-Cyclone-

Understanding Maxie

Very few conversations took place between Archie and Maxie during their first few weeks living together. It seemed as though the redhead was too busy to sit down for a moment and ask his roommate a few questions about himself. Unless it was Sunday, when the campus was closed, Maxie was hardly ever seen. And when he was around, most often he had a book in his face, or was getting the bare minimum of sleep required to stay alive. Archie wasn't too upset about the matter. Any questions regarding the past would have had to been dismissed.

But Archie did try to make time to ask the busy man a few small, quick questions. After all, he needed to know a few things about the guy he was going to be living with.

Maxie had said to him that he was majoring in geology, and was planning to take graduate courses up north so that he might one day become a volcanologist. Archie found the redhead's goals, while hard to comprehend, very admirable. Maxie also mentioned getting paid to perform lab work at the university. Archie was impressed. All he had to rely on was work-study getting through and acquiring a decent enough job so that he could live off paycheck to paycheck. Maxie was making enough for him to furnish an apartment full of second-hand wonders.

Maxie was from Kanto. He had been living in Hoenn since he was sixteen. His last roommate had been a vegetarian, which was why the fridge had not a single piece of meat in it. Maxie insisted he was not a vegetarian. He called himself practical.

Little things, but Archie kept them to memory in order to ensure a better relationship between him and the redhead.

With what he had learned, Archie safely assumed that Maxie would not be a prominent figure in his social life. Every day there would be some lab work, and if there wasn't then there would be studying to replace it. And at first he was fine with that. But then he noticed how little time Maxie spent on the simple pleasures; things like real sleep, actual meals, or just sitting around hardly ever occurred when the two were sharing the same space.

The final, worrying straw that broke his back was when he opened the fridge to discover that Maxie's side had been empty for a record four days. The Poochyena were still being given their daily serving of kibble and dried berries, but the young man couldn't even recall the last time he had seen Maxie bring anything other than a cup of coffee to his mouth. And this was occurring during summer break. Archie couldn't imagine what Maxie did with himself when class was in session.

So when he heard the door to his room utter three soft knocks, followed by Maxie's voice politely asking if he could come in for a moment, Archie gladly allowed him in.

He lay on his hammock, turning his head to the side to get a better view of the redhead. It was Saturday, and it was one of those few days where Maxie wasn't too busy and had his hair down. He was thin and pale, as usual. By his side were the Poochyena, rounder and more energetic than their master, as usual.

"What's up?" Archie said, bearing his grin at the quiet man. The larger Zubat flew over and dropped the fruit pit he had been tossing in a makeshift game of fetch.

"I'm going to the bookstore to purchase some of my required texts," the man said. He wrinkled his nose, turning his head away like he might have been trying to hide something. "I was wondering if you might be interested in coming along so that you–"

"Yeah, sounds good," Archie said, interrupting the redhead. He swung in his hammock, alerting both Zubat to fly away as he moved around and jumped off from it. Maxie continued to avoid looking directly at him, perhaps out of politeness. Archie found it hilarious, but appreciated the concern.

"Give me a sec to return 'em," Archie said, pointing up at the flying bat Pokémon.

"Of course," Maxie replied. "Uhm…I'll be in the living room, waiting."

"Alright," Archie said. Maxie left the room, and Archie grabbed his Poké Balls and sent both of his Pokémon back inside. He felt a paw press against his leg and looked down to see the fluffier looking Poochyena staring up at him.

By now his tiny room had undergone a transformation. He had received his clothes and some intimate possessions through the mail, filling his closet up with all of his favorite things. Since he couldn't afford any real furniture, Archie had looked around the neighborhood, surprised by the vast amount of crates, boxes, and other articles that were left by the street, and took a few apple crates to create makeshift bookshelves and storages. Thanks to the hammock, the room was just a little cozy.

He placed the balls on top of the green apple crate and stared at the three textbooks and two lab manuals he had purchased a few days ago, right after his first shift at the university's bookstore. Work study had finally been granted, and Archie would be working a few days a week. He'd be able to afford living with Maxie during the school semester, maybe even during break if he was lucky to get hours. That was future Archie's problem to think about.

The Poochyena barked. Archie went over to the closet to get a clean shirt, wondering if it was weird for him to want to try to have an actual conversation with Maxie. He already had his books. And there was no guarantee Maxie would say a thing. He still didn't know how the television earned the frightening damage.

