Storm Clouds

It was off, seeing Simon less…Simon-y.

Ever since they helped Rayquaza calm down the raging tyrants that were Kyogre and Groudon, Simon had gotten used to a new personality; being a quiet, sarcastic, witty sidekick to both Kat and Oren. It was jarring, at first. The once warm smile that gave the electric trainer hope had become a shell of what it once was. The smug grin had faded to a small smile, and then none at all. The hugs she and Simon’s brother dwindled down into nudges that left Kat feeling drained, longing for more and left her feeling like she was scraping for jam along the sides of a glass jar. Scratches from the butter knife began to wear against the inside and Kat tried harder to reach out, only for him to push back.

Was there even any jam left?

Kat gave up on trying. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do.

She eventually stopped trying to return the cold excuse for a hug until she stopped getting them at all, and popped back at him when he hit her with a witty quip that was once loving banter. She let lingering hands around her waist and protective glares when they were in public turn into taps on her shoulder and watching around without care. Kat watched as Oren never gave up on his twin brother, and her chest twisted with want, because she so desperately wished that she could have that bond without feeling like she was prying. She wanted to never give up on her friend, to hold onto him until the world ended, but what else was she to do? She’s adapted all of her life, what’s one more thing?

Gentle tugs on her pinkie that gave her strength to train a little longer turned into a stare of interest and challenge. Winks as he walked off turned into half-ass waves and middle fingers in the air.

Kat wanted to grab the butter knife and try again, but she had long since thrown away the empty jar.

So now here she was, in her bedroom and curled into her pillows and looking through old pictures.

Grey skies barely illuminated the room she inhabited, lightning crackling and snapping as the bolts crashed against the ground and anything it could get its hands on. Harsh rain tapped against the glass, begging to be let in and thrashing downwards. Kat, at first, took it as a sign that Wukong was coming home like a fucking fool. She waited for hours atop the league arena with her arms outstretched, leaving her Pokémon to Oren. She spread her arms the more time went on as the thunder boomed and wind howled in her ears, as if laughing at her for her yearning for her faithful companion.

After the fifth hour mark, she could feel her muscles stiffen with pain and her legs tremble in agony until she let herself fall onto her knees. Years of built-up anguish and loneliness crashed into her lungs, grabbing them and rinsing them of all she had until she let herself wail to the sky.

The sky’s onslaught of rain and lightning only strengthened, and she let herself slam her fist against the ground.

Using the last bit of willpower and dignity to scrape together her emotions and ability to walk, she used the teleport pad to walk through the hallway and head back to her room within the league. Her head hung low while rainwater dripped down her chin, mixing with the silent tears and quiet, subtle whimpers solidifying the emptiness in her heart.

Was Wukong ever coming back?

In order not to let her mind spiral the truth into a lie, Kat let herself curl into herself on her bed and free of any real constraints. This mainly included clothes, save for undergarments, due to their now dire need of a wash. However, this also allowed her to gather as many large stuffed Pokémon as possible and try her best to get comfortable, wishing they were soft, silky fur and a gentle purr that lulled her to sleep in a dangerous forest.

In the end, Kat was in her room, wrapping her body into itself with weighted blankets, plush toys, and the taunting of the thunderstorm outside to remind her of her most prized Pokemon and her best friend. They were long gone, changing their goals and personalities with time. Simon now standoff-ish and cold, Wukong gone with Raikou for years on end with no message, no sign of life.

The Elite Four member slammed her phone against the sheets and pressed her body against the cold sheets when she heard a knock on her door.

A groan rose into Kat’s throat upon the realization that both she had to answer it, and she had no real clothes nearby to answer it. Peeling herself from the cold comfort of the blankets on her king-sized bed, she threw her legs over the bed. As she grabbed the closest robe while she left her room (a mesh red robe with fluff outlining the bottom and the ends of the sleeves, but if it was an emergency she’d gladly change) and grabbed the handle of the door, the exhaustion on her body grew.

 “mmmHello? It’s like three in the morning, what do y-”

Mint green eyes connected with hers, eyebags digging deep and making their home on his face. The crackle of lightning reflected off of his glasses, and Kat blinked repeatedly.

“Si, what the hell are you doing up?” She shot at him.

