* GRACE / BESTOWED .

Her glare never wavered as he spoke. Janine didn’t exactly have the best poker face but she knew how to hold a grudge. She also knew how the feelings of incredible loneliness clashed with the defenses of abandonment and could easily knock a grudge right down. Her eyes flickered over him for only a moment, hardly betraying the conflict that lay underneath before she pushed herself off the doorframe.

“Fine,” she replied curtly. She turned on a heel and walked back inside, leaving the door open for him to follow.  She made it about halfway through the foyer before she stopped and turned towards him. Her arms remained crossed and her expression skeptical. She waited for the door to close before speaking.

“…Alright. Give it your best shot.” There was certainly a venom in her voice, famous for the poisonous clan. 

     Relief washes over him as Janine turns to let him in — to be completely honest, he wasn’t sure if he’d even get this far. One step at a time, Falk. Her voice still holds a BITE to it, like a coiled ekans ready to strike at one wrong step. ...In it’s own defense, he reminds himself.

     Falkner closes the door softly behind them as Janine stops him from progressing any further than the foyer. Is anyone else even... home? A brief, awkward grimace crosses his face as he knits his fingers together in front of him, voice stuttering as he struggles to find the right words.

Red shrugs, holding the height of his shoulders in place with the unimpressed look etched into his face. He doesn’t think about the media, no good comes from it, but really—what else was new?

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     “Very well, actually. Most I keep here only briefly as they heal — not that I’m a properly trained veterinarian, but I’ve certainly learned a lot. There are a few who have become permanent residents...” Falkner readies two cups and teabags from the cupboard above. “Too injured to survive on their own in the wild anymore. I started it up with the intention of serving wild pokémon, but I’ve had a few trainers reach out to me to help with specific injuries the Centers weren’t equipped to handle. Or,” the kettle shrieks to signal it’s ready as Falkner quickly turns the stove off, “with behavioral difficulties.”

     He pauses for a moment, a sheepish smile forming as he bows his head to avoid looking DIRECTLY at Red. “Sorry,” he adds after a second, moving to pour the water. “Got me to ramble a bit, aha.”

     He brings the tea back to the living room, setting the cups on the table between the chair Red had taken and the couch, sitting across from him.

You could practically feel the chaotic energy radiating off of Green. Falkner’s huffing and puffing, the quirk of his eyebrow, the suspicious look in his eye? Yes, that’s right, kiddo, keep being suspicious. It was hilarious. It was delicious. Frankly, it was unfair. After all, Falkner was one of those folks where all it took was one poke and one prod and it send him off his handle. It’d give Green an immediate reaction. Flustering him, getting a good rib off him? It was way too easy. He was surprised that the guy was still this vulnerable with how many punches Janine must’ve given him by now.

Not that Green was complaining or anything.

“Hey, that’s a great idea. We could head to an outlet mall first and get you a new outfit, and we could try it out on the town tonight! You’re sharp, Falk. You’re sharp.” And without a space for Falkner to protest, Green was hauling the guy off to Goldenrod City, the cream of the crop for all the popular picks for expensive shopping centers. 

A few steps in, Green was ruffling a hand through Falkner’s hair, like a good little dog that did something he liked. “See, you don’t give yourself enough credit; first words out of your mouth was already the best suggestion I heard! We’re gonna go shopping, we could buy food, you can do anything at a mall. That’ll be a good chunk of our day right there!”

“Course I got faith in ya, with ideas like that. But don’t go running off on me; I might cry. Or have to put you on a leash.” He laughed, looping an arm around Falkner’s shoulder and pulling him close. “But hey, my game plan is your game plan, and I’m already following through with step one. C’mon, wise guy, what other plans do you have in that passive-aggressive brain of yours?”

     “You’re insufferable,” he murmurs, fingers tugging through part of his hair to fix whatever Green tousled. He’s aware the veiled insults are meant in JEST, but it still irritates like a slightly open wound.

     Falkner tugs his arm free of Green’s grip — he bites back the urge to say he can handle himself just fine — and follows the other with resigned acceptance. 

     “Ever thought of, you know, texting me, like a normal person?”

     Not that shopping or getting food sounded like a bad idea, but he liked having a plan for such events. Still, as Green pulls him close with an arm around the shoulder, Falkner allows himself to take a deep breath and try to relax. 

     “Gonna veto the leash.” His response comes with an eye roll. “You actually wanna walk all the way to Goldenrod, or fly? ‘Cause I’m sure you already know my preference.”

     The shock is finally fading, and Falkner can feel his guard crumpling ever so. Friends seems a strange word between them, hovering there between a jagged crack in the concrete. He would oscillate between yes, of course and annoyance, though... Perhaps that only cemented their relationship. Green certainly knew him better than many, and Falkner usually didn’t FIGHT his company. His etched frown relaxes into a neutral expression.

     Lighten up, he chides himself.

The wait didn’t take too long. Knowing Falkner, he was probably doing some light chores or busying himself until it was time for their meet-up. His ears picked up the light footsteps, and his smile widened a touch to see Falkner in the flesh. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and dark jeans– a sign that he was fresh off from cleaning the aviary. It was a good look on him. His usual Gym Leader attire always looked pleasing to the eye, but Falkner in casual clothes was a whole different level of attractiveness. 

