Even after the events of Groudon and Kyogre, respectively or not. Team Aqua and Team Magma had not quite disappeared. They no longer tried to go forward with their ideals, but stayed in a somewhat limbo. Fighting between them was still there, though it seemed more now for sport then actual malice.
Yet it was only a theory Archie had, a thought that had crossed his mind and that he quickly discarded while drinking one cool and silent night. It came back not a few days later, eating at his brain until he sat sprawled on his couch on a lazy sunday and acknowledged it.
He and Maxie, while no longer 'Rivals' as they had been all those years, seemed to be stuck. Archie himself was willing to move past it, everything really, that had occurred between them. Or, at least, he thought so. But it always came back, that unbreakable competitive side of him that recklessly threw himself to face Maxie as soon as the Magma leader opened his mouth. That itself had not changed at all between them. He had always had that power over him. Not a coaxing sweet or sour promise of something should he win, but a harsh, cruel bundle of swords that would strike should he step out of line. Or just be in visible sight.
That made him audibly sigh. As years ticked by, he could count the number of times Maxie had smiled, not a smirk but a true smile, on one hand. The more he thought, the more obvious it became how little the other was ever happy. Or anything other than irritable, moody, and narcissistic. Such a shame too, because when they first met...no...not completely different, but much more transparent. He smiled when he was happy, and it was so small, almost timid. The insults were never more than occasional 'You're a moron.' when he did something reckless, or a 'Fuck off.' from a sleep deprived and very on edge Maxie. When they joined their respective teams, it became almost automatic. He always knew where to put the words and twist them to sting. Recently however...
He glanced at the clock, time going by slowly as the day dragged on. That how days have been feeling lately. Nothing to really do but wait for orders from Hoenn law enforcement on new plans to make up for their crimes. Jobs like studying currents and reporting them, or bettering pokemon and people interaction on the water. They were very few and hard to come by as fall rolled around however. Thus leaving the leader very bored.
Time seemed to go by in a flash whenever they confronted Team Magma. That rush of rivalry still sat in them, waiting. And oh was it a rush! Pokemon battles on top of insults being flung back and forth at such a speed and intensity...! Especially between the leaders. While he and Maxie had atoned for what they did, the years of bad blood still lingered. Although the blood never got a bad as it seemed recently...
He knew Maxie, knew him well enough to know something was increasingly becoming wrong with the red head. His behavior towards him had become bordering cruel, and openly hostile. Matt had even asked Tabitha about it, and received only a very short, very worried sentence of 'Maxie...boss is sick.' Courtney hadn't been very helpful either, instead just confusing him further when she placed the blame on him.
"Even if it's not directly your fault, you are to blame for his behavior."
And it's not like he could ask him himself, as much as he would like to. All messages; mail, email, texts, were ignored.
"What did I do...?" Other than banter back and forth between the grunts, and the once in a blue moon raid on the other's base, things were pretty peaceful. He thought harder, maybe he missed a cue? Maxie had never been the direct type...
Oh
OH
How could he forget?
He repeated the actions Maxie had been repeating every time they met in his head a few times before it hit him like a geodude. Ignoring the behavior the redhead had shown was where he flubbed it. The lingering looks, the silence when not tearing him a new one, shutting himself up when those were ignored...how could he be so blind?
A grin spread widely before he laughed softly. Of course. It was so obvious. Even if Maxie didn't understand it, oh he bet he didn't either, he'd take the risk. Maybe get them out of this rut they were in. Hell, it could actually make them civil around each other. But it'd be more than a hell of a risk. He'd have to be drastic. That made him laugh harder. Drastic action was just the cure for this problem.
Honestly, he had hoped this would have gone better. The grunts held the Magma team at bay as he had hunted down Maxie and get them alone together. That had been the easy part. He might have miscalculated how angry the redhead would get. In light of recent events.
