Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. The following story should not be read by anyone.
Nothing Purer
----------
The next moment I can recall took place in the waiting room, just outside the rejuvenation chamber. I just... was. I was. I wasn't angry. I wasn't excited. I wasn't comfortable in the least, despite the futile attempts of the cushioned chair I sat upon.
I just was. I was neutral, leaning into the emotional territory of sorrow, with the subconscious awareness that I was far from over what had happened that day. But it had seemed I had no tears left. I'd used up all of the fluid in my body crying and sweating on the way there. I couldn't have possibly found a reason to be any more sad than I had been at that moment, yet I found myself desensitized at the quite possible loss of my true significant other.
I'd never really dwelled upon the sorrows of life until that moment, being that they seemed so numerous compared to the comforts available. I'd always found reasons to be happy or at least content with life, rather than depressed. But I had nothing now. Gard had always been the good thing that kept me going, even far before I'd realized just how much I'd loved her.
After ten minutes or so, I decided I'd rather dwell upon the happiness that she'd brought me during our time together. It definitely overpowered the pain she'd brought by ceasing to extend that time. I looked back on my life, I'd only just left my parents' home a few months beforehand...
----------
Gard was sitting on the couch, hands crossed patiently in her lap, as she'd done so often. She was always there for me. I went downstairs from my room and sat down next to her, keeping my torso leaned away from her. After all, I didn't want to intrude upon her personal space.
"Jack," she said without looking up at me. "Have you finished packing yet?"
'Here we go,' I thought.
I sighed, closing my eyes defiantly. "I'm taking a break."
I opened my eyes again to find her scowling at me a little, slight disappointment visible on her face. I could already tell where this was going.
I opened my mouth to say something, only to have her interrupt me.
"A break doesn't last tow months, Jack."
"That's easy for you to say," I said, remaining calm. I didn't want this sibling-esque rivalry to ruin my day. "You only had a bag of things to unpack."
"That wasn't a bag. That was a sheet," Gardevoir said, with a proud smile weakly working across her mouth. "I don't need much for entertainment, unlike some people."
She pointed her thumb in the direction of the game console on the floor. It was hooked up to a small TV in the corner.
"So, I enjoy video games," I'd said. "I don't, like, need them."
"Have you ever even read a whole book?" she asked me, getting a little frustrated. "Because I've known you for a damned long time, and I've never even seen one in your hands."
I was starting to get offended. "At least I spend time outdoors, every once in a while, Gardevoir." I put special emphasis on her name, just to piss her off a little more.
She was getting angry rather quickly as well. "At least I'm not an immature teenager with no friends!" she shouted, her face flush with rage.
She'd taken it a step too far, so I had to as well.
"At least I'm not a Pokemon."
Silence followed. Her face went from angry to hurt in a matter of seconds. I immediately knew I'd made a huge mistake.
"How..." she stuttered, tears forming in her eyes. "Why would you..."
At that point, she abruptly stood up and left the room, walking toward her door. I followed her, trying to get an apology in with my pleas. She slammed the door in front of me.
"Dammit!" I shouted at myself. "I'm sorry, Gard! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like this!" The list goes on.
At one point, I'd said, "I'll do anything." She opened the door, as if she'd been waiting for me to say it.
"Anything, huh?" she said in a slightly shaky tone.
I braced myself. "Anything."
"See that?" She pointed at the game console. "You're going to dismantle it, then throw the pieces away."
I looked deep in her tear-soaked eyes. I'd really hurt her feelings. "Will you really forgive me if I do?"
She nodded.
"Okay," I said, turning around. "Follow me."
I got a screwdriver and started to take the machine apart. I didn't feel anything for it. Once she'd made the agreement with me, the console was nothing but an obstacle in the way of our friendship. I'd easily cared for Gardevoir more than any material object.
As I took the machine apart, she watched me with her arms crossed.
I took all of the pieces and poured them into the garbage
I turned from the can, and Gard was right behind me. She hugged me and said into my ear, "I forgive you."
I'd said to her, "That thing meant nothing to me..." But I'd failed to say, 'Compared to you.'
----------
As I came out of my daydream, I finally realized that I'd been crying for a few moments somehow. I also realized how important that day was. After she'd had me throw out that console, I started to go outside more often. It made me realize how badly I'd wanted to travel.
But once I'd started to realize how much I needed her, I knew I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without her.
I'd been so naive. I'd put her in danger with my own selfish desires. I wouldn't have ever had the desire to travel if I hadn't insulted her that day. We'd still have been back at home, living out our days in comfort...
But if I'd never left with her that day so long ago, I very well may never have realized my love for her, and loving her was what completed me.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the chamber's doors opening, revealing the face of Nurse Joy. Instead of doubt, however, she wore a face of relief.
