☕︎
o9.

Returning the Favour?

I met her under the snowfall that night.

She was standing on the main street, her face obscured by the shadows cast by her dull pink umbrella. It seemed to match her attire-a nude blush trench coat paired with long dark mauve boots.

"Serena?" I croaked out, the thought of not seeing her after today dimming my voice.

The umbrella rose to reveal her flushed face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but they no longer held the desperation I had witnessed haunting her after the accident.

She let out a squeal, and before I could move a step, her boots crunched against the snow. Pikachu jumped off my shoulder with a yelp, and I found myself staggering back a little when her body hit mine, her arms wrapping around my neck.

It knocked the air out of my lungs when she rose on her tiptoes to place her head in the crook of my shoulder blade, her warm and quick breathing starkly contrasting the frigidity of the atmosphere. I took a shaky inhale, watching the white puff of cloud dissipate in front of me. My hand hovered over her petite figure, unsure of where to go, where to rest.

"S-Serena?" I stammered awkwardly, feeling my neck heat up from her embrace alone. "Your mom might not-not approve of t-this."

She didn't respond, instead tightening her hold. My mind broke into a conflict between letting go and stepping away or just standing there awkwardly, not reciprocating her gesture while her warmth seeped in.

"Please," she whispered a few heartbeats later, snapping me out of my reverie. "Clem knows, and that's all that matters. I-I just wanted you to know that you're the only one apart from him and Dad who can... hold me. So, please. I need it. I need you."

My eyes unfocused. Hearing her words had my knees buckling. Nonetheless, I fluttered them closed, my arms finding their place around her waist. Hoisting her a little to deepen the embrace, I gave her the warmth she deserved.

It was reciprocated, too-almost like a sunny morning amidst snow, the light when you're burning low, like the feeling of being home after a long road trip.

It was inexplicable.

But the weight of what I held within my chest pressed on me agonizingly.

"Do you think they'll ever stop?" she whispered, her voice airily snapping me out of my reverie.

"S-stop?"

"The snowfall," she replied, pulling away a little. Her cheeks were flushed from the weather-or something else entirely-matching her dress. "Do you think it'll ever stop snowing?"

I turned my eyes to the gray skies overhead. The snowflakes flicked down lazily, like feathers, elegant and unhurried. Turning back to her, I saw her searching my eyes, as if wanting a glimpse of what I held within.

"I don't know, but..." I reciprocated her gaze, losing myself in the icicle promises her cerulean eyes held. "As sick as it sounds, I don't care if it goes on forever too."

The girl chuckled, once more hoisting herself up on her tiptoes to bury her face in the crook of my shoulder. "Sounds good to me. Falling... forever."

I couldn't take it anymore. Breaking the embrace, I looked away from her, fists clenching at my sides. "Serena..."

Her mittened hands found my cheek, brushing a fringe out of my eye. "No, don't," she whispered urgently. "I just want to stay here. Forever. Falling forever." The last part was an afterthought, an incoherent mumble, but I caught it within the flickering streetlights.

Words tumbled out of my mouth before I could second-guess myself. "I'm leaving Kalos."

The girl pulled back this time, but her hands lingered on my shoulders. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "What?"

I forced myself to hold her gaze despite the guilt eating at my insides. Words turned into jagged stones within my throat. Nevertheless, I plastered a smile and continued. "I'm leaving. Dad wants me to intern under him."

The girl's eyes widened, and her lips parted in disbelief. Any trace of her smile was gone, now replaced with the very same misery I had seen on her two days ago.

"F-for how long?"

"I don't know," I admitted, setting my jaw. "Maybe two years. Give or take, but nothing less than that, at most."

Her hands slipped from my shoulders, falling limply to her sides. The snow crunched beneath our feet when I stepped back a little, widening the gap between us.

"I-I can't just leave like this," I went on, quietly reaching over to push a stray lock of her hair behind her ear the way she had done mine. "Without telling you what I've been hiding ever since you stepped into my café. Without telling you how I felt."

Serena's lips quavered, and her eyes started prowling for answers within mine. I held her gaze just as firmly, letting her look through me, search my mind, read my soul.

"Serena, I care about you. More than just a friend. You're like... this ball of sunshine I can bask in during the freezing winters. Your smile makes me feel things... feel at home. You make me go higher than caffeine can. What I want to tell you is..." I paused, my hand finding hers. "I love you. I'm sorry."

