Begin With the End in Mind

by vegetables

The end of the road is never particularly bright. - SundaeShipping, Harley/Max, Harley/Masato.

3. Part Three

Part Three

-Harley-

I eyed Max intensely, much like I had been doing all day. His face was flushed with a red glow, and his brow was shining with beads of sweat. As odd as his refusal to answer my question was, it gave me time to examine his still-naked body and enjoy the taste of his seed in my mouth. And, Christ, was it the best taste in the world. This whole thing ranked pretty high in my life achievements.

I mean, fuck, I had done it! I had shot away all my self-control and managed to get the ultimate satisfaction from doing so. I got what I wanted and allowed precious Maximus to benefit from it, too. And, he was lucky I didn't just push him face-first into the couch and fully screw him. The way he pranced around in that goddamn bathing suit, expecting me to just accept it and not go crazy with wild desire and greed. Oh, he was an impish little cock-tease, that was for sure. It was not normal for a kid his age to be so goddamn alluring like that, so he really would have no reason to feel violated had I allowed myself to go through with shagging him.

So, why didn't I? Well, I had to admit, I really had no desire to just rape the kid (though, I still stand by my statement he would've deserved it). If I wanted this to be consensual, no matter how loosely, I wouldn't have gotten anything at all had I taken it a step further. Max was young, and I knew he wouldn't be incredibly open to that right off the bat. Yes, he might have been very unsure of what had just happened—and quite obviously blaming himself—but I knew from my own first experience that if he wanted me off him, he would've fought harder. And, he didn't.

My first time had been remarkably similar to this: older man, uncertainty, silence. I had struggled at first, not wanting someone to dominate me when I was apprehensive and vulnerable. Max was a lot smarter than I was at that age, and I figured he had a better grip on what he wanted. Regardless, a small bit of worry developed for the boy, thinking he might be ready to jump off the balcony.

"Say something," I insisted, stroking his face. I then pressed my face into his collarbone, smelling chlorine and sweat. His grasp around my wrist had loosened and now it simply felt like he was attempting to touch my palm.

He still wouldn't say anything. I was even more disappointed by how stiff his shoulders became at my touch. My touch should've provoked other parts of him to grow stiff, goddammit.

I sighed, reclining back to my side of the couch and getting off him. On the way, I grabbed my lighter and cigarettes from the coffee table. Lighting up a stick, I inhaled with an unhealthy amount of strength and then sat next to Max, just the way we had been before everything happened.

I wondered if I should've put his shorts back on his thin, but youthfully defined, legs. He looked a whole lot better sitting there nude with his chest rising and falling as he breathed. His limp little cock, which had graciously been in my mouth minutes earlier, now rested against his thighs, and his arms hung at his sides tiredly.

Since Max was not saying a single word, I stretched out my arm and caressed his cheek again. I truly hoped he didn't think I had just stolen his virginity, that I had raped him and was set on further destroying his life. Honestly, he had no reason to think such things! He had been prancing about in that swimsuit, and furthermore, he was the one who got more out of the whole event than I did. He had the pleasure of me sucking his cock while I just clumsily jerked off. Oh, no, he was the one who benefited more.

I breathed in some more smoke, letting it linger in my mouth before I stylishly blew it out. I absolutely adored the taste of tobacco combined with Max's seed.

Just then, Max stuttered out something incomprehensible. I looked over at him, and he bit his bottom lip as he said, "I… I think I should… take a shower now."

Hmm, yes, our rendezvous had prolonged his little shower. I actually stifled a laugh, thinking back to this morning when I had taken shower. I woke up long before Max did, and while he slept on the couch—his arms spread out over his head and his hip twisted halfway around—I had watched him. His mouth had twitched back and forth as if he were trying to hide a smile from someone. I had hoped he was dreaming of me, and that thought excited me immensely. As I had stripped my clothing in the bathroom, the knowledge of him in the other room drove me mad. I ended up jacking off in the shower, my release spattering onto the tile wall just as I envisioned the boy lying on the couch with his goddamn messy hair and disheveled clothing.

"Well, then," I began, motioning towards the bathroom with my cigarette, "I don't see what's holding you up."

Max's eyes narrowed as he moved. He seemed to realize he was still naked, and he used the towel beneath him to cover himself before getting up and grabbing the extra clothes that had fallen on the floor earlier. I hope he remembered my semen had been wiped off on that towel, though. I grinned, watching him walk past me, his leg brushing against mine very quickly.

The door closed with a click of the lock, and then subsequently, the sound of the light coming to life emitted. He locked the door! As if I were going to storm in there and attack him! That bothered me. Was Max really afraid of what I was going to do when he least expected it?

Well, screw that. He allowed me to do what I did. If he wanted me to stop, he could've kneed me in the groin and run out the door. Instead, he had leaned his head backwards and moaned like a common whore. So, if he really wanted to keep his distance, I hope he realized that he was just as guilty as I. Maybe even more.

Ah, now, I was starting to sound like a criminal pedophile. I mean, sure, Max's age had crossed my mind a million and one times. And, yes, as much as I found that lithe, little tart of a body enjoyable and attractive, I surely wasn't lusting after boys his age on an everyday basis. Max was the greatest exception to everything at the moment. I was utterly frustrated by how he paraded around looking like he did, so it wasn't like I didn't have to deal with my own issues.

Grunting, I rose from the sofa, heading over to the open balcony. There was a nice breeze, cool and easy against my skin. The smoke from my cigarette blew around violently, my hair also getting in my face. Even now I could still taste Max's seed in my mouth. Its savory, sweet kick had stung against my tongue at first contact. I swear I was growing hard just thinking about it now. It happened less than fifteen minutes ago, and I was being greedy enough to want more.

Oh, I desperately needed to see that amazing reaction on Max's face, see him crane his neck and bite down as he suppressed a gasp of air. I shut my eyes, picturing this once more. The sweat dampening his forehead was embedded into his brow; his mouth was clamped shut but there was no hiding how his breathing was uneven and harsh; his thighs had writhed momentarily before he realized he was allowing himself to react. I could only imagine if he didn't still himself! I could easily sense it wasn't in him to just lie there as I did all the work. Oh, no, I saw that hidden layer in him, the one that would push himself up as I moved down, the one that would spread his legs further to gain more contact with me. He was a randy little bugger; he just needed help realizing it.

God, even Norman couldn't compare to how delicious Max looked as he came. But, surprisingly, the thought of that man stirred nothing inside of me. Being such a huge fan of Norman, I should've prided myself endlessly in seducing his son. It was May, however, that sweetened the deal. My loathing of her was resurfacing, remembering just how much she ticked me off. Imagine if she knew what Max and I just did, just fucking imagine. She would die. Oh, and she would never admit that Max was the tart that he was either! Instead, she'd blame it all on scary, predatory moi. If she only knew the truth about her brother; if only she saw him through my eyes, the eyes that could sense every seductively impish trait in that boy, knowing him fully as the true definition of a faunlet.

Smiling, I discarded my cigarette over the balcony ledge then closed the sliding glass door. It was almost one o'clock and certainly the time was flying by now that I had gained the privilege of—how should I put this?—half-ravishing Maximus.

It was time to change back into my regular clothes. I untied my robe, shrugging it off and then quickly getting into my green attire. I then remembered that I needed to call downstairs and tell the lobby I would be leaving soon. Of course, they would be pissed since my checkout time was tomorrow morning. But, the city was bustling with people out to seek a vacation and hotel, so I knew they wouldn't charge me.

Proving quick and painless, I was done with the call in less than five minutes. As I hung up, I noticed the shower water stopped running. I smiled at the thought of Max getting changed in there, all careful and cute. This made me laugh, but I busied myself from further thoughts by collecting some of my scattered belongings around the room. I stuffed my hat in my bag, not wanting to wear it in the heat. I also stuffed a sock I found, hidden in the bed sheets, back into my bag.

