Chapter Text
"You might try to eat something, I thought you were hungry" Alder's words fell on deaf ears. He took some rice into his mouth but found it as tasteless as the last bite "It is a simple meal, I could not have offended your refined tastes."
"Believe me, you have," Ghetsis replied. His bowl remained nearly full.
“How so?”
Ghetsis watched him from across the table, not replying, but making his discomfort clear. The wooden chopsticks remained motionless in his gloved hand.
"Being so considerate to a poor wretch" Ghetsis smiled at his own comment "You don't need to act so polite, that' s unusual for you."
"Now is it unusual for me to consider having a normal conversation with you?"
"Do you want me to answer honestly?" said Ghetsis. He put the chopsticks down on the table, determined to leave the food "I don't need you to take care of me, neither I want your pity. This food, this house, this short conversation... I know you're not doing this out of pure charity, I don't need you to nurse me like I'm weak and decrepit."
For the first time in that morning, Alder felt the beginning of an annoying headache. He instinctively put a hand to his head, thinking carefully about what had brought him to that situation.
It was a cloudy day, unusual for Floccesy Town, the gray clouds loomed a storm and Alder had said goodbye to his students, hoping they wouldn't get wet when it rained. He started to clean up the playground and gather up the seats when he heard footsteps approaching behind him. Without giving it much thought, he turned around, and could not hide his surprise to see three young men dressed in black carrying someone who looked familiar to him
The three disguised people looked at him pleadingly. They did not speak to him, but Alder understood that they needed some kind of help. In other circumstances he would have thought that these young people were family or belonged to some group. He did not give it any importance at the time, his gaze was focused on the fourth person they were carrying.
The first drops of water fell as he recognized the devastated expression of Ghetsis, who was doing little to cooperate in standing up. He was dressed in black and was kept on his feet by holding on to a metal cane and leaning on one of the young men's arms. Ghetsis didn't seem to notice Alder, or perhaps didn't care. However, Alder thought he heard a faint protest, though he couldn't make out whether Ghetsis was actually speaking or if it was part of a groan of pain.
He let them into his house without hesitation. The house was comfortable and warm, and best of all, it would shelter them from the rain. A few raindrops wet the floor, not too much to worry about. Soon Alder returned with some dry towels and offered them to them. The young men carefully set Ghetsis down on one of the chairs in the house and turned to Alder. They refused the towels and bowed respectfully
"We'll be back as soon as we can" spoke one of the young men. Before Alder could ask anything, the three were gone, as if they had never been there.
Alder could have sworn he was hallucinating, until he looked to his side and saw that Ghetsis was still sitting in the chair, a little wet from the rain and with the same blank stare. Then he knew it was not his imagination. The sound of nature failed to calm his slight nervousness, what was he supposed to do?
That was weeks ago, several long weeks ago. And yet he was still thinking about it. He wasn't a nurse, he didn't have the skills, at best he knew how to take care of his Pokémon. But that was a far cry from what he was dealing with.
He expected nothing from Ghetsis when he came to himself, and yet Alder found himself somewhat annoyed at the apathy with which Ghetsis spoke. He was not aggressive, he simply tolerated Alder, as if resigned to being in his company. Alder simply didn't understand anything.
"Well, technically we could be the same age, if I considered you weak and decrepit, then that makes two of us" spoke Alder "I'll be honest with you, I don't consider myself either way, nor do I think I will ever be."
"That's because you have no future outlook."
"I'm not in the mood to argue" Alder confessed, he sighed before continuing "This is what it is. Right now you live here, in this house, because it's what I've allowed. There are no ulterior motives, nor do I want you to make it up to me. Food and shelter, I'm just trying to be nice. I did what anyone else would have done in my place."
Ghetsis chuckled, as if he had been told a joke. Alder couldn't find it funny.
"You sound quite sure of that," Ghetsis adjusted his gloves on his hands. Alder had never seen him take off his gloves, not even when they ate, he was not willing to ask
" I am. I wasn't going to leave you out in the rain to soak. You needed help, and I gave it to you" Alder gently nudged the bowl of Ghetsis with his chopsticks, a silent offering "Eat."
Ghetsis looked at him suspiciously for a moment, as if trying to see something beyond Alder's words. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up the chopsticks and stuck them into his bowl of rice. He ate slowly and didn't look like he wanted to talk further.
Alder was relieved and drank his tea quietly. He lost his appetite a while ago, but decided to sit still until Ghetsis finished eating. He drank in silence, enjoying the quiet moment while the sun was still shining on Floccesy Town.