A/N: TW mention for familial death.

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Her relief morphed back into horror. His stare, while his eyes softened upon seeing her, still felt lifeless. Drayton didn't speak as he turned to walk to his couch, that he dropped down onto.

She took that as her invitation to come inside the dorm – though paused. All of the lights were off, even the dorm's window panel, leaving only the residual light from the hall outside giving her the ability to see at all. Alysa took the liberty of stepping forward to switch on his Lampent lamp, allowing her to take in the sight of empty food containers on the kitchen counter and on the floor near the couch. He really had not been coming out of his dorm at all if he's been ordering meals.

Frowning deeply, Alysa slipped off her backpack to drop against a wall. She went to shut the door, then sat next to the silent teen on the couch. She pushed a carton away with her foot to allow herself more room.

"Drayton..." She didn't know how to tackle this, but she needed to try. "What happened?"

He tensed up, face wrinkling. This would be difficult to dive into, it seemed. Not deterred, Alysa reached out to gently hold his nearest hand between both of hers. He stiffened, but didn't rip it away.

"I've...I've never seen you like this before," she gulped. "It's...scaring me..."

An ember of light appeared in the depth of gold, though he didn't make eye contact with her.

"'M grandpa's ruining my life."

He blurted out, voice hoarse from a potential lack of use. Or perhaps, from swollen vocal chords. The mention of his grandfather was unexpected.

"What do you mean?"

"He's taking me out of the school, because I failed the year again. He'll be here next Monday..."

Alysa is shocked, and his words invoke a memory to rise – one of she and Lacey discussing both he and Drayden. Wasn't she worried about this very thing happening? It had always been a large Donphan in the room, but ignoring it some days was easier than others. The inevitable had finally come rolling.

She had been wanting to touch upon this subject, and now was as perfect a time as any.

"Dray...why do you even skip class so much?"

"...I don't want to leave the academy."

She didn't understand. "Can you explain...?"

"I don't want to go home." A heat enters his limp tone, making it feel more lively. Now, Drayton looks at her, but it's with a certain ferocity that passes by her and is directed at something else.

"Why don't you want to?" He needed to get something off of his chest.

"I'm...I'm miserable there. My grandpa, he expects me to take up what he has now. Being a Gym Leader...a mayor, and the head of our clan."

Drayton held one of her hands harder, and gripped his hair with his free one. His eyes clenched shut, and Alysa could feel her own beginning to sting. This was such a far cry from how he usually presented himself.

"Ever since I was little, he's tried to prepare me for it all. I wanted to be like him, but after a while, everything felt too hard. He kept expecting more and more. Would criticize me if I didn't measure up, and I...always didn't. There was always something wrong with what I did, no matter how much I tried. There was always something wrong with...me."

He sniffled, and whatever was left intact in her heart was broken.

"The academy was my escape. I got to leave Opelucid and come here, living without anyone breathing down my neck. For the first time, I felt...free. I felt like I could finally do what I wanted to do, even if it was little things like choosing when to go to bed. Getting the option to date whoever I wanted and not worry about my family's approval was nice too..."

Alysa doubted anyone else they knew were aware of this information about him. She felt extremely fortunate that he was comfortable enough with her to share it. Drayton released his hair to wipe his eyes.

"I was a cocky brat I'll admit, but the first year was ok. Got all my credits and was granted the second-year status. But I realized that eventually, when I graduated, I would just have to go back home. That made me sick to my stomach. I didn't wanna lose what I built up in the school."

A bolt of lightning came from the blue. Alysa suddenly understood where he was going with this.

"So you deliberately failed your classes? To delay your graduation?"

"Yeah. That and, it was just easier to stop putting in effort. Why bother, if it would end up meaning nothing in the end? And if I kept failing and needing to repeat the year, I could stay for longer. I thought that, at some point, I'd have everything figured out before it was too late. I'd have a plan I could fall back on. But I... I don't. It felt so good enjoying the slacker life, part of me thought it'd never end."

He sighed. "I was just being stupid. Of course it was gonna end. There was no way Grandpa or the school would've let me stay here until my twenties or whatever. I was gonna get booted eventually."

So many things were making more sense. Alysa tried to remain focused. There was still more to this entire situation lurking underneath the surface; she could feel it in her bones.

"What do you think your life would be like in Opelucid now? At your age?" He was shy of being eighteen; he wasn't some little boy anymore.

