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Volo didn't get it.
Seren had been acting so strange lately. Like they still had romantic feelings for him. Which was impossible.. right? How could they still love him after keeping the truth from them for so long, for trying to even kill them… he honestly couldn't believe the stupidity for the latter. Denying his own feelings seemed like a good idea at the time. An idea his team had let him know was a rather stupid decision since.
Anyways.
They couldn't feel anything like love for him anymore, right?
Despite the light blush that lit their face every time he came in the room (it could be too warm for them!), or how they sought him out every day they weren't off on an expedition (they were still friends right? That he could accept), or how attentively they listened to him speak about myths (they were just as much of a nerd as he was, that he knew for sure).
Despite all those things being signs before… that happened.
Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice after all.
Probably.
He hoped.
Or did he hope that? He knew better than to deny his own feelings - Togekiss and Lucario especially would not let it go if he did that again - but it would be a lot easier to deal with them if they didn't like him back.
At least, that's what he told himself. Repeatedly.
Maybe soon he'd believe it someday.
Alas, it was rather hard to convince himself of that while spending time with Seren, as he found himself doing now. It'd be a shame to waste the nice weather (according to them), so here they were, chasing the next lead through his books whilst sitting next to Prelude Beach. He cursed himself for being unable, yet again, to say no to them. And apparently not able to take his eyes off of them either - somehow, the books didn’t capture his attention as they usually did.
They noticed his staring, and smiled at him before putting down their own book.
Arceus, they were going to be the death of him.
“What’re you thinking about?” They leaned closer; he tried to ignore just how close they were so he could formulate an answer.
“My thoughts don’t come free, you know,” he said with a wink. “You first.”
A light blush spread over their face - again he tried to ignore that while suppressing his own blush - and they looked down at the ground between them, a finger tracing patterns in the dirt.
“Well… to be honest… I’m thinking about you.”
Fuck.
They looked up at him again, their blush deeper now.
“About.. How much I love you.”
Well.
They couldn’t possibly mean that.
Right?
“...I don’t appreciate jokes like that, Seren,” he muttered, turning away to avoid their gaze.
“But, I’m not…”
“Even if you aren’t, you really shouldn’t. There’s better for you.” People who haven’t stabbed them in the back. People who haven’t made them cry. “Looks like rain. I’m going to bring the books in for now.”
He stood and gathered the books in his arms and made sure he had all his things with him before walking away. Pretending he didn’t see the dismayed look boring into his back.
Even if, by some miracle, they loved him too after all that had happened… he was not a good person. For them, or in general.
He should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. He knew them, he knew very well the person who quelled the nobles even when battered and beaten, when most sane people would have given up. They hadn’t given up then, and of course they wouldn’t now.
They really didn’t know what was good for them, did they.
Thus, he found himself plagued by notes and small gifts, longing looks and lingering touches. Even if now they weren’t saying it as vocally as before, their message came through loud and clear, no matter how much he tried to close his ears to the noise.
His heart ached at ignoring the signs. He knew what he felt very well. The sparkle in their eyes when examining something new, their smile (especially at him), the fact that they had been so patient with him even through all of this. It bled into his dreams, where he relished holding even their dream self, bringing their lips close to his and tangling his hands through their hair, then letting his hands drift down their body to-
Okay, that was enough. He had dealt with the after effects of that dream earlier, and could deal with it later if he really had to. But now was not a good time for fantasizing, what with being right in Galaxy Headquarters - hardly the best place to take care of that problem.
Either way, those moments would have to stay in his dreams, no matter how much his hands itched to take their hand when sitting close to them. He wasn’t good for them. He knew that. He had proven that. How many nightmares he had consoled Seren from, ones where he was the subject of fear… he was hardly suited to be close to them. The fact that the villagers still whispered about him, still whispered about them even though they had done nothing wrong - although, perhaps showing him the mercy they did was enough for the villagers’ ill will towards them. They didn’t seem to mind it, just rolling their eyes and moving on whenever they heard what was said, but Volo… he could barely contain himself.
