It's a Secret to Both of Them!
Mar 1, 2019 4:51:23 GMT
Post by humansoulengineer on Mar 1, 2019 4:51:23 GMT
This story was written for the February Rock the Block prompt "theme". It's a ConcreteJungleShipping [Sapphire x Platinum (manga)] story revolving around a certain secret base.
“It’s a Secret to Both of Them!”
"So tell me again, what is this secret base thing about which you were talking?" Platinum asks, keeping her eyes glued to the path ahead of them.
"Oh they're great! It's like your own little fort or tree house! Really comfy when you’re traveling around. Ya just teach a Pokémon the TM for Secret Power and you can make 'em wherever."
This sort of thing never caught on outside of Hoenn, as far as Platinum can tell, giving the whole thing sort of a regional charm.
“That sounds lovely! Having extra homes away from home is never bad thing,” says Platinum.
“I think we’ve got two different ideas of ‘home away from home’,” Sapphire deadpans. “Most of these are pretty small compared to what you’re used ta, Lady.”
“Well, Sapphire, what should I expect?” asks Platinum in a half-joking tone.
"I made this base a few months ago. It’s built into one of the large bushes around here. It’s bigger than it looks and I even decorated and tidied it up a little bit. Ya gonna love it! "
Platinum hangs on every word Sapphire says, just as Sapphire hangs on Platinum on the back of the bike. The whole thing sounds lovely, but Platinum can tell Route 120 isn’t exactly small nor easy to navigate.
"How soon do you think we will arrive?" Platinum asks, shooting a worried glace up at the very grey sky. Sapphire catches her meaning, all too familiar with the famous rains near Fortree city.
"We'll be fine. It's just up ahead a little bit!"
Platinum chauffeurs Sapphire down the increasingly rougher and plant-filled path. She likes to think of herself as an accomplished cyclist, so the bumps on the ground don’t bother her, but the omnipresent brush is a concern. Her clothes are the same ones as always: warm sleeveless dress, hat, scarf, and boots. Cool enough for the Hoenn climate, but the lack of sleeves or legs now seems like a bad choice for the rough environment. Sapphire’s sportier outfit lacked those, too, but she basically lived outside as far as Platinum can tell, so of course it doesn’t bother her.
Platinum feels a few specks of wetness land on her cheeks and nose. She and Sapphire glance upwards to see the once grey sky had darkened. Like a sudden strike on the face, a wall of heavy rain slaps the pair. Platinum struggles to maintain control of her newly slick bike.
"I thought you said that we would arrive before the rain!" laments Platinum to her companion, holding on even tighter than before.
"Don't cha worry! We'll be there soon!" Sapphire tells her. "It's always rainy like this!"
Platinum makes something resembling a worried grunt, but Sapphire already has good news.
"There it is!" she yells and stands up to point enthusiastically at a large, dense clump of foliage. The bike wobbles under the sudden change in center of gravity, but Platinum keeps it under control. She pedals through the brush before braking in front of a conspicuously large bush. The pair hop off, ready for some respite from the rain.
“Ah, yeah this should be—“Sapphire’s sentence fizzles midway as she has an epiphany.
“What?” asks the curious and increasingly worried Platinum. Sapphire pauses and contorts her face a little.
“I, uhh, this ain’t my secret base,” Sapphire admits, nervously laughing. “I guess I mighta made it a teensy bit too secret, heh.”
Platinum stands, wet, cold and flabbergasted in the rain.
“Don’tcha worry! I’m pretty sure I know where else it might be!” Sapphire reassures Platinum with newfound confidence. “It’ll just take a little more peekin’ around.”
The both of them resume their search by bike, Platinum reassuring herself that today is supposed to be a fun adventure. Getting a little wet is just part of the fun.
They bike deeper into the brush, Platinum following the narrowing dirt trail and trying to ignore the wild grass constantly nicking her exposed arms from both sides. She almost regrets not bringing a coat or even a long-sleeved jacket with her, but thinking about wearing such a thing around hot and humid Hoenn sounded even worse than leaving it.
“Oh, that’s—uh, never mind.”
Platinum heard some variant of that phrase three times in the past twenty minutes from Sapphire and wonders how many more times she will hear it before the days end.