When I picked up Max's backpack off the floor, I was surprised by the weight of the small thing. I opened it, peeking inside, first seeing his Pokéballs and PokéNav. But, dear Lord, underneath all those things, I caught sight of a light blue pair of undies! I didn't even try to restrain myself from digging into the bag and grabbing the garment.

The biggest smile formed on my face, knowing they were, without a doubt, skintight and much more of a fit than his semi-loose swimming shorts. I ran my fingers over the crotch area, imagining the garment tightly pressed against him and showing off an excellent lining of curves and forms.

Rustling from the bathroom caused me to replace the underwear and close the backpack. I grabbed my lighter, cigarettes and sunglasses from the table, putting them in their proper places, most importantly my sunnies on my head. Just as I finished, I heard the door open. I turned to greet Max with a broad smile.

He stood in the doorway for a long moment, looking lost and cautious. His hair was still damp, but he had done a good job drying it. Although still wearing his tan shorts, he now had on a long-sleeved hoodie, which was green with a small white line design on the left side. Still without his glasses, he looked pathetically needy.

"Here you are," I said, taking his glasses from the table and reaching out to give them to him.

He was hesitant, but like the little gentleman he was, he politely walked towards me and took them. Before putting them on, he thanked me with a mutter.

"We should get going," I announced, walking by him and getting my bag on the bed.

Max's head drooped, eyeing his socks. I had a feeling he really wanted to say something about what happened, but was actually waiting for me to breach the subject first. I would have been impressed if he took it upon himself to approach the subject. It would've showed a vast amount of courage on his part. But, of course, I wasn't going to say a word. Just to frustrate him.

Finally, Max moved, taking his backpack and putting it on.

Since he wasn't saying anything, I said, "You still want to go… right?"

Max looked up, furrowing his brow in a slight glare. "Of course," he answered. Then, "I can pay for my own ticket."

I scoffed, but smiled anyhow. "Aww, well, that's good to know," I told him, really only saying it to aggravate him.

The boy exhaled as he put on his shoes.

"Let's go," I said, scanning the room for any forgotten items. There was nothing, so I opened the door to leave with Max following slowly behind.

Downstairs, at the lobby, I checked out and they gave me a chocolate and discount card out of some lame complimentary gesture. I simply stuffed the card into my pocket as we left the building, knowing in the back of my mind, I would never be back in this city or hotel ever again.

Outside, underneath the awning, I prepared myself for the bright sun by slipping my sunnies onto the bridge of my nose. Still holding the chocolate I asked, "Do you want this?" I waved the small bar in the air with little effort.

Max looked up at me and shrugged. "No thanks."

I stuffed it into his chest anyway. He was taken aback by this, losing his balance a little as he reached up to take it, preventing it from falling. For only a second, our hands pressed together, and he turned instantly red. I knew this was good sign. Surely a boy who just felt like he had been molested wouldn't blush like a prom queen at the first sign of physical contact.

I felt like I needed to let him know there was no reason to clam up and stay silent for the rest of the day. I brushed his hair back behind his ear, stroking his cheek for a moment. This made his eyes widen, but unlike I feared, his body did not become stiff. I gave him my most sincere smile, trying to appear as non-predatory as I could.

And, you know, maybe I was slightly crazy, but I swore I saw his lips twitch, preventing a small smile from forming. No, I was certain I did see this, because Max immediately started walking afterwards, heading towards the train station. He was desperate to avoid my gaze, and I knew he was even more desperate to busy himself away from thoughts about dear moi.

It might have been possessive, but I was glad to be running through his head. It meant I had an impact on him, an undeniable impact, which he could never forget, even if I never had the chance to thoroughly fuck the boy.

Actually, now that I thought about it, I realized that if we were really going to go to different towns, I would completely lose my chance to thoroughly fuck him. I had been preparing to leave all day, but it only just dawned on me that we were supposed to be going separate ways. This was very disheartening. I couldn't believe how it bypassed my mind!

Thinking about him being alone all over again was sort of depressing. I had always traveled alone because I wanted it to be that way; however, I had a feeling young Maximus here never had any intention of traveling alone. He wanted to be with his sister. That obviously never happened, and continued to be a contributing factor to the new grudge he was holding against her.

"In Ecruteak," I began, turning my head to get a glimpse of him as we walked, "are you just going to earn your badge and scram? Or, do you intend to stay and visit any places?"

"I don't think Ecruteak actually has much. Except the Tin Tower."

"Oh, yes!" I exclaimed. "I've never been, but I've heard things." That was a lie, though. I had been there before, and even caught a Natu around there, who was also back at home with the rest of my Pokémon.

There was a short silence. I could tell Max wanted to keep conversation to a minimal, but the way his mouth was positioned, he definitely wanted to continue this discussion. And, this is why he finally said to me:

"I've heard Magmar show up there sometimes."

That sounded like something he read rather than heard. I mean, after all, who the hell could Max talk to about that kind of stuff anymore? I guessed his little travel book probably had information about Pokémon, too, especially when Pokémon had to do with popular places, like the Tin Tower. I remember how he offered to show me the book, as if it was the most amazing thing in the world.

"I'm sure that guidebook of yours would know," I hinted, grinning at him.

Max was quick to react to my statement. He fished out his book from his backpack, somehow not even managing to take the thing off his shoulders. He opened the book and began flipping through the pages. When he found the right page, he said, "Yes, it does! And, Magmar are there."

I smiled. Oh, even as cutely seductive as this boy was, he was such an apparent nerd. But, it didn't take away from his charm. In fact, goodness, did it add to it all. Those glasses of his made his entire face bright and innocent. That passion he spoke with on such meaningless jibble made him downright precious.

It was like some sick and deluded chain-reaction, because every time I looked at Maximus, a stir rose from me. And, now, like a madman, I had to kill the desire to just push him against a building and take him then and now. The slightest thing set me off into a wave of lust. This kind of desire sweeping over me had happened before, but it usually died out once I was granted the unbelievable gift of fucking my obsession.

Ahh, it drove me wild. I could see it all in my head, but playing out in reality would be far more satisfactory.

"That's excellent," I replied. "I hope you have good luck there."

When I said this, Max's whole mood seemed to alter. Even his shoulders loosened and his lips became an unreadable line. I was proud to have intentionally provoked this, hinting at leaving, especially since Max seemed just as surprised by the realization. I was open to the option of, well, escorting Max to Ecruteak, but there wasn't anything in that city worth more of my time.

With a newfound silence upon us, we just kept walking. Ahead of us, there was a crowd, people moving about right in front of the Game Corner. I had always noticed the certain kind of people who spent their time around casinos: the sleazy women, the faux rich men, and the social outsiders, who were just there because they had nowhere else to go. It was devastatingly pathetic. Even so early in the morning, they showed their faces shamelessly.

When we walked by them, there was a distinct rise in volume, decrease in oxygen and even the goddamn smell. They talked so loud as if they were all partly deaf; they took up all the air Max and I needed to breathe; and, their filthy stench of rotten booze and B.O. was unflattering. I personally may have been guilty for having a penchant for alcohol, but I was no lush, and thankfully, I had never submitted myself to that vulgar smell. And, I hope Max knew this, in case he ever wanted to judge me. I was not among those people.

With the Game Corner way behind us, we were getting closer and closer to the train station. Since it was actually a weekday there wasn't a big possibility of a crowd. This was actually for the best, I decided. We would sit together, and then Maximus would be forced to face me for about an hour. And, I'd make that hour fun.

