3x Guriburu
Some old Oldrival stories to kick things off. Note: all are beta'd by ibuberu
Title: Phone Call
Character(s) / pairing(s): Green / Blue, mentions of Red / Yellow
Rating: PG
Word count: 1015
Warning: Out-of-character Green
Summary: How to let Blue stop talking? Green knows.
Beep-beep.
A metal-like sound resounded in the silence.
Beep-beep.
The movement of a chair; footsteps on a stone floor; the rustle of searching hands -
"Green," the man spoke curtly into the mouthpiece of the unfolded cell phone. The person on the other side of the line shouted a greeting that could be heard throughout the lab. From several directions the young researcher received disgruntled looks of co-workers who were busy typing, flipping through scientific articles or staring at an unidentified substance with a magnifying-glass. Green sighed in annoyance and kept the phone a bit farther from his ear.
"Blue, firstly: cut it down, and secondly: can you call me back later, cause I doubt it is a matter of death and life what you - " He closed his mouth when he was rudely interrupted.
"Hm," he said. "Yes, I understand that for some people this is very important and relevant, but I'm rather busy at the moment, and -"
Again an interruption. He sighed in annoyance, shutting his eyes for a moment. "I don't care what you're going to buy for Red's birthday. And no, neither am I interested in whatever he said to Yellow…"
A short pause. A blare that reverberated against the walls of the laboratory. The disgruntled looks of the men in lab coats changed into irritated sighs.
"Blue, stop those matchmaking actions of yours, both Red and Yellow aren't served by it; they'll manage just as well without your constant arranged meetings and subtle remarks," he hissed in his cell phone. He cast a hasty glance at his disturbed co-researchers before walking into the direction of the door, phone held against his ear. With a little more force than needed, he pulled the handle towards him and stepped outside. While he could just prevent the door falling shut with a bang, Blue continued her chitchatting. Green reached for his hair in desperation, wondering how it came that a sensible person like he had become friends with someone like Blue; and at the same time realising that he would only make matters worse if he cut the conversation short, or - more drastic still - if he removed her from his phone list. (Deep down knowing he'd never bring himself to that.) While he listened to the story of Red's and Yellow's precarious love - only listening with a half ear - he reached the conclusion that only one thing would make Blue stop talking. He couldn't deny that it was a rather overdrawn action - but a situation like this called for drastic measures. Or he gladly told himself so, at least.
He crossed the ground and began walking the uneven road that linked the laboratory and the other buildings of Pallet Town. With his mind on completely different matters, he now and then made an approving or disapproving sound just to show Blue he hadn't disappeared yet.
Soon, the first houses of the peaceful village came into sight, situated between green fields with some trees and bushes here and there. It was quiet in the streets: everyone had withdrawn into the coolness of their houses, avoiding the warmth outside. Green wished he wore something else than his lab coat, and added that to the ongoing list of inconveniences Blue had caused.
"Don't you have something better to do than stalking me, Blue?" Green asked, more to keep up the conversation than anything else - he already knew the answer, after all. And indeed: on the other side of the line, Blue rattled the expected answer, ladling out reasons why Green was without a doubt the best choice for her phone calls and concluding in a semi-hurt voice that he didn't appreciate her company.
Green barely managed to suppress a snort; anyone who fell for that trick was too thick for words.
"So there's nothing I can do to be left alone, you say?" He stooped to open a white-painted fence, and stepped into the garden of the centre-most house of the village. His lips curled when Blue sang her agreement. "Aha."
In a few strides, he crossed the lawn and reached the backdoor. He pushed down the latch as quiet as possible, stealing his way in and following Blue's ever growing voice as a guideline. Then, he saw her.
In front of the window, with her back to him, was Blue, gesticulating heavily as she swore that there was nothing that could make her stop talking - and he'd better not cut the conversation short, because then he didn't know her yet. Green regarded half-amused, half-annoyed the figure before him. What threats for such a frail girl… His eyebrows went up to even higher zones when Blue teasingly remarked that it was highly necessary he got himself a girlfriend - locking lips surely would make him less irritable.
"Do you plan on making yourself available?"
Blue whirled around so fast it was a miracle she was still standing on her feet. "G-green? What are you doing here?" she stammered, still talking through the phone's mouthpiece. "Did you get in through the backdoor? I thought I had it locked, but…"
Her voice became unsure when Green bridged the few steps that separated them, stopping in front of her. "What are you up to? I thought you were so busy with all kind of things, in the lab and I don't know what more, that's what you kept saying at least, and - "
"You really talk too much, you know," he said with a sigh.
Blue opened her mouth in protest, but Green was faster; with a precision as if he did it every day, he bent forward and pressed his lips on hers. He felt Blue stiffen. For a few seconds, time seemed to freeze, with their breath stuck in their throats; then Green let go and released the air he had unknowingly kept inside. A smile tugged around his lips as he turned to the door, leaving a speechless Blue behind.
"No possible way, hm?" That should give him at least fifteen minutes of peace.
Title: Day Dreams
Character(s) / pairing(s): Gold, Blue / Green
Rating: PG
Word count: 1157
Warning: None. Well, save the typical Gold-talk.
Summary: Whatever Blue might say, he still thought he was the handsome one.
Everything was quiet and peaceful: from the softly cabling water to the serene blue sky, from the drifting white clouds to the figure lying in the midst of it. Everything - until a bomb-like sound and a furious splashing shattered the perfect scene.
