Chapter Text
Kieran didn’t know how to express his emotions. It was bad–he knew that much–but he didn’t really know how to care. He just stared, a feeling of numbness in his heart. He hadn’t expected Drayton to get so, well, cozy next to Juliana like that. He was scooting in the seat right next to her, head leaned to her shoulder as he showed her–well-whatever! Kieran wouldn’t have that, Juliana deserved a real rival, not Drayton. Kieran just watched, his blood boiling as he shoved the feelings as far down as possible. He didn’t need to explode over Drayton touching Juliana.
Juliana, who betrayed him by hiding Ogerpon from him. He hated Juliana more than anyone else, his sister being a close second. He didn’t need to be jealous because of Drayton being so close, in fact, he was only jealous that Drayton was showing her something instead of leaving it to him. He was the champion now, in charge of the new transfers.
Oh Arceus how his blood boiled when Drayton swung his arm around her. Something in him thirsted for blood. He ignored it. He wished he didn’t, because it would feel fantastic to draw blood. His hand twitched above his pokeballs, so ready to just let out dragonite and absolutely destroy Drayton for touching his rival.
Juliana blinked, looking up through her eyelashes at him. She kept her hair the way he’d helped her style it for the festival. It was sloppily done–like she’d done the style herself instead of getting help. He didn’t know why that made it hurt worse.
“Kieran?” Her voice was gentle, just as soft as it was when he’d last seen her. Months ago. Her eyes were wide, as though she hadn’t expected him. Sickening.
Why did his heart flutter when she looked at him like that? It was so, stupid!
“Juliana.” He iced over his heart, iced over his eyes. She would not see just how she made him feel. He’d make sure, all she saw was his steely indifference.
Drayton smiled, retracting his arm from her shoulders. If he saw just how brightly Kieran’s eyes burnt, he didn’t react. That made him feel even worse, worse enough to make him want to settle things with a battle.
Drayton practically grinned, sly as ever. “You two know each other? Juli over here was just tellin’ me about how she became the champion in Paldea!”
Juli?
“Aye–” she put a hand on Drayton’s arm with a laugh, “yeah no. I was discussing one of my friends, Nemona, and how she became a champion trainer. Es muy aburrido que ustedes piensen eso.”
Her voice was smooth, like honey whenever she moved to her more native paldean. She spoke galarian mostly, but he remembered what they spoke of during the festival.
Curled up on her shoulder, she spoke on and on, how her father was Paldean and so was her mother, but they’d moved to Galar when she was 3. She grew up speaking both paldean and galarian. When she moved, it began slipping into her speech, considering others understood it.
“We’re not boring, Juliana, and you know exactly what I’m thinking.” His voice was icy, cold to mask the odd warmth from what she’d said. He’d been trying to learn paldean after they first met, and he continued on after she betrayed him.
It was hard to remind himself she wasn't curled up with him, watching the fireworks go off at the festival together. She was sitting at a lunch table with the ex-champion, Drayton, who had his arm around her. His arm around her.
Kieran felt oddly sick.
He sat down, just across from Juliana. The other three filed in next to him at the table. Amarys and Lacey looked at him with concern, Crispin was chowing down on the sandwich he’d made earlier.
Lacey glanced at the hand Drayton had placed over Juliana’s, her eyes narrowing at Kieran. She probably knew he was irrationally angry, but she said nothing. The awkward silence had extended to the rest of the students, who’d begun to file out nervously. Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Kieran’s rage these days. Not since he came back from break.
“Ah! Kieran! You know Paldean?” She blinked, wide-eyed at him. A grin broke across her face, almost ethereal in quality.
“I learned while you were with me at the festival of masks. I was planning on telling you I was learning, Juliana.” His eyes shifted from her face, unable to handle whatever he’d see in them. She’d look sad, looking like he’s pitiful and something to feel bad for.
She looked like a kicked Skitty.
Drayton put a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving a reassuring smile. Amarys glanced at Kieran wearily, almost concerned for what he’d do. He looked like he was about to explode. His hand twitched against Hydrapple’s pokeball, ready to hit Drayton in the face with it.
“Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.” Her voice was softer, considerably softer, as though she was ashamed. She looked ashamed.
Good. It was her fault that Ogerpon didn’t choose him. She deserved the shame, even though it felt like the anger curdled in his stomach. Even if it made him feel sick for hurting her like this.
Drayton gave a lazy smile, jumping into the conversation, even though the others knew better. Kieran was ruthless, students whispered, he’ll push you to the brink and make you do it again.
“Juli, I take it you and Kieran know each other already? Sick!” Juli? Who did he think he was, calling her that?
She smiled weakly at Drayton, gentle enough that her brown eyes lit up with the lighting. Lacey and Amarys both shared a look, nudging Crispin to watch whatever was happening. If the three had to bet, it was a petty spat between Drayton and Kieran that Juliana was getting dragged into.
That wouldn’t explain why Kieran looked so irked about the nickname Drayton had given her, and they had to be friends from break.
She smiled at him as well. “Kiki’s sweet.”
The few stragglers let out a couple gasps, but fell dead silent, waiting for Kieran’s response. He hated that nickname. Carmine called him it, and he challenged her to a battle. He won it in less than 7 turns.
Kieran… looked almost bashful at that. He even turned a light pink shade at her words, but shook it off quickly. He was supposed to be pissed off, cause she took Ogerpon from him. They weren’t friends, not at all. He couldn’t feel flustered from her words alone, even if he looked like a petulant child.
“Don’ call me Kiki, Juliana.” The words were supposed to have a bite, but they lost it when a piece of hair came undone from his bun.
She smiled at him, placing a piece of food on his small plate. A candy apple.
(to say the rest of the elite four lost it then and there would be an understatement. Amarys even cracked a smile.)
His eyes went dead, and he blinked at the candy. Juliana thought about him, not Drayton. She only brought him something. If she ever began to favor Drayton, Kieran honestly thought he might snap. Juliana liked him.
There was a sick part of him that was glad she thought of him, a part that ignored she’d lied to him in the past. He couldn’t trust a liar, he really couldn’t, but he wanted to. There was another part that just felt possessive. Juliana was his rival, she wasn’t Drayton’s anything. Not if he had anything to do with it.
“Drayton, can you get your hands off her for a minute? I’m trying to talk to her here.” His tone went dead, his eyes losing their shine.
Juliana even flinched back. Drayton dropped his hand from her arm.
The other three members just stared in shock, they simply watched. They recognized what emotion there was in Kieran’s eyes.
Jealousy.
“Course, champion. Didn’t realize it was bothering you so much, I wouldn’t have done it at all.”
Juliana shifted away from them both, shutting her eyes with enough force to make them water. She didn’t like this type of conflict. She hated it. She hated the way they spoke. It wasn’t because it was them, but suddenly she remembered the underground, the deepest cave of area zero, the professor arguing with herself–
Drayton shook her up.
Kieran was gone, the three other elite four members still sat down, looking at her with concern and pity. It was sickening, in her opinion. And yet she still smiled at all four of them, stood up graciously, and decided to take her leave.
“Nice to meet you all, I’ll be going now.”
(It hurt.)