#alright do you guys think that’s enough yapping in the tags or nah

[sadquickchristmassnowman]

“we can have a candlelight vigil like lesbians on the news!!!” episode 2 and annie “girlkisser” edison is already longing for bits of that wlw lifestyle. I know what you are

[lilacslovers]

Camping Date  - (A Gordie x Lilac Fanfic)

“Gordie and Lilac share a lovely camping trip with each other as they have a mutual crushing relationship. Lilac also meets Gordie’s Pokémon team properly for the first time, and desperately hopes they’ll like her...”

I hope you guys enjoy this silly little fic I made for me and Gordie ;w;! (rbs are always appreciated!)

Subcategories/Tags for this fic include: Pre-Canon (basically before Gordie and I get together/married), Fluff, Mutual Pining, Humour/Romantic Comedy, Friends

fic under the cut ♡( ◡‿◡ )

Gordie suddenly stopped in his tracks as a message from his good friend kept him from pacing down his hallway for the twentieth time.

Raihan: ayyyy mate

Raihan: you ready for that camping date w lilac??

Gordie’s cheeks flushed at the word ‘date’.

Gordie: Raihan it’s not a date, she wouldn’t wanna go on a date with me.

Raihan: nah she totally would. have you seen the way she acts around you?

Raihan: I’m proud of ya son

Gordie: shut up

Raihan: also she sees the way you act around her, you know

Raihan: sooo its obv she has feelings for you mate.

Gordie turned his head away from his Rotom Phone, not looking at the text to make himself calm down; he definitely had feelings for her, but, could he really have his hopes up like that? That she liked him back?

Gordie: I’m just glad she accepted my offer to hang out with me tbh

Raihan: mhmm... ‘hang out’

Raihan: so you two could smooch in the stony wilderness eh

Gordie: stop making this romantic raihan

Raihan: why? because you can’t accept the truth? lol

Gordie: ugh

Gordie: just don’t make me nervous before this. it’s really big for me

Raihan: i got you bro! you’re gonna do great.

Raihan: she loves your pokemon (and you) I can tell.

Raihan was right at that. Ever since the Gym Challenge that made them Gym Leaders, Lilac always showed interest towards Gordie’s Pokémon team. It was probably the only interest towards his Pokémon then, but it continued on to their careers as Gym Leaders, and that’s what he loved.

Gordie: thanks, mate. i’m about to get into a flying taxi to head over now. see you :]

Raihan: my man’s gonna get a gf!!!!! good luck out there lad!

---

Gordie had just finished setting up the campsite in the Stony Wilderness when he heard a Corviknight squawking and flapping its wings nearby. He knew it was Lilac’s taxi, and began to walk up to the seating area he set up for them, which was a tree trunk he found nearby that his Tyranitar carried over for him (such a strong guy, Tyranitar!). 

And before he even knew it, Lilac poked her head around the corner of the two stones that were just behind the trunk bench, smiling.

“Gordie!” she greeted him. Gordie involuntarily gave her a beam, hugging her. It was a tight hug, but not too tight: like a big Beartic hug saved just for her. After all, he couldn’t really help but feel anxious in a peculiar homesick way whenever the two couldn’t see each other at work. 

“Hey, Lils! How have you been?” he said, trying not to trip over his words already as he heard his heart beat against his chest. “You find your way here alright with the cabbie?” 

“It was fine! The guy even mentioned he liked this place quite a bit. Said it was a great location for a d- uh, you know, just a nice campfire with your Pokémon!”

Gordie laughed in agreement, but wondered about the cabbie knowing about their date; if he knew, the news could spread out to the public and everyone could know, including his mum of all people...! (Not that she didn’t know they had ‘unrequited’ feelings for each other anyways.)

They both heard the low, neutral growls of Gordie’s Pokémon, looking behind them to see the whole team clamoured around them both in a circle.

“Oh, they’ve noticed you’re here now, eh?” he said, turning around to face his team. “Alright, you lot. Lilac’s here, okay? She’s gonna be camping with us, so all of you on your best behaviour around her!” 

Lilac grinned to herself at that statement, comparing it to Gordie instructing a bunch of mischievous kids like he was a teacher. But, she always knew his team could be mischievous like little kids themselves, including Shuckle, who was quite fussy over PokéDolls. And, to be fair, her team was playful in their own ways as well. 

