Whenyouthinkofme-Clingyship

When you think of me, Clingyshipping/Absurdistshipping Fan Fic


Warning: contains small amounts and hints of Haughtyshipping and Commonershipping




"When you think of Pokémon!"


"When you think of Pokémon~"


It was sunny outside that day, the breeze at its calmest. The trees were still at their prime, hinting that summer was just at its peak. Many Pokémon trainers were outside, training, battling, or perhaps taking a small rest. Below a large shady oak tree were tree trainers, each with their own collection of Pokémon. They were just outside of Veilstone City, probably relaxing or taking a detour on their main goal. Two of the trainers were boys, one a blonde, the other a black-headed boy with a red beret covering most of his hair, while the other was a girl, a pristine air around here as well as a white beanie covering her long black hair. Each trainer had a matching scarf, the blonde with a green colored one, the beret one with a red colored one, and the female with a red colored one as well but with two ends hanging from the scarf.


Missy, as the girl was called, sat on her Ponyta while her Prinplup sat down on the grass. They each seemed to be uninterested in whatever was around them, and a sense to move on lingered as well. On the other hand the blonde, Pearl, and the beret-headed boy, Diamond (Dia), were standing together practicing something.


"There sure are a lot of different weather types that affect a battle!" Pearl started his hands on his hips in a matter-of-fact way.


"You don't say?" Dia replied, giving a curious look towards Pearl as he stated the question.


"Yup! There's Rain that affects Water-type Pokémon!" Pearl said, crossing his arms and smiling smugly to himself.


"Then I hope it starts raining rice to help my hunger-type!" Dia said, rubbing his stomach and smiling in a goofy way. Pearl retracted his arm backward to land a blow to Dia's head, in which the boy quickly ducked down from pain and rubbed the spot where the blonde had hit him.


"Stop thinking about food for once!" Pearl shouted, holding up his fist angrily before giving a deep sigh. Their usual routine, Pearl would make a statement; Dia would respond with some funny statement, and Pearl would provide a beating. It was the perfect punch line. Missy giggled, holding a hand over her mouth. She quickly retracted her hand, however, once Pearl turned around to shoot her a quick glare.


"You LAUGHED didn't you!?" The hyperactive blonde asked still fuming from the two's "Double Act".


"No I didn't. Don't be a pest." Missy responded the way she always did, her face solemn and serious. Pearl raised an eyebrow before sighing and sitting down on the grass and crossing his arms. Dia glanced at the frustrated Pearl before he sat down too and dug out a small rice-ball wrapped in tin foil and peeled off the shiny wrapping. The trio had been traveling together for a few months now, meeting in Jubilife City for their first time before venturing off. Pearl grumbled something, flopping over onto his back to stare up at the leafy branches of the tree nearby.


Pearl had been feeling lately that his and Dia's Double Act was starting to get old. Not the "Act" but the material. Pearl was often thinking of new ways to spice up the old routine but to no avail. Dia would always respond with an "Okay~" to whatever he chose. It somewhat irked Pearl that the boy was too laid back and calm about nearly everything they tried and he didn't get mad once about Pearl's sudden changes. The hyper boy grumbled, his brow furrowing at the crisp blue sky.
That was that! He would confront his friend about it! Pearl turned to look at his best friend, his companion and his long-term Manzai friend, who was still eating his rice ball. Pearl then froze, staring at the boy as he consumed his rice ball, pondering over his thoughts again. Would it really be right to tell his friend, his pal, his best bud, right now in front of Missy? After all that tour guide might butt in. He'd tell his friend later, maybe once Missy was gone.


"We should be going now. We can't waste all day here." It was Missy who spoke, her face calm as she stared at the two boys. Pearl realized he was still staring at his friend, who turned to look at him with a curious gaze while the rice ball hung lazily from his mouth. The boy immediately blushed in embarrassment, looking away, flustered, while fiddling with the lime green scarf that hung limply around his neck.


"Y-yeah!" Pearl said, jumping up quickly, the awkward moment gone from his mind, his fists raised and eager to get to Veilstone City. Dia raised a fist in agreement, his other hand holding the rice ball firmly in his mouth while chomping down on it until it was gone. Crumbs, however, were scattered around his face but the beret-headed boy didn't seem to take notice. Missy, however, seemed to as she looked over at the boy when he walked past.


