daddy issues [C]

veilstone was not a place he wanted to visit. he tried his best to avoid it as much as he could but he knew eventually work would bring him back. he had to be extra careful in the city since that was where the incident happened. his face was probably plastered on a wanted poster all throughout town if that was how they even did it now. he wasn't sure, but he'd play it safe anyways.

hiding in plain sight was what he was good at; a plain hoodie was all that was needed, face hiding under the cover of the black hood as he walked with the crowd, moving as a pack, blending in easily as he approached the department store. though that was when he noticed a girl in distress, fist bleeding, sobbing. 

the smart thing to do for someone under his circumstances would be to just ignore her and continue walking. but the spy couldn't, it was after all his weakness, caring too much. so he stopped, diverted from the crowd before rushing over to the girl.

"hey, you alright?" he spoke up. eyes would quickly examine her and it didn't take a genius to understand the situation. "it's alright- hey, talk to me, what's your name?" he tried whatever he could to calm her down, maybe get her to stop sniffling since it wasn't something he enjoyed seeing.

"my name's liam," he introduced. eyes would drift towards the bloodied hand; the old liam would have cringed but the current one was used to it by now. "what happened? that needs to get looked at," he gestured at the hand, voice carrying genuine concern.

had she not been a complete stranger he might have just straight up hugged her or something along those lines. he found that contact was one of the best ways to comfort someone. "y-yes kinda," he laughed, joking in an attempt to lighten the mood. he nodded at the mention of her name, lips turning into a smile. "it's nice to meet you, hunter."

every sob she took seemed to hurt him as well. he was somewhat of an emphatic person, understanding what she might be going through right now. "want to talk about it? it's not silly if it gets you upset," he replied, eyes catching a glimpse of the letter she picked up. he assumed it was related to that, and a quick deduction told him that it was most likely a letter from her family; maybe a trainer who left home for an adventure? 

he can pry later, for now her hand needed to get looked at by a professional and he definitely was not one. "there's a hospital not too far from here. i'll take you there," he offered but even without waiting for an answer he'd gesture for her to follow him as he started walking. he'd glance back over to make sure she was following before asking another question.

"what sort of issues? if you don't mind me asking."

hearing her story just made his heart ache. no one should have to go through such a tragedy and he was truly sorry that she had to, even though they've only just met. "oh. i'm so sorry." was all he could offer to her at the moment. eyes would watch carefully as she showed him the scorch marks that ran up her leg. even for someone who's been through some rough shit he couldn't help but avert his gaze, feeling his own leg start to tingle with pain a bit. 

"it's fine not to know or even to want to forget," he commented. he has stuff he would like to forget, like to change, but that isn't possible no matter how hard he tries. maybe with the help of a certain few legendaries, sure, maybe, but that was much easier said than done.

"if it helps i also have a scar," he added. he wasn't so sure if he should be showing her this but he took it as a trade of sorts; she showed him hers and now it was his turn. a hand reached up to tug down at the collar of his shirt just enough to reveal the corner of his scar that ran across his chest. it was healed by now but he still felt pain resonating from it often. "pokemon attack." was all he had to comment about that.

"do you need a hug?"

the spy simply nodded at her comments, deciding that it was best to leave it at that. it wasn't a cornered pokemon at all, if anything liam was the one who was cornered. people can be violent and cruel sometimes, he understood the basics of that. hearing about her affiliation made him slightly uneasy. if she had looked at the wanted list recently she would know who she was talking to but so far everything was clear. and besides, she was only a scout which meant that she probably hasn't seen it.

the ranger's reaction made him a bit sad; it's been a while since he's had any sort of human contact as well. he's just been so busy with his own agendas that he hasn't had time for much else. so when she accepted his offer a small smile grew on his face.

"okay."

and with that he'd take a step forward, arms slowly extending out to reach behind her to pull her close, letting her head rest against whatever it wanted. he was taller than the ranger so his gaze was fixed on the pavement behind her. a breath, then another. the contact made the scar irritate slightly but it didn't matter. this felt nice.

he'd let the ranger decide how long she wanted the hug to last.

the embrace felt nice. it felt like he needed it as he held on for as long as she wanted. a small frown would appear on his face as she pulled away, though it was quickly removed by a peck on the cheek, to which he could only respond with a smile. what little need he had for contact was slowly fading away, even if it was only temporary.

the hospital was close now, he could see it in the distance. his stomach turned when she asked her question, head now full of conflicting thoughts as he struggled to find an answer. hospitals were a public place, many faces, many possibilities to be recognized. it wasn't the same hospital as the one from before but it was the same city, and they surely must have heard of the incident. he really didn't want to risk getting recognized then caught, not now, but as he looked back at the girl he felt like he had to accompany her.

"i'll go in with you, don't worry."

so they entered the hospital. eyes would quickly scan the place, the interior almost all white, people looking as busy as ever, sounds of medical equipment beeping away echoed the hall, and in the middle was a counter. he approached it.

"hey there. she needs to get her hand looked at, cut it up pretty badly." he gestured over to the ranger. most of his face was still hidden under his hood, always tilted slightly downwards to avoid any cameras.

the spy was feeling real twitchy in the hospital, hands found refuge in his pockets as he looked around the room at all the people, examining them, sizing them up. it felt like he was in a trap. he remained standing when she was led to be seated, watching carefully as the nurse took a look at her injuries. all he could offer was a smile that he hoped would calm her down a bit.

boyfriend.

caught a bit off guard by that his mouth opened, lingering as he tried to find the words to say. luckily for him the ranger interjected first. "no, we're not together," he added on. it didn't even occur to him how he might have been getting too close or too involved with a stranger, especially since he is in a relationship of sorts right now. the nurse then led them to the x-ray machine but there was some time to talk in between.

"hey, sorry about... that." he was a bit worried about the way he said it so he thought it'd be best to apologize. he'd follow it up with another question as they soon arrived at the x-ray machine. "have you ever had an x-ray?" he asked, "you'll be fine."

oh right, the fire. he mentally slapped himself for not making the connection and also forcing her to recall those memories. he wanted to apologize again but realized it would probably do no good. so instead he offered her another smile, the same one from before in an attempt to calm her down. but soon enough the x-ray technician took over and he was left standing there in the room just watching carefully.

her comment just made him smile even harder. very rarely was he ever complimented like that or even thanked, so it felt really good to know that there was a quality in him that people still appreciated. it kept him level-headed and on the ground, thankfully. 

"t-thanks," he replied with a soft chuckle. he then shook his head. "are you sure? because i have nothing else to do." a hand went up to pull the hood back before running through his hair. he for some reason felt safe in the room with her, a much different contrast to what he felt earlier out in the open halls of the hospital. 

"i'll stay if you want me to," he offered. the mood in the room was something he couldn't handle so he decided to lighten it up a bit. "i don't need you breaking your other hand now," he laughed.