Lilac sent out her Pokémon with each Poké Ball’s signature zap, releasing her team for a play outside with Gordie’s. Pikachu looked around at the Rock-type Pokémon, inquisitive as the rest of her team went out on the grassy field to play.

“I’m surprised Pikachu let me put her in her ball,” she stated. “but she loves to play with Coalossal, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was for him!”

Gordie felt his cheeks heat up; maybe it was such a simple statement, but the fact even her Pokémon were in a good relationship with his seemed like pure happiness, like everyone was getting along... Even with all the Gym Battles they’d been paired up with, Pikachu and Coalossal seemed like Poké Buddies, through Gigantamax and thin.

Gordie cleared his throat to distract from his now very rosy cheeks. “How about you take a seat? I’m gonna make curry for all of us, I’m sure we have enough for two teams!”

“That sounds lovely! Thanks, Gordie.” she replied, sitting down on the trunk and propping her cane up against the side of it, consoling her shy Togedemaru as Gordie came over to his curry-making pot to set up his ingredients.

---

In her eyes, Gordie always made the best curry for her. He once made her Moomoo Cheese-Covered Curry at work and fell in love with his cooking skill since; if she married him or moved in with him it would mean all the best meals for her and their Pokémon in the World...

When everyone had finished their curry, Gordie and Lilac sat on the trunk as their Pokémon played together. It was like watching their - quite large if taken both figuratively and literally - family run around in the park as a married couple.

 Lilac quickly scratched those thoughts out of her mind; what was she thinking already acting like she was married to Gordie...? A breeze came across their faces and Lilac sighed, trying to distract from the ridiculous daydream she had. There was another question on her mind, ever since she arrived at the Stony Wilderness.

“Gordie?”

“Hm?” Gordie perked up from the sudden question from them being so silent as they relaxed.

“Do you think... Coalossal likes me? Like, doesn’t hate me or whatever?” she puffed out, cheeks in her hands.

“No, I don’t think so. I think none of my team dislike you in any way. How come you ask that, Lils?”

“He’s been staring at me for a while...” 

Gordie turned around to see Coalossal gazing at Lilac from afar with somewhat confused and focused eyes. If he’d ever seen eyes like those, he just wanted to play with Lilac.

Gordie got up from his seat and started calling for Coalossal. 

Coalossal let out a dim roar as he walked to Lilac, yet his footsteps were so powerful and loud against the soft grass. It shook Lilac to her very core, holding onto Gordie and then freezing in place when she tried to escape.

“Gordie! He’s mad at me-!”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay, he’s coming over with me here...!”

When Coalossal let the last booms of his footstep echo throughout the field, he was dangerously near Lilac when she spotted something in his hands...

A ball. 

“Ah?” Lilac exclaimed. Coalossal gave her a happy expression, a cheerful rumble coming out of him as he leaned in to give her the ball with his large, yet hilariously stubby arms. Shuckle patted her ankle with one of his strange, limp arms, calming her with little ‘shuckle-shuckle’ sentences of his. It was a weird, but a very reassuring feeling.

“You scared her a little, Coalossal! Next time you wanna play, go up to her nicely this time, alright?” Gordie chortled with a wide smile on his face. Coalossal replied with a purl and Lilac threw the ball for Coalossal when she had finally unfroze. The same pounding footsteps continued as Coalossal chased after the ball, catching it to play with Barbaracle and Boltund, with Boltund yapping away. 

Lilac laughed at herself for being so silly around Coalossal, and turned to Gordie. At this point, she became quite fixated on him; she noticed how reassuring and motivating he was, especially recently around one of his main and very intimidating Pokémon. She didn’t notice she was staring until he looked himself into her eyes. His cute eyes. Her cute eyes, he thought.

“Gordie?” she asked again, but with an explicitly more shy tone. “You know, I think I like you too.” 

Gordie inhaled a sharp breath as a wave of relief swept over him from the amount of tension he had experienced, tense over whether or not she liked him.

“Really?”

“Yeah... Y-Yeah, I do. You’re...”