"The same, except worse. There's this belief in our culture that someone, especially a guy, at my age should have their life figured out. I have cousins that got married and had kids before they hit twenty-five, some even started their own businesses. Everyone, not just Grandpa, will be harder on me."

His family sounded massive. Alysa struggled to fathom something like that. She had only ever known her parents and her older brother, all of which 'family' was a rather strong word for...

"What about your mom? What does she think about all this?"

"Mom, she...she just goes with Grandpa's ideas for me because it's easier I think. He's honestly the one who raised me. My mom's barely done anything. She felt more like a babysitter to me growing up than anything else, waiting for Grandpa to have free time so she wouldn't have to deal with me for that long..."

So, he too didn't have a good relationship with his mother. Alysa could relate on that front, but it was sad to see that the woman was also too distant from her child to consider how being forcibly withdrawn from Blueberry could negatively impact him.

"Everyone is all for what Drayden wants for you then? Even with how much time that's passed?" she softly asked.

"I'm pretty sure Grandpa hasn't changed his mind about me. I know he's going to start putting that pressure on me again as soon as I'm back home. I don't want to be his heir. I won't want to be forced into shit that'll just drive me into an early grave from stress...shit that I would just be bad at anyway."

Drayton trembled again. Alysa scooted across the cushions to sit closer. "I haven't decided on what I want to do with my life, but I know it's not any of what Grandpa wants. I-I can just leave home, but where would I go? What would I do then?"

A sense of pain was only going stronger, the more she took in Drayton's distress.

"If I tell Grandpa I don't want to be a Gym Leader, or a mayor, and especially not our clan head... I'm afraid he's just going to...disown me. Especially after what I've done already." Another tremble shook his frame. "I don't know what to do, Aly...outside of just going along with it. I don't have any other option..."

"That's not true," she stated, voice firmer than it usually ever is. "You can talk to Drayden. You can come clean and confess everything you've been bottling up for so long."

He shook his head. "He wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't care anyway! My grandpa always does what he thinks is right, and it's not like this is coming out of nowhere. I did let him down...for years. I had this coming."

So he wasn't even going to make an attempt? Alysa was choked up, but that made something deep within erupt.

"Then...when he gets here, I'll ask him."

"What?" Drayton's head whipped towards her, disbelief plastered on his tear-stained face. No matter how much it made her tremble, her fear wasn't enough to make her freeze up and cower away. Not in this case.

"I'll ask Drayden to let you stay. I'll march right up to him, even if he's talking to the director or anyone else. I..." Her grip on his hand tightened even more, holding back a sob. "I won't let you go so easily. Not without doing something."

Alysa didn't care if he thought it would be too overdramatic, or if she would only make a fool of herself as the random girlfriend of the mayor's grandson that he'd just then learn about. Forget what dozens around the school would say otherwise, Drayton was worth raising hell and so much more over. If the man ignored her, someone would have to hold her back from going with them.

"...Aly..." His voice was breathless. The girl's eyelids pulled back, releasing welled up fluid. The teen looked shell shocked, likely due to imagining the exact same scenario she did. "I can't let you do that."

"Then try, Dray. There's still so much time we can have together. I-I don't want you to leave. I don't want to lose you like this. Not next week. Not ever."

As did the rest of the dam break, her voice followed. Drayton fully turned towards her, and his pained expression matched hers.

"S-So please...just try. Try to talk to him."

"I..." he gulped. "I feel the same way. I don't want to lose you either, sweetheart..."

More tears sprung forward.

"You're right. I should try. But talking to him when he's angry, especially at me...it freaks me out. I just lock up."

Even now, he looked nervous. Alysa switched from clinging to his hand to stroking his knuckles with her fingers.

"I can be with you for it, then. I can stay with you, so you aren't alone."

"That would...help, a lot. I..." He looked around. "I can call him now."

"It'd be best."

She released him, and used the back of her hands to wipe her eyes. Drayton briefly got up to search for his phone, soon finding it having fallen between the couch cushions. He unlocked it.

"I'll put it on speaker for you. But you should stay quiet, so he won't know you're here."

"Okay." His request made perfect sense, her presence could be a huge detriment to their conversation. The two of them interacting as if she doesn't exist would be the most appropriate.

The ringing of the outgoing call was sickening, but she nestled closer to Drayton, who wrapped his nearest arm around her. The call was answered after the second ring.