"Gold!" Blue fell from her air-bed, wet in an instant and gasping for air. "You - you idiot! What do you think you're doing?"
"Taking a fresh dive, of course," he grinned. He leaned back with a pleased expression on his face, then added, "Plus, I thought you might need some company."
"I don't know how you came to that conclusion," she spat, "but it's false. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm now soaking wet because of you. So much thanks for that."
"Ah, you're welcome," he said, leaning lazily against the side of the pool. "I'm always more than willing to help a lady in despair, especially a pretty one. As I always say: the wetter the better!"
Blue, who had been attempting to climb on her air-mattress again, turned around with a shocked expression on her face. "I'll try very hard to forget you ever said such a thing."
"Don't get yourself in a knot, Blue." He let go of the pool's edge and swam her way in a few breast-crawls. "You'd better put your energy in thinking of what we're going to do today."
"What do you mean, 'we'?" she asked in an irritated voice. "There's no such thing as 'us' going to do anything today. I'm planning on continuing lying here in peace, and you'd better be on leaving this place this instant. And don't keep your hands there," she added in a dangerous tone, shoving his lingering arm away from the bed. "Go play with Silver or something."
"I don't know where he is," he replied reluctantly, a sulking look on his face.
"I have a hunch that is exactly what he aimed for," Blue yawned, leaning backwards and closing her eyes. "Well, find another way to occupy yourself, then. My brain will go out in ten seconds and I won't reply to anything you say, whatever silly tries you may come up with."
Gold was silent for a while, watching Blue as she promptly fell asleep. He had to give her credit for keeping her promise. (It didn't occur to him she was just faking.) Just as he thought about splashing her - or something - he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. With a slight turn of his head, he could see a figure nearing the pool, a duck-like Pokémon beside him.
"What's Green doing here?" he muttered. The next second, he felt a splash of water coming over him as Blue sat up without warning, balancing precariously on the air-bed.
"What was that for?" he asked annoyed, messing up his wet hair. "I thought your brain would be turned off. Doesn't that mean that - " He stopped, looking from Blue to the incoming figure on the other side. "No way. You started awake because I said his name?"
"Huh? Of course not," Blue answered absent-mindedly, not looking at Gold.
"You were asleep!" he retorted in a louder voice than necessary, annoyed at her act of point-blank ignoring him. "Would you jolt awake like that if you heard my name?"
"Probably," Blue said, directing her gaze at Gold for he first time. "But only because the nightmare would become too hard to endure."
"Thanks a lot," he replied, a hurt expression (half-mocked, half-real) on his face. "What did I do to deserve such cruelties?"
Blue looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"…okay, perhaps I might think of some things. But hey, I find it very unfair that apparently you're having nightmares about me, but entirely different dreams about Green."
"Life's unfair, Gold," she replied, yawning.
"You didn't deny."
Blue looked at Gold again, a light blush on her face. "I was sleep talking."
"Awake?"
"…you forget I ever said that, and I'll forget all the unnameable things you've done. For the time being," she added warningly, catching sight of his euphoric expression.
"It's a deal," he smirked, wiping his finger along his nose in a jaunty movement. "So now that's out of the way: won't you join me in the water?"
She shot him look of disbelief. "Don't you know a 'no' when you hear one?"
"I know when not to give up."
"Well, this certainly isn't such a case. You're wasting your time."
He let out a deep sigh. "I hate wasted time. Every second of life has to be exciting."
"Then why you're still here?"
"You're pretty exciting, I'd say."
"Skipping that part, too." She looked with a skewed eye to the other of the pool. "You can start hunting Silver now. And forget the witty remark about me and said line," she added, just when Gold opened his mouth.
"Alright," he grumbled. "Have it your way. I'll leave you and the object of your dreams alone."
Blue's head whirled around, a dangerous look on her face. "Eh, forget I said that too," he said, hastily correcting himself. "I just want to know one thing: why do you even like Green more than me?"
"Well, for starters he doesn't ask questions like that."
"Hm, good point," Gold replied, rubbing his chin.
"And he doesn't jump into the pool causing me to fall in the water. Or try grabbing me. Or hit on me with horribly wrong lines."
"Yeah, yeah, I get the point; no need to crush my self-image even further," the black-haired boy interrupted, waving his arms. He paused, then looked at her hopefully. "And the looks-department?"
Blue gave him a half smile, adjusting her sunglasses. "Sorry, Gold. Not even there." And with a hand wave, she bade him farewell.
While grumbling heavily under his breath, he swam to the side of the pool. Contrary to what Blue thought, he knew a hopeless case when he saw one. And this one definitely didn't look very promising. But on the other hand - he felt a leap of joy - tomorrow there was another day, and another day meant other chances. And other girls. Upon leaving the pool, he shot Green a knowing look (who answered with two raised eye-brows).
In the time it would take Green to figure things out though - he had visions of seas of time - Gold was more than willing to privilege Blue with his company. Perhaps he should start right away already, before she started to get too lonely… He smiled to himself and crossed the lawn. Yes, life definitely wasn't so bad after all. You just had to look in the right places.
(From the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of bikini-clad girls. His smile grew and his heart rose. Blue could wait - she already had the guy of her dreams, after all.)
