"-the much awaited trial of Mr. Ubukata finally begins today, amid much controversy," the black-haired man from the previous news cast said, large screens directly behind the desk displaying scenes of a courthouse. The man was Kyouhei Hirayama, part of a rather well-known duo of reporters in Hoenn. "Protestors gather outside the courthouse, some in support of Mr. Ubukata and what they consider to be an unfair trial as well as those protesting for the victims of last month's horrific toxic waste spill that took many lives and disfigured many more."

His co-anchor, the red-headed female with sharp eyes, had an intense expression on her face as she addressed the audience. She was the other half of the duo, Enmako Arakawa. "Of course, vigilante tactics aside, the evidence that has recently appeared anonymously online and on all major news outlets is rather damning for Ubukata and anyone else who still tries to maintain that his company had nothing to do with the spill."

"Mr. Ubukata's lawyer has gone on record saying that any and all evidence obtained through such anonymous means must be called in to question, especially if said evidence may in fact have come from one of the two vigilante teams currently stationed in Hoenn - the infamous Team Magma and the up-and-coming Team Aqua," Kyouhei continued. "Experts believe that this angle will be the primary defense tactic used in today's trial, and there has been much debate as to whether or not evidence obtained outside of police investigations should be considered for legal proceedings."

Enmako lightly tapped the pile of papers on her desk. "Meanwhile online, it seems that the amount of evidence against Ubukata has encouraged some people to step forward and finally speak up about some encounters they had with both his company and him personally. These alleged incidents range anywhere from illegal dumping, bribing politicians, Pokémon smuggling, and more."

"As a result, all eyes are on the trial and its proceedings," the male newscaster said as he folded his hands together, resting them on the desk. An image flickered on the screen of Mr. Ubukata as he sat at his desk within the courtroom, nervously talking to his lawyer, a man with thick glasses beside him. "One thing experts agree on - this will be a long and troubled trial. Regardless of the outcome, it is expected that-"

A loud crash followed by the sounds of screaming startled Kyouhei, cracking his professional demeanor as he nearly fell out of his seat and whirled to stare at the screens behind them in confusion.

The camera shifted to the doorway to the courtroom as the cameraman turned to the source of the sound. The front doors to the courtroom had been blown wide open, wood shrapnel scattered across the floor. While thankfully no one was injured in the explosion, no one had much time to relax as men and women in the tell-tale uniforms of Team Magma burst in to the room, their faces obstructed by black cloth masks covering the lower parts of their faces.

Enmako whirled around, stammering for a moment before she recovered herself. "It's Team Magma! They've broken in to the court room!"

As the men and women attacked the security officers, another individual entered the room - Homura. As the camera focused on his black mask, Homura focused on Mr. Ubukata as he gawked towards them with a horrified face. Homura locked eyes with his target before he drew his gun, pulling it out of its sheath at his side. Turning the gun on Mr. Ubukata, he aimed directly at the terrified man's forehead and held it there for several moments. Then, Homura shifted the gun ever so slightly and fired, missing Mr. Ubukata as the bullet lodged itself in the far wall.

Despite the bullet missing, Mr. Ubukata let out an unearthly scream before he collapsed to the ground, fainting. As the target collapsed on the ground, Homura turned swiftly on his heels and walked back out through the entryway his team had made. As he left, the other grunts quickly followed suit and Team Magma left the courtroom in shambles as both staff and audience alike scrambled about in pure chaos.

The television turned off with an audible click as Izumi leaned back heavily in her chair, causing it to squeak. She let out a sigh before turning her head to glance over towards Shelly, the redhead leaning against the far wall. "Well, looks like your bird boy didn't shoot him after all. Guess I lost."

Shelly held out her hand with a flourish, practically radiating with pride. "I told you the temptation to let that bastard live while wallowing in his own piss stained pants in jail would be too much for them."

"I still can't believe they friggin' broke in to a courtroom," Ushio said as he crossed his arms, hunching forward as he stared at the television screen, then to Aogiri. "A friggin' courtroom!"

Aogiri chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "Masky and his team have balls, no doubt about it. They're hardcore."

"They probably felt they had to, after how badly we humiliated them," Izumi said as she rocked slightly in her chair. "If only to try and get the last 'shot' in."

Matt sighed and shook his head as he brushed away some fly hairs peeking out from his bandana. "It's pretty pointless if you ask me. After all the damning evidence we leaked out about that slug, he couldn't buy his way out of a guilty verdict with all the money in Asia put together. Kind of makes me wonder what kind of psychos we're dealing with here that they feel they need to make a pointlessly violent statement like that for the sake of their image."

