#this is my 495th post and im so fucking sorry

[shxtteredmemories]

Control

Summary: In which Luciel loves Spark, Zapdos hates Luciel, and Spark isn't sure how to feel.

W: Zapdos being a piece of shit, Spark's dumb nicknames for his Pokemon, some mentions of violence and definite mentions of blood and wounds (not really in detail tho, but just in case).

Authors Note: i got an idea and im sorry i had it

"Spark! So good to see you again, I was hoping I'd run into you here!" Luciel called, grinning widely as he opened his arms.

After a moment of standing there like an idiot, he sighed, shaking his head, "no, that's too friendly. He knows I'm not that excited about things."

He paced, tapping his chin as he contemplated. Various forms of greetings entered his mind, but as the more he played them out, the worse they seemed.

"Hey, Spark, good to see you," he tried as he came to stand in front of the full-length mirror hanging on the back of his door. He smacked his head, "I have sound like I'm happy to see him."

Rubbing a hand over his face, he let out a frustrated groan. His shoulders slumped as he dropped his hands to his sides, meeting his own gaze in the mirror. "Spark! I'm so happy to see you! I love- no, i mean! I'd love to talk with- oh Arceus, I can't even get it right when I'm playing it out alone."

"Well, I guess if I can't get it right, then why should I bother meeting him?" Luciel flopped backward onto the beanbag chair in the corner beside his closet door, huffing childishly with arms crossed over his chest. He didn't get to pout for long before his phone rung. He hesitantly checked it, paling at the caller ID. Reluctantly, he accepted the call and was about to rattle out the normal greeting before he was interrupted.

"Did you know birds always go for prey smaller than them?"

Luciel paled, recognising the voice almost immediately, "... No? That's... uh... interesting."

"They typically strike them with a clenched foot, stunning or killing them on impact."

"I did not know that," Luciel almost dropped his phone while trying to wipe the sweat from his palms, deciding to hold it against his shoulder when he'd caught it.

"Then they turn to catch it in mid-air," the voice continued, seeming amused in how it spoke.

"Za-"

"Larger bird Pokemon may even feed on the chicks of other bird Pokemon."

"Zapdos."

"If the prey is too heavy, they will often-"

"Zapdos," Luciel emphasised, almost yelled into the phone, "please stop."

"I'm just saying, isn't that-"

"Interesting, yes," Luciel cut him off, earning a growl from the other side of the phone, "but nothing you will say can scare me enough to keep me away from Spark."

"If I wanted you scared you would-"

"Goodbye, Zapdos," Luciel pulled the phone away from his ear, hitting the end call button. He took a moment to relax in the bean bag he was sitting on, sinking further into its welcoming embrace. Panic ran through his mind, but he tried to keep himself calm and from having a panic attack. He couldn't begin to count how many times he'd had to deal with that stupid bird keeping Spark at an arm's length; five? Maybe even six or seven times? One or two was enough, but as much as that? What did Zapdos have against him, anyway?

"Stupid fucking bird," he swore, closing his eyes and dropping his arm over his face. He remained like that for awhile, almost dozing off before he was jolted awake by his phone ringing again. Thankfully, when it checked it, it was only a text message from one of his friends back in Alola, Moon.

[Text Received] - How's the friend thing going?

[Text Sent] - Good. Yep. Totally great.

[Text Received] - What happened?

[Text Sent] - His Pokemon hates my guts.

[Text Received] - Oh, shit. What are you gonna do?

[Text Sent] - Try not to get electrocuted.

[Text Received] - You're gonna die.

[Text Sent] - Thanks for your help in my time of need.

[Text Received] - 👍👍👍

Luciel groaned, discarding his phone onto the floor beside himself. Almost as soon as he sat the phone down, he realised something. Quickly snatching it back up, he didn't even bother checking the time before he hurried out of his apartment, grabbing his keys on the way out. The door slammed shut behind him, but he hardly heard it as he hurried down the stairs and out the front door. 'I'm so fucking laaateeee,' he thought frantically, sprinting down the street; maybe if he ran, he could make it before Spark even realised he never showed up.

