Mt. Chimney wasn't always where he wanted to be.
Actually, being perhaps the one place Team Magma practically worshipped, it was practically the last place he wanted to be. Hot, no water around for miles, it was perhaps the worst place a sea lover could be, swathed in a tight heat that even managed to slip under his form-fitting wetsuit. Far more adapted to go deep sea diving than trekking across the flattened volcano top, the only thing that Archie could thank whatever deity was out there for was the fact it was dormant. However, with the place swarming with Magma insects, it did not seem it would be remaining dormant for long.
"Boss," shouted one of the grunts, reaching for a pokeball as a Magma grunt approached her to battle. "Maxie's tryin' something over there!"
Archie, perking up from his bitter resentment of Mt. Chimney, set aside his thoughts of dumping sea water over the dormant volcano and shifted his mind back on their goal.
"Hold them off with the others," growled Archie as he passed, gesturing to the Magma grunts safeguarding where Maxie was approaching some sort of machine.
He could vaguely pick it out from the distance, the silvery glint of metal catching his eye. Maxie practically blended into the environment of hardened lava rock, his red attire melding well with the earthy reds and blacks that served as a backdrop.
But still was he hard to miss, weaving around the grunt who had originally called out to him.
"Get Matt and deal with the other admins, Shelly," he ordered when seeing her break away from a group of grunts who scattered, off to take on Magma opponents. She paused, glancing over to confirm that she had heard him before heading away to find Matt, who was surely off somewhere confronting one of them already.
His team was on point today, ready to eliminate Team Magma from this competition of land and sea expansion once and for all.
And he even felt so calm, relaxed as he sauntered to where Maxie was fiddling with the device that he knew would cause the volcano to erupt, lure it from its dormant state and spray lava down into civilization below.
"Maxie!"
His booming voice easily reached the redhead, who perked up from what he had been tampering with, gripping the meteorite in his hand a bit tighter.
"Your plans are just getting stupider and stupider—are you trying to kill us all, reviving Mt. Chimney?"
Maxie, scoffing, turned away from the machine, Archie's eyes flickering momentarily to the meteorite he held and then back to him, the redhead confident as he spoke.
"Maybe if you move fast enough, you'll be able to avoid the eruption. Though that wetsuit doesn't seemed designed for running around on land—is that ridiculous thing supposed to be some sort of fashion statement?"
Archie remained confident even as Maxie tried to mock him, the redhead giving him a once-over, but his eyes lingered for a moment, staying there for a short second more before promptly flicking away, looking back to the machine.
Suppressing a grin, Archie slowly moved forward, hearing the low purr of the machine as Maxie pressed some button on it.
He couldn't quite make out everything—his body was blocking most of it, Archie only able to register a few motions, but he could care less.
"In just a few moments, I'll have accomplished my plans, and you will have no way of stopping them," Maxie announced with pride, though he refused to look back—that wetsuit was ridiculous. His mind was swarmed with the image of Archie in it, how stupid it was, he couldn't even fathom its purpose out of water.
For a moment, the vision of the skintight wetsuit dripping with seawater flashed in his mind and his nails dug painfully into the meteorite, Maxie chomping down on his lower lip.
The pain suppressed the image as he sucked in a breath, again reminding him of the ridiculousness of it, trying to fill his mind with mocking thoughts of Archie.
How stupid he was, how idiotic it was to wear a skintight, ever-flaunting wetsuit in public, where he was practically naked—
Maxie nearly choked on the slow breath he had been taking in when feeling an arm snake around his waist, almost dropping the meteorite as his widened eyes stared down the machine.
"It's been a few moments, Maxie," dryly Archie remarked, Maxie closing his eyes at the feel of his warm breath curving over his ear, trying to simply breathe.
"What're you waitin' for?"
Cursing the primal nature of his body, Maxie couldn't decide between cracking open Archie's skull with the meteorite he held, or push himself back against the firm body holding him close.
He did neither, letting out a breath as he leered back, trying to ignore the heat rising to his cheeks.
"Are you planning on helping me, Archie?" he sneered, pulling away sharply, meteorite still in hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some punk child fighting one of his grunts.
He dismissed it, his left hip digging into the smooth edge of the machine, putting distance between himself and Archie.
"I don't see you trying to stop me," Maxie added, his thumb smoothing over a metallic, glossy button before pressing down.
The glass casing on the machine sank down, leaving room for the meteorite, Maxie glancing back tauntingly at Archie.
"You're too late," he drawled, sounding satisfied, his mind finally drifting away from those unpleasant thought as he looked back going to set the meteorite in its place.
"You're too—"
Maxie yelped, suddenly jammed up against the machine, his grip fumbling on the meteorite only to firm at the last second, the Magma leader able to breathe again as he turned his head.
That ability to breathe died as he realized the sudden, close proximity between himself and Archie—pressed flushed to the other man's front, Archie's arm curved around his back to keep him from falling.
Anchored against the machine, Maxie looked over desperately to the meteorite clutched in his hand, feeling fingers running up his jaw.
Shuddering, he closed his eyes, his internal mantra of, Think of the plan, think of the plan, not working in the slightest as Archie leaned in closer.
Maxie could even smell him from here, the sickly sweet tang of seawater on his skin mixed in with the salt of his sweat, and rapidly did the volcano seem to be getting even warmer.
"What're you gonna do with that meteorite, babe?" murmured Archie, Maxie wanting to just cave in, let himself crumble to that honey-laced voice.
