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yuzuru was one busy guy, and midori knew this quite well.
he was an ever-dedicated pokemon trainer and also a butler, and, well... between caring for a team of creatures an an additional pink human creature (tori), it leaves very little time for self care.
midori's plan? to remedy this, of course.
it was yuzuru's birthday tomorrow, and he deserved a day of rest then more than anything. so, he invited him to a picnic-- it'd be a great way for them and their pokemon to unwind, sharing a meal in the chilly breeze. and this was definitely not an excuse to pester the revered Master Artist about his art, either.
.
.
.
yuzuru accepted his invitation!
that was great and all, but midori's veins felt like they were on fire as he prepared a blanket to sit on. he put his packed lunches to the side and spread out the plush blanket, hoping it would be to yuzuru's liking.
he was a butler. he'd have high standards, right?
maybe midori should've thought this over more. alas, it was too late now. all he could do was wait.
to calm his nerves, midori freed his pokemon from their pokeballs-- chansey, jigglypuff, oddish, smeargle, togepi, and sylveon.
his group of pleasant fairies + an art dude and one little radish man was relaxing for midori. his pokemon were calm, while others might have an unruly pack of pokemon. like koga oogami. god, he has so many dogs.
wait, dogs--smeargle is a beagle. yuzuru was afraid of dogs... he simply hoped yuzuru would not notice. after all, that thing barely looks like a dog anyway?
but speak of the devil and there he is. yuzuru fushimi made his way to the shady tree where midori resided, and honestly the latter almost died of anxiety.
it was just a picnic! he could totally do this!
yuzuru smiled cordially at him.
nevermind, then!
"why hello, takamine-sama. it was most lovely of you to arrange a little picnic for us, today," the butler said, tone pleasant and as smooth as the breeze around him.
shit, he'd beaten midori to the punch.
"h-happy birthday fushimi-senpai!" he blurted.
he was pretty sure yuzuru knew it was his birthday today, yet his eyes slightly widened at the outburst. nonetheless, he seemed pleased as he said, "thank you, dear."
dear?! oh hell no. yuzuru's birthday was going to be midori's date of death as well in a fucking minute. he would literally not make it past this. at least he would've went out doing something good, though.
the flames dancing in his body were now concentrated in his face. "h-have a seat fushimi-senpai!"
yuzuru gracefully did as was suggested. how'd me make sitting down on a blanket look so elegant? midori simply flopped down onto it in comparison, chansey sitting on his lap as he did so.
"oh! hello chansey," midori laughed, petting the pokemon's head. he tried desperately to not think about how this pokemon had sensed his anxiety and/or the approaching end of his life.
"would you mind if i let my pokemon join us?" yuzuru asked.
he wondered what yuzuru's pokemon would be like. "oh, uh, of course! i'd love to see them!"
nothing could've prepared midori for what he was about to see.
some matched yuzuru's general vibe, he thought. like polteageist, sneasel, and greninja. but scraggy?? vanillish??? a tiny metal creature-man, who upon closer inspection happened to be pawniard??
actually... those pokemon made sense for yuzuru, too. and it warmed midori's heart to know that yuzuru must have a soft spot for his goofy group of pokemon.
and honestly, midori loved them so much. he loved pokemon in general so much, actually, but something about yuzuru's pokemon felt special. he hoped they liked him well enough. chansey rested a pink arm on midori's, as if to tell him that he was passing the pokemon vibe check.
sneasel actually came up to investigate midori. it almost appeared to leer at him, but the chansey in his lap remained unbothered. midori did want to pet it, but he didn't want to risk the experience of a sneasel's sharp claws.
"he won't hurt you," yuzuru promised, "he only does that when he senses a threat."
"w-what if he thinks i'm a threat?"
yuzuru chuckled, and the expression on his face was unfairly gorgeous even though midori was getting laughed at. (oh well, a win is a win.)
"please, you're hardly a threat," yuzuru answered. and midori believed instantly believed him-- yuzuru knew his way around threats.
"oh thank god," midori said lowly. "can i pet him, then?"
"i'm sure he'd like that very much. go on sneasel, don't be shy."
encouraged by his trainer's words, sneasel inched even closer to midori. the nervous trainer pet its head, scratching behind the cat-like ears. the creature let out a pleased purr.
"he's grown fond of you, i think. he looks awfully comfortable," sneasel's trainer commented, a distant look of affection in his face. just being on the opposite side of that look felt lethal, even if it was more directed at sneasel. or at least, midori thought it was directed at sneasel.
all of a sudden, jigglypuff seemed all fired up. it plodded towards yuzuru with its tiny feet, coming to a stop in front of him. it stood in front of him with a purpose contained in its small, round body.