Title: Once upon a Swinub
Character(s) / pairing(s): Green / Blue, mentions of Pryce
Rating: PG
Word count: 2266
Warning: Mild randomness; which is only to be expected when one gets the prompt 'Swinub'.
Summary: Because sometimes, even Blue can be wrong.
"Aaaaah!"
The high-pitched scream resounded throughout the young, broad-leaved forest; it ricocheted against frail birch trees and robust oaks, and carried its tones to the outer regions of the forest. Seconds after, its echo could be heard faintly but clearly in the distance; like a melody sung by wood-nymphs, it rose hair-necks and filled hearts with wonder at the same time. Disrupted by the sudden outburst of noise, a few Starly flew up from their nests high in the trees; loose feathers and broken twigs alike tumbled downwards, falling on the ground in a scattered gathering of old forest materials.
A short distance away, Green abruptly looked up from his training; he knew that voice. Without further ado, he returned his Pokémon in their Pokéballs, and made his way to the source of the noise in a quick pace.
Blue didn't scream for nothing - training could wait when there was rescuing to be done.
Mere minutes later - he was extremely thankful that it was only a young forest they were in; it made the searching that much easier - he had found the brunette: she was standing with her back to him, in the middle of a clear space in the forest.
"Blue!" he shouted, slightly out of breath from running but relieved all the same. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
He hurriedly walked over to her, looking around. Nothing seemed out of order at first sight. "Why did you scream like that? What's the emergency?"
"That." The girl pointed to a shadow in the bushes situated on the other side of the clearing, not so much as looking at him. The fact that she hardly acknowledged his presence was as vague a sign as any; her gaze remained fixed on the shadowy bushes in front of her, eyes not even blinking.
Green couldn't really be bothered by the lack of greeting, and instead followed her finger. Once his eyes found the source of her consternation, though, disbelief filled his body. That couldn't possibly be the reason for her screaming… Still, Blue's face remained as serious as ever; not a single indication of gleeful joking was apparent in her transfixed eyes.
He looked sideways again, face wearing a deadpan expression. "That is why you shrieked?"
"Yes." Her eyes still didn't leave the bushes in front of her; it was as if she was scared that if she looked look away, the simple serenity of the forest would snap - replaced by something he couldn't quite fathom. He crossed his arms with a sigh, feeling ridiculous for so much as acknowledging her fear.
"Blue. That's a Swinub you're looking at."
"I know that!" the girl answered, looking away from the bushes and fixing her eyes at him for the first time; he could see something close to indignation on her face. By the way she folded her arms, Green assumed that he had wounded her pride by doubting her knowledge of Pokémon like that. Like there weren't more pressing matters to think about.
"My question is," began Green with still no emotion showing on his face, "why you were shrieking like that especially since you seem to know perfectly well that it's only a Swinub?"
"Only… only a Swinub?" Blue drew heavy breaths, a hand on her breast. She suddenly seemed to be on the verge of losing control. "Do you know what that thing does?"
"Eh… basically eating, sleeping and now and then an ice-beam - "
"Exactly!" Blue interrupted loudly. "Ice beam! An ice-attack!"
"…"
Green eyed Blue with a look of mingled exasperation and worry, thinking she had finally lost it. Then, as if in a flash of understanding, comprehension showed in his face.
"Has this by any chance something to do with the Man of Ice?"
Blue huffed. "Of course it has. So much for quick catching up."
"I'm sorry if my ability to look into your psyche has momentarily let me down, but I can't keep track of the rapid developments going on there," he replied in an irritated voice. "What is it? Do you now have, besides the regular bird one, also a phobia for ice Pokémon?"
Blue looked at him with a hurt expression. "You talk about it like it's nothing."
Green regarded her for a moment and then sighed, as though he had reached the conclusion that her agony was sincere for a change. "Right. I'm sorry if you feel that way, but - is that a reason to shout every time you catch sight of an ice-type Pokémon?"
"Not just any ice-type…" she whispered, looking at him with huge eyes. She waited a few seconds - to add to the dramatic effect, he knew - and then said in a low voice, "It's Pryce's."
Green looked at her. And looked - but didn't see any hint of mockery.
"You think it's… Pryce's," he repeated. The boy tried hard to keep his voice from sounding all too sceptical, but knew at the same time it was a hopeless case altogether - acting had always been an area where Blue did much better than him.
Said brunette nodded solemnly, though, and blinked up at him in complete and utter silence. There was nowhere a sign of lying; and that meant that she actually thought that…
Green fell quiet, absorbing this new turn of events. If it had been a joke, it would have been farfetched enough already; but this was beyond belief. Still, there was no use in flat out denying her claim; he needed to think of a way to show her that all that was absolute nonsense, while at the same time not angering her too much.
(Seeing as he was a person with a lot of self-knowledge, he realised that this was going to be hard; staying reasonable in a discussion when he knew he was right was something that was never going to be his forte, he was afraid.)
"What proof do you have to assume it's Pryce's Swinub?" he said eventually, going for the subtle way of reasoning instead of the confrontational attack.
"Assume? I don't assume anything, I know it's his!"
"Yes, well - what reasons do you have to know such a thing?" Green corrected, biting back the sarcasm.
"I have lived under the same roof as that thing for six years. You'd think I would recognize it when I see it, don't you?"
