o7.
chapter seven:
take off
and takeouts!
<3

I felt the creepy sense of déjà vu wash over me as we drove through the streets. The only difference was that I was not the one in charge of the wheel.

"Is it okay if we visit a friend of mine?" she asked, and I nodded in agreement. She reared the engine and picked up speed as we wove through the traffic to turn into a quieter alleyway. Streetlights illuminated the darkness, and I could faintly see a restaurant. The car came to a halt, and she got out. I followed her lead.

Facing us was a building named 'Looker Bureau'. It looked almost abandoned, but she did not mind rapping her knuckles on the wooden door.

It was answered a few seconds later by a man looking to be in his late forties or early fifties. He had a receding hairline and grey hair neatly combed. His eyes, sharp, softened at the sight of the girl.

"Ah, here's my partner!" he exclaimed, welcoming us in right away. As soon as we were in, he embraced Serena.

I looked around awkwardly. The interior didn't seem as bad as the exterior did. Albeit messy, it had bookcases, a steel desk with a chair, and a sofa set. The kitchen counter stood to the southwest, and the lighting made the place look more like a secret hideout than an office.

"Ash, I want you to meet Mr. Looker. Mr. Looker, this is my friend, Ash!" Serena set the introductions in motion. The man, Mr. Looker, had a gentle smile.

"Hello there, Ash! I assume you're the young man who has stolen my partner's heart!" My breath hitched. What?

"Detective Looker!" Serena chided before sighing. "Don't mind him. He literally says this to any friend I bring along, even if it's Shauna," she explained, shooting a glare at the older man, who looked sheepish.

"You can't blame me for wanting my partner to find a soulmate!"

"Isn't this going out of hand, though?!"

The old man waved her away and took me by the shoulder. "Let's go have tea and perhaps dinner!"

"I wouldn't want to be a bother, sir—" I began, but he waved me off. Perhaps it was his habit.

"Any boyfriend of my partner's is my friend as well!"

"Mr. Looker!"

I sighed to myself. As much as I loved being called Serena's significant other, I hated that she was constantly denying it, as if she were rejecting me indirectly.

Dinner was a nice affair. Mr. Looker had ordered what he misspelled as a 'take off'. I still had the mental picture of Serena and me looking at each other, wondering what he meant before 'takeout' decided to feature in my mind.

After a meal of steaming hot noodles and wasabi sauce, complete with tea, we bid each other farewell and good night. Before we could leave, though, curiosity struck Serena.

"Detective Looker, could I take one of your latest files? I'd love to solve a puzzle while I'm at the dormitory!"

"Of course, Partner. I would expect no less of you! Take anything that would tickle your mind. You know where the files are!" Mr. Looker agreed with an excited smile, jabbing his thumb toward the stairs. The girl nodded and shot off, eager to learn.

"I wish I could get back that curiosity. . ."

"Then why would you be at the Kalos Academy?" I flinched. Had I just voiced my thoughts out loud? As if he read my mind, Mr. Looker went on. "You think loud, young man." I ran a hand through my hair and laughed nervously. Mr. Looker didn't seem bothered. "Why would you attend this prestigious college if you're not interested in studies? How'd you crack the entrance exam?"

I frowned. Truth be told, I had no idea. All I knew was. . . I wanted to come here. That's what I answered. "I just wanted to be here. . ."

As if there was something to think about, Mr. Looker started pacing back and forth, scratching his chin. "You. . .are that guy, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You know what? My partner, Serena, is like my daughter. And you better not hurt her!" He placed a firm hand on my shoulder, and I could feel the strength behind his grip.

Serena returned soon after and we bade farewell. Mr. Looker's parting words got me thinking. What did he mean?

"I hope you didn't mind Detective Looker." Serena's words shook me back to reality and I looked at her. She looked relaxed as she drove, but I could see her jaw set. Of course, she is the least close to being lax.

"I did enjoy his company. Been a while since I've been near someone like him."

"Yeah," she paused, as if unsure to confide in me, but went on after a minute. "Last year, in my junior high, I was in need of money. Mum was away in Hoenn due to her work, and I more or less couldn't contact her. So I went in for part-time.

I sucked in a breath. "I never realized—"

"Oh, no. It wasn't any maid job! It wasn't hard." She was quick to reassure, even pressing her hand on mine for a second before returning it to the gear. "I worked alongside Mr. Looker to solve a case.

"Children were disappearing in the evening, after school, and would return late into the night. This messed up schedules, and their mothers were worried sick as to what they were up to, seeing there was an increase in alley smuggling.

"The Kalos Moms' Association approached Detective Looker, and he was in need of a young partner who could speak to children. And that was when I stepped in.

"The reason why they were out after school hours was to spend time with one of their orphaned friends. That girl was taken in by Mr. Looker, so she's fine. She goes to the Lumiose Junior.

"As for me, I was paid handsomely, and I gained in him an unforgettable relationship. He's more like my dad than my father." She ran a hand through her cheek, and I realized she had been crying. I sat in silence, though, contemplating what to do next.

