#team valor

imagine Darth Vader joined Team Valor in Pokemon GO

The rain is warm on your skin. It’s not uncomfortable at all.

 His gaze turns to you as you feel this feeling once more. He knows he’s not alone with it yet there hasn’t been anything more than a quick glance from you, his childhood friend. Not more than a touch. Neither of you dare to speak up because of what you have right now. 

What you have is special. It must be protected. At all costs.

“Do you think it’s going to stop soon?” You ask and it’s not clear if you mean the rain or your feelings.

“I don’t think so,” He replies quietly, “But I don’t mind.”

You’re getting soaked and when the first lightning strikes over your heads he jumps. Your chuckle makes him pout and he shoves you.

“You don’t have to be scared, I’ll protect you.” You say and there is so much love in your words. You’d protect him from every harm in the world. And he knows. He’d do the same.

“You’re an idiot.” His voice is small yet full of hope and the urge to kiss him grows even stronger. How many times did you watch over him when he was sleeping, wishing you could touch him the way you wanted?

Without realizing your fingers intertwine. When did you get so close?

You look at each other. God. He’s so beautiful. 

In a silent agreement you tighten the grip on your hands. It’s impossible to let go now. But he already told you he didn’t mind, didn’t he?

This is why you pull him closer now. Your heart beats almost painfully in your chest as you raise your trembling hand, resting it on his wet cheek, wiping the white strands of hair away. 

His hair has grown a lot. You noticed. Because you always look at him.

But you never looked at him like this. With this pure honesty, with all the love you possess for him.

You can see that his eyes fill with tears and he holds his breath. He starts crying even though you didn’t do anything yet? But something tells you that these tears are good tears. 

You don’t have to stop now.

When your lips touch it’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before. The butterflies in your stomach are wild and you feel a little dizzy. But when he clings to your shoulder you wrap your arm around his body, holding him tight. His other hand desperately clings to you too now. This is where he belongs after all. Close to you.

The kiss isn’t mature in any way, it’s a mere touch and still you feel like you’ve ran a mile when you part. Your eyes are still closed, the feeling on your lips still lingering. You’re still holding onto each other and when his nose tip bumps into yours gently your lips curl into a smile.

A heavy weight falls off your shoulders when you open your eyes and look into his. And the world suddenly seems so much brighter than before. You don’t need words right now. The gentle laughter when you nuzzle his cheek is enough.

No one knows what the future will hold for you but you both know that this kiss in the summer rain was the best decision you have ever made in your life.

@shiyeru says: - inspired by this tweet

In a world where Spark never agreed to bond with Zapdos and where he didn’t lose the one person he cares so much for.

Read the full fic on ao3!

It was a testament to how little Blanche knew Candela that they did not see this coming.

Blanche stared at the restaurant, which was one of the most upscale in Opal City, with dismay. The patrons glittered in suits and floor-length gowns with diamonds and sipped the most expensive wines the city had to offer. “I am not dressed for this,” Blanche said as Candela took their arm and steered them through the door.

“Don’t worry, darling, they know me here,” Candela replied. This was not reassuring, as Candela was wearing a red silk gown with a plunging neckline and golden six-inch heels. Rubies glimmered at her ears and throat, and a series of gold bangles covered her wrists. She was stunning. Blanche could not believe she kept red-carpet attire in a gym bag in her car.

They considered it extremely discourteous of her to not warn them. Or give them the chance to stop by their apartment to change into a suit.

The only comfort was that Spark hadn’t changed either, and was still in his orange tank and leather jacket.

“Candy, I thought we were going to a steakhouse!” Spark complained as Candela spoke to the hostess.

“This is a steakhouse! Yes, I have a reservation for three,” Candela said when the hostess asked.

“Just because steaks are on the menu does not make it a steakhouse,” Blanche said. Spark sent them a grateful look for taking his side, and the sense of camaraderie made Blanche feel slightly better.

Candela did not reply, and Spark and Blanche were forced to follow her and the hostess through the restaurant to the table. It was covered by a snow-white tablecloth and crystal wine glasses. Spark went to pull out Candela’s chair, which pleased her, but Blanche made sure to sit down before Spark could repeat the gesture for them. No thank you.

Their little group attracted some curious and amused glances, which was no surprise given that Candela was the only one dressed appropriately for the venue. Blanche did their best to ignore the attention as they unfolded their pristine white cloth napkin and draped it over their lap. Despite their efforts, their face and chest grew hot and sweaty at the sound of nearby laughter. It was a couple on a date who weren’t even looking in their direction, but it felt like their amusement was directed at Blanche regardless.

It could have been worse, they knew. At least Spark was in the same boat as them. He whined to Candela for misleading him about where they were going to eat, and she smirked in reply. She seemed to enjoy being the best dressed person at the table. Blanche could deal with agents of chaos, but they liked to have some warning that was what they were dealing with.

As Spark flipped his menu open, he grumbled, “They probably don’t even have chicken tenders here.”

Blanche had to stifle a laugh as they were reminded of their twin, whose tastes leaned toward juvenile.

Candela grimaced. “Definitely not. But they do have steak!” She helped Spark by flipping to the appropriate page of his menu. “Ribs too, see?”

Appeased for the moment, Spark scanned the page for his choices while Candela ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Red, of course.

Blanche scanned their own menu and winced at the prices. They had been a research assistant for the last few years, and that had not been a high-paying job. Spark must be able to read their face, because he leaned into their space while Candela was busy chatting with the server about the day’s specials. “I can cover ya, if ya want,” Spark whispered.

Blanche flushed. They could make it work with their finances. It just would have been easier if they hadn’t moved from a different region recently. “It’s all right. I’ll manage.”

“Seriously, it’s fine. Candy comes from money, so she forgets about this stuff. It’s not payday yet. Let me cover you.”

Ugh, he had such a reassuring smile. “I’ll pay you back later.” They hoped he would not argue. Soulmate or not, they did not know him well enough to accept freebies yet.

“Sure thing!”

This arrangement did make them feel better, and they were able to choose a tasty-looking seafood dish without too much guilt. Spark ordered his steak, along with vegetables and an extra side of potatoes. Blanche couldn’t imagine attempting to eat that much food at once, but Candela acted as if this were normal.

The table lapsed into silence, and Blanche felt that they ought to say something to incite conversation. After all, they were the new person being integrated into an established friendship (Blanche wasn’t sure about thinking of either of them as more than that yet). “So, Candela, were you born in Opal?” Blanche asked, fishing for a safe topic.

Something flickered across her face that told them that this topic might not have been as safe as they had thought. However, before they could apologize and backtrack, she smiled. “Oh, not at all! I’ve lived here for a couple years now, but I was born in Unova.”

“I see.” Blanche had never been to Unova and was curious about what kind of pokemon Candela saw growing up. But there was a strange tension in the air, so they weren’t sure it would be right to ask.

Spark, however, felt no such restraint. “Candy’s got four older brothers!” He grinned as he said it. “Can ya believe it? I’m an only child, so I can’t imagine.”

“It sounds boisterous,” Blanche replied.

Candela waved a hand. “It certainly was! It’s much quieter now that they don’t talk to me.”

Oh. Despite her flippant tone, there was pain in her eyes. “May I ask?” She didn’t have to tell them if she didn’t want to, but they would like to know the source of her pain if she was comfortable sharing it with them.

She sighed and drummed her fingers on the table before she picked up her wine and took a generous sip. “It was stupid, really.”

“I’m sure it isn’t stupid, if it caused you pain,” Blanche murmured.

Candela sent them a grateful look. “Thank you, darling. But how it happened was stupid.” She sighed and tapped the side of her wine glass. “Spark knows the story. My family has a long history tied to Moltres. It’s kind of like our guardian legendary. The tradition is that the oldest child will form a bond, which is like this telepathic connection, with Moltres. It was supposed to be my oldest brother Lucifel next, but I encountered Moltres while walking home one night. It recognized my bloodline and formed the bond.” She sighed again.

“And that’s bad?” Blanche asked.

Candela shrugged. “My parents were furious. In their mind, I usurped tradition and stole my brother’s birthright. It didn’t matter that I didn’t do it on purpose. I was a bad and rebellious daughter who brought shame to the family. Everyone stopped talking to me, even my Grandma. Eventually I couldn’t take it and moved in with my cousin in Alola. Her family is much less traditional than mine. One way or another, I ended up here.”

Spark reached out to rub her bare shoulder. She leaned into the touch and managed a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to put a dampener on our date.”

“It’s no problem, Candy. Don’t worry about it.”

The server came back with their meals, offering fresh ground pepper before disappearing to serve the next table. Blanche sampled their seafood pasta and was very pleased - it was delicious, with just the right amounts of butter and garlic.

Blanche didn’t want to detract from Candela’s story, but now seemed like a good time to mention Articuno.

“I do know about bonds with legendaries,” Blanche said. Both of the others looked at them in surprise, though Candela recovered first and took advantage of Spark’s inattention to steal a bite of his steak. Blanche ignored this and continued. “While I was travelling around Kanto and Johto with Professor Oak, I encountered Articuno.”

“And it bonded with you?” Spark asked with far more excitement than Blanche thought that the situation warranted. He shook Candela’s shoulder. “Did you hear that, Candy? Can you believe it?”

“Right?” Candela said around another stolen bite of steak. “Three for three. What are the odds, Sparky?”

“I beg your pardon?” Blanche was missing some context.

“Sparky here is bonded with Zapdos!” Candela said, laughing, draping an arm around Spark’s shoulders and pointing to his face.

“Are you joking?” Blanche wanted to make sure. They weren’t always the best at catching on to jokes.

“Nope! Met it at the power plant with my Uncle when I was a kid. Been together ever since.”

Blanche looked between them. They could understand the other two’s mirth now. What were the chances of the three of them being soulmates, team leaders of the Go Program, and bonded to Kanto’s titans? “Unbelievable.” Was all they could think to say.

“I know!” Spark said.

“Well, eat up, you two,” Candela said. “The food is getting cold.”

