#also it might be a little clunky since I'm not much of a writer akxnsksn

[roseyjustice]

Fours a Crowd, Right?

Wordcount: 627 words

Ship: Whisper/Guzma

CWs: bit of insecurity talk, but it's mostly reassurance talk and fluffy times!

Summary: The aftermath of Guzma and Whisp's first date has some unexpected tag alongs. For Day 1 of Selfshiptember, first date!

The silence walking along the path was very loud, Guzma could say. 

"Sooo," he started, untangling a stray stick from his hair,"not the worst date I've eva' been on!" 

A small embarrassed groan was all he got as a response. Whisp was trudging along Guzma's right side and looking like they'd love to disappear into the collar of his sweater. A sweet looking Appletun was chilling in Whisp's arms, its stubby tail wagging happily. 

Guzma had a plan for just Whisp and him to walk through one of the larger Pokémon reserves on Ula'ula Island. It was still pretty small, but he knew it would be a perfect place to take Whisp on their first official date. 

Being able to see the groves changing leaves and the Pokemon preparing for the seasonal changes - no matter how small they were in alola - was sure to warm the daycare runner to Guzma. 

Guzma had planned for everything and nothing was going to ruin it! 

Well, nothing that he couldn't plan for anyway. The Pumpkaboo currently resting in his own arms was definitely not something he could've predicted. 

Whisp tugged a leaf free from their own hair. They twisted it in their hand for a few minutes, building courage and took a deep breath. 

Guzma winced, shifting Pumpkaboo closer, almost as a shield. This was where Whisp for sure never wanted to go on another date. 

"I'm..I'm sorry.." 

Guzma startled, turning slightly to fully look at them,"uh, what?" 

Whisper's cheeks were bright red and he seemed to bury further into his sweater at Guzma's full attention being on him. His eyes were planted firmly on Appletun as he tucked the scrap of cloth keeping it warm around the content Pokémon. 

"I'm sorry for, you know, ruining the date, I just s-saw these two in the grove, a-and they're not regionally native and there were no signs for them s-so..," Whisp gave a helpless shrug as their voice faltered. 

Guzma could only really stare at him. The two stowaways were unexpected but did Whisp really blame himself?  

"Wha- huh? Doll, ya ain't gotta apologize," Guzma stopped and rested his hand on Whisp's shoulder, stopping them in their tracks as well. Pumpkaboo shifted in Guzma's arms, it's curl brushing Whisp's cheek and gave a reassuring trill. 

"These two probably got carted here accidentally or as some jerk poachers meal ticket, yeah?" Whisp nodded in agreement. Guzma wasn't too well read on the subject but he knew enough that it wasn't uncommon for people to ferry pokemon across region borders, no matter how harmful it could be to the natural region. 

"Now did I expect this date to end with ya' practically divin' through bushes after two wild pokemon? No. Did I expect to be crawling through mud on a first date? Not a chance," Guzma shrug, throwing Whisp a wide almost feral grin ,"Did that stop me from followin' along after ya' and helping, hoping to impress ya just little bit? Ha! In your dreams!"  

Whisp jolted, slightly taken aback, before a wide smile finally broke out across their face. They giggled, clutching Appletun tightly, who gave a small huff at the manhandling. 

Guzma felt himself practically melt. He hoped to hear their laugh as often as he could. 

"Bit of a callback to our first meeting huh?" 

"Oh, definitely, Doll! Besides," Guzma reached behind their ear, pulling a stray leaf from Whisp's hair,"ya look real cute crawlin' outta a bush while wrestlin' a nearly feral pokemon in your arms. I practically coulda married you right there"

Guzma grinned proudly as Whisp's cheeks almost flared red again. 

It wasn't the perfect first date he had planned, but Guzma felt like he could call this one a complete success.