Xxxxx
"There you are."
It was Brendan's voice.
Not knowing what to do, Ash kept looking ahead at the window. He wasn't mad at him, he had no real reason to be mad with Brendan. His frustration with him in the situation involving Gary was an element he could not completely overlook though. At the end of his rope, he was simply too tired to address it.
Brendan sounded relieved to see Ash and scuffed his sneakers along the floor as he approached him. Standing behind Ash, he gave him a pat on the shoulder. Ash's depressed posture didn't get any better. The trainer who positively radiated positivity and ambition was reduced to a sad, slouching lump on top of the desolate staircase. Ash didn't greet him or move at all, just kept his eyes glued on the window.
Sitting down next to Ash, Brendan effectively blocked off the stairwell. He could feel the gloom surrounding Ash like a smog, the horrible vibes concerning him. His first instinct told him to hug Ash, while his brain warned him otherwise. Choosing to play it safe with Ash's temperament, he didn't hug him.
"Where'd you run off to?" He eventually asked Ash. "I looked for you but couldn't find you anywhere on the resort. Are you okay?"
"It's not important, Brendan."
"It's important to me."
Shifting his eyes over, Brendan looked at Ash worriedly. Ash had his arms wrapped around Pikachu, holding the sleeping pokemon to him protectively. His fuzzy yellow body was rested on top of Ash's bent knees while being held to his chest. Ash looked at his feet morosely, evidently very worn from whatever he'd been up to.
"I went to the forest, I needed to blow off some steam." Ash answered him, still looking down. " I was there for a while."
Nodding, Brendan knew of the path outside the resort.
"I get that. How'd it go?"
Ash's depleted brown eyes answering him. Tossing aside his resolve to be cautious of Ash's personal space, Brendan leaned in to wrap his arm around Ash's shoulder in a half hug. To his relief, Ash didn't pull away or get upset. Ash rested his head on Brendan's shoulder, carefully leaning his body weight as to not disturb Pikachu.
"Is any of this my fault?" Brendan asked him, knowing the scene he and Gary made was to blame for Ash's disappearance, but unsure if he were the cause of Ash's melancholy "If it is, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I should have listened to you about Gary."
Brendan looked down at Ash's head, not expecting the abrupt statement. He couldn't remember ever directly telling Ash to ditch Gary even though he wanted the egotistical brunette away from him. He couldn't remember ever blatantly stating his disdain for the trainer either. Excluding the scene he'd made earlier before Ash ran off, he'd kept his opinions to himself for the most part.
"What are you talking about?"
"You said I deserved better at the club, yesterday." Ash clarified, scratching Pikachu's head lazily with bent fingers. "I wasted days with him and made a complete idiot of myself doing it. He used me. I've been sneaking around with you like I had something to hide and this whole time it's been a big game... it's always a game with him."
"You've known him a long time, right?"
Brendan thought back on Gary's comment about knowing Ash's Pikachu for nine years.
"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe he wasn't good company to keep? I don't know about him back then but from what I could see yesterday he doesn't act like a friend."
"That's because he's my rival."
Not having known that, Brendan fell silent. Ash bit his lip, waiting to be scolded or told how naïve he had been. It would have been completely justifiable if Brendan thought of him as a childish idiot for falling in to his rival's trap. His rival of all people. And that's exactly what he waited for him to say.
"….He's your rival? What?"
Not understanding the dynamic, Brendan was confused.
"What do you mean he's your rival?"
"We're from the same home town, we grew up together." Ash told Brendan simply, thinking back on the two other trainers who left Pallet to be trainers but gave up. " Him, I and two other kids set out to be champions but only him and I made it far enough. We both want to be the pride and joy of Pallet. Gary and I go back a long time...a very long time."
"Nine years?"
Ash looked up at Brendan oddly, questioning the specific number.
"Gary said he knew Pikachu for nine years, I assumed..."
"You really pay attention, huh?" Ash remarked, surprisingly impressed by Brendan's attention to detail. "Pikachu was my starter Pokémon, so I got him nine years ago when I was ten. I've known Gary longer than that, since birth actually...good ol' Pallet Town. Damn, I miss home."
"Pallet town, hm? ...I've never been there."
Resting against Brendan, Ash felt much more at ease. The comfort of holding his best friend while being held by another mildly soothing the hurt he still carried with him. Laying in his own bed at home would've made it better, taking him away from the chaos. Ash was never a very homesick person but time spent leading up to the tournament had changed that for once.
