#aph writes

Nanu lays back on the couch and lifts you as he goes, settling you so that your legs rest on either side of his head and your heat hovers just above his mouth. Strong arms wrap around your thighs, pulling you down onto Nanu’s face. You’re greeted by his tongue, which he makes flat and broad as he takes a few exploratory licks between your folds.

“You taste so good,” he moans, the vibrations sending pleasure shooting through your heat. You whimper above him, and he chuckles at the reaction he’s pulled from you before getting to work. His tongue explores your clit first, swirling around it slowly and gently to begin with. He picks up his pace, adding more pressure gradually, then sucking at it and flicking his tongue back and forth over it so fast, you see stars.

“Nanu,” you gasp, and try to grind yourself down into his mouth for more.

He moans again and continues to flick back and forth quickly, clearly encouraged to hear you’d liked that. Your thighs begin to squeeze together, though you take care not to squeeze so tightly as to hurt poor Nanu. You want, more than anything, for him to let you ride his face again like this; you love everything about this, from his heat, to his vibrations, to the relentlessly intense pleasure from his tongue and from the licking and sucking -

Nanu pauses a moment, switching instead to your entrance. He presses his tongue inside, lapping at what he can reach of your inner walls. His tongue is so warm inside you; you feel the coil of heat beginning to build in your stomach, and you squirm atop him, desperate for more.

He takes the hint, and tongue-fucks you as hard and thoroughly as he’s able. As quickly as he started, though, he soon moves back to your clit, giving it the attention you crave. He suckles and bites and swirls, and soon, you’re feeling your strength give out on you. You brace yourself with one hand on the couch armrest, above his head.

“Nanu,” you moan.

“Say my name again,” he prompts you, face still buried in your folds. One of his hands reaches up to grope at your breast, teasing the hardened nipple; the other continues to hold tightly to your thigh.

“Oh, Nanu,” you groan as he continues to please you with his mouth. “Nanu, this feels - ah - fuck, you’re so good with your tongue - I, I can’t -”

He doubles down on your clit at this, the relentless pleasure assaulting your senses. The whole time, he watches you with those unusually big red eyes of his, almost unblinking as he drinks in the sight of you.

“Come for me, princess,” he says in between his ministrations. “Come on my face. Give your big kahuna what he’s been dreaming of.”

The idea of Nanu not just pining for you, but lusting after you in the filthiest of ways over all the long months you’d spent together on the UB project is exceptionally intoxicating, and you feel yourself spill over the edge at his words, a scream of his name ripping from your throat as you come, hard, on the heat of his mouth.

Your arm is shaking and your body is slumped forward and there’s tears in your eyes as throb after throb of pleasure washes over you. Beneath you, Nanu doesn’t let up on your clit, pleasing you through your release. It feels intensely good for a long moment, and you wish you could have him here, doing this to you and amplifying your pleasure, every time you came.

And then, as you begin to come down from your high, it feels like entirely too much, and you begin to squirm, trying to pull away a little. The hand on your breast clamps down on your thigh quickly, though, and it soon becomes apparent that he’s intent on pinning you to his mouth.

“Nanu, I - I already came for you,” you breathe shakily, wondering if maybe he thought you hadn’t reached your peak yet.

“I know, princess, and you did so well,” he praises you. His words send a shot of pleasure through you. “You did so well for me.”

“I’m - I’m sensitive right now -” you begin, but soon lose your voice as he returns to your clit.

“Are you?” He asks teasingly; though his mouth is hard at work, you can hear the smirk in his voice.

“Yes -” you gasp, about to try to pull away again, but Nanu lets go of your thigh on one side, taking your hand in his.

“Ride through it with me, princess. I want to get you all worked up again,” he rumbles, then pauses in thought a moment. “Here, let me go back to fucking you with my tongue. That might feel easier for you to handle right now.”

You let him move you up just a little, and he pushes his tongue inside you again. Your walls are hot and dripping and swollen, and his tongue feels amazing inside you - warm and filling, but not overstimulating, the way his mouth had been on your clit. He slides his tongue in and out of you at his leisure, taking his time, but as good as his actions feel, it doesn’t spark the same fire in your belly that you’d felt earlier. Desire starts to build, but slowly, and you worry that he’s going to tire of his actions or grow frustrated with how long you’re taking.

But then, it occurs to you that he actually seems to really enjoy the act of eating you out. He’s not just doing it to get you ready for him - he’s happy here. A man like Nanu wouldn’t spend time doing something he didn’t want to do, after all.

Somehow, the thought helps you relax, and you feel a rush of fondness for Nanu, who blinks up at you through his dark eyelashes.

“Feels so good,” you murmur for him, reaching down to caress both of his temples and run your hands through his hair. “You’re getting me so excited for you, all over again.”

And he is; the coil of pleasure has begun to build in your belly again, and you grind down onto his face as he pleases you. Feeling yourself ascend to your next peak of pleasure more quickly than you’d expected, you bury your face in one hand as he continues to work.

“Oh, don’t hide your pretty face from me,” Nanu whines, reaching up to tug your hand away. “Who knows when I’ll get to see it like this again,” he adds. You let him pull your arm back down, but it’s not long until the building pleasure causes you to bring your hand up again, this time covering your mouth as a high-pitched keening noise escapes you. “Princess,” he chastises you gently, removing your hand again.

“S-sorry,” you gasp, grinding your heat down into his mouth, your thighs beginning to shake.

Suddenly, Nanu lifts you by your hips, pulling you off his face just as you try to seek more from him.

You whine a little at the loss of his mouth on you, and he chuckles.

“You could do this all night, couldn’t you?” He asks, smiling up at you. His lips and chin are wet with your juices, which he lazily wipes off with the back of his hand.

“Apparently, I could,” you laugh, a little embarrassed. Nanu laughs too - the second genuine laugh you’ve gotten from him all night, a rarity to be sure - and sits up, turning you over expertly so that he’s on top of you now.

“I could, too. But if it’s okay with you, I really want to feel your second orgasm on my cock, not my mouth,” he confesses, beginning to undo his belt buckle.

“I’d like that, too,” you agree, helping him pull his fly down and deliberately grazing his cock, which, you’re pleased to find, is still rock-hard in his pants. Before he pulls his pants down, though, he reaches into his pocket, grabbing his wallet.

“Got some protection in here,” he explains, pulling out a condom just a moment later. It’s a bit surprising to realize he has one on him at all times, but it’s also sexy, in a way, that he takes care to be considerate and prepared just in case. “Haven’t had a reason to use one of these in a while,” he mumbles as he tears the small package open, beginning to roll the condom itself deftly onto his engorged cock.

“They’re not, like, expired, are they?” You ask, suddenly a bit wary. A while, for Nanu, can apparently be up to 6 years…when it comes to cans, at least, and you’re not inclined to have an old condom break inside of you.

“Promise they’re not, princess. This is embarrassing, but I, um, started buying condoms again when we began spending more time together because of the whole UB thing,” he admits. When he returns to the couch, he settles over you, nudging your legs apart with his knee.

“Is that so, big kahuna? You’ve been expecting this to happen, then?” You ask, teasingly giving him resistance so he can’t part your legs. A blush spreads across his cheeks.

“Definitely not expecting. I felt foolish buying them, you know. As if a miserable old fossil like me could have a chance with a woman as young and vibrant and sweet as you?” Sweet? Vibrant? Your head spins a little at his words - you had never had the slightest inclination that Nanu thought so highly of you - and you open your thighs for him. He settles his hips between your legs, and continues, “But you kept doing little things that gave me hope, you know. Like those light touches on my forearm or even on my chest, or the way you were always so happy to see me, and would hold me close when you said hello…you just always seemed to want to be around me, for some reason.” His manhood prods at your entrance as he lines himself up. “So I put two and two together. Not that I was any different, princess. I was eager to be around you, too, like a Volcarona to a flame… even though I told myself a million times I should do something to get rid of you, that you’d be better off without me.”

“Is that why you were trying to send me back home, tonight? When I first knocked on the door?” You ask, pulling Nanu down into a kiss. He moves his lips over yours, chuckling a little.

“Yeah. I really am sorry about that, by the way. I was surprised, but I also knew if I let you stay the night, I’d try to make my move, and either make a fool of myself, or make you hate me, or both,” he says.

“Pretty sure the only way I’ll hate you at this point is if you make me wait any longer to feel you inside of me,” you tease, and Nanu smirks.

“Point taken,” he says, and begins to push into your entrance. You’re so slick and ready for him, he slides in relatively easily, soon bottoming out within you. His cock is a little more girthy than you’d expected, and you find yourself breathing his name as he fills you deliciously.

“Ah - mn - Nanu,” you moan, adjusting to his size relatively quickly. It’s not long before you wrap your legs around his waist, and he takes the hint, beginning to move within you. He slides in and out slowly, almost gently at first, and he leans over you, pressing a hungry kiss to your lips. He cups your cheek as his lips work over yours, his hips picking up speed and strength gradually. “You feel so good. You really are so good at all of this, Nanu,” you mumble against his lips. He smiles against you, then drops his head to your neck, kissing and sucking just under your ear as he continues to fuck you.

“You don’t have to stroke my ego anymore, princess. You’ll make me finish too fast if you do. I can’t handle such praise coming from you while I’m inside you like this,” he murmurs.

“Then I’ll tell you after, how good you are,” you promise him, and he chuckles against your skin, suddenly grabbing your hips and angling them up.

“I’m holding you to that,” he purrs. With your hips at this angle, his cock provides extra pressure along your front wall as he pumps in and out. With just a few thrusts, his manhood finds a spot within you along your front wall that has you seeing stars, and you cry out, gasping and throwing your arm across your eyes from the intensity of the pleasure.

“Ahh, princess,” Nanu chastises you. You feel his weight suddenly pinning you to the couch as he leans over you, then hear the jingle of his belt buckle from the floor. It takes you a moment to realize he’s reaching for something in his discarded pants. “I’m going to have to do something about that hiding-yourself-away problem you have, aren’t I?”

When you open your eyes, Nanu has a pair of real, stainless steel handcuffs, which he dangles in front of you. You feel your eyes widen and you blush at the surprise of it, but really, is it much of a surprise after all? He is a cop, you remind yourself.

Nanu quirks an eyebrow at you, and you realize he’s waiting for your consent.

At this point, you can only nod at him and say “yes, Nanu,” but that’s all he needs.

Nanu pulls out of you abruptly, leaving you aching and empty. You barely have a moment to consider this, though, because he somehow skillfully flips you over onto your belly, gathering your wrists behind you. He presses one knee onto the small of your back to hold you in one place as he handcuffs you, but it’s obvious he isn’t pressing at full strength, carefully avoiding anything that would actually hurt you.

“I’m going to really make you all mine now, princess,” Nanu rumbles, tightening the handcuffs just enough that you can’t slip out. A moment later, he removes the knee from your back, and you feel his cock prodding at your entrance again. You arch your back for him, pushing your buttocks into the air, trying to move back against his length.

Nanu guides himself inside again, though this time, he curls his body atop yours, his chest pressing into your back. And press it does; he puts a fair bit of his weight onto you, pinning you to the couch and trapping both his Z-Crystal and your wrists between your bodies. It’s surprising; he doesn’t look like a particularly big man, but he’s heavy enough to keep you from being able to do much underneath him except ride out whatever he wants to do to you.

“Doing okay?” Nanu asks, his breath hot against your ear.

“Yeah,” you agree.

“This isn’t too much weight for you?”

“No.”

“Good,” Nanu says, sounding quite please with himself. He guides himself into you again, then adds, “I never would have guessed you’d be willing to be so submissive to me, princess.”