Simon quickly shot back. “I could ask the same thing. You have someone over or somethin’?”

The girl’s eyebrows furrowed, shifting her stance to hide her curiosity. “No? You know I don’t let anyone in my room, other than you, Oren, and the other Elite Four members.”

The fact that he hasn’t come into her room for months, maybe a year or two, went unsaid.

“Hm.”

Silence washed over them for a few moments longer than it made Kat feel comfortable.

He beat her to the punch. “Can I come in, or…?”

“Uh…,” Kat glanced down at herself, then back to him. “All I’m wearing is a bra and panties, so I don’t think you’d be very comfortable, and I don’t feel like changing.”

“Eh, I don’t care.” This statement earned a blink from Kat until she was reminded of the times they were adventuring with no Pokécenter in sight, having to use the nearby water to clean up.

So all she did was shrug and open the door a little wider. “Be my guest, then.”

The door made a soft creak as she let her friend in, and he seemed to take off his shoes once inside—at least he remembered that rule. Since she had essentially been homeless and wanted to be where her Pokémon were, she stayed in one of the provided suites Cynthia offered her. A kitchenette, a small couch, and a reclining chair were in the main room, while her bedroom and bathroom were connected through a door to the side. A large window with the curtains slightly unveiled revealed the rain tapping against the glass, the strength feeling much more bearable now that she was more awake and had someone else in the room.

“So,” Kat started, easing the door closed to maintain the quiet environment. “Why are you up so late? I figured you’d be knee deep in your work right now, at this hour. Maybe sleeping, too.”

In response, Simon’s eyelids lowered into a familiar glare that only caused Kat to form a smirk on her face. “I figured you’d still be out in your league arena.”

Her smirk fell immediately and her heart churned once more.

“Stop avoiding the question.” Kat crossed her arms, inhaling to try to feel like she was in control of the conversation. “I feel like I deserve to know, since you decided to come into my room of all places. What, did you miss the view?”

The trainer spun in her mesh robe, letting herself relish in her impulse buy from a few months back. The fluff lifted off of the floor for a moment until she turned back to Simon with her smug look returning.

All she got was Simon’s eyes grazing across her figure and humming for a moment before he began to speak. “Wasn’t thinking about it at first, but now that you mention it…”

The boy walked back towards her, grabbing for the mesh and lifting it to examine the material. His finger grazed along it for a moment before his eyes flicked back up towards his boss.

“The view ain’t half bad, either.”

With a smirk that really should have given Kat a warning as she tried to maintain her composure, she smiled. “Why thank you, it’s taken a lot of hard work to get it this good. But really, why are you here?”

Simon hummed while he dropped the material, letting it slide back against her. “You’re so dumb, it makes me laugh.”

Kat snorted a bit. “Remember who writes your paychecks, pretty boy.”

At that, Simon’s eyes lit up behind his glasses, and his smirk only widened. Mint eyes recognized whatever type of opportunity she didn’t s-

Ah, fuck.

“You think I’m pretty?”

At her slip-up, Kat scrunched her nose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do,” The redhead’s tilt of the head matched the crack of lightning outside, his arm reaching out to grab one of Kat’s sleeves and tug it towards him. “You think I’m pretty.”

Ignoring the sudden tensity due to their proximity, Kat spoke up again, the nervousness weighing in her chest like stone. “And you won’t tell me why you’re here.”

Using his other hand, Simon carefully grabbed her other hand, lifting it up as he inhaled deeply. 

“I’m here to check on you, dumbass. I can’t believe I have to say this out loud.”

The girl blinked owlishly once. Twice. Thrice.

Yeah, they had been friends, and once upon a time, he would pop in to check on her. They’d sit underneath the trees with their pokemon in their Pokeballs, talking about their dreams and how being trainers owning a gym or running a league would be.

He would smile at her with his hand outstretched to help her off of the grass.

Now, she just felt…neglected, but grew accustomed to it.

“Huh?”

Simon’s eyes dipped back into slight irritation. “I’m not stupid. I saw you walk out of your room when the storm started. You always keep a pokeball on you.”

“Gotta stay strapped.” Kat smirked, amused at her own joke.

It fell when he raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little dumb for trying to lighten the mood.