"Are you going to enter the Contest in Olivine?" Max asked me in a somewhat hushed tone.

"I already told you, no," I groaned. He had indeed asked me before. It was possible he could've forgotten, but I was leaning towards the theory of him wanting to make idle conversation. Or, maybe he really wanted me to enter. "And, before you say, 'Oh, I thought because I beat you, you were gonna train again,' I want you to know I will. Just not now, mmkay?" I stopped walking as I said this, putting my hands on my hips.

Instead of getting quiet and backing down, Max threw back, "May already has two ribbons where she's at."

Despite the fact May was in an entirely different region, and I wasn't even entering Contests, this bothered me. I was threatened, really. What if May actually won the Grand Festival wherever she was and became a champion two times in a row? Oh, I did not like the thought of that.

"Your sister," I argued, "doesn't have me to worry about this time around."

Max scoffed loudly at this, the little shit. "I highly doubt that. She beat you in three Grand Festivals. And, then won one."

I wagged my finger at Max orderly. "I seem to remember always earning my ribbons quicker than her. And,I've beaten her three times anyway, so you should really do your research, kid."

Max didn't frown until I called him "kid." I wondered if he'd rather be called Maximus. If so, I was right onboard with his preference.

"You're so weird!" he finally yelled.

So, he decided to say it to my face, eh? I knew he was guilty of the thought time and time again, but I was impressed by his courage to say it!

"Well, darling, you're not the first one to say so." I reached down and brushed his hair behind his ear.

"Stop it," Max complained, throwing my hand off him.

I shrugged and continued to walk.

Max was most likely more confused by my sudden mood change. Just a second ago, I had called him "kid," but then I became affectionate. I had no intention of confusing the boy—he should've known how to comprehend when I was messing with him—but, perhaps he was also cautious of my touches in public. No one ever notices what's right in front of their damn eyes, especially if they don't want to see it. No one was going to care about me flirting with the boy, let alone notice.

We walked in silence until reaching the train station. Inside, we separated to buy our tickets in different lines. Max probably decided to get in his own line to avoid me, and of course, because he wanted to show off how Daddykins gave him money.

Since I managed to pay and get out of line first, I sat down on the long, almost pew-like bench, crossing my legs and sighing. The big obnoxious clock above the digital schedule read 1:55. Our train would start boarding in forty-five minutes or so, though it left at three. We were here early, but I had intended this. Max couldn't avoid me here, unless he really wanted to sit alone on the train. And, that would've made everything a lot more complicated for the boy; he knew full well that I would've kept my eye on him even from a distance. It was a lot more comfortable to be stared at by a person sitting next to you than by a person sitting ten seats behind you.

I saw Max approaching me with his purchased train ticket in his hands. He also had his PokéNav out. He sat next to me, but left a large gap in between, and continued to mess around with his little nerdy device. I guessed he was mapping out Ecruteak City.

I was bored, so I took out my cigarettes and began to light one routinely. I wasn't sure you were even allowed to smoke here, but I didn't care. As I flicked my gold lighter, I smiled at the memory of Max revealing it to me last night. I still wondered what else he went through as I was asleep, but regardless, I was glad he found my lighter. The time we spent together had been very profitable, and I'm sure if we spent more time together, we'd both end up greatly fulfilled.

Well, I knew what I wanted that'd leave me fulfilled. I couldn't say for certain Max wanted the same thing, but his lack of a fight, and his refusal to just book it and run away from me, were evidence he was curious about what I had to offer him.

Max had no idea what to do earlier. He just sat there, allowing me to suck his cock and regretting each thrust of his body that revealed enjoyment. Surely that meant he had no clue about further activities. It would've frightened him, really. But, he needed to first experience the joys of having me inside him before he judged it. I needed to experience the joys of being inside him, too. That virginal little ass of his was mine to claim, I decided quickly.

Oh, even the words in my head enticed me. Tight. Hot. Untouched. Those were all the things that Max's fuckable little ass would prove to be, I was sure of it. Sadly, the end of my cigarette suffered a hard bite as I tried to control my body from reacting from to the thoughts.

"Are you… okay…?"

I looked over at Max who was giving me a concerned look. If he only knew! Gosh, I had succeeded in not fully taking the boy this afternoon, but I needed to learn how to control my thoughts.

I was a mess. Not even wanking off could ever satisfy the need I developed for this boy. It was utterly surprising. I never had a single intention of lusting after May's younger brother. Where the hell had I been four years ago when I manipulated Maximus with the ice cream sundae? Why didn't I recognize the blooming faunlet inside that boy and caution myself to stay away?

I had always fulfilled my conquests one way or the other. And, not just in the matter of whom I wanted to shag. If I wanted to do something, I would. In Pokémon Contests, I always succeeded in my own personal way. Perhaps May, being the demon that she was, beat me, but I had always managed to mess with her head, and that was a fulfillment in and of itself.

With sex, I liked to choose someone challenging to seduce. That made it worth it in the end. Though, admittedly, there was no denying I was guilty of shameless one-night stands and an occasional back alley rendezvous. Max was definitely the youngest boy I had ever wanted, but overall, I did prefer my company younger. While a couple of boys probably lied to me about their ages in the past, I was pretty sure I never fucked anyone under fifteen. That said, it was one of the contributing factors to my difficulties controlling and handling what I felt for little Maximus, the youngest of all my lusts.

He was delectable. I had come to terms with the fact I wanted to screw his brains out, but I was in a rut on how to approach it. Maybe I sucked his cock his afternoon, but I was still unsure where the boy stood on anything else developing.

"Are you okay?"

I blinked. Then, realizing I had never answered his question before, he had repeated himself. I gave a quick nod and then took a drag of my cigarette. "I'm fine, Maximus."

Max rolled his eyes and then turned off his PokéNav. "The train will be stopping in Ecruteak first," he told me.

"Ah," I voiced, breathing out some smoke. "Well, Max, I have a very important question to ask you."

Oh, yes, I did.

The boy's expression turned worried. I even saw a slight shade of red rise into his cheeks, and I knew he was thinking back to this afternoon.

I grinned and trapped my cigarette between my fingers. "What would you say if we—oh, how should I put this?—well, decided to stick around together just a bit more?"

"Stick around?" he echoed. "You mean here?"

"Goldenrod? Goodness, no." I then clarified, "I think Ecruteak might have something I missed. Morty, actually, is someone I'd really like to meet, so would you mind if I escorted you to Ecruteak for a tinsy bit?"

"Would I mind?" Max repeated. He needed to stop doing that. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

Because it was a bloody lie I just came up with! I didn't give a damn about Morty or his stupid Gym. But, it sounded convincing enough. It did, however, mean I had to suffer through watching a fucking Gym Battle. But, this would be worth it in the end. Being in Ecruteak with Max meant I had more time to try and extend our familiarity with each other. Afterwards, I could get on with my life. And, maybe even rub it in May's face one day.

"I don't think it matters why I failed to mention it," I explained. "What does matter is that I need you to give me an answer so I know what town I'm going to end up in." Of course, that didn't really matter in the end. All I bought was a train ticket. There were no specifications on where I had to get off.

Max looked down. "Is there… is there another reason…?"

I was taken aback by his statement. I never expected the boy to try and lead the conversation towards our predicament, and I wondered if I wasn't careful with my next words if he would lose the courage to keep it going.

I smiled and replied, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we already having a fantastic time together?"

Max sighed. "I guess it's sort of nice to have company, but I don't need you around."

Although very rude, I ended up laughing briefly. I added, "And, I don't need you." Well, at least not in the context we were currently talking about. "But, I would like to meet Morty. Spending time with you can be a bonus." I inhaled some smoke.

Looking at me, Max furrowed his brow. "I don't believe you. I think you want something else."

