Having just gained the entire room's attention, a few dozen of employers all stood still to pay attention to Lance. There were a few people I didn't recognise and the external members of our team on the case. J-Z had joined us too, with their leader Karen.

"Let's make this short, I'm not the best at speeches."

"Pfft, he can say that again." Crystal quietly muttered under her breath.

I giggled, then straightened my face to look back at Lance, who was eyeing the room with a nonchalant face.

"Nobody expected The Queen's Maids case to be such a pain in the ass, so congratulations on successfully capturing Rose. I'm impressed with how well the department has worked together, albeit K-Z's unnecessary holiday."

The four of us exchanged the slightest hints of eye rolls; had it not been for that trip then we probably wouldn't have bonded as quickly. Red wouldn't have even told me about Rose.

"Green, your quick tracing and profiling helped us easily catch all the accomplices. Blue, your sharp thinking is one of the reasons we were able to act quickly and put a cause to Rose's actions. If it wasn't for you, Red, we wouldn't have even detained Rose. And Yellow, thank you for trusting your instincts and pushing for us to believe you."

I smiled, both embarrassed and proud as he continued to speak. "Honestly, I didn't know if you'd integrate into K-Z, but you're determined and fit perfectly in with us."

"To the new K-Z!" Crystal nudged me with a smile, raising her glass, "Who always set unreachable precedents."

The room burst into a bubble of laughter as glasses clinked together, and I happily absorbed the atmosphere.

As I took a sip of my drink, I watched Blue eagerly pull Silver in a hug. He didn't look too happy about the gesture, but seemed eager to talk to her too.

"Blue can be a real older sister." ChuChu commented, balancing on my shoulder.

"You'd never think of her as the mature type, but she really pulls through." I murmured a response, remembering how Blue had been reluctant to let me travel to Viridian City.

"Do you mind if I go see what Pika's doing?"

"Not at all," I chuckled, then lowered her to the floor, "Go find your husband."

I watched ChuChu scurry away to a distance, then sighed and placed a hand on my forehead; the noise was giving me a headache.

"Want to sit down?" Tapping my shoulder, Red gained my attention as my body stiffened.

I know I have to talk to him, so why does it feel so hard?

After nodding my head, he gestured to a spot behind us. I followed him as he manoeuvred through small groups of people until we reached a nice huddle of empty chairs.

As we sat down beside each other, I couldn't help noticing how great Red looked. In a crisp white button-down shirt and denim jeans, he appeared both formal and casual. He'd made an effort to fix his hair this time, but with the seasonal heat, there were a few strands misplaced. What was most out of place was the atmosphere between us. It was unbearably awkward.

After about two minutes of picking at the rings on my fingers and staring at my teammates, I looked back at Red.

Break the ice, quickly!

"So," I forced myself to look into his bright eyes instead of his lips, "Mount Moon?"

Red took a few seconds to catch my stream of conversation, then nodded with a smile. "I was obsessed with that book, clearly Rose didn't forget about it."

"Me too," I smiled as the tension loosened up, "What really appealed to me was the ending, I can't believe the protagonist died."

"That's why I had to read it again," Red's knee pressed against me as he nodded, "Holt really defied the norm in that crime novel."

"Honestly, that's the only one of his books worth reading." I slid forward the bold opinion that had caused me multiple debates with uncle.

Red rolled his eyes, "You're wrong, 'Secrets of the Lagoon' was a masterpiece."

"I disagree. The characters were great, but the plot had no substance." I leaned a little closer to him, then smirked, realising I'd unbottled a new side of Red as he opened his mouth to argue.

"Yellow!" The atmosphere evaporated as a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind, Gold's voice interrupting Red and I.

"Nice to see you again." I turned my head to give him a faint smile, not knowing if it sounded too sarcastic.

"You too!" I sighed as he leaned beside me, a friendly arm around my shoulder, "You're looking great! I didn't think you'd be around for long."

I looked back at the boy in amusement as he winked at me; poor Crystal must have her hands full with him.

"Do you mind, Gold? We were in the middle of a conversation." An obvious hint of annoyance spread across Red's face as he eyed the J-Z member.

"Aw c'mon. You know I adore pretty girls."