There is nothing purer than the happiness I'd felt when I saw her smile. Gard was okay, surely. But something was wrong. I never felt the wound heal. I was still missing my other half. It was empty. Hollow.
"I have some good news for you," she said, predictably. "Although she's still unconscious, your Gardevoir in stable again."
I held up my hand to correct her. "She's not mine," I said. "We're just, uh..."
"I understand," she said. confirming that she knew we were a couple. "However, I also have some bad news."
I was sad for a moment, but I remembered again that she was confirmed to be stable, so I returned to being happy.
"She can no longer travel," she told me, hesitating for a moment. "She can't lift heavy objects using Psychic or otherwise for about two months."
"Why?" I'd asked her. There wasn't much I could've been able to do to prepare myself for her answer.
"It could damage the egg."
My heart shot into my throat, and every beat choked me. In a good way. This almost trumped finding out that Gard was okay.
She checked over some of her papers. "That's right, Jack," she continued. "In about a month you'll have a green egg, and a week or so after that you'll have a male Ralts. Congratulations."
"Thank you," I said, beginning to hold back tears. "Thank you so much..." A question came to mind. I wiped off my face.
"When will I be able to see her again?"
"She'll be awake any moment now."
As she'd said the word, 'moment,' I felt my heart's other half awaken. Gard was truly okay, she was happy, then worried, then happy again, as I was.
"She's awake," I said. "I feel it."
She turned and left, quite possibly questioning my extra-sensory perception of her awakening. Within a few moments, she returned to the waiting room, with my green-sleeved partner close behind her.
Of course, I couldn't control myself. I stood up and briskly walked over, before kissing her. It was like we'd been reunited after being apart for years. It had certainly felt like years to one of us. We embraced in a hug after breaking the kiss, and we held one another for a minute or two.
"It's good to see you again, Gard..." I whispered, tears forming in my eyes once more.
"Likewise, dumbass," she replied, quietly. She was going to give me hell for what had happened on that trail, but her insult was music to my ears. "I let you out of my sight for ten seconds and look what happens..." She smiled at me before chuckling a little bit. I laughed, too. We went in to hug again, but Nurse Joy interrupted us.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but we have other patients," she said, handing me a piece of paper. "This will tell you everything you need to know."
She leaned in and whispered to me, "We haven't told her anything." She backed up and winked at me, before shooing us out through the front doors.
Gard and I hugged again outside, then we held hands and began the walk home. I pulled the paper out and read her the information I already knew, making sure she couldn't see it. I had to make it special.
"Well, it says we can't travel for a while," I said, holding it under the little remaining light. "I also says no heavy lifting for at least sixty days."
She made a confused face. "Well, that's strange," she said. "Why is that?"
"Uh..." I stalled, trying to think of something romantic. "It's probably, like, a residual side-effect of the painkiller they put you on."
"Oh," she said, accepting it. "That makes sense."
"Well," I took a deep breath. "That, and you're pregnant."
Her eyes widened and she stared at me. "I'm- you and I are-"
I nodded.
She nearly tackled me with the force of her embrace. I saw that she was crying a little bit, and I could feel that it was of joy, the only emotion either of us were feeling. We hugged for a moment longer, before continuing on, with Gardevoir caressing her stomach lovingly.
"I'm so happy..." she said.
Without warning, a boy in a straw hat with a bug-catching net in his hand ran up to us from down the path.
"Hey, mister!" he shouted. "Mister!"
"Uh, what?" I asked.
"I like shorts," he stated proudly, cracking a huge grin. "They're comfy and easy to wear!"
As quickly as he'd arrived, the boy ran off in the direction he'd come from.
Gard and I started to snicker a little bit at the event that had just unfolded in front of us, before bursting into full-on full-on laughter, until we were doubled over in the middle of the street.
Our laughter eventually subsided, and we went the rest of the way home in quiet repose.
We finally arrived, and Gard walked over to the couch to lay down. I followed her, and fell to my knees beside her.
"Thank you, Jack..." she said, before leaning in for another kiss. "For everything you've given me."
"Likewise," I whispered, before meeting her lips, and then her tongue. Even though we never wanted the kiss to end, we knew it had to at some point. That sort of thing happened between us pretty often anyway.
After breaking contact, I saw in the dim light that she was blushing. Uh-oh.
She covered her mouth with her fingers. "You know, Jack... I know you've had a long day," she took a breath. "But I'm feeling a little tense..."
I hushed her before kissing her again, then moving down and tonguing her neck. Slowly tugging the gown off of her, I whispered a phrase that had become a favorite of mine into her ear.
"Challenge accepted."Chapter End Notes:----------
Well, there it is. You can all thank pwn3rxp for pushing me along to make this chapter today
Also, expect an epilogue coming soon. It has a lot of details that you'll really want if you care about how this story truly ends.