I raised a single eyebrow. "Oh?" I wondered, grinning like a madman at his ability to catch onto me. "Would that bother you?"

My switch from casual conversation to rapacious implication made the boy nervous. My demeanor changed when I had asked my question and my voice, too. It was a good indication on what I wanted Max to know we were definitely talking about. The rise of color in his complexion revealed he was aware.

"I'm not—" he stopped and began tightening his grip around the thin train ticket. "I don't know."

The bench made it easy to simply slide over towards him. Our bodies hit, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulders slyly. "You understand, Max," I began, "that there's nothing to be ashamed of."

He bit the bottom of his lip, completely humiliated by the conversation. But, he kept going and said, "You're a man."

So, that was bothering him, eh? I blinked, actually unsure what to say. I never considered his own sexuality would be Max's main issue here. Before, it had irked me he got so easily uncomfortable with the topic of sexuality, but later, I considered that perhaps one of the reasons he stuck around with a fag like me was because it just didn't phase him. I was suddenly very confused for him.

With the intention of guiding him through his confusion, I asked, "My gender didn't seem to stop you from enjoying our little activity earlier, now did it?" My tone was extremely quiet, just to gain Max's certainty no one could hear us. As I waited, I sucked in some smoke and kept the cigarette in my mouth.

Max's shoulders went stiff, and he wrinkled his ticket a bit more. My arm still around him, he tried scooting away from the embrace before deciding not to bother. "Does it matter if it did?" he wondered.

"It matters a great deal, Maximus!" I shouted. Then, quietly, "If you didn't want it to happen, you would've fought."

"I did," he argued.

"Not very well!"

"You were strong."

"You could've found a way to hurt me."

"I… I thought maybe…" Max sighed again and gave up on that sentence. "I just sort of let it happen."

"That you did," I agreed. "Would you have fought if I were some pretty little lass?"

"Yes," he assured me firmly. "So, that's why I don't know what to think."

"And, yet, you enjoyed it," I continued. I then waved a hand in the air to indicate some figurative scenario as I made a disgusted face. "See, I would never enjoy that sort of touch from a woman. And, sure, your body may react to being touched a certain way, but Max, if your little mind dodged the obviousness of my gender during the whole—"

"I'm not," he interrupted. He breathed in heavily. "I'm not."

I grinned. "You sure are defensive about it."

Now, Max moved away from my touch. He was almost near the end of the bench, so he couldn't move away again unless he wanted to fall on the floor. But, he needed his space right now, and I felt it might've been best to allow it.

"That was the first time anything like that happened," he told me.

"I know." I shrugged and tapped some ashes off my cigarette. Considering how dejected and ashamed he looked, I asked, "You don't think I'm some serial rapist, do you?"

Max shut his eyes, seeming like if he did, he wouldn't be so embarrassed. "No…" he answered shakily. He looked up at me slowly. "No, I don't," he repeated, more firmly.

I was glad. I even smiled because of his answer. "That's good."

"But, you don't like women," he suddenly said, "and you're certain of that."

I chuckled. "By your age you should've had some realization of whether you like the lasses or not."

The boy put a hand to the back of his head, a nervous gesture. "I guess I do…"

I couldn't help but let out a huff. "Well, you don't have to put a label on it if that's what you'd like, Max."

"But, you do," he debated. Now Max was more set on keeping the conversation going than I was.

"That's because—just as you said—I'm certain of who I like and who I don't." I was now sort of annoyed with the whole thing. I hadn't intended for the conversation to go on so damn long.

"But, Harley, you're the only… guy… I've ever…"

Ooh, he had said my name. He hadn't done that all day. Now that he had trailed off, I tried to figure out what he was going to say. I cocked my head and wondered, "Ever what?"

"I don't know," he hastily denied.

"You like me," I beamed, grinning like a fool. "Or, you at least don't not like me."

Max rolled his eyes. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

And, just when it was getting good, too. Max could be so unfair sometimes. "Fine, but I hope you know there's nothing to be ashamed of," I emphasized again. I leaned back and focused on finishing my cigarette.

Silence crept over us. Max's ticket was so wrinkled, looking like it had been through the wash. He placed it next to him, set on not messing with it anymore. But, he clenched and unclenched his fists, so very jittery and embarrassed.

I threw my dead cigarette over my head, letting it drop on the bench behind me. Max gave me a quick, disapproving look, but returned to minding his own business. My mouth was dry now, and I would've gotten something to drink had I not been so lazy. I reached into my bag, looking for something of interest. I found some gum, which I decided would pacify both my boredom and my parched mouth.

"So, Harley…"

I looked over to Max as he spoke, once again saying my name beautifully. "Yeees?" I wondered playfully.

"Are you coming with me?"

Oh, my, we had just about let that slip our minds, going off on a tangent like that. "Your decision, Max," I told him. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

Max narrowed his eyes for a brief second. "I don't mind…" he hesitated, as if he were admitting a sin.

I let myself grin like a madman. "I'm glad, Max."

Oh, but "glad" truly didn't even begin to describe it. I wanted to fucking sing, knowing that I was going to be around this boy longer. My, oh my, I was ready to begin all my perverted thoughts about rubbing our bodies together as I claimed his mouth, and he threw his head back and moaned eagerly before I penetrated that taut ass of his.

Up until our train was called, Max and I just stayed silent. I was able to control my body from reacting to my mischievous and unruly thoughts. If I was able to make even half of my desires come to life, I would be a very happy man. Max might have been confused about his sexuality, but I saw no reason why he couldn't experiment to figure it out. Of course, I was positive there was an attraction to men somewhere within that boy. As worthy as I was to be a special exception, I didn't believe in those, so I couldn't be the only man he'd ever want in his lifetime.

I was thankful we were finally going to board the train, but I was starting to wonder if Max would show signs of being hesitant of me coming with him. I wasn't sure he quite understood why I was staying. As clear as I believe I was, Max was still so out of touch with most of my implications. It wasn't because he was stupid; he was just far too unsure of himself when it came to figuring me out (which was very insulting, really).

When I stood, I held out my hand for Max. He looked up at me, still sitting, before giving a curious look. He began moving without any regard to my hand still being held out and eventually he just stood up without taking my hand at all. I bit my bottom lip, very offended. As darling as Max was, gosh, he could be a brat.

Clearly, no one had ever smacked the kid upside the head.

Norman may have been the most handsome and elegant Gym Leader I ever saw, but it always seemed he lacked personality, and now, the same could be confirmed about his parenting techniques. It was shame, too. I saw Norman as being strict with discipline, but I guessed he never touched Max. And, every child needed to be slapped at some point! Or, spanked.

Norman spanking Max. Now that was an image. Perched up on his father's knee, I could imagine Max's flustered complexion on his humiliated and ashamed face. And, Norman's stern and authoritative brow creased to emphasize Max's improper behavior only added to the glory. Corrupt and very, very wrong, I was nevertheless enthralled over the idea of Father spanking Son. Especially handsome and manly Father and faunlety but virginal Son.

Having walked across the station and out to the back where the train tracks were, Max and I entered one of the middle cars. Max, who had been in front the entire time, took a seat in an aisle with two sets of seats across from each other. I decided to give Max space by sitting across rather than next to him. I threw my bag on the seat in front of me, and Max seemed slightly bothered to have it right near him.

The train was very modern, running electrically and a having finely designed interior of cushioned seats and sturdy luggage railing hanging from the ceiling. There was even a sign for a concessionaire bar in the first car.

Soon after we sat, a man came by to check our tickets, and a few more people were starting board the train. I took notice of my dry mouth again, so I stood up, deciding to go to the concessionaire bar.