The date was very relaxed after that, enough so that Blanche forgot to be self conscious that they weren’t dressed appropriately for the venue. The wine made them all tipsy. Spark and Candela tried to talk Blanche into coming to Spark’s apartment to play Super Smash Bros, but Blanche wasn’t comfortable with that yet and ended up taking a taxi home. Once there, they kicked off their shoes and flopped face down on their bed until morning.

The next day, the soulmate bond between the team leaders seemed to be all anyone could talk about. By lunch Blanche was both annoyed and flustered by all the people congratulating them and the shy approaches from young interns asking if the rumours were true. It didn’t help that interest kicked up several notches when Spark and Candela showed up at lunch with grins and sandwiches.

Blanche accepted their invitation to a picnic with a sigh.

“Aw, Blanche, we’re gonna think you aren’t happy to see us,” Spark teased as they settled into a small courtyard outside Mystic Headquarters.

Blanche was squinting at their sandwich with suspicion. It was somehow their favourite, despite the fact that they had no recollection of telling Spark what kind of sandwiches they liked. They hadn’t been so drunk the night before as to have forgotten something like that. “Did Annie tell you what sandwiches I like?” they wondered out loud, for that was the only explanation they could think of. As their assistant, Annie was almost always around. She would have picked up on their tastes.

Spark’s expression turned sheepish, and he shook his head. “Um, no, about that…” he began, and Blanche turned their suspicious squint from the sandwich to him. Candela choked on her apple juice as she laughed, and Spark waved a hand. “No, no, it’s nothing weird! I just, y’know, happened to run into Noire, so I asked.”

That didn’t clear things up. “How did you run into Noire?”

“Well, they dropped by Instinct - like, literally, through the ceiling - to steal some rare pokemon eggs. I recognized ‘em as your sib, so, y’know, once I’d thwarted their plans I asked.”

Candela laughed harder. “Darling, you’re so weird,” she sighed. “You captured a Rocket exec just to interrogate them about Blanche’s food preferences?”

“Well, sure,” Spark said. “Why not?”

Blanche put their face in their hands. They could not believe Noire had not called to laugh at them about their soulmate being a major dork. In fairness, Noire was also a major dork.

“Anyway, they’re coming over tonight so I can wreck their ass in Mario Kart. Wanna join?” Spark continued.

Blanche supposed they could not complain about Noire and Spark getting along if this fledgling potential relationship was to work out. But goodness it was awkward.

“Oh, I’d love to come,” Candela said, getting her laughter under control. Her smile glittered dangerously, and there was no doubt she would also love to kick Noire’s butt at Mario Kart. “I have to pay them back for messing with my team, don’t I?” She leaned over to wrap her free arm around Blanche’s. “Do come, Blanche. It won’t be as much fun without you.”

And if that wasn’t one of the sweetest things Blanche had ever been told. Their cheeks went pink. No one had ever called them fun before. They were too serious, too awkward, too stoic. Noire was the fun, friendly one. But if they were wanted… “I’ll see if I can make time,” Blanche said, trying to play it cool.

“Great! I’ll provide snacks. All ya gotta do is show up,” Spark said, beaming.

“Very well.” Blanche was abysmal in the kitchen, so at least it wasn’t going to be a potluck. Candela was still holding onto their arm. It felt nice. Very nice.

Blanche still had not told them.

The thought of bringing up their background made their heart hammer and a lump stick in their throat. It was too hard. They did not want to. But if they did not, would it not be deceitful? Candela and Spark had both told Blanche things about their pasts, things that were difficult for them to say. Reciprocating would be the right thing to do.

“While you’re here, there was something I wanted to tell you,” Blanche began. Even those words had to be forced out of their mouth. Candela gave their arm a brief squeeze. There was so much comfort in that touch. It gave Blanche the courage to continue. Spark stopped teasing the wild pidgey that had landed on his shoulder in hopes of bits of sandwich, and was giving Blanche his full attention. He didn’t seem to notice that this gave the pidgey the opportunity to steal a large chunk of his sandwich meat and take flight for a nearby tree to eat its spoils.

“When we were children, Noire and I were found on the streets of Orre.” The memories, vague and clouded as they were, came up. Blanche pushed the back in order to continue. “We were found by Team Rocket taking shelter among stacks of pallets at an abandoned warehouse. I do not remember how we got there. Neither does Noire.” They only remembered two days prior at most, but they weren’t sure of that. They remembered twisting a spigot on the side of the building and getting a thin trickle of water. They remembered hunger, blistering hot days, and cold nights. Fear. That was all.

“That’s okay, Blanche,” Spark hastened to reassure them. “We’re all orphans, in a way.” He glanced at Candela, whose parents were still alive but had effectively abandoned her. “It’s okay.”

“Thank you. But that’s not it.” Blanche drew in a deep breath, then pressed on. “I don’t recall anything before that clearly. But I do have… I suppose I would call them *impressions* of things. Nothing clear. Locked doors. Needles. Terror. People in white coats. That’s all.”

Spark scooted until he was sitting on Blanche’s other side. He draped his arm over their shoulders and squeezed. “That’s rough. Thank you for telling us,” he murmured.

Blanche was mortified to feel tears prick their eyes. They swiped at their face with the back of their hand to wipe away the moisture, and Spark squeezed again. “Hey. It’s okay. Cry if you gotta. It’s tough stuff we’re talking about.”

Blanche hiccuped, and despite Spark’s reassurance, they were ashamed of their weakness. How stupid was it to cry over things that the didn’t even remember? “I might not be human,” they choked out.

“Of course you are!” Candela’s voice was fierce. She pushed up until she was kneeling and cupped their face in her hands. Blanche wanted to look away, but Candela wasn’t having it. “No, no, you listen to me,” she said. Her eyes were gold. Had Blanche ever noticed that before? “You are human. Absolutely. Just as human as me and Sparky over there, even though he has the mentality of a pokemon sometimes and eats weird things he finds in the forest.”

Blanche gave a wet laugh, and Candela smiled in relief. “Hey, I’m serious! He once ate this weird twisty berry and his face was paralyzed for an entire day. Who does that?”

“Hey! It was only temporary. And Go dared me. I don’t back down from a challenge, Candy.”

“But did you learn your lesson? No!” Candela shot back. “He tried to eat an apricorn the next day,” she explained to Blanche.

“Apricorns can be juiced, but they are not edible raw,” Blanche said.

“Well, I know that now,” Spark said. “Geez, Candy, you never let anything go.”

“It was only two months ago Spark!” Despite her more aggressive tone toward Spark, Candela’s hands remained gentle on Blanche’s face. She stopped frowning at Spark to smile at Blanche and give them a soft kiss on the forehead. Blanche flushed and automatically pulled away. They weren’t used to such casual affection.

Fortunately, Candela didn’t seem to be offended. “Finish your sandwich, Blanche,” she said, and settled herself back on the grass to eat her own.

Spark was frowning as his sandwich like he’d just realized there was a chunk missing. Blanche opted not to tell him about the pidgey. “Like Candy said,” Spark continued. “You’re human for sure. No matter how your life started. Okay?”

“Okay,” Blanche said.

The other two had to leave shortly after in order to make it back to their respective team headquarters in time. Blanche was sorry to see them go. They couldn’t quite see the relationship as romantic yet, but they were starting to consider Spark and Candela to be very good friends.

And maybe that was how it started. As friends. There was always the chance to move on to other things later.

Then again, given the behaviour the other two had exhibited, they clearly didn’t view this as a platonic relationship of any sort.

When they got back to their office, Annie had a stack of reports waiting that needed their review and approval. She smiled at them as they slid behind their desk. “Did you have a good lunch?” she chirped.

“Yes, thank you,” Blanche replied. They picked up the first report in the stack and grimaced, already knowing that this one was going to be a mess. This tech was brilliant in the lab, but their writing left much to be desired.

“I’m glad you’re taking proper breaks now,” she said. “I thought you were going to be one of the types that works themselves to death when you first started, so I’m glad that’s not the case.”

Blanhce grimaced at being so accurately called out. “I am exactly that type.” It was difficult to focus on a conversation and skim a report at the same time, and their attention drifted away from Annie to the report in their hands. “I haven’t been given much of a choice about taking breaks at the moment, though.” After all, it was Spark and Candela who kept showing up unannounced and making them leave work that they otherwise wouldn’t.

Because Annie no longer registered in their mind, they missed her murmured, “Is that so?” and the thoughtful gleam in her eye. Therefore, they did not expect it later when she put her hands on their desk with a smile and said, “Chief! Leader Spark is here to pick you up!”

Blanche was in the middle of working through a thorny supplier issue and it took them a second to process what she’d said, so what came out was an intelligent, “Huh?”

Annie continued to smile. “Leader Spark is waiting for you down in reception! We couldn’t let him come up because of the Pokemon snuffles outbreak among some new breeding pairs at Instinct. It’s a minor illness but highly contagious, so it’s better if he doesn’t access the elevator used to transport lab pokemon.” While she talked, Annie packed the materials she knew they would want to take him with them into their briefcase, along with some thumb drives and a malfunctioning lure Blanche had been trying to repair in their spare time.

“But why is he here?” Blanche glanced at the clock. “It’s only six.”

“It’s 6:45.” Was it Blanche’s imagination or did Annie’s smile look a bit threatening? “I heard that you, Leader Spark, and Leader Candela have plans for the evening. It’s rude to keep them waiting!”

Blanche blinked at her as she tossed their coat over their shoulders and shoved their briefcase into their hands.

Baffled by Annie’s pushiness, Blanche nonetheless logged out of their computer and complied. They did not want to be on bad terms with their assistant, and it seemed important to Annie that Blanche clear out. The warning edge to her tone dissipated when Blanche stood up and shoved their arms through the sleeves of their coat.

They eyed Annie with suspicion. “You seem to be in quite a hurry to see me out.”

“Not at all!” That was feigned innocence if Blanche ever saw it. “It’s just that Leader Spark is already here and all, and it would be rude to make him wait.”