He grabbed is wallet, new blue bandana and keys and pulled of out his shirt. He exited from the room, letting the Poochyena out before closing the door and began putting on his shirt.

"Ready," he called, walking into the living room while pulling down his top.

Maxie sat with his mouth slightly parted. Archie watched as the man's hand hovered over the other Poochyena resting on his lap, remaining stiffly in place. "Right," Maxie suddenly said. He picked up the Pokémon and placed it on top of the worn couch. "Let's be on our way."

The two walked out of their small dwelling and were greeted with the familiar sight of the neglected pool area. Archie was sure it was only getting worse. Maxie was silent on the matter, but when a Skitty ran past the two and up a flight of stairs, Archie did notice the look of resentment in the redhead's eyes.

They walked out of the complex and made their way uphill towards the campus. Archie shoved his hands into his pockets, finding little to do as he tried to think up something to say. He slowed his stride just enough to let Maxie take the lead, while also letting the thin man's form sink into his mind.

Archie wasn't very good at bringing up such delicate topics. He had avoided it with his father, had managed to not bring anything up during his time spent with Team Rocket, and now was struggling to bring up his concern with Maxie. But how on earth was Maxie supposed to be wearing a jacket and not be sweating? And how was it that he seemed to be living off a nearly liquid diet of caffeine?

The two stopped at the intersection.

"Archie," Maxie suddenly said.

Archie looked over to Maxie. "Yes?" he asked, surprised to have heard the redhead utter a word.

"The Poochyena are so relaxed now," he calmly said. "They don't bark as much."

"I take 'em out every mornin' fer a run," Archie said. "That usually puckers 'em out."

"I know," Maxie replied, letting a small smile appear on his face. "Thank you for doing that."

The pedestrian light turned and both men made their way across the street. Archie noticed that Maxie was slowing his pace, trying to match his own. They pressed on, now walking together, Archie no longer staring at the man's thin frame, but still thinking about it in his mind.

"You're good with Pokémon," Maxie commented. He brought a hand up and pushed away a few strands of hair that had come undone and fell across his face. "Are you majoring in anything Pokémon related?"

"Yeah," Archie replied, smiling and finding himself feeling almost flattered that the normally silent man was actually complimenting him on his efforts. "I'm actually gonna be doin' marine biology."

Maxie stopped. "You're studying marine biology?" he asked. Archie noticed the man's eyes darting up and down, his normally calm and controlled manner gone and replaced with shock. He was beginning to notice a certain trend when he announced his major to those around him.

"Yep," Archie said, cracking a nervous smile. "I've never done hardcore science though. I'm kinda nervous."

Maxie nod his head. "There is a lot work involved," he muttered. The man looked away again, but this time Archie caught a series of peculiar movements. The redhead dipped his hands into his jacket pockets, and his shaking legs suddenly found their place and Maxie hurried up ahead of Archie, remembering that they were on a mission.

"But you should know," he heard Maxie say, allowing a glimpse of his face to be viewed as he looked over his shoulder. "The science departments offer a lot of tutoring."

"That's good," Archie said.

The wind blew and Maxie's hands lifted to fix his hair from getting messy. Archie caught up and walked alongside with him, watching and smirking as Maxie grew frustrated with the sea wind, constantly looking away from Archie to hide it from him.

The wind eased. "Uhm," Maxie said, looking over at the park they were passing by.

"Yeah?" Archie asked.

"It's great that you're studying marine biology," he muttered. He rubbed his face. Archie figured it was probably because there was something in the air. And between the man's long, pale fingers he saw the smile.

Archie felt a bit more at ease after hearing Maxie mention that. He was worried that he might have been over his head with the major, especially after seeing Maxie's reaction. The smile made things feel more bearable.

"Oh, and uhm," Archie heard Maxie struggle to add. "I know this might sound rather…insignificant, but our departments will be on the same floor, at the same building." He coughed. "I mean, what I'm trying to say is…I might be able to help you make connections and better influence your chances of getting field work later."

"Wow, really?" Archie said. "Maxie, that's so awesome!"

Maxie looked up at Archie. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal," he said, brushing the compliment with his hand.

