It's been a rough few weeks and I just got some bad news recently. Need a little bit of fluff in my life right now. For a prompt, how about Akari getting hurt, either emotionally or physically, and possibly trying to hide it from Ingo but him finding out anyway and helping her. Any verse would be fine.
i wrote 1k words of arms outstretch post-fic angst :,) this is definitely canon (to an extent, bc it's not yet finished, but the akari-problem is Real fjadsklfs) <3
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Unfortunately, Ingo hadn’t been with Akari in the realm Arceus had made for her. Therefore it was easy for it to slip his mind that she had trauma he didn’t always see. There were the obvious problems, of course. The way she clung to anyone around her, practically begging for the warmth of another body, was only getting better nearly a year after he’d gotten her back. She still frequently woke up from nightmares screaming and confused about where she was until Ingo could calm her down. Ingo himself wasn’t free from the repercussions either- every now and then he would walk into the kitchen and see a stranger making food, alarm shooting through him before he recognized his daughter. The fact that she had grown up some in their time apart didn’t help, and he mourned the years they’d lost.
But it was a long monsoon season that brought up one he’d failed to consider.
Looking back on it, it would make sense. Every time he’d met her within the dream area it had been raining. Heavy or light, a downpour or a drizzle, the rain had never stopped. While he had taken notice that every now and then her nightmares would be worse, that she would wake up screaming and terrified and refuse to let him go, the last several weeks had been so much worse. She had, of course, insisted that things were fine. That she didn’t know what was going on, why she couldn’t sleep, why when she did she would weep uncontrollably for several minutes.
Ingo was also beginning to lose sleep out of concern for his daughter. He slept lightly most nights, in spite of Emmet’s horrific snoring - the only time Emmet was louder than Ingo was at night - and each time Akari woke with a nightmare, Ingo woke with her. Jackie had pointed it out to Emmet who had forced Ingo to claim a sick day and stay home to get some sleep. Ingo protested, but when Emmet took all of their shoes with him to the subway he found himself sitting on the couch and staring out the window.
The rain had lessened for the first time in several days and was barely dripping, the sun breaking through clouds. Subway quickly made for the slim beam of light on the carpet, eager to soak up sunlight and warmth before it vanished again. Akari slipped out of her room, clearly exhausted. Her eyes had grown dark and were looking a little bloodshot. Ingo opened his arm in invitation and she collapsed onto the couch against him, pressing her cheek against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. Ingo curled his arm around her shoulder in turn and let himself enjoy the peace. Gradually, Akari fell asleep on him, and for the first time in a while she was still.
And then the rain picked up again.
Ingo missed the first few twitches, mistaking them for her sleeping. He had been browsing his phone, looking through miscellaneous items for the house as well as new socks for work. The first whimper caught his attention, and then the grip tightening around him. He set his phone down and began to stroke his fingers through her hair, hoping it would put her at ease. It did, temporarily, but as the rain grew heavier and louder it ceased to work.
Thunder boomed, and with it Akari’s eyes shot open and she sprung to her feet. Ingo followed her up, saying her name before freezing.
She was standing in a way that he hadn’t seen in quite some time. Her shoulders were low, head hung down by her chest, and despite the fear she had been exhibiting in her sleep her breathing had also slowed. He watched as she took a deep breath in and let out a sigh before tilting her head back. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as they stood there, Ingo uncertain of what to do.
“Akari?” He asked quietly.
The worst part was that she barely responded. She just turned her head a little and offered him a small smile.
“You’re here again.” she said quietly. A chill ran down Ingo’s spine.
“Here?” He asked.
She lifted a hand to wave lazily in the air.
“You know. Here.” There was a pause. “I’m glad it’s never wet. It’d be worse if it was wet.”
“If what was wet?”
“Everything! The rain never stops. I’m glad I can’t feel it.”
Fuck. The rain. Of course.
Akari was babbling on but Ingo had put his face in his hands.
The rain.
How many years had she spent in a downpour, never knowing when or if she’d make it out? She’d said that the time in Arceus’ little pocket dimension was funny, that she couldn’t say how long she’d been in there because time had never passed but that nothing ever changed either- including the weather. No wonder her sleep had gotten worse, that she’d been struggling to stay aware of where she was, because it had been raining non stop for days.