"I miss it, I'm going back after this tournament... I'm up tomorrow." Ash mumbled, pressing his head in to Brendan a little harder. "Hopefully I won't be eliminated. Not sure I care all that much anymore. I just want to go back home."
The way Ash said it was unlike himself. Brendan knew Ash only in the context of their two days spent together, hardly enough time to really know him, but from what he'd gathered he saw that he was a very ambitious and happy person. The gloomy behavior didn't reflect the teen's true self at all and it upset him deeply.
" I don't want to hear you talking like that."
"I don't know how I'm going to get through the rest of this week if I move on in the competition." Ash admitted, completely unmotivated. " I won't purposely tank the battle, but my opponent may have it easy."
"Well you're up against me and I don't like an easy battle." Brendan chided him, " I expect your best and no less."
Ash did not take well to the reminder that Brendan was his next opponent. When meeting Brendan in the stairway for the first time, the brunette introduced himself as his upcoming challenger. He'd said it before his match with his previous opponent, which stood out to Ash. How had Brendan known he'd battle him after?
"Hey, the day I met you said we were scheduled to battle soon...but you battled someone else that same day..."
"Yeah, that was May. She's from my hometown, Littleroot." Brendan responded, unsure of where Ash was going with the statement.
"Well how did you know you'd battle me when you still had her on your battle roster?"
Ash's carelessness came across as silly to Brendan and he teased him lightly about it.
"Have you even seen the bulletin set up downstairs? It's set up by upcoming opponent and pending opponent. If you beat the upcoming opponent then you move on to the pending opponent. I knew I was gonna beat May, her Mudkip is strong but never outranked my Grovyle. Type disadvantage knocked her down."
Using his left hand, Brendan gently rubbed Pikachu's neck where Ash's fingers weren't scratching. Still asleep, the mouse Pokémon squeaked in his slumber, pressing his face in to his trainer's black cotton shirt.
"This guy you got here gave me a run for my money earlier on the battle floor, stay on your 'A' Game. You have the advantage here, whoever wins there's no hard feelings. Ever. " Brendan assured him, kissing the top of Ash's hat. " I believe in you. "
"Brendan...is that offer from last night still available?"
Brendan pondered what he meant then recalled his offer to let Ash stay with him if things went sour between him and his roommate Gary after coming back from the club. Having Ash stay with him still wasn't a problem. The brunette had planned to make the offer again when he found Ash, but forgot to in the midst of his conversation with him.
"It sure is, let's go get your stuff."
Holding Pikachu closely, Ash stood up carefully. Brendan stood up with him and guided Ash through the doors he came in from earlier. As Ash suspected, the room on the other side was the resort gym. Looking at Brendan, Ash noticed he wasn't wearing clothes for exercise.
"What were you doing up here? You're not wearing gym clothes." Ash pointed out.
"I came up here in the heat of the moment, didn't have the patience to change."
"Heat of the moment?" he questioned.
Brendan looked repentful, looking away as they walked past running machines with trainers immersed in their music and workouts. The elliptical motors and treadmill belts pounded loudly in combination with the sound of stomping feet. Glancing past the machines towards rooms in the back, he spoke.
"I came up here stressed out after I gave up looking for you...I was in back with the punching bags."
"I didn't mean to make you mad-"
"Oh no no no, it wasn't you. It was Gary, he pissed me off and I was frustrated. I had to blow off steam too."
Curious as to what happened after he left, Ash questioned Brendan as they left the gym and walked to the elevator.
"What happened after I left?"
Ash held Pikachu as Brendan pressed the elevator button. The light above the elevator turned on, showing the levels it was ascending to reach their floor.
"...Did you tell him about us?"
"It wasn't my place to tell him, that's all you. I did tell him off, and I called him some less than savory things... he turned kind of red in the face and left. Wally was so confused...I owe him an explanation when we get back."
They got on the elevator and Ash leaned his back on the wall, his stomach dropping a bit with the elevator. Pikachu flinched at the motion but settled back down as Ash hugged him affectionately. The elevator made a ding with each floor they dropped past and Ash bit the inside of his cheek.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm hoping Gary isn't in the room."
The doors opened and Brendan took Ash's shoulder with the flat of his palm, pushing him out gently. Ash instructed Brendan to reach in his pocket and get the room key. At the door, Ash pressed his ear to it, listening for movement of any kind.
"I think the coast is clear."
Brendan let him go in first, shutting the door while Ash set Pikachu down on his bed. Pikachu curled up in to himself snoozing as Ash walked over to his dresser, pulling out the remaining clean clothes he had. He stuffed them in to his empty carryon bag on the floor and then grabbed his half-filled laundry bag.
