There was nothing in the world he longed for more then this, and feeling his last shred of resistance break, James threw his arms around her, pulling her tighter to him and crushing his lips to hers. Mildly startled but mostly pleased, Jessie hummed, again letting her tongue nudge his as she slid her hands underneath his shirt, feeling his muscles tense under her touch and pulled it over his head to toss it casually on the floor. All sense of restraint gone, hearts racing and filled with lust and adrenaline they explored each other, breathlessly tasting, touching, both wondering why this had taken so long. James stood suddenly, still holding onto her as they stumbled backwards and Jessie was pushed against the table. She moaned into his kiss, lifting one leg as he grasped her thigh and she rubbed herself against him. Determined for once to not be a coward, James cleared the table with one sweep of his arm, the papers fluttering away and dishes clattering to the floor, one glass shattering into a thousand glittering shards, not that either of them noticed nor would care anyway as he moved his mouth to her neck, grasping her by the rear and hoisting her onto the table's edge, earning an approving groan. Breaking away, she fumbled with undoing his belt and pants with one hand while tugging her nightgown up higher and deftly slipping off her panties with the other, after a moment his hands joining hers. Free now of any fabric between them, he again pressed his lips to hers, one arm around her, the other gripping the table's edge as he pressed himself inside her, gently, gradually, but at the unspoken plea of her body movements and sounds he buried himself completely, prompting her to tilt her head back and longingly moan his name, somewhere in the still rationally-functioning part of her brain noting that she had definitely been right. Breath ragged, they moved together and he wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to last; between her soft cries, how amazing she felt and her reverent expression letting him know just how much he was pleasing her it was nearly too much. Soon enough however, she bit her lip and practically begging, pleaded for more. All too happy to oblige, he grabbed the table with both hands as she braced herself on her elbows and he increased his pace against her, capturing her mouth with his, feeling more like a man than he had in ages. Just when he was sure he couldn't take anymore, she arched her back, thrusting her hips into his and threw her head back, crying his name as she climaxed. A moment later he joined her, burying his face in her chest, groaning loudly and he had to grasp the table even harder to keep from losing his balance as his whole body shook.
Slowly coming back down to earth, they were still for a few moments, save their rapid breathing and occasional kiss. Finally, almost reluctantly, he pulled away, swiftly yanking his clothes back into place as she too quickly covered herself. Taking her hand, he helped her slide off the table and led them backwards to the couch, where they flopped down in a tangled heap and he folded her in his arms, gently stroking her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.
They lay quietly for several minutes before Jessie, making little circles on his chest with one finger, grinned and hummed, "We should do this more often..."
Still euphoric, James thought aloud with his own long, contented sigh,"I was thinking the same thing!" then her words sank in and he lifted his head in surprise, "Wa-what? Really?"
"Well, why not?" she cooed, raising her own head to look at him and brushing a few strands of sweaty hair from his eyes, "We both obviously enjoyed that, and I've been thinking that we need something to wind down occasionally, relieve some stress...can you think of a better way?"
"Not really...and it's cheaper and healthier than alcohol!" he replied with a little smile.
"Good! That being said, I think we need to establish some sort of rules here," sitting up completely she raised three fingers, "One, no falling in love. That would just over-complicate things and we have a job to focus on. Two, only a couple times a week at most. We need to work hard to win, not 'reward' ourselves for failure. And three, no telling the cat!"
Pulling a disgusted face, James said, "Certainly not! But how are we going to get rid of him? He's not that stupid, and there's only so many excuses we can give."
"We'll figure something out-he's not that bright either. So," she stood and held out her hand, "Deal?"
Standing as well, he nodded and shook her hand, "Deal."
"Perfect!"
Using the grip she had on his hand she tugged him closer to plant another kiss on his lips before letting go and spinning around, "Okay, now that that's settled," she cast a disgusted glare at the jumble of papers and dirty, broken dishes on the floor, "This mess has to be cleaned up before Meowth gets back and starts asking questions."
Picking up his shirt and pulling it back on, James smirked, "We could always say a Beedrill was in here and that's from trying to chase it out-then we get him to clean it up to thank us for saving all our lives!"