I shrugged Gold's arm off then stood up, hoping Red would follow suit, "Seriously, I feel sorry for Crystal."

"I can't believe you cut your hair," Gold reached his hand out to observe my shortened locks, "it's a good different."

Seconds before my hands could push him away, another force redirected me backwards.

"Can you stop touching her?" I yelped as my back collided with Red's chest, his hands hypocritically on my shoulders, "Yellow's sensitive, her wounds haven't healed properly and you might hurt her."

Sensitive?

I eyed Red in irritation at his words, ignoring Gold, who realised he'd accidentally stirred the water and began to walk backwards.

"Seriously? You think I'm sensitive?" I sighed and took a step away from him, "I'm fine, Red. I don't want to be seen as the weakling of the group. I can defend myself."

"Wait, what?" Red stared back at me, then his eyes flashed, "Weak? No way..."

I opened my mouth to reply, but he quickly grasped both my hands, then shook his head in exasperation.

"I need to talk to you. Now."

"What are you-"

I flinched as his grip tightened, then reluctantly followed Red's lead as he pulled me out of the room. His expression was a mixture of confusion and anger but as I looked into his face, I felt an obligation to seal my lips. He didn't seem to be angry, yet there was an evident amount of irritation in his sharp movements.

It was only when we were in the elevator did Red's grip loosen; his hand sliding down from my wrist to squeeze my palm. It was quiet now, only the sound of him pressing the 'G' button echoed in the tight space. I stared down at my shoes, the feeling of plummeting downwards more apparent in my insides than outside.

When the doors opened, we were quickly moving once again. I could barely keep up as Red strode towards the doors of the building, leading the two of us outside. The darkness of the summer evening felt cool in comparison to the bright lights of the party, but we weren't done walking yet. The city lights followed us in patterned movement, twinkling intrudingly.

"Where are we going?" I slaughtered the silence between us as Red began to walk around the building structure.

"There's a little bench here."

As my eyes adjusted to the distant dim street lights, I took a moment to look at Red again. He was shaking his head to himself, and in all honesty it was a little creepy. I'd never seen this weird side of him, but now I was doubting opening up about my feelings. I'd obviously annoyed him somehow.

The two of us finally sat down again, and when he faced me, my heart paused for a little longer than normal.

"Don't say that again Yellow."

I cautiously watched as Red crossed his legs, facing me with a frown on his face, then I mirrored his body language so we were even.

"Do you honestly believe that I think you're weak?" Not waiting for an answer, he took my hands in his own again; this time gentler. "Because if you do, you're wrong. Yellow, you're one of the strongest people I know."

I felt my head begin to buzz lightly, then stared in wonder as Red looked down at my fingers.

"Really?"

"Really." Red nodded his head with an embarrassed smile. "You have the most spectacular powers, and I would be dead if it wasn't for you. I didn't save you on Mount Moon, you saved me. Nobody can compete with your empathy Yellow; you try so hard to protect all Pokémon and I really respect that."

Recently, I thought I'd been able to control the obvious blushing that Red always provoked. He was proving me wrong now.

"I didn't like what you said to Gold." I finally confessed, meeting his eyes honestly, "It makes me feel like I'm helpless."

"I know, and I'm sorry. You've grown, now you finally know your worth." Red sighed and leaned his head back with a sullen laugh, "I just needed something to get Gold away."

I bit down my smile and moved a little forward, so my knees were brushing against his. "So you don't think I'm sensitive?"

"I do." He sent me a lopsided smile as I rolled my eyes.

"Red!"

He held up a hand and laughed, warming my insides with the hearty sound.

"I think you're sensitive, and I hope you still are. It's not a bad trait." Red covered his face with his hands to my surprise, "I want you to be sensitive to me, Yellow. I want you to keep blushing when you're around me, not Gold."

My mouth was hanging open like a Magikarp as I heard his words, muffled in embarrassment but completely honest. I don't think I'd ever felt more sure of my emotions after seeing the candid expression on Red's face, and it gave me courage.

"I guess I'm sensitive then." I felt my cheeks stretch as I smiled, then reached forward to move Red's hands away from his face. "Don't cover up your face."

