#Riley and Ash later developed some rather nasty headcolds from being outside all night.
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Northern Nights-Southern Lights
"For all my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of stars makes me want to dream." -Vincent Van Gogh [Or alternately: An ancient ghost, his teenaged son, and a pokémon all get stuck on a rooftop and have to wait for the kid's co-guardian to come rescue them.]
Words: 3,200+
Rating: T
A/N: So the general premise of this is an AU where Riley (who is Ash's biological dad) gets custody over over him after Delia passes on when he's a baby and eventually (through a rather convoluted series of events) meets up with a rather ghostly Sir Aaron and the three of them travel together with their pokémon and they have adventures together as a family as they teach their kid the ways of an Aura Guardian.
Oh, and I don't own Pokémon or any of it's affiliates.
Got it? Good.
"For all my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of stars makes me want to dream."-Vincent Van Gogh
{-x-}
Ka-thwunk!
"…For the record, I did say that if it wasn't going to work the first time you tried it then it probably wasn't going to work the next fifteen times-"
"..."
"-but maybe if you had just stopped to actually listen to me for once instead of blithely plowing on ahead-"
"..."
"-then perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."
A dull thunk reverberated loudly as the rubber-clad sole collided soundly with the sturdy metal frame.
"I actually think it moved a little that time..."
"Urgah!" The teenager threw his hands up and stomped away from the recalcitrant slab in disgust. Pointedly looking away from the specter hovering beside him, dark brown eyes drifted over the darkened horizon before finally shifting back to the entrance of the rooftop observatory. 'Stupid hunk of junk.' He fumed as he plopped himself down with a huff. 'How the heck did we even get into this mess in the first place?' He wondered as his thoughts meandered back a few hours prior.
{-+-}
The morning sun had just poked its head over the far horizon and already did it hold itself with the promise of being an absolutely beautiful day. They had finally reached the city's outskirts and both he and his electric companion had been rather eager to scope out the local gym scene. It was at that moment, however, that the fourth member of their party had declared that there were some things that he had to take care of and was (understandably) reluctant to leave them their own devices. Naturally, this had lead to an inordinate amount of whining before their co-guardian finally relented, much to their utter delight.
But before the duo could even let out a shout of approval he had doubled-back with a list of stipulations: first being that if anything –and he meant anything– happened that they were to contact him immediately, second was that whenever they were done with whatever it is they were going to do they had to rendezvous at the Central Pokémon Center, and lastly –they would only be allowed to go if Aaron agreed to go with them and serve as a chaperone.
Three sets of expectant eyes zeroed-in on the drifting apparition for the verdict. He caved immediately. The gleeful duo cheered, speeding off towards this new adventure without so much as a goodbye.
The now trio meandered through the urban expanse this way and that, periodically stopping to investigate each and every little thing that had managed to catch their fancy. Enjoying every second of it even as they gradually became more and more sidetracked until they realized they had managed to get completely lost.
It had been Aaron's quick thinking to suggest that maybe they should find some place to stop and ask for directions. This had somehow led to them finding this really tall office-type building and the cleaning guy there and seeing that it was that he probably couldn't even see Aaron to begin with and was highly unlikely that he could understand pokémon either the two had wandered away, leaving the task to the last member of their party. It was there where Ash had learned about the rooftop observatory.
He remembered thinking at the time that maybe it would be nice to take a quick look around and have a break from all that walking they (well, namely he) did earlier and the view from that high up could probably help them find their bearings. That had been the plan at least, until the door locked behind them. Various methods had been dedicated to reopening the portal until eventually he just resorting to kicking the damned thing when all else failed.
They were well and truly stuck.
{-x-}
'How was I supposed to know the dumb thing was messed up?!' He glanced down at a piece of paper with a cheerfully stenciled 'out of order' that seemed to have fluttered to the ground and went unnoticed during his assault upon the door. '…I mean, yeah, okay, I guess there's that...but still!'
"And the day was going so well too…" The young man sulked. The soft click-clack of claws meeting tile stopped as their owner made its way over to him. The small being drew up on his haunches with a chirp, resting one of those tiny yellow paws on his trainer's arm, and gave it a sympathetic pat. Huffing slightly, he pulled the mouse onto his lap and allowed the creature to snuggle up to him as he began to rake his fingers through the other's vibrant fur, stroking it in a soothing manner as his gaze returned to the middle distance.
From somewhere behind him there was a sigh. The youth didn't need a set of eyes in the back of his head to see the nigh imperceptible furrowing of his co-guardian's brows and frown that came with.
"Ash."
He said nothing.
There was a slight pause before he forged on, "I'm sorry, I was just trying to draw your attention in order to prevent something like this from occurring." He gestured vaguely to the paper and around them, "Alas, it seems my efforts were in vain." Ash could almost hear the small upturn of the other's lips as he shook his head. "But honestly, I don't see how sulking like a meowth who lost its treasure is going to remedy to this predicament." Despite his best efforts, the man's amusement at the whole thing seemed to have bled through somewhat. "I'd have to say it would probably be as effective as your earlier attempts at becoming a battering ram, which is to say not at all."
