Help

These last few weeks had been rough and Míngzé couldn’t say he was doing too good. There were bags under his eyes caused by a lack of sleep that only seemed to get worse. Each week it felt like his life was falling apart more and more. In his eyes it could all be traced back to one thing. The thorn in his foot called an affinity.

Míngzé’s only reason for going downstairs that day was because had to empty his mailbox. Lucky for him, there was not much in it. His long black hair fell over his shoulders like a curtain as he hadn’t cared enough to tie it together. Not when all he wanted to do was grab his mail and nothing else.

He was on his way back, when a familiar voice sounded in his ears. Fuck. Míngzé had wanted to avoid this confrontation for as long as possible. It was worse enough that he had failed to listen to him when he stood at his doorstep a few weeks ago, and his— conflict— or whatever it was with Sāng did not help.

“Uh— yeah— hi.” Míngzé could hit himself against the head for how stupid that sounded. It seemed like the other wanted to tell him something, but decided against it. “Wish I could say the same.” That was even worse. “I didn’t mean— not like— what I meant— a joke, it was a joke, you know, with the—” With the letters in hand he gestured at his head in some weird movement. All this time he’d wondered what he would say to the kid if he saw him again. This horrible attempt at a joke was not among it.

“Forget it. How have you been?” At that point it was better to move on and ignore his little slip up. He already felt bad enough towards Vince and he did not want to make it worse.

Míngzé had no idea why he kept doing this. These stupid jokes had to stop but it seemed impossible. This time it did not seem to bother Vince, which was reassuring. Not that it made any of this any easier. There was no denying the guilt he felt towards the other and in return it also made him feel awkward around him.

Vince confessed to him that things were difficult, which was to be expected. To keep himself from sighing, he softly bit down on his lip. “Enough for me to know that I owe you an apology,” he decided to say. It was true. At that time, the other had been justified in their concern, only for Míngzé to brush aside everything. All because he refused to take Vince seriously.

When heard that the other had brought him a present, one of his eyebrows shot up and he took a step back. “No I— I really can’t accept this,” Míngzé said as he held up his hands in front of him. After everything it would feel wrong to accept anything. “It’s really kind of you but— you shouldn’t have.” Truth be told, if anyone should be handing out I’m sorry-presents, it was him. Not Vince. At least, he assumed that this was what it was, because he felt like he owed an apology.

Recalling that day, Míngzé could only speculate on what he could have done differently. Maybe if he had taken things seriously, Sāng wouldn't have ended up getting stabbed. Or maybe he would have. It was impossible to know, without knowing any of the details. “It all sounded so very insignificant back then,” he sighed. What happened, happened, they could not turn back time. “Still, I’m sorry for not taking you more seriously.” When he apologized to the kid, it felt like a pressure fell off his shoulders.

The gift Vince had bought for him was something else entirely. Míngzé did not feel like he deserved even the smallest of gifts. His shoulders dropped a bit when it became clear he had to accept whatever it was. Hopefully it was nothing more than a small souvenir. A keychain of some mountain in Beasin. While he wanted to argue further, he felt like it would not matter anyway.

“Alright,” he said while extending his hand with the palm facing upwards. It quickly became clear that it was not a stupid keychain. Once it was in his hand, he moved it around trying to discern what it was. It was Vince who had to explain it. Míngzé’s jaw dropped at the explanation. “This— this is too much.” He could only imagine how expensive this must have been. “I can’t possibly—” he started before he cut himself off. If he denied it now, it would only be a waste of money. “Thank you Vince, I mean it.” Besides all the conflicting feelings, he was grateful for this gift.

“How does it work exactly?” He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, holding both items next to each other.

It was a mystery to Míngzé what exactly had happened to both Vince and Sāng. One got stabbed and the other had to go to Baesin for family matters. As the other now told him he inherited a big sum of money, Míngzé could only assume someone had died. It made a frown appear on his forehead, one with a hint of worry. A soft hum rolled over his lips at another mention of his pokémon. “As far as I’m aware none of them can read, it will be useful either way.” There was a small smile on his lips as he said that.

Mingze moved it through his fingers a bit more before coming to the conclusion that he had no idea what to do next. The choice was quickly made when Vince offered his help and he held both devices towards him. “Go ahead.” As he waited he crossed his arms over his chest. “How is Sāng? It’s been a while since I last saw him. He eh— told me he got stabbed.” Seeing as Vince was in the building where they lived, he probably knew all about it.

Míngzé loosely crossed his arms over his chest as he let Vince do all the work. This way it was done right form the first try. It would be a shame if such a great gift broke immediately. To him it was still too much, but as Vince did not take no for an answer, he would accept it. From his explanation it sounded like a very good tool to have, one that might truly be of use to him.

When it was done, Míngzé grabbed his phone again and followed the instructions given to him by Vince. Disabled The voice of his phone sounded. He did it again, only this time he heard enabled. Now all that was left was to try it out. “So all I have to do is point at something,” Míngzé muttered to himself before turning towards the elevator. Out of order. A smile formed itself on his lips. So the elevator was broken. Again. “This is a great gift, thank you, Vince.” This would definitely make his life easier.  