"Oh, Dia." Missy spoke, reaching out a hand towards the boy. He turned around with that goofy grin of his, giving a questioning look with his lazily glazed eyes. The girl leaned towards her bag that was sitting comfortably on her Ponyta's side next to her and dug out a handkerchief. Missy then leaned forward, wiping off the crumbs on the boy's face before straightening herself up and giving a light smile.


"There, better." She said simply, patting her Ponyta's neck to give the signal to keep moving. Pearl crossed his arms and huffed a bit at the girl but he soon noticed Dia's expression, giving the feeling that his face had wandered off into a dream. Worst of all, he was blushing. At HER, of all people! Pearl felt anger rise in his chest, even though he thought it was weird he was angry about something as silly as that.


She seemed so cold and emotionless to him, even though he and Dia had been helping her defeat Gym Leaders like Roark and Gardenia. She had shown her willpower and determination to defeat the Gym Leaders but it didn't change anything about her normal attitude. Pearl gritted his teeth, wondering to himself why he was so worked up about that. He frowned, his mind a muddled mess now that he thought about it. Had he acquired feelings for his best friend, his old pal, his "stooge"?


No. It couldn't be possible!


Pearl's blush reddened when he thought about Dia and Missy, his anger boiling again. W-why, the blonde asked himself repeatedly, why am I so mad about it!? It was just a simple nice act!


"Pearrrl~" Pearl blinked and looked up to see Missy and Dia had stopped. He could see their outlines in the distance, Dia waving one of his hands over his head. He could tell it had been Dia that had called him.


"Let's go!" Pearl muttered something under his breath when Dia spoke again but he pushed the thought away. He'd need to think of better Manzai acts and how he could show Dia these were serious! Maybe he was getting worked up about the little crumb incident because of Manzai's. They couldn't be in love when they had so much practicing to do! Wait…did he just say love!?


Pearl shook his head furiously, his blonde curls wagging, before he looked up again. No! Whatever he did, he'd stop this and stop it now! Before anything with love would or could happen!
"Coming!" The blonde shouted, cupping on hand over his mouth. He then sprinted after the two running, not as nearly as fast as he could go, to catch up with the two. Yes, he'd stop whatever was going on between Missy and Dia. From the first time they met, Pearl could feel a spark between the two. He now knew it was probably getting stronger, maybe they were even doing things while he wasn't around! I'll do it, the blonde reminded himself, and I'll stop this before anything else happens!


+++


Pearl and Dia had been left alone by Missy in the Hotel. After beating the Gym Leader, the girl was pumped to be moving on. However, Dia and Pearl were silent the whole time the girl had decided to leave to the Game Corner one last time. Pearl didn't protest, even though he was eager to as a friend and his new request; as a bodyguard. He and Dia had decided that since the battle with Team Galactic, with the help of Missy's real bodyguards, the evil organization wouldn't show their faces for awhile.


Still, Pearl felt uneasiness in his stomach. Dia had lied about knowing Missy's true identity, but Pearl didn't hold it over his head... at least not yet. They were both silent as they each sat on their own bed, inside the hotel there were two beds one for each boy, and each were doing their own thing. Dia was eating food while watching his favorite show on the large flat screen TV. Pearl was trying to concentrate on more Manzai's and stand-up material.


Pearl then remembered that thing he had thought about before they had entered Veilstone City. The boy wondered if he should bring it up, his heart screamed a big fat no while his will screamed a big fat yes, and turned to look at his friend again. Yes, he'd do it. To save their friendship and maybe…if they failed at their jobs as bodyguards. They couldn't get attached now! Or ever!


"Dia…? No, I mean Diamond…!" Pearl started his usual routine when talking to the boy, getting up from his bed standing next to Dia's bed. The beret-headed boy stopped eating and looked at the frowning blonde. Pearl gripped his hands against his sides, still feeling like he shouldn't bring up after what had just happened. He then sighed, closing his golden colored eyes before opening them once his thoughts were gathered.