Her lips trembled, and I saw the tears welling in her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth as if she couldn't find the right words. The silence stretched on, the snowflakes bearing witness to the fleeting moment. "Then why would you do this now? Why are you leaving?"

I didn't look away. "Because you deserve to know. I know it won't make this any better, but I don't want to leave without letting you know how much you mean to me."

Her hands mirrored mine, clenching at her sides as she desperately fought back the tears that threatened to spill. "Better? You think you telling me this now makes it any easier?"

"No," I said, my own voice cracking. "It doesn't, but I couldn't leave without saying it, and-"

She stepped forward, cutting me short, and threw her arms around my midriff once again, burying her face into my chest. Her voice was muffled, but I could hear the raw emotion within it. "You're such an idiot."

I blinked, unsure as to how to respond to that. 

"I know how much this means to you," she said, pulling back just enough to look me in the eye. Her cheeks were dusted with a pale shade of red, eyes glimmering with unshed tears under the streetlights. "And I want to be happy for you, but I can't — it hurts. It hurts so damn much." 

"Serena." I bit my lip from crying out loud. "I-I don't wish to, either, but how do I stand against Dad?" 

The girl met my eye with a determined gaze, withdrawing from the embrace, her voice falling sturdier as she spoke. "If we can convince your dad, will you stay back at Kalos?" 

My mind raced, considering the frightening chance it held for us. Would I stay back? Would I go against my father? Would I find peace at that? "Maybe," I replied, carefully, my voice no above a whisper. 

Serena closed her eyes, her hands groping on my shirt before it came to a rest on my chest, right on my heart. My breath hitched, just observing her from this angle. A foot or so taller than her, but boy did she hold the key to my body. 

"Then it will be fine," she whispered back, putting on a smile. Her eyes met mine in a charged moment, and I acted on my instinct when she leaned closer, craning my neck to let the crackles of an intimate record sizzle us. 

The distant city lights, the snowfall, the buzz from buildings around seemed to shy away to the backdrop when my eyes focused on hers. Her gaze briefly flitted down to my jaw before she returned the stare, coming back at full force. I felt her hand press against my chest, the other slithering up to grab the nape of my neck. 

My fingers twitched at my sides, unsure if I should go for the broke or if I should hold back, but then I didn't have to think. She was already there, her face inches away from mine, her warm breath teasing my heart to race faster. 

The faint hum of the snowflakes falling from heaven blurred. At that moment, I realised that this memory would forever be etched on my mind — where our eyes are never closing, our hearts never broken, our silence carrying the weight of words unspoken and unnecessary. 

She scooted closer, our foreheads touching for a split second that was enough to send a spasm through my spine. My breath hitched when her beautiful orbs reflected the happiness her smile demonstrated. Almost instinctively, I closed my eyes. 

And then there it was, as if the world had decided it was worth the magic, a whisper of her lips against mine in a tender promise of something more, should I fight for it the way James said. 

It wasn't a kiss — no, not yet. It wasn't half as sloppy, passionate or warm as the one prior. But it had a magical twist of its own, one that left my heart jittery and my breath ragged. 

We pulled back a second later, blushing but feeling warm, regardless of the weather around. A heartbeat passed before I vocalised my thoughts, a familiar wave of déjà vu washing over me. "How?" 

The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile as she let go of me to pick the pissed-off Pikachu from the ground. She hugged him closer, eliciting coos of pleasure from the electric mouse. He shot me a dirty look, as if wanting to give me an earful for forgetting him, but I shook it off by sticking a tongue out at him. 

Serena looked up, her eyes glimmering with a firm determination. When she spoke, the snowfall around us froze with her delicate little promise. 

"I'll make sure of it."

~ Fin ~

Hey guys!
I managed to not make a single A/N in this book, but I suppose I owe an explanation here.

The plot ends with this chapter, but the epilogue will specify what happened after this part. So you guys have to stay tuned for that to understand what happens.

On a side note, do you wish for me to publish some of the oneshots I have written based on this book? They are generally based on life *after* this incident, and the PoVs are not just Ash's. It ranges from Serena's to Team Rocket's too.

Happy New Year! I wish everyone a great year filled with love, joy and health! ;D

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x