"I suppose, but - "
"There's no but!" Blue loudly interrupted, waving her arms in agitation. "Its scent, its snout, the - the disgusting way it eats…"
Green looked to his right and saw the Swinub in question nibbling peacefully on a white mushroom. "That's very… remarkable indeed," he said, eyebrows up to his roots. Even a chronic pessimist would have difficulty spotting anything dark in the scene in front of them.
"So," Blue asked, ignoring the unbelieving look on his face, "what are you going to do with it?"
Green whipped his head around, momentarily forgetting about his composed demeanour. "Excuse me? If you're asking me to put an end to that Swinub in any way, you can forget it - "
"Of course not, I'm not a brute," Blue interrupted impatiently, though there was a definite look of disappointment on her face. "Just - just scare it away."
"You expect me to wave a branch and shout idiotic things so it will lift its heels?" His eyebrows, which had moments before taken on their normal form again, resumed their previous height.
"Well, perhaps the shouting alone will suffice…" The girl regarded the Swinub with a doubtful eye. "But on second thought, waving a stick might just do the trick. So keep that one in." Her gaze travelled through the bushes around the clear space, as if to search for one.
"Blue, you missed the sarcasm," he replied in a flat tone. "You don't really think I'm going to so much as raise my voice? That Swinub hasn't done anything wrong but unintentionally scare the wits out of you, and…" He paused when he saw the look on her face, and could feel a laugh (unbelieving, helpless) start forming in his throat - the absurdity of the situation was becoming almost unmanageable. "You don't think it was unintentionally? You actually think it did it on purpose?"
"It's Pryce's Swinub," Blue responded with feigned calmness. "There's no such thing as coincidence and undesigned."
The girl shot the leaf-eating Pokémon a dark look before adding, "It could even be here for revenge - it knows I rebelled against him and took part in his downfall." She then abruptly whirled her head to face him, and pressed with a voice too shrill to be normal, "You should be on your guard too, Green! It'll probably know you had a hand in it as well!"
Green regarded the mushroom-eating Pokémon with one skewed eye. Then, he said, "Right, it indeed looks like it's about to attack us. It also looks, without a doubt, intelligent enough to recognize you as one of the Masked kids and the two of us as persons who fought against his master." He purposely stressed the last word; the irony he felt couldn't be kept inside anymore.
Blue put her hands on her hips, frowning slightly. "Pokémon are more than capable of recognizing people, Green."
"Yes, but I don't think this one is."
They both studied the snout-Pokémon for a moment, who merrily sniffed at a few leaves and closed his eyes as though to enjoy the sun's warmth; the ultimate picture of innocence.
Then - without warning - a clear voice suddenly filled the clear space, shattering the serenity of the forest in the blink of an eye.
"Swiny! There you are!"
Both Green and Blue whirled around to face the source of the sound, but the boy who came running in didn't pay them any attention; he brushed straight past them, towards the bushes at the other end of the clear space. There, the Swinub, who previously had been dozing off, scurried towards the young guy, and jumped into his outstretched arms. The boy hugged the Pokémon tightly; both seemed to squeal with happiness.
Blue's mouth, meanwhile, hung open; utterly speechless, she stared at the reunion scene being played out in front her - both Oscar and Disney-worthy in terms of heart-wrenching sweetness.
Green looked from the boy to the girl next to him, feeling a sense of amusement he probably shouldn't feel; but it couldn't be helped, really. To see her being wrong like that, for once in her life, was almost worth the delay in his training.
(Almost.)
"I think that Swinub belongs to that trainer, Blue," he drawled, the smirk he felt not showing in his face. (He wasn't like the girl next to him, after all.)
"Wh-what? No, it can't be, I mean - " The brunette trailed off when Green stepped forward and prodded the youngster's shoulder.
"Kid, is this your Swinub?"
"Huh?" The boy turned around to face Green, then broadly smiled. "Yes! I thought I had lost him, but… oh, I'm so glad I found him again; Swiny and I have been together our whole life already!"
Green looked at Blue. "You hear that?" She nodded dumbfounded. "He's definitely older than six years, Blue."
"Perhaps he just looks old for his age?" the brunette offered in a hopeful tone.
Green and the boy looked at each other, then said in unison, "No."
"What is all this about my age, anyway?" the young trainer asked, the Swinub still in his hands. "And what were you doing standing around Swiny?"
"Oh, let's just say that my friend here had taken a special interest in it, but for the wrong reason. Speaking of which - " he nodded the boy good-bye and led Blue away from the clear space, towards the village - "you owe me one."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Blue, who was still looking thoroughly startled because of the rapid change of events - or, more accurately speaking, because of the fact that she had been proven wrong about something - snapped her head away from the Swinub behind them, and fixed her eyes on the boy next to her.
"Well, all this stuff about 'knowing for sure' and 'no room for coincidences and assumptions'… Seems, though, like even you don't know for sure sometimes."
The brunette looked sideways at him, expression mocking and voice dismissive. "Thank you for pointing that out, Green. I really hadn't figured that out myself already."
"In that case you'll also realise that you've made me abandon my training for nothing; you might even say that you had me worried for no reason." A barely visible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I don't think that it would be too much to ask if you bought me a drink, hm?"
"What?" Blue faced him with fierce eyes, ready to say something in protest - before the implication of Green's words reached her mind.
"Oh…" She closed her mouth and smiled, all traces of scorn and anger suddenly gone. "Well, alright then. But only because I'm in a good mood - you're in luck, you know that?"