"I feel like…you haven't been taking our Manzai's seriously! Don't you remember our dreams!? Our goals!? Is…something…or someone," He whispered the "someone" quietly, "distracting you? I mean, you never get mad or anything at our Manzai's…" Pearl knew that Dia was not the type to get angry at simple things like that, but Pearl still felt like he wasn't taking these things seriously. Pearl looked at Dia expectantly, seeing the beret-headed boy's eyes flash a bit with an unknown emotion. The boy then looked at his sheets, and then to the food he was holding in his hand. Pearl thought he saw a light blush on his friend's face but it soon disappeared as Dia gave him a calm look.


"Pearl, that's not it, but…" The boy was trailing off, staring at the blonde's pants or whatever was so interesting on the ground. Pearl puffed air into his cheek angrily at the silence before pressing on.


"But…?" The blonde pressed, nearly on the edge of his chair, if he had one, now.


"I do…feel distracted. There is 'someone'." Dia said, Pearl was surprised he caught his whisper, and looked towards the boy again. Pearl knew it. Their journey had been too good to be true now! He knew his intentions about Dia and Missy were true now. His heart seemed to sank, however, when he heard that.


"Oh…I see…" The blonde said, scratching the back of his head while looking away. This was terrible! Now…they probably couldn't do their Manzai's with Missy's annoying calls and Dia attending to her every need like a boyfriend would do. Pearl felt frustration build up again and he sucked in a breath then exhaled to try and put out the rage in his chest. He then turned his attention back to Dia.


"Pearl…?" Dia asked concern in his voice since the boy had stopped talking to him. Pearl still felt frustrated but tried to keep his somewhat shaky voice level.


"Why don't you go be with them then?" Pearl felt a bit betrayed now. Dia had lied about Missy, what else had he lied about!? This secret "girl", who he guessed was Missy or maybe that he never, had the same goal as Pearl. Dia seemed a bit flustered by Pearl's question but he didn't answer right away.


"Well!?" Pearl asked in a louder voice, his hands fists at his sides. He could feel his nails digging into his palms. He still didn't understand why he felt a bit flustered around the mention of Dia loving another. He thought again, did he really love his friend, his "stooge", his partner-in-crime? No, guys didn't love each other! It was…absurd!


Dia flinched at Pearl's loud voice, holding up his rice ball against his face as some sort of shield.  Pearl felt frustrated he was hiding behind his food instead of answering the question. He could tell Dia was hiding something, something so deep he couldn't even tell the person that they'd been friends with for years! Pearl grunted in frustration, uncurling his hands and placed them on his hips. If he had pockets, he would have dug them in so hard that it might have ripped a hole in his pocket.


"I-I…" Dia said, looking away as he started to nibble on the rice ball he had been using as a shield. Pearl stared at Dia, trying to hold back a sudden frustration towards the boy. He was hiding something! He's using his food, the blonde thought, to get around it!


"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"


Before Pearl had even realized it, he had slapped the rice ball right out of his friend, his pal, his BEST friend's hand. The rice ball, now nearly a mottled up ball of mush, fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Dia stared with his eyes wide, and Pearl gave the exact same expression as the beret-headed boy. They stared at the mess in silence, though to Pearl it felt like hours, before Pearl tried to speak again.


"Dia…No, Dia-"


"Enough." It was Dia who cut into the blonde's sentence. The boy got off the bed he was sitting on, picking up the rice ball like it was a small child. He stared at it and cradled it in his hands, seeming lost in the white heap. Pearl felt his eyes wet a bit, rubbing them quickly with the back of his hand before Dia could notice the blonde.


"I'm…going to find Missy." Dia finally stated after a few heartbeats, turning towards Pearl with a serious look on his face. Pearl couldn't tell if he was angry or sad, he hid it well in his voice, but Pearl shot the boy an angry look.


"F-fine." Was all he said. He would match Dia's anger, but inside there was a pain in his chest. Why did he do that!? Why did-


SLAM! The door when shut with a harsh slam that shook Pearl from his thoughts. Pearl frowned, his eyebrows resting to their normal position on his face. He knew he hurt Dia's feelings, especially slapping that dumb rice ball from him. Pearl should have just asked him if he was in love with Missy, instead of beating around the bush. Then, he wondered why Dia didn't tell him the truth.
Maybe Pearl had been too defensive or maybe that Dia was afraid of something. Pearl felt his eyes starting to well up with wetness again, in which he vigorously rubbed his eyes. However, he felt the pain in his chest again and his eyes producing small tears. They cooled his hot cheeks, but it didn't help the blonde's situation.


