Fanfiction The little things

Hello all. The names Mr.Maverick, and this is one of my one shot fanfics. I originally posted this on fanfiction.net, where you can see some of my other work.

I started this as a way to get past writers block I was having while writing my main fic. I stumbled across a comic dub ( "Don't have to hide", BTW. Great comic if you like Undertale) It inspired me to try and write a emotional piece, using influences from my personal life.

As with any piece, feedback is always appreciated.

*Contains slight blood and language*

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers!
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Nimbasa city was always alive at night. It was one of the few cities in the Unova region that was active all hours of the day, morning noon and night. As the sun set, it wasn't uncommon to see young Pokémon out and about, spending their nights in clubs, with friends, and enjoying their youths.

Except tonight, one such Pokémon wasn't partaking in such festivities.

A male Meowstic walked alone down the sidewalk, hugging his jacket closer to his body as he walked. It was the onset of winter, and the temperature had begun to adjust accordingly, especially at night. A small puff of steam appeared every time he breathed, and the sight of it just made him want to reach his destination faster.

Unlike other Pokémon his age, he wasn't downtown surrounded by lights and clubs and wild activities. He was going through an apartment complex. It was lite by a few streetlights, and the occasional small window, but otherwise dark. Not another soul was in sight, and the only noise was the blowing wind. The silence and dark was enough to make any Pokémon feel uncomfortable, either by feeling completely alone or being watched. The Meowstic was no exception, and walked at a brisk pace to reach his home.

Coming to a particular building, he walked up the light of stairs to the landing and to a certain door. Reaching to the base of his tails, he withdrew a key, and used it to unlock the door. Quickly stepping inside, making note to lock the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief.

The apartment itself was fairly small, all things considered. Immediately in front of him was a dining table and chairs. The wall the left held a few shelves, and on the other side of the table was a half wall separating the dining area from the small kitchen behind. To the right was a living room sporting a couch, large TV, and glass door leading to a tiny balcony. Next to the TV, across from the couch, was a fireplace, and a small desk next to that. Between the kitchen and desk was a hallway that lead to the bedrooms.

Shedding his jacket and throwing it over the back of a chair, the psychic feline looked around. The two other occupants of the dwelling were nowhere in sight. Knowing their habits, he guessed they were in their rooms.

Glancing into the kitchen, he saw that the small clock on the microwave read 117.

'Almost midnight" he thought somewhat wistfully. Being up so late would certainly affect him come tomorrow, let alone leave him some time for himself. He sighed in disappointment at yet another night was spent without any choice of his own.

Looking over the apartment, what he saw caused him to frown. Plates and cups were left on the table, leftover food still evident on them. Looking over to the living room, he saw more plates and leftovers, as well as some articles of clothing strewn across the couch. Moving into the kitchen, he found the sink to be full, dishes stacked haphazardly and unwashed. The stove was crowded with pots and pans, the dishwasher was filled but un-run, and the counter was spotted with stains and crumbs. Looking down the hall to the washer and dryer in a small alcove in the wall, he saw that laundry was sitting in cloths hampers yet the washer lid was open and empty. All in all, the place was a mess, both unnecessarily and not the way he like it to be when he came home.

Huffing in irritation, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He didn't need to put any effort into sending out a psychic message to the other residents of the apartment. He was skilled enough and did it often enough for use of telepathy to be more of a reflex than a strenuous activity. At times, he even believed it to be easier than actually speaking.

"KYLE! LOLA!"

His ears twitched as he was rewarded a few seconds later with the sounds of movement down the hall. Some things moving, a door opening, and the scampering of paws on carpet foretold the arrival of someone. Rounding the corner of the hall and making it to the kitchen was a small Eevee. Her coat was a few shades lighter than a male's, and her eyes were green. Around her neck she wore a small silver necklace with heart shaped locket.

Coming to a stop, the small fox looked up to him quickly. "Hey big bro! Welcome home! Hope your night was good!" She sounded unnaturally happy, as if trying to force him into a good mood. She wagged her tail quickly and gave a very large, somewhat forced smile as she looked up at the taller Pokémon. Her tail wagging and smile slowly disappeared at the stern glare she received from her older sibling. Her ears and tail drooped and she lowered herself to the ground, "uh... James? What's wrong?"

Huffing again, placing one hand on his hip and the other pointing to the messy kitchen and dining room, he asked, "take a look and tell me."

She followed his arms direction, and flinched as she saw the mess. She grit her teeth and inhaled sharply. She looked around a little, trying to avoid the look her brother was giving her. "O-o-oh. Hehe. See... About that..." She stared down as she trailed off.

"What?" He asked, the displeasure very evident in his tone. "You and your brother only have to worry about school and chores. So what, pray tell, could be so important that you two shirk off on half of your responsibilities?"

The Eevee looked down, stuttering as she tried to form a coherent explanation. James waited for his sister to pull it together, but after a several seconds it was evident that she wasn't getting any better in forming complete sentences. Something felt off, a little flag in the back of his head waving, and it took him some time before he realized what it was.

There was one missing Pokémon.

Bringing his eyes back to his sister, he asked, "where is Kyle?"

Alaura's eyes widened as her head snapped up, uttering a "uh?" In response.

"Kyle. Our brother? Where is he?"

"O-oh... he's asleep.... yeah, he's sleeping right now. Out like a light!"

James had long ago learned to trust his instincts, those little voices and flags in the back of his head. They had always served him well, and saved him from several bad situations in his relatively short life. Some might call him crazy for thinking in such a way, but he stuck to it.

And right now, his instincts were telling him his sister was lying.

He glanced down the hallway, "really? Asleep you say?"

"Uh-huh," his sister nodded quickly.

"And why are you up this late? And why are the lights on in your rooms?"

"I....I...uh.... I couldn't sleep! So I, you know, decided to try and tire myself out."

"And how were you doing that?"

"I was working out! You know, building muscle and all that jazz."

As he listened to his sister, James' ear twitched again as he heard movement from a slightly different place, followed by a series of whimpers. His eyes shrunk to slits as he decided to call his sister out on her lies. "Then you shouldn't mind me checking in on him, right?"

Lola's face quickly fell as he began to move past her down the hall. "W-wait!"

James looked over his shoulder as he walked. "Something the matter sis?"

"Kyle's sleeping! We shouldn't wake him!"

"I'm not waking him up. I'm checking in on him."

His sister following behind him at a distance, the Meowstic made his way down the hall. Around the turn to the right, there lay three doors. One on the immediate right that lead to the bathroom, two more at either diagonal to him, his brother's and sister's rooms. Reaching for the door on the right, he gently turned it and pushed the door open before peeking his head inside.

His brother's room was somewhat messy, but that didn't bother him in and of itself. A single bed, a dresser, stand and TV, game consoles, and small closet was the basic lay out. His bed lay across from the door, so it was really easy to see his brother in bed. A lump lay under the covers, only his head peeking up from the cloth. Standing at the door, the light flooded in from the hallway framing a small portion of the otherwise pitch-black room. James listened for a while before he heard it again: Sniffling and whimpering.

Deciding to investigate, the Psychic-type walked quietly inside and sat on the edge of the bed next to his brother. Leaning in close, he was surprised to see his brother's face slightly green, fur matted, and tears running down his face. Surprise quickly turned to worry and concern, and he reached out to touch his brother on the shoulder. "Kyle! What's wrong?"

The male Eevee opened his eyes, giving a smile despite the obvious distress he was in once he saw the older sibling. "Oh. Hey bro. Welcome home."

James was wholly unimpressed with the obvious deflection of his question, and he pressed again. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Kyle shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, you know. Had a nightmare."

