Martel, Cecil [Pidgeot]

[Cecil Martel]

Cecil Lee Martel

BASIC INFO & PERSONALITY

Ceci Bisexual Nineteen Stage Two Riolu Amnesia, Toma

POSITIVE Brave - It’s no secret that flying-types are built more for speed than for strength in general, often coming up short when compared to other types, and Pidgeot are thoroughly average birds. Even so, Cecil doesn’t let his supposed inferiority as a Pokemorph get to him, the blond unafraid to stand up to those who he believes are in the wrong, even when they prove to be stronger or more vicious than he. There’s very little that can send this birdbrain fleeing terror, and he’d gladly throw himself into danger’s path, especially if it's to protect someone dear to him. Determined - Once he gets an idea stuck in his head, he's not going to just give up on it. Nor will he back down from a challenge, even those he is almost guaranteed to lose; unless you're truly close to him, you might as well not try, though he does try to take the feelings of his loved ones into account when he's up to something risky. Giving up isn't him, "frail" bird or not, and while it's certainly an admirable trait in some cases, it can be worrying for his loved ones when he gets himself in over his head. Outgoing - Ceci isn't afraid of talking to strangers and is open and friendly with pretty much everyone he meets - at least until they press one of his personal berserk buttons. Basically, as long as you’re civil to him and - more importantly - the ones he cares about, he’ll return the favor, but he can't stand those who torment his friends and is fine with telling them that. Still, in a good setting, he especially enjoys cracking jokes - occasionally at the expense of others when he's feeling particularly mischievous - and tries his best to keep the mood up when chatting with them. Loyal - Leaving his friends in the lurch is something that Cecil detests. If you're committed to being friends with someone, you help them out, right? As far as this idiot's concerned, his friends' enemies are his enemies and their problems become his problems - and double that for his lover. It doesn't matter if you try to push him away, as he'll still try and help with others' problems regardless, annoying as this can be. Reliable - For all his faults, Cecil does his best to be someone others can count on. If you ask him to do something, he’s not going to blow it off to go have fun, no matter how much he might look like a flake when he introduces himself. If he makes someone a promise, he's going to make good on it no matter what, and when he fails to keep them he often ends up sulking in remorse, and will do whatever he can to make up for it. He's also prone to taking care of others, not to mention he's not too shabby at first aid when dealing with people and most Pokemon, as learning to fly in his Pidgeot form...hadn't exactly been smooth sailing to begin with and he needed to patch himself up, but he eventually got the hang of it. Resilient - To say that nothing can upset Ceci is leaps away from the truth; despite his bouncy personality, there are some things that just get to him that are more than capable of dragging him through the mud emotionally. And really, if he were completely immune to feeling troubled, he'd be some eerie, alien existence instead of a dorky but well-meaning bird. No, the reason he looks so cheery most of the time is because he doesn't let things keep him down for long, as giving in to feelings of frustration, fear, or sadness would do little more than keep him from turning his situation around. He hurts, he cries, and he certainly feels guilt, but as long as he still has the people he cares about in his life, he'll be alright after a few days at most. NEGATIVE Reckless - Unfortunately, being brave doesn't always work in one's favor, and Cecil forgets that more often than he should. While he tries to be more careful when dealing with emotional subjects, he tends to act before thinking in fights both with others and wild Pokémon, charging in without pausing to think about the consequences. Hell, he even enjoys fighting - and relishes in it in his Pokemon form - going as far as to actively seek it out when he’s feeling worried or troubled and could use the distraction, which says a great deal about just how foolish he can be. Stubborn - While Ceci enjoys being someone others can rely on, he has a stubborn streak a mile wide and hates having to ask his friends for help; he'd rather try to fight his way through on his own so he's not troubling anyone, knowing that others have their own problems that he does not want to add to. Of course, there are a handful of individuals who he would bite the inside of his cheek and accept the help from, but he'd be apologizing for it and insisting he could handle it himself the whole way. And while he'll grudgingly admit that he was wrong when he's fucked something up - believing in owning up to his mistakes - he refuses to apologize for something that isn't true, be it an accusation over something he did or refusing to take back a compliment. Perhaps amusingly, it also means he won't take no for an answer when trying to help someone. Meddlesome - As far as he's concerned, his friend's problems are his problems as well and as stated above he won't take no for an answer if he decides that he is going to help them face those issues. He usually won't pry into someone's personal life unless they willingly divulge the information, though he may ask if something seems to be weighing heavily on them. He's also prone to stepping in when he sees someone in trouble who probably doesn't deserve it, though his plans for intervention tend to be ill-thought out when conjured in the heat of the moment. Hypocritical - He enjoys helping others but stubbornly resists being helped and, while he detests senseless murder, he loves a good fight, not to mention there are certain people that he would love to get his hands on for what they've done. Cecil is a mess of contradictions and he is well aware of it. And while it sometimes disgusts him, in the end it’s just another part of life. Instead of crying about how unfair it is, you have to pick yourself up and keep moving on. Oblivious - Cecil might have Keen Eyes, but even the near-perfect vision they grant him can't change the fact that he tends not to notice when others are taking advantage of his helpful nature for their own personal gain, or when he's being manipulated...which makes him all the angrier when he realizes what a fool he's been later. Likewise, it took him quite a while to notice when someone had feelings for him...and almost as long to realize his own, never really stopping to consider why he felt so strange around his dearest friend. Without the other boy to keep an eye out for him, he'd probably get in a lot more trouble than he does. Overprotective - Keeping his friends, both human and Pokemon, safe is a Big Deal to Ceci - yes, big enough that it needs to be capitalized. In fact, his desire to protect them is often so strong that it can become overbearing sometimes...and cause him to go to ridiculous extents to shield them from harm, whether it's as minor as chasing someone through the street to make them put a coat on when it's officially fucking freezing out or more serious, such as confining them to bed over an injury to make sure they don't do anything dumb to make it worse (though he has no room to talk). If you need to get him to back off a bit, just tell him to stop mothering you; it's a surefire way to get him to blush and give you some breathing room and a muffled apology, but you can bet he'd still stay close, keeping a protective eye out for anything that could go wrong. Quirks Cecil has an obvious affinity for high places: he enjoys sitting in trees, on roofs, and just about anywhere he can get a good view of his surroundings, and his Pidgeot form lets him get him some pretty amazing views. When he was in school, he would always take his lunch to the roof and sit there to eat, dangling his feet over the building’s edge, shoes and socks off so the wind could tickle at the bare skin on his feet. Because he has something of an addiction to sweets, he's rarely found without some on his person be they chocolates, sour candies, or the cinnamon treats he's grown particularly fond of. When bored or stressed, he gets fidgety. Most obviously, he likes to occupy his hands by twirling the Staraptor feather he wears between his fingers, but even when nothing’s really bothering him he’s rarely at rest. He swings his feet while sitting, leans his chairs back onto the back legs, spins pencils, bounces while standing, you name it. Even while sleeping, he tends to wriggle and squirm, though having something to hold on to usually helps calm him down. He has an obnoxious amount of pillows and blankets in his room at home, and tends to arrange them on his bed or set them in a pile in a corner somewhere rather like a nest. He insists he can't help it, and that it's the Pidgeot in him showing through, but he really does enjoy comfy places. Likes Flying, and the feeling of the wind on his skin in general. Sweets, lots of them. And good cooking in general. Fighting, both against wild Pokemon and occasionally other Pokemorphs. Pokemon, especially ones he sees as "cute"; obviously, this includes most birds, but he likes canines as well...and felines, provided they don't try to eat him. Warm, cozy places, particularly right after a flight. Taking pictures for himself - he keeps albums, the dork - though he wouldn't call himself a photographer by any stretch. Dislikes Needles. Sharpedos, plus the open ocean...flying above it is pretty okay, but thanks to some movies he saw as a kid, he's afraid of getting eaten. The cold, at least once he's landed, the rush of flight wearing off as he returns to human form and starts to shiver. Seeing innocent people and Pokemon mistreated. Not being able to help someone he cares about. Above all else, anyone who hurts those he loves.