Jessie glanced over her shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow, "That is so ridiculous it just might work...still, we'd better get it," she sniffed her arm and grimaced, "Ugh, now I'm all sweaty and smell awful again! I'm getting another shower-there's a broom and dustpan in the closet. Don't cut yourself James!"
"Hey! How come I have to clean it up?!" he protested.
She planted her hands on her hips, "Well, you were the one who knocked all that stuff off in the first place! Tell you what," she walked away, pausing in the bathroom doorway to turn and look at him, grinning coyly, "You get that cleaned up and you can join me!"
His eyes widened slightly, face reddening, which Jessie found adorably ironic considering what had just happened, and said, "Really? Are you sure-"
"Clean that up and get in here! I could use some help with my back."
"O-okay!" he made a beeline for the closet as Jessie chuckled and closed the door behind her.
When Meowth finally returned to the cabin later that night, empty-handed and sore from the encounter he had had with a highly temperamental Qwilfish, he found the lights were still on and he could almost swear that the area near the table was shinier than the rest of the wooden floor. Dropping his fishing supplies by the door, he locked it and hearing voices, looked up to see his human partners curled up together on the couch, fast asleep with the television still going. Rolling his eyes, Meowth thought to himself, 'Hmph! Bet dey just sat dere all dis time an' didn't do nothin'. Buncha bums.'
Several days later, after another failed attempt to catch their electric yellow target, they set up camp for the night. James was sitting cross-legged on his sleeping bag with a section of their balloon across his legs, carefully mending some small tears in the fabric. Meowth was fetching some water from a stream a ways off and Jessie had just returned with an armful of firewood.
Walking by, she casually flung a small paperboard box onto James' lap and said, "Here. You're in charge of these."
Curiously, he picked it up and it only took a moment's glance to realize what he was holding. Face flushed, he quickly stuffed it under his sleeping bag.
"Where-where did you get them?!"
"Stole them from town earlier," she replied nonchalantly, sitting down near the fire and adding a few pieces of wood to it, "I wasn't going to pay what they were charging for them. So much for being cheaper than alcohol."
"But still healthier, right?"
She gestured to him using the stick she had been using to poke at their fire, "Right."
Moments later he yelped loudly and dropped his needle and thread, violently shaking his hand. Jessie looked up to see him stick his index finger in is mouth and glare sourly at his lap.
"What happened? Stab yourself-again?" she asked.
His gaze flicked up to her and he removed his finger long enough to grumble, "Maybe." before popping it back.
Shaking her head slightly, she got up and went over to sit beside him, "How bad is it? You going to live?" she added with a sarcastic grin.
"Very funny!" he sniffed, taking another glance at his wound and seeing that it had stopped bleeding, picked his supplies up to continue his repair work.
Taking ahold of a handful of the fabric, Jessie held it up and stretched it out slightly near where he was mending, "Here; I'll help you with it so you don't kill yourself." She tossed him a wink to let him know she was just teasing.
"...Thank you." he said after a slight pause, not used to her assistance with things like this.
They chatted casually for a couple minutes, before Jessie sighed and asked, "Someday we're going to win...right?"
Looking at her with a firm nod, James replied, "Absolutely!"
Jessie glanced up at him and his slightly lop-sided, confident grin and couldn't help but smile herself. Setting the fabric down, Jessie leaned her head against him as he slipped an arm around her. Pointing to a particular group of stars, James remarked how it kind of looked like a Wobbuffet, then went on to gesture to several others. This has become a hobby of his lately; finding various Pokemon or objects in the night sky, seeing if he could find new ones even if it meant re-using the same groups of stars. Jessie found it silly yet endearing, much like many things he did. She raised her eyes to look at him. The dark surrounding them made his hair appear a deeper blue-purple, but the fire reflected in his eyes made them shine. He really was incredibly handsome, and suddenly she found it odd to think about; that this man who had been her friend and partner seemingly forever had now become her lover as well.
"...and well, there's a couple stars missing, so it looks like the ears are gone or something, but I think it still works. What do you think?" he turned to her and asked.
Sitting up, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, startling him for a moment.
Pulling back to smirk suggestively at him she purred, "How long you think Meowth is going to be gone?"
The next several weeks passed much like usual, with them trailing Ash and his friends, taking care of smaller side jobs whenever such a thing presented itself or they were assigned one, and when the opportunity was ripe, trying to catch their long-sought quarry. Also per usual, they managed to fail at that last goal every time. Now, however, there was one fundamental difference in what Jessie had come to call their 'therapy sessions'. To their surprise, it had been easier than they thought to temporarily rid themselves of their furry friend; when unable to come up with a 'good' reason, they simply praised his fishing skills and asked if he could go catch their supper, promising him the largest portion for his effort. It worked beautifully.
Soon, they also found that restraining themselves to a couple times a week proved to be more difficult than they had anticipated. They both, though neither could even admit it to themselves just yet, had found a deeper solace and refuge in each other's arms from the miseries of their lives than they could have imagined. They began to look forward to and even crave not just the physical pleasure and stress relief, but the comfort and, at least temporary, sense of peace that came with their coupling. They even started opening up about a little more about things they usually kept tightly locked away. James pointed out the ancient, faded scars across his back from Jessiebelle's whip before he ran away as a boy, breaking down into tears as he related how when he had shown his own parents the fresh, raw welts their response had been to 'man up' and that if he acted properly she probably wouldn't do that. Jessie held him to her chest as he clutched their blanket, stroking his hair soothingly until his ragged sobs subsided.
In her own turn, Jessie told him more about what she could remember from her own childhood; much of it she couldn't recall, something she suspected her mind had done for it's own protection. She told him of how desperately poor she had been, how her sweet mother had worked so hard to make even the most meager of meals seem like a feast, the times she would brush Jessie's long hair before bed and tell her she was more beautiful than any fairy-tale princess, how she would hold Jessie and rock her by their tiny stove, keeping them both warm until she fell asleep, singing songs of lovely, glittering, faraway things. Her eyes watering, Jessie then told how one day, she came home looking shaken and upset, and told her daughter that she had to go away for a bit, and pulling her onto her lap told not to worry because she was going to be back. Tears finally falling, Jessie finished the story saying that, of course, she never did. James tried to reach out and hold her, but she stood suddenly, wrapped herself in a blanket, punched the nearest tree and stomped off. A short time later she returned, eyes red and swollen from crying and simply plopped down next to him, burying her face in his neck as he gingerly pulled her close.
It was one of these nights not long afterward that they lay tangled together, breath still rough and the firelight bouncing off their sweat-covered skin. Reaching for a thin blanket, James pulled it over them and flopped his head back onto his sleeping bag, exhaling loudly.
Head pillowed on his chest and wriggling slightly with gratification, Jessie said, "Wow, you really put an impressive amount effort into that!"
"I aim to please, milady." he chuckled.
They giggled, pulling each other closer and basking in the afterglow they had grown to love. James kissed the top of her head and sighed, folding one arm behind his head, the other wrapped around her shoulders. She yawned loudly and wriggled again, settling her own body comfortably against his, one arm draped across his chest and snuggling her face into his shoulder. They lay quietly for a little while, enjoying the warm, quiet, star-speckled night and each other's simple presence. James looked down at his partner, long hair loosely draped around her, shiny in the flickering light from the fire, her deep blue eyes half-open and a peaceful, content smile on her face. Though he couldn't see the rest of her body at the moment, lately he had become quite aware of every inch of her gorgeous form.
'Sweet Arceus she's stunning...' he thought with a slight smile, 'She's the strongest, most beautiful, determined and amazing woman I've ever known. All I want is for her to be happy, for us to finally succeed so she can have the things she's always wanted, to be by her side forever...because...'
His body stiffened, and he prayed she wouldn't notice it, nor the tears forming in his eyes as he fought back the words forming in his head, the ache in his bones and the burning deep in his soul he had been ignoring and desperately fighting off finally manifesting itself into coherent thoughts, and he cursed his traitorous heart as the words pushed through to the front of his brain, the tears now spilling down his cheeks.
'...because I love her...'