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Flare wasn’t usually the kind of mon to get lost in thought, but it seems he was doing just that tonight.
After dinner, Flare had decided to head outside and try to clear his head a bit. He thought maybe looking at the stars would be able to help get his thoughts in check, but it almost seemed to have the opposite effect. Now that he was alone, he couldn’t stop thinking back to what his sister said to him a few hours earlier.
Flare thought back to when he, his housemates, and their families had just got on the boat heading for the island that Frank's beach house was on. At the time, he was currently hanging around with Leaf along the side of the ship, and they were both watching Sunshine play with her new friend Axel.
“I’ve never seen Eevee this happy,” Leaf said.
“I could say the same,” Flare had responded. Flare had noticed how Sunshine was really shy around Axel when they first met at the docks. But after the two had started talking a bit more, they became instant friends. Flare could easily see just how happy Sunshine was to have someone her age to play with.
A few moments passed before Flare felt a paw wrap around his shoulder. He looked to see who it was and found his sister was now in between him and Leaf. She had even wrapped her other front paw around Leaf's shoulder. “Hey~ How are you two doing?” Kris had asked.
“Good,” Leaf responded. Flare was about to ask his sister how she was doing, but before he could Kris’s expression quickly shifted, and she ended up asking Flare a question that he couldn’t have seen coming from a mile away.
“So are you two dating?” Kris asked with a grin on her face.
Immediately, Flare could feel a strong heat start to burn on his face. He was so caught off guard by his sister's question, that he could only respond with “Wh-What?” He was so embarrassed that he didn’t know what else to say.
Kris had seemed to be quite amused with Flare's response to her question. “Oh, sorry. Did I say anything wrong?”
“I’ll leave you two alone for now.” Was the last thing Kris had said before walking off to somewhere else on the ship. Flare was still beyond flustered though, and couldn’t even bring himself to look back at Leaf for a little while.
Back in the present, Flare couldn't seem to get that moment out of his head. He knew that his sister was just teasing him, but Flare couldn’t deny the fact that his sister's teasing was causing him to think about his feelings for a certain someone a lot more for the rest of the day.
Flare knew he had a crush on Leaf. He was simply enamored by her. There wasn't a single part of Leaf that he didn't find amazing. Her eyes always seemed to shine like beautiful gemstones, her smile seemed to be able to brighten up any room, and she’s always so kind to anyone she meets. Flare can’t think of a time that he’s seen Leaf even raise her voice. Their shared passion for gardening allowed them to get along so easily, even back when they had only just met.
Flares wanted to ask Leaf to be his girlfriend for a bit, but a small part of him wasn’t sure if he should. He considered Leaf to be his best friend, and he was a bit afraid that she might not feel the same way. The last thing he would want is for things to become awkward between them.
However, due to his sisters teasing from before, Flares felt that he should at least try. Him and Leaf were really close, and surely if they didn’t become a couple, they would still be able to go on as really good friends. Flare just had to figure out when exactly would be the best time to tell Leaf how he feels…
“Flare?”
“Ah!” Flare jumped a bit when he heard someone suddenly speak behind him. When he turned to see who it was, Flare was a bit surprised that Leaf was the one that startled him.
“Did I scare you?” Leaf asked. Flare could hear the concerned tone in her voice. She obviously hadn’t meant to startle him.
“A-a little,” Flare responded with a small chuckle. Leaf ended up standing next to Flare along the railing he was at.
“Looks like we’re alone now,” Leaf said with a smile. Leaf's comment caught Flare a little off guard, as he realized that they truly were by themselves. Flare could feel his heart rate pick up a bit at the realization.
“I guess…” was all Flare could seem to respond with. He still managed to form a smile of his own though.
“Are you watching the stars?” Leaf asked.
“Yes. They’re pretty,” Flare answered.
“They are,” said Leaf.
The two eeveelutions were then quiet for a little bit. Just standing next to each other and admiring the stars above. To keep the conversation going though, Flare decided to bring up something else that had been on his mind recently. He didn’t want to bring down the nice moment, but he felt most comfortable talking to Leaf about this sort of thing. “Leafy, I’ve been wondering…” Flare said in a small voice. “...What it’s like…to have a mother…”
Leaf had turned to look at Flare with concern. “I don’t know why it comes into my mind,” Flare continued. “I just want to see my parents. Even if it’s just once, it’s enough…”
“Flare…” Leaf whispered.