"Oof!" He stumbled, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact that... never really came.

"Whoa! You alright?" That voice...

"Spark!" Luciel opened his eyes immediately, beaming widely with a hint of red tinting his cheeks, "oh my Arceus, I'm sorry for being late."

"You're not that late," Spark laughed, helping him back to his feet, "I probably would've been late if that battle had kept me any longer."

Luciel took a moment to gather himself and keep himself upright, leaning on Spark's arm until he felt he could stand on his own. He blinked, having to take a moment to contemplate his response, which left an awkward silence to fill the gaps in their conversation.

"Oh, sorry I- My mind's really occupied," he apologised when he noticed, rubbing the back of his head, "so- you had a battle?"

"Yeah, it's my obligation as a team leader to take on challenges at the gyms every so often," Spark explained, gesturing for Luciel to follow him as he made his way inside the cafe they'd decided to meet at.

Luciel bounced along beside him as they walked to their table, seated by one of the waitresses who seemed all too friendly - in his opinion at least. If Spark noticed, then he didn't say anything about it. "Sounds fun," he said as he propped himself against the table using his elbow.

"Yeah! It's actually all sorts of fun," Spark smiled gleefully, picking up one of the menus to look it over, "all sorts of trainers of different skill levels come on in and decide they're ready for a battle; I'm not even ashamed to admit that some of them have beaten me before."

"You've actually lost to some of them?" Luciel blinked, a little bewildered at first. Eventually, he went to browse his own menu, mentally checking off some things he thought were interesting. After that conversation with Zapdos earlier, food didn't sound that appealing, so he avoided the sandwiches and salads section as much as humanly possible.

"Some are wickedly strong!" Spark exclaimed, nearly startling the people in the booth behind him. He muttered a quick apology before he turned back to Luciel, "yeah, some of them are just... way too skilled."

"Forgive me if I'm a little surprised," Luciel snorted, "I'm just not used to hearing you lose at anything. You used to always be good at everything when we were growing up."

"Guess I didn't get better with age, huh?" Spark teased, a placid smile on his features.

Luciel flushed a little, burying himself back in his menu, "if it makes you feel any better, I probably just got worse with age."

A look of disbelief crossed Spark's features as he reached over and snagged the menu out of Luciel's hands, "no way! I bet you got a lot better!"

Startled, Luciel sat back quickly against the booth, blinking a few times to get a grip on his bearings. He looked at Spark with a bewildered expression, then shrugged when he finally registered what he'd said, "I dunno. I haven't battled in forever; the best I've done is training, so... y'know, no real battle experience."

Spark set the menus down, leaning forward with his head tilted a little. He inspected Luciel for a bit before he sighed, "you've gotten better at lying... But!" He suddenly grinned, slamming his hands quietly against the table, "I can still read you like an open book!"

Luciel was about to protest before the waitress came by to collect their orders. Realising he didn't decide what he wanted, he simply ordered a cup of coffee; his order was almost... pathetic in comparison to what Spark ordered. When did he start liking coffee so much?

When the waitress left, Spark turned back to Luciel with the same stupid dumb calm smile on his face, "you know what we should do?"

"No?" Luciel raised a brow, confused at Spark's intentions as he leaned back against the table, only moving closer when Spark made a gesture for him to.

"We should battle," he whispered, like it was some kind of secret, "just to see who's better."  Maybe he noticed that the other patrons of the cafe were getting a little antsy due to him having so many outbursts at once?

Luciel laughed something sarcastic and pure at the same time - how is that even possible? - as he eyed Spark with a competitive glare, "only if you're up for it. From the sounds of it, that last battle really wore you out."

Spark's smile morphed into a grin, teeth showing as he met Luciel's glare with one of his own, "we'll see about that won't we?"

"Oh, it is on, Mr. 'I can totally take on anyone or anything'," Luciel snarked, grinning his own little grin when Spark pouted and huffed.