"I'm parched," I informed him. "I think I'll make a visit to the first car." I continued to look at him, waiting for a reaction. When he didn't react at all, save for a quick look at me, I gave him an aggravated huff and went on my way.

xxxxx

-Max-

Left alone, I was deeply curious whether Harley was even going to return. He had quickly grabbed a wad of cash before leaving, and since he left his bag, it seemed plausible he would be back… but for some reason, leaving his bag here with his belongings and two Pokémon wouldn't have surprised or shocked me. Because Harley was weird. He was a just a strange guy who had talked his way into coming with me to Ecruteak.

Harley probably wanted to stay at another hotel, since he had a dislike for Pokémon Centers, and in my own logical guess, nature, too. If so, would he want me there, too? As nice and roomy as a hotel was, I never had a problem with staying at a Center, and it wouldn't bother me even now. I was just more concerned about spending the night under the same roof as Harley.

As weird and embarrassing as earlier today had been, I guess there was nothing wrong with calling it interesting. I had never done anything even bearing a resemblance to that with another person, but by myself… and at night I had…

Just thinking about both things made me uncomfortable. The intimacy of it didn't even seem to phase the man. He was no stranger to what we had done, and I wondered exactly how often he did that sort of stuff and with whom.

I was also concerned with what he did with others. My knowledge of that sort of stuff was limited, but I thought I knew. Did not fully knowing mean Harley would stop liking me? Did he even know that I was clueless?

"I got you this."

Harley turned into our small aisle of seats, handing me a glass of light brown liquid. There was sliced lemon on the rim of the cup, and I guessed it was iced tea. Since Harley had the same thing, I sniffed the drink to make sure he wasn't going to try and get me drunk or something. It smelt very normal, actually.

"Uhh… thanks," I said. I took a small sip. It tasted very normal, too.

Harley caught my caution and laughed. "Don't be silly. Why would I want to make Maximus a lush?" As he said this, he gave me a very odd look, smiling through, too.

The smile, for some reason, made me quickly narrow my eyes. And, when I looked back up, he was still giving me his burning stare. Although uncomfortable, I thought that because his stare was so coveting that it might've been a good time to breach my questions. I heard some people shouting as they entered the car. More waves of people entered afterwards, but eventually everyone settled in their seats. It was fairly crowded in our car, but the rest seemed relatively empty.

Fifteen minutes or so went by with a few last passengers boarding. Finally, though, the doors shut and the intercom came on saying the train was going to be departing. It made an exhausting steam sound at it settled before smoothly beginning to move down the tracks.

"So, um…" I tried looking up at him, but after a while of not speaking, I failed.

"Yes, what is it?" he wondered.

Still so curious about Harley, I asked, "So, like, um, how old are you exactly?" I bit my lip.

Harley crossed his legs in a very girlish manner and stirred his straw around in his glass. "How old do you think I am?" he pondered. The hair balanced on his shoulders fell as he moved, and he looked even more feminine without his hat.

"I knew you were going to say that," I sighed truthfully. "But, please don't make me answer that. I'm terrible with ages."

Harley considered this, probably realizing that I might end up insulting him. "I'm twenty-four, Maximus."

"Twenty-four?" I repeated. "I was going to say, like, twenty or something."

"Maybe I should've made you answer then," he quipped dully. "I was twenty when we met, though," Harley reminisced.

Harley was twelve years older than me! That was over a decade of an age difference. I had met so many older people in my travels, age just sort faded into the background of things, but twenty-four was half of my life. He had twice the life experience and probably met twice the people, including more-than-just-friends people. I had no reason to be concerned with that aspect of Harley's life, but I was very bothered by it. Maybe I just didn't like the idea of anyone trusting Harley when he was clearly so manipulative and weird. I mean, how stupid were you to get involved with Harley that way? Despite what had happened earlier, I in no way returned whatever emotion provoked Harley to do that.

"You look worried," Harley examined, raising his eyebrow.

"I was just thinking about how you're literally twice my age."

The man seemed a bit insulted by this until he thought about what I was saying. He gave a quick nod and told me, "I'm in no way old, just for your information."

"I bet you've had so many fun experiences," I guessed, slightly admiring the man for a brief moment, knowing this was true.

"Fun experiences?" he echoed, stifling a laugh.

I frowned. It wasn't supposed to sound perverted. I rolled my eyes as I muttered, "I'm sure you've had those kinds, too."

Harley let his laughter out and waved his hand in dismissal. "At times, yes," he affirmed, "but, they've all come and gone."

I narrowed my eyes. Harley's life experience was just such a contrast to mine. Unlike Ash, who was just a couple of years older than me, Harley was twelve years older, and I was so curious as to what so many years of age brought to a person who was still very young.

"If your parents died," I started calmly, "you must have left home afterwards." I concluded this because I doubted Harley had always been a Pokémon trainer since he was ten.

"Indeed. How smart you are. I didn't really care for Pokémon when I was younger. But, when my parents died, I left just because. Then I caught my Cacturne—back then a Cacnea!—and was in love." He gave a sentimental smile.

When Harley and I met years ago, he had told me about being afraid of Pokémon. Though he was lying so I could spill stories about May's own dislike for the creatures, I guessed a small part of his statement was true. He wasn't afraid of them, but he was uninterested. Aside from all things, I wanted to tell Harley I was sorry for the loss of his parents. He probably didn't get along with them since he was so nonchalant about their death, so I decided not to ask about it. But, I felt pretty stupid for asking all these questions anyway. I wished he would just openly tell me about himself.

"Contests only became really popular in the last four or five years. When we were in Hoenn, May once told me she thought it was your first time entering Contests."

"Correct again!" he exclaimed. "Oh, this is fun. What else did you conclude about me back then?"

I blushed, but wasn't sure why. I didn't really want to tell him any of my old conclusions. May had hardly talked about him, and instead, it was me who had thought up so many weird things about the man.

"Well, uh, once," I stuttered, "I thought you sort of liked May. You know, liked her."

Harley immediately started laughing, and not in a mocking way, but in a way that revealed he was truly amused. Regardless, it still made me feel really dumb saying it. Harley even had to place his glass down on the armrest so he wouldn't spill it.

"Oh, Max," he breathed tiredly, "tell me that belief didn't last long."

"Well, I dunno…" I stammered. "Deep down, I thought you were always… um, well, you know… but I was confused when you dressed as May. You're weird, and I thought that might've been your way of showing you liked her or something."

"Pssh, you know nothing of why I chose to do that!" He expanded his grin. "Now that was fun. And, since you construe your sister so bea-uta-fuully, who was more charming: May or me as May?"

I was so not going to answer that!

When Harley dressed as May, I was very frightened by it, but also dumbfounded by how much effort it took. The outfit looked exactly like May's original. Harley had gotten ever stitch, fabric type and color right. Even the hair was spot-on. He could dress as May as often as he wanted, but he could never have May's particular qualities or mannerisms, skin pigment, smell…

"I still have that ged-up at home," he continued, interrupting my thoughts. "I doubt May wears hers anymore, but mine will always be timeless."

"I wouldn't call it that," I argued. "You scarred my sister for life."

"Ah, see," Harley said, wagging his finger, "that was my very intention."

I rolled my eyes. There was a dire need in me to change the subject. "What Pokémon did you catch in Johto?" I decided to ask.

"A Sneasel," he beamed directly, "and a Natu and a Totodile."

"A Totodile?" I wondered. "Prof. Elm offers them as Starters. It's cool that you caught one."

"Why thank you," Harley sincerely said.

It wasn't surprising he had caught more Pokémon, since he always showed up at Contests with a new one. I had a feeling he was very bad at training and orientating his team; he seemed very select with who he caught, though.