“What about your parents?” Flare asked.
Leaf looked down. A sad expression now across her face. “I…I lost my mom when I was 5, and my dad abandoned us after mom was gone.”
Flare immediately felt guilty for asking his question. “I-I’m sorry to hear that. I shouldn’t have asked.” It now made sense as to why Leaf never really talked about her parents. Like how Flare never really talked about his.
“It’s okay,” Leaf said with a small smile. “At least, I still have my sister.”
Leaf's words managed to bring a smile back to Flare's face. “I have big bro, and sis too. I sometimes look up to big bro as my dad.” Thinking about how much he appreciated his older siblings, and how much he appreciated Leaf for cheering him up, Flare could feel his eyes start to water a bit.
“I can see why,” Leaf responded. A full smile returning to her face.
Flare looked a bit away. “Leafy?”
“Yes?” she asked.
“Thank you…for everything,” Flare said. He could feel his emotions boiling over inside him as a lone tear started to fall down his face. He truly did mean what he said. He appreciated Leaf far more than he could ever explain.
“Flare…your left eye…” Leaf said with confusion.
“Is something wrong?” Flare responded. Confusion filling his own voice.
“What happened to your eye?” Leaf asked with concern. It took Flare a moment, but he eventually realized what she meant. He hadn’t realized it at first, but his red eye was definitely showing at that moment. Quickly, Flare shut his eyes and shook his head a bit. When he felt that his red eye had gone away, Flare opened his eyes back up.
“I-it’s nothing, really,” Flare said while wiping his face. Flare tried to play it all off, but he could tell that Leaf wasn’t falling for it.
“Flare, you don’t have to hide anything,” Leaf said. Her voice was still filled with concern, and Flare knew it wouldn’t be any good to try and not talk about what happened.
“I don’t know it either honestly,” Flare admitted. “I just have a feeling that there’s someone living inside me.”
Leaf simply smiled again at Flare's response. “Whoever it is, it doesn’t harm you, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then it’s good,” Leaf reassured him.
“But I’m afraid that I might accidentally hurt you,” Flare said as he looked back toward the railing in front of him. Hurting Leaf was the last thing that he would ever want. Flare knows that his red eye had caused him to hurt his brother and sister once before. If he were to accidentally hurt Leaf at some point, Flare didn’t think he’d be able to live with himself afterward…
Suddenly, Flare felt Leaf take his paws in hers, and slowly turn him to face her. “It’s okay, I know it’ll never happen,” Leaf said calmly, while looking into Flare's eyes.
“I hope so,” Flare responded.
The two stood there for a short moment, continuing to look into each other's eyes before Leaf spoke up. “Flare…?” Leaf asked quietly.
“Y-yes…?” Flare answered.
Leaf suddenly looked nervous, and her gaze shifted away from Flare just a bit. She still held onto Flare's paws though. “There’s something I want to tell you…”
Flare was a bit confused by Leaf's sudden nervousness. “What is it?”
“I just want to say that I…I…” Leaf stuttered a bit, before looking back towards Flare with a big smile on her face. “I think you’re cute.”
It was now Flare's turn to smile, and without even needing to think about it he responded, “You’re cuter.” Flare knew that without a doubt.
Suddenly, Leaf jumped forward a bit, and pulled Flare into a tight hug, surprising him. Soon enough though, Flare returned the hug, and the two of them just held each other for a bit, with neither wanting the moment to end.
While Flare was hugging Leaf, he caught the scent of her fur. She smelled like a field full of flowers. Flare wondered if her fur always smelled this nice. This however, made Flare think about the one other important thing he's been wanting to talk to Leaf about. Would now be a good time to talk about it? After a quick internal debate, Flare decided that now would likely be the best time.
“Leafy, I-I have something else I’ve been meaning to talk to you about…” Flare said.
Leaf pulled away from their hug to look Flare in the eyes again, but still remained close to him. “What is it Flare?” She asked. Curiosity filling her face.