"I'm going to… I'm going to…" he huffed, his eyes opening, focused desperately on the meteorite, clenching it in his hand.
His eyes went to the machine, but before he could follow through with his mission, Archie had snagged it from his grasp, wrenching it from his tight grip.
"No!" Maxie cried, watching in horror as Archie threw it into the volcano, feeling all his meticulous planning and work fall apart as it melted into the lava.
Archie still held him tight despite Maxie twisting in his grip to sorrowfully watch the meteorite his team had stolen disappear into nothing, the redhead sagging.
"Much better," Archie practically sang, a grin illuminating his face as Maxie let himself sag against the machine, staring hopelessly at the volcano.
"Oh, Maxie, it'll be okay," he cooed, his palm caressing the distraught redhead's cheek, turning his face to his own.
"I have a much better idea of what you could be doin' with your time…"
Maxie, eyes going from the volcano sharply back to Archie, felt his breathing stutter and falter as Archie leaned in, his lips brushing so close—
Maxie felt his eyes fluttering shut when the outraged cries of grunts sounded behind Archie, the Aqua leader pulling back sharply. The sudden motion was enough to get Maxie to find some self-control, staggering upright as Tabitha ran up, his teeth gritted in a snarl.
"A punk kid's managed to help out these Aqua freaks, boss!" he spat, seemingly oblivious to the flustered look of Maxie as he smoothed out his coat quickly nor Archie's mild look of irritation at being interrupted.
"Let's just go back to the base—it isn't worth it anymore, we have other things to be doing," Maxie ordered, Tabitha nodding, pausing to leer at Archie, but also sending a concerned look to Maxie.
"A… are you alright, Maxie?"
Maxie tensed before forcing a look of anger, waving his hand as he strode forward, "Yes, yes, I'm fine—get everyone out of here!"
Nodding quickly, muttering a quick, 'Sorry', Tabitha jogged off, Maxie still fiddling constantly with his coat—damn it was hot—when grabbed, yanked back by strong arms.
Flinching, he moved to wrench himself out of Archie's grasp, only to pause as fingertips traced some unknown pattern across his throat, shivering at the thought of them clenching tight, snapping his neck.
"We'll finish this later," he purred into his ear before letting go, Maxie wrenching himself away, leering back at Archie.
He looked so cocky, full of himself as Maxie twisted around, almost tempted to run back to his team, flee from that dark, lustful stare he could feel following him.
Maxie felt nothing but shaken after that encounter, confining himself to the base for some time. Telling himself over and over that it was so that he could put further research into the history of Groudon, truly was it his fear of somehow encountering Archie where he couldn't be interrupted, where there was no one to step in and cause him to pull away.
He paced the base corridors for days, incessant and relentless as he tried to drill the thoughts from his mind with exercise, but they were simply there, as if now that they had been imagined, they simply must remain.
But there was only so long he could remain within that tight space, with no windows, no fresh air.
Even his admins were growing concerned—Tabitha hounded after him daily about his well-being, if he was feeling well. Courtney often just stayed away, knowing better than to hassle Maxie when he was more likely to snap than give a proper answer as to why he was acting so strangely.
Alas, he could not live in the base forever.
He needed air; he needed an open space not closed in by steel, windowless walls.
On the fourth day, he finally abandoned the base, trekking back to his home hidden near Mt. Chimney to hide there, shelter himself from the world, though he couldn't escape his own thoughts.
When he arrived, nothing was really changed—the doors were locked, everything was placed where he had left them, and the air was silent. Silence was what he needed, the air no longer filled with the chatter of grunts or Tabitha's fussing, Maxie able to take his time and breathe.
Locking the door behind himself, checking that the windows were shut, and making sure even the back door was still locked, Maxie's paranoia still haunted him.
Archie's purred words followed him left and right, no matter what he did, he could hear them echo in his head, feel the same shiver that had trailed down his spine before when they had been initially spoken.
His fingers dug deep into the cushions of his couch as he stood next to it, the living room silent, his eyes closing.
"I need to find a hobby," he groaned to himself, raking his hands through his hair, tugging slightly as he tried to distract himself.
"A hobby that involves only staying in the house," Maxie added promptly, his fingers trailing down to work at the turtleneck that hugged far too tightly to his throat. It felt suffocating, though his entire attire was a bit too warm—why was it so warm in his house?
He frowned, not remembering leaving the heat that high.
Usually it sat at a nice, warm temperature, but it felt almost hot, humid even.
Shaking his head, he dismissed it, his only thought was that he needed a shower, and soon.
The sound of the water spraying against his scalp was typically enough to drown out all thoughts and noises, even if he loathed the idea of expanding the ocean, it didn't mean he loathed the thing that helped provide life.
Water just needed to be lessened, on Earth—there needed to be more land to promote the growth of civilization, of the pokemon who thrived on land.
Flicking on the bathroom light, again did Maxie not find anything out of the ordinary, peering around the door and looking about the rather spacious bathroom.
Nothing was in the tub and the room was too open to be an appropriate hiding spot.
Once did he pause in his search, thinking he heard something elsewhere, but when he stopped moving for a few seconds, nothing else happened.
Shrugging it off as his overactive imagination, he left briefly to go find clothes in the master bedroom, kicking off his shoes and letting his coat fall from his shoulders.
The sweater beneath still felt too restricting, Maxie tempted to rip it off then and there, but he felt strangely watched, even though every time he turned around, no one was there.