And that was how lunch ended up going. They sat and talked, occasionally joked around, and otherwise just enjoyed each other's company. Much to his surprise, too, Spark even came up with a time and place for their battle to happen, much to Luciel's relief; there was no way he would be able to think of a time where both of them were free. Of course, it ended up taking Spark several chances to figure out the right day, but he managed after the third or fourth.

As they were exiting the cafe, arm and arm and still laughing about a cheesy joke one of them said, Luciel noticed the air around them began to change. The air on his arms began to stand on end and he looked up to Spark to see if he had noticed it too, only to be met with not blue eyes that belonged to his friend, but brilliant, electric yellow that belonged to none other than...

"Zapdos."

"Human."

"What do you want?" Luciel asked as he pried himself away from the Pokemon controlling Spark, arms crossing over his chest.

"I'm making sure you don't get too close to my bonded. What made you think I wanted anything to do with you?" Zapdos mimicked Luciel's stance, almost as if he were mocking him.

"I was already close to your bonded before you came around," Luciel retaliated, his expression changing to match his words; he glared up at Zapdos with his lips drawn back, almost as if he were about to bite if provoked.

"And then you left him," Zapdos replied, looking disinterested in Luciel's non-threatening expression. If he were anything else, he might've felt something toward it, but being who he was, he felt next to nothing.

"That wasn't my fault!" Luciel shouted, dropping his arms to his sides, fists clenched. His jaw and shoulders tensed, hands shaking with how tightly he was clenching them.

"And you didn't come back for... what was it, seven years? Maybe more?"

Luciel inhaled, holding his breath. He closed his eyes, counting to ten in his mind before he exhaled a deep sigh. He stepped forward, much to Zapdos' surprise, jabbing a finger in his chest. "You have no idea what I had to do to get back here and I will not have some overgrown fearow get between me and the only friend I've kept since my childhood. Do you understand me?"

Zapdos was taken aback, shocked for a moment before he leaned forward to match Luciel's intense stance with one of his own, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. "You will not come anywhere near my bonded ever again or I will make sure that you learn the difference between me and a fearow."

Frustrated, Luciel relented, turning away and rubbing his hands over his face. In an attempt to prevent himself from crying, - angry crying at that - he simply marched off with his attention wandering to other things. Apparently, Zapdos was rather thankful as he let out a discontented noise of his own.

Several weeks later, Luciel was peering at his phone, waiting for text messages that wouldn't come and phone calls he couldn't make on his own. Instead of focusing them, he'd been putting more time into his battle studies; if he could strengthen his Pokemon as much as he could strengthen himself, then maybe Zapdos would see him as 'worthy' or whatever the equivalent would've been. However, during a much needed break, he decided to catch up on some messages from a few days ago that he didn't reply to. One in particular, Moon's, had caught his attention, but he was simply too emotional to reply to it earlier.

[Text Received] - You alright? Haven't heard from you in a few days.

[Text Sent] - No, not really. I'm having friend troubles

[Text Received] - His Pokemon still hates you?

[Text Sent] - Yeah, pretty much.

[Text Received] - Well. It could be worse, right?

[Text Sent] - No, not really. I don't think that's possible.

[Text Received] - You're always so pessimistic.

[Text Sent] - Someone has to be, right?

[Text Received] - Whatever. What's the plan?

[Text Sent] - Sulk and cry?

[Text Received] - I swear to Arceus if you don't get out there and get your friend back, I'll personally come over there and hook you too up.

[Text Sent] - Please don't.

[Text Received] - Then get going! You only live one life, so make it count.

[Text Sent] - There are some people who would disagree.

[Text Received] - Ugh. Just go and get your man.

[Text Sent] - I'm trying.

He left it at that, pocketing his phone and going to check on his Pokemon. The lot of them were all slumped in different areas of the clearing, enjoying varying degrees of shade. He chuckled, grabbing his backpack from beside his Lycanroc Midnight, beginning to dig around in it for the berries and other treats he'd brought along.