Template by Kuroya for FtS, do not steal!

HISTORY & POKEMORPH

So you want to know a little bit about me, huh? I can't promise you that it's an exciting story, and I'm warning you, if you can't handle a bit of gushing, you'd better head to the exit before the sap train really gets going. But what can I say? I just can't help going off on a tangent sometimes, especially when it involves what has easily become the most important factor in my life. But uh, anyway, you were here to learn about me, right, so I guess I better start. Like most of this island's residents, I didn't always live here; I was born in Violet City, Johto, and when you spend your developing years watching the birds from the local gym cartwheeling through the sky about your head with wide eyes as they pull off stunts you never dreamed could be possible when you're glued firmly to the ground, it leaves a lasting impression. Or at least it did for me. Now don't get me wrong, I love Pokemon in general, but flying-types will always hold a special place in my heart - along with certain fluffy dark-types...but more on that later. Anyhow, other than my early-born affinity for birds - including my dad's Noctowl, who'd been his partner since long before he'd even joined the Violet City police, or even met my mother - there's not much to talk about when it comes to my early years, and any stories I can give you from back then...well, they aren't exactly flattering. But to put in perspective what kind of kid I was, I will tell you this: despite what my ten-year-old self might have thought, scaling a tree known for being a Beedrill's nest will not, despite what your classmates tell you, convince your parents that you're brave and, therefore, ready for your own Pokemon. No, all I got out of that venture was a lecture, a lifelong fear of needles, and a painfully awkward afternoon at the Pokemon center followed by a week of antidote injections to help get the rest of the venom from the Poison Stings out of my system. I can still remember the way my mom rolled her eyes as she told me how stupid I was for thinking that pulling a stunt like that would impress her, before tossing out that old parental question of "If the other kids told you to jump off a bridge, would you?" In my defense, I did say no, but that doesn't change the fact that I was a pretty gullible kid. Still, other than the occasional snicker I'd catch following me behind my back, school wasn't all bad…though that might have something to with my mother being a teacher, even though I insisted whenever she asked that I could fight my own battles. But while she was well-liked for being one of the “fun” teachers, our school was still pretty small, especially compared to the nearby Pokémon academy, and she’d always talked about the possibility of moving to another city or even another region to find a job at a bigger one that actually needed more instructors. When I was younger, I balked at the idea, shaking my head furiously at the kitchen table whenever it was brought up; I liked Violet, liked watching the local gym trainers work with their birds and the old buildings just begging to be explored…but as I grew older, I began to realize just how much else was out there besides this one city, and gradually the thought of moving somewhere sounded less terrifying and more like an adventure. By the time my mom’s ideas and, later, plans became a reality the spring before I hit twelve, I was actually looking forward to the move and getting to discover a whole new region. And what was waiting for me when I got there…well, adventure didn’t even begin to cover it. From the first time I set foot on Kalos soil, it hit me like the Magnet Train just how different everything there was from my home region. Even the smaller cities we passed through on our way to our new home seemed downright massive compared to the places I’d visited back in Johto, and the Pokémon…there were some I recognized, but so many I’d never had the chance to see up close and personal before in my life. But as amazing as getting there was, traveling from place to place and seeing the sights along the way, there was nothing, nothing I saw on the road could possibly prepare me for what – and who – I found in Lumiose City. For one thing, the place was absolutely freaking huge, and completely unlike anything I had ever seen before in my entire life. The sheer amount of buildings, shops, and people was downright mind-boggling, more than enough to swallow a scrawny kid like me whole as I took it all in with wide eyes; I had been to Goldenrod before, but this? Lumiose with its vast, sprawling mass of boulevards and towering buildings completely dwarfed it, and right away, all I could think about was how much I wanted to explore all of it. Before I could go running off, though, we had to settle in to a new house and new routines. Our new home was, like almost everything so far in Kalos, was pretty different from what I was used to, with our neighboring building staring at us from across the alleyway outside my window instead of the cool, dark rows of trees that I had known for so many years, but the sunlight that would filter into my room gave it a kind of warmth that, while not as familiar as my old home, felt welcoming. But my absolute favorite part of the house wasn’t somewhere you could find inside the walls at all…no, it was above it. From atop our roof the view was stunning, with Lumiose spreading out in front of me in every direction as far as the eye could see, showing off beautiful blue skies during the day while the stars and city lights flickered all around at night. I loved it up there from day one, though I had no idea just how lucky I was for the view at the time. Yet while I was thrilled with my new city and new home as a whole, school proved more difficult to adjust to by far; for one thing, the classes were huge.I think there must have been more kids in just my year than attended my previous school altogether, and for the first few weeks I couldn’t help feeling lost, overpowered by the sheer number of kids there. I spent most of my first days gazing out the window, feeling extremely small and strangely isolated despite – or even because off – all the other students around me, and while most of the time all I saw were clouds, traffic, and the occasional Fletchling (and damn, I really wanted one), but watching the world out there was a lot more interesting than whatever my teachers had to say, no matter how my mom lectured me about listening. And sometimes...sometimes I’d catch sight of someone more interesting: a boy – one I sort-of recognized from the halls and some classes - sneaking off school grounds, a flash