"What are you doing here?!" His voice was on the verge of snapping, not a great way to start this conversation really but he could work with it.
"I came to help ya."
"What?!" His tone was confusion and rage, glaring at him as harshly as when they started their plans. "There is nothing the likes of YOU can help me with, so kindly get the hell out!"
Archie got close to him, real close. Backed into a wall Maxie gritted his teeth and decided to stand his ground at last. Letting out a low warning rumble of 'Archie.'
Even if the man was a few inches taller, he tried to stand as equal to him, trying to get him to relax. "I came to talk." He began slowly. The other's arched eyebrow a good sign as he continued.
"I've noticed you've been acting strange around me the past few months-" Before he could explain further the color drained from Maxie's face. With a shaky hand he adjusted his glasses before letting out a sigh.
"This...that's what this is about...?" Archie nodded, surprised by the other's...reaction. Maxie folded his arms before shaking his head lowly.
"My behavior is nothing special. As of late my illness has gotten out of hand...I'm...sorry it has gotten to the point it has affected you as well."
"Ill...?"
"I'm...not right." The usually so egotistical leader who could talk for hours, now struggled to form proper words before shagging his shoulders and refusing to look at him. "I'm mentally ill. My head hasn't been in the right place after...the incidents we caused. I've already been short tempered with my own members, that of which I have explained it to them as to not cause them any...unnecessary grief."
With that he tried to walk past him, which Archie did not allow.
"Mentally ill...? Is that what you call it?" He hissed it out, the clear discomfort on Maxie's face dulling the anger to gentle cautiousness. He inched closer, lightly pressing his hand against the other's shoulder to draw him closer. He considered his words before forming them quietly and whispering it. "...I know ya like me. It's true, isn't it?"
Archie could have told him the mystery of the universe, and still he thinks Maxie could not have gotten any more tense. His shoulder felt rigid, and cold.
"No." His voice wavered, and for a second Archie considered taking it back, something was wrong. "No it's not."
"Maxie-"
Roughly his shoulders were grabbed and Maxie looked on the verge of ripping his head off. "No it's not true." His voice, which had been angry and disgusted died down as that sentence dropped. Disgust turned into empty sadness. His expression, hard and strong dropped too.
Slowly, Archie drew closer, lightly brushing a hand against his cheek. Gently caressing the freckled skin as the other's eyes grew darker.
"It's disgusting."
"It's fine."
"Stop touching me."
"Then stop saying that stuff." He lightly brushed against the other's hair, moving it back into place while the other merely stared dead ahead. Looking past him. "Nothing wrong with it. Nothin' at all."
Silence, which he took to fully note the emptiness in his gaze, how strongly he was repressing any emotion. It looked painful just to watch.
"I'd like me too..." A joke made the other's eyebrows furrow but he continued. "Guess that's what I alway liked about ya. Always keeping yer cool...when Groudon went crazy...when those bastard officers tried being funny about our punishments...that day we tried to kill each other."
"Why bring up the past."
"Well you always were a right bastard Maxie. But I never went through with the plan. I couldn't do it. And when I fucked up and ya could have easily finished me and gotten away with it..." He trailed off, to this day he could remember how rough the ground felt against his face, the shining of the knife he had brought and how it could have easily cut through his skin had Maxie pressed it a tiny bit harder on his neck. It had all been a threat and nothing ever came from it.
"I'm no saint. I was planning on pushing you down the cliff."
"But ya didn't. And when ya found out what I had planned to do, ya threw the knife into the volcano...after scaring me shitless." A hearty laugh, the air getting thinner before he murmured with a smile. "I guess that's when I noticed how gorgeous ya were."
"I'm a man." He growled, shoving the other's shoulder.
"Always been pretty. Don't know how ya even managed that...every person who ever met ya who liked a bit of fire was wrapped around yer finger."
"Don't be ridiculous." A soft blush managed to dust his cheeks, making Archie's smile widen.