Matsubusa hunched forward, focused on his task. Holding his chopsticks with one hand, he very carefully scooped up a dollop of wasabi from the large sushi tray on the table before taking it over to his small cup he had requested. Filling the small cup with soy sauce, he proceeded to mix the wasabi in to the deep brown liquid, swirling his chopsticks around and around. He was quite focused on his task, mixing together the two condiments until they blended together to his satisfaction, then straightened up. With a self-satisfied smirk, he lifted his head just in time to see Homura staring directly at him, his expression deadpan. Matsubusa jumped before he narrowed his eyes. "...W-what?!"

"...Nothing," Homura said before he averted his gaze, looking down at the fish-shaped tray before them, filled with pieces of sushi of all shapes and sizes. "Nothing at all."

"Homura is being picky again," Courtney said as she crumbled up bits of bacon from her plate and sprinkled it on a piece of sushi – tamago sushi, made with scrambled eggs instead of fish.

Tabitha decimated many of the salmon and hamachi on the tray, savoring each bite with pleasurable noises. "Mmm... there's nothing like perfectly prepared sushi after a hard day's work."

"I agree," Kagari said as she selected her own pieces, primarily going after the kanpyo sushi and the bright-orange tobiko sushi – sweet squash and flying fish roe respectively.

Matsubusa let out a small sound as he surveyed the tray before singling out a tamago sushi, swiping it quickly before Courtney could snatch it herself. He shot his admin a sour look as he placed the scrambled eggs and rice in his little bowl, allowing it to soak up the sauce. "Keep your bacon on your portion."

Courtney eyed the sushi marinating in Matsubusa's special bowl of sauce. "Eggs need bacon."

Matsubusa moved his chopsticks to shield his piece of sushi, blocking it from Courtney. "Not on sushi, it doesn't!"

"You're a grown man," Homura said, exasperated. "Leave the scrambled eggs to Courtney and eat something that has actual fish in it." He moved his chopsticks to pick up a piece of maguro sushi, the ever staple tuna option, and held it towards Matsubusa.

Matsubusa wrinkled his nose at the tuna sushi, then gingerly picked up the sushi that had been marinating in his little cup. "...I'm a grown man, so I can eat what I want." To emphasize the point, he popped the piece of scrambled egg sushi in his mouth and made a great show of chewing it.

Tabitha gestured to the tray with his chopsticks. "Try the salmon. It's soooo good!" He snatched another one for himself and popped it into his mouth whole, practically moaning in pleasure.

Homura sighed before he ate the piece he had selected. "Salmon, tuna, yellowtail, I don't care. Just eat something other than scrambled eggs."

"Now, now, I'm sure Matsubusa is enjoying his sushi just as much as everyone else," Kagari said, lightly, before she turned to the redhead with a smile. "If you're looking for something sweet, you could try the octopus."

Matsubusa made a non-committal response, looking around the plate of assorted bits of sushi before finding another piece of tamago sushi that Courtney hadn't confiscated for herself. He swiftly snatched it before turning to stick his tongue out at Homura.

Tabitha looked sideways at Homura and muttered under his breath. "How old is he again? I forget."

Homura's cheek twitched as he stared at Matsubusa before he swiftly jabbed his chopsticks in to the wasabi, coating the tip rather heavily with it before he swiped the condiment directly on to Matsubusa's tongue.

Matsubusa jerked his tongue back in his mouth instinctively, then immediately regretted it as it brought the wasabi with it. Matsubusa clasped his hands over his mouth, the wasabi assaulting his senses with a harsh burning sensation and causing his eyes to water.

"Homura 1, Matsubusa 0," Courtney said before she took a bite of sushi that was more bacon than anything else.

Matsubusa waved his hands before he reached up to cover his eyes, the burning going up to his nose. All he could do was let out a whine as the wasabi ran its course, then shot Homura a furious teary-eyed glare before he scooped up a sizeable helping of wasabi himself and dove to try and shove the chopsticks in Homura's mouth.

Homura easily grabbed the hand holding the chopsticks, carefully keeping it away from his mouth as he held Matsubusa back. "Really, now?"

Tabitha leaned on one arm as he watched Matsubusa and Homura struggle with the wasabi-coated chopsticks. "You do know people are staring at us, right?"

"No more than usual," Kagari said, with a smile. "Certainly no more than the looks Courtney's getting for her plate of bacon."