Blanche didn’t know what she was up to, but they supposed it wouldn’t be anything nefarious. To their understanding, Annie had been with Mystic for some time and there had never been any complaints about her conduct. “All right. Have a good evening.”

“You too, Chief! See you tomorrow!”

Blanche locked the office door behind them, and with a final wave, Annie skipped off to her own, smaller office, presumably to get ready to leave herself.

Spark was indeed waiting when Blanche reached the main level. Rather than his typical leader attire, he was wearing jeans that appeared to have torn and faded through wear rather than been purchased that way and a T-shirt that said “If found, return to Go.”

“Is that a custom shirt?” Blanche asked as they approached.

Spark had been browsing memes on his phone. At the sound of Blanche’s voice, he put his phone away and leaped up to take their hands. Blanche was caught off guard and let him, though their cheeks went pink when he squeezed their hands with obvious affection. “Heya, Blanche! Ready to go?”

“I suppose. I’d like to stop by my place and change, if that’s all right.”

“No prob!” Spark let go of one of Blanche’s hands, but held on to the other as he led them to where he’d parked his car on the street. “And yeah, me’n Go had these made up a li’l while after I started with Instinct. I keep it and the jeans in a bag at work in case my clothes get yucked. You know how it is, working with pokemon.”

“Indeed.” Blanche slid into the passenger’s seat and crossed their legs. “I find your change of clothes much more practical than Candela’s.”

Spark laughed, and Blanche knew they were both thinking of the red dress and accessories from the other day. “Yeah, well, Candy’s like that. She does have a change of more practical clothes at Valor, too. And gym clothes. She says she’s gotta be prepared for any situation, her appearance included. Gotta admire that, even if it’s not for me.”

“I suppose.”

They pulled in next to Blanche’s apartment. Blanche went upstairs to stow away their briefcase and change into something more casual. They weren’t comfortable enough with the other two yet to not dress on the nicer end of casual, so they put on their nicest pair of jeans and a teal button-up shirt. After that they floundered a little, unsure what was expected of them and if they needed to bring anything else. Spark had said they just needed to show up, but did they really?

This was ridiculous. They were keeping him waiting with pointless dithering. Blanche sighed and trooped back out. Spark had passed the time by browsing memes again, and he put his phone away and headed in what Blanche assumed was the direction of his own home.

The inside of Spark’s apartment was cluttered and cozy, but also gave away the fact that a bachelor lived there. There was equipment for raising baby pokemon scattered about, dirty dishes scattered in the sink, and Blanche saw through an open door that Spark’s shower curtain was shoved straight through the rod. There was a nice smell wafting from the kitchen, and Candela poked her head out.

“Spark! I pulled the stuff in the oven like you asked!” she said, coming over to give Spark a hug. They seemed to have adjusted easily to the reality of being soulmates and had made the shift from friends to lovers without thinking too deeply about it. Blanche wished they could be so lighthearted about things.

“Thanks, Candy. Ya got it at the right temperature, yeah?” he asked, kicking off his shoes and placing them on the rack by the door. The shoes on the rack were a mess, but Blanche supposed the fact that they were up off the floor was a point in Spark’s favour as they discarded their own shoes and added them to the mess.

“Of course I’ve got them on the right temp. I know how to work an oven,” Candela said, her lips turning downward in a pout. This might be the first time Blanche had seen her without lipstick. Candela rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as Spark passed her on the way into the kitchen. “He doesn’t trust me,” she huffed to Blanche, who smiled.

“I do trust ya, Candy! I just… gotta make sure.” Blanche could not see Spark from their vantage point, but they could hear pots clanking as he moved around.

With no idea what else to do, since they doubted they would fit in Spark’s kitchen while he and Candela were already in there, Blanche sat on the couch. Their lap was immediately invaded by a clutch of tiny Vulpix kits, who seemed to have been sleeping under a blanket until Blanche disturbed them. Delighted, Blanche scratched their little heads and was relieved that they had not chosen to sit on that blanket. If they had crushed the little babies, they would have died.

There was a knock at the door, which Candela went to answer. “Hello Rocket,” she said, managing somehow to sound both cheerful and menacing at the same time.

The response was unmistakably Noire. “Bite me.”

Noire stomped into the apartment still wearing their boots. “We brought booze- oh, babies!” they broke off with a gasp. Noire shoved the packs of beer into Candela’s arms and knelt on the floor in front of Blanche to coo at the kits.

Amelie kicked off her own boots, gave Candela a polite nod, and came in to join them.

Whatever Spark was doing in the kitchen caused the apartment to be full of delectable smells. Noire kept sniffing the air as they tried to steal all of the Vulpix kits from Blanche’s lap. Blanche kept stealing them back, and this continued until the kits began to protest loudly and Amelie confiscated them all.

Noire counted this as a victory until they realized that she did not plan to share with them, and they returned to the couch to sulk with Blanche.

Spark came out of the kitchen bearing steaming pans of food, and they all gravitated in that direction with their mouths watering. “I didn’t know you could cook,” Blanche commented to Spark.

He grinned, but there was an edge of shyness to it. “Oh, yeah, I love to cook. Feeding people is one of my favourite things.”

There was rice and stir-fried veggies, a platter of meatballs, bread that appeared home-made, though it was not fresh from the oven, and a plate of fresh-baked cookies. They all piled their plates high and settled around the living room, since Spark didn’t have enough chairs in his tiny eating area, and the chairs he did have held baskets of sleeping Pichu.

Candela and Spark opted to sit on the floor, sitting close enough to brush against Blanche’s legs. Amelie sat on the couch with Noire half lounging in her lap. Whenever Noire’s feet came too close to Blanche’s lap, and therefore their plate, Blanche would pinch Noire’s toes.

“This is delicious,” said Blanche. On impulse, they ruffled Spark’s hair, and was immediately embarrassed.

Spark twisted around to grin up at them. “Thanks! Glad you like it!” He lifted one hand to squeeze Blanche’s knee, and their face went hot. Spark blinked in surprise at their reaction, then smiled. “Hey, uh, Blanche,” he said, almost shy.

“Hm?”

“Sorry if this is sudden, but… Can I kiss you?”

Blanche flushed all over and a nervous, fluttery feeling filled their chest. It was probably too soon, but Blanche wasn’t as opposed to the idea as they thought they would be.

Blanche’s hands clenched their jeans and they bit their lower lip as they nodded. “I suppose,” they said, aware that their voice sounded small and uncertain.

Spark had not removed his hand from Blanche’s knee. He kept it there for support as he turned toward Blanche and shifted into a kneeling position. Blanche’s heart pounded against their ribs as he leaned closer. When they felt his breath on their face and his hand cup their cheek, they closed their eyes.

The kiss was soft and gentle. It was obvious that Spark was trying not to scare them away. Blanche’s hand came up to grip Spark’s t-shirt, and they only pulled away when Noire started making fake gagging sounds.

“Blanche, gross,” Noire groaned.

Blanche turned their head to glare at their twin. “Like you don’t kiss Amelie in front of me.”

Noire glared back. “That’s different. I’m eatinghere!”

Blanche was going to snap back, but hands on their face distracted them. Blanche looked up in surprise as Candela shoved Spark out of the way and settled on Blanche’s lap. “Aw, does little Noire not like PDA?” she purred, snuggling against Blanche’s chest and turning their face the same red as her t-shirt. She looped an arm around Blanche’s neck and smirked at Noire.

While Noire sputtered, Candela leaned in so close that her breath tickled Blanche’s ear as she whispered, “May I have a kiss too, darling?”

Half the reason they accepted was desire, but they would be lying if the other half wasn’t the need to antagonize Noire.

Whatever concerns Spark had about scaring Blanche away, Candela did not share. This was not a light, gentle kiss. It was hot and hungry, and by the time Candela pulled away Blanche was panting to catch their breath.

Candela smiled at them, softer and happier than Blanche had ever seen her.

They opened their mouth to say something, but were interrupted by Spark’s whistle. “Nice, Candy,” he said, awed.

Candela snorted.

Blanche peeked to the side to gauge Noire’s reaction. Noire was red-faced and sputtering. When their eyes met Blanche’s they snapped. “What the HELL. Did you invite me here just to watch you guys make out?”

Blanche couldn’t help it - they started to laugh. Soon the others joined in, even Amelie, while Noire whined and sputtered.

This wasn’t bad. It was quite nice. Blanche wouldn’t mind having soulmates, if it meant they could have a lot of days like this in their future.

Read the full fic on ao3!

Blanche spent the next week avoiding Spark in non-work-related contexts. Although Spark did not object to being shunned for that week, Blanche suspected that they would not have gotten away with it if Spark was not deliberately giving them space to adjust to their new reality.

It also helped that he spent three of those days dispatched to a hatchery outside the region to oversee the transport of some very fragile Hatenna hatchlings from Galar. When Blanche had noted his absence and asked Annie about it, she had said that Hatenna were sensitive to strong emotion and not just anyone could be trusted to transport them without causing them distress. Since Spark was a mellow guy, he should be able to transport the hatchlings without frightening or upsetting them.

This seemed to be the case, because Blanche heard of his return from some techs who were working on a joint project with Team Instinct. They said that the Hatenna settled in well and all of them seemed to adore Spark to the point where they would cry when he left.

As sweet as that sounded, Blanche’s anxiety ramped up now that he was back in the region and they would have to face him.

How would they face him?

How could they explain how they felt about having a soulmate? And not just how they felt, but *why* they felt that way. They had never discussed being a street kid in Orre and the vague bits that they remembered from Before with anyone but Noire and Sabrina. They knew that Noire must have talked about it with Amelie at some point, but Blanche couldn’t imagine how Noire had broached the topic.

Maybe they should talk to their twin about it. Blanche had been avoiding telling Noire that they had a soulmate. Noire would expect some action on their part, and Blanche wasn’t ready for action.

But then, Noire was the one who knew them best. Maybe they would understand.

