This was what he was afraid of. Well, sorta. Things felt sort of awkward, uncertain. This was a date, right? Or was it just an outing? Levy felt entirely unprepared and he didn’t like that feeling. Not that he needed to plan everything, but he liked a little control so that he didn’t do anything potentially embarrassing.
[break][break]
At the same time, it was also nice. The way the surroundings were coated in white. It was like one of those Christmas movies that Wren always liked to watch. Minerva was out, struggling to keep up with Juno (in more ways than one), but that was okay. He tried reassuring her that she didn’t need to race to keep up with others, she could move at her own pace. That had always worked with him. She had eased to him more, not quite so jumpy and yet still anticipating all the time for something bad to come. It was strange watching his life mirrored before him in a pokemon.
[break][break]
He wasn’t anticipating the way Wren’s hands suddenly fitted to his own, a little breath of surprise. “Oh… yeah,” He paused, smiling and squeezing his hand in an attempt to be reassuring. “I don’t mind it at all.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

wren rourke [break]
poison/bug/grass

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-eevee"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-galvantula"]

Things definitely felt awkward. Though not in a way that Wren considered to be damaging to them. They just…needed to figure out how to navigate the shift that had occurred between them, and they were totally capable of it. He believed in them. Wholeheartedly![break][break]

He’d tried to instruct Juno to slow up a bit, but she was bigger now and couldn’t help that she kept outpacing Minerva. Though her softness for the eevee was obvious—she kept circling back to her and making sure she could be nudged along.[break][break]

Wren’s smile widened, and he looked down at their swinging hands bashfully as his own squeezed back. “Good, I’m glad. I like…this.” It was almost funny how aware of it he was now, considering how touchy he’d always been in the past without a second thought.[break][break]

“Oh, a smoliv!” It stood bright green and shivery with nerves against the snow. If it was anything like his own, a warm welcome would be well received. “C’mere lil buddy,” he said as he stooped down, opening his free arm for it to scurry over so he could scoop it up.[break][break]

Even then, when he was trying to catch something, he was reluctant to let go of Levy’s hand and so they remained tangled together as Wren stood again, smoliv tucked into his arm. “I have a friend who would probably love to have one of these!”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

Levy Alinsky     [break]
poison/bug/grass // catching smoliv!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-leafeon"]

Things were a little complicated, for sure. Maybe Levy was making it more complicated than it needed to be though. Wren didn't seem to blame him or hate him for his affiliation with Rocket. It was all out in the open, there were no more lies. So, he should've been relieved. He was relieved, but he also couldn't help but wonder if the calm was being forced to hide the ensuing storm. One day, their differences would intersect, right?
[break][break]
"I like it too." He laughed at the other's uncertainty. Granted, it wasn't like him to accept this kind of contact. Usually, it scared or overwhelmed him due to past experience, but it was always different with Wren. Levy never wanted him to feel as if he needed to walk on eggshells.
[break][break]
He noticed the Smoliv, "That's nice of you, thinking about others." Of course he was, Wren always thought about others in that way. Maybe if he lightened up some he could make friends with such ease. His own attention was drawn to a durant, definitively more ordinary than a smoliv, but for some reason he'd taken a liking to bug types. Galvantula was released then, giving the durant a little shock before Levy threw a pokeball.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

wren rourke [break]
poison/bug/grass | Catching Durant!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-eevee"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-galvantula"]

"This is, um...this is fun!" Wren would consider anything done outside as fun. But it was better with Levy. Even if things were a little wobbly and confusing between them. If this was a date, were they dating? Were they a couple now? They hadn't exactly talked about it, had they?[break][break]

Wren's smile widened, and some of his nerves eased. He swung their clasped hands between them excitedly. "Me too." Well, duh. He'd already said that. "I like you." Also a given, considering the fact that he'd said things much stronger than like not so long ago.[break][break]

with a gentle tap, the smoliv was contained in a pokeball. "Yeah, uh, one of my ranger friends seemed to really like the one I had sooo...he might be willing to trade later or something." Even if he wasn't, he'd probably give it to Kieran Roth as a gift. It made him feel a bit sheepish, being complimented by Levy about it, though. Or was it weird, talking about his buddy like this on a date?[break][break]

A decidueye watched them from the treeline, but Wren didn't pay it any mind. He watched the other catch the durant before tugging him down by his coat to give him a short kiss.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

Levy Alinsky     [break]
poison/bug/grass // skipping!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-leafeon"]

Levy didn't exactly love the great outdoors, but Wren made it worth it.
[break][break]
He smiled at that, "Oh you do, do you?" It felt a little bizarre, after so many years being best friends. Was love supposed to come so easily? Though, the truth was he'd been in love with Wren since the day he met him and that hadn't changed. He'd simply hidden it away. Why? Because he'd been afraid. He found, that he was afraid of a great many things. All that time pretending to be unaffected by the world, all one big stupid lie.
[break][break]
Admittedly, Levy was quick to jealousy. Though, he didn't think it necessary out of a toxic source. He was simply afraid and he knew he was. He had to have faith that Wren would still continue to like him, and if he didn't? Well... then he'd have to be okay letting him go. That was the way things worked. He wasn't on the streets or in the suffocating space of his mother's home. This mattered to him. It was real, and it as too important to risk tearing it apart because he was insecure. "You're always so nice, you know that?" He laughed, but in a soft way. He loved that about Wren.
[break][break]
Wren tugged him into a quick kiss and he didn't note the venomoth that glided carelessly by.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

wren rourke [break]
poison/bug/grass | Skipping!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-eevee"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-galvantula"]

