Chapter Text
Kieran was walking along the long hallway that housed the student dorms. After working together with Juliana to deal with Pecharunt and the whole “mochi mayhem” fiasco, he decided it was time for him to confess his feelings toward the radiant girl.
He had been smitten with her ever since they first met in Kitakami, and even though those feelings of love turned to hatred when their friendship fell apart, he knew a small part of him still held those feelings of affection towards her. After all, she was the light that guided him to overcome his timid nature and become as strong as he could, even if it caused him to be an antisocial jerk in the process.
Still, Juliana came back into his life even after all the mean words and aggressive actions he exhibited towards her at the academy or during the trip to the Underdepths, never backing down from helping him from getting back up when he was at his lowest. To be honest, he didn’t deserve someone so amazing and wonderful as Juliana in his life, but he would steel himself forward to make his feelings heard so that they could be together for as long as they could.
But then he realized after returning to Blueberry Academy with Carmine that he had no idea how he could even begin to do that. A love confession toward someone only happens once, and he had to make sure it was perfect. Granted, there was a chance that Juliana would reject the confession, but he had enough confidence in himself at this point to accept it gracefully if she did. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though.
And so, he decided to get some help from his dear, yet prickly sister to help him out. Carmine was always the romantic type given how she always loved to pester people about relationships and their love lives. So, Kieran thought she’d be the best choice to help with confessing his feeling towards Juliana. He’d make sure to conceal her identity when they talked, of course.
After walking for who knows how long, Kieran finally reached his sister’s dorm room and knocked on the door to see if she was there.
“Who is it?” he could hear Carmine shout out.
“Hey, Sis. It’s me, Kieran. Can I come in to talk to you about somethin’?”
He could hear Carmine rush through her room to open the door as she approached him with her usual, boisterous demeanor.
“Hey, Kiki. It’s been a while since you wanted my help on something. You’re lucky I currently don’t have anything important to do right now. Well, head on in already and make yourself comfortable.”
Kieran ignored her and walked towards her bed to sit down. Seems like some part of their sibling relationship remained the same. Though, she was right that he hadn’t asked her for help or advice since he started his ‘edgy’ phase as Carmine had called it. So, he could see how absolutely ecstatic she was when she had the chance to support him.
“Alright, spill the details. What do you need help with?”
“Um, well. Let’s say I have feelings with someone, and I don’t know how to put it into the right words. How…How would you try to find the right way to say those feelings, so it’ll be perfect and nice and stuff?”
Carmine sighed, “This is about your crush on Juliana, isn’t it?”
Kieran gasped as he started blushing, “Wha? No! I-it’s not about Juliana! I just said if I had feelings for someone!”
Carmine just responded with the most blank stare she could muster, “You can stop denying it, Kiki. It was pretty obvious you had feelings for her ever since we first saw her. I mean, you wouldn’t stop shutting up about how beautiful and amazing she was, especially when you kept making googly-eyed faces when doing so!”
“Ok, fine! I’m in love with Juliana and I want to confess how I feel towards her. Happy now? Now can you think of a way for me to express those feelings or not?!”
“Yeah yeah, I got it! Don’t worry, you can leave it to your big sis to help you out.”
Carmine moved to sit beside Kieran and turned to meet his gaze.
“First things first, what are some of the things that you like about Juliana? Maybe talk about your first impressions of her or how she might’ve inspired you. Things like that tend to be romantic when you say it to the person you love.”
“First impressions, huh. Um, I guess I’d say she was kind and sweet like Ribombee honey. She was so nice to us even when you kept badgering her to battle and so patient for putting up with one of your moods.”
“I’m going to ignore that last part for your sake,” Carmine glared, “But don’t expect any mercy the next time I hear that coming from you.”
“S-sorry!”
Geez, his sister was still as intimidating as ever.
“A-anyways, I thought she was really strong too. She always looked like she fought with all she had and respected her opponents in battle no matter who they were. And when she accepted me as her partner during the school trip, that just made me like her even more! I wanted to be as strong and kind as her.”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. We’ve talked about what you like about Juliana, so how about you tell me why you like her so much?”
“Isn’t that just goin’ to be the same answers?” Kieran inquired.
“With my many years of experience in gossip and being a certified love expert, I can tell you there’s a huge difference. You gotta say your reasons straight from the heart, so try to dig deep down what makes you think Juliana’s the right person for you!”
Kieran took some time to think about it. He pulled the feelings and reasons from deep within his heart like his sister told him to do and brought them out to share.