"I'm losing it," he sighed to himself, staring at his bedspread for a moment as if it held the answers.
It did not respond and thus did he go about finding some nice, comfortable clothing to slip into once he was done showering, piling them neatly in his arms to be dumped on the counter in the bathroom.
He moved slower than before, cautious as his eyes scoured around the hallway. It was dimmed, the overhead light not turned on, and his paranoia was at its peak.
But he couldn't see nor hear anything out of the ordinary, the closet was firmly shut, the door to the bathroom was still open, and nothing beyond the hallway had been shifted out of place.
Lips tightening over his teeth, he proceeded, muttering something about having 'stayed too long in the base', truly believing that staying in that closed-off environment had managed to make an impact on his mental state.
Stepping into the bathroom, he put the tidy pile of clothes on the counter to be retrieved when he was clean and dry, looking up into the mirror to evaluate his appearance.
Combing his fingers through his hair, he paused, looking closer in the mirror.
He swore he saw the bathroom door move, and when he began to turn around, it suddenly slammed shut, the Magma leader jolting back.
It didn't seem he had much of a choice in his movement, anyways, as a strong, all-too-familiar arm latched onto him, a body stronger than his own forcing him against the countertop.
"Did you miss me?"
Maxie grimaced, looking up into the smirking face of Archie, who seemed so satisfied to have been able to creep up on him, unsuspected.
"I had actually been hoping for some peace and quiet, not to have to listen to your grating voice," grumbled Maxie, looking away, but he could feel the warmth radiating from Archie's skin and it was Mt. Chimney all over again.
There was the absence of sweat from Archie's trek up the mountain, though Archie still smelled of the ocean, of sea water and the warm summer sun.
Maxie closed his eyes for a moment, trying to find his sanity again, yet Archie seemed to determined to keep him from remaining in a stable mindset, his hands fiddling with his clothes, palms pressing flat against his chest.
"You really need to cut down on all this fabric," Archie criticized, reaching up and curving his fingers beneath the turtleneck of Maxie's sweater. "It seems so suffocating."
He paused to then evaluate the tidy, new pile of clothes on the counter, Maxie finding it difficult to breathe as Archie grinned.
"Cleaning up after a long few days of work?" he noted, looking back to the redhead, who was definitely flustered, trying to figure out what part of his mind to cave into—the logical, sensible side, or the side that was presently drooling over Archie. At least now he wasn't wearing that ridiculous wetsuit, wearing actual clothing now—black slacks with a dark blue dress shirt with way too many buttons popped off down from the collar for Maxie's comfort.
"Why don't I give you a hand?"
His eyes fixated on a particular patch of tanned skin of Archie's chest, Maxie's gaze snapped back up as Archie tried to 'help', his hands snaking up beneath his sweater.
"N-no, we are not doing this-!" he sputtered, even if his limbs felt like putty as he tried to grip the bottom of his sweater.
"Doing what?"
Archie blinked innocently at him, Maxie gritting his teeth in frustration.
"As I said," Archie drawled, leaning forward, his voice dropping to a sweet whisper, "I'm just helping you out."
If the blood could drain out of his head any faster without making him faint, it probably would have, Maxie's mouth opening and closing helplessly as no words surfaced. He didn't know what to say—perhaps a remark on how attractive Archie looked without that stupid bandana, and how much more of that lovely tanned skin he wanted to see—and instead just stared, Archie looking happy with this.
"I see we're on agreeable terms," the Aqua leader chirruped, his hands running up Maxie's now-bare stomach, hearing a hiss from the other.
"If… if anyone asks…" he slowly began, Archie perking up, a look of excitement illuminating his expression. Maxie scowled at it, but his mind was swimming with his need, coaxing him into continuing to speak.
"Nothing has ever happened between the two of us. Nothing."
Archie struggled to suppress his growing grin, mimicking the action of zipping his mouth shut.
"Nothing at all," he agreed, unable to keep the delight out of his voice.
Feeling as if he should have added in more agreements to be made before anything else could happen, something other verbal contract that Archie should have to bind himself to, Maxie's thoughts of further protecting himself after this mess was over were rather rudely interrupted by Archie kissing him.
Perhaps he had seen the thoughtful look on his face, registered that perhaps Maxie would try to keep talking and stall things, and if that had been his goal, he was successful.
Hesitant and nigh upon unwilling, as Archie's blunt fingernails traced patterns up his back he began to melt, easing into the kiss as it was deepened, his arms slowly lifting up and draping themselves across Archie's shoulders.
Pulling back, Archie grinned, seeming so satisfied as his eyes scouring Maxie's flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes that were brimming with lust kindred to his own.
"I didn't say you could stop," hissed Maxie, Archie blinking at his aggressive tone, feeling a hand that had formerly been rubbing the back of his neck gently becoming firm, angry.
Pulled forward, Archie felt a pleasurable chill as Maxie dragged him back for another kiss, pleased that Maxie had entirely caved to desire. Purring into the redhead's mouth as Maxie pushed his fingers through his hair, Archie found it difficult to pull back again, though eventually was air a dire necessity, pushing somewhat away.
"Clothes," he breathed, his fingers tugging on Maxie's sweater. The redhead looked at him in annoyance, obviously not wanting to take any kind of break and deal with the trivial manner of undressing, but Archie was beginning to pout.
Maxie forgot what an overgrown child he was.