The wind picks up and the thickening rain stings her. The soil turns to mud as they go deeper into the wilderness and that mud splatters everything below dress height. Her pace slows, bogged down, but Platinum still pedals as fast as she can muster. She can barely see through the rain, but presses forward regardless. Sapphire, standing on the back axel of the bike go-go goggles equipped, is Platinum's eyes now.
"Have you seen anything yet?"
Sapphire interrupts her regular swiveling of her head from side to side. Pondering for a split second, she rubs the back of her head.
"No, nothin' yet ha ha. But keep pedaling! I'm sure it's ‘round here somewhere!"
With every strike across of the face of rainy wind, Platinum feels her temper erode and mood sour. Why is she out here in the rain in the first place?
Sapphire had said “You’ll love it! Trekking through Route 120 is a big adventure! You can bike us both through!” or something to that effect. She should have borrowed a Pokémon to fly on. She should have brought a raincoat. But now she feels like a fool, a blind woman following another blind woman.
Platinum snaps back to the present as she feels the Earth give out from under her. She barely has time to yelp as the bike and its riders careen down a short, but steep decline. Unable to maintain control or balance, they collapse hard onto the mud with a gross "plop".
They both stumble to their feet
“Aw man, that sure was a tumble. Hey, Plat, are ya—“
Looking down at her muddied clothes, Platinum contains the urge to scream. She merely scowls at her equally muddy partner. She has had enough. Enough of the rain, enough of the mud, enough of this whole experience.
She wipes the most egregious globs of mud from her dress. “You are going to fly us there. You are going to call out Tropius, and we are going to search this place by air.” Platinum knows they should have done this in the first place, before all the rain.
“We can’t just do that, Plat. Ya can’t really see it from the sky and rain will just make searching by air impossible. Plus, the wind’s gonna be real tough on Troppy,” Sapphire explains delicately to Platinum, who both can tell is on the verge of erupting.
Platinum says nothing, choosing to stand the bicycle upright again. She hides both her anger and frustration. She thinks she is above them. Sapphire sheepishly climbs on the rear and awaits their leaving.
Sapphire points in a direction and they silently ride through the brush.
“Ya know, Plat,” Sapphire starts, “I picked this secret base because it was a little harder to find than the others.”
Platinum listens, but keeps her eyes locked ahead.
“I know love ta go out and try new things, so I thought that a kinda long-ish search through Route 120 would be a lotta fun. And then we could relax in my cozy fort for the night once we found it, ya know. But it’s been a while since my last visit, so I just sorta…forgot the exact location.”
Sapphire holds onto Platinum as tenderly as one can on a fast-moving bicycle.
“I’m sorry I got lost. I just wanted ya to have some fun out here.”
Platinum silently processes the words of the thoughtful companion wrapped around her.
“If this secret base is as nice as you say it is,” Platinum speaks with measured words, “then maybe this trek is still worth it.”
Sapphire holds on a little tighter, and though Platinum cannot see her, she can still feel Sapphire almost glowing.
“Alright! Time to find this place before the weather gets even crummier!” Sapphire resumes standing on the axel of the rear wheel, hands on Platinum’s shoulders to stabilize as she looks for anything secret-base-shaped.
The strong rain and the sticky mud and the stinging brush may have ruined the ride over, but as long as Platinum lives, they will not ruin her relationship. She presses her depleted legs to their limit.
“Wait a minute, I know those leaves!” Could it be?
“Yeah, that’s it! It’s right here!” Platinum almost forgets that she is wet and cold and dirty. They skid to a stop in front of another looking large bush hidden among the brush. It has one crucial difference: the outline of a human-sized entrance.
“I understand how you could get this base confused with all the other bushes. It is practically indistinguishable!” Platinum says, impressed in the worst way.
“Well, duh! It’s a secret base!” retorts Sapphire, hopping off the bike second. “That’s kinda the point.”
Platinum doesn’t have the energy to argue.
“C’mon! I’ll show ya in!” Sapphire takes Platinum by the hand and leads her inside.
First in order, Platinum prepares Empoleon’s Pokéball. They both could use a thorough washing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Let's agree to never do that again," Platinum remarks, snuggling up in one of the blankets stored in the secret base.
"Awww, didn't ya have a good time?" Sapphire is snuggled up on the floor right next to her under another blanket.
"It was quite an exhilarating trip! But perhaps a bit too damp and muddy for one day. My clothes weren't designed for close contact with mud."
