100 Stories of Pokemon

Soulmates - CarbonGameShipping

For the third time that night, Brendan let out a loud sigh. "Rayquaza above, are you done with your quiz yet? I am ready for bed."

Calem took his eyes off of his phone for a moment to look at his boyfriend. He hadn't noticed, but Brendan was already in the same shorts and t-shirt he usually wore at night. He was ready for bed, and here Calem hadn't even changed or brushed his teeth yet.

With a sigh of his own, Calem reached down to caress Brendan's back and hair. "Sorry. I'm almost done. Promise. Then we can go to bed."

Brendan rolled onto his belly and buried his face in Calem's lap. "What quiz is this one about? 'What time period should you have been bored in?' 'Can we guess your favorite song?' 'What kind of potato are you?"

Calem snorted and flicked Brendan's ear. "No, nothing like that this time. Actually, this one is about us."

"About us?" The Hoenn-native repeated as he suddenly sat up and rubbed his ear. He curiously looked over Calem's shoulder to look at the screen. "What about us? Like, a fun vacation spot or something? I vote someplace warm and sunny."

"Not exactly. This is a quiz to see if you're my soulmate or not."

Brendan shuddered as he laid down again, this time on his back. "Soulmates, huh? That's a scary word."

Calem raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Scary?" he repeated as he looked down to the other, "I mean, I know you're not exactly fond of commitment or anything, but scary?"

Brendan adamantly shook his head. "Those two things have nothing to do with one another."

Calem bit his lip for a moment. That just made him even more curious. He finally settled on sighing and locking his phone, giving the other his full attention. "Alright. What makes it scary, then?"

"Destiny," Brendan answered simply, as if that simple answer made everything clear.

"Destiny?"

Brendan reached out and took Calem's hand into his own. Slowly, he traced along the other's skin with his fingertips. His eyes watched his work, unwilling to look the other boy in the eye for the moment. "Well, yeah. I mean, think about it. Destiny is a scary thing. It kind of takes the choice out of everything. Do not get me wrong, the idea that there is someone out there so perfect for you that you can love them for your entire life, through thick and thin, is a beautiful one. It is just also kind of the law of averages. With all these millions of people in the world, of course, there would be someone out there like that."

He chanced to look up to Calem, only to find an incredulous expression on his face. He inhaled and continued. "Okay. Here is what I mean. Destiny is a word people use so much, like it is some common and epic thing around us. I just cannot let myself believe in it. My father studied hard, made a solid friendship with a professor, depended on my mother, and pursued power all so he could become a Gym Leader. In turn, I worked my cute little butt off to become Champion. I remember my father reading me his college-level tactics books to me like they were bedtime stories. When I learned colors and shapes, I learned types and their advantages and disadvantages. I trained my Pokemon to the best of my abilities, I fought two teams bent on awakening terrifying legends, awoken another to stop it, became Champion, bested the brains, conquered in Orre, then became a Duke in Kalos. That was all my hard work. My strategies, my determination. If I was destined to accomplish those things, then what is the point, right? It was going to happen either way."

Calem listened to every word Brendan said and considered them. He had hardly ever seen Brendan like this. He was the type to look you in the eye with a broad grin and a flirty wink. It was weird to watch him avoid Calem's gaze, and the weight of his words was heavier than Brendan ever cared to be. "I see."

In a flash, Brendan propped himself back up to a sitting position. "And I mean, look at you," he continued, "we have been through a lot. You came to terms with liking another boy. I managed to settle in with someone in a long-term relationship. We have had a few arguments, and we have worked hard together. I like the idea that we made those decisions. We looked to each other and decided that person was worth the effort. We grew together not because fate says we are meant to be but because we did. That... that means a lot more to me that 'soulmate' ever could."

A small smile played across Calem's lips for a moment before he leaned in and kissed him. He could feel Brendan's body stiffen in surprise at first before it finally eased to return it.

Calem finally broke the kiss and nuzzled the other boy. "I see what you mean," he said with a small chuckle, "alright. You're right. I like that, I think, though I can still say destiny brought us together for us to make those decisions, right?"

Brendan gave a small nod in response. "You can believe whatever you like. That is just what I believe. Still, can you believe it in bed? I am tired."

Calem rolled his eyes, but he finally relented. "Yeah, okay. Let's go."