i am so so sorry if the coding of this one is messing up again, I have no idea why is deciding to ruin the html of my documents.
anyways yes i was considering making this chapter horribly depressing but then figured i might as well give you some dweeby nerdbabies instead.
Riley's awake, it was sort of difficult not to be after getting chucked across a room by a Pokemon. He groans a low "ooooowwww," and blearily pokes at his side. That'll be a bruise. He's currently too out of it to process why he's being half-held-up by his upper arms, and Steven is too busy caught in an endless list of things he wants to say and can't figure out where to start. Riley blinks himself into enough cognitive function to get past 'why do I hurt' and move into 'what is holding my arm'. He looks up. Oh. Hello, Steven.
The fact that Riley is not alone right now, that he wasn't left off in some Godforsaken corner of the world, makes him stupidly and sleepily happy, and he's not thinking too hard as he promptly pulls Steven into a hug.
Steven is still supporting most of Riley's weight and still stunned. He takes a few seconds, but eventually pats Riley's head, remembers why they're here, and then pulls the other male off of him. Riley appears both somewhat disappointed and disoriented as Steven holds him at arm's length, face flushed.
"Do you have any idea what just happened? What the hell were you doing? We had to drag you back here," Steven continues on rambling at Riley, more stressed than actually angry. Riley keeps zoning out throughout Steven's speech. Concentration is difficult right now, but what he does catch doesn't really make him any happier. Riley slowly slumps forward, head bowed.
"'M sorry."
"You-. What?"
"I'm sorry." Riley's voice is muted, but at least he's looking Steven in the eye. (And that, in the end, is what makes Steven wilt). Steven lets go of Riley, dropping his hands and looking off at the ground.
"Yeah. I'm. It's okay. And I really shouldn't have gotten mad and you. Sorry. Arceus, Riley, you're scaring me."
Riley shifts his weight around uncomfortably. "I'm not exactly trying to."
"I know you're not. I'm not blaming you. Honestly."
There's a pause, during which Riley relaxes. H's not annoyed or anything similar. Mostly he's just tired. There's not a lot of room for extraneous emotions when he feels like he's still about to keel over. He looks over at Lucario, who just folds her ears and looks away, self-conscious. "It's okay," he tells her quietly. He's not particularly mad at her for what he presumes is causing the large forming bruise on his side.
Steven, once again, is the first to break the quiet. "Though I'm still kidnapping you back to Mossdeep." There is no escape, or at least he refuses to allow one. Byron wouldn't mind at all and he's the only one who could possibly have a say otherwise in that arrangement.
Luckily for Steven, Riley hardly bothers to protest. He just laughs mutedly at the phrasing and agrees. What he wasn't expecting is for Steven to clap him on the shoulder and shove him off toward his own room.
"Then get some stuff, I really wasn't kidding about the hauling you off thing."
Riley stumbles off and Lucario takes this as her cue to follow after him, mostly to make sure everything is done to her standards and Riley absolutely does not forget her pokeball. As if he would.
Steven watches, only turning away when he's satisfied Riley's good and he can go sort his own stuff out. Steven sighs, tapping the flat of his fingernail against one of his rings. He just hopes that what he's doing will actually turn out slightly helpful instead of just things continuing to become progressively more terrible.
He'll have to email Cynthia once he gets home.
Many hours later and with the combined efforts of Skarmory and a boat, Steven and Riley get halfway to Hoenn, and end up plopped in an altogether mediocre motel room around midnight. Neither are particularly used to motels, considering Riley hardly ever leaves the island and Steven just sleeps on routes when he's adventuring on foot because that's where he'll happen to be when night falls.
But hey, mostly cheap and entirely not-sketchy lodging for the night, they're good to go. It's late by now, and Riley's sitting cross-legged on the bed he claimed, poking at the mattress. Steven's on his own, ill-fitting Skarmory somehow managing to plop his head in Steven's lap. Riley appears more or less awake for once, considering Steven kept having to check to make sure he wasn't going to pass out in midair.
"Can I sleep here," Riley pipes up.
"... Yes, that is sort of what the bed is here for. Sleeping. That's what you do on a bed, Ri."
Riley snorts and chucks a pillow at Steven, who deflects it harmlessly to the ground.
"You know what I meant, jerk."
"Wow, call me names again and I'll be so hurt that I'll just fly off without you. But yes, and I'm waking you up at seven."
Cue a loud groan from Riley as he flops backwards. Lucario looks up from where she was sleeping at the foot of the bed, somewhat displeased at having been woken up by the motion. "I'm sure you'll live through the scathing blow that is my insults. Don't fly off without me." He ends in a whine, closing his eyes.
"I'll put some thought into remembering to carry you along."
Riley's next reply is honestly meant to be intelligible, but ends up being a sleepy slur of syllables, and Steven gives up trying to decode it. He reaches over and throws Riley's previously weaponized pillow back at him. It bounces off his face. "At least sleep properly, jeez."
His threat goes unheard and unheeded, to no one's surprise at all. After a few minutes, Riley's breathing evens and he's out.
Steven stays up, petting Skarmory and keeping an eye on Riley until he dozes off himself, still curled awkwardly over the bird.
Riley dreams but it is not a nightmare. This time he is simply sitting in a distinctly old-fashioned yet very well furnished room. He is on one armchair, and there is a different chair directly opposing him that he is... also sitting in.
Or some other version of himself. He knows the difference, the Riley that is not Riley seems to glow slightly around their eyes, though that does not stop the shadows from dancing around their feet. They sit in a manner that is both professional and unworried; leaned back and gazing calmly at Riley.
Riley cocks his head at his doppelgänger, and gets only an apologetic smile in return.
"You found me. Though I'm afraid I can't help you out much," the Not-Riley says.
"Then why do this?" Riley asks.
"I don't know. Call it a whim. A slight form of apology." The other one picks idly at the knee of their pants. "I apologize if borrowing your face unnerves you, but it is one of the only human faces I have a full grasp on copying."
"I. Suppose it's okay." Though it did make Riley slightly uncomfortable, it could be worse. "Then what are you exactly?"
The other Riley laughs hollowly. "I forget what I am called in human tongues, I'm afraid. Though I do know you will make choices for the best." They stand up, dusting nonexistent dust off their palms before they step over to Riley and place a hand over his forehead in what could be considered a comforting gesture if it weren't performed by a slightly-off copy. The shadows follow them, reluctant to let darkened claws off of their legs. "You'll be fine, as will I, and I am glad for that."
Riley simply nods, and then he and the other one go back to sitting in a peaceful but somewhat hesitant silence.
The alarm clock in the table beeping persistently and with a particularly irritating tone. Steven swats blearily at it, missing it beautifully at all attempts. When he sits up, it's with a particularly discomforted mutter. Sleeping practically folded over oneself on top of a giant metal bird is never a good position to wake up from. The alarm finally gets shut off, and Steven looks over to Riley, who's curled up, face smooshed against Lucario's side and arm thrown over his eyes to block out sunlight.
Steven mutters and tosses his pillow at him, to which Riley responds with a muffled "Mnuh."
That, at least, lets Steven feel somewhat more relieved. We are functional (barely) and present. He stands up, nudging Skarmory's head out of the way and stretching before he walks over to Riley and removes his arm from his face.
"Rise and shine, the world says hello."
Riley glares sleepily. "The world can give me five more minutes." He does his best to roll over and resume hiding his face in Lucario's fur, which fails beautifully when Steven just shoves him back over. Damn it Steven. For the first time in months, Riley actually feels as if he's slept once he's woken up, and it's such a nice feeling. But giving up doesn't seem to be on Steven itinerary for the day, so Riley puts forth the effort needed to sit up. He's rewarded by a bright grin from Steven, and he briefly wonders how anyone can be so chipper right after they've woken up. Possibly black magic?
Steven continues to be chipper in Riley's general direction, but at least has the grace to give him a break while they return Pokemon to pokeballs and get somewhat properly dressed.
Steven taps Riley's forehead and Riley mock-attempts to bite his finger.
"Funnily enough, it doesn't strike me that you're a fan of mornings."
"Sleep schedules are hard. And nobody understands, Steven."
Steven laughs. "If it makes you feel better, I'll get you caffeine before we go. And we'll be in Mossdeep by. Eeeeh, four."
A pause, as he considers. "Acceptable."
Steven pats Riley's shoulder and they're off in twenty minutes.