serperiority | [S1 Trip and younger Gold, closed to gold

The warm colours of autumnal leaves and the crisp, cool air of the changing season was similar, but not the same as it was in Unova, but even if it was, without him here, it simply wasn’t going be the same. The festival, too, for all the nostalgia it invoked in him, if it wasn’t going to lead him any closer to Alder or defeating him, it wasn’t something he should concern himself with now. He needed to train.
Things like eating sweets or enjoying the sights and sounds of a festival was for children and had no place on an adult’s world, Trip decided, and walked on.

… even with these thoughts, he still paused, briefly, here and there, to take photographs. The beauty of this season was ephemeral and while he no longer had any place here, he couldn’t ignore it or the way it made him feel, even as pursuing his goal overtook anything else…

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From:

gold_drum

Gold feels a swell of pride at being complimented. He made a smart choice! A good one! He finds himself smiling as he continues eating happily.

But then, when Trip takes out some mochi, Gold pauses. He looks at his own big meal, then realizes for the first time that Trip didn't bring any food for himself. ...Trip didn't eat much for breakfast, either. Gold's eating slows to a crawl and then stops completely, as he stares at his food.

Was he... eating too much? Or was Trip eating too little? Which one was it? And why?

But no matter which one it was, Gold feels like his appetite is gone.

"...You can have the rest of this," he tells Trip, pushing his food to him.

From:

serperiority

Trip blinked, then shook his head, pushing Gold’s food right back to him.

“No, thank you. That food is yours. I bought it for you. If you feel full, you can always eat the rest later, but I’m not eating right now because I want to have my lunch at the hotel. They’ve got a restaurant I like better than these. Been there before.”

Trip wondered what prompted this. Maybe he was giving Gold too much at once? Maybe Gold was simply overwhelmed? Or maybe he was still full from his big breakfast? Or…

“… if you are hingry, you should eat. Don’t try to copy me, at least, not in this. Like how much I walk, how much I eat is different too, because I’m used to travelling. You aren’t yet. Besides, you’re still small. You’re growing a lot faster than me, so you’ll need to eat more. It’s the same way with Pokemon… if we see any baby Pokemon, you’ll understand. They spend a lot of their time eating and sleeping.”

Trip realized he could use his camera for this and found some pictures of different Pokemon: nesting Flying types eagerly being fed, Liepard with many sleeping and nursing Purrloin (pictures taken in the same alleyway at night and day)…

From:

gold_drum

"Oh, okay..." Gold nods, a bit reassured! Still, he's not really hungry anymore, anyway. "Um, can I eat the rest at the hotel too? I'm fine for now."

(And really, this much food is a bit too much for him at once, and it's probably better for Gold not to try to finish his meal right now. He's been living on small portions and eating once or twice a day for a while, after all. Not that Gold consciously realizes that, but he'd probably make himself sick if he ate as much as Trip's offering him.)

"Really? I thought people who are bigger need to eat more," Gold says. He's learning a lot today, even if it kind of irks him to be compared to a baby Pokemon. He's not a baby! But he leans in to look at the photos Trip's showing him with interest. Baby Pokemon were cute, after all.

(Meanwhile, his Paraspor slept by the bench, being a baby Pokemon.)

From:

serperiority

That's understandable, Trip absolutely hated being called a child... so a comparison to a baby would be even worse! He just couldn't think of a better metaphor at the time.

"Sure."

Trip packed away the rest of the food to carry.

"To a point. When you aren't growing so fast anymore, you don't need to... come to think of it, teenagers also eat a lot, because they grow pretty quickly."

So, maybe in a couple of years, they'll both eat a lot? Something like that.

(And yes, baby Pokemon are very cute.)

"Don't forget to carry Mycen with you. Speaking of carrying... meet Conkelderr."

Trip sent out his Conkelderr, which looked quite menacing, with its unpleasant smile and wielding two concrete pillars.

From:

gold_drum

Gold just nods. People and the amounts they needed to eat were complicated, apparently, and Gold just takes Trip's word for it. He can't really imagine far enough in the future to imagine himself in Trip's age or Trip as a teenager, nor does he think he'll still be with Trip by that time, so it doesn't feel relevant to him.

Conkeldurr is menacing, indeed, but Gold just stares at it blankly, before picking up Mycen, who stirs from his sleep, and also stares at Conkeldurr. Mycen screeches in surprise, raising his claws defensively.

"It's fine, it's Trip's Pokemon," Gold says to calm Mycen down, but he's not sure what to think himself. It's Trip's Pokemon, but it looks kind of scary. Not to mention it's carrying pillars. "Um, that's gonna carry me? But its hands are full," Gold says, pointing at them.