Ingo pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting Emmet we’re going on vacation. To the desert. For an undetermined time.
CASINO BATTLES???? Emmet immediately texted back.
We’ll discuss it on the way. Book the tickets.
ALL ABOARD!!!!!
Then he looked back at Akari, who’d gotten quiet again, and hated himself a little for taking so long to realize something was seriously wrong. Something beyond a flare up of discontent.
“Would you like a hug?” Ingo asked, because it was the only thing he could think to do. He didn’t know how long she would be lost in her mind, lost in her memories, for, but he wanted to provide whatever comfort he could. She nodded, and he quickly stepped forward to engulf her in his arms. “I promise, little one, I won’t leave you behind again. This time I intend to keep it, come hell or high water.”
“Don’t play dumb!” Hat shouted at him, fists clenched “I get it, okay? You hate me, you hate Bow, you hate us! Stop acting like you don’t!”
Snatcher stared with wide, glowing eyes.
He wondered how long she’d been holding that in since he’d decided to not be terrible - a choice he’d admittedly made recently and suddenly.
He tried to think up something to say, his brain scrambling as he looked down at them. Bow was fiddling with her fingers, looking down at her feet while Hattie was still staring at him, defensive, with watering eyes.
“... I don’t hate you” Was all he could think of “either of you, i don’t- I don’t hate you”
“... Then what are you .... “
“Will you let me explain myself?” he asked, almost nervously “This is a very recent development and emotional maturity isn’t really my strong-suit. I’m a ghost, not a therapist”
Bow let out a small chuckle at that.
“.... okay” Hat crossed her arms
The ghost deflated, coiling up in the bridge
“Well, I mean. It started with that damn time-piece you kids had breaking over my head.....”
That post about kayaking got me thinking about something. About Akari living in the Highlands with Ingo close to/during winter where snow is slowly starting to cover the area. About Akari being upset about something but she won't talk to Ingo about it. She insists that she's fine but as her dad, he knows better than that. If he can't help her by getting her to talk about it, then he can help by getting her mind off of it for a little while. By engaging in a snowball fight. She's fairly annoyed at first. Until one of their Pokemon throws one at Ingo in her defense. It quickly turns into chaos and they even manage to drag an unsuspecting Melli into it. Eventually the father daughter duo settle down by the fire to warm up and she's finally able to tell him about what's bothering her.
THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE THO???
Akari is so used to the adults just giving her things to do, putting yet ANOTHER responsibility on her shoulders, that while she doesn't expect Ingo to do the same she's like... "well obv i am an adult now and I must keep my problems To Myself" and Ingo is like "darling child, you are a baby" bc Akari is still... idk. 13-15? That melodramatic age all teenagers go through where they think they're alone made worse by people going "also do this or die :)"
And Ingo is so Irritated by it but he doesn't have the power to tell ANYONE putting all these things on her shoulders to knock that shit off, that she's a kid, because she was doing it all before she met hm and he has no "legal" control over her. He tries to put her at ease as best he can but he's unwilling to confide in him bc she's an Adult doing Adult Things and he can't change her mind to ask for help or express her frustration.
So winter hits and she's been spending time with him, Melli over to visit and bug them both (he'd never admit he's been a little lonely, that he sees the warden and his adopted daughter as something like his closest companions in the highlands), and one night a blizzard blows in and covers EVERYTHING nearby in snow. Traveling too far is impossible by foot, and her pokemon are so blasted tired that she can't bear to ask them to take her anywhere. The snow is deep enough that even lord wyrdeer and lady sneasler and lord braviary are like "darling child, fuck no" so Ingo takes Akari with him to clear out the worst of the snow just from where he lives. And Melli is bitching about the cold and Akari is pouting and frustrated and snaps at him that she has too much to do, too much to handle, she can't be WASTING TIME here...
And Ingo throws a snowball at her.
It catches Akari in the face, gentle, but catches her off guard. She's standing still, confused and angered about what just happened, and Ingo does it again. Because he has very few memories, but he DOES remember someone important to him spiraling, and that he needed to help distract them, and so he did something they'd never expect. So he does it to akari. And she starts yelling (not as loud as Ingo can get) and he just throws another snowball and says if she wants him to stop, shes going to have to make him.
