?”
Geeta put a hand up, about to speak, as though she were going to say the most profound thing anyone had ever heard. Rika was all ears.
“Div… divorce… Divorce-Rat…”
Rika chuckled. “You really do have a way with words, don’tcha?”
Geeta laughed, putting her hand on Rika’s shoulder to stabilize herself. “You know, my family… my family’s always had a thing with Tandemaus.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
Geeta scratched one of the Tandemaus’ chins. “Apparently, every married couple… in my family… when they went on their first date togeth… together… they saw a shiny Tandemaus. So now they think it’s like a good luck charm or something, and you’re destined to… fall in love or whatever if you see one. I think it’s all a bunch of nonsense , but…” Geeta trailed off, staring into the creature’s big, beady eyes.
Rika furrowed her brow, and looked closely at the Tandemaus. It looked… odd. She lifted up one… half?... of the pokemon, and looked at it closely. Her eyes widened, and her face began to blush.
“Geeta…” She nudged the other woman, not taking her eyes off of the Tandemaus.
“Yes?”
“Look at this thing more closely.”
Geeta lifted the creature in front of her up to her face. Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw that the markings on the Pokémon, which were usually a very pale blue, were instead a very pale yellow.
Geeta and Rika sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Geeta said something.
“Umm… do you still want to watch a movie?”
“Sure, if you’re up for it.”
“Of course.”
As they stood from the bench to make their way to Rika’s place, Geeta fumbled with her phone for a moment. Finally, she got it out, and managed to take a photo of the Tandemaus in front of her.
“Just… just in case I forget.”
Rika put her shoulder under Geeta’s arm once again, and walked back to her place. Her anxiety spiked higher than it ever had before, thinking about what this night meant for them. Of course Rika was attracted to Geeta, but she would never act on those feelings before. Geeta was her boss, it would have made things uncomfortable if she said no. But… would she have said no?
Rika brought Geeta to her place, and put on a movie for them to watch. As they sat on the couch together, Geeta laid her head on Rika’s shoulder, and quickly fell asleep.
Rika looked at the beautiful woman sleeping next to her. She smiled, and picked Geeta up, carrying her to her room. She placed her on the bed and tucked her in, before grabbing an extra pillow and blanket, and going out to sleep on the couch.
The next morning, Geeta woke up in a bed that wasn't her own. She felt a pounding in her head, and her mouth was incredibly dry. She groaned as she sat up, looking around the room, seeing dozens of Clodsire-themed knick-knacks. Even the blanket she was under had a huge wooper embroidered on it. Right, she thought, I’m at Rika’s place .
Just then, she heard a knock at the door. “Yes?”
Rika slowly opened the door. She had a big bottle of water, some coffee, and a plate of toast, hash browns, and eggs. “Figured you might want some breakfast.”
Geeta smiled. “Thank you, Rika.” She took a huge swig of the ice-cold water. It felt incredible. “Um, Rika? Did we…”
Rika shook her head, answering before she got the question out. “Absolutely not. You were wasted. Wouldn’t do that to ya.” She paused. “How much… do you remember from last night?”
Geeta rubbed her temples as she thought. Suddenly, she stopped, and looked Rika in the eyes. “The Tandemaus…”
Rika smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, the Tandemaus.”
“I mean, obviously it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a superstition in my family. We don’t have to…”
“But we could.”
“We could, yes. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to hear them out.”
“Seemed to work out for everyone else, right?”
“Yes, of course. And it’s not every day you see a shiny Pokémon, it would be silly to disregard such a sign.”
“And the Tandemaus seem to know what they're talking about, since I’ve never seen a… Divorce-Rat , as you so eloquently put it.”
Geeta smiled. She grabbed Rika’s suspenders, and pulled her in close. Rika blushed, but smiled back.
“So, we’re doin’ this, huh?”
“It seems that way, yes.”
The two women gazed into one another’s eyes, before their mouths met in a passionate kiss.