Confusion was plain as day on his face as Victor asked him to stay, permanently. He blinked slowly, tensing up again at the offer. “F…For how l-long…?” He couldn’t quite grasp he was basically being asked to become a permanent resident. That’s not how it worked, right? He couldn’t just…stay here, right? That sounded dangerous, even if he had his ghosts sticking around. He couldn’t live somewhere he was on guard all the time.
[break][break]

He blinked again, the revelation that Victor really wanted him to move in hitting him like a sack of bricks. “…ly shit…” he murmured zoning out for a moment. He frowned looking up at Victor as he explained himself. It was such a good offer, and at least here he had his own bed and hot water all the time. He wasn’t fighting for scraps of food that may or may not have been rotten. The offer’s too good. He can’t trust it. Shouldn’t trust it. Lana had accepted a lot from Victor already, but something about this was overwhelming. “Y-Yeah…I-I mean…but y-you’d be m-m-my b-boss? And that’d b-be w-w-weird…?” He paused before pushing on. But they’re bargaining now…he guessed. Lana sat staring at the stable for a moment. He didn’t look up, pink beginning to dust his cheeks and his ears. “W…Will you w-w-wear t-that…t-the leash a-again…?” he asked his voice trailing off. “I-I just….w-what else d-do you w-w-want f-from m-me?”



[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Victor was hurt, or at the very least scarred. That much he could pick up on. He wasn’t supposed to see what he saw. He didn’t think that victor seemed ready to share that with a guy he’d only known for a couple of days, maybe a week at most. He felt his heart jump as victor carefully grabbed his wrist and he looked down at it, blinking as he remembered the weird, and embarrassing other part of the dream. The ribbons, the collar the- Lana swallowed dispelling the thought in shame. That had not been real. That had been a dream.[break][break]

He could feel the distress, ever so lightly. But words escaped him. “I-I won’t l-leave then. It’s n-not like I-I h-gave p-p-plans.” He assured him leaning forward and placing his other hand on top of Victor’s and squeezing his hand. “I-I can s-stay t-t-the weekend and g-go Monday m-morning. I-I don’t m-mind.” Should he get him a blanket? Maybe some tea to calm his nerves? He could run to a café. The neighborhood was nice enough to have one down the street, probably.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana felt his stomach twist as Victor calmly asserted, he’d meant nothing at all to his husband. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, considering the marriage, he remembered his own parents and their relationship with him. They’d had no problem letting him run off on his own. They hadn’t even cared. He felt his head lower a little causing Mikey to turn to watch him feeling a spike in the negative energy. The trainer took a deep breath trying to steady his thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to time about his past. He wasn’t the one in pain right now. [break][break]

“I-I’m s-s-sorry t-that I was t-there-” he began before retracting his hand and looking up at Victor. “I-…If y-you want m-me too. I-I just need t-to change and p-pee.” He said nervously as he looked towards his Dusclops ready to get chased off by an angry man. He’d never really seen him angry…well until last night anyway. But that was different.


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Victor since he had met him had always been keen to take the lead and offer reassurances. They don’t come this time. He doesn’t smile, and he doesn’t hold his eyes anymore. Lana feared he was treading where he dind’t belong again. He wrinkled his nose, turning away for a moment as Victor lit a cigarette. He didn’t move away, enduring it as he listened to the man. As he spoke, Lana felt his heart sink further and further into his stomach. He felt his shoulders hunch up more and more. He stayed silent, trying not to frown too deeply as he look at Victor’s face to his shaky hand. Clearly, this was real. And clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it. [break][break]

“I-…N-No, Victor.” He paused trying to be as tactful as possible but still pale at the thought that the nightmare had been a memory, not a fantasy. “Y-You have n-n-no choice. H-He shot a-at you.” Lana said. “I…I-I’ll never u-u-understand…b-but I-I f-f-felt angry f-for you t-too.” He reached over, carefully placing the palm of his hand on Victor’s arm and squeezing in what he hoped was a gesture of comfort. “T-That was a-awful…” he added not really specifying if e meant the cheating or the asphyxiation. Probably both.