of black hair against the sidewalk before he disappeared, turning out of my line of sight. I never spilled what he was doing to the teachers, not even my mother, and with how I still felt like I didn’t really belong there, I couldn’t help admiring his ability to just get up and leave. I would spend entire classes just sitting there wondering who he was, where he was running off to, and what he did when he disappeared seemingly without anyone’s notice, and the more I saw him come and go over the next few days, the more curious about the dark-haired boy I became. But even when I could have tried approaching him the mornings he stayed in his seat, I caught myself hanging back, unsteady and nervous whenever his bright red eyes glanced my way for even a second, even if they weren’t actually looking at me. A week came and went that way before I made an accidental discovery that turned that idle curiosity into an active interest…or, as cheesy as this sounds, maybe it was something more than random chance at work. With school going less than ideally – not that I was bullied, but no one in that massive group was interested in welcoming the new kid in town, and at an age where students would often leave to become Pokémon trainers, I couldn’t really blame them – I spent a lot of time up on my rooftop sanctuary, where any lingering unease washed away. With the addition of some old blankets it turned into the perfect place to just sprawl out and relax, or to pretend you were doing homework and not spending hours playing battle simulation games. Occasionally, I’d even crawl over close to the edge to watch the traffic below crawl by, taking in everything from pedestrians just passing through to trainers challenging each other to battles right there in the street. I wished I could be down there joining them with a Pokémon of my own, something I’d longed for long before even moving to Kalos, and it was watching them one pleasant weekend morning, chin propped up on my elbows that I spied a familiar looking head of black hair weaving through the streets, purposefully avoiding any others as he traveled along, a little yellow canine Pokémon padding along at his side. Now that perked me right up from my watching, never guessing that the mysterious boy I’d seen sneaking off from school lived nearby and what’s more, he had an actual Pokémon with him! I knew I could have stayed there, watching and waiting it out for if and when he returned and waved or something like a normal person, tried to get his attention that way, but with the curiosity nagging at my gut stronger than ever and tired of letting my nerves get to me, I did the first thing that came to mind: I turned and dashed down the stairs, waving goodbye to my mom as I went without stopping and ran off into the city with the excuse that I was going exploring, and barely heard her warning not to stray anywhere dangerous before I was out the door, shoes pounding the pavement as I tried to catch up and tail the boy with the Fennekin. That I was able to pick up his trail was probably a miracle, given how well he seemed to know these roads, but I managed it anyway, somehow, determined not to be lost in all the unfamiliar twists and turns of city streets I’d barely even begun to know, the thrill of doing something exciting for once pounding in my veins as I did my best to keep up without alerting either of the pair to my presence until I was ready, my brain lagging behind my feet as it fished for a way to finally introduce myself in a way that wouldn’t seem creepy after I’d followed them all this way. The longer I tailed him, though, the more sketcky the buildings around us became, graffiti scrawled across walls that slowly seemed to scrunch closer together, cutting out all but a sliver of the blue sky above and filling the warm day with an uneasy chill with the shadows they cast across the alleyways. I might not have been the brightest kid, but even I could tell that this area fell well into the “anywhere dangerous” my mom warned me to avoid…and yet, I kept following him, more caught up in the mystery surrounding his destination than ever. He looked too young to be a gangster, I thought, but maybe he was looking for a fight with them? A shiver of…something – anticipation? Maybe even admiration? - ran down my spine as I followed his back, only stopping short when his Fennekin did, the sound the fox let out startling me as the creeping suspicion that the canine had finally discovered me clawed at my gut, which turned out to be true when the boy recalled his partner and turned to confront me. If I thought his eyes were intimidating before, it was nothing compared to having their gaze leveled directly at me, burning with an intensity that caught my breath in my throat. Ye I was able to gradually unfreeze, stepping further into his paralyzing stare…before he snapped at me to get lost, glare never leaving me as if he expected me to wilt right under it and obey. Maybe someone else would have, and it probably would have been the smart thing to do given where we were, but that command stirred up something in me, a familiar stubbornness rearing its head as I clenched my fist at my side and blurted out the excuse that I was lost. It wasn’t a total lie; I was still new to the city, and while I focused on chasing him, I never stopped to memorize my own steps along the way, and even though the dagger-sharp look the boy was giving me didn’t waver in the slightest at my words, I refused to either, continuing by saying that I had hoped that if I followed him for a while, I might find somewhere I recognized. That he could leave me behind right here with no Pokémon where I could easily stumble onto a group of thugs was finally starting to dawn on me, but I was not about to turn around and run. He must have realized that too, after a while, because even if he didn’t drop the hostile look, he eventually gave in and told me he’d get me home if I told him where I lived, and I tried to keep the victorious smile off my face as he turned with a grumble and started retracing his steps effortlessly. This time, I followed by his side instead of lagging behind, though a silencing glare kept me quiet until we left the seedy area, sure that whatever he had been up to before I was discovered, he didn’t want to risk being found while I was there to get in the way. Once we were out, though, I couldn’t help but letting slip a few comments every now and then how cool it was that he had a Pokémon, how amazing it was that he knew the city so well, and as we drew closer to my house and I felt time running out for the day, I thanked him for sticking around to take me home and waved goodbye with an