Chapter Text
“Alright, Flint, here are the cookies I promised you.”
Bertha reached forward to place a tray of fresh Lava Cookies onto the table in the common room.
Despite his heightened anxiety over the past 24 hours, desperately awaiting the results of Dawn’s battle with Volkner, Flint couldn’t deny his favorite cookies. He reached forward, about to grab one when Bertha slapped his hand.
“Ow!” he yelped, immediately recoiling.
“They’re too hot,” Bertha warned him. “I know you love the heat, but don’t burn off your tastebuds.”
Flint sunk into his chair as Lucian and Aaron snickered on either side of him. The entire Elite Four and Champion were all seated around the table, dreamily inhaling the aroma of the sweet and spicy cookies.
“Impatient, huh?” Aaron teased Flint, nudging him lightly.
Flint rolled his eyes, resting his chin in his hands as he gazed at the cookies with a forlorn expression.
Lucian couldn’t help but shake his head, amused. “Seems he’s more impatient about the results of the battle.”
Flint frowned. “I hate that you’re right.”
Cynthia smiled as she watched them. “All we can do now is wait, Flint.”
Flint let out a dramatic sigh, looked at the cookies, and then gazed up at Bertha for silent permission. She simply nodded, and Flint reached out to grab one.
“Oh, wow,” Flint said after taking his first bite, staring at the rest of his cookie with wide eyes. “You weren’t playing around with these.”
Bertha beamed proudly as everyone else reached for a cookie. A collective hum of enjoyment filled the room.
Flint’s phone suddenly lit up on the table. Peering over, he silently hoped it was Volkner. Tapping to unlock his phone, he noticed he’d received a text from Buck.
He wasn’t prepared at all for Buck’s text.
“Volkner finally texted me back!!!” The message read, causing Flint to gasp, his reaction capturing everyone’s attention.
Aaron and Lucian peered over Flint’s shoulder as the redhead dropped the remainder of his cookie to furiously respond.
“What did he say?!” Flint texted, his fingers tapping quickly against his phone. Once he sent the message, he grasped his phone tightly, watching eagerly as Buck began typing his response.
Buck’s message came through on the screen.
“He said ‘Hi’!!!!”
“Holy crap!” Flint exclaimed, scaring Lucian and Aaron, who backed away from either side of his shoulders. Flint finally noticed them, and gave them both a glare for being nosy.
Cynthia widened her eyes, surprised. “Are you going to tell us what happened?”
Flint’s face brightened up as he shouted, “Volkner finally texted my little bro back!”
A brief silence filled the room. Bertha, Cynthia, and Lucian all exchanged looks. Under his breath, Aaron muttered, “Jeez, what did your poor brother do?”
“What did Volkner say?” Lucian asked.
“He said hi!” Flint practically screamed.
Everyone stared blankly at Flint. Hesitantly, Cynthia added, “Well, that’s an improvement, I guess.”
“I told Volkner to stop ignoring Buck,” Flint explained, his eyes glimmering with excitement. “I can’t believe he actually listened.”
“That’s good news,” Aaron said, “But did you hear anything about the battle?”
“Well, no,” Flint shrugged, slumping into his seat a bit with a nervous laugh. “That’s kind of what I was hoping for, too.”
Cynthia continued nibbling on her cookie, looking over at Flint with an encouraging smile. “You’re bound to find out sometime today.”
Flint sucked in a breath and sank further in his seat. The battle was on his mind ever since yesterday, when Volkner returned to his Gym. It was even hard for Flint to get proper sleep the previous night.
“Honestly, I’m pretty nervous,” Flint said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t even know what other options are left.”
“Well,” Aaron started, swinging an arm over Flint’s shoulder and flashing him a smile, “No matter what happens, you got us to help you brainstorm more solutions!” Aaron shot an eager look at Lucian, who couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the pun.
“He’s right,” Lucian said, breaking his cool demeanor to give Flint a small smile and squeeze his shoulder encouragingly. “Even if the puns kill me.”
Flint’s expression softened, and he let out an easy chuckle. Looking between the two of them, a genuine smile crept across Flint’s lips. “Thank you, guys.”
Perhaps it was the affection from his new friends, but Flint couldn’t help but notice his thoughts heading back to Volkner.
Growing up, Flint was a popular guy, thanks to his sunny, friendly demeanor and charm. Still, despite all the different kinds of people he met in school, there was only one person whom Flint would always elect to spend all of his free time around.
He’d had many casual friends, always having a friend to chat with in the back of class, but he never felt compelled to get too close with them, or even hang out with them after school. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing, having to be the man in the house while helping his mother raise Buck, but there was a part of Flint deep down that was hesitant about getting too close with too many people. Maybe it was because he knew and befriended Volkner early on in his life, but Flint never had any strong desire to go out of his way and become as close with anyone else.
Lucian and Aaron were formerly just Flint’s coworkers; now, they had become his good friends. The friendships had grown naturally and were unplanned. Unexpected even, particularly for Lucian’s case. But, as Flint’s friendships with the two men had grown, he began realizing just how differently he felt with them, compared to whenever he was with Volkner.