And the snowball fight starts off angry on Akari's side because she's stressed and scared and frustrated, so she starts yelling at Ingo except Melli joins in and also throws a snowball at her. She has no choice but to throw snowballs back (the idea of goin back into Ingo's home never occured to her) and at first she's mad, but then Ingo makes a move to dodge one of her throws except he slips, goes pinwheeling into Melli, and they both land in a snowbank. Melli immediately gets up, complaining about being cold, and goes inside to warm up but Ingo and Akari stay out a little while longer until theyre just chasing each other through the snow and laughing. Akari manages to shove a handful of snow down the back of Ingo's tunic, and he retaliates by filling his hat full of snow and slamming it onto her head.
And when they go back inside, the fire already lit with Melli snoozing in front of it, Akari's eyes start to water and then dribble with tears. And as they dry off and change clothes, pulling blankets around them as they sit in front of the fire, she curls up into her dad's side and quietly, fighting back tears, tells him about how scared she is of what she's doing, how she knows she can't say no. Ingo holds her close and promises that if she wants to stop, he'll help her, and if she wants his help, it's always ready to be given. Whatever she needs, if he can provide it he will. And for the first time in what feels like forever she relaxes, takes a deep breath, and lets herself be helped.
For the story ask, either 15 or 27 depending on which one you prefer/is easiest (: 💜
por que no los dos?
15. trembling hands - Piece of Eden Akari + Templar Ingo
He shouldn't be doing this. This was betrayal to the order, the ultimate betrayal. He knew how long they had worked towards this, how long they had searched for her. He had been part of the efforts, after all. He had joined in on the long nights in miserable terrains, participated in the killings of Assassins for pieces and fragments of clues, sat in on meetings where they had physical maps and projected maps with flags and pins and signs of where they had been, where they had yet to be, and where they currently were. Finding her hadn't been cheap or easy, but he couldn't just let this rest. He couldn't leave this be.
He couldn't let them kill her.
She was a piece of Eden, yes, but she was still a child. She looked like she was barely ten, with huge eyes and skinny limbs. There was barely any baby fat on her cheeks. She had been hidden away so carefully by whoever had hid her. So carefully hidden that she was nothing more than another child, another hungry mouth, someone dispensable. And with the Templars, though they had promised the people around her that she'd be safe, she was even more dispensable. The girl didn't matter, the life attached to the piece of Eden was nothing more than another hurdle, and that was Ingo's last straw.
He slipped through the first door towards her isolation room, walking as quietly as possible. As he passed the window to her room he saw her sitting upon the small, sterile bed they'd given her. There was no emotion on her face, no sign of fear or dismay or any kind of upset. She stared ahead like this was all... okay. The only sign of any emotion was that of her slumped shoulders. The slightest hint of defeat.
Ingo hoped Khan had done as he'd said he would and disabled the cameras in the building. He had stolen one of the Assassin cloaks they kept as trophies but his sympathies towards the girl weren't a secret. He was running on borrowed time. With the hood up he stepped in front of the keypad and entered the six-digit number he wasn't supposed to know. The object took its time thinking, enough that Ingo was tempted to simply pry open the door bare-handed, when it finally lit up green. The doors slid open and he slid inside quickly before they shut.
The girl didn't look at him. She kept staring straight ahead, shoulders slumped and expression neutral. Ingo swallowed as he approached. What if whatever they had done to her had shut her down somehow? What if they'd somehow affected the human part of her mind to keep her from running? What if he was already too late?
But as he stepped in front of her, her eyes moved. They slid up from his feet to his face, changing from a flat, dark grey color to glowing gold. Proof of her being the piece of Eden, staring him straight in the face. As he looked at her his own vision went into grayscale until the only color came from her, her body lit up gold. They stared at each other for a silent minute before his vision returned to normal. Her eyes returned to grey.
She jumped up off the bed and stepped towards him.
With trembling hands, Ingo offered her the spare hoodie.
27. hide - PLA Akari + Rei
"What do you mean you never played hide and seek with your pokemon? It's great training!" Akari looked at Rei incredulously. He rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging in return.
