The sunlight is warm, but it is so, so cold at the same time.

Every movement sends shivers down her spine, and the sun burrows its merciless, intangible arrows into her fur—she can't feel its warmth, though, no matter how hard she tries, and the heat pricks at her body with the numbness of a slab of ice.

"Glaceon!"

She can hear her owner looking for her. It's muffled, but she can hear the woman calling out—she refuses to go back, however; it would be a waste to give up her newly-found freedom.

A few minutes pass. She plunges into the deepest parts of the forest with unusual pluckiness. The only moments she takes to think are the ones when the ground is muddy and she doesn't want to get into an even dirtier state.

The dimness over her eyes lift soon enough, revealing a tiny clearing with far more light than necessary.

Some stray part of her wonders if all Ice-types despise the sun like this. Another part tries to come up with a deep, overly-dramatic theory that she wants to scoff at—maybe she's just imagining the cold because of years of tragic loneliness—

Glaceon stifles a laugh to herself. She's always been a melodramatic Pokemon.

Still, she wonders if part of it is true.

❅

"What are you doing here?"

She stiffens up when she hears a voice calling out her name.

When she turns, a Leafeon is looking at her, brown eyes curious as she takes a step towards the newcomer.

"What are you doing here?" It's the only thing her mind gives to her, and she can almost hear the Pokemon laugh at the retort. 

"You're cranky." The comment makes her tense up, and she starts to fumble for another crappy comeback, but the creature stifles a chuckle and continues before she can even speak. "I live here."

"By yourself?" she asks, not knowing if she should be impressed with the clearing.

 The Leafeon shrugs. "The occasional friend visits. Unless you're telling me that Glaceon can be found in the wild here, you're not one of them."

"Well, I don't plan on staying here," she retorts, knowing that she must seem every bit as prissy as she was raised to be—and to hell with that, because she doesn't care about anyone else's opinions. It's fine as long as she knows that she's not some fancy prick.

"More space for me, then." The creature across her yawns. "Really, though, you don't seem like the type to take a stroll in a place like this. You're like one of those rich things."

Glaceon rolls her eyes. "I am one of those rich things, for your information." It takes far too much willpower to hide the disdain in her voice. "I'm just taking a walk here. What's up with you?"

The Leafeon yawns once again, and it makes her frown. Why should a creature be tired in the middle of the day? "I live here, rich one. Shouldn't a Glaceon like you be all the way in Snowpoint?"

"Oh, shut up." She manages not to raise her voice, and she considers it a very good act of self-control. The lame comeback seems lacklustre, but in her defence, she's not caring much about how it sounds. "You live in a forest. You wouldn't know anything."

"That's also true," the Leafeon smiles. Her brown eyes are shaped a little like almonds; she doesn't know why she's choosing to notice that, but it can't be helped. "Honestly, you're a nice change of scenery. It gets a little boring every now and then."

To her surprise, she ends up smirking in response. "Oh?" With an exaggerated sweep of her tail, she stands up straighter, trying to puff herself up as much as possible. "Are you enjoying the view, then? I'd be quite insulted if you didn't."

Leafeon laughs. "You're strange," she manages to get out. "In a good way."

"...Glaceon!" 

She has to resist letting out a groan when her owner calls again, her voice noticeably nearer this time. It's not like she hates the woman, but she's never been allowed to go out much and she intends to make full use of the time she's stolen.

Her owner ends up getting lost again, and they end up shooting playful insults at each other until the sun has gone down and she really does have to go, and—

—although she doesn't quite know what sunlight is supposed to feel like, she feels that the creature's voice is somewhat close to it.

❅

The next time they meet is a week later, but this time, it's not accidental.

Her owner has decided that Eterna City is a nice place—and she does agree, although she has to admit that the forest has left a deeper impact than the city itself. That's why she finds herself dragged back there, sitting in a cramped café with the woman and watching her chat with her friends.

There are two annoying Pichu next to her. They're driving her crazy.

So she takes the first chance she gets to sneak off. The two women are engrossed in conversation, and her Pokemon companions are making nuisance of themselves as they run in circles around the shop. 

When the door next opens to let another customer in, she darts off as fast as she can. She has a whole hour to herself.

It's ironic that she heads straight for Eterna Forest. 

Leafeon doesn't notice her right away.

The Pokemon has her back turned to her when she enters the clearing. She appears to be talking to one of the friends she mentioned—except that the friend is a scrawny Burmy, and the creature is actually being nice to the midget in front of her.

She's more surprised by the second fact. Her impression of Leafeon hasn't been the best, after all; they'd had a wonderful time insulting each other from the very beginning, and it makes her stop when the Pokemon flashes a smile not meant for her.

Is that smile what sunlight feels like?

She has no time to ponder the question. The conversation between the forest-dwellers end, and the wide grin slides off Leafeon's face as she becomes aware of her prescence.

