Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ 100 Pokemon Prompts ❯ Theme #43: Love ( Chapter 43 )

Title: Love
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #43, Love
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: mentioned Palletshipping and Flareshipping, shonen-ai, drug use, Gary-bashing, anti-Palletshipping and anti-Flareshipping, rape

 

He's quite used to loving at a distance, now. He closes his eyes, not wanting to watch - he isn't a voyeur after all, though he did wish the Champion could find somewhere else to snog his lover senseless - preferably not outside his office window. Lance calmly, very calmly walks back to his desk, and goes back to work, clearing his mind of everything but the printed words dancing in front of his eyes. He's still Johto Champion, no matter what the President says, and it means nothing.

He finishes with his paperwork, and then leaves. He's cold inside, but it's normal - he's gotten used to not feeling. He wonders what the other Champion would think if he brought up Gary's sordid past, but it really. Isn't. Important.

He tosses back his pills that night, and sleeps dreamless sleep. He doesn't want to dream anyhow - doesn't want to remember excruciating agony and biting cold cutting into his wrists. He doesn't want to see, doesn't want to remember, so he'll run, and he'll bury it all. He doesn't want to see Ash hurt, but on the same side, he doesn't ever, ever want to bring up those memories, so he'll watch quietly and see how things play out.

It happens soon enough, and he finds the Champion shivering outside of his apartment - how did Ash know where he lived, anyways? He sighs, lets him inside, and makes him hot chocolate with antidepressants dissolved inside to help with the pain. He'll help Ash block the pain out too, and the cycle will continue. It's none of his concern, really.

It doesn't quite happen that way.

Ash may be many things, but when he is truly hurt, he'll retaliate, and the next morning, the news that Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson, is a date rapist is splattered all over the headlines.

Lance silently raises a toast in applause, and smiles, though he refrains from adding his name to the list of victims. Tis quite lengthy without his contributions, and no one's really surprised when Gary winds up brutally raped himself the second week into his stay in prison, and is carted off to a mental ward after he breaks down.

Lance thinks he got off easy.

 

Lance doesn't love with words, Ash thinks, sitting on the Dragon Master's couch and sipping hot chocolate, watching as Lance writes papers. The Champion is happy, he's on break for a few months, six, until he's stable enough to return to work.

He's not actually as traumatized, as they would assume. He almost expected it. If only he'd paid more attention to the signals, and not had to go through that…

He's not sure why he chose to confide in Lance, but he had the feeling that he wouldn't be betrayed here, and Lance didn't take advantage of him though he was a mess with rumpled clothing, the night he arrived. It had been almost nice. Ash liked nice.

But Gary…

Now all Ash feels for Gary is loathing, a thousand times worse than their childish rivalry. He was a fool - Gary had said they were friends again, and like an idiot he'd believed him. He was really an idiot!

Ash decides he likes Lance. He wants to run his fingers through long pink hair, and Lance has blue eyes, a wonderful sky-blue, though they turn dark, almost black when he's angry. Ash wonders what kissing Lance would be like, and blushes.

He's such a walking packet of hormones! No wonder Gary took advantage of him!

But Lance likes him, and Ash realizes it, though Lance will never say anything. Lance's eyes are soft, and he'll hold Ash close at night when he cries and make him really delicious cookies, and it's nothing like a mom!

It's comforting.

 

He's not that surprised when Lance tells him they're both broken. They're cuddling on the couch, when Ash climbs onto Lance's lap and kisses him, but after Lance kisses back he tells Ash he was broken too.

No, Ash isn't surprised, though he feels even angrier with Gary, and vows that someday, he'll pay dear.

Until then…

They'll stay together, he and Lance, because they belong, and Ash thinks he is realizing for the first time what love really is. It isn't flowery declarations underneath the moonlight, though that might be romantic.

Lance is going to stay with him and protect him and keep him happy. That does make him happy.

Ash feels loved, then, and hopes he can do the same for Lance. When he mentions that, Lance actually blushes, and Ash kisses him, and…

Now they can be happy.

 

End Fic

Completed 4/16/07

Have I mentioned I hate Gary? Hence I tend to cast him as villain. At least Green's more mature!