"Come on, you guys, treat time!" He called, immediately catching attention. Lycanroc and his Alolan Ninetales, Apath and Cyn, were the first in line due to being closest while the more sluggish Pokemon lazed around in the back until their turns came up.

As soon as everyone had gotten a couple treats, Luciel set his backpack back down and moved to sit near the small stream that flowed just at the edge of the clearing. He settled down on a rock beside it, dabbing his face with a towel he'd procured from his pack.

However, his Mightyena, Nihil, had made his way over and plopped down beside him, happily chewing on his Oran berry.

"Hey," Luciel greeted, reaching over to scratch behind his ears. He wasn't surprised when Nihil mostly ignored him, save for the thump of a tail that Luciel barely registered. He opened his mouth to say something else before a voice alerted him.

"Luciel!" Spark.

Luciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He petted along Nihil's back when his started to growl lowly, something of a warning. After taking a deep breath, Luciel put on a fake smile and turned to face Spark, looking over his shoulder, "Hey! Fancy seeing you out here."

"Yeah, I was about to say the same," Spark grinned, taking a seat beside Luciel. His Pikachu, who had taken up residence on his shoulder, peered curiously at Luciel, making Spark nudge him and comment in a teasing tone, "stop staring, it's rude!"

"Nah, he's fine," Luciel reached his hand out to the Pikachu, blinking when he took Luciel's hand in both of his paws and shook it. Marvelling at the Pokemon, he stared for a few silent, brief moments. "Oh my god, he's so cute," Luciel put the hand to his mouth in shock.

"Who? Updog?" Spark blinked, looking at the Pikachu from the corner of his eye. He frowned when he noticed the arrogant expression on his Pokemon's face.

Luciel snickered, holding his arms out for Updog to hop into, which he did so happily, curling up into a ball. "I love him, but... the name? Spark, please."

"What? It's a good name!" Spark protested, pouting. He watched as Updog made himself comfortable in Luciel's arms, sticking out his tongue in Spark's direction. Spark sent him a glare, muttering, "why are you like this?"

"I bet you only named him that to get people to play along with your stupid joke," Luciel teased, scratching lightly at Updog's stomach. He smiled at the pleased noises the Pikachu made, responding by cooing at him as if Updog were a baby.

"It's not a stupid joke and you know it," Spark rolled his eyes, throwing his arm around Luciel's shoulders, "so, what are you doing out here? Training for our battle that you missed out on?"

Luciel looked down, furrowing his brows and frowning. "Sorry about that," he muttered, "something turned up and I didn't get a chance to call you."

Not seeming to hear Luciel's response, Spark continued on, "I mean, you haven't talked to me for weeks! I thought you fell off the face of the Earth again."

"Yeah about that-"

"I really missed you, you know! Not as badly as when you left when were kids, but still! Were you busy or something? You know I would've understood."

"Spark."

"I'm just saying, I would've been okay with it. I wanted to call you, but I figured you would've said something if you wanted me to know."

"Spark."

"What were you doing, anyway? Did something happen? Or were you just training and lost track of time?"

"Spark."

"What?"

"I was just saying, something uh..." Luciel fidgeted slightly, messing with Updog's paws as he put them in Luciel's hands, "something came up and I didn't get a chance to call you."

"Oh. Well, you should've called me after! I would've understood," Spark said, looking a little disappointed.

"Sorry, I guess I just got too busy with training?" Luciel shrugged, smiling a little when Updog licked his cheek to cheer him up, "... so cute..."

"Maybe since we're both here, we can train together?" Spark looked excited about it even as he suggested it, beginning to bounce in his spot.

"Ah, actually," Luciel picked up the Pikachu in his arms, passing him back to Spark as he stood up, "I have something I need to get done today, so maybe another time." He explained, muttering an apology that was too quiet to be heard as he collected his things and Pokemon, returning them to their Pokeballs.

"Bye, Spark, talk to you soon!"