"Argh I know, I know!" He ground out exasperatedly. A free hand came up to clutch at his dark hair, the action knocking his hat askew. "There are a billion other things we could be doing right now. Like..." He made a vague grasping gesture as he searched for something off the top of his head and, when unable to do so, simply let out a frustrated noise and flopped back onto the tiles instead. "But instead we're stuck and it just really sucks!"
Pikachu, having been accidentally tossed off with the sudden shift in position, shot the young man a disgruntled look. The yellow rodent chittered agitatedly, having regained his footing, and twisted around to face his friend. After a lengthy stare he gave the boy a soft but reprimanding bap on the cheek.
"Sorry." At least he had the decency to look abashed.
Aaron's hand covered his mouth in a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to mask the laugh that threatened to spill out as he observed the duo's antics. The urge faded a bit but a note of fondness remained steadfast in his voice when he spoke, "Come now, Ash. Instead of growling about the things you cannot change why don't we take this as a chance for a...momentary respite? I don't believe it will prove harmful if we were to do so at any rate." He paused for second, hearing the boy mutter something that sounded suspiciously similar to "speak for yourself" before plowing on, "Besides, if I correctly recall do you not still posses that one particular device?"
Ash tilted his head back to look up at the other man, confusion plainly evident on his face. "Device?"
"The small communication device that you presented to me a while back. That strange…ah, what was it?" The man coloured slightly, (a feat that never ceased to amaze the teen for how did a ghost blush if you didn't have any blood? He hadn't the slightest clue.) Fumbling slightly, he glanced away seemingly embarrassed. "Forgive me but I don't quite recall what it was called." He admitted quietly.
The trainer stared at him for a long second before a look of comprehension dawned upon on his face. "Wait, you mean a phone?"
The elder's gaze flicked back to the other and he quickly nodded. "Ah yes, that was it was called. A phone."
"A phone…That's right!" He sprang back into a sitting position, glancing at the other two before going to rifle through his pockets in an attempt to locate said gadget. "We can just call Riley, tell him where we're at and have him come get us! If I can just find it..." He grimaced comically, patting himself down. "Where is it? Where, where, where-!" When his frantic search came up empty he flopped back down with a huff.
"Pikapi?" The little mouse pokémon squeaked in concern.
The boy's eyes flickered briefly to the mouse. "It's not there." He groaned, "I must've left it back with Riley along with all of our other stuff."
"Well that really is unfortunate." The ghost allowed himself to frown. He heard the other shift and observed as the lad pulled the electric pokémon into his arms and cuddled close to the small being, the other reciprocating in kind. His thoughts began to wander. Soon night would be upon them and the temperature already had begun to dip lower and lower. He looked at his ward's clothing with a critical eye, lips pursing slightly. It seemed like a decent enough overcoat at first glance but would it be thick enough to block out a normal chill and serve as a suitable enough blanket as well? It was getting pretty late after all, his gaze trailed upwards to peer at evening sky. Plus the fact that they were both so very high up and from what he could tell by the gentle swaying of the boy's dark hair there was a muted wind blowing. Sure it wouldn't affect him as much due to his...corporeality issues…but Ash (and by extension Pikachu) on the other hand...His lips pursed slightly.
"Hey Aaron."
The phantom jolted from his musing to see the other staring at him. "Hm?"
"Could you go to the ledge over there for a sec and take a peek over the edge? Tell me if you see anything."
An eyebrow rose faintly but he nodded nonetheless, drifting over to the roof's edge. He looked back to the boy before peering over the edge and…oh wow that was...they really high up weren't they? "No...?" He said once he had regained his wits about him, "It's just the building and the ground far below us…why?" He glanced up to see a peculiar look cross the young man's face. It was a look that when coupled with the youth's penchant for attracting trouble foretold nothing but ridiculous shenanigans and tomfoolery for all parties involved. "Ash."
The teen cringed and scratched at the back of his neck, "Well...okay so, I was thinking that we'd see if there was a fire escape or something and use that to climb down but that idea's pretty much a bust." A slight frown, "Plus just jumping's out of the question. Don't want to wind up falling to your death or anything like that because do you know how badly that'd hurt-"Ash reddened as he remembered just who exactly he was talking to, "Oh..." Brown eyes flickered away from the other with a small wince, "Um...sorry." He murmured as an afterthought.
Long used to the other's rather spectacular lack of tact the ghost just waved him off with a shake of the head, motioning for the other continue.
"Right." A cough, "Okay, seeing as the first plan's a no-go let's move on to number two shall we? I just had an idea which is basically…well...just because I'm stuck here-" He gestured to himself then back at the other, "-doesn't mean you have to be."
"I'm not leaving you here."
"But right now you're the only one who can though!" He protested with a shake of the head. "You could go and just make your way straight down, after all it's not like you can't float and pass through walls and stuff, and you could go and find Riley wherever he is–" The pikachu in his lap nodded along with his master's words as he went on. "–and he can help us and just–"
"Ash."