You gasp as he hilts himself within you.

“Keep being this good to me, and I’ll be a whole lot more submissive to you in the future,” you say.

A deep groan escapes Nanu at this, and he starts thrusting inside you.

“I’m going to want to see that,” he growls into your ear. This time, his thrusts have some force and speed in them right from the beginning. He reaches around your body, his big fingers finding your clit. He rubs circles over it as his thrusts pick up speed, and you’re incredibly grateful he’s giving you the stimulation you crave. With your hands cuffed between your bodies, there’s no way you could have given it to yourself. “You - ah - you have the most perfect little pussy, don’t you?” Nanu groans.

You can only whimper in response; his thrusts are hitting that spot inside you again, and combined with the friction his girthy cock is generating and the speed with which he circles your clit, you’re starting to tremble under him.

“You dirty girl. You’ve wanted this for so long, haven’t you? Wanted my cock in you?” He grunts into your ear as he continues to ram into you.

“Yes, big kahuna,” you whimper back for him, matching his thrusts with your own. The wet sounds of sex, plus the noise of his balls slapping against you, fill the air.

“What do you think, princess? Are you my little cumslut right now?” He growls.

“Yes, Nanu,” you whine.

Nanu’s thrusts grow even more reckless at this, and he begins letting loose a low stream of grunts and moans and curses, mingled with the occasional cry of your name. You return it by calling his name over and over, feeling yourself so close to spilling over the edge.

Just when you think Nanu must be fucking you as hard as he can manage, he increases the speed and strength of his thrusts just a little more. But it’s not long until his hips begin to grow erratic and stuttering.

“I - oh, fuck, I’m going to come, princess. Please tell me you’re close, too,” he groans into your ear.

“I’m so close, Nanu, just hold out a moment longer,” you beg him.

“Anything for you, princess. It’s always been anything for you,” he grunts. You’re aware of his body shaking above you with the effort of holding back his orgasm even as he continues to fuck you powerfully. He’s lined up just right, though, and he continues to hit that perfect spot, and he presses just a little harder on your clit -

“Oh, Nanu, I’m going to come,” you cry.

“Yes, princess, come on my cock, milk my orgasm out of me,” he groans, and you do exactly that. The world erupts in pleasure and your vision goes white as you come so hard, you feel each throb blossom in your heat, your stomach, your thighs, even your chest and head.

Above you, Nanu grunts and gives one final, hard thrust, pushing as far into you as physically possible. His cock throbs within you and his hand stills on your clit, the other grabbing your hip so hard you’re sure you’ll have bruises there the next day. He grunts as the next wave hits him, again pushing into you as hard as he can, and he does this a couple times before slumping on top of you, putting still more of his weight onto you and breathing hard.

A long moment of silence passes as you both recollect yourselves.

“Fuck,” Nanu finally breathes. “That was amazing. You’re amazing, princess. My princess,” he croons into your ear. “Was it good for you, too?”

“So good, Nanu,” you sigh dreamily, still blissed out from your orgasm. Nanu chuckles at this, murmuring a quiet good as he pulls his weight off you. His softening cock slips out of your heat as he moves, and you hear him behind you, rolling the condom off himself and tying it up. A moment later, you feel his big fingers around your wrists, and a quiet click reaches your ears. Nanu slips the unlocked handcuffs off you, rubbing your wrists - which, you’re just beginning to realize, are sore - gently, tenderly.

Nanu flips you over onto your back - you’re not even sure how; you’ll have to ask him how he does that - and leans over you, a blissful smile on his face.

“I’m going to take care of you in a different way now, okay, princess?” He murmurs. When you nod, he closes the distance between the two of you and kisses your lips gently. “Let me go get you a blanket and something to drink. Does Roserade Tea sound good?”

You give a quiet mm-hmm, and Nanu chuckles again, pulling away. While he’s gone, you curl into yourself on your side, totally satisfied and beginning to drift to sleep. The only thing you wish you had is Nanu’s warm body, curled up and holding you. Though, you consider sleepily, you’re not sure that holding you is something that Nanu will do. It’s just not very Nanu-like, somehow.

Before you drift off entirely, you feel two strong hands at your hips, parting your legs again. You startle and wake up at the unexpected touch, but it’s just Nanu, wiping a warm, wet washcloth over your heat and cleaning you up. He dries you a moment later with a soft, fuzzy towel, then bundles the washcloth in the towel and sets it aside.

“Let me help you get dressed,” he murmurs, pulling your feet through the bottoms of the pajama pants he’d loaned you earlier. He slides them up your legs, and you lift your hips obligingly. Next, he pulls the Alolan Persian shirt over your head, and you help wiggle yourself into it. For his part, he’s got a pair of maroon red pajama pants on, but no shirt; he must have grabbed the pants while you were dozing. He procures a big gray blanket next, and drapes it over you, pushing a couple pillows under your head, to boot.

“Nanu,” you murmur, blinking up at him as he kneels beside you, holding some hot (but not too hot) Roserade Tea to your lips. You take a sip; it’s delicious. “You’re being so sweet to me.”

He snorts at this.

“Of course I am. What, you didn’t think I had it in me or something?” He challenges sarcastically. When you don’t reply, his face falls. “I…I know I’m rough around the edges,” he says, glancing away, suddenly vulnerable. “I know I’m also probably depressed or…something. Most people don’t keep cans of food for 6 years, or sleep as much as I do, or chase people away like it’s their second job. I don’t know what you see in me, but I do know what I’ve come to see in you. And I know that over these past few months, I’ve come to care about you, princess. So, please, let me care for you.”

“Nanu,” you murmur, but he raises the Roserade Tea to your lips again, and you take another sip. Your hands settle on the cup, holding it where you can sip at the warm, floral water as much as you want, and you watch him carefully. He watches you back with those big red eyes of his, rich as gems, and for the first time, you don’t have to look deep within them to see his tender side. It’s right there, on the surface, shining through for you.

You half-drain the cup, then hand it back to him.

“Done for now?” He asks, and you nod. He sets it on the coffee table behind him. When he turns back to you, you scoot over on the couch, patting the empty space you’ve created and lifting the blanket for him.

“Let me turn out the lights first,” he hums, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Once I’m cuddled next to you, I won’t want to get up.”

“Sounds good,” you agree, and allow yourself to admire Nanu’s top half as he walks away. It’s not long until the lights darken, a couple nightlights clicking on instead. A Meowth yowls from the other room, but Nanu hushes it and tells it to go to sleep. Soon, you feel his hand lifting the blanket, and he slides into the space you’ve made for him, turning on his side to face you. His legs tangle with yours, and he tucks you under his chin, into his chest. It’s a comfortable way to snuggle, and Nanu is warm, his breathing soothing.

Nestled up together, the cares of the outside world drop away. The storm raging outside, the UBs that continue to periodically visit Alola and threaten both the two of you and the islands that you love - none of these things matter, now. There’s only one thing worrying your mind, and that’s the concern that all the openness, the vulnerability, the two of you had shared tonight will dissipate in the morning light. If Nanu pushes you away - if you’re left with just the powerful longing for the man you’d seen tonight, knowing you’d never see that side of him again - it would eat you alive.

“Nanu?” You breathe tentatively. The kahuna in your arms hums an mm-hmm in response. “Please let me stay by your side like this.”

“I’m not exactly kicking you off the couch, princess,” he murmurs back, confused.

“No. I mean, I want to be like this with you again. I want to get to know this side of you, Nanu. The gentle and loving side. Don’t push me away come tomorrow,” you add. Nanu’s strong arms tighten around you.

“I won’t,” he promises, then chuckles. “I’m too selfish for that. Now that I’ve had a taste of you, I’m going to be wanting more. Especially since you said you might be even more submissive to me in the future,” he adds.

“I can’t believe you remember that,” you groan with a laugh.

“Seared into my brain the moment you said it,” he laughs back. “Now, I believe I said I was going to hold you to your promise to tell me how good I was to you once we were done?”

It takes you a moment to realize what he’s talking about, but you suddenly remember what you’d told him when he’d said that if you kept stroking his ego while he was inside you, he’d come too soon.

“You are insufferable,” you laugh, shaking your head.

“That doesn’t sound like what I wanted to hear, princess,” he grins cheekily. “Come on, this benefits you, too, you know.”

“How so?” You challenge him. Nanu chuckles, the rumble reverberating deep through his chest and into yours.

“If you tell me what you liked, I’ll be sure to do more of it for you in the future.”

Oh. Well, that’s not such a bad deal.

“Nanu?” You ask. He turns his head a little more to you, but continues eating. “Is everything all right?” When his eyebrows quirk in confusion, you try to explain. “Like…are you doing okay?”

Nanu is silent for a long moment, until he finally shrugs his shoulders, not even bothering to sit up from his usual slouch.

“I’m as all right as I usually am,” he says quietly. “You don’t have to worry about me, you know.”

“I know I don’t have to, but -”

“No, I don’t mean like that,” Nanu says with a shake of his head. He takes a bite of food and chews and swallows, then continues. “I don’t mean it in the nobody-asked-you way. I mean I’ve been getting by like this for a lot longer than you’ve known me. I’ll be okay enough, princess.”

You wonder what, exactly, this entails. You know Nanu has an infamous penchant for relaxing, slacking off; you know he’s often standoffish, sometimes bordering on cruel to people he deems irrelevant. You know he likes his alone time, guards it preciously, even. He had a long career in Interpol before becoming Kahuna, which it seems he didn’t even want to do, but took on because once a Tapu chose an individual, they were more or less obligated to fulfill the duties prescribed to them. Nanu had never been shy about the fact that he would rather have lived out his life in quiet obscurity, apparently sleeping on the job, collecting expired cans in his pantry, and struggling to summon the energy to cook a meaningful dinner for himself.

It’s not an encouraging picture, and you wonder how long, exactly, he’s been dealing with this. Surely, his career in Interpol couldn’t have been an easy one - you know Looker had confided in you that he’d seen some real horrors before, and Nanu had been Looker’s superior…

“I don’t want you to just be okay enough,” you say with a frown, taking the last bite of your stir fry. “I want you to be okay. Great, even.”

Nanu’s eyes widen for a moment, and he glances away from you.

“Why?” He asks sharply.

The question takes you off guard, and you collect your thoughts for a moment.

“Because…because I care about you,” you answer honestly, not really sure how else to explain what you were feeling.

You’re expecting some sort of a sarcastic comment, or a joke, or both, but instead you get Nanu setting his nearly-empty plate down on the coffee table in front of you.

“As a friend? Or…” he trails off, one hand brushing unexpectedly against your knee.

You suck in a breath, and Nanu jerks his hand back.

“Sorry,” he murmurs. “I don’t know what I’m thinking - as if you could be interested in an old man like me -”

“No, I - I do think you’re really handsome,” you admit, touching his forearm lightly. You run your fingers down the muscle that lies there, until you’re brushing over the back of his palm. “You have such nice hands,” you murmur, unable to resist admiring them. Nanu doesn’t answer, but you can hear the way his breathing comes a little heavier. After a long moment, he turns his palm up for you to continue exploring his hand, and you do so in light, gentle touches. “They’re just…so manly.”

“Yeah?” Nanu breathes, his voice low and deep. “Yours are so pretty. And so soft,” he adds, beginning to explore your hand in small, careful movements. “Just like I thought they’d be,” he mumbles, almost as if to himself, but you can just barely make out what he says.

“You’ve been thinking about me?” You ask, a blush and a smile both blossoming on your face.

“Been trying not to, before this,” he admits. “Didn’t think you’d find anything much about me appealing, after all.”