"Perhaps," Green mused softly, and together they walked out of the forest.
Title: Phone Call
Character(s) / pairing(s): Green / Blue, mentions of Red / Yellow
Rating: PG
Word count: 1015
Warning: Out-of-character Green
Summary: How to let Blue stop talking? Green knows.
Beep-beep.
A metal-like sound resounded in the silence.
Beep-beep.
The movement of a chair; footsteps on a stone floor; the rustle of searching hands -
"Green," the man spoke curtly into the mouthpiece of the unfolded cell phone. The person on the other side of the line shouted a greeting that could be heard throughout the lab. From several directions the young researcher received disgruntled looks of co-workers who were busy typing, flipping through scientific articles or staring at an unidentified substance with a magnifying-glass. Green sighed in annoyance and kept the phone a bit farther from his ear.
"Blue, firstly: cut it down, and secondly: can you call me back later, cause I doubt it is a matter of death and life what you - " He closed his mouth when he was rudely interrupted.
"Hm," he said. "Yes, I understand that for some people this is very important and relevant, but I'm rather busy at the moment, and -"
Again an interruption. He sighed in annoyance, shutting his eyes for a moment. "I don't care what you're going to buy for Red's birthday. And no, neither am I interested in whatever he said to Yellow…"
A short pause. A blare that reverberated against the walls of the laboratory. The disgruntled looks of the men in lab coats changed into irritated sighs.
"Blue, stop those matchmaking actions of yours, both Red and Yellow aren't served by it; they'll manage just as well without your constant arranged meetings and subtle remarks," he hissed in his cell phone. He cast a hasty glance at his disturbed co-researchers before walking into the direction of the door, phone held against his ear. With a little more force than needed, he pulled the handle towards him and stepped outside. While he could just prevent the door falling shut with a bang, Blue continued her chitchatting. Green reached for his hair in desperation, wondering how it came that a sensible person like he had become friends with someone like Blue; and at the same time realising that he would only make matters worse if he cut the conversation short, or - more drastic still - if he removed her from his phone list. (Deep down knowing he'd never bring himself to that.) While he listened to the story of Red's and Yellow's precarious love - only listening with a half ear - he reached the conclusion that only one thing would make Blue stop talking. He couldn't deny that it was a rather overdrawn action - but a situation like this called for drastic measures. Or he gladly told himself so, at least.
He crossed the ground and began walking the uneven road that linked the laboratory and the other buildings of Pallet Town. With his mind on completely different matters, he now and then made an approving or disapproving sound just to show Blue he hadn't disappeared yet.
Soon, the first houses of the peaceful village came into sight, situated between green fields with some trees and bushes here and there. It was quiet in the streets: everyone had withdrawn into the coolness of their houses, avoiding the warmth outside. Green wished he wore something else than his lab coat, and added that to the ongoing list of inconveniences Blue had caused.
"Don't you have something better to do than stalking me, Blue?" Green asked, more to keep up the conversation than anything else - he already knew the answer, after all. And indeed: on the other side of the line, Blue rattled the expected answer, ladling out reasons why Green was without a doubt the best choice for her phone calls and concluding in a semi-hurt voice that he didn't appreciate her company.
Green barely managed to suppress a snort; anyone who fell for that trick was too thick for words.
"So there's nothing I can do to be left alone, you say?" He stooped to open a white-painted fence, and stepped into the garden of the centre-most house of the village. His lips curled when Blue sang her agreement. "Aha."
In a few strides, he crossed the lawn and reached the backdoor. He pushed down the latch as quiet as possible, stealing his way in and following Blue's ever growing voice as a guideline. Then, he saw her.
In front of the window, with her back to him, was Blue, gesticulating heavily as she swore that there was nothing that could make her stop talking - and he'd better not cut the conversation short, because then he didn't know her yet. Green regarded half-amused, half-annoyed the figure before him. What threats for such a frail girl… His eyebrows went up to even higher zones when Blue teasingly remarked that it was highly necessary he got himself a girlfriend - locking lips surely would make him less irritable.
"Do you plan on making yourself available?"
Blue whirled around so fast it was a miracle she was still standing on her feet. "G-green? What are you doing here?" she stammered, still talking through the phone's mouthpiece. "Did you get in through the backdoor? I thought I had it locked, but…"
Her voice became unsure when Green bridged the few steps that separated them, stopping in front of her. "What are you up to? I thought you were so busy with all kind of things, in the lab and I don't know what more, that's what you kept saying at least, and - "
"You really talk too much, you know," he said with a sigh.
Blue opened her mouth in protest, but Green was faster; with a precision as if he did it every day, he bent forward and pressed his lips on hers. He felt Blue stiffen. For a few seconds, time seemed to freeze, with their breath stuck in their throats; then Green let go and released the air he had unknowingly kept inside. A smile tugged around his lips as he turned to the door, leaving a speechless Blue behind.
"No possible way, hm?" That should give him at least fifteen minutes of peace.
Title: Day Dreams
Character(s) / pairing(s): Gold, Blue / Green
Rating: PG
Word count: 1157
Warning: None. Well, save the typical Gold-talk.
Summary: Whatever Blue might say, he still thought he was the handsome one.
Everything was quiet and peaceful: from the softly cabling water to the serene blue sky, from the drifting white clouds to the figure lying in the midst of it. Everything - until a bomb-like sound and a furious splashing shattered the perfect scene.
