Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with another chapter. This one dives a little deeper into more of what actually happened between Justin and Katie when they shared that special time together following the break ups with Jayden and Sammy respectively. I know that that duo has been written about a lot lately but I am making sure to intersperse these uploads with other subjects also. But fortunately or unfortunately, Justin and Katie is what I'm working on a lot lately! Either way, I hope you enjoy. It has some insight to Jordan and Lynne and their beloved ship also :3
Ages:
Katie: 17
Justin: 23
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
As I walked along the decking of the dockyard and towards The Valentine, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I paused. I lifted my head and inhaled deeply. I shut my eyes. I could feel the shrivelled up winter leaves below my feet and at once, I of course knew that they hadn't always been that way. I opened my eyes once more, my eyelids creaking open. Things hadn't always been that way, either. In fact, as I slowly continued walking towards the sailing ship, I thought of things that had happened. I thought of things that had happened not too long ago. And because I had been confided in very closely, I imagined them almost exactly as they happened.
Justin and Katie walked hand in hand along the decking of the dockyard and towards The Valentine themselves. Brown, red and gold autumn leaves fluttered down on them as they marched – that wasn't a new experience at all judging by the time of year. However, they were hand in hand and walking close to each other's side. That might have been new. That might have also been common. But what I knew to be very new indeed was the way that they were looking at each other.
Together they walked towards the orange haired females shipped, given to her by her mother which had been given to her by her father, Jordan, before that. They walked hand in hand. They moved closer to each other. And they smiled. They smiled in a way that was genuine. They smiled in a way that was content. They smiled in a way that was new. But they smiled in a way that was familiar too. They were certainly familiar with one and other. And a visit to her beloved ship was only going to bring them closer than ever.
"Here she is." Katie almost murmured as she finally broke away from Justin's side and speeded up her walk, walking ahead of him and her trustworthy boots clicking on the wooden decking below. However, she didn't let go of his hand. Their fingers comfortably remained entwined as she looked back at him, smiling all the more. "Here's The Valentine."
Justin instinctively smiled. If he wasn't softening at the smile of his good friend, he most definitely was at her hushed, respect-filled tones towards the precious family heirloom. And if that wasn't the case at all, then his side-quirked and dimple showing smile was for the sight of it. Truly, it was a beauty.
The Valentine was gorgeous. She was a rich yet almost honey brown colour and covered in loving wear and tear on every corner of it but taken care of with such admiration as well. Her beauty didn't ask for attention yet drew it in from everyone. She certainly had many stories! She had many stories that she longed to share. But she kept them for herself. Everyone who got aboard her began to understand them, without really hearing anything about them at all. Mystery was in the wood. She had always been treasured and she would always be. She was freedom.
"Here she is." The deep purple haired male murmured back in the same tone as his orange haired good friend and after studying the sailing ship anchored to the dock for a few more seconds, his smile brightened for some reason when Katie dropped his hand completely and walked along ahead. As if to occupy his fingers without the touch of the younger female, his hands absentmindedly slid into his skinny jeans pockets for a couple of seconds. "It feels like forever ago since I saw her. And it feels somehow even longer since you first set sail on her."
Katie stopped walking in her tracks upon hearing this, much like I had. But her slowing down wasn't as abrupt. She came to a slow halt and then spun around in her below the knee boots. She listened to what the older male said and squinted towards him and initially I believed it to be the early October sun getting into her eyes. But after I saw her smile and appreciated her dimples also, I knew that it was almost sheepishness in his company. She shrugged airily at first.
"She's been around forever." She told him, knowing in her heart the great family value that that beloved ship possessed. After Justin nodded his head and his fingers slid back out of his jeans but he still didn't move, Katie found herself tilting her head towards him. She grinned mischievously. "But she feels even older waiting for you to get a move on. So let's go!"
And with that, the orange haired female laughed to herself at the way that Justin looked caught off guard and blinked and then she turned back around on her heels and clicked in her boots the last few paces towards The Valentine.
Soon enough, the deep purple haired male recovered from his surprise at her words and laughed to himself and nodded. His hands moved back into his pockets as he shuffled behind her, trying to keep up with her enthusiastic paces. Perhaps his fingers missed hers. Or maybe they were secretly apprehensive at the honour of being invited aboard her ship. Either way, he followed her onto it.
She of course went first. The tide was relatively high around the dockyards yet The Valentine bobbed in it peacefully. She most certainly loved being enveloped in the ocean. Katie's hand went out straight away when she reached the railings of the ship and almost as if she was greeting it; her fingers lightly grazed the wood. But she didn't linger.
Instead, her hand went back behind her to Justin without having to turn around at all. His hand naturally slid back out of the pocket. He reached for her hand and held it tight. He squeezed her. Silently, he thanked her for inviting her on. She smiled all the more. And properly invited him on.
