Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!
Who: Sick animals and you
What: Hospital visits!
Where: FDC's Pokecenter
When: Anywhere between the 13th to the 21st!
Warnings: Guys being guys. Mons being mons.
For the next few days, everything was a blur for the both of them. Sasha felt sick to her stomach from everything, being unusually quiet apart from the small talks to the people online. But she ( Read more... )
What: Hospital visits!
Where: FDC's Pokecenter
When: Anywhere between the 13th to the 21st!
Warnings: Guys being guys. Mons being mons.
For the next few days, everything was a blur for the both of them. Sasha felt sick to her stomach from everything, being unusually quiet apart from the small talks to the people online. But she ( Read more... )
Green allowed his arm to be nuzzled, before he raised his hand and let it rest on Char's head.
"Whatever," He sighed, understanding what that rush of breath meant, "It's just the way it is. I bet you never expected this to happen when you woke up yesterday morning, huh?"
He withdrew his hand long enough to drag a chair over to the side of Char's bed. When he sat down, he moved his hand down to one of Char's claws, a strangely human to human gesture.
"You're gonna get the coolest fucking scar out of this, though... Almost makes me want to get shot."
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He could tell why Green was saying it, though, and it just made the gratitude burning in his chest even stronger. Just like that... "It's just the way it is." No disappointment, no shame, not a single hint of coldness.
He wanted to turn human, to tell Green exactly what it was that he needed to say so badly, but he knew how stupid that would be with his tail still buzzing with pain. Wasn't even sure if he had enough energy to do it, anyway. But then... before Char had learned to speak Green's language, Green had learned to speak his. Trainers had a way of knowing what their Pokemon were thinking, and he wasn't any different: he could pick up on the signs his tail gave off, read into the grumbles and the growls.
Char's eyes lingered on the hand resting over his claws. ...It was a little complex to convey without words, but... he hadn't been afraid. Even when he was bleeding out in the snow, even when it seemed like his entire existence had narrowed down to a confining coccoon of agony... he'd never once thought he was going to die. Just... Green's here. It'll be okay. Maybe he'd just been too stupid to know he was dying, but... it was okay. Everything was okay. He'd thrown what little he had left into just trusting his trainer, and Green had saved him.
...Maybe what he was trying to say wasn't so complex after all.
Even if his arms shook with the effort, he pushed himself up. In the past, he'd offered up maybe one quick, embarrassed lick when particularly pleased with Green -- enough to let on that he cared, without exposing just how much he'd cared. This time, he bowed his head to Green, all but showering him in licks and affectionate headbutts. It was a very animal gesture, but he couldn't think of any other way to say it:
Thank you.
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Green laughed despite himself at the sudden rush of affection, bringing his hands up to his Pokemon's neck and reveling in the extreme warmth he found there-- running his hands along Char's body the afternoon before and feeling no evidence of his fire type was one of the most chilling things he had ever experienced. Unlike Char, he most definitely had been scared, something that he wouldn't admit so fast. Green couldn't remember the last time he had allowed himself to cry, though he was sure Bulba was probably also present. He wondered if Char knew just how deeply that moment had affected him, but that thought only lasted for a moment. Better to leave things unsaid. Char was so utterly like him in so many ways, deeper than just the similarities that they allowed the public to see. When it came down to it, they both needed very much to be reassured of their ability to be loved.
It was a trait that no one but the other members of their team knew. But who better to understand?
Green scooted his chair closer to the bed, leaning the whole top half of his body forward and planting a quick peck on one of the dragon's horns, returning the display in his own way. There was really nothing else he could say.
That is, except for "You're welcome."
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Eventually, though, his trembling arms couldn't bear his weight anymore. He flopped back down onto the bed with a tired grunt. Even with that, though, his tail gave a feeble little twitch -- the closest thing to a wag he could give. His injury carried a lot of serious things with it, he knew that, especially considering the timing of it, but... for now, he wanted to keep things the way they were. Green had probably had a long, sleepless night; he could use a little happiness far more than Char could.
With a little effort, Char rolled onto his side, lifting a wing and nodding at the empty space next to him. Considering the variety of patients they say, Pokecenter beds could hold things much bigger than a Charizard; he figured there was room enough.
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Green lowered the side guard off of the bed, wasting no time in crawling in with him, and making himself comfortable.
"Don't strain yourself," He mumbled, spooning into the dragon's underside. As soon as he was settled, he let out a deep sigh, and brought a blanket over himself and Char's middle, careful not to let the fabric get too close to the sputtering flame on the end of his tail.
"Next time, I'll be there to protect you. I promise."
It had been something gnawing at the sides of Green's consciousness ever since Sonny Moe had burst into his room yesterday. If he had been less reckless... if he had paid better attention to him... would it have gotten to this point? He was Char's trainer, he was fully his own responsibility. He had failed him. He remembered that being the strong, clear thought in his mind as he sat there in the snow, slumping into his Ivysaur's shoulder.
Of course he would always forgive Char for any shortcomings. He knew Char would do the same for him, but he felt it needed to be mentioned, regardless.
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...It was kind of funny, though. The trainer promising to protect the Pokemon... Char had always thought it was supposed to be the other way around. He'd always been so quick to offer to rough up anyone who so much as annoyed Green, but for all his independence and ferocity, he'd never thought about the idea that he relied on Green like that just as much as he wanted Green to rely on him.
For the first few years, he would have laughed at the idea. He didn't even trust that human to give orders in a fight, let alone keep him safe. Even after he'd begun to obey, he hadn't begun to trust: he worked to keep himself useful, because he'd believed that was the only way he would be permitted to stay. To think he needed someone protecting him was a sign of weakness, was setting himself up for inevitable betrayal. Now... he still wanted to be useful. He still wanted to be Green's sword, his shield, his sentinel... but he was finally starting to get the hang of what having a trainer meant.
So he offered another rumble, almost a purr. It wasn't I don't need you to protect me. It was just I know you will.
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Good. He smiled a genuine smile, the first one in hours and hours. He didn't care what the rest of the world thought of his team, he knew for a fact that he had the best Pokemon there ever were. He let his eyes droop closed, the heat from Char's body soothing him. There could be more worrying to have later. For now...
Green drifted off into a surprisingly peaceful nap, smile still on his face.
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He laid his head back, and in spite of the steady ache in the tip of his tail, let out a contented sigh. It wasn't long before his eyes drooped shut too, and he joined his trainer in sleep.
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