HOME | DD

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'Twas the late afternoon on Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, excluding the electric mouse. Red's mom didn't decorate and the walls were bare, and we all ate our dinner as we awkwardly sat there. The Christmas tree was strung up with lights, and Pikachu bapped on the ornaments with delight. I didn't expect any presents to come, I knew that Christmas was never that fun. But I did enjoy spending my time with Red, and I decided I didn't need any gifts in the end.

~

I took a moment to admire the food before sitting down to eat dinner, and holy hell was that a dinner. Red's mom had made steak, turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, corn, an assortment of cooked vegetables that I couldn't name, and a chocolate cake that we have already been told not to eat until we ate the 'real food' first. Not that the other things weren't real food, I mean, it all looked fucking delicious. It's just that, by my standards, cake was one of the realest foods out there. But I hadn't eaten an actual home-cooked meal in 5 years. I was grateful.

I contemplated whether or not I should thank Red's mom for cooking dinner or not, but before I could say anything, her own voice pulled me out of my food-paralysis.

"(Y/n)?" She spoke gently with a soft laugh as she turned to looked at me. "Come on, sweetie, sit down. Don't be shy."

"Oh.. heh, sorry." I let out a nervous laugh as I scratched the back of my head, taking a seat in the chair next to Red. His mother sat directly across from him, and an empty chair sat directly across from me. I took brief note of the fact that the small table had 4 chairs set up instead of 3. I didn't comment.

Red looked at me with a slight smile before rolling his eyes sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at him. His plate already had food on it, and his mother's didn't. I made eye contact with her before she gestured her hand to the table, signaling for me to grab something first. I reached over to fill my plate with a little bit of everything.

"So, where did you disappear to for 9 straight hours, mom?" Red asked with his mouth still full of mashed potatoes. He put large emphasis on the '9 straight hours' part.

"Swallow before you speak." His mom lectured, and Red snickered and rolled his eyes again before leaning back in his chair. If Red hadn't told me how long it'd been, I would of thought they still lived together like this. It was as if he were still a 5 year old who always spoke with his mouth full. I found it slightly adorable. "I got sidetracked and went to go to a friend's house. I somehow managed to fall asleep there. I was asleep for quite awhile, and as soon as I woke up I ran to the grocery store to buy dinner. I really hope I didn't worry you, hon." She muttered, watching me scoop out a shit ton of mashed potatoes for myself. "Oh my goodness, how much can a small girl like you eat?"

I let out an awkward laugh as I put my plate down and poured myself a glass of apple juice.

"Who did you see?" Red asked casually, jamming his fork into a piece of already sliced turkey. His mother was quiet for a moment.

"Oh, it was nobody, dear." She responded after about 3 seconds of silence. Red and his mother made eye contact for a couple of seconds. I slowly took a bite of my corn-on-the-cob.

It was really awkward.

"I know you're banging the professor, mom." Red stated casually as he jammed his fork into his mouth. I immediately started to choke on my food. I began to violently cough and laugh at the same time while him and his mother continued to speak.

"What?!" His mother gasped in complete shock.

"Yeah, I actually saw Blue on my way over here. He told me that he accidentally walked in on it the other day." He continued, his face not showing any sort of emotion as he spoke. I kept coughing and laughing and ohmygodicouldbarelybreathe. Red glanced over at me and I held up a finger to show him that I wasn't dying yet.

"Oh my god." His mom murmured, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. I sat with my hand on heart as I took deep breaths, slowly calming down. Red put his fork back down and began rubbing my back and laughing softly.

After a good minute of awkward chewing and silence, Red's mom sighed and began to put some food on her own plate. Red let out a snicker.

"So..." Red's mom began, probably thinking of something new to say to change the incredibly awkward tension that had just settled in. I honestly didn't care what she said, as long as it didn't have anything to do with- "(Y/n)."

Dammit.

"What's your life like, hon?" Her voice always seemed so soft and gentle, even when she was yelling at Red for his outburst about her and the professor. It was also very feminine but rather comforting. Her words however, were slightly nerve wracking. I nervously played the the string on my hoodie before answering.

"Oh. Ya know. I usually just hang out at home. Play with my Pokemon. Train 'em. Sometimes I do battles, but I haven't in quite awhile." I muttered, taking a bite of my steak.

"Oh, so you're a trainer?" She asked, making small talk.