The disbelief was obvious on the Meowstic's face as he leaned in closer. "Nightmares don't cause a green tint and roughed up fur." He reached his hand out to feel his brother's forehead. "You don't feel warm, so it's not a fever. Speaking is fine, so not a stroke or delirium," he mumbled to himself, instantly fearing the worst

"Bro, I'm fine."

"And I'm a sparkling purple Arceus with Yveltal wings."

"No, really! It was just a bad dream."

"Kyle, just give it up. I know something is bothering you so just-"

James couldn't finish his sentence as he caught sight of something that immediately alarmed him. Kyle's paw was slightly poking out from under the cover. But that wasn't what alarmed him. What shocked him was the scarlet liquid that was pooling around his brother's paw.

Blood.

With narrowed eyes and firm grip, he grabbed the blanket, much to his brother's worry. "W-W-Wait!" The cries fell on deaf ears as James yanked the entire blanket off of the bed.

Of all the things the Meowstic expected to find wrong with his sibling, he wasn't expecting what he saw. The Eevee's right foreleg was broken. And not just broken, but broken completely, if the white rod of bone poking through the skin was any indication. Understanding the reason for the unhealthy parlor and distress, he reached out to examine the break. "What happened with your-"

"NO!" The Eevee youngster curled up as soon as his older brother began to reach for the injury. He hugged the damaged limb to his chest as he buried half his face in his pillow. "Don't touch it! It hurts! Please don’t touch it! If you do it'll hurt more and I don't want it to hurt! Please please please don't...." The pleading trailed off into incoherent pleas and cries as more tears flowed.

James' heart broke a little at the genuine pleas and terror in his brother's voice. For a moment he considered foregoing checking the injury himself. But his better judgment overruled his sympathy for the terrified kit. He needed to investigate the break if it was to be repaired. But first, he'd need to calm his brother. Reaching out to stroke the Eevee's back, he spoke gently and soothingly. "Hey. It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you bud."

Kyle sniffled as he glanced out of one eye at him. "It hurts. I don't want it to hurt more..."

"I know bud. I know. I just need to examine it and see if it can't be fixed." He looked at the damage as he spoke, taking in what he could. The break looked relatively clean, so it was unlikely he'd need to worry about shards of bone in the tissue. But it was undoubtfully painful. And if the pain was to go, the break would need to be fixed.

Reaching out with his mind, he wrapped his brother in a psychic. "H-hey! Please don't! I-"

"Kyle, relax. I'm not going to hurt you." He used the psychic to pay his brother in his lap, gently grabbing the injured foreleg to examine it more closely. He gripped it gently, rotating it and bringing it closer as needed. Satisfied that no lasting damage was present, he put the limb down and placed both his hands on it. A pink aura emanated from his hands as the Heal Pulse began to work it's magic. It would take a while to force the bone back into position, but it would kill the pain as long as he was able to channel the move. While he waited for the healing to finish, he decided to get answers."What happened?"

"…"

"Kyle."

"I-I fell down the stairs heading out this morning."

"I didn't get any calls from the school about you having an injury or missing class. So you were there. Which means you didn't get this before a few hours ago at most."

"Ok ok. I fell out of a tree I was climbing in after school."

"Did you fall from five stories? Because it would take at least that much force, as well as landing on a sharp surface, to break the bone this cleanly. That's strike two."

"I...I..."

"Don't let it be three young man." James warned, pausing in his examination to look at his brother out of one eye. "Once more: How. Did. This. Happen?"

Kyle looked down, pain, frustration, and fear all written on his face. He chewed on his lip as more tears welled up before he broke. "I... I was in a fight."

James froze completely, processing what his little brother said. "A fight?" A nod was all he got as a confirmation. "With who?"

"W-with Jackson. From down the street."

A growl escaped the Meowstic's throat. The Machop his brother spoke of was always getting into trouble. He liked to abuse his natural strength, and usually took it out on the younger children of the neighborhood. It wasn't so much surprising as it was infuriating. "Little punk. Starting more shit again is he? I swear when I see the little dumpster-fire I'll..." James scoffed as he regained his train of thought. "What did he do to start this? Was he bothering you and the other kids again?"

A shake of the head. "N-no. Actually..."

"Actually...?" He pried

"Well.... I kinda..."

"Kyle..." The tone made the fox flinch, knowing his brother was reaching the end of his patience.

"I... I was the one who started the fight."

James nearly chocked on thin air at his brother's admittance. "You started the fight?"

The normal-type looked down in shame. "Y-yeah..."

James let out a large sigh, rubbing his face with one hand before continuing. "Why?"

"W-we... I mean... everyone... we made a bet."

"Which was?"

"That I could beat Jackson in a one-on-one fight."

The thought bothered the elder sibling greatly. Kyle was on the thin side, and had little in the ways of full on combat training. While Jackson had likely received less training than the Eevee, he was naturally stronger, and even more so against normal-types."Who's idea was it?"

The Eevee shifted as he was interrogated. "It wasn't anybody's idea. We all kind of came to the agreement on the spot. H-he was being mean and we all had had enough and so it just k-kinda happened."

Another sigh. "How much was the bet?"

If possible, the small fox looked even more shameful and afraid. "You won't like it..."

"I already don't like it. How much was it that you bet?"

"...2,000 poke...." the little normal-type mumbled

This time, James actually did choke on thin air, and took a moment to cough before he was able to speak again. "What!? 2,000 Poke!?"

"Y-yeah...?"

"Where did you get that much money?? You had 600 last I checked, and you only make 400 a month. How could you afford that?"

He didn't get a response as the Eevee refused to meet his eyes. Having had enough for one night, James reached out with his psychic powers to read his brother's mind. It was not a particularly difficult thing to do, and it was the work of a moment to find what he was looking for. After seeing the events that lead up to the fight, he scowled and raised his voice in a authorative manner.

"LOLA! GET. IN. HERE. NOW!"

A very afraid Eevee almost crawled into the room she was holding herself so low. James raised his hand and curled a digit in a 'come here' motion. With no choice, the female made her way over to sit in front of her eldest brother, who was seething at this point. "You. Not only supported you brother in fighting. But you also both pooled all you savings together to put into a BET?" Both Eevees nodded. Now tense and riled up, the Meowstic was struggling to maintain his usual calm demeanor. "What. Could be so important. That both of you were willing to risk all the money you have on a stupid fight? What reason could you have for that? Putting yourself in harm's way and risking everything your have to your name was incredibly stupid of you both!"

Both foxes began to tear up, which helped James to reel in his boiling emotions on the matter. Breathing deeply, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. 'Easy James. They are just kids remember. Don't be so hard on them.' He took a deep breath and exhaled before he resumed. "Why did you both do it?"

By this point the tears were flowing freely, with Lola more than Kyle, and it was a few moments before the middle child in his lap answered. "I-I-I-t was f-for y-y-you...."

James cocked his head to the side, thinking he misheard his brother. "Me?"

They both nodded, still crying and whimpering as Kyle continued. "W-well... You work so hard... and you're never home... and we never spend time t-together anymore... and your never happy anymore so," he sniffled, taking a deep breath before continuing despite the tears running down his face and his sobbing getting worse, "s-so we thought... that we could make you happy... that we'd win the fight and e-extra m-money.... s-s-so we could b-buy you a n-nice b-b-birthday present."

At his point, both his younger siblings lost it and cried openly, burying their faces in their forelegs.

James sat a minute, thinking over what his brother had said. It was really easy to say that his brother was correct. He did work a lot, he was often tired or cranky when he got home. They rarely got to spend quality time together, the three of them. His birthday was in a few weeks.

He was rarely happy anymore, and it was obvious to his siblings.

By now, the Healing Pulse had arranged the bone back into place, which was the biggest concern he had. Releasing the move, he ran his hands up his face as he realized what his siblings were thinking, what they were feeling. Reaching over to move a few pillows, he scooted back to rest against the headboard. He held his arms out to the side, "c'mon guys."