"Bacon got more looks," Courtney remarked before crumpling up another slice of bacon to garnish more sushi.

Matsubusa put more of his weight in to the assault, trying to overcome Homura's grip without much success. "Homurraaaaaa...!"

"Just kiss him directly," Courtney said. "It'd be easier than trying for another indirect one by sharing chopsticks."

Matsubusa jerked at that, his eyes widening. He whirled to stare at Courtney, his face turning solid red. "What-!?"

Homura took advantage of Matsubusa's distraction to direct the redhead's chopsticks in to his own mouth, turning his wasabi retaliation against himself. As Matsubusa squeaked and jerked back, dropping his chopsticks as he covered his mouth, Homura turned to give Courtney a flat look. "You just want to distract Matsubusa so you can have all the tamago for yourself."

Courtney never broke eye contact with Homura even as she methodically snatched up every bit of sushi covered in egg. "What makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch." Homura said, blandly.

"-Thank you all for being here tonight. Tonight's topic for our panelists - the sudden development in the Ubukata trial," Kyouhei said as both he, his co-anchor, and several other individuals sat at the large crescent desk in their studio. "For those of you just turning in, the Ubukata trial had been scheduled to start today, only to be interrupted by masked gunmen breaking in to the courthouse. Developments took an even more outrageous turn when Mr. Ubukata then accepted a plea deal from the police, putting an end to the trial all-together," the man turned to the person sitting directly beside him, a stern-faced woman in a pink suit. "Judge, we'll start with you. Many critics are questioning the legitimacy of this outcome, as Mr. Ubukata was surely motivated by personal safety. Do you feel that Mr. Ubukata should have sought police protection rather than-"

"Oh, yes," the judge said, wrinkling her nose with disgust. "Because they've done such a wonderful job so far, haven't they?" The woman shook her head. "Five masked individuals, including one carrying a gun, break in to the courthouse in broad daylight specifically to target the defendant, and then escape arrest. Quite frankly, the entire police force should be ashamed-"

Homura closed his Pokédex with a flick of his wrist, a ghost of a smirk making its presence known on his face. He pocketed the device before he picked up his drink, a non-alcoholic cooler, and reclined in the large sofa against the wall. He glanced over to the karaoke stage, where Tabitha was making his way to the microphone, before glancing about the room. It was a private karaoke room, securing the Team Magma admins and their leader from prying eyes - and listening ears. He could never be too careful, as there was always a possibility of someone saying something they shouldn't – a slip of the tongue.

Though, his co-workers didn't seem all that able to discuss much of anything at that point.

"Hooomuuuuraaaaaaa."

Homura ignored the whining voice in his ear, even though he knew that it was a luxury that he didn't actually have. He rolled his eyes when Matsubusa suddenly moved closer, throwing himself on the other man and spooning his side as he wrapped his arms around Homura's left arm.

"Hooomuuuuraaa, stop iiignoooring meeee!" Matsubusa whined, his cheeks tinted.

"What do you want now, you lush?" Homura asked, his tone weary.

"I am not a lush!" Matsubusa snapped, cheeks puffing in a sulk. "You're a lush!"

"I'm not drinking," Homura said as he sipped his cooler, arching an eyebrow. "And you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk, neither!" Matsubusa said, with a huff. "I'm intoxicated."

"That you are," Homura said, glancing at Matsubusa as the man continued to tug on his arm. "My arm won't come off, no matter how much you pull."

"It's soooo rude!" Matsubusa said, scowling. "I was talking to you and you just pull out your Pokédex and, and, and that's sooooo rude!"

"Do you even remember what you were talking about?" Homura asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, I don't!" Matsubusa said, with great authority in his tone.

"That's what I thought," Homura said as he turned his attention to Tabitha. He set down his drink before moving his left hand over to poke Matsubusa in the forehead, causing the redhead to squeak before he fell backwards on to the sofa in a crumbled heap. "You lush."

"Ah hah!" Tabitha suddenly shouted as he loomed over the karaoke machine malevolently. "I have commandeered the next dozen songs from this device and none of you can stop me!" He broke off into maniacal laughter until he realized he missed his first song cue. He cut off his own mirth with a yelp before he tried to catch up with the song, only to ad lib half the words anyway.

Kagari giggled as she reclined in her chair, crossing her arms as she watched Tabitha. Her own face was slightly rosy, with the source being her own alcoholic beverage – a candy drink in a bottle that she swirled about lazily. She glanced over to Homura, her smile widening. "It seems we've had nothing but success today."

