Remembered Romance
one of one.
It began when his eyes locked mine, a chance stare that lead from competition to something that I could never possibly comprehend until much later in life. His eyes, so green and serene met mine and with a flash of sunlight, we were both clear what would follow- a battle.
He was a trainer who knew exactly how to execute his attacks. Every move he made, he was precisely sure of doing so. It was the first time I saw how passion could go much deeper than the surface. His passion for Pokémon was much deeper than the battling aspect. He loved to learn the techniques and how to make himself smarter, and in turn, how to help his Pokémon and him share a mutual respect. Whereas he was so calculative, I was more rash but just strong- relying on wit, instinct, and having trust in my loyal friends.
However, believe it or not, it was the compassion he showed for his main Pokémon, Petilil, that drew me too him. As we battled, my Phanpy clashing against his Petilil's careful and graceful movements, my eyes never left him. It was a long battle and a fun one at that, but in the end it was the more seasoned trainer who won- and to this day, he never lets me forget it.
Peter, the trainer I lost to that day, became close allies after that day and in time, began adventuring the many regions together, battling gym leaders, collecting Pokémon, and dare I say falling in love as time passed. Every night by the fire grew more and more personal and eventually it became romantic. Soon we ditched sleeping in two tents to only needing one.
I still remember our first kiss and I can still feel it on my lips, a memory clung to and kept close. We'd been cleaning ourselves in a small spring at the heart of the woods, taking turns as we weren't very comfortable seeing each other in the nude. He'd gone first and he'd been gone for only five minutes before his voice filled the forest, my name echoing against the many trees.
"Ivan!" It was a bell sounding in the air, but there was urgency to it. Something that scared me half to death and I was afraid for him. I remember running through the trees in leaps and bounds, bare feet getting cut by sticks and stones. I found him in the shallow part of the lake, completely still, but a worried expression haunted the beauty of his face. Curiously, I strode forward to the bank and raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" I had asked in a concern manner. I remember the whimper that followed the question. It was so cute, so helpless and innocent.
"My foot," he moaned in discomfort. "It's caught in the mud. I can't free it for the life of me."
I laughed and slid off my shirt and waded into the water, my shorts getting soaked in the process. I recall seeing his face painted in a crimson blush and his eyes cast down in shame. I'd come up behind him and felt his soaked bare skin against my own. It was cold but lit my body on fire. I wrapped my arms around his chest and tugged. Once, twice, three times, and on the fourth he came free with an umph!
We stumbled backward and laughed as we corrected our selves. I stared into his eyes after we fell silent and I brushed the hair from his eyes. Dark curly locks moved back so I could see emerald orbs that spoke of much more than I could fathom. I felt a tug in my body, a need to touch my lips to his, but we were moving slowly, we'd only recently told each other how we felt and it had been an odd experience. With a content sigh, I began to make my way back to the shore.
"Wait," his voice was quiet but it held importance. He caught up to me, water just under his waistline. He blinked hard and smiled. "Thank you for helping me," he said through a half smirk. He tilted his head then and pushed his mouth to mine, our lips connecting. I kissed him back, ignoring the wetness that made him slippery and I wrapped my arms around him.
"You're very welcome," I whispered when we pulled away. Peter laughed and sent me off on my way back to the campsite so that he could finish bathing.
That was ten years ago and while somethings are different, Peter has remained a constant in our ever changing life. Traveling took the backseat and finding a home for ourselves became our next goal. Once we'd done that, our next task was landing jobs. That came quickly and easily and soon enough we established ourselves in our own home with our own lives. We were partners, unified in every way and loving every minute of it.
Time passed and now here we are, two lovers and their child, and the many Pokémon that accompanied us through our journeys. And so it came that today was the day of showing love for one another, a holiday designed for sweethearts and romantics. I'd woken up without Peter by my side and curiously made my way down the stairs and into our kitchen. Peter and Leo, our adopted son, sat at the table and a feast of a breakfast was laid out before them.
"Good morning, Daddy!" Leo exclaims when he sees me, a bright smile on his face. His hair is as yellow as a golden wheat field and as soft as feathered downs. His eyes are a sky blue that breaks my heart every time I look into them, a reminder of what purity and childhood really means.
"Have some breakfast, Ivan," Peter says and pulls out a chair me. I sit and load my plate with my breakfast just as my dear old friend Phanpy nudges at my leg. Another constant, a beautiful friend who refused to change. I respect him for it. Peter smiles and pulls his beautiful and graceful Liligant onto his lap. I laugh and drop a pancake onto the tiled floor for the elephant to eat and Peter feeds his elegant flower strawberries.
"Any plans for today?" I ask, a happy smile on my face. Peter returned the smile and shook his head. He'd gotten time off of work, which wasn't easy seeing as he's quite an elite gym leader. I myself had gotten time off as well as I am merely an apprentice the brilliant Professor Juniper. "Good, because I have plans for us. All three of us."
"What are they, Daddy?" Leo asks excitedly, his Growlithe leaping onto his lap. The two are practically inseparable. They'd been attached ever since we caught him as a pup.
"To sit around and do nothing. To relax, to have fun, and to be a family. Sound good?"
Leo nods with a brilliant gleaming in his eyes. Peter chuckles softly and comes around to my side of the table. He leans down and kisses me gently. His lips are as warm and soft as they were all those years ago, though they taste different. They've gathered a sweet taste of true love and saucy sense of passion. It is these kisses that could send reassurance all through my body and let me know that life is perfect.
"Sounds wonderful, Ivan. I love you. Both you."