Spark blinked, bewildered, looking down at Updog, "what's with him?"

"You're Luciel, correct?" The man behind the desk asked, looking between his phone and Luciel.

"Yeah, that's me. Why?" He simply nodded, eyeing the stranger carefully.

"Spark talks about you a lot," the man shrugged, reaching his hand out, "I'm Go. Spark's... assistant, if you want to call it that."

"Oh! Yeah, Spark has mentioned you from time to time," Luciel hesitantly shook his hand, smiling a little at the corners of his lips. "Uh... is he in, actually?"

"He's in the middle of a battle, but you're welcome to watch it," Go replied, gesturing for Luciel to follow him as he headed down the right hallway, "follow me."

Luciel trailed after him, nervously fidgeting as they exited the quiet front room and entered the loud as all gets stadium. "This is where the battles are held?" He had to raise his voice to even hear himself over the noise the crowd was making.

"Yeah," Go said, "right now, Spark's facing a guy he's had trouble with in the past. Guy can't take that he keeps losing, so he just keeps coming back."

Luciel raised a brow, "how is that trouble?" He asked, taking a seat beside Go when he settled down; they'd managed to find some front row seats amongst the sea of spectators.

"The guy's always loud and brash about it, causes a scene every time," Go explained as he gestured to the guy, who looked rather peeved that he was losing.

"Oh, makes sense, I guess," Luciel muttered the last part, leaning forward to watch the battle closely. Even though they were in the front row, it was still hard to see and hear from where they were; even harder to focus due to an oncoming headache.

The battle seemed to be going in Spark's favour as he had yet to lose his fourth Pokemon, while his opponent was down to his fifth. Thanks to the scoreboard, it was easy to tell who was winning, who had won in the past hour or so, and how many wins, loses, and draws Spark had under his belt.

He wasn't lying when he said he lost to some of them... Luciel thought, resting his arms against the barrier as he stood up, trying to drown out the noise behind and around him in order to focus on the battle in front of him.

Updog seemed to be Spark's Pokemon of choice, easily dodging and weaving around attacks from the opponents Ninetales. Ninetales didn't look like it was a pushover, either, though, striking hard whenever it did land a hit and being able to take a few hits itself. Luciel was almost too scared to ask Go who he should've been rooting for.

"You're welcome to stay here and watch the battle, but I have a job to get to," Go said suddenly, heading toward the door they'd entered from.

"Alright. It was good meeting you!" Luciel called after him, barely taking his eyes off of the battle.

At some point during it, Updog and Spark's Jolteon, who he'd have to learn the name of later, had gotten severely injured. Spark was down to his fifth and the guy was barely hanging on with his sixth; Spark was still winning, but only by a small margin. With everyone around him cheering and booing whoever they thought deserved to win, Luciel didn't think he should've started cheering as well, but...

"Spark, kick his ass!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "don't hold back on someone like this! You can battle a lot better and we both know that!"

Seeming to notice his screaming, - probably due to recognising his voice - Spark looked up to the stands to spot the source. He smiled when he noticed Luciel, waving his hand before he quickly turned his attention back to the battle.

Luciel grinned, proud of himself, as he continued to watch, enthralled in the battle. He wasn't even participating and he could feel adrenaline rushing in his veins.

By the end of the battle, he was more hyped than he'd ever been. As soon as he returned to the front room, he had a bounce in his step and must've looked like he'd gotten the best news ever based on Go's bewildered glance in his direction.

"I take it you had fun?" Go asked, grinning a little.

"Oh yeah! That was so. Fuckin'. Cool!" Luciel replied, talking a little louder than normal with an over-excited tone of voice.

"All of Spark's battles are a little over the top," Go chuckled, looking toward the door down the left hall as it opened. He glared at the guy who lost, getting the same expression in response.

Luciel blinked, watching the guy leave. He became a little confused when the guy glared at him as well. "Well, someone's not happy he lost," he grumbled, crossing his arms as he let out a huff. However, upon seeing Spark walk out not too long after, he grinned a little as he greeted him with a wave.