“You need to have a higher opinion of yourself, kahuna,” you breathe as he caresses your fingers, and you note the way he shudders just a little at the use of his title. “I wouldn’t let you tease me and flirt with me the way you do if I weren’t interested in you, you know.”

“Yeah?” Nanu breathes.

“Yeah,” you smile back. “What were you thinking about, with me?”

“You really want to know?” Nanu asks, his eyes raising to yours. They’re smoldering with a deep intensity, and his free hand reaches to your jawline, his thumb gently tracing the edge of the bone towards your lips. “Some of it is pretty foul. Might be a bit much for you…princess.”

“Try me,” you breathe. If he can joke with you about being wet, he can tell you what he wants. Nanu smirks at your words.

“All right. But if you want me to shut up, just say so.” You nod, and Nanu begins. “Where to begin, princess? I’ve been thinking about those pretty little hands of yours, for starts. I knew they’d be so soft and so small in mine. I imagine, sometimes, how perfect they’d feel, exploring my body.”

“I think the same thing about your hands,” you admit, boldly touching your other hand to the inside of Nanu’s thigh. He jerks at the contact, startled, but soon after, spreads his legs a little wider for you. 

"Do you, princess?” He murmurs. “When I think about my hands, I’m mostly thinking about how your thighs would probably feel so soft and so smooth under my fingers.” The hand on your jaw runs down your arm, down your body, until his fingers are brushing lightly against the outside of your thigh. After a couple light touches, they stay still, and you realize he’s asking for permission.

“Why don’t you go ahead and see for yourself?” You breathe, feeling wetness beginning to pool between your legs. Nanu flattens his palm against your skin, running his hand up over the top of your thigh, ever so slowly working his way higher and further in.

Now it’s your turn to part your legs for Nanu, and you do so, giving him more access to your inner thigh.

“Thank you, princess,” Nanu praises your action quietly, his eyes trained on the flesh he’s exploring. You give his inner thigh a squeeze in response, your other hand moving from his palm up to his shoulder, almost as if to steady yourself. He continues, “Do you know what else I think, sometimes?”

“What?” You breathe, trying not to squirm as Nanu’s big fingers shamelessly grope and squeeze your thigh. His other hand settles over your fingers on his thigh, and he slowly moves your hand up, higher and higher, until you’re dangerously close to his groin. With his loose grip and the way he’s moving so carefully, you know you could pull away if you wanted to - but you really don’t want to. Just before you’ve reached your goal, though, he turns and leans into you so he can speak into your ear.

“When I’m jacking myself off, I think about how pretty your slender little fingers would be, wrapped around my cock,” he murmurs, his hot breath tickling your skin.

“Ohh,” you moan, your voice sounding much needier than you’d expected it to be.

“You like that thought, too, princess?” Nanu groans, then slowly continues moving your hand in, until you finally settle on his manhood. He’s already half-erect in his pants, and his hips push a little into your hand, seeking friction. You oblige him, pressing harder against him and beginning to rub along the firm underside of his cock through the fabric of his black pants.

“I do, Nanu,” you breathe in response. He lets go of your hand, reaching instead to you and gathering you up in his hands underneath your hips. He pulls you easily into his lap, so that you’re straddling his legs and facing him. With the extra leverage this position affords you, it’s easy to press harder into his manhood as you rub at him, and you watch the pleasure at being touched in this way wash over Nanu’s face. His eyes flutter closed for just a moment as his jaw slackens, and he again pushes his hips harder against your palm.

He’s so desperate for more of this from you.

“Tell me, princess…” He begins, his breath coming heavier than ever. His hands grip your upper thighs intensely; then he moves his fingers so close to your core you’re sure he must feel the wetness soaking the pajama pants he’d let you borrow. “What do you think about when you think of me? Have you imagined me being the one touching you?”

“I have, big kahuna,” you purr, giving his manhood a gentle squeeze for emphasis as you say big. Nanu groans at this, his hips again pushing into your hand. “When I’m fingering myself, I imagine it’s your big fingers doing it to me instead. And, well…” you trail off, suddenly embarrassed, and glance away.

“Tell me, princess. Tell your big kahuna what you think of,” Nanu murmurs, his voice gentle and encouraging.

“Sometimes, if I have a toy, I, um,” your voice gives out, from your mounting embarrassment at sharing such intimate details as much as from the way his fingers suddenly glide over your clothed heat. “Um,” is all you can manage to say again, even as you press your hips forward into the light friction he’s creating.

“Do you imagine it’s me fucking you? My throbbing cock filling your needy pussy, princess?” Nanu croons. Your breathing hitches at his words, and you lean into him, caressing his cheek with your free hand. He has a light dusting of grey 5 o’clock shadow on his jawline, and it scrapes at your skin as you move.

“You have a filthy mouth, Nanu,” you say with a moan, too embarrassed to tell him that was exactly what you imagined.

“I didn’t hear you deny it, so it must be true, that you imagine my cock deep inside you. Am I right?” Nanu murmurs, pressing a little harder at your heat. You bite your lip, then drop your head to his shoulder, hiding your face from him as you nod. “That’s a good girl, telling her big kahuna what she wants. And you’ve known I have a filthy mouth for a long time, now. You like it, though, don’t you, princess? You like it when I talk dirty to you?”

You nod again against his shoulder, still too embarrassed to meet his piercing red gaze.

“I didn’t hear you, princess,” Nanu says, and you can literally hear the smirk in his voice.

“Mm-hmm,” you try, but Nanu laughs, pulling his hand away from your clothed core.

“If you want more from me, I want you to tell me you like my dirty mouth, and then I want you to tell me exactly what you want from me. Do you have it in you, princess?”

Something snaps in you at his challenge. You pull back and look him directly in those red eyes - those intense eyes, which are really rather pretty this close, like rubies flecked with orange stars.

“I love when you talk dirty to me, Nanu. The things you say with that mouth of yours are so filthy…but you’re so gentle and good to me as you say them. It’s just what I want,” you purr.

“Of course,” Nanu breathes, pushing his nose into your neck. He takes a long, steadying breath, inhaling the scent of you, then says, “A princess like you deserves no less.”

“But I’m sure that filthy mouth of yours can be put to better use than just talking, can’t it?” You murmur, carding your fingers through his short gray hair as you continue to rub at his now-very-hard cock. “I want you to show your princess how you can please her with your mouth. And then I want you to show your princess how you can please her with this,” you say, pausing your ministrations on his length to squeeze it firmly. Nanu groans at this, bucking his hips against your hand, but soon after, you feel a smile on his lips against the skin of your neck.

“That’s what I wanted to hear from you. Good girl,” he breathes. It feels kind of intoxicating, to have been so in control of the situation and to have him praising you for it, too. “Now let your big kahuna give you what you want, okay?”

“Okay,” you agree, turning the power back over to him just as easily as it had come to you.

Nanu’s stubble scrapes across the sensitive skin of your neck as he pulls away from you, and he gives you a lopsided smirk. To your surprise, though, it’s not quite so much the usual shit-eating variety you get from him; it’s softer, more tender than you’re used to seeing. He soon sets about pulling the Alolan Persian pajama top off you, exposing your breasts to him. He groans at the sight, arms wrapping around you as he pulls you in closer, his lips closing over one nipple. His tongue circles it lazily at first, though the heat of his mouth and the slow drag of the friction he creates is still enough to have you arching against him. The speed of his tongue gradually increases, and he takes your other nipple in between his fingers, rolling it between his thumb and index. He continues to roll over the sensitive skin as he increases his ministrations with his mouth on the other side, until he’s lapping at your nipple in rapid swipes of his tongue, sucking and swirling and, quite often, scraping gently - but almost painfully - with his teeth.

He pulls off your nipple with a wet pop and looks up at you through his eyelashes. His pupils are blown and there’s a slight flush to his skin.

The thought that he’s gorgeous like this crosses your mind.

A moment later, he moves to your other nipple, starting off much the same, with slow, lazy circles.

“You’re so good at this, Nanu,” you groan, one hand holding onto his shoulder while the other tangles into his short hair again, holding his head close as he picks up speed, lavishing this breast the same way he’d lavished the first. Your eyes flutter closed, and you repeat yourself breathily. “So good at this.”

“With age comes experience,” the kahuna says, and you can feel his lips quirk into a faint smile against your skin. “Not that I mind you stroking my ego, of course.”

“I’ll stroke anything you want if you keep doing this,” you reply, which pulls a rare genuine laugh from Nanu.

“Ordinarily I’d take you up on that offer, girl, but I‘m pretty worked up, and I want to save my shot until I’m inside you, if you understand my meaning,” he chuckles. “Stroking my ego for now will do just fine.” Suddenly, he lifts you up under your hips again, tugging at your pajama pants. “But let’s get these off you, and I can show you where else I’m good at using my mouth.”

You stand and help him wiggle the pajama pants down, stepping out of them once they’re on the floor.

“No panties?” Nanu breathes, his hands immediately reaching up to cup and grope at your ass.

“They were too wet from the storm to put back on,” you explain, then add, “It works out, though. Even if they had somehow stayed dry outside, they’d be too wet for me by now, anyway.”

Nanu gives a low chuckle at this, and moves to pick you up, but before he gets anywhere, you give a tug at his cop jacket and shirt.

“Can these come off? I’d like to see you, too,” you say, and Nanu lets go of you, setting your feet down on the floor once again. He shrugs out of his jacket quickly, throwing it to the side. You start to help him out of his maroon shirt, pulling it up, eager to not be the only one naked.

“Hang on,” he murmurs, untangling your fingers from the necklace that carries his Z-Crystal and tucking it under his shirt. “This always stays on me, princess.” Finally, he pulls his shirt over his head and throws it to the side, too, leaving him topless before you.

His chest is broad and dusted in silvery-gray hair, which turns into a thin line down his stomach, reappearing in a slightly-thicker happy trail that disappears into his pants. He’s got a bit of muscle on his shoulders and chest - this doesn’t surprise you terribly; he’s lazy, but he’s a cop and he has to be at least a little strong, after all. A thin layer of fat covers his stomach, and somehow, that looks even more attractive on his build than if he’d had washboard abs. Perhaps most surprising of all are the few scars that litter his body. There’s one that runs horizontally across his chest, and another thin line by his belly button crossing to his hip bone, plus one that looks particularly ragged on his ribs. He’s not covered in them, per se, but there’s certainly a few.

“I’m not much to look at,” Nanu mumbles, suddenly shy under your gaze. “But I can still make you feel really good if you want me to, you know.”

“Nanu,” you hum, settling down on his lap and pushing your body against his. The warmth of his skin on yours and the tickle of his fine chest hairs on your breasts both feel surprisingly erotic. His Z-Crystal, trapped between the two of you, pokes into your skin a little. “Like I said earlier, you need to have more confidence in yourself. I really like your body, you know. And I’m excited to see more of it.” You run your hand through his chest hair as you speak, paying no extra mind to his scars; now is likely not the moment to draw attention to them, given how insecure he seems. You decide to continue encouraging him, instead. “I definitely still want you, Nanu. I want you to make me feel good, and I want you to feel really good when you’re inside me, too.” You finish your sentence with a light peck on the corner of his mouth. It occurs to you, suddenly, that neither of you have actually kissed the other yet, and you’re nearly overcome by the desire to feel his lips on yours. You put some gentle pressure on his cheek, turning him just a little more until he’s facing you fully.

You watch his eyes flit down to your mouth, then up to your eyes again. To encourage him, you lean in just a little, but don’t fully close the distance between the two of you, wanting to leave that up to him. Somehow, a kiss feels emotionally intimate, not just physically intimate, and you want him to be the one to bridge that gap, now that you’ve shown him you’re interested.