Homura grunted. "All we're doing is cleaning up the mess those idiots made."

"D-d-d-don't get me started!" Matsubusa snapped as he raised his fists in to the air. "Don't get me started, don't get me started, don't get me started!"

Courtney suddenly burst into loud sobs, drawing the others' attention to her staring at her Pokédex with tears streaming down her face. "Noooooo!"

While Matsubusa fell off of the sofa in a yelp, neither Kagari nor Homura seemed too surprised by Courtney's outbursts as they both glanced in her direction.

"What happened, honey?" Kagari asked. "Did someone kill your favorite character again?"

"Worse!" Courtney bawled as she wiped at her face. "They sunk my ship! Whyyyyyyyyy?"

Homura rolled his eyes as he sipped his cooler. "Aren't you just going to ignore them and keep 'shipping' anyway?"

"You don't understand!" Courtney snapped, her eyes brimming with angry tears. "My babes were perfection! Absolute perfection!"

"There, there," Kagari said as she reached over to pat Courtney's head. "Perhaps they're simply ship-teasing?"

Courtney grabbed the collar of Kagari's shirt and looked intently into the other woman's eyes. "She doesn't deserve him! She's a selfish bitch who put him through hell and she doesn't deserve him at all!"

Before Kagari could respond, Courtney let out a shrill whine and sobbed grossly against her chest.

Kagari stared down at Courtney before she began rubbing her back soothingly, then offered Homura a helpless smile. "There, there. I'm sure someone will write some fanfiction about it."

Tabitha stopped his singing and wrung his hands together. "Well then, it seems my time has come. I shall plot a perfect scheme and sink that wrong ship and dredge Courtney's ship from the depths!"

Courtney immediately sat up, utterly beaming. "Yes! We can still make them change their mind! I'll start an online petition!" She scrambled for her Pokédex, practically quaking with enthusiasm even as her cheeks were still wet with tears.

"I know!" Tabitha said. "Once we have a petition, we'll fill it with fan art and mail it to everyone until the whole world knows that there is only one true ship!"

"Do you even know what she's talking about?" Homura asked, with a heavy sigh as he reached over to take Courtney's Pokédex out of her hands.

Tabitha pumped his fist into the air triumphantly, a huge grin on his face. "I have no idea!"

Homura and Kagari glanced to each other again, sharing a long suffering look.

Courtney stared at the air where her Pokédex used to be then started rooting around for paper and drawing utensils. "Doujinshi... doujinshi..."

"But that won't stop the great Tabitha!" Tabitha shouted before laughing. "Together we shall conquer the world of fandom and all the ships will be mine!"

"This is inexcusable!" Matsubusa yelled as he was still sprawled out on his back on the floor. He lifted his hands upwards, clenching his fists. "Ships can't just be sunk indiscriminately! Think of the pollutants!"

"Exactly!" Tabitha said grandly. "Think of the children and the Pokémon and the seagulls!"

"Get up off the floor," Homura said as he moved his foot to nudge Matsubusa's side, before he turned to Courtney. "Courtney, why don't you try teaching Tabitha that one theme song you keep as your ringtone? Super Sailor Warrior Lunatone?"

"It's Soldier!" Courtney shouted, her face turning red with anger. "Super Sailor Soldier Lunatone!"

"Yes, that one," Homura said, blandly. "Tabitha was trying to sing it and he messed up all the words."

Tabitha blinked. "I did?"

"Probably." Homura said.

Courtney gasped, her eyes widening to their fullest. Instantly she was on her feet, swaying a bit for a moment, before she stormed over to Tabitha. "How could you ruin the most iconic theme song of all time?" She snatched the microphone from her comrade's hand. "It goes like this!"

Tabitha blinked and looked at the screen where a heavy metal band was playing a harsh tune with lyrics on the screen that weren't exactly kid friendly, and certainly had nothing to do with what Courtney was singing. "Hey... I don't think that's the right song."

"Shut up!" Courtney snapped, sulking. "Super Sailor Soldier Lunatone transcends all karaoke songs everywhere, every time, all the time."

Homura watched as Courtney and Homura drunkenly bickered over the song, then sighed and turned back to Kagari. "Honestly, you're the only one that doesn't completely fall apart when you drink."

Kagari giggled. "You'd probably enjoy yourself more if you'd have something to drink, too."

"There is absolutely no way I can babysit all these drunks without being sober," Homura said, with a shake of his head. He paused and nudged Matsubusa again with his foot. "Hey."