Flare closed his eyes and took a slow breath in, before exhaling and opening his eyes again. He then took Leafs paws into his own, and began speaking. “Leafy, I want you to know that I consider you my best friend. Spending time with you is always so much fun, and you're one of the mons that I trust the most.”
Leaf giggled and bit, and smiled at Flare. “You're my best friend too, Flare. I’ve enjoyed every bit of time we’ve spent together.”
Flare smiled back at Leaf. “It makes me happy hearing you say that.” Flare paused for a second, and he could feel his nervousness start to rise. “W-which is why…I want to be honest with how I feel about you..”
“What do you mean?” Leaf asked, confused.
Flare once again paused in order to gather the rest of his courage. “Leafy I…I like you…a lot,” Flare said, with heat rising to his face. “You're one of the most amazing mons I’ve ever met, and…and I find it hard to get you out of my mind.”
“Flare…” Leaf whispered.
“I’ve never felt like this with anyone else before, so I’m quite a bit nervous about all this,” Flare admitted. “I’d understand if you don’t feel the same way…but I just had to tell you. So Leaf, would you…would you go out with me?”
Silence filled the air for a bit after Flare asked his question. Leaf was looking at Flare in amazement, and Flare was holding his breath, desperately waiting for Leaf’s response.
“...Yes...”
“Y-yes?” Flare repeated. His eyes started to light up.
“Yes, I’d love to go out with you Flare,” Leaf said. Her voice was filled with joy, and her cheeks had taken on a bit of red color. “I’ve felt the same way for a while now, and have wanted to talk to you about it before, but I wasn’t quite sure how to do so.” Leaf looked away timidly. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone either.”
“Well, I’m glad that you do feel the same,” Flare responded. “I was a little nervous that if you didn’t feel the same, things might end up awkward between us.” It was now Flare's turn to look away timidly. “But I'm glad now I decided to take the risk.”
Leaf giggled at his response. “Well, I’m glad you did too. Although…I’m a bit curious about something.”
“What's that?” Flare asked.
“Is it possible that…your sisters teasing from earlier today helped this happen?”
Upon hearing Leaf's question, Flare's face went even redder. He managed to let out a weak chuckle while rubbing the back of his head. “Hehe…guilty as charged. But yeah, my sister's teasing was causing me to think about my feelings towards you for the rest of the day. I guess I've got to thank her for how things ended up huh?”
Leaf then pulled Flare into another hug, while giggling even more. “You're so silly, you know that?” Leaf asked. Flare chose not to respond, and instead hugged Leaf back. His heart was beating like crazy, but he didn’t care. Flare was beyond happy.
The two eeveelutions remained like that for a bit before a voice came from the direction of the beach house. “Sorry for interrupting. You two should go to bed.” Flare and Leaf pulled apart from each other to see who was talking, and they saw Bolt standing just outside the house. “Flare, your room is on the second floor. Leaf, your room is on the first floor,” Bolt said.
Flare was a bit sad that his and Leaf's alone time was over, but he did suppose that it was getting a bit late. “I-I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Flare said to Leaf.
“Mhm, see you tomorrow.” Leaf responded. Flare then turned and started to talk towards the entrance to the beach house, but Leaf suddenly spoke again. “Wait, Flare. There's just one more thing.”
Flare stopped where he was and turned his head back towards Leaf with confusion. “What is it?” He asked. His question was immediately answered however, when Leaf placed a soft kiss on his left cheek. Flare's brain very quickly short circuited, and his face turned a deep shade of red.
Leaf pulled back after just a second. Her face was decently red itself. “Good night,” she said with a bright smile on her face. Flare could only look at her in bewilderment however. He didn’t really know what to say at that moment. Leaf let out another giggle before making her way into the beach house.
Flare just continued to stare into space before Bolt spoke up next to him. “I didn’t know the two of you were dating.” It was clear that Bolt didn’t know what they had discussed outside, and Flare couldn’t seem to formulate a response.
“I-um, we-um…” Flare said, stuttering like crazy.
“Is something wrong?” Bolt asked with a confused face.
Eventually, Flare was able to pull himself together enough to give Bolt a response. “Uhm, n-no, n-nothing's wrong heh. S-sorry.” Flare managed to get that out before heading into the beach house himself. As he made his way up the stairs towards his bedroom, Flare thought about how much more excited he was for tomorrow to come.