Their heads moved in close together, a move completely involuntary, but a move needed to break the feeling of unrequited feelings between each other.

“You’re...”

A loud cry from Pikachu startled both of them, when they peeked together at what made her do that, Shuckle was cradling her like one of his PokéDolls. 

“No! No, Shuck- I’m so sorry, Li- Shuckle, that is not one of your PokéDolls! That’s Lils’ Pikachu! Drop her now!”

Lilac watched on as Shuckle cried out in retaliation, disappointed that they were interrupted so suddenly, but still amused at how much of a toddler Shuckle acted like. She leaned down, petting her Togedemaru, returning to near her legs.

“That’s Gordie’s team for you, isn’t it, sweet?”

---

Lilac: gordie, i really enjoyed that camping time. shuckle’s so funny :3

Gordie: he is, isn’t he? haha, little troublemaker

Lilac: lol ^^

Lilac: gordie? do you

Lilac: do you want to go on another date sometime?

Gordie: of course i do. :)

Gordie: what time? 

💜: hehe

💜: 7:30pm maybe? after all the gym work? :)

Gordie: deal ;D

[theskyeandsea]

To Make a Home || Nicodemus & Skylar

Tagging: @bountybossier​

Location: Outside of Coffee Plus

Notes: Just two prospective roommates having a nice and happy chat.

“Thanks, have a good one.” Skylar said with a bright smile to the barista, taking the two coffee cups from the countertop and walked out to one of the tables outside. She wasn’t really sure what Coffee Plus’ policy on animals indoors was, but she didn’t want to push it, just in case. Plus… if she needed to make a quick break for it, being outside would probably be for the best. Not that she would have much of a chance of outrunning Nic, but at least she could try. Taking a sip from her cup, she took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. Nic was a Hunter, but he wasn’t a bad one. He hadn’t tried to hurt her. He’d been nothing but nice to her. So, why was she so nervous? Skylar tapped her fingers against her thigh and glanced up the street before spotting Nic making his way through downtown. Smiling, she gestured to the cup of coffee she’d bought for him. “Hey! I wasn’t sure what kind of coffee you liked, so I figured black would be safest. Thanks for coming.” She said with a nod, though her eyes were trained on the little dog that had accompanied him. Even though it was small, she still wasn’t sure how this meeting would go.

Damn that tiny dog and its small fucking legs. Nicodemus didn’t know when it had slipped out and followed him. But he couldn’t avoid the tippy-tapping of tiny dog feet behind him or the slight huffing for long. He would step, it would tap. He would stop, it would stop. It continued like that for a handful of streets until he finally stopped fully. The hunter glanced back at the dog. The dog looked up at him with its large, bulging eyes. Nicodemus grimaced and with a long string of colorful French swears, picked the dog up like the nothing it weighed and held it under his arm like a tucked in football. “You’re the fuckin’ worst.” He grumbled to himself as he walked toward Coffee Plus. The dog huffed and just looked at him, tongue out and ears perked. He didn’t make eye contact as he finally rounded the corner that Coffee Plus made home. The sight of Skylar made him breathe a little easier and he offered a weak wave with the hand not currently occupied by a dog. The sound of Skylar’s voice had the dog looking forward and giving a small yap. He supposed it was a greeting. “Black works just fine,” he said a little stiffly as he sat down at the open chair. Unsure of what to do with the dog, he set it on the ground. Only for it to start pawing at his jeans. “Told you I would, Skylar. Meant it.” He looked down at the dog. “So. This...is the, uh, dog. Anyhow, you doin’ alright?”

Flinching a little bit when the dog yapped at her, Skylar shrank back in her chair for a moment. But… it didn’t seem like the dog was going to do anything more than that as it settled around at Nic’s feet. When he sat down, she watched as the dog pawed at his pant leg. It almost didn’t seem like a dog, just from how small it was. A bit fascinated, she looked as it kind of shivered, pacing in once spot for a second before pawing at Nic again. Focusing her attention back at Nic, she nodded, though she kept the little dog in her peripheral sight all the same. It didn’t seem as scary as Alain’s dogs but it also wasn’t as calm looking as Moose. But, it looked okay? “Thank you.” She said appreciatively. Taking a calming breath, Skylar nodded. “I’m doing pretty good.” As she spoke, she could feel the slime building up on the palms of her hands. Swallowing, she rubbed them against her jeans. “How, um, how are you?” She asked, hoping that the question would ease some of her nervous energy.

