For me and the five other people who like Roark
Your boyfriend really likes rocks- like really, really likes rocks- whether you met him online, during your shift, or at a cafe. It was completely obvious that he loves his job. For one, you hardly see him in clothes that aren't his work uniform or clothes that look like his work uniform. Your first date was in the Sinnoh underground. Something you were extremely skeptical of... Because who takes a first date into the mines? I mean, let's be honest: the first time the two of you entertained the idea of a date, he told you, "I'm not really good at the whole romance thing." And yeah, that is true. He's not fond of being in one place with a bunch of people in front of a candlelit dinner, and he has no clue what gifts to give and what is appropriate on a date. He overthinks what to say to make you blush and swoon, and don't get him started on time and scheduling. But that doesn't mean he doesn't try. That doesn't mean he doesn't love you. And he doesn't mean he can't sweep you off your feet. He can be quite the romantic without meaning to. When he shows you an underground biome of glowing Stone and crystals that sparkle like stars, He takes your hand and leads you deeper. You didn't even know things like this existed in the Sinnoh underground. When he sits you on a blanket that he had prepared, with the only light being the brightly glowing stones and a lantern, His soft voice tells you that he's very happy that you agreed to come with him, and then he chuckles at himself, saying, "Now that I think about it... The mines are a pretty weird place to take someone, huh? I just wanted to take you someplace special... And this is all I know... Beautiful, huh?" Whether you warm up to the idea or you are already ecstatic You're digging into the cavern wall together when he notices a crack in one of the walls. Roark is an insanely good teacher He speaks in a soft yet confident voice that only he talks to you in. Even now. The first thing you dug out of the wall was a very small red sapphire.
Roark is a workaholic now that he has a partner. The urge to go to the Sinnoh underground when he's supposed to be off is enormous. He could just work all day, but why would he do that? He loves his work, but He loves you too. He's a grown man; he can figure it out. He wasn't like this before; after you started dating him, he would work all the time... He would work and work and work. If the two of you live together, he would work until late at night and come home while you're already asleep, or even work on the weekends. He's exhausted but happy. Whether you're okay with it or not, how much you works, working every day with little breaks, isn't really good for anybody's health. If you ever bring up your worries. He'll almost look horrified. He does love his job but the fact that he didn't even realize he was neglecting you scared him.
The reason why he reacted so strongly has because his dad used to do the same, working all the time. One of the many reasons why the relationship is so strained. His mom left when he was a young age because of it.
If you are also an overworker like him, He would be a lot more nagging to you. He knows that he shouldn't be saying anything, but... You're different. If anything were to happen to you, he would never forgive himself. And something almost did, whether it's an unread text, a call, or maybe he came home before you. He just had an inkling something was wrong... When it comes to people and Pokémon he cares about, He becomes a little bit of a worrywart; working in the coal mine, dangerous things can happen to put lives at risk. That's why he's so meticulous with his job, and that's one of the reasons why he knows these tunnels so intimately. He looked for you everywhere in the tunnels. Apparently, you were near a Pokémon hideaway one that was the perfect temperature for fire-type Pokémon. He kept going until he found you out cold, just a few feet away. Of course, you had no way of hydrating yourself on your person. His throat tightened as his breathing kicked up; his hands were shaking. He stays calm. He stays so calm that he's dissociating as he's checking her pulse. You're breathing... You're just hot, dangerously hot... And sweaty... Heat stroke? Now Roark may look weak, but he's actually insanely strong; for some reason, he just doesn't grow muscle as fast as people like his father does. No matter how many times Roark goes to the gym, weeks, months... Not a single pound of muscle. He puts you over his shoulder and brings you to a place He used to use when He would be in the underground for days, a heavy flattened rock snug against the wall. Rampardos pushes it aside with one headbutt. As soon as the flattened rock closes, Roark lays you on the bed and opens up crates of food, water, and medical supplies. His hands shaking, He's breathing so heavily that his glasses are fogging. He could just take you to the doctor; he should have. Roark swears he gets tunnel vision when it comes to you. He brings you water, lets you drink, tries to cool you down, lets you drink. You grow as your eyes flutter. It wasn't a stroke; it was just heat exhaustion. As soon as you mutter his name, he holds you tightly, muttering over and over, "Thank Arceus, oh thank Arceus."
Roark has never thought of himself as someone who would be interested in long-term commitment or marriage. But with you he thinks about it constantly. Every time he looks at you he pictures you in white and suddenly he can't focus on anything else. Now how would a man who spends most of his waking hours underground digging for fossils minerals and other gems used for the stone of a wedding ring? Of course it would be something he dug up himself. As much as he loves looking at pictures and through glass cut gemstones, something so cut and polished doesn't feel right to him... But at the same time He could never even hope to give you something you wouldn't potentially like.
A couple of months later, you're tearing through the place trying to find something. It was so precious to you. You were on the verge of tears. Roark, who is ever so weak to seeing you cry, You are immediately in your arms. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" You tell him that you lost that little sapphire stone, the same one you found on your first date with him. Raork smiles, "That little old thing? Babe, I've given you so many sapphires now..."You insist that it's different, that it means so much more to you. It means even more to you than the display cabinet of all the gifts he has come home with from the underground. For one thing, the red was far more vivid than the others, and another thing, it was the first one you found with him. Roark presses in the top of your head, inhaling your scent before saying, "Well... I found a better use for it." Then out of his pocket he pulls out a velvet box, getting on one knee. The actual band was simple, whether it be engravings or a design. However, in the middle, that's where you recognize it: the oval stone was the vivid little sapphire you found on that first date with him. You don't know whether to get upset at him for taking something of yours without asking, cry about how cute it was, or squeal with joy...