"Stop that," he growled, cuffing Archie lightly over the head, Maxie catching sight of a grin as he pulled away to take off his sweater.
"It is insanity that I've managed to be dragged into this," Maxie grumbled bitterly, glancing back. His throat tightened as his eyes skimmed over Archie unbuttoning his shirt, the soft, thin fabric sliding easily from his broad shoulders.
He remembered then and there why it wasn't exactly insanity that he had been lured into this madness.
Catching Maxie's staring eyes, Archie grinned, eyes flashing with delight as he purred, "Like what you see, babe?"
Flinching, Maxie turned away.
"You need to be less of an egomaniac," he informed him shortly, tossing aside his socks before being dragged back—Archie was so possessive, grabbing onto him, forcing him back to him again and again—flush to the other man.
"I'll be anything you want me to be for the rest of the night, Maxie," Archie murmured, his voice returning to that low, husky tone that had made him melt in the first place and now managed to ease his temper.
"You're a lucky bastard," he sighed and the corners of Archie's lips twitched with a smile that threatened to erupt across his face, that smile not quite making into existence.
Maxie felt himself released, given a chance to breathe as Archie went down to his knees, his hands rubbing down Maxie's clothed thighs.
"Seems like you like my ego just fine," Archie remarked humorously, his palm groping the obvious bulge in Maxie's slacks, not even having to look up to see his expression. The sharp hiss in response was enough to suggest how exactly it felt, Archie tracing Maxie's erection with a fingertip.
"Tell me, how does it feel, so pent-up in there?" Archie asked directly to the redhead's penis, Maxie groaning.
"You are killing me."
"I think you're killing your dick, keeping it in here."
Archie was in perfect kicking range and there was a temptation to do so, but that meant suffering blue balls or at least the less than satisfying option of simply masturbating.
Scowling, he conceded to letting Archie do as he will, though it did not prevent him from spitting hostile words at him every once in awhile.
There was only so much Maxie could tolerate without needing to retaliate.
Suddenly, his erection was squeezed again and he took in a sharp breath, focused back on Archie. He had his cheek leaned up against his thigh, pouting upwards as he huffed, "You're not paying enough attention to me."
Oh how badly did he want to kick him.
"You're not doing anything to warrant my attention—G-god!"
Archie had waited for him, he was so certain, to try and sass him over him doing little, for in one, strangely practiced-looking motion, he had gotten the button and fly down on the slacks.
It was so fluid Maxie was tempted to accuse Archie of having been lurking in his house for far longer than he would have liked, probably practicing on his other pairs of pants for this exact moment.
A bit of a broad statement to claim, but his mind was becoming numb to logic as within those same milliseconds his briefs managed to be snagged down as well, the warm hand that had sat so elusively on the outside now within, a calloused palm rubbing up the length of his dick.
"You were saying?"
"I'd kick you if your hand wasn't on my fucking cock," mumbled Maxie, Archie almost wanting to squeal at the sheer luxury of hearing Maxie's spit out vulgarities. It was such a rarity and was enough to show that he was doing his job correctly, if the foggy, distant look in the redhead's eyes wasn't telling enough.
"Good, now I know what to do to keep you from kicking me," Archie hummed, Maxie only responding with a low groan as his warm breath puffed out against the sensitive head of his erection.
Archie was moving his hand too slowly, slower than any usual pace he might have picked up when masturbating, and obviously his intent was to tease as he squeezed the base.
"I-I thought we were getting undressed?" Maxie noted, voice wavering as a thumb glossed over and pressed down on the slit, closing his eyes for a moment.
Admiring the view from his vantage point from the ground, Archie blinked languidly, seeming all too relaxed while Maxie would occasionally tense, let out a small, reluctant noise even.
It was all too grand.
"Mm? Oh, yeah, we'll be doing more of that soon. But right now, I'm a little busy."
Voice derailing into a mumble, as much as he loved watching Maxie's face, he needed to see where he was guiding his mouth as he parted his lips, pushing his mouth over the tip of Maxie's cock while his hand remained stationary at the base.
Sucking his lips tighter to his teeth in the case he accidentally managed to bite down, it was a reasonable thing to do as one of Maxie's hands dug into his hair, the redhead making a choked noise.
"Hnn, A-Archie," he moaned, and it was a struggle to not pull back and making some snarky comment about Maxie saying his name, but presently, his mouth was busy.
It was worth the sacrifice nonetheless, the incapability of making comment allowing him to at least listen to the sweet noises drawn forth from Maxie's mouth as he took in more, his tongue sliding against the underside. He tasted sweet—far sweeter than past lovers who were usually of the greasier, less-than-pleasant sort. Maxie probably ate healthily—Archie had to pause and reevaluate himself as he realized he was contemplating Maxie's dietary habits while he was sucking him off.
It at least it meant Maxie was different from the slobs he had fucked in the past and thought little of after, especially with how long he had been fixated on the redhead, determined to woo him one way or another.
Lightly scraping his teeth along the sensitive skin of Maxie's dick as he slowly pulled back, he could hear the other hiss and mutter something obscene, his fingers clenching tighter into his hair.
Popping his mouth off, making sure to lick his lips to break off the string of saliva still connecting his mouth to the tip of Maxie's penis, he looked up, hands working and pushing down at fabric.
"Shower," Archie suddenly remembered. "As much as I'd love to stay here and just suck you off, Maxie, you gotta get clean."