Katie was still ahead of him. Her pace slowed down and quietened down also as she reached the open door leading to the inside quarters. Finally, she turned around to face the older male. As she held onto her good companion's fingers, I knew that she didn't have to and she knew this was well, but she found her eyes searching for his. She found her gaze searching for his and making sure he felt the importance of his visit. She needed him to know how important it was to her. And it goes without saying that he absolutely knew all of this.
So he told her with a silent but meaningful finger squeeze. Katie breathed out. For the sake of the honour of her grandparents, she didn't let just anybody onto the vessel. But Justin wasn't just anyone. In fact, he was almost more like her than anybody else she knew. He greatly strove for and new the great importance of freedom. And truthfully, he was starting to feel that within her more than with anyone.
"C'mon in, then." She told him in the tone of voice that he always did to her and her fingers slid away from his once more. But they were united in understanding the legacy of the Williams' family and of course the Ketchum's too. And perhaps even the Morgan's as well. Justin simply nodded but remained momentarily serious. Katie decided to turn on her heel once more. She gave him a smile, her face lightly scrunching up. She gestured to him. "I want to show you around."
Her words paired with her smile, allowed Justin to understand that his seriousness could melt away a little bit! And in an instant, his expression turned from a light frown and his posture stopped being so straight. His shoulders relaxed as his face did as well. That friendly and inviting smile soon came back. He smiled back at Katie. It was a close mouthed one but one that showed off earnestness well. After stroking some of the wood lightly himself out of admiration, he ducked his head and followed her properly into the interior of the ship.
"I want to be shown around." He murmured back to her in a simple tone but the way that he breathed out and smiled and his round orbs filled with a great chunk of curiosity, she understood that he had all of the quiet enthusiasm in the world. Katie chuckled softly to herself and nodded her head, pushing her loose locks out of her eyes. Justin wanted and anticipated being shown around. So shown around he was going to be!
The orange haired female started off her little tour at the entrance to the interior of the large vessel and just under the forecastle. They made their way in. And as they headed inside, they seemed to quickly lose a lot of the light from the outside world of the early October of Kanto. Katie reached her hand out to turn on the soft lamps on the wall and Justin smiled. He felt like he was in a whole other world. And it was a whole other world that certainly meant the world to Katie.
She showed him around a lot of the parts of the inside of the ship. They passed the cabin bedrooms. They passed the kitchen area. She even showed him the bathroom! The deep purple haired male didn't really make too many joking comments. Of course, he made some and smirked just a little at particular moments but most of all, he just smiled to himself. He just smiled to himself and stroked the inside of his pockets when Katie wasn't tugging him along by his hand.
Truthfully, he was just fascinated. It was a whole other world compared to his methods of travel. He was often found on a plane or on a train or in cars. It was usually rather luxurious, even if it got uncomfortable him being the height that he was and trying to get some shut eye on a small little seat!
But as he looked around The Valentine, he saw that that was a little bit of its own kind of luxury. It certainly wasn't as modern. But that somehow made it even better. It was raw. It was real. He liked that. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up at some moments on the little tour. He felt surges of inspiration as he stroked the wooden doors and grasped at the red velvet curtains. He looked over at Katie. He most certainly felt waves of creative energy when he looked at her as well.
When she was on her beloved boat, she never seemed to be not moving. And she always seemed to be saying something. But it was never nonsense, no. It was pure passion. Her grandfather's vessel most certainly was a talking point for her and she had a lot of enthusiasm for it.
It goes without saying that it was the deep purple haired male who was usually the more talkative out of the two but when it came to Katie and the vessel she had used to travel the region for the past year of her life, she just had to keep bringing up titbits and stories, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
Justin smiled and listened and followed after him as she indulged him. But after a few seconds of her really getting invested in telling him the anchor system and how exactly it worked, he unusually felt his mind wandering away from their conversation. He tried to stop it, he really did. But following a few seconds more, his throat couldn't stop itself from itching. And after that, his mouth smirked with fondness.
Together the two of them were passing a mirror on one of the walls as the deep purple haired male was being shown around so the orange haired female saw his ever growing grin in the round and nautical mirror hanging by them. She trailed off. She turned around. She raised an eyebrow, trying to be cross that he wasn't listening to a word that she was saying. But after seeing him looking right at her and continuing to fondly smile, she couldn't stop herself from smiling back.
"Do I amuse you?" she asked him and she went back to trying to be serious, tilting her head on one side and encouraging her eyebrow to rise all over. But once more, after he just shook his head and he smiled some more, not knowing what to say, Katie reached forward and playfully poked him under the chin. She found herself grinning. "It better not be something about the poop deck."