But Archie could see the subtle spread of pinks spreading across the man's face. He laughed, smacking his hand roughly against Maxie's back, amazed at how someone could be so modest.

"Oh, yeah it is," Archie said.

"It is?" Maxie made a face while stumbling over his next step.

"Of course," the young man answered back. "Especially since I have no idea where everythin' is. Maxie, you gotta show me 'round the department!"

"Oh," Maxie said, giving a quick nod. "Right. I suppose you need to be shown around campus…"

Something about the way it had been said made Archie feel a little worried. He pushed whatever doubt he had away, chalking it up to Maxie being tired after spending a week at the university.

The two reached the campus shuttle stop and decided to rest there and wait for a shuttle to take them the rest of the way up campus. Archie sat himself down on a bench. Maxie remanded standing, scrunching himself up to preserve heat even though it was August and the occasional breeze from the ocean was more inviting than anything. Archie rested on his back. Maxie leaned against the list of scheduled stops and hummed something Archie couldn't recognize.

He got a good glimpse of Maxie's form and bit the inside of his lip, wondering if it was really his place to judge the guy for a lifestyle that required him to give a lot of his time to studying.

A few clouds passed, exposing the hot sun. Archie yanked off his bandana and stuffed it into his back pocket.

Maxie made an interesting looking face when Archie admitted to having already bought the books a few days prior. Of course, he made the excuse that he had to get himself a few notebooks and pens for note-taking, but it didn't stop Maxie from opening his mouth, just to stand there and go silent, before finally producing a stare that told Archie he should have said something earlier.

Archie waited in line with Maxie, waited at the cashier, and even though Maxie was irritated, the man waited for him to buy his notebooks and pens, and waited for Archie to beg for another black work-shirt, one that didn't have the little red book, but a blue one instead.

The two walked out of the store, Archie sighing because they didn't have his size.

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Maxie said, rolling his eyes as they made their way over to the science-oriented buildings. He was going to show Archie where all his classes were.

"I just wanted the blue book," the larger of the two complained. He didn't want to have to explain the real reason behind disliking the red and black combination.

"The fact you got a job at the bookstore dismisses any kind of discomfort you may have," Maxie said, leading them to a gigantic white structure. "Everyone wants a job at the bookstore and library. Easy cash, nice people, great connections and discounts, and you get access to a free printer."

Archie rolled his eyes, following Maxie into the building.

First Maxie showed him where the marine science department was. The third floor, and it had a decent view of the ocean. Before they went back down Maxie mentioned the door they were passing was one of the labs where he did some of his work, smiling when Archie nod his head with interest.

They cut across to the next building, an older one filled with smaller labs. Maxie explained this would be where Archie's lab-half of the class would be taking place. They went up to the second floor and the redhead took him to the rooms were he'd be receiving his future lectures.

"Anything else?" Maxie said.

Archie closed his eyes tight, trying to remember the location of his math class. "I'm lookin' fer the L.A buildings?"

"Liberal arts," he muttered. "Those are across the way."

They hurried back down and left the old building. Archie and Maxie cut across the gigantic courtyard area and Archie was once again greeted with the delightful sight of people playing and resting with their friends and Pokémon.

"Too bad Zubat can't play when the sun is out," Archie said aloud. He looked ahead at Maxie. "You ever bring yer Poochyena out to play durin' class breaks?"

Maxie shook his head. "I can't," he said. "I don't have a trainer card, and the school requires you keep one on your person if you're going to bring your Pokémon on campus."

Archie frowned. Luckily he was behind Maxie. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes," Maxie said, shaking his head. "And don't say it. I know I need to get one soon. I know it's super easy… I've just been so…"

Somehow Archie had missed that part of the application. He didn't think about his Pokémon not being allowed on campus because he didn't have some stupid card on him. Archie was sure campus police weren't about to perform random searches on him and confiscate his Zubat. Still, once again Archie was hit with the fact that he was limited to what he could do, just because he made some mistakes several years ago.

Four years and he still had all these stupid rules getting in the way of him having a normal life.

"Archie."

He looked over and saw that the two of them were in front of one of the small convenient stores set on campus.

"I'm going to get something to drink," Maxie said, pointing at the entrance. "Would you like anything?"

"Wanna share a bag of chips?" he asked.