excited call of the same as he turned to hurry off, probably glad to be rid of me for the moment. If he thought that was to be the last he saw of me, though, he was in for a rude awakening. That night, after shrugging off my mom’s questions about where I’d been and curling up in my room, I couldn’t stop thinking about the conflicting actions the boy had shown me in that short time I’d been with him. His eyes when they glared at me had been sharp and his words as he told me to leave, even sharper, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to him than that. He could have easily left me there and run off, let whatever happened to me happen and no one would be the wiser, or chased me off with an ember from his Fennekin instead of calling the canine off. Or he could have taken me somewhere else and ditched me there instead of making sure I made it back home safe and sound. So which, between the boy glaring at me and the one helped me, was really “him?” The thought kept prodding me all night, and by the time I finally drifted off to sleep, I’d made up my mind that I was going to find out. With seeing the boy again on my mind, I was actually looking forward to going to school for the first time since I’d started, and no sooner had I entered the building than I’d set off to search through the early morning crowds of students to find that familiar head of dark hair, eventually locating him as he alone in a secluded area, breakfast in hand. But while his glare might have kept the others from bothering him while he ate, I wasn’t about to let that stop me after I’d already faced it down once in a far more frightening arena, and with a “good morning” and a smile I hoped was more friendly than unnerving, I plopped myself down right across from him, unfazed when he barely even gave a twitch to acknowledge my presence. That was okay, no one ever said getting to know him would be easy, so I started with just simple things: thanking him again for yesterday, asking him how his Fennekin was doing – again, no response – and babbling on about how cool it was that he had a Pokémon of his own. Eventually, the bell for class rang, and I had to cut my one-sided conversation short, but as I gathered up my stuff to leave I finally remembered to give him my name (whether he wanted it or not) before getting up to leave. I didn’t expect for him to quietly offer his in return, and I know I was grinning from ear to ear as I looked over my shoulder and shot him “It was nice meeting you, Kouhei!” before running off, cheering inwardly that he’d given me a name to put to his face. It was a small reaction, but it was a start…and though he certainly didn’t go welcoming me with open arms at first as I kept showing up day to day during the morning and rambling on about anything I could think of – especially if it got a twitch of interest from him somehow – but slowly, as days and weeks wore into months and more, there were subtle changes when we talked. For one thing, he actually started responding when I spoke on occasion, even if he was still generally quiet, but I was starting to realize that was just the way Kouhei was. When I sat down, his glare wasn’t as sharp anymore, and he would look back at me on occasion instead of focusing on his breakfast…perhaps the best feeling was when, after I’d skipped breakfast myself while running late and my stomach growled, he stared at me for a while before asking if I’d eaten yet, and while I’m sure he must have thought I was crazy for grinning as I replied with a “nope!” I couldn’t help the warm feeling wrapping snugly around my chest when he slid the rest of his breakfast over to me and telling me to eat it, that kindness he tried to hide away surfacing again. As for me, well, the more he opened up as time went by, the more I prodded at his limits, never forcing him to stay if he wanted to walk off but showing up more often, not just in the mornings. First it spilled over to waiting for him after school, or wandering off to find him if he’d left during the day. Then I grew a habit of watching for him and his Fennekin on weekends and free days, dashing down from my rooftop perch to catch up with the pair if I spotted them wandering the streets. And as I gradually crossed that thin, blurry line between “tolerated acquaintance” and “sort-of friend,” he stopped being “Kouhei” to me (unless there was something I desperately needed to tell him) and started being just “Kou.” Eventually, after trailing around the city on his heels for so long, I grew bold enough to start pestering him to come over to my house to hang out, just the two of us (and his Fennekin), watch some movies or play some games. Hell, even just having somewhere to sit and read peacefully would be good, as long as it meant spending more time with the boy who’d gradually become my first friend in Kalos. He refused at first, which I’d pretty much expected, but after prodding at him about it for a while, I finally managed to drag him through the front door…and straight into the path of my astonished mother. I might have neglected to tell her that I was planning – or perhaps plotting – on bringing a friend over, but she was probably more surprised to see who was with me than anything else. She was one of Kou’s teachers, after all, and surely she noticed his habit of cutting class, but apparently she’d never put it together that he was the friend I often rambled on about whenever I returned from some excursion. But even if it occurred to me to worry about her reaction ahead of time, it turned out there was no reason to as the surprise quickly faded and she welcomed Kou into our home, teasing that it was nice to see that my friend was actually real and not someone I made up to keep her from worrying. She didn’t mention his attendance, or warn him not to pass his truancy habits on to me, and after a quick re-introduction I led Kou up to the roof to show him the view, completely forgetting that anything else existed for a few short hours until he had to go home. My mom wasn’t the type to grill people for details unless someone was in danger, preferring to pick up bits and pieces as they were offered, occasionally giving a nudge for more without actually forcing the issues; according to her, kids were more likely to clam up if they thought they were being judged or that you were trying to pull something from them, and mistaking an adult’s concern for anger would just make it harder to get them to open up. That said, after I showed up one afternoon suddenly declaring that one of the more intimidating of her students was my friend, she was obviously going to have questions, though she settled for asking just how we’d met for