Matsubusa made an incoherent noise as he rolled over, curling up in to a ball before he let out a soft sigh.

"Don't sleep on the floor." Homura said as he nudged the redhead again.

Matsubusa grunted before he groggily opened his eyes to glare at Homura, then pointed at him. "You're not the boss of me!"

Homura stared at Matsubusa, his expression unimpressed, before he moved his foot to poke at the redhead again. "Get up."

"No!" Matsubusa said as he clenched his fists and shook them. "You're not the boss, I'm the boss! If I want to eat tamago sushi and drink sake and then sleep on the floor, that's what I'm going to do!"

"The floor is filthy," Homura said as he nudged Matsubusa again, despite his squeaking protests. "Get up."

"No, you get up!" Matsubusa snapped, even as he sat up, propping himself up with his hands.

"I am up," Homura said. "If you don't get up, I'm going to call the night over and take you home."

"The night's over when I say it's over!" Matsubusa howled, standing up the rest of the way as he glared furiously at Homura. "No one tells the great Matsubusa when it's over!"

Homura dusted Matsubusa off, not commenting on the fact that the redhead still obeyed his personal assistant despite his protests. "If you're tired, I can take you home, but don't sleep on the floor."

"I wasn't tired, I was simply closing my eyes!" Matsubusa retorted before he flopped down on the sofa. He paused before he glanced around the room, furrowing his brow. "Are we all out of sake...?"

"The sake is mine!" Tabitha shouted as he moved to where he hoarded all of the bottles, empty or otherwise, behind one of the speakers. "I have claimed the world of sake for me and me alone!" He laughed wickedly as he held up two bottles, not caring that one only had a few drops in it and the other was stuffed with dirty napkins.

"Insubordination!" Matsubusa thundered as he glared at Tabitha.

Tabitha pointed one of the bottles at Matsubusa. "Insu... suba... what you said!"

"Here, drink, now," Homura said as he placed an unopened bottle of water in Matsubusa's hands, startling the redhead out of his anger. He then turned to Tabitha and held out another bottle of water. "You forgot some. Here, it's hiding in this bottle of water."

Tabitha stared at the bottle before he snatched it up, dropping the others to the floor. Fortunately the bottles were too sturdy to break when hitting the carpet. "Mine! It's all mine!"

"Drink it quickly before it escapes," Homura said, then turned to Courtney and held out his final bottle of water. "I bet you can't drink all of this water before Tabitha and Matsubusa."

Courtney stared at the bottle and then Homura. For a moment, she was almost her usual deadpan self, then she started giggling with a faint blush on her cheeks. "That reminds me of this great fanfic I just read! I need to give you the link! You'll love it! It's the most amazing thing ever!"

"Yes, yes, of course," Homura said as he waved the bottle about until Courtney took it from him. "Send me the link later."

"Hm, it looks like we're getting ready to call it a night," Kagari said, before she stood up and stretched with a sigh, raising her arms high above her head before crossing them again. "Shall I get the limo?"

"Please," Homura said, glancing to Kagari with an exhausted expression. "Then we'll see if we can get them to the limo before they cause a scene."

"I claim the front seat!" Tabitha shouted as he held up a now half empty bottle of water in the air.

"Tabitha, it's a limo," Homura said, glancing to watch Kagari as she left the room and closed the door behind her before he returned his attention to the other man. "No one rides in the front but the driver."

Tabitha gasped at Homura, his eyes widening incredulously for a moment as though the news was groundbreaking. "Then... then I claim the back seat!"

"They're all backseats." Homura said, dryly.

Tabitha paused, his face scrunching up, as his drunken mind struggled to cope with this news. "Then... uh... then I claim... I claim..."

Homura picked up another bottle of water and held it out to Tabitha. "This bottle of water."

Tabitha's eyes lit up as he snatched the bottle and thrust it high into the air. "This bottle of water!"

"Drink it quickly, before someone takes it," Homura advised the other man.

Tabitha nodded sagely before he began chugging the water with gusto.

"Homuuuraaa... no fair!" Matsubusa whined as he tugged on his personal assistant's arm. "I'm the leader! I should be getting the bottled water!"

"No!" Courtney snapped. "Matsubusa and land is OTP!"

Matsubusa's eyes widened and he seemed about to agree before Homura swiftly opened up another bottle of water and shoved it in his mouth. The redhead choked before he grasped the bottle and began to drink it, staring up at his personal assistant.

"Noooooo!" Courtney wailed. "My ship is sinking!"