And, to your delight, he does, pressing his lips against yours, gently at first, then more firmly as he realizes you’re kissing him back. He wraps one arm around your waist, holding you close as his other hand tangles into your hair. The kiss quickly grows hungry, deep, and passionate, with Nanu licking at your lips and you granting him entrance swiftly. His tongue darts into your mouth, tangling with yours, exploring your mouth at his leisure. After a long moment of this, he bites your lower lip as he pulls back for air. “Wow,” you breathe, and lean in, barely giving him a moment before you recapture his lips in your own. This time, your tongue enters his mouth, and he lets you take control of the kiss as easily as he’d handed control to you earlier. His taste is unfamiliar yet pleasant, and you find yourself moaning into his mouth.

“Princess,” Nanu moans back adoringly, and in that moment, you’re indescribably happy that this was the nickname he’d settled on for you. His hands sneak under your hips again, finding purchase, and he lifts you easily once more. “Let me eat you out, okay? Let me take care of you.”

You turn away from the flood, moving as quickly as you can, desperate both to outpace any rising waters and to get in somewhere safe and warm - and, of course, welcoming. You and Nanu have worked together on the whole contain-the UBs-thing for the past year, with no signs of your work stopping anytime soon. The UBs might not appear as frequently as they had at the beginning, sure, but they still come to Alola with surprising regularity. It had actually brought you and Nanu closer together than you’d expected, in much the same way that it had pushed Looker and Anabel together. Nanu had grown on you slowly; he was rough around the edges, sure, but he was the one who always seemed to have your back, who always went out of his way to get just that little extra bit of intel for you to keep you safe. He’d swept in and saved you, once, when you’d nearly lost and blacked out to a horde of UB-02. And, it turned out, he had a hell of a mouth on him, and the two of you could tease each other as good as you got. Sometimes his teasing sounded vaguely sexual to you, not that you minded; he’s older, sure, but he’s handsome. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t looked at his hands - so big and manly - and wondered what they’d be like all over you.

Not that you’d ever find out, you figure. He’s likely not interested in a young thing like you. But at the least, you’ve come to care about him and enjoy his company, and you know he’ll provide you with safe harbor, tonight.

It feels like you’re running for forever before the Po Town Police Station comes into view. Your legs and lungs are both searing with effort as you rush to the door and knock frantically, then wait with baited breath.

After a couple long moments, it becomes clear there’s going to be no response.

“Nanu! Kahuna Nanu!” You call, knocking more loudly and frantically. You announce your name, then add quickly, “Please open up!”

You can’t be sure, but you think you hear footsteps inside. A Meowth cries plaintively. You could just try the doorhandle - it might be open, even this late at night, as is common in friendly Alola, after all.

But a moment later, the door swings open, and a familiar silhouette appears, limned by the flourescent lights of the police station.

“Nanu!” You exclaim, delighted. You'd hug him, like usual, except for the fact that you're soaking wet.

“Girl,” Nanu returns, obviously a bit surprised to see you at this hour. He’s got what looks like a frozen TV dinner in one hand, and he pushes a curious Meowth back from the doorway with one of his feet. You’re a little surprised to hear him call you just girl - after your last rendezvous to exchange intel before a UB mission, you’d insisted he use your name, and he’d complied - but it seems old habits die hard.

“Can I come in? It’s awful out here,” you say, gesturing to the atrocious storm raging around you.

“It’s always awful out there,” Nanu observes flatly, arching one eyebrow. “What are you doing here, at this hour?”

“I was heading to Po Town, and the time got away from me,” you explain quickly. If he would just step aside, you could have this conversation indoors -

"So shouldn’t you be heading home, then?” He asks, and you’re genuinely not certain if he’s trying to be standoff-ish or if he’s just genuinely confused.

“There’s a flash flood down the route, and I can’t get through it safely,” you reply.

“Guess I can’t exactly tell you to just call a Charizard on your ride pager in this, huh?” Nanu chuckles. A well-timed lightning bolt streaks down toward the earth, followed by a peal of thunder, as if to emphasize his point.

“Not exactly,” you say dryly.

“Doesn’t that thing have a Lapras, too, though?” He asks, still refusing to step aside.

It occurs to you that, for as close as you felt to the man, he really doesn’t want you spending the night. The realization hurts, more than just a little, and you swallow hard, feeling your throat constrict.

“It’s a flash flood, Nanu. The waters are so turbulent, I can’t surf in that,” you manage. Suddenly, you’re very aware of how cold you are; the rain is chilly for this time of year, and the wind isn’t helping any, either. A moment of silence passes, and you shiver on his doorstep, feeling tears pool in your eyes. This wasn’t what you’d expected at all. “Please, Nanu, I know you value your alone time, and I’m sorry to intrude on your evening. But my only other option is Po Town, and…” The tears overflow your eyes, and you swipe at them quickly, frustrated with yourself. “I trust you much more than I trust anyone who’s still there.” Despite your efforts to keep your cool, your voice wavers a little; you didn’t really expect to have to practically beg for your safety tonight, and you hate feeling like such a burden, but you have no other choice. Nanu’s red eyes lock onto yours, and he holds that TV dinner still in the air, apparently a bit taken aback. Seeing that hunk of frozen junk gives you an idea, and you clear your throat, hoping that when you continue, you’ll sound confident. “If you let me stay, I’ll cook you a real dinner. Something better than that frozen junk. And I won’t bother you. I promise.”

“You’re not a bother, girl,” Nanu mumbles, stepping out of the way. “Didn’t mean to make you feel like one, or anything. Just surprised by this, is all. Come on in.”

Relief floods your chest - he’s letting you in; you’re safe - and you cross the threshold, entering the Po Town Police Station as Nanu closes the door behind you. Once you’re inside, it becomes apparent exactly how soaked you are; water runs off you and your clothes in rivers, pooling on Nanu’s floor and dripping onto his herd of Meowths below. They cry in protest, and scatter to all corners of the station.

“Oh, by the Tapu,” you breathe, cheeks flaming in embarrassment and tears prickling at your eyes again. You had just promised not to be a bother. “I’m so sorry -”

“Not your fault, girl. Don’t cry,” he adds, putting a big hand on your shoulder for a moment. “You might not be aware, but this is usually what happens when someone comes in from a storm. I’ve got a bit of experience with this sort of thing, living here, you know,” he says cheekily but playfully, giving you a lopsided smirk. You smile tentatively back, recognizing his attempt to cheer you, then glance down at yourself. Water is still streaming off you, and you’re sure that if you were to go any further into his place, you’d make an even bigger mess. Nanu seems to read your mind, saying, “Still. I’ve got to get you out of those clothes, don’t I, girl?”

Your cheeks flame even more at his words. How does he manage to say something so sexual-sounding at a time like this? Ordinarily, you’d have a good comeback, but you’re too thrown off your game at the moment, given the unexpected circumstances, so you stay silent and try to hide your face.

Nanu notices your heightened embarrassment all the same - of course he does, you think to yourself, he’s a cop, he has to notice little things like this all the time - and his smirk grows.

“Don’t go getting all excited on me, girl. I’m just going to bring you some dry clothes. Pajamas all right?”

You wish you could melt into the floor, or, barring that, turn tail and run straight out to Po Town.

“Pajamas are fine,” you say instead.

Nanu gives you some folded grey-and-black pajamas, promising you they’re clean, even if there’s still Meowth hair on them. He waves you into the bathroom to change, then throws a big, fluffy towel your way.

“Thank you,” you say, catching the towel.

“Yeah. Figure you need it. You’re soaking wet, aren’t you, girl?” Nanu replies, a crooked smile spreading across his face again. Your mouth almost drops open - he had said some flirtatious things to you before, but never anything as overt as this - but you’re mercifully able to smooth your expression over quickly.

You’re still not recovered enough to have a quick one-liner to fire back at him, though, so a moment of silence stretches out before Nanu mumbles something to you about hurrying up and not ruining his floors. You stare at him for a moment longer, feeling a different kind of wetness beginning to pool between your thighs. Despite how much he’d hurt your feelings earlier, at the door, you know he hadn’t meant to - he just had a way about him that offended people or drove them away. His teasing, that gentle touch, his quick reassurances - you know those were all his way of saying he hadn’t meant to hurt you. And you’d be lying if you said you didn’t relish his teasing, especially now that it’s so overt. He’s quite the silver Ninetales, and your mind often drifted when you were around him to how experienced he was - both in life and, most likely, in bed, too…

Though it is a bit hard to take him seriously right now, you think, watching as he throws another towel on the floor and tries to mop up the water you’ve left behind as lazily as possible, just pushing the fabric around with his foot. Several Meowth think he’s playing, and attack the towel and his foot. Nanu curses, but doesn’t change what he’s doing, either, just bats them away with a shake of his leg.

You laugh, and step into the bathroom, closing the door behind you and quickly peeling your wet clothes off yourself. Even your bra and panties are soaked through; both are going to have to come off. You throw all your wet clothes in a pile, towel off as thoroughly as you can (including your hair), and step into Nanu’s pajama pants. They’re nice and loose, with a black plaid design. Nanu’s pajama top goes on next; it’s a grey t-shirt that has a big print of a round Alolan Persian face right across the chest. The idea of the kahuna wearing this makes you smile.

Before you leave, you take the towel and mop up the floor, then fold your wet clothes into the towel. Surely, Nanu has either a dryer or a clothes line you can use.

When you step out of the bathroom, Nanu’s just finishing with the floor, still using his foot to do the job.

“Thank you for these,” you say earnestly, gesturing to the pajamas. Nanu looks up at you from his work, another of those lop-sided grins spreading across his face. “What?” You ask, fighting down the urge to be embarrassed. You could never say for sure if it was his demeanor, his Interpol training, or those unusual red eyes, but Nanu had a way of looking at people intensely, as if he could read everything about them if he just tried hard enough. Which, you remind yourself, he probably could. For a lot of people, that kind of intensity was strongly off-putting. It had made you nervous around him, at first; by now, it mostly just made you embarrassed, as if you’d done something wrong whenever he looked at you like that.

“Didn’t expect you to be so cute in those, is all,” Nanu chuckles unexpectedly, turning to pick up the towel he’d used on the floor. Your head reels - Nanu thinks you’re cute?! More specifically, he thinks you’re cute in his pajamas?! - but you hardly have a moment to think about it, because he approaches you, one arm outstretched. “Give me your clothes, and I’ll go throw all this in the dryer. Should be good to go by tomorrow.” You comply with a mumbled thanks, unable to meet Nanu’s crimson eyes. He doesn’t seem to mind or notice, though, as he simply moves past you and says, “Be right back, girl.”

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me girl anymore,” you blurt, suddenly irritated by the nickname. You’re not a girl, you’re a woman, and you have a name, besides. If he’s going to tease you the way he has tonight, he can at least use it.

“You got a better nickname in mind?” Nanu calls as he walks away, several of his Meowth following him.

“Well, no, but -” you call, about to remind him that your name would do just fine, but a door slams as he enters what must be the laundry room. He’s probably out of earshot, and you’re not likely going to get anywhere with this anytime soon.

Not that it mattered, really. What mattered most was that you were safe and warm tonight.

A Meowth cries from the kitchen, lazily pushing something off the counter. It lands with a clatter; when you shift enough to see what it is, you realize it’s Nanu’s frozen TV dinner. You walk over to pick it up, reminding yourself that you’d promised him you’d cook him a real meal tonight in exchange for letting you stay.

Quickly, you pop the frozen meal back in the freezer, then start looking around the kitchen to see what ingredients Nanu has that you can use. His pantry is somewhat spare, but there’s plenty of cans in here, including some canned mixed vegetables and bean shoots. Not perfect, but you could maybe make a stir fry out of them. You pick up the can and, on a whim, decide to check the expiration date, just in case.