"No amount of begging you can do will change my mind this time." From the floating black device, Drayden's blunt statement rumbled. Alysa recoiled back into the cushion a degree. What an intimidating voice; no wonder why Drayton was scared to talk to him. She took hold of his other hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"I-I just want to explain, why I've been acting up. Can I at least do that?"

Drayton lacked all of the confidence typical to his bearing. While still jarring, having learned so much about his past and his reasonings, it was...humanizing.

"...Go on." Drayden neutrally stated. That was all he and she needed.

"I've been skipping classes and slacking off because... I don't want to go home. I haven't wanted to for years. I thought that, by having to repeat the year and not graduate, it'd keep me here."

His dismay grew. Getting the opportunity at last to release his pent up stress, bear his soul to the man who's had such a large hand in his upbringing, allowed so much to be released at long last. Alysa noted that Drayden remained silent, hopefully giving his grandson the time he needed in this extremely sensitive moment.

"I was so miserable back home, Grandpa! As I got older, it never seemed like I could do anything right in your eyes. Especially when Iris started to succeed more and more! After a point, I started to hate everything. I didn't want take up your jobs when I got old enough. I just wanted to be free."

A few tears slipped from his eyes. "Being in Blueberry makes me happy. It feels like a home, with all of my friends, where I can just...do what *I* want. I wanted to stay here for as long as I could, but it...it wasn't going to ever work out. I see that now. If I have to go home, so be it. But I'm...sorry. I'm so sorry Grandpa, for constantly letting you down..."

He failed to hold back a sob, and Alysa couldn't resist embracing him by holding his head against her own. It was quiet, and for a second, she thought Drayden may have been cruel enough to hang up on his anguished grandson.

She couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Drayton...I am the one who should be apologizing."

The man's voice lost all of its previous roughness, so soft that he could've been mistaken for someone else. Alysa's eyes widened, as did his.

"G-Grandpa? What're you..."

"Do you know that your mother felt the same way? About finding our home too painful to be in?"

This stunned both teens. They shared a look.

"No," Drayton said, "Mom's never told me much about her past."

"That is...not surprising. You should be made aware, as it does concern you. You're old enough to hear this, I think."

Drayton's mouth twisted up in clear show of worry. Alysa made sure to nuzzle him, in the hopes of comforting him as best she could.

"I wanted Ria to take my place as clan head, decades ago. Your grandmother and I thought she would excel at the role, so starting when she was ten, I begun training her. However, your grandmother...passed shortly afterwards, and I believe it had a terrible impact on Ria that she never truly recovered from."

Drayton had never spoken about his grandma. She having died before he was born was a sound reason for it.

"I continued to train her, but over the years, her state of mind deteriorated. I hoped that promising her an enriching future surrounded by family and helping her ensure that would be enough, but it was not. Just before her sixteenth birthday, she ran away."

"S-Seriously?" Drayton gaped.

"I couldn't believe it myself at first. I...had never been more terrified in my life." Drayden's words carried a weight Alysa could sense but couldn't comprehend. "Days turned into weeks, then months...then years. After a point, I believed she was dead. Your mother wasn't found until three years later, in Castelia City. She was homeless, and had gotten involved with a gang."

The boy looked so purely dumbfounded. Alysa couldn't blame him.

"Our reunion was rough for the both of us, especially when it came to light that she was pregnant with you. Your father was a member of the gang, a no-good, untrustworthy type that she didn't want in your life. That may be the largest reason why she's kept her history a secret..."

"W-What...?" Drayton's eyes were so wide, they could've fallen out.

"After all of those years, after everything that happened, Ria confided in me. She confessed her reasons for running away, and they were awfully similar to what you've said. She felt as if she wasn't good enough to be the clan head. She felt that she would be disrespecting me and her late mother if she took the role, possibly making mistakes that would bring shame to our family name. She couldn't handle it."

Drayton's head craned down, hand holding it like he was experiencing a headache.

"I did my best to help her readjust to being home. When you were born, I had to be the one to primarily care for you. She was not in an appropriate headspace for it. And, during your early years, seeing you so full of joy and hopeful that you could take up my mantle... I suppose I got it into my head that you actually would. I viewed you as the one able to carry on my will, in a sense."

A sigh was aired. "It was wrong of me to make such assumptions, and not see your identity for what it was – destined to be shaped by your own desires, separate from my own or anyone else's. I did not learn from the past with your mother, and I made the same mistakes again. While what you've done isn't as extreme as what Ria did, I've led to you still technically running away in a sense. You feel safer off in an academy at sea, than in your own birthplace..."

