Title: The Role and Responsibilities of An Assistant

Summary: Professor Sycamore's personal assistant has taken leave and Calem, the sweetie that he is, temporarily takes her place and finds himself working alongside Sycamore. His friends come for a visit and are absolute baffled by how well he and Sycamore get along. They almost act like husband and wife...Or is it mother and child?

Pairings: Hinted Sycamore/Calem

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of this series

AN: It's been a while since I've written a oneshot. Well, it feels like I have, anyway. One of my goals for this years was to write a Pokemon XY oneshot, and I can't believe I've already achieved it! Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who faved and commented on my two previous Pokemon XY stories. I hope you'll enjoy reading this one as well!

Exiting from the lift onto the third floor, Trevor was somewhat surprised to find Calem was also visiting Professor Sycamore in his lab. But it soon dawned upon Trevor that Calem wasn't just visiting. He was standing in front of an imposing bookcase, a set of books resting in the crook of his arm. He appeared to be sorting out the contents of the bookcase, rearranging the books and documents into a more workable fashion.

"Cal?"

Looking up from his work, Calem smiled gently and politely in his direction. "Oh, hello, Trevor."

Trevor tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "What are you doing?"

Balancing the books in his arms, Calem smiled shyly. "I, ah, I'm filling in for Aug-I mean, Professor Sycamore's personal assistant while she's on maternity leave," he explained quite simply.

Trevor nodded his head as a sense of understanding washed over him. He remembered hearing that somewhere. He also remembered someone making the sly suggestion that Professor Sycamore was the one to have gotten his assistant pregnant. But she laughed. She laughed so hard that she nearly passed out from not being able to breathe properly.

"Oh, I see. That's very nice of you, Calem," Trevor commented in earnest.

Placing the books onto the bookcase, Calem rubbed the back of his neck and continued to smile. "Well...we can't leave this man alone, can we?" he stated more so than asked, a light sense of amusement in his voice.

Although, Trevor didn't really understand what he meant. Professor Sycamore was a professional and well established man of intelligence and science. Surely, he didn't needed looking after?

"Caaaaaaaaaaalem!"

Trevor was startled from his musings when he heard a voice, well whine really, that undoubtedly belonged to the professor in question. He glanced over to Calem wondering if he was surprised as he was to hear a grown man whine, only to witness Calem rolling his eyes toward the ceiling in a moment of exasperation before turning to yell over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Where did I put Fairy Pokemon Reference guide volume 2?"

"Next to Fairy Pokemon Reference guide volume 1."

"Where did I put that?"

"On the shelf under your Dragon Pokemon evolution guide," Calem stated as he started to make his way to Sycamore's office, Trevor following silently in bewilderment. "Why do you want to know?"

Stepping into the professor's office, Trevor was once again startled to find the esteemed Sycamore flopped over his desk, pretty much doing a face plant into a thick book, a stack of papers in one corner, a laptop opened in front of him and a pen resting idly in his hand.

"I need it for my research," Sycamore answered Calem's question, his head lolling to the side in a lazily fashion.

"The report you're working on now?" Calem continued to question as he made his way over to another bookcase, taking no time at all in finding the said reference book that Sycamore wanted.

"But of course!" Sycamore replied quickly, lifting up the hand that held the pen as if to give evidence that he had indeed been working.

"Then I suggest you use Fairy Pokemon Reference guide volume 3," Calem stated quite firmly as he plucked a thick book from the shelf. He then turned to face Sycamore, an eyebrow raised in question. "You have been working this entire time, haven't you?"

"…But of course!"

"Don't think I didn't notice that pause, Augustine," Calem chided lightly as he walked over to stand before his desk, placing down the book he was holding before folding his arms over his chest. "Have you been dreaming about Mega Evolutions again?"

"Maybe a little," Sycamore admitted as lifted his head from the desk and gave Calem an expression that could only be described as sulky. "I'm getting bored. It's such a nice day out."

"You can go outside when you finish your report."

Sycamore shoulders slumped with depression and he slammed his head back down onto his desk. "Aww…"

Again, Calem rolled his eyes before shaking his head. "Don't pout. You're the esteem professor, after all," he said as he unfolded his arms and moved to walk behind Sycamore's desk. He came up behind him in his chair and, surprising Trevor immensely, reached round to grab Sycamore by the shoulders and pulled up him off the desk and back into his seat. And the professor allowed him too, flopping back into his seat, his head lolled back to look up at Calem.

