Touya reaches up to shield his eyes from the white light of summer beating down on him, and he squints into the distance to make out a figure stooped among a group of short trees.
It was N, if that high and bright green ponytail and those tight, grass-stained jeans were any indicator, though Touya had to wonder what exactly the other boy was doing. He seemed to be clutching something in front of him, and Touya finds himself staring for a long while, trying to decipher the scene before him.
Whether it's that strange connection they share, or N simply feels the weight of another's stare on him, N stops what he's doing to look over his shoulder. He grins like a delighted child and waves at Touya in the distance. Moisture and dirt clings to his fingertips and the palm of his hand.
It's a small distance away but with the weight of the summer heat on him, it feels like a whole new journey. Touya makes his way through tall grasses and patches of wildflowers, the plants' drying dew making his bare legs itch at times. When he arrives, he stops next to N and stoops next to him, a curious smile on his face.
"What's up, N? What'd you find?"
N smiles brightly before reaching forward and plucking his new treasures off of the tree before him. It's a Rawst Berry tree, Touya notes mentally, and there are a lot of them.
"They're Rawst Berries," N begins, eyes glimmering with delight. "I talked to a Tailow on the way here yesterday. I told her about the cottage we're staying at, and she spoke of a berry grove nearby it."
Touya hums in fascination, turning to regard the plump blue berries hanging enticingly off of the thick limbs of the tree. This was probably somebody's berry grove, he thinks to himself with a contemplative tightening of his lips. It isn't until he catches N making a basket out of the front of his once-clean t-shirt and storing his berries in it does he say anything.
"Hold on, N," Touya says, lifting a hand though doing nothing with it. "These berries probably belong to someone."
N does stop, but not without making a comically indignant face, brows knit and lips pouted in a deep frown.
"It's okay, isn't it? They're nature's gifts to everyone, after all," he says as he puts another berry in his makeshift basket, his expression shifting into one of great self-importance.
Touya could only smile chidingly. "Well, yeah, but someone's gotta take the time and money to maintain all these trees, you know? It wouldn't really be fair to them if we made off with their hard work."
N is silent for a moment before reaching into his little basket of berries, fingers pushing them about until he happened upon a clean one, wet and deep blue, its little seeds pitch black with their ripeness. He rolls it against a clean part of his shirt before lifting it to his mouth, teeth and lips nibbling at the end of the berry, and it leaves a rich residue of juice and fragrant sweetness in its wake.
N doesn't seem to notice this and smiles imploringly instead. "But they're so sweet, Touya. You must try one- come, come. Try one," and he offers the bitten fruit to the other boy, his smile a little eager.
Touya hesitates but eventually leans in and takes a bite of the offered fruit, the inside of his lips catching a slight taste of N's fingertips. Just as the other boy described, the berry was perfect in its ripeness, sweet but not obnoxiously so with a fresh and pure quality to its flavor.
"See?"
Touya licks his lips clean and nods.
"But still."
Obviously foiled, N frowns again, and resorts to staring at Touya with a puerile, demanding intensity.
Touya can only smile before leaning forward to kiss the berry juice and pout off of N's lips.
"No one will miss a few, Touya," N offers once again in that imploring tone of his, and even goes so far as to lean in, shoulder bumping Touya's repeatedly so that he held every bit of his attention.
Truthfully, Touya had wanted to give in for quite awhile, and had already made up his mind about the matter. He knew he wouldn't be able to change N's mind so easily, and not over something that made his bright eyes shine like jewels did thieves.
He hums, pretending to be deep in thought while N continues to bump his shoulder, before finally giving a resigned sigh.
Reaching forward, Touya plucks a plump berry off a branch and drops it into N's shirtbasket.
"Well, since we're all the way out here, I guess a few won't hurt."
N's smile, sweet and cheeky and illuminant enough to put the summer sun to shame, is the most beautiful thing Touya has ever seen.
The dirt road behind the cabin eventually turns into a path of sand, and following it leads to a shoreline.
N doesn't know how to swim, so they spend the late afternoon trying to teach him, Touya pulling N's hands and coaching him through the Lillipup Paddle. N is a little nonsensical at times, getting water in his nose and mouth, and it sort of reminds Touya of the first time they'd kissed. N's daftness was comical; they bumped noses, rubbed teeth, even missed each other's lips a few times. N was upset the whole way through, but he persevered, saying it was the principle of the matter after several failed attempts.
It's sunset when they finally unwind, and a pair of young Wailmer had asked N to build a sandcastle with him. Touya opted to watch the trio from atop a beach towel.
Touya watches the way N leans over the crude little castle, his weight braced next to it, and the gracefulness of it all reminds Touya of their first kiss all over again. N had no clue what he was doing, but he looked sort of happy through his embarrassment.
He looks so happy now, Touya thinks fondly, so happy and pretty with his warm and beaming smile. The glow of the sunset does wonderful things to his skin and his heavy, wavy hair. The sand clinging to his legs and forearms reminds Touya of marvel scales. Everything about N radiates beauty and joy. N sort of resembles a Milotic.
Touya feels his heart flutter when N looks up at him from the shoreline and gives him a quick wave in greeting. He grins in return, saying nothing as he continues to watch N build his little sandcastle, the twin Wailmer bouncing happily at his sides.
It isn't until the sun sets fully and a large Wailord breaches the water and lets off a long, slow cry that the little Wailmer bounce back into the sea, letting off a bit of spray in parting before disappearing. N and Touya walk back to the cabin, side by side, the warm glow of N's smile still present on his face.
"Weren't they cute? The Wailmer, I mean," N asks without looking to Touya, too caught up in his pink-cheeked daydreams of the afternoon. "I didn't have the heart to tell them I'd never made a sandcastle before, but they didn't seem to care about how crude ours was."
Touya laughs. "I thought it looked pretty good! At least you could tell it was a castle. I usually just make a huge dome, poke some holes into it, and call it a day."
N chuckles, turning to look to Touya with big grey eyes, before reaching over to lace their fingers together.
"We should build one together. Next year, when we come back," he says, heat rising to his face.
Touya smiles back, squeezes the hand in his. "Good idea. Maybe we can bring Cheren and Bianca with us?"
N's smile falls instantly, a petulant frown taking its place. Touya tilts his head, is about to ask what the matter is, but they reach the patio deck of their cabin and N scampers up the steps, opening the door and shuffling inside.
The door falls shut just as Touya reaches for N's wrist and takes him in a gentle hold.
"C'mon, what's wrong?" he asks, tone playful and light, disarming N and showing him that he isn't mad.
N turns to face the other boy, looking down at him through endless lashes.
"Is my company not sufficient enough?" he asks, voice low like a scolded child's. "I like it when it's just the two of us."
Touya smiles warmly before giving N a gentle pull towards him.
"It's not that," he says slowly before leaning up to press a chaste kiss to N's lips. "I like it when we're alone too."
"But?" N presses, pulling Touya towards one of the two beds fitted against the wall. He sits down, not minding the drip of his heavy hair or the way sand still clings to his skin.
Finally, Touya gives in; N looks too pretty with water rolling down his pale skin and his dollish eyes glimmering in greedy curiosity. Touya leans down to kiss him, guiding N onto his back, arms braced on both sides of the boy's shoulders.
N's arms drape over Touya's shoulders, fingers lacing together as his eyes flutter shut. They spend far too long melted against each others mouths, sharing breaths and squirming against each other, relishing in the feel of grainy sand on soft skin.
When Touya pulls away, he grins at N, delirious and lovedrunk. "It gets hard to resist you sometimes, that's all."
N's smile is sweet and mischievous. "Is that really such a bad thing?"
Touya leans back down, bumping N's nose with his own. "I guess not."
He kisses him again and again, and gives N everything he asks for.
They watch the stars on the last day of summer. N said the night was calling to him, that the stars were so bright and lovely, and the music the Pokemon were playing made the ultimate quotient for relaxation. Touya was especially bad at division, so he took N's word for it and followed him wherever their hearts fancied.
They sat at the edge of the forest, towards the ends of the berry grove N had ravaged not long before, surrounded by tall, fragrant grasses and the salty-crisp scent of the ocean being carried by soft winds. The Volbeat and Illumise seemed especially playful tonight, blinking their lights and singing together along with the Kricketot and Kricketune chirping in the brush.
Without the glare of city lights, the sky is clear and vast, the dark blue of it absolutely breathtaking.
"I wonder if we'll see Jirachi if we wish hard enough," N murmurs at Touya's side, staring in wide-eyed wistfulness at the swirl of stars and undiscovered planets.
"That'd be so cool," Touya says in reply, slow and awe-struck.
The two say little after that, too lost in the dreamy sky and all its endlessness to focus on proper conversation. A pair of Volbeat and Illumise venture out of the forest to fly over them, greeting them with chirps. Their ensorcelled quietness is interrupted by N smiling at the Pokemon and turning to wave at them.
Touya watches him and smiles before turning back to the sky.
"I wish we could stay like this forever," he says absently, becoming lost in the sky once again.
"Me too," N says dreamily before looking to Touya, squaring his shoulders and blushing. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Touya blinks before looking to N at his side, his own face equally red. That sounded too much like a wedding vow or marriage proposal for his liking.
"Really?" he asks incredulously.
N nods, smiling shyly as he turns to the sky above them.
Touya hums in thought before turning back to the sky as well. "I think I feel the same way," he thinks out loud.
"Do you?"
"Yeah," Touya says with a nod.
"Why is that?" N asks, face softening. Touya can recognize the boy's expression, can practically see the bad memories surfacing and breaching the happiness they were currently wrapped up in.
"Because," Touya begins, pausing to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Being with you is kind of like staring at the universe."
N looks at him as if he were deranged, but listens anyway. Touya can't help but laugh at his expression, though.
"There's so much to you, I can't take it all in. I feel like I'll need forever to really understand you."
The words must have struck a chord in N's heart because he smiles, warm and adoring, before leaning over to rest his shoulder against Touya's.
"You won't need that long to understand me, Touya," he says, tone chiding. "You already understand me far better than anyone else ever could."
Touya's hand inches over to N's, laces their fingers together.
"You think so?" Touya asks, though he already knows the answer to his question.
N nods. "Yes. Far better than I understand myself."
Touya turns to look at N fully, admires the way starlight gives him an ethereal glow. He's overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him, but doesn't act on it immediately.
"Well, I still want forever with you."
N's smile returns, soft and demure and overwhelmed with love and peace. He doesn't say anything, just leans forward and gives Touya a long, lingering kiss that seems to go on forever. When they pull apart, N is red-cheeked and looks fit to burst.
"Forever sounds good," he says with a smile.
Touya nods and couldn't agree more.