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It was just another day for Canari. Spending most of it inside her little gaming room at the Racine Construction building. Sitting in her one-of-a-kind chair. Playing falling-block puzzle games on her computer. Surrounded by all her streaming tech. Her extensive collection of Canari merch and Eelektross line plushies. Her mini fridge stocked with sponsored energy drinks.
And her best friend.
Gwynn was hanging out with Canari in her little space. It was one of the ghost-loving girl’s favorite places to chill out and enjoy a little break from having to be her older brother’s keeper all the time. And ever since she’d devised a new system where she would text someone else in the Justice Dojo and they would inform Ivor of her whereabouts, Gwynn felt a lot safer coming to hang out here more often without worrying about another “incident” from her overprotective sibling.
In fact, Gwynn had started coming here so often that—against all her protests—Canari shelled out money to order a custom-made gaming chair just for Gwnn, that she would dig out whenever her friend came to visit. Gwynn cried privately about it, feeling it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, but never dare let it show.
So on days like today, the two girls would sit on their respective chairs and spend hours playing games together. Usually the falling-block puzzle games Canari loved to play on her streams like Beldum Buildup. Although sometimes, she would indulge Gwynn eagerly wanting to play horror co-op games with her…
…and did her best not to let Gwynn see how much of a chicken-shit coward she is with horror stuff. Not that she was doing a great job of that.
“EEEEYAAAAHHHHH! @#$%&!@#!!!”
“Woahh!” Gwynn giggled. “I’m sorry, Canari… I didn’t know using my vampire jaws on you would be that much of a jump scare.”
Canari groaned. “You gotta quit apologizin’ just for scaring me, G-Volt. It’s a scary game, right? So of course I’m gonna be scared!” she rolled her eyes.
“I know, but…” Gwynn’s voice shrunk a little. “I don’t want you to be so scared that you’re uncomfortable… If you’d like, we could play something else—”
“Save it!” Canari retorted. “G-Volt… as long as you’re here with me, you’ll never, ever make me uncomfortable. The only thing that might is when your bro decides to follow you here!”
“Yeah, but that’s not gonna happen. I scolded him for hours last time after I heard how much he and Emma and that kid ruined your stream. So as long as he knows I’m safe, he should at least be smart enough to know to stay the hell away from here. … Keyword: should.”
“Well then…” Canari leaned forward. “Sounds like there’s nothing to be scared of then.”
Lowering her face mask for a brief moment, she gave a gentle peck to Gwynn’s Chandelure-themed hat, making the girl all giddy inside.
“Oh, Canari… ♥”
The two of them kept on playing, but something was on Canari’s mind. After the next round of zombie outbreaks had ended, she turned to her friend.
“Hey, G-Volt… can I ask ya something?”
Gwynn turned her deep midnight irses to her curiously. “S-sure. What is it?”
“This isn’t like… a judgment call or anything. I’m just really, really curious. So my Pops told me that you joined my last Canari Quiz Show as a contestant.”
“Oh!” Gwynn said in surprise, having not expected this to come up. “Umm, well… yeah. I did.”
Canari tilted her head. “Can I ask… why?”
The raven-haired girl mumbled uncomfortably. Canari looked puzzled as she watched Gwynn’s entire body language seemed to shift, and so did her tone.
“Do I… do I need to have a reason!?” she asked defensively. “Maybe I just… wanted to for the fun of it! That’s not a crime!”
“No, it’s not!” Canari chuckled. “Sorry, wasn’t tryin’ to grill you over it or anything! I was just surprised, is all. Like, I don’t really know what you got out of it or anything. I mean… you knew that wasn’t even me, right?”
“Yeah, I—I know that was just your gramps with the holo-technology, same as all your other live stuff.”
“And like… I just keep thinking about it. Like… if you had won everything, like the second round, final battle, all that jazz… What would you have even used your chance to ask me for?”
…
Gwynn didn’t answer, but she started blushing very deeply.
“Cause like, we’re friends G-Volt! All you have to do is come here, and I could totally hook you up with an autograph or first dibs on exclusive merch and all you gotta do is ask! I would even have a battle with you, if… if you really wanted it.”
“Yeah! Yeah, I know all that. You’re… you’re a really good friend to me C-Canari, and I always make sure to take advantage of the perks that comes with.”
“Well, that’s why I don’t get itt! If you had won the whole contest that day, what could you have possibly asked me for? What would’ve been your one wish?”
…
“I… Well, I would’ve asked for…”
Gwynn fell silent again, but after a few seconds she worked up the courage to say:
“…I would’ve asked for a date. With you.”
“…!?”
The Kalosian streamer shut off the computer and swiveled her whole chair around to face Gwynn with raised eyebrows.
“A… a date?”
“Yeah…” she mumbled. “A date.”
“Like—a date in the… park or something? Or going to the café? We can do all that stuff too, G-Volt! You just gotta say the word! Don’t need to win a contest for that!”
The ghost-loving girl was really shrinking inward now, her fingers clasped tightly together underneath her blue gloves.
