here's some pokemon au for aichi's birthday. both aichi and kai are two trainers who recently started traveling together. it's probably pretty easy to guess that they're in hoenn

On this particular evening, it's just the two of them, their small bonfire and the lake.

Aichi tries to smile at Kai and wonders if he sees it from the tree he leans against, while preparing sandwiches for the two of them. Mudkip seems unsettled in Aichi's lap and Aichi wonders if it's already hungry again or needs something. He hesitantly touches its head, strokes the orange cheeks and hopes it calms down, but it's no use. His partner quickly jumps out of his lap and away from the bonfire.

For a moment, Aichi wonders if his small friend is trying to accomplish something by getting away him or if he did anything wrong, but then there's this familiar sound as something in the blue backpack next to Kai lightens up and Grovyle appears in front of them.

Kai doesn't even bother to look at his partner and instead focuses on putting the correct amount of cheese on their sandwiches. Sometimes, Aichi thinks about how much care and passion Kai puts into making food and how Kai's eyes soften in these moments, not too unlike from the way they light up when he's in the middle of battling a strong opponent.

Though now, he's more interested in Mudkip who rushes over to Grovyle. He hears a quiet sigh from Kai and sees him roll his eyes as Grovyle crosses his arms and leans against one of the trees next to the one where Kai sits. Mudkip keeps happily hopping around his friend in small circles, then suddenly stops to lean its head against Grovyle's legs.

Maybe Aichi is a little bit envious as he watches their Pokémon and once again sees how well both of them get along with each other; the way Mudkip keeps chasing after Grovyle who always tries to deny its feelings for its friend when it's already obvious how much it cares about its small blue companion. He doesn't notice Kai getting up, until he sits down next to Aichi and wordlessly hands him one of the sandwiches.

"Thank you."

Kai doesn't answer, but does that half-nod thing and starts eating his own sandwich. It doesn't bother Aichi that he doesn't understand everything about the others behaviour and the way he tends to express his emotions (not at all!). He wasn't bothered by it before they stared travelling together, gave his best to understand and accept Kai as well as possible ever since they've met.

When Aichi was ten and Kai was eleven, they used to be neighbours. While Kai spent most of his time with other kids, Aichi didn't really play with anyone in their town. Even his younger sister had more friends than him. Most of them probably didn't even know Sendou Emi had an older brother.

Kai was an exception.

Kai whose mother was a friend of Aichi's mother and often told her to bring her son along so they could do something together and become friends. Aichi always wondered how his mother, a really intelligent adult, could think it's that easy to make friends, but Kai visited them with his mother.

The first time he came over, Aichi hardly talked to him at all and stayed in the living room with their mothers and Kai would expectantly look at Aichi, until Aichi tried to hide behind his mother, who told him to take Kai to his room.

Kai smiled at him and nodded enthusiastically. Hesitantly, Aichi got up and lead Kai to his previously tidied room. Since he rarely, or to be honest, never had any friends over, everything was overly carefully and picky standing at its place. Kai looked around and smiled. Pointing towards the shelve that was filled with a mix of video games, books and cards, Kai whistled impressed.

"You've got lots of Pokémon cards. Do you play a lot?", he asked, looking at Aichi with some new-found interest.

"We-w-well, yes, I mean, erm, no, I don't actually play with them. I j-just made a deck, be-bec-"

"Let me take a look at your deck," Kai exclaimed, putting one of his hands into his pocket to pull out a bunch of cards. "I've got my deck here, too. Everybody who has a deck needs to fight. If you want to, I'll explain the rules to you."

They spent the afternoon playing cards on the carpet of Aichi's room and up to that afternoon, Aichi never realized how fast time went by when you were having fun. Aichi kept forgetting some rules, but he wasn't bothered by Kai laughing at him, because his laugh sounded so gentle and nothing like the laugh other people had when they made fun of him.

They talked about lots of things and Kai asked him if he wanted to become a trainer when he's old enough, said that he himself wanted to be a trainer, the best trainer in the world and stronger than anyone else. Kai told him about his dreams and Aichi liked listening to him.

Being with Kai, who kept talking to him and encouraging him, was nice.

"You've changed a lot, Kai-kun."

"Huh?" Kai looks at him with a confusion that only gets expressed through the faint change in his eyes as the rest of his face remains stoic and he keeps eating just like before.

"Never mind," Aichi smiles and Kai looks at him for another second, before his eyes drift over to the lake in front of them.