Both Drayton and Alysa were getting emotional once more. She wiped a stray tear away from her cheek.

"I am sorry, Drayton. I do not want our relationship to go through the same kind of destruction that the one between your mother and I underwent. I doubt this old heart could bear it."

He cleared his throat, taking a moment to likely steady himself. "...I take back my earlier decision. You can stay in the school to finish the rest of your education and graduate, then come home. When you do, you're free to follow whatever path your heart deems fit."

"R-Really...?!" He sat up, as did she.

"Yes. I will contact the academy right away to nullify the dismissal, and try to see if there is any way you can make up for your lost credits without another year repeat. Afterwards, I'm positive you will need to meet with one of the school counselors and see what you need to do on your end. I believe strings can be pulled..."

This was the best case scenario! Alysa had to put a hand over her mouth to keep her excited squeal at bay.

"Regardless of whatever exceptions are made, or even if you do still need to repeat the year, I expect you to get your grades up and KEEP them up. Are we clear there, young man?"

"Yes! T-Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you!" The sheer amount of relief and happiness in Drayton's voice, feeling lighter than a downy Swablu feather, made her own spirit ascend. She hugged him tightly, and he reciprocated.

"No, thank you Drayton, for being my grandson. I'll be calling you sometime in the next few weeks to check on your progress. Talk to you then."

"Y-Yeah...!"

The call disconnected. Finally able to speak, Alysa didn't hesitate.

"Yay!" She clapped her hands. "I'm so relieved, Dray-"

The girl was immediately pulled into another hug, this time including kisses peppered against her cheek. They brought out a laugh.

"I have you to thank too. I'm grateful that you were here for me, even with me turning into a crybaby..."

"I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Your happiness means so much to me." She cupped his face with a hand. The way he leaned into it, and the soft-as-melted-butter smile on his face made the world feel right.

He was there for her, after what Kieran did. If she didn't have him then, her mind would've probably spiraled into a darker place. Alysa couldn't just let Drayton suffer in silence himself, especially not when he's having an...earlylife crisis.

"And you aren't a crybaby. You've been enduring so much; you deserve to feel sad or even angry. But I'm so proud of you, how you've kept going despite it all. You're so strong..."

'Strong' in a much different sense, than what he's used to hearing from others in the academy. She pressed her forehead to his, fingers running through messy white locks and what leftover shape of his pompadour remained.

"You aren't a failure in any way. You're a gift. All the people who know you, they're lucky to have you in their lives...especially me."

She pulled away some, and opened her eyes. Drayton was gawking at her in awe; light returned and brightened the now-sparkling gold color with a vengeance.

"Thank you baby..." His voice in that second was the sweetest sound she had ever heard in her life. The couple embraced, Drayton pulling Alysa flush onto his lap so there was minimal space between them, and cradled the back of her head with a hand. She meant it when she said he was a gift; he had so many positive qualities a part of his character, regardless of how he hid them underneath playful or aloof remarks.

She felt even luckier to have gotten to see such raw wounds from his family life, such open vulnerability. Far more than what anyone else has gotten to see, he keeps others at arm's length probably out of habit just so he could protect himself. Not taking anything too seriously, because he developed the mindset that he couldn't disappoint people if he wasn't trying to satisfy them in the first place. She related to that.

At his core past the bad habits, insecurities, and trauma...Drayton really was just a kind, sweet boy.

And he has family, even if its collectively flawed, that does truly have his best interests in mind.

"If you need help with studying or homework," Alysa gently broke the silence, "I'll do whatever I can. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind helping either, if you ask them."

His breath puffed out, brushing over the skin of her neck. "Noted...but out of all the people in this school, I'd rather be tutored by you."

The atmosphere in the room lost its density, replaced by one of pure warmth and some other honeyed vibe Alysa couldn't quite put a name to. It didn't matter though. Things could start really looking up for Drayton now, and Alysa was excited at the opportunity he had to step onto a brighter trail.

She genuinely hoped it was one she could walk on alongside him.

"I should tell Archaludon the good news," he said, loosening his arms around her. "But first, I really should clean up this place. It's a mess..."

"I'll help." Of course, she would lend her assistance. That look from before returned on his features, and Alysa felt her insides squirm in euphoria.