Back when Red was eleven, Espeon was just an Eevee. He was loyal, he was dedicated, and he always strived to get stronger. The reason he even evolved was equally because he wanted to be stronger, but he also wanted to show his trainer how much he truly adored him. With Red, actions were always louder than words – letting his body change into an Espeon, the then-Eevee knew that would tell his trainer volumes. More than little calls, gentle nips at his chin, or even rubbing his face against Red's legs. During those days, they were all young and learning. Eevee, Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Snorlax. They weren't all together at the same time, but they shared memories and experiences. Lapras joined them, too, but they took turns switching out. Sometimes instead of Snorlax being with them, Lapras would. Instead of Lapras, maybe Charmander or even Eevee. Initially, there was some jealousy between the others and Pikachu – but they learned and understood. Pikachu and Red had been through things together in the beginning the others had not been there for. No one would be as close as those two, but they were all loved equally. And that was what mattered, wasn't it?

Red's progression to almost absolute silence had been a sad thing for Espeon. He knew why his trainer had. No one heard him when he spoke, so there was no reason to bother. But people always understood him by what he did. When they took on Team Rocket, Red did it to protect the countless Pokemon abused and kidnapped by the group. None of the grunts heard him when he said they shouldn't do things like that, shouldn't treat or Pokemon like that… but they never listened, and ran when they lost the battles. Some took it better than others. One encounter still gave Espeon night tremors. Since returning to his trainer's side, he was not worried about reliving that memory at night. He curled as close as he could to the other, clinging to Red as a child would.

It only happened once, but it was a frightening enough experience. Any child would have been scared, and any Pokemon would have responded as Red's did. The grunt, angry and furious at having lost to a small boy, refused to simply be defeated. He ran at Red, grabbing the eleven-year old by the throat. A grown man had more strength than a child, it was a simple fact. Someone was choking Red, their trainer, their provider, their friend. Espeon could never understand if things moved too fast or too slow, recalling Red's legs kicking wildly, tiny hands trying to break free from a strong grip. Then his legs were slowing down, and Pikachu was biting and tearing at the grunt's leg, and the others hurriedly joined. They scratched, bit, burned, whipped, and electrocuted the man. The grunt screamed in pain, releasing his hold and Red fell like a doll – Espeon could remember, Ivysaur – definitely an Ivysaur then – caught their trainer with his vines, and gently set him down.

The grunt ran, Pikachu chasing after him with blood on his mind. Charmeleon chased after, mainly to calm the electric-type down, and to come back. They couldn't just leave their trainer like that… it was terrifying. Eevee, Espeon was still an Eevee then, bounced on Red's chest, imitating the actions he had seen people doing to those that had been dragged out of the water. Breathe, why wasn't he breathing? Was he dead? No, he couldn't be dead – and then he wasn't, he was coughing, breathing, crying, and gasping all at once. None of his Pokemon left him, Pikachu and Charmeleon returning to join the huddle. They were all frightened, scared.

Even after that, Red continued to try and take down Team Rocket – and he had. Even if he was afraid it would happen again, their trainer continued doing it. Because he felt it was the right thing to do. During Espeon's rehabilitation years after the avalanche, he heard just how loudly Red's actions spoke. Lots of people said the Champion was strong – but just as many marveled that a small boy, no more than eleven, showed the world Team Rocket's ideals were all lies. Just as many understood, from actions alone, that how they treated a Pokemon or a person determined what they were capable of. And Espeon wanted to protect someone who could say so much by saying nothing at all.

...

...

...

When Green woke up, all he could think about was how comfortable he was. His back ached from having so little cushion between himself and a hard cave floor, and his legs and hand still itched, but he was incredibly comfortable. He gave a content sigh, burrowing his face into something soft that smelled similar to grass. Probably Eevee, though she was distinctly fluffier than this. Oh well. He was warm, and was holding something warm. Wait… Eevee wasn't that big. Confused, he cracked open his eyes. Black hair. None of his Pokemon had black hair. Maybe one of Red's Pokemon did? No, none of them did.

…Red had black hair.

Going from half-asleep to wide awake in one second flat, Green gave a startled gasp. Head half-leaning on his shoulder, Red remained sleeping and peeking out from the small space between the embrace Green and Red had fallen into at some point in the night were the angriest beady eyes any man had the misfortune of beholding. There was no explanation as to how or when Green wrapped his arms around Red's waist, or when Red decided Green was a better pillow than the ground (though in the ravenet's defense, most anything was comfier than the ground so this was hardly surprising). Eevee was laying on top of Pikachu, stomach up and her feet in the air as she happily dreamed on. Pikachu was not pleased, though the brunet was almost positive the rodent wedged himself so tightly between the two humans on purpose.