I was still leaning upwards when our eyes finally met again. Two blushing faces staring back at each other with only a few inches of proximity between them. I could hear the pace of my breath, struggling to regulate the pattern as he reached out a hand to cup my cheek. As if it wasn't hard enough to keep my balance, Red tested the waters further by gliding his thumb over my lower lip; his eyes weren't looking at anything else and it only made me want to pull him closer.

"I need to say the obvious, so hear me out Yellow." Red's voice was quieter now, and it was a shame he'd moved his hands away from my face.

I was meant to tell him how I felt first.

"I don't know when or how, but somewhere along the lines of getting to know you, I really started to care about you Yellow."

He was playing with my fingers now, and I swear to Arceus I'd never felt such a mixture of nerves and excitement before.

"At first I thought it was because you were weak, I had a memory of saving you and I'd pinned you down as just another temp. But later I saw you help Poli, then myself, and I watched how invested you were in helping others. When your heart broke over your uncle, so did mine. It killed me, knowing that nothing I could do would be of much help. You're such a good person, Yellow, and I didn't realise how attractive that was until we were too caught up in the case. "

"I needed Green's push. Comparing Rose to you was comparing the past to the present. They're two complete different things. I was so ashamed of my own feelings. It's selfish of me to love the same girl who was inevitably hurt by me."

He suddenly moved his hands away from me, and then smiled sadly. "I know I'm being too pushy, I realised it when I tried kissing you and you pulled away. But I want to be selfish, Yellow. Even if you don't feel the same way, I still want to keep you close."

When he finally stopped speaking, silence surrounded us as I processed his words. I was very close to hitting him.

"Even if I don't feel the same way?" I repeated in wonder, "Seriously?"

He looked back at me in confusion and I sighed, "Red, the only reason I didn't return that kiss was because I'd literally just woken up after fainting at Mount Moon. It's not because I don't return your feelings, it's because I was in shock."

"You mean-"

"It's my turn to talk," I murmured, not meeting his eyes as I assertively spoke. "Red, even before we met at K-Z, I'd always admired you. I was horrified when we met here, things didn't add up. There were times when you'd act like a sweetheart, and other times where you'd be as stiff as a Geodude. But as we continued to work on the case, I came to know which side of you was real and it was even obvious to ChuChu how I felt. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't attracted to you."

I took a deep breath, proud for not stuttering but wary that I might muddle up what came next.

"I've been intimated by my feelings for you. I've never once thought of us on the same level, Red. You're older than me, you're a lot more experienced and there are times when I feel distant from you all; it's like I'm running to catch up. I'm not proud of it, but I was even more fuelled to catch Rose because I was jealous of what you had with her. I wanted you to only see me."

"Yellow," I froze as Red held my face in his hands with an irreplaceable smile, "Remember when you said that when we talk, it's like we've always been friends? We're not on two different levels, we're on the exact same wavelength."

"I was hoping you'd say that." I leaning closer to him and remembered the sunset, the calm before the storm.

"Wait," Red's tone changed as he looked at me in offense, "you didn't let me kiss you back then either."

I giggled, then brought my face to him, softly murmuring, "Then kiss me now."

And he did.

Too many times had this moment been ruined, but now it felt like the wait was worth it.

As Red's firm lips pressed against mine, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. There was something restless about it, as if he was scared we were going to be separated again. I reciprocated that feeling too, wrapping my arms around his neck. It felt right, being this close to him and hearing the wind rustle, merged with the low hums of our voices.

After a few seconds, Red had moved his lips to my ear, whispering "You look beautiful."

His hands travelled down to firmly press against my waist, and I took the opportunity to bury my face in his broad chest.

"Are you okay?" Red's voice vibrated against the top of my head.

"Mm." I nodded my head as a sudden epiphany hit me. "You feel like home."

A/N:
Idk about you guys, but that sure as hell felt satisfying to write. I was going to add a drunk Blue at the end, but this felt better :)

It's been quite long since I've last updated. What with the heatwave (that's now turned into a bunch of storms), uni enrollment and the last few weeks of holiday I've become a lot busier. I'm really sorry for the delay, but the last chapter should be out within a fortnight.

Thanks for staying tuned, see you soon!

Baiii