How dare they talk about them like that, when they had done so much for everyone. For showing such patience and bravery. How dare they talk about his-
Again Volo stopped himself. They were not his. They would not be his. It was better if they were not his. He had to remind himself of that.
He glanced out the window at the encroaching dusk, deciding that it was high time to take his mind off things with some potato mochi. Maybe some food would get his mind to a better state.
He set a small slip of paper in the tome he was reading before shutting it and returning it to its rightful place. Laventon had been out in the field with the Survey Corps the whole day, so he had the office to himself, albeit with Cyllene working on paperwork in the room over (she never paid him too much mind though).
The air was cooler than usual as he stepped outside, hinting at the coming winter where not just the icelands would be covered with snow. Soon would be a good chance to investigate the Snowpoint Temple again, before it was completely snowed over. There were some interesting glyphs he saw last time, maybe a clue on how to find the creations of Regigigas, although, would they still be in Hisui, or were they built somewhere else…
A sudden blunt force shook him from his thoughts. After a moment of mild panic he looked down to see a mess of brown hair, attached to a certain someone who was now clinging to him like their life depended on it.
“Seren…?” A wave of concern crashed through him. “Are you hurt? Did an alpha get you? Did someone say something?”
They shook their head, their face still buried in his chest. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around them, patting their back gently. Somehow this was… nicer than he thought it’d be. Warmer.
“Then what is it?”
They pulled away slightly, glaring up at him. Volo flinched slightly at that. The only other time he had seen that face directed at him is when they had found him wandering the highlands after they had captured Giratina. That glare had come with probably the worst tongue lashing he had received in a long time, scolding him for just thinking he could leave without saying goodbye and for trying to run away from being their friend. The words alone, he could have handled - he received worse from Ginter after slacking off - but the fact they were half crying throughout the whole thing had driven guilt into him like it never had before.
His pats grew a bit more frantic, as he tried to smile off his worry.
“What did I do this time..?”
Instead of an answer, they pulled him down into a kiss, stealing his breath away before he recovered and (unfortunately, given his discipline before) eagerly returned the kiss, letting himself melt into their lips and touch.
After a few moments, they pulled away again, looking deep into his eyes as he (embarrassingly) let out a small but audible huff at how soon it ended.
“So you do love me too.”
This time, he couldn’t stop the blush from spreading over his face - and given how hot it felt, it must have been very visible even in the low light.
“...I do.”
“So why..?” Their eyes filled with tears. “Why do you keep pushing me away?”
Slowly, he brushed the tears away, cupping their cheek in the process. They leaned into his touch with a small sigh of contentment.
“How? How could you still love someone like me?” He gulped back his own tears but to no avail, the drops quickly starting to fall down his cheeks. His obvious distress only increased Seren’s tears. “I’ve hurt you so badly, the fact you even call me your friend… how?” They considered the question for a good few minutes,heightening his own anxiety, before answering.
“Because… love doesn’t go away that easily. I know you’re a good person, Volo, no matter how much you try to deny it. Misguided yes, but you do try. And that’s a lot more than some people can say. Either way.. The heart wants what it wants. And what my heart wants is yours, if you will give it.”
He chuckled. “You have it. You’ve had it for a long time already.”
“Then let me give mine to you.” They smiled up at him gently. “Things won’t be easy, things never are easy, but neither of us have to do it alone.”
Afraid of what embarrassing sounds may come out if he tried to speak (somehow the villagers were being tactful for once and not staring at this spectacle standing right in the middle of town), he simply swept them up in another kiss, trying to convey the joy and love he felt right in this moment. Judging by the way they returned the kiss, the message was well received and return.
Arceus may not care about the followers he has on earth. Volo learned about that the hard way. But still, he thanked his god and creator for bringing this one person to him, no matter the reason why.