From:

serperiority

"Like a sword, Conkelderr's pillars are an extension of its body," Trip said, gesturing as if wielding an imaginary rapier. "... it doesn't put those down, it's used to their weight. It can carry you two easily, that’s basic, isn’t that right?"

Conkelderr's expression softened considerably, and it gave a hearty little laugh before spinning one pillar to hold it side-ways, before gently lowering it.

“Conkelderr’s saying you can sit on the pillar and it’ll lift you gently.”

Almost like a swing! A very hard swing. Concrete pool noodle?

From:

gold_drum

Oh, well, that's a nicer smile. It eases Gold's worries a lot.

"Okay, that's fine then. Right, Mycen?" Gold asks the Paraspor. Mycen's still a bit rattled, but nods, since Conkeldurr seems nice enough.

And so, Gold carefully gets on the pillar, sitting down. He's a bit worried about whether he'll be able to balance on it okay, since it's round and smooth, and there's no real handholds. Actually, now that he's there, it's really scary! He can't even hold on with two hands with Mycen there to take care of! So Gold tenses up and slides down off of the concrete pillar the moment it seems like Conkeldurr's about to lift it.

"I-I can walk, actually," he says hurriedly, trying to look like it was a casual decision, but his shoulders are still tense. Trusting his life in somebody's hands while he can't do anything is still too scary.

(Trusting Mycen to keep him safe while he was sleeping was different, for reasons Gold can't articulate or comprehend. It just was.)

From:

serperiority

Conkelderr looked a bit disappointed, but also understanding, and followed beside them, but staying closest to Trip. It gave a questioning growl and Trip gave a calm, somewhat dismissive answer, before walking over to Gold, offering a hand to hold instead.

“It’s alright. Conkelderr would have kept you very close, so you don’t fall off, but you can walk or do anything else, if you want to. We’ll get there soon, so just stay close.”

Maybe there wasn’t enough trust yet between him and Conkelderr? Mycen and Gold already have a good bond growing.

From:

gold_drum

Gold nods and accepts Trip's hand, relaxing a little at the touch.

"Um, sorry," he says, but doesn't elaborate. He feels like he wasted Trip's time and effort, not letting himself be carried, just because he freaked out. He doesn't mind Conkeldurr walking by them at all.

Trust was a difficult thing. Gold doesn't even fully trust Trip yet, so trusting his Pokemon isn't going to happen easily. Not when he's only just starting to believe Trip won't leave him behind.

From:

serperiority

“You can’t rush some things… you don’t have to be sorry about them. It’s better to know sooner rather than later, right? So I won’t do it again, unless you want to try.”

Thinking of another way to include Conkelderr, Trip shared some bags with his Pokemon.

It’s not too far at all!

From:

gold_drum

Why was Trip so understanding and patient? Wasn't he ever going to get mad at Gold? Well, he did when Gold tried to steal from him, and when Gold called him prissy, so he did have limits. But all this kindness was starting to make Gold anxious. Something has to go wrong eventually. Sooner or later he'll probably do something wrong and that'll be the last straw before Trip loses his patience.

Gold stays quiet and anxious all the way to the hotel, not even responding to Trip, kind of lost inside his own thoughts and worries. Of course, it might look on the outside like he's just tired, and that's not incorrect either.

From:

serperiority

That was what Trip assumed it was so he didn’t resume the conversation when Gold went quiet.

When they reached the hotel, he went to speak with the receptionist and make a reservation, letting Gold go, with the advice to wait in the lobby—it’s spacious, there’s a cafe, restaurant, a fancy fountain, comfortable couches, clocks, flowers, and ornate light fixtures.
“You can look around, just stay down here so I can call you when the room’s ready.”

From:

gold_drum

"I don't wanna," Gold mutters stubbornly. He follows Trip, clinging to him, barely even glancing at the surroundings. He wants to sit down somewhere, but he knows if he does, he'll just fall asleep, and Trip doesn't like that. He doesn't want to disappoint Trip! Even if he thinks not doing what Trip told him to might also disappoint Trip, but if that happens then it happens!

Gold's maybe starting to be a little cranky from his lack of sleep. Not to mention everything else that's been going on. The sudden change of environments, the long walk through the cave, constantly trying to figure out how to act around Trip, and taking care of Mycen too... It's all taking a toll on him. Not that Gold really thinks about all of that as being difficult. As far as he's concerned, he's just kind of feeling angry for no real reason. And if he glares at random passersby while clinging to Trip's leg, that's just normal.

From:

serperiority

Oh, boy…

Yeah, that makes sense. Trip could tell the kid was probably cranky and maybe if he were a more affectionate person, he could carry him, but… he’s not.

(That poor, random lady wondering what she did wrong to earn such a harsh glare!)

It’s a lot of talking before they get the chance to go up and see if the room is to their liking!

From:

gold_drum

An ordinary kid would probably be throwing a tantrum or constantly yelling at Trip to hurry up at this point, but Gold wasn't comfortable enough with parental figures, or his relationship with Trip, to do that. So he just stews in his crankiness and keeps glaring at people silently.

It's making Mycen a bit uncomfortable, so the Paraspor decides to climb up and try to crawl into Trip's jacket pocket and sit there. Sorry about the big bug climbing on you, Trip, but Gold's doing nothing to stop it!

From:

serperiority

"G-gah!"

Trip dropped the key he'd just received at the sudden sensation of the crawling Bug type on him. "M-Mycen, down! Get off of me!"

Mycen has a good five seconds to hop down, while Trip yanks off his backpack, before he throws his jacket off!

From:

gold_drum

Gold just stares, kind of surprised, but grabs Mycen off of Trip quickly, and then stares at Trip flatly. Kind of judgemental, but he doesn't say anything. He respects Trip, really, but he's kind of done with everything right now. Quit the shenanigans and bring us to our room, you prissy boy, he doesn't say.

Mycen's a bit shaky, surprised by Trip suddenly moving around like that, so he clings to Gold, making little sad, complain-y chitters. Why wasn't he allowed to climb? And he saw such a good place to hide too! The world is so unfair to little baby bugshrooms.

From:

serperiority

Trip did not like being on the receiving end of such a judgemental look and scowled for a second, before deciding to take the high road, turning sharply with his nose in the air. Yeah, undeniably prissy, but at least he was making some effort at being the mature one here!! Even if he pouted about it.

Lead him to their room, he did, although Trip went to examine the room first to see if it was fitting, more interested in checking out the sort of living room first rather than heading right to either of the two bedrooms.

Conkelderr will set down the bags, too!

From:

gold_drum

Congrats on being more mature than a five-year-old, Trip. Gold follows silently, also pouting.

When they arrive at the room, Gold immediately heads to the first surface he can sleep on, which is probably a couch, sets Mycen down, and lies down with the intent of taking a nap. He seems to have no intention of moving from there.

From:

serperiority

Conkelderr noticed Gold went to sleep on the couch and gave a soft, questioning growl, turning to Trip.

Trip glanced back and realized it too.

“Hey… that isn’t any place to sleep, Gold.”

He approached him with a frown.

There’s a bed, so that’s so unnecessary!

Maybe, if Gold won't rouse from just that, he could wrap an arm around his shoulders and help lift him and guide him back to bed? Then, it’d be a lot easier than walking all on his own, he’d be supported…

From:

gold_drum

"I'm sleeping here," Gold grumbles, keeping his eyes tightly closed and turning to his side, facing away from Trip and curling up, stubborn. This tiny ball of anger has no intention of moving from here unless somebody carries him.

From:

serperiority

Then, he could only be carried?

"Honestly, you're so troublesome..."

He went off to a room, seemingly abandoning Gold there (but truthfully, he was just bringing a blanket).

From:

gold_drum

Gold does have a little spike of panic when Trip leaves the room, but he squishes it down and keeps curled up. He trusts Trip. Trip won't leave because he's a little bit troublesome, right?

Mycen decides to sit by and keep watch, just like last time when Gold fell asleep. He got praised and given food for doing that last time, after all, so maybe that'll work this time too!

From:

serperiority

Nope, Gold won’t be abandoned so easily, Trip just needed to bring a blanket.

“Good job, Mycen, but might want to back up a little.”

He shook out the blanket, then lay it over Gold, but tugged back a corner to avoid knocking over or burying Mycen.

After pausing a moment, he decided he could possibly bundle up Gold and carry him like that, even if it’s a lot messier than swathing a baby (which he didn’t know how to do, anyway!), the blanket trailing lopsidedly.

From:

gold_drum

Gold knew it, but it's still a relief when Trip returns. Gold still keeps his eyes closed and pretends to sleep. After Trip puts the blanket on him, he starts to nod off for real, finally comfortable and relaxed enough to sleep. Meanwhile Mycen, relieved from his mission, salutes Trip with a chitter and heads off to explore the room.

When Trip picks Gold up to carry him, a buried instinct every kid is born with flares up, and Gold, half asleep, snuggles closer and throws his arms around Trip's shoulders the best he can, hugging him. Sorry for your touch aversion, Trip, but this kid's touch-starved and that's your problem now.