They stand in silence for a few seconds before the other Eevee evolution adopts a more mischievous expression. "Did you run off again? That wasn't a very nice thing to do, you know. Your owner must be so worried."

"You—" Glaceon is only able to gape at her in surprise. "—you're nice?"

"It's a miracle!" Leafeon exclaims with sarcasm. The tip of the leaf that makes up her tail droops a little. "I can be kind to others! Truly a sight to behold!"

Leafeon's voice is light. It's obvious that she's trying to contain her laughter.

"Hey, I was just surprised!" she bites back. Her face betrays her and eases into a small smile. "So, are you like this to everyone? Or is it just kids that you're nice to?"

"But you're not a kid." The Pokemon skips to the side, dodging the ice that pools under her feet, and she shoots her a smile—this time, however, she can't tell if she's being genuine or sarcastic. "Get it?"

Glaceon huffs. "Witty, but not eloquent enough."

"Elo—" Leafeon tilts her head and ponders the meaning of the word, but she soon gives up on it and flicks her tail. "Whatever. Rich Pokemon like you grow up around other rich people, right? Someone like me wouldn't know these things."

She smirks. "Aristocrats," she crows with pride. "The word you're looking for is 'aristocrats'."

"Oh, shut up," Leafeon whines, and ends up chasing her away in embarrassment.

❅

The third time is—the third time, something breaks and the only thing that runs through her mind is that third time's not the charm.

Her owner has fallen in love with Eterna City. She's considering getting a place there, and Glaceon has tried her best to act like the perfect enthusiastic pet. If it means that she has more chances to escape to Eterna Forest to see the oddball of a Leafeon, she's all for it.

Somehow, the Pokemon has weeded her way deep into her cold, cold heart. She doesn't know if she likes the change.

She slips out when her owner is looking at the last house of the day—it's a good settlement; smaller than she's used to, but quaint and homely, and heads to the forest before the woman even notices.

When she gets there, though, Leafeon is fast asleep.

The creature is curled up in the afternoon sun, dappled rays falling on her cream fur and making her look as angelic as the next incarnation of Arceus, and she looks as if she enjoys the sunlight. Of course, she'll never know how that will feel.

She can't bear to wake her up, so she sits down somewhat awkwardly and watches the Pokemon sleep.

It's kind of relaxing, in a way. The two of them are alone in this garden-like setting, with lilies dotting the grass around them, and when she takes in a lungful of the fresh air, her inaudible sigh is thankful instead of weary.

Glaceon wonders if Leafeon is dreaming. She wonders, if her previous thought was true, what she's dreaming about.

Her idle thoughts are interrupted, however, when she doesn't manage to hear the—almost—soundless beat of footsteps in the fuzzy carpet, and when a voice calls out to her.

"So you're the Glaceon that she always talks about."

The Vaporeon's tone is gentle; sweet, and she's inclined to nod to such a Pokemon. "You know, I'm happy for my daughter. She never did make any close friends."

"You're her mother?" she stammers out, because apparently she's an idiot. "But she told me she had friends. Besides, she seems to be a sociable person, so I would have thought that..."

Across her, the creature lets out a low breath and gives her a small, sad smile. "Hasn't she told you? Leafeon's had terminal cancer for a while now. She's been diagnosed with it ever since a passing Nurse Joy took a look at her and brought her back to the hospital."

It's that moment that the haggard lines under her eyes make sense. That the reason why the creature yawns so much finally comes to mind.

"I'm so sorry," the Vaporeon stumbles out. "I just thought she had told you. She always keeps her distance when she talks to her other acquaintances, so when I heard that she'd warmed up to someone, I thought that she would have—"

The older Pokemon stops there. Their breath seems to break in the fall air, and it seems wrong that amidst all the chaos in her heart, Leafeon's eyes is still closed.

How many days would it be before they closed and never opened again?

"You're someone important to her," The sad expression is back on her face, and it hurts looking at it almost as much as it hurts staring at the sleeping creature for even a second longer. "It's not my place to ask this, but—please treat my daughter well."

Vaporeon ducks her head and disappears off into the forest.

Glaceon stays frozen for several long moments. She doesn't know how to react to the information dumped on her—what is she supposed to do? How is she supposed to deal with such a situation when she doesn't want the asshole to die?

She's going to die. She's going to die. She's going to die.

The same few words turn over in her mind again and again.

She doesn't want Leafeon to die.

Her paw unconsciously reaches out to stroke the leaf that droops atop the Pokemon's head. It bends easier than it should; it's almost flimsy in the small breeze, and its fragility does nothing but make warm tears spring to her eyes.

Leafeon cracks open one eye at that moment, and she raises that very leaf to smack her away. "What do you want?"

We've only met twice and we still mean so much to each other. So why didn't you tell me?

"It looks like I'm moving to Eterna," she half-lies. "I might be accidentally running into you every day. I'll be here tomorrow."

She scampers off before Leafeon can question her even further.

❅

In spite of her promise, Glaceon does not return to the forest the next day.