"Gold!" Blue fell from her air-bed, wet in an instant and gasping for air. "You - you idiot! What do you think you're doing?"
"Taking a fresh dive, of course," he grinned. He leaned back with a pleased expression on his face, then added, "Plus, I thought you might need some company."
"I don't know how you came to that conclusion," she spat, "but it's false. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm now soaking wet because of you. So much thanks for that."
"Ah, you're welcome," he said, leaning lazily against the side of the pool. "I'm always more than willing to help a lady in despair, especially a pretty one. As I always say: the wetter the better!"
Blue, who had been attempting to climb on her air-mattress again, turned around with a shocked expression on her face. "I'll try very hard to forget you ever said such a thing."
"Don't get yourself in a knot, Blue." He let go of the pool's edge and swam her way in a few breast-crawls. "You'd better put your energy in thinking of what we're going to do today."
"What do you mean, 'we'?" she asked in an irritated voice. "There's no such thing as 'us' going to do anything today. I'm planning on continuing lying here in peace, and you'd better be on leaving this place this instant. And don't keep your hands there," she added in a dangerous tone, shoving his lingering arm away from the bed. "Go play with Silver or something."
"I don't know where he is," he replied reluctantly, a sulking look on his face.
"I have a hunch that is exactly what he aimed for," Blue yawned, leaning backwards and closing her eyes. "Well, find another way to occupy yourself, then. My brain will go out in ten seconds and I won't reply to anything you say, whatever silly tries you may come up with."
Gold was silent for a while, watching Blue as she promptly fell asleep. He had to give her credit for keeping her promise. (It didn't occur to him she was just faking.) Just as he thought about splashing her - or something - he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. With a slight turn of his head, he could see a figure nearing the pool, a duck-like Pokémon beside him.
"What's Green doing here?" he muttered. The next second, he felt a splash of water coming over him as Blue sat up without warning, balancing precariously on the air-bed.
"What was that for?" he asked annoyed, messing up his wet hair. "I thought your brain would be turned off. Doesn't that mean that - " He stopped, looking from Blue to the incoming figure on the other side. "No way. You started awake because I said his name?"
"Huh? Of course not," Blue answered absent-mindedly, not looking at Gold.
"You were asleep!" he retorted in a louder voice than necessary, annoyed at her act of point-blank ignoring him. "Would you jolt awake like that if you heard my name?"
"Probably," Blue said, directing her gaze at Gold for he first time. "But only because the nightmare would become too hard to endure."
"Thanks a lot," he replied, a hurt expression (half-mocked, half-real) on his face. "What did I do to deserve such cruelties?"
Blue looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"…okay, perhaps I might think of some things. But hey, I find it very unfair that apparently you're having nightmares about me, but entirely different dreams about Green."
"Life's unfair, Gold," she replied, yawning.
"You didn't deny."
Blue looked at Gold again, a light blush on her face. "I was sleep talking."
"Awake?"
"…you forget I ever said that, and I'll forget all the unnameable things you've done. For the time being," she added warningly, catching sight of his euphoric expression.
"It's a deal," he smirked, wiping his finger along his nose in a jaunty movement. "So now that's out of the way: won't you join me in the water?"
She shot him look of disbelief. "Don't you know a 'no' when you hear one?"
"I know when not to give up."
"Well, this certainly isn't such a case. You're wasting your time."
He let out a deep sigh. "I hate wasted time. Every second of life has to be exciting."
"Then why you're still here?"
"You're pretty exciting, I'd say."
"Skipping that part, too." She looked with a skewed eye to the other of the pool. "You can start hunting Silver now. And forget the witty remark about me and said line," she added, just when Gold opened his mouth.
"Alright," he grumbled. "Have it your way. I'll leave you and the object of your dreams alone."
Blue's head whirled around, a dangerous look on her face. "Eh, forget I said that too," he said, hastily correcting himself. "I just want to know one thing: why do you even like Green more than me?"
"Well, for starters he doesn't ask questions like that."
"Hm, good point," Gold replied, rubbing his chin.
"And he doesn't jump into the pool causing me to fall in the water. Or try grabbing me. Or hit on me with horribly wrong lines."
"Yeah, yeah, I get the point; no need to crush my self-image even further," the black-haired boy interrupted, waving his arms. He paused, then looked at her hopefully. "And the looks-department?"
Blue gave him a half smile, adjusting her sunglasses. "Sorry, Gold. Not even there." And with a hand wave, she bade him farewell.
While grumbling heavily under his breath, he swam to the side of the pool. Contrary to what Blue thought, he knew a hopeless case when he saw one. And this one definitely didn't look very promising. But on the other hand - he felt a leap of joy - tomorrow there was another day, and another day meant other chances. And other girls. Upon leaving the pool, he shot Green a knowing look (who answered with two raised eye-brows).
In the time it would take Green to figure things out though - he had visions of seas of time - Gold was more than willing to privilege Blue with his company. Perhaps he should start right away already, before she started to get too lonely… He smiled to himself and crossed the lawn. Yes, life definitely wasn't so bad after all. You just had to look in the right places.
(From the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of bikini-clad girls. His smile grew and his heart rose. Blue could wait - she already had the guy of her dreams, after all.)
Title: Once upon a Swinub
Character(s) / pairing(s): Green / Blue, mentions of Pryce
Rating: PG
Word count: 2266
Warning: Mild randomness; which is only to be expected when one gets the prompt 'Swinub'.