Going to his bed, he got his backpack off the ground and set it on the sheets. He unzipped it and looked through his nightstand, gathering the items there. His pokedex charger, lotion and some resort emblem stationary courtesy of the pokecenter were taken out and put in his backpack.
"You're rushing pretty hard..." Brendan observed, sitting down by Pikachu. "Breathe, you look like you're having a panic attack."
"I don't want to be here when he gets back."
Brendan rubbed Pikachu's fur, looking over at Gary's side of the room with a scornful glance. He wondered where Gary had first fucked Ash, on the bed he sat on or the one he was looking at. Thinking of Gary's ego Brendan concluded it had to be Gary's bed with the assumption Gary was a player who kept a numbered list of those he fucked. Hearing Ash close the nightstand, Brendan looked up to see him putting on his backpack.
"Could you grab the other two bags? If I wasn't scared of Pikachu waking up I'd have you carry him, instead. If he doesn't recognize the scent of who's holding him they get a zap..."
"Don't even worry, I got the bags for you."
xxxxx
Ash fiddled with his hat, straightening the bill as Pikachu snored. Brenden moved Ash's belongings around, ensuring it was all out of the way.
"Have any idea where Wally is?"
"He's most likely in town shopping, it's Saturday. Market is bustling and whatnot."
Brendan explained Wally's schedule, taking a seat next to Ash on the bed. He avoided sitting on Pikachu who stilled napped.
"The Market?"
"Wally likes that kind of thing. "
Ash folded his hands together, thinking back on Breakfast that morning. Wally became flustered at his question involving their possible relationship while Brendan had been cool as a cucumber.
"...you and Wally aren't dating?" He asked carefully, worrying. "There's no dynamic here that I should know about?"
"What, you mean like some Gary level douchery? No, Wally and I are friends. Platonic friends."
" Are you sure he won't mind me being here?"
Brendan put his arm around Ash's arm in a laid-back fashion, taking his white beanie off and dropping on the nightstand. He took off Ash's cap and dropped it on the nightstand too, bumping his head down against the top of Ash's. Their tufts of hair pressing together in a brown and black mess.
"We both have hat hair." He observed." Anyways, why would Wally mind you being here?"
"Because I think he likes you."
"What if he does?"
"...then he'd want to be with you?"
Raking a hand through his hair, Brendan didn't seem to care.
"People in hell want ice water. Wally and I go back a long time too. He's a childhood friend and I'm not dipping my foot in that water."
Taking in the information, Ash accepted it for what it was.
"Okay...I guess that's fine. As long as I'm not stepping on anyone toes so to speak." Ash mumbled, Brendan's front teeth catch the skin of his neck as he playfully peppered him with kisses. "I-I assume he doesn't know about us?"
"Nope, now enough about that. I missed you last night."
Brendan whispered to him, moving one hand to squeeze his hip.
" Do you want to get comfortable? We could kick off our shoes and turn down the bed."
"Pikachu..."
"Put him in his pokeball..." Brendan suggested, changing tune as Ash explained he didn't use it. "Move him to Wally's bed."
Glancing at the sleeping Pokémon, Ash looked back at Brendan conflictedly.
"What if he comes back?"
"He should be out until Dinner time, we have plenty of time."
Untangling himself from Brendan's hold, Ash picked up Pikachu and relocated him to Wally's bed and slowly stepped away to avoid scaring him awake. Pikachu made no movement, fast asleep. Brendan slipped off his sneakers.
"Man, your Pikachu is tired. He's out like a light."
"He's probably tired from the battle earlier." Ash reasoned, taking his shoes off and trying to smooth out his disheveled hair. " He hasn't been brought to Nurse Joy yet...I should have stopped by."
Brendan unzipped his fitted sports jacket, dropping it across his nightstand. Ash took of his vest, unsure of where to place it, he dropped it on top of Brendan's jacket. Brendan turned down the sheets and gestured for him to get in, crawling in after him.
"Want to cuddle?" He offered.
"Sure... that sounds nice."
Ash sat propped up against the pillows, Brendan lying his head on the other's chest. It was innocent, Ash beginning to stroke Brendan's hair mindlessly. The racing thoughts slowed, making the day feel less hectic.
"I felt like the world was crashing down on me a couple of hours ago..." Ash remarked, brushing Brendan's bangs from his face.
"Doesn't feel like that right now, does it?"
"Nope."
Coming up to Ash's face, Brendan looked him in the eye.
"Everything is going to be okay."
"That's easy to say..."
