The zap at his ankle causes Sam to wince, his body tingling now. He furrows his brows at Captain, looking down as if begging for a bit of mercy since it isn’t his fault Knox is so needy… but it definitely is his own fault for being so weak to every damn wish and whim of the boy, and he is all too aware that the pikachu knows that.

”Captain begs to differ.” Sam laughs, small smile forming before he bends and, with a grunt of effort thanks to several rounds, he picks Knox up off his feet and begins to carry him bridal style toward their house.

The house he built for them. The house that he plans on growing old with Knox in. The very house that was now, and would forever be, his home… was it also Knox’ home?

As they cross the threshold, he carries Knox over to their couch and plops him down, but he doesn’t leave him. He hovers over Knox and lets his gaze settle on Knox, gold eyes searching blue.

”I want to spend forever with you.” To give Knox a bit of space, he begins kissing the jaw and collarbones below him. ”You know that, don’t you?”

knox prescott

the words cause sam to smirk, though that smirk wilts when those lips find his. the teeth against his lip cause a heat to begin in his stomach, one which he doesn't snuff out immediately. he has learned, thanks to knox, not to ignore those feelings but instead to embrace them and let his own curious mind get to work.

but there is a subject at hand. they are technically supposed to be going to the store, something he feels he should remind knox of but also knows that knox will throw a fit if sam doesn't remind him in a certain way.

instead of pulling away, or ending their dance, he slides his foot between knox' feet and then pulls one of his boyfriend's feet forward quickly, catching him and dipping him down. the tug of those teeth on his lips don't bother sam as he dips his boyfriend, looking at him with a quirked brow.

"we're supposed to go to the store, aren't we?"

knox prescott

take care of stuff over there.

he had, in fact, buried his mother. he still couldn’t even say it. couldn’t even bring himself to say the words. once upon a time, for over a decade, he had buried bodies for a living. but when it came to burying somebody he loved…

sam was going to say that it wasn’t knox’ fault that sam was busy all the time. he could time manage better. he could tell summer no sometimes.

he just didn’t. because he got caught up in the tasks and in his mind, had to tick off all the things on the list before he could go back.

what he was realizing, or had realized while he was gone, was that knox was more important than a list full of checkmarks.

smiling at the notion that knox is, in fact, too pretty for prison, sam walks closer and wraps a hand around knox’ lower back. he takes his hand, holding it up, beginning a small sway.

is he classically dancing with knox in their background with nothing but the light of the moon and the song of the stars as their guides? yes.

”i’ll be the villain in a thousand stories if it keeps me right here with you.”

knox prescott

there is relief clear on his features. to most it likely doesn’t look any different than his usual expression. after all, all that’s changed between when he was tense and the relaxed form he takes after hearing knox’ answer is a small movement of his shoulders back and the way he moves their fingers so that they’re lacing together.

he prefers this. to feel knox’ fingers in his. to feel his boyfriend’s warmth… boyfriend.

”no. i don’t enjoy life more or less when it comes to my job. it’s a job. pays the bills, keeps my hands busy.”

he watches their hands before looking up to those beautiful eyes across from him.

”to tell you the truth, i was worried that i’ve been working too much. neglecting you. it’s not very well under my control, my work load. not yet.” maybe one day when summer trusts him more. maybe one day when knox steps up, if knox wants to step up.

but that’s why took up the mantle of this job. got himself involved. was to protect knox. to make it so that knox never had to pull a single trigger a day in his life if sam could help it. because knox doesn’t like it and sam doesn’t care if he has blood on his hands.

after all, blood only stains the innocent.

”but my first priority is to make sure you are happy. so if at any point this work schedule doesn’t make you happy, you tell me. i’ll be sure to make it right…somehow.”

persuading summer of anything without offering his body is nearly impossible. much like trying to persuade knox of anything without the promise of something he usually has no appetite for.

ah, the prescotts everyone.

knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

”your relationship with your sister always confuses me. in truth, it always has.” he backs away enough to give knox room to move, allowing himself the freedom to stretch. several of his vertebrae crackle and he thinks perhaps he should go see somebody about that when they’re ‘staycation’ is finished. [break][break]

the thought of work actually brings a frown to his face. he used to feel indifferent about work, when he was simply the manager of a graveyard. it was just as busy but it was far more … well, he knew it better, he supposed. [break][break]

work with the prescotts was new and different. he was learning, and excelling, but he wondered… [break][break]

”do you enjoy life less now that i work with summer?” [break][break]

he should have explained himself better, but for the time being, that’s the only thought he could get out.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

stay at home hubby resonates in his core in a way he wasn't expecting. his eyes narrow a bit and he tucks it into the back of his head to maybe deal with at another time. he certainly won't forget the way it felt to hear it.[break][break]

while he didn't like to stay at home, it was more the idea of being or having a husband that caused him to inwardly consider a lot of things. namely what he'd had commissioned while he was in kanto.[break][break]

did knox prescott know about the ring? did word somehow get out about sam making the engagement ring?[break][break]