"Heh…why am I crying?" Pearl said, smiling lightly to himself though he felt sick to his stomach. He might have lost his best friend; his old-time pal, his duo, or already have. Still, why should the boy be crying? It was weird…He was best friends with Dia! Surely they'd make up! Maybe-just maybe-It wasn't the fact that Dia and him had a small spat. No, that wasn't it at all. It was the fact that Pearl was getting worked up over it. Pearl clutched his chest just near where the end of his green scarf was hanging, closing his eyes tightly. Maybe, he really did have feelings for him.


Maybe, just maybe…


"No!" Pearl yelled aloud, turning towards the nearest wall. He sucked in a deep breath and recoiled his arm, balling it into the tightest fist possible. He then thrust his arm forward, pounding it hard into the wall. It made a small dent, but barely noticeable to the blonde. Pearl felt more tears going down his cheeks now and the harder his chest throbbed in pain.


"Argh!" He recoiled his arm again and thrust it harder into the wall, feeling pain shoot up his arm. The blonde winced and grabbed his arm that was still planted firmly in the wall. He hung his head, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes tightly as he sobbed silently to himself. His Pokémon's Pokeballs were on top of the dresser nearby and they each looked at each other sadly from their glass enclosure. They were worried about their trainer, and there was nothing they could do for him. After what felt like hours for Pearl's Pokémon the boy straightened his posture. He let his arms fall to his sides, though a trickle of blood dripped down from the blonde's knuckles.


"I…messed up." Pearl said, his voice cracking a bit before turning around to face the door once more. He wondered silently when Missy would be back. Maybe he could talk to her, more calmly than he did with Dia, and maybe confront the girl. Then again he could just imagine her retort.


"Don't be a pest."


She would say. Pearl gritted his teeth but sighed; his eyes hurt from sobbing and were red, somewhat swollen and itched. The boy walked towards his own bed, not even bothering to change into his own pajamas. He sat down and swung his legs over, laying a hand on his stomach while the other lay limply over his head on the pillow. He scowled at the ceiling, kicking off his shoes with the tips of his feet with the occasional help of his ankle.


He thought about Dia again, the boy who was frequently in his thoughts not just now but what felt like forever. Even since they had decided to leave on that journey, Pearl had been feeling strongly for Dia. Something about him…maybe his laugh, maybe his goofy grin or heck maybe even the way he just WAS, that made Pearl feel lightheaded. Pearl was trying to convince himself that he wasn't in love with the beret-headed boy, or maybe he was. He wasn't completely sure, but he did know his head hurt and his eyes did too. The boy closed them, though a small bit of pain hit him when he did, and breathed in and out silently. Soon, the blonde grew unconscious not even to stop and think what happened to Dia.


+++


Pearl felt a vigorous shaking, his head jerking forward and back while someone had grabbed his shoulders. Pearl's eyes opened slightly, nearly slits, to see a form being made out. He then opened them completely, after seeing the red scarf that had been over his head while the mysterious person was shaking him.


"Dia!?" He shouted, jerking his body almost immediately. His broad grin turned into a frown when he realized it was Missy who had been shaking him. She looked worried; her face was creased into a frown rather than the normal serious face she carried. Missy had her legs bent on the bed, leaning over Pearl while her hands gripped his shoulders. Pearl looked down at the small, fragile looking hands before looking at Missy.


"What's wrong?" He said seriously, wanting to rub his throbbing eyes from the crust that had encased them overnight. He looked out towards the window in the corner of his eye. He could tell it was morning now, and when he looked down towards Dia's bed and he could see that Dia was not inside it. Pearl frowned as Missy seemed to be distant.