"It's nothing." Justin automatically told her and he found himself smiling comfortably all the more. I think that even he didn't know why. After Katie poked him once more – on the cheek that time - and just shook her head at him and rolled her eyes fondly, turning back around and intending to resume with the tour as well as trying to hold his attention, the deep purple haired male shuffled after her. And following a couple of seconds of silence, he chuckled to himself and reached out to Katie, moving her locks away from her back. He gestured towards the blue, knee length sailor's coat that she was wearing. He scrunched his nose up, running his fingers along the stitching along the back. He finally explained while she turned her head over her shoulder to look at him. "It's cool that you wear that even when you're technically away from sailing duties."
Katie found herself blushing. I put it down to something about herself being pointed out to her. But soon enough, she shrugged it off and scrunched her nose up back. She carefully stepped away from Justin's touch but he stroked the stitching all the more to reassure her without having to say anything at all. He most definitely didn't think it was a bad thing.
After a few seconds of comfortable silence passed and they both took a few more steps together, Katie looked over her shoulder at him once again and shrugged. She didn't really mind him pointing out things about her. Even if it did make her feel somewhat shy too.
"I just like it." She informed him and straight away, Justin eyes looked back at hers and he nodded his head. That was certainly enough for him. He was absolutely the type of person who believed that people should do what they wanted just for the enjoyment of it. In fact, I had a feeling that he had learnt that off her a long time ago. They really had been wonderful friends for a good while at that point. And even though the orange haired female knew that that was all she had to say, she still found herself adding more things. She almost couldn't stop herself. He was one of her favourite people to talk to. "Maybe you should think about getting one for your tour."
"Or maybe I should borrow yours." He responded to her and he did so in a way that was classic to both him and his father. He said it completely seriously and with a level voice and a level expression too. But to complicate things and contradict them, his eyes twinkled. Nobody could tell if he meant it or not. Katie was very used to that.
She turned back towards him all over again and though she was playfully narrowing her eyes, they were sparkling back. She held her finger up as she got ready to say something to him. Her mouth opened. He took a step closer to her. But she was interrupted. Not by him.
All of a sudden, the orange haired female's phone rang from her pocket. This greatly confused her and it had a similar effect on the deep purple haired male. They had been in their own world and felt like they were in a whole other era being surrounded by the vintage items of the vessel. It was oddly alien and out of place to hear a mobile phone ringing!
It vibrated in Katie's pocket and made a noise. She let out a sigh as she came to terms with what it actually was and she reached into her nautical coat and pulled it out. She saw the name on the screen and automatically, smiled sheepishly over at Justin. He was still very close to her following taking that step forward.
"It's my Mom, I should answer that." She informed him and straight away, he took a step back and nodded his head. He would have liked to given her a gesture to show that it was absolutely okay with him but he felt no need to as well also. They were both content enough in each other's company to know that their attention didn't have to be on each other all of the time. After watching Justin taking his step back, as Katie's finger hovered over the 'answer' button, she took a moment to tilt her head at him, smirking playfully. She scrunched her nose up. "You can carry on looking but maybe you should stay right here. I don't want you getting lost."
And before the deep purple haired male could even roll his eyes or narrow them or retort with his own playfulness, Katie chuckled at her own humour. And before she could even answer the phone to her mother either, I believed that Justin surprised even himself by showing Katie that she was more than welcome to take a minute to catch up with Misty.
He took that step forward all over again. And because Katie's face was still tilting from mocking him, she was in a comfortable range to his own face. After giving her a smile, he gave her a peck on the cheek before turning back on his own heel and his own boots making clicking noises on the wood of the sailing ship below.
And following that, Katie knew that she had to be quick and answer her mother before the call got cut off so she slid into the kitchen of the ship for privacy. But needless to say, she was left feeling very flustered! And it was in that moment that I knew for a fact that that was a new thing for them both.
As I continued thinking, I had a chance to think some more! But after sussing it out, I put Justin's gesture down to gratitude and the acknowledgement that not only was The Valentine important to Jordan, Lynne and Katie, but it was important to Misty as well. He was making a point of the acceptance he felt. And following that, I accepted my own perspective as fact. And moved along.
Justin moved along himself. As he distantly heard (but didn't listen in) on Katie catching up with her mother since it had been a while since they last saw each other, let along spoke, he chuckled to himself. He was amused by her comments of getting lost but soon enough, that amusement died down. Curiosity took over.
It was true that it was a big sailing ship and he could end up in an unknown corner of it but how could he let that stop him from exploring? He couldn't. I knew him to be very adventurous and confident and brave but all in a very humble and likeable way. He was absolutely intriguing and liked to be intrigued as well.