"Life's too short, Ash. Take a breather when you can."
Lying alongside Ash, now, Brendan cuddled him in close. His breathes blew over the skin of Ash's neck, the brunette's face resting nearby. The relaxed atmosphere quickly became interrupted by the feeling of something poking him in the hip.
"… cuddling wasn't a good idea, Brendan."
"Says who?"
Big blue eyes twinkled seductively at Ash, making his mouth go dry. Running his palm over the curve of Ash's hip, Brendan felt around the fitted denim.
"Hey, are your clothes bothering you?"
"...No?"
"They're starting to bother me."
Ash felt his arousal stir as Brendan deliberately winked at him, the brunette leaning up to kiss his face.
"Let's get you out of these..."
The first thing Brendan reached for was Ash's belt. He unbuckled, all too happy with his growing erection. The leather slipped through the hoops, Brenden undoing the button next and tugging out the hem of Ash's black shirt. He pinched the metal clip of Ash's zipper, pulling it down.
"If you don't feel fully up to this we can wait..." He offered before going any further. "You've had a long day and I don't want you to feel like-"
"I don't feel like I have to do this." Ash promised. "You can keep going."
Ash's erection twitched as Brendan pulled down the flaps of his jeans. After removing his gloves, and tossing them aside, Brendan reached in bare-handed. Cupping Ash through the soft material of his underwear, he squeezed the firming flesh. A dot of moisture stained the underwear as Ash's penis erected fully, Brenden slipping his fingers through the opening in the fabric.
The sticky drops forming there were wiped up and Brendan brought a finger to his lips for a taste of it. He sucked them between his lips and brought his hand back down to Ash to stroke him. Ash watched him, holding the sheets under his fingers as Brendan squeezed around the tip and moved downwards on his shaft and back up. Wetting his palm with a few licks, he grabbed Ash again.
"Want me to suck you again?" he offered, "Or is this doing it for you?"
Brendan's hand felt great, but the warm, wet texture of his mouth was a far more pleasurable memory than his hand. He wanted Brendan to put his mouth on him again, but he wished he hadn't put him on the spot by asking.
"You can do what you want...I don't mind." Ash whispered, breath hitching as Brendan squeezed him especially tight. "But, don't do that...too tight."
"Being shy is fine but I don't care for the mousy, submissive attitude." Brendan scolded gently, resuming his stroking. "I don't know what that jerk taught you but this is a team effort. If you want something, speak up."
Ash swallowed heavily.
"Okay..." he agreed.
"Now what do you want?"
"I want you to suck me."
Tongue out, Brendan dipped down to lick Ash. He swirled it around the tip and Ash let his head fall back with a breathy moan. His slit was gently lapped at seconds before being covered with Brendan's mouth. Sucking his cheeks in, Brendan made Ash buck his hips upward in to welcoming wet heat.
"That feels so good..." Ash sighed as Brendan rhythmically bobbed his head on him. "Holy shit-"
Upping his game, he took Ash deep in his throat. Ash held his breathe to keep in the loud yelp he almost let out for the sake of his Pokémon sleeping on Wally's bed, unaware of the lewd act his trainer was in the middle of. Brendan picked up speed, Ash's penis hitting the back of his throat as he shoved it past his uvula repeatedly.
"Oh my God, Brendan...A-Ah..."
The quick, steady movement worked Ash closer to his finish and he was too lost in the feeling that he didn't stop to worry if he was going to ejaculate in to Brendan's mouth. His hips shivered and lips parted as his released bubbled up. He released as Brendan tongue dragged up to the head, the sticky white fluid coating his tastebuds. Ash's eye flew open as he realized what he did.
"Shit, I'm so sorry." he apologized, assuming the oral play had been meant to just warm him up, not to finish him. "I came in your-"
A salacious, wet slurp came from Brendan's mouth as he lewdly released Ash's cock. He dropped his jaw open to show Ash the cum on his tongue. It oozed on the pink surface down the sides in to the crevice behind his bottom front teeth. Brenden closed his mouth then swallowed it.
"No big deal."
Faint traces of it lingered on his lips from when he pulled off Ash and he crawled up to Ash for a kiss. Ash could taste himself on Brendan and found himself surprised at how much less repulsive he found his own taste this time around.
When Gary had stuck his semen coated fingers in his mouth his release tasted grossly acrid and salty. Granted, it had been the first time tasting semen and Gary had made him suckle a decent glob of it, the taste Brendan had given him was just a little trace left over on his lips and tongue. Moaning, he twisted his fingers in Brendan's hair and pulled their mouths closer together as his right hand clawed at the white cotton of his tank.