Lola, seeing what her brother meant, hopped up onto the bed with her older brothers and buried her face into James' side. Kyle did the same with his other side, and James ran his hands up and down their backs in a attempt to sooth them. Both Eevees cried into his sides, the fur quickly becoming damp with tears. He didn't say anything though, and only continued his ministrations to help his siblings calm down.

It was impossible to say just how long the trio laid there, and frankly the Psychic-type didn't care. It was a emotional moment, and various feelings swirled around inside of him. Worry. Grief. Anger. Fear. Self-loathing. Eventually he simply blocked out the random thoughts, knowing that letting things continue in this manner would be the opposite of beneficial.

If you asked him a year ago, James would have said that he loved quiet moments. They let him think, to have private opinions and a chance to gather his thoughts. They were his way of escaping reality. But if you asked him now, he would say he hated the quiet moments. Nowadays the quiet was something he feared as much as hated. Because it had long since stopped being a sanctuary, a chance for him to escape from reality if even for a few minutes. Now, the quiet only forced him to deal with his inner demons. And there were many. And they always came en mass.

The sniffling and sobbing had died down, if not entirely stopped, and he looked down at the two curled up into his sides. "Better?"

Both nodded, lifting their faces from his fur to rest them on him. Eyes were still blurry, red and wet, but they had seemed to have relaxed enough to control it. James continued to rub their backs, it calming him down just as much as it did them. "I'm sorry I snapped. I just worry about you guys."

"We know," Kyle said, looking up at his older brother with mixed emotions. Shame still being forefront among them. "We're sorry for making you worry."

"It's OK. You're both forgiven."

Lola shifted uncomfortably, paws clenching tightly, and it did not go unnoticed. "What's the matter sis?"

She looked down, a fresh wave of tears beginning to spill out as she chocked out her reply.

"...I miss mom and dad."

The statement brought a pang to James' heart, and even a sting to his eyes, and he reached out to pull his sister into his side once more as she cried. "I know sis. We all do." Kyle began to tear up as well at the answer, and wall quickly pulled in as well. As his siblings cried into him once again, venting their feelings, James couldn't help but think.

How long had it been? How long since his entire world as he knew it had been shattered?

Eight months. Yes, just a little over eight months since everything had changed. Eight months since they all had lost two of the most important figures in their lives. Eight months since the heavy weight of responsibility fell onto the shoulder of the 20-year-old Meowstic.

It seemed like a life-time ago. Everything was so different now that the past sometimes seemed more like it was imagined that fact. Everything then seemed so simple and light. They all had a plan, a perfect plan that would lead them on easy and enjoyable lives.

Then something, be it Arceus, some other legendary, or just destiny, had taken it all away. Had decided that they all were too happy, and that it was to end. Their little family plans of progress and success were up-ended and discarded, leaving only bitter memories in their place.

It was hard. James had always been mature for his age, and had learned to take responsibility at a young age. He had always expected it to be simple like it was when he was a child. He now understood that that wasn't real responsibility. Real responsibility was heavy, sometimes suffocatingly so, and wasn't as forgiving. Sometimes failure mean a permanent punishment.

The two little Eevees curled up in to his sides. They were his responsibility. He was all they had left in the world, and they were all he had. The only family left. He, as the oldest, had to take up the mantle and care for them, to provide for them as best he could, despite how impossibly large the task seemed. Sometimes it ate him up inside that he couldn't provide as well as their father had, that they often had to use hand-me-down accessories or eat cheap food to stave off hunger. They certainly couldn't afford fancy to gadgets and phones. Hell, they didn't even have a car to get anyone to work. Seeing other kids their age be handed those things and flaunting them about boiled his blood. And at the same time, made him feel like he was a failure as a brother.

But his brother and sister were resilient, and didn't mind that they couldn't always get nice things like that. They never complained that they sometimes had to eat the same meal five days in a row, or that they couldn't go out and buy something they wanted on a whim. They were mature, and understood their situation, making James both proud and sad at the same time. They pulled their weight. Kyle worked at a local fast food joint to bring in his own income, and Lola, while slightly too young to get a real job, worked odd jobs for money, as well as took care of the apartment.

He was proud of them for stepping up.

The room fell silent again as they two finished the new round of tears. James gave them a gently squeeze into his sides, trying to comfort the best he could. "I love you two."

"We love you too."

James, satisfied that the worst of the emotional obstacles were overcome, laid back into the headboard. He felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. A thought came to mind, and he looked over to his brother's clock.

2:12

Damn

"What's wrong?"

Realizing he had spoken aloud rather than just think it, he turned to look at the tear-stained faces staring at him. "It's late," he explained, "and there's no chance of getting a proper nights rest now." He sighed. "Guess I'll have to call in sick tomorrow." Not something he particularly wanted to do, but he knew pushing himself too hard would end up costing more than it was worth.

"Well," Kyle began, "then you'll be staying home?" The Meowstic nodded. "T-then do you think we could stay home too?" He noticed his older brother's confused look and tried to elaborate. "I-I mean I know we have school. But since you'll be home for the first time in a while, do you think we could.... have a family day? Nothing s-special, jus all of us spending time together? Can we do that?"

James thought the idea over for a moment. It had merit, and it had been a long time since the three had spent any significant time together. The idea of staying home to enjoy himself with his siblings overruled any objections he might have had regarding money. Nodding his consent, he said, "sure. That sounds like a good idea."

The two Eevees, eyes still wet, smiled and jumped up a little to nuzzle under his chin in appreciation. "YAY!"

Laughing a little, he hugged the two foxes to his chest gently, enjoying the contact. "Alright you two, settle." The two back up a bit, only to lay on his chest still smiling. "Since I'm taking tomorrow... today off, I'll have to work late sometime this week to make up for it" He frowned, as he disliked leaving his two younger siblings unattended. True, the 16-year-old and 15-year-old were smart enough to not set the building on fire, he still had his worries. Especially regarding break-ins, accidental fires, and all other manner of hazards, however unlikely they might be.

"If you're worried about us," his sister chimed in, "then why don’t you ask Sarah and Anna? I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Lola grinned knowingly, "Especially Sarah.

The name brought up an image of a smiling Cinccino, and caused James to blush a little. Sarah, along with her Sneasl sister Anna, were good friends of his. Their families had actually met years ago, and the children had all made fast friends. The two girls, who were closer to him in age, went to school with him, and the three had formed a strong friendship as a result. Since losing their parents, the two had taken to babysitting and providing company for the siblings, often free of charge. Not that they needed the money, as their parents were very successful business owners.

"True," he offered up quietly.

"C'mon, you know you wanna see Sarah again." Kyle smirked at him teasingly.

James rose an eyebrow, "what are you insinuating?"

"Oh nothing." Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, it's not like you want to spend time with a cute Cinccino who you've known for years and should totally go out with. That's TOTALLY not the case."

"Are you trying to give me love advice?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You shouldn't. You don't have a love life yourself. How could you give love life advice to someone else?"

"Don't need to have a love life to give good advice."

"This situation is a little different. Some experience would do you well in the world of romance."

"Oh, so you're saying I should get some tail before dishing out sage advice?"

James batted his brother over the ear playfully. "That is not what I'm saying at all."

Kyle stuck his tongue out in response. "What I'm hearing is that you're worried that I will get some before you."

"The only tail you should be getting, little brother, is your own. And the only place you should be getting it is to bed."

Kyle laughed at that, shortly followed by Lola and eventually James himself. After a minute of laughing and giggling, James spoke up again. "Hmm. Maybe I will ask her out."

