"You don't have to go to war, to be Somebody's Hero." - CelfwrDderwydd
A smile.
That was all she could give by now.
A smile. She was too weak to do anything else. Sitting next to her, a mother of a single son, was her long-time companion and best friend; a Delphox, holding her hand. She was in a hospital, her illness being cancer, originally of her spleen, but now it spread, and despite the warnings she has elected not to have chemotherapy, as she said it would only prolong the inevitable. She even disliked the tubes going in her nose, but she couldn't take these off without the staff pestering her.
Now; now all she wanted is to spend the last few days of her life in care, surrounded by the two people in the world she cares most about.
"Are you doing OK?" The Delphox asked.
"Obviously not." She stated back, knowing the dark humor in her choice of words, her voice weak and struggling, but still full of energy.
"How long will it be now?" She asked somberly.
"Only a few days. Shorter than last time you asked this." She joked, her brand of humor not getting to the Delphox. She didn't want to hear this. Anything but the inevitable.
She needed to change the subject, so quickly thinking she grabbed the remote off the side table and turned on the TV, where instantly a commercial popped up.
She felt a sting or irony when she turned it on, as this commercial happened to be something special; as this was for a special organization; specifically one her mother herself had founded, a very important one at that. Both watched the commercial with genuine curiosity; something both always had when it started.
It cut to a black-and-white footage of people and Pokemon, soft, slow music followed out from the Television. Some that can be seen are unhealthily thin and starving, some sick, others wounded. White letters appear on a black screen; "All around the world, people and Pokemon suffer." Close-ups of faces, human and Pokemon, some have tears in their eyes, others seem lost or confused. "Famine, disease, war, hate, mistreatment." Pictures of a man beating an Ampharos with a stick, a human holding a gun to the head of a little girl, a Flareon with matted and patches of missing fur. "For thousands, help came too late..." Pictures of a man's body, covered by a sheet, a Pikachu laying dead, a mother weeping over the body of a little girl. "But, there is hope..." The music briefly stopped before it continued again, the tone become a lot louder and thicker. Pictures of a Typhlosion holding a man near to skeletal, tears running down it's face as it feeds him with a spoon, two people bandaging a Charizard's arm and leg, a Raichu smiling at a little girl as he offers a tin of food. "They lived, because SOMEONE dared." More images of volunteers, humans and Pokemon alike. "Because SOMEONE cared." The image of a Charizard's hand, holding that of a human, inside a heart fades onto the screen; the emblem of the organization; 'DARE TO CARE'.
After this, the Delphox switched the TV off, her eyes did not leave the blank screen of the machine though. She sighed, slowly turning to her trainer, who stared back with a gaunt look.
The mother was proud of what she had accomplished, all the helps and good, but also proud of what her son had done, since he was the one who designed and directed the campaign himself. The mother reflected on her child.
"No matter what happens, please promise me this..." The mother said, starting the conversation. "Please be there for my son. He'll need a friend, more than ever. He will be hurt, even though he's prepared for it." Delphox nodded her head sternly. She will do anything for her trainer.
She felt glad her son wasn't around to hear this. It seemed to take it's tole on him as well, acting more distant and unsocial than usual.
"I will." She promised. She remembered clearly the first time they met, ten years ago. It was when she was only a Braixen, covered in a few bandages, hiding behind the mother's under an old birch tree while the son, only 12, looked to herself in curiosity. The moment the mother stepped to the side, she scampered her back behind her, being practically afraid of anyone expect the mother, it took a while, but she slowly warmed up to the son, now being a close friend of him.
"I promise you, I'll care for your son with all my heart..."
A knock was heard on the door, where the son in question promptly walked in. He looked downtrodden, understandably considering his mother's situation.
"How's the graphics designer job going?" She asked him, where he responded with a nod.
"It's going...OK, I suppose." Her mother feared for him, seeing him start to act less and less social each day. She could see why, as she only hoped he would get better.
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and, with shaken breath, asked her: "Why did you opt to not have the chemotherapy, it would have helped?"
"It would not have cured me. Just kept me living longer in pain. I'd much rather have my final days living in happiness with what I have done, than months of only some resemblance of that while in pain." She stated to him, knowing he would ask this question eventually, so she thought over her answer very hard.
"But...I..." He stuttered before quickly walking away, leaving the two without a real reply. The mother slowly shook her head.
"By there for him." She said to her Pokemon.
"I will." She replied sternly…...
The days have passed now. The mother had died. The funeral was held. And the tone was somber. But, as time would say, life goes on. The Delphox was now in charge of the paperwork from the organisation, though she was the one who mainly handled it for quite some time, days after her mother was permanently hospitalized, which she now did in living room of the house, on the large oval table.
She let out a loud sigh, furrowing her brow and she rubbed her head, the time she spent here alone for over an hour going through the papers really took it's toll on her concentration; now that she was the legal manager of the campaign, so to speak, this was now her work.
She needed to do something else, leaning back on her chair and staring up to the ceiling, she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply and listening to the silent world around her. She could hear nothing, no electrical device was on, no little birds were chirping, no cars driving by, no wind. Absolutely nothing...
THUD The sudden noise startled her, the sound resonating from just upstairs. She looked up in curiosity, realizing that was the son's room. She listened in. No other sound was made. She slowly got out of her chair, still paying attention to any noise coming from the room. Nothing.
"Thomas." She called out. No noise. Quickly she rushed up the stairs, banging on the door to his room. "Thomas." She called again. No sound.
Immediately she pushed open the door, and there, lying on the floor, was the male in question, bleeding profusely from his wrist as he body laid limp on the ground, unmoving on the floor.
"No..." was all she could breathe out, her blood running cold at the sight.
"THOMAS!"
She needed to phone the hospital right away.
Why didn't she notice the signs? She contemplated this. She was all she could do right now. Contemplate. Why didn't she notice this? Was she just so engrossed with her paperwork she neglected to pay any attention to him.
She felt she had failed her. She said she would take care of her child and now here he is in hospital sitting next to the side of the unconscious male, who yesterday tried to kill himself.
She cried softly into her hands. According to the doctors, as she answered their questions, he is in extreme danger of doing this kind of thing, since there were no apparent threats to the act, or allusions to it. He just waited for the right time, and acted. They told her he would need to take medications and be carefully watched over.
She knew why he did this though, as it is some kind of 'Twisted Logic'. He would have berated himself on not doing anymore, even though there was nothing he could do, leading to his mind making the notion that the world would be a better place without him. She did know he was being more distant than usual he talked less and spent little time with the Delphox, even the few times she asked to spend time with him he opted more to be left alone.
She lifted her hand near to the sleeping man's head, softly petting his head. She spent so much time mourning the mother's death she forget how he would be mourning her.
No longer, now, she would completely dedicate herself to him. She knew most of the paperwork was basic handling stuff, she knew other people in the campaign that would lead it better than her. She had a few people in mind.
...But, that is not for now. For now, she needed to focus her whole attention on the son. Arceus...she hoped he can still do work after this ordeal. She hated to think he would have to stay completely at home from now on.
No...she would be there to help him. She would help to ease him back into the real world. She needed to...she promised her.
The next few days had passed, and now, she was walking him back home, neither said anything to each other on the way back. He was awake for a long while after gaining consciousness, and despite having rested for a few days straight, he felt tired now, bearing in mind it was now night.
They entered, and as soon she closed and locked the door, she turned to him.
He had been expected this, she seemed so stoic when he woke up until now, and the tension between them was almost deathly in tone. He felt her arm wrap around him, pulling his body close to her, within earshot of getting his ears ripped off by her yelling-
And then she unexpectedly cries. Her mother's calm, collected and determined Delphox, the same one who kept her figure through the entire of his mother's stay at the hospital now reduced to nothing but a sobbing mess in his shoulder. He in so much shock he couldn't speak, his mind can't work. All he could do was listen to to her voice breaking as she speaks through her sobs:
"Don't leave me. Please, please don't leave me! I lost your Mother, I couldn't bear to lose you, too! You're the only one I have! Without you, I'd be alone..." Here...right here is when he can see that under her tough, stoic exterior, just how scared she is, how fragile she refuses to let anybody just how much she is.
He...just feels so awful now. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear. He could feel her stop crying now, instead she nuzzled into his body, asking him to just hold her. So he did. For a few moments. Then she pulled away.
"Come." She ordered softly. Pulling the male, following her up the stairs until she entered his room, which was, to his surprise, had an actual clean; the room was no longer a mess or smell like unwashed clothes, it almost seemed pleasant to sleep in, even smelling fresh.
"Sit." She ordered, pointing to the bed. He did as she asked, not wanting to be upset.
"Change." She then pointed to a fresh pair of pajamas neatly folded on his pillow, where she turned away given him some privacy. He quickly changed into his nighttime clothes. When he said he was changed, she walked to the light fixture flicking it off and leaving the two in near darkness.
She then walked back over, patting him down on the bed and getting him to sleep, the male not objecting to this. However to his surprise, he felt her follow him under the covers, going behind him as he lay on his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and the 'robes' around her legs draped over his own. Being a fire type, it felt especially warm to him.
"D...Del what are you-" He tried to speak, but she promptly shushed him.
"I will have none of that. From now on, I will go wherever you go. Stay wherever you stay. I promised your mother something, and I intend to keep that promise." He didn't reply to that, just rested into his pillow.
She could feel it. His doubts about her.
"It's...not that I don't trust you, Thomas. It's not like that. But...I know that all it takes is something to trigger your sadness again, and you might come undone again, and I can't let that happen."
She didn't say any more, waiting for a reply. Slowly she lowered herself down onto the bed as well.
"Thanks..."
He said.
"...Delphy." She seemed surprised at him calling her this, in fact, this word made her giggle almost uncontrollably. She pulled him close, hugging him happily and she rested her chin on his back shoulder.
She kissed his hair and let him, both of them, sleep.
Every night from then, she kept to her word, and followed the male everywhere he went. Even when he went to work, him managed to still keep his job (understandable under the circumstances, it had seemed) he still stayed close, never interfering with his work or even watching over his shoulder, instead just staying close to him at all times.
From then, she also had a nightly ritual for them both; they both sitting down in comfy chair in the living room, next to a warm fire that bathes the whole room in a snug red-gold glow; the Delphox making a conscious effort to provide an environment that is warm, comforting and safe. She feels this will ease his mind and help his mental state; by sitting and talking, making sure he is kept happy.
And on his days off, she takes him around green places; the park, or on the path in the woods nearby, where there's a lot of sunshine, she could feel him, slowly getting better each time.
And like she had said, she found others better suited for organizing the campaign her trainer had started, so now all her concentration can be directed to him.
And now, a month had passed, and they both where going to do something that both were dreading, but knew this would happen sooner or later. Now, both Pokemon and human entered the mother's room. For all this time, it was kept as tidy and neat as it had been the last time it was used; when the mother had to stay indefinitely at the hospital. Thomas had never entered the room since, having no reason to and thought of thinking too hard on his mother would put a strain on his state. The Delphox had only entered the room a rare few times, mainly for cleaning away dust or cleaning the duvet.
It was time, having grabbed a few bags searched through his mother's drawers, where, after packing away socks the human found a picture. Seeing the picture he almost immediately 'aww'd' at the sight. The Delphox turned to him, wondering why he made that sound, and walked over to inspect what he had found. It was a photo of herself, holding a small unknown no older than four at the most, smiling as she is giving him a stuffed animal, despite himself being wrapped up in bandages and his arm in a cast.
When Thomas turned to question her, he noticed she had a few tears streaming down her face. When he questioned, she solemnly replied the boy was not a victim of war or a gang, but by the hands of his own father. To this day, she couldn't fathom how anyone could do this to their own child.
Slowly he put it down, and, turning to the Delphox, hugged her warmly, caressing her head as he slowly rubbed her back, telling her how proud he is to call her a true friend.
When they went back to cleaning out his mother's clothes, they agreed that they weren't erasing her from their lives. It is hard on them both, but they had come to realise all these things were just stuff, as the mother's memories will be with them forever. As long as they remember her, she will never be gone.
They donated all her old clothes to the Domestic Violence and Women's shelter when they were finished.
The months had passed, and by now, she believed he was close to healed. She could not be entirely sure, but she didn't want to take the chance.
So, here she was back again live before, lying behind the male, both on their sides as the tried to sleep. Delphox wasn't that tired, instead she was slowly rubbing the back of his hair, when moving it around in her fingers she noticed a small scared part of his head.
"Do you remember why I have that?" The voice of Thomas suddenly said as she was rubbing that spot.
"I...kinda don't really." She answered honestly.
"It was when I fourteen." He explained. "Apparently some girl I barely even knew had a crush on me. I didn't even know, but she still got mad when I didn't realize. She started to attack, even pulling out some of my hair...until you came, and saved me, chasing her girl away fiercely. It wasn't pretty from either end."
He turned his body around, facing the Delphox in the darkness, eyes adjusted to the light.
"I don't think I even remembered to thank you." He said.
"I..don't believe that's necessary now do you." She replied.
"I think I do. At least now. Delphox..." Slowly, he moved his head forward, close to her face. "...Thank you..." He barely finished his sentence before closing the short distance and laid a soft kiss on her lips, surprising the Pokemon shortly, before melting into the kiss, enjoy his lips upon her's for the few too brief moments it lasted. When he pulled back, she stared deeply into his eyes.
"Tho..." She stammered, unable to speak a coherent sentence.
"I love you Del." He spoke in whispered tone moving forward once again to catch her lips. This time she pushed back, but with not as much force, as when he pushed forward he pushed her on her back, the human on top of her as he lied on top of her, kissing deeply as he wrapped his arms around her head and neck. Breathing through his nose as he passionately kissed the Delphox, moving their lips back and forth over each other as they made out.
Without warning he pulled away, quickly heading to her neck where he proceeded to lightly bite down on her neck, snuggling softly into her fur as the Delphox just laid back, moaning to the ceiling from the euphoria she was experiencing, unable to speak a proper.
Slowly, he stopped, moving his head so he was hovering above her, staring directly into her eyes.
"Delphy..." He voice was low. "I love you so much...I...I can't bare to see you hurt again...I want to be with you-"
He stopped as soon as he felt a hand being gently placed on her cheek.
"I would gladly accept being you mate." She interrupted him in a whispered tone, looking up at him in a wide smile. "I would be more than happy to be the somebody who makes you happy, the somebody you look forward to coming home to, somebody who loves you back."
He felt so happy hearing her that.
"Del..." He said, pushing his body back and forward and claiming her lips as his own, darting his tongue into her mouth and tasting her, wanting it to last. He moved with such passionate force he pushed her mouth away, then opting to to lick and caress her cheek as she moaned out some more.
"Please..." She breathed, her body going rigid from the feeling. "I can't hold back any longer. Take me right now...make me your mate. I want to be yours."
He leaned his body back, grabbing his pajama bottoms, pulling them down and away and freeing his erection. But before he could started, he quickly thought of something about her.
"Is this...your first time?" He asked slowly.
"Yes." Was all she replied. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"It's just...I don't want to hurt if it is." She felt her heart skip a little at him saying this. She got an idea right after.
"Hold on." The Delphox began, grabbing his sides, she, carefully, pulled his over and away, so he was now sitting on the edge of the bed, herself sitting on his lap, her legs wrapping behind him as the male responded in kind by grabbing her thighs, moving his hands up and down her legs as she wraps her arms around his head. Firmly, he grabbed her thighs.
"Ready." She replied to the question he had yet to answer. With this, he slowly lowered her down, his shaft pushing past her walls as her body shuddered from the feeling, until he was all the way in.
Starting calmly, she slowly rocked her hips back and forth, enjoying the feeling of his member touching her walls. Even moving a little side-to-side.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"Amazing." She spoke with bated breaths, focusing hard on herself.
"Do you want to go faster?"
"I thought you'd never ask." She said as she moved quicker over him, her rocks faster this time. Without warning, Thomas quickly grabbed her head and pulled her into a deep kiss, the Delphox immediately responding back as their tongues fought for dominance, swaying their head around as the human began pushing up into her, aiming for a rhythm with her own motions.
He used his other hand to rub her back, tracing his fingers around her soft fur as the female over him rubbed back over is chest, both caressing each other.
They continued this, never wanting to separate until she felt it building up in her loins.
"I'm gonna...I'm gonna..." She moaned, having to move away from his lips to speak, her body still wanting to be close as she pushed her chest onto his, resting her head over his shoulder as her picked up the pace for the oncoming act, and with a soft moan, she came, her body tensing from her climax, hugging the male tightly.
The feeling of her both climaxing, releasing her juices onto him, and her inner walls tightening his penis made him cum as well, releasing his seed into her as they both panted from the experience.
Slowly, the Delphox leaned her body up, the male resting his hands off from her and to his sides for a semblance of balance.
"Del..." He let out slowly.
"Yeah..." She replied back, looking down on him.
"Would you mind...putting you wand on fire...I'd like to see you in the flamelight." Slowly, she pulled out her 'wand'; a small wooden stick made of birch from her tail, kept their for safe keeping.
With a flick the tip of her 'wand' lighten up, she placed the stick in between herself and her mate as he gazed at her, tracing her shadows with his eyes and looking across her features.
"Why?" She asked him in curiosity.
"I just think you look most beautiful in firelight." He replied with a soft, genuine smile. Almost immediately she threw the stick away, the flame dissipating before it hit the floor, and pushed his back into the bed as she claimed his lips as her own once again, the two smashing their lips against each other for minutes until they were too tired to continue.
The male laid down on his side, with the Delphox spooning him like before, hugging him ever-so-tight. Grabbing his arm she pulled it close to her, kissing it over the old scar with a butterfly kiss on his wrist before placing it back, wrapping her arms around him, her skirt wrapped around his legs acting like a second blanket.
"You are my hero, Del." He told her, snuggling into her arms wrapped around him.
"As you are mine." She lovingly replied in truth, resting her head on his side, the sounds of his soft breaths were like lullabies as they dulled her into a happy sleep, knowing that he feels comfortable, and safe, here, with her.
Never forget, you TOO can be somebody's hero, as even the smallest gesture can grow into something akin to a miracle.
Hope you enjoyed.