Chapter Text
Florian all but skips down the academy hallways. He may have run into a student or three, but he doesn’t care. Kieran just gave him an Applin. An Applin! He didn’t know Kieran was such a romantic! He hardly even believes his own memory, as it replays over and over in his mind. He was so thrilled, he went and kissed the boy in front of everyone before he could stop himself. Gah, so embarrassing! He’s almost certain Drayton is teasing him about it right about now, that stinker! But still, he’s glad that he did. Kieran wants to be his boyfriend! What’s one kiss now? He’s more than happy to make up for it later!
The boy almost knocks the hinges off his door as he bursts into his dorm room. Kicking off his shoes and dumping his bag on the floor, Florian dives face-first into his pillow and squeals . A rhythmic thump-thump-thump comes from the bed as he kicks his legs against it jubilantly. He wants to hug something. After quickly discarding the thought of one of his core team members- too scaly, on fire, covered in knives- he instead releases the Applin into his arms. He can’t help but pepper it with kisses, the loving yet aggressive gesture causing it to retreat into its apple and roll out of his grip and onto his pillow.
After acknowledging that the smile wouldn’t be leaving his face for a while, Florian decides that he needs to tell someone about this. And who better but his friends? Grabbing his Rotom that had started to drift around idly out of the air, Florian quickly finds the group chat labelled ‘ Nemona Survivors Club’ pinned at the top of his messaging app and opens it.
Arven: I’m going to singlehandedly fill your fridge with meal prep if I have to
Penny: i have food
Penny: i think
Nemona: Girl you literally had one block of old cheese in your fridge the last time i was there
Penny: erm i have plenty of ramen you dont keep that in the fridge buddy
Arven: We’re going to watch you waste away before our very eyes due to a lack of nutrients at this rate.
Arven: Also please throw that cheese away.
Penny: arvens such a mom lol
Nemona: Hahaha he’s such a mom!
Arven: I cant win with you people
Florian can’t help the smile that crosses his face as he reads the ongoing conversation. Even when his heart is soaring and can barely contain his giddiness, seeing his friends’ banter is always enough to ground him. But… there’s no way he wasn’t going to tell them.
Florian: gUYS
Nemona: Heyyy bestieee!
Penny: ay flor waddup
Arven: Finally someone reasonable
Arven: Flor please tell Penny she can't live off of only instant noodles
Florian:
Florian: what flavour we talkin?
Arven: Fighting an uphill battle here
Nemona: You good Flor? Sounded kinda urgent for a sec
Florian: OH SHOOT YEAH
Florian: SMTH REALLY GOOD HAPPENED :)))))
Penny: oh yeah? ur still at that fancy private school in unova right
Florian: YEAH
Florian: so you guys remember Kieran
Arven: Oh yeah, the little guy! I actually meant to ask if he eating good. He was kinda skinny.
Penny: mothering so hard rn
Nemona: How could I forget him? His team was super strong! 💪
Penny: uh huh right also was anyone going to mention how inlove with flor that guy was orrr
Florian: yeah!
Florian blinks. … Wait, what?
Florian: WAIT WHAT
Nemona: Penny! Ahhh i didnt wanna say anything but… yeahhhh it was kind of obvious! X)
Florian: ARVEN??
Arven:
Arven: Sorry buddy, but… Pen’s right. Basically every time he spoke to you, he was grinning like a Wobbuffet. I’m kinda surprised you didn’t realise.
Florian: omg guys what
Penny: theres literally no way you didnt notice
Penny: the sombre gazes… the fond smiles when he thinks no ones looking… dare i say… the pining…
Arven: What the heck are you talking about!?
Nemona: You like him too Flor?
Florian: i mean you know hes cute and sweet and hes a rly good trainer and hes super nice to me and we hang out a lot and hes really patient and funny and cool and stuff and we went thru a lot together and id do anything for him but whatevs
Penny:🤨🏳️🌈
Penny: ill take that as a yes
Arven: Yeah, looks like the feelings mutual hahaha!
