The sun must have risen long before Pearl started to regain consciousness. The room was awash in soft light and clothes sat lazily in disarray upon the floor, the only evidence of the night prior's events. Pearl peeked drowsily out of an eye, Diamond had his back to him and he was breathing calmly and evenly under the warm blankets. It felt odd to still be lounging away at this hour and on a normal day he would've forcibly woken his companion. But watching the sleeping figure deep in slumber, it would have made him feel terribly guilty to disturb him. He snaked his arm around his boyfriend's waist, pulling him in closer. Happiness was moments like these where nothing else mattered but being with this boy that he loved so dearly. His body fit so perfectly against his as he pressed his lips to his lover's shoulder gently. At the embrace Diamond shifted sleepily with a sigh and laced his fingers with Pearl's. The blonde leaned over and whispered in his ear "I love you" causing a smile to grace his drowsy figure as he tried to wake himself up. He shifted so that he could look over his shoulder and up at the boy, slowly revealing his blue steel eyes behind lashes curl sparkling in the morning sun like the lake had been that morning that seemed so long ago now.

"Pr…Promise?" He yawned.

Pearl looked into space thoughtfully, acting as if he was uncertain of the answer but then planted a kiss on his forehead. "Of course I do."

Diamond rolled onto his back pulling Pearl down into a kiss. Their lips moved gently against each other as hands slowly began to wander. Then a familiar sound clicked and Pearl released Diamond instantly as they looked over at the door like two Stantler caught off guard. Their hearts leapt into their throats as they waited for it to open. The door opened slowly and the petite figure peeked into the room cautiously, her golden curls cascading over one shoulder as she scanned the room. Her wide hazel orbs passed over the pile of clothes discarded on the floor and up to the bed where she found two sets of eyes meeting her own. She pursed her petal soft peachy lips around an O in surprise before she spoke.

"Pearl, sweetie, I didn't know you were having a sleepover while I was gone. You should have told me, I could have cooked and set up an air mattress and made cookies or bought a movie or-"

"-Mom, it's fine really. And I didn't know he was sleeping over (Yes, I did) so sorry I didn't ask."

"Oh, I see. It's fine though, Diamond is always welcome in our home," she smiled warmly, she had a dimple in one cheek and the bridge of her nose was littered with freckles. Her flashy smile was brilliant, infectious and her eyes had a natural glimmer that made her every movement almost flirtatious with her feminine charm. She was dainty like a porcelain doll with subtle curves, almost too pretty and youthful for her age but her poise demanded the respect of a lady of great stature. "Well, I am going to go down and make you both a nice breakfast! I'll have it done as fast as I can so get dressed and wash up, ok?"

"Thanks, but didn't you just get in? I could cook, you should go rest," Diamond suggested, he didn't have to try hard to make his inner feelings unreadable and he was ever aware of the awkwardness of him in bed with her son. He hoped that she didn't put two and two together and realize what had happened but she seemed more concerned with feeding and nurturing them than anything else.

"Aw, you're a gem, Diamond," she placed a slender hand on her chest, touched. "If you're really ok with that, I mean I could always just-"

"-Mom, why can't you just let yourself relax ever? You always have to do everything and you're so quick to refuse any help," I'm one to talk… "I'll cook myself, please get some rest ok? You look so tired."

"Alright, then if you insist. Have fun you two," she reluctantly withdrew from the doorway closing the door with a soft click.

The boys sighed with relief. That could have gone a lot worse, But it didn't. Pearl looked over at Diamond who was still watching the door blankly. It's probably wrong to think that his mom is gorgeous isn't it? His cheeks felt slightly warm but hopefully not enough to draw attention. She's like an angel or a doll or something that shouldn't be allowed to be viewed with human eyes. She's too perfect… He sighed dreamily. He hadn't seen her at all since he had gotten back somehow, likely deliberately thanks to Pearl.

The boy raised a brow at his dazed friend, Don't tell me he still has the hots for my mom… He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or throw up. Since Diamond had moved to Twinleaf and met his mother he had always watched her mesmerized by her every movement and word when she made an appearance. That's my mom, he shuddered. He should be looking at me.

"You're a gem, Diamond," he tried to impersonate his mother with unexpected success as he pinched his friend's cheek teasingly.