Looking a bit foggy as he blinked away the lingering traces of pleasure that clutched at his limbs, Maxie felt something of a loss as Archie moved away, straightening back up.
He would have loved to make him go back and take his cock again, finish sucking him off properly, but so long as the final goal was accomplished, he'd live.
"How about a taste first?"
Archie pulled Maxie to him for a kiss, the redhead having little choice in the matter as a tongue slipped past lips parting to protest, but there was little chance to do so. Maxie wanted to gag—he could taste himself on Archie's tongue, and as delightful as Archie's kisses were, it was disgusting, the tang of his own dick being jammed into his mouth.
Obviously did Archie not care as he sucked on his tongue, Maxie shuddering with a conflicting mix of pleasure and disgust, his hands pushing lightly against Archie's chest until finally, he pulled away.
"That is disgusting, I swear to god Archie—" sputtered Maxie, but Archie didn't seem to care as he pulled away to work on getting off his slacks.
"Tasted good to me, you're just picky," Archie scoffed dismissively, hearing some agitated noise from Maxie as he popped open the button on his slacks, wriggling out.
"You're not even wearing underwear, you god damn pervert—you broke into my house for this!"
Archie looked over, Maxie looking both accusing and flustered, cheeks having not gotten any lighter from their brilliant red, perhaps worsening now that they were both fully naked.
"Babe, I didn't break into your house to ask for a cup of sugar, now, did I? And—"
Maxie yelped as Archie lunged forward, grabbing onto him and slamming him against the wall, the Magma leader whining as their hips were ground together, Archie puffing out with a groan, "I don't see you protesting too much."
His hand snaked down, gripping the back of Maxie's right thigh, forcing the redhead to brace against him as he deepened the friction, Maxie's hands gripping onto his shoulders.
Archie could feel his blunt fingernails digging crescents into his skin, both relaxing and firming their grips with the ebb and flow of pleasure.
However, as Archie's other hand began to snake back, palming Maxie's ass, the redhead pushed back, breathing far deeper as he growled, "Shower."
He was not getting a mess on his nice tile nor his walls, god forbid.
If Archie was too eager, he'd just make him clean up everything rather than being burdened with the task himself.
Sensing disappointment from Archie at the interruption, Maxie was fretting for a moment that he'd ignore him and just carry on right there, but he reluctantly pulled back.
Given a chance to relax, he sent Archie a look.
"You need to learn patience," he breathed, pushing past him to the shower and tub.
"I have plenty of patience," Archie shot back, but by the way he was hovering behind him, Maxie sincerely doubted it.
Ignoring him, and temporarily ignoring the need to just forget the shower and finish what they had started, he twisted the knob inside against the smooth wall and pulled it.
Water came gushing out of the lower faucet and into the bathtub until he lifted the switch on top, the spray of the showerhead hitting the bottom of the large tub.
"Well, now we can—" Maxie began with satisfaction, straightening up.
The remainder of his sentence was to remain a mystery, replaced instead by a sharp yelp as he was grabbed, picked up by Archie as if he was nothing.
Luckily, the urge to kick was not as strong, otherwise Archie wouldn't have been too happy about grabbing a hold of him and stepping into the hot water.
"This is dangerous," Maxie sputtered, clutching onto Archie like he was going to be dropped at any moment.
"I'm not gonna slip and I'm not gonna drop you," Archie hummed confidently, Maxie not seeming to be trusting of Archie's strength and stability as he evaluated how badly it would hurt if he felt down into the smooth Jacuzzi-style tub.
"And you hate water—what's with the sweet tub?"
Maxie wanted to groan, both over the fact he just wanted to release and that Archie was insistent on being chatty.
"It came with the h-h-house," Maxie started, voice trailing into a sputtering, squeaking mess as Archie pressed him against the wall for balance while one of his hands groped against his ass, a flat fingertip pressing firm against his anus, probing without any prior warning.
"Water is not a proper lubricant!" Maxie hissed, pushing somewhat against Archie to discourage what he was planning, getting a disappointed look.
"Don't you dare try that with me…"
Rolling his eyes, Archie promptly gave up on that route, his eyes instead scouring the edge of the tub at the soaps and hair products.
"You don't exactly keep lube in your tub, now, do you Maxie?" Archie shot back and Maxie paused, thinking as he evaluated what was available.
He was not leaving the shower now, sopping wet, just to go get some lubricant.
Tentatively letting his hands fall away from Archie to push back his hair, which now hung loose and stuck to his neck as water soaked into it, Maxie sighed.
"Use the conditioner," he grumbled, but before Archie could reach out and nab it, he pushed lightly against his chest again.
"And you aren't doing anything unless we sit down," he added with a low growl, leering at him.
"I swear to god, if you end up falling…"
Archie grunted, readjusting Maxie in his arms.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Calm down," Archie huffed, his impatience making him far more compliant as he readjusted things.
Expecting to be set down, instead, Archie sat down on the ridged portion of the tub that was designed for such—he was beginning to think of how nice it would be to have a tub like this for the sheer purpose of shower sex.
Tensing as he felt Archie's dick rub against his ass with his newfound position settled on his lap, Maxie shuddered, knowing all too well what was coming next.
With water pounding down his back, dripping off of his body onto Archie's, he clutched onto the other's shoulders as Archie reached out and grabbed the conditioner, grinning at Maxie's tentative look.
"Thinkin' twice?" he teased, Maxie flinching, looking ready to tear his head off the next second.
