With his mind and body equally exhausted, Jason had less trouble than he anticipated falling asleep. Ren had once again left to go out and play while he slept, so with the AC turned to its highest setting, he fell asleep spooning Korrina with his left hand on her belly.
'It's hot...' Jason noted, rousing smoothly from a dreamless slumber to discover a soft but firm hand overlaying his and a tremendous amount of heat radiating from behind him. He had definitely told her to wash up and sleep in her own bed when she returned, but Ren had once again climbed into bed with him and Korrina. Now, she was spooning him, her elongated snout nestled in the nook between his neck and shoulder, and her left leg pulled up, resting on his hip.
Though it occurred to him that he should feel uncomfortable, Jason noted for the umpteenth time that being held felt calming. Ren radiated heat like a furnace, but despite her inordinate density, her leg didn't feel too heavy on his hip, and the palm of her hand was surprisingly soft.
"Ren likes sleeping with Jason..." Ren whispered, demonstrating to Jason that his stirring awake hadn't gone unnoticed.
"But you're supposed to be sleeping in your own bed..." Jason reminded, his voice quiet but firm.
"Ren knows..." responded Ren, drawing closer to Jason and holding him tightly as she uttered her longest sentence by far, revealing, "But Ren is scared...scared that Jason will leave her..."
'Did she pick up on that on her own, or did Luca say something to her...?' Jason wondered. As far as he was aware, Ren couldn't read his thoughts yet, so she shouldn't know that he had considered leaving her to train at the Tower of Mastery. He had already decided against it, so if he had to guess, Ren was picking up on his discomfort regarding her changes and misinterpreting it to mean he no longer wanted to be near her.
'I really am a bastard...' thought Jason, exhaling exasperatedly from his nose. It wasn't Ren's fault that he felt the way he did, but because she could sense his doubts and discomfort through his Aura, he was making her anxious about things she had no control over.
Closing his eyes, Jason softly asserted, "I understand why you're afraid, but you can rest assured, Ren...so long as it remains within my power to guarantee, I will never leave you..."
"Jason promise...?" asked Ren, her hand and body trembling faintly as if she were about to cry.
"I promise..." Jason affirmed, removing his hand from under Ren's to give it a gentle, reassuring pat.
"Mmn...Ren trusts Jason..."
Though he could have done without her licking the underside of his chin, Jason felt equal parts relieved and guilty as Ren separated from him and scooted off the bed to return to her own. At the same time, exhibiting that she had awoken at some point, Korrina hooked her hand and forearm over his, pinning him in place and caressing his hand with her thumb.
Since Korrina didn't say anything, Jason responded to her implicit show of support with a kiss to her exposed shoulder. Then, as there were still two and a half hours before they were scheduled to awaken and begin a new day, he nestled as close to her as their physical bodies permitted and did his best to fall back asleep...
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Following their usual early morning routine, Korrina, taking advantage of Jason's relaxed mental state, remarked, "I think you should spend the day with Ren," while brushing her teeth to his left.
"As in, you don't think we should come and watch your matches?" Jason questioned, raising his right brow and meeting Korrina's gaze through her reflection.
"That's right..." Korrina affirmed with a nod. Then, positioning herself behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and caressing his abs, she asserted, "After this morning, I realized that the two of you needed time to work things out without distractions. So spend the day with her and do your best to help her understand your position. Though if you ask me, you would be better off spending the time helping her pick out clothes..."
Leaving Jason at a loss, Korrina kissed the side of his neck and promptly departed the bathroom without another word. What he got from this was that she wanted him to resolve things with Ren before investing time and energy into other things—including her.
'In other words, I need to get my shit together...' Jason thought, closing his eyes and inhaling a deep, steadying breath. The thought that Korrina was getting good at handling him crossed his mind, but he didn't linger on it. Instead, he began considering how he and Ren should spend their time together. Korrina wasn't wrong about her needing new clothes, and on his end, he needed to get over his overmindfulness of her body. To that end, helping her pick out and try on new outfits addressed both problems. And if he could further teach her how to dress without assistance, he wouldn't need to worry about waking up to her spooning him unclothed, as she had been that morning...
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After seeing Korrina and Luca off at the ferry, Jason and Ren spent much of the early morning exploring the shore, collecting shells, and waving at those who passed on the backs of or being tugged by Water-types such as Lapras. Most of the stores in the city were operating on holiday hours due to the WCS Battle Festival, meaning they opened between 10~11 AM. This included the clothing store Korrina had recommended to him, a shop that specialized in preparing clothing for Kalos's world-famous Pokémon Showcases.
"A-Ah! Tres bien! Welcome to Shalour le Fleur—where budding Pokémon find their bloom~!" greeted a petite girl with fluffy pink hair that almost matched the hue of a Nurse Joy. Her uniform was a smart white pantsuit with a gold and floral motif, and as she wasn't expecting a customer to arrive so early in the day, she nearly snapped her heel as she rose from behind the counter, where she had been lazily watching WCS broadcasts and snacking on corn chips.
"Are you open? Or should we come back later...?" asked Jason, wearing a practiced, friendly-seeming smile.
"We're open! We're open!" the girl asserted, waving her hands in front of her in a panic before shifting her gaze to Ren, her pale blue eyes widening as she exclaimed, "And ma parole! What an impressive Lucario! Such lush fur! And that tail! Magnifique~!"
Causing the girl's eyes to practically become stars, Ren, clearly mimicking Korrina, proudly puffed out her chest and asserted, "Ren is the best!" with her hands on her hips.
"Oh!? And she speaks!? Merveilleux! Exceptionnelle...!" chimed the bubbly pinkette, clapping the tips of her white-gloved fingers together. It wasn't her first time meeting a Pokémon that could speak, but they were few and far between, even among Showcase participants.
