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The quiet, tentative knock on Piers's bedroom door snapped him right out of his light doze. He hadn't even washed up before bed, instead deciding to lay down and rest his eyes for a second. That second had stretched into a good hour, judging by his alarm clock. He stifled a yawn and called out, "Yeah? What is it?" But there wasn't a response. "Marnie?" Maybe he'd imagined the knock, or maybe... there was some reason Marnie couldn't speak to him? That offhand thought, as unlikely as it was, drove him into motion instantly; Piers shot up out of bed and yanked open the door before he'd fully shaken the sleep from his eyes.
Marnie's eyebrows raised high as she met his gaze, the draft causing her hair, unbound, to flutter around her shoulders. His sis was there in her night gown, Morpeko sleepily toddling after her. She was clearly alright, so Piers chided himself for the overreaction, even if he had been on the brink of sleep. Her eyes quickly lowered, and the small frown on her face deepened. Something was obviously bothering her, despite her appearing to be physically well. And when she was feeling insecure or nervous, she often didn't feel comfortable enough saying what she wanted out loud. But that had never bothered Piers. Figuring out what she needed was his job as her big brother—both back when she was a tiny baby wordlessly crying to show her displeasure, and now that she was a growing young lady who didn't always know how to express herself.
With a soft smile, he stepped aside and ushered Marnie into his bedroom. "C'mon in, Sis."
The relief on her face was immediate, her brow relaxing as she walked inside. Morpeko followed behind her and made a beeline toward the fluffy bedding in the corner. It was usually reserved for Obstagoon, who was currently resting inside his Pokéball, but Morpeko leapt into its center and kneaded at the surface to her liking as though the giant cushion was meant for her.
Marnie similarly made herself at home in Piers's bed, fluffing the pillow on the right before slipping underneath the sheets. "Be back in a jiffy, yeah?" Piers snagged his PJs from the dresser and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Sometimes just being in her brother's bed like old times was enough to ease whatever anxieties Marnie was having, so Piers half-expected her to have fallen asleep by the time he returned. Unfortunately whatever was on Marnie's mind was heavier than that; her eyes were wide open and waiting as he got in beside her. Almost immediately, the weight of Marnie's head was on his shoulder. Piers slung his arm around her, urging her to nestle further into his side. She did. Surreptitiously, he took a deep breath of her clean scent—slightly sweeter than his own, even when they used the same shampoo.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, softly. Marnie had been out of sorts since she'd returned from her big Gym Challenge. He'd figured it was a mix of lots of things—disappointment at losing to the new Champion, dead exhaustion after her weeks-long journey, and maybe a bit of regret at coming home to Spikemuth of all places. Instead of answering him, Marnie buried her head further into his shoulder. A silent request for comfort that Piers was all too happy to answer. Marnie was a big girl now, making it all the way to the Semi-Finals in the Champion Cup, so it was a sure relief that she still wanted her big brother to soothe her. His fingers gently ran through her hair, petting through the silky strands until the tension in her body started to fade. Normally Piers'd let her silence stand without further prodding, but she didn't look like she was planning to nod off any time soon, and whatever it was had clearly been eating at her for days now. "Y'know I'd do anythin' for ya, right?"
A soft flush painted Marnie's cheeks, and she grumbled, "'Course. Ya won't let me forget for a second."
Piers pressed a kiss to her wrinkled forehead and pulled her closer. "Then why don't you tell me what's gotcha down, princess?"
"It's just..." Marnie swallowed hard, and he could hear a small tremor in her voice. "Ya sure you still want me as the new Gym Leader?"
"Dead sure." It came out right away. He didn't have to think two seconds about it to be certain, but Marnie didn't look convinced.
"But I lost," she said, the bitter disappointment coloring her words. "I didn't even make it to the Finals."
It made sense why Marnie was getting so down on herself, after having Team Yell and Spikemuth gunning so hard for her victory. He understood that feeling very well. "Yeah? How often's your big bro make it?"
"Ya did it one year!" she insisted.
Piers was a little surprised that Marnie remembered—she was hardly eight years old at the time. It was his second year running the Spikemuth Gym, and Raihan had been taken out of the competition in an early match-up against Melony. Even so, Piers had lost the Finals and never gotten the chance to face Leon in front of the world. "Once outta how many times? You're gonna get there, too, princess."
But the soft pout on Marnie's face didn't fade. "I even Dynamaxed and I still couldn't win!" The air left her with that frustrated statement and she looked defeated, more so than when she'd come to him demanding he beat her rival in her place. "An' after I went on and on about becomin' the new Champion, too. Feel like a proper fool."
"Sis, look at me. Team Yell didn't stop cheerin' for ya just cuz you lost once. And I won't stop, either. You had a great battle and showed everyone how strong Spikemuth can be. I'm proud of you for it. We all are." Marnie kept her eyes turned away, so Piers lowered his head to intercept her line of sight. Once she locked his gaze, he went on. "Ever since you were a lil tyke, I knew you'd show me up. That you'd be better than I ever was, and you prove me right everyday."
"That's just cuz I been watching you for so long," she mumbled it, but Piers could see the way her face lit up slightly, the way she hesitated before answering. That she was wanting to believe in his words.
Piers gave her shoulder a squeeze and lightly bumped their heads together. "Well, must've been a better teacher than I ever gave m'self credit for."
Finally, a soft smile tugged at the corner of Marnie's lips and she hugged him around the chest. Piers let himself soak both treasures in, the brilliant sight of her sweet little smile and the warmth of her body heat. Marnie was still so very small when he held her like this in his arms, sending all of his protective impulses into high alert.
Even if it was what he wanted for her... "Sis," Piers started slowly. His voice was low and serious. "If you don't think you're ready, I won't go forcin' you to take my place. But I know you can handle it. And I'll be right 'ere with you if you need me. Got it?"
"I got it, alright?" Marnie's face was fully flushed and sheepish when she pulled away from his embrace, but what he was telling her had definitely sunk in. While Piers hoped she would come to see things his way soon enough, he ultimately wished Marnie would take his position because she wanted to—not only because he'd always expected it of her. For now, it was enough to reduce the stress and anxiety she must have been feeling for awhile. "Big bro?" When he looked down at her, she shot up to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Thanks."
Marnie was well aware of the way it made Piers's heart leap into his throat, and his pulse skyrocket. "N-no problem, Sis," he whispered, swallowing hard.
She settled against him, all too smug at his earnest reaction, as though it was some kind of revenge for getting her embarrassed with his heartfelt words before. "G'night, Piers."
"Yeah," he returned, roughly. "Sleep well."
And Marnie sure seemed to, as though the weight of the world was suddenly off her shoulders. Piers wished he could sleep half as peacefully. Or at all, really. The press of Marnie's bare skin was too hot against his where they touched—her calf against his knee, her bare shoulder against his arm—and the softness of her lips so fresh that he could still taste it.
It wasn't until Piers gave in to the insistent want echoing into his head and carefully leaned over to stole his own secret kiss from his little sister, that he managed to fall asleep beside her.