"I just remembered!" the man gasped. He leaned forward and grabbed his bag. He took out a pamphlet and scrambled to find the right way to open it.

On the front of the pamphlet it read: Best Hotels in Johto! The sight of the title made me become very nervous. I felt like I was suddenly a burden to Harley, that I had no right to even think he would offer me to stay with him. But, he suddenly stood up, throwing his bag on the floor and plopping down on the seat next to me. He leaned over, pointing to some of the pictures.

"That one's in Ecruteak," he explained. "They have a lot of traditional inns there, but I could care less. This one looks the most modern."

I gave a quick nod. Was he asking my opinion? I scanned a section of the pamphlet that was labeled Ecruteak, seeing three hotels listed. "I'm just staying at the Center," I informed him.

Harley looked at me in a rather harsh way. "No, you're not," he said.

I could honestly say I was a bit frightened by the look he gave and the intensity of what he said to me. "There's no reason to waste money on a hotel, Harley," I explained slowly.

"Even if you weren't here I would be 'wasting my money,' so the least you could do for me is keep me company." He draped an arm around me. "I'd miss little Maax-ahh-muus," he went on, breathing out my name smoothly.

I shivered. "Why are you so full of favors all of the sudden?"

"You have such a low opinion of me," Harley groaned. "This isn't a favor, it's just what I do." The man rubbed his hand around my back.

I let him continue his ministrations. I even prevented my body from stiffening up in fear. Despite not being comfortable with what I knew he was thinking about, I didn't mind the current touch. The heat from his palm could be felt on my skin, even through the thick fabric of my hoodie. I quickly gulped down some of my tea to busy myself.

"Are you feeling better about everything?" he asked, slouching down in his seat and whispering into my ear.

This made me back away, though. I shrugged his touch off my shoulders and said, "Not really." And, it was the truth. What Harley had done earlier invaded all respect of personal space, doing something that was too intimate and special to just be considered casual. I was not going to be "okay" until I figured out what everything meant.

Harley stopped rubbing my back and returned to looking at the pamphlet. Our arms were still touching as he said, "I just want a tub."

I furrowed my brow, guessing our discussion was over. So, I finished my drink, putting it on the wide armrest. I thought maybe I should go to sleep for the rest of the train ride, but Ecruteak was the first stop, and it was probably only another twenty minutes away.

Tapping my fingers on the armrest, I just blurted out, "I want to battle Morty right away."

"You're going to have to wait just one more day," Harley told me.

Knowing he was right, I sighed. Asking for a Gym Battle late in the day was never a good idea. My dad only scheduled challenges in the morning, believing it was the early light that ensured a tough and proficient battle. I couldn't wait for tomorrow all the sudden! Harley had said he wanted to meet Morty, but I knew it was lie to try and convince me to let him come with me. I still had to wonder if he had any interest in coming to watch the match, however.

A grin expanded on Harley and he wondered, "Are you ready for a battle, Maximus? Morty uses Ghost-types, I believe."

"That's where Kirlia comes in," I assured. "She is the only Psychic I have, but Murkrow, being a Dark-type, should work just fine!"

"So prepared," he mused, patting my thigh. He kept his hand on my leg for a moment, massaging it with his fingers before going back to looking at the hotel pamphlet. "There are too many four-star hotels here."

I shrugged absentmindedly. "They still look nice to me."

"That they do, but I'd still prefer a five-star hotel," he muttered. Then, "Goddamn, I wish I could have a cigarette."

I was thankful he couldn't, actually. The smell annoyed me when it came out of the burning cigarette, but his hair, which had that combination of tobacco and lavender-whatever, was fairly tolerable. If I concentrated long enough, I could smell it on him right now. I wondered if I had a smell that Harley picked up. I actually sort wanted to get a better whiff of his smell since I was remembering how nice it smelt on his pillow.

Since our arms were still touching, I moved just a bit, trying to seem as if I was readjusting my position. His long purple hair was spread out across his shoulders, and some of it was draping down around his collarbone. I leaned to my left just a tad bit, faintly smelling it.

I was too clumsy with my actions, though, leaning too much and catching Harley's attention. Of course, some self-satisfied smirk developed, and he raised an eyebrow questionably.

"What are you doing, hmm?" he asked through his smile.

"I'm uncomfortable," I lied. I relaxed my feet on the seat in front of me, trying to appear truthful.

"Oh," he voiced, sounding unconvinced. He copied me by putting his feet on the seat before him, slouching down again, but this time, further enough to make our height equal and our shoulders touch.

I moved away, though, now I could smell his hair very well. The scent bothered me all of the sudden, probably based on the fact I didn't like how he was moving about. Before I could scoot away any further, Harley wrapped his hand around my wrist, keeping me still.

"If you like being close to me," he explained, "don't try and deny it."

I blushed, looking around to the people on board. No one was even looking at us, but I felt like spotlight was beaming on me. I was very tense now. How could Harley act so casual about all of this? Was it not embarrassing to him, too?

Further testing my limits, Harley was able to snake an arm behind my back, wrapping it loosely around my waist. Slouched down, it was not obvious to anyone but us, but I still felt so exposed to everyone. His fingers were messing with the bottom of my shirt, slinking underneath and caressing my hip just slightly. My body became very heated due to my embarrassment, and I felt like I was burning up.

He just gave me a smile when I turned to him. His teeth flashed, and I was very uncomfortable with how he settled his hips up, then down, as if trying to prevent a reaction out of our physical contact. I was feeling nothing but embarrassment, and clearly he was feeling all sorts of things. I shut my eyes, leaning my head back to try and escape from being a part of this.

"You sure aren't used to being touched," he pointed out lowly.

"Should I be?" I questioned in an icy tone.

"Hmm," Harley hummed, twirling a single finger around my back and making goose bumps rise. "I suppose not, but we need to get you used to it."

This made me just steam with embarrassment. How could he say something like that? It was not what I wanted and certainly not something a twelve year-old boy should be told. All the sudden, my age was more of a concern to me as opposed to Harley's. He was older and he could do what he wanted, but me… I hated to admit it, but I was still so young and all of this didn't seem to complement my age. I wasn't even sure if May had gone through half of the things I had in the last few days with Harley. Had May ever even… done anything…?

This just deepened how humiliated I already felt. I put a hand behind me to try and move Harley's arm, but before I had a chance, he removed his embrace and went back to sitting normally.

"Your whole body just got outrageously warm," he noted. "That's not exactly healthy." He gave somewhat of a disappointed raise of the eyebrows and then brushed out his hair with his fingers.

"I just don't like when you do that," I admitted. "It's weird."

"Everything to you is weird," he grumbled. Then, brightly, "Well, Max, you can get embarrassed all you want in public, but when we're alone…"

Alone?

Well, at least I wasn't a lunatic for being so disturbed by the thought of sharing a hotel room with Harley again. It settled nothing in my nerves, though. It made me even more distressed, actually. What did Harley intend to happen when we were alone? Now, I was dreading the train stopping at Ecruteak, knowing it would just be the two of us again.

Harley grabbed something from the front pocket of his bag. It was a slim, metal looking thing, which looked like a fancy version of a nail filer. He began filing his left nails in boredom. I looked at his hands work, his nails being longer than any male's I've seen, but shorter than any female's. My own nails were bitten and messy, resembling Ash's particularly.

Harley was so feminine sometimes. No, not sometimes—always. He did things even May didn't do, the perfect example being him filing his nails right now. May's nails were long and seemingly perfect, but she never filed them. Either she did it in private or her nails magically stayed the same length and quality. But, the way Harley walked, talked, acted… it was all so androgynous. It didn't bother me that much. Sure, it was a bit weird, but it wasn't enough to scare me away. His quirks and uniqueness made him enjoyable to be around, but when he tried to entice me with his seductive moves and words, I became downright suspicious and stressed.

