A Minor Mishap

Disclaimer: Obviously I have no claim to the Pokémon franchise

A/N: Everyone has their own pet peeves so I found myself wondering what Wes' would be.

Anybody who was looking at Wes wouldn't be able to tell he was annoyed or impatient, but books can be filled with what people don't know. So their observations of the calm young man really didn't mean anything. He was quite reserved on the outside but his inner self was screaming in rage. After all Rui did know how he felt about punctuality. He had finally asked her out on a date almost the minute after Cipher had gone down and he had been filled with joy when she agreed. Not that he gave any outward appearance of it.

So here, he stood at the river in Agate Town and Rui was nowhere to be seen five minutes after the time they agreed to meet up. Wes wanted to tap his foot but he knew the old man on the bank would just laugh at him. Since Wes hated being laughed at, even in good humor, he stood stock still with a measured look of indifference. Just wait…he thought. She'll know her mistake.

Three minutes later Rui came stomping down the bank to stand in front of Wes. "Hey, I'm so glad you planned a picnic at the Relic Stone. You're such a romantic Wes!" Rui had her hands clasped in front of her and she looked so damn joyful that Wes almost felt bad for pointing out the time. Almost. Rui adopted a puzzled expression and like Umbreon tilted her head to the side. "But Wes, I'm early. We agreed to meet at two, right?" Wes looked at the watch on his wrist and silently held it out to her. He saw her freeze for a moment and then her troubled gaze met his. "I'm sorry Wes; Grandpa's clock must be running behind, I swear I thought it was one forty-five when I walked down here. This wasn't intentional, Wes; I know how you feel about punctuality."

He mentally slapped himself when he saw her start to tear up. Of course she didn't do this intentionally you idiot. He thought. "It's okay Rui, I know you didn't do it to make me mad, we'll just have to tell Eagan about his clock when we head back. Please don't cry Rui, I didn't mean to upset you." Rui stepped forward to grab the front of his jacket. "But now I've ruined our first date, everything was going to be perfect. Cipher's gone and you finally asked me out, I even wore my cutest skirt." Wes looked down and while he was perfectly capable of admitting the skirt looked cute on her, he honestly couldn't tell if it was different from her other one. "Nothing is ruined Rui, we just had a minor mishap, we'll look back and laugh at this one day. Honest Rui, no harm was done." Rui released her grip on his jacket to dry her eyes.

He waited patiently for her to finish and when she looked up he allowed her to see a brief smile. "I mean it Rui, it was an honest accident and I see no point in delaying our picnic a moment more." Rui beamed at him. It was now impossible to tell she had been crying. Thank God she doesn't hold grudges.

Rui stepped forward and once again grabbed the lapels of his jacket. As Wes looked down he couldn't help but stare at the gleam in her eyes. Wes stood completely still as Rui stood on tip toe and brushed her mouth against his. As she lowered her heels, Wes snapped back to reality and grabbed her waist, pulling her tighter against his body. Rui only showed mild surprise at being lifted up and appeared to have no reluctance in sharing another kiss.

He felt a burst of male pride when he pulled away and saw her dazed expression. Rui was in her own little world after that kiss and rather than give her time to snap out of it, he pressed his advantage and leaned back in for another taste.

He might not respond to my chatter but he has no problem with body language! I just know Miyuki will tease me for going for the strong silent type considering I'm such as chatterbox. Why I'll just bet…Rui tended to ramble on even in her head but as Wes deepened the kiss she found her concentration broken.

This has to be the only way to keep her quiet. If I had thought of this earlier our journey across Orre would have been so much quieter. Wes allowed himself a moment to savor the thought but it was a bitter taste. As he pulled back from Rui he acknowledged that the journey wouldn't have been the same without her to fill the silences.

Wes had been alone a long time and he had always thrived on the silence. It wasn't until he had met Rui that silence had stopped being a comfort and he enjoyed having Rui as a companion. He had never had a plan. Not until he met Rui. He had defeated Cipher and suddenly realized Rui didn't have a reason to stick around. She could go back to her parents or Beluh and Eagan's house. Wes didn't want to let her go. There was no doubt that she was too good for him but he didn't trust anyone else to watch over her. If he were honest he would admit that his motives were purely selfish.

Deciding that he would rather try and be rejected than to simply watch Rui walk out of his life, he had taken a chance and asked her on a date. He had been nervous and uncomfortable but after feeling Rui melt into his arms he felt the tension fade away. She wouldn't leave. He didn't need to ask her to stay, he knew she would.

She did the talking for both of them and she didn't need to hear the words from him to understand what he was trying to say. Most people would be annoyed with such a quiet and unresponsive person but Rui read him better than anyone ever had.

Breaking the kiss, Wes held out his hand and after just a few giggles, Rui took it. She was without a doubt the best thing in his life and he was going to see that she stayed in it, hopefully for a lifetime.