[attr="class","top"]

the samurott's ceaseless edge crashes into marya, causing the drifblim to once again spiral backwards. her body pulses with pain and the power of yet another stockpile.

[break][break] "i never met him," jayden admits. he wonders if his father had. unlikely, considering that the Stone name had been prevalent in Hoenn. and as far as his ambitions in hoenn lay, the name of nikolai cross had very rarely crossed the gym circuit.

[break][break] he blinks, head tilting.

[break][break] "do you have a lot of fans, cian?"

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

this bitch really using the STOCKPILE tactic? tch. it's a good thing the battle matters little to cian. he's focused on talking with his friend.

"i'd say so, yeah. they ask for selfies quite often."

which he is more than happy to take, of course.

another CEASELESS EDGE crashes in the background (foreground?).

"you're still my biggest fan, though, right?"

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

"hmm."

[break][break] it is a difficult question to answer, for sure.

[break][break] on one hand, it had been a while since the two had seen each other and jayden had not yet made the calculations to know exactly who his competitors were. what was cian's biggest fan like? were they a rocket? what parameters was he being measured against?

[break][break] although, jayden did have a leg-up on most of his compeition.

[break][break] he had seen CIAN MAHER naked after all.

[break][break] "maybe." he blinks. "i don't have a selfie of you, though."

[break][break]just as the final ceaseless edge crashes into the drifblim, the glowing energy around the ghost-type seems to grow exponentially more. there is the crackle-pop of sinapses firing, just as SPIT-UP causes a beam of energy to shoot forth.

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

"you don't?"

huh. he only realizes now that despite all the time they've spent together, they've never taken a picture together, have they?

well, only one way to change that.

crossing through the battle that rages on between them, cian approaches, gesturing for jayden to pull out his phone.

"selfie time. right now."

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

"i don't," he confirms.

[break][break] he blinks with surprise as the other decides to cross the ensuing battleground, but in typical CIAN MAHER, he is able to cross pristine and spotless. unharmed. it's not a surprise for jayden, who knows the other to be the kind of man who does things as easily as breathing.

[break][break] obediently, he takes out his phone.

[break][break] "what kind of pose should we do?"

[break][break] now that they are closer, jayden must admit. CIAN MAHER is handsome.

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

"whatever feels natural, i guess."

for cian, it means bringing an arm around jayden's shoulders before pulling him close. appreciating the brief moment of warmth, cian tilts his head over at jayden before grinning.

"you look even better up close, you know?"

the sounds of battle fade in the background.

"go on, then."

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

natural?

[break][break] the word gives him pause — it's never been something he considered. what was natural? what was natural was to not take a photo at all, as he didn't often make a habit of taking selfies with his friends. but perhaps he should — he was sure that mint frost would appreciate it more.

[break][break] a light blush scatters over jayden's cheeks as the other snakes an arm around him, the close proximity being something that he is unused to. a soft laugh rumbles in his chest, a mixture of discomfort and bemusement. "you look good too, cian."

[break][break] put it up to CIAN MAHER to flirt, even when he didn't have to.

[break][break] he maneuvers the camera in front of them both, tilting his head towards cian. and then click the photo is captured.

[break][break] "that good?" he asks, angling the phone towards the other.

[break][break] the echoes of the battle fade into the backdrop, as his drifblim uses a second spit-up attack.

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

click!

"perfect."

cian can't help but smile at the photo. he reaches to tilt it a bit closer to him, letting his hand linger for moments before pulling away.

"send it to me, will you?"

the SPIT-UP is avoided as samurott closes the distance with an AQUA JET that takes it right up to the drifblim.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

where their fingers brush, the touch is warm. something stirs in his chest, though unexplained.

[break][break] "of course," he says. "now i finally have a picture of you."

[break][break] but what was he going to do with the photo? jayden was typically not a sentimental person. after all, his own house was decorated very minimally. that being said, there was something to be said for a photograph — something memorialized in time.

[break][break] as it's crashed into, his drifblim rolls backwards and uses swallow to regain some additional hp. as the battle rages on, jayden doesn't move away from cian. not yet.

[break][break] his eyes flick upwards, fingers reach up to slide against cian's chest. his fingers catch in the collar.

[break][break] he pulls him in for a kiss.

[break][break] after all, photographs might have been nice, but the real thing was better.

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

maybe he should've seen the kiss coming. it would've saved them some hurt after the fleeting warmth. but he doesn't, and in the briefest of moment, he returns the kiss before pulling away.

it only takes a second for his lips to snake into a grin.

"i didn't think you missed me that much."

samurott continues the assault with an AQUA TAIL this time.

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

it's an impulsive thought, one that is fleeting as much as it passes. the heat that coils in his stomach seems to be satisfied by the contact, even if it is for only the briefest of moments.

[break][break] "why wouldn't you think i missed you?" he says, matter-of-factly as if he's talking about the weather. "we're friends, aren't we?"

[break][break] he still stands close enough to cian to look at him, fingertips brushing the other's collar.

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]

"i think we're pretty close friends, yep yep."

besties, as he'd once put it. he still thinks of them that way even if it's been a while since they've been together.

the grin fades ever so slightly.

"but you didn't call or text while you were away, jayden. so i wasn't sure how you felt."

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","top"]

he pauses. this seems to be a common theme — after all, hadn't mint frost been upset him for the very same reason?

[break][break] "i assumed you would know."

[break][break] his head tilts towards CIAN MAHER.

[break][break] "can i make it up to you?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]