Maxie shrugged. "I guess," he replied. He didn't sound too interested in the idea of consuming something that might require chewing, but Archie figured some friendly persuasion might help get the man to take a few bites.

"Cool, and thanks," Archie said. "I'll wait out here, by the directory."

Archie picked at his teeth, waiting for Maxie to make his purchase. He saw a few girls in sundresses chatting with each other. It wasn't until they were rather close did he realize one of those girls was waving at him.

"Hey there!" the blonde girl said, running up ahead of her friends and stopping just inches away from Archie. "How's it going stranger?"

Archie had met quite a few girls since arriving in Slateport. The name of this particular girl was just not there.

As if she could read his mind, the girl answered. "It's me, Crynn."

Archie nod his head. "Right…I remember now! You and Patty."

Her smile grew more. "That's right," she said.

"I was goin' to call Patty," he said, nervously looking off to the side, "but I got really busy."

"Oh, that's not a problem," Crynn said. She grabbed on tight to her messenger back, looking over to the girls standing behind her, each one smiling and waiting for her to do something. Archie glanced in their direction and saw the slyness in their smiles. He knew he had made some kind of impression on Patricia. It looked like he had succeeded with Crynn as well.

"You're going to the party tonight, right?" she asked.

"Oh, that's tonight?" Archie said. He had completely forgotten about it. Between organizing his things, training Poochyena, making ends meet, the party had escaped his mind.

"Yes! By Corsola Cove," she said. Archie grew nervous as he saw the way she stared him. She looked so damn happy. And her hands were just fiddling with everything. The bag, her dress, her long blonde hair!

Maxie walked out of the convenient store, holding a bag of chips in his hand. He looked at Crynn, then at Archie. "What's going on?" he asked.

"A party," Archie laughed, looking over at Maxie with a stressed look. "There's a party tonight."

"You've visited the cove right?" she asked. She even looked over to Maxie, keeping her smile, but lacking that flirty movement. "Just a mile away from the Seashore House."

Archie shrugged. "Well, I've been to the beach…"

"I'll write out some directions for you," Crynn said, already pulling out a small notebook from her bag.

"Oh, you don't have to that," he said, chuckling at her. He brought a hand to his head, scratching it nervously as he watched her open the notebook up, and then fish through her bag to get a pen.

It wasn't as though Archie didn't want to go. He loved parties as much as the next guy. He didn't want her to feel like she had to write out the directions. He didn't want her to express excitement for his presences, to anticipate him arriving, or get upset because she never got to see him. Her and Patricia.

"Corsola Cove?" Maxie suddenly said. "Is that the one where the Tentacool visit during the winter?"

"Hmm?" Crynn shook her head. "Oh, no. Corsola Cove has all the pointy rocks. And the Luvdiscs visit early in the morning."

Maxie smiled calmly at the girl. "Right, now I remember," he said. The man turned to Archie, nodding his head, then over at Crynn. "I haven't visited in a while. But I'm positive I can get Archie and I there in one piece."

"Oh, you sure?" she asked Maxie.

The redhead continued to smile, taking a sip of his iced coffee. "Don't worry. I won't get Archie lost. I know how important this is to him." He took another sip, lowering his eyelids and setting his red gaze over to Archie. "The man was incredibly excited about it. Weren't you? Talked about it a few times last week, if I recall correctly?"

"Totally," Archie said, laughing at the end.

"Great, I'll see you two later?" she asked both men, but her eyes were back on Archie.

"We prefer to be casually late," Maxie coolly replied. "At least an hour-and-a-half after it starts."

"Perfect," she said. "See you then." She skipped off and recollected with her friends. Both men waited until the girls were far enough before giving a sigh of relief.

Archie felt something lightly tap his shoulder. He looked at the bag of chips pressed against him. He took it, smiling widely at Maxie.

"You." He shook his head and popped the bag open. "Wow. Yer somethin', y'know that?"

Maxie sighed, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me I didn't just lie to a crazy ex-girlfriend of yours?"

"Oh no," Archie laughed. He took a few chips from the bag and offered them to Maxie, who politely declined. "Y'see, I met her an' her friend a few weeks ago. They kept laughin' at me, and the other stole my bandana!"

Maxie took another sip of his coffee. "They really like you," he said. Another sip.