So he decided to take a few steps. He decided to take a few steps in a particular direction, his hand tracing along every inch of the beloved wood that was the walls of the ship. And after taking those few steps, he took a couple more. And then a couple more. And then a couple more! He didn't overthink it and neither did I. Because in fact, I was thinking about something completely different. And that was how that particular moment slipped out of my mind.
It was definitely really lovely for Misty to hear her daughter's voice on the phone and vice versa. They hadn't seen each other in a long time because although the orange haired young woman had stopped her travels for the time being, she also had broken up with her boyfriend and ended up spending lots of time with her best friend to feel better.
However at that point, I didn't know if the orange haired woman knew this. I knew that she was aware of the break up between Jayden and Katie, but I didn't know if she knew that she was bonding with Justin in the midst of his own break up as well. And like the deep purple haired male, I wasn't going to eavesdrop. Additionally, I was far too involved in my own thoughts.
It was nice how they had found each other in similar situations, even if it didn't bode well for them both all of the time. Break ups were difficult and confusing so it was nice to be able to talk things through with someone who understood. No wonder Justin and Katie grew so close. And it's understandable how they fell together. I fell deeper into my own thoughts.
But I finally snapped out of them when Katie said goodbye to her mother and came looking for Justin. And she saw that he wasn't where she left him. She blinked.
"Justin…? Oh, don't tell me you've gone walkabouts and gotten lost!" she began mumbling to herself in an unamused tone but as she continued her sentence, she couldn't stop herself from shaking her head and smirking to herself. She was left smirking all the more when she absentmindedly checked her phone for the time and saw that he had been texting her while she was on the phone to her mother. She smiled all the more, shaking her head and trying to shake the fondness away. She stuffed her phone back into her trouser pocket that time and tried to stuff the amusement away also. "Guess I've got to find you before you get scared of the dark."
And with that, Katie laughed to herself and shook her head to herself some more and marched on her way, her hand reaching out as she did so to turn along the wall lamps. It was amazing how much light from the world outside that The Valentine ran away from.
The orange haired female began her search for the older, deep purple haired male. First of all, she went back to the kitchen to see if he had been sneaking up on her all along. He hadn't been, but it was then that I noticed while thinking that she was no longer wearing her sailor coat. She had left it on the back of a chair in the middle of chatting to Misty. And she left it there as she turned around and resumed her seeking to Justin's hiding.
She went to check the bathroom. He wasn't there and he wasn't pulling goofy faces in the mirror at her. She went to check the cabin bedrooms. He wasn't hiding behind the door there. And he wasn't kicking her balled up t shirts into the bin for a bit of soccer practice to amuse himself either!
Katie sighed. I got the impression that although she was still smiling and shaking her head, she was beginning to feel a bit weird that he wasn't around. After all, they had spent a lot of hours together at that point. And it was weird that he wasn't hanging around her.
Still, she continued on with her search. She even went back onto the decks, looking for him there. But he wasn't anywhere in sight. And so, she went back inside. I knew that I was right that she was continuing to feel quite strange without him lingering by her side when a small frown started to take over her brow. She tilted her head. She tried to listen out for him instead. But she heard nothing.
She sighed all over again. She took a brief break from searching, pulling her phone out of her pocket. He was continuing to text her. He was sending her text messages, very short and very separate but friendly nonetheless. That made her feel a bit better. She knew he was still around. Even so, as she put her phone back in her pocket, she continued leaning against the door. And it was then that she got an idea.
I almost felt the sudden, out of place tightening that took over her throat. She stopped leaning against the scuffed but regal wooden honey coloured door and faced it instead. From my memory, there wasn't even a door handle to it. But it was most definitely a door. And judging by the expression on the orange haired female's face, she knew how to open it. Just one thought crossed her mind. If she had worked out how to open it then…
She didn't need to think any longer. She knew where the deep purple haired male was.
There was a small circular hole in the door and after pushing her hair from her eyes, Katie pushed two of her fingers inside it and with all of the fingers of her other hand, she pushed. And she pushed the door open. It swung open with not even a groan. Though The Valentine had many secrets, she was seemingly willing to share a lot of them with both Katie and Justin too.
The eldest Ketchum daughter pushed the door open and from my thinking, we could both see what was inside. As clear as day and as clear as the day that was going on outside of the ship, we could see inside. And we could see that Justin was indeed inside.
Automatically, Katie tried to let out a sigh and tried to show off a brow furrow at what she was seeing but after just a second, a bit of a lump took over her throat. And as that melted away also, all she could feel was relief. And what I imagined to be an almost overwhelming wave of fondness also.
Because looking happier and beaming more than I had ever seen before, there Justin was hiding in the secret room that he had found. He was concealed by a lot of the darkness that was in the room but because it was lit by fairy lights further on inside, you could see his features. And you could see how elated he appeared.