“Ease up there, huh?” Nicodemus said, voice directed at the dog. The hunter took a long sip of hit bitter black coffee. Willfully tried to ignore the press of the dog’s paws against him as he leaned back. “It’s more like a rat than a dog, right? Ain’t just me?” Only recently was he made aware that it was a chihuahua with a long coat, one that he hadn’t initially seen under the fucking outfit it had been stuffed into. His nerves reached a limit. The chair scraped the concrete as he scooted back slightly to make room. The dog seemed to settle, if only by a hair. He frowned. Of all the fucking animals he would be stuck with, why wouldn’t it be the smallest dog in the world. He missed Bit each passing day. But the dog wasn’t the main point of the day. It was what Skylar had to say and he was keen on listening. Whatever it was was more important than the shit he would have to deal with sooner rather than later. “That’s good. Glad all the night shit didn’t bother you too much,” he said plainly as he rotated the coffee cup on the table. Glad someone managed to not get their lives entirely upended by it, he thought grimly. His movements stilled some at her question, his gaze slightly shifting over to the hand he had been keeping wrapped since that night. “I’m, uh, tired. Real goddamn tired.” Tired barely skimmed the surface of what he felt but it wrapped it all up neatly enough. “Just been a few...tryin’ weeks, I wanna say. Tryin’ to keep on an’ all. Much as someone can in this fuckin’ town, you, uh, you know?”

Skylar couldn’t help but stare at the dog as it kept whining and pawing at him, until the large man relented and the dog seemed to relax a bit. In a strange way… it was cute. “I don’t know about rat. Maybe like… a rabbit or something small and nervous?” Seeing the way the little dog was interacting with him, it reassured her that maybe this dog would be okay. It wouldn’t bark in a deep baritone that would startle her, or lunge at her face. For one thing… it would have a hard time getting to her face at all. For another, it seemed like it couldn’t hurt a fly. 

Listening as the man talked about his experiences, Skylar slowly became aware of the weary slump in his shoulders, the tension coiled in his neck, the dark bags under his eyes. She’d seen Nic that night when he’d saved her from the vampire and he looked like a different man now. A bit more downtrodden, more beaten down. What had he been through? Lifiting her coffee mug to her lips, she took a sip from her cup, trying to figure out how she could broach the subject of herself, while also wondering: was Nic okay? “I’m sorry that it’s been such a rough time. I, erm, I know that I had asked if we could meet up so I could talk to you about some… personal stuff. But, are you okay? Besides, just being tired..?” She asked cautiously. “You don’t need to answer that, though. Sorry. That’s probably invasive.” Skylar backtracked.

It was hard to ignore Skylar’s clear discomfort toward the dog. Not that Nicodemus would even consider the idea of doing just that. It would take a hot minute for him to refer to the dog as anything other than creature. He would not say that he was warming up to the dog. Right then was not the time to go on and get attached to anything, or anyone, else. At the word rabbit, he blanched. “Rats make better animals than rabbits,” he said, tone rock solid and heavy. “Mouse could work. Ain’t big on rabbits so you might be shit out of luck if you wanted to go about gettin’ one.” Placing the memory of where his dislike of rabbits started was looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was very real and very alive. He felt her eyes on him and occupied himself by looking into the black hole that was his coffee. It wasn’t hard to sense worry or concern in other people. Especially those with better hearts than his own and Skylar was a prime example. Probably the best one when he really got down to thinking about it. Real fucking strange how that worked itself out. Her good heart, his bad one. Sharing a fucking living space at that. He shook his head. “Ain’t your fault. Shit just happens and you gotta bear its weight.” He said, brow slightly furrowed as he glanced at her before he quickly returned to the coffee. Could stare down the barrel of a gun but was having a hell of a time looking her in the eye when it came to her questions. His jaw worked. Weeks ago, it would have been easy to say he was and move on. It was just like he told Kaden. Roots. A bitter but malice-free laugh came out of him. Bless Skylar. Her question wasn’t the most invasive thing that had happened to him in the last week or so. “Nah, but I’m dealin’ with it and I’ll figure it out. Just have to piece it out an’ all.” Minding the dog, he sat slightly forward and idly patted at its back. Ignored the comfort that brought him. “I’m ready to talk about it whenever you want, Skylar. The personal stuff. Ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Startled by Nic’s sudden shift in tone at the mention of rabbits, Skylar shrunk in on herself. Crap. She’d messed up. She wasn’t really sure why rabbits were what causes that reaction, but she made a mental note to avoid that. “Sorry, sorry. I don’t really like rabbits, not any more than I like any kind of pet. I never grew up with them. Pets, I mean.” She rambled, hoping to explain that the example had just been a random pick out of nowhere. But, when he reassured her that it wasn’t her fault, she relaxed a little bit.