"I'm fine," he hissed, watching Archie pour a liberal amount of conditioner into his hand. Maxie silently thanked his past self for having bought an unscented kind with no color additives—he was sure his ass was going to hurt like hell later, but he was too horny at the moment to really care.
He'd hate himself later.
"Are you okay?"
Maxie blinked, focusing back on Archie, whose tone had become surprisingly tender, and even his facial expression seemed serious.
"If you really are not wanting to go through with this, well, I can deal with the blue balls…"
It seemed so strange that Archie wasn't just going for it, ignoring any possibility of Maxie's discomfort and the fact that perhaps he was rethinking things.
It was a tenderness far more suited to a permanent lover, not some one night stand.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Maxie rushed, shaking his head as he realized he had been staring and not given a proper response.
"I'm fucking horny, just, get on with it already."
He couldn't bring himself to reduce himself to a similarly soft tone—it was so strange, and he felt off listening to his rival speak in such a caring fashion.
It was too out of the blue.
Archie, studying Maxie's confused and then irritated look, shrugged faintly, rubbing the conditioner against his fingers.
"Just wanting to make sure," he hummed, Maxie just nodding faintly, letting his forehead drop against Archie's shoulder. It felt far more comfortable being able to rest against the tanned man rather than the hard, slick wall of the shower, especially as the first probing finger forced its way in.
It was slow and gentle, but still enough to make him tense, his mind promptly focusing on relaxing as he breathed in deeply.
While slow was nice, at the same time, it was excruciating—his impatience was through the roof and Archie's mindfulness to details, for once, was killing him.
But he kept his mouth shut, lest he make it far more painful now and even more so later.
Vaguely uncomfortable but otherwise fine, he rocked his hips somewhat with impatience, giving up on trying to keep still in the process.
"And you call me a child," snorted Archie, ignoring the glare from Maxie as he worked in a second finger with the distraction, Maxie hissing and pushing his forehead harder against his shoulder.
From okay to tight and uncomfortable, the redhead muttered something foul under his breath while Archie offered a quiet apology, Maxie feeling lips gently brush over his cheek as he was stretched.
If he didn't have a pair of fingers up his ass, he might have been troubling over Archie's sudden switch in demeanor, with his soft kisses, cooed words of apology, and all the soft, gooey behavior atypical to his usual routine.
Eyes slipping shut as the pain began to finally ebb, things starting to actually feel comfortable, only for his eyes snapped right back open in a flash, his arms, draped across Archie's shoulders, tightening.
"A-Archie, there," he gasped, hips grinding down on those now much-loved fingers as they delicately pressed against his prostate, eyes closing again in bliss.
"There?"
Archie pressed down again and Maxie felt his toes curl, pushing himself somewhat against the other man as he huffed a low confirmation, unable to be entirely coherent when pleasure was swamping his brain.
"I'll take that as a yes," Archie snorted, delighting in Maxie's pleasured, relaxed expression, which contrasted sharply with the prior one that had mainly subsisted of discomfort.
"Just fuck me already," Maxie moaned, rubbing his hips down a bit more against Archie's fingers for good measure, shivering at the electric sparks that danced up his spinal cord.
A smile curving the corners of his mouth, Archie withdrew his fingers, the redhead feeling empty without something filling him.
He almost grimaced at the thought; it made him sound so dependent and needy on the other to satisfy him.
Well, it was somewhat true.
Retrieving the conditioner bottle for a second time, Archie evaluated the back and its list of ingredients, pursing his lips.
"I swear to god if I get some kind of infection from this…" he began, Maxie sighing, rubbing his cheek against Archie's neck.
"Then we'll be even," Maxie grunted, looking up at Archie impatiently, wanting to make some sort of obnoxious noise to get him moving. The Pokemon Jeopardy theme song was a tempting option, but when Archie finally began to move, he resisted the urge.
Careful about getting the conditioner anywhere where it could get into his slit—god forbid he come out of this with an infection or some shit like that—Archie pumped the conditioner down, shuddering at the pleasurably cool sensation it brought.
With steam filling the bathroom, anything cool felt positively electrifying, but his mind was fixed on something other than the temperature of the room as his cock pushed up against Maxie's ass.
"Are you sure you want to do this-?" Archie tentatively began, still wary of pressuring Maxie despite everything, and the redhead growled, reaching back.
"I have to do everything, don't I?"
Gripping firmly, though not too hard, onto Archie's erection—the Aqua leader gave a soft moan from the touch, god, Maxie hadn't even thought of how he hadn't been getting any love this entire time—and pushing himself down, wincing briefly at the stretch.
Luckily, Archie had done a decent job.
The stinging only lasted for a few moments before fading to a dull throb, something tolerable when considering everything thus far.
"Didn't know you'd be so aggressive about it," Archie huffed, Maxie rolling his eyes. The other man's face told it all of how much he was enjoying this, 'aggressive' or not, Maxie wanting to smirk at his eyes mimicking the fog his own had taken on prior.
"I need to be doing something, and besides, you haven't been getting much from me so far," mused Maxie, his hips rolling down, taking in all of Archie. Eliciting a delighted moan—Archie wasn't like him, eager to keep his pleasure silent—Archie seemed agreeable even without words of confirmation as Maxie readjusted slightly. It was difficult to move when he was leaning up against the other man, letting his hands slip down to brace themselves against the front of his shoulders, his knees rubbing against the seat of the tub as he settled more comfortably in Archie's lap.