They expired four years ago. You pull a face and put them back in the cabinet, quickly leafing through the other cans to see if they’re all just as bad. Many are - some are, astonishingly, worse - but some are, by some miracle, still good.

“What are you looking for, girl?” Nanu’s unexpected voice makes you jump, and you stand up, holding the unexpired cans in hand.

“Something to cook you some real food with,” you answer. Nanu frowns, one hand in his pants pocket, and opens the freezer door with the other.

“Why?” He asks, procuring the TV dinner once again. “This not to your liking, princess?” Before you can reply, a smirk spreads across his face.

You realize what he’s thinking almost immediately.

“Don’t you dare -” you start, half-teasing, half-serious, but he’s Nanu, and he absolutely does dare.

“Princess is a better nickname than girl, wouldn’t you say?” He grins at you, then has the audacity to try it out. “Princess?”

“If having an issue with a spam-and-pineapple frozen dinner that’s barely a step above Meowth food makes me a princess, then so be it,” you tease him back, trying to maintain your dignity.

“Good. Sounds like we’re in agreement, then,” Nanu laughs.

“Did you know you have some stuff in here that’s been expired for four years? I think there’s one that’s six,” you add, doing your best to ignore his remarks. You pull the offending cans out and pass them to him, pulling a face as some dust and slime from the oldest can gets on your fingers. “That’s super gross, Nanu.”

To your surprise, this time he’s the one who doesn’t have a quick comeback, instead inspecting the cans himself. When he realizes what you’re saying is true, a blush rises to his cheeks.

Huh. You didn’t even know Nanu could feel embarrassment.

“Nobody asked you to clean my pantry, girl. If you think it’s gross, just leave it alone,” he mumbles, suddenly surly.

You feel unexpectedly sorry for pointing out what was obviously a little bit of a sore spot for him.

“Well, I promised you I’d make you a real dinner as a thanks for letting me stay,” you say, trying to shrug it off. “Just trying to find some stuff to cook with, you know? Besides, I don’t want you to accidentally eat the wrong thing and die one day, or something.”

Nanu snorts at this, but puts the frozen dinner back, then throws the expired cans in the garbage.

“So,” Siane says, finishing her breakfast and sitting back.  “The whole island’s like this?”

Nanu, who had been about to return to his newspaper, sets it down and sighs.  A Meowth cries, brushing against his leg, and he automatically reaches down to pet it.  Siane’s lips curl into a slight smile at the sight.

“No, of course not,” Nanu returns.  “There’s a lot of variety on Ula’ula.”

Siane raises her eyebrows encouragingly.

“Like?”  She prompts.

“There’s Malie City, of course, where the weather is typically nicer.  We’ve got Hokulani Observatory - they picked their site on Mount Hokulani because it’s above the city lights and it’s almost always clear there.  There’s the Haina Desert, too, and the Ula’Ula Meadow just off this Route, which is covered in flowers,” Nanu says, ticking things off on his fingers as he goes.  

“Wait - an actual desert?  On this island?”  Siane says, gesturing again out the window vaguely with a little snicker.  It’s nearly impossible to imagine that there can be a place on this same landmass that isn’t absolutely smothered in rain and puddles.  “You’re sure you’ve got that right?”

“I better,” Nanu grumbles, picking up the Meowth and setting it in his lap.  “I’m Kahuna of ‘this island’, after all.”  He does little finger quotes as he speaks, and Siane can’t resist the way her smile grows on her face at his unintentional antics.  Nanu notices, though, and frowns at her.  “What?”

“Well,” she says, careful to deflect.  She’s learning that being too directly friendly with Nanu often puts him off, and she really doesn’t want to put him off just now.  “I was just kind of thinking…I’m feeling better these days.”

“You nearly passed out before your shower yesterday,” Nanu says sardonically.

“Yeah, but that was like, the only time I had an issue all day,” Siane says, waving his concern off.  Sure, he’d had to catch her, but still - she was doing better, and she hated feeling - or admitting to being - weak.  “Don’t give me that look.  I know I need to get more of my strength back.  But I also need a change of scenery.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up with a Vitamin D deficiency here otherwise.”

To her surprise, Nanu actually makes a little snort through his nose that she thinks is supposed to be laughter.

“Vitamin D deficiency or not, you’re in no shape to be going galavanting around the island alone,” Nanu returns, his voice holding a little of that biting edge that he seems to think is so off-putting.  

“I know,” Siane shrugs easily.  “That’s why I was hoping you’d come with me.”

Siane watches as Nanu takes a sharp breath in, his crimson eyes flashing.

“I have - things to do,” he mumbles, suddenly deflating and looking away.

“I thought it was your day off today,” Siane prods.  She knows she’s being a little pushy - there were plenty of friends back home who would be quick to point that out in a moment like this - but she also knows it’s the only way she stands a chance at getting her way.  And she needs to get her way.  She needs to be stronger - not only for herself, but for all Aedis, too, and she won’t get that if she stays inside this police station forever.

The Meowth in Nanu’s lap jumps off and scampers away, interested in something across the room.

“Yeah.  It’s my day off.  Doesn’t mean I don’t have things to do around here,” Nanu returns, though the biting edge to his voice is gone.

“I can help you with whatever needs to be done tomorrow,” Siane offers.

“Oh?  Then we could just as easily tour the island tomorrow,”  Nanu quips, his eyes narrowing.

“I guess we could,” Siane acquiesces.  “No reason why it’s gotta happen today, right?”  Somehow, the ready admission seems to put Nanu off a little, though he covers it quickly and well, years of his police training likely kicking in at a moment’s notice.

A long silence stretches out between the two of them, and Nanu takes a sip of his coffee, his red eyes drilling into her.  Siane tears her eyes away from the Kahuna, instead looking out the window again.  The rain had picked up a little, and she traces one particularly fat raindrop as it rolls down the window, gathering other droplets in its path.  As easily as she’d admitted that tomorrow worked just as well as today, spending another day doing nothing feels intolerable to her spirit, which is just bursting to be free.

“We can go today,” Nanu finally speaks up, setting his drained coffee cup down on the table.

“We can?”  Siane says, her head whipping around to allow her gaze to refocus on Nanu.  She could swear that the edges of his lips are turned up just the slightest bit - though it’s hard to see for sure at this distance.

“Yeah.  You got me, girl.  No reason I can’t do my stuff tomorrow, either, I guess,” the grey-haired man says.  Siane’s foot bounces just a little in excitement, and her chest feels like it could explode at the thought of sightseeing and adventure.

“Well - thank you,”  Siane says, a grin spreading across her features.  She stands to clean her dishes and get ready to go, but immediately, a wave of dizziness hits her.  She’d stood a little too fast, though she’s able to conceal this from Nanu by putting her hands flat on the table to brace herself.  With the eagerness written all across her face, she’s pretty sure the move just comes across as excitement.  “I promise you won’t regret this - we’ll get through everything you need done tomorrow.  I’m actually really excited about this, you know.  I finally get to see Ula’Ula, and my tour guide is going to be the island’s own Kahuna!”

A crooked smile flashes across Nanu’s face for a moment.

“Finally get to see the island, huh?  Didn’t know you’d been wanting to go for so long,” he comments, arching one eyebrow.  

“I’ve mentioned it, like, three or four times before now,” Siane laughs, standing up straight now that the dizziness had passed.  She gathers up her dishes and sets off for the sink, flashing a teasing smile over her shoulder at Nanu.  The man gathers his dishes and hovers close to her as she walks; he clearly doesn’t trust her on her feet just yet, which Siane figures is just as well at this juncture.

“Didn’t really think you were serious when you were saying that stuff, since you couldn’t make it to the door if you’d tried,” Nanu returns dryly.  

“Well, I was,” Siane says.  “Serious, that is.  And I really am excited about this.  So thank you again.”  She affixes the Kahuna with her best smile, and this time, she definitely sees the way his fingers fidget just a little on his coffee cup.

“Hm,” Nanu says.  “You’re welcome, I guess.”

As Siane moves off to the side to put her rinsed dishes in the dishwasher, he scrubs at his coffee cup with a sponge, trying to get the ring of black out of the bottom and trying even more desperately to convince himself that he had agreeing to this just because he didn’t want her to keep bothering him about it.  It had nothing to do with the fact that he felt a twinge of pride when he thought of all the radiant locations across the island - his island - or that he wanted to see the look on this young woman’s face as she took them all in.

You could have let her go alone, a small voice insists in the back of his mind.  Send Honchkrow with her.  She’d be fine, and Honchkrow could fly her home if she were to have a problem.

But the thought of Siane, crumpled on the ground and hurt, alone, in a strange place, makes his heart clench a little.  And why shouldn’t it?  His job - both as a cop and a Kahuna - was to protect people.  Whether Nanu liked it or not, he was a protector, and the young woman currently telling him she was going to go find some shoes for going out in had landed herself squarely in his protection.

“You’re going to want to change your clothes, too,” he calls after her, putting his coffee cup in the dishwasher.  “The rest of Ula’ula is a lot sunnier and hotter than it is here.”

“Okay!”  Siane calls back, and Nanu allows himself to smile a little to himself as he scratches the ear of a Meowth who’d come up to nuzzle at him on the counter.

Whatever the reason he had agreed to play tour guide for the day, he has to admit that he feels a little excited about it, too.

 ***

 “So, Kahuna,” Siane grins, standing under the eaves of the police station to stay out of the rain.  Nanu glances up from the device he’s trying to operate - apparently called a ride pager - and affixes Siane with what should be a withering gaze, except that she’s in too good of a mood to find it anything other than amusing.  “Where to first?”

“If I can get a Charizard to come, we’ll be going to Malie City first,” Nanu grumbles, turning to frown down at the device again.  “Pretty sure I just - there we go.”

“You use that thing often, huh?”  Siane asks coyly, and Nanu’s eyes flit back up to her, a sharp expression in their red depths - but it vanishes quickly, as soon as Nanu realizes Siane’s teasing is harmless, playful, even.

“Usually I just fly on Honchkrow if I’m going any distance, but I can’t ask him to carry both of us,” Nanu explains.

“Makes sense,” Siane says, shifting on her feet a little.  Nanu’s surprised to find himself taking a step closer to her, just in case that little weight shift was a sign of any impending wooziness.  But no - she seems steady on her feet, and he’s just worrying too much.  “You know, I am a flying-type specialist.  I’m sure Fearow could carry me.”

Nanu frowns at this.  

“No.  I’d feel better if you were on the Ride Pager Charizard.  They come with this, kind of a saddle thing,” Nanu explains, trying to gesture with his hands to indicate what he was talking about.  “You’ll be safer on that.”

The unspoken implication of the hazards of Siane’s unpredictable weakness hangs between them for a moment.

“So what’s in Malie City?”  Siane finally asks.

“Well, there’s the Malie Garden, and the architecture is pretty spectacular in the city.  It’s right on the ocean, too, so you’ll get to see that.  Plus I figured we could pick up some takeout to have for lunch later,” Nanu shrugs.

“Yeah?  Like, a picnic?”  Siane asks, sounding a little excited.  A lopsided smile pulls at Nanu’s lips, but he smooths it over in a flash.

“Something like that.  Mount Hokulani isn’t far from the city, so we can take a bus to the observatory if you’d like,” Nanu continues, thinking through his last-minute plans for the day out loud.

“I wanna see this desert you claim exists here, too,” Siane says, giving Nanu another teasing grin.  Nanu only frowns at her words.