Nemona: LMAOOO thats so adorable Flor omg <3
Was Kieran really that obvious? He’s been crushing on the boy for a while now but never thought he would want to… be with the person who lied to him. When he first came to Blueberry Academy, Kieran changed. It was like his sole reason for becoming stronger was defeating him. When he saw the look Kieran gave him when they reunited after all that time, his last hopes of them being even just friends were basically dashed, and from then on, he had to balance beating the Elite Four’s trials and dealing with his freshly broken heart. Things did improve after that, but…
He may be just an oblivious idiot. Even Arven noticed, and he was clueless when it came to romance, to say the least. Kieran said he forgave him but he thought it was just because he saved him from Terapagos. He’s never been happier to be wrong, though. He’d never imagined he’d end up giving him an Applin in the end!
Florian: well i guess since everyone but me was already well aware of my feelings… i have good news
Nemona: Wait you dont mean…
Florian: you guys im literally so happy right now
Florian: I was actually with him a little while ago and
Florian: he gave me
Florian:
Florian: an applin askdkfjansn
Penny: WHAT DUDE OMG
Florian: I KNOWWWW IM LITERALLY GIGGLING KICKING MY FEET IN THE AIR
Penny: flor omg i cant lie thats got me grinning im happy for u man that mustve been cute as hell
Nemona: Um what’s up with Applin?
Florian: huh?
Florian: dude you dont know?
Arven: Is it one of your favourites? I feel like I’d know that…
Florian: ??? Guys
Penny: nemona i get but you too arven?
Nemona: Hey! >:(
Arven: I’m drawing a blank here. They’re not especially rare or anything right? Certainly not in Kitakami.
Florian: how do you lot not know the story? if someone gives you an Applin it means youll be with them forever!!! So you like give it to someone you wanna date n stuff
Nemona: Aww wait thats so sweet :)
Arven: Oh. I’ve never heard about that. Why Applin though?
Nemona: He had a Hydrapple on his team too! It was suuuper strong, maybe you guys could match!
Florian: im still confused you guys havent heard about the applin thing. when i was younger literally everyone gave applins to each other
Penny: yah my sister and her gf started dating because she gave her an applin it was mad cute
Nemona: Wait Pen you’re from Galar right? Like Flor?
Penny: ye
Nemona: Welllll since you guys and your sis have both heard of this and we haven’t, im thinking maybe its like a regional thing? Like its only a thing in Galar? Dont Applins have like different forms and stuff over there? I also noticed a lot of stuff from my childhood missing when i moved to Paldea as well.
Arven: That’s a good point actually!
Penny: oh. huh.
Florian: whattt no way
Florian: if that were true how would Kieran know about that hes from Kitakami
Florian:
No one replied at first. Florian didn’t know why, but as he sat hunched over on his bed, his eyebrows slowly began to knit together while he stared at the screen. He has to loosen the death grip on his phone when Rotom lets out a trill of discomfort. A sinking feeling of dread begins to crawl up his stomach, growing steadily as he awaits a response from his friends.
Arven: Florian, what did Kieran say to you when he gave you Applin?
Florian:
Florian: he basically explained that he’s been wanting to trade with me for a while and that he picked applin for a reason
Nemona: What was the reason?
Florian: i
Florian: i dont know
Arven: You didn't ask?
Florian: i just assumed it was because of the love confession thing! how was i supposed to know that maybe he didnt even know about the applin thing in the first place and that maybe he doesnt even like me and maybe i just made a huge mistake??
Nemona: Whoa, Florian, it’s alright! It’s not a big deal if he gave you an Applin for a different reason! We know he likes you, so just ask him out another time, right?
Arven: Buddy, take it easy. What do you mean you made a huge mistake?
Arven: ?
Arven: Florian??
Nemona: Florian are you ok???
Penny: this might be serious
Rotom sends a worrying look to Florian as he places it on his desk after setting it to silent. He felt kind of bad for ignoring his friends but he thought he was going to suffocate if he read another message. His face is harrowingly blank as he slowly sinks to the ground, a painful throbbing in his chest threatens to tear his heart out.
Kieran didn’t give him an Applin because he liked him. He doesn’t want to be his boyfriend.
Of course, he didn’t! He was just trading him a Pokémon that he liked out of courtesy! Hell, Florian’d even received a Duraludon and Skarmory from Drayton and Amarys! It wasn’t like it was some declaration of love! Of course, it wasn’t!
Florian curls up into a sad ball on the ground, hugging his knees tightly. His mouth is pulled into a thin line as he stares at his wall.