It made him realize just how different his relationship with Volkner was. It wasn’t just deeper, or more complex… it was simply that – just different.
Maybe suspiciously so.
There was an inconvenient truth that Flint was burying away in his mind, deciding not to deal with the messiness of it, certainly at least for the time being. It was true: Volkner was on his mind, and often. Aaron’s physical contact, and even Lucian’s simple shoulder squeeze prompted him to think about the way Volkner’s occasional closeness made him feel in contrast.
It was a big contrast.
Flint couldn’t help but frown a bit, lost in his mind. It was complicated, and he knew he’d eventually have to face his thoughts and delve deeply in them one day. But, there was already one fire he had to put out before worrying about the next one. Shaking his head, he gave it no further thought.
Snapping out of his reverie once Aaron and Lucian withdrew their arms, he noticed everyone in the room suddenly grow quiet. Aaron’s green eyes were practically bugging out of his face.
“Uh… guys?” Flint hesitantly asked, looking at each of their faces. They were all frozen in place, staring ahead. Even Cynthia appeared to be speechless. Nervously, Flint scratched the back of his head and said, “Oh no, did I say something offensive on accident again?”
Growing anxious by their lack of responses, Flint leaned back and decided to follow their gazes.
Immediately, his breath caught in his throat.
“Hey,” a familiar voice said.
Volkner was standing in the doorway of the League common room, hands buried in his jeans pockets. It was obvious he wasn’t greeting anyone else; his eyes were only on one person at the table.
Flint’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing. As if he had gotten shocked by one of Volkner’s Pokemon, he still looked dazed once he finally spoke.
“Volkner?” Flint managed, not even fazed by the Lava cookie in his hand breaking in half and crumbling onto the table.
Neither of them noticed the other four clearing out the room, despite the room’s dead silence. It was as if Flint developed tunnel vision; everything else in the foreground seemed to blur.
Volkner stepped forward. The bags under his eyes were less prominent. His features appeared lifted in the slightest.
In fact, Flint could even say he looked… kind of happy.
“Flint,” Volkner began, just a few feet away from him now. A small smile had made its way on Volkner’s lips, and his eyes were, for the first time in a long time, looking at him warmly.
Volkner couldn’t help but break into a full grin as he said, “She destroyed me.”
Flint immediately shot up from his chair in surprise. He scanned Volkner’s face, trying to determine if he was genuine or joking.
His smile was real. Flint locked eyes with him, beginning to smile himself once he realized it wasn’t a dream.
“Wait,” Flint nearly stuttered, “Dawn won?!”
“Yeah,” Volkner chuckled, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “She absolutely wiped the floor with me.”
Flint’s face grew elated. “Are you serious?!”
“You’ve got a pretty tough challenger coming your way,” Volkner replied, opening his eyes again and smirking over at his old friend. He crossed his arms over his chest as he added, “You know, I think she may even make it to you. Or even further.”
Flint let out a surprised laugh. “I welcome the challenge,” he said, and slowly began shaking his head in disbelief, moving his gaze to the floor. “Holy crap, Volk. You gotta tell me more about that battle.”
“I will,” Volkner responded. Then, he took a step forward, his expression slowly becoming nervous.
Flint’s brows knit in confusion, trying to figure out what was going through Volkner’s mind.
“Volk?”
“I’m here because, well…” Volkner looked down at his feet, and began to frown deeply, annoyed at himself and his hesitancy. “… I need to… well, I need to thank you.”
Flint raised his brows in disbelief. “T-thank me?”
“Of course I’m thanking you,” Volkner muttered, looking annoyed. Then, he looked off to the side, his cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink. “I… I’m sorry, Flint. I really am.”
Flint was frozen in place, not able to move, even if he wanted to.
The shell-shocked expression on the Elite Four’s face prompted Volkner to continue. “I was… really in a sour mood, to say the least,” Volkner said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. “To be honest, I just felt like giving up.”
Volkner hesitated before meeting Flint’s eyes again.
“This past year… wasn’t how I imagined my life as a Gym Leader to be,” Volkner continued, his head hanging as he recalled the past year. “Maybe my hopes were too high, my expectations unreasonable. Regardless, I was disappointed, disillusioned… I couldn’t believe that my lifelong dream had turned out to be like this.”
Flint hadn’t heard Volkner unravel like this in a long, long time. It didn’t happen often, either.
Volkner lifted his head again, forcing himself to look at Flint, despite his nervousness. He cleared his throat before continuing. “It’s true, I grew bored, but also…” Volkner was playing with his hands, his face growing flushed. “The reality is… I missed you. A lot.”
He paused to look at Flint’s face, wondering what his reaction would be. Taking Flint’s speechlessness as a cue to continue, he added, “I had no one to turn to. No one could understand my situation… There’s no one who knows me like you do. All I could do was sit in that sadness and loneliness until it consumed me. I thought becoming detached would help me deal with everything.” He let out a shaky breath. “It didn’t.”
Flint couldn’t hear his own heartbeat; he could only feel it, as if his heart grew three times in size, pulsing throughout his whole body.
