halloflamer | POKEGEAR (MoM IC Contact)

v carefully

[.........oh. Well. That wasn't wrong, but...]

kinda anticlimactic

[Ok, ok, his turn--]

Why did the Miltank cross the road?

[Aw, man. He really thought Blue was gonna like that one...]

<(o◕︿◕o)>

[Okay, okay. His turn.]

y?

To get to the udder side!

[From across the yards, there's the crack of a snicker]

[What a stupid joke]

[But can Blue hear the strangled-sounding snort that just left Red's body as he grips the fence?]

!!!

[That was so funny.]

Pfft-- [And Blue bursts out laughing too from across the yard, because of course Red would find that stupid joke funny.]

[That loser.]

[A long moment passes as they're laughing, Blue wiping his eyes, and then there's a second of quiet from Blue as he leans his forehead against the wood of the fence, staring at his comm and waiting for a response from Red- another joke, a comment, anything.]

[His face hurts from grinning.]

[It takes a while for Red to recover from that one, but even once he does, all he can do for a moment is sit there and stare at his comm., forehead pressed against the wood of the fence.

[His face hurts from laughing.]

ur the bst

[Blue stares at the message on his comm for a few minutes, and bites his wobbling lip, leaning his weight into the fence. He was glad, for a moment, that Red was an entire yard away. He wouldn't be able to see, or hear if a sniff escaped, despite the huge grin on his face.]

I'm really glad you're here

I mean it

[His hands clench over his comm, and he just listens, trying to catch the sounds from a yard over.]

[Red is as silent as ever, but there's a warm, fluttery feeling in his chest as he lets his back slide down against the fence until his butt hits the ground.]

thx b

[He considers leaving it at that - forever soft-spoken - but after a moment Blue will receive another text in addition:]

wud b no fun w/o u

[He's done with the whole being without you thing.]

[A long few minutes pass again, and a message finally pops up on Red's comm.]

Hey you wanna come over

[Please. Please I want to see you--]

[He's already pushing himself up against the fence before he can finish reading - he was hoping you'd ask.]

omw

[And with that, he pockets his communicator. Not a solid sixty seconds later and he's letting himself into Blue's backyard - there's something light about his expression, even if he's not necessarily grinning anymore, and he gives the other an eager (for Red, anyway) wave.]

[Blue's forehead lifts from the fence as he hears Red's gate open, sees the little message pop up, and he hopes that he doesn't look like a wreck.]

[Even so...]

[He turns to look at Red with a grin masking his unsurety, tries not to look too conflicted--]

[But before he knows it, he's thrown his arms around Red's shoulders, pulling him roughly into a hug and burying his face against the other's shoulder.]

[Red starts a bit at the hug, his cheeks flaring up bright red as he stands there for a moment, frozen. It doesn't take long for him to warm to it, though. Once the shock wears off, he's sinking into it, brow furrowing in a light concern as he wraps one arm around Blue's back and takes the other to grip the back of his head. He closes his eyes, presses his cheek against the side of Blue's head, mumbling into his ear:]

It's okay...

[It's a little confused sounding, worried. He and Blue probably hadn't hugged since they were kids - not even when Red had returned from Mt. Silver. It just isn't their style, and it makes him wonder if something is going on with Blue that he had just been too proud to mention.]

[He tries not to let it all spill out, he really does, but he can feel his chest shudder and the shaky breath that comes out with it, and his jaw clenches against Red's shoulder as he feels the sting in his eyes.]

[Dammit. Dammit. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was better at hiding things than this. Wasn't he always supposed to be the cocky, confident one? Whatever troubles they had were in the past, and that was that- no need to trouble Red any more than he already had, do any more damage than he had already done. Blue couldn't remember the last time Red had seen him cry; they had probably been too young to even start preparing for their journies, yet. And he'd grown up past all that, hadn't he?]

[He waits until he thinks he can trust his voice without it breaking or a sob slipping out, and it comes out muffled and morose, maybe slightly accusatory without meaning to into Red's shoulder.] Aren't you ever scared?