The rodent was REALLY displeased.

Probably understandable. Likely woke up when the two humans adjusted positions, and Green could imagine Pikachu's horror upon realizing he was in the same bed as Green. It was a horror in itself for the brunet to see the rodent. Pikachu glared at Green – Green tried to make no sudden movements. There was a small growl, and the brunet glanced up to see who made it. Charizard was staring at the two, blue eyes wide in surprise and… and blushing. Green was not aware Charizards could blush. I learned something new today, he thought and wondered if he should mention this discovery to his grandfather. If he survived this close encounter with the angry rodent kind, anyway. The glare was still there. This was not the best position to be in. The better position would be Pikachu not between us, and maybe if we were just a little… he cut that train of thought off before it went off a bridge and into dangerously dirty waters.

Probably a good thing I'm going home soon, Green shuddered and tried to suppress thoughts best he could. It had been a good week since he had any proper… alone time. That explained why his thoughts were more frequently trying to go in the wrong direction. Red moved slightly at the movement, and Green had to move his head back slightly when the ravenet looked up. Whining, Pikachu pitifully stared up at his trainer. I see what you're doing there Green thought at the rodent through narrowed eyes. Get bent, was the flash of a rebuttal from the rodent. Shifting slightly so there was more room between the two humans for Pikachu and Eevee, Red made sure his Pokemon was comfortable. The electric-type gave an appreciate sound, and heavily nuzzled against his trainer's chest while giving Green the evil-eye. So many conflicting emotions. Yawning, Eevee looked around at the two having woken up from sliding off of her friend. Turning to her trainer, the Pokemon gave a drowsy smile. Giving his own, the brunet reached down and scratched her behind the ear.

Oh well, it had been good while it lasted. Shrugging (he learned how from the best), the brunet scooped up Eevee and set about making breakfast. The very last of the oatmeal. He was really starting to miss a diet of fast food and take-out. Cooking wasn't so bad, but it was time-consuming and Green had spent the past seven days doing a lot of it. For dinner that night when he got back home, he was going to a restaurant and ordering steak and he didn't care Tauros were being raised for slaughter so he could enjoy it at his convenience. That Team Plasma he had been hearing about could just eat it – and then realize how delicious it was so they would shut up.

As he handed Red a bowl of oatmeal, Green knew it was time to broach that subject. "I'm sure you've been thinking about it, but you do know I need to take one of your Pokemon back with me." The brunet began in the best professional voice he could muster. A simple nod was his response, and Green felt better at least knowing that yes, Red was aware and had been deliberating over it. That was a relief. Now there was essentially nothing to stress about.
Something soft was draped on Green's head. Furrowing his brows, he pulled it off to stare at… something. It was mostly different shades of green, the Gym Leader instantly understanding it was for him. He tilted his head back to stare at Snorlax, of whom was twiddling claws and waiting for a response. "He crochets." The brunet stated blankly. Near him, Red simply nodded. "Right. Well… thanks, for uh… this Snorlax." Green said, hoping he sounded at least believably grateful. The Pokemon smiled widely, and pulled the brunet into a tight hug.

Pikachu looked smug, and Green immediately knew who put the idea into Snorlax's head to give the brunet a great big bone-crushing hug.

Once released, Green gasped for air and teetered on legs unsure if they could provide any real support due to oxygen depletion. Regaining himself, he gave a slight smile at the large Pokemon and back at the crocheted… thing. Well, he could use it as a scarf. Or something. He made a mental note to wear it next time he came to visit – to be sure he was on Snorlax's good side. "Anyway… I was thinking about leaving after lunch." The brunet announced, and receiving a simple nod in reply. "And then I'll get with Leaf to talk about a time we can both come up and visit." He said that mostly as a reminder that no, he hadn't forgotten about their promise last night. Regardless of complaints he got, he was going to come visit. Maybe on a Sunday, that was usually his free day… and it wasn't like that snot-nosed moron Gold rechallenged him often. That seemed like such a short visit though. Perhaps he could stretch it through Tuesdays… but then a lot of the brats training under him would complain if that became a weekly thing. Whatever, he would figure something out.