"Of course they are 'OTP'," Homura said. "But Matsubusa needs to make land jealous by drinking water, otherwise it will take him for granted."

Courtney blinked a few times then brightened, satisfied with that answer. "Of course!"

"Just the same," Homura said as he extended Courtney a bottle of her own. "It's best if you helped finish off the rest, before the water gets any funny ideas about how cute Matsubusa is."

Courtney stared at the bottle for a moment before taking it. "You mean like how you were flirting with that girl from Team Aqua? It was cute."

Homura jerked at that, his eyes widening as he stared at Courtney. His face quickly turned dark red as he looked away. "D-d-don't be ridiculous! We weren't flirting, we were fighting!"

Courtney pointed dramatically at Homura, her finger hovering an inch from his nose. "It was black romance at its finest! I ship it!"

Homura bristled as he glared at Courtney, his face solid red. "Don't apply shipping to real people!"

"Too late!" Country shouted, waving her arms about. "This ship will sail! OTP 5 EVA!"

Matsubusa stared at Courtney and Homura for a moment before realization seemed to dawn - somehow. His shock quickly turned to outrage as he stood up. "I forbid it! You are not allowed on a ship, Homura!"

"You can't just-," Homura began before he whirled to Matsubusa, his face turning even more red. "I'm not on a ship!"

Tabitha looked up from his mostly empty bottle of water. "Wait, is this about that redhead you were saying has a nice-"

Homura swiftly placed his hand over Tabitha's mouth. "-Right hook? No! No, it's not!"

Courtney folded her arms across her chest and nodded sagely. "BDSM will always win the day. You just gotta fight to see who tops."

Homura's cheek twitched. "It's not BDSM, it's beating the shit out of each other!"

Courtney stared at Homura then gasped. "What?" Tears immediately started brimming in her eyes. "Oh, that's right! She beat you to a bloody pulp and you couldn't get out of bed for over a day afterward and you poor baby let me love you!" Before the purple haired man could even think of dodging, she was on him, clinging tightly as she cried into his chest. "Shh now, no tears, mama will protect you now."

Homura grit his teeth as he tried to gently remove the drunken woman off of him. "Courtney, it's been over a month. I'm-" The personal assistant yelped when suddenly Matsubusa threw him at Homura, wrapping his arms around the purple man's chest and clinging to him tightly as he craned his head around to glare at Courtney.

"No! Homura is my personal assistant! Mine!" the redhead barked. "You can't have him!"

Courtney regarded Matsubusa intently before brightening. "We can share him! We'll be Homura's OT3!"

Homura paused at that before he sighed heavily, allowing his arms to drop to his sides. As irritating as it was, it was an improvement over Courtney trying to ship him with Shelly. "Fine. We're OT3."

"Yay!" Courtney squealed as she squeezed Homura harder.

Matsubusa seemed less thrilled, grumbling under his breath. All the same, he tightened his grip around Homura's waist as he stared hard at Courtney.

Courtney grinned as she wrapped one arm around Matsubusa and snuggled against the redhead. "Magmashipping for life!"

At that moment, the door opened as Kagari returned. She had been about to say something when she saw Homura standing with both Courtney and Matsubusa clinging to him. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before it quirked in to a sly smile. "Do I want to know?"

"No. No, you do not," Homura said, stiffly. He grabbed a hold of Courtney with one hand and Matsubusa with the other before he began to walk towards the door, dragging them both. "First one who lets go is out of the OT3."

"I won't lose!" Matsubusa declared, his hands moving to grasp on to Homura's belt.

Courtney gasped, horrified, and used her free hand to grab Matsubusa's in a vice grip. "Boss!" Her eyes sparkled as she gazed hard into the redhead's eyes. "I'll never let go!"

Kagari covered her mouth with her hand to try and hide the laughter that threatened to escape her. Instead, her eyes simply glittered with amusement as she watched the sullen-faced Homura drag his two drunken charges out of the door and in to the lobby of the karaoke bar with the intention of getting them to the limo as quickly as he could. As she watched them go, she then turned to Tabitha. "I wonder if we should feel left out, hm~?"

"Nah," Tabitha said with a goofy smile. "I'd rather set sail with that fine pirate lass with the blue streak in her hair."

Kagari paused at that, her eyebrows shooting straight up. "What?"

Tabitha hummed cheerfully as he walked out the door with arms full of empty bottles. "That sexy sailor can plant her flag on my plot of land any time."

Kagari stared as she watched Tabitha walk away with a spring in his step before a sly grin appeared on her face. "...Oh my."