Oh, god.
Oh, god. He kissed him.
Why did he have to go and do something like that? He was just so overwhelmed with emotion that it happened before he could even think. This always happens. His mind moves so quickly that he just acts without thinking. Why does he never think things through!? He feels so incredibly stupid. God, in front of everyone, too. He can’t show his face in the clubroom for a long while. Kieran… won't want to be friends with him anymore after this, will he? Rumours were going to spread because of how impulsive and selfish he is, right when the other bad rumours about Kieran were beginning to die down too. And just when things were finally starting to feel normal between them again. He probably hates him. Probably thinks he’s a freak. Probably thinks he-
A wetness on his arm causes him to look down, but his vision is completely blurred.
Ah.
When did he start crying? The realisation causes the tears to start falling nonstop, despite his feeble effort. Light sniffles soon turn to wet sobs as the weight of everything crashes into him at full force.
He cries and cries as the scene repeats in his head, and the emotions of sorrow and regret swirl seemingly endlessly. Choked wails threaten to tear themselves out of his throat. The pressure of everything that happened crashes down full force, threatening to crush him completely. What has he done?
Florian doesn’t remember how long he cried, but it was long enough that all that he had left in him after a while was pitiful sniffling. God, he was so stupid. Why does he always do stuff like this? He’s so caught up in self-loathing that he almost doesn't notice the distinctive ‘poof’ sound that makes his ear twitch, though he doesn't look up.
Familiar purple nubs enter his vision between his crossed arms, and he feels the warmth radiating off of the Pokémon as it stands before him. It manages to drag a minuscule smile out of him, around all the misery and self-pity.
Craning his head up slowly, he’s met by purple eyes trained unmovingly on his. Burning wisps flicker when he’s unable to keep up the smile. It stares at him patiently, awaiting its trainer's next move.
When he averts his eyes, his Pokémon kneels down on one knee in front of him, like a knight before its king. It simply stares, searching for something Florian isn’t sure is there. After a while, it rumbles out a small chirp. It's low and quick but endlessly soothing, and despite the sob welling up in his chest, fondness fills Florian at that moment.
“I’m okay, Burnish… really. I just… might have accidentally upset Kieran again and I don’t know what to do. What if he doesn’t want to be friends anymore? What if he hates me again?”
His lip trembles, and the tears start flowing again before he finishes his sentence. He was surprised he had any tears left to cry, he thinks bitterly.
The sight of tears spurs the Pokémon. It leans forward, gently touching its forehead against Florian’s, eyes never leaving his for a second. It sizzles a bit, but it gets the boy to huff out a laugh.
Burnish was always quick, precise and cutthroat during battle, always acting with purpose, leaving no room for wasteful movements - It was why she was usually at the front of his party - despite this, she was also his most compassionate Pokémon. He saw how careful she was with him and the rest of his team during picnics or playtime. Honestly, he was hardly surprised that she was the one to burst from her pokéball just to check on him.
Florian scrubs at his eyes harshly, then stands up, sending the most convincing smile he can muster towards his Pokémon when she looks up at him. He places his hands on each of her warm, armoured cheeks, then places a gentle kiss on her forehead. The action singes his hands and lips very slightly, but he has long since gotten used to the feeling.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Burnish. I’m going to talk to him, I think.”
His Pokémon is silent, but the flame in its eyes flickers less wildly than before.
A sudden, frantic knock at the door catches both of their attention. Who was that? He rarely got visitors in his Blueberry dorm on account of his always running around elsewhere in the school. Florian furrows his brow. He creeps towards the door and opens it a crack, peering around only to gasp at being met face to face with the target of affection and woes.
Kieran, in all his beautiful, dishevelled, heart-wrenching glory, stands hunched over, hands on his knees as he pants, eyes blown wide with sweat caking his skin.
Florian all but cowers behind his door. He's here!? He was planning on talking to him, but… Right now!? He wasn’t ready!
“W-What are you doing here?” Florian rushes out, trying and failing to play it casual.
It just gets him to tilt his head. “Huh? But… you told me to?”
Dammit. Right. He did say that, didn't he? Like most things for Florian, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. He wanted some privacy so they could talk about being boyfriends and maybe kinda kiss some more. He spent so long wallowing in self-pity that he’d completely forgotten about that.
