neededlassie | IC contact post

[Shaun's been laying pretty low lately, yeah, for one because wow the world sure did almost end there (see, October is a terrible month, can we just burn October off the calendar thx), but also because WOW THE PUBERTY FAIRY DOESN'T FUCK AROUND.

But now that Shaun's voice is at least not cracking every five seconds (only when he gets excited), he's more than happy to answer the phone.

His voice is noticeably deeper than it was when Yusuke last heard him.]

Hey Yusuke! Yeah, sorry, I've been kinda...busy. Thanks for the presents! Did you get the ones I sent you?

Uh -

[Yusuke falters. He pulls the 'Gear away from his ear and gives it a funny look. What the hell, is his speaker acting up or something? It takes a second for it to dawn on him why Shaun sounds so different from the last time he spoke to him, but once it finally does, the surprise and confusion in his expression vanishes, replaced by a grin that is more than a bit amused as he presses the 'Gear back to his ear. Ah, puberty. GOTTA LOVE IT.]

Yyyyeah, I did! Thanks. Those movies were kickass.

[And also complete and utter shit. Just the way he likes them.]

So, uh, how you been? You have a good New Year's?

[Shaun appreciates you not bringing it up, way to be a bro Yusuke.]

I thought you'd like them! I hope you didn't already have too many.

[...because you know, they're kind of. So shit that they all blur together a little.]

It was okay. I stayed up 'til midnight, and guess what! That was when Rowdy hatched!

Oh yeah? Nice. Is Rowdy the Chimchar I sent you?

Yup! Sorry. I named him that 'cause... well, he gets excited pretty easy.

He also thinks he's a lot tougher than he is.

[Yusuke chuckles.]

Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree then. His mom's like that, too. Has he broken anything yet?

Hehehe, not yet. Susie's been doing a good job at keeping an eye on him. She got lots of practice with Cali, when Cali was a Ponyta.

How was your new year's? Did you go to that big party?

Yeah. It was all right. Way too fancy for my tastes, but at least the food was good. Plus they had a casino.

[Yusuke, you probably ought to keep your underage gambling exploits to yourself while you're talking to Shaun. Especially since you nearly got yourself kicked out of the casino because you were cheating.]

I'm guessin' this means you didn't go, then? I noticed I didn't see you there.

[Which probably doesn't... mean much, considering the sheer number of people who attended that party, but the point is, he'd kept an eye out for Shaun and never saw him, which kind of got him wondering about whether or not he was there at all.]

...No, I...

[there's a beat of nervous silence on Shaun's end.]

I've never flown before. [Not technically a lie.] ...And I don't really like big crowds. [ah, there it is.]

[... huh. Well, that's new. Yusuke knew that Shaun had issues with water, but crowds... yeah, that he's never heard Shaun talk about before.]

Why not? They just freak you out, or something?

[Shaun shrugs before remembering that he's on the phone and Yusuke can't see him.]

I guess. It's just...easy to get lost, is all.

[There's more to it than that, though. He still remembers his dad making him hold his hand, dodging around the outskirts of big crowds - or refusing to go in at all. His dad sitting in the car while his mom walked him in to a birthday party, half-listening to the hushed whispers in the front seat all the way there ("there's going to be a lot of kids there, how are they going to keep track of them all?" "Ethan, this place doesn't let kids leave without an adult.")

Over time, that nervousness just kind of...became part of Shaun's life, too.]

[...]

Well, hey, y'know. That's what you got other people for, right? To keep you from gettin' lost.

Like me. I wouldn't let you get lost.

[Yusuke can tell there's something more to it than that, but as usual, he's not going to push Shaun to talk about anything if he doesn't want to. He will, however, try to reassure him the best that he can. It's the least he can do.]

[Shaun can't help but smile at that, and even though Yusuke can't see it, he can probably hear it.]

I know you wouldn't. I guess I was just nervous about going to a party in a whole 'nother country.