“The desert is halfway across the island, Siane,” he says.  “And the conditions there are harsh. Neither of us are really sure how much you’ll be up to…”

Siane’s face falls, and to Nanu’s surprise, he actually trails off instead of hammering his point home, like he usually would.  He grimaces and glances away, scanning the cloudy skies for any sign of the Charizard he’d called.  Nothing yet, of course.

“We’ll see how the day goes,” Nanu concludes.  Even as he continues to look away from the young woman by his side, he’s surprised to hear himself softening his own words for her.

Must be getting soft in my old age, he thinks to himself, grimacing again.

A long silence stretches out between the two of them, but Nanu can sense the way she continues to shift her weight a little, clearly regaining her sense of anticipation for the day ahead.  Nanu is happy to stay quiet and listen to the rain, which pours off the eaves over them and trickles to the ground in great drops.

Finally, he sees a winged figure approaching through the clouds - Charizard.  He puts one hand up to wave it down, though he knows it’s likely unnecessary - all Ride Pager Charizards know the Island exceptionally well.  Siane looks to him, then back to the approaching Pokemon, and decides to mimic him, waving it down as well.

Hmm.  Cute.

Nanu’s eyes widen at the thought.  Had he - had he just thought she was cute?  No.  Acerola was cute.  Meowth was cute.  A grown young woman relying on him for safety and protection could absolutely not, under any circumstances, be cute.

Charizard lands with a happy roar of greeting, and Siane’s eyes light up at the sight.  She glances over to Nanu, a brilliant smile on her face, and exclaims,

“Are you seeing this?  He’s got a saddle!  And I’ve never seen a Charizard so orange before!  Their faces are different in Aedis, too!”

He’s close enough to her that he can rush forward and catch her before she hits the ground.  She falls mostly onto his shoulder, and his hands support her around her waist.  If he weren’t wearing pants, he’d probably have skinned his knees diving for her; as it is all he has is a little bit of fabric burn.

“Siane!”  Nanu shouts, gathering the girl up in his arms.  He rearranges her slumped form so that he’s almost holding her princess-style.  To his relief, she stirs in his arms.

“I went down, huh?”  She asks, blinking blearily up at him.

“Yeah,” Nanu says, pressing one hand to her forehead.  She’s a little warm, but nothing bad, and he can’t help but cradle her a little closer to his body with his other arm.  “You okay?”

“More or less,” she admits.  She always seems a little shaken after collapsing, but who can blame her?  Nanu figures he would be, too.  “Mostly thanks to you.  Thanks for catching me.”

“Of course,” Nanu returns, and though he tries to make his voice surly, it just comes across as soft.  “I’ll always try to catch you.”

Siane blinks at this admission, then sits up, using Nanu’s shoulders for a little bit of support.

“Well,” she smiles.  “Guess that makes you my hero in more ways than one.  Now c’mon - help me stand up.”

Nanu obliges in silence, pulling the young woman to her feet easily.

What did “my hero in more ways than one” mean?  Did she already consider him her hero?

The thought makes his chest swell with the same sense of pride he’d felt upon imagining showing Siane the island he loved.

“Let’s skip the observatory today,” Nanu says, letting go of Siane, though he lingers closer than ever before - just in case.  “You’re getting more worn down from all of this than you’d like to admit.”  Siane goes to open her mouth, but Nanu continues, not letting her get a word in edgewise.  “Besides - I really want to show you the Ula’ula Meadow today.  You’ll like that more than the observatory, anyway.”

“Yeah?”  Siane asks, apparently somewhat mollified.

“Yeah.  There’s not much to the observatory during the day, anyway.  I’ll take you at night sometime.”

Siane smiles and starts to walk; she’s a little unsteady on her feet, so Nanu continues to linger close.

“Is that a promise?”  She asks coyly.  Nanu snorts, a lopsided smirk pulling at his lips.

“Yeah, Siane.  I promise,” he returns, and he wonders why, exactly, it feels like he’s just gotten a pretty young thing to agree to a future date with him.

 “You seemed more excited about the Ride Charizard than you were about the Ride Tauros,” Nanu observes, quirking one eyebrow at Siane as they walk together, approaching Ula’Ula Meadow.  He’d been hesitant to put her back on a Charizard again now that she’d dropped once today.  At least on a Tauros, the fall would be relatively minimal, and the Pokemon could be urged to walk slowly under the guise of observing the scenery.

“The Ride Tauros was good, too,” Siane says mildly.  “And he was great at his job!  Very mellow and soothing to ride.  It’s just…”  Siane trails off for a moment, a smile playing across her lips.  “It doesn’t get better than flying, you know?”

Nanu hums in acknowledgement, feeling his lips tug up into a smile in return.

“You’re sure you’re feeling up to walking through the Meadow?”  He asks after a beat, holding a tree branch out of the way for Siane as they meander through the thicket that is the entrance to the Ula’Ula’ Meadow.   “I could call the Ride Tauros back…”

“No, I’m all right,” Siane insists.  “If this place is as gorgeous as you say it is, I want to walk and take it all in.  Besides,” she says with a playful smirk.  “If I have any issues, I know my big hero will catch me, right?”  She bumps Nanu’s shoulder teasingly with her own, walking past him.

Nanu is rooted to the spot for a minute, unable to come up with a response.  Big hero?  Him?

Finally, he lets go of the tree branch and follows after Siane.

“Yeah,” he mumbles.  “Something like that.”

A moment later, the pair step into Ula’ula Meadow proper, and whatever thoughts Nanu had been having about Siane’s quip disappear.  This is the moment he’s been waiting for all day - the chance to show off what he, privately, thinks of as the most gorgeous part of the island,

He’s not disappointed.  Siane stops dead in her tracks, taking in a sharp breath.  Her eyes widen and scan the scenery in front of her, the brilliant colors of the endless fields of dancing flowers reflected in her gaze.

And then a pair of Baile Oricorio swoop and chitter, dancing in the air across the meadow.  Another pair follow soon after, their brilliant red and black feathers flashing in the sun, but Nanu isn’t watching them.  He’s watching Siane.

A brilliant smile breaks across her face, and she follows the Oricorio until they disappear from sight.  Her eyes linger a moment where they’d vanished; then she turns to Nanu, affixing him with the full force of her beauty.

“Did you see them?  The four birds?”  She asks breathlessly.  “They were gorgeous.  This whole place is - it’s beyond gorgeous.  It feels like a waking dream.”

Nanu feels his stomach twist under the brilliance of her smile, her enthusiasm, and it’s only then that he starts to realize that he’s possibly getting in over his head.  He hasn’t felt like this in…so long.

He takes a deep breath in to steady himself and lets it out slowly, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

“I’m glad you like it,” he says.  “Ula’ula Meadow is the gem of this island, in my opinion.”

“I can’t believe you’re kahuna of all of this,” she breathes, turning to gesture at the endless flower fields.  Nanu ducks his head and puts his hands in his pockets, but Siane continues.  “That’s pretty amazing, you know.”

“You’ll make me blush, carrying on like that,” Nanu grumbles, but Siane catches the way he can’t quite suppress that soft smile she’d seen earlier.

“Oh?”  Siane says, quirking one eyebrow up at him.  “I didn’t even know you could blush.  I don’t think I’ve seen you blush once, in the whole time I’ve been with you.”  She grins teasingly at him, then steps into the meadow, treading the path carefully.  Nanu follows behind her, staying close as always.  “I bet you probably turn as red as these flowers when you do blush,” Siane laughs, gesturing at the swaying fields.  Nanu snorts, but doesn’t respond.  He honestly can’t remember how red he does or doesn’t get when he blushes.  In the distance, an Oricorio calls, then darts across the meadow again.  “Or as red as those birds,” Siane murmurs, suddenly entranced.  “What are they?”

“They’re called Oricorio.  They come in several forms across Alola.  This is the Baile form,” he explains.

“Fire Type?”  Siane guesses.

“Yup.  And Flying secondary type,” Nanu affirms.  “They actually change form depending on the type of nectar they consume.”

“Really?”  Siane asks, the fascination clear in her voice.  “That’s pretty interesting, from both a biological and conservation standpoint.  I’m going to want to hear more about that.  What kind of form changes do they undergo?”

Nanu starts telling her about the types of forms Oricorio come in, and which nectar influences which form, but soon, they’re at a crossroads in the Meadow.  Siane pauses just as Nanu’s finishing up about the Sensu Oricorio, and he walks past her, gesturing down the right direction.

“This way to get back home,” he says.

Siane continues to ask Nanu some questions about Oricorio as they walk, especially about the different types of nectar and what ecosystems they thrive in, and the two of them fall into an easy, companionable conversation.  Nanu leads the way through the Meadow, which, with its twists and turns, could seem rather maze-like to the unfamiliar.

And then, Siane falls oddly silent, no longer peppering him with little questions or making noises of interest as he talks about the nectar.  Nanu glances over his shoulder, concern clenching around his heart - had she fallen, and he’d failed to catch her?

But no - she’s on her feet, just distracted by something.  He follows her line of sight, eventually landing on the distant outline of the giant shrine perched in the Lake of the Sunne.  Its stone form is impressive, but Nanu can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as he looks at it, as well.

Some things would be best left alone.

“What’s that?”  Siane asks.

“It’s an ancient shrine,” Nanu says, trying to keep his answer as clipped as possible.  It doesn’t work - of course it doesn’t, he thinks to himself.

“What kind of shrine?”  Siane presses.

Nanu sighs.

“I…don’t know if the shrine itself has a name, anymore.  But it’s all a part of the Lake of the Sunne.  It’s an ancient cultural site,” he explains.

“Really?”  Siane asks, her curiosity growing.  Nanu groans internally; this isn’t going well.  “We had shrines back home in Aedis.  Actually, some of them were connected to the sun, as well.”  She takes a few steps towards the path that leads to the Lake, drawn as if by an invisible force.

Nanu’s heart clenches, and he puts one hand on Siane’s shoulder, using enough strength to stop her from advancing any further.

“Where do you think you’re going?”  He asks, sounding gruff for the first time all day.

“Well, I was just thinking…there’s a path, and it looks pretty clear,” she suggests, her optimistic expression withering at the darkness that passes over Nanu’s face.

The last thing he’s going to let happen is to allow her to go there.

“That place is dangerous, Siane.  It’s old and dilapidated and literally falling apart in the water.  The last time I was in there,” he starts, then pauses as a cold chill passes over him.  He clears his throat, and finds it within himself to continue.  “The floor was close to breaking through in some places, and there was a lot of water damage causing frequent rockfalls.  I can’t - you can’t - expect yourself to be able to stay safe in a place as dangerous as that.  Not while you’re…” he trails off, letting the unfinished implication hang in the air.  Siane scowls, and Nanu wonders how deep this rebellious, headstrong streak of hers runs.  Would it get her in trouble, in the end?  Had it already, back home in Aedis?  “Besides,” Nanu murmurs, trying a different tack.  He softens the hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze instead.  “You’re starting to look tired, Siane.  Let’s go home together and you can rest up.”

The fire in Siane’s eyes simmers down, and her posture softens.

“I guess I am starting to feel a little worn out,” she admits, her eyes flickering back to the enormous stone building in the distance.

“Let’s finish enjoying our walk, then,” Nanu says, giving her shoulder one more gentle squeeze before turning and leading the way once again.  He listens carefully as he walks, and it’s not long before he hears Siane’s footsteps, soft on the ground, trailing after him.

“Nanu?”  She asks after just a couple moments.

“Yeah?”  He responds, continuing to walk.  He wants to get as far away from here as possible; a small part of him is regretting having come to the Meadow at all.

“Will you take me there, sometime?  To the Lake of the Sunne?”

“Hmm,” is the only response he gives, and to his relief, Siane doesn’t press any further.