"We're not good people Maxie...They don't know half the crimes we've done. So if it's morality yer worried about..."
"Like I give a damn about morality; we've BOTH tried to DESTROY the world!"
"Then there's no problem."
"Yes, there are plenty of problems with what you're proposing."
He just shook his head and opened his arms.
"Can I touch you?" He tried to speak clear, accent repressed to get his point across. The Magma leader just looked at the floor, shaking slightly. If he came on too strong he was afraid of causing the other to flee, so his arms wrapped around him in a warm, loose embrace.
"I really can't hate ya...Arceus knows I've tried... "
"Liar." Maxie stood as still as a board.
"'m not lying...sometimes I can't stand ya...but I alway end up chasing after yer boney butt." The more he spoke, the more Archie realized how embarrassing this was becoming. Feeling jams he could do with Matt, they were bros. But these type of feelings...he only had fleeting experiences.
Maxie had remained silent, unmoving and just muttering a dry. "Liar."
"Yer...really gonna make me say it...?" He rubbed his eyes, accidently pressing the other against him roughly, and getting a surprised squeak from the man. In any other scenario he would have laughed loudly, but could only manage out a sorry as he loosened his hold.
"I'm crazy about ya." He seized the other's shoulders and held him at eye level.
"That's-"
"I only want you."
"Stop it this instant I-"
"And I think we should date." He finished, eyeing the deep flush he got from Maxie and the slightly stutter and inability to form his thoughts. The empty look he had given him earlier frightened him. How cold and blank he was made the urge to touch and hold him feel overwhelming. But he kept calm. He had to. The final nail in the coffin, the only thing he had planned not to do was going to happen. When they were younger he would ask for them whenever they got wasted together. Drunk Maxie was extremely docile, a mix of sleepy and sweet. So he alway got them. They meant little then, just experimenting teens who had nothing better to do after a long day at work. Now, it seemed everything hinged on something so small.
He looked at his lips, a glancing look as a warning, clear as day to the other. And he got closer. Maxie had froze, eyeing him with a frightened expression before their noses brushed. A mutual shudder shook both their bodies to the core, Archie's throat felt dry and his cheeks burned worse than any sunburn he ever experienced. Softly he heard Maxie murmur his name, in a small voice he never could have dreamed the tyrant to have. It threw him off, how...tender, this moment was. So he pretended. Just as Maxie did, as he did, he pretended to keep his cool. To seem to be confident and know what he was doing. Closing that distance felt like eternity.
"It's fine, isn't it?" He asked one last time, the conflict showing like reflected glass on his face.
A tug on his suit lowered his eyes to his waist, where he saw two fingers cautiously holding onto it. Moments before he felt Maxie's lips on his own.
Eternity quickly turned to silent bliss as the kiss became mutual. It wasn't as rough or chaste as he had always imagined it to be. Instead it was warm, slightly sweet and kind of awkward as they tried to adjust accordingly to the other. Slowly he felt Maxie's hands press against him as he pressed his hand into the other's hair. They broke apart yet stayed close, inhaling quietly as they took each other in.
"Beautiful..." He whispered, lightly rubbing Maxie's neck with his fingers while his palm pressed against his cheek.
"Idiot..." Was all he said back, looking at how little space there was between them and leaning into the touch.
All Archie could do was laugh. Bumping foreheads with his rival and laughing happily seemed to be true bliss right now. He heard a slight hum of contentment before seeing Maxie smiling back. A loving and gentle look on his face.
Their moment lasted for almost an hour before Tabitha and Matt rushed the door and caught them. They were almost instantly sworn to secrecy by Maxie, while Courtney already seemed to 'know' with how fast the rumor of their...affair, had happened. At just hearing the rumor Shelly had a heart attack because:
"That Maxie isn't allowed to be cute. I don't care if he was 7. He cannot be cute."
Archie completely disagreed, but let her have her panic attack at the idea. Grinning all the while.