Archie shrugged, scratching his head again as he looked off to the side, trying to think up an excuse as to why he couldn't just be himself around such nice girls. Because Crynn was a cute girl. Lots of guys would be lucky to have her treat hem with affection. Even Patricia seemed nice.

"Is something wrong?" Maxie asked.

"Haha, no!" Archie laughed, shoving some chips into his face. Maxie shook his head. Archie kicked at the ground while the bag in his arms slipped.

"Girls," Archie said aloud. "Y'know, I really never got the way they get all cranky with each other." He offered the bag to Maxie, who by now was giving him a strange look. This time the man reached in and plucked a single chip from the bag, refusing to break eye contact with Archie. Archie laughed again. "Patty and Crynn! Patty asked first, but now Crynn's flirtin'…I don't have time fer a girlfriend."

Maxie looked down at his chip and took a bite from it, snapping it perfectly in half.

Archie smiled. It was about time Maxie had something solid. He looked down at his bag of oily chips, then at his notebooks.

"I'm gonna be real busy." He said. "Too busy fer a girl…"

"Girlfriends do take up a lot of time," Maxie said.

Archie turned and stared at Maxie. The young man took another sip of his beverage, staring up at him with a look made Archie feel as though Maxie might have understood what he was saying.

"Yeah," he said. "They do take up a lot of time."

"And you're a freshman," Maxie added. He finished his chip, picked up his bag filled with textbooks and began to walk ahead of Archie. "And the first year is always the hardest." Archie hurried up and followed. He watched Maxie down the rest of his coffee before tossing it into a bin.

Maxie quickly wiped his face, staring worryingly at Archie.

Archie frowned. "What?" he asked.

Maxie shook his head and produced a small chuckle. "A silly though had entered my mind," he said. "But no worries Archie, I get it."

Archie doubted it. Still, once again he was getting a side of the redhead that had him feeling like Maxie was more than some poor bloke who studied and did lab work all day. Was he a bit of a stiff? Maybe. But the guy was also pretty darn awesome for getting him out of that conversation. And he had done it so well, even coming up with an excuse in case she didn't end up spotting him there.

"Wow," he suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Maxie asked.

Archie grinned. "Nothin'," he said. "Just realizin' what a great friend I got on my side."

"Excuse me?" Maxie asked. Archie chuckled when he saw the poor man blush.

"And there we go," Archie laughed. He finished his chips, crumbled the bag into a ball and threw it into the trash, cheering for himself when it flew right into the center. Maxie shook his head.

"I knew you were a really great guy," Archie said, grabbing Maxie and guiding him back downhill. "You just have a odd way of showin' it!"

Maxie jumped at the touch and looked up at Archie. "The liberal–"

"I'll find it later," Archie said. "Lemme get you a burger or somethin' first."

"I don't really eat a lot of meat," Maxie commented.

"I know," Archie said, shaking his head and bringing a finger to his eye, letting it drag down his face to feign a tear. "But don't cha worry. I'll fix you up good."

At first Maxie gave him that look of annoyance. But as Archie had predicted, it quickly began to dissipate, his expression becoming more tolerable as they headed back down, with Maxie finally sighing, accepting his fate as he tried to cover his smile with his face while Archie continued to poke and pester him.

"I want a strawberry shake," the redhead finally confessed.

"What were you thinkin'?" Archie laughed, pointing a fry in Maxie's direction. "Lettin' yer girlfriend coax you into not eating any sort of meat?" The thinner man sank into his seat, crossing his arms and making a face, more so at himself than at Archie, after explaining the origins of his last roommate.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Maxie confessed, closing his eyes, shaking his head with shame. "And Katelyn was always preparing and cooking the meals. I was hardly eating outside of the apartment, I might as well have been one." He sighed, grabbing his shake and taking a long sip from the straw.

"How's the bacon?" Archie taunted.

Maxie looked down at his cheeseburger and pouted. "It's good," he sadly answered. "It's really good."

"Gonna cry?" Archie asked.

"I might as well," Maxie grumbled. He rested his arms on the table and stared hard at Archie.

"What is it?" he asked. "Do I got food on my face?"

"I was just realizing something," the redhead said. "You've been asking questions about me since we've been sharing living spaces." He sighed, once again avoiding any eye contact from Archie. "And I've been neglecting to learn a thing about you."