After finishing his left hand, Harley just fiddled with the filer, slapping it down on his knee lightly and sighing. "I want a fucking cigarette," he groaned.

I rolled my eyes at this. "My father was always disgusted by cigarettes. If you like him so much, don't you think you're disappointing him?" I wondered.

Harley effortlessly slapped my shoulder with the filer, then poked my collarbone with it. "I only met Norman once," he stated. "Which is a shame. I could've wound-up as your stepmother."

"What?" I demanded. "That's gross!"

I was astounded once more at the kind of sentences he let come out of his mouth. The idea of my father… and him… and… Oh, it was just wrong. For one, my dad would probably rather die than ever be involved with another man, and two, Harley taking over the role as my mother? Ugh.

"Is it?" Harley pondered. "I think it would've been quite fun. I could've read you bedtime stories, tucked you in, helped you pick out little outfits. Oh, it would've been fabulous. I might've even been able to enforce some authority in that household and given you a good spanking or two." He grinned madly.

Those motherly roles were being tainted by his alternate meanings. When I had thought about Harley's feelings towards my father, I knew he was suffering from some obsessive admiration and respect, but it never struck me as being anything serious. Even though he told me I looked like my dad, I doubted he really saw my father in me, which was why I wasn't tempted to think he wanted me as a substitute. Though alike, my father and I could also be very different. Even Mom had said my personality differed from Dad's.

"I bet you have the most adorable room back home," Harley assumed.

"It's just an average room," I assured him firmly. "Do you hear yourself talk, Harley?" I then questioned.

"I do, and I find nothing wrong with what I'm telling you," he answered quickly. "Once, when I was in Petalburg City, I contemplated visiting the Gym just meet your Daddykins personally. Hmm, how old was I back then? I think I was around nineteen. I regret that I didn't because seeing little Max and May as youngens? Oh, that would be precious. Well, maybe not so much with May…"

I ignored the suggestive comments and instead asked, "Why didn't you visit?"

Harley snorted. "I didn't think he'd have the time to talk to me. I never wanted to earn badges, and I wasn't going to pretend to want one just to meet Norman. So, I waited, and eventually I met him at fan event." He flashed his teeth in a grin as he said, "Too bad you weren't there."

"I never went to my dad's events," I informed Harley. "He said there was nothing there of interest to May and me."

"Oh, I believe that. What could be scarier than watching a bunch of freaks swoon over your father and ask for autographs?" he mused with amusement.

"You were one of those freaks," I droned. "I'm glad I wasn't there."

Harley folded his arms in an insulted gesture. "I bet you were adorable as a child," he once again insisted.

"But, you met me when I was a child!"

"This is true, and you have changed quite a bit. You're taller, your face is much more defined, and you sound just a little bit more grown-up." He laughed, though I sensed it was out of something he kept to himself. "But, for the most part, you're still the same-looking kid. And, I'm glad."

It had been four years since I last saw Harley. Obviously I had grown and changed, but I was bothered with how he said I was still the "same-looking kid." Was that truly a good thing in his eyes, or was he joking and meaning the exact opposite? I decided I wasn't going to say anything more, fearful of what else he might let out of his mouth.

For the next fifteen or so minutes, Harley and I sat in silence. I had taken out my PokéNav, looking up more things about Ecruteak. There honestly wasn't a lot to do in the city. The Tin Tower didn't even sound that interesting, nor did that tea house I heard so much about. But, around Ecruteak were a lot routes, and after I beat Morty, I could choose between going to Olivine City or Mahogany Town. I was getting so close to earning my eighth badge! I always thought about Ash at times like this, thinking back to his equal excitement and pride at earning a badge and anticipating the League.

I shut off my PokéNav when I felt the train begin to slow down. Even though Harley was sitting next to the window, I looked out anyway, watching as we rode by the end of a forest route and towards the inner part of the city. I knew we would still have to walk some ways after getting off the train, as the station wasn't in the main part of the city.

Soon, the squealing quieted and the train stopped along a small outside ground port. The doors flew open, but only a handful of people gathered their belongings to leave. Harley and I followed suit, but it was obvious not a lot of people visited Ecruteak on an everyday basis.

Harley stretched tiredly as we stepped off the train. The sun was starting to set, but it was still very bright. With a strong breeze blowing around, the air was chillier than it had been in Goldenrod. I put on my backpack as we walked into the small station that consisted only of a deli, ticket purchasing booth and restroom.

"Before it gets too late," Harley said, "I should call one of these pretty hotels." He headed towards one of the phones, flipping open the pamphlet once more.

I wondered which hotel he chose. I stayed where I was, not following him. I didn't want him to think I had any intention of staying with him at the hotel, despite getting used to the idea now. It wouldn't have felt right because Harley would be paying and refuse my money. I was still surprised he had let me pay for my train ticket.

I usually tried calling my parents whenever I made it to a new town. Since I had called them just yesterday I didn't feel obligated to now. Besides, I knew Mom would ask if I had followed through with calling May. I was curious as to whether she earned her third ribbon. Being a Grand Festival Champion, she shouldn't have had any problems, but you never knew what kind of new people were entering Contests.

"I decided on the one I showed you."

I turned around to see Harley, who had somehow made his way back to me without me hearing a single footstep. "Oh," I voiced. "They had rooms still?"

"They sure did. The receptionist even said I was the only one to call in all day. I wonder why Ecruteak is such a bummed-out town now. It wasn't when I was here before. Everyone made such a big deal with that tower and I ended up being convinced to go visit the fucking thing."

"You went to theTin Tower?" I shouted. "I thought you said you hadn't been!"

Harley seemed shocked by his own slip-up., but he just smiled and tilted his head with amusement. "I have been, Maximus."

"Why did you say you didn't then?" I wondered, very confused. "I wouldn't have cared either way, so why did you lie?"

Harley grinned more. "Because I wanted to come with you," he admitted without hesitation. "And, it was a lot easier to convince you to let me when you were under the assumption I missed out on something."

I sighed. "Would you really not have gone if I said I didn't want you around?" This was just like what he did with the pool, too. I couldn't believe I fell for the same trick twice. And, on the same day! At least I had caught on to the lie about wanting to meet Morty. I sighed and waved my hand to dismiss my question. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Harley patted the top of my head and said, "It sure doesn't. I'm here now, and what can you do about that? Without me you would have to suffer through another uncomfortable bed at the Pokémon Center."

"I already told you," I disputed, "I'm going to stay at the Center anyway."

"Why would you want that when I'm offering to let you stay with me? I got a room with two beds, Maximus. You won't have to worry about anything."

I bit my lip. Apparently, he caught on to some of my discomfort with staying with him. Yes, the idea of being under the same roof as him was once again weird, but the sleeping situation had worried me more. If Harley had the final say, I doubted he would've asked for two beds. And, since he did, I felt obligated not to deny his offer. Two beds meant the room was more expensive, and I didn't want him to waste his money. And, switching rooms seemed too troublesome.

I didn't want to give him a final answer, so I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Well, whatever. We should get going."

"I agree. The sun is setting and I'm not too keen on being in the wilderness at the night where goddamn Pokémon can come and attack us."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ash always had us traveling at night when we weren't tired," I told him. "There's really nothing to be worried about. If you don't bother them, Pokémon aren't going to attack you."

He huffed, insulted that I had corrected him. "Let's go," he said, walking past me and going out the front entrance of the train station.

Thankfully, I could see the city even from where we were outside the station. We wouldn't have to walk that far. There was a sign that pointed west to Olivine and east to Central Ecruteak. We followed the sign's direction, walking towards the city.