"D-dia came while I was at the Game Corner. I could tell he was serious about something, because he watched me for a little while then he left without a word. I came back to the hotel and I found you asleep so I didn't bother you, but Dia wasn't there. I came back this morning when I woke up because you both weren't downstairs but Dia still isn't here!" There was some sort of panic in her voice. It was faint, but Pearl could hear it now being so close. The boy pushed her hands off his shoulders but he paused when he heard her gasp. He looked at his right hand above her left; it was caked in dried blood. However, the wound had opened and a fresh pool was beginning to form on top of it. He pulled it off quickly, staring at the blood before sighing.


"Don't worry about me. Let's find Dia." Pearl said grimly, moving his leg against Missy's so that she would get off of him. The girl, however, stayed frozen.


"W-what happened!?" She demanded in a shaky voice, holding bother her hands close to her chest.


"It's nothing. Let's go!" Pearl said more gruffly, sitting up straighter and holding both his hands around her shoulders. The girl swatted them both away, shaking her body roughly to get the boy's hands off her.


"No! We are dressing that wound!" She said defiantly, sitting firmly where she was no matter how hard Pearl pushed his legs against her to get her to move. The boy growled low before sighing and holding out his hand.


"Fine." He grumbled, seeing Missy's faint blush while staring at the blonde. She then blinked her eyes quickly before getting off the blonde. She rummaged through the bag that had been sitting on the ground to take out a wad of bandages. She carefully took out the same handkerchief that she had used on Dia; Pearl grimaced at this, and carefully dried his wound free of the new blood. Missy then wrapped the bandage tightly around his knuckles before tying it swiftly with a neat little knot.


"There." She said simply, staring at her handy work. Pearl brought his arm closer to his face to inspect the bandage, blushing lightly that the girl had dressed it so neatly.


"T-thanks." He mumbled, staring at his socks that were on his feet. He saw Missy cover her mouth but she made no giggle or attempt to make a retort.


"Let's go now." Missy said, starting towards the door and opening it. Pearl jumped off the bed, wincing when putting pressure on his hand, and found his shoes. He slipped them on quickly as well as grabbing his Pokémon and attaching them to his belt. He rushed after Missy, ruffling his hair into the same upright and goofy position it always had been. Dia… Pearl thought to himself, where did you go!?


+++


Missy had decided, against Pearl's will, that she would search in the City while Pearl search outside the city. He had asked if that was a good idea but Missy said she would use Prinplup and Ponyta as defense if needed. Pearl, reluctantly, agreed to her decision and hurried off to Route 214. The blonde ran past the checkpoint at blinding speed, stopping once outside its door while looking around. He wanted to shout out Dia but he bit his lip incase the boy was still mad at him. Dia did take food seriously.


However, Pearl cursed to himself when he saw the boy's outline next to the small pond. His eyes were half-closed, his mouth shaped into a frown. Pearl gripped the end of his green scarf tightly, feeling the loop tighten around his neck. This was it, Pearl breathed, I've 'gotta…confess. The whole trip through the large Town had given Pearl time to think. He now was listening to his feelings, and all the emotions he had felt.


He would tell his best friend, his old-time pal, his, dare he say, lover the truth about how he felt. If Dia was in love with Missy that was fine, if he was rejected that would be fine. He'd move on.
"Oi, Dia!" The blonde called for his friend, his pal, his "stooge". He saw the boy's head turn, though it seemed to wear the same expression. However, Pearl thought he saw a sparkle in Dia's eyes but he ignored it and ran over to the boy as fast as he could. He stopped in front of Dia, his hands on his knees panting breathlessly before looking towards Dia. His heart seemed to flutter in his chest but he closed his mouth and sat down beside the boy.


They were sitting at the edge of a large pond, Dia's Grotle and Munchlax outside as well eating a small handful of rice balls fitted on a little paper plate farther away from their trainer. Dia had one in his hand, which he was staring at instead of looking at Pearl. Pearl didn't dare try any hand movements, just in case Dia might become defensive towards his food once more. The blonde sighed, fidgeting with his hands while looking out towards the water.


"Feels like home, huh?" Pearl thought aloud, staring across the small pond towards the trees on the other side, "But smaller." Dia chuckled, taking a bite of his rice ball before nodding.


"Yeah~" He agreed, blushing a bit at the blonde's comment, though Pearl did not notice the trainer do that.


"Listen…" Pearl started, fidgeting again now that he had, so to say, "broken the ice".