There’s a somewhat heavy silence between them as they continue to walk; he can tell Siane has more questions for him about the shrine, but knows better than to ask.  He can hardly blame her - if there were altars to the sun in her homeland, of course she’d be curious about this one, too.  Truthfully, even Nanu himself turns over the idea of any correlation in the back of his mind; if the gold bridge in the Malie Gardens had been built as homage to a sister bridge in Kanto, who was to say that there wasn’t a sister shrine to this one in Aedis?

Finally, the path begins to run out, and Nanu can see the thicket that will soon open into Route 17 again.  Judging from the very humid air coming out of the trees, it’s likely raining, as usual, on his home route.

“Guess we better get ready to hurry back to the Police Station, or else get soaked,” Nanu grumbles.  Siane draws close to him, pausing by his shoulder.

“Guess so,” she says, then sighs.  Her eyes cast about the Meadow one more time; she looks sad, pained, even, to have to leave.  “Nanu?”  She says, her voice quiet.  “If you can’t promise to take me to the Lake of the Sunne someday, will you at least promise to take me back here sometime soon?  Back to the Meadow?”

There’s no way Nanu can deny her this simple request, especially when she’s got that look in her eyes.  She looks like she’s longing for freedom, like she’s afraid of being caged up again.

“Of course, Siane,” he says softly.  In the distance, over Route 17, he hears a roll of thunder.  The two of them look off to the incoming storm in unison.  “Must be getting bad out there,” Nanu murmurs, then glances over at the young woman standing next to him.  She’d been working so hard today - working to exhaustion, in fact, if the look in her eyes was anything to judge by.  To think that she was going to have to trudge through the cold rain in a moment, with hardly any protection…  Nanu shrugs out of his cop jacket.

“What are you doing?”  Siane asks, clearly baffled.  

“Here,” he says, handing her the jacket.  “I don’t have an umbrella or anything, and I don’t want you getting sick from being out in the rain while you’re run down like this…”

Siane gets the gist of his idea, a smile breaking across her face.

“Thanks, Nanu,” she beams, holding the jacket over her head.  “You ready?”

Nanu’s heart skips a beat once again.

“Yeah,” he agrees.  Protecting people may be his job, but it doesn’t explain the way his body - or his mind - are responding to this young woman.  It doesn’t explain the fact that he feels, in that instant, that he’d follow her nearly anywhere if she asked him.

“Come on!”  Siane calls, already jogging ahead and leaving him behind.  Nanu sets off after her.

“Be careful!”  He urges, but he gets only a laugh in response.

By the time they’re both safe and sound in the shelter of the Po Town Police Station, it’s pouring outside again.  They’re both breathless from the jog, though Nanu’s more soaked through than Siane - he’s pleased to see that his jacket served its purpose.  He spares a fond smile for her as he closes the door behind them; he can’t help but feel a little proud that she had made it all that way without any difficulty.

The smile she returns for him takes his breath away more than the jog had.

“That was brilliant,” she gushes, dropping his soaked jacket on the floor.  The water that’s permeated the fabric splashes a few of his gathering Meowth, who scatter with a hiss.  “Not just the long run, either - the whole day.  Everything was amazing, Nanu.  Thank you so much.”  To his shock, she wraps her arms around his shoulders, pulling him briefly into an embrace.  His arms manage to come up just in time to embrace her back - but then, she pulls back and is gone, still smiling.  “I still don’t believe that there’s a desert out there on this island, though,” she laughs.

“There is,” Nanu insists.

“Doesn’t seem possible,” Siane teases him.

“As Kahuna, I can promise you, it’s there,” Nanu says, his smile growing a little wider.

“Yeah?”  Siane asks,   “Guess you’ll have to promise to take me there another day, too.”

Nanu laughs and shakes his head.

“Sure,” he acquiesces.  “If that’ll make you happy.”

“It will,” Siane agrees, and Nanu is surprised to feel his heart soar at the thought that this brilliant, beautiful young woman might actually want to spend time with him.

“Thank you so much,” Siane says, holding her hand out flat with the Pokebeans on top of it.  The Charizard nibbles them up, then taps her with its nose affectionately.  “Have a good rest of your workday, okay?”

“Char,” the Ride Pager Pokemon agrees, then turns to take off to go to its next job.

“That was the first time I’ve flown in…I don’t know how long,” Siane says, turning around to grin at Nanu.  Her hair is a little wild from the wind and altitude, but she looks absolutely radiant.  If that’s how passionate one little flight could make her, Nanu thinks it’s no surprise that she decided to specialize in Flying type Pokemon.  “It felt amazing.”  Still smiling, Siane turns to take in the cityscape around her.  “So, this is Malie City, huh?”  She muses, drifting towards one of the great gates that mark the start of the main street.

“The one and only,” Nanu says, a little swell of pride bubbling up in his chest.

“The architecture is really cool here,” Siane agrees, touching the cool stone of the gate.

“Glad you think so, girl,” Nanu says, taking a couple steps closer to her.  Was it just his imagination, or had she been a little wobbly on that step just then?

“You said this city’s on the ocean?”  Siane prompts, a curious look on her face as she looks around.

“Yeah.  You’ll have to make it down the main street a ways,” Nanu says, eyeing her appraisingly.  The look flares something up in Siane, though, and she sucks in a deep breath, puffing her chest out a little.

“That’s not gonna be a problem,” she says confidently.  Nanu chuckles.

“Glad to hear it.  Let me give you the tour along the way, then.  There’s a lot to see in the city,” Nanu says, taking a tentative step down the road.  To his relief, Siane follows and lingers close to him as she walks.

Nanu points out some of the major shops and landmarks as the two of them walk by, including the glittering Malie Library and, in the distance, the Kantonian Gym.

“It’s lovely,” Siane breathes, taking in the structure.

“Hey, my favorite restaurant is actually coming up soon.  They specialize in really high-end sushi…that sound like the sort of thing you might like?”  Nanu asks, quirking one eyebrow in Siane’s direction.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Siane agrees.  “I can pay for my half.”

To her surprise, Nanu waves her off quickly.

“Don’t worry about that, Siane,” he grumbles.

“It’s really fine,” she insists.  Nanu frowns for a moment, then slows his pace until he’s paused in his tracks entirely.  Siane stops beside him; she thinks she’s doing a good job of concealing the confusion on her face, but Nanu can see through her facade easily.

“This place…isn’t cheap,” he says carefully.  “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I wasn’t okay with paying your half.”

“What do you mean by not cheap?”  Siane asks pointedly.

“I mean…it’s probably the most expensive restaurant in the region.  They don’t usually do takeout, but Sensei knows me pretty well by now, so I figure they might make an exception for me,” Nanu says with a shrug, trying to play it cool.  It doesn’t work particularly well, though, and he watches as nearly every emotion in the book passes over Siane’s face.  The most expensive restaurant in the region…by the looks of some of these amazingly dazzling buildings, Siane figures that probably means that a single meal cost more than an entire year of groceries for herself typically would.

“I - I don’t usually…do expensive things.  It - things weren’t like that for me over in Aedis,” Siane finally says.  Nanu waits for her to elaborate, but when she doesn’t continue, he finally speaks up.

“Well - we don’t have to eat there, if it makes you uncomfortable,” he concedes.  “But if you did want to try something really nice for once…I’d be happy to treat you.”  Even he’s a little surprised by how much he allows his voice to soften as he says the words, and he watches Siane’s eyes widen a little - whether at his tone or the offer, or both, he can’t tell for certain.

“Um, well,” Siane stammers, clearly thinking a mile a minute.  “Maybe…just once?”

Nanu smiles and nods and begins to walk again, checking over his shoulder to make sure that Siane is coming along as well.  She’s staying close - good.

“You wanna stop and grab our food before or after seeing the ocean around Ula’ula?”  Nanu asks, though he’s pretty sure he already knows what the answer will be.

“Ocean first,” Siane beams, and Nanu feels his smile grow just a little more.

 ***

 “It’s so warm,” Siane sighs, sitting at the end of a pier and dipping her toes in the water.

“Everything’s warm here, girl,” Nanu says, though his words have no real edge to them.  

“It’s nice.  I really like it here,” Siane admits, one foot kicking up a small splash.  The water droplets sparkle in the sun as they fall.  She watches them, then raises her eyes to the distant horizon where seat met sky.  Nanu watches her, noticing the way the brilliance of the ocean reflects in her eyes.  “Everything is so…peaceful here.  It’s, um.  It’s nice.”

Nanu feels his eyebrows crease; he doesn’t know everything that’s happened in Aedis, but from what he’s able to piece together, Siane’s struggled with conflict nearly her whole life.  The thought that a single day out, with no cares in the world imminent on her shoulders, could mean so much to her tugs at Nanu’s heartstrings, and he puts his arm around her shoulders in much the same way he would comfort Acerola.  Except, somehow, it doesn’t feel entirely like comforting little Ace - but Nanu pushes that thought out of his mind for now.

“It is nice, here,” Nanu agrees.  Siane turns those eyes of hers on him, and he adds quickly, “I’m glad you enjoy it.”  Then, he pulls his arm away and moves away just a little, clearing his throat.  “As you know, I work extremely hard to keep Alola as peaceful as it is,” he says with a wry smirk; his words have the intended effect, and Siane dissolves into unabashed laughter.

“Yes,” she says between laughs.  “Your duties just have you running all over the island, trying to fight crime and dangerous monsters twenty-four-seven.  And you get absolutely no naps.”

Nanu feels his smirk falter a little, because there was a time where he was running all over the island, and fighting Ultra Beasts, and trying to be the best Interpol officer he could be.

And what did it get him?  What did it get her, besides chewed up by Guzzlord, never to be seen again?

“Yeah,” Nanu says faintly, turning away from Siane to look out at the ocean.  “No naps.”  He hears the tremble in his own voice, and hates it.

Siane notices - of course she does, she’s not stupid, Nanu thinks to himself - and scoots a little closer to him once more, putting her hand on his nearest shoulder.  She leans into him just the slightest bit, and somehow the contact feels grounding for Nanu.  The two of them watch the ocean in silence, and though Nanu waits for her to ask what’s wrong, she stays quiet.

Within a few minutes, the world around him begins to feel a little more real again, the echoes of the past fading in his mind.  Siane is still peaceful and silent beside him, still grounding him with her touch, and he wonders how many other people she’s seen like this, back in Aedis.  How many people has she provided her silent support to?

“Let me know when you want to go get sushi,” Nanu says instead.

 Within an hour, they’re heading into the Malie Gardens, little brown bags of sushi in hand.  Sensei had complained about how undignified the brown bags were, but had ultimately capitulated to one of his top customer’s request for inconspicuous takeout.

“Oh, wow,” Siane breathes, pushing a big fern aside so she can get a better view of the lush land in front of her.  “It’s gorgeous here.”  She doesn’t wait for a response, instead pushing forward and approaching the enormous golden-plated bridge that greets the Garden’s visitors.  Nanu hastens behind her, both brown baggies cradled in one arm so he can steady her with his free hand if he needs to.

Not that he’s needed to so far today.  But better safe than sorry, right?

“Is this real gold?”  Siane asks, rubbing the banister of the golden bridge.

“Gold plated,” Nanu shrugs, hovering close by.  “It’s supposed to be a sister bridge to one just like it in the Kanto region.”

“It’s lovely,” Siane says, already on her way across it, running her hand over the smooth banister as she goes.  

Suddenly a thunderous noise draws both of their attention, followed by a quick flash of feathers and a multi-colored beak.

“What was that?”  Siane asks, already enrapt.  Another flash of feathers ensues as the Pokemon circles back around; on its second pass, Nanu is able to identify it.