"This is Ren..." Jason introduced, caressing the top of Ren's head with his right hand as he explained, "She just evolved yesterday afternoon, so we need to replace her entire wardrobe."
With the stars in her eyes replaced by Poké Dollars, the pinkette clapped her hands and excitedly proclaimed, "Very good, Monsieur! Just leave it to me! By the time we're finished, I'll have your Luc—Mademoiselle Ren here looking like the coolest or cutest flower in the entire garden! I just need to know Monsieur's budget. Then we can—"
Seeing Jason pull out Lusamine's card, the pinkette's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from shock. She had assumed he was well off based on his attire and the fact that he had a talking Lucario. Now, she felt as if a Prince had walked into her store, leaving her feeling paradoxically hot and cold at the same time.
"W-We'll begin by taking her measurements..." stammered the pinkette, who, based on the golden pin on her chest, Jason gathered was named Saria. Her failing to introduce herself exhibited a lack of prudence on her part, but when it came time for her to take Ren's measurements, she was both swift and accurate. She even managed to guess Ren's weight based solely on her proportions. Jason wasn't sure how that was relevant, but it was impressive, nonetheless...
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"Alright...one leg at a time...nice and careful..." Jason repeated for what must have been the tenth time. He and Ren had returned to the Tower of Mastery following their shopping tour of the city, so with the most neutral expression he could manage, he was talking her through dressing herself without his assistance.
Catching Jason off guard, Ren, in the midst of pulling up a pair of black, spat-like panty bottoms, asked, "Why does Ren wear clothes...?" before pointing out, "Luca doesn't wear them."
'Her speech is improving rapidly...' Jason noted, outwardly responding, "It's because Ren is special—" before catching himself and frowning. He genuinely believed that Ren was special, but it wasn't the reason he had her wear clothes.
"Jason...?"
Taking note of Jason's strange reaction, Ren tilted her head nearly sixty degrees to stare at him.
Shaking his head, Jason, inspired by Ren's noticeably improved mental faculties, chose to be honest, stating, "It's because I'm not comfortable seeing Ren naked. I'm also not comfortable seeing Luca naked, but he's not my partner."
"Ren makes Jason uncomfortable...?" asked Ren, her brows furrowing and a slightly hurt look marring her face.
"You do," Jason affirmed, his expression and tone softening as he calmly but quickly appended, "But it's not because there's anything wrong with you or because you've done something bad. Ren is amazing. You can be a little naughty at times, but I appreciate everything about you. The issue is entirely on my end."
"Oh..."
Seeing Ren frown, glance down at her body, and touch her chest with her right hand, Jason inferred that his explanation had likely exacerbated her confusion.
"Use your words, Ren...tell me what you're thinking..." Jason entreated, his voice low and soothing.
Meeting Jason's gaze, Ren didn't speak for several seconds. When she did, her words cut through him like an arrow to the chest as she quietly asserted, "Ren doesn't want to make Jason uncomfortable..."
"It's not you, Ren...it's me..." Jason reiterated, his words feeling strained in his throat, barely reaching his lips. Ren didn't break down and cry, but the hurt in her eyes as she looked at him and then avoided his gaze made him feel as though his heart was caught in a vice.
'Just how can I help her understand...?' Jason asked himself, feeling dizzy as his heart pumped his blood faster than his restrained breathing could replace the oxygen within it. He could feel his body breaking out in a cold sweat, and since it hadn't been that long since he ate, a chill settled in the pit of his stomach, causing him to feel nauseous.
"Ren..." muttered Jason, unsure if the word had reached his lips as Ren didn't immediately raise her gaze to meet his. When she did, he imagined himself channeling every ounce of conviction he possessed as he stated, "I was wrong to say you made me uncomfortable. The truth is that I make myself uncomfortable. So, please, don't look so sad. It breaks my heart to see you like that..."
"Jason's heart hurts...?" asked Ren, tilting her head and searching Jason's face in confusion before glancing down at his chest. She could sense that he was in distress, and though his words had hurt her, she didn't want him to suffer or feel sad.
"..."
Seeing Ren tentatively approach him in nothing but her spat-like bottoms, Jason opened his mouth but found himself unable to speak as she leaned forward slightly and placed his right hand on his chest. Nothing happened at first, but as her brows creased and her expression hardened into a look of intense focus, bluish-white energy emanated from her palm, spreading to the compact black fur that coated her forearm.
Feeling a familiar, soothing sensation spread through his chest, filling his body with warmth, Jason didn't need to check Ren's status to know she was emulating Audino's Heal Pulse. It definitely wasn't among the moves she had the last time he checked, but for his sake, she was drawing it out from memory, presumably through the use of Copycat.
"You really are amazing, Ren..." Jason muttered, prompting Ren to look up at him, their faces separated by only a few centimeters as he was seated atop a chair. Jason tensed at the notion that she might try to kiss him, but she didn't. Instead, after adopting a faint smile, she sat on his lap, facing him without breaking eye contact. Then, without speaking, she drew close to him and placed her chin on his shoulder, her hands resting on his sides, and her tail dangling between his legs as if to say, 'Look? I'm not going to harm you...'
As Ren's sincerity flowed into him along with a palliative warmth, Jason felt his guilt weighing upon him like an unrelenting gravitational pull. All of the discomfort he had been feeling was born within him. He couldn't help but imagine the worst possible scenario. Meanwhile, Ren just wanted him to be happy and to be near him. She had never once considered him to be anything more than he was—the partner. Thus, after several moments of feeling sorry for himself, he slowly wrapped his arms around Ren, cupped the back of her head with his right hand, and held her as tenderly as she had always deserved...
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