"Now, sit up straight before you get a sore neck," Calem said as he placed his hands on either side of Sycamore's face and moved his head upright, forcing him to look directly at Trevor, who had been standing in the background in stunned silence the entire time. "Besides, Trevor is here to see you."

"Hm? Ah, Trevor!" Sycamore grinned broadly, suddenly finding the energy to sit himself up as Calem removed his hands from his head and took a step back. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Trevor managed to answer politely. "I was hoping that you could assess my Pokedex."

"It will be my pleasure!" Sycamore continued to grin.

"Anything to get out of paperwork, hm?" Calem softly quipped.

"Don't say it like that," Sycamore said, his lips twisting into a…pout? He was actually pouting?!

"Yes, yes," Calem said in a teasingly patronizing way as he patted Sycamore on the head. "If you finish your report today, I'll buy you some chocolate mud cake."

Sycamore immediately perked up. "A whole cake?" he asked, sounding childishly hopeful.

"A whole cake," Calem reiterated. "Only if you finish your work."

"You drive a hard bargain," Sycamore said as he returned to pouting once more.

Calem chuckled softly. "I just know how your mind works."

"…Um, so…the Pokedex?" Trevor found himself muttering, feebly holding up his Pokedex.

"Of course," Sycamore said as he motioned for Trevor to approach his desk. "Let me see."

Handing over his Pokedex, Trevor fidgeted as Professor Sycamore silently analysed it. He was feeling rather uncomfortable and out of place. He felt like he was intruding in some way. So when he had his Pokedex returned to him with praise that he was working on it superbly, Trevor uttered a quick thanks and goodbye before hastily making his leave.

Those two…

Why did they remind him of a married couple?

… … … … …

Shuffling his way out of the elevator and onto the floor of Sycamore's labs, Tierno was only mildly surprised to find Calem there. He was standing in front of a table with numerous files and pieces of paper strewn about. He wasn't wearing his hat, nor his jacket, the articles of said clothing hanging over the back of a chair.

"Hey, Cal!"

Slightly startled, Calem looked up from his work and smiled warmly a moment later. "Oh, hello, Tierno," he greeted.

"Trevor told me that you were working with the professor," Tierno said as he walked toward Calem, grinning from ear to ear. "That's kinda cool."

"Ah, well, you know…" Calem trailed off shyly before shrugging. "Anyway, are you here to have your Pokedex evaluated?"

"Yep!" Tierno continued to grin as he reached into his bag to pull out his Pokedex. He opened his mouth to retell the story of the interesting Pokémon he encountered when someone else interrupted him by yelling from another room.

"Calem? Where did I put my reading glasses?"

Calem turned around to face the direction of the Professor's office. "Desk. Top right draw," he answered immediately

"What?" Sycamore uttered, sounding somewhat baffled. "What are they doing there?"

Calem shook his head slightly and motioned for Tierno to follow him as he headed toward Sycamore's office. "You put them for safe keeping."

Stepping into the office, Tierno watched as Sycamore stood at his desk, his hands on his hips in a way that eluded to pure befuddlement. "Now, why would I do that?" he questioned under his breath.

"Hey, Professor Sycamore!" Tierno greeted loudly.

"Oh, hello there, Tierno!" Sycamore returned his greeting, plastering a hearty smile on his lips. "What brings you here?"

"Dude, check it!" Tierno continued to grin as he boogied his way further into Sycamore's office and over to his desk. He flicked open his Pokedex and showed him his latest encounter. "I was checking out the dance move of Pokemon on Route 16 when this huge Pumpkaboo appeared!"

"Really?" Sycamore questioned with interest and enthusiasm. "You've seen an enormous Pumpkaboo?"

"Dude, it was huge!" Tierno explained, his arms flailing about in order to represent how big it truly was. "And it had some moves!"

"Aren't you lucky?" Sycamore exclaimed, happy and excited that Tierno was able to have such a unique encounter. However, his expression calmed down for a moment as he scratched his chin in thought. He almost appeared devious before plastering that wide grin back onto his lips.

"Calem!" Sycamore practically skipped over to Calem to stand before him, his hands curled into fists in an excited manner. "This requires out in the field research!"