I look at Leo and we share a giggle. "We love you too," we say in unison, a sound that lets love sweep over the room. Love and family, for that's what life is to us. We're a family and that's better than anything I could ever ask for on Valentine's Day.
He was a trainer who knew exactly how to execute his attacks. Every move he made, he was precisely sure of doing so. It was the first time I saw how passion could go much deeper than the surface. His passion for Pokémon was much deeper than the battling aspect. He loved to learn the techniques and how to make himself smarter, and in turn, how to help his Pokémon and him share a mutual respect. Whereas he was so calculative, I was more rash but just strong- relying on wit, instinct, and having trust in my loyal friends.
However, believe it or not, it was the compassion he showed for his main Pokémon, Petilil, that drew me too him. As we battled, my Phanpy clashing against his Petilil's careful and graceful movements, my eyes never left him. It was a long battle and a fun one at that, but in the end it was the more seasoned trainer who won- and to this day, he never lets me forget it.
Peter, the trainer I lost to that day, became close allies after that day and in time, began adventuring the many regions together, battling gym leaders, collecting Pokémon, and dare I say falling in love as time passed. Every night by the fire grew more and more personal and eventually it became romantic. Soon we ditched sleeping in two tents to only needing one.
I still remember our first kiss and I can still feel it on my lips, a memory clung to and kept close. We'd been cleaning ourselves in a small spring at the heart of the woods, taking turns as we weren't very comfortable seeing each other in the nude. He'd gone first and he'd been gone for only five minutes before his voice filled the forest, my name echoing against the many trees.
"Ivan!" It was a bell sounding in the air, but there was urgency to it. Something that scared me half to death and I was afraid for him. I remember running through the trees in leaps and bounds, bare feet getting cut by sticks and stones. I found him in the shallow part of the lake, completely still, but a worried expression haunted the beauty of his face. Curiously, I strode forward to the bank and raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" I had asked in a concern manner. I remember the whimper that followed the question. It was so cute, so helpless and innocent.
"My foot," he moaned in discomfort. "It's caught in the mud. I can't free it for the life of me."
I laughed and slid off my shirt and waded into the water, my shorts getting soaked in the process. I recall seeing his face painted in a crimson blush and his eyes cast down in shame. I'd come up behind him and felt his soaked bare skin against my own. It was cold but lit my body on fire. I wrapped my arms around his chest and tugged. Once, twice, three times, and on the fourth he came free with an umph!
We stumbled backward and laughed as we corrected our selves. I stared into his eyes after we fell silent and I brushed the hair from his eyes. Dark curly locks moved back so I could see emerald orbs that spoke of much more than I could fathom. I felt a tug in my body, a need to touch my lips to his, but we were moving slowly, we'd only recently told each other how we felt and it had been an odd experience. With a content sigh, I began to make my way back to the shore.
"Wait," his voice was quiet but it held importance. He caught up to me, water just under his waistline. He blinked hard and smiled. "Thank you for helping me," he said through a half smirk. He tilted his head then and pushed his mouth to mine, our lips connecting. I kissed him back, ignoring the wetness that made him slippery and I wrapped my arms around him.
"You're very welcome," I whispered when we pulled away. Peter laughed and sent me off on my way back to the campsite so that he could finish bathing.
That was ten years ago and while somethings are different, Peter has remained a constant in our ever changing life. Traveling took the backseat and finding a home for ourselves became our next goal. Once we'd done that, our next task was landing jobs. That came quickly and easily and soon enough we established ourselves in our own home with our own lives. We were partners, unified in every way and loving every minute of it.
Time passed and now here we are, two lovers and their child, and the many Pokémon that accompanied us through our journeys. And so it came that today was the day of showing love for one another, a holiday designed for sweethearts and romantics. I'd woken up without Peter by my side and curiously made my way down the stairs and into our kitchen. Peter and Leo, our adopted son, sat at the table and a feast of a breakfast was laid out before them.
"Good morning, Daddy!" Leo exclaims when he sees me, a bright smile on his face. His hair is as yellow as a golden wheat field and as soft as feathered downs. His eyes are a sky blue that breaks my heart every time I look into them, a reminder of what purity and childhood really means.
"Have some breakfast, Ivan," Peter says and pulls out a chair me. I sit and load my plate with my breakfast just as my dear old friend Phanpy nudges at my leg. Another constant, a beautiful friend who refused to change. I respect him for it. Peter smiles and pulls his beautiful and graceful Liligant onto his lap. I laugh and drop a pancake onto the tiled floor for the elephant to eat and Peter feeds his elegant flower strawberries.
"Any plans for today?" I ask, a happy smile on my face. Peter returned the smile and shook his head. He'd gotten time off of work, which wasn't easy seeing as he's quite an elite gym leader. I myself had gotten time off as well as I am merely an apprentice the brilliant Professor Juniper. "Good, because I have plans for us. All three of us."
"What are they, Daddy?" Leo asks excitedly, his Growlithe leaping onto his lap. The two are practically inseparable. They'd been attached ever since we caught him as a pup.
"To sit around and do nothing. To relax, to have fun, and to be a family. Sound good?"
Leo nods with a brilliant gleaming in his eyes. Peter chuckles softly and comes around to my side of the table. He leans down and kisses me gently. His lips are as warm and soft as they were all those years ago, though they taste different. They've gathered a sweet taste of true love and saucy sense of passion. It is these kisses that could send reassurance all through my body and let me know that life is perfect.
"Sounds wonderful, Ivan. I love you. Both you."
I look at Leo and we share a giggle. "We love you too," we say in unison, a sound that lets love sweep over the room. Love and family, for that's what life is to us. We're a family and that's better than anything I could ever ask for on Valentine's Day.