Archie knew he could lie his way out most questions. As long as he wasn't too detailed about certain aspects of his past, then there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

"Ask away," he said. Be vague. Not too detailed, otherwise you'd have to remember it all fer later, he silently reminded himself.

Maxie took a small bite from his burger. The damn thing wasn't even half-way finished. And though the redhead was giving the shake the most amount of attention, there was still a copious amount of the pink slurry left for him to finish.

"Hmm?" Maxie hummed aloud. He wiped his face with a napkin as he thought up his question.

Archie shook his head. "This ain't twenty-twenty," he groaned. "And don't worry, I won't quiz you later either." He bought his straw to his mouth and began to sip, fighting a growing smirk.

Maxie huffed. "Fine," he said. "When did you travel to Johto?"

Archie's almost spat out his drink when he heard the region's name escape the man's lips.

"Or did you go to Kanto?" Maxie added.

"J-Johto," Archie coughed. He brought his drink down and stared hard at Maxie. "How did you–?"

"Your Zubats' wings are smaller," the redhead replied. He had a rather cocky smile on his face. "Hoenn is a mountainous country. The Zubat here have a larger wingspan, and their ears are rounder at the base." He took another sip of his shake. "Also, I'm from Kanto, and we have a lot of Zubat."

"No kiddin'," Archie nervously chuckled. He took a fry and twirled it between his fingers. Maxie knew he had traveled. He couldn't lie about that anymore. But that didn't mean he couldn't lie about everything else.

"When I was a kid," he answered. "Up until a few years ago."

Maxie nod his head, still nursing on his shake. Archie nipped on his fry as he waited for Maxie to ask another, hopefully less prying question.

"What's it like?" Maxie asked. "Johto, I mean. I've never been."

This question was a surprise. He had expected something more personal. But then, Maxie had never been on the other side of Mount Silver. And Archie was relieved that he was given something he could work with and be honest about.

Archie smiled. "It's great," he answered. "Like, really, really nice." Somewhere deep down he could feel a twinge of pain in the answer.

"And the cities…" But then there came a series of memories, so many of them found and dear, and the young man almost wished he could cover his face as some images began to linger in his mind.

"The cities?" Maxie asked, gesturing Archie to continue.

"…Olivine is a lot like Slateport," Archie added. "But far less docks. And the ocean is so beautiful." He felt his face begin to hurt from the smile. "And the waves are amazing! Maxie, you would not believe how nice the beach on Route 40 looks! It's tiny, but it was the perfect place to spend a day off."

Maxie stared, letting his thin smile spread a bit as he rested his shake down. "Sounds like you miss it," he said.

"Well, yeah, sometimes," Archie said. He rubbed his face. "I mean, it's been four years now."

"Have you ever considered going back?"

He wished he could. Archie would have loved to take the time and get a real good look at the cities that he once could only enjoy during days off, and with the permission of a superior. Based upon a few rumors, Team Rocket's influence was only spreading further across the two regions. Archie had no idea if it would be safe for him to just wander the country, after ratting out some of his friends and bosses.

"I've thought about it," he admitted. "But…y'know, Team Rocket n' all…"

Maxie frowned, and for a moment Archie was able to capture the look of despair in the man's face before the redhead shook it off, regaining his composure and reaching out for the closest oil ridden piece of food he could find.

"Did I say somethin' bad?" he asked.

Maxie shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied, smiling up at Archie. It lacked that genuine feeling that the cockier smile did, and it made him feel terrible.

"Events in Kanto haven't been too promising," Maxie said.

"I hear ya," Archie said. He finished off the rest of his fries, occasionally looking over and spotting Maxie struggle with his heavy meal.

He hadn't thought about it, but Maxie leaving Kanto could very well be related to Team Rocket. He deeply inhaled, thinking up a new topic. "So, yer Poochyena?"

Maxie raised his head back up. "What about them?" he asked in that forced polite tone that told Archie he was still upset.

"You got 'em when they were still pups?"

Maxie shook his head. "Oh, Arceus no," he groaned. "That wasn't my decision."

"The ex?" Archie asked.

Maxie sighed, covering his temple with his hand. "It was an impulse decision. I was told they'd been wandering the streets, and it was our duty to save them."

Archie chuckled. "And you kept 'em."

"I did, didn't I?" Maxie smiled, sighing to himself. "We could barely afford to eat, and we kept them…how irresponsible of us."