"Yeah." I responded simply.

"Is that how you met Red?"

"Yeah, actually. We met on Mt. Silver. I was actually gonna challenge him, but uh...."

"But what?"

"But..." I froze for a moment. "Something came up."

"Oh.." She mumbled, deciding not to poke at a clearly sensitive wound much further. I was thankful for that. "You know, he's never had a girlfriend before. You're actually the first."

Now it was Red's turn to choke on his food. I wholeheartedly laughed.

"We're not together." I responded, giggling slightly I said it. I rubbed Red's back as he coughed, mimicking his previous gesture. His face was red as he glared at me. 'Damn this guy sure blushes a lot. He's like a little anime schoolgirl.'

"Oh? Really?" She laughed. "I'm surprised. You are a very pretty young lady."

"Oh. Well thank you." I responded, laughing slightly.

"I honestly thought you two were dating, judging by the way he talked about you..."

"The way he talked about me?" I said mockingly, raising my eyebrow and smirking as I looked at Red. His face was still pink and his eyes were wide as he looked at his mother.

"Yes. He said you were you very funny. Nice too. He said you were a little bit teasing at times, but in a 'cute' way." She smiled sarcastically at Red as she spoke. I immediately decided that I liked this lady.

"Oh, did he? How sweet." I said, looking at him with a smirk.

"I never said that she--" Red began to protest, but was quickly interrupted.

"He said that you were the first person that he's 'ever felt this way for'" She teased, resting her head on her hand as she spoke.

"I DIDN'T EVEN--" I quickly kissed Red on the top of his head before he could continue his sentence.

"Aw, I think you're cute too sweetie~" I teased, smirking at him again before taking another bite of my steak.

"Ugggh." He growled, hiding his face in his hands. Me and his mother both laughed.

~

After we finished eating, I helped Red's mother with the dishes. She insisted that I didn't, but I did anyway. Secretly, I kind of just wanted to be alone with Red's mother so I could ask her questions about awkward things he did as a kid.

"And there was the time when he walked out butt naked with his underwear on his head and a cape on his back and he was 100% certain that his new name was Captain Underpants." She said, adding onto the long list I had mentally written down called "Things I can tease Red for later."

"Sounds adorable." I responded simply, smiling slightly as she handed me another dish to dry.

"It was. And then there was this one time--"

"(Y/n)." Red interrupted, peaking his head in through the door. "Can I talk to you outside for a sec?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"Just c'mon, I have something to give you." He muttered, walking out of the room slowly. I looked up at his mom.

"Go ahead." She said sweetly. "I'll take care of the rest of the dishes."

"Alright."

~

I walked out into the living room and out of the front door. I stepped outside and closed the door quietly. It was already dark out and slightly freezing. I shivered as the cold air smacked me right in the face, wrapping my arms around myself. I felt like my arms were going to freeze solid. Red was sitting in the snow, and I had already learned not to question his body temperature. He had Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, and they were both staring into at the sky absently until I walked out, and then they both immediately looked up at me. Pikachu's ears perked up when he heard the door open and he turned his head to look at me, but Red didn't move his head. He just gestured his eyes towards me before looking back into the distance and exhaling softly.

"Oh, hey there, little guy." I spoke warmly, kneeling down and petting Pikachu under his ear.

"Pii, pika pi!" Pikachu chirped happily before jumping into my lap and smiling up at me. I giggled softly and continued to pet underneath his ear. He tilted his head upwards to make it easier for me, and that's when Red stood up. I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, he just flicked his hand upwards as a method of telling me to stand. I cradled Pikachu as if he were a baby before standing up too. I looked into Red's eyes, and I read his expression carefully. He was nervous about something. He was scared and seemingly unsure of himself. I had no clue why, but I knew that no matter what the reason was, I could tell it was a big deal to him.

"(Y/n)..." He started, looking down at his shoes so that I couldn't look into his eyes. He knew just as well as I did that his eyes immediately gave way to his emotions, so he did his best to avoid eye contact. "I... I know that your charmander is your best friend."

I felt my heart sink. I didn't know where this conversation was going, but I had a strong feeling in my gut that it wasn't good. I also took note of the fact that he said 'is' instead of 'was.' Probably for my own psychological well being.