[Red's body eases while Blue's goes rigid and he begins moving his hand up and down over his friend's back. There's something in Red that just innately drives him to comfort people - people, Pokémon, animals. He's a nurturer. And if Blue is scared, well...

[Blue? Scared? Usually, he'd never show it. He'd maybe think that Red wouldn't notice. But he can read Blue by now. Of course he's scared. They're all scared - Red, Blue, Niko, even Archie.

[But he doesn't want Blue to be scared - if he is, Red certainly doesn't want to show his own fear. Someone has to be there for Blue...

[That's the thing, though - even if they are scared, they've got each other. All of them.

[Red wishes he could say all that. He wishes he could somehow transmit it into Blue's brain without having to open his mouth and speak. Instead, he just nods his head lightly against Blue's and whispers:]

'Course.

[There's a short pause and he adds, hoping that maybe this will sum up his message:]

We're okay, though.

Edited 2017-09-22 06:29 (UTC)

[His fingertips tremble, and he's clutching at the fabric of Red's shirt like they're little boys again, Red the adventurous and steadfast, and Blue nervously trailing at the edges of the path, trying not to get left behind. No matter what airs he had taught himself to put on later and still clung onto, that was always going to be them.]

[There's another long few moments where Blue is silent save for his shuddering, muted sobs against his bitten lips, but when he can find his voice again,] For how long?

[His head tilts a little on Red's shoulder, rolling just the slightest bit more away from him.] This crazy... This place 's too dangerous. One of those nutcases are gonna start somethin' eventually. Then what?

[He knows you, Red. And worse, he knows he's not the kid anymore who can just stand back and watch it happen.]

['We'll stop them,' is Red's immediate reaction - but Blue is right. This world isn't like theirs. Battles aren't won here with Pokémon. People here don't play by the rules. He'd learned that much standing in a Heropa dumpster with Brendan Frye. The thought now makes him sick, but he doesn't shudder like Blue. He stays planted firmly on the ground, ready to pick up the pieces if Blue starts to crumble - more than he already is, anyway.

[They might not be able to stop them. They might not be able to save the world, here. But they're still heroes. They can do something. They can keep each other safe. They can make it through this. Together.]

You've got me.

[He doesn't stop to consider that maybe that's not what Blue wants to hear right now, that that's what he's afraid of in the first place.]

[Blue flinches, but it's not from the fear of this outside world. Red... He couldn't possibly know how his words were tearing him up inside, he only ever meant the best. But the fears eating him up inside have been there for far longer than the time they've been stuck in this new and confusing world.]

[He hesitates, an indecisive breath stuck in his chest before he heaves it out without conclusion, as always. No, it wasn't fair. He'd burdened Red with enough already, was burdening him with this now. He couldn't put that on him, too. There was no way he'd ever...]

[He finally lets go of Red and takes the step back he should have taken a few minutes ago, cracks a pained grin and glances up to him, red-eyed.] Yeah. We're partners now, right?

[Once a coward, always a coward.]

[Blue breaks the contact and leaves Red wanting, but he makes no attempt to keep him from pulling away. He reflects Blue's pained grin with a small smile of his own, though his is confident, encouraging - maybe he's just a little better at saving face than Blue is sometimes.

[Partners. The word brings about a familiar flurry of emotions in Red's stomach, but ultimately, it warms him. That isn't how it's always been, but it's how it always should have been. Even if Blue doesn't mean it quite in the way that Red wishes he did...

[But he won't burden him with that now. He's burdened enough already.

[Instead, he gives the other one firm nod, holding out a hand for Blue to grip, to shake on. Partners. Thick and thin, safe or scary, they've got each other's backs. Take his hand, Blue, and he won't let go if you don't.]

[Blue's grin flinches as he meets Red's eyes, as he holds that hand out. Pushes down how much he wants to take that hand and lace in his fingers, never let go. Three years had taught him to tread carefully, that there was a limit to how far he could push Red. He would never chance it again.]

[He fixes his smile, reaches out and grips the hand with a single shake, rough-housing and casual, like childhood friends, old neighbors, like it's no big deal.]

...Thanks, Red.

[At least he was here, at all.]

POKEGEAR (MoM IC Contact)

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