Up ahead, I noticed an apparel store. "Hey, girl. Look there!" Serena slowed down, before pulling up right beside the store. "Aren't they cute?" I asked, pointing at a mannequin in a yellow sundress. Beside it was a small one wearing a matching pets onesie.

I heard the girl gush from beside me. "That one's gorgeous!" she replied, pointing at a pastel pink gown. I nodded.

"It would suit you."

"You think so?"

"Why not?"

"I was under the impression you liked red on me?" she teased, elbowing me in the ribs. I flushed, rolling my eyes.

"I told that years ago."

"Two years back, in the last summer camp."

"Right."

She chuckled, and I felt fuzzy. The past. One cruel word to remind you of everything you've missed, your regrets, your mistakes, your failures, your downs. Yet, here we were. Two souls broken by child abandonment, mending together into a complete heart.

I felt someone touch my shoulder. "Ash?"

"Huh?"

She smiled, a blazing look spreading across her features. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have started brooding."

I turned in my seat, unlocking my seatbelt, and clutched her moist cheek. "Everybody does it, and remember? We need each other."

Serena smiled, sending a pulse of warmth over. "Thank you."

I withdrew my hand and turned away. "Ah man! I've had enough of your apologies and thank-yous. Give me a break, Butter!"

"Oh, I'm so done with you!" She chuckled, punching my shoulder, our skins taking a tiny contact for a millisecond. And I'm a madman for your touch because I've lost control over my head.

"Let's. . .go unless you wanna visit the apparel store?"

Serena shook her head before getting back on the task. "No, but there's somewhere else I want to go."

The next time we stopped, it was in front of a toy store. "Here?" I asked her reluctantly. I didn't mind going in, but I didn't want her reputation to be torn. "What if someone sees you?"

Serena removed her seatbelt and stepped out. "Come out before I lock you in." I raised my eyebrow in challenge, and she sighed. "You know I can't do that, don't you?" I smirked in response and got out of her car.

We entered the toy store as soon as she had locked her car. My eyes were greeted by woolly smiles, flashy posters, and attractive merch. The common element among all of them was that they were all based on Pokémon. "Is this a Pokémon Center?" I found myself asking.

Racks contained plushies, keychains, lunch boxes, water bottles, stationery, and several other merch. I spotted my favorites fairly quickly. The boisterous little turtle, Squirtle, along with the faithful rodent, Pikachu, and the quiet frog, Greninja. "Like it?" Serena asked, falling into step beside me.

"Like it? It's awesome!" I exclaimed, feeling a dilemma of emotions.

"Then pick whatever you want! It's on me!" she exclaimed, leaving me to my choices. My eyes followed her retreating figure to the next row. I pouted. Why did you have to leave me though?

Nevertheless, I picked up a keychain that grabbed my attention from the start and followed her. She was looking torn, holding two plushies which I recognized as an Eevee and a Fennekin. I had a vague clue as to why she looked the way she did.

As I approached her, she put them back and turned to me with wide eyes. "Picked one so quick?" I nodded and showed her my selection, which only brought a frown across her pretty face. "Just a keychain?"

"Why not?"

"I expected you to pick something else, y'know, a water bottle or a plush?"

"A plush?" I laughed, dumbstruck. If I were to return to the dormitory carrying a soft toy, a Pokémon nonetheless, Gary would make sure to dig me a grave and push me into it without a coffin. I was already having my ear cut off by bringing my faithful rubber duck and my comfort Pikachu plush. "You failed to understand me, Butterhead." I joked, receiving a sharp glare from the girl.

"Aight. Get whatever you want!" She crossed her arms and was about to storm away, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to me. Whether intentional or not, I had no idea, but I pulled her a bit too roughly and she fell into my chest with a thud. Too close. She's. Too. Close.

"What about the photo?" I whispered, not quite trusting my voice. She flinched before taking a step forward, her back still towards me.

"F-follow me!"

She led me through the aisles, the short walk around helping calm my ragged breathing, before coming to a halt in front of the water bottle rack. Serena reached up and took two of them, one red and the other blue. She held them out to me. "Choose one."

I frowned, looking at them and then back to the row. There was a sleek black one on the display showcasing an Umbreon and a shiny Greninja. I pointed at it. "That one?"

I watched as she took one glance at it and turned beet red. She turned around so quickly that I was afraid she would sprain her neck. "Not black!"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Geez! Why not?"

"Because you're always into the dark stuff." Serena pointed an accusing finger at my jacket. "And that's not good for you!"

I laughed at her reasoning. It was true, and I loved the color more before encountering her for the second time. The naïve cinnamon roll of a girl who glistened with the aura of foreign optimism. "So it's between the red and blue, eh?" She nodded sternly, and I considered the options.

Red with a Rotom and a Charizard, blue with a Greninja and a Mega Charizard X. It had black in it too. . .

As if reading my mind, Serena made to put the blue one back in its place, but I grabbed her hand before she could. "Hey! I can't help it if Mega Charizard X has black!"

Serena rolled her eyes. "It's blue then?"

"Yup."

We checked our items out, the cost on Serena. What she didn't know was the one plush that I had on me before leaving.

And with the secret Fennekin plush I had bought, we snapped a photo.

Click!