"I wasn't sizing her up, I swear!" His face flushed ruby.

"Don't lie to me, I can see right through you, Diamond," he eyed at his friend slyly.

"Of course you can, you've made that crystal clear on numerous occasions," he rolled his eyes. "But all I want to do is eat right now. Let's go downstairs."

"Fine, you can borrow some of my clothes."

Diamond stood up and stretched his body, his muscles had a dull ache especially in his ass and he began rummaging through Pearl's dresser to try to find something that wouldn't be impossibly tight on him. Pearl bit his lip suggestively as he appraised his jewel. The boy blushed at his boyfriend's hungry stare and he tried to ignore him while he continued his search. Too small, too tight, too feminine, too… juvenile? He held up a pair of briefs, they were trimmed in red with a basic pokeball imprinted on the backside. He looked over at the boy confused; the embarrassment wiped the smug look off his face instantly and he could devise no response for the boy's questioning look. Um… ok I shouldn't ask. I don't even want to know. He kept looking through the clothes until he found a small stash of black t-shirts. This will work. He pulled on his boxers and his jeans from the day prior, they weren't dirty only a bit wrinkled. He looked over and Pearl had already pulled on some pants that had been folded in a basket at the foot of the bed. He approached the other half clothed boy and gripped his hips.

"Hello, kitten," he let the shirt fall to the floor, reaching up to loosely hang from his neck. Pearl made a purring sound as he kissed him, leaning him backward slightly.

"I'm so in love with you," he murmured dreamily, watching with engagement as his cheeks tinted pink. "I'll go make breakfast, finish up here at your leisure." He planted one last kiss on his lips before he left.

Diamond watched him leave but then went about his business pulling the shirt over his head as he grabbed his hat and moseyed on over to the bathroom. The bathroom was decorated femininely, multiple fine details and elegant decoration at every turn. So this is what moms do in their free time… He took care of what he needed to and tried to fix his hair, tousled from sleep among other things with little luck. He slid on his hat, Much better. He looked in the mirror and smiled, he couldn't have felt happier if he tried. He felt more confident and like less of a nobody the way Pearl gazed so fondly at him and said such wonderful things no one had ever said to him before. In fact, Pearl's entire demeanor seemed to have changed; he was more relaxed and much more playful like the weight of the world was no longer on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Pearl was all over the kitchen trying to figure out what to make as he opened nearly every cabinet in moments. Frozen waffles? No… Cereal? Nah… Eggs and bacon? There's an idea. But, he grew slightly more serious, What if… I set everything on fire and the house burns down and then no one can escape and-! His heart raced and he took a few deep breaths, I really need to stop imagining these insane scenarios. He wasn't unaccustomed to dealing with fire, Chimhiko after all was a fire type pokemon but he was still anxious. He had the tendency to rush things when they weren't going as fast as he'd like and with his luck he would make a careless mistake or undercook the meal. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he cooked anything really. He toyed with the knobs watching the flames rise in intensity and give way to the faint scent of gas. His confidence and new exuberance for life seemed to die down as the pressure of not burning down the house and cooking a decent meal for his lover weighted heavily in his mind. He gingerly turned on the stove and began to cook, so far the only fire was the one in the small ring under the pan. That's a good start. He toyed with the eggs on one pan, the other pan crackling with the simmering sound of bacon strips that he poked occasionally. Before he knew it he had prepared a meal that wasn't premade or candy. He was quite proud of himself and he placed his masterpiece on the counter with a grin.

Diamond descended the stairs and took a seat at the island in the kitchenette. Much to his surprise the house was not on fire and the food looked like he had actually taken the time to make sure it was cooked instead of being impatient.

"Nice work, babe," he grinned and began eating but Pearl looked at him curiously, making him feel self conscious. "I mean, Pearl. Sorry."

"No no," he held up a hand disarmingly. "It's just odd having you call me that… or kitten," he mused.

"Oh," he rubbed the back of his head flustered. "Sorry, I'll just call you by your name then…"

"You can call me whatever you'd like, mon tresor," his voice was seductive and he kissed his hand lovingly.

"Where did you learn French?" His accent was spot on, too.

"Ms. Fantina of course and I only learned a few phrases and such, not that impressive," he admitted modestly as he continued eating.

