Chapter 12

Finally got some dinner done for Quil and I. Thoughts are already bouncing around in my head. Does he even like Penne Pasta? Will his beak be able to handle the noodles? Maybe he won't enjoy the sauce, the herbs I used, or meatballs. Should I have offered to take him to the nearest restaurant? Before any more thoughts cross my mind, Quil walks in. And he's wearing… Aw, geez, skimpy pair of boxers… And I can see the outline of his unmentionables. Is that even comfortable? From the looks of it, I can see it hugs his waist and thighs perfectly. And now that we've finally become a pair, I haven't stopped thinking about his… Features, for lack of a better term. "H-Hey, Quil! Ready for our, um…"
"Date? Yeah, of course, Ethan. Or, hey, should I start using pet names?" A slight blush becomes visible on my face. "W-what do you mean?"
"Well, how about I start calling you, 'Hun'? Or, 'Dear'?" I chuckle to myself and nod. "If you're happy with it, then I am…"
"Then serve us up some delicious homemade pasta, dear!"

Before we're able to resume our alone time, I hear a knock on the door. I groan and roll my eyes. "Who the hell could that be… Sorry, Quil. Give me a sec."
"Take your time, hun."

I sigh and head toward the front door. Before even opening it, I check through the window next to the door, trying not to give myself away. The moment I see who it is, my heart stops. Lance?! What the hell is he doing here?! Did he come to check on the Lycanrocs? What's going on? Before even thinking about reaching for the doorknob, I rush toward the kitchen. I pick up anything that's even remotely supposed to hint at a romantic dinner and stuff it all in an empty cabinet under the kitchen sink.

"Heeeello? Anyone home?" called out Lance.

I'm really in for it if he finds out I'm trying to be in a relationship with my Pokemon… I quickly and quietly try to call everyone into the kitchen. As I do, I give a small debrief to my Pokemon that they need to hide in the bedroom. Thankfully they all obeyed. Except for Nokto. All he did was give me an intense snarl while baring his teeth. I say in a hushed voice, "Nokto…! Get your fake ass tough-guy act into the bedroom…! What're you waiting for..?!"

"I'm going to give that Tepig a piece of my mind. What does it fucking look like, Twink?"

"By doing what, flexing your muscles..?! I'm the only one that stands between you and the harsh environment out there..! Now do us all a favor and get into my bedroom, NOW…!" He groaned loudly, and off he went with the rest of my Pokemon. Good grief, what a piece of work he is… I took a sigh of relief and patted myself down. I rustled up my hair a bit to make it look messier, to try and convey that I was just lounging about. "Give me a second!" I shouted to Lance. Walking toward the door once more, I open it up. And there he is, Lance, with his doofy smile and friendly expression. "Lance, buddy! Glad to know you came to visit! Could've called first, I was about to get busy!" I say through gritted teeth. All he did was chuckle, and shake his head.

"Busy making spaghetti, it seems. I could smell it from all the way out here. Smells like heaven, I tell ya!" I gave him a sarcastic chuckle as I let him in. I plop myself on the couch and sigh. "So, what brings you here, Copper?"

"Copper, eh? Man, I can't just visit my best friend without being called out, huh?"
"Not calling you out, I'm just saying, you never do any random surprise visits. And you kind of showing up out of nowhere was really inconvenient. I wasn't exactly in the best of situations when you came a-knockin'."

"It was inconvenient, you say? Why's that, I wonder."
"W-well, I was making spaghetti." My nervous stutter already beginning to show itself. A bad sign considering Lance was a very skilled detective. I can't show any signs of weakness or anxiety, I need to stay calm. "Who were you making spaghetti for, though? From here, that's a damn big pot for just one person. Trying to fatten up while on vacation, eh?" He chuckled and made his way into the kitchen. I fumble around on the couch before basically wobbling my way toward him. "N-no, not trying to… 'fatten up' Lance. Just figured needed to… um… Treat myself, yeah…" What a great save, Ethan.

