QUICK NOTE: Barry in this fic is referred to as Pearl. They are the same character; I simply prefer the manga name for the character. Just so there's no confusion!

. . .
circles.
i seem to run in a lot of them where you're involved.

Pearl had a distinct dislike for Lucas.

It was nothing personal, really; the boy just… peeved him. In every way possible. When Pearl wanted to run and play, Lucas wanted to stay home and study different research methods. When Pearl decided it was a macaroni and cheese kind of night, Lucas went and grilled burgers. When Pearl pestered Dawn into going shopping in Hearthome with him, Lucas would stick his stupid fat head into what was clearly none of his business, chiding Pearl about coercing Dawn into things against her will.

If Pearl was blue, Lucas was red. If Pearl had a cat, Lucas would go out of his way to buy a dog. A big, slobbery Saint Bernard that would chase Pearl's precious little kitten into the woods and eat him! Or… maybe not. But! The point is that Lucas is absolutely a complete and utter jerk, and every time Pearl saw his face, the uncontrollable urge to flee struck up in his stomach. Lucas, that idiot. Pearl hated him! Or… something like that. Pearl didn't really hate much of anything, except maybe cottage cheese. But that was only because it made him sick this one time and—

"Pearl!"

Said boy raised his head halfway from the breakfast table, blond hair mussed to oblivion and half a Cheerio plastered to his face. "Whaaa?" The banging against his door resounded once again, alerting his half-asleep brain to the fact that someone was, indeed, at his front door. Bother.

When he had managed to stumble to the door and pull it open, the first thing that was made blatantly apparent was that at 9 a.m. in the morning, Dawn was all muscle and no talk. For a shortie, she was strong, something Pearl found out quickly as she grabbed his wrist and proceeded to yank him in the direction of Route 201. A quick glance down at his Power Ranger pajama pants was all he needed to snap out of his post-sleep daze, and fast.

"Heeeeeey! I'm not decent, I'm not decent!"

The next ten seconds were a blur, with Pearl extracting himself from the raven-haired girl's vice grip and making a mad dash for his house, barely avoiding capture before he slammed the lock down on his bedroom door.

"Pearl, get out here; you're decent enough. Professor Rowan has good news!"

Her fist against the door tapped out a lovely rhythm that was sure to make everyone in the town think that someone was being murdered next door. Pearl stripped quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a random green sweater and clean underwear and holy crud Dawn was going to break down his door!

He made an Olympic event out of brushing his teeth while simultaneously tying his shoes, tripping more than once and sloshing minty foam all over his bedspread before he flung the door open and narrowly avoided being socked in the face by one of Dawn's fists.

"What the—"

"We'll talk later! Right now, we have to run!" The girl grabbed his hand and tugged him out the door, a little more gently this time but still with the underlying sense of urgency. The blonde's eyes narrowed as he allowed himself to be half-dragged by the running girl. Whatever this was, it better be worth him not finishing his Cheerios.

"Come on Dawn, a hint! You owe me at least that much!"

But the girl was stalwart in her silence. There was no coaxing an answer out of her.

The boy stamped his foot against the tile of Rowan's lab, arms crossing tightly over his chest with a huff. This position lasted all of three nanoseconds before Pearl's need to move kicked in with a vengeance. In the three minutes it took Rowan and Lucas to finish their 'all-important talk' – they had kicked Dawn out before Pearl had even gotten a glimpse of Fat Head and Professor Evil – Pearl alternated between bouncing on his heels, popping his knuckles, popping his neck, popping his toes, attempting to pop his elbows and failing horribly, attempting to lick his elbow, being laughed at by Dawn when his shoulder cramped and he was stuck with his elbow halfway to his mouth and his tongue extended like an idiot…

It was to this scene that Lucas and Rowan emerged.

Dawn's laughing subsided and Pearl quickly replaced his arm at his side, ignoring the burning sting that rippled through his bicep.

Lucas blinked at Pearl, eyebrows raised, before his head tilted and his lips curved into a smile.

A soft, beautiful, heart-pounding smile that made his eyes crinkle slightly at the edges and made Pearl want to run away more than ever.