the moment, and I told her (well, I told her I’d gotten lost, anyway, carefully leaving out that it was completely intentional) how he’d helped me find my way back that day and that I’d been more or less hanging out around him ever since, and before she could say anything else, I also added that he was a way better guy than people thought, those idiots at school just couldn’t see it. She only nodded in reply, smiling to herself as I defended my friend from accusations that hadn’t even been made yet, wanting to make it clear that I wasn’t going to stop hanging around him because he was a “bad influence” – which couldn’t be further than the truth, I added. She seemed satisfied with how well I spoke of him and let the questioning drop for the moment, and when Kou started turning up with me more frequently, she made sure the house as welcome and comfortable for him, telling us to call if we needed anything before teasingly adding that helping us would be a welcome break from grading assignments. It was…odd, how warm it felt watching Kou find somewhere he could let a few of his barriers down for a while, once he got used to my mom. Seeing them get along was even better, knowing that whatever happened at school, she saw that there was more to Kou than his attendance record; occasionally, they’d even start chatting while I was off doing something else or, once he started staying the night from time to time, I’d briefly wake to find them talking before yawning and falling back to sleep. I just hoped that if she told him anything about me, it wasn’t too embarrassing. And there was something that was just nice about getting to see Kou relax while he was there, a hint of happiness that would creep onto his face before he blushed and looked away if I mentioned it that set me feeling like this need to stick with him might not be completely selfish after all. Eventually, I made other friends, but none of them held the same draw that Kou did, and the years went by, the more inseparable we became. He was there when I got my Fletchling as a birthday gift, and I was annoyingly excited for weeks because now I had a Pokémon too, which meant we could train together. Sometimes, he’d get to see my dad when he was home, though his hours at his new job as a late night security guard at one of the various art museums kept him from doing much more than giving us a sleepy greeting before my mom ushered him off to bed in the morning. Seeing them exchange a morning “good night” kiss in front of Kou had always been awkward, leading to rolled eyes and an apology for my parents being “gross” in front of him, but as time passed…well, let me just say it got a lot harder to meet his crimson eyes during their (to be fair, tame) displays of affection. We were both growing, after all, and as teenagers it was difficult not to start noticing things about others…or, in my case, noticing how much change a few years could work on my best friend, and I’m not just talking emotionally here. At first it was just picking up on small things, like how much taller he’d gotten than me in a short while before I started catching up again, the way his voice sounded more mature when he spoke, and how perfectly the color his cheeks would turn when I caught him off-guard with a compliment or staring into space matched with his eyes, still the same striking crimson as ever. But while that might have been innocent, there were certain other things that, try as I might to convince so, were anything but. He didn’t just grow up well, he grew up strong, fit for his size from all the fights he would still get into, and sometimes when he shed his jacket indoors, I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering, feeling like a creep while telling myself that it was just because I wanted to be like him, not because I thought he was attractive…but between seeing him every day and my mother easily picking up on my occasional glances and teasing me about them, I had to come to terms that yes, my best friend was growing up to be freaking stunning. Which was okay, I guessed; my parents were far from homophobic, so realizing that another guy was gorgeous wasn’t a problem so much as the fact it was my best friend we were talking about. Objectively, I was fine acknowledging that he looked good, but that didn’t meant I was crushing on him, right? Just that I was a teenager and couldn’t help looking…and besides, even if I was – which, I continuously pointed out to my mom, I wasn’t – with how he was growing up, he could probably go out with anyone he wanted. Which was a good thing, I kept telling myself, if he could just find someone else he felt comfortable enough around to give it a shot. Even if the thought of him leaving me to spend time with somebody else made my throat burn and my stomach knot. Looking back, sometimes I wonder how I could be that deep in denial; what I felt for Kou went far deeper than a crush, and I was probably the only one around who failed to realize it. My mom’s teasing only grew more pointed over time, and it seemed almost…urgent sometimes, the way she would bait me to at least think about the possibility, prodding me to tell Kou how I felt while my excuse that he was “just a friend” wore ever more thin. Even my dad, who I barely saw during the day with his job, picked up on something whenever he would spot us together, if the way he took me to the art gallery he worked at one afternoon, looked me in the eye, and told me that no matter who my heart belonged to, I would always be his son. Hearing my dad say that affected me in a way my mother’s teasing never could – she had that natural mischievous streak, so it was easy to believe that she was just playing around, but my dad had always been more reserved, especially when it came to sensitive issues. And while it did not trigger the epiphany I needed, I did not protest the way I usually did when talking to my mom after that, my thoughts returned to and entertained the “what if?” scenarios more often than I would like to admit. My parents’ approval meant nothing when Kou probably did not feel that way about me, which I began correcting myself to not feeling the same way as time passed and I gradually accepted what the tugging at my heart whenever I looked his way meant. I’m surprised he didn’t pick up on it himself, with the way my cheeks flared crimson every time someone asked if we were dating, or right before I punched them in the face for calling me Kou’s bitch, hissing at them not to spread rumors about my friend. Honestly, that bothered me more than the accusation, as while I felt closer to him than anyone, I had no idea whether he even liked guys at all, and he already had