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Mila always threw things when she was angry. Whether it was expensive or worthless, no object was safe from the signature outlet for her rage. So when something small and gleaming flew at Gunner's head, he jerked in response not out of surprise, but merely in an attempt to dodge it.[break][break]

Unfortunately, the sudden movement was enough to unseat him from Bruin's back. The Salamence grunted in an 'I told you so' manner as his trainer slid to the ground, landing hard onto his side with the object caught in his hands.[break][break]

"What the fuck, Mila—" Gunner began, stopping short as soon as he saw the Rolex watch.[break][break]

Confusion battled the wrath still boiling in his veins. Could Mila even afford a luxury watch? Her business was thriving, but he expected she spent all her money on materials for clothes. In the past, gifts from her had been extra or unwanted clothing from her stock.[break][break]

As Gunner slowly sat up, his body aching from the fall, he finally noticed the inscription on the back of the watch. "Always Yours."[break][break]

The hurt of knowing she was sleeping with paxton concordas, of all people, amplified a hundredfold.[break][break]

"I don't get it, Mila," Gunner said, sounding as if the weight of the world suddenly rested on his back. He kept his eyes on the watch, wishing to break it and wear it at the same time. "I don't get us. This has to end."

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Guilt momentarily caused Gunner's wrath to waver when Mila dropped to her knees in front of him. For a second, he thought she would beg for his forgiveness. But when she only accused him of lying, the guilt evaporated; all that remained was a heightened fury.[break][break]

"Believe whatever you want," he said, his tone acidic. With Mila no longer grasping his wrist, he climbed onto Bruin's back. "I'm done here."[break][break]

The Salamence looked reluctant, however. Extending his neck, he gave Mila a gentle nudge and crooned softly in an attempt at comfort.[break][break]

Gunner's frown deepened. "Bruin!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "Leave her!"[break][break]

The dragon rumbled and lashed his tail against the ground in defiance.

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A shame?[break][break]

Gunner thought back to what he remembered of his own experience. There had been wonderful days full of love and laughter, but there had been dreadful days as well—not just full of war, but of heartache and loss, too.[break][break]

He remembered the distinct relief he'd felt seeing mila alexopoulos's face again. A life without her had been nearly unbearable, the distractions of friendship and family a temporary balm during the daylight hours. The loneliness of night had been a different matter entirely.[break][break]

"I'd believe it," Gunner said instead. "I don't remember my dreams very often, either. Gideon says it's because I work too much."[break][break]

Excited yelling and laughter drew his attention to a crowd of nearby festivalgoers. Their Cramorant had caught some Goldeen, prize catches of the day.[break][break]

Gunner turned back to Paxton, filled with a sudden urge to change the topic of conversation to something less heavy with emotion. "If you're done fishing, do you want to grab a drink?"

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Gunner glanced up at Serena's sudden mood shift from teasing and sometimes flippant to uncertain and vulnerable. His own expression softened into a semblance of compassion as she confided in him.[break][break]

"It's okay," he said, leaning toward her and giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. He had never touched her that way before, yet it seemed the right thing to do. The thing that a friend should do.[break][break]

"We'll get to the bottom of it, sooner or later. I don't think I'll be able to fully rest until we do."[break][break]

The waitress arrived with their food at last. Gunner's face lit up as he gazed upon his burger.[break][break]

"But for now, I think we can eat ourselves into food comas, huh?" he said to Serena as a wide grin broke across his face.

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Mila's fingers scalded Gunner's skin where they curled around his wrist. He glowered down at her, his nostrils flaring with barely contained anger. "It's not the same!" he insisted, snatching his arm out of her grip.[break][break]

Ever since they had started sleeping together, they repeated the same arguments using the same words. She was an idiot not to understand that he could not be held down by this kind of commitment. Gunner had broken up with Summer for that reason; he'd even told Mila about it.[break][break]

Why couldn't she get it through her thick head?[break][break]

And while normally her sleeping around irritated the hell out of him, for reasons he could never put into words, this time was different.[break][break]

"Paxton is my coworker, Mila. I see him every day at the Bureau."[break][break]

Bruin glanced between the two of them, unsure who to obey—or even if he should get involved.

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It was one thing for Mila to call Gunner childish—he was used to her insults. But when she flat-out admitted that she was having sex with other people again, his world suddenly narrowed. His vision went red.[break][break]

"I don't want you here," he said with such vehemence that his entire body trembled. "Forget this. Forget the pies. I'm going home and I am not taking you back with me."[break][break]

Without waiting for her response, he stomped off, his hand reaching for a Pokéball at his belt. His Salamence, Bruin, emerged in a flash of light. At first, the Pokémon seemed excited to be out in the middle of a berry field, his teeth bared in a gleeful grin.[break][break]

As soon as he noticed the tension between Gunner and Mila, however, the enthusiasm vanished.[break][break]

"Take me back to Slateport, Bruin."

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Gunner shook his head, the amused smile lingering on his face. "You're not like other CEOs I know," he said. "That's not a bad thing. It's actually a great thing. You're more relatable."[break][break]

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a phone call. Flashing Sheba an apologetic look, he removed it from his pocket and checked the name. His expression morphed into surprise.[break][break]

"Sorry, but I have to take this," he said, standing abruptly.[break][break]

As he retreated some distance away, he answered it and listened to the instructions relayed to him by his case officer with the HBIC. "I'll be right there," he said, keeping his voice low.[break][break]

Hanging up, Gunner returned to the table where Sheba waited. Once again, he offered her an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry, but I have to run. Something came up at work. It was nice to see you again, though, Sheba."[break][break]

He downed the rest of his coffee, gathered his things, and bid her goodbye.

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Gunner could not help but blink in astonishment. For the entire time he'd known paxton concordas, he hadn't imagined the man to be anything but a workaholic like him. That there was a version of Paxton that could get married to someone other than his career was not something Gunner had considered.[break][break]

And if it happened in the memory of Galar, he didn't remember any of it. Not Paxton mentioning it, not an invitation to any wedding—nothing.[break][break]

On top of that, Paxton mentioned a daughter. The fondness in his tone and the forlorn nostalgia that crept into his face were uncomfortable for Gunner to witness. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment.[break][break]

He looked away. "I see." He didn't know what else to say. "I'm glad we were able to get the ring back, then."[break][break]

At Paxton's question, Gunner lifted his left hand to look at the ring on his index finger.[break][break]

"I have a ring, too. It's not a wedding band," I think, "but I feel like someone important gave it to me." He frowned. "I can't remember their name or face, though. Whenever I try, I just feel like I'm grasping at shadows."[break][break]

He dropped his hand to his side and shrugged.

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MADE BY GUNSMILE