“I guess, it’s because she’s like a muse for me to be better. Ever since we met, she’s shown me what I would want to be like in my life. You know, things like being skilled in battlin’, being confident in yourself, showing carin’ and understandin’ towards other people even if they’re different from you. Those things Juliana exhibited towards me, and everyone, just lit a fire in me. It made me feel that someone like me could aim to be the same.”
Carmine simply nodded, “Uh huh, go on.”
“Plus, I could tell she really cared about me when we were together on that trip. Spendin’ time growing closer finding those signposts, eatin’ candy apples during the festival, and never treatin’ me like a weirdo during those days made my heart flutter from her affection. Even when I treated her badly because I wanted Ogerpon or because I wanted to surpass her, she still showed the same kindness and affection towards me.”
“I keep saying you don’t have to beat yourself up over what happened back then…”
Kieran smiled to assuage her, “It’s okay, I get that now. You and Juliana had no problem showing how much you forgave me for my behaviour towards you both.”
“And don’t you forget that!” Carmine huffed, “But anyways, did you have more to say before I interrupted?”
“Hmm, I feel like if Juliana’s been helpin’ me in fixin’ my problems and acceptin’ me for who I am, she’s someone who makes me feel like movin’ forward in my life. Like constantly improving in myself. If she hadn’t come into my life, I might still be the weak, shy, and passive person who would hide behind you all the time. Just her being there by my side made me grow as a person and I want to spend the rest of my days together. No offense to everything you’ve done for me so far, Sis.”
“None taken for once. I’m glad Juliana was able to help you become a better version of yourself. And even though you’re still a bit of an awkward dork at times, I’m proud of you for gaining more independence and self-confidence.”
After talking about his feelings with Carmine, Kieran felt like he could articulate them in a suitable way for Juliana to hear. He felt very excited and couldn’t wait to see the chestnut-haired girl to share those feelings in its entirety.
“Seems like you figured out what you need to say, Kiki. Looks like my here is done. Good luck with Juliana and make sure you don’t mess up or I’ll come convince her how great you are myself!”
Kieran could only blush again at his sister’s protective nature towards him, “Please, don’t. If you do that, I’ll definitely die of embarrassment! But…thanks for always being there for me Sis. You’re the best!”
Kieran moved to pull Carmine into as tight of a hug as his arms could muster, leading the long-haired girl to fully reciprocate her brother’s display of sibling affection.
“Hehe, I love you too little bro. Now go get her.”
____________________
Thanks to Carmine’s help, Kieran had a fairly good idea on how to articulate his thoughts to Juliana when the time came to confess. But then he realized, he also needed a good place for them to meet. It would preferably have to be an area where they could keep their privacy and have a romantic atmosphere. He knew he was hopeless in these types of matters, but he could at least try to think of something that could work.
As he was wandering around the halls of the academy, he noticed that he had come to the League Clubroom. Thinking it would be a good and familiar place to gather his thoughts, he entered the room to find a place to sit. Unfortunately, he had forgotten a certain toothpaste-haired bozo tended to lounge around the clubroom whenever he could.
Drayton looked up from his seat at the new arrival and greeted him with his usual smirk, “Hey, I didn’t expect you to come here. How’s it hanging, Ex-Champ?”
“Could you please stop calling me Ex-Champ?!” Kieran seethed, “It’s gettin’ really old…”
Drayton just laughed at the boy’s rage, “Sorry, but the Drayster has a habit of holding grudges. But I’m sure you know that feeling all too well.”
Kieran sighed. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be easy for him and Drayton to go back to how they were, especially when he treated him badly before. Whatever, he would try working things out with him later. Right now, he needed to figure out the perfect place for him and Juliana to meet.
“I get the sense that you’re thinking about your little crush right now,” Drayton pointed out.
“Huh?!”
How did Drayton of all people know that? He did not need him to know about his feelings for Juliana or he would never hear the end of it from the bozo.
Kieran mustered up his most convincing face and tone, “That’s not what I was thinkin’ at all! More like I was thinkin’ how annoyin’ it is that you’re still holding what I did in the past against me. I just want us to move on, okay?!”
Drayton still had that smug look on his face that Kieran would’ve loved to punch out if he had the chance.
“Hey, don’t worry. My grudges don’t last as long as yours do. Especially when it involves a certain brunette who you are definitely crushing on, hmmm.”