"Hey, I got ya some of my spares!" Sapphire only keeps the bare minimum of normal clothes in her base, but a t-shirt and some lounging pants are enough for Platinum. “Are they up ta your standards?”
"Yes, thank you, they almost fit."
Sapphire leans onto Platinum as if her body lost all structural integrity.
“Hey—“ Platinum counter-leans in response.
“But ya’re the warmest thing here!”
“It’s hardly my fault that your little fort has no heating. Or any place to put a fire for that matter.” Despite the cozy dimensions of the place, Sapphire’s secret base has an austere sense of décor. With the exception of a simple dresser with a Minun plush on top, the base lacks any real furniture. Platinum doesn’t think it’s necessarily dirty, the carpets on the ground are proof of that, but it follows a design mentality antithetical to her own.
“Normally, there’s no need. I just snuggle up with Chic and Kirly and Phado and that keeps us plenty warm,” Sapphire explains. “I woulda brought them out, but I figured you wouldn’t like the smell up close.”
“Oh, maybe not!” Platinum agrees, chuckling, even though she is still colder than she would prefer. “Thank you, though.”
“On the bright side, if we’re both cold, we can do this!” Sapphire reaches under the blankets and snakes her arms around Platinum’s waist. Platinum lets out a small yelp as Sapphire reels in her catch and lovingly embraces her. “See, isn’t this much better?”
“I guess it is a little better.” Despite the two layers of blanket between them both, Platinum feels Sapphire’s warmth and begins to loosen up. “Actually, it is much better.”
Sapphire nuzzles affectionately and Platinum returns those affections. The pair sit entwined, silent and enraptured by the warm relaxing feeling of being deep under the covers with a loved one. Platinum almost falls asleep before Sapphire speaks.
“Ya know, this is the first time I’ve brought anyone to this place.” Sapphire makes a face like she has been waiting to blurt out something important.
“Oh really?”
“Like, I used ta have another base ‘round Route 101, by my Dad’s place,” Sapphire explains. “Only me and my ex have been in it.”
“Ahh.” Platinum sees where this conversation is going, but can’t stop it.
“I can’t go back there. Too many memories of Ruby, ya know.”
“So I figured, maybe I should make a new base! Just for me…and you,” Sapphire finishes, hugging Platinum tight.
Platinum feels like she doesn’t have the right words, like the situation shifted to one several levels above her experience. But she does remember something that makes her feel a little better.
“Sapphire, you look like you could use a cup of tea,” Platinum declares to a bewildered Sapphire.
“I don’t have any tea here…or tea cups…or hot water. I don’t have a lotta stuff here,” Sapphire says, nixing that idea.
“Well…,” Platinum speaks, knowing how to spin the idea, “we can bring that and more to the base next time!”
“Plat…”
“Just looking around this whole place, I can tell that you need some renovations!” Platinum smiles as she imagines what to do with the whole space.
“Hey! Just cuz I like things natural doesn’t mean it’s bad!” replies Sapphire with mild offense.
“We could put a tea table and some chairs over there. Maybe frame a painting on the wall…Oh! We definitely need matching dressers,” Platinum gushes to Sapphire, who just lets her do her thing. No sense in stopping her.
“Ya know, that all seems like a lot for just a base.”
Platinum turns to face Sapphire and smirks. “And do you not want me coming back to this base, a second and third and fourth time?”
Platinum’s energy and smile are infectious.
“Alright, Plat,” Sapphire concedes. “You win, we’ll bring whatever junk you want over.”
Platinum leans in just a bit too much and topples the both of them. In the chaos of blankets and bodies on the floor, she ceases to be the hugged and becomes the hugger.
“It’s not junk! It’s all very important,” Platinum says as she stares right into Sapphire’s eyes. Sapphire chortles a little bit at the remark, before going in for a kiss.
“Okay, my Lady.”
This is a fairly straightforward story in terms of its structure: there are two people who care about each other and are stumbling awkwardly towards a closer intimacy, going on an adventure that strains their patience and the atmosphere between them, and ultimately managing to resolve everything and find that intimacy they were approaching. You know there'll be a (minor) crisis, and that there'll be a super cute resolution, pretty much as soon as you start reading. But like, there's nothing wrong with that if it's done well, and this really is done well. Like it's just so damn cute, seriously!