#this is more of a lil ficlet than anything else huh lol

[splattermouth]

More personal headcanons: volo struggles a lot with physical intimacy, specifically physical intimacy directed towards him. He definitely enjoys giving little touches and just being tender at other people, but the moment someone tries to do the same for him, every muscle in his body turns to stone and god he can’t move, this is so uncomfortable, please stop.

Hisui is a harsh place, and Hisui has been nothing but harsh to him, and in combination with his plans for Arceus, it’s so so difficult and so terrifying to him to let his defenses down and be vulnerable around people. Being vulnerable means someone could use him, hurt him again, even more than he already is hurting. No one wants likes people seeing them upset but especially not Volo. 

But he’s genuinely touch starved and craves that kind of bond with someone so bad, he just can’t let anyone know how badly he needs it. He knows if he let himself be honest about his feelings even a little, the floodgates would open and he probably wouldn’t be able to stop himself from breaking down completely.

He’s been wearing his friendly but distant mask for so long, and he tries So hard to pretend that that’s what he Is and change himself, but alas. His heart is soft and he cares too much, always. And being eaten up with guilt over everything he’s doing, what he’s planning for the few people that do care for him so dearly, he can’t afford to bear anything but a customer service smile to anyone, ever.

The only things he can ever accept comfort from is his pokemon, I think. If anyone ever wanted to be that close with him I think it’d take. A long time. And a lot of building up trust with him.

(Only slightly connected, but I do also like the idea of in the present day, volo’s name has been lost to time, but ironically, his actions have become a bit of folklore in sinnoh. A fairytale bedtime story for kids, the moral and tone changing depending on who tells it.

And Cyrus, studying this legend himself, does not look to volo as inspiration, as some may believe, but as someone who failed in such an obvious way that he will not. That volo was done in by the fatal flaw prevalent in ever retelling of his story: his own human compassion.)