Calem folded his arms over his torso and, while he was smiling, gave the professor a rather bland look. "Of course it does," he said, in an almost sarcastic manner.

Sycamore's shoulders slumped and he made a long, whining noise as he pouted. "Caaaaaaaaaaaaaalem..."

Calem sighed in defeat and shook his head. "Let me gather our things," he said.

"Yay!" Sycamore cheered as he suddenly threw his arms around Calem in a hug. "Thank you!"

Surprisingly, even with Sycamore clinging to him, Calem made no form of protest, somehow even managing to walk around and pick up his belongings. It almost appeared as if Sycamore suddenly enveloping him in a hug was something that had happened before. Multiple times, actually.

"You have been working hard lately," Calem commented. "So I guess we can spend time outdoors."

Sycamore nuzzled his cheek against the top of Calem's head. "You're the best."

"Yes, yes. Now, get off. I need to make sure we're prepared. I can't have you running in the tall grass like a maniac, can I?"

"Let's go! Time's a wasting!"

"Now, what did I-?"

Tierno surprisingly found himself standing in the middle of Professor Sycamore's office, completely alone. He scratched the back of his head, somewhat baffled. He wasn't entire sure what had just happened. One second they were talking about the large Pumpkaboo he had encountered. And the next they were talking about going out into the field.

And they just left?

"Hmm…I guess Calem is taking his role as Professor Sycamore's assistant seriously, huh?" Tierno murmured to himself.

What an odd pair…

… … … … …

"Hey, Cal!" Shauna greeted cheerfully as she skipped from the lift and boldly into Professor Sycamore's office floor.

"Hello, Shauna," Calem greeted in a friendly manner as he momentarily lifted his head up from the filing cabinet before returning to work.

"Wow!" Shauna couldn't help but utter as she placed her hands on her hips and took a moment to study Calem. He was dressed rather causally, his messy hair hanging around his shoulders and ears, looking quite comfortable in his surroundings. "You really are here!"

Turning away from the filing cabinet, Calem arched an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, Trevor and Tierno said you were working here, so I decided to come check it out for myself!" Shauna explained quickly before smiling widely and looking at Calem with a sense of admiration. "Gosh, you really are working as Sycamore's secretary, huh?"

"Assistant, Shauna," Calem corrected as he picked up a file and started to head toward Sycamore's main office, Shauna skipping behind him. "The woman at the front counter is the secretary."

"Huh?" Shauna tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What's the difference?"

"Well…"

"Caaaaaaaaaaaaalem..."

But before Calem could explain, Sycamore drawled Calem's name in a long whine, followed by a slightly painful curl. Furrowing his brow in concern, Calem turned and hurried his way into the office, making his way over to Sycamore's desk as Shauna lingered in the doorway. The professor, himself, was slumped over his desk in a haphazard manner, his arms out in front of him as if stretching.

"What's wrong?" Calem immediately asked.

"My neck is sore," Sycamore replied with his chin resting on top of his desk.

Calem's shoulder's sagged with relief before he made a slight tisking sound of disproval. "I told you not to sit slouched like that," he chided lightly before slipping around the back of the desk and stood by his side. He surprisingly placed his hands on Sycamore's shoulders. "Oh, here."

As Calem began to massage his shoulders, Sycamore's fingers curled as he made a low purring sound, his head turning to rest his cheek on the desk. "Ooh, that feels good~"

"You're shoulders are really knotted," Calem commented as he shuffled closer to lean over Sycamore, applying a bit more pressure with his kneading. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"Why when you're here?" Sycamore stated in a rather…flirty manner.

"Charming as that is, it's not going to work," Calem said with a soft blush dusting across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

"I'm a charming and sophisticated professor," Sycamore stated in a firm manner.

"Of course you are," Calem replied, grinning with some amusement. "Although, you're not very sophisticated when you're blundering along on rollerblades, are you?"

"That's not fair!" Sycamore whined in a pouty manner. "Those things are like a death-trap! They are built to main and injure."

"I get around on them just fine."

"Maybe you should teach me? Hmm?"

"I'm sure you would love that, wouldn't you?"

Still standing at the doorway to Sycamore's office, Shauna was starting to feel a little out of place. She couldn't really understand why, as they weren't doing anything to purposely make her feel uncomfortable. It was actually good to see them getting along.

Even so…

She felt like she was intruding on something.