"Treat yourself, with a huge pot of pasta and meatballs. Sounds reasonable. How about you serve us a bowl, bud?" Damn it! This was supposed to be for me and Quil! I gave him a fake smile, and nod. "Why not, man? How much do you want?"
"Small bowl if you would. Not exactly hungry, but I'll need a small pick-me-up!" He sat down on the chair where Quil sat. As he does, he shoots back up and picks up a feather from the chair. "Yo, Ethan, this is Quil's feather, isn't it?" I looked at it, and my instant reaction was to swipe it from his hand. Somehow, I skillfully did just that, moving my arm as fast as I can to snatch it. I sigh. "Y-yeah, it is. Careful, he's been… Molting as of late…"

"Well, for avian Pokemon, doesn't that mean Quil's ready to mate?" Where the hell did he get that from?!

"I-I definitely think so, y-yeah! W-why do you ask, Lance?"
"Well, why else would most of his plumage be lying around the place? He must've sat down here before I did, am I right?" After a sudden realization, he gave me a suspicious stare and sat up from his chair. "Ethan, if Quil's supposedly ready to mate, don't tell me you're taking advantage of his vulnerable state. Come to think of it, can Pokemon even have same-sex feelings for humans?" A deep blush shows itself on my face, while I try to give him direct eye contact. "I-I wouldn't know about that, and n-no, I wouldn't do such a thing! Taking advantage of my Pokemon is clearly against the law. N-no way I'd do such a thing to my best Pokemon!" All of a sudden, I can't look Lance in the eyes. My anxiety again starts rising, my heart pumping and pumping while my breathing gets ever so slightly shaky. Lance turns his head and looks around. "Can I ask you where Quil might be?"

"I-in his Pokeball, ready to come out in a moment's notice"
"Right, and what about the others on your team?"And with that question, I can finally have some relief. "In their Pokeballs too."

"And the Lycanrocs?"

"Pieces of work, I tell you."
"Well, you can handle them, Mr. Champion."

Looks like he's finally done interrogating me. What a lucky break, I thought I was caught. "Hang on, one other thing…" Oh crap. "Quil molting… His feather on this chair, pasta… Ethan, for the love of God, if-"

"NOTHING!" I shout, abruptly interrupting him. "Nothing of the sort is happening, Lance! I already told you, there's nothing going on! The fact that you're insinuating that I would harm my Pokemon is getting me frustrated. As the champion, one who's supposed to represent all the trainers and Pokemon of this region, why would I harm my image by doing something so despicable?" He gave me another one of his suspicious looks, but he looked convinced. He took a deep breath, and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I get it, Ethan. Then serve me up some pasta!"

"A simple, 'Please' would do wonders, Detective." He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Pasta please, Ethan." I serve him a bowl, sit down in front of him, and cross my arms. The rest of that dinner, I kept myself reserved, and silent. I could tell from his periodic glancing, he wanted to start up a conversation. After all that, I didn't even want to initiate an interaction with him.

Twenty minutes of awkward silence and the quiet sounds of him chewing away at his spaghetti later, he hasn't said a word. "Hey, sorry for accusing you of pokephilia, Ethan. That was way out of line for me, especially after doubting the champion of Alola."

"You also need to apologize about the gay stuff." He slumped in his chair.

"You want me to apologize about theorizing if Pokemon have homosexual feelings…?"
"Yes, I do. You know I'm Bi. I take these types of things seriously."

"Fine, fine. I apologize for thinking Pokemon can't like the same sex."

That's much better.

"Apology accepted, Lance. And as your friend, keep your detective stuff at work, okay? Whatever you do at work, stays at work."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, buddy. Good pasta, by the way! Didn't think you were culinarily cultured enough to make something foreign taste good." First off, ow, my feelings. Second, pasta isn't even that outlandish. I roll my eyes. "Thank you, Lance...for that half compliment."