Summary: Because sometimes, even Blue can be wrong.
"Aaaaah!"
The high-pitched scream resounded throughout the young, broad-leaved forest; it ricocheted against frail birch trees and robust oaks, and carried its tones to the outer regions of the forest. Seconds after, its echo could be heard faintly but clearly in the distance; like a melody sung by wood-nymphs, it rose hair-necks and filled hearts with wonder at the same time. Disrupted by the sudden outburst of noise, a few Starly flew up from their nests high in the trees; loose feathers and broken twigs alike tumbled downwards, falling on the ground in a scattered gathering of old forest materials.
A short distance away, Green abruptly looked up from his training; he knew that voice. Without further ado, he returned his Pokémon in their Pokéballs, and made his way to the source of the noise in a quick pace.
Blue didn't scream for nothing - training could wait when there was rescuing to be done.
Mere minutes later - he was extremely thankful that it was only a young forest they were in; it made the searching that much easier - he had found the brunette: she was standing with her back to him, in the middle of a clear space in the forest.
"Blue!" he shouted, slightly out of breath from running but relieved all the same. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
He hurriedly walked over to her, looking around. Nothing seemed out of order at first sight. "Why did you scream like that? What's the emergency?"
"That." The girl pointed to a shadow in the bushes situated on the other side of the clearing, not so much as looking at him. The fact that she hardly acknowledged his presence was as vague a sign as any; her gaze remained fixed on the shadowy bushes in front of her, eyes not even blinking.
Green couldn't really be bothered by the lack of greeting, and instead followed her finger. Once his eyes found the source of her consternation, though, disbelief filled his body. That couldn't possibly be the reason for her screaming… Still, Blue's face remained as serious as ever; not a single indication of gleeful joking was apparent in her transfixed eyes.
He looked sideways again, face wearing a deadpan expression. "That is why you shrieked?"
"Yes." Her eyes still didn't leave the bushes in front of her; it was as if she was scared that if she looked look away, the simple serenity of the forest would snap - replaced by something he couldn't quite fathom. He crossed his arms with a sigh, feeling ridiculous for so much as acknowledging her fear.
"Blue. That's a Swinub you're looking at."
"I know that!" the girl answered, looking away from the bushes and fixing her eyes at him for the first time; he could see something close to indignation on her face. By the way she folded her arms, Green assumed that he had wounded her pride by doubting her knowledge of Pokémon like that. Like there weren't more pressing matters to think about.
"My question is," began Green with still no emotion showing on his face, "why you were shrieking like that especially since you seem to know perfectly well that it's only a Swinub?"
"Only… only a Swinub?" Blue drew heavy breaths, a hand on her breast. She suddenly seemed to be on the verge of losing control. "Do you know what that thing does?"
"Eh… basically eating, sleeping and now and then an ice-beam - "
"Exactly!" Blue interrupted loudly. "Ice beam! An ice-attack!"
"…"
Green eyed Blue with a look of mingled exasperation and worry, thinking she had finally lost it. Then, as if in a flash of understanding, comprehension showed in his face.
"Has this by any chance something to do with the Man of Ice?"
Blue huffed. "Of course it has. So much for quick catching up."
"I'm sorry if my ability to look into your psyche has momentarily let me down, but I can't keep track of the rapid developments going on there," he replied in an irritated voice. "What is it? Do you now have, besides the regular bird one, also a phobia for ice Pokémon?"
Blue looked at him with a hurt expression. "You talk about it like it's nothing."
Green regarded her for a moment and then sighed, as though he had reached the conclusion that her agony was sincere for a change. "Right. I'm sorry if you feel that way, but - is that a reason to shout every time you catch sight of an ice-type Pokémon?"
"Not just any ice-type…" she whispered, looking at him with huge eyes. She waited a few seconds - to add to the dramatic effect, he knew - and then said in a low voice, "It's Pryce's."
Green looked at her. And looked - but didn't see any hint of mockery.
"You think it's… Pryce's," he repeated. The boy tried hard to keep his voice from sounding all too sceptical, but knew at the same time it was a hopeless case altogether - acting had always been an area where Blue did much better than him.
Said brunette nodded solemnly, though, and blinked up at him in complete and utter silence. There was nowhere a sign of lying; and that meant that she actually thought that…
Green fell quiet, absorbing this new turn of events. If it had been a joke, it would have been farfetched enough already; but this was beyond belief. Still, there was no use in flat out denying her claim; he needed to think of a way to show her that all that was absolute nonsense, while at the same time not angering her too much.
(Seeing as he was a person with a lot of self-knowledge, he realised that this was going to be hard; staying reasonable in a discussion when he knew he was right was something that was never going to be his forte, he was afraid.)
"What proof do you have to assume it's Pryce's Swinub?" he said eventually, going for the subtle way of reasoning instead of the confrontational attack.
"Assume? I don't assume anything, I know it's his!"
"Yes, well - what reasons do you have to know such a thing?" Green corrected, biting back the sarcasm.
"I have lived under the same roof as that thing for six years. You'd think I would recognize it when I see it, don't you?"
"I suppose, but - "
"There's no but!" Blue loudly interrupted, waving her arms in agitation. "Its scent, its snout, the - the disgusting way it eats…"
Green looked to his right and saw the Swinub in question nibbling peacefully on a white mushroom. "That's very… remarkable indeed," he said, eyebrows up to his roots. Even a chronic pessimist would have difficulty spotting anything dark in the scene in front of them.