And so, I leave you to it, readers. Review, please. I'm begging you. Review
The next moment I can recall took place in the waiting room, just outside the rejuvenation chamber. I just... was. I was. I wasn't angry. I wasn't excited. I wasn't comfortable in the least, despite the futile attempts of the cushioned chair I sat upon.
I just was. I was neutral, leaning into the emotional territory of sorrow, with the subconscious awareness that I was far from over what had happened that day. But it had seemed I had no tears left. I'd used up all of the fluid in my body crying and sweating on the way there. I couldn't have possibly found a reason to be any more sad than I had been at that moment, yet I found myself desensitized at the quite possible loss of my true significant other.
I'd never really dwelled upon the sorrows of life until that moment, being that they seemed so numerous compared to the comforts available. I'd always found reasons to be happy or at least content with life, rather than depressed. But I had nothing now. Gard had always been the good thing that kept me going, even far before I'd realized just how much I'd loved her.
After ten minutes or so, I decided I'd rather dwell upon the happiness that she'd brought me during our time together. It definitely overpowered the pain she'd brought by ceasing to extend that time. I looked back on my life, I'd only just left my parents' home a few months beforehand...
----------
Gard was sitting on the couch, hands crossed patiently in her lap, as she'd done so often. She was always there for me. I went downstairs from my room and sat down next to her, keeping my torso leaned away from her. After all, I didn't want to intrude upon her personal space.
"Jack," she said without looking up at me. "Have you finished packing yet?"
'Here we go,' I thought.
I sighed, closing my eyes defiantly. "I'm taking a break."
I opened my eyes again to find her scowling at me a little, slight disappointment visible on her face. I could already tell where this was going.
I opened my mouth to say something, only to have her interrupt me.
"A break doesn't last tow months, Jack."
"That's easy for you to say," I said, remaining calm. I didn't want this sibling-esque rivalry to ruin my day. "You only had a bag of things to unpack."
"That wasn't a bag. That was a sheet," Gardevoir said, with a proud smile weakly working across her mouth. "I don't need much for entertainment, unlike some people."
She pointed her thumb in the direction of the game console on the floor. It was hooked up to a small TV in the corner.
"So, I enjoy video games," I'd said. "I don't, like, need them."
"Have you ever even read a whole book?" she asked me, getting a little frustrated. "Because I've known you for a damned long time, and I've never even seen one in your hands."
I was starting to get offended. "At least I spend time outdoors, every once in a while, Gardevoir." I put special emphasis on her name, just to piss her off a little more.
She was getting angry rather quickly as well. "At least I'm not an immature teenager with no friends!" she shouted, her face flush with rage.
She'd taken it a step too far, so I had to as well.
"At least I'm not a Pokemon."
Silence followed. Her face went from angry to hurt in a matter of seconds. I immediately knew I'd made a huge mistake.
"How..." she stuttered, tears forming in her eyes. "Why would you..."
At that point, she abruptly stood up and left the room, walking toward her door. I followed her, trying to get an apology in with my pleas. She slammed the door in front of me.
"Dammit!" I shouted at myself. "I'm sorry, Gard! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like this!" The list goes on.
At one point, I'd said, "I'll do anything." She opened the door, as if she'd been waiting for me to say it.
"Anything, huh?" she said in a slightly shaky tone.
I braced myself. "Anything."
"See that?" She pointed at the game console. "You're going to dismantle it, then throw the pieces away."
I looked deep in her tear-soaked eyes. I'd really hurt her feelings. "Will you really forgive me if I do?"
She nodded.
"Okay," I said, turning around. "Follow me."
I got a screwdriver and started to take the machine apart. I didn't feel anything for it. Once she'd made the agreement with me, the console was nothing but an obstacle in the way of our friendship. I'd easily cared for Gardevoir more than any material object.
As I took the machine apart, she watched me with her arms crossed.
I took all of the pieces and poured them into the garbage
I turned from the can, and Gard was right behind me. She hugged me and said into my ear, "I forgive you."
I'd said to her, "That thing meant nothing to me..." But I'd failed to say, 'Compared to you.'
----------
As I came out of my daydream, I finally realized that I'd been crying for a few moments somehow. I also realized how important that day was. After she'd had me throw out that console, I started to go outside more often. It made me realize how badly I'd wanted to travel.
But once I'd started to realize how much I needed her, I knew I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without her.
I'd been so naive. I'd put her in danger with my own selfish desires. I wouldn't have ever had the desire to travel if I hadn't insulted her that day. We'd still have been back at home, living out our days in comfort...
But if I'd never left with her that day so long ago, I very well may never have realized my love for her, and loving her was what completed me.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the chamber's doors opening, revealing the face of Nurse Joy. Instead of doubt, however, she wore a face of relief.