The boy stopped his tirade and glanced up at the other man.
"I'm not going to leave you here alone." It was spoken with such finality that it bore no argument. The teenager, however, did not seem to get the memo.
"But I won't be alone!" He protested, "Not as long as Pikachu's here with me." The mouse softly chattered in agreement.
"My answer remains the same. You know how you have a penchant for attracting misadventures wherever you go Ash, if I were to leave here and venture off on my own I fear I would not get far without being ill at ease." 'After all, it wouldn't so much be a question of if you were to get in trouble but rather when.' Aaron shook his head wryly, his expression faltering. "Besides, it just wouldn't feel right to abandon you here on your own."
Ash stared at him for a long moment before giving him a reluctant nod. "You're probably right." He sighed, sprawling back with his furry little buddy still clutched tightly in his arms. "'Sides you would probably just wind up getting lost and then we'd have to hunt for you too on top of everything else."
'Well, he isn't exactly wrong.' The ghost thought to himself and allowed the conversation to lapse into silence. They were, as Riley had once put it, "directionally challenged". For Aaron though, this was simply due to the fact that the landscape of the world had changed so drastically since his time on earth that anything that he might have once used for navigation was now nigh unrecognizable. Ash on the other the other hand, just simply could not read a map to save his life.
His thoughts drifted to the pokémon held carefully within young man's grasp. Strong arms kept the lounging creature safely locked in place as deft fingers stroked static-charged fur while their owner's dark eyes stared contemplatively out into the night sky. Apparently having forgiven his companion's earlier theatrics, the pokémon purred happily, lavishing in the affection presented by the other male. Pointed ears perked when the specter shifted from his position, coming over to sit down behind them before relaxing again. The trio fell into an easy silence.
"...Sorry."
"Hm?" Aaron glanced down at him.
"For earlier-" Ash started to say but was cut with a shake of the head.
"It's okay."
The boy reluctantly his eyes trail away to the distant pinpricks that had begun to twinkle in the dusk sky. Only but a few of brightest seemed to cut through the pollution of the city's lights but it was enough he supposed. "I..." Lips tugged down into a vague frown, "I just don't like feeling helpless, ya know? Like there's nothing I can do except sit quietly and wait to be rescued." He shifted slightly, "It just doesn't feel right." Dark eyes traced patterns in the stars. "Plus, I'm kind of worried."
He felt Aaron hesitate slightly behind him before making a small noise, perhaps a signal for him to continue?
"Well...Riley's gonna come back and see that we're still not there right? Neither of us left a note and he can't really call us or anything so he's probably gonna get real worried." His voice quieted as so not to break the calm between them. "I just don't want to see him upset again."
A pause then ethereal fingers began to card gently through his dark locks, the action a soothing one. "It was an accident Ash. You didn't mean to get us stuck up here or be gone so long." The man's tone was a warm one as he spoke, "Both he and I care for you enough that a mishap such as this is nothing compared to the knowledge that you're safe son." Incorporeal lips quirked a bit, "And if he takes fault with it I could always have a word with him."
Ash only response was to snort, his eyes drifting shut as he leaned into the other's ministrations. Thoughts wandering as he slowly slipped further into the dark he couldn't help but muse that for a ghost the man's hands were rather warm. It was nice, he found himself thinking, between both the steady warmth of his father at his head and Pikachu snoozing away on his chest, perhaps he should follow his little buddy's example...
{-+-}
Creak
The sound of metal shifting against tile dragged the man from his thoughts, his gaze flickered to the new arrival as he approached and sat carefully beside them. He leaned over slightly, meeting the other in a quick kiss before pulling away and turning to watch the youngest of their cadre and his pokémon, both clinging to one another as they slept.
"So this is where you were."
Aaron slipped his hand over the other's and gave him a affectionate smile, "Indeed."
"How long have the three of you been up here anyways?"
"Since late afternoon at the very least. We had thought that we could use this building's height a foil to our 'directionally challenged' nature without taking into account our collective talent for getting into peculiar situations."
"But why didn't you call me? Wait, let me guess…" Riley held up a hand as he stifled a soft laugh, "Ash forgot his phone again."
"Yes." Aaron shook his head with an exasperated fondness.
"Well at least you were here him. To keep an eye on him so you all wouldn't get into any more trouble." He teased lightly.
"Hn." His gaze trailed up to the stars when suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Say Riley,"
"Hm?"
"Did you remember to find something to prop the door open so we could make our way back down?"
"..."
Aaron gaze flickered over to his partner then back behind them at the door which he had allowed to fall shut. The utterly flat look that the other guardian gave him caused the man to flush slightly and look up and away from his partner.
"Ah...well...right. At least it's not too bad of a night tonight." Riley remarked.
Aaron sighed, his eyes trailing up to the sky above. It was going to be a long night.
#DS7's Log#-Carefully adds to The Archive-#PKMN Fanfiction#Ash Ketchum#Pikachu#Sir Aaron#Riley Gen#The night shift janitor eventually found them and let them back in but...#Riley and Ash later developed some rather nasty headcolds from being outside all night.
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