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Gem the Gengar just came back into the living room after getting bag of crisps to find their girlfriend, Celeste the Clefable, crying. He was very confused as she had just been smiling before he had left the room, but despite that, he still wanted to comfort her.
He put his bag of crisps down and tried to put a hand on their knee, but they shuffled away from him. Celeste put her hand over her eyes and sobbed to herself, and Gem found their concern for her growing more and more.
"Celeste?" They tried to get her attention.
There was no answer. His girlfriend's ears didn't even twitch when he said her name, which was unusual as they normally did.
"Celeste, are you okay?" The Gengar asked.
The Clefable still didn't turn to look at them, but she still shook her head regardless as she finds it hard to not answer to someone displaying worry for her.
"You know, I think talking about it might help," Gem suggested, "You always say that to me, and whenever I let off my load, I always feel better..."
Celeste finished wiping their tears before turning to look at their partner. Her eyes were turning red from wiping at them a little too hard, but she was still able to give a small smile.
"Okay..." The Clefable muttered croakily, "It's just about... us."
"What do you mean?" The Gengar questioned.
"We didn't have the best start, and our past is now starting to make me have second doubts..." She explained.
After that, their entire past came rushing back to Gem. Back when he was Gemma, and when Celeste was Cosmo...
---
Gemma didn't have the best start to life. She had been brought up in Lavender Town, a place in the Kanto region that was... not perceived well by most other pokémon. With most of the town's population being ghost types, and those specific pokémon having a bad reputation, it gives anyone who lives or has lived there a bad name.
But, even though she came from a poor household, her mother was still able to afford to send her to a school in Viridian City. Her mother had been saving up money, and it would now all pay off with her daughter getting the best education she could possibly get.
However, the Gastly didn't get the opportunity to go to daycare, ap she was already missing out on some education, which came as a setback to her being able to cope in school. She hated being behind, but she felt like there was nothing she could do to catch up.
Another setback to her now being at school is that the other small pokémon knew she had come from Lavender Town, and she had already been deemed a 'delinquent' by her peers by first impression. Gemma wanted to pretend she didn't care, but she couldn't help the fact she did.
She just wanted everyone to like. That's all she has ever wanted.
So, she had to keep on going up to the other pokémon with very slim hope they will accept her as a friend. That didn't come easy, and she only made one successful friend out of all that trying.
Cosmo.
Cosmo was a very timid Cleffa. Gemma had noticed that before she had even talked to him, but noticed it more so after talking to him.
Their first meeting was very awkward in both of their opinions.
"Hello!" The Gastly greeted him after flying over to the tree he was sat under.
"H-hello!" The Cleffa stammered, startled as he had been sitting under the tree alone due to also being unsuccessful in making friends.
"My name is Gemma!" Gemma introduced herself, "What's yours?"
"I'm C-c-cosmo..." Cosmo tried to introduce himself, but it came out as a stutter due to how anxious he was.
"C-c-cosmo? That's a cool name!" She complimented, as her mother had always taught her that compliments are key to forming friendships.
"Y-yeah..." He mumbled, trying to look away as his face went bright red, "Your name is c-cool too..."
Their friendship started out surprisingly well, much to both of their doubts. Gemma was able to compliment him more and more, and Cosmo was able to stop stuttering as much when he talked to her.
Both thought it was all going well, but there was still something troubling the Cleffa.
He never had the confidence to tell her this back then, but, he found her jokes made him quite uncomfortable.
The Gastly loved to joke around, and found herself more likely to do so the more she became comfortable around a person. A little too comfortable.
But her jokes aren't like any normal jokes such as 'how do you get a Pikachu on a bus?'. No, she likes to banter, and with the pokémon around her being at the age where they can't properly comprehend it, they often begin to feel uneasy around her.
Especially Cosmo. As much as he was one of the smartest in his class, not that anyone knew that because he never put his hand up to answer questions, he could never understand that type of behaviour, and started to take it as Gemma beginning to bully him.
But there one one thing that finally cracked him. Both his patience to stay friends with her, and his egg.
"You know, Cosmo~" Gemma began to hum, "I've always found it weird that you're a boy..."
Cosmo gave her a look of confusion, but didn't say anything. That gave Gemma the signal that she should explain herself.
"What I mean is, you've always kind of behaved like a girl, and you're pink like a girl too, and somehow you're not one," The Gastly explained.
"But I am..." The Cleffa muttered.
"No you're not, you're a boy," She replied.
"I'm a girl though..." He pouted.
