\u201cHey,\u201d you say.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d she says. She\u2019s smiling, something rare, before, now more of an absent dandelion found in a crack in the road. The sun hits her blond hair right, and you swallow a lump in your throat.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a moment. When she had met your eyes before, every instance had been a moment; now, a few years later when you\u2019re feeling more awkward but more\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>in your body and she is so different but as stunning as before, you can count the seconds that pass where your eyes meet and linger.\u00a0One, two, three\u00a0<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n And it\u2019s gone, when Hau wraps his arms around both your shoulders and says, \u201cWhy are you hogging Lillie?\u201d He laughs and hugs Lillie and she laughs too, clapping him on the back and smiling at you.<\/p>\n You smile back, try to remember your words, and Hau lets her go.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d he says to the both of you, and you blink in surprise. \u201cWe\u2019re throwing a party, obviously!\u201d he says enthusiastically. \u201cTo Iki Town!\u201d<\/p>\n He barrels on ahead, grappling at his grandfather who probably wants to welcome Lillie back and instead ropes him into some town party discussion. The crowd that has gathered at the dock is dispersing, because of\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>, and because of her–not together, but.<\/p>\n Before you can speak, she asks, \u201cWhat have you been up to?\u201d even though she\u2019s the one who\u2019s been traveling, who\u2019s been away.<\/p>\n You let her go anyway, shrug. She says, \u201cMaybe you should be the one asking me that question,\u201d and you smile and nudge her to let her know it\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n Throwing the question back, you say, \u201cWhat have\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>been up to?\u201d and she laughs. You are walking together along the dock now, slowly but back toward the town. She sighs and clasps the strap of her suitcase; she smiles.<\/p>\n \u201cVulpix look different in Kanto,\u201d she says, to fill the silence.<\/p>\n You snicker at her. \u201cThey are,\u201d you say.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd meowth.\u201d<\/p>\n You laugh, bright. She watches you, because you are not really a loud person, but she is here and back and you suddenly want to hold her hand and tell her about everything that\u2019s changed, show her everything that\u2019s\u00a0stayed\u00a0<\/em>. \u201cYou\u2019ve met my meowth before,\u201d you say. The back of your hand brushes against hers.<\/p>\n She giggles to herself. \u201cI have,\u201d she agrees.<\/p>\n Together you walk to the Pokemon Research Center, where she can place her bags. She curses a little when she stumbles on the beach and then apologizes for it, to which you shake your head and say, \u201cNo, it\u2019s okay,\u201d because that\u2019s certainly new and something she probably picked up when she was traveling and it\u2019s\u00a0interesting\u00a0<\/em>. You hold the door open for her and help her get her suitcase back up to the loft where she used to stay with Kukui a few years back.<\/p>\n She heaves her bag down and you join her up there. She places her hands on her hips, and she looks different–the same, with her hair in a ponytail and in her white hoodie and skirt. But she isn\u2019t the same as when she was, three years ago, and neither are you. You can\u2019t stop staring at her, anyway.<\/p>\n She says, \u201cThis place is a lot smaller than I remember it,\u201d looking around the lab.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why you sound surprised,\u201d you say shy of tease, and she elbows you gently.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we going to Iki Town?\u201d she asks you.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d you say, leaning on the railing and looking down to Kukui\u2019s ground floor. \u201cWe can either sit here and pretend we don\u2019t know Hau is setting up a welcome back party for you, or we can go and help them out.\u201d<\/p>\n Lillie laughs. It\u2019s not new, exactly, but you\u2019re still not used to it, and you\u2019re not sure if you ever will be. Her laugh makes the tips of your fingers and your palms warm, and like a moon, every side of her is different, nuanced and sometimes bright.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go then,\u201d she says, and even when you\u2019d much rather be alone, you still don\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n At Iki, Hau is bothering the Kahuna and the other villagers, really for no apparent reason other than, \u201cNo, I know Lillie\u2019s favorite color is purple, so use this orange streamer!\u201d Everyone is in full bloom and the villagers warmly welcome Lillie back, talking about your own growth, too. Your mom and meowth are helping with the tapestry, and you\u2019ve let out your own pokemon to help, too.<\/p>\n In the middle of Lillie showing you her Kanto pokedex and you poking it to see if it talks like your Alolan one, you notice a flash of blond hair from the corner of your eye, and do a double take. But before you can say anything, Hau beats you to it.<\/p>\n \u201cGladion!\u201d he hollers across the village. \u201cAre you finally here to say hi to your sister?\u201d<\/p>\n Gladion turns his head for a second like he thinks he can avoid Hau\u2019s weirdy keen eye; then he stalks over from where he was hiding behind a tree, looking torn between grumpy and happy at seeing Lillie back. \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to shout so loud,\u201d he grumbles to Hau, who just grins and puts his hands behind his head.