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     Falkner freezes as Morty embraces him — he’s never been big on expressing PHYSICAL emotion. Or verbal, but one step at a time... Likely out of awkwardness more than anything else ; but after a moment, he relaxes into the touch. For a second he returns the gesture, face pressed into Morty’s shirt. Warm, comforting...

     Morty pulls away, and Falkner focuses desperately on composing himself. Morty appears as calm as ever, his expression settled into the faintest of smiles.

     “That’s okay,” he replies quickly, taking a step back to grab his phone off the counter. The back panels to the house were already closed. “I finished most of the cleaning this morning — we can head out.”

I’m assuming they aren’t able to make the journey? It’s an obvious answer, perhaps unnecessary, but Red slips in a sound of affirmation all the same. Toying with the idea of elaborating, but time—they had plenty to get into details.

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     A few days?

     He frowns for a fraction of a second. There was a guest room — it wouldn’t take long to tidy up — but an extended stay was unexpected. ESPECIALLY if Morty was still planning on coming to Violet over the weekend.

     Rather than reply immediately, Falkner makes his way to the back half of the house, still visible from the main living space. The walls there are sliding panels, capable of opening up the house to the rather spacious backyard. The aviary remains enclosed, but his core team are free to roam wherever they please — they’ve been with him long enough, been trained long enough, that they knew where to return. Piiko and Taji, especially, are more than familiar with HOUSE RULES. A few handmade, drilled-in perches dot the inside of the house.

starter for @aviangrace

Even with the casual pace, leaving early meant that by the time he arrived at Violet City, he was still ahead of their promised meeting time. Now, he could have called and let Falkner now of his arrival, but after a moment’s thought, he decided to make it a surprise. With a small smile curling his lips, the blond walked towards Falkner’s home, letting his body go into autopilot as his mind wandered about their plan for today.

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     While the yearly surge of trainers is familiar and routine, Falkner still misses the freedom to leave Violet when able. When not focused explicitly on his work, he admits his house can feel rather LONELY. Violet City is a quiet town, with quiet residents, and a quiet gym leader. His birds fill the gaps with melodies and the intermittent screech — it’s enough, most days, coupled with calls to Morty and Janine when their schedules align. 

     But a much needed break allows Morty to visit. Normally, Falkner would have no problem with flying to Ecruteak to save Morty the trouble, but the plan was to visit the Ruins. They used to be the space he’d flee to when younger and in desperate need of a break — from his father, from League responsibilities, from slowly suffocating daily routines. 

     He hasn’t been in quite some time.

Janine had the house to herself, as she had for quite awhile now. With her father having moved to the Indigo Plateau and her aunt…well. In some cases maybe solitude was the better option. At the very least, she’d been forced to get used to it by this point.

She didn’t often get visitors at the Hayashi estate. If anyone wanted to find her, the Gym was usually the first place they’d look. And considering she’d left one of her dopplegangers in charge–disguised as herself–nobody had any reason to come here. So when she heard a knock on the door, it piqued her curiosity.

She slid on the wooden floor, her socks carrying her around the corner. It wasn’t often that she took days off but after recovering from a hefty illness, she thought one more day couldn’t hurt. Having adorned herself in baggy, ratty, post-sickness wear, she’d made no effort to glamour herself up for whatever visitor was coming. If they got sick too, it wasn’t her fault.

She opened the door and–

Oh.

Oh.

This wasn’t a face she’d seen in a long, long time. Not by her own doing–no, it had been his doing. She had tried and he had ignored her. And yet here he was, standing at her door.

It took a moment for the shock to wear off but as soon as it did, her guard was back up in full force. Her face scrunched into a grimacing glare as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“What do you want.”

     Her flat voice punches him in the gut. He expected this — deserved it — but it doesn’t stop his face from twisting in a grimace to mirror her own. She’s dressed in what he assumes to be sleepwear ; old, beaten clothes. He opens his mouth to ask if she’s okay — wait, perhaps a BAD IDEA.

     Falkner lowers his head ever slightly, eyes downcast. Her body language reads GO AWAY.

     “I came to talk,” he starts, biting his tongue quickly after to stop himself from saying something stupid. The tension is practically palpable between them ; it leaves a smothering sensation in his throat.

     “And to apologize.” Which he’s tempted to do immediately — fall to his knees and beg for whatever forgiveness she can offer — but a show like that is nothing short of pathetic, and he thinks Janine would only look down on him for it. She’s too important to risk anything further that might drive her away. He forces nervous hands to still at his side and turns his gaze back to hers, in an attempt to show sincerity.

Red could’ve laughed at the drop of Falkner’s face, the utter flat disapproval he was met with along with the terrible blow to his arm; but he reacts appropriately to the attack instead, head whipping in and a hand slapping over the attack will surely (not) leave a bruise, his cries of pain true and real.

“Ohhhhhhhh, owwwwww.”

A+ for a lack of effort. 

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     Falkner can’t help but roll his eyes. This was strange — he acknowledges that, at least, in the back of his mind. Usually reserved in conversation save with perhaps two other people, this side of him is ... He pushes the thought away, instead choosing to turn and flash his middle finger at Red for a moment, a SCOFF in his voice.

     “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

     But the air changes, and Falkner slows his pace to walk fully beside Red to dispel any awkwardness of talking to empty space. A gentle breeze sweeps through the trees, tricking shadows across the pavement. While not quite dusk, the sun hangs low in the sky, peeking over the crowns of trees and bathing Violet in low, warm yellow light.