Brendan moaned back approvingly and parted their mouth, hurriedly pulling his tank off. He took off Ash's shirt and ripped his jeans and underwear from him before getting up off the bed to drop his own. He got the bottle from his backpack and returned to Ash, getting on top of him and pulling the sheets over them.
"How are we...?"
"I want to fuck you this time." Brendan whispered to Ash, tapping the cool plastic of the lube bottle on his chest to draw his attention to it. "Is that okay with you?"
"Go ahead."
Slicking himself down, Brendan shut the lube and tossed it to the nightstand. Ash raised his legs to curl around Brendan and the head of his erection bumped the tight entrance. He slipped past Ash's entrance after giving a brief warning that he was going in. Taking himself in hand, Brendan angled himself down and pressed in until Ash's body opened up for him. Ash sighed in contentment as Brendan thrusted in to him.
"You're tight as hell, fuck..." Brendan panted, leaning his weight on his forearms as he shuddered a bit from the tight grip Ash's ass had on him. "Why are you so tight?"
"I was a virgin up until two days ago...Is it really that tight?"
"I can feel your pulse on my cock. I love it."
Rocking in to Ash, he breathed laboredly whilst holding the pillow under Ash's head with a tight grip. Ash's erection was trapped between their bodies, the shaft pressed up against his lower abdomen. The sweat of their bodies added to the saliva already coating it and it slid between them as Brendan fucked him. Aiming up, Brendan looked for Ash's prostate.
"I want to make you feel good, am I hitting you right?"
Ash wiggled to adjust, lifting his hips up further and raising one leg higher than the other behind Brendan.
"Aim right- ah! Yeah, right there...like that."
"Oh, you're so hot."
Brendan lifted Ash's raised leg to rest on his shoulder. Ash looked past Brendan to make sure Pikachu was sleeping, which he was. Thankful for the minimal creaking of the bed, he bit his lip as the tip of Brendan's erection hit the mark he'd been looking for. Engrossed in Ash's pleasured face, he pounded in to him harder, feeling his climax approaching.
"Are you close?" Brendan asked, hitting Ash's prostate to quicken his build to the big finale. "I am."
"I'm right there, stay in close to me."
Burying his face in to Ash's neck Brendan bit the skin there, resisting the urge to grit his teeth as his dick threatened to blow prematurely. He held out until Ash's palms slapped him on the shoulders, holding him flush to him as she released with strangled moan.
"Brendan!"
Brendan let go of the skin between his teeth and pushed his face in to the pillow as he released in Ash. Warmth filled the tight passage, trickling inwards from the position. Ash didn't mind, more interested in Brenden's pleasured sigh atop of him.
"Fuck, yeah...that was great."
The blanket on them trapped their body heat but neither tried moving it. They stayed together catching their breathes and Brendan cautiously pulled away. He held his dick as he withdrew from Ash, catching bits of his own release dripping from himself.
"There are tissues in the drawer. Pass them to me."
Ash opened the nightstand and got the tissues Brenden spoke of. Brendan used one to wipe his hand and another to clean up his deflating erection. Chucking them in the trash, he took two more and wiped up Ash who embarrassedly tried taking them to do it himself.
"You don't have to clean me up..."
"I'm not shy, I don't mind."
Dropping those in the trash too, Brendan wiped his forehead and nuzzled Ash. He laid his full body weight on him, fully intent on lounging naked.
"I know Wally isn't supposed to be back for a while but I'd feel more comfortable if we got dressed." Ash told Brendan, pushing him away by the shoulders. " I also need some air, you're pressing on my chest."
"It's cuz I'm fat, isn't it?"
Ash hit Brendan in the chest, laughing tiredly at the stupid joke. They looked for their underwear. Both tired and drowned in endorphins from their activities, neither noticed the sound of a door being open next door while they redressed and set their clothes straight.
still shirtless, Brendan had his jeans up and was sitting on the bed smoothing out his hair. Ash wiped stray fringe out of his face and set it back in to his bangs as he looked back at Brendan. This time around they heard as a door in the hallway opened and shut. Because this time, the door slammed.
"What the fuck was that?" Brendan mumbled, his ears tuning in to the sounds outside their room.
Feet stomping the carpet could be heard following the loud slam of a door nearby.
" Someone sounds pissed."
Ash's brain took in the noise, processing it and spitting it back at him in a matter of seconds. As soon as he looked up with wide, understanding eyes, a sharp rapping at the door cut off the syllable at the tip of his tongue.
xxxxx