"You totally should!" Lola wagged her tail In excitement. "She's super cool and Anna's so much fun. Sarah is good for you and they both would make awesome big sisters!"

The Psychic-type scoffed at his little sister's claim. "Sisters? You trying to play match-maker and marry me off sis?"

"Mmmaaaybeeeeee~"

"Well good luck with that. Weddings are expensive."

"I can help with that!" Kyle jumped back in.

"Didn't you lose all your money today? You should make sure you can back up you words before saying them brother."

"I didn't lose all my money. I doubled it!"

James' face scrunched up in cofusion. "Doubled it? Then... you won against Jackson?"

The Eevee male couldn't have smiled any wider "Yep!"

After a short pause, James reached over and ruffled his brother's hair, something he always had done as a sign of affection for him. "That's my bro."

"So when's the wedding!?"

Shaking his head at the little female's attitude as she jumped right back into the conversation, James sat upright. "Alright you guys. Enough goofing off. It's late, and we should all get to bed. Let's get ready." Everyone got up and off the bed. As the Eevees went to the bathroom to brush their teeth, James grabbed some pills and a water bottle from the kitchen. The pills would help Kyle to handle the pain, once it came back, and would help him sleep. Healing Pulse was a exhausting move, especially since he had yet to master it, and he didn't want to strain himself any further for fear of injuring himself.

A few minutes later found the trio back in Kyle's bed. James secretly enjoyed it, as he usually slept on the couch as he didn't' have his own room. Setting the pills and water on the nightstand next to the bed, the thee assumed the same position they had been in for the last two hours.

"Hey." Kyle spoke up, "can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor," James said, playful grin tugging at the edges of his lips.

"Oh hardy-har." The Normal-type shook his head, "what I was going to ask is if you could levitate over a book for me."

The Psychic feline cocked his head to the side. "You want me to read to you?"

Kyle shook his head. "Uh-uh. The other way round."

"You... want to read to me?"

"Yeah!"

Confused, but going along with it, James turned to look at the small bookshelf against the wall. "Alright then, what would you like?"

"Non-fiction!"

"Ability class."

"Medium."

"It's actually intermediate, but ok. Theme?"

"Fantasy!"

That narrowed it down to a few selections, and James used Psychic to hover over the one that looked the most promising. "Yeah! This is supposed to be a good one!"

"Is it?"

"Yeah! It's about his Pikachu who meets this Buneary princess and they go on adventures together!"

Their sister jumped into the conversation. "And they eventually fall in love and get married and live happily ever after."

"Hmm. Alright, let's give it a go."

"Should we

All snuggling up together, the male Eevee began. "Once upon a time..."

James began to doze off at some point in his brother's reading. He couldn't tell if his siblings noticed or just didn't care, but either way it was pleasant. Just laying there, listening as his siblings read and laughed at a book, all the worries that constantly plagued him forgotten for the moment.

His thoughts eventually turned to the future, and he found them pleasantly filled with images of a grinning, playful sneasl and a smiling, helpful Cinccino. He would never openly admit it, especially to his younger brother, but he had to admit that he did find Sarah to be rather attractive. The thought of seeing her again, as it had been a few weeks, was oddly pleasant, and brightened up his mood and week. The idea that, maybe, just maybe, they might be a thing sent his heart fluttering and a smile to work it's way onto his face.

He felt his siblings shift as they lay against him, sleep winning the battle against them and their bodies. He adjusted his tails to that they draped over each of them as a blanket, and shifted into a more comfortable position.

He realized, on the line between sleep and consciousness, that his is something he needed to do more often. Slow down, take time for himself, enjoy the little things. Those were what made the big and difficult moments in life bearable. Especially after what the three had been through.

The coming days and weeks and months wouldn't be any easier for them. If anything, they could get worse. They always seemed to get worse before they, if they ever did, get better. But, laying there with two sleeping Eevees cuddled up into his sides, the Meowstic realized that that didn't matter.

He had his family, and they would get though it together.
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