The dreams came for Blanche while they slept, as the dreams always did during times of stress. The long hallways in sterile white that lead nowhere. The sense of dread. They had to find Noire. They had to get out. People in white coats and masks that made them seem faceless loomed over them as they searched. The halls never ended. Each turn brought them back to where they started. And in the background, always, was the girl who laughed and mocked and revelled in their pain.

They never did find Noire before they woke up, shaky and nauseous. They went to the bathroom to splash warm water on their face to fight the chill of terror that still clenched their gut. Then they went to the kitchen to rummage around for something sweet and easy to eat, a habit from their childhood nightmares that they had never shaken.

Sometimes Blanche and Noire would have nightmares in unison, and Sabrina would find them sitting at the kitchen table in the middle of the night sharing a single bar of chocolate. She woke up every time either of them had a nightmare. She was psychic, and she always knew.

Blanche didn’t know what the dreams meant. They felt like more happened in the dream that they didn’t remember when they woke up. But they felt the same dread when they saw doctors and dentists as they did in the nightmare, and therefore couldn’t stand either. It had taken them a while to get used to labs, but they were okay with them now.

Professor Oak and his patience were to thank for that.

Then they got ready and went in to work early. There was no going back to sleep after a nightmare like that and work helped regulate their emotions unlike anything else.

Despite the early hour, Blanche had barely settled at their desk before Candela waltzed into their office unannounced and plunked her butt on their desk. “Hey,” she said, grinning down at them as they stared up in astonishment.

“Good morning, Leader Candela. What are you doing here? Especially so early.” Blanche looked at the digital clock on their desk. It wasn’t even six. Blanche didn’t know what kind of hours Candela kept, but it was a rare day that they made it to work before nine. The thought of this kind of early start being typical for her made them even more tired just thinking about it.

“Got called in to an emergency at one of my gyms,” Candela replied. She swung her legs, which were shapely and covered in opaque black tights. “Got there and it was a Team Rocket raid. Led by a doppelganger of yours.”

Blanche’s heart sank, but they said nothing.

“Luckily Spark told me you had a twin, or I would’ve thought you were moonlighting as a Team Rocket exec.” She inspected the coffee in their mug, but decided against stealing a taste when she saw how dark it was. Blanche felt that if the light could penetrate their coffee, it wasn’t strong enough.

“I can apologize for the actions of my twin,” Blanche said, choosing their words with care. They shuffled the papers on their desk for something to do with their hands. “But I do not control them. I can assure you that I have no ties to Team Rocket that extend past my relationship with Noire.”

Candela laughed. “Oh, darling, I’m not worried about that.” Her red lips curled upward in a cat-like smile. “Professor Willow’s background checks are *very* thorough. Despite what people say, he doesn’t let trash in.” For a moment, her expression darkened. Blanche realized she must be thinking of Spark and what people said about him.

Something in them relaxed. Here was another person who would not judge them for their past ties. From Candela’s attitude, it seemed to be what happened in the present that concerned her.

“That’s why I’m awake at such an awful hour, anyway. But I’m actually here about Spark,” she continued. “Since I was in the area anyway, I thought I would hang out in your office until you arrived. I didn’t know you were already here until after I pushed the door open. By then it was too late to back out.”

And her first thought was apparently ‘I’m going to sit on Blanche’s desk’.

Blanche wondered what kind of repercussions they would face if they shoved her off. They did not like her butt on their work surface. “So Spark sent you?” Blanche decided against pushing her. It would be bad for team relations.

“Oh, no, he didn’t send me. But he’s been whining nonstop about how you’re his soulmate and you won’t even talk to him anymore. I keep telling him to just go for it, but he doesn’t want to cross a boundary or whatever.” Candela’s shoulders rose in a shrug that was somehow both elegant and powerful.

The papers in their hands crumpled slightly, and Candela took them away. She smoothed them out and set them on another part of Blanche’s desk, well out of their reach. “It isn’t my intention to, to be unkind to Spark,” Blanche said. With nothing else to fiddle with, they toyed with their fingers. “It’s just a lot to take in, being a soulmate, especially when I’m new to the region and to my role.”

It wasn’t the truth. Or at least, not the most honest version of the truth. But it was what they were willing to share with a near-stranger.

To their shock, Candela’s hand went under their chin to tilt their head up. She was frowning at them, and Blanche could feel her red-tipped nails against their skin. Their heart beat faster. She was beautiful, and very close. It was awkward. They wanted to pull away.

“You’ve got shadows under your eyes, darling,” she said. “I hope it’s not worrying about Spark that’s keeping you up at night. He’s a big softie.”

Blanche brushed her hand away. “No, it’s not about Spark. It is personal, though.”

She looked like she wanted to ask, but must have figured out that they would tell her no more from the look on their face. She sighed and slid off their desk. “All right. But do talk to Spark. He’s a sweetie, and you’re breaking his heart.”

“He doesn’t know me,” Blanche retorted as she marched to the door.

Candela looked over her shoulder while holding the door open. “No, but he wants to.”

As she clicked out, Annie bustled in, and Blanche’s day began in earnest. Before they were sucked into their schedule for the day, Blanche sent a quick text to their twin.

##

Blanche astonished Annie by taking their lunch right on time, which was unheard of during the two weeks that they had been at their post. But she was pleased that they were taking a break, so she let them go without fuss.

Noire had responded to Blanche’s text with a restaurant name and directions, knowing that Blanche didn’t know the area well yet. Blanche kept the map open on their phone until they found the restaurant Noire suggested, a Korean barbecue place near the shopping centre.

Blanche stepped through the door. Noire was easy to spot in Team Rocket red and black. Blanche raised their eyebrows. It wasn’t often that Noire wore their uniform when they weren’t on official Rocket business, so they must be on a quick lunch before returning to work.

“Hey, Blanche.” Noire was sprawled across the bench when Blanche approached. They smirked up at Blanche as they sat down across the table. “You don’t ask me for help much. What’s going on?”

“I need advice,” Blanche blurted. “With a romantic problem.”

That wiped the smirk off Noire’s face, to be replaced with horror. “What?”

With that volume, it would not have surprised Blanche had their co-workers at Mystic HQ heard Noire shriek. “Not so loud!” Blanche hissed.

Noire looked like they had swallowed their tongue. “I thought I was here for a co-worker problem!” they hissed back, leaning across the table. “How can you be having romantic problems? It’s you. You’ve only been here two weeks!”

Blanche knew that they weren’t the type of person to tumble head first into a romantic scenario, but it still irritated them that Noire said it. “Yes, well,” they said in clipped tones. “In those two weeks I found my soulmate, and I don’t know what to do.”

As Blanche spoke, Noire’s face shifted from mocking disbelief to something quieter. Something that Blanche couldn’t read. “Oh,” they said, voice quiet. “Who…?”

“Spark. The leader of Team Instinct.”

“That’s the blondie, right?” At Blanche’s nod, Noire played thoughtfully with their pigtail. “Huh. He hits really hard.”

“He hit you?” Blanche was shocked.

Noire shrugged as if this were no big deal. “Sure. I tried to steal a shipment of Hatenna. Business, y’know?”

Oh no. It was recent. Blanche covered their face as Noire perked up. “Oh, but that must be why he told me it was nothing personal, and that he hoped we could get along in the future. I thought he was talking nonsense, but it must’ve been because of you, huh? He wants to get along with his in-laws.”

Blanche made an inarticulate sound of pure embarrassment. “We’re not married, Noire!” This had been a mistake. Why had they thought this was a good idea? All they had accomplished was opening themself up to teasing.

While Blanche drowned in the abyss of humiliation, Noire ordered for both of them. Once the server left, Noire turned their attention back to Blanche. “So, what’s the problem? He seemed nice, if a little goofy.”

“I don’t want a soulmate, Noire.” Blanche had never admitted that out loud. Not even to Noire.

They had expected Noire to look confused, or even shocked. Soulmates were considered a blessing. To just not want one was unthinkable. But Noire was nodding. They crossed their arms over their chest and leaned on the edge of the table. “Yeah, I get that. It’s harder for us than for others, because… well, you know.” Noire shrugged. They didn’t like to talk about it any more than Blanche did.

“Yes.” Maybe it hadn’t been a mistake to call on Noire after all. It was a relief to be understood. “How did you navigate it? With Amelie.”

“No idea.” At Blanche’s frustrated look, Noire shrugged again, sheepish. “Listen, I did it, okay? Just blurted it out like I blurt everything out. Somehow it worked. I dunno what to tell you, Blanche, other than to just do it.” Noire punched the palm of their opposite hand for emphasis. “It’s trash can, not trash cannot. Just do it.”

‘Just do it’ was not what Blanche wanted to hear. But Noire considered the subject dealt with and was eager to move on to other topics, and Blanche let them steer the conversation away for the remainder of their lunch break.

They wondered what ‘just do it’ would look like for them. Surely it wouldn’t be as clumsy as it seemed Noire’s had been?

When they returned to the office, they found Annie standing outside the door wringing her hands. Her face was full of apology, and Blanche was instantly on the alert. “What is it?” they asked as they came down the hallway toward her.

“I’m sorry, Chief. I tried to keep them out, but they outrank me,” Annie said.

It couldn’t be. “It’s fine, Annie. Go oversee the Snom project. I’ll deal with this.” Somehow.

“Understood.” But she threw a last, worried look over her shoulder at Blanche before she left.

Blanche took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It wasn’t even a surprise to see Candela perched on their desk again. And this time Spark was here, pacing next to the tall windows.

Blanche heaved an inaudible sigh and let the door fall shut behind them so that the entire floor wouldn’t overhear this conversation. “Don’t you have work to do?”

In his anxious state, Spark must not have heard them enter the room. At the sound of Blanche’s voice he jumped. He stumbled, almost fell, but caught himself at the last minute. When he spun around, Blanche had an instant to register that he was holding flowers before he darted over and shoved them in their face.

“Hi Blanche! I, um, I got you flowers. I know I’ve been giving you space and all, but I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t- that I wasn’t interested, or anything. Um, do you like tulips?”

