inadequacies i carry with me - pokémon legends z-a [ao3]
Summary: Opening up about her past to her new partner Zygarde, Harmony confesses to her insecurities. To her surprise, Zygarde confesses to her in return.
Zygarde is polite enough to let you show it around Hotel Z, as you’ve done with all your new Pokémon partners, but it already seems to know the layout. Almost as if it’s been living here as long as you have.
The hundredth cell. The final percent, recalls a suspiciously cryptic old man-like voice inside your head, and you really have to take a moment and think to yourself about that one. If you’re not totally off base, and just didn’t imagine the cell popping out of your bag to help fight Ange, Zygarde has been living here as long as you have. It must’ve… really watched you grow, and stumble, and grow by stumbling. Blustering along with confidence you knew you hadn’t earned.
Zygarde watched you finally earn that confidence. Huh. That makes you feel some unauthorized fucking feeling.
…Well, maybe you totally are wrong, and Zygarde’s just known Hotel Z since long before you ever stepped foot here! Maybe it even has its own room! Maybe it played bridge and drank tea with Floette and AZ on Saturdays. Maybe they talked about Mega Evolution, about history, and how they were all there to witness it — bunch of bridge-playing, tea-drinking old farts. Zygarde is immortal, right? It’s gotta be. It just acts so full of youthful energy — you’ve seen a grown-ass man not even try to keep up with those zoomies — but spiritually, and also literally, it’s still an old fart.
Oh, you’ve let yourself get distracted, haven’t you? While you were thinking too hard about bridge and immortality, you led Zygarde to the elevator and pushed buttons on autopilot, somehow winding up on the roof. Zygarde trots out into the evening air, right up to the railing, as it gives the Lumiose skyline an approving look — and then flops backwards, landing on the couch with a snort. It gives you an expectant stare, not quite the same as its intense gaze you’ve come to know in battle — but still, you’re pretty sure you’re interpreting this one right. You flop onto the couch right next to it, and yeah, yeah, there’s your proof that you were right on the money — because Zygarde huffs and rumbles with pleasure, as you scratch it behind its ears.
keep reading on AO3 (one-shot, 4k words)!
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