This was why Pearl had a distinct dislike for Lucas, you see. That smile of his. The one that made rabid Butterfree play Dance Dance Revolution in his stomach. The one that, upon meeting Lucas three years ago, had made Pearl run, run, run away before Rowan had been able to give him a Pokédex.

So, in other words, Dawn becoming the Champion and everything falling into place the way it did? All Lucas's fault, clearly; Lucas and his smile.

"About time you showed up," Lucas commented lightly, and Pearl flushed and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. When Lucas's blue eyes flickered to Dawn, Pearl felt the Butterfree stop playing DDR and attempt seppuku on his innards. The two of them exchanged cordial words Pearl didn't hear, too trapped was he in his state of jealousy...

Wait. Jealousy? He wasn't jealous! He just had… brotherly concern… for Dawn. Right.

"…You're what?"

Dawn's words of disbelief broke through his stupor. That, and Rowan laying a large hand on his still-aching shoulder. Pearl exhaled in a hiss, reaching up a hand to rub at his arm before Lucas's words caught him completely off guard.

"I'm leaving; going to Kanto. Professor Oak offered a two-year internship. And, well, it was on slightly short notice and an even shorter window of acceptance…" Lucas raised a hand to rub sheepishly at the base of his neck, glancing toward Pearl whose eyes had become saucers.

Lucas… leaving? Two… two years?

Dawn's expression had gone from confused to melancholy, before a smile slammed over her features. "Lucas, that's wonderful! You'll get to study Pokémon with a world class profess—"

Rowan's hand clasped Pearl's shoulder harder, and the blonde yelped. Dawn quickly regained control of her words.

"With another world class professor. Lucas… it's what you've always wanted!"

Pearl felt his eyebrows furrow, emerald eyes narrowing at Dawn. Since when did SHE know what Lucas had always wanted? Did they have heart-to-hearts outside the tent while he was sleeping or something?

The other boy nodded, non-committal. "Yeah…" Pearl flushed when Lucas glanced at him, again. What did he want from him? Some kind of slap on the wrist or something?

Because what Pearl really wanted to give him was a knuckle sandwich for even CONSIDERING leaving him… and Dawn, of course, him and Dawn… to go gallivant across the regions to KANTO, of all places. They had Pokémon Pearl had never even heard of before there! Wasn't Sinnoh good enough for Lucas? Wasn't he good enough for—?

Swallowing his argument, and hard, Pearl summoned his most favourite grin and took a step forward, slugging Lucas gingerly on the bicep. "Yeah… That's awesome for you, LuLu. Good luck in Kanto!"

As Pearl's laughing green eyes locked with Lucas's navy blues, he could almost swear he caught a glimpse of something… off. Something not quite as happy as he should be, nestled within the dark blue depths.

But then Lucas smiled, and Pearl stammered that OH, he was, in fact, late for his father's birthday, and simply had to be off!

Ignoring Dawn's cries behind him and Professor Rowan's indignant whining, Pearl could only feel the door shut behind him as his legs kicked into overdrive, stretching longer than was necessary as he sprinted away. He ran and ran and ran, until his lungs were raw and burning, until his legs were so tired he could hardly stand, until Sandgem became somewhere else entirely, and he hopped on his Staraptor and allowed the gargantuan bird to fly him farther and farther away from Sandgem and Lucas's abandonment.

They landed in Sunyshore, far above the black oil pound of the surf, atop the lighthouse where he could only hope Volkner or Flint weren't prowling about. He drew his knees to his chest, and breathed. In, out. In, out. The only thing he really could do.