He was kneeling on the floor and he was grinning up at Katie. He was pushing his hair from his eyes and looking up at her, as if he knew that what he was doing wasn't the best idea. But he couldn't stop himself. He remained kneeling but straightened his legs, getting closer to the orange haired female.
She tried to frown at him all over again but all she could feel in her heart was the great friendship and fondness they shared but kinship as well. 'You idiot' she muttered to him, but she smiled. She rubbed her forehead like she was trying to hide it but he could see it, clear as day. And soon enough, she didn't bother putting that guard up.
"I told you not to sneak off in case I lost you. And can't you read the sign on the door? It says…" Katie began and Justin silently softened at the way she changed her words from when she initially said them. He craned further up towards her. He grinned cheekily at her but gently as well. He pushed a strand of hair from his eyes. He tilted his head ever so slightly.
"Private." He nodded his head at her, addressing the fact that he had indeed seen the sign but still slipped in anyway. Soon enough he continued, letting out a few chuckles. He gestured with his hands. "Are you telling me that people have seen that and just waltzed past? That couldn't be me, Katie."
Katie did sigh that time. But it was because she was seeing more of herself in him than ever. She had read the sign as private over a year ago but still decided to go in there herself. Though other people had managed to keep their curiosity at bay and just let it be, both she and the deep purple haired male were unable to do so. They were two of the same. And they absolutely felt the same way about one and other.
Justin heard Katie's sigh and he knew – he just knew – that it wasn't all that serious. But even so, after grinning at her for a good few seconds at that point, though he remained kneeling, he looked earnestly up at her. He reached out to squeeze her hand. She didn't hesitate to look back down at him.
"I will leave this room and pretend I never saw it if I've truly crossed a line." He told her and as he continued to hold her hand, he stood back up to her full height. Katie almost swallowed again. She hadn't ever met anybody that was so playful yet sincere at the same time. The deep purple haired male turned around on his heel and kept holding her fingers as he gestured to the secret room. And he found himself adding, almost in a hushed tone. "But it's so pretty…"
Katie exhaled softly. But unlike the time before, it wasn't out of anything other than agreement in Justin's words. It was so pretty. It was a secret. It was private. But the deep purple haired male was all of those things in her eyes as well. So that's how he knew that as he took a step forward and he felt her fingers softly squeezing his, it was okay that he was there. And he was able to get up off and floor and look around the small, secret room with her watching. And I was able to imagine it too.
Because the orange haired female's secret room was equal parts above and below deck, it caught small amounts of the light from the outside world further on inside. And as well as that, it reflected the dazzle of the sea. And because of this, as soon as you stepped inside, you began to look completely different. Justin and Katie looked completely different. They looked the same – they looked themselves - but the blue glow of the sea reflected on their faces. He was right. It was pretty. In fact, it was stunning.
That part of the ship was most definitely a whole other world in itself. Justin almost held his breath as his fingers finally grazed away from Katie's and he knew he wordlessly had permission to explore it further. He instinctively went and sat by one of the windows, the light of the ocean reflecting on his face all the more. It shielded a lot of his expressions. But it somehow enhanced them too. He ducked his head and smiled. It was an honour to be aboard The Valentine. But it was a gift to be in that secret room.
"So really, no one comes in here?" he asked as he crossed his legs while sitting by the window, a strip of black shadowing over his eyes but blue light dancing over his face as the waves rolled outside. Slowly, Katie shook her head. And she moved into the room as well. Before she could answer, he tilted his head and smiled. The ocean somehow made his face glisten as though it was full of stars. He continued. "Except you, of course. This is your room?"
"This is my room." Katie nodded her head and murmured back. Gently, she seated herself on the edge of the futon like bed that with in the corner of the room and she absentmindedly pulled her legs to her chest. Her hands went to her arms for the same reason as she remained silent but Justin noticed that she had ditched her sailor coat and mistook it for coldness. Without hesitation, he took off his blue plaid shirt and gave it to her. He gave her a playful eye roll as if to say 'you've got what you wanted' but truthfully it was him who got what he wanted. He saw further into his good friend's life. And he felt even more of a kindred spirit. Katie found herself chuckling at his expression and it made words of honesty tumble out of her mouth. She nodded all the more, playing with the buttons on his shirt as she wore it. "I… I've shared a lot more with people in recent years but I still need something of my own. Even when I'm sailing. Even… when I have everything that I want."
The deep purple haired male breathed out upon hearing this and he nodded his head, smiling. His head was no longer tilting so some of his face was concealed with shadowy blackness all over again. But though I couldn't see all of his expression, I knew that I understood all of it without seeing much of it at all. And Katie felt the same way as the blue light reflected and danced on her face also.