“Mmmmm, okay.” She hummed, taking in his words. She trusted him to know his limits and, if he said he would figure it out, then that was that. Nic just seemed like a guy who knew himself well. She wished she could say the same about herself. Watching as he patted the dog, a small smile flitted at the corner of her lips. Maybe he liked the dog more than he let on. But, when he mentioned the personal stuff, the smile faded. Staring at the dark liquid in her cup for a moment, Skylar did her best to steel her nerve, to strengthen her resolve. “Mhm. Personal stuff. Okay.” She said, supplying filler words to help her stubborn mouth say what needed to be put out there. “So… you’re a Hunter, right? Like… big H hunter. And… if I’m going to live with you, I need to know that I’ll be safe. Not, not just from the vampires and the werewolves and the things that run around the woods of White Crest. But, that you-- that you won’t try to hurt me.” She took a deep breath, hands curling tightly into balled fists in her lap. “Because I’m not human? I’m a selkie.” Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as she chanced a look at Nic, preparing for the worst.

Nicodemus began to tap his heel quietly. A nervous tic. Another effort to keep himself because somewhere in his bones, he was afraid of what happened if he settled. He shook his head, expression weary. “Ain’t exactly...known that I don’t like rabbits,” he said with an attempt at an encouraging nod. Or much else about him other than gators and cereal water, it seemed. Fine enough with him. “Bein’ the town gator guy will do that, I ‘spose.” As Skylar seemed ready to start talking, he tried to settle himself. Even the dog seemed to shake a little less as if it were waiting too. Maintaining eye contact was hard for him. Meeting someone’s eyes was opening a door he didn’t always like to open. Preferred to keep it barred and shut. But watching Skylar, the way she seemingly both tried to arm and make herself vulnerable with whatever it was she was about to say, it wouldn’t do to keep it closed. Even he could understand that. 

As soon as the word hunter slipped out, he went rigid. The sounds of the town ceased to exist around where they sat as he looked at her. “You think I might hurt you.” He repeated, low and quiet. She was scared of him. What he was. A mirror was being turned inside him and he was forced to look at it. He didn’t know what that meant right then. Didn’t know how to define that collapsing, concaving feeling that tested the integrity of his ribs. She was afraid of him. Afraid of the hunter. And she wasn’t human. His senses, busted as they were, flexed and pulsated around the space between skull and skin. He blinked. Breathed in. Breathed out. Looked at her. “You will. You, uh, you would,” he finally said, picking the words slowly and carefully out of the gravel in his throat. “I know what I am and what that means. Be a dumbass not to.” He tried to laugh but it came out like a puff of smoke. “I don’t...I don’t want you to be scared ‘round me, Skylar. But I get it. What you feel, that’s, uh--It makes sense is what I’m tryin’ to say. Ain’t gonna fault you for it.” He wasn’t a man that inspired comfort. He knew that. As he spoke, his thumb rubbed a slow circle into the dog’s chest. He glanced between his own coffee and Skylar. “I wouldn’t. Hurt you, I mean. That’s not--I’d like for you to feel safe. In whatever, uh, water you chose. I know it’s just words and words ain’t a whole lot but...You’d be safe. I want you to know that.”