He hummed softly as Vince told him Sāng was doing fine, which hopefully meant his wound was healing nicely. “Yeah, I’ve noticed, there were a lot of them.” Most of them had found a place to sleep during the truth or dare session they had, but nonetheless they were there. “I’m happy to hear that the both of you are moving forward, you deserve it.” All he knew about the struggles they’ve faced were bits and pieces, but from what he knew it was severe. They deserved to find happiness.  

“It’s alright, there have been ups and downs, but who doesn’t have those, right?” There was a small smile on his lips. While things between them seemed alright now, his trust in the other was still small.

His jaw dropped a bit when Vince told him how many pokémon were living in that small apartment. “That’s a lot.” Which was to put it mildly. With three people in his apartment it already felt like it was too much. Míngzé softly hummed, understanding why it was one of the reasons they would soon move out. “I don’t think anyone minds an upgrade from this place,” he said with a small smile. It wasn't terrible, but it was evident that this place was one of the more affordable apartment blocks. “Have you talked to him about these big plans yet?” The way Vince talked about all this, gave him the idea that he hadn’t.

The mention of Qiān made Míngzé clench his jaw. It was a problem he always pushed to the back of his mind, one he had to take care of at some point. He just did not know how to solve the problem. “Yeah, there are three more. Two of them, a vulpix and houndour, don’t take up much space. The ninetales is a different story, but we’re managing.” They had to, because they had no other option.

Míngzé raised an eyebrow when Vince confessed that he had not said anything to Sāng yet, but also his mention of money. Seemed like his friend had hit the jackpot with this boyfriend of his. “That is quite the surprise, a whole house,” Míngzé said a bit stunned. It was not everyday you heard someone talking about buying someone a whole house. ”I'm certain he'll be relieved to leave this place,” Because who wouldn’t. It was not bad, but hardly great.

Míngzé was aware that some pokémon had different forms that depended on the region they were born in. Yet that is also where his knowledge ended. He raised an eyebrow at the question asked. “I have no—” Luckily Vince elaborated some more. “Hard to tell, the ninetales is definitely warm, so I assume she is from Kanto. The other— she does not let me touch her,” Míngzé ended with a soft sigh, although there was a smile on his lips. EVen though they were not great companions, he liked having her around. “The one time I held her, she felt neither very hot nor cold. Just normal I guess?” Perhaps he should try to check it again later. “Someone gave her to me, claiming she was an Eevee, but it turns out that's not what she is at all.”

Softly he hummed as he nodded. It was something he knew all too well, how one place could hold so many memories that it was a torture to stay there. It was exactly the reason why his parents moved a few years ago. “I hope you can find something you both like soon.” If he could, he would also want to leave this place. But that had to wait.

Míngzé raised an eyebrow when the other asked him if he could see the pokémon. “Why?” The question was out before he could help it. It was a weird request. As far as he was aware, a vulpix was not anything special. “I mean, sure, I guess, if you really want to and if she wants to.” For all he knew this kid liked vulpix very much. “There is a chance she won’t show herself.” Even he could not touch her while he gave her food and was with her at all times. So far he had no idea why she acted this way.

“Sure, if you really want to, follow me,” Míngzé shrugged slightly before making his way towards the staircase. Traits held no appeal to him, even though most of his pokémon were either traited or shiny. But if Vince really wanted to see her, who was he to say no.

A smile formed on his lips while they were walking. “We’ll see. There is only one person she seemed to like thus far. It is a miracle if she even shows her head.” The pokémon had a habit of staying in a different room from anyone else. Even when there was food, she would wait until everyone had eaten and left.

The way up was not a long one and Míngzé grabbed his keys as they walked. Once he started opening the door, they were immediately greeted by a whole lot of barking. It was something Dai did everytime. “Dai, stop it.” But he never did. He was happy to greet Míngzé, but seemed unsure about Vince and barked a few times before running back to the one he trusted, only to then repeat it again. His Ninetales on the other hand lay on the couch and only looked up, her red eyes focussed on the stranger in their home.

“I have no idea where she is, so go ahead, look around.” Unlike the others, she would not come and meet them at the door. SHe was probably already hidden away somewhere.

Even though he shared the same place with this pokémon for quite a while, he had no idea what her hiding spots were. If he was not mistaken, one was underneath his bed, he could sometimes hear her down there. Although, it might also be someone else. There really was no telling.

Dai had chosen a spot at his side, eying the stranger in their house cautiously. Míngzé could still hear his soft growls, but they had quieted down a little. “If you see a ninetales somewhere, it’s probably best to let her be. She’s not too keen on others.” If she ever bit anyone, he did not want it to be Vince. Not when it looked like their situation was improving even a little bit.

As he was anything but the right person to go look for something that didn’t want to be found, he went to sit down on his couch. Míngzé could hear Vince walking around his house and the soft humming that followed. Dai joined him and he felt the ninetales coming closer. He placed his hand on her head and patted her.

The presence of the stranger had piqued Wěi’s attention. As expected, she poked her head out from the bedroom. That was as far as she went, clearly she was not too certain about this whole situation.