"Eh?" Dia asked, looking towards Pearl with those lazy eyes once more. Pearl blushed, his mouth frowning as well as trying to keep himself from smiling. Dia frowned and gave a worried look but Pearl continued;


"Dia…No, Diamond…! I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just thought," He paused, not wanting to speak the rest. However, Dia's questioning gaze made him start to speak again, "That you and Missy were in love. I was worried…that you'd be so busy with Missy that you wouldn't have time for me anymore! That we wouldn't be…!" Pearl seemed to choke, feeling the same wetness fill his eyes again. He snorted, rubbing the back of his hand against his nose then rubbing his eyes.


"We wouldn't be…friends anymore." Pearl finished his sentence, though his palms were shaking. The boy then curled into a ball, his arms hugging his knees tightly and his eyes clamped shut. He didn't want to know the truth; he didn't want to see what it really was! The truth could go jump off a cliff and die for all he cared! He didn't need to know how to be reject-


"Pearl…I don't love Missy."


Pearl looked up at Dia, realizing there were tears staining his cheeks once more. He cursed himself silently in his head about crying in front of Dia and quickly wiped his eyes to try and erase that he had ever cried. Dia smiled weakly at his friend, grabbing one of Pearl's hands and holding it in his own. It felt warm, somehow soothing and reassuring to Pearl. He looked down at it to realize Dia had grabbed his bandaged hand before looking back up. The boy had a pained look on his face but he then looked up at Pearl once more.


"…really?" That was all that Pearl managed to choke out. Dia nodded then his gaze casted out towards the pond.


"I came here to remember…remember when we were kids." Dia explained, his eyes closing slightly while gazing out at something unseen to Pearl across the small pond.


"Pearl, you did hurt my feelings. I've been distracted constantly while you've made changes to everything and during practices I can't get into it. It's not because of Missy, Pearl. It's because of…" Dia stopped again, staring at the ground as if it was so interesting to look at. Pearl felt something boil in his chest. Did…Dia feel the same way he did? Pearl blushed slightly, uncurling his body to turn and face the beret-headed boy. Dia looked at him from the corner of his eye before facing Pearl as well. They each looked into each other's eyes, as if seeing each other in a new light.


"Pearl…I-I…" Dia began, blushing lightly when the trainer looked back at him. Pearl then reached out his free arm and grabbed Dia's red scarf end. He pulled it towards him, causing the black-haired boy to jerk forward towards Pearl. Pearl leaned his own body forward so that both the boy's faces nearly touched each other, both of them staring into each other's eyes. Pearl then gulped quickly and leaned forward more, pressing his lips against Dia's. They tasted much like rice, but still sweet in a refreshing sort of way. The two stood like that for awhile, each enjoying the other's taste.  Pearl, however, jerked away in realization of what he just did.


"D-d-d-dia! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I'm…"  Dia had placed a finger over the blonde's lips, making him trail off his sentence. Dia was blushing redder now, as was Pearl, as they stared at each other in silence. Pearl dropped his hand off of Dia's red scarf, staring in disbelief of his friend. He didn't even pull away, nor did he yell at him.


"This was the distraction, Pearl. You," Pearl's eyes widened when he stared at Dia. The finger removed itself from his lips and Dia returned to his original sitting position. Pearl pressed his mouth into a hard line, still in astonishment before then cracking a smile.


"Dia…No, Diamond." Pearl said again, the phrase he had been using a lot more than he thought.


"I…love you." Pearl nearly coughed out the words, his hands gripping the grass tightly underneath him. Dia looked back at Pearl before smiling slightly to himself as well.


"I knew you did." The Pokémon trainer said in a matter-of-fact way, staring up at the blue sky, "I love you, too~" Pearl scooted closer to the black-haired trainer, realizing their hands were still intertwined together. Pearl sighed in delight as a cool breeze passed over the two of them; it felt good on his reddened face. He never imagined he'd be here with Dia, actually confessing their dark secrets to each other. Pearl had many questions to ask Dia but he decided it wasn't the best time to do such silly things now.


"When you think of Pokémon~" Dia suddenly said, his eyes closed. Pearl looked over towards Dia with a confused face before smiling and looking back up at the sky where Dia had been looking earlier.


"When you think of Pokémon…"