<\/p>\n Lillie smiles at her brother. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you again, too,\u201d she says earnestly.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you too,\u201d says Gladion. Then he shoots her a smile, and you. \u201cDid you have fun at Kanto?\u201d he asks Lillie. \u201cDid it remind you a lot of\u00a0her\u00a0<\/em>?\u201d He glances at you.<\/p>\n You roll your eyes, cheeks warm, and try to step on Gladion\u2019s foot. (You miss.) \u201c\u00a0Gladion\u00a0<\/em>–\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it did,\u201d Lillie says earnestly, and you look at her. She\u2019s just smiling in her brother\u2019s direction, though. \u201cIt was really wonderful, I–\u201d she turns to you, \u201cI feel like I understand you better,\u201d she says to you.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a country,\u201d you remind her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0your\u00a0<\/em>country,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n \u201cHow big was it?\u201d asks Hau, jumping in even though you\u2019re pretty sure he\u2019d just been arguing with his grandpa a second before. \u201cIs it as big as Alola?\u201d<\/p>\n Lillie\u2019s eyes go wide. \u201cYeah,\u201d she says. \u201cIn fact, sometimes it felt like it was\u00a0bigger\u00a0<\/em>than Alola.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo way, you\u2019re kidding!\u201d Hau snorts. \u201cMan, I kinda wanna visit Sinnoh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking of visiting Unova,\u201d says Gladion.<\/p>\n Hau bumps his shoulder. \u201cYo, me too! We should totally visit Unova sometime together!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just said you wanted to visit Sinnoh,\u201d Gladion says.<\/p>\n They go into a kind of conversation of their own (as much of a conversation as Hau can have with someone, and Gladion) but it\u2019s Lillie and you again. You say, though smiling, \u201cI\u2019m not sure how much you can learn about me when you spend three years away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n Lillie sighs. \u201cOh, I\u2019m–\u201d<\/p>\n She breaks off. A somber expression passes over her face. Then she says, \u201cWell, it\u2019s like how you moved here and learned all about Alola, right? I learned about Kanto, it was sort of a,\u201d she shrugs, \u201cequal exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI like it better when you\u2019re here,\u201d you tell her.<\/p>\n Her eyes are electric blue and meet yours. \u201cYeah, me too,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Then Hau yells something about cake and you both duck your heads away, smiling, and you say, \u201cShould we go see what\u2019s going on?\u201d and she nods because neither of you run away from anything that has to do with cake.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n The festivities are in full swing and it\u2019s not the same as when you became champion, but it comes pretty close. It feels so much better, with you on one side of the town while a kid pesters you with questions on what it\u2019s like to be Champion, Lillie on the other entertaining the villagers with her stories from abroad. Sometimes it\u2019s Hau making you dance with him, or making Gladion dance with\u00a0everyone\u00a0<\/em>, and Lillie laughing with surprise and delight when Hau grabs her hands and tries to twirl her and fails ultimately.<\/p>\n Of course, that just means that you end up catching her (as always) and Hau hastens with a quick apology before trying to get Gladion to his feet. Lillie smiles at you and says, \u201cSorry,\u201d and you are trying not to blush, say, \u201cIt\u2019s Hau\u2019s fault, anyway,\u201d and she laughs and says, \u201cIt is, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s only been a few hours since she\u2019s come back, but three years is an ache. It had been unexpected at first, when you\u2019d only known at the dock when she was boarding the ship and telling you that in a couple of minutes she\u2019d be heading to Kanto. Now it feels like a dream, when she is beside you as always and wondering aloud what they put in the juice, like no time has passed–except it has, because there are years you have missed and you didn\u2019t realize how painful it was to be eleven and in love.<\/p>\n She looks at you and says, \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019re being quiet because you\u2019re bored or because you\u2019re you.\u201d<\/p>\n You grin and she says, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t help,\u201d and you grin harder.<\/p>\n The music is loud and the other captains and kahuna have flown over for Lillie. She is surprised, keeping you with her for support, saying to you, \u201cI didn\u2019t realize everyone missed me that much.\u201d You want to say that there is no reason for anyone not to miss her, but you grab her hand and squeeze it first.<\/p>\n It is new and you hesitate, regret it for the briefest of seconds–but then she smiles and squeezes your hand back, before Acerola pounces on her in a flurry of purple.<\/p>\n The party seems to last forever, so you keep your energies low and munch on food as everyone else dances or laughs or battles, Hau and Hala especially. Lillie has been swept away once more but she finds you again easily, tossing pokebeans at your ninetales.<\/p>\n \u201cI always feel better when I find you,\u201d Lillie confesses, looking between you and ninetales.