There is nothing purer than the happiness I'd felt when I saw her smile. Gard was okay, surely. But something was wrong. I never felt the wound heal. I was still missing my other half. It was empty. Hollow.
"I have some good news for you," she said, predictably. "Although she's still unconscious, your Gardevoir in stable again."
I held up my hand to correct her. "She's not mine," I said. "We're just, uh..."
"I understand," she said. confirming that she knew we were a couple. "However, I also have some bad news."
I was sad for a moment, but I remembered again that she was confirmed to be stable, so I returned to being happy.
"She can no longer travel," she told me, hesitating for a moment. "She can't lift heavy objects using Psychic or otherwise for about two months."
"Why?" I'd asked her. There wasn't much I could've been able to do to prepare myself for her answer.
"It could damage the egg."
My heart shot into my throat, and every beat choked me. In a good way. This almost trumped finding out that Gard was okay.
She checked over some of her papers. "That's right, Jack," she continued. "In about a month you'll have a green egg, and a week or so after that you'll have a male Ralts. Congratulations."
"Thank you," I said, beginning to hold back tears. "Thank you so much..." A question came to mind. I wiped off my face.
"When will I be able to see her again?"
"She'll be awake any moment now."
As she'd said the word, 'moment,' I felt my heart's other half awaken. Gard was truly okay, she was happy, then worried, then happy again, as I was.
"She's awake," I said. "I feel it."
She turned and left, quite possibly questioning my extra-sensory perception of her awakening. Within a few moments, she returned to the waiting room, with my green-sleeved partner close behind her.
Of course, I couldn't control myself. I stood up and briskly walked over, before kissing her. It was like we'd been reunited after being apart for years. It had certainly felt like years to one of us. We embraced in a hug after breaking the kiss, and we held one another for a minute or two.
"It's good to see you again, Gard..." I whispered, tears forming in my eyes once more.
"Likewise, dumbass," she replied, quietly. She was going to give me hell for what had happened on that trail, but her insult was music to my ears. "I let you out of my sight for ten seconds and look what happens..." She smiled at me before chuckling a little bit. I laughed, too. We went in to hug again, but Nurse Joy interrupted us.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but we have other patients," she said, handing me a piece of paper. "This will tell you everything you need to know."
She leaned in and whispered to me, "We haven't told her anything." She backed up and winked at me, before shooing us out through the front doors.
Gard and I hugged again outside, then we held hands and began the walk home. I pulled the paper out and read her the information I already knew, making sure she couldn't see it. I had to make it special.
"Well, it says we can't travel for a while," I said, holding it under the little remaining light. "I also says no heavy lifting for at least sixty days."
She made a confused face. "Well, that's strange," she said. "Why is that?"
"Uh..." I stalled, trying to think of something romantic. "It's probably, like, a residual side-effect of the painkiller they put you on."
"Oh," she said, accepting it. "That makes sense."
"Well," I took a deep breath. "That, and you're pregnant."
Her eyes widened and she stared at me. "I'm- you and I are-"
I nodded.
She nearly tackled me with the force of her embrace. I saw that she was crying a little bit, and I could feel that it was of joy, the only emotion either of us were feeling. We hugged for a moment longer, before continuing on, with Gardevoir caressing her stomach lovingly.
"I'm so happy..." she said.
Without warning, a boy in a straw hat with a bug-catching net in his hand ran up to us from down the path.
"Hey, mister!" he shouted. "Mister!"
"Uh, what?" I asked.
"I like shorts," he stated proudly, cracking a huge grin. "They're comfy and easy to wear!"
As quickly as he'd arrived, the boy ran off in the direction he'd come from.
Gard and I started to snicker a little bit at the event that had just unfolded in front of us, before bursting into full-on full-on laughter, until we were doubled over in the middle of the street.
Our laughter eventually subsided, and we went the rest of the way home in quiet repose.
We finally arrived, and Gard walked over to the couch to lay down. I followed her, and fell to my knees beside her.
"Thank you, Jack..." she said, before leaning in for another kiss. "For everything you've given me."
"Likewise," I whispered, before meeting her lips, and then her tongue. Even though we never wanted the kiss to end, we knew it had to at some point. That sort of thing happened between us pretty often anyway.
After breaking contact, I saw in the dim light that she was blushing. Uh-oh.
She covered her mouth with her fingers. "You know, Jack... I know you've had a long day," she took a breath. "But I'm feeling a little tense..."
I hushed her before kissing her again, then moving down and tonguing her neck. Slowly tugging the gown off of her, I whispered a phrase that had become a favorite of mine into her ear.
"Challenge accepted."Chapter End Notes:----------
Well, there it is. You can all thank pwn3rxp for pushing me along to make this chapter today
Also, expect an epilogue coming soon. It has a lot of details that you'll really want if you care about how this story truly ends.
And so, I leave you to it, readers. Review, please. I'm begging you. Review