They just kind of stare at each other, neither really having anything prepared to say.
“Flor-”
“Kieran I-”
There's an awkward moment of silence before Florian pipes up.
“S-sorry, um. You can go first…”
Florian feels terrible when he dips his head. He knows he was the one who invited Kieran to come here, but now he can barely look at him.
“Oh… Uh… I thought you…” Kieran scratches his head. The puzzled look on his face ties Florian’s stomach into knots. “Are you doin’ alright, Flor? I can… come back later if you want?”
“No!”
The taller boy’s hand freezes on his head, and his eyes widen. Florian shrinks back behind the door, embarrassed at how he was acting.
“Oh, um…ok. Then can I come in?”
There’s a hesitant, but comforting smile slowly growing on Kieran’s face, and Florian feels his reluctance slowly crumble away.
He sighs, then opens the door fully, allowing Kieran to step in. His eyes are trained on his shoes as Kieran passes him by. He idly notes that it’s the first time he’s had a boy alone in his room, and if his mind wasn’t currently clouded with a dense fog, he’d remember to blush over it.
Locking the door behind them, Florian speedwalks to his bed and gently lifts the Applin currently dozing on his pillow and places it onto his lap, hugging it possessively. He can feel Kieran’s eyes on him at the action, but can’t bring himself to look up.
Burnish’s flames flared up the instant the boy stepped into the room. It glares at Kieran bitterly and untrustingly, clearly unhappy that the source of Florian’s grief had so brazenly stepped into its master’s dwelling. Florian feels his heart skip slightly as Kieran peers back, unflinching.
The small interaction takes Florian back to the first time he arrived in Mossui Town. Standing in the town centre, he politely smiles at the whirlwind of disdainful words that this lively young lady had decided he should bear the brunt of. His attention, however, is on the boy behind her. Clearly, they're siblings. Their features are nearly indistinguishable, but their expressions are polar opposites. Where Carmine was all pinched eyebrows and teeth-clenched sneers, her unnamed little brother was wide eyes and rosy cheeks. He looked as curious as Florian felt, yet remained hidden and out of sight.
Florian had to admit, not for the first time, it felt nice to be ogled.
Their time in Kitakami was brief, but Florian treasured it endlessly. As much so as his treasure hunt. He watched in real-time as Kieran came out of his shell, his passion for his town’s history so loud and alive that he was surprised he didn’t notice it sooner. He realised. As they walked together, caught Pokémon together, read the tales of the fearsome ogre of Oni Mountain together, and ate candied apples together. He realised there was a real strength in Kieran, and when everyone else was convinced that lying to him was for his own good… He realised that he was the only one who truly noticed it. Or perhaps he was the only one Kieran showed it to.
His feelings about Kieran’s time as Champion were complicated, but… The battle the two of them shared, while short, was the most alive he’d ever felt in his entire life. He was certain everyone noticed Kieran the way he always had.
“Whoa… way cool…” Kieran’s finger twitches, as if he were thinking about reaching out to the Pokémon.
“It’s ok, Burnish. Return.” The Pokémon vanishes in a flash of light, and the room falls quiet once again. “You can sit if you like.”
Kieran blinks quickly, then clears his throat, suddenly bashful. “U-um, right.”
The bed dips as Kieran takes a seat next to Florian, close enough that he can feel the other boy’s warmth against his shoulder, yet seeming like worlds apart. He scratches his neck to steady his shaky hands as he notices Florian’s Rotom phone napping on his desk. 11 missed calls. He looks away quickly.
Another bout of silence has Kieran’s nervousness quickly mounting. Normally, Florian does enough talking for the both of them; he’s never seen him this quiet before. He peers at him out of the corner of his eye, only now noticing they seem to be red. Was Florian… crying?
“Flor’ there’s something I gotta ask-”
“I’m sorry!”
The awkward air in the room is instantly shattered as Kieran’s head whips around, now worried.
Hot tears flow once again as Florian's words come out wobbly and rapidly. “I’m sorry for kissing you like that in front of everyone without even asking, I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I just thought-! I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but there's a thing in m-my home region where you- never mind, it doesn’t matter. I-I know you were just trading because we’re f-friends and- I should've asked, but I was just so happy because I really like you, but now rumours are going to spread and-”
“F-Florian, slow down-”
“I know you didn’t mean it like that, heck, you probably don’t even know about the tradition- but the time we spent when we visited Kitakami is really special to me, even the festival and-”
“Florian!”