So… maybe he might have a small, eensy weensy tiny spot of feelings for Lucas. Or maybe his crush was like a monster truck, threatening to slam him into the divider if he didn't shove Lucas against a wall soon, or… something. Pearl sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

The situation was really bleak, if you looked at it long enough. Lucas was leaving to be with Professor Oak, and he would find some pretty girl in Kanto with starry eyes and some cute little Eevee, and he'd marry her and they'd pop out Susie Q and Johnny Sunshine, while Pearl sat miserably in the pews, letting it happen. There was no way Lucas could ever reciprocate his feelings; not being from Sandgem, where the slightest mention of homosexuality might get you kicked out of town. Maybe if Lucas had been born in Sunyshore… or Hearthome. Pearl knew that was where those sorts of people aggregated. He and Dawn saw them sometimes, when they went there for contests or vacation. A few weeks ago, they'd passed by a tall brunette clutching his boyfriend's hand in his, the shorter male blonde and thin and willowy, like some French model, and all Pearl could do was imagine he and Lucas in their place. It was… pathetic, sort of.

"And hopeless," the boy added as an afterthought, sea-salt tinged wind ruffling his mop of unruly blonde hair.

"You know, you shouldn't run out like that."

Pearl half-leapt up with a start, before the sight of Dawn's thin, pale legs and much-more-womanly-than-he-remembered torso swam into sight. The blonde pursed his lips in a pout.

"How did you find me?"

"I didn't have to," she admitted breezily. "You know my Staraptor knows your scent. I just told her to follow it. It led us here."

To me. "Look, that's cool and all, but… I… kind of want to be alone."

Visions of her and Lucas together swam through his vision. Lucas reaching a book her fingertips barely brushed in the Canalave Library. Lucas tugging her over a difficult rock face when they climbed Mt. Coronet last spring. Dawn laughing and placing green earmuffs over Lucas's ears dyed red from the cold, much to argument from the latter. The boy's arms tightened around his knees.

"He's leaving tomorrow, Pearl."

The blonde's eyes snapped open, jaw growing slack as he spun to face Dawn. "Tomorrow? But… but…"

A thin, dark eyebrow arched. "But…?"

"He can't do that!" Pearl exclaimed, fist slamming into the steel flooring of the lighthouse roof, making the metal vibrate on impact. "It isn't fair! He… he didn't even ask me about any of this! We're supposed to be friends, that idiot!"

Dawn watched Pearl for a few more minutes before her lips quirked into a smile.

Said blonde glowered at her. "What in the name of Arceus could possibly be funny?"

The raven-haired girl shook her head at him. When Pearl opened his mouth to speak, she shocked them both into silence when she leaned forward and sealed their mouths together.

The kiss lasted all of two seconds before the girl pulled away, a red blush on her cheeks that put Pearl's pink countenance to shame.

"I… I didn't really mean to do that…" Dawn raised a small hand to her forehead, and Pearl noted vaguely that it was trembling. "Especially considering… well…"

The blonde couldn't put out much in the form of cognizant speech. A thin finger rose to touch gently at his bottom lip, eyes frozen in a permawide expression of shock. The black-haired girl seemed to be struggling to find the words to say.

After a moment, her blue eyes froze on his. "When I kissed you, did you feel anything?"

Pearl glanced at Dawn; took in the swell of her lips, how red they looked in the moonlight. The way her chest curved gently into a narrow waist and the modest flare of her hips. He should have been captivated.

"…Shock, mostly. But… no." He cringed as her expression fell. "I'm sorry."

Pearl felt his mouth go dry as Dawn's expression molded into one of cheerfulness; her smile was tinged slightly with regret, but he could tell that for the most part, she was… happy.

"I think I know why," she said with a light giggle, taking Pearl's hand in hers. "You like Lucas, right?"

The boy barely had time to flounder about before Dawn gripped his chin with one hand, the other still clutched tightly to his fingers. "Listen… Lucas leaves tomorrow. I really think that you should tell him how you feel."

Pearl's mouth opened to argue before Dawn's eyes narrowed dangerously.

The boy shrank back.

There was no use arguing with The Look.

"No ifs or butts, you idiot. If…" She looked determined as she gripped his collar and yanked him closer, their noses brushing and her breath fanning against his lips. "If you're going to pick him over me, there's no way I'm letting it go unrequited. Okay?"

Pearl nodded dumbly. The girl grinned, a lot more real emotion behind it this time.

