I like this story.
I was originally going to save it for something later, but instead I edited it now... because I really, really like this story, for whatever reason. And because I'm tired. When I wake up after some proper sleep, I'll probably feel like it was a bad idea to post this now.
In the game, he probably has a male Pokemon, but in this story Samurott is female... I can't really explain why I did that. There's also a spoiler so small you'll probably miss it if you're not already aware of it. I, on the other hand, couldn't keep my nose out of the spoilers, and I kind of lament that...
Hugh's Samurott made her way around the lake slowly, the waves gently rising and falling at her sides. She was large enough to carry both boys now, but regrettably not large enough to keep their feet from getting wet. Surfing on the back of Samurott meant Hugh and Nate letting the water rise and fall up to their ankles as well. That meant going bare feet, unless they wanted to wake up and continue their journey with soggy socks and shoes the next day.
The lake was cold, but after a few minutes they had almost begun to adjust to the frigid temperature. Nate still felt a chill every now and then, but the spare jacket Hugh had slung around his shoulders before heading out made up for it, because it smelled wonderfully of the darker haired boy, and he felt like he could never have enough Hugh surrounding him.
Even if Nate had considered the jacket a flawed thing, the night was otherwise perfect. He didn't mind sacrificing a few Max Repels to keep doing laps around the lake, while the more vocal nighttime Pokemon in the distance sang songs to their mates and Nate admired up close how the full moon reflected against the dark black of the water. Hugh sat in front of him, silently directing his Samurott, and Nate clung to Hugh with his arms around the boy's waist and his head resting against his back.
And of course, Hugh eventually had to use logic to ruin it.
"We're both going to end up sick if we stay out here much longer," Hugh pointed out.
He rode in front because it was his Samurott, because he was technically supposed to be the one giving the orders even though it was Nate who'd convinced him to leave their room for a swim and continue surfing long after Hugh had wanted to stop through his pleading. It was only for him that Hugh did these things in the first place.
"I'm not tired yet," Hugh retorted in disappointment, well aware that he sounded childish and like he was whining. He'd been enjoying their time together. With Hugh being such a killjoy, it was difficult to tell whether or not he was too.
That was the disappointing part.
"But you're not nervous anymore either, right? I was only intending to swim laps around the lake until you calmed down about our next fight. I wasn't intending..." Hugh yawned involuntarily, "I wasn't... intending to stay out here for an hour, Nate."
Nate lifted his head slightly. "It's been that long already?"
"Longer than, actually," Hugh replied, taking a quick glance at the time on his Xtransceiver. The screen lit up in the dark, brightly enough that it sent both of them turning away, blinking, for a few moments.
From the outline the light created, even while facing Hugh's back, Nate could see the slump in the other boy's shoulders that marked when he was feeling tired. He could hear it in his voice, too, that Hugh was halfway falling asleep on top of Samurott. But there was also the unmistakeable tenderness in his voice, patience and a desire to please, that marked that he cared. If Hugh hadn't forced him back into the Pokemon Center and into the room they were renting by now, he'd probably be willing to force himself and Samurott to stay awake for another hour instead, possibly until the sun rose, if Nate insisted upon it.
And to think, Hugh was supposed to be the responsible one between them.
"Sorry," Nate muttered, pretending to be more tired than he actually felt. He no longer had the nervous jitters, so he supposed it was convincing enough. "I guess you're right, I'm kind of... Maybe it is time to turn in for the night."
"Now that it's past three," Hugh retorted, with as much venom as his tired voice could muster.
"Sorry," Nate apologized again, actually meaning it this time.
There would be plenty of time for this after they finished the Pokemon League, Nate mentally promised himself. And after all the problems in Unova had been taken care of, the returning of Team Plasma, and the matter with the stolen Pokemon...
Hugh directed his Samurott toward the shore almost eagerly, for someone who sounded as if they were about to collapse at any given moment. Luckily for Hugh, their walk back to the Pokemon Center would be a short one, after putting back on the socks and shoes they had ditched on the gravel nearby. And if Hugh happened to want a shoulder to lean on for the walk back, Nate wasn't planning on telling anyone.