Loving Him Is Pink -- Bede x Avery (A Pride Month Pokemon Short Story)

Agreements -- Avery

I couldn't see anything; even if I could, everything hurt too bad to even try opening my eyelids. It felt like my atoms were being torn apart and stripped down to their most basic forms, and then reconstructing my cells one tiny piece at a time. All I could hear was a horrific ringing in my ears, and the sound of Bede's shriek of fear, distorted and repeating thousands of times over. Then, with an earth-shattering SNAP, we had arrived.

Landing with a harsh thud on the wooden floor, I groaned as I lay there, panting and trying to catch my breath. Everything was sore, and I felt like I weighed a thousand pounds. I could hear people around us gasping and whispering, but I could barely think around the pain. Dimly, I was aware of another form laying on top of me, but I didn't mind it until Honey shrieked, "Avery, you're steaming!"

Gasping as my eyes shot open, I winced as even the small movement of sitting upright had pain shooting through my body. Or, at least, I tried to. Bede was lying unconscious across my chest, and it was only when I mustered the strength and touched him gently on the shoulder, he grunted and rolled off me. Then, when he turned to look at me, he gasped at the coils of white smoke rolling off my skin.

Just like Honey had said, I was steaming, though there was no sign of fire anywhere. Smoke the color of winter rose and curled around me, coming from my boots, my skin, even rising from the top of my hat, which had fallen off during the landing and was laying on the ground a few feet away.

"Good Arceus," Bede groaned, flopping down next to me. "If you have the gaul to try and teleport us out of a collapsing cave, couldn't you have warned me it was going to hurt?!"
"How could I when I've never done it before?" I shot back weakly, though I was too spent to even be snide about it. "If my Future Sight had predicted this, I would have warned you adequately."

Bede opened his mouth to make a reply, but instead a wince came out as he tried to sit up and failed miserably. "Something tells me I won't be walking tomorrow," he grunted, before hissing in pain as somebody helped him to stand.

I laid on the floor for what felt like hours, until, somehow, I was put back in my own bed. I don't think I'd ever slept for as long as I did that night, or however long I'd been asleep for. Everything felt blended together into a hazy dream I couldn't quite remember. All I knew was when I woke up, I was hungry. Very hungry.

Slowly climbing down the ladder of my bunk, I trudged out of the boy's dormitory, not really searching for a destination. I wandered into the main Dojo area, yawning and stretching. Surprisingly, there was no one there. I peeked out the window and I did a double-take at where the sun was in the sky. It's almost noon! No wonder the Dojo's empty; everyone's gone!

"About time you woke up. I thought you'd sleep for another week at this rate," a voice commented from behind me. Turning suddenly, I saw Bede leaning against the frame of the hallway leading down to the dorms. "Ah, hello," I waved nervously, surprised at his change in outfit.

He was out of his usual gym uniform, and instead was clad in a loose, white turtleneck and blue pants. In comparison, I felt underdressed, considering I wore nothing more than a rumpled old shirt and loose shorts, and I had no shoes on. Plus, my hair wasn't even out of the ponytail I usually keep it in for the night. And when exactly was the last time I'd brushed my teeth?

"Wait. Another week?!" I asked, and we walked together to the kitchen. "Don't tell me I've used Rest for-"
"Seven days," Bede confirmed. "Eight, technically, if you'd woken up later this afternoon."
No wonder I feel so hungry, I thought, almost retching at the smell of my morning breath. I also desperately need a shower.

I rummaged through the cupboards, searching for some tea to wake me up. "I thought you were supposed to leave the island after a few days," I said, grabbing the tea bags. "So, have the other gym leaders left, or..."

"We all stuck around," he replied, taking a seat at the table. "Opal insisted, since Mustard's wife seemed so worried about you." I smiled at the thought of seeing Miss Honey, and out of pure instinct, I tried to grab a mug with my psychic powers. But, I was extremely alarmed when I found I could not.

"Relax, it's not permanent," Bede assured me when he saw the panicked expression on my face. "Miss Honey's son--Hyde, was it?--said that because of the 'huge influx of psychic energy'-" he took the time to make little finger quotes. "-You won't be able to use your other powers for a while. They'll return in a few days."

"Thank goodness," I sighed, putting the kettle on the stove. After a few minutes, the tea was ready, and I poured Bede a mug. He gave a nod of thanks, quietly sipping his tea. We both sat there in silence, interrupted by the occasional quiet slurping noise or hum of contentedness.

"I've been thinking about what happened," Bede said suddenly, setting his mug down firmly on the table. "What....happened?" I asked subtly, my heart starting to pound with nervousness. "In the caves," Bede said flatly, looking me in the eyes.
"Oh. That." Now, I was really starting to sweat, which definitely wasn't helping my already shower-deprived scent.

"It was a moment of weakness, and I was desperate," he said firmly, and I nodded. "We were delirious and not in the correct frame of mind. Understood?"
"Yes," I said, secretly disappointed that he was trying to forget the kiss. Likely as it was, I certainly didn't feel in a wrong state of mind back then.

"If anyone asks, that's what you say, and that's what I say," he said nodding, almost like he was confirming with himself. "Agreed?"
"Agreed." He smiled up at me, and I smiled back. He held out a hand and I took it, shaking it gently. But, when he went to pull away, I kept hold of it.

His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't move to shift away. If anything, he moved closer to me. Gently, I traced circles on the back of his hand, and I saw his face grow pinker by the second. I slowly brought our hands out from under the table, gently setting them on the table, not breaking contact with his hands or his eyes the entire time.

We sat there for a while, hand in hand, before Bede slowly leaned in. Eagerly, I did as well, until Klara's high-pitched voice called out, "Avery~! You awake yet?!" Startled, I dropped Bede's hand and jumped away from him. He did likewise, face redder than before. "Avery! Get out here and say something if--"

She froze as she took in the scene, with Bede's crimson face and my startled expression. "Oh. Ohhhhh. What were you guys doing in here?" she teased, a gigantic grin plastered on her face. "Nothing," I said firmly, standing.
"Right~" she gave a very obvious wink, and I was once again reminded I couldn't use my powers to sweep the rug out from under her feet. Literally.

"Anyways, Honey's really excited that you're awake, and wants you to go to Hyde's room. He wants to run some experiments on your powers while she puts together a little celebration."
"Alright," I said, standing. "Tell her I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Great," she grinned, before wrinkling her nose. "But first, take a shower. I can smell your BO from here."