I swallowed, negative thoughts suddenly pounding inside of my skull. My first thought was that she had died, and I felt my heart stop at the very idea. How would Red have found out if she died before I did? Did he just find her laying on the ground somewhere and decided to wait until now to tell me? But if he never even leaves the mountain, how could he have found her? And how would he be able to recognize that she was mine? What if she--

His voice interrupted my train of thought.

"And I know that no matter what, that friendship could never be replaced or altered in any way, shape, or form." He looked up, looking into my eyes again. He was less nervous now. I wasn't. "And while I know that your love for him--"

"Her." I interrupted. He blinked. His expression changed. He was nervous again.

"W... what?" He stuttered, his voice cracking slightly. I looked in his eyes. He was confused.

"Char. She's a girl." I muttered. I was unsure as to why I thought this was an important fact, but nonetheless, I said it without thinking. I was probably just trying to avoid thinking about her death, to be honest.

"Uh... heh, oh." He mumbled, letting out a slight laugh. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, his face turning pink for the millionth time today. I looked down. It was silent again. The only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat, and it felt like it was coming from inside of my skull. I couldn't focus on anything else.

"Well?" I spoke, trying to get him to continue whatever it was that he was saying so that my mind could take a rest from making all of these assumptions. He blinked again. He was still confused. His clueless expression was kind of funny, and it made me feel a bit calmer. I raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly, waiting for him to speak.

"Oh!" He suddenly shook is head, reality clicking back together. He let out a huff before looking back down, fiddling with his hands anxiously as he continued. "Right. I... I was gonna say that... I was gonna say that I, um..." He lowered his head back down.

I tilted my head, crouching slightly so I could see his face. I continued to look at him, waiting patiently for him to continue. He averted his eyes away from the ground so that he could look at me. I smiled.

He blushed again, quickly looking back down at the ground. I rolled my eyes before standing up normally again, watching him as I put my hands in the pockets of my pullover, waiting. He reached into his belt and unclipped a pokeball. He gripped onto it tightly.

"Just... here." He stuck out the pokeball arms-length away from him. This time, I blinked. This time, my expression changed. This time, I was confused.

"I... what's this?" I mumbled, looking in his hands with my eyebrow raised.

"It's... it's your Christmas present. Just take it... please." He whispered nervously, still holding out the ball and refusing to make eye contact. So I took the ball in my hand, staring at it blankly. I looked up at him. He slowly put his arms to his sides before shoving them into his vest pockets. He was still staring at the ground, completely avoiding my stare. I slowly walked a couple of feet away.

He looked up at me as I was walking, probably already knowing exactly what I was doing. I tossed the pokeball in front of me... and a charizard appeared. I froze. It let out a happy growl, it's wings flapping in place even though it wasn't flying anywhere. The warmth from the fire on his tail made me remember how freezing it actually was now that I could compare the chill that I felt on the back of my body to the warmth that I felt towards my front. My body began to warm down slightly due to his closeness, but not enough to contain my shivering. I tried to ignore it.

"Red, what is--"

"He's yours." He interrupted me before I could even finish my sentence. He looked back down at the ground again before he continued. "I got 'im when I was 10. He wasn't my actual starter. Pikachu was. I don't remember getting him. That's how long it's been. But he's been on my team for as long as I can remember. Now I want you to keep him."

I sighed, not even having to think about it before I gave my response. "Red, I can't."

He froze and looked back up at me, his expression looking completely dumbfounded. "Why not?"

"You're his trainer. Not me. You've known him for a long time, and your probably very close with him. It wouldn't be right for me to--"

"I know that ever since your charizard disappeared you've been really depressed. And I know that nobody can replace your friendship with her, but I can at least try to help you start a new one. Just think of it as... you're just taking care of him for a while." He mumbled, looking back up at me with a slight smile. "Until Char comes back."

Until Char comes back.

I was crying now. And I didn't know why. And I didn't really care. I ran up to Red and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close. He sniffled.

"It's okay." He mumbled with a gentle laugh towards the end. "It's okay."

I felt a warmth swell in my chest after coming to the realization that... yeah. Red was right. It was okay. Char would come back. And until then.... at least I knew I had him.

I leaned away from the hug and looked him in the eyes, smiling with my large, over-sized, big dorky smile. He smiled back and laughed.

That's when I did something really fucking stupid. Probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done in my life.

I kissed him.