"And you took great care of them…even after she left you," Archie said. "Wadda swell guy."

Maxie stared at his empty glass. "Yes. When she left…" His eyes lowered again.

Archie reached out and lightly patted Maxie on the shoulder. He lifted his head up. Archie grinned. "You'll find another," he said.

A smirk. "Of course I will," he remarked.

"Oh ho!" Archie said, retracting his arm away from the redhead. "Suddenly over poor Katty?"

"I'm taking a more positive attitude," Maxie said. His eyes lingered on Archie's hand.

"Archie?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Archie replied.

"…what about you?" the man said, pointing a finger. "When you're weren't so busy," Maxie said, carefully eyeing Archie, "did you have time to break a girl's heart?"

He smirked while Archie scratched his head, his bandana moving as he looked over to the end of their table. Suddenly the fast food restaurant felt a little too crowded for Archie's liking.

"Too distracted with the travels?" he heard Maxie ask.

Archie closed his eyes. "No," he answered.

"…no?" Maxie almost sounded confused by this.

Archie blinked, crossing his arms as he stared up at the bright fluorescent lights hanging above them. "I've had my heart broken a few times," he replied, staring up and smiling. He exhaled, feeling a strange sense of relief from having said it.

He rested his head back against the seat's cushion. Maxie just stared back, looking a bit perplexed.

"What's up?" he asked.

Maxie twitched. "Oh, just…you said you had your heart broken," he said, adding a quick chuckle. "You didn't seem like the type…to have his heart broken, and on multiple occasions!"

Archie laughed. "Well I was really young." He grabbed napkin and tugged at the edges, feeling them tear under his force. "Really young n' stupid, and I let some things get way out of hand…"

Maxie nod his head, looking more accepting after hearing Archie's response. "Yes. We tend to forget ourselves when we're caught up in the moment."

"Really dumb," Archie commented.

Maxie pulled out the piece of bacon from his burger and bit into it, still nodding his head in agreement with Archie. "Well, as long as you left them with a better understanding of yourself," he wiped his face with a napkin and then clasped his hands together, giving Archie a rather authoritarian, yet unusually warm look, "then you'll at least be able to say you've learned something from it, eh? A step forward is always a step in the right direction."

It was like he was getting advice from his father, instead of a guy his own age. It was a strange thing to think too, especially since his father had never really offered much in the realm of advice. If anything, it was almost like he was receiving advice from…

But this was Maxie! And Maxie was just a guy trying to look out for him, in his own Maxie kind of way. And the guy was a bit strict and serious about things, but he meant no harm.

And as crazy as it sounded Archie felt incredibly comforted by the words. Maxie had no idea what he had gone through the past several years, but somehow the words fit well with everything.

"Dang, yer good," Archie muttered. He took his thumb in between his teeth, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief. "It's like you can read minds or somethin'."

Maxie grinned. "I think in time you'll come to see that the world isn't as complicated as you think," he said. This time Archie felt the hand rest on him. He looked at Maxie with that strange grin of his. After being so used to a straight face he wasn't sure how to react.

"You think so, huh?" he asked.

"I really, truly do," Maxie said. He pulled back and rested in his seat, letting his smile fade back into that usual calm demeanor of his. He looked down at his half eaten-burger and grimaced.

"Please tell me yer goin' to finish that," Archie said.

"One step at a time," Maxie said. "You cannot expect someone like me to just change willy-nilly now." He grabbed his bag filled with the textbooks and edged his way out of this seat. "Come on," he said, standing up and straightening his jacket out. "We'll need to walk the Poochyenas and have your Zubats get some stretching done before we head out."

"Head out?" Archie asked as he got up and followed Maxie out of the restaurant.

Maxie opened the door for Archie, letting the larger man pass him. "You wanted to go to that beach party, correct?"

Archie fixed his bandana as he stared out at the setting sun, watching the sky fill up with a plethora of various colors. A rainbow of natural blue and orange mixed with the polluted extras of purple and gray.

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "But Crynn–"

"–Thinks you'll show up later," Maxie replied, swinging his bag over his shoulder as he led them back to the apartment. "And even if she doesn't come into contact with you, she'll most likely blame me for your absence."

"Y'think so?"