It was hard to think that Justin had much of anything that was just left for him with the success that he had achieved and the way he poured his heart out into songs that millions of people ended up hearing. But the way that he related to Katie's words made it obvious that he had something. Or at the very least he knew how important it was to have something. And perhaps, he was looking for that something. Or maybe he had already found it.
I got the inclination that that was true with the way that he glanced over at Katie for just a few seconds before he ducked his head and smiled all over again and the waves could be seen rolling as they reflected on his face. He wanted to keep quiet but soon enough, he couldn't keep that up much longer at all.
Justin shook his head and glanced back over at Katie, tucking his locks that were growing down his neck all over again behind his ear. He smiled at her. He smiled a smile at her that I hadn't seen before. He balled his hands into fists and rested them under his chin. He almost whispered to her.
"Tell me the story of how it all happened. Tell me the story of how your grandparents got The Valentine." He asked of her and following that, after almost shyly playing with the ring that he always wore on his finger, he found himself wondering aloud to himself. "I wonder how many stories they have of being in this secret place."
"You know how it all happened, Justin..." The orange haired female reminded the older male while his teal orbs blended with green looked around the room, spotting the fairy lights that were draping over the beams and hanging on the futon where Katie was then laying down. And upon hearing her words, his gaze fixed on her all over again. He paused. But then he smiled earnestly.
"I do. But I like how you tell it. So please do it." He asked of her and following that, that time, Katie knew that she couldn't resist. She absolutely could not resist what he was asking of her. As well as adoring keeping the story alive herself, she was secretly touched that Justin wanted to be a part of it as well.
So the orange haired female didn't resist any longer. As she laid down on the futon and looked up at the blue, sparkling fairy lights when she wasn't looking over at her good friend, she rested an arm behind her head and told him of how it all happened. I knew it by heart. So I knew what exactly she was saying.
She started with how much of a state it was in when Jordan's father, Bo, had purchased it. It was seemingly an unusual thing for the stern man to do and it was a massive task to undertake. But then again, he wasn't going to be the one tackling that challenge. He purchased it and it was up to Jordan, only a teenager at the time, to get it up and running again.
It took years. It took from after his little sister passing on to meeting Lynne before it was ready. In fact, it took a year or two after that until it was in its best condition. Jordan loved that thing, truly. Jordan loved The Valentine almost more than anything. And he named it that after falling in love with the orange haired woman.
And of course, you know the rest. Together Jordan and Lynne set sail on The Valentine from Johto to Kanto when he was heading to be the new Cerulean Gym leader and they found out they were expecting Daisy on the voyage. That ship was Jordan and Lynne's beginning. That ship was freedom. To Jayden and Katie, it was adventure when they were allowed to use it to travel the world together. And then to Justin and Katie, it was unification. And the start of something new.
The Valentine was truly the gift that kept on giving. And perhaps, it was because she was given such unconditional love beginning with Jordan.
Katie concluded the story and told Justin how exactly it happened. Like he admitted, he knew how exactly it happened. But it didn't stop him from positively glowing as he heard each and every detail, loving everything that he heard and loving the way that Katie told it even more so.
The two of them remained comfortably quietly as the orange haired female concluded the story with a quiet 'and it will go on and on… forever' like she always did. The deep purple haired male remained shining for a good few seconds but following that, it faded out. All over again, Justin looked back down at the floor but it wasn't in the same ducking and smiling way as before. He was no longer smiling. He was thinking. He wasn't frowning. But he was thinking. Katie caught on straight away.
All she had to do was ask a simple and quiet 'what?'. At first, Justin shook his head and tried to move away from it. But after he hesitantly looked over at the eldest Ketchum daughter and saw her head tilted on one side but most importantly, amongst the beautifully reflective glow of the sea outside, he saw openness and acceptance already, he felt his smile coming back.
The smile that returned to him was him giving in. He was giving in to her company as well as her openness. As she continued sitting up on her futon and Justin pushed his locks behind his ear once more and came to sit closer to her, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and looking slightly up at her all over again, he shrugged. But he confided in her.
"Your grandparents – Jordan and Lynne – they have such love. They have such acceptance and they always feel that for each other even when times get hard. They never let one and other down. Not really. They love each other for who exactly they are and… I wonder what that's like."
And upon hearing this, the orange haired female was taken slightly aback. And as I thought to myself, I felt the same way. Katie leaned back softly as she was taken aback and she breathed out. At first, she wordlessly shook her head. She frowned. But after a couple of seconds, she found herself gently reaching forward to touch Justin's cheek. She murmured.