The teary boy throws his hands up to his mouth, as Applin, presumably tired of the noise and movement, rolls off his lap and towards his pillow.
Florian’s chest heaves, and he doesn’t dare move the vice-grip his hands have on his face. There are a few moments of silence as the boys share heavy eye contact.
Kieran closes his eyes and breathes out slowly before speaking. “I learned about the significance of Applin to people from Galar.
Florian’s eyes shoot up, but before he can respond, Kieran continues. “Drayton, uh, told me ‘bout it after you left.”
Florian slowly lowers his hands to his lap, head tilted straight down. The tears still fall, and his frame shakes kind of worryingly, but Kieran fights not to lunge forward and hug him. Words first.
“...Of course.” He already knew. He knew Kieran didn’t know about the tradition! So why were the words like an arrow straight through his heart? “He uh-” Florian sniffs loudly, “He must’ve gotten a kick out of it, at least. Haha…”
Suddenly, Kieran is off the bed, instead kneeling right in front of him.
“I told ‘em I didn’t care about all that.”
Florian squeezes his eyes shut. He knew it was coming, but it felt even worse than an arrow. It was like his heart was being torn to shreds all over again. He lets out a shuddering breath. He doesn’t know much more of this he could take.
“I know. I know, I know- ”
“Flor', please, listen. I need you to hear this.”
Well, here it comes. The big rejection. After everything, this was how it ended. Kieran would be too nice to break it off himself, but after what he pulled, Florian would do them both a favour and stay out of Kieran’s life. He would reassure him that he didn’t care. Because Kieran was sweet. The sweetest boy he’d ever met. Even though Florian lied to him. Stole from him. Stole the ogre from him, stole the champion title from him, the respect of the school, Terapogos, a kiss for god’s sake. He was just the annoying nuisance that kept taking and taking.
“Do you remember when I said that- that the Applin has meanin’?”
Florian nods sadly, and Kieran swallows.
“I thought I was bein’ real clever… but… Aw, man…” He starts to fiddle with his hair again, and the knocking against his knee starts up. “It was meant to... remind you of the festival, y’know.”
That gets Florian to scrunch up his eyebrows in confusion, feeling a thrum in his chest. He finally, finally looks up to Kieran, who has a gentle smile on his face directed towards the Applin.
“D’you remember? We wore matchin’ jinbei an’ Gramps said he gained another grandson an’ we wore matchin’ masks an’ played Ogre Oustin’ an’ you beat Sis’ high score an’ I thought you were way cool! Then we sat under a tree an’ ate-”
“Candied apples.”
Brown eyes meet yellow, and neither looks away.
“It was… the happiest I’d ever been ever since I started livin’ with my grandparents.”
There’s a sharp thrum in Florian’s chest that he opts to ignore for his own good.
“But I thought… That was when I first saw Ogerpon, so I thought you must’ve hated that day.”
Kieran looks conflicted for a second but brushes it off. “I… did. For a while. But after you snapped me out of it, I realised I never really needed to find the ogre to be happy. I wanted to. God knows I wanted to, but… A day didn’t go by that I didn’t think about the festival. And it wasn’t because of the ogre. It was because I was thinking about you.”
Florian’s heart rate was picking up again, and the tears were piling around the edges of his eyes.
“Kieran, I don’t… You can’t mean-”
“I gave you an Applin b-because- because the festival is when I realised I-I liked you. Like, like liked you. So I guess I was following Galar tradition after all. Heh heh…
Kieran’s face is scarlet red, lips trembling, and brow scrunched. He looks scared, yet brave. Florian thought he looked like an angel.
The words finally register, and he gasps. Loudly. His hands were thrown up to his mouth, and his eyebrows shot up high. He stands up so fast that he feels a bit dizzy. Kieran slowly stands up a second after he does.
“S-so um. D’you-”
“I’ve had a crush on you ever since we hung out at Loyalty Plaza.” He rushes it out in a jumble of words.
“Huh?! Wha- You did!?”