"So," Blue asked, ignoring the unbelieving look on his face, "what are you going to do with it?"
Green whipped his head around, momentarily forgetting about his composed demeanour. "Excuse me? If you're asking me to put an end to that Swinub in any way, you can forget it - "
"Of course not, I'm not a brute," Blue interrupted impatiently, though there was a definite look of disappointment on her face. "Just - just scare it away."
"You expect me to wave a branch and shout idiotic things so it will lift its heels?" His eyebrows, which had moments before taken on their normal form again, resumed their previous height.
"Well, perhaps the shouting alone will suffice…" The girl regarded the Swinub with a doubtful eye. "But on second thought, waving a stick might just do the trick. So keep that one in." Her gaze travelled through the bushes around the clear space, as if to search for one.
"Blue, you missed the sarcasm," he replied in a flat tone. "You don't really think I'm going to so much as raise my voice? That Swinub hasn't done anything wrong but unintentionally scare the wits out of you, and…" He paused when he saw the look on her face, and could feel a laugh (unbelieving, helpless) start forming in his throat - the absurdity of the situation was becoming almost unmanageable. "You don't think it was unintentionally? You actually think it did it on purpose?"
"It's Pryce's Swinub," Blue responded with feigned calmness. "There's no such thing as coincidence and undesigned."
The girl shot the leaf-eating Pokémon a dark look before adding, "It could even be here for revenge - it knows I rebelled against him and took part in his downfall." She then abruptly whirled her head to face him, and pressed with a voice too shrill to be normal, "You should be on your guard too, Green! It'll probably know you had a hand in it as well!"
Green regarded the mushroom-eating Pokémon with one skewed eye. Then, he said, "Right, it indeed looks like it's about to attack us. It also looks, without a doubt, intelligent enough to recognize you as one of the Masked kids and the two of us as persons who fought against his master." He purposely stressed the last word; the irony he felt couldn't be kept inside anymore.
Blue put her hands on her hips, frowning slightly. "Pokémon are more than capable of recognizing people, Green."
"Yes, but I don't think this one is."
They both studied the snout-Pokémon for a moment, who merrily sniffed at a few leaves and closed his eyes as though to enjoy the sun's warmth; the ultimate picture of innocence.
Then - without warning - a clear voice suddenly filled the clear space, shattering the serenity of the forest in the blink of an eye.
"Swiny! There you are!"
Both Green and Blue whirled around to face the source of the sound, but the boy who came running in didn't pay them any attention; he brushed straight past them, towards the bushes at the other end of the clear space. There, the Swinub, who previously had been dozing off, scurried towards the young guy, and jumped into his outstretched arms. The boy hugged the Pokémon tightly; both seemed to squeal with happiness.
Blue's mouth, meanwhile, hung open; utterly speechless, she stared at the reunion scene being played out in front her - both Oscar and Disney-worthy in terms of heart-wrenching sweetness.
Green looked from the boy to the girl next to him, feeling a sense of amusement he probably shouldn't feel; but it couldn't be helped, really. To see her being wrong like that, for once in her life, was almost worth the delay in his training.
(Almost.)
"I think that Swinub belongs to that trainer, Blue," he drawled, the smirk he felt not showing in his face. (He wasn't like the girl next to him, after all.)
"Wh-what? No, it can't be, I mean - " The brunette trailed off when Green stepped forward and prodded the youngster's shoulder.
"Kid, is this your Swinub?"
"Huh?" The boy turned around to face Green, then broadly smiled. "Yes! I thought I had lost him, but… oh, I'm so glad I found him again; Swiny and I have been together our whole life already!"
Green looked at Blue. "You hear that?" She nodded dumbfounded. "He's definitely older than six years, Blue."
"Perhaps he just looks old for his age?" the brunette offered in a hopeful tone.
Green and the boy looked at each other, then said in unison, "No."
"What is all this about my age, anyway?" the young trainer asked, the Swinub still in his hands. "And what were you doing standing around Swiny?"
"Oh, let's just say that my friend here had taken a special interest in it, but for the wrong reason. Speaking of which - " he nodded the boy good-bye and led Blue away from the clear space, towards the village - "you owe me one."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Blue, who was still looking thoroughly startled because of the rapid change of events - or, more accurately speaking, because of the fact that she had been proven wrong about something - snapped her head away from the Swinub behind them, and fixed her eyes on the boy next to her.
"Well, all this stuff about 'knowing for sure' and 'no room for coincidences and assumptions'… Seems, though, like even you don't know for sure sometimes."
The brunette looked sideways at him, expression mocking and voice dismissive. "Thank you for pointing that out, Green. I really hadn't figured that out myself already."
"In that case you'll also realise that you've made me abandon my training for nothing; you might even say that you had me worried for no reason." A barely visible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I don't think that it would be too much to ask if you bought me a drink, hm?"
"What?" Blue faced him with fierce eyes, ready to say something in protest - before the implication of Green's words reached her mind.
"Oh…" She closed her mouth and smiled, all traces of scorn and anger suddenly gone. "Well, alright then. But only because I'm in a good mood - you're in luck, you know that?"
"Perhaps," Green mused softly, and together they walked out of the forest.