Seeing the way he reacted to the conversation about rabbits, Skylar winced. She shouldn’t have pried. Nodding, she apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Mmm. The gator guy. But, just because he was one thing, that didn’t mean he couldn’t be other things. Which… The back of her neck burned red as she realized that there were more meanings to that than she’d initially intended. Just because he was a Hunter didn’t mean he wasn’t more than that. Just because he killed things, killed… creatures-- not people, she didn’t want to think about him killing people-- didn’t mean that was all he was. Looking down at the little dog that was settled next to him, the way it leaned into him for comfort, she smiled a little.

But, the small smile faded when she heard his tone, the pounding of her heart seeming to come to a halt as she waited for his response. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at the way he didn’t meet her gaze, until he realized exactly what she meant and stared up at her with tired eyes. Weary eyes. Eyes that had probably seen more than she could ever even imagine. Instantly, she felt a wash of guilt rush over her. She knew him, she knew him better than to think that he would hurt him. She’d let fear overwhelm her, fear egged on by people who didn’t know Nic, into thinking that he would do something to her. “No-- No, I’m sorry. I should-- I just…” She wrung her hands in her lap, wishing she could just sign, that she could just convey the thoughts in her head with her hands. But, he wouldn’t understand. “I didn’t think you would. I really didn’t. But, I know… I know people who warned me, to be careful around Hunters. Just in case. I’m sorry.” She said, shaking her head. She shouldn’t have asked. “I appreciate that a lot, Nic. Really. I just needed to know that… if anything ever happened, I’d be okay.”

“Skylar,” Nicodemus said, not as quiet as before. A little more assured, even in the way he raised his head and made eye contact. “There--There ain’t nothin’ to apologize for, alright? I mean it. You’re good.” He wasn’t good at this. At this opening of the self that led to conversations and confessions, to understanding and acceptance. A life without it, up until he crossed over the sign that said White Crest, had left him ill-prepared for such things. But he was in it, up to his neck, and there wasn’t going back. Only forward. 

“They weren’t wrong to warn you,” he muttered as he sat up straighter. She was struggling just as much as he was and a faded, worn out smile made an appearance. “Hunters got their jobs and they do it, y’know? Out of whatever principle or obligation they grew up with. They hurt because it’s what they do and sometimes what they got to.” He reminded himself that he was one of them, one of those that hurt. It was a part of him regardless of what he was. It was who he was. “I, uh, hurt. Like you saw before. But I--I choose, you know? What I do. I used to not.” His brow slightly furrowed, his entire being wound tight with a blunt tension as he chose to pry open those mausoleums of thoughts unshared. Thoughts that even he wasn’t privy too until he sat down and the crowbar wedged its way between the stone he had set. Skylar had helped him, even if that help felt a little like pain. Felt a little too raw but it was there and it was open, exposed to the sun and the sky. “I chose to make sure you were okay then and I want--” His voice trailed off to something quiet but not something cold. “You’d be okay. Is what I’m tryin’ to say.”

When he said her voice, Skylar lifted her gaze to meet his. And as he spoke those reassuring words, she felt the tension in her shoulders ease. Just a little. Not enough for her to feel totally comfortable, not enough for her to be relaxed. But it was enough to know that she was okay for now.

As Nic spoke, about principles and obligations that had existed since they’d been born, she couldn’t help but think back to what Rio had said. About how his family were Hunters, how he was born that way hunter, but chose differently. How he wanted to protect and help people like her. Creatures like her. And Nic, for all his rough exterior and his gruff demeanor… He wasn’t all that different from Rio. A fresh wave of guilt washed over her at how she’d misjudged the two of them. “I don’t… I won’t say I understand, because I don’t totally understand how any of this works. But, I’m glad that you chose. That you don’t just,” She swallowed, fingers fidgetting, “Kill because someone’s different. I didn’t, I didn’t think you did. But I didn’t know. I don’t know how any of this works and I-- I’m sorry for doubting you.” Skylar said, nodding and hoping that her voice sounded more steady than it felt. “I know you did. And I’m really, really grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” She let out a slightly weak laugh, “If you don’t want me to move in after I’ve just… insulted you, I completely understand.”