The path to the city was covered with bicycle and foot tracks, and even though it was wide, the trees that surrounded us made it feel a whole lot smaller. A few kids even zoomed by with their bicycles, heading the opposite way towards Olivine. Since I felt as if we were on such a narrow road, it seemed as if I was unusually close to Harley. It reminded me of when we walked on the streets in Goldenrod. They were cramped, and the rain had only made me feel that much forced to stay near Harley. Back then, it hadn't meant much to me, but now it did. I wondered if he had felt anything for me at the time.

I noticed that Harley was quite a few feet ahead of me. He walked fast, lifting his feet high to avoid some muddy spots. He turned his head after a few minutes, realizing that I had fallen behind. He gave me a questionable look as he continued on.

"You walk too fast!" I complained.

Harley slowed his pace but didn't stop so I could catch up completely. When I finally did, I was out of breath, and I felt pretty stupid. Harley was the one who smoked; shouldn't he have been the one staggering and short of breath? It was absurd. Worst of all, Harley probably thought I always struggled to keep up, but that was far from the truth. With Ash and Brock, I was always ahead, and May was the one tiredly stumbling behind. I wanted to tell him this… but what was the point?

"I've seen those legs powerfully move in the pool, Maximus," he teased. "Surely, you can't tell me walking is any trouble for you."

I sighed. Did he always have to bring our conversations down that route? "It's not," I informed him. "You're just fast."

I was getting used to the pace, but I could feel my ankle muscles strain, and I predicted, I'd be sore tomorrow. Occasionally, the sound of my shoes scraping the dirt was loudly heard, and it was even startling enough to make a Pidgey fly off, thinking trouble was on the way. I kept up the pace regardless. Harley wasn't above leaving me behind, or on the ground, if I fell.

A skidding kick of dirt and the rustle of the grass made me stop walking. Over to the far right, I saw the tall grass stir and two thick, tan horns appeared as the head of something rose slowly. I moved forward, grabbing Harley's arm to stop him from walking. The man stopped instantly, giving me a curious look. He raised an eyebrow, then developed a crooked grin, amused and pleased that I had taken hold of his arm. I didn't feel like dwelling on that, though.

"Look!" I exclaimed, pointing towards the moving grass.

Harley turned to look, giving a quick expression of disappointment at realizing I had grabbed him for that and not for something else. But, the moving grass continued. I then realized the two tan horns were actually antlers with bumps and twists throughout them. Two black orbs, able to emit Psychic-like attacks, were planted on the antlers, along with engravings here in there. The creature's head perched all the way up, its jaw moving busily as it chewed on grass. The rest of its body was long and brown, and it stood comfortably on its four legs. I knew what it was, but Harley said it first:

"Oh, my, look at that. A Stantler."

"I know," I grumbled. Just to let Harley know I had my facts straight, I said, "They're Normal-types, but are capable of some Psychic attacks."

Harley scoffed, aware of why I said it. Since I was still holding onto him, he slid his arm down my back then back up so he could rest his hand on my shoulder. "If that's so, I know a certain Gym Leader who'd have trouble beating that."

"You're right!" I gasped. "I want it."

Harley chuckled at my determined statement, but it was true. Aside from being really cute, the happy Stantler would make a great edition to my team. Putting it up against Morty's Ghost-types could be risky since it was still a Normal-type, but with attacks like Psychic, Confuse Ray and Calm Mind, I'd be fine.

I hurriedly twisted off my backpack, choosing Mareep and throwing the Pokéball. Bursting out, Mareep had sensed the situation and positioned itself for battle. The cry of Mareep made Stantler look in our direction. It did not get frightened, but I could tell it didn't want to be around us. It began moving away calmly, showing off its bright coat as the dim glow of the sun hit. The colors revealed it was male.

"Mareep," I called out, "Thunderbolt!"

Mareep's wool fluffed up in static and the electric shocks sparkled before bursting fully out. The yellow thunder hit the Stantler, and it cried out before leaping over the patch of grass and racing towards our direction. Harley, who still stood close, pulled me back, urging me to move out of the way. I did so while Mareep moved further out to clash with Stantler.

Though head-butting Mareep on the side, Stantler couldn't avoid the Iron Tail I ordered. Mareep then let out another shock of a Thunderbolt, the electricity running through the Stantler's body and paralyzing it.

"Tackle!" I shouted.

Mareep's final blow made Stantler stumble on its back legs until it completely lost its balance. I wasted no time throwing a Pokéball in that direction. It made contact with the creature, absorbing it with the red light and hitting the ground as it shook.

And, it kept shaking! I clenched my fist, hoping that the Stantler would be caught, not only to become a part of my team, but also so I wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of failing to catch a Pokémon in front of Harley. He was watching me, not the Pokéball, and I was sure that the same could be said when I was battling Stantler, too.Harley had humiliated me enough in the past few days, and I was so determined not to face that again.

But, the ball settled. The ball settled and the light on the button went off. And, I had caught Stantler.

Mareep was the first to react. She let out a cheer, hurrying back to me to celebrate. I smiled down at her, patting her head and feeling slight waves of static where her coat began.

"Thanks so much, Mareep," I praised. After I petted the creature for a while longer, I returned her, giving her a proper rest in her ball. I then walked slowly over the ball containing my new Stantler and picked it up.

"Congratulations, Maximus," Harley happily said. He put on his sunglasses—which had still been on his head—so he could avoid the setting sun. "I'm glad I was here to see that."

At first I wasn't sure if he was mocking me, but I figured not because of the smile printed on his face, the kind I had not seen before. "Thanks…" I replied, my cheeks burning.

Harley moved toward me. I had a feeling he was going to do something, so I took a step back, trying to appear as if I was ready to go again. Harley, however, didn't see my discomfort as any reason to stop his attempt, and instead, reached out and patted my head in a humiliating sort of way. All that work just to touch my head! It just showed he could be quite determined with something so small and pointless.

The man went on to stroke my hair for like the billionth time as I stuffed the Pokéball into my backpack. After that, the two of us started walking, continuing in our direction. I felt lighter, a familiar feeling after having caught a Pokémon. Stantler was my fourth Pokémon from the Johto Region. I hoped to catch a few more before I made it to the Johto League. After going through Hoenn, I had caught nine, six being my team: Sceptile, Mightyena, Breloom, Kirlia, Pelipper and Slugma. All of them began as their original evolution, which made them quite strong by the end of my journey. I also had Dodrio, Magnectric and Spinda, who I had alternated in and out of my team on occasion.

Unlike May, I hadn't had a lot of luck capturing rare Pokémon in the Hoenn Region. The only truly rare one had been Dodrio, but it wasn't into battling at all. I wondered how May and Harley managed to capture Pokémon rare in certain regions, such as Bulbasaur and Wigglytuff.

"So, where did you catch your Totodile?" I wondered. Totodile might not have been rare, but it was one of the Pokémon Prof. Elm offered as a Starter, and most people didn't have one unless they did get it from Elm.

"Why? Do you want one?" he asked jovially

"Ash had one, too," I explained. "So, I wondered if you caught them in the same area."

"I got mine in Blackthorn City. I caught it a few days after I lost the Grand Festival." He grumbled something under his breath, but regained himself and continued, "Knowing that sister of yours won was no comfort, but at least I had a new capture. You know, as if May deserves to be a Ribbon Cup Champion." Harley was starting to spew, preparing himself for a rant of the sort.

Harley was seething with a sincere, but somehow controlled bit of anger. Although it was obvious May had beaten him at the Grand Festival, I never thought about what it must have felt like to see May go on to win. I never knew the feeling because the champion of the Johto League was not the opponent who beat me. I still felt like I could relate on some level of