With great difficulty and quite a few stares, Homura managed to get both Courtney and Matsubusa in to the limo. He was quickly joined by Tabitha and Kagari, the latter having a rather large smile on her face. When Homura shot her a questioning look, he only got a knowing wink in response - a promise to tell him later. It was good enough for the personal assistant, as he had enough to attend to as it was.

After giving the driver directions, Homura spent the next hour seeing each of his coworkers safely to their destinations - their homes. At each stop, he locked the others inside the limo and personally escorted his coworkers - even Kagari, who wasn't nearly in need of the service as the others - before returning to the limo and repeating the process for the next one. First Tabitha, then Courtney, followed by Kagari, and Matsubusa brought up the final stop.

Helping Matsubusa up the steps to his condo, Homura shouldered most of the weight as the redhead had already begun to nod off in the limo - and now against his personal assistant. Swiping his Pokédex against the keypad, the door opened with a 'swish' to reveal the sparse interior of Matsubusa's apartment. As Homura dragged the leader of Team Magma inside, he was promptly greeted by Dante, the Houndoom bouncing over to the door with a spring in his step and a wag of his tail.

"Keep an eye on him, alright?" Homura said, even though he knew that Dante would do it even without being asked. "As usual, the lush had more than he could handle."

Dante's ears drooped as he examined Matsubusa, his large expressive red eyes overflowing with concern for his trainer. He followed Homura and Matsubusa as the redhead was dragged off to bed.

Homura rested Matsubusa on his bed, pausing to take off the man's shoes and put them by the door. After tucking Matsubusa in, he nodded to Dante before he headed to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Matsubusa. And I'll be making sure to remind you all morning and all afternoon about tonight, so don't even bother trying to pull that 'I don't remember' nonsense like you normally do."

"Gooooodnight, Ho-mu-ra," Matsubusa murmured as he groggily reached up to rub Dante's cheeks, his expression affectionate.

"...Goodnight, Matsubusa," Homura said before he closed the door, locking it behind him with an audible click.

Dante nuzzled into Matsubusa's touch, his tail wagging vigorously as he enjoyed the attention, though his eyes still held some lingering concern.

Matsubusa sighed as he closed his eyes, moving forward to press his forehead against Dante's neck. His hands slowly slid around the Houndoom's body before going still, the comfort of his bed and Dante's warmth lulling him in to a comfortable and much needed sleep.

Dante snuggled up to Matsubusa, crawling beneath the sheets to join his trainer, and watched over Matsubusa before eventually falling asleep himself.

Matsubusa was comfortable, warm, and safe. That was why when a strangely familiar voice spoke to him, he scarcely paid it enough attention to place it.

"Hey."

The voice barely filtered through the haze that had settled over Matsubusa. It wasn't piercing or demanding, instead drifting around him as it mingled with the other sensations and as a result, initially dismissed.

"Hey, you seem pretty comfortable there."

The voice had grown louder, causing the redhead to grimace. It sounded familiar, and yet Matsubusa couldn't identify it. That simple fact was enough to prompt Matsubusa to open his eyes despite how comfortable he was, groggily lifting his head. As he did, he was promptly greeted by the sight of Aogiri's face, hovering right above his own. Matsubusa jerked as his eyes snapped open wide. His hands grasped the bed sheet to either side of him, revealing that he was still on his bed in his room. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, the leader of Team Aqua was looming over top of him, his hands to either side of Matsubusa's head as he crouched directly above the redhead. "Y-you-!?"

Aogiri smirked wickedly as he leaned in close. "Yes, me."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as the pirate's face drew close enough that he could feel Aogiri's breath against his skin. Goosebumps formed as a strange sensation formed deep in his belly, spreading through his veins. "W... what are you..."

"You know why," Aogiri said, his voice low and throaty.

Matsubusa stared up at the pirate, his cheeks tinting red. The closeness called to mind the sensations he felt months prior, when Aogiri had pulled him close and leaned over him. The haughty smile, the amused look in his eyes, his powerful presence - all of it had left a lasting impression on the redhead. And at that very moment, that impression was returning a hundredfold. "...I..."

Aogiri coiled a lock of Matsubusa's hair around his finger, the action slow and methodical in front of the redhead's gaze. "This rivalry between us... it isn't just about you and me showing each other who's best, and you know it."

Matsubusa's eyes focused on the slow twirling before they drifted back to Aogiri's face, freezing on the sultry look the pirate was giving him. "J-just... what are you implying!?"