Florian blushes deeply, but his mouth moves a mile a minute.
“When we first met in Mossui Town, I thought you were the cutest boy I'd ever met. I’ve wanted to tell you that since I’d met you, but I didn’t know if you- I didn’t know how you’d react.”
“W-wait, s-slow down-”
Kieran was sure there was steam coming out of his ears, and his eyes were cartoon swirls. He didn’t have a response for that. All he could do was gape like a Feebas. What was this boy doing to him?
Florian tucks a tuft of hair behind his ear and smiles bashfully at Kieran. “I want to be your boyfriend.”
Critical hit! Kieran was going to faint.
“Oh… Wowzers! R-really!?”
Florian’s bashful smile stretched into a blindingly radiant one, then into giggles, and Kieran is blessed to be able to bask in it.
Kieran exhales shakily and then sits down on the bed.
“On…On one condition.”
Florian sits next to him, close enough that their shoulders are touching.
“Anything.”
“Kiss me again.”
Florian smiles wide.
“Deal.”
Despite them making a show of it, they both lean in slowly, agonizingly so. Florian tilts his head like he’s seen people do in movies, and Kieran copies him. His lips fit snuggly against Kieran’s with their noses out of the way. It’s warm and soft when they press together, and after a tranquil moment, they part. Florian’s heart feels like it’s about to sprout wings and soar out of his chest. He slowly leans back when he hears Kieran airily say:
“One- one more. Um, please?”
Florian’s smile grows impossibly larger. He asked so nicely. Who is he to deny him?
He cups both sides of Kieran’s face gingerly. He holds him close for a second, staring into his glittery yellow orbs and just breathes. He takes in every sparkle, every variation in colour as Kieran’s cheeks grow warmer in his hold.
“Oh, gee... I think I really like looking at you, Florian.”
Florian thinks he loves him.
He leans forward and kisses him again, and again, and again.
Nemona: I cant wait to see them again!! You know ive made like a ton of strategies for battling both of their teams💪
Florian: yeah ill bet, Carmine says she wants revenge after last time
Arven: That’s how it starts. We’re gonna have 2 battle maniacs on our hands before we know it.
Nemona: That doesn't sound too bad to me LOL
Penny: still its pretty baller to fly out your bf to another country for your first date
Florian: hehehe yep you know me B)
Arven: we gotta have at least one picnic. And I know all the great restaurants in Paldea for dates.
Nemona: Yeah!! And we’ll keep Carmine busy while you romance the heck out of him!
Florian: Nemo you even treat being a wingman like a battle i respect it
Penny: arv love you but i question your definition of a great date spot
Arven: Don’t knock it Pen! I know a great one you could take Carmine to. Eh?
Penny: hasjdosdkjd WHAT
Nemona: OMG PEN WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!! ❤️
Arven: She called Carmine hot last time we visited Blueberry
Penny: I TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCE DICKLIPS
Florian’s smile is ever-present as he pockets his phone. He sighs and breathes in the fresh, warm air of the Terrarium’s coastal biome. From his perch atop a hill, shaded by a large palm tree, he looks at his and Kieran’s Pokémon, some playing with an inflatable ball, others dozing or racing. Soon, he’ll be reunited with his friends. He’s missed them dearly, despite loving his time at Blueberry.
“Hey.”
His joy smiles down at him, holding a drink in each hand, one held towards him. Black Currant. His favourite.
Kieran joins him under the shade of the tree, before gently taking one of Florian’s hands and running his fingers over his knuckles.
“I can’t wait for you to meet my Mum.”
Kieran grins. “Aw, man, I hope she likes me.”
“I know she will.”
“Heh heh. It's gonna be cool to see your friends again, too. I like 'em. An’ you know… I get to see your bedroom.”
Florian blushes and Kieran ogles the pink tint, feeling accomplished.
“M-maybe we could have a sleepover, but you know… my bed’s kinda small,” Florian mutters bashfully.
He feels Kieran’s hand slow for a moment before starting up again.
“Sounds good to me.”
The boy’s gaze wanders back to his Pokémon, the feeling of Kieran’s fingers against his knuckles endlessly soothing. And when he spies Dipplin, snoring softly, with Roaring Moon’s tail curled around it…
He can’t help but think things are gonna turn out ok.