“Yep!” A wide, dumb grin pulled at his mouth. It was the same, but different. Elevated. Sort of, even if they hadn’t pinned it down. But the attachment was there all the same. Unyielding. It put ideas in his head. A want to make plans, future ones.[break][break]

Though it probably was unexpected of him, Wren too found himself swayed by envy easily where Levy was considered. He’d grown good at hiding, but it always existed, nauseating and disconcerting. He shrugged a little at his…friend’s? words. “I dunno, I don’t think about it, really.”[break][break]

Wren smiled against his lips, and his arms slipped up from the lapels of Levy’s jacket to curl around his neck instead. He had to stretch up to his toes to do so, but he managed all the same. With a laugh, he rubbed their chilly noses together. His attention was only pulled away by Juno, who darted forward to BITE at a maractus. Pulling a ball from his pocket he tossed it at the two before the leafeon found herself stuck with a mouthful of needles.[break][break]

Then his arm drifted back up to its original perch. “Sooo…” he drew the word out in preemptive subject shift. He stepped back a little, hands settling up on Levy’s shoulders instead as he got a better look at him. Unlike the first time, the nervousness he felt over having something to share was also muddled with excitement.[break][break]

Because this was a good thing, right? He hoped so.[break][break]

“What if I told you…I applied for a transfer to Petalburg’s branch?” And maybe a promotion too, but one thing at a time, and even then he didn’t know if he’d get it. Or the transfer.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

Levy Alinsky     [break]
poison/bug/grass // catching maractus!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-leafeon"]

"Well that's what makes you good, you don't think about it." It was natural for Wren to be like that and Levy loved him for that reason. Hell, he'd loved him since the day the little idiot decided to make him his friend. It had been through a lot of effort and not much return, but Wren had stuck by him. There was a lot that Levy should feel thankful for and he was still in the process of getting used to it all.
[break][break]
It felt like an skill, accepting things for what they were. A skill that Levy was untrained and clumsy at best with. As with all other things, wren was his exception and he wanted to make him realize how much he appreciated it, without being overwhelmingly sappy about it. Aka easier said than done, even if Wren liked sappy shit.
[break][break]
Levy saw a dewpider silently slipping through the weedy grass. Galvantula gave it a little shock and he quickly followed up with a pokeball to capture. He didn't know why he was drawn to bugs, they were weird but so was he.
[break][break]
"Wait—" He halted then, nearly tripping over himself. "You did? But don't they like... not even have a captain yet?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

wren rourke [break]
poison/bug/grass | Catching Dewpider

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-eevee"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-galvantula"]

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he replied, struggling to fight off a shy little smile that followed. He didn’t know how to handle the praise, even from Levy. He was always so awkward with it, and quick to make light of anything good done. Levy’s gratitude was a big thing, but Wren had never felt the need to be thanked. He’d wanted to befriend Levy because he’d wanted to. Simple as that. It had never been an act of altruism or service. He’d been curious, then drawn to him again and again.[break][break]

Love was funny like that.[break][break]

Maybe he should’ve anticipated the surprise that followed. “Oop-” his hands shot out to steady the other, just to make sure he didn’t stumble further or fall because Wren had caught him off guard.[break][break]

“Oh, well…there was one. But she had to step down recently for personal reasons. So they’ve been managing with nearby supervision.” His eyes darted to the side, sheepish. “I maybe…applied for that too. Not that I really think I have much of a shot, but I’ve received a lot of rank promotions recently. So I thought, why not just see what happens?”[break][break]

He capped it off with a nervous laugh. Hands wringing together because Levy hadn’t given much of a reaction yet as far as his opinion went. Was it a bad idea? What if he thought Wren was putting too many eggs in one basket? Too busy paying attention to Levy, he didn’t notice any of the new pokemon creeping out of the foliage to observe them. “What’re you thinking?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

Levy Alinsky     [break]
poison/bug/grass // skipping!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-leafeon"]

He laughed nervously then as Wren steadied him. Usually, Wren was the clumsy one. It was a little humorous to be caught on the other end. "You applied?" His eyebrows shot up with surprise, but a smile quickly took hold despite himself. Still, he was quiet, ruminating through thoughts as he often did without realizing that there was a time limit to replies. He always messed up that kind of social etiquette, knowing that the other was probably uncertain about himself and the silence probably didn't help much.
[break][break]
"I'm thinking that'd they'd be crazy not to pick you. You're really great, you know that?" He didn't know anyone more passionate or caring about other people and pokemon than Wren. "I'm proud of you, Wren... really."
[break][break]
He spied another pokemon in the brush but let it pass. "I'm also super happy to have you back here... I've missed you a lot."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]

wren rourke [break]
poison/bug/grass | Skipping!

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-eevee"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-galvantula"]