"Don't play dumb," Aogiri said lightly. "It doesn't suit you." He released the hair, letting it fall against Matsubusa's brow. "I saw the way you've been looking at me. I know you noticed how sexy I am."

"D-dumb-!? I'm not-!" Matsubusa began to protest before he stopped, his eyebrows shooting straight up as his face turned solid red. "S-s-sex-!?"

Aogiri's voice dipped lower, the sound rippling through Matsubusa and making the redhead shiver. "Let's stop playing cat and mouse, shall we? I'm here to ravage you senseless."

Matsubusa openly gaped at Aogiri as he struggled to process what he was hearing, before his blush deepened and spread all the way to his ears and down his neck. "Ra... ra... rav...!?"

Aogiri took hold of the top of Matsubusa's changshan and with a sudden motion that sent buttons flying with a rip of torn fabric, he exposed the leader of Team Magma to him. "Ravage."

Matsubusa squeaked as his chest was suddenly exposed so unceremoniously and swiftly brought up his arms to try and shield himself. "Y-y-you... pirate!"

Aogiri leaned in close, his hot breath brushing against Matsubusa's cheeks. "You know what pirates do best, don't you? Pillage."

"Pi... pillage!?" Matsubusa repeated, his voice raising in pitch as a quiver ran through his body. He gasped as Aogiri moved so close, their bare chests touching. As the pirate closed the distance between them, heat surged through the redhead's body. He felt burning hot all over, despite the cool air against his skin. "I-I..."

At some point, Aogiri's clothes vanished, leaving the two men bare against one another. "I plan to pillage and plunder your precious booty until you beg me for more."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he trembled. As Aogiri pressed up against him, he squeaked and instinctively grabbed at the man's perfect arms, grasping them tightly. "W-w... wait! I... I don't even know your name!"

"That's easy," Aogiri said, the sultry tone feeling like a caress on its own. He leaned in close to whisper into Matsubusa's ear as the redhead trembled in his hot grip. "My name is... bark!"

Matsubusa shivered, closing his eyes as Aogiri drew close while slipping one hand up behind the pirate's head. At the bark, however, he gave a small jerk and snapped his eyes open. Disoriented, he was greeted not by the sight of the pirate but by the fuzzy face of Dante as the Houndoom stared down at him. The redhead jerked, going completely still as his awareness returned. He was curled up around Dante, one leg hooked over the Houndoom while the other cradled the Pokémon's neck. Matsubusa stared at Dante as the Houndoom gave him a puzzled expression, the unspoken question quite visible on his face.

Dante's ears canted back as Matsubusa jerked away from him and he cocked his head slightly, clearly waiting for an explanation for such strange behavior.

Matsubusa's face flushed with embarrassment as he fumbled back, reaching up to brush his bangs away from his sweat-slick brow. As he did, he immediately noticed something else - the hot, uncomfortable erection he was sporting in his nether regions. The redhead paused before he let out a strangled shriek, jumping backwards as if he were trying to escape his hard-on, before falling to the floor in a crumbled heap.

Dante let out a tiny confused whine as he peered over the side of the bed at Matsubusa, growing more worried by the second due to his trainer's odd behavior.

Matsubusa offered no explanation, couldn't offer an explanation as he fumbled to his feet and darted to the bathroom. Without even pausing long enough to take his clothes off, the redhead ran to the shower and turned it on to full blast. He was immediately assaulted by the freezing cold water, his clothes becoming completely soaked as his temperature plummeted. The redhead shivered, his teeth chattering, and he slumped against the wall as the cold water did its duty.

Dante hopped off the bed to pace outside the bathroom and whined again, loud enough to be heard over the water to let Matsubusa know that he was still concerned about what had panicked his trainer so.

Matsubusa listened before he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm... I'm fine. Just... I'm fine."

Dante sat down, somewhat mollified by that answer, but he still waited dutifully for Matsubusa outside of the bathroom.

"T-too much to drink, just... too much to drink," Matsubusa said, more to himself than Dante as he reached up to press his palm against his forehead. "That's all..."

Matsubusa didn't know why such a dream had happened, let alone with that man. Quite frankly, he didn't want to know. For his body to even respond in such a way, it was clearly the result of an addled mind. It must have been the alcohol, there was no other answer for it. He would not accept any answer besides that. It defied all logic for him to have a dream about that infuriating pirate, least of all one of such a nature. It was nothing more than the alcohol, and both it and the dream would be out of his system soon enough.

However, there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty - he was going to make Aogiri pay for this indignation.