“N-no, not a date like that… ‘Cause see, the thing is I, I…”
Her eyes scrunched shut, and the rest of her face winced too, before she finally mumbled something.
“…I like you.”
“Sorry?” Canari stretched her ear out. “Didn’t quite catch that, G-Volt—”
“I SAID I REALLY LIKE YOU!” Gwynn shouted.
…
Canari’s eyes were all the way open now, and she shook her head. “Well… yeah! I—I really like you too, Gwynn! We’re tighter than a bundle of cable ties!”
“NO! You’re not understanding!” Gwynn whined. “What I’m trying to say is, is… I like you a LOT, Canari! I’ve had a crush on you since… f-forever! As long as I’ve known you!”
“REALLY!?” she gasped. Canari pulled her face mask all the way down now, exposing her flabbergasted mouth. “You’re not—you’re not just saying that!? You actually like me, in THAT way? For real!?”
“Yeah!” she nodded. “Course I have… I’ve tried to bury it for so long because—being friends with you is the coolest deal on the whole planet, and I don’t want to spoil the best thing that’s ever happened to me by letting my dumb little feelings get in the way o’ that.”
“Gwynn…”
It was so rare that Canari would address her by her real name and not just ‘G-Volt’. Hearing her say ‘Gwynn’ say that softly sent shooting pangs into Gwynn’s poor blackened heart.
“See… that’s what I mean… Whenever I would try to push my love back, you always say such sweet things or smile at me with that pretty mouth of yours and it just… it’s impossible for me.”
For once in her life, the normally boisterous Canari was completely speechless. She didn’t know how to respond to any of this.
“That’s why I wanted to go with you on a real date… To a fancy restaurant or something. And eat really expensive pasta. Maybe even with some cheesy accordion music.”
This made Canari break out of her shock to start chuckling again. “Why—why would you wanna do any of that?”
“I don’t know! Because that’s just what… couples do, right? And that’s all I really wanted… For one just simple night, I wanted—I wanted you to take me out to a place like that, and for just… for just one night, I could—I could pretend. Pretend that you and I are a couple.”
“And so you entered my little contest, with that as your wish…”
“Yeah, because… I was really, really scared,” Gwynn explained. “And so I figured that if I did it that way and asked you out after I won… At least you would have to say yes.”
“Gwynn, oh Gwynn…” Canari reached a hand out towards her, gently brushing aside her soft, purple-tipped bangs and rubbing her cheek. “I—I never even started to realize that…”
She couldn’t finish those words. And Gwynn, despite a part of her melting at this sincere gesture, gently took her electric friend’s wrist and lowered it from her face.
“Well, none of it matters anyway. I lost to that really huge Canatic of yours, and the annoying MZ kid. I was so confident that I would know all the answers to your questions, and I could beat anyone who made it to the final round in a battle, me and Chandelure… But then I failed at the stupidest part.”
She sighed miserably at herself.
“All because I didn’t know about your Eelektross loving Lumiose Galettes that much. So I didn’t just blow my one chance to ask you out. I… I failed to prove my worth as your biggest fan.” She shook her head in agony. “Why would you ever want to date someone who just proved she doesn’t know you nearly as well as she thought?”
Gwynn hung her head in shame. Tears were beginning to stream down her face. And the sight of it just completely broke Canari.
“So it’s… it’s really okay, if all this is too weird for you. If you’re so icked out by me that you don’t really want me hanging around anymore… It’s cool. I guess I needed to stop using you as my excuse not to be a more responsible sister and keep my brother in check more—”
“Hey. Hey.”
Canari grabbed both sides of Gwynn’s face to stop her rambling.
“Listen up, G-Volt. As soon as you start saying crap like you actually want to be hangin’ around Ivor more, that’s how I know you’re talking totally crazy!”
A comment like that was the levity Gwynn needed to let out a single throaty laugh, and smile again. Her eyes glistened like deep midnight pools—and it was driving the streamer girl crazy.
“So… so, you’re really not—mad at me for telling you all this?”
“Gwynn, oh Gwynn… Sweet, sweet, sweet Gwynn…” Canari beamed widely. “Of COURSE I’m mad at you!”
“…Heh!?”
“I’m mad at you that you didn’t just come out and tell me all this sooner! You didn’t need to win one of my silly little contests to ask me out on a super-romantic date! Ya know why?”
“Umm, no? Why—MMMM?!!?”
Before she could even say anything else, Canari suddenly leaned in, grabbed Gwynn’s face even harder, and kissed her right on the lips! Gwynn’s eyes flew open wide like saucers.
She couldn’t believe this was happening! Canari is kissing her! And her lips… her lips are as sweet and tender as the young ghost-lover had always imagined they’d be. Filled with so much energy and passion… and Gwynn could really taste the hyperactive lady’s favorite energy drink emanating from her lips and into Gwynn’s mouth.
It was paradise. Canari still wasn’t letting go of her face, and Gwynn moved her arms up so that she could wrap them around Canari’s shoulders and savor this moment for all that it’s worth. She felt Canari’s head tilt, and she tilted her own head in response until they were at an equilibrium of electrifying love and soulful passion.