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana didn’t have it in him to look Victor in the eyes. He nodded slowly, looking at the extra food Victor had put on his plate. He’s grateful for a hot meal, first thing in the morning, He wanted to savor it, but he’d rather finish it all while it was still warm. “I-I just…” He remembered how awful it had felt, how vivid the dream had been. He’d hated the man Victor had been with. [break][break]

And then he’d watched the same man die asphyxiated. He looked up briefly as the pokemon more or less excuse themselves before turning back to Victor. “I-…I normally w-w-wouldn’t ask b-but…it looked r-real?” his voice lilted upwards as if hoping Victor would confirm it was all just a dream. That nothing like that had happened. Just a metaphor expressing pain to someone who had wrong him that Lana hadn’t been meant to see. “I-It looked p-painful but…i-it wasn’t…” he swallowed. “I-I’m sorry I-I saw…”


[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He tensed a little, not really expecting Victor to mention a ‘we’ in all of this. He remembered last night then. He totally remembered. He felt himself grow a little paler and kept eating as the man spoke. “O-Oh…um, s-sorry for b-b-bringing i-it up.” He offered, eyes glued to his eggs, or well, half his eggs having scarfed down the other half already. He watched him and the Zorua and how he took care of them. He had to wonder how young it really was or if it simply was pretending to be a small child. He looked over at Mikey who rested comfortably in his shadow, the ghost’s form having melted into it and simply a red eyeball on the floor. [break][break]

“Y-Yes!” Lana said, his eyes snapping to Victor, locking on the possibility for seconds. It took hi ma moment before he looked back down at his plate awkwardly, nodding his head. “P-P-Please…I’d l-like seconds in a-a bit.” He said, picking up the last of his eating with the corner of his toast and trying to shove it all into his mouth like a breakfast sandwich. He had no problem eating in tense silence, practically licking his plate and fingers clean and waiting for Victor to get his fill before speaking up again.

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

He looked up when the plate was offered, swallowing as he tried to keep himself from inhaling his food. He nodded in agreement with Victor, picking up a piece of toast and beginning to duck it into the egg yolk. He ate quietly, taking large bites and barely chewing. Even if the speed was slightly controlled, it was clear he’d been hungry, shaking with it really now that he was awake. He’d spent more energy than he’d originally thought. “Y-Yeah…dreamzone m-mist…” he mumbled as he shoved more egg dripped toast into his mouth. [break][break]

His attention turned to the child currently staring down his Dusclops. The explanation seemed to satisfy Mikey as he closed his eyes and shook as if laughing before turning back to his trainer to make sure he didn’t choke. “Oh??” Lana asked, blinking slowly at his host before looking back at the illusioned child. “I-I thought t-t-they were y-your offspring.” He said for a moment. He felt relieved he wasn’t intruding on a father and child’s space at least.

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana rubbed his arm, smiling lightly at the other trainer pat him on the back. “Oh, t-thank you.” He said looking over at the Linoone who by now was attempting to entice the Buizel for play in the form of standing next to Taga and trying to booty bump him to the beat. “I-I think t-t-that…your B-Buizel is r-really c-c-cute.” He said, struggling to keep his voice level as his eyes darted back to the trainer. [break][break]

“I..I came h-here to s-spectate a c-c-contest a-actually…” He added. “T-Then I think G-Garbage B-B-Baby heard t-their Chimecho d-dancing and h-he got curious.” Garbage Baby was more curious than cautious which was often a problem for Lana, but perhaps that was just a side effect of being abandoned in a dumpster and then picked up by an overly affectionate 6-year-old.

[break][break]

+ August Gallagher mission prompt: coordinator choreography [break]
advent #21 | chimecho mention

[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Lana tucked his bangs behind his ears as he nodded. “Yeah…I-..I don’t t-t-think I-I had f-full dinner last n-n-night…” he said trying to stay casual despite the latter half of the night trying to push its way into his memory. “Oh.” He said flatly. That didn’t bode well. Lana had passed out, but that had been purely because being afraid took a lot of energy out of you. Then again, he supposed sleeping was sort of his coping mechanism. You couldn’t be scared, or anxious, or even hungry if you were unconscious. [break][break]

“G-good. I…uh I s-slept well e-enough.” He added with a small nod. There hadn’t been time to worry about the nightmare coming back. Mikey’s lone eyeballs looked over at the other pokemon. His attention went from the Kadabra to the statue-like Natu and finally to the child. He waited until it stopped watching Lana to catch its eyes and give it a small wave. Lana busied himself finding a seat at the table that wouldn’t bother those already seated. “D-Do you…uhh…d-do you re-re-remember what hap-happened last n-n-night?” he asked, his hand in his lap as he played with the hem of the T-shirt he was wearing.

[break][break]

+ victor evans we-cant-unpack-all-this-right-now-john-mulaney.gif
[break][break]

[attr="class","pokeclass"]