"Even if I'm wrong, are you going to let one girl ruin you're night?" he replied. Maxie held on to his head as a rush of wind passed the two of them. Archie caught up and caught a glimpse of the dim blush covering the young man's face

"Cold?" he asked.

Maxie jumped back, startled when he saw Archie looking down at him.

"You're quick," he stammered.

Archie broke into another laugh, louder this time as Maxie grabbed the hood of his jacket and covered himself, desperate to hide himself from the taller man.

"No! I ain't gonna let our night get spoiled," he said, grabbing Maxie by the shoulder. He stared into hood and continued to laugh at the poor, distressed man. "And yer gonna get so wasted tonight, you'll hardly remember a thing."

Archie let Maxie go before the redhead could protest, practically skipping ahead, nearly tripping over plastic bags and bottles, hearing Maxie call and beg him to reconsider, after all; Maxie knew his way around the city better than Archie did.

Eventually Archie stopped at the light and let his friend catch up with him. Maxie was all hunched up, shoulders high and hands buried in the pockets of his jacket.

"Archie," he heard Maxie mutter.

He chuckled. "Was only a joke, Maxie," he said, "I'm not goin' to have you trippin' over yerself. Gotta be somewhat responsible, and I know how serious you are with geology and lab work."

"Thank you," Maxie said, removing his hood. "But I wasn't about to make a comment on that." The man held on to the strap of his bag. Some wind blew by, but he didn't bother to fix his hair.

"A step in the right direction," Maxie suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"Katelyn was a good girl," Maxie announced. Cars continued to drive by. The redhead looked almost as though he were in deep thought. "Not perfect, but a decent human being." His fingers twisted against the strap. "She had her issues, but she wasn't the kind of person who'd bring home two stray Poochyena pups out of the blue."

Archie let his eyes focus on the street and the other side of the crosswalk, watching people on the other side wait for the light to change.

"You brought them?" he carefully asked.

"No," Maxie loudly proclaimed. He shook his head. "Alex brought them in."

Archie wasn't going to pretend that he was the smartest man around, but he had a pretty good inkling that Alex was not a girl. Why else would Maxie be breathing so hard, and staring out into the street like a Deerling caught in the headlights? Why make a deal out of it to begin with?

Maybe Maxie was a mind reader. It sounded crazy, but Archie was really feeling it now. Everything Maxie had just said was making even more sense than before. It didn't really matter if Maxie had made some small mistake, or really dug men, or women, or whatever. But if Maxie got something good out of his experience, then maybe Archie wasn't such a bad guy for thinking he got something out of his. All of them.

Archie smiled. "Yeah," he said to himself. "Alright then." He turned and could see that his deep thinking had taken a lot out of a usually patient Maxie. He had twisted the strap of his bag, and the plastic was beginning to visibly wear from the never-ending onslaught of anxious rubbing.

The light changed, giving the signal for all pedestrians to cross the street. But Archie and Maxie stayed.

Archie took a deep breath. "Was he the one who broke your T.V?" he asked, stressing the pronoun a little too much.

At first Maxie looked like he was about to vomit. But then there was that hint of confusion in his eyes, like he didn't quite catch what Archie had just said to him. And then it hit him like a mud-bomb, and Maxie's eyes squint in disbelief, and his lower jaw dropped for a solid second before he silently mouthed the words "Oh My Arceus."

But then it really began to sink in, and Maxie's body began to relax and a long sigh escaped his nose. He slowly raised his hand up and fixed his hair while the other released its tight grip on the bag.

"No," he said. "Alex didn't break the T.V."

Archie nod his head. "One step closer," he said, letting a smile grow on his face. He went back to facing the road, the crosswalk light now flashing red and forbidding the two from trying to cross it. In the corner of his eye he caught Maxie rubbing his face, his body shaking just a little from that brief period of being over-adrenalized.

Archie stretched, smirking and letting his body slowly settle so that he wouldn't set off his companion. "Put yer hoodie back on," he said. "Don't want you freezing yer boney butt now."

Maxie did so. "Thank you," he heard the man stiffly mutter under the hood.

"No problem," he replied.

They waited a minute before the light changed again, and Maxie hurried across the street, his head covered with his hood, one arm swinging the bag, while Archie casually followed, wondering how well Maxie handled his alcohol and if he should play the role of designated buddy this one time.

Thanks for reading.