Minutes passed before they finally broke, the two girls gasping for air. Canari looked positively jazzed up, while Gwynn went back to being frozen in disbelief.
“I really like you too, G-Volt!”
“You—you do!?”
“Yeah!” she beamed enthusiastically. “Always have, the whole time I’ve known you.”
“…Why?”
“What do you mean WHY?” Canari shook her head with wide eyes. “Gwynn, you’re the CUTEST woman I’ve ever laid eyes on! And the nicest one too! You’ve always been so nice to me, and treated me really well! How could I not fall in love with someone as beautiful and kind as you?”
“But—but… then why didn’t you ever SAY anything!?” Gwynn sputtered.
“I dunno, for the same reasons you said! I didn’t want to ruin a good thing! I don’t got a whole lot of friends or people who really look out for me outside of my streaming stuff! Just you and Pops!” She scoffed. “And if I only ever had my grandpa and the rest of DYN4MO for company… ugh. I might just snap.”
Gwynn was still trying to process all of this. She was so overwhelmed with jubilation, not just from the kiss but from realizing Canari actually reciprocated her feelings full stop!
“I feel so… freaking silly now.”
“Yeah? Well, I can beat you in the ‘feeling silly’ contest…” Canari said awkwardly. “The other reason I never said nothing was cause I—I guess I just sorta thought we were dating already.”
“WHAT!?” Gwynn shrieked. “Why would you even think that?”
“I dunno! I’m just like you, I don’t really know what couples do! We hang out all the time, share secrets with each other… I guess I just thought we had the whole package already. Outside my games, my streaming, and Pops… you’re the sweetest love that I’ve got, G-Volt!”
Gwynn looked at her indignantly. “Yeah, but you hate sweets.”
“See? You DO know me!” Canari giggled. “And so what if you flubbed that thing with the Lumiose Galettes? It sounds like Pops totally threw out a curveball! You know I don’t talk about battling at all ever! So only anyone who caught that one stream I did where I mentioned that little fact about Eelektross and the really crunchy Lumiose Galettes would’ve aced that anyway.”
“Did your grandpa want people to fail the contest?” Gwynn titled her head.
“I dunno, maybe,” Canari shrugged. “I did kinda mention to him that I found the whole idea of having to pay my biggest Canatics some ‘favor’ really weird, so maybe that was just his way of lookin’ out for me.”
“Well—the answer is still NO! I didn’t consider any of that to be dating at all!” she huffed. “If we were really dating, then I’d want to kiss you a whole bunch and hold your hand everywhere and have you tell people that I’m your girlfriend!”
“Woof… you’re really high-maintenance, ain’t ya G-Volt?” Canari beamed. “Well, fine then! Let’s make it official and I’ll start doin’ all that stuff with you!”
“You—you really mean it?”
“Yeah… starting NOW!”
Canari stood up and gave Gwynn another smooch. A much short one, but one filled with just as much love that left Gwynn a red-faced sputtering mess.
“Oh… Canari… ♥”
“Hee-hee! And umm, I guess now I gotta take you out to a fancy… spaghetti restaurant or something?”
“Nah,” Gwynn shook her head. “Once I said it out loud, I realized how dumb that all sounded, and totally not like us. Maybe… I’d just like us to go out and have a coffee instead.”
Canari gleamed. “Now THAT’s way more up our alley! Tomorrow, we’ll have our first big-time café date as a rad girlfriend duo!””
“Yes!” she enthusiastically agreed.
“I love you, G-Volt!”
“I—I love you too, Canari!” Gwynn said, beaming just as wide.
The two of them embraced in a tender hug. Gwynn was right—Canari usually hated all things sweet and preferred her life to be full of caffeine and spice. But… even she had to admit, this was really, really nice. And now she was looking forward to having even more nice moments with her beloved G-Volt and figuring out the extent of their love.
“So… what do you wanna do now?” Gwynn asked, smiling warmly at her girlfriend.
“Honestly?” Canari cracked a snicker. “This probably sounds dumb, but I kinda just want to soak in the moment by playing more games together!”
“Ha-ha, me too!”
“Then let’s start this party back up, G-friend!” she cried, lifting her face mask back up.
Canari flipped her monitor back on, and the happy couple resumed playing games together. But now they sat in their chairs a little closer to each other. Enjoying each other’s warmth. Smiling like big dopey idiots.
And enjoying this awesome moment. Together.
…
…
…
Canari suddenly started snickering really loudly.
“Now what?”
“I just thought of something funny…” she said. “If you had won that contest, and gone up there on that stage and told the ‘holo’ version of me what your favor was…”
She lowered her mask and looked at Gwynn with a wry smile.
“You would’ve technically been asking my Pops out on a date! Not me.”
Gwynn was silent… and then her eyes widened in horror as the realization set in.
“Ewww! EWWWWW! No!” With a tempered sigh, she said, “…Y’know what then? I’m glad that I blurted it out this way instead. That would’ve been the worst.”
Canari laughed heartily in response, and Gwynn joined in on the giggling, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other.