"…Um, I'll see you later, Cal!"

"Hm? Oh, sure. Later."

…She had better tell Serena. Maybe she could explain a few things to her. She was good at that.

… … … … …

Holstering her bag onto her shoulder, Serena hastily made her way to the elevator that would take her directly to Professor Sycamore's office. She didn't even bother to engage in polite chit-chat with the receptionist at the front counter. She had something she needed to investigate.

Shauna, Tierno and Trevor all came to her with surprising tales of what they had encountered while visiting Professor Sycamore in his office. And all of them had something to do with her neighbour, Calem.

While she wasn't all that surprised to learn that Calem was helping out the professor in his office while his usual assistant took time off on maternity leave. While guarded and quiet, Calem was also more than willing to lend anyone a hand should they needed help of any kind.

But what was startling was how the others explained their new working relationship. Trevor admitted that they reminded him of a married couple, Sycamore as the hazardous husband and Calem as the long suffering wife. Tierno said they felt like that of a mother and child, Sycamore being the excitable child and Calem being the responsible parent figure. And Shauna admitted that they reminded her of boyfriend and girlfriend, but with two guys, so that would be boyfriend and boyfriend.

Serena didn't know what to think of her friends' tales. While she believed they were telling her the truth, they could also be somewhat…excitable. Except for Trevor, though.

In any case, it was important that she checked it out for herself.

With the ding of the elevator as it reached the desired floor, Serena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. But as she stepped out of the lift, she was surprised to realise how dark the office appeared to be. It was midday, after all.

Looking around, she noticed that the curtains on the windows were drawn shut and the office was oddly quiet. Maybe Professor Sycamore and Calem weren't in at the moment?

"Hello?" Serena tested. "Professor Sycamore?"

"Serena, shush."

"Huh?" Startled, Serena spun around and turned in the direction she figured the voice came from.

When she did, her eyes immediately locked onto those of Calem's, noticing that he was sitting on one end of the couch. And he wasn't alone. Sprawled out on the couch next to him was the professor. His white coat had been removed and was draped over his body as a make-shift blanket. He had one leg on the couch, the other hanging over the side, his foot touching the floor. And his hands were folded neatly over his chest, seemingly placed there by someone else.

But what really surprised Serena, making her uncharacteristically squeak, was the fact that Sycamore was using Calem's lap as a pillow. And the other was allowing him to without a hint of protest. In fact, it appeared as he if had been sitting there for a few hours.

"Eh?!"

"Be quiet," Calem scolded lightly, his voice barely above a whispered as he held a finger to his lips. "He just pulled an all-nighter and is tired."

"I'll, ah, come back later," Serena found herself stuttering, feeling very awkward and like an intruder.

"Is there something you needed?" Calem asked her politely.

"Ah, no," Serena once again fumbled over her words in an attempt to explain herself. "Just wanted to have my pokedex checked, that's all."

"I see," Calem continued to smile softly, not even remotely disturbed that she had found him and Sycamore in such unusual circumstances. "Come back this afternoon. I should have him awake and functional then."

"S-sure?" Serena mumbled.

She couldn't help but noticed how Calem had been tenderly running his fingers through Professor Sycamore's hair the entire time she had been standing there. She also couldn't help but notice that small, content smile on Calem's lips as he gently tended to the professor sleeping soundly on his lap.

Sycamore suddenly began to move, his brow furrowing. "Hmm?"

Calem quickly shushed him, his voice soft and gentle, almost reassuring. "Go back to sleep," he whispered as he toyed gently with his hair. "You're still tired."

"Hmm…" Sycamore hummed, being lulled back to sleep by Calem's words and actions.

Serena found herself staring, but she quickly snapped herself out of it and shuffled back into the lift, immediately hitting the ground floor button. As the lift began to move, her mind reeled, trying to comprehend what happened and what it meant.

Stepping out into the lobby, Serena paused and held her chin in thought. What did she just witness? Were they…married, or something? What did she miss? What kind of relationship did they have?

Glancing over to the female receptionist, Serena found her gaze returned. The receptionist shrugged, seemingly answering her unvoiced question.

"I don't know either."

Serena found herself twitching. Now that the question had been put out there, she won't be able to rest until she found the answer. And asking was not going to be easy…

AN: Wow, this was a super long oneshot. I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! Please? –pouty face-