“He stole them from the park on the way here!” Candela supplied, grinning as if this were hilarious.

“I… suppose I like them well enough,” Blanche said. They took the flowers and held them, unsure of what to do next. They couldn’t help what they said next. “But, really, shouldn’t you be at work?”

Spark winced, and Blanche cursed their mouth. It had sounded like they wanted to get rid of him, didn’t it? Noire would laugh to hear how bad Blanche was at this.

“I didn’t- I was just-” Blanche covered their face. Dammit. “I’m new, and I don’t want either of you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Oh darling,” Candela sighed. An instant later Blanche heard her feet hit the floor and her heels clack toward them. Then her hand was on their shoulder, rubbing soothingly. Blanche almost balked at the touch - they were not used to physical contact from non-family. “We’re the leaders of our respective teams. We can get away with a lot, you know.” The smirk on her face was so suggestive that Blanche flushed and covered their face again.

“Candyyyyy, stop. You’ll break them!” Spark protested, pulling Blanche away from Candela and steering them to the small visitor couch in the middle of Blanche’s office. “Here, just sit down, Blanche. I’ll get you some water.”

“The flowers-” Blanche began.

“Right. I’ll get water for them, too.”

Spark slipped through the doorway of the small attached kitchen like he knew where everything was already. Maybe he did. He had worked with Blanche’s predecessor after all. Blanche was left to ruminate in self-hatred as Candela joined Spark in the kitchen and the two chatted, at ease with each other in a way that Blanche was not.

Something brushed against Blanche’s legs, snapping them from their thoughts. Blanche looked down in surprise to find a Flareon looking up at them, a smirk much like Candela’s on its face. Well, there was no need to guess who its trainer was. That face was all Candela.

Still, Blanche softened and bent to pick up the Flareon and heft it onto their lap. The Flareon made a rumbling sound like a pur and turned spun twice before curling up and making itself comfortable on Blanche’s lap. Blanche smiled and scratched it behind the ears.

“Here we go. Water for Blanche, and water for the flowers. Ah!” Spark broke off upon seeing the Flareon. “I see you’ve met Ares. I hope she’s not bothering ya.” Spark set the glass and a vase half-full of water down on the table while Candela flopped out on the sofa across from Blanche.

She was smirking again. “She’s Valor! Of course she’s bold.” So she approved of her Flareon’s current position.

Blanche murmured a thank you to Spark and placed the tulips in the vase. Now that Blanche wasn’t too distracted to admire them properly, they could see that the flowers were deep shades of red and yellow. “They’re beautiful,” they told Spark, the way they should have when he had first presented the flowers.

Spark gave them a big, goofy grin in response. “They are, aren’t they?” It was said with such ease that Blanche relaxed. They hadn’t ruined everything yet. It was still salvageable.

“I have a Vaporeon,” Blanche said, stroking Ares’ head.

“Yeah? Let ‘im out. I’ll let Donglord out, and they can play!” Spark was already reaching for a pokeball.

Blanche choked. “Dong-”

“Yes.” Candela tone was flat. The look on her face said she shared their pain.

With a sigh for ridiculous names, Blanche obliged. They had to wiggle their hand under Ares to get to their belt, which Ares protested loudly, but they managed to pull the pokeball free to release Sushi the Vaporeon.

“Oh, he’s gorgeous,” Candela sighed in appreciation as Sushi’s sleek form appeared. Then Sushi had to ruin the effect immediately by flopping over onto his back at her feet with a stupid expression. Blanche sighed again. Sushi was never out to impress.

Sushi yelped and scrambled up when a Jolteon pounced on them. That must be Donglord. The two pokemon squabbled, and soon Ares deserted Blanche’s lap to go scold the boys. This resulted in the three eeveelutions tearing around Blanche’s office like hooligans.

Blanche allowed it only because Spark sat next to them on the couch. They could feel the heat of his body through their jacket, and from the way Candela was smirking they must be blushing again.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you.” Blanche couldn’t look at Spark. “I wasn’t-”

But at that moment, there was a knock at the door, before Annie’s voice came through. “Chief? Are you finished in there?”

Blanche leaped off the couch like it had been electrified and went to open the door. On the way they looked over their shoulder to apologize to the other Team Leaders. “I’m sorry.”

Candela smiled brightly. “No problem. Duty calls!” Her cell phone chimed to indicate a text. “Ah, and there’s Charles, right on cue. Looks like duty is calling for me too.”

She left as Blanche opened the door and scandalized them by kissing their cheek on the way out. “We’ll see you after work. We can all have dinner!” She left before Blanche could retort.

They watched helplessly as Spark followed her, laughing. “We’ll come get you at six.”

Blanche was left flabbergasted. Annie blinked in confusion for a second, but then decided there were more pressing matters than asking Blanche what was going on. “Chief, they’re having an issue with a Tentacruel in the training pool,” she began, and Blanche put the date the other two had scheduled for them out of their mind. It was time to work. Other matters could wait until after work hours.

##

Blanche was running the group of Vaporeon through their paces again when Annie appeared at the edge of the pool. “Chief, it’s almost six,” she said.

“Hmm?” Blanche hummed, prying a Vaporeon’s needle teeth from their wetsuit. Wonderful. That was going to tear.

“Don’t you have a date at six?” Annie persisted.

“A date…?” Oh. Oh *shit.* “How close to six is it?” Blanche flounded to the side of the pool in their sudden panic and fumbled the pokeballs. They managed not to drop them and to return the Vaporeon to the balls.

“About five minutes to six.”

Oh no. Not enough time to get changed and get upstairs. “Could you please pass on the message to Leaders Candela and Spark that I’m running late?”

Annie started to reply in the affirmative, but was interrupted. “No need, darling! The receptionist told us where to find you.”

Standing chest deep in water, Blanche looked up to find Candela and Spark looming over the side of the pool.

“Sorry for bursting in,” Spark said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Candy said you wouldn’t mind.”

Blanche shot her an exasperated look. She grinned back, unrepentant. “If you didn’t want us in your space, you shouldn’t have been late, Blanche.”

“I do apologize for losing track of time.” Blanche climbed out of the pool and crossed their arms over the chest to ward off the sudden chill. It wasn’t cold in the training pools, but it felt like it after leaving the pool and standing in the open air.

Annie, ever considerate, grabbed a towel from the stack near the locker rooms and brought it to Blanche without being asked. Blanche thanked her and began to towel off their long hair, which could hold a remarkable amount of water. And they still needed to shower the chlorine off, and blow drying their hair always took quite a bit of time.

“I may need several minutes to get ready,” Blanche said. They had squeezed as much water out of their hair as they could for the moment, so they draped the towel over their shoulders and turned to pick up the case of Vaporeon pokeballs.

Behind them, Candela made a small, shocked sound.

With the case in hand, Blanche looked back at her in puzzlement. She was staring at them, or rather, at their soulmark. She looked more discomposed than Blanche had ever seen her.

Her behaviour concerned Spark as well, “Hey, Candy, you okay?” he asked, touching her shoulder lightly.

She didn’t seem to register it. She was staring at Blanche’s leg. “That’s your soulmark?” she asked, pointing.

“Yes?” Blanche was confused. They glanced at Spark, and he looked just as puzzled.

“And you have the same one?” Candela grabbed the front of Spark’s jacket. Spark raised his hands in alarm and nodded.

“Uh, yeah? That’s how we knew we were soulmates.” Spark looked like he was worried that Candela would throw him in the pool. He looked to Blanche for help.

Candela buried her face in his jacket to muffle a scream.

“Candy, Candy, ya gotta tell me what’s wrong.” Spark rubbed her back soothingly. Annie was looking between the three of them like she wasn’t sure what was going on.

Candela said something too muffled to hear.

“What?” Blanche asked.

This time Blanche understood it when Candela mumbled “Can’t believe this.” She began to laugh, still with her face in Spark’s jacket.

“Okay, Candy, you’re freaking me out.” Spark pushed her away by her shoulders and found that she was in tears. “Seriously. What’s going on?”

“I have the same one,” she said, and began to laugh again.

“The same what?” Spark didn’t get it.

But Blanche and Annie understood at the same instant.

“The same soulmark?” Blanche demanded.

Annie clapped her hands and jumped up and down with excitement. Her face shone. “Ooooh, all three of you are soulmates? That’s so rare!” Blanche hadn’t told her about finding out Spark was their soulmate. They had worried that she would be upset, since she didn’t have one. It seemed they needn’t have worried. She was beaming at them all like they’d given her the best present ever. “You’re so lucky!”

Blanche wasn’t sure Candela felt lucky at the moment. In fact, they were pretty sure she felt hysterical, and Spark was the only thing holding her up.

Annie nudged them toward the change room. “You’d better get ready! You shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“But, Candela,” Blanche protested.

“Spark’s got her. It’ll take time for you to get ready, and it’ll take time for Candela to calm down. Might as well do both at once. It’s efficient.”

When Blanche narrowed their eyes at her, she smiled, all innocence. She knew how they felt about efficiency. They sighed and handed her the container of Vaporeon pokeballs. “Fine. Please go log these back in for me,” they said.

Annie gave them a salute. “Will do, Chief!” When she darted out, Blanche swore she was humming to herself.

Blanche escaped into the changeroom to shower and get dressed. It took far too long to dry their hair, but Blanche wasn’t eager to go back out there anyway. Their heart was hammering. Not one soulmate, but two. What were the chances? And the fact that they had all ended up as Team Leaders in Opal City despite arriving at different times and for different reasons. Now they had to have an awkward conversation with both of them.

Blanche sighed, double-checked that they were presentable in the mirror, and poked their head out of the change room to make sure that Candela was calmed down.

She was. She and Spark were sitting on the bench outside the change room. Candela’s tights were off, and her left leg was in Spark’s lap. The pale blue swirls and points of the soulmark stood out starkly against her dark skin. There was no mistaking it for anything other than the mark that matched theirs and Spark’s.