"Hey! Glad you could make it," Spark beamed, as he walked over to the both of them, moving over to peer at the phone in Go's hands from over his shoulder. "How many times is that?"

"Seven or eight, I lost count," Go replied, looking up from his phone, "guy just can't give it up."

"Some people are just too determined," Luciel chimed, letting out a dejected sigh, "but if someone like that can't even beat Spark, then what's that mean for people like me?"

Spark sent Go a look when he snorted, then turned to Luciel with a grin, throwing an arm around him, "you're a lot stronger than that guy and you know it!"

"I dunno, I've been pretty lacklustre lately," Luciel frowned.

"Spark's always told me that you could totally beat him," Go replied with a shrug.

"He's just saying that because I used to beat him all the time when we were kids," Luciel rolled his eyes, then cast Spark a look, raising a brow.

"What? It's true," Spark held his hands up in mock defence, "you always used to completely own me when we had battles back then."

"Yeah, but now?"

Go looked between the two of them, shaking his head, "why don't you two just battle and figure it out for yourselves?"

"Too busy," Luciel replied rubbing the back of his neck, "I actually shouldn't have even been here, but I decided my boss could deal without me for a day."

"Playing hooky are we?" Spark shot Luciel a disappointed look, "tsk, tsk, tsk."

"You play hooky from your leader duties from time to time," Go interjected, grinning a little at Spark's pout.

"You weren't supposed to tell him that!"

"Oops, it slipped," Go faked(?, it looked both too real and too fake to tell...) a shrug.

"How could you do this to me, Go?" Spark played along, fake crying with his hands covering his face. "Betrayal! Betrayal, I say!"

Luciel doubled over, holding back laughter while gripping his sides, "dear Arceus, you two!"

Soon enough, Spark joined in, laughing heartily, with Go finally joining last.

When they'd finished wiping the tears from their eyes, they all straightened out and looked amongst themselves. However, after getting a ping on his phone, Go held it up and smiled sadly, "sorry, gotta take this. You two have fun."

"Will do!" Luciel called after him, waving his goodbye. After Go was out of sight, he turned to Spark, "so uh... your battle, huh? That was... pretty good."

"Maybe I have gotten better with age?" Spark suggested, referencing his joke from a few weeks ago.

"Aged like fine cheese, Spark, fine cheese," Luciel shook his head, giving Spark a pat on the arm.

"Speaking of," Spark waggled his brows, "wanna go get some dinner? I know it's kinda late, but I'm sure there's some places still open.

"Are you thinking pizza?"

"Only if you are."

Luciel grinned, hooking his arm with Spark's when the offered presented itself, "lead the way."

"With pleasure," Spark returned the grin with one of his own, a playful expression that radiated happiness, heading out of the gym with his arm swinging, therefore causing Luciel's to swing with his.

"Any particular place we're going to? Or are we just gonna go to your place and order?" Luciel asked, peering up at Spark as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"I was thinking my place and order, I really don't wanna carry a pizza home," Spark whined a little, rubbing at his arm, "my arms hurt too much to carry anything."

"You're just lazy.~" Luciel teased, rolling his eyes at Spark's play acting.

"Am I? Or are you just too cynical to not care about my pain?" Spark retaliated, a teasing tone to his words.

Luciel didn't seem to notice it, however, too busy staring at something that caught his attention.

"Luciel? Hey, what is it?" Spark reached over, waving his hand in front of Luciel's face, blinking a few times.

"Huh?! Oh! Oh, no, it's... I just thought I saw something over there," Luciel made a vague gesture toward the alley adjacent to them.

"Have you been sleeping enough? You know you start to see things when you don't get enough sleep."

"I know, and yes, I have... Must've just been a Meowth or something," Luciel shrugged, pulling Spark along.

"Are you sure? We could investigate it if you're worried," Spark suggested, stumbling when he was suddenly yanked forward. He barely caught himself by leaning on Luciel for a bit before he was able to keep up.

"Nah, let's just keep going; I'm hungry anyway," Luciel replied, fidgeting slightly after pulling his arm away from Spark's, "besides, it's probably none of our business.

Spark tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brows. "If you're sure..." He replied, slipping his hands down into his pockets. In an attempt to change the subject, he brought up pizza again, "what kind do you want?"

"What?" A little bewildered, Luciel cast a confused glance up at him, "oh- pizza, right. Uh. Cheese. With extra cheese."

"As always," Spark teased, "you gotta branch out a little."

"I'll branch out when I'm dead, I'm too in love with cheese to do anything else while I'm alive.

"See! You're so bland and predictable it hurts!"

"Oh please, like you're so much better?"

"I'm instinctual," Spark grinned, waiting for Luciel to catch the joke. However, when he noticed he hadn't, Spark looked down, nudging him slightly. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Spark," Luciel reached for his arm again, holding tightly to it with both hands.

"What? Seriously, are you that freaked out about what you saw? Like you said, it was probably a Poke-"

"Spark, please be serious for once."

"Why? What's wr-" He didn't even finish his sentence before a resounding CRASH caught him off guard. Spark turned quickly to face the source of the noise, already on edge as he gave Luciel a small push behind him.

They waited for a moment, the sound of the wind blowing around them and their breathing being the only thing to fill the void that would otherwise be silent. Much to their relief, out from the alleyway they just walked by was a Ninetales, looking more startled at them than they did at it.

"See, I told you it was nothing to worry about!"

"Spark," he swallowed nervously, "look at the bandanna around its neck," Luciel made a gesture to his own neck for emphasis.

"Whatcha mean..." Spark trailed off, recognising the bandanna almost immediately. Plastered on the black fabric was a bright red 'R', proudly displaying the team the Pokemon belonged to. For once, a serious expression displayed on his features, "stay behind me."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Luciel stepped back a little further, peering out from behind Spark with an anxious expression.

Another tense handful of seconds passed before the trainer finally showed himself and Luciel couldn't be any less surprised about who it was.

"I knew that guy was an asshole," he muttered, clinging to the back of Spark's jacket.

What happened next was so sudden he barely registered it. The trainer attacked and then... Luciel had never seen someone move so fast. He didn't recognise the speed at first, too caught off guard to even understand. But he did know that he suddenly went from point A, the ground, where the attack hit, to point b, the rooftop of a two story building not too far away.

"Spark?" He asked, his breathing beginning to level out from his previously almost hyperventilating state.

"I'd say 'guess again,' but then I'd have to hear my name come out of your mouth."

"... Zapdos," Luciel muttered, suddenly shoving himself out of arms he knew didn't belong to his friend.

"... And you say it anyway," Zapdos groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I save your life and you treat me like this?"

"If you're going to complain about it, why bother?" Luciel snarled, rising to his feet. He was caught off guard again when the second movement happened, helplessly clinging to Spark's jacket despite his irritation for the Titan having taken over.

"Because," Zapdos continued as soon as he had finally determined a safe spot to drop Luciel for good, "in human vernacular, I've grown accustomed to you presence."

Luciel blinked a few times, slow to understand Zapdos' words. But before he could say anything, the bird was off again, moving like lightning.

"Hey, wait! Should I be flattered or what?!" He called after, leaning over the ledge of the roof to watch Zapdos dart off.

Turned out, occupying oneself by stargazing wasn't exactly the most interesting thing in the world. By the time Zapdos had finally made his way back, Luciel had almost dozed off several times and was only keeping himself awake by messing around on his phone. Of course, he was worried, but he'd determined that there was simply nothing he could do until Zapdos returned. Then, he'd certainly be giving that stupid bird a lecture of a life time.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to jump off," Zapdos commented as he came to rest beside Luciel, peering over at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Why? If I jumped, I would've died," Luciel replied before realising what the Titan meant. He glared at Zapdos, frowning, "you hate me and yet you've grown accustomed to my presence. It's either one or the other, make up your mind.

