Title: Waiting Game
Rating: R
Word Count: 902
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Humor
Summary: Red leaves, and Green can't make him stay.
Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine.
Author's Notes: For this prompt: "Red comes down from the mountain to accost Green for sex. Then tries to leave. I want Green to convince him to stay and Red to be totally dense about what is wrong with always being gone." But this is really for Carol, who is the best Red RPer on the face of the planet.
The first time Red shows up on his doorstep, he's ragged and swaying on his feet. Green catches him as he staggers forward and quickly drags him to the couch, where he falls asleep on Green's shoulder before his best friend can move away.
He stays for a minute, sneaking glances at the cut on Red's lip, before he gets up to find a blanket.
When he wakes up the next day, Red is gone.
o-o-o
The second time Red appears, Green is in his gym, snickering as some new recruits stumble their way through the maze of arrows. He turns at the tap on his shoulder, and sees the champion raise a hand in greeting, his other hand shoved into his pocket.
Green closes the gym early.
"Yeah, thanks for the warning," he grumbles as they head back to his apartment. "'Hey Green, I'm dropping by tomorrow. Or today. Or in five minutes.'"
Red looks at him curiously. "I'm bothering you?" he asks.
Green shakes his head. "No, no. It's just—my trainers. They don't see a legend every day, you know."
"You're there," Red observes.
The gym leader raises an eyebrow. "My ego says thanks, but that's not the point." He fumbles with his keys before swinging the door open. "You hungry?"
When he comes around the couch to set food on the coffee table, he finds Red dozing off. He flops down beside his friend, jolting him awake, and grins. "It's getting cold," he says. "You can sleep when you're dead."
Red frowns at him around a mouthful of curry.
"How long are you planning on staying?" Green asks, forcing his tone to stay light.
The champion shakes his head, but doesn't say anything.
He's gone by morning.
o-o-o
The third time, Green finds Red in his bed.
He stops in the doorway, the mail sliding from his hands to scatter across the floor, and this time, he allows himself to stare. Red's on top of the covers; his face is peaceful, his hair streaked with dirt. His shoes are in a haphazard pile below his feet. "Well, at least there's that," he mutters.
It's two in the morning, and Green's had a long day already—so instead of sleeping on the couch, he slides quietly under the sheets. Red isn't taking up too much space, but Green gives him a wide berth anyway, practically falling off the bed. His eyes are wide in the dark as he stares at the wall, listening to the soft rhythm of Red's breaths; even at this distance, he thinks he can feel his heat.
When he wakes up, Red's arms are around him. He starts, but the other man pins him there. "You should have said something," his best friend says.
Green thinks about punching him, but kisses him instead.
Red still leaves after breakfast.
o-o-o
Eventually, he loses count; it doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that Red leaves, and Green can't make him stay.
He's sitting at his desk sorting papers when he feels Red's lips on his neck. He jerks away, surprised, but the champion just spins his chair around and straddles him. Green's jacket is already off before his brain can catch up. "Wait," he gasps, but Red growls low in his throat, nipping at his collarbone, and the rest of his protest dissolves in a low whine.
Green still manages to shove the other man away and stumble with him to the bed, and a few minutes later Red watches as his rival falls apart beneath him. He presses his mouth to Green's heated skin and rocks into him slowly, denying him release until he's moaning Red's name.
They tangle together in the sheets but Green can't sleep, even after his heart is done racing and his breaths even out. Eventually he goes to get some water. When he comes back, he blinks. "He stole all of the pillows, that asshole," he says under his breath.
He yanks one out from under Red's head. The other man reaches out in confusion and grabs Green's wrist instead.
Well, maybe he wasn't as disoriented as he'd thought.
That's the last thought Green has for a while.
o-o-o
The first thing Green sees the next morning is Red tugging his gloves on. He sits up immediately; "You're not leaving," he snarls.
His friend looks surprised, but Green's had enough. He gets out of bed and grabs Red's arm, throwing him off-balance. Red stiffens and tries to pull free, but Green's grip tightens.
Red stops. "What's wrong?" he asks quietly.
Green glares at him. "You really think you can come in here, fuck me, and leave?"
Red doesn't respond, and Green patiently waits for a full thirty seconds before he punches him. He goes after him as he stumbles away, yanking him up by his vest. "I'm not your fuck toy," he hisses. "I don't know what other people do for you, Leaf or whoever, but—"
He stops when Red's fingers press against his lips.
"If you wanted me to stay," he says, looking somewhat amused despite his swelling cheek, "You could have just asked."
The gym leader stares at him in surprise, and that's when Red decks him.
"Payback," he explains as Green rubs his jaw. Then he leaves the room. They sport identical ice packs as they eat breakfast, and Green calls off work.
And Red stays.