Work Text:
Compersion
noun
(especially among polyamorous people) a feeling of happiness caused by another person's happiness, especially by seeing one's romantic or sexual partner interacting positively with another one of their partners:
Compersion was a word Serena had come across, occasionally, in her deep dives into romantic fiction and non-fiction. How Pokémon Trainers of old would fall in love on their journeys across the land, often facing branching paths that led them to more than one lover. How sometimes they would even fall in love with their own Pokémon, and how other human partners knew that there was no coming between a bond so sacred. It made for a gripping tale, while she was lying in her bed, sipping on a mug of hot cocoa, and unwinding after a difficult day of Rhyhorn racing.
It was nice to giggle at, her pale cheeks flushed, imagining a world far beyond her horizons. For someone who'd never even considered leaving home to be a trainer, it was all just a fantasy.
She never imagined witnessing or experiencing either conundrum for herself, let alone both.
Yet, here she was. Beyond the reaches of Lumiose Stadium, dense forests dotted sprawling cliff sides. In the depths of the foliage, beautiful flower beds were sheltered from human intervention; in this bed, a field of burgundy roses that were fed by generous sunbeams that slipped through the cracks in the trees. The sunbeams were golden in the waning daylight, painting the refuge in bold, passionate colors; a perfect setting for a much-needed reunion.
Ash sat in the middle of the rose bed, crouched on his knees before a large Pokémon who'd made herself comfortable among them. His Meganium, Juliet, dwarfed him, curling her long tail around her body. Her neck was craned, head tilted; doe-eyed curiosity in her golden eyes.
She was beautiful; Serena, herself, had little trouble acknowledging that. A strong, muscular body contrasted with the tender beauty of the lustrous pink bloom around her neck. At a glance, she was a duality of tenderness and strength; it was more-or-less how Ash described her, too.
Ash had spoken of Juliet with longing, shortly after she'd started seeing him and Dawn. The crack in his deep voice had told her all she needed to hear; pains of feelings deeply buried out of necessity; what he thought was necessity. Even at a distance, she could see it in his eyes, as he anxiously fumbled with his cap, shrinking in his posture as he spoke. It was as if he was seeking forgiveness; for the cruelty of circumstance denying them his honest feelings.
Serena couldn't quite hear him, at the distance she was at — truth be told, she wasn't even supposed to be here — but the instant his confession was understood, she could see it on Juliet's face. She jerked back, caught entirely off-guard. Her mouth hung agape, and her eyes were transfixed on him. They lost their round, church window shape, divoting with a flood of emotions that cascaded down her cheeks in the form of so many glistening tears.
She leaned in a bit more, lowering her head in submission. She asked for confirmation, again.
Ash held his upturned palms out; a gesture Juliet understood immediately, extending two vines from under her bloom to gently settle in his hands. He held them tenderly, and spoke again.
"Megay!" Even at a distance, Serena heard her, this time. She tackled Ash into the roses, pressing him beneath her weight. If Serena didn't know Ash better, she'd fear for his health.
He was fine; more than fine. He squirmed around underneath the gargantuan Pokémon's weight, but he laughed loudly, all the same. Juliet nuzzled him relentlessly, knocking his cap off of his head and into the roses. Ash cradled her head in both hands, and kissed her forehead.
Serena bit her knuckle to hold back her sobs. She'd rarely seen any one person so happy. Fairy tales and recounts of romance from ages go by didn't do the real visual justice. Juliet shone with the radiance of a Dazzling Gleam, sobbing and nuzzling her beloved trainer without end.
Ash had told her the tale, more or less; she'd harbored feelings for Ash as long as she'd known him, even as a Chikorita. At a certain point, Ash became aware of this, too, and was too young to question it. He'd liked her too, and they'd come as close to dating as two tweens could.
But, the bitterness of separation had made Ash's heart distant. By the time he'd begun to thaw, Dawn claimed him — something neither Serena nor Ash would ever think to regret — but it left Juliet on the outside, all the same. She'd had to accept his moving on; what other choice did she have?
"You never moved on, did you…?" Serena sniffled, choking on a sob.
The grin Ash wore said everything, as his messy hair was pressed against her forehead. Now he was crying, too…
And, they'd started wrestling. Serena was nearly thrown off of her feet by the quake of Juliet somehow being thrown on her back by a smug and triumphant Ash. They were roughhousing.
Serena's smile widened. She shook her head. Her plan had worked; she shouldn't continue to be a spectator. She turned to leave Ash and Juliet to their reunion in peace and privacy.
Of course, she didn't expect the ground to tremble again, and throw her off her feet.
She yelped, landing on her rear.
"...Serena?"
Serena blinked. She'd fallen back in the grass, and alerted her company of her presence. Sitting up, knees tucked in, she found both Ash and Juliet staring at her. Her face flooded with heat.
"Eep…!"