Zapdos sighed heavily, leaning over to throw his arm over Luciel's shoulders, "I'll admit that I did not realise it before... but you are genuinely apologetic about leaving Spark alone all those years ago... And although I still despise you and all humans, if something were to happen to you, he would be devastated."

"So... you're saying that you're only keeping me around for Spark's sake."

"Something like that," Zapdos grinned a little, squeezing Luciel's shoulders in an awkward, one armed hug.

"Wow, gee. I've earned the favour of a Legendary Bird- Wait, what's that on my shoulder?"

"We should be going, right?"

"Zapdos I swear to Arceus if that's blood-"

"We're going."

Before Luciel could protest, Zapdos scooped him up once more, rounding his way back down the buildings until they landed on the ground.

"Wha- hey- Arceus, I'm gonna be sick..." Luciel groaned, slipping away from Zapdos when they finally settled on the ground.

"You'd better hurry, we're not quite out of the clear yet," Zapdos warned, looking over his shoulder to peer down the sidewalk.

"That's rather ominous," Luciel commented after getting a hold on his bearings, his eyesight no longer doubled.

"So is that," Zapdos made a gesture behind them, directing Luciel's attention to the trainer from before.

"Can't you, I dunno, do something?"

"Are you telling me to stop holding back?"

Luciel hesitated, biting his lip.

"If you're going to answer, do it fast."

"Yes," Luciel finally confirmed, confident in his answer, "if that'll get this to stop, then don't hold back." He wasn't going to lie when he thought that the look Zapdos made with Spark's face was genuinely terrifying. Nor was he going to when he realised just how Zapdos could fight when he was backed into a corner. Even though he had also taken over Spark's body, he seemed to be doing very well; maybe he was only doing it to protect Spark? But why would he? Spark had already fought the guy so, why bother?

Oh my Arceus.

Luciel scrambled backward when he came to a conclusion, nearly tumbling over his own feet in the process. Panic rushed through him, not unlike the adrenaline that had done the same earlier. He contemplated the answers swirling in his head, trying in vain to figure out what he was going to do. He realised that Zapdos was only fighting, because he didn't want Team Rocket to take him from Spark, he was only fighting because he knew what being apart from one another for too long for would do to both him and his bonded.

Zapdos didn't even seem to realise that he was going overboard. Or maybe he did and he was doing it intentionally? No, he wouldn't-

When Luciel caught sight of the glance that was shot in his direction, he froze.

And then all of a sudden, his legs were moving before he could process it; he was running as fast as he could, pushing himself further than he'd ever done before. And as soon as he finally came to a halt in front of... Spark? Zapdos? Was it both of them? Luciel grabbed his shoulders, his grip shaky. Of course Zapdos took notice easily, he wasn't blind. But his reaction...

He clung tightly to Luciel like he was going to lose him, claws digging past his clothes and into his skin, creating long, angry scratch marks that Luciel could feel were bleeding. His back must've looked like some kind of bird must've attacked him - and it wouldn't be totally wrong - by the time he'd finally gotten Spark to calm down.

Luciel wheezed, squeezing Spark tighter when he began to apologise, "I've got you, okay? It's okay..." He smoothed his hand through Spark's hair, trying to ignore the pain in his back.

"... I'm sorry," Spark muttered, hesitant to return the embrace that Luciel had him in.

"Don't. Don't apologise, okay? It's fine."

"You're too good to me..."

"Any other time I might agree with you," Luciel laughed a little, trying to ignore the burning from the marks on his back, "but... I can't do that now."

"Yeah..." Spark nosed his face against Luciel's shoulder, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that..." Luciel smiled a little, wincing when he moved to curl against Spark.

"Someone has to," Spark replied tiredly, carefully picking Luciel up in his arms. He tried to steady himself when he swayed, biting back the throbbing pain in his head.

After he'd been able to brush off the feeling of weariness, he greeted Luciel to one of his signature smiles, "let's get you patched up."

Luciel simply hummed in response.