"i'll be sure to keep you in the loop as well as i can from this point forward." he reroutes his thoughts by focusing on the task at hand, keeping mint's mind at ease.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

mint frost

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

"nothing?" it is hard for sam to believe there is nothing at the house because knox is always snacking. sam always buys extra things for knox to nibble on. the shock is a mocking one, a tease of sorts, given with a gentle smile.[break][break]

the smile feels good. he'd forgotten how good smiling with knox feels. because he had gone back to that ice cold robot when knox left and he had to take care of the conditions for his mother's burial. the loneliness he'd taken such comfort in was a new weight, heavily reminding him of just how much he wanted knox.[break][break]

because it wasn't that he needed knox. he knew that. he could survive without knox as he had before knox, but he wanted knox. he chose knox, because living had a point when knox was with him.[break][break]

"best put some creams and things on our shopping list for those unspeakables." sam furthered as he squeezed knox' hand and started for the house, assuming they were going right then and there.

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

knox prescott

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

the battle finally comes to an end and in the ashes of one bird of prey comes another. an egg forms and sam is the one to whom it imprints on, that feather in his pocket the key to why. he thinks back to when keldeo had taken time in his stay, remaining on mt. pyre until he was healed up.[break][break]

but can 'raising a legendary' really count as the same thing?[break][break]

as royalty is crowned and people begin to settle, there are words of miasma that come to light. it is made blindingly clear they cannot go home and that idea haunts him. he is thankful to know that it is some sort of otherworldly dream place, but he doesn't understand or know much more than that. which is exactly why he must learn more.[break]

[break]

---

[break][break]

THE FIRST MONTH

[break]

that is exactly where all of his efforts are poured. straight into learning all that he can about the stars. they apparently hold secrets, secrets that he wants to help unearth. he's no professional, but his eidetic memory from back in the real world holds strong even in the realm of dream and prophecy, this trick of the mind.[break][break]

it is not just the stars that rapture his attention. the galarian articuno hatches and he takes great care of it. protects it with all of his other pokémon. it is raised to understand that life is not what is handed to you, not what you make it. it is not black or white. it is, in fact, the opposite of death. it is all things at once only colliding with a small fraction of time, one's own time; and from there, life takes root.[break][break]

he trains the bird as much as he can. he does not name the legendary, not entirely sure if such a thing is even allowed. he gleans what he can and helps it to grow strong.[break]

[break]

---

[break][break]

THE FIRST YEAR

[break]

as one month begins to blur into twelve, sam keeps himself occupied with constant tasks. he serves as the warden of the stars, keeping those researching how to get home safe and helping in any way that he can.[break][break]

his primary focus in the first year becomes that prophecy and keeping protection around those who would need it with all the uprisings.[break][break]

all while longing and yearning for home. after all, he's only just gotten his happiness back. he's only just seen the light of his stars and the bright cool light of his moon for the first time in what felt like forever after burying his mother...[break]

[break]

---

[break][break]

A DECADE PASSED

[break]

he is the same face with a bit more age. he is still clean shaven and well kept. he still sports a pair of sport capris and a hoodie. tattoos remain across his skin, stained forever into his skin.[break][break]

warden of the stars and keeper of one of the legendary birds birthed from that death, he holds his title with pride.[break][break]

in the absence of knox prescott, he has become even more stoic than usual. in the absence of his stars, he is a black and void sky. in the absence of his sun, he holds no warmth. with no moon, there is little ebb and flow to the waters of emotion within him.[break][break]

all he wants, all he wishes for, is a way home. however he may come about it, that is what he fights for.

LOCATION[break]
+ ballonlea[break][break]

ITEMS ACQUIRED[break]
+ galarian articuno (hatched, event only)[break][break]

TL;DR[break]
+ wishes to be home with knox[break]
+ spends the first month making connections with those doing star research[break]
+ spends a year collecting information on stars and the cryptic prophecy[break]
+ for ten years becomes cold and robotic toward everyone and only comes to life when speaking of knox prescott, or getting home

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

GOODBYE GALAR: RUSTED SHIELD[break][break]

J3vZZ3kc[break]
+10

[attr="class","sunandstars2"]

[attr="class","sunandstarsw"]

"suck your ass, hm?"[break][break]

the phrase reminded him of something mitchel kane might say. which had him realizing he would have to eventually introduce the two of them... but as far as he was concerned, he had seven days worth of not worrying about any of it.[break][break]

"seven days... that's more time together than we've had, by ourselves, in ages." he glanced around, then furrowed his brows in thought. "we could leave hoenn for the week, or we could stick around. meander around for a bit."[break][break]

if they left, summer wouldn't bother them. if they stayed, summer would bother them but they would deny her advances. either way, sam didn't mind. whatever knox wanted. he showed as much by nuzzling his face against the crook of knox' neck. his lips moved against the soft skin there.[break][break]

"to be honest, i'd be more content going to the store and getting some supplies for a staycation. seven days with nothing but ourselves and lazy entertainment."

[attr="class","sunandstarst"]

knox prescott