Spark rubbed his thumb along the lines on Candela’s calf. “I still can’t believe we didn’t figure it out,” he was saying as Blanche sat on the bench next to him. “We’ve known each other for months, and it’s not like either of us are afraid to show some skin.”

“I know.” Candela sighed. She was calmer now, and seemed pleased with the attention she was getting. She brightened further when she saw Blanche. “Hey! You ready to go?”

“Do you still want to? I know that you were upset.” Blanche was worried. They liked her, for all that she was pushy. They wanted her to be okay.

Candela swung her legs to the floor and stood. “Of course I want to!” She grabbed Blanche’s hands and pulled them to their feet. Her hands were warm and calloused, a testament to the hard work she put into training every day. “Even more now. I already know Sparky. I want to get to know you, too.”

For a brief moment, Blanche’s hands tightened on hers. They were still scared. A soulmate was never something they had wanted. And yet, somehow, it took some pressure off that they had two. Even if Blanche was awkward or uncertain or too cold, even if they weren’t completely human, Spark and Candela would still have each other. Maybe that would make up for Blanche, somehow.

“I want to get to know you too,” Blanche said. Candela and Spark both grinned, like their response was happy but unexpected. “I do have to get some things from my office before we go, though.” Their wallet, for one. They trusted the security in their office to keep their personal belongings safe more than the passcoded lockers in the change room. They had only brought down their keycard and their swim bag.

Spark looped his arm around their neck. “Sure! We’ll go up with you.”

Blanche wanted to protest that it wasn’t necessary, but let it go. If that made them happy, then they would not object.

They were crossing to the elevator when someone hailed them. “Spark! Hey, Spark! Hold on a sec!”

The three of them turned as one. It was Spark’s assistant from the day with the Snom. He was wearing yet another yellow hoodie. Blanche was struggling to remember his name when Spark grinned and called back.

“What’s up, Go?”

“I just need you to sign these before you disappear for the day.” He handed Spark a sheaf of papers on a clipboard and a pen and waited while Spark flipped through them.

“You came all the way here from Instinct?” Candela asked.

“Yeah. He was supposed to sign them before he left, but he forgot. Despite several very pointed reminders.” Go shot Spark a glare, and it occurred to Blanche that things might be more casual in Team Instinct than they were around here. Annie wouldn’t have talked to Blanche like that.

“There we go.” Spark handed the completed papers back to Go. “Hey, Go, guess what!”

Go was wary. “What?”

“Candela’s my soulmate too!”

Go blinked, puzzled. “Uh, yeah? Of course she is?”

Spark and Candela stared at him. “What do you mean ‘of course’?” Candela demanded.

Now Go was even more confused. “I’ve seen both your soulmarks a million times. It’s common knowledge among Instinct and Valor.” It seemed to dawn on him. “Wait. You mean, you didn’t *know?*” He sent Spark an appalled look.

“No!”

“How could you not know?” Go gestured at Candela. “You guys sleep over at each other’s apartments all the time!”

“Yeah, we play video games and I sleep on the couch?” Spark said.

“Seriously? I can’t believe you two.” Go shook his head. “Well, congratulations, I guess. And to you, too.” He included Blanche with a sweep of his hand. “I’m gonna go submit this. Enjoy your date.”

When he left, Candela erupted back into laughter. “I can’t believe this!” She gasped out. “Everyone knew but us!”

“Seems that way.” Spark didn’t seem too bothered. “We know now, at least. C’mon, Candy, we still gotta take Blanche out.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go get your stuff.” Candela composed herself and looped her arm around Blanche’s.

Blanche supposed they could not object to soulmates who laughed a lot.

Read the full fic on ao3!

Blanche took a deep breath and straightened their jacket. Then they ran their hands over their hair to double check that it hadn’t gotten mussed when they were overseeing the introduction of a new shipment of Tentacool to one of Team Mystic’s training pools. It was the end of their first week on the job, and Professor Willow had summoned them to his office so that he could introduce them to the representatives from other teams.

Blanche had dreaded this meeting from the moment their assistant, Annie, had entered it in their schedule days ago. While they were capable of carrying out the duties required of their position, Blanche had an unfortunate but notable weakness with social interactions. Annie had worked under the previous Leader of Team Mystic prior to his retirement, and she stressed the importance of good relations between the teams to Blanche in preparation of this meeting. While there was a certain amount of rivalry encouraged between Teams Mystic, Instinct, and Valor, a lot of their research duties required cooperation. Team Instinct, for example, ran most of the hatcheries in the Opal Region, and had contacts with other hatcheries overseas where they could obtain rare pokemon. Therefore, Team Instinct’s cooperation was needed in order for Team Mystic to be supplied with new hatchlings for their research.

Annie had warned them of the type of backlog that could occur when relations were not good, as they had been until Leader Spark took the position with Instinct a handful of months ago.

As for Team Valor, their specialty was pokemon battling and combat. Some pokemon only evolved in battle, and while Mystic could do this themselves, Team Valor was the expert and results were often better when they assisted.

While Annie didn’t say so outright, she implied that Leader Candela of Valor was headstrong and hard to deal with.

It was time. Blanche knocked on the door. “Come in!” Professor Willow called from the other side.

Before Blanche could, the door was opened by a smiling blond man. “Hey! You must be Blanche. I’m Spark.” Blanche’s hand was seized and shaken. “Sorry for not dropping by Mystic HQ to say hi to you. I’m still new too, so there’s a lot to do.”

As he spoke, Spark pulled Blanche into the room by the hand he refused to let go of despite Blanche’s attempts to tug it free. “And here’s Candela!”

Spark gestured at the woman leaning against Professor Willow’s desk. Blanche took advantage of his distraction to yank their hand free.

“Hello! Don’t worry about Spark. He’s enthusiastic but harmless. Mostly, anyway.” Candela’s lips stretched in a grin like she knew something Blanche didn’t.

“I’m Blanche from Team Mystic. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both,” Blanche said, slipping into formality to soothe their nerves.

Professor Willow smiled at Blanche. If they weren’t mistaken, he looked a bit harried - there were pens stuck behind both of his ears and his glasses were shoved to the top of his head. Blanche wondered if he knew.

“Blanche! Right on time. Thanks for coming,” he said with his warm smile. “Since everyone has been introduced, we can go over a few things…”

The meeting lasted for an hour. The three leaders exchanged contact information and discussed ongoing mutual projects that had been in the works since before Blanche was hired. Blanche took notes on their tablet, asked pointed questions, and was satisfied overall with how the meeting went. Of course they would rather be in the lab, but they understood that a leadership role required a certain amount of bureaucracy.

As the meeting wound to a close and Blanche gathered their things to leave, Spark’s hand clasped their shoulder. Blanche flinched - they had never been overfond of physical contact from anyone other than their twin. “What?”

“We should all have dinner together!” Spark said. His most characteristic expression, if this meeting was any indication, was a wide grin. It was on his face now. “Candy, you too. It’s good for team relations and stuff.”

Candela rolled her eyes at the nickname, but smiled. “Sure, Sparky,” she retorted.

If she intended to come across as rude, it didn’t seem Spark registered it that way. “Great! Whaddaya say, Blanche?”

Blanche brushed his hand from their shoulder. “Perhaps some other time.” Blanche knew that it was important to get along with the other team leaders, but they had used up all of their ‘socializing with new people energy’ to get through this meeting. “It’s still my first week, and I have a lot to get caught up on.”

“Aw, you’re not planning to work all weekend, are ya?” Spark frowned.

Candela laughed. “As if the both of us won’t be doing the same thing! I don’t think I’ve had a proper weekend in…” she counted on her fingers. “Four months?”

“Is that when Silas quit on ya?”

“Yeah. He left the catalogue system a disaster. Charles and I have been working on it whenever we have time, but there’s so much other work-”

While the other leaders were distracted, Blanche took the opportunity to duck out with a last nod to Professor Willow. The door clicked shut behind them, cutting Spark off mid-sentence.

Blanche held in their sigh of relief until they were alone in the elevator. Annie wanted Blanche to go home after the meeting. “Get a proper rest! We can’t have you burning out after your first week,” she’d said. But there was some work Blanche wanted to finish up. There was a clutch of Vaporeon that had evolved that morning, and Blanche planned to assess them in one of the training pools to calculate their stats. That counted as a break, right? They wouldn’t be at their desk.

But Annie, after knowing Blanche for a week, seemed able to predict them.

She was on the deck on the training pool tapping her foot when Blanche entered after changing into a rashguard and swim shorts. “I thought I sent you home,” Blanche said with a frown.

Annie’s hands were planted on her hips. “And I thought Itold you not to come back after your meeting!”

Blanche grew up with a strong-willed twin and was not to be pushed around. “The Vaporeon need to be worked with while the evolution is still fresh, so that I can compare their performance now and track how it changes over the next few days and weeks.” As Blanche spoke, they marched past Annie and set the carry case that held the four pokeballs next to the pool. Annie turned to track their movements, but said nothing. “It is best done now. Besides, it relaxes me and I enjoy it.”

Blanche glanced back to see if Annie had further arguments, but she didn’t appear to have heard their arguments. Blanche paused in the act of removing a pokeball from the case. “Problem?”

Annie jolted and a strange look crossed her face. Blanche didn’t know what it meant, but before they could ask, it had been replaced with a sheepish smile. “Oh, no, not at all! I was just looking at your soulmark.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t realize you had one.”

“Oh.” Blanche released the first Vaporeon from its pokeball. It landed in the water with a splash and bobbed to the surface with a smug grin that reminded Blanche of their own Vaporeon, Sushi. Perhaps they could incorporate Sushi into the training later. “It’s not very interesting. Experts estimate that about 80% of the population has a soulmate.”

“I don’t. Have one, I mean.” Annie’s voice was quiet.