"It never seemed like a good idea? What if they accidentally attack me?"
Akari shook her head and held out her hand. "Give me your team and go hide. We're doing some training for them and you?"
🤩/💞 + 🧠 (the headcanon being for one you picked for the favorite/comfort character) and also 🥺 and ✨ (sorry if that's too many at once, you don't have to do all of them if you don't want to)
I LOVE TO ANSWER MULTIPLE ONES, DO NOT WORRY!!!! Like if you just sent them all?? Maybe a lil too much 😂 otherwise, absolutely no biggie!!!
Since Legends Arceus is what I'm currently writing for, these will all be PLA related. (Shockingly, I have written for other fandoms in the past! 😂)
🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?
TBQH I am fond of JtR Dawn and Akari. I love Dawn's reckless bullshit and Akari developing a bit more backbone. I feel a bit more freedom writing them, like there's less expectations on getting people's perceptions of them correct, so they tend to come easier.
Fire at Will Akari is almost in first, just because I wrote her first and therefore I adore her most. There is an entire PLA playthrough story in my head, but I've said it before and I'll say it again- that story would absolutely end up being over 100k words and I don't know if I have the time, dedication, and ability for that! Maybe one day...
💞 Who's your comfort character?
Tossup between Akari and Ingo tbh. When I get stressy I start thinking about Fire at Will and writing for that series again 😂 little things... I am very soft towards it. I have many ideas for it still.
Anyway, Akari but only Akari-not-Dawn because... Dawn being Akari is not my personal headcanon, in any way, shape, or form, and I like to imagine Akari being taken from somewhere she knew and fumbling and learning and still being accepted. Maybe not by everyone, but by enough people that she finds comfort and family.
And Ingo because the fandom made me fond of the silly subway man. I don't have a lot of headcanons for him because of,,,, Reasons :) mostly my own concern at people seeing my version of him and coming off rude and "that's not the right way to do Ingo" but 🤷🏼♀️ he's fun. I like the amnesia. I like going around in game and like- I've found only one pearl clan member who brings him up. I like to think he's solitary for whatever reason, but meeting the protag (Akari) helps open him up a lil. Literally brings him down the mountain. I like thinking of two people in similar circumstances finding common ground so- yes. Akari and Ingo are my comfort characters for PLA 🙈😅
🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.
Akari- probably obvious, but my favorite headcanon for her is that Arceus pulled her from an entirely different universe/world that didn't have pokemon. The fact that you can answer "no" to Laventon asking if you know what pokemon are.... delicious.
Ingo- I like to think Ingo is a nickname, actually! I know people have unique names, but I like to headcanon that he's got some really benign, normal name (like- Emmet isn't common but isn't UNCOMMON you know?) and that as a kid, every time I go saw a train he would say "In go! In go!" cause he wanted to get in the train, so his parents started calling him "Ingo" and it's just. What everyone knows him as now. I know several people by their nickname (one guy at work is only known as Squints) and one of my best friends goes by her middle name primarily. Every time I see her email me I get confused before I remember her email is her actual first name. I like to think that very few people know what Ingo's given name is and get confused when anyone requests him by such.
🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?
COMFORTING. God, comforting. After injury, or a nightmare, or an argument. Giving apologies and discussing things and ending it with a hug.... I'm such a goddamn sucker for hurt/comfort. I'm so soft. I'm 10 ply. I wanna write angst so I can write the comfort aftermath constantly. Always.
✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉
(boooo 😂😂) I don't know how to compliment myself. That's not a cry for help, that's the honest truth. I have ✨Issues✨. I will try!
Despite what is probably an excessive use of commas, I am good at writing characters considering their actions and surroundings. I have fun when writing and that's what's most important.
Oh definitely catching icarus. Probably The most amount of words for the most targeted audience (me) but it's got my beloved blorbos and their character development has been very fun and I love them.
4. what fic of your own do you read for comfort?
I don't know if I read any of my fics for comfort specifically. I do reread certain ones that I liked or to do self-analysis of technique. Just in that general sense I typically reread the last 3 of the Oth series and Ill-Fated the most because I think those combined are some of my best work.