At least she was looking at him. That had to be good, right? For all his deeply embedded hopelessness and shadowed view of the world, Nicodemus made another choice to find something good in that. Slim as it was. Seemed he was making plenty of those to last a lifetime, however short that was for him. He wouldn’t go and do something foolish like consider it might be long. “That’s okay,” he said with a slight nod. “Ain’t askin’ you too because that’s a whole fuckin’ can of bullshit but the--The you bein’ okay part is the one. The…” He trailed off and looked down at the dog that had started to lick at his fingers absently. How the creature had managed to stay still and quiet the entire time was beyond him. But it had, listening intently. The hunter snorted and shook his head. “The important one.” 

He quieted. She was sorry for doubting him. He had had people doubt him before. Doubt his potential to finish the job but never doubt his inability to start one. He had proved them wrong.  The comparison felt wholly wrong and immediately, guilt roiled the black coffee that sat in his empty stomach. This wasn’t a job that they were talking about. She wasn’t one either, he had never seen her as one, but in his malformed bit of heart tissue, it was the only comparison he knew to make. Confusion settled in after the guilt and made itself known in his face as he looked at Skylar. “No, it’s--” Words started to fail him, like they usually did, and he breathed in to try and kickstart them again. “I don’t--Shit. You didn’t…” He paused again and swore in French under his breath. “...I’d like it. If you did. If you still wanted to. But if you don’t trust me or are--” He didn’t say it but it cut against him with a name like insecurity. Was it fear? A nervous laugh like an engine that couldn’t quite start came out of him. “Christ alive. I ain’t gonna ask you to give me a chance but...” He shook his head and lowered his head. Maybe that’s exactly what he was doing. He shut his eyes for a brief moment. Cowardice was new but bravery seared it in two before it could keep him from talking. “Ain’t never had much of a...a home before but I can try to make it one, y’know? Somewhere safe.” For the both of them.

Skylar watched the way the little dog licked at his fingers, at the way Nic let him. It was gentle, a soft gesture that she wouldn’t have expected from a man who looked the way he did. But, she was quickly becoming aware that he was more than he appeared, he was more than his actions. His words meant something to her and she trusted him. She should have just trusted him from the start. Staring at the cup of coffee that sat in front of her, long untouched, her lips twitched into a slight smile. “Thank you. Thank you for that.” She nodded.

As the man swore quietly to himself, some of them English, some in a quick soft language that she could only assume was French, Skylar felt as though her body was going to curl in on herself from the anxiety. If he didn’t want her to move in with her, she’d be back to square one. Back to worrying, endlessly worrying, and hoping she wouldn’t have to go back to crashing on the couches of people who barely knew her. But, when he spoke… the words startled her. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, though his gaze was averted, eyes closed. A home? More than an apartment, more than a house, more than the family who had abandoned her, more than the family of friends she’d found since moving. A home? As she stared at him, Skylar felt tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from relief, happiness, or sadness. The sadness of knowing that-- “I, um, I thought I had a home. Back in Seattle. That my family was my home. But it wasn’t and they… they weren’t. So,” She paused, voice soft and watery with barely restrained tears, “I’d like that. I’d really like the chance to have a place to call home.”

The hunter hummed low and nodded. A tiredness clouded over him, made his head and his heart feel heavy. Was it from talking so much or the act of flaying? It was a sickness, the way Nicodemus could liken things only to pain lately. Or he had always been that way. In a way, talking about what they were talking about, was a way of healing. Of doing away with old scar tissue. When that particular kind of bleeding started, it was an act of cleansing. When she smiled, he returned it. As much as he could.

What he had before couldn’t be called home. It was an empty, forgotten charade of one. A hollow place that tried to make itself into hallowed ground. It was mud and stone and rotted wood. A cemetery of misdeeds and ill thoughts amongst the weeping willows. Maybe a home or something like it could be a selkie, a hunter, a dog that inexplicably shook, and the walls around them. Even if they didn’t seem to quite fit right into the skins they were given. They might be able to fit somewhere else. The foreign hope in the thought pierced him. When her wide eyes looked at him, he tried to not flinch. Tried to hold onto that instinct of showing no weakness lest you be eaten alive. But it wavered the way her voice did and for a moment, he cast it aside. “Thought I did too,” he echoed solemnly, voice a cut above raw. He swallowed. Nodded again to right himself. “Yeah. I...We could both use it. That chance.”