to put up with enough of their shit talking as it was. I would have been content to just leave my supposedly one-sided crush as it was - actually, no, that’s wrong; I would have been insanely jealous, but glad to see Kou with someone who made him happy, provided they treated him right. So I settled for staying by his side as his friend, keeping my ever-growing feelings to myself despite my mom’s protests. Still, as Valentine’s Day and our yearly tradition of making each other something slithered closer it grew more and more difficult to resist the temptation to do something to clue him in. I was never really good at cooking – that was his forte, not mine – but I always tried to make him something by hand in return, easy things like cards at first, but as I grew more confident, I started adding things on my own to go with them such as framed photographs, small (and, admittedly, pretty rough) carvings, and once even a dream catcher that I was pretty proud of. Perhaps I could make him something more romantic this time around? Maybe a feather necklace to match my own - no, that was stupid. I could try arranging something in a photograph like a heart, which was too cheesy and something already done by professionally-made cards. Or maybe I could actually buy him something nice this year. I spent weeks daydreaming about giving him a nice gift and awkwardly telling him I liked him as more than just my friend, imagining what would happen if he actually returned those feelings, only to shake my head in an attempt to dislodge those thoughts, still fighting not to get my hopes up. My mother watched it all with obvious frustration, and when she could not take it anymore, she flat-out told me to ask Kou how he felt myself instead of moping around about it, an exasperated edge to her voice as she added that I might be surprised how he reacted to it. The way she said it with such certainty made my heart clench with excitement and for the first time, I nodded in agreement, a wave of hope running through me now that I had finally stopped trying to hold it back. I decided that I would ask him, and if it turned out he did not have someone else he liked already, I would go ahead and confess my feelings. It was terrifying, but there was also something freeing about having made up my mind, like there was nothing that could hold me back now…even though my hands were trembling at my sides when I next spoke to him. It started out as a normal conversation, with me pleading with him to tell me what he was planning on making on Valentine’s Day while he shook his head and, with one of those smirks that I found more appealing than annoying these days, repeated that it was a surprise and I would just have to wait and see. I called him evil for that, and gave him an over-the-top fake pout before going a bit quiet, my heart racing at what I was about to do, and before I could stop and second-guess this anymore…I gave myself that mental push and blurted out exactly what was on my mind: “Hey Kou… Is there someone special you’ve been thinking about…? You know… Someone you like?” I tried to play it off as just my curiosity getting the better of me again, fiddling with the feather necklace I always wore and taking a sudden interest in the ground beneath my fidgeting feet, not sure what he was going to say and trying not to let my fear show and probably doing a shitty job of it. The pit of my stomach burned with anxiety as the question floated in the open air, silently praying to Arceus or whatever else was listening for an answer, snapping up to meet his gaze when I heard him begin speaking…only for an ice-cold panic to seep into my veins at his words. “There is someone… actually…” I tried to keep my eyes from watering as he spoke, but I could feel them stinging with every word, but I knew that this could be a possibility, that he might like someone else instead. However, acknowledging that did nothing to calm the fear and jealousy sinking their claws into me as I stood there, trying not to shake and pulled a nervous smile, doing my best to still look encouraging because rejected as I thought I was or no, Kou was still the one I loved and I…I wanted him to be happy. Clenching my fists as my side, I attempted to keep my voice steady as I questioned him, afraid to give away that I was anything but pleased to hear about his crush. “O-oh, so have you thought about asking them out or anything?” “Yes… actually… but I’ve no idea how to actually… you know… do it. I don’t want to lose them… So… I haven’t done it…” As willing as I wanted to be to help Kou with his mystery love, I still stared at him in wide-eyed speechlessness while he looked down, his words taking a moment to sink in and then, miraculously, revitalizing my dying hope that he really did share my feelings, the rapid rise and fall of my mood only to rise again leaving me feeling dizzy. Even then, I still told myself not to set my heart on his answer, but there was no mistaking his words; he didn’t want to ruin what he already had by asking them (I refused to think me even when my heart was screaming it), so the person he was talking about had to be someone close, and Kou kept mostly to himself when I wasn’t around… By now, my heart felt like it was about to beat right through my chest, licking at my lips in thought when he continued on with a question of his own: “How… How would you do it?” “S-show them... how do you do that without scaring them off...” I parroted, taking a deep breath and looking away to calm my nerves, the mixed terror and happiness threatening to overwhelm me as I dared to think that Kou really could like me and we were idiots for keeping quiet for similar reasons, my heart in my throat and my knees trembling as my cheeks flushed a deep red - I was trying to do just that, after all. So I fidgeted and twirled my feather between my fingers as I thought about how I would dream about Kou confessing. I’m not completely sure which was more embarrassing when I spoke between my actual answer and the way my voice actually squeaked with each word, but if I hesitated now when I had the perfect opportunity to, I might never say it…never admit to what was going through my head right whenever I’d gaze at the boy I’d come to love. “Y-you could…give them a kiss… o-or something small like that… e-even a hug, if the kiss seemed too much…” Standing there with Kou watching me, I silently preyed with everything I had that I was not completely misinterpreting everything he’d said, that he wouldn’t go using my suggestion – my confession of what I wanted most right now, but couldn’t ask for - to win someone else, the sound of his footsteps drawing my attention as he stepped