Gemma was so confused hearing all of this at the time. She was only aware of the 'two genders' at the time and thought pokémon would have to stick to their assigned genders their whole life.
So the idea that Cosmo wants to be a girl confused, but in a way began to crack her egg too.
But she ignored that and continued with her argument. He's just confused to her, and she believes she can fix him, even though she knows now that's not how it works.
"I don't really know where you got it in your head that your a girl, but you're not," The Gastly said quite aggressively, which was not her intention, "You were born a boy, and you always will be a boy."
That came out so wrong to her, and she could see it on the Cleffa's face. He was starting to cry, and she hated to see her friend in tears because of her.
"I'm sorry-" She tried to apologise, but by that point, he had already ran away.
And after that point, and for the next few years, neither spoke to each other again. Gemma tried to, but Cosmo would always run away, so she gave up.
The Gastly became more of an outcast as years went by, too. The story spread quite quickly through the school that she had upset the Cleffa, and everyone was quick to completely avoid her. That made her chances of making friends even slimmer, and her hope too.
In a way, she was glad the other pokémon were backing him up. She just would have liked at least one of their classmates to back her up.
Besides, all of them have been somewhat taught about 'the two genders' in class anyway. Maybe Cosmo just hasn't told anyone but Gemma this, but she still kept her beliefs.
Or, at least that was until she evolved into a Haunter. That's when everything changed for her, but she had no friends to talk about this to, because she was more of an outcast than ever at this time.
She was starting to realise that, she didn't really feel like a girl. That didn't mean she felt like a boy, but she knew she definitely didn't feel like a girl. She definitely wasn't a girl.
Gemma had tried to talk about Cosmo to her mother a few times, but she was always shut down. Not in a horrible way, it was just because her mother was just trying to teach her what she had always been taught, and she wasn't open to changing her mind back then.
So the Gastly, and then the Haunter, had to struggle on her own...
But, she knew there was a chance she wouldn't have to. She hadn't been the only one that had changed over the years.
Cosmo, who started going by Cosma at the time and had the evolved and was now a Clefairy, was now respected and seen by a girl by everyone. She only had one true friend that she knew of, which was a Jigglypuff called Wanda, but she could try and be her friend again.
But it wasn't easy trying to approach her. Cosma didn't really share any classes with Gemma anymore, and the two rarely passed by on the hallways, so it wouldn't be easy.
So the Haunter intentionally tried to pass by the Clefairy on the hallways. Even if that meant that she would be and was late to lessons, at least she could get more of an opportunity of seeing her.
There were a few times where Gemma was so close to getting a chance to speak to Cosma, but Wanda would stop the two from interacting. It made her mad, but it made her want to see her old friend even more.
"Please Cosma? There's just something I really want to talk to you about!" The Haunter would beg.
"No way! I will not allow you to hurt my Cosma ever again!" The Jigglypuff would dismiss.
"I'm sorry, Gemma..." The Clefairy would sigh.
And the two would walk away together, hand in hand. It would play out the same every time.
Or, at least that was until there was a day where Wanda wasn't in, and that gave Gemma the perfect opportunity.
"Cosma!" Gemna called as she flew up to her.
"What is it, Gemma?" Cosma asked in a disappointed tone of voice.
"It's just, I'm really sorry about what I said to you all those years ago!" She apologised, "I didn't mean to hurt you, and I've now realised what I said was wrong!"
"Gemma, I-" She sighed before trying to speak, but wasn't quick enough.
"I've even realised that I'm not a girl! I don't quite know what I am, but I'm not a girl, just like how you're not a boy!" The Haunter interrupted.
"I'm sorry, I just need more time..." The Clefairy muttered.
And with that, she was gone, again. Gemma found it completely understandable that Cosma still needed more time, despite it already having been a few years, and she was willing to give her all eternity, even if she wasn't forgiven after.
So, with that, the two didn't talk to each other for the rest of the many years they were in the same school for. And after they left, they thought they would never see each other again...
Or at least that was until they both winded up working on the same shop on the same floor of the same building known as Celadon Department Store together.
---
After getting the job on the fourth floor, which sold gifts, Gem recieve their name badge that also displayed their pronouns and headed up to that part of the building.
But, what he wasn't expecting was to find his old friend waiting behind the counter.
"Cosma?" The Gengar called.
"Gemma?" The Clefable called back.
Gem then flew down and through the counter to hug their old friend. They had missed her so much, and they were glad she felt the same way.
