Chapter Text
“ Her eyes look sharp and steady
Into the empty parts of me
But still my heart is heavy
With the hate of some other man's beliefs”
- Foreigner’s God by Hozier
Arven should have known. How stupid was he, that he hadn’t heard from his dad in years and still thought nothing was wrong, beyond him just being a shitty parent. Well, he figured, resentment would do that to you. Blind you to the truth.
His dad was dead.
His dad was dead.
His dad had been dead for years.
Arven had spent almost half of his life, filled with rage, all directed towards a man who didn’t exist anymore.
He didn’t know how to feel. Well, he knew how he should feel. He should be grieving. His father was dead after all. He should be going through those 5 stages everyone talks about, and grieving like the good little boy the media painted him as. “Poor sad son of Professor Turo, just found out his father is dead, let’s all point at him and pretend to care!” God, the media made Arven sick.
The worst part is, if he had been a few years younger, maybe he would have. Maybe he would have screamed, and cried, and yelled at anyone who so much as glanced at him with pity in their eyes.
But Arven was 17 now. He wasn’t a child anymore, at least not as much as he had been when his father left him in the first place. He was older, more mature.
And, most importantly, he was tired.
Arven was tired of being angry at someone who can no longer feel his rage. He was exhausted from lashing out at everyone who got close enough for him to hurt. At this point, all he wanted was a moment of peace. And, in some small way, knowing his father was truly gone, knowing that he was happy somewhere in the future, knowing that Arven would truly never see him again, brought Arven peace.
Well, the AI was happy in the future, at least. Arven’s real dad was dead. But, based on everything they had learned in Area Zero, Arven preferred to imagine his father was more like the kind AI who had looked at him and told him that he loved him, that he was proud of him.
It was a little ironic how an Artificial Intelligence had been a better father to him in 5 minutes than his real dad had been for his entire life, but Arven didn’t want to dwell on those thoughts anymore. The past was past, and there was no changing it.
Plus, he had friends to help him, now.
He had Penny there to pull him out of his own head with a quick insult and a grin when his thoughts got too loud. She always did her best not to go too far with her jabs and accidentally hit on something that was still too raw. It made Arven feel cared for, something he still wasn’t entirely used to.
He had Nemona, always up for a quick battle he was sure to lose when he needed to let out some energy. He didn’t actually mind losing to her, though. Battling Nemona always made Arven feel like a kid playing his favorite game again; it was predictable and yet somehow only got more enticing with every repeated time.
He had Mabostiff, his most constant and consistent companion, curled up by his feet every single night, fur soft and grounding under Arven’s fingers. Mabostiff who could now run by his side again, and travel with him like they both loved to, and lean against Arven’s side as he made them both a sandwich with their favorite ingredients combined.
And he had Juliana.
Righteous, selfless, furious Juliana.
Always ready to scare off those who fixed Arven with those sad eyes he was becoming so accustomed to seeing. Never failing to turn to him afterwards with a grin on her face and a pleased thumbs up shot his way. Her smile and her laugh pulling Arven back to the present faster than any time machine ever could.
Juliana who saved him.
Juliana who would punch him if she ever heard him talk about her this way.
Arven wasn’t in love with Juliana, as much as his ramblings sometimes made him sound like he was. No, romance never crossed his mind when he thought about Juliana. The love he felt for her was closer to worship than anything amorous.
Juliana was Arven’s best friend, and also the closest being to a god that he could possibly imagine. She struck down those who stood in her way, no matter how much stronger they may have appeared, and treated it as though it was nothing.
When Juliana said she would do something, what she meant was that she would stop at nothing to accomplish what she had promised.
She promised Nemona to become a champion, and was the fastest-made champion in Paldean history.
She promised Penny to help deal with Team Star, and had them all sorted out by the end of the week.
She promised him to save Mabostiff, and now his partner ran by his side faster than ever before.
She promised his father… no, the AI. Not his father. She promised the AI to help him no matter what, she found the perfect team to pull together, and was in Area Zero, the most dangerous part of Paldea, by the next day.
She destroyed his fathers dream, and saved the entirety of Paldea, within a moment that seemed as though it would last forever, and was back at school the next day with a smile on her face for everyone else, and a sorrow buried deep within her heart.
Arven only knew this last part because she told him, in quiet whispers as they made their way back up the crater, how she should have been better. Should have saved Turo, both the AI and his father, despite the fact that he had been beyond saving for years. Should have saved him the heartbreak of finding out what happened to his father in that way. Arven realized in that moment, holding his small friend in his arms as she hid her face in his shirt while her shoulders shook gently, that Juliana was more human than he realized.
This only cemented her godhood in his mind even further.
All this to say, no, Arven didn’t want to date Juliana; however, he wouldn’t mind patching her up after the reckless adventures she threw herself into headfirst, and wrapping her up in a hug every once in a while. Hugging Juliana helped him feel strong. Like he could be the one to protect her, for once.
Juliana brought Arven peace, in a way he never knew he needed before her. He only wished he could do the same for her.