“That’s a Toucannon,” Nanu says.  “You know all the Pikipek you’ve seen?  This is their final evolution.”

To his horror, Siane actually sets off at a jog after it.  She’d just nearly fallen in the shower literally yesterday, and she was trying to jog today?!

“Its beak looks brilliant,” she gushes.  “I need to get a better look at it.”

The Toucannon in question has roosted on a low hanging branch, and eyes Siane carefully as her footfalls carry her across the bridge.  Nanu’s already running at nearly full bore, desperate to catch up to her - and to stop her from approaching a particularly strong, angry bird capable of spitting seeds strong enough to break boulders.

Fortunately, Siane stops well in advance of the Pokemon, and Nanu watches, fascinated, as her conservation training seems to kick in.

“Look - it’s got a bunch of Pikipek on the trees behind it.  It’s likely trying to protect its family,” she says in hushed tones.  “They’re all drilling into that tree, see?  There’s probably lots of bug Pokemon inside, because it looks like pretty dead wood.  They must not have any issue finding food, because that Toucannon’s beak is in excellent condition.”

“What’s a beak got to do with it?”  Nanu asks, not seeing the correlation.

“A healthy, shiny, smooth beak means it’s eating a healthy and variegated diet.  Birds that don’t eat well can have all sorts of issues with their beak.  And do you see how glossy its feathers are?”  She’s enraptured, but respectful.  And, Nanu notes, she’s breathing hard, clearly more winded from her little jog than she’d like to admit.  “It’s getting lots of essential fatty acids.  Super important for feather health.  You’ve got a pretty healthy ecosystem here, Kahuna,” she adds, finally turning away from the Toucannon and affixing a brilliant smile on Nanu.

His heart skips a beat.

“Well.  Glad to hear your professional assessment,” Nanu says, though he smiles a little back at her, and he actually means the words as he says them.  “Now come on, Siane.  Let’s go find a place to sit.  You’re tiring me out, running me all ragged like this.”

“I’m tiring you out?”  Siane says with a laugh, raising her eyebrows.  “Come on, Kahuna, you’re a fit man.  Don’t pretend this is anything much for you.”

Nanu’s heart does another flip at this.

She thinks he’s fit?

“I’m old,” he says, as much for himself - as a reminder of the one, key difference between them - as for her.  “Now let’s go.”

Siane’s smile falters a little, but she falls into step beside him readily.

“You’re not that old,” she pushes.

“Right,” Nanu snorts.  “That’s why all my hair is gray.  Because I’m not that old.”

“Gray hair looks handsome on you,” she says nonchalantly.  “And besides, I bet you’re just the sort of person that started graying early.”  When Nanu doesn’t respond, her lips curl into a smile.  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Do you want to eat by the water?”  Nanu deflects.  It doesn’t work, though; Siane’s smile only grows.  She knows she’s right.

“Sure,” she agrees.

 ***

 Sushi by the waters of the Malie Gardens is an altogether peaceful affair.  Nanu can see why that little tea shop submitted a zoning request to set up shop right in the middle of the Gardens; tea would be perfect right about now.

“How’s your food?”  Nanu asks, turning to Siane.  The sun is brilliant on her hair, which flutters just the slightest bit in the breeze.

“It’s…insanely good.  This is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”  She’s been taking really tiny bites of her food, as if to make it last as long as possible.  She’s probably eaten only half as much as Nanu has at this point.  “I - I didn’t even really know food could be this good.  I’ve had good food before!  But…”  She bites her lip and looks out at the water, and to Nanu’s surprise, little tears spring into her eyes.

If he thought she’d pulled on his heartstrings earlier, he has no words to describe how gut-wrenching it is to see this young woman start to cry.

“Hey, hey,” he says, quickly scooting closer to her.  “Hey.  Don’t cry, Siane.  Don’t cry.”  He reaches out to her just as she turns to fold into him, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world to do.  And if he’s honest with himself, holding her to his shoulder does feel natural, somehow.  As if they had been made to support each other, to comfort each other.

But such a thought was preposterous.  Wasn’t it?

She doesn’t break down into outright tears, but the arm wrapped around her shoulders still feels the way she takes a few deep, shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry,” she says.  “Everything here is just…so different than back home.  It’s not bad,” she adds quickly, mumbling against his shoulder a little.  “It’s actually really great here.  And somehow, that hurts worse than if it had been just as bad here as back home.  I don’t know if that makes sense,” Siane trails off.

“It does,” Nanu says, grimacing.  “Believe me.  It does, Siane.”  He doesn’t know what to say about the fact that, for all he cares, she doesn’t have to go back.  She could stay with him for the rest of the year, if that’s what she wanted.  Maybe longer.  But she talks about Aedis like she needs to get strong to go back there, so he tries a different tack entirely.  “You’ve been through a lot recently.  Things must be hard for you.  I hope you know…I’m here for you, however I can be.”

Siane pulls away at this, but doesn’t go far.  Her face stays close to his, and she manages a small smile for him.  Then, to his surprise, she cups his cheek in one hand.

“I do know, Nanu.  You’ve been nothing but incredibly kind to me,” she says, her voice low and a little shaky but somehow, so intimate.  Nanu feels his jaw drop open, and he wonders for a moment if she’s going to kiss him.

“I - I’d hardly describe myself as incredibly kind,” Nanu stutters.  He can’t even remember the last time he’d stuttered.

“Well, I would,” Siane says, and presses a small kiss to his cheek before pulling away.  “So thank you.”

Nanu swallows hard, his hand drifting up to touch at the imprint her kiss had left on his skin.

“Yeah.  You’re welcome,” he mumbles, and goes back to eating his sushi, too.

“Okay,” Sofia replied, not breaking from fiddling with a heat lamp that had been giving her grief all day.  She’d had to completely empty the pen this lamp usually kept temperature-controlled of all eggs and baby Pokemon, which had made it a priority to fix for the afternoon.  “Thanks for letting me know.  But I’ve only got a couple hours to finish working on this, and I need it back online before I leave tonight, so I’ll read the texts after work.”

Her Rotom Phone, ever expressive, frowned and lingered closer to her at her words.

“It’zzz important,” it said in a voice bordering on a whine.  “They’re from Raihan.  Can you read it now?  Quickly?”

Sofia’s eyebrows furrowed at this.

“Wait, do you read my texts?  Like, before I do?”

“Well -” Rotom Phone started, but Sofia reached out one hand.

“Don’t answer that,” she decided as the Rotom Phone settled on her palm.  “I don’t want to know.”  Rotom Phone wisely didn’t respond, instead switching its screen to display Raihan’s text.

Raihan • 2:36 PM • Tuesday

hey, Sof, I’m sorry to have to do this, but I think I caught ur cold.  I feel awful.

Raihan • 2:37 PM • Tuesday

can we take a rain check on that date at the cafe??

Raihan • 2:37 PM • Tuesday

Shit I’m txting u at work again aren’t I

Raihan • 2:37 PM • Tuesday <,b>

Sry

Sofia set down the heat lamp entirely for a moment.  

“Ugh, I told him not to get too close to me or else he’d get sick!”  She groaned, an odd wave of frustration, guilt, and pity washing over her.  If he was faring as well as she had against this cold, well…he probably was feeling as awful as he said he was.

“He wazzz juzzt trying to help,” her Rotom Phone reminded her.

“Yeah, I know,” Sofia said, standing up and moving outside with her phone still in hand.  She didn’t want to make any calls while she was still in the Daycare itself; stepping away would make it more apparent that she was just handling some business for a moment.  “That’s why I feel so bad about it.  Can you call Raihan for me?”

“You got it!”  Rotom Phone chirped, and dialed his number.  Raihan’s phone rang once, twice, then three times, and Sofia began to worry he won’t pick up, but finally, she heard a click, then a pause, and Raihan’s groggy voice came on the phone.

“Hey, Sof,” he said, sounding every bit as sick as she had imagined he was.

“Hey, back at you,” Sofia responded, every admonishment about how she’d tried to keep him from catching her illness immediately disappearing from her mind.  “You sound awful.”

“I feel awful.  There’s not a lot that can take down the great Dragon-Tamer, Raihan, but this is definitely giving me a run for my money,” he said with a weak laugh.

“I’m so sorry you caught this from me,” Sofia groaned.

“’Sokay.  I wanted to make sure you were all right and taken care of,” Raihan responded easily.

Somehow, these simple words made Sofia’s stomach flip.

“I - I want to make sure you’re okay, too,” she said, shoving aside the nervousness she couldn’t help but feel as she said the words.  “I’m going to catch a Corviknight Taxi and swing by your place after work, okay?”

“Aw, Sofia, you don’t have to do that -”  Raihan started, but Sofia didn’t let him finish his sentence.

“Yeah, just like you didn’t have to come and get yourself sick from taking care of me,” she retorted, her mind already made up.

“What if you get sick from me?”  Raihan mumbled.  Sofia laughed out loud at this.

“I already had it,” she pointed out.  “I’m going to be fine.  All the more reason for me to be the one to make sure you’re doing okay and have everything you need.”

“You’ve made up your mind on this already, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Sofia responded firmly.  After a moment of pause, Raihan sighed.

“You’re…you’re just the best, do you know that?  Really the greatest,” he mumbled, and though Sofia listened carefully for any sign of teasing, she didn’t hear any.

“I - well, um, thanks,” Sofia finally said.  “You’re…the greatest too.  Well, I’ve got to go hop back into work for a moment to try to get a heat lamp fixed before I leave, but try to go get some rest, okay?  I’ll be by in a couple of hours.”

“Kay,” Raihan croaked back.  “Thanks again, Sof.  Love you.”

Sofia felt certain that she’d heard wrong for a split second, but when a moment of expectant pause passed, she realized she definitely had not.

“Uh - love you too,” she said, because what else do you say to a sick and feverish person (who you may or may not be interested in) who decided to say that first?  “Bye,” she added, then took the Rotom Phone away from her ear, ending the call.

Immediately, her Roto-dex flew out of her pocket, circling around Rotom Phone in excitement.

“Did I juzzzt hear what I thought I heard?”  Roto-dex asked, its eyes wide and sparkling.

“You did,” Rotom Phone said, doing a flip in mid-air.

“He zzaid he lovezzz you, Sofia!”  Roto-dex declared, literally emitting sparks in excitement.

“He’s tired and out of it -” Sofia started, only to be cut off by Rotom Phone.

“You zzzaid it back!  We both heard you!”

“What else am I supposed to say?”  Sofia fumed, crossing her arms a little defensively.

“But you do, don’t you?  You didn’t zzzay that to him just to zzzay it, right?”  Roto-dex said, freezing in mid-air and looking at her with sad eyes.  Rotom Phone paused, too, looking at her closely.  Sofia chewed her bottom lip, realizing that the little Ghost Pokemon weren’t just teasing.

“No, I wasn’t just saying it to say it.  At least, not entirely,” she admitted, looking away.  “But…he doesn’t need to know that.  He just needs to get better.  Do you two understand?”  She asked, frowning at her devices.  After all the meddling they’d done while she had been sick, she didn’t need any more from the pair of well-meaning Pokemon.

“Cryzztal clear!”  Rotom Phone chirped.

“You got it, bozz!”  Roto-dex added.

“Good,” Sofia said, beginning to head back to the Daycare.  She could hear the familiar whir of her devices as they follow in the air behind her, but it still took her by surprise when she heard one of them say,

“Zzzofia?  We just want you to know…we really are happy for you.  It might not be anything big yet, but…it’zz something, izzn’t it?”

“Maybe,” she replied with a shrug.  “But thank you, I think.”