But we'll have to hang out sometime soon! Promise me, okay?

[Yusuke huffs out a laugh.]

Promise. Where're you at nowadays? I'm in Mahogany. Gonna get my next badge tomorrow. That old bastard's not gonna know what hit him by the time I'm done with him!

[Gee, that sure is a nice way to refer to a guy you've never even met, Yusuke.]

I'm still back in Goldenrod. I think I'm gonna wait til it gets warmer, I guess, before I get the last two Johto badges.

But Mahogany, that's the ice-type gym, right? Kick his butt, Yusuke!

[SHAUN...]

Ah, c'mon. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little snow.

[... HE JOKES, LIKE HE DIDN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW COLD IT IS ALL THE WAY TO MAHOGANY... clearly, it doesn't matter if you're being a big fat hypocrite so long as you're doing it for the purpose of giving your little bro shit.]

Heh! You don't have to tell me twice. I'm thinkin' I'm gonna bring some Fighting-types to the match. The old guy and his flunkies'll probably be expecting me to use Fire-types, so hey, who knows, maybe I'll catch 'em off-guard.

'Course not! We didn't get snow days back home 'less the snow was over our heads!

[#ThanksPhilly]

You gonna take Rowdy's mom? She's an Infernape, right, and that's fire AND fighting.

So for you, that's, what, a couple inches?

[HEHEHE.]

Nah, I'm just gonna stick to straight-up Fighting-types. See if the old guy's ready for that. If he's anything like some of the other Gym Leaders I've fought, he'll only have Pokemon that'll counter one of their obvious weaknesses, so if I don't show up with any Fire-types on me and that's all he's prepared for, it's probably gonna throw him off unless he's got somethin' extra up his sleeve.

... 'course, he's not gonna last long anyway, since all my Fighting-types are level 100, but hey, y'know. It'll still be interesting to see what he's got.

[He really kind of wishes his Pokemon weren't ridiculously over-leveled, since it makes gym battles boring and anticlimactic, but... WHATEVER. He's doing what he can to keep things from being too dull.]

Yeah, like you're one to talk. I'll prolly be taller than you next year!

[maybe the year after that.]

...Yeaaaaah...

Did I tell you about how I forgot to get the Hive badge until Chase was level 100?

[because that was. A thing. That he still feels kind of bad about.]

Tshhhhh. Yeah, keep tellin' yourself that!

[Clearly, someone here has forgotten how getting cocky usually ends for him.]

... no, but it sounds like it was funny as hell.

[Yusuke.]

Edited 2015-01-20 07:06 (UTC)

[Shaun giggles.]

I'm serious! I'm catching up to you!

[He makes a pained sound like he's trying not to laugh.]

It kind of was... Like you know how all his pokemon are about level 20-something? And he's got one with a big weakness to fire and one with a big weakness to flying...

...And Chase is a Fire/Flying type...

Right, and monkeys flew out of my ass this morning.

[HE'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN HE SEES IT, SHORT STUFF.

As for the fiery hell Shaun apparently unleashed upon Bugsy...

... well, to the surprise of exactly no one, Yusuke's response to hearing about it is to laugh.]

That's awesome. Didja make him cry?

[PLEASE TELL HIM YOU MADE HIM CRY.]

[Shaun can't help but laugh when Yusuke does, despite the fact that he still feels kind of bad about it.]

Yeah, I think so.

[Shaun that was like last year you don't remember specifically.]

[Yusuke snickers. Shaun probably doesn't even have to see him to know that he's wearing a wicked grin right now.]

Good. Serves 'im right for having such a stupid name.

[Yusuke, why is every other thing that comes out of your mouth completely unnecessary...]

So hey! You got a birthday comin' up, don't you? Next Monday?

[Before Shaun can comment on Bugsy's name, Yusuke runs his mouth about birthdays and startles him.]

I- uh. Yeah... You remembered?

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