"Justin…" she spoke to him and he looked back at her. He was playing with his own fingers in his lap. She didn't move her hand away from his face until she figured out what she wanted to say. And when she moved her fingers away from his jaw, they lightly poked his dimple instead. She reminded him. "You know what that's like. Don't be mistaken for a second. You have that with-"
"Maybe I do." He mumbled back and he surprised the younger female by quietly cutting off before she could say any names at all. She could feel his jaw clenching ever so slightly beneath her finger and because of this, she slowly moved it away. Her own fingers found each other as she listened. She really listened to the older male. He shrugged. His realness was starting to be a common thing that she saw. "I don't know. Sometimes I think that I'll never be able to let that guard down completely. I don't know why. No, I do. I know everybody has armour. But I don't reckon anyone can soften mine."
Katie softened upon hearing this. When she met Justin – 'met' is a funny word because they had known each other since she was born. But ever since she got to know Justin for real a good few summer's ago, she knew him to be a lot more guarded than he let on. She figured that out about him from the get go. He hid lots of parts of himself and that was okay. The important things he set free. But like how she needed a place of her very own, he needed parts of himself for his very own. He wanted it that way too.
The orange haired female liked to think that she knew him very well. But upon hearing that, she realised that there were parts of him she had no idea about. However, that didn't deter her. In fact, it made her feel almost as if she knew where she stood with him. Sometimes he felt so untouchable to her. But in the same breath, he was so touchable and accessible as well. He was a mystery. Her good friend was a mystery. And she liked the fact that she was getting to know him all because she decided to do exactly that all by herself.
And because of this, she felt herself asking him a subtle question that was perhaps probing but necessary all the same. She shuffled slightly closer to him where she sat. Her own hands rested under her chin like his had been doing before. And she wondered aloud, meeting his eyes.
"Really…? There's no one you can truly let in?" she asked him gently and with no hidden agenda. Out of habit and simply because she felt the urge to, once again, she reached her hand out to him. And that time, she reached out and touched the other side of his face. It was something that she often did to him. But that time when it happened, Justin ducked his head. He couldn't look at her for a second or two. But then he could once again. He swallowed. He shrugged. Words came tumbling out almost before he could stop them.
"We… We'll have to wait and see." He told her and his eyes met hers all over again. There was no hidden wish or hope between them. Katie breathed out as she heard Justin's words and just nodded. She just smiled. Her hand moved away from his face but her touch felt as though it was lingering there. The deep purple haired male didn't smile back. He just looked at her, pushing his hair away from his face. His features were still decorated by the glow of the ocean. But they were almost decorated by the glow of the possibility of a new beginning. And a new path he had never considered before.
The orange haired female didn't see the eldest Morgan son smiling back but she remembered how he looked when she first walked in on him in the secret room. And because of that, she smiled somewhat girlishly over at him. She lay back down on her little home-made bed. She scrunched her nose. She squinted. She chuckled quietly but meant her words.
"I've told you a story like you wanted so you have to do one for me now." She informed him and after she peeked over her legs and saw him absentmindedly running his fingers up and down his own bare arms and looking quietly clueless, she got an idea. She breathed out. She knew she had felt a familiar heaviness in the pocket of his blue plaid shirt that she was wearing. She reached into the chest pouch and pulled out something. It was a pocket watch. His, presumably. She looked over at him. "I've rarely seen you with this until the last day or so. And now it's always in one of your pockets. So tell me of this. Tell me of this story."
And for once, the usually outgoing and happily chatty deep purple haired male didn't know what to say. He ran a hand through his hair. He was unusually tongue tied. But after glancing over at the eldest Ketchum daughter and seeing the hope and curiosity in her eyes along with the reflection of the pretty fairy lights above, he knew he had to give into her once again.
Justin let out a quiet sigh. He rested his elbow on the bed and next to her leg and his fingers continued running through his ever-growing locks. And after seeing her ever growing gaze of comfortable anticipation, he found himself smiling to himself. He really was right that there maybe was someone that he could let all guards down for. So for that reason, he gave her exactly what she wanted. He gave her a story.
After an amusing sail of pocket watches and sea creatures and a portal way under the depths and a pocket watch that somehow managed to laugh in the face of danger, the deep purple haired concluded his story, still sitting in the same position that he had begun his fiction in. He finished with a shrug. Katie was unsurprisingly all ears.
"And that's how our story ends. The pocket watch thought that it was going to tick its last tock but it couldn't have been more wrong. It ended up ticking right alongside your heart as you stole my shirt from me yet again. But what a lucky fella, right?"
The orange haired female couldn't stop herself from shaking her head. She had been very comfortable and enjoying her wish being made true as Justin amused her but then following that, she couldn't stop herself from sitting up all over again. She sat up and looked over at the deep purple haired male. She smirked. She smirked fondly. She giggled. She reached out and tucked a loose bit of hair behind his own ear. And then she rolled her eyes.
