Growing Inseparable
Solus knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he was in love. How else could he explain the strange emotions coursing through his entire being?
Fluttering heartbeats at her laugh…
"Hi! I'm Eevee!" she said, a smile on her face. "Let's be friends!"
"Okay!" he responded. "I'm Eevee, too!"
"Tag!" she yelled, hitting him in the face with a tail-whip. "You're it!"
He laughed. "Alright!"
She took off into the forest and he pursued as fast as his four legs would allow. The trees blurred by as they ran. Time passed quickly. The trees stopped, and they found themselves in a clearing. He could see her far ahead, almost to the edge of the clearing. He rushed forward in a quick-attack.
"Gotcha!" he yelled, tagging her in the face with a tail-whip of his own. "Now you're it!"
He sat down on a rock, slightly tired from the running. A moment later, his friend laughed again and said, "Help, Eevee! The floor is lava!"
A horrified look stretched over his muzzle. "No! Eevee, you're about to sink into a lava puddle!"
An equally horrified look came over her as she jumped over to the rock he stood on. She seemingly struggled to gain footing, and he gasped before lunging forward and gently biting her ear to pull her forward. They tumbled back onto the boulder together.
"Thanks! I was almost a goner, brave hero," she said, pulling herself to her feet. Her posture was that of a princess before a worthy hero.
"You're welcome, Princess Eevee," he said, bowing before her. "I wouldn't let a princess fall to the evil dragon!"
"Oh no! A dragon," she gasped, pointing at a rather ferocious looking shrub. "Please, brave hero, slay the dragon!"
"I shall, Princess Eevee," he said before growling cutely at the shrub. It shook in fright before the wind blew it over. "I defeated the dragon, Princess Eevee!"
"Yay!" she exclaimed happily. "Bow before me, brave hero. I must give you knighthood."
He walked over and bowed before her. She looked around before picking up a nearby stick and whacking him on the shoulder with it. "You are now Sir Eevee! Rise, Sir Eevee!"
He rose and tackled her to the ground. "You're it again!"
He started running back through the forest. He was back across the clearing before she managed to pull herself to her feet and start chasing him. He laughed as she struggled to maintain pace.
"Eevee, wait! I'm tired!" she cried. He slowed down enough for her to catch up. He only just caught the glimmer in her eyes before she smiled, laughed, and tackled him to the ground. Leaves flew through the air as she said, "You're it!"
He leapt up and jumped over her. "No, I'm not! Leap!"
She leapt over him. "Leap!"
She crouched, ready to leap again when he whipped her back with his tail and took off running again. "You're it!"
"That… that hurt," she cried, tears in her eyes. She collapsed to the ground and started crying. "You hurt me!"
He stopped running and walked back to her. "I'm sorry, Eevee," he said. "Are you okay?"
"I… I am now." She sniffled and smiled at him. "Surprise attack!"
The tears were gone from her eyes in an instant as she sprang at him and started tickling him. He laughed and struggled against her, unable to get her off. "Ha… E-Eeve-Eevee! S-stop!"
"No!" she yelled and continued to tickle him. "Not until you apologize!"
"I-I'm s-so-sorry!" he managed to say between laughs.
She stopped tickling him instantly and licked the top of his head. "Alright," she said, "I forgive you."
"Eww…" He groaned, bouncing away from her. "Cooties!" He shook his head, trying desperately to get her 'cooties' off.
"Cooties don't exist, silly," she said. Her eyes glinted mischievously, "Now come back!"
"Noooo!" he yelled. "Cooties!"
He took off, intent to get away from her and her cooties. She sprang after him, a bounce in her step. "But I have to give you something special."
He stopped. "Special?" he asked. "Like a present?"
She laughed. "Exactly." She caught up to him and licked his head again. "Like my present?"
"Ewww, gross! Girl cooties!" And yet, as she continued licking him, he didn't struggle as much as he could.
"Now, now. Eevee, that's quite enough," said a voice. The two froze and turned to face the voice.
An orange vulpine padded over to them, "Eevee, it's dinner time," the flareon said.
"Papa!" she yelled, tackling him in a hug. "This is Eevee!"
"It's nice to meet you, Eevee," her father said. "I'm good friends with your father."
"It's nice to meet you too, Eevee's Papa," he said.
Her father looked thoughtful before saying, "How would you like to come to dinner with us?"
Solus shook his head and looked over at the love of his life, Nova. Her dark fur shimmered under the full moon. She caught him looking over and smiled, yellow rings aglow. As he started walking to her, a sudden urge to protect the umbreon under any circumstance overcame him. It was a feeling Solus could only describe as intense loyalty. He'd felt it before and suspected that this wouldn't be the last time, either.
She cowered before the trio of pokemon before her.
"Ey, bossssss," said one, an ekans. "What we gonna do with her?"
"Yeah, boss!" said the second, a koffing, "She messed with our turf and ate our pechas!"
The third, a croagunk, cackled before punching his own hand menacingly and cracking his knuckles. "We got ta teach this little gal a lesson, boys." He smirked. "Do ya know what we do ta little gals who messes on da turf of da Poison Gang?"
She shook her head, terrified and unable to move. The croagunk, apparently the leader of the Poison Gang, cackled again. "Well, yer about ta find out. Get her, boys!"
The ekans and koffing, in the ultimate display of stupidity, both pounced at the prone eevee at the same time. It was only after they conked heads that they realized their mistake.
"Do I got ta do everything myself?" Croagunk asked rhetorically. He took a step towards Eevee, paws glowing a violent shade of violet. He swung his fist, only to be surprised when he hit nothing but... "A SUBSTITUTE?!"
Eevee stood in front of his friend, who had a panicked yet thankful look on her face. "Leave her alone!" he yelled, charging up a sphere of dark energy.
"Oh no, bossss!" hissed the ekans, "What we gonna do? Now, there'ssss two of them!"
"Shut it, Ekans," Croagunk growled. "Get up and get them!"
Eevee released the buildup of energy directly at the gang. A dark cloud of smoke filled the air around the trio, and the eevees could hear coughing from inside. "Eevee, are you alright?" he asked his friend.
"I am now," she responded, licking his ear. He grinned and laughed.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go while they're distracted."
"Not so fast!" the croagunk yelled. He hopped out of the cloud and landed directly in front of them. "Ya can't just walk off without payin da price for stealing our pechas!"
The leader of the Poison Gang seemed to wait for something and looked confused when nothing beyond the cloud clearing happened. Eevee smirked and kicked sand at Croagunk. While the frog tried clearing the sand from his eyes, the eevee summoned spheres of light and willed them towards the gang.
Each member of the Poison Gang cried out in pain as the hidden power of Eevee struck them.
Croagunk panted and glared at the two eevee. "Ya got skills, but ya ain't good enough. Boys, time for THAT attack." When that failed to evoke a response from his posse, he turned to scold them, only to discover that both Ekans and Koffing had been knocked out. "Ya fools! Wake up and get them!"
Koffing groaned. "Just five more minutes, ma."
"Fools!" Croagunk yelled, turning back the eevees. "I don't need them. That eevee needs ta be learned a lesson! Face my frustration!"
The frog's body was enveloped by a red aura as he ran toward the duo. Eevee's friend cowered behind him. He knew that if that attack hit her, she'd be seriously injured, if not killed. And so a split second decision saved both their lives.
"What?"
Eevee grimaced as red aura met white. "I won't let you hurt her."
Each pokemon tried their best to defeat the other. Croagunk's face was scrunched in pain while Eevee's was set in resolution. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, he broke through the frustration incarnate and sent Croagunk flying backward into a tree.
"Go away," Eevee said, panting. "Leave us alone!"
"Fine," Croagunk responded. "But only 'cause I got ta regroup. I won't forget this!" The gang leader scooped up his posse in a semi-impressive feat of strength and ran off.
"Wow," his friend said, "Thanks for that!"
"Of course," Eevee said, smiling. "That's what friends are for, right?"
She smiled back at him and nodded. "Right."
"How are you?" Nova asked him as he walked up. She smiled, and his heart fluttered.
"Doing well," he responded. "I'm kind of tired, though."
The umbreon winced. "I… I'm sorry to wake you. I just needed to talk to you…"
He sat down next to her and licked her head. "What about?"
"Ummm…" she said, her words trailing off. "Well… Solus, what… what are we?"
The rainy season was upon them. From the entrance of the den, Eevee listened to the torrential downpour raging outside. Tree limbs snapped in the angry gales, boulders cracked from lightning strikes. A fire raged in the distance only to be immediately extinguished by a renewed blanket of rain. His little brothers and sisters cowered in the very back of the den, shaking with every boom of thunder.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and he took off into the forest. The ground was soaked, and his paws quickly grew muddy. He was glad that the rain had stopped for the time being, though.
"Gotta get to Eevee's," he mumbled under his breath. He ran under the influence of his agility, refusing to be stuck in the open when the rain started again. The sky was dark. What little light the moon would have given him was blocked by the ominous clouds overhead.
Another thunderous boom shook the ground, his path lit briefly from the lightning strike. His feet blurred into a quick attack. He burst through the opening of his friend's den just as the torrents recommenced outside.
"Eevee?" said a voice. He wiped his paws on the straw mat just inside the entrance to the den and turned to address the speaker.
"Hey, Eevee's Meema. Is Eevee here?" he asked.
The vaporeon hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "Yes, but I'm afraid you can't see her."
"What?" he cried. "Why not?"
"She's not feeling well," his friend's mother responded.
His tail drooped to the ground. "Oh… Is she okay?"
She shook her head, and Eevee collapsed. "We don't know for sure. Not even Doctor Audino knows what's wrong with her…"
"What?!" he yelled. "But… that's terrible!" Eevee felt the tears starting to form before he shook his head and stood back up. "No! I've got to do something! I'll be back, Eevee's Meema!"
The vaporeon watched in shock as he ran back out into the storm. "Eevee! Wait!"
"What are we?" Solus asked. "Well, that's a silly question! We're best friends, of course!"
"O-only best friends?" Nova responded, looking a little forlorn. "Not… something more..?"
The sky was black. The wind raged around him as he ran through the forest. Water pelted his coat and penetrated to his skin. He was cold, miserable, and altogether annoyed with the darkness. He couldn't see where he was going. A root tripped him, and he fell into a mud puddle.
"I've got to find it," he murmured, standing back up. "She needs it!"
A flash of lightning lit up the area for a brief moment, and that was all he needed, for in that brief moment of sweet, glorious relief from the night storm, the outline of a berry bush had been illuminated. He rushed over to it, taking one of the berries into his mouth. He bit down gently, but that was all it took for pecha juice to squirt everywhere.
"Must have been a ripe one," he said, moving to pick another. His fur was slick against his skin from the rain.
"Hoo," said a voice from above.
"Who's there?" Eevee shouted, knowing voices from above were rarely a good thing. He heard the fluttering of wings, and a noctowl flapped down to the ground next to him. Despite the weather being largely unfriendly to flying types, the noctowl seemed relatively unaffected.
"Oh no… Miss Noctowl, please don't eat me!" Eevee cried.
The bird cocked her head to the side, smiling. "Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "After all, you seem quite tasty."
"But my friend is sick, and I have to get these pecha berries back to her!" He whimpered. "But I can't pick them without the berries bursting and getting juice all over me!"
"Sounds like a problem," the noctowl said, fluffing her feathers. "I'm not going to eat you. I've already eaten tonight, you see."
"Oh… Thanks, I guess," he responded.
"In fact," the bird started, "I think I'm going to help you. Can you wait here for a moment? I'll return shortly."
Before he could utter a word, the bird was gone. The rain continued to fall, though it seemed to have slowed a miniscule amount. The seconds seemed to run together, and Eevee was sure hours had passed before the bird returned with a small, wicker basket in her talons.
"Put the berries in here," she said, placing the basket on the ground in front of him.
Eevee smiled and very carefully picked several pecha berries and placed them in the basket. He moved to take the basket from the noctowl, but she held it away from him.
"Wait," she commanded. "Your friend is sick, correct?"
He nodded. "Very! I have to get these back to her as soon as I can!"
"Well, you wouldn't be able to carry that basket very quickly at all," the noctowl said. She smiled. "I'll carry you back to her. Where does she live?"
As the noctowl picked the basket up in one talon, she gently grasped the back of his neck in the other. "She lives by the big oak tree!"
"Alright. Now, this will be rough, but you'll get there soon."
And they were in the air. The basket blew around precariously, but none of the berries fell from it. The wind was rougher higher in the air. The rain, too, was more difficult. It was cold, wet, and Eevee felt sure he'd not survive the trip, but when the noctowl started descending right in front of his friend's home, he felt euphoric!
"That's it! Thank you, Miss Noctowl!" he cried as they landed.
"Oh, please," she said, "call me Noor."
"Thank you, Miss Noor. I don't know how I can ever repay you," he said, sticking his head through the basket's handle.
"Just make sure your friend gets better," she said as she took off. "I wouldn't want those berries to go to waste."
"Something more?" Solus asked. "Well, what do you mean by that?" Despite asking, he had an idea of exactly what she meant by that.
"We've been friends for such a long time, Solus," Nova whispered. "I… well…"
He burst into the house carrying the basket of berries. He frantically wiped his paws on the straw mat before rushing into his friend's room.
"Eevee!" he yelled. "I heard you were sick, so I brought you these!"
Everyone in the room turned to look at him. The doctor, a tall pink pokemon with fluffy ears, looked shocked. "Who let you in here?" Doctor Audino asked. "I said no one can enter!"
"Eevee, dear," his friend's mother started. "Please go back into the living room. Come, I'll get you a towel so you can dry off."
"No!" he yelled. He ran to his friend's side, dodging the many adults in the way.
She opened one eye weakly as he sat next to her. "H-hey, Eevee."
"I brought these for you," he said, putting the basket of pecha berries down. "I heard you were sick, so I went out into the forest and got these for you…"
"Oh, Eevee," she said as he handed one of the berries to her. "Thank you."
She ate the berry. "It's very tasty," she said. "Thank you, Eevee."
"You're welcome!" he responded as she started glowing.
"I'm so happy you did that for me," she said, smiling. The light grew stronger, forcing everyone to look away. He endured through it, and so he didn't miss the smile on her face when the light faded. "I've evolved?! I feel fantastic!"
The doctor looked shocked. "But… That's… Well... Let me run a few more tests, but I think you're all healed."
Doctor Audino waddled over to the newly evolved umbreon and poked her a couple of times before nodding to himself. "Yup, you're all better. Well, I'm no longer needed here. I shall take my leave."
"Thanks for your help, Doctor Audino," his friend's mother said.
"Of course, ma'am," responded the doctor.
"I'll show you out," she responded, and the two left the room.
"Eevee, thank you!" Eevee's friend said. She smiled, eyes glowing with happiness.
Her father, a flareon, walked over to them. "Eevee, the missus and I can never thank you enough for what you've done."
Her mother returned to the room walked over her daughter. "My beautiful daughter… You've evolved."
"Yes, I have," she responded. "I feel fantastic!"
"I'm glad. So now that you've evolved, there's the rite to evoke," her mother said. "I've told you of the rite, correct?"
"Yes, Meema. When an eevee evolves, his or her parents give the eevee a name fitting their form. Does this mean…"
The vaporeon smiled, tears of joy in her eyes. "Yes, dearest. It is time."
"So… what's my name?!" She hopped excitedly around the room.
Her parents laughed, and her father stepped forward. "Your mother and I decided long ago that if you were to evolve into an umbreon, your name would be Nova. Do you like it?" he asked.
"Nova… I love it!" she yelled. She ran to her parents and hugged each in turn. "Thank you, Meema and Papa!"
The umbreon hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "It's nothing. I'm sorry I woke you."
He licked the top of her head again. "Never apologize. I'm always here for you. Always."
"Solus… you're such a good friend." Nova yawned. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Nova."
Eevee walked alone through the forest, lost within his thoughts. He daydreamed of his friend, and he just couldn't get her smile out of his head. She had been so happy when she evolved and he was glad he was a part of it.
So lost in his thoughts was he that it took walking headfirst into a tree to snap him out of it. He looked around and froze. He recognized this place. That pecha berry bush…!
"Ey, runt," said a vaguely familiar voice. Eevee turned slowly. "Ey, you. Yea, you. Eevee."
"Oh no," he whispered. "Croagunk."
"That's Croak to you, runt," said the toxicroak. "I told ya I wouldn't forget ya."
An arbok slithered up behind Croak and hissed something in his ear. Croak grinned malevolently. "That's a great idea, Acid," he said, cackling. "Ya didn't get ta see THAT attack last time, foolish eevee. Frank, get over here."
From the trees floated a giant gaseous creature. The weezing cackled ominously, a thick smog escaping from his maws. "Yeah, boss?"
"Remember this eevee?" Croak asked. "He saved that girl that one time."
"And he'sssss all alone," the arbok hissed. "No one to ssssave him."
"Boss, don't you remember what happened last time?" Frank asked, looking slightly worried.
The toxicroak waved it off. "Not worried. We's got da number advantage."
Frank still looked unsure. "But boss, what did he do? For that matter, why do we care about the pecha berries? We can't even eat them!"
"It's da principle of da matta," Croak said while narrowing his eyes at the his underling. "Ya got a problem with that?"
"No, boss."
"Good. Now, it's time for THAT attack!"
"Sorry about this," Frank said to Eevee. "Really."
As Eevee stood frozen in place, the three members of the gang started charging attacks. Croak's fists started glowing purple, Acid's mouth opened, fangs glowing violet, and Frank's pores oozed smog.
He knew he should run, but his legs wouldn't respond. He was paralyzed, forced to watch as the trio launched their attacks.
Solus smiled as Nova fell asleep. She really was quite adorable all curled up. Her ears flicked occasionally, and a cute little purr sometimes escaped her as she shifted positions sleepily.
He was quite a lucky espeon to know her. Even if their relationship never advanced, he'd always be her best friend, and she his.
He honestly didn't know what to do, though. Should he tell her his feelings? Would that change their relationship?
What if things went south?
Everything went to hell. A poison jab hit his face, and he flew backwards and hit a tree. Moments later, a burning, violent pain in his back left leg registered in his system. He felt himself on the verge of fainting when the world vanished under a thick fog and another poison jab hit his gut. The pain burned, and he felt his strength failing fast. He could barely breathe in the heavy smog, barely move from the poison sapping his strength.
He closed his eyes and fainted.
He didn't want to lose her as a friend, but he couldn't not tell her. She deserved to know, even if his feelings weren't reciprocated. If they weren't, then he supposed their relationship would be awkward for a time, but things would eventually return to normal. He nodded, having finally decided what he'd do.
Resolving to tell her in the morning, Solus left Nova's den, walked back to his own, and curled up in his nest to fall asleep.
His entire body hated him. His legs ached, his eyes stung, and his lungs burned. He was in a sorry place, and wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep. Despite the pain, a battle some distance away kept him awake and semi-alert.
A black figure moving too fast for him to properly distinguish fired balls of shadow at three other forms. As soon as one left the figure's mouth, another one formed. Few of the shadow balls actually hit a target, but the ones that did left the three seething.
A figure which Eevee knew could only be Frank spewed more gas from his pores, but a fifth figure, a flying type of some sorts, simply flapped its wings and defogged the area. The bird swooped towards Frank, hitting the weezing's joint between necks. Instantly, Eevee could tell Frank was out of it, even from this distance.
He groaned, another burst of pain in his leg causing him to cry out. He bit his tongue and suffered through the pain, unwilling to stop watching. The black figure seemed to pause at his cry, but attacks from the other two Poison Gang members caused it to jump back into action.
Quick punches from the being Eevee guessed was Croak landed on the dark figure, who cried out in pain. The bird swooped down at the gang leader and slashed him across the face with its talons, but fell to the ground when a snake – likely Acid, Eevee reasoned – landed on the flying type and latched to its left wing with sparking fangs.
Both bird and snake fell to the ground in a heap. The black figure let out a pulse of darkness to repel the pursuing toxicroak, rushed to Acid, and crunched the arbok's neck as hard as it possibly could. Eevee was amazed to see the snake go limp in the figure's jaws.
"Ya've got guts, girly," Croak said, cracking his knuckles. "But ya can't save ya precious boy-toy."
Eevee winced and cried out as the toxicroak grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air. He flailed, even though every move he made sent waves of pain through his body. Croak cackled madly. "There ain't nothing ya can do!"
"You're right," said a familiar voice. Eevee struggled harder against the toxicroak's grasp. "She can't do anything. But I can!"
Eevee felt his captor go limp an instant before he fell to the ground with a thud. He cried out in pain.
"Eevee," said the dark figure, rushing over to him. He opened his eyes.
"N-Nova…"
"You don't look so good," the umbreon said, tears in her eyes.
"I… hurt…" he struggled to say.
The bird hopped over, a pecha berry in its beak. Eevee's eyes widened when the bird finally hopped close enough to identify.
"Miss Noor!" he cried.
"Hush," the noctowl said. "Save your strength and eat this."
Nova took the berry from Noor and put it in her friend's mouth. She smiled as he swallowed.
"Thanks," he said, feeling only a little better but knowing the poison would no longer harm him. "I'm… so… tired…"
That night, Solus dreamed of family…
His family's den was always lively, this time of year. Young eevee kits ran around the entire den, playing with their extended family. All of Eevee's family was visiting, just as they did every winter, but this would be the first year that all eight of the guest wings would be in use. As soon as his sister got back…
A knock at the door. Eevee sprang to reach it before anyone else. "I've got it!" he yelled, even though no one else was paying much attention.
He opened the entrance to the den, and his older sister, a sylveon by the name of Grace, walked into the hall. She smiled at him and bopped his head with her paw. "Hiya, little bro," she said, laughing. "Had enough excitement for the season?"
He launched himself at her, tackling her to the ground in a hug. "Grace! It's so good to see you!"
As they laughed, one of his cousins stuck his head through the door to the living area, saw Grace, and immediately hollered.
"Group hug!" Faux-horror fell over the two siblings as they heard the footsteps of their many younger family members.
"Oh no," his sister whispered just before the two were overwhelmed by a wave of giggling and laughing eevee kits. Despite pretending to dread the group hug, both he and his sister loved it. They really were a big, happy family.
"Alright, you guys," their father said, stepping through the door from the dining hall. "Let them breathe."
As the eevee pile diminished back into the living area, the leafeon walked over to them and hugged his daughter. "It's so good to see you," he said, a tear threatening to fall from his eye. "It's been so long."
"Yeah," Grace said. "Too long, dad."
"You're allowed to come by more often, you know," he said.
"I know," she responded quietly.
The two were silent for a moment, though the den roared with the laughter of playing eevee kits. After a moment, their father said, "So where's this man your mother won't be quiet about?"
Grace laughed. "He's outside," she said before lowering her voice and adding, "He's carrying in the you-know-whats."
"Does he need help?" their dad asked.
"Probably not," she said. They heard a knock at the door. "Oh, that's him now."
The door opened, and a luxio stepped into the entrance hall. His face was worn, and as he struggled to shut the door, a box fell to the ground and he sighed. "Grace, can you get that?"
"Good Arceus, boy," their father said. "How're you carrying all that?!"
All three of them rushed to the luxio's aid, each taking two or three things from the over-encumbered feline. He smiled at them. "Thanks."
"Is that who I think it is?" yelled a voice from the kitchen. Their mother stuck her head through the doorway. "It is! Grace!"
"Mom!" exclaimed the sylveon. Grace dropped her boxes and ran to their mom. The glaceon smiled as they embraced.
"I've missed you, dear," their mom said.
"Me too, mom," Grace responded.
"Not to spoil the moment or anything," Eevee said, "but shouldn't we get these into their room?"
Grace stepped back over to her mate and smiled down at her brother. "Of course! Eevee, can you help Leon carry the presents into my room?"
He nodded, picking up a strand of boxes tied together. They clashed loudly, but the eevee kits in the next room over were too busy playing to pay attention to what would've spoiled their holiday early.
"So you're Leon?" he asked his sister's mate as they carried the presents down the hall.
"Yup," the luxio responded. "And you're Eevee. You're the oldest aside from Grace, right?"
"Yup!" he said. "Wow, these are really heavy. How did you carry them all that way?"
"Well, honestly, we had an alakazam pop us over," Leon admitted, following his new younger brother into the last open guest hall.
"Nifty," Eevee responded. He set down the presents in the room. "Let's get back to the others."
Solus awoke to someone tapping his shoulder. Groggily, he asked who it was.
"It's Grace. I need to talk to you."
He sat up and yawned. "Do you know what time it is?" he asked, already knowing the approximate answer.
"It's the middle of the night," his sister responded.
"Can't it-" He yawned again. "-wait until the morning? I already had to get up once tonight…"
Grace shifted guiltily and refused to look him in the eyes.
"Alright," he said after sighing. "What's up?"
They returned to find that everyone had moved into the living area to talk. Leon stepped from the hall, and Eevee moved to join him when there was another knock at the door.
It opened, and his face lit up. "Nova!"
When she saw it was him, she started beaming. "Hi, Eevee!" she exclaimed.
"What're you doing here?" he asked, letting her into the den. "The party's not until tomorrow."
"Am I not allowed to come see my friend and his family?" she asked, pouting cutely.
"Is that Nova?" his mother called. "Come on in, darling! We're all in the living room."
They walked into the room together, and Eevee was largely unsurprised to see two of the three straw piles occupied. In one, Leon and his sister sat together, and in the second, his parents. His mom smiled at the two friends. "Take a seat, darling."
Nova sat on the last straw pile and looked expectantly at Eevee. His parents exchanged a knowing look as he sat next to the umbreon.
"Who's this, little bro?" Grace asked, her voice curious.
"This is Nova," he said. "Nova, that's my sister, Grace."
"It's nice to meet you," Nova said. She smiled.
Grace laughed, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, too." The sylveon winked at Eevee.
Eevee felt his face flush. He briefly wondered what his sister meant by that, but before he could think too hard about it, he heard his mother ask, "So what brings you here, dear?"
Nova fidgeted slightly before settling comfortably close to him. "Well, I heard from Noor, today."
"Really?" Eevee asked. "How's she doing?"
"Isn't that your noctowl friend?" his mother asked.
Nova nodded. "Yeah. She's doing well. Umm…" Her words trailed off. She was silent a moment before saying in a rush, "I… may have invited her and her family to the party tomorrow."
She winced and closed her eyes, expecting outrage from the family of eeveeloutions, but when none came, she opened one eye cautiously to see a smiling glaceon and a laughing leafeon.
"Is that all? Dear, were you worried we'd say she couldn't come?"
The umbreon nodded, feeling a little ridiculous. "A little…"
"Well," Eevee's father said, "the more the merrier, I say! What's Christmas Eve if not a time to spend with friends and family?"
"Well," his sister said, fidgeting slightly. "Umm…"
"Grace, you woke me up in the middle of the night. What's going on?" Solus asked. His sister was acting a little strange, and that worried him.
She sighed. "Alright. Solus… I'm going to have kits…"
"Sis, that's fantastic!" He smiled. "Congratulations!"
"No! It's not fantastic! Solus, what if I'm not ready to be a mother? I don't know how to take care of kits! I'm terrified!" she cried.
"You'll be a great mom," he said, hugging his sister. "You were always a great older sister. We all look up to you."
She sniffled. "Thanks, little bro."
"Merry Christmas!" his father said to Noor. "It's so great to finally meet you! I'm Larry, and this is my beautiful mate, Lacy. Thanks so much for coming."
"Merry Christmas to you, too! It's my pleasure," the noctowl responded. "How could I say no when Nova asked me to join her?"
"She does have that effect on people," Eevee's mother said, laughing.
Noor smiled. "Especially Eevee."
"Especially Eevee," his parents agreed.
"Um, I hate to ask," his father said after a moment, "but…"
"Oh, there's no need to worry about that," Noor interrupted. "We ate before coming, don't you worry."
"Thank you," his mother said.
"Of course. Hoothoot, why don't you go play with the others?" Noor asked. Her son peeked out from behind her.
"Umm…"
Eevee ran up to him and smiled. "Hi! Come on! We're about to start passing out the berries!"
As Grace left his room, Solus smiled. He knew she'd make a good mother. She had Leon to support her, too.
He settled back down to sleep, and as he did, he only wished that someday, he'd make as good a parent as he knew his sister would be.
Even though the winter air chilled everyone to their bones, all three families – Eevee's, Nova's, and Noor's – mingled outside in the clearing. A single tree had been placed in the center of the field, and the eevee kits each took turns placing berries on the tree.
Eevee stepped forward to the tree when his turn came. His berry, a sitrus, would look great right next to that oran berry. So, taking a step away from the tree, he readied himself. He'd only get one shot at this.
He wordlessly counted down from three, and as soon as he hit zero, he launched the berry toward the tree, watching in anticipation as it flew exactly where he wanted it to go.
Everyone cheered as he walked away from the tree. His face was etched in a smile as he sat down next to Nova at the edge of the clearing.
"Alright, that's the last berry," his father said. "But you know, I think it's still missing something. Hoothoot, how would you like to put the star on the top?"
The bird chirped once and ruffled his feathers. "Gee, would I ever!"
Noor laughed and handed her son a shiny star piece that had been carved into the shape of a star. "Be careful, dear."
"I know, ma," he said, flying into the air.
Everyone cheered when he placed the star on top.
"It's so pretty," Nova whispered. Eevee turned to his friend.
"It is, isn't it?" he responded.
"The way the moonlight glints off the star at the top… It's stunning."
"Yeah…"
They sat in silence together, watching their families interact. They smiled when their fathers started trying to outdrink each other, and burst into laughter when Eevee's uncles joined in. The laughter died down until Nova pointed out their mothers and his aunts, who were shaking their heads and pretending not to notice their mates.
The two were so engrossed in each other's company that they noticed neither everyone starting to leave nor Noor hopping over to them.
"Hello," she said, startling the cheery duo. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas," they said in unison.
Noor beamed at them. "This was fun. Thanks for inviting me, Nova."
"You're welcome, Noor," she said. "It wouldn't have been the same without you here."
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen my son have this much fun," Noor responded. They watched the young hoothoot play with the eevee kits for a few minutes before she said, "Thank you so much. I cannot ever repay you for this."
"Noor, you've saved both our lives," Eevee said, smiling. "I don't think we can ever repay you."
The noctowl laughed. "Fair enough. Well, it's getting rather late. I suppose I'll be going now," she said. "Hoothoot, we're leaving now. You can play with your new friends again another day."
The young fowl hopped over. "Yes, ma."
Noor looked up and chuckled. "Thanks again," she said preparing to take off. "Goodbye, everyone!"
Eevee and Nova watched her and her son fly into the forest, but froze when they saw what had caused the noctowl to chuckle. "Is that… mistletoe?" Nova asked.
"Uh… Looks like," Eevee responded, cheeks burning. He was frantic. What should he do? Should he kiss her?
She looked at him. The moonlight glinted from her eyes, drawing him in. She was beautiful. She closed her eyes slowly. He froze, still frantic. What should he do? Knowing he was running out of time, he made a split second decision. He closed his own eyes, leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. It was a short and sweet kiss, but it needn't be long. He pulled away slowly, and they both opened their eyes.
"Merry Christmas, Eevee," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Nova."
Excited voices woke Solus from his dreams. He stood up, stretched, and yawned before walking out of his room and into the living area. His family sat gathered around Grace and Leon, who were both beaming.
"You're gonna be a mommy?" one of their youngest siblings asked.
Grace nodded, causing their sisters to all squeal and their brothers to groan, even though they, too, were excited. Their parents sat next to Grace and Leon, both smiling. "Grandkits…" their mom said, shaking her head. "I'm going to be a grandmother! Oh, it's so exciting, Larry!"
The leafeon rolled his eyes, but he was also elated. "You're making us feel old, Grace!"
She laughed. "Sorry," she said, not sorry in the slightest.
"How far along are you?" asked their mother.
"Not very. It'll still be a while," Leon responded for his mate. "We only just found out recently."
"Well, congratulations!" their mother yelled.
"Congrats, you guys," Solus said, walking over. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, little bro," Grace said, hugging him. "That means a lot to us."
Nova burst through the door, face beaming. "Is it true?" she asked. "I heard the news! So? Is it?"
Grace and Leon laughed before nodding. "Yeah," the sylveon said. "It's true."
"Congrats! Ooh, that's so exciting! I love kits! I can't wait to have kits of my own!"
The Christmas party had ended a while ago, but Eevee had barely said a word to anyone. Grace, knowing her little brother better than anyone, walked over and bopped him on the head with her paw.
"What's up, little bro?" she asked.
He looked up at her. "I… I don't know, sis."
"Didn't you have fun tonight?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Did Nova?"
He froze and stammered a few syllables before forming a coherent reply. "I… don't know. I think so."
"Well, she still hasn't left, even though her family went back a little while ago. You should go talk to her," his sister said. She smiled. "Mom and Dad say you need to walk her home. It's only the right thing to do, after all."
"Sis," he called, but she had already left. He sighed before standing and making his way over to his friend.
"Hey, Eevee!" she exclaimed, smiling prettily.
He smiled back. Her beautiful smile never failed to make him feel better. "Hey, Nova," he responded. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
As they left his family's den, his mother stopped them. "Merry Christmas, Nova," she said.
"Merry Christmas!" the umbreon responded cheerfully.
They were silent for a moment before his mother sniffled once and said, "Oh, you guys…" She attempted, unsuccessfully, to hold back the tears.
"I'll be back later, mom," Eevee said.
"Alright… Be safe!"
Nova's den really wasn't that far from his own, but the awkward silence they walked in made it seem like a far greater distance. Neither one of them said anything until they reached her family's den.
"Well, we're here," Eevee said.
"Yeah…" she whispered. "Eevee?"
"Yeah?"
"I had fun tonight," she said.
"I did too," he responded.
She hesitated momentarily before leaning over and pecking his lips quickly. Before he could even process what had happened, she had already pulled away.
"Good night, Eevee," she said. "Merry Christmas."
"Good night, Nova," he said as she went inside. "Merry Christmas."
Solus was frozen to his spot. She couldn't wait to have kits? What did that mean?
"Solus, are you alright?" she asked him. "You're just staring into space."
"I'm fine," he said after a moment. "You know, I really like kits, too."
"Do you? That's great!" she exclaimed. "You probably can't wait for your sister to have kits. I know I can't! Oooh, you're so lucky, Grace!"
His sister laughed knowingly. "Well, I think I'm pretty lucky. After all, Leon is my mate!"
The luxio smiled and licked her head. "You're sweet, love."
"I do try, dear," she said. She nuzzled his neck.
"Merry Christmas!" she shouted in his ear.
He jumped awake. "Nova?! How'd you get in here?"
She laughed gleefully. "Your parents let me in! They're so awesome," she said.
"Yeah, I guess they are," he said. "Oh! Merry Christmas! Uh… can you go out for a second? I need to get something."
She nodded and hopped out of his room. "That was close," he mumbled to himself before standing up. Glancing at the empty doorway, he shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. "I can't believe they let her in here…"
Knowing he had little time, he walked over to his drawers and rummaged through the bottom one. Sticking his head in to get a better look around, he finally spotted it. He jumped for joy, bumping his head and wincing. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the small, wrapped box and pulled it out.
"Eevee," Nova called. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he called back. "I'll be out in a second!"
He rushed out of his room and into the living area, where his entire family sat waiting.
"Merry Christmas, Eevee," his parents said.
"Merry Christmas!" he responded. He turned to face his friend. "Nova, I got you something. I… I hope you like it."
She squealed and took the small box from him. She tore the wrapping paper from it and opened the box. Gasping, she pulled out a small stone necklace from the box. "Eevee, it's beautiful!"
"Do you like it?" he asked as his parents exchanged looks.
"Like it?" she asked, incredulous. "Eevee, I love it!"
They were both beaming. He because she loved his gift, and she because he was thoughtful enough to get it.
"Can you help me put it on?" she asked. He nodded and walked over, taking the necklace from her and putting it over her head. "Well?" she questioned, staring at him expectantly. "How do I look?"
"You look beautiful," he said immediately, causing her to blush.
"Thanks," she said. She stared down at her paws for a moment before looking up. "Oh, I almost forgot! I got you something, too!"
"Really?" he asked. "You shouldn't have!"
"Of course I had to! You're my best friend, after all!" she exclaimed, pushing over a small box that was only slightly larger than the one he'd given her.
He took it from her and carefully peeled the wrapping paper off. "Hurry uuup!" she said, a slight whine in her voice. Despite her impatience, she was beaming.
"Okay, okay," he said, finally taking the last of the wrapping paper off the box. He opened it and pulled out a small lavender shard. He gasped. "Is that what I think it is?!"
She giggled and nodded. "Yup! That's a genuine sun shard!" she said. "I hope you like it!"
"Thank you so much!" he yelled, tackling her to the ground in a hug.
"You're welcome!" she exclaimed as the sun shard started to glow. "Eevee, look! It's happening!"
"What?" he said before getting off her. "Oh. Oh!"
His mother ran out of the room and returned a moment later with a disposable camera a traveler had given her. "I've got to capture the moment!"
Evolution, he decided, was a weird thing. For eevee, evolution even more so. Some eevee chose to evolve using an evolution stone, but others simply evolved from joy. He'd been searching for a sun shard for years! He'd always wanted to be an espeon, and now… it was finally happening! As the joy from his present flooded him, he felt his form changing. It wasn't painful like he'd expected, but somehow, renewing. He felt like he could take on the world.
"I'm an espeon!" he yelled when the light faded. "Yes! Nova, thank you so much!"
He licked the top of her head in affection. "You're welcome," she responded, nuzzling into his neck. It was weird for him, though. He'd never been taller than her.
"You know, we can't exactly go around calling you 'Eevee', anymore," his mother started.
"You mean…"
"That's right," his father said. "I'm so happy for you, Solus."
"Solus," Nova said. "Sounds… powerful. It works for you."
"I love it," Solus said. "It's perfect."
"Nova," Solus said. She stopped harassing his sister to look up.
"Yeah?" she asked, curiosity etched on her face. It was a good look for her, he decided.
"Maybe we should leave the two alone for a little bit. Want to go take a walk?" he asked.
"I'd love to," she responded, hopping to her feet and moving to stand next to him.
"Mom, we're gonna go on a walk. We'll be back later," he called as they walked out the den.
"Alright! Have fun!"
Nova shook her head, smiling. "Your mom is awesome," she said.
"She is pretty great, isn't she?" he asked, laughing.
"Yeah." She stopped talking to laugh with him. "You know, it's pretty great that your sister's having kits. You're going to be an uncle. Uncle Solus!"
"Heh, yeah, you're right. Uncle Solus." He stopped walking. "Huh, that's weird to think about."
"Maybe a little," she admitted. "So do you ever think about having kits?"
"Uh… well… No, not really. I mean, I'd love to have kits someday, but I don't think I'm ready yet," he said after a moment. He started walking again. "Why?"
"Oh," she said. "No reason."
They kept walking through the forest until they reached the clearing; their clearing. "You remember this place?" he asked the umbreon.
"Of course!" Nova responded. "How could I ever forget?! That boulder right over there… You bit my ear, getting me onto that!"
He laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. We were just playing, though."
"True. Of course, right over here," she said, walking to the center of the clearing. "Here. This is where our Christmas tree decoration happens every year!"
"Yeah! And over there," Solus said, pointing off to the edge of the clearing. "That's where we talked to Noor."
"Yeah… and…"
"Yeah…" he responded.
They walked over to the patch of grass neither of them could ever forget and sat down. "Solus…" his friend whispered.
"Nova… I…"
She licked his head. "Solus, it's alright. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"You're right… it's just… this is hard to say," he admitted.
"Well, just tell me, then," she said, laughing. She had a pretty laugh, he decided. "I'm not going to laugh at you or anything." Not that he would mind. He really did love her laugh.
"Alright. So last night… Ummm…" He pawed at the dirt in front of him.
"Go on…"
"Well, I was thinking about what you said. Maybe… Maybe, I'd like to be more than best friends..?" he said quietly. Quickly, he shook his head. "No, it's ridiculou-"
"I'd like that too," she said, cutting him off.
"Wait, really?" He was astounded. She wanted to be more than best friends?
"Yeah." She giggled.
"Awesome! So… what does this mean, exactly?" he asked.
"You're silly. It means this!" she said.
And she kissed him.
They walked back to his family's den, tails entwined. It was a wonderful feeling, love. Solus knew, in that instant, that no matter what would happen in the future, she would always be his umbreon.
The End
This story is a Christmas present for my beloved Umbreon. Furthermore, this is my first ever intro into oneshot writing, and I can honestly say I love how it turned out. I'm thinking about several more in the future, so let me know if you'd like that. Let me know what you think of this, too. Like I said, it's my first true romance oneshot, and I'd really like to see what everyone thinks. I write to get better, after all. Thanks to all my faithful reviewers of my other stories and of this. You all make everything worth writing.
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays.
- Espeon