Blanche had been about to slip into the pool. At Annie’s words, they froze. They looked back. Her brown eyes were still locked on the complex star marked in blue on Blanche’s left calf. Ah. Their previous words had been inconsiderate. It hadn’t occurred to them that Annie might be among the 20% of people who did not have a soulmate. “I apologize. I didn’t mean-”

Annie was shaking her head. “It’s fine!” She smiled, but it was strained around the edges. “Can I see yours? If you don’t mind. I know some people are very private about them.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

Blanche extended their left leg a bit so that Annie could see better as she came over. She traced the swirls and geometric shapes inside the outline of the star with the tips of her fingers. Then, as though she just realized what she was doing, she snatched her hand away. “Sorry! I should have asked.”

“It’s fine. Are you done looking?” At Annie’s nod, Blanche withdrew their leg and swung into the pool. They tried to do it carefully, but some water still splashed up and soaked the edge of Annie’s coat. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” Annie said cross-legged at the edge of the pool without seeming to care about the water that lapped over the edge as Blanche clapped their hands to call the Vaporeon’s attention to them. It was frisking in the water and did not come when called.

“What’s your soulmate like?” Annie asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t met them.” The water was hip deep, and the Vaporeon swam away as Blanche waded toward it. Such mischief could be endearing, but not when there was work to be done. “Annie, please throw me one of the poffins in the case.”

Annie leaned over and pulled out the resealable plastic bag of poffins. “Which flavour?”

“It would seem it has an impish or naughty nature. Let’s try spicy to start.” Blanche caught the poffin Annie tossed them and waggled it at the Vaporeon. The pokemon poked its head above the water, nostrils flaring as it scented the treat. It drifted closer and licked its lips.

“If you want a reward, you must do as I say,” Blanche said as the Vaporeon rolled over to its back to attempt to charm Blanche out of the poffin.

“There are sites where you can post photos of your soulmark. They’re supposed to scan the pictures and find if someone else has posted the matching mark,” Annie said, watching as Blanche cajoled the uncooperative Vaporeon through its paces.

Blanche grimaced at the Vaporeon splashed them in the face as it made a grab for the treat. Blanche held it well out of reach and was unmoved by the Vaporeon’s whining and pitiful expression. “No, you haven’t earned it yet,” they scolded. To Annie they said, “I know. I’m not interested.”

After that Annie let the subject drop. Blanche wondered if they had been unkind again, telling her that they had no interest in finding their soulmate while knowing that she did not have one. But such things were personal. And she had been the one to bring up the subject in the first place.

Annie let Blanche go through all of the Vaporeon, but then she insisted that they go home. Maybe Blanche could have pushed the issue, but it didn’t seem worth it. Besides, they wanted to stop by the library on their way home. One of the holds they’d placed at the beginning of the week had come in, and they needed to pick it up.

It was an unpleasant surprise to find their twin, Noire, lounging against their motorcycle when they went down to the parking garage. Blanche stopped under one of the lamps and grimaced. Noire hadn’t noticed Blanche yet, so they had a moment to decide what to do.

Blanche loved their twin. Noire was one of the few people Blanche could say with certainty that they *did* love. The pair of them were found, battered and bruised, in an alley in Orre some 20 years ago with no memory of how they’d gotten there. They’d been inseparable ever since.

Well, until Blanche had decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree and then acted as an assistant to Professor Oak for a couple years. Noire acted like that had been a huge betrayal, Blanche leaving Noire, and made no secret of the fact that they disapproved of Blanche’s life choices.

Since Noire had chosen to join Team Rocket and lead a life of organized crime, this was extra insulting.

There was no helping it. Blanche’s pushy assistant was doubtless still lurking to make sure that Blanche left the building. Noire had gotten comfortable on Blanche’s means of transportation. Blanche would have to remove them.

The echo of Blanche’s heels caught Noire’s attention and they sat up to watch Blanche approach. “What are you doing here, Noire?” Blanche asked once they were within hailing distance.

Noire rolled their eyes. “I came to see how the new job was going. You said you’d call me, and you never did. What, I’m good enough to help you move into your condo, but not good enough to chat with?”

Blanche winced. “I’m sorry. I got caught up and forgot.” It was the truth. That, and Blanche had gotten out of the habit of calling Noire after years of the silent treatment. Noire hadn’t taken Blanche’s defection from their guardians at Team Rocket well.

“Yeah, okay.” Noire pushed off Blanche’s bike and tucked their hands in the pockets of their slacks. “I just wanted to make sure the science-types hadn’t melted you in a vat of acid or something.”

“No, everything’s fine.” Blanche cursed their own vagueness. “Well. It’s going well.”

“Good. Where we going?”

“You don’t have a helmet.”

Noire nudged a helmet into view with their foot, then kicked it up and caught it. Out of arguments, Blanche put their own helmet on and swung their leg over their bike. They waited for Noire to put their own helmet on and settle behind them. Blanche never liked riding double, but Noire was the only one they’d make an exception for.

When they stopped at the library and pulled their helmets off, Blanche caught sight of Noire’s disgusted face. “What?”

“The library? *Seriously?*” Noire jogged up the steps after Blanche. “What century are we in? All this stuff is digital these days.”

“I prefer physical books.” Blanche held the door open so that Noire could follow them in. They automatically lowered their voice as they moved further into the library. “I also believe that it’s important to support local libraries as they provide important resources and services. Part of that support is checking out books.”

Noire was rolling their eyes at Blanche again, but Blanche turned their back and refused to look. They went to the holds shelf and found the books held under their name. As they tucked the books under their arm, they caught Noire bending and squinting to make out the title.

“Oh, it’s that trashy sci-fi series you like,” Noire said, losing interest as they straightened.

Offended, Blanche retorted, “I don’t make fun of you about your cheesy housewife dramas.”

Noire leveled them with a look. “Yeah, you do.”

Well, maybe they did, but Blanche wasn’t about to admit it. Instead they let Noire haul them out to dinner like they hadn’t allowed the other Team Leaders, and made polite conversation with Noire’s partner, Amelie.

Unlike Blanche, Noire cared about soulmates. And Amelie was theirs. The two of them met in the ranks of Team Rocket and now wrought havoc as a criminal power couple.

Blanche supposed that was a soulmate thing.

It was late by the time Blanche managed to squirm away and go home. Even so, they stayed up an extra hour (or two…) in order to start their book. They did not wait a week for it to not read it right away.

Blanche’s head buzzed with exhaustion when they hauled their butt to work the next morning. While they were not required to work weekends, Mystic Laboratories never truly closed. There was someone working on a project or writing a report or analyzing data at all hours on all days. Therefore, Blanche had decided to make it a priority to be at the labs for at least part of every day in case there was anything that needed their personal and immediate attention.

It was a good thing they did. Just before lunch, which Blanche wasn’t intending to take anyway, one of the techs knocked on the door to Blanche’s office and burst in without waiting for a response. “Leader Blanche!” she blurted out before Blanche could tell her not to do that in the future. “We just heard that the shipment of Snom eggs from Instinct is being delivered now instead of Monday.”

“What?” Blanche’s hands froze on their keyboard. They checked their schedule. Damn it. That shipment wasn’t scheduled to arrive until Monday at 2 p.m. “Why now?”

“Leader Spark says that the eggs are about to hatch. As our project requires newly-hatched Snom, waiting two days to send them to us could skew our results. Leader Spark is delivering them personally and should be here in about ten minutes.” The woman fidgeted as she talked. Her anxiety was unnecessary. Blanche wasn’t going to scold her because something urgent cropped up. That was the nature of this profession, sometimes.

Blanche stood and grabbed their jacket off the back of their desk chair. “Understood. I’ll go meet him and get the Snom settled in.” There was no choice. Although there was always someone here, it was a skeleton crew on weekends. Even Team Mystic liked their weekends.

By the time Blanche arrived, Spark and another trainer in Team Instinct yellow were unloading incubators of eggs from the back of a panel van. Spark spotted Blanche and grinned. It was a sunny expression that suited his golden blond hair and sky blue eyes. Blanche couldn’t return it, though. Such expressions weren’t in their nature.

“Heya, Blanche! Sorry for the change in schedule. But the babies hatch when they’re gonna hatch, and there’s nothing humans can do about it.” Spark passed the last incubator to his assistant and jumped down.

The greeting was informal for Blanche’s tastes, but they let it go. Team relations were important, and Spark had held the position of Team Leader longer than Blanche had. It would be presumptuous to scold him after only a week at the post. “That’s fine. Thank you for bringing them so promptly,” Blanche said instead. They bent to inspect one of the eggs through the clear glass of the incubator. A visual exam revealed nothing, but Blanche was not the expert in pokemon breeding. They would have to take Spark’s word for it that they would hatch soon.

“When do you believe that they will hatch?” Blanche assumed that it must be today or he wouldn’t have brought them in such a hurry.

“Oh, within the next half hour, for sure.” Spark’s easy reply filled Blanche with horror. They weren’t set up for the hatchling Snom yet.

“Annie!” Blanche called. She was never far. Sure enough, her head popped around the corner.

“Yes, Chief?”

“We need the terrariums set up for twelve hatchling Snom. Time is of the essence.”

“Got it!” She gave a salute and vanished.

The tech fetched a cart and they loaded the incubators onto it. Spark hung around, and even though he told his assistant to head out, the young man in yellow stayed as well. When Blanche asked, Spark said that he wanted to make sure the eggs were settled in and hatched safely. Blanche didn’t like the sensation of being hovered over but could not fault him for wanting to see a task through to completion.

The cooing, however, baffled them.

“There we go, baby, let’s get you all settled in,” Spark crooned to the eggs as he got the incubators settled in the room designated for them. “There, see, all nice and warm. What good babies.”

Blanche was embarrassed just listening to it, but they continued to organize the terrariums for the Snom when they hatched and coordinated contacting the Mystic scientists in charge of the Snom project and telling them they needed to come in. It was easier to pretend they couldn’t hear when they had so much to do.

But it was amazing to watch a baby pokemon come into the world. Two of the researchers arrived just in time to record the data, so Blanche set their tablet down and leaned back to witness the miracle now that they were not required to be the one to document it.