"That was the biggest load of made up nonsense that I have ever heard in my life." She told him but the way that her aquamarine orbs sparkled and she didn't hesitate to shake her head proved that she enjoyed it nonetheless. And after Justin's own grin died down and he gave her a look, reminding her without words that she had asked for a story, she let out a sigh and she nodded her head. She flopped back on the home-made bed in the secret room and ran a hand through her own looks. She of course looked back at Justin again. "You're not wrong, I did do that. But you'll tell me the real thing one day, won't you? Promise? You'll have to let me know."
And upon hearing this, Justin hesitated. He thought about it. But soon enough, he didn't have to think about it for much longer at all. She had indulged him in so many stories that meant everything to her so it was only fair that he had to do the same for once in his life. And even if the truth of the pocket watch was not fiction at all, he knew that he'd have to tell her. In fact, that would make it even more special when she was informed.
So of course, the deep purple haired male paused for a second longer for effect but then he nodded his head. He nodded his head over at Katie. He remained with his elbow resting next to her and his fingers in his locks. But he remained as earnest as ever. And ambiguous too.
"I will. And I'll do you one better than that." He told her and at first, she furrowed her brow at his words. When it came to Justin that could mean anything! But exactly the same way as how not only did he accept everything in her and she accepted the vulnerability that she was beginning to understand that was very much a part of him, she accepted his little bit of mystery too. She smiled at him. She really did like him. She really did feel content with him. She really did wonder how she had held back from him all of those times before. But not any longer.
After the two of them shared a smile and Justin lingered near to her but still sitting on the floor, Katie nodded her head in response to his previous words. And then following that, before she could even stop herself, she moved over on the comfy cushion area. The orange haired female took one second to look over at the older male sitting opposite her before she gestured to him. She held her arm out.
"So are you coming over here or not?" she asked him and anybody could tell that he liked the way she owned up to moments and made them everything they could possibly be. No, he loved that about her. So with the ocean still rolling on his face and the surface-level excitement as well, he didn't refrain from nodding his head and standing up. And before he joined her, he uttered to her a few more words. He smiled down at her and looked at her in a way that only she knew about.
"I will. And I'll do you one better than that as well." He informed her and before she could question him about it at all, she was informed. She was informed with not words but gestures instead. Justin moved onto the futon area with her and rolled over to her, his arms not hesitating to embrace her. And after they wrapped around her and she wrapped her arms around his, moving to face him, her fingers grazed down his face and he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
And when that moment was said and done, they stayed close together and they found themselves in yet another comfortable silence. But following that, something else was found as well. Their fingers found one and other. And in a way that was very familiar and very old for them, their fingers entwined in almost a butterfly shape. That was old for them. That was common for them – that was common for those two good companions. But despite that, it was still excitingly fresh too.
So as Justin and Katie remained close together and on The Valentine with their hands entwined like butterflies, their stomachs most definitely felt that fluttering too. They felt the fluttering of a kinship. They felt the fluttering of companionship. They felt the fluttering of a new experience. Together.
When it came to one and other, all guards were somehow able to be let down. Neither one of them was usually the type to give into a little persuasion but when it came to each other, that most certainly came to be. Even so, both of them were always the type to give into a great story. And because of that, they formed a pretty splendid one of their own.
In some people's eyes, it didn't have the happiest ending but to them, it had the best one of all. Because it resulted in lifelong self-assurance and belonging for all involved. Justin and Katie may not have been together for long but they took their memories along with them forever. They fluttered free like butterflies. They floated along like The Valentine.
That ship had done it again. That ship had provided freedom, adventure and understanding. And perhaps because of all of that, Justin and Katie found all of those possibilities within the companionship of each other. As well as many other things as well. Including more stories for me to share with you!
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 It's in the back of my mind that it is a typical thing for two friends to catch feelings for each other but I never want to be predictable. And in my mind, Justin doesn't really realise how close he is with Katie until their special time together. From things like his quite troubling at times relationship with his teenage girlfriend before he came out and thinking he's never loved for who he truly is between his teenage girlfriend and Sammy, he just hasn't taken the time to analyse how special Katie is to him. Of course, if Katie is being honest with herself then she's always crushed on Justin. And like it mentions, she feels herself getting closer and closer to him because it's a decision she's made for herself. She happily dates and ends up with Jayden following all this but James and Misty were the ones to point out the budding romance with Jayden. I think she likes the organic approach with Justin. And though she begins to question her decision when everyone finds out about all the ins and outs of this time together, she is glad of it happening. So yes, between their break ups, Justin and Katie catch romantic, loving and intimate feelings for each other. Justin still identifies as gay but feels lucky to have had genuine feelings for select girls as well - I made an effort to write and upload lots about his boyfriend, Sammy, before this stage as well so as not to invalidate all aspects of him :3 Thanks again for reading and I will be back again next Wednesday!
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :P