Title: Ritual
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #27, Soap Bubbles
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Shonen-ai

He floats in the water, watching bubbles of pearly pink and glittery indigo-blue rise up into the air and vanish. The tile is cold and smooth beneath his legs, and he giggles as he reaches for his rubber duck.

“Kawaii.”

The word startled him, and he looks up into golden eyes. He grins.

“Kawaii?”

“Ee. Anata wa totemo kawaii desu.”

“Wataru-san…”

“Shh…” The other sinks onto his knees next to him, eyes glittering wide with an emotion he can’t identify. He wants to hold him, but not yet, not know, because the preparations aren’t quite complete yet and everything has to be perfect.

Lance knows it too, so he only reaches out and brushes a strand of soapy hair away from Red’s face.

“Don’t turn into a prune, all right, kawaii ko?”

“All right.”

Lance leaves, and Red finishes soaping himself off quickly, because their relationship is a ritual. He rather likes it that way. After he finishes, they will have dinner, do a little intellectual stimulation, and then make sweet love to each other.

It’s comforting.

He gets up and reaches for his towel.

End Fic

Completed 9/4/06

… Yeah. Pattern sex. It’s not something I’ve really done before…

Wataru is Lance’s Japanese name, and basically, he’s saying that Red is a cute child in Japnaese…