Volkner looked impossibly embarrassed, no longer able to hold Flint’s gaze as he averted his gaze to the floor. Quietly, he added, “I really needed you. And I didn’t know how to say it.”
The blonde swallowed nervously, already feeling like he’d said too much. His hands had grown clammy, and his heart was racing in his chest. He chose his words methodically, praying to Arceus he hadn’t just pushed Flint away.
He was about to lift his head to look at Flint, wondering what was written all over his face, when a pair of warm, strong arms suddenly embraced him.
Volkner blinked slowly, frozen in place while he let Flint hold onto him. His grasp was tight, as if he was scared Volkner would leave his sight again. Flint’s familiar scent, the smell of bonfires and smoke – the scent that would drive Volkner into a spiral and make him hate himself for doing so – gripped Volkner’s senses.
“I missed you too, Volk,” Flint said, his voice soft. He squeezed him tighter after he said it. “I missed you every day.”
Volkner was so overwhelmed with emotion he had no choice but to hug him back, needing the excuse to hide his face into Flint’s collar.
When Flint felt Volkner’s arms around him, he felt prompted to speak more. “Every new route I battled through, every city and town… there were so many things I wanted to show you – that I still wanna show you,” he said. “There were so many times where I just sat and thought, ‘Damn, this would be so much cooler if Volkner was here, too.’”
Volkner wondered if Flint could hear his hectic heartbeat. It made him paranoid. Against his own will, he pulled himself gently away from Flint’s embrace. He didn’t want to reveal too much, not when he had just gotten him back.
Flint grabbed Volkner’s shoulder, squeezing. “Y’know, there’s actually this cool route that’s kind of hard to find, right outside Victory Road.” He smiled eagerly at Volkner before adding, “Hey, if you’re free for lunch, we could go right now!”
“Sure,” Volkner replied, a bit too quickly for his own liking. Flint didn’t notice; he retracted his hand with a wide grin and stepped away.
“Sweet! I’m gonna go get Magmortar and Flareon,” Flint exclaimed. “The whole team’s gonna be so excited to see each other again!”
Volkner watched as Flint turned away, practically skipping as he excitedly dashed back to his chamber.
The Gym Leader wasn’t sure what kind of look he had on his face, but at the moment, he was enjoying the rush of emotions he hadn’t felt for quite some time.
Out of seemingly nowhere came the sound of close footsteps. Curious, Volkner turned his head, only to jump back at the sight of Aaron and his sudden proximity. He nearly screamed, but elected to cover his mouth instead, luckily only letting out a small gasp.
The young Elite Four was beaming at Volkner, his smile touching his cheeks as his eyes sparkled. “Hey! You’re Volkner!”
“Um, hi,” Volkner slowly responded, taking a large step back. Already wishing for Flint to come back, Volkner asked, “You’re… Aaron, right?”
“Yeah! Flint’s best friend while you were gone!” Aaron teased, poking his index finger into Volkner’s chest. He winced, a rush of guilt overwhelming him.
Hesitantly, Volkner looked away as he said, “Well… thanks for being there for him. I know I was kind of difficult.”
“Kind of!” Aaron laughed, making Volkner redden with embarrassment. “Well, I’m just glad you two are talking again. He was so sad, it was hard to watch!”
Volkner felt awkward, scratching the back of his neck, looking around for Flint and wishing he’d come back sooner. “Yeah, I’m glad, too.”
With a cheeky grin, Aaron winked at Volkner and teased, “You know, I’ve been rooting for you two since the beginning! You guys are meant for each other!”
Frowning deeply, Volkner crossed his arms over his chest and muttered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do!” Aaron responded, giving him a nudge. “We saw the whole thing. The love between you guys is so real!”
“… We?” Volkner asked, a feeling of dread taking over. Aaron simply continued smiling, pointing over at a doorway. Bertha, Lucian, and Cynthia were peeping into the room from behind the doorway, all looking at Volkner. Bertha even gave Volkner a thumbs up.
Volkner’s face flushed all the way to his ears, and even down his neck. He trembled silently with rage, his mouth pressed into a severe tight line.
Flint’s familiar steps approached, coming around to Volkner’s side as he threw an arm over his best friend’s shoulder. “Yo, Aaron! I’m so glad you two met! When worlds collide, am I right?”
The contact was too much. Abruptly, Volkner wiggled out of his grasp, turned around, and began marching as quickly as he could out the room. His only objective was trying to get out of the League as soon as possible.
Confused, Flint looked between Volkner’s retreating figure and back at Aaron. The bug-type Elite looked just as puzzled as he was, giving Flint an innocent shrug.
“Huh,” Flint mused, scratching the back of his head, wondering what caused Volkner to leave in such a haste. Turning to Aaron, he said, “Hey, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Grinning, Aaron waved as he watched Flint turn on his heels, beginning to chase after Volkner with necessity. He tilted his head to look back at his coworkers, all of whom gave him a knowing smile in return.
“Volk!” Flint called out, his voice becoming more and more distant as his footsteps picked up speed. “Hey, Volk, slow down! You don’t even know where the route is!!”