<\/p>\n You try not to feel too pleased, but upon noticing Lillie, ninetales abandons you and struts over to her, beginning to rub her snout along Lillie\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n Lillie giggles. \u201cOh, you\u2019re cold,\u201d she says to your ninetales, but strokes its fur anyway. \u201cI didn\u2019t know\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>missed me too.\u201d<\/p>\n You watch them for a moment, smiling to yourself.<\/p>\n Then you get up to your feet.<\/p>\n \u201cCome with me,\u201d you say to Lillie, holding your hand out to her.<\/p>\n Bewildered, she takes it. You pull her away from ninetales, who pouts at you. You ignore this and lead Lillie away, to the edge of the town and then out.<\/p>\n Lillie asks, \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d but it\u2019s quieter here now, away from everyone else, and–you remember the day of your championship, again. You remember a lot of other things, like Lillie and Gladion\u2019s mom, and the other world, and–a lot of other things you can\u2019t place names for, or don\u2019t really want to remember, just the easy things like the Pokemon League and becoming Champion and people praising you for\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>, for skill, not for saving the world.<\/p>\n You drop Lillie\u2019s hand, because it\u2019s a lot; but she is here and asks you what\u2019s wrong. You smile at her and say, \u201cNothing,\u201d and then take her hand again and say, \u201cI want to go to the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d says Lillie. \u201cThe sun\u2019s already set,\u201d because it has, a dark indigo washing across the sky with the crease of the moon rising in the distance.<\/p>\n You smile at her. \u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d you say, and lead her past the professor\u2019s research center, until you\u2019re with the mareanie and corsola and sandygast.<\/p>\n You sit on the beach; after a moment, Lillie flattens the back of her skirt and sits next to you. She fidgets a little. The moon is not yet bright in the sky, like it\u2019s waiting for you to forget about the sun, first.<\/p>\n Lillie says, \u201cI am sorry, you know. That I didn\u2019t tell you, before–\u201d She bites her lip, turns away, turns to you. \u201cBefore I left,\u201d she says, her eyes on yours.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d you say to her. You mean it. When her eyebrows furrow like she thinks she needs to apologize again, you add, \u201cYou didn\u2019t owe me anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I did,\u201d she says seriously. \u201cYou\u2019re my–best friend. I want to know more about you.\u201d<\/p>\n You bump her ankle with yours. \u201cYou do, you visited Kanto,\u201d you tease.<\/p>\n She nods into her lap, blushing. A corsola waddles by and crows at you two, and you nod at it as Lillie reaches into her bag for something, pulling out a bag of pokebeans. She pours several into her palm and offers them to the corsola, who munches eagerly.<\/p>\n \u201cI brought a lot to Kanto, I\u2019m not sure if I was allowed,\u201d Lillie confesses to you. \u201cBut I know a lot of the pokemon here like them, and I don\u2019t have a lot of pokemon, but I thought they might like it, and maybe like me–\u201d<\/p>\n You lean over and press your lips onto hers, dry and awkward and tense. But when you pull away her eyes are closed, and it takes her a full second to open them again, like maybe she had been expecting more.<\/p>\n \u201cI like you,\u201d you tell her. \u201cA lot.\u201d<\/p>\n The corsola is still eating out of her hand, seemingly unaware of you two. Lillie blinks at you and then, dropping the pokebeans to the sand, she beams.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never kissed anyone before,\u201d she says, \u201cbut me too.\u201d She ducks her chin down, plays with a strand of her hair, her cheeks colored in the growing moonlight. \u201cA lot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI missed you a lot too,\u201d you say to her.<\/p>\n \u201cMe too,\u201d she says. She brings her head up. Her cheeks are dimpled. \u201cI don\u2019t know why I can\u2019t stop smiling,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cMe neither,\u201d you say, and bring yourself in. You think you may kiss her again, but you just press your forehead to hers, your nose to hers, tight and breathtaking between you two. You remember the day she left, and she says–<\/p>\n \u201cI remember the day you saved my life,\u201d smiling, \u201cwhen we first met,\u201d and you think, as full as the moon was that day, it hasn\u2019t been this bright until now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" a reunion (with a disappointing lack of nebby)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[170,248],"fandom":[503],"rating":[674],"ship":[590],"relationship":[607],"minorfandomships":[],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-default","tag-post-canon","tag-second-person-pov","fandom-pokemon","rating-general","ship-moonlilyshipping","relationship-femslash"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fandom?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"ship","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ship?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"relationship","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/relationship?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"minorfandomships","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroceu.com\/fic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/minorfandomships?post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}