 when it came to his colleagues. Before today Piers never had an issue with barely knowing the others, but not knowing something so massive about Raihan irked him. Apparently it irked Gavin too.
Not that Piers cared whether or not Raihan mixed his friends group, but better to sic the kid on someone else then deal with his obvious annoyance that Piers wasn’t his brother’s friend. Thankfully, Gavin seemed to accept that answer and dropped the topic. There was no doubt in Piers’ mind that he’d be receiving a scathing phone call from Raihan if the kid actually decided to scold him, but that was fine. There was never any harm in rocking the boat just a little bit.
The minutes passed by quickly with Gavin chatting about how he’d be in trouble with his mom, but Gordie wouldn’t yell at him or how he really wanted a Charizard but his mother said no. Now that he knew he’d safely return home, Gavin was more than happy to share his life story with Piers. While he didn’t say anything in response, Piers listened to every word the kid said. Growing up with his little sister constantly chatting his ear off, he learned that most of the time children just wanted to be listened to. He made sure to nod his head or give at least a small hum of acknowledgement as Gavin spoke. Every word that came from his mouth made Piers' smile grow. If he were being honest with himself he missed taking care of his younger sibling. Gordie was lucky to have someone who seemed to look up to him.
Piers drifted off as he heard someone call his name. The voice was much too high and far too familiar to be Gordie. He turned towards the gym to see Marnie running to him, obviously distressed at the lack of a Zigzagoon in her arms. He would have comforted her and reassured her that he had probably found their lost baby had Gavin not suddenly screamed out.
There was more going on than Piers was ready for. Up walked his fellow gym leader, looking confident and cool, and perhaps a tad arrogant in those sunglasses of his. The arrogance was deserved as far as Piers was concerned. Anyone who could stride up to him with his Zigzagoon perched on their shoulder as if they had known it for years earned their pride. Not only did his heart jump at the sight of his baby, but he was happy that this family would finally be reunited. Before Piers could do anything Gavin ran to his older brother and grabbed him around his waist, rubbing his face into his stomach and crying softly.
Perhaps that arrogant look was just that—a look. Piers smiled widely at the warm welcome Gordie gave his brother, but he was looking forward to his own reunion. He eyed the Zigzagoon, and as much as he wanted to run towards it and snatch it into his arms he kept his composure. The same couldn’t be said for Marnie.
“Marnie. I’m Piers’ sister. I really can’t thank you enough for finding our Zigzagoon. We were so scared something had happened to him. God, I’m so sorry, Zigzagoon!” The attention on Gordie didn’t last too long.  Gordie wanted to comfort her and let her know that everything was fine now, but he stopped himself as her eyes began to water. Perhaps this was a situation better left for her older brother. He may have been the one to find Zigzagoon, but Gordie could tell that her guilt lay in the fact that she had almost lost, not only her precious companion, but Piers’ as well. He imagined she would have liked to say more, but she quietly shuffled away and stood to the side as the Zigzagoon continued to lick her cheek.
Gordie returned that devilish smile with one of his own, though the sweet chuckle that accompanied it betrayed its mischief. The unexpected mix of sweet and sinister caught Piers off guard. He attributed his surprise to the reason why his heart beat just a bit faster. Not that Gordie would ever know that Piers was impressed with his little nuances. His normally expressionless face remained just that--stoic, calm, and emotionless. No need to wear his heart on his sleeve, especially when dealing with strangers... No matter how charming their smiles and laughs were.
In that moment Piers decided he could listen to Gordie’s laugh for the rest of his life and never tire of it. How could such a soft, gentle laugh come out of someone who specialized in rock Pokemon? More impressive than that was just how gentle his personality was. Piers never once thought of Gordie as anything more than competition, but the more time he stood in front of him the more curious he grew. After all, rocks often had sharp, jagged edges. There was no telling what was hiding behind that sweet laugh. Perhaps it was something just as sweet or, as Piers’ preferred, perhaps there was something darker lurking inside.
He’d have to wait to find out.
Gordie blinked as his little brother called his name. He smiled at him, hoping to quell any worry that might have sprung up in the younger one. Whatever feelings of doubt he had running through his mind disappeared. He had to stay strong. He had to believe in his resolve. Not only that, but he knew that he wasn’t ready to speak to her again. Even if he wanted to apologize for everything, even if he wanted to get on his knees and beg forgiveness, he couldn’t. He simply wasn’t ready.
Gordie finally knocked on the door and didn’t have to wait even a moment before it burst open. He and Melony met eyes for a split second before she turned her attention to the boy in his arms.
“Oh, Gavin! What were you thinking? Why did you run away from me? Don’t you ever do that again!” Melony snatched her son, and squeezed him in much the same way that Marnie had done with her Zigzagoon. The memory made Gordie smile more than the reunion he was witnessing. While he was happy that Gavin had made it home, he couldn’t help but feel that horrible resentment rise in him again at the sight of his mother. Even when she finally focused on him and thanked him, all he could do was nod.
“It’s fine,” he cut her off abruptly, already hating himself for his rudeness.  Those disgusting feelings of anger and resentment rose in him. Each second that passed by only made it worse. “I wouldn’t have let him, you know…” He drifted off as he attempted to speak with her. At least he could say he tried.
“Umm… Do you want to maybe come inside?” Melony asked as her second oldest and only girl, Gina, appeared behind her.
Hearing Gina’s voice settled all of the negative emotions that were swirling inside of Gordie. The two were close, probably the closest of all the siblings. They even considered their relationship stronger than the young twins. Perhaps that was why when Gordie and Melony got into their fight, Gina defended Gordie with everything she had. If she were old enough to move out she just might have considering how much she thought their mother had wronged him. Gordie could always rely on his sister, and as much as he appreciated her being on his side, he was happy to see that she didn’t seem strained living with Melony. They could get along and disagree all at once, which was something Gordie envied.
“I’ve got some things to do back at the gym. I don’t really have time.” Such a lame excuse normally wouldn’t fly with women as strong-willed as his mother and sister, but even they treaded lightly on the fragile relationship of mother and son. Gordie could tell that his sister wanted to push more, that she wanted to have a family dinner like they used to. Her pained expression hurt Gordie more than she would ever know, but he still couldn’t bring himself to simply walk through the door and eat with them. All of the guilt and hurt and pain that he experienced couldn’t push through the anger brought on by just the sight of his mother. He wondered if Melony felt the same way about him. Surely no mother could loathe her son to such a degree, even someone as strong as Melony. Yet, when their eyes met, Gordie saw so much happening behind those blue eyes. There was pain there, yes, but considering that she was the ice queen there was a deep fire blazing through her. She wasn’t ready to apologize either; in fact she was more than ready to fight for her stance in the matter.
Today wasn’t the day the family would be truly reunited.
“I’ll call.”  By this point Melony had taken all she could. She turned on her heel and disappeared inside of the house. The last things Gordie heard was her cooing and doting on Gavin before it faded into the darkness. Gina still stood at the door, watching their mother walk off before facing Gordie again. She shook her head and crossed her arms as she leaned against the door frame. She opened her mouth to speak, but Gordie, in what seemed to be a habit now, interrupted her.
Gordie was again surprised at how his family was associated with ice rather than fire. He considered himself the most relaxed of the bunch; everyone else was more intense