"Alright then." Dawn released his collar and straightened out imaginary flaws on her shirt and skirt. "Okay. So. When you confess your love, you should know what you're going to say before hand… HEY! Don't go all glassy-eyed on me! I'm giving you my precious Champion-time, so you better make USE of it, you stupid—"

The next morning, Lucas stood in Snowpoint, limbs encased in his grey pea coat and shoes lined with woolen socks. Still, his breath fogged, permeating the pure air of Snowpoint with its condensing heat.

His parents had already left an hour ago, complaining of the cold and yelling at him to 'Write or else!' And Rowan was still sleeping at the bed and breakfast they'd rented the night before. Typical old man.

Sighing, the boy fiddled with the strap of his suitcase. Dawn had stopped by earlier to say goodbye, but had seemed really… vague. Something about Champion-errands, and she had run off in the direction of Candace's gym, leaving a very confused Lucas now sprayed with snow.

Girls… were weird.

And of course… The one person who really mattered hadn't chosen to show up. Not that Lucas really expected he would. In all the years he had known Pearl, Lucas had known their relationship to be platonic, at best. They weren't best friends like Pearl and Dawn, or even great friends, really. Anytime Lucas had tried to get close to Pearl, the boy had gotten this weird look and ran away.

Eventually, Lucas had to stop running after him. He did, of course, have duties to the professor, and himself. He couldn't go running after passing fancies.

As much as he wanted to.

The boy sighed as the boat gave a last shrill belch, alerting all awaiting passengers of the final boarding call. He'd waited long enough, of course. Sighing, the boy lifted his bag to his chest.

The weight felt like it was crushing him, but he knew it wasn't the suitcase's fault entirely. Two years without Pearl was just… a very long, long time.

"Lucas!"

Coming to a screeching halt, Lucas swerved, nearly losing his luggage into the freezing water of the bay. Luckily, a sailor caught his bag before it could tumble into subzero oblivion, and hauled it aboard with a plethora of expletives.

Lucas could only stare at the boy, dressed only in a short-sleeved Doors t-shirt and skinny jeans, panting with his hands gripping his knees. Green eyes were locked on his own, intense, and Lucas could only smile.

"Pearl, you ma—"

A sudden warm press of two lips against his own caused his brain to use self-destruct and his thoughts to stop making sense for a good ten seconds.

When he resurfaced, Pearl had both hands gripping opposite biceps, his chest inches away from Lucas's own and his cheeks an angry red.

...What.

"Y-y-you'd b-better visit, LuLu, or I… I-I'll never forgive you!" Teeth chattering in the cold, Pearl managed to send a scalding glare Lucas's way.

It was funny, but Lucas didn't feel the slightest bit offended. In fact…

"A-And stop smiling!" Pearl stammered, half out of the cold and half out of the blinding smile being shot his way. "J-Just… I mean…"

At a complete loss, the blonde leaned up again, pressing his lips against Lucas's and touching their foreheads together. He pulled away with a typical-Pearl grin, 2000-megawatts and building.

Lucas stepped away, somehow landing with both feet on the boarding ramp as he backed onto the ship. Pearl managed to stay rooted to the same spot without moving (a new record!) before calling out in farewell.

"Just so you k-know, this m-means that you're my g-girlfriend!"

It wasn't until he was halfway to Kanto that Lucas registered the implications of Pearl's words.

Needless to say, their first love letter was a little… lacking in the love department.

Pearl gripped the letter with bared teeth as Dawn giggled happily in the background.

'Stop flushing like a girl every time I smile at you, princess, and maybe you can play the man in the relationship.'

"Stupid LuLu… Man in the relationship my ass… Don't know what relationship he's talking about… Hell, if he keeps talking like that… Stupid jerk off idiot—"

Dawn could only smile, re-reading the letter over and over again as the smile broadened on her face.

Boys were weird.

/fin

AN: and HURRRR this was a fluff/cheese overload. orz;;;;;
I didn't mean for it to be this full of cotton candy. D: There was supposed to be angst and… stuff!
I guess this pairing just isn't meant for angst. ;_; Not when I write it, anyway.

Please review!