"What're you doing over there?" Ash asked, while once again pinned under his Meganium's weight. He looked at Serena upside down, grinning and cocking a brow at her.
"I… I was just…!" Serena sputtered, timidly adjusting her fedora. "I just, ah… got lost on my way back to the stadium!" She fibbed, terribly, through nervous laughter. "Sorry to spy on you two…!"
Juliet rolled her eyes. "Ganium!"
"Yeah, Jules is right. Get over here!" Ash beckoned with a wave of his hand.
"Are… you sure?" Serena gestured half heartedly with herself with an index finger. "Because I can leave you two to…" A pair of vines reached out, contracting around her waist. "Ah!" Before Serena knew it, she was being hoisted and pulled in by Juliet's vines. The large Grass-type pulled her in, happily nuzzling Serena. It seemed to amount to a hug, for a sitting quadruped.
"Th-thank you…!?" Serena giggled. "That tickles, ahaha!"
Ash had pulled himself out from under Juliet, smiling warmly. "I already gave you credit for all of this," he explained. "Juliet knows it was your idea to bring her in for the Kalos League. For me to confess to her, and all." He gestured to a nodding Juliet with a hand. "She's trying to say 'thank you.'"
"Gay!" Juliet cooed, pulling back enough to look Serena in the eye. Her tears hadn't dried yet. That didn't stop her from tilting her head and… kissing Serena directly on the lips, however!?
"...I. Um. Mon dieu," Serena exhaled, holding her cheeks. They were scalding.
"W-was that also a thank you!?"
"I think that was just because she decided she likes you," Ash laughed. "I haven't had time to tell 'er everything, but I think I left a good first impression. Wouldn't you say, Jules?"
"Ganium~!" Juliet cooed happily, craning her neck. Serena could decipher that to mean 'yes.'
"I… well. The feeling is mutual," Serena said, after a moment to suppress her fluster and pick her words properly. "Ash has told me a lot about you, Juliet. And even if we've only just met… I think I see us as kindred spirits." The blonde adopted a more serious expression, holding a hand over her heart. "You've stood steadfast at Ash's side for many years, and loved him just as long. To carry him in your heart, all of this time… I guess I can say that I relate."
"...Yeah. I guess I left you both hanging, didn't I?" Ash frowned, guiltily rubbing his neck. "So-"
"Do not apologize!"
"Megay!"
Both ladies had scolded him at once, exchanging a look, and then smiling.
"Please, don't apologize, Serena reiterated. "Seeing you the way I did was my choice. And continuing to love you was Juliet's. Neither of us could have predicted the circumstances. And… even if we could, that wouldn't change anything." She reached for Ash's hand, taking it in hers with a tender squeeze. "Your heart is a treasure that you choose to share, Ash. And that treasure was well worth the wait."
Ash smiled appreciatively, his face turning ruddy red.
"Do you know why I chose this flower field in particular?" Serena continued.
"This one…?" Ash blinked, sitting up to look around. Juliet did the same. "Can't say I do. I mean, it's a flower field! Smells nice. Usually seen as romantic and all of that, right?"
"Close, but not quite." Serena smiled and shook her head. She reached into the flower bed, gently picking one of the roses. "Burgundy roses represent devotion. And though joining you gave me my own path in life, independent of whether I won you over or not… I chose to give you my heart, and accepted that it might sting." She twirled the burgundy rose between her fingertips. She'd pricked her fingertips on the rose's thorn. A dark red trickled onto the stem.
Ash and Juliet looked startled, but Serena didn't falter. "And Juliet devoted her heart to you, even when it hurt… You remained loyal and close to us, even when it hurt you."
"And did it hurt," Ash whistled. "You know how hard I was fighting that denial? For both of you?" He looked between two of his favorite ladies. Despite his smile, the upturn of his brow said everything. "Between Dawn, and you two… I felt like such a jerk. And hell, am I glad that's over."
"It's over for good!" Serena beamed. She continued to twirl the rose's stem between her index and thumb, now mindful of its thorns. "So… you can just be happy. That's all that I want."
She reached for one of the vines tangled around her torso, and held its bud between her fingers. "So, what're you waiting for?"
"...Ga?" Juliet tilted her head, puzzled.
"Yeah, I'm lost." Ash blinked. "What are we waiting for?"
"Well, I've kissed you, and Juliet's kissed me — something I'm still processing, thank you very much," Serena muttered, nursing burning cheeks, once again. Filing that away for later.
"...So, what about you two? I'd say you've earned it!"
"...Oh. Yeah! I guess we haven't, huh?" Ash laughed. He turned to his Pokémon, smiling roguishly. Eyes half-lidded. "What's that about, Jules? Leaving me on the out-and-out!?"
"Megaaay! Geranium~" The sauropod giggled, shaking her head, as if to say she'd never.
The two came together in a gentle union before Serena's eyes. And she smiled so hard, it hurt.
This was the meaning of compersion, wasn't it?
The longest novel couldn't do the word justice.