"jiggly!" it announced.
midori had no idea what the hell his pokemon was doing.
yuzuru, accustomed to dealing with tiny pink creatures, simply asked "oh? what is it, little one?"
the pokemon began singing.
"jigglypuff, wha--"
its hushed tone grew even louder, yet it was still relaxing. yuzuru's sharp eyes softened just a little bit at the sound, and his posture relaxed just the smallest bit.
seeing yuzuru this way certainly felt... strange. he was always on high alert all the time, but honestly? midori could get used to a soft, relaxed yuzuru. he silently longed for the ability of his jigglypuff's calming presence.
satisfied with its work, the aforementioned jigglypuff finally silenced with a satisfied huff.
yuzuru applauded. "what a lovely song, little one. i must say, i found it rather moving."
jigglypuff practically had stars in its eyes as it moved over to the lunchboxes midori had prepared. it grabbed one, and presented it to yuzuru.
"oh? you're serving me a meal? i don't know what to say, really, as i am a butler--"
"t-- uhh, today, you... don't have to be a butler! or, not right now! unless you want to, of course!" midori fervently exclaimed. "i invited you out here to relax, after all!"
"oho, a treat from takamine-sama~ i humbly and gladly accept your kindness, then."
literally everything yuzuru was doing and saying was just killing midori on the inside, but he did his best to hold it together. maybe he should've thought more about his massive crush on yuzuru first before inviting him to this little picnic thing.
"so uh... i made us lunch! i'm not sure if it's as good as your cooking, but i hope you'll like it at least!"
yuzuru opened his lunchbox to see a neatly made meal with plenty of vegetables.
"this looks delicious, takamine-sama. i'm sure it'll taste as good as it looks," yuzuru appraised, taking a bite of the food.
the moment yuzuru's eyes lit up, midori almost went numb from the butterflies stirring about in his body. he felt quite like a spring forest full of flying butterfrees in that moment, and he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
"i was right, it seems." yuzuru gently dabbed at his face with a napkin. his table manners were immaculate, it was almost intimidating. "the meal you've prepared is quite enjoyable. it is a refreshing change of pace from my own cooking."
midori's stomach, in that moment, dropped like a ton of stones in utter shock. or a whole onix pokemon, really. maybe even two of them. "r-really?"
"i would not lie to you. do you think me to be cruel?"
from the soft and humorous expression on the butler's face, midori could tell he was joking. nonetheless, he was absolutely flustered. "of course not!"
but it did not stop there.
"you're not cruel at all-- much the opposite, really! you dedicate nearly all your time to people who aren't yourself, and you still make time to humor me with your art! to talk to me, and be my friend! i value that a lot, especially knowing that you could have any number of better things to do, and any number of better people to spend time with..."
barely audible, yuzuru's breath intake was sharp as he held a hand close to his own heart. it had skipped a beat-- he's normally used to something like that happening out of fear, not... something else.
"w-who would you rather i spend my time with, takamine-sama?"
that was not what yuzuru had taken from midori's brazen declaration, but somehow he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. it felt strange, to not keep contained under a performative mask. to just be himself, truly, for a day.
"that's not what i meant! i just meant that, well, anyone would want to spend their time with you, and yet you chose to spend today with me... i'm honored, really."
thoroughly stunned by this point, yuzuru could only silently laugh. it was not patronizing, but instead shy. "i think you regard me much too highly, yet i appreciate it. it is quite sweet of you."
midori was glad chansey was nearby, because he nearly stopped breathing. it felt like he would need further medical help should this picnic continue.
"but..." yuzuru continued, breaking a brief silence. he held midori's hands in his steady ones, the contact warm and inviting. it was just the right amount of subtle warmth that a chilly afternoon like this would inspire a craving for.
"if i were to spend this day with anyone i wanted, of course i'd choose you."
midori's heart raced like a rotom bicycle zooming around the city. he was not ready for this! not prepared at all! what was he to do?!
"i love you."
that certainly wasn't his most well thought-out moment. but it was just in the open now, it seemed. midori glanced over to greninja, wishing for the ability to seamlessly meld in with the shadows at any given time.
pulling him from his self loathing anxiety and regret, midori felt fingers intertwining with his own. "you're quite a gift, aren't you?"
"h-huh?"
yuzuru was very close now-- that last exhale of midori's fanned through the other's deep blue hair, adding a warmth to the cool breeze.
in that moment, yuzuru smiled once more.
it wasn't forced, polite thing. it was one that truly reached his eyes, and the afternoon sun only served to enhance yuzuru's natural radiance.
and as midori's poor heart skipped a beat, yuzuru said, "i love you, too."