“...anyway,” Simon rolled his eyes. “You had me thinking you died or some bullshit while you were out.”

Some sort of offense was taken, and she squirmed at this. “Bold of you to assume I’d die to some petty storm. We fought the weather trio together, this just feels like an insult.”

“That’s not-” Simon snapped his lips shut, pressing them together and letting his gaze lower onto her body. While he scanned her, he stopped to press his hand against her side where he knew a scar would be; a scar from the very fight that they all were harmed in. Simon took a hit to his nose, Oren to his jawline, and Kat to her torso.

“What I’m saying is that you’re reckless, Kat. You’re reckless and you’re stupid.” He pushed out through his teeth. “You ran into that storm without any type of raincoat or gear or anything, wearing a crop top and booty shorts and sat out there for hours. I’m fuckin’ surprised you’re not sick yet.”

His words hit her in the chest, and the fact that she heard those words from Jerome a few months ago didn’t help. They grabbed her and yelled at her and dug their teeth into her, and she struggled the more they sunk in.

“I’ve made it this far, Simon. A little storm is nothing.” She spat back, feeling threatened and cornered like a wild Pokemon.

“A little storm is–you know what? I’m done.”

Surprised by his sudden attitude change, she watched as Simon snatched his hand back to his side.

“Every fucking time I try to tell you you’re being a fucking idiot, no matter how I put it, you always brush it to the side.” He snapped, nose scrunched and furrowed in a way she hadn’t seen directed at her. “I try to be concerned but without fucking hesitation, you always push me away, and I’m sick of this shit.”

Something in his words caused Kat to snap right the fuck back. “I always try to push you away? Simon, for years I had tried to be there for you, to see what happened while we took on the Hoenn League but all you gave me was fucking nothing. You were distant and tired and I tried so hard to check on you but you didn’t seem to fucking care. Are you ever going to open up to me, or do I have to beg you for that again?”

“God, do you always have to say that shit? Make shit about the past? Are you fucking dense?” The argument grew into something more than it started to be.

“Are you just saying that to avoid the fact that I have a point like how you always do? I had to ask you three or four fucking times what the fuck you were doing in my suite,” Kat gestured to around them, the ruffled fur and mesh clothing moving with her arm. “And it took me prying just to get that shit out of you.”

“And it takes me yelling at you for you to listen to me. You’re constantly putting yourself in danger and using excuses like your past and how other people act. Take some fucking accountability, will you?” The redhead jutted his finger into her chest.

 She huffed in response. “As if they aren’t valid reasons.”

The redhead’s face lit up in what can only be described as pure anger, going to grab her shoulder and gripping it as he lowered his own face to match her height.

“You’re missing my point, Kat.” He seethed through his teeth, and in her mind, Kat began to press into the corner she was stuck in. “You need to stop and consider other people before you do dumb shit like what you pulled today. This is the worst damn storm we’ve seen all year, you need to stop being reckless. You could have gotten hurt or sick or kidnapped or-”

He was shaking.

Simon was shaking and seething and gripping her shoulder, showing more emotion than he’s shown her in years.

“-or fucking killed. The only reason why I didn’t go after you after it hit three hours was because I know Wukong would have started going apeshit if he felt that you were gone.”

She was suddenly more uncomfortable.

Realizing the state he was in, Simon froze up like a statue, unmoving yet discerning. As if on cue, lightning struck to reflect his distraught expression. Once this happened, he looked to the window, electricity bouncing off of the ground outside while rain poured harder.

“...Wukong,” Was all that came off of his lips until he turned to her, eyes wide as thunder boomed and wind roared. “You thought this meant he was coming back, didn’t you?”

Kat pursed her lips and opened her mouth.

“...can you stay?”

The way his tense muscles crumbled at that sentence was the loudest part of their conversation.

Thunder roared and lightning whipped with a loud crackle, and Simon’s grip on her shoulder loosened before he let it hover

“...stop being a fucking reckless idiot.” He huffed as her chest deflated. “And think about other people for once before you’re all sentimental about a Pokemon who will come back on his own.”

Kat’s instinct was to curl into herself and drag herself back into her room. What else was she supposed to do?

Apparently, Simon answered for her, walking past her and turning behind to glance over.

“Where am I sleeping?”