'Comfortable' was one way to phrase it when one had a dick up their ass, Maxie occasionally twitching when he'd accidentally push it deeper, having to pause and recollect himself.
Moving around with a head swimming with pleasure was not ideal, but once he was settled properly, he moved, experimentally shifting his hips.
Briefly did he think to himself of the impossibility of this situation—him, riding his rival's dick like some first class whore. There was nowhere near the chance of claiming himself an unwilling victim of Archie's primal cravings, especially as he hissed from between his teeth in pleasure as he managed to push Archie's dick into those sensitive nerve endings, just wanting to keep it pressed there to let that sensation last.
Archie's hands had fallen to his hips, griping onto him as he tested out different angles that he could get from how he was sitting, the pace slow and easy as Maxie let himself accommodate Archie's girth.
God forbid he ripped anything or chafe something while they were having sex.
But his patience could only last so long, the redhead slamming his hips back down hard on Archie's erection after lifting them up, shuddering as he seemed to find just the right angle to hit that sweet spot. Archie's fingertips sporadically dug into his hips and then relaxed with every movement, his moans coming with compliments laced with pleasure; Mm that feels so good; god, Maxie, do that again; fuck you feel so nice.
Closing his eyes at the feel of Archie's cock being buried deeper, pushing down as hard as he could, his pace was still slow, luxurious for him, but apparently not quite good enough for Archie.
From content and practically purring with the pleasurable feel of Archie deep inside of him, Maxie was yelping as he was being wrenched around, his sides grabbed and body twisted around.
His hands fumbled, grabbing onto Archie, clutching onto him as he was whirled down beneath the other man and braced up against the seat of the tub instead of riding on top. Baffled, he looked up, only to gasp as Archie withdrew himself, slamming back in hard against his prostate.
Stars danced behind his eyes as his slow, comfortable rhythm was traded for something harder and faster.
Shoulders rubbing hard against the smooth surface of the tub, he wrapped his legs around Archie's torso to keep from slipping and admittedly to encourage him to push deeper, whining with need as Archie paused to grind up against his ass, his fingers snaking into the other man's hair.
"How much do you need me, Maxie?" Archie huffed into his ear, his hips pressing hard against him, stalling his movement.
Maxie wanted to groan in frustration, to snarl at him to keep going, that he hadn't said he could stop. But considering he was feeling more like putty than like a man who could debate and argue, he just pushed his ass harder up against Archie, looking up at him begrudgingly.
"Badly," he whined, his voice irritated, yet still somehow pleadingly as he found himself rocking somewhat against Archie, unable to stand the lack of movement.
Smirking, Archie shifted somewhat, though not enough for Maxie's satisfaction, the redhead growling.
"Please, fuck me, Archie. If you don't move soon, I'm going to lose my mind—please, I need your cock."
It felt somewhat degrading, his voice riddled with his need, his hips occasionally emphasizing just how badly he needed Archie to keep moving as he pushed back, feeling a low throb in his own erection.
"Mm, so convincing," Archie mused dryly, for a moment scaring Maxie into believing he'd have to reduce himself down even more, beg further for just some sort of satisfying movement.
But he finally complied, withdrawing and slamming back in, Maxie almost letting his head roll back at the punch it packed, the sudden return of pleasure making him cry out, biting down on his lower lip to suppress it.
"No," Archie suddenly hissed, one of his hands gripping onto Maxie's hips reaching up, fingers pressing down on the redhead's lower jaw. "I want to hear everything, I want to listen to your voice."
Mouth forced partly open, Maxie whined again, wanting to protest and deny Archie such satisfaction, but god, any kind of rebuttal was interrupted by a hard thrust back into his body that left him with his toes curling and a moan replacing whatever vicious words would have come out.
Left with only the capability of glaring at Archie weakly as he panted, he only held onto him tighter as he felt himself inching closer to orgasm, the muscles in his lower abdomen gradually beginning to tighten.
One of his hands dropped away from holding onto Archie, reaching down to grip onto him, but it seemed even that pleasure would be denied as his wrist was snagged, his arm held against the wall above his head.
"No," Archie growled, not missing a beat as Maxie fumbled with some sort of argument. "I want you to cum because of me—nothing else."
The possessiveness to his tone, the harsh, husky rasp of it was enough to make Maxie shudder, his argument dying on his tongue as Archie smashed their mouths together, distracting him from anything he might have wanted to say.
There wasn't really much else he wanted to say besides telling Archie to go harder, even if the pace he was currently at was making him see stars, his body numb with pleasure.
He couldn't even feel the spray of water any longer, his mind drifting with the sensations that were presently plowing into him.
Mouths breaking apart, Maxie gave up on trying to touch himself, Archie letting go of him to return his grip to his hip, the redhead back to clutching at him.
"Hnn, A-Archie, I'm close," he gasped, his grip on the other man becoming tighter at the tension in his body only rose higher, his mind dizzy with need as he pushed back against the other man, wanting just that extra nudge that'd send him off the edge.
Why he felt compelled to tell the man currently fucking him, he was uncertain—perhaps it was a necessity to encourage him to go faster, or to announce that he was at the brink so Archie could at least respond accordingly.
Either way, he instead found the other man's mouth back on his own, which seemed detrimental to his need to hear his voice—but Maxie didn't care as Archie managed to push harder against him, his shoulders beginning to burn now from the constant rubbing up against the wall.
Archie slammed back into one last time and Maxie felt the white-hot pleasure sear his skin, his cry of pleasure muffled by the other man's mouth as he came all over his stomach and subsequently onto Archie as he rubbed up against him.
Shuddering and quivering from the intensity of his orgasm, his hands fumbling to remain clutching onto Archie, feeling the other tense against his body, his cock pushing in hard before Maxie felt himself be filled with his semen, shivering as Archie panted and moaned against him.
If he had the mind to, he would've complained, but exhaustion fell over him rapidly, as he held onto Archie, riding out his orgasm as he remembered the water dousing them, realized the burning of his shoulders, and grimaced over the sensation of semen slowly dripping out of him as Archie pulled out.
"That was a blast," Archie breathed, Maxie grunting faintly, still trying to catch his breath as Archie pulled back. Thinking he'd at least be given the relief of being let to relax, Maxie found himself taken along with Archie as he sat down in the tub, though before he could perhaps be forced back onto his lap, he squirmed away.
"I'm not staying on your lap," grumbled Maxie begrudgingly, only to wince as he was pulled back either way, confused as he was forced to remain with his back to Archie.
"You don't have to," Archie muttered right back, the redhead peering back cautiously to see what he was doing, baffled by the position.
He was given his answer when feeling a glob of shampoo settle into his hair, warm, gentle fingers massaging it in.
"W-what are you—"
"You were going to take a shower, right? I told you I'd give you a hand," Archie dismissively replied, Maxie wishing he could turn around and see him, but alas, it was difficult with a set of hand working soap into his hair.
It felt nice, too, though he wouldn't dare admit it—exhaustion had seeped into his limbs, making the surprisingly still-hot water dousing his body and the expert hands massaging his scalp all too enjoyable.
After working soap through his hair, Archie carefully washed it out, Maxie cautious of letting him do anything, but no soap or water managed to get into his eyes.
How, he did not know, but he was just happy that he didn't have to snarl at Archie for screwing up.
Blinking drowsily, without realizing it, he slowly leaned back into the other man, who didn't seem to mind at all as he rubbed his shoulders, his palms smoothing down his chest and making small, circular, massaging motions.
"Why are you doing this?" Maxie mumbled in question, his eyes drifting up to look at Archie, who seemed enraptured in his activity, not missing a beat as he answered, "Well, you just let me have my way with you, so—I think this is only fair."
Blinking, for once, the redhead didn't protest it, only closing his eyes as he felt previously tensed muscles relax under Archie's mindful touch.
The only struggle that Maxie suffered was trying not to fall asleep, feeling so strangely at ease.
With his enemy.
He could barely even process Archie as a man he hated by this point, especially when he had so many chances to just snap his neck and get it over with, instead giving him a massage of all things.
Maxie didn't hear the water be turned off, but moments later when he felt himself shifted, he realized that he no longer felt the cleansing hot water spraying over him.
Jerking upright before Archie could try and lift him again, he stood up by himself, Archie still sitting, looking astounded.
"I'm… not exactly eager to be picked up anymore," Maxie explained quickly, still terrified of being dropped if Archie slipped on the slick bathtub floor.
Archie shrugged as he got to his feet, watching Maxie go to the cabinet beneath the sink, fishing out some towels.
"Whatever, I wouldn't drop you. I'm better than that."
Maxie rolled his eyes, throwing a towel at him.
"You can't control whether or not you slip."
Archie puffed out his cheeks, but didn't further protest as he just dried himself off, Maxie getting out a towel to rub down his hair and then the rest of himself.
He didn't look at Archie once as he changed into his fresh set of clothes, a loose pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt—something he obviously didn't wear with company over but, well, he didn't feel like changing back into dirty clothing.
Finally turning around, draping the towel around his shoulders to keep his wet hair from dripping onto his shirt.
Archie was fully dressed, back to wearing what he had been before, but unlike when he had first crept up on Maxie, he didn't bear a cocky grin nor a look of hunger in his eyes.
Bracing himself for something snarky, for their bitter arguments to kickstart again as Archie moved towards him, Maxie winced as the other man reached out.
Unlike all the other times he had been pulled to him, this time it was slow, gentle—a strangely affectionate touch that had him looking at Archie inquisitively, curious instead of confused.
He still somehow smelled of seawater, but this time around, he also smelled of himself—like the earth, that sweet, smoky aroma he often was told seemed to just hover around him.
Expecting something to be spoken, for Archie to make some teasing remark, Maxie watched his expression instead, observed how soft his face had become.
It was more like gazing into the face of an affectionate lover than a bitter foe he just so happened to have had sex with.
And he was leaning in—slow, again without that rushed impatience of need and lust, and Maxie, despite what his mind screamed, let it happen.
Archie's kiss was soft, only just firm enough for Maxie to be able to acknowledge that it was there, lingering for a few moments longer before he pulled away.
"I'm assuming you are just going to leave now?" Maxie muttered, unable to help the snippiness that crept into his tone, the return to old habits with the man who still held him in his arms.
"I was originally but—if you're not gonna outright boot me out, I wouldn't mind staying the night."
Again was all logic shrieking at him to kick him out, erase everything that happened from his mind and move on.
But Archie was warm and it was comfortable there in his arms, and Maxie was so drowsy.
The idea of going to a cold bed after this, alone, was not an entirely favorable idea.
"… If anyone asks, nothing has ever happened between us."
Archie beamed.
"Nothing at all."