"That sound like a plan? And I'll be leaving some of the food I brought – you're looking kind of malnourished, you know." Green rambled, and made a mental note to tell the Champion's mother that as well. Finishing his oatmeal, Red simply gave another nod to show he was still listening. Honestly, oatmeal wasn't that good… was it? Maybe to the ravenet… personally, Green was already tired of it. And then there was silence. Red was making no moves to go anywhere, which resulted in the brunet wondering if perhaps the other assumed he was leaving in the morning, and so made no plans. Or maybe it was Green's turn to make plans?

Resisting the urge to itch his leg, the brunet wondered how he was expected to make plans at someone else's home. Now if this were back in Viridian City… Red stood up, gathering the dirty dishes around him. Oh, right. Green sighed. Almost forgot about that daily chore. And so the morning went as it had been going the past couple of days – dishes. The dishwasher back at home was sorely missed. Doing everything by hand made him suddenly appreciate the device all the more, while also making him realize cleaning by hand resulted in a better job. Dishwaters had a tendency to not scrub all the crumbs off sometimes. Maybe that was why Leaf always let her dishes soak before she put them in… Green had always just rinsed and stuck them in there. Not quite as effective.
Once they had returned to the cave, the activities for the remainder of his stay were still unclear. Most of the Pokemon seemed to take this to mean they were free to play. Lapras was working on his ice sculpture again, and Gyarados was watching the work inquisitively. Arcanine was running around with Venusaur and Charizard, playing something along the lines of tag. Or something. Blastoise was sitting down reading (or 'reading' – who knew?) and Espeon was curled up next to his trainer with Pikachu in Red's lap. The brunet sighed, and plopped down next to them, Eevee rushing over to join him. Red's hand reached over, and took Green's own again. The Gym Leader blinked, and looked over at the other. There was no indication or reason why this time, but Green was not going to complain. His own fingers curled around the other's hand, and he resumed wondering how they were going to pass time.

And this was just a subtle way of stopping Green from scratching, because that was his itchy hand the other was holding. Ulterior motives, the Champion probably had some.

Pikachu huffed, moving out of the ravenet's lap. The brunet raised a brow, a bit curious as to why the rodent did so. His eyes followed Pikachu who hopped over to Eevee, and motioned for him to follow. Intrigued, the brown fox-like creature tilted her head to the side before following after. Green's eyes followed them, brows raised as he wondered what was going through the electric-type's head. What form of horrible vicious vengeance was the little rodent planning this time? Why did it involve his Pokemon? He felt lips press against his cheek, and Green felt his body tense at the unexpected contact.

"Red?" Green breathed, turning his face to stare at the other. The ravenet remained there, and the brunet started at how close their faces were. Reaching up, Red took off his hat so he could gently press his forehead against Green's. Was Red… was he smiling? No… but… Red's mouth was still an indifferent line, but… his eyes were warm. Just as they were on that first day, they were warm and welcoming and happy. Melting, the tension slipped away.

Leaning forward, Green pressed his lips against the other's. If it was okay with Red, it was more than okay with Green. And even better, the brunet knew exactly how he was going to spend the rest of his time there until it was time to leave…

…lying unconscious when Pikachu came back and saw Green's tongue in Red's mouth.

Story Notes: Since a lot of people expressed how much they enjoyed this fanfic, I figured it would be unkind of me to end it like this without explaining why. The first two chapters of this were written at my leisure, the results of a single line looping in my head and transformed into something far too long for a one-shot. Everything after it, practically, I somehow ended up writing in the last couple of weeks at my old job. The store was closing, and it was something of a depressing time for me. What had begun as something fun turned into what kept me sane while losing a job I loved. There were also several changes going on in my life. So, I apologize that this doesn't quite capture the melancholy Red and Green's separation should have called for - I didn't want to write something that would make me cry, given this was also around the time a dear friend was moving, and I didn't want to think about anyone leaving. Generally I try to not let personal feelings affect the quality of my writing, but I suppose in this case it has.
Also, a big thanks to all of my wonderful friends that have inspired this. My friend Mara for suggesting Green peep on Red and that Green get poison ivy. My friend Chii for her joke that, "everyone I know that plays Pokemon cares more about the trainers than the, you know, Pokemon" (hence why this fic tried to cover the personalities and aspects of Red's team). And above all, my friend Shadow Serenity57 on here who basically kept me entertained and encouraged, and even humored me when I spammed him with half of the story. Sooooon... I will visit you, and there will be much videogaming.
And lastly, thank you everyone so, so much for reviewing. You have no idea how much it means to me. I will always be writing (not necessarily sharing because it is usually never finished), regardless of whether people review or not... but every time someone takes five minutes out of their day to say even something so little as, "update soon," it always means the world to me. So thank you - thank you so much for this fun ride. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing.