Once upon a time, they were the sweetest of couples.
She was a gregarious, bright-eyed beauty, warm and friendly to anyone who walked through the doors of her newly-renovated gym. She was trying to break the habit of speaking in third person, a troublesome quirk she carried over from childhood. 'Oh, I'm so sorry,' she would coo. 'English is my second language. I don't usually slip up!' Candice was a delicacy in Snowpoint's harsh climate, complete with perpetually rosy cheeks, dry knees, and trendy scarves.
Volkner, on the other hand, was what people would consider just a little shy. To tell you the truth, he just didn't always feel that he had to be around others. He was fine by himself or with his pokémon and liked being left to his own devices. He was polite, strong, clever, and dedicated to all that he believed in. His heart would overcome his brain time and time again.
They were cute together. Sure, Candice hated his friends and Volkner hated her parties, but they made it work. He was enamored by the way she treated her pokémon as if they were treasure and she thought his smile was adorable. The attraction sparked and they were a couple in a flash— holding hands and making blind promises neither were sure they could keep, but Arceus, did they mean them at the time.
When they shared their first kiss, she had been gym leader for a month and he was due to ship out to war the following week. The snowflakes were delicate in the way they fell to earth. They tangled themselves in their eyelashes and piled high where they stood, boot to boot, shyly grasping at each other and praying their insecurities away.
In the months to come, they would change and 'change' would become everything in their little world.'Things are different now' was passed around as if it had no meaning, and really, neither of them meant it. They were lost and convinced that all was pristine and dandy. The realization came too late and they were frozen, stuck where they were with no room for growth or life.
And so, they stayed.
They stayed together even though Candice had grown eager to please and hungry for approval. She was demanding and unforgiving with a saccharine smile for everyone. She had grown lonely, feeling disconnected from her friends further south, and the constant lack of sunlight sucked the color from her cheeks. She was a vapid, diamond-dusted beauty queen with a need for attention.
They stayed together when Volkner became a gym leader and started to play with the electricity because what else was there to do? His challengers were all children, pathetic and self-obsessed and he was starting to hate his job. He crushed dreams without a second glance and got in trouble with the League for plunging his new (too sunny) town into darkness and acting more like an Elite than a gym leader. He knew that he was supposed to let the challengers win every so often, but was it his fault that they were just inferior?
She didn't say anything when he shook at night and wet the bed in his sleep because she understood that he was a haunted soul. Volkner reassured her that she was still golden and played stupid when she guiltily expressed her resentment because he rolled out of actual battle, a mess, and still managed to become the eighth gym leader while she tried oh-so-hard.
Their first time was quick and messy— she cried because it hurt and he didn't know what else to do but rub her back and apologize after each involuntary thrust. He finished way before her and watched as she nervously touched herself, embarrassed under his scrutinizing gaze. She tensed too much and couldn't come and refused his offers to help.
They curled together under the covers and exchanged helpless 'I love you's because that was what they were supposed to do. Crashes echoed far beyond their window and they clung tight to each other, trying to stick to the only stable thing they had before forcing themselves to acknowledge another day of condolences and barely making it through. With her head tucked under his chin, they lived happily ever after for a little while longer.
A/N: Might be pushing the T rating a bit, but I know jack about the system so I may be a-okay? Super thank you to Deerdryad and Nick for reading it over for me. I wrote this for an anon so I hope they like it! I found something rather unsatisfying about it, so if you have any constructive criticism for me, please leave a review uou