“Uh, t-that’s not…”
“Haha, you’re so easy to read Ex-Champ! But it was pretty obvious how much you loved her when you first saw each other in the cafeteria. Whether it was feelings of hate or love, you and Juliana were clearly drawn to each other every time you interacted with each other.”
Kieran grumbled, “Alright, it’s Juliana! I’m in love with her! First Sis figures it out and now you do. Is my love for her that obvious?”
“Pretty much, but I’m not gonna judge. She is pretty easy on the eyes and her bubbly personality would make any guy swoon. Minus the Drayster, of course. But hey, I could probably help you out with your love confession.”
“W-why do you think I need your help with that? And why would you even want to help me anyway?”
“’Cause everything I’ve done to support or go against you two aside, I do want you both to be happy together. So just take a seat and let me give you some romantic advice.”
Still being unable to think of any good places, he decided to accept Drayton’s offer and sat at the chair beside him. He didn’t know how useful he would be, but unfortunately, it was better if two heads thought of a solution to his problem.
“Alright, spill! What’s got you so hung-up with you and the whole Juliana confession?”
Kieran sighed once more, “I wanna find the right place to talk to Juliana about my feelings toward her. Sis helped me figure out the words, but I just can’t figure out the perfect location where we’ll have plenty of privacy and is meaningful for both of us.”
“From the Drayster’s perspective, you should think about a place you two shared some important memories together to help pick the right place. Is there someplace like that in your pretty little head that’s really important to you two?”
“There was the Dreaded Den back in Kitakami that led to some important moments between us. Some good…and some not so good.”
After all, it was the place where Juliana had accepted going on a festival date with Kieran. A time where they spent having fun, casually talking, and being the closest they had ever been during their school trip. But it was also the place where he selfishly fought Juliana to try to claim Ogerpon, as well as the place where he ran away from her and started his dark path towards absolute power. He’d like to forget about those moments, but it was a key time where he changed himself and Juliana did have a hand in motivating him to do so, he supposed.
Drayton shrugged, “I mean, good or bad, they still left a big impression on you and affected how you two saw each other. So, I’d say somewhere in the academy that’s like that would be a good place to have your lovey-dovey meeting.”
Kieran pondered for a bit, “Somewhere in the academy that’s similar to the den? Maybe the Canyon Biome? It’s got lots of mountains and caves, so it’d probably be the best choice.”
“If you’re going with the Canyon Biome, you might as well pick a spot near a waterfall.”
Kieran looked confused for a moment, “A waterfall? Why?”
“Oh, you poor sweet innocent thing. Think about it! The sound of the flowing water, the scent of the air, and the quiet beauty of nature’s sure to give out a romantic atmosphere so Juliana will be head over heels with ‘your edginess’ here.”
Kieran would let that last part slide, only because the idiot had a good idea for once.
“Oh yeah, you should probably meet Juliana sometime during the night too. Helps with making it more private with less people around and the low amount of light gives the Terarium a more comfortable feel.”
“That…does make sense,” Kieran replied, “I didn’t think you’d be able to help me so much with my problem. So, thanks a lot Drayton.”
“You can owe me after you and Juliana become a couple. I’ll be sure to cash in that favour as soon as possible.”
“Ugh…”
“Looks like you’ve got a pretty good sense on how this confession will go. Which means it’s time for me to go back to my busy schedule for the day.”
“You mean just lazing around here sleeping?”
“Yep! Glad you know me so well! See ya later, Ex-Champ!” Drayton commented before lying his head down at the clubroom table ready to resume his daily nap.
Kieran turned his body and headed towards the exit. Despite Drayton being Drayton, he had to admit that the toothpaste-haired slacker gave him great ideas on where he and Juliana could have their fated conversation. Not that he would ever say that to him out loud. Even if he wanted to patch things up with Drayton, his pride would make sure he’d avoid saying such things in his presence.
____________________
To say Kieran was nervous was a massive understatement. He was currently waiting in the Canyon Biome’s large waterfall area late at night for Juliana to show up. He sent her a message asking her to come here at around this time to tell her something important. Well technically, he had Carmine message Juliana because he didn’t have a phone, but the words still came from him.
He could feel the Butterfrees in his stomach lashing out, telling him that this was a bad idea and that she just wants to stay friends. But he would ignore those nagging feelings as best he could to follow what his heart want. He was going to do this, and he would be proud doing so no matter the outcome.
He didn’t have to wait much longer once he saw a flash of electricity and energy moving towards him from the air. He could see Juliana and Miraidon approaching closer and closer as she spotted and waved at him. She looked as cute as ever with that braid and hairstyle.