The shells cracked and Snom crawled out one by one. Without disturbing the newborn pokemon, Spark reached in to hit the release on the incubators. The glass slid open and it wasn’t long before the hatchlings crept out of their incubators to explore.

The terrarium was set up as a natural Snom habitat with non-intrusive dividers so that each pair of Snom was kept separate from the others for control purposes. But there were leaves for them to chew on and branches to climb.

Spark lifted out the incubators as the Snom vacated them and set them on the floor. “Go, can you go load these back up in the truck?” he asked his assistant. If not for Spark’s cheeky grin, Blanche may have missed the pun. But from the look of tired exasperation on Go’s face, this type of joke was not uncommon.

“Got it. You want me to wait for you?”

“Nah, I can find my own way back.”

Once Go and his cart of incubators had gone, Spark turned to Blanche with the grin that they were starting to become familiar with. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Blanche wasn’t expecting that question and answered honestly on reflex. “No.”

“Great! It looks like your people have things under control here.” Spark gestured at the techs bustling around the terrariums. “How about we go grab a bite to eat? My treat.”

Blanche wanted to refuse. They had so much to do! But Spark had done them a favour by personally arranging to bring the Snom to Team Mystic two days ahead of schedule. An hour or so of team bonding wasn’t such a bad trade off. “Did you have a place in mind?”

Spark’s grin broadened. “Yeah! You good with spicy food? There’s this Unovan place me and Candy go to all the time. It’s so good.”

“Spicy food is fine.”

There was just enough time for Blanche to shove their tablet into Annie’s arms and inform her that they were taking their lunch break before Spark slung his arm around Blanche’s neck and steered them out the door. When they were on the first floor crossing the reception area through the door, the whispers started.

“Look. It’s the Rocket brat.”

“What? How can a former Team Rocket member be allowed into the Go Program?”

“They need to up their background checks for this place. They’re letting all kinds of scum in.”

Blanche flinched. Their shoulders stiffened, and their hands formed fists at their sides. Ah, so it had gotten out already. Blanche forced themself to take a deep breath. Well, it didn’t matter. Let them talk. Blanche had dealt with stares and whispers often since leaving the care of Rocket Executive Sabrina.

Spark stopped dead in the middle of the reception area with his arm still looped around Blanche’s shoulders. In an instant his grin had vanished to be replaced with a stone-eyed stare. Blanche flinched again, intimidated despite themself.

“You wanna come over here and say that shit?” Spark said, voice low and dangerous.

The reception area went dead quiet. Nobody moved.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. C’mon, Blanche.”

Despite their resolve that it didn’t matter, Blanche’s hands were shaking when they made it onto the sidewalk. “I must apologize,” they said, pulling away from Spark’s arm but sticking close to him on the sidewalk. He sent them a puzzled look, but Blanche continued staring straight ahead. “It’s true that I was raised by Team Rocket, but I left the organization when I was a teenager. I-”

“Blanche.” Spark stopped. Blanche continued for a few steps before they stopped and turned to look at him questioningly. Spark’s face was uncharacteristically serious. “They were talking about *me.*”

“What?”

Spark shrugged like it was no big deal. Maybe to him it wasn’t. “My parents died in a raid Team Rocket was involved in. There’ve been rumours since I was a kid that they were part of Team Rocket. I was raised by my Uncle Surge, who is a member of Team Rocket. People say all kinds of shit about it.”

“Oh.” He was an orphan, like them, who had been taken in by Team Rocket. In his case it had been an actual family member, but Blanche supposed it amounted to the same thing.

Spark was still standing in the middle of the sidewalk. “So…?”

“So?”

“We still gonna have lunch?”

“Yes? I am waiting for you,” Blanche said, confused. “I don’t know where the restaurant is.”

Spark looked startled for a moment. Then his grin reappeared, slowly and full of relief. “Okay. Follow me.”

The restaurant was a cozy family-owned affair. The staff greeted Spark by name and asked who his ‘new friend’ was as they led them to a table. Blanche let Spark handle the social pleasantries and browsed the menu. As Spark had warned, most of the available fare was spicy. But Blanche could handle spicy.

“What do you recommend?” Blanche asked once the server left them.

“Oh, the curry for sure. It’s amazing.” Spark leaned over to point to the appropriate section of the menu. “They’ve got a few options depending on what flavours you like and your tolerance for spice.”

“All right.” Blanche decided to try the green curry and set their menu aside. Spark was a regular at this restaurant and already knew what he wanted. While their orders were sent to the kitchen and the server brought them tea, Blanche and Spark made small talk.

“You’re not from Opal, right? Have you settled into your place?” Spark asked.

“Yes. I’m from- well.” Blanche stopped, sighed, and rephrased. “Originally I’m from Orre, but I don’t remember it very well. I grew up in Kanto. Opal seems quite different, but I like it so far.”

“Hey, I grew up in Kanto too!” Spark leaned forward in excitement. “Where abouts are you from?”

“Saffron City.”

“Ahhh. I’m from Vermilion City. Man, we grew up so close together. Small world, huh?”

“Indeed.” Blanche sipped their tea.

“Did your wife come with you?”

Blanche choked, slapping a hand over their mouth to keep from spewing tea everywhere. “My what?”

Spark looked confused. “Your wife? The short, busty redhead? I’m sure I’ve seen you two together before.”

Ohhhh. “That’s Amelie,” Blanche said, grabbing a napkin to clean up their mess. “She’s not my wife. She’s the soulmate of my twin, Noire.”

“Oh!” Spark’s eyes went wide. “There’s two of you?”

“No. There is one of me, and one of Noire.” Blanche didn’t quite keep the impatience out of their voice. They glared when Spark laughed. The server looked between them curiously when she set down their steaming plates of food, but she seemed to know better than to ask.

“Sorry. You get that a lot, huh?”

“Yes,” said Blanche with emphasis.

“Sorry.” There was a brief silence. Blanche wondered if they had offended Spark, but sampled their curry while they waited for him to speak. It was delicious.

“What about you?” Spark asked. Seeing from Blanche’s questioning look that they didn’t know what he meant, he elaborated. “Do you have a soulmate?”

This conversation again. Soulmates seemed to be all anyone ever wanted to talk about. “I have a mark. I have not met the person who bears the same one.” They hoped that would be enough to shut down the conversation, but it was not.

“I haven’t met mine either,” Spark said, and took a generous bite of his own curry. His face flushed from the heat, but he didn’t seem to mind the spice. Then his eyes lit and he leaned across the table again. “Hey! Can I see your mark?”

“No.” Blanche was startled into instant and complete refusal. It wasn’t even as though they viewed their mark as private like some did - after all, they hadn’t minded Annie seeing it. But people usually saw it by chance rather than asking boldly like this.

“Why?” Spark’s head tilted like a bird. “Is it somewhere private?”

“No.” Blanche didn’t want him assuming it was on their butt or something either. “It’s on my leg.”

“Really? Mine too!” Spark seemed pleased. “Which leg?”

“…My left.”

“Okay, now you’ve gotta show me,” Spark said.

Blanche almost asked why, but then realized. His mark must be on his left leg too. Oh no. This was awkward. But they were being ridiculous. There were only so many places for a mark to appear - with the billions of people in the world, there had to be thousands upon thousands whose soulmark was on their left leg. There was no need to jump to conclusions. “I-”

“Wait, scratch that. If you’re not comfortable, I can just show you mine. You can tell me if it matches, ‘kay?”

Blanche nodded. Their throat was too tight to speak.

Spark braced his left ankle on his right knee and began to roll up his pant leg. It took an agonizing amount of time because Spark liked his pants tight. In the meantime, Blanche waffled between wanting to know and wanting to get up and run. It couldn’t be Spark. It would be too much of a coincidence.

But the bottom of the design became visible on Spark’s calf as he continued to work his tight leather pant leg up, swearing under his breath. Blanche recognized the bottom point of the star, the same one that had appeared on their own leg when they were fifteen. They had gone off to college, early, because they’d been home schooled by tutors Sabrina hired, and it was their first night in the dorm. Their first night away from Noire.

The mark hadn’t been there when they left home, but it was there when they got out of the shower to get ready for bed that night. Blanche saw it and stared in disbelief before they collapsed on the floor sobbing. No. They couldn’t have a soulmate. They weren’t even sure if they were human. They didn’t remember enough to know if they weren’t.

It had shocked them to be so devastated by the mark. Noire’s soulmark had appeared on their bicep three years earlier and it hadn’t been horrible. True, Blanche had been a little jealous that someone else was going to be the closest person to Noire, but that was part of growing up.

The feelings had dulled over the years, but had never disappeared.

The mark on Spark’s calf was fully visible now. There was no mistake.

“It matches,” Blanche said when Spark looked at them. They hoped their anguish didn’t show in their face or voice.

Something must show, because rather than beaming or grabbing them, Spark laid a gentle hand over theirs. “Want a ride home? We don’t gotta talk about it now if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you.”

It was testament to Blanche’s state of mind that Spark managed to get away with paying the whole bill. Although it was an awkward ride home in Spark’s jeep, Blanche wasn’t sure they could control their motorcycle in their emotional state.

When they arrived, Spark offered to walk them up. Blanche declined. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.” They hesitated before closing the Jeep door. Spark seemed like a good man. They didn’t want to leave him hurt, as he must be knowing that Blanche was not thrilled. “Thank you again, Spark. And I’m sorry. I’m not upset that it’s you, it’s just…”

Spark smiled at them. “Hey, it’s okay.” He couldn’t pat their hand while sitting in the driver’s seat with them standing on the sidewalk, but his fingers twitched like he wanted to. “These things are personal, so it’s emotionally-charged for a lot of people. Don’t worry about me, ‘kay? We’ll talk another time.”

“All right.” Blanche let the door fall closed. Spark didn’t drive away until Blanche had unlocked the front door to the condo building and closed it behind them. He was a good guy, Blanche thought again.

Blanche just wasn’t sure if they were a good enough person to deserve him.

i’m bored. let’s start discourse over which Pokémon Go team was the best (hint: it’s team Mystic)