Oh, that makes sense, he imagined the animated woman with her flamboyant allure twirling and laughing oddly. He shooed the image away, "Well, I think it's sweet."

"Thanks, sweetheart," he winked playfully.

"You're welcome… honey."

"Schnookums."

"Doll face."

"Sweet cheeks," he chuckled as he finished up his food, watching Diamond in deep contemplation as he awaited his next pet name.

Diamond thought hard but he couldn't think of anything quick enough. "Uh, Barry?"

"Yes? I mean wait, who's Barry?" He shook his head and was taken aback, That's not my name…

"I-I don't know, they don't exist. I couldn't think of anything else," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, well finish your food so we can go do something fun!"

"Like… what?" He chewed.

"Um… Like stuff."

"Oh, sounds like alot of fun," he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and Pearl discarded their plates in the sink. He looked about the kitchen lazily as Pearl leaned against the counter thoughtfully. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah!" His face lit up and he instinctively grabbed Diamond by the hand to rush out the door but was interrupted.

"Um, we don't have to rush, I mean we didn't get any supplies or a map or our bags or-"

"-Who are you, my mother?" He pouted. "But fine go get your things and we'll head out."

"I have to stop home quick, too."

"Dia! No, I mean, Diamond! Why?" He whined like a child, his tantrum was just about to begin when Diamond redirected his energy.

"Pearl, you should know better than to go into tall grass without pokemon first of all," he warned maturely, folding his arms. "Besides don't you think my mother is wondering where I am? I've been with you since last night and I never said a thing to her. She's probably pissed."

"We made off fine as kids, we used to leave town all the time. But fine…" He gave in at last. "Go do damage control so we can head out."

They started toward the door where Diamond pulled on his shoes while Pearl watched him silently.

"So see you at my place?"

"Actually, where exactly are we going to walk?"

"Well, I'm not sure maybe into town and…" He trailed off, there really wasn't much to do at all nearby. They could go into the city looking for something to do or even go past the city into the next town but if they really wanted something to do they'd have to travel a ways.

"I want to do more than walk, we could do that anywhere. What's the purpose in us walking?" He frowned.

"You were just so excited to go out a moment ago, why the sudden change?"

"I didn't think about how boring it would be in reality." He folded his arms as he pondered what to do. He also realized that the only way to get to somewhere worthwhile was to travel, but that didn't seem so bad. That could be fun, no pressure just them; a couple of guys exploring their relationship and enjoying the region together. "Bring some supplies; we're going to go travelling!"

"What are we going to do? Revisit the gym leaders? Train? Contests?" What is there left to do? Other than helping the professor… no.

"No, I want to take you on a series of dates; all over Sinnoh, in every town possible!"

"Are you sure? We'll be gone for…" He counted on his fingers and stared into space, his lips mumbling unintelligibly. "Well, it's going to be well over a month to travel the map by foot and hit up every town. Snowpoint City is a pain to get to, too." He imagined the treacherous hike in Mt. Coronet and the constant raging blizzard on the way to the city, Oh what a joy that will be… again."We could be gone a year if we really wanted to be, are you sure you want to?"

"Dia, I mean Diamond! What else are we going to do? Sit around and try not to get caught by my mother's virgin eyes? Where's your sense of adventure? Let's do something spontaneous," he gripped Diamond's shoulders, his eyes sparkled with purpose and excitement. He was already planning all the things they could do, the possibilities were endless.

"…I guess it does sound fun," he glanced to the side with a faint smile.

He pulled him in for an elated kiss, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Let's go! I'll meet you at your house very soon; don't make your kitten wait," he smirked and shooed him out the door.

Aw, such a good boy making his schnookums breakfast the morning after. Hah, anyway, after spending the day mapping the rest of the story out and doing some planning I realized that I was going to run out of prewritten chapters fast if I kept doing three at a time every other day. So the frequency is going to drop to spread it out (and *cough cough* buy me time to get further along *cough*). To give you an idea of what's going on on my end, I'm currently working on chapter 21, and have about 17 chapters after that one to do. That "theoretically" doesn't sound too bad but we'll see how this all goes. Thank you again to everyone for reading my story and to everyone who has left feedback between here and DA. See you in a few days, dolls.