closer and I…I felt frozen, skewered on the spot by hope and terror both and as he inched forward, it felt like my unsteady legs were about to give way and send me crashing to the floor completely at any moment. And you know what? I didn’t give a damn, my thoughts devolved into a whirling cloud of lingering confusion and sheer elation as he spoke, my whole body tensed despite the tremors running through it as I hung on to each word. “A kiss… Like this…?” “L-like w-what?” I thought, before I realized that I had actually sputtered the words out loud, letting out a small gasp of surprise when I felt his hand cup my chin, subconsciously leaning into that hold as he tilted it up so that our gazes met. Arecus, if I thought he was good-looking before, the sight of the deep red staining his cheeks echoing his crimson eyes as he stared at me with something I couldn’t name blew that right out of the water. He was gorgeous, my breath catching in my throat as he spoke, barely able to digest the next words he said with the sound of my own frantically pounding heart in my ears…and then, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to mine, and even that disappeared as the brush of sensitive skin against skin drowned everything else out. The rest of the world could have ended right then and I wouldn’t have noticed and couldn’t have cared less if it did because right there, Kou was the only thing I needed and all that I wanted, and after a too-long moment of surprise, I finally kissed him back, digging my fingers into the cloth of his jacket to tug him closer, yearning for more of his warm presence against me and needing the extra support, perhaps giving some of my own in return as we clung there, everything else forgotten in the moment. Though the seconds felt like hours, once we finally parted, it seemed like it had been all too quick and for a while I stood there in silence still clutching at Kou’s jacket for dear life, the fabric beneath my fingers reminding me that no matter how dreamlike this all felt, it was real. Kou – beautiful, protective, amazing Kou – felt the same way about me, and the rush of love as I watched him was more than just a creepy one-sided crush on my best friend…it was dizzying, but emboldened by the kiss, I tightened my grip on his jacket and held him there, the words slipping out more freely now, wavering not in fear but excitement and joy. "N-not at all, you did it perfectly...s-so I hope I can m-measure up." It was a brief warning at best before I pulled him in for another kiss, not satisfied until I could show him that I loved and wanted him just as much, the way he whimpered making me want to drop his jacket and just hold him close, wrap around him and keep him safe from anything that would dare harm him. Then he wrapped his shaking arms around my body, their warmth promising me that he wasn’t about to disappear back into a dream, and I did, lowering my arms to thread them around his waist, drawing him even closer if possible, fitting against each other perfectly as the kiss broke and we stood there, our foreheads resting against each other’s, and him when he declared “I love you… Cecil…” I had to stop myself from trying to pick him up and spin him, I was so overjoyed. Instead, I closed my eyes, leaning against him for the sake of just feeling him there as I whispered in return. “And I love you, Kouhei...” Making the leap from friends to boyfriends was surprisingly easy once we both let our feelings out in the open, as it turned out, and instead of losing the friendship we’d built up, it just got better. Kou would always be my best friend, but dating him – even if we had to be careful about it – and being able to consciously make those little displays of affection I had always wanted to was amazing. A few days later, I handed him my Valentine with a kiss, completely ignoring the stares the other students threw our way. I loved holding hands we went out together, and when he spent time at my house, I became more of a cuddle fiend than ever, constantly snuggling up to his side regardless of what we were doing. Likely the best feeling of all was knowing that when he was upset (or at least lowered his guard enough that I could tell when he was), I could pull him into my lap, wrap my arms around him, and press kisses to his hair while murmuring words of comfort. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before something happened to rip a huge bite out of what happiness we found together. I said before that we tried to keep a low profile while on our dates, but somehow his parents managed to find out about how he was staying with a friend anyway, and like the assholes they are they just couldn’t let him be happy doing something of his own free will that would steal his attention away from the goals they tried to impose on him. Damn, it makes my blood boil just thinking about it; I swear, if I were a fire-type I’d find my way back there myself just to burn their mansion to the ground…b-but that’s beside the point. What matters is that those asshats put him under strict supervision more and more often, and we began to see less and less of each other. I guess we were still lucky that they never found out that our bonds ran even deeper than they thought, but being separated like this and seeing what it did to Kou when we could be together hurt like hell. I would hang on to my phone for hours, waiting for a call or text asking to meet him somewhere or that he was coming over, and while I promised not to hang around outside his house waiting for him despite its closeness, I would occasionally send my Fletchling over to check on him, either on her own or with small gifts like candy. But try as I might to hold and comfort him when we met, the constant pressure and disregard for his well being took a heavy toll on him, until one night he crawled through my window with some shocking news: he was running away from home, and as I sat there holding him, he let down his defenses and explained why. To this day, I swear I would murder his parents in a heartbeat if I could after everything he divulged to me, my eyes widening in fear as he confessed just how bad things were at home – and worse, what it did to him. I was more or less aware that he didn’t get along well with his family, given how often he stayed long hours and sometimes the entire night even before we started dating, but I had no idea how deep the damage they had done to Kou really went, and the more I listened, the more I felt like just holding him was not enough…I wanted to dismember his parents for the way they’d treated him, for treating him as nothing more than a tool for their ambitions that was to be punished