For a better tomorrow.

The corners of her lips lift as he speaks—as those words she knew would leave Adam usher themselves into existence. Perhaps she could have reduced the building to nothing but rubble and dust, and he would insist the same thing, with that same look of quiet yearning. Fingers curl, finding the back of his hand, the familiar warmth that seeps into the champion’s skin, as he takes her own in a search both blind and yet almost second nature. The kiss, something she is all too quick to catch before it breaks, and renders that once subtle smile upon her features a little less perfect and a little more foolish.

“Oh, it isn’t if there happens to be a clip to the saddle I’m worried about,” Serena says, the words soft and yet not without an edge of humour, a quiet joke she harbours in the back of her mind. Best to save it for later, when their feet are upon the ground again and he might not fear the safety of herself, past or present. “You can’t exactly give a Drifblim a saddle, let alone something to tether yourself to one…”

A thumb brushes over the back of his palm as though to wipe their minds clear of the subject, or perhaps to push it to the side. And she nods towards the windows and balcony—to wear the Charizard in question lingers like the grotesques on antiquated buildings nearby. What they might wish they could be, if such things were possible.

 “My worries are more on thinking—overthinking, probably— about Armand. Either of us sitting behind a saddle like that might interfere with his back or wings.”

She pauses for a moment, to pass the question through her mind once more. After all, he is not a Rhyhorn, though the saddle alone could have fooled her, and not once has Adam given the impression to be the kind to compromise the comfort of his pokemon for himself or another. Eyes flicker back to find his own, and something in her expression brightens.

Adam's smile softened at the joke, a quiet laugh escaping him before he shook his head.

"I suppose not," he admitted. "I'd rather not be the man remembered for inventing the world's first flying balloon saddle."

The image lingered just long enough to earn another faint chuckle before his attention settled fully on Serena again. Her thumb traced the back of his hand, and as always, the simple gesture made the rest of the room seem to fade into the background. His fingers gave hers a gentle squeeze.

When she spoke of Armand, however, the amusement gave way to thoughtful consideration. Adam glanced toward the waiting Charizard beyond the balcony doors, his expression turning contemplative. He knew every scar, every old ache, every habit the dragon carried. Armand had borne him across mountains, storms, and battlefields; the last thing Adam would ever ask was for him to carry more than he comfortably could.

"He would let me know if it bothered him." Adam said with quiet certainty. "Probably by refusing to move until I listened."

A fond smile touched his lips.

"Armand is stubborn enough to make his opinion known."

His gaze drifted back to Serena as she suggested sitting in front. For just a heartbeat he pictured it - the warmth of her leaning back against him, the wind catching strands of blonde hair as Armand carried them over the city. The thought alone left something quietly stirring in his chest.

Then she looked at him with that brightening expression and whatever thoughts he'd held simply dissolved.

"I think we would be all right." He answered gently. "The saddle's built to keep the rider balanced over his centre of mass. Having you in front won't put any meaningful strain on his neck or shoulders, and if anything it would make it easier for me to keep you steady."

His thumb brushed lightly across the back of her hand in return.

"And I'd rather have you where I can make sure you're comfortable."

He leaned forward just enough to steal another brief kiss from her lips before resting his forehead lightly against hers.

Fire type pokemon!

-

037: Vulpix (2022)

Artist: HYOGONOSUKE

Bonding (2018)

Artist: RemyQuill

Source: Fan Art

His gaze lingers, and Serena cannot help but stay frozen in the doorway for a moment longer, the corners of lips lifting with each and every word that he ushers into the space between them. Her smile a gentle sort, the kind that might, for a moment, glitter in yellowing and warm light like a few, forgotten speckles of dust. Something rare, something that can only exist when left to be. It trembles before giving way to a breathless laugh, lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

“Well,” She says with a turn on her feet slow enough to face her towards the looming hallway and yet not quite enough to keep a shoulder, that smile, from moving with it, “There goes my idea of a daring climb down the balcony.”

-

True to her word, there is no vanishing act. Years of hurrying from one whose beginning and end are obscured with layers of tulle and glitter and ornate pieces to the next—all with the end result as perfect as the last— her greatest aid. She emerges from the corridor in no spectacular outfit, but no affront to fashion either. Plain, undetectable—the same as the night before so that she might sneak off into the darkness unseen by prying eyes. There is no fanfare as she steps back into the main room of the apartment. Just quiet steps, arms crossing loose at her waist, and a few, sacred seconds to take in it all. Him, his pokemon—the way they simply are.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,”

And she knows, no matter how such a phrase were to be said, he would dismiss it with a statement of her not needing to apologise—that it is never needed. Fuel even more so for it to leave her lips, and further still for it to be said with that same, gentle grin. A hand runs through the ends of loose curls, one finger coiling them around another, and with the motion does she take all of her focus—save for grey eyes that stay fixed upon Adam’s form. No movement left unseen.

He pats Armand gently on the arm and the Charizard lumbers out onto the balcony to wait for them as Adam turns and catches her grin. He can tell by that grin she knows what he is going to say in response to what she says, and it is a complusion he cannot deny himself.

"You have nothing at all to apologise for, and I know you are well aware of that. If anything, you were quicker than I expected given how incredibly beautiful you look." He smiles right back because she truly, completely, lights up the room and makes his heart beat about a thousand times faster.

"But I am pleased to know my anti-climb paint worked." He grins wider then and walks over to gently take her hand in his. This close he can smell her perfume and take in every detail and it hits him as it has a thousand other times since last night just how much he loves her.

He clears his throat, pecks her lips (careful not to ruin her makeup) and turns to face the open sliding door where Armand waits outside. He glances over to her and his smile softens.

"You are more than welcome to sit up front or behind me, whatever you feel is easier. Armand will make sure it is a steady, safe flight home for you." Adam hums. "There is even a clip that attaches to your belt from the saddle, just in case."