She landed a few metres in front of him, disembarking from Miraidon and returning it into its Pokéball before facing Kieran. She had a beautiful smile on her face as she always did, making Kieran heart warm at how adorable she was.
Juliana met his eyes and smiled brightly, “Hey, Kieran! I came here as promised. Quite the place you suggested, and I love the view here. Anyways, was there something you wanted to tell me? Because I’m surprised you wanted to meet me here this late at night.”
Kieran rubbed his head, “Yeah, there’s somethin’ I really needed to tell you and I thought bein’ here during this time would be perfect. And this area of the Canyon Biome would remind us of our time in Kitakami, you know with the whole Ogerpon thing.”
“Just the two of us, huh? Guess this is something that you don’t want anyone else to hear about. Especially when you’re bringing up Kitakami and Ogerpon. We sure had a lot of memories back there. Now you’ve gotten me really curious on what you want to say to me.”
Kieran tightened his grip as he bumped it onto his chest. It was now or never.
“Juliana, I’m madly in love with you! I want you to be together with you for as long as we possibly can!”
Juliana gasped in shock, “Kieran, are you…confessing your feelings for me? Right here and right now?!”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been spendin’ all this time preparing for. I made sure to choose the right words and the right place for this moment. Whether you accept it or not is up to you, but I just want you to listen to everythin’ I’m goin’ to spill out.”
Juliana nodded, “Alright, I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
“Thanks, Juliana. Well, here goes!” Kieran took a deep breath and let everything out, “When I first met you in Kitakami, I thought you were absolutely brilliant. You were absolutely confidence in yourself as you stood your ground against Sis. Then when we battled, you treated me with respect and fought with all you had, even though I was clearly outmatched. And when we were paired up for the trip, you showed me nothing but kindness and patience even when I tried avoiding because I thought I’d screw everythin’ up.”
Kieran took a breath and continued, “You were everything I ever wanted to be. The one who shined like the sun who could help me grow. You inspired me to become a ‘me’ that I could be proud of. And even when I was thinkin’ of doing whatever it took to reach the top, I was still thinkin’ and being inspired about you. Thinkin’ how I needed to surpass someone as brilliant as you to stand as your equal. Maybe I was thinkin’ that because I wanted to be an equal who could stand by your side.”
Juliana huffed, “It’s a good thing everyone was able to snap you out of it. I always loved the you from before more than the guy who was trying to punish himself to get stronger.”
“I’m glad that I learned that lesson late than never ehehe. And I know I need to make amends with everyone for my behaviour, but I just wanted to be selfish one more time. And I want to be with you, the girl who stole my heart and helped me change for better or worse!”
Juliana took a few moments to process Kieran’s confession, while Kieran became more anxious on how she would answer.
‘So, uh…w-what do you think?” Kieran asked while pulling at his loose hair strand, “W-would you be my girlfriend?”
Juliana flashed a happy smile, “I was actually waiting for you to say those words. It saved me a lot of time trying to come up with a good spot to confess to you myself!”
“Wait? Really?” He heard her correctly, right? Juliana had planned on confessing to him too?
“To be honest, you were an inspiration to me too! I had a pretty good first impression of you when I was awestruck by you ever since we first battled. The way you cared about your Pokémon and never gave up even when at a disadvantage lit a fire in my heart. But what I really loved about you was how you always had that excited smile when you were having fun. Every time you made that smile when we talked, it always warmed my heart! It’s part of what made our time together so special, as brief as they were before we separated.”
“Wowzer! I didn’t know you thought all those about me!”
“It’s why I’m telling you now, right? And when I came to Blueberry Academy, my first thought was to see you. To see if we could go back to the relationship we had before, because deep in my heart, I wanted us to be happy together again. Fortunately, Drayton and Terapagos gave me a chance to do this and now here we are, closer than ever!”
Juliana took both of Kieran’s hand onto hers and the awed boy gladly accepted them with a happy blush on his face.
“Kieran, I would be happy to be your girlfriend. And I want you to be my boyfriend just as long as you want me to be yours!”
She leaned her lips towards his to give him her most romantic kiss, while Kieran fully reciprocated. It was really awkward since they had been each other’s first kiss, but they were no less happy with the warm sensations it elicited in both of them. And for now, that was enough as they started heading back to the dorms, hands held tightly. After all, they had plenty of time in the world to improve.