and isolated whenever he strayed from the path they were trying their damndest to impose on him by doing something of his own free will. The more he talked about their abuse and what it made him want to do, the more my rage grew, as did my fear for the one I loved so dearly. Hearing what I did…I couldn’t argue with him about the choice he made to run, but I still worried about what would happen to him after, all alone out there except for his Pokémon. And to be completely honest, I was afraid for myself as well…over the past few years Kouhei grew into such a central part of my life that suddenly having him ripped away from me felt like I was losing everything. I would never ask him to go back to his parents after what I learned that night, so I begged him to bring me along instead…and he immediately refused. The swift rejection stung, though I knew that Kou did everything he could to keep me safe , and even when he explained that he wasn’t going to take me away from the family that actually loved me, I still demanded to go, afraid that if I let him run off into the night alone I might never see him again. He seemed to understand though and promised me that he would still contact me and visit and I had to reluctantly accept, knowing that while I would miss him when he was gone, that was a hell of a lot better than potentially losing him forever. But he needed me…said he would break without me, and I made him promise to come back when he missed me, or else I would go meet him somewhere and we would get through it. At some point, we must have woken my mom up talking about it, because she showed up in my doorway as soon as I accepted, worry straining her features when I looked up with tears glistening on my cheeks. I’m not sure whether it was that, the fact Kou had climbed through the window instead of using the front door, or the pain in his own expression that made her forget letting others divulge when they feel like it to immediately ask Kou bluntly what had happened instead. His answers were no easier on my heart this time around, despite more or less knowing what was coming, but at least I could tighten my arms around him and press a kiss to his forehead at the worst admissions instead of just looking on in horror. I swear, I had never realized just how lucky I was to have a mother like her until that night, and not just because of what shitty parents Kou’s were. She could have called and informed them where Kou had gone, but after talking with Kou for a while and making sure his plans were solid ones, she told him she understood his decision and that he was always welcome here, and not just to see me. I’m sure she could have lost her job if anyone found out that she had encouraged him to run, but that was a risk she was willing to take for someone she saw as family. After that, she insisted that he call us if he needed anything so we could have it waiting for him when he snuck in, told him that he was not alone, and then left Kou and I to settle down for the night as I’d made him promise to stay at least until morning. Over the next few days, I wished often that he could have stayed longer, but the occasional call or text from him updating me on how his search for a place was going helped, as did taking pictures to send him over the course of the day. It was a small way of filling him in on where I was and what I was doing so he could feel like, in a way, he was still there, but it helped me feel less cut off knowing that he’d see them eventually. And just like I grew used to seeing him almost every day over the past few years, I gradually acclimated to his occasional stops by the house and meetings out for brief date nights before he went back into hiding, lest his parents pick up on his trail. Once he found his own apartment, I started spending time there as well, happy to finally be able to visit Kou now that he had a home of his own. But while I enjoyed my trips to see him, I know he still yearned for something better, somewhere he could be truly free without worrying that his parents might someday track him down…and about two years after he climbed into my window, he showed up with word of an island far from Kalos that where he could have the freedom he craved. Then, with my mom smiling knowingly from the door, he asked if I would move there with him and my heart soared, and I’ll admit I had my arms around him before the first overjoyed cry of “yes!” escaped me. And then, much to my surprise, he asked my parents if they would like to move there as well, mentioning that others had called it a paradise, and while their answer took a few days of thinking over, they decided to go with it. After all, with the world in chaos around us – which, funny enough, I mostly missed since I spent more of my time worrying about Kou than the encroaching darkness – more and more people were moving to the island that seemed like a sanctuary. Living in Kalos had been an adventure, but so would moving to a new land and discovering the new opportunities waiting there. It didn’t take long for both of them to secure new jobs - I intended to look for one once we arrived, since I didn’t have the years of experience to go on – and a new home on Morpheus’s shores waiting for us once we made the journey, seeing light for the first time in a while once we set foot on the isolated land. While my parents made sure that their new house had plenty of room for Kou and I as well as themselves, I couldn’t wait to get out there and find a place of our own to cement our new start here, and luckily enough Opyoid City’s swift expansion meant there was a healthy job market. And while working the counter at a candy store that provided treats for humans and their beloved Pokémon (as well as those who developed a taste for the latter after trying them in Pokémon form) might not sound like the most exciting job out there, getting to see the Pokémon people brought in with them during the day thanks to the place’s Pokémon-friendly policy was pretty cool, not to mention getting an employee discount on the shop’s sweets meant getting to supply Kou with his favorite candies more often. No, what was truly exciting was having a new city plus a whole chain of unknown islands to explore, and my favorite person in the world to explore it with.

Pidgeot Normal / Flying Keen Eye Corvus Twenty-three

Template by Kuroya for FtS, do not steal!

[★ RYUUJIN !]

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You have received:

• 5 Pokeballs
• 4 Rare Candies
• 3 Potions
• 2 Full Heals
• 1 Revive
• 1 Pokedex
• And, of course, your starter!

RIOLU FIGHTING MALE INNER FOCUS LEVEL 10

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