When he looks at the surface of the dark blue water, he sees how the calm blue water reflects the light of the stars and combined with the moving lights of the Volbeat and Illumise dancing around in the air, it looks like the water's glittering.

As if there's a firework today and all these lights get mirrored by Kai's green eyes.

Aichi's sandwich is soon forgotten as his eyes keep switching from the pretty lack in front of them to the eyes of the eating boy next to him. Sitting here in silence with Kai makes Aichi remember that with the two of them, words aren't needed. Something between two trainers whose hearts resonated, who don't need to say anything to have the other understand them, two fighters who are friends.

A weight on his shoulder.

Mudkip takes its favourite sitting spot and rubs its cheek against Aichi's. It seems to be a simple gesture of affection towards its trainer at first and Aichi doesn't see the look Grovyle and Kai exchange, doesn't see the smile on the other trainers lips, but sees Mudkip's excitement at the glittering lake.

He doesn't understand the invitation to get closer to the lake and suddenly Mudkip isn't on his shoulder any more and once again next to Grovyle and both Pokémon, just like their trainers, understand each other without too much fuss and soon the two Pokémon are behind Aichi.

They gesture Aichi to do something, but he still doesn't understand, looks at Kai who just shrugs as he starts to clean up their stuff.

It's then that Mudkip decides that Aichi had enough time to think. It gestures something towards Grovyle and before Aichi's mind has enough time to process anything, he feels the moisture of his partner on the hem of his pants and a pair of fragile arms shoving him forward.

Splash

He ends up tumbling into the lake, all of his body but his feet landing in the water. He gets up on his own, even when Kai is next to him now and shoots a worried look at him, that disappears as fast as it came when Aichi bursts out into a fit of laughter. Once again, he doesn't see the smile forming on Kai's face.

He does see the stoic look when he points at Aichi's wet clothes. Rubbing the back of his neck, Aichi wants to say he'll change into something that's not wet, but then notices Mudkip and Grovyle near the lake again, this time chasing one of the Volbeat that flies around in circles near to them.

"They wanted you to play along," Kai says, also looking at their Pokémon while leaning against one of the trees. "You should hurry up and get redressed."

When he turns around, he rubs the back of his neck, just like he always did when they were children.

After that certain afternoon, Kai would often visit along with his mother and after a while, even came over on his own. It's not like much else changed in Aichi's life back them, most things remained just as boring as they used to be, but he was happy for Kai giving him a little change.

Though, one day, the house next to theirs suddenly was left and when he asked his mother what happened to Kai and his family, she just shook her head, telling him Kai moved to live with his uncle because his parents passed away.

Aichi was lonely again.

He doesn't understand why he starts remembering all these things now as he pulls a dry shirt over his head and switches into a new pair of jeans, but when he gets back to Kai, he smiles.

Kai however, is fumbling with something in his bag and flinches when he notices Aichi. Tilting his head, Aichi waits. Out of the bag comes a small package that is wrapped in red paper with a small golden ribbon.

"Happy birthday."

Kai stutters.

Aichi laughs.

He carefully tries to unwrap the present while Kai watches him. There's a hint of nervousness his eyes, which, at least in Aichi's opinion, makes Kai look kind of, well, adorable. Inside the small box lays a pretty silver bell.

"A Soothe Bell," Kai explains, "it's not very useful, but it, er... remin-, I mean, I thought you'd like it."

The end of the sentence hides a question mark, which is just unusual. The light of the bonfire tricks Aichi's eyes into thinking there might possibly just be the slightest little hint of a blush on Kai's cheeks. Without wondering if Kai's really blushing or not, Aichi takes Kai's hand and pulls him towards the lake where their Pokémon are still playing with the Volbeat.

Aichi sits down on the grass, completely ignoring his wet hair, and Kai raises an eyebrow first, but then sits down next to Aichi, who gestures towards the stars. He tells Kai the names of the stars constellations he knows, tells him how they seem to be so close to each other and how they actually are thousands of miles away from each other.

He shows him which ones shine the brightest.

From time to time, Kai nods in understanding, lets his eyes follow the direction Aichi points at and obviously listens to every single word Aichi says. They stay there like that and this time, Aichi doesn't mind being the one of them who talks much. When their Pokémon fall asleep, they're still sitting together until at some point, Kai's head falls against Aichi's shoulder and the soft, regular breathing tickles his neck.

The brightest star to always stay next to me, is what he doesn't say, never says, but with Kai's head on his shoulder, Aichi doesn't think it's necessary to say anything at all.

"Good night, Kai-kun."