"Well, it's actually Gem now!" He corrected as he pointed at his badge that displayed his new name, Gem, on the top line, and his pronouns, they/he, on the bottom line.
"It's actually Celeste now for me too!" She corrected as she pointed at her badged that displayed her new name, Celeste, on the top line, and her pronouns, she/they, on the bottom line.
"That's a pretty name~" Gem hummed.
Celeste chuckled before saying, "Yours is too~"
After that, the two didn't speak to each other that much for the rest of the day, but as those days went by, they gradually started warming up to each other again.
First it started with small talk, then full on conversations, and then one night, they went out together to sit under the stars.
"I'm so happy my parents were accepting from the very beginning, it made things so much easier," The Clefable said as she led back onto the grass
"I wish I could say the same about mine, but I can't..." The Gengar sighed as they did the same, "Our friendship never would have snowballed otherwise..."
"Yeah..." They mumbled in response before trying to change the subject, "So, what made you realise you're non binary?"
"Well, as soon as I evolved into a Haunter, things just didn't really feel right anymore," He began to explain, "I knew I definitely wasn't a girl, and I realised I definitely didn't want to be a boy, so that just confirmed to me I was neither..."
Celeste hummed before saying, "Yeah, I get that! As well as being trans, I also recently realised I'm non binary too because I've always wanted to be a girl, but deep down, I'm neither, as I find that a cool thing about myself..."
"You're non binary too?!" Gem exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it?" She replied.
"Very much so!" He responded, "But it's cool! And we're cool now too, aren't we?"
The Clefable nodded with a hum, and they both went back to looking up at the stars.
"We're kind of like stars since they aren't male or female either, aren't we?" They said.
"Stars? You're such a nerd if you're trying to compare us to stars!" The Gengar replied.
"I know!" She chuckled, "But stars are so pretty, aren't they? That's why I still wanted to keep my name related to them..."
"What about Cosma?" They asked.
"It's nice but too close to my deadname, so I dropped it pretty easily!" Celeste answered, "Besides, Celeste sounds so much prettier!"
"It does," Gem nodded, blushing a little, "I would like to think my new name sounds cool too."
"I think it does!" The Clefable replied, "What made you just shorten your deadname?"
"I've always been nicknamed 'Gem' by family and stuff, so it just felt easier for me than changing it completely," The Gengar explained, "You also cracked my egg a little, too!"
"Glad I could help!" She smiled before complimenting, "You're name is really pretty, too!"
"Well, you're even prettier!" They complimented back.
Celeste was taken aback and sat up straight, her face going red.
"Wait, you think I'm pretty?" They asked, "Like, pretty?"
"Yeah, I've thought you were pretty for quite a while, but never really said anything because I just didn't know what to say..." He replied as he sat up, his face going and even brighter red than it had been a minute ago.
"Well, I guess you're quite pretty yourself too..." She muttered.
"That's all I've been waiting to here~" They hummed.
And with that, Gem kissed Celeste...
---
That now takes us back to now. The Gengar now fully remembers their past, and is now fully in a position where they can comfort their girlfriend properly.
"We ended up with a happy ending, didn't we?" He said.
"Yes, but it didn't start out like that..." She mumbled.
"But your parents accept our relationship! Isn't that pretty good?" Gem tried to reassure them.
"But they don't know the full story," Celeste argued, "They don't know everything because I didn't tell them everything."
"So, you don't want to be with me now?" He asked.
"I don't know!" They replied, putting their hands over their eyes, "I don't know what I want!"
"Well, I know what I want, and that's for you to be happy!" The Gengar said, "That's all I've ever wanted, and sure I wasn't very good at that in the beginning, but I see you smile a lot when you're around me!"
"That's true..." The Clefable muttered.
"Also, we've been through so much, and yet the universe always manages to pull us back towards each other!" They reassured her, "It's like we're two opposite ends of a magnet!"
"If you're going to talk about the universe, it's better to describe our connection like I'm the sun and your a planet orbiting me," She corrected.
"Exactly that! The universe keeps bringing us back together, and you love the universe, so what do you want to about it?" He asked.
"I want to do what the universe is telling me to do," They answered, "And, what I want to do."
And with that, she kissed him.
"I love you, Gem," She said.
"And I love you too, Celeste," He replied.
And with that, he kissed her. After that, Gem remembered their bag of crisps, and opened it up to share with their favourite pokémon in the world.
Both of them were smiling and both were finally feeling happy again. They both feel so much happier when they are together, rather than when they are apart.
And even if they are separated, they will always keep coming back to each other again, and again, and again...