It's late when she lets out another sigh and heads to bed.

❅

She doesn't know what do to when Leafeon initiates their next encounter the week after that, tearing through the city like an unstoppable ball of madness and arriving at her door when it's dark out and pouring.

"Are you crazy?" Glaceon hisses, letting the door close behind them and diving into the kitchen to grab a towel. It's an old one; besides, she's her owner's beloved pet. She's not going to get into trouble for stealing a piece of cloth. "It's freezing out there!"

The Pokemon can only laugh in response.

"Look, I don't know about you, but normally, we don't look for friends in the middle of the night." She neglects to mention that she's sick.

"I'm sorry."

Leafeon's head is bowed, and shit, is she crying?

Glaceon has heard those words before. She's heard them from the Pokemon's mother; small and sad and defeated, but she thinks that hearing them from Leafeon is what she needs.

"I'm sorry," she repeats, and she has the same apologetic smile as the Vaporeon. Her tears land on their new floor and the shadows wash them away. 

She counts up to a beat under her breath before the silence is swallowed again.

"I mean, you were just a passing Pokemon, right?" Leafeon laughs again, and it makes her shudder. "That was what I thought, so I let myself get close, but then you came again and I—I was lonely."

So was I, she wants to reply, but the words fail to leave her mouth.

Her eyes are red as she returns the cloth. It lands in a sad heap before her paws, and she can't help but think that her almond eyes are still beautiful in spite of everything.

"This was stupid," the grass-type admits. Her tone is low, however, and very, very near to cracking. "If you hadn't come again, everything would have been fine. I guess the two of us shouldn't have met in the first place."

And just as she turns to leave, Glaceon makes up her mind and slaps her across her face.

"Did you think you were the only one she felt alone?" she asks—and oh, Arceus, she's crying too. "I never talked to anyone. The owner gave up on getting me to make a friend. Then you come along and start being such a loveable asshole—and now you want it all to end?"

Leafeon looks away. "It's bound to end soon."

"And you thought that this would help?" she snaps. "If we're so desperate that we can make friends in just two encounters, then it won't, idiot."

Something triggers them both at that point. They're both sobbing, holding on to each other like they're each other's life-force, and though they're tired and scared and angry, they're relieved and they're friends.

The creature ends up staying the night, and for the first time in the week, Glaceon sleeps well.

❅

Glaceon ends up going to the clearing the next day.

She goes there the day after too.

They spend the next day after that together as well.

(She loses count soon enough. She's not the type to keep track of things.)

It's more like she doesn't care. She's happy; Leafeon's happy—it's a win-win situation. Even her owner is surprised by how much more energy her Pokemon seems to have these days, but she chalks it up to the Eterna environment and lets her run around just a little bit more.

Leafeon sleeps more often now. Glaceon spends these days huddled with her underneath the closest tree they can find, watching her snore lightly and stroking her cream-coloured coat with as much tenderness as she can muster.

They're still scared, but it's progress, and that's all they need.

❅

The days go by dizzyingly fast.

It's the last day of fall when she visits the clearing yet again; when the most stubborn leaves are being shaken off their home; when the Christmas decorations are starting to be hung all around the city.

None of that matters.

The leaves are harder now. They crunch under her feet, and they make a series of rustling noises when she finds the clearing empty.

No. It couldn't have been happening so soon.

That's what she says to try and convince herself, but the secret place they always go to is empty, and it's only then that she notices that the place is nothing special without Leafeon. It's just a small, plain patch of meadow with a few bare trees.

Leafeon doesn't come out and yell at her for being slow.

A few minutes pass and Vaporeon spots her.

"I'm sorry," she says, and Glaceon is tired of hearing these words repeated over and over again. "She passed away last night."

She's dead. She's dead. She'sdeadshe'sdeadshe'sdead—

The words start to blend together in her mind. Her head whirs, and she has to take a step back from reality to process Vaporeon's soft voice.

"If it helps, it wasn't painful." It's obvious that the older Pokemon is still crying. "She told me to tell you—"

She whispers the last words and walks away before the both of them break down even further.

There's silence all around her.

Glaceon buries her head in her paws and stays that way for as long as she can; she tries to breathe in as much of Leafeon's prescence as possible, and she keeps sobbing and sobbing until night comes and her owner has to drag her away.

It's then that the first few snowflakes begin to fall.

The snow is cold, but it is so, so warm at the same time.

❅

—thank you.

❅

I HOPE YOU REALISED THAT THIS IS THE ABRIDGED VERSION AND I HAD TO CUT DOWN 750 WORDS SO THAT IT FIT THE WORD LIMIT

SO YES I HAD TO CUT SO MUCH STUFF OUT AND THIS IS 3000 WORDS IT'S LIKE JUST NICE

I'LL POST THE ONE WITH 3764 WORDS LATER

THIS IS FOR PROMPT 1 THE ONE WITH SUNNY DAY GOODBYE