Today's title is from Sleeping at Last, I love them. Anyways, sorry for being late, I haven't gotten on myself for looking up titles for the chapters and that's what's really holding me back. It's not that difficult, which is probably why it's not done.
Moving on, I'm a sucker for some beach chapters so I hope you liked this trip. There's some fluff in there because Morty can be smooth when he wants to be. ;)
Layla struggles against her restraints, trying to remember how she got to her childhood home so suddenly. Where are her parents? What's going on?
There's a thud somewhere behind her and Layla feels a gaze settle on the back of her head. It feels like a fire warming her body to a point just within her threshold of pain. She struggles more against the rope tying her to her chair as nails scrape across the floor and flames build around the room.
She feels hot breath on her shoulders and the rumbling of a growl from a houndoom. Fear rises in her stomach as she thrashes around in the chair, desperate for a break from the pokemon.
She screams out when a bright flash surrounds her...
Layla wakes with a start, her heart racing and beads of sweat gathering at her temples. She lays still for a few moments more, breathing in and out, until her anxiety dissipates enough for her to sit up.
She may have been able to run away from the nightmares at work, but here is free game.
Light peeks in from the window as if to reassure her the monster is gone, and so she swings out of bed with a heavy sigh. Her fingers graze over Pocha's feathers as she tiptoes by to the bathroom. The best part of girls night is how soft her skin feels the next and how nice her hair feels too.
Though the bags under her eyes could use some more work.
She chuckles at the thought and slips on her bathing suit. It's a two piece, the top has a lace up back with spaghetti strap necklines. It's striped with white and gray. The bottoms are high waisted with a corsola design on them.
Layla pats her belly as she slips on her white and olive cover before joining Jasmine in the kitchen. It's a thin fabric for breathability and does little to really cover her body up, but she needs more sunlight anyway.
Her thoughts draw back to the dream she had.
The jagged scar on her left arm burns at the memory, the memory of the fire and the houndoom that started it.
No matter how far she runs, she finds herself returning to that night and pokemon. Her gut screams it was Archer's pokemon there that day, but her mother didn't react to information on the man at all. Layla assumes her mother would say something about him being the one to attack them at some point.
She realizes that her mother has been a bit more protective than usual lately. The guards were around for an awfully long time, the daily check in's... Maybe she already knows that Archer is the one from that night and wants to shield Layla from that information. to keep her out of harm's way.
Who's watching over her mother though? The more she thinks about it, the more Layla realizes her mother has been on desk duty recently. Maybe they do know?
In the kitchen, Jasmine looks excited for the day, wearing denim shorts and a crop top over her bathing suit. Her wide brim hat sits on the table along with her own bag for the day. She gathers water bottles, snacks, sunscreen and towels into her bag, extras just in case.
They hear a knock at the door and Layla gets up to open it, her chest fluttering at the thought of seeing Morty, if he's come along. Eusine wouldn't answer that question, either out of annoyance or suspicion, she really hopes it's the former.
She opens the door and smiles seeing the two of them standing in the doorway. Both don swim trunks, Eusine's are Suicune themed while Morty's are simply purple. Their shirts are matching white with a small design of beach waves.
"Morning," she steps aside to let them in. She glances at Morty, leaning in to talk to him. "Glad you could make it."
"Th-thanks," he stammers, his ears pink. "Um, you look great... I me-mean, I-I like your bathing suit."
Eusine snorts, behind her and she shoves him away, not letting his rudeness destroy the way her chest warms. "Thanks. Your trunks are plain, though... Are they Eusine's?"
"Don't worry about it," Eusine calls from the hall.
"I don't go to the beach much," he shrugs.
She smiles. "That's okay. Summer just started, we have plenty of time."
His grimace makes her laugh, a pleasing sound to his ears. It makes his heart beat harder as he follows her to the kitchen. Immediately, the smell of cooked bacon, eggs and biscuits greets them. From the watering in his mouth, Morty knows it's all Layla's doing.
"I'm also making some sandwiches as snacks," she explains, holding up the said food already bagged up and ready to go.
"There'll be grilling and stuff there," Eusine reminds her.
"Just in case," Layla clicks her tongue. "Now, let's go."
The four march on just down the path to the beach where music is already playing and volleyball nets are being set up. Jasmine finds a spot away from the hubbub, a spot with four chairs no less, and spreads their things out to ensure ownership of it. She and Layla shed their outer clothing and shoes, the sand not yet burning hot thankfully. The boys do the same and Layla fails at keeping her eyes away from Morty.
Surprisingly, he's not just skin and bones as he looks at first glance. When they had hugged she could feel some muscle and it holds true out in the open. Not toned, but occasionally athletic.
"Stop staring," Eusine stands between them. His eyes glittering. "He's shy."
"I will put you in a box," she glares up at him.
A strange threat, Morty frowns and looks to Jasmine for an answer.
Smiling, Jasmine crosses her arms and does so. "Her illusions can make him believe he's in an invisible box."
He blinks and cracks a smile. "Wish I had a trick like that to get him to behave."
Eusine rounds on him with a feigned hurt look. "But, babe..."
Layla snickers, clapping her hands together. "I'll go get us signed up."
"I'll join you," Morty perks up, moving to her side.
It takes Layla's best control to not squeal when he does so, his eyes meeting hers and pointedly glancing back towards the other too. Understanding dawns, and she fights the wave of disappointment threatening to ruin the day.
Oh.
He wants those two to be alone.
She feels dumb and continues on ahead of him without a backwards glance. He's a friend and she has other crazy things happening in her life right now. Plus, he's seen her sobbing and just struggling emotionally, there's no way he could assume she's available.
"Careful."
Morty's voice cuts through her internal rambling and his hand comes up to pull her back as a rowdy group tramples by.
"Oh, thanks," she breathes, glancing up at him.
He returns but doesn't drop his hand. "What's on your mind? You looked lost in thought."
"Just been a crazy week," she raises a brow as if to say 'Really? You're asking me that?'.
"Ah, yeah. That's fair," he nods, he drops his hand slowly as if not wanting to do it. "Let's both try to have fun today, yeah?"
This makes her smile no matter how much she doesn't want to read into it, but she nods and they make it over to the sign up table. As they're only a group of four, they get matched with two brothers and put on the board as third on the 'courts'. The group heads back to their spot to pick up the other two before meeting at the court to discuss plans.
"Morty's actually got a good serve," he relays to the new three. "Trust me, we got this."
The other three grin eagerly at the gym leader, causing him to flush a bit more under their attention, but it goes away at the first whistle. The game starts and Layla loses herself in the heat of the game and the sun.
Their first match goes well, Morty stunning everyone with his high jump and hard slap on the ball. Once he delivers the hit and the game ends with their win, the two other guys on the team lift him up on their shoulders, shouting his name with joy. Layla watches the smile grow on his face, joy bubbling up in her own chest to see the first game going so well already.
As the day progresses, so do the difficulties of each game until it's late afternoon and it's Layla's team and another in the final round. The smell of barbecue and firewood has her stomach grumbling despite snacking on her own food between games. She can taste that slow roasted pork as Eusine serves first, his form pretty good, and the other team sends it back with fervor.
She does her best, volleyball not being her best sport, and only manages to run into the others a couple of times. The crowd of other players cheer them on for each score. Their screams keep the energy high as they get closer and closer to the end.
Layla tries her hardest to get a last hit in, but she runs into one of the dudes, their bodies collapsing at the force of the hit. There's a burst of pain spreading on the top of her head from his elbow. She feels the weight of him over her and struggles to move away when she hears a thump.
She looks over to see the ball sitting in the sand just as cheers erupt from the crowd for the other side.
"I'm sorry!" she grimaces, rubbing her head.
"Nah, I didn't call for it," the dude chuckles, stretching his neck around. "It was a good game, yeah?"
"For sure!" Layla beams.
His brother helps him up while Morty offers his hand to Layla. She tries to explain away the look on his face as basic worry, then his hand reaches up to the spot on her head she had been touching. He pauses inches above her hair and glances down at her.
"May I?"
She nods and almost repeats her acceptance out loud in case he didn't hear, but his touch presses a little bit harder and she flinches.
"Sorry," he pulls his hand away. "Tender, but not a pokemon egg."
"Thank god," she laughs. She dusts herself off and pats his back, wincing when it's bareskin she hits. "You did great!"
"Oh, thanks," he runs his hand through his hair.
The other team approaches, interrupting their conversation to shake hands and show good sportsmanship. Eusine pouts the entire time, but Layla congratulates them and they stand in the court for the final announcements and awards.
On the way back to their spot, they stop for some more grilled meat and drinks to finally relax on chairs and under the umbrellas.
"Mmm. We should do this every year," Layla hums, licking some barbeque sauce off her finger.
"No thank you," Morty groans, sliding up his chair to bask in the shade.
"It wasn't that bad," Layla lounges back on her seat next to him at the end. "Didn't you have fun?"
He chews on his food more, focusing on it as if having to really think about the question before mumbling, "Yes."
"Morty's outdoor activities consist of walking the bell chime trail and training," Eusine explains.
"And that's more than enough."
"No wonder you're so pale and get sick easily."
"I should stay inside more then!"
Their banter continues on through their little dinner, leaving the girls to listen until they feel the need to take a walk. The sun lowers along the horizon, casting a beautiful colorful glow in the sky. The intense heat from the day has lessened enough to create a chill only abated by the fires along the beach.
Pokemon and people alike meander the sandy area, joy and contentment clear on their faces from a good day.
The warm waves greet them, washing over their feet, rising up their ankles before pulling away. It feels so serene to hear the waves crash and feel sand between her toes, Layla could really get used to living here.
Jasmine suddenly jabs Layla with her elbow, the sudden movement jerks her out of her reverie with an angered grunt. "What?"
"Uh, hey," a male voice speaks from behind Layla and she whips around. It's one of the brothers they played with, the one she bumped into, smiling awkwardly. Her heart drops realizing the familiarity of his smile and unfocused eyes. "I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to get dinner?"
Blood rushes to her cheeks, though she's been through this before as well as in his shoes and it's ended badly each time. She smiles. "Thank you, but right now isn't a good time in my life. It was a good game, though."
She braces for his demeanor to completely change, but it doesn't. His shoulders lower as though tensed and he beams. "Thought I'd give it a try. Have a good one."
He jogs back to his brother, who pats him on the back and Layla turns to Jasmine with an incredulous look.
Her best friend laughs. "He fell in love with you."
"Stop it," she rolls her eyes. "Let's head back.
They turn and head back to find the boys cleaning up their things as the sun begins to set. Eusine holds out Layla's phone as she approaches, his face grim.
"The Daycare called."
Layla's heart sinks and she takes the phone with a muttered thanks, she walks towards the water to listen to the message.
"Hey, doll! It's Lex from the center! We just wanted to update you on the changes we're making so you can make an informed decision. We'll be adding a more extensive boarding list to the daycare menu. We're thinking of hiring more staff for that. You'd be in charge with one other person, we'd bump your pay up a bit and add in benefits... Oh, we just hope you'll stay with us! No rush on that answer, my husband and I are here for the whole summer."
She sighs, saving the message and gathering herself to put off considering the job. Things feel like they're changing, at a slow pace, but changing nonetheless and she's going to get left behind somehow. Just the thought of it makes her body freeze and eyes lose focus on the vast ocean before her...
"Layla?" Morty's voice pulls her back to reality.
She blinks rapidly, dispelling her blurry vision and turns back to him. "Yeah? Sorry."
"Are you okay?" He asks, offering her cover and hat back.
She smiles, not wanting to burden him with her issues. "Yeah. It just caught me off guard."
His eyes search hers, his eyes glowing in the setting sun, as if aware she's lying but unsure how to go about it. He lets her take her things and walks back with her. She doesn't know if he believes her as Eusine meets them part way with a sly grin.
"What did Jude want?" he wiggles his brows.
She frowns at him until she realizes that's the name of one of the brothers, she had completely missed their name earlier. "Oh... He wanted to get dinner."
Next to her, Morty frowns, but remains quiet as Eusine continues with a lighter tone. "Oh, did you say yes?"
Layla frowns at him, a smile teasing at her lips. "I said no. I don't need some random man in my life right now."
He pretends to look surprised, but Morty seems to smile a bit wider after that. She eyes him, not even daring to go down the rabbit hole of what his actions could possibly mean.
They're friends and that's it.
"So, tomorrow," Morty starts after an awkward pause between them. "Burned Tower, try two?"
"What time?" She responds, looking for her bag around the chairs while Jasmine settles her hat on her head.
"Whenever you wake up, we'll come get you," Eusine watches her struggle before clearing his throat and gesturing to Morty. "He grabbed it for you."
She flushes a bit, surprised she didn't see it when he walked over to her. She reaches for it. "Thank you."
"I can carry it, it's fine," he turns his body to avoid her grasp.
She smiles at him. "Thanks... And okay, I'm exhausted so I'll be heading to bed right away."
"Same," Jasmine yawns, stretching her arms out. "Thanks for hanging out today guys."
"Of course, Layla is awfully boring."
"Hey!"
Their group heads back the way they came, their trail lit by lamplight this time, and their conversation about the day subdued due to fatigue. Layla holds her hands behind her back, unsure how to act with Morty carrying her stuff and telling her more about the Burned Tower.
He's just being friendly, right? They're friends so that makes sense. Her heart feels ready to explode thinking about it, but it's her own feelings turning this into more right? Right?
She manages to not trip on the steps into Jasmine's house and feels relieved when the cool air washes over her. Morty hands her bag over with an easy smile, the one that makes her face flush, and she accepts it.
"It's going to be okay," he states when she takes her bag. "Eusine explained the situation a little bit. I'm not going to pretend to know the answer, I just know it's going to be okay."
She tilts her head at him. "Will it?"
"Something tells me that you'll make it okay," he grins, his eyes glittering. "Try not to think too hard about it tonight."
"Thank you," she says, her voice thick with earnest. "I appreciate it."
"It's what friends are for."
The boys meander for a bit longer, in the kitchen while Layla gets laundry going and preps for a nice shower. She returns to see them out the door, Morty's gaze filling her insides with warmth as he smiles and disappears with Eusine and Hugo.
When Layla returns to the kitchen, she finds a mug of tea waiting for her, the steam unfurling from the dark reddish brown liquid inside. In the living room, Jasmine puts on a contest, taking place in Sinnoh, unaware of the mug completely. She approaches it and holds it up to her nose and takes a whiff.
It smells sweet and leaves her feeling calm. Her heart warms just knowing Morty left it for her. She takes a sip, warmth spreading in her body as she joins Jasmine on the couch. They've been keeping up with the contests, happy to see the woman, Autumn, who had been traveling around Kanto and Johto a year ago, still going strong.
The rest of the night goes quickly after that. Autumn wins that one, though her usual flair feels off, and the girls decide to head to bed. They feel way too drained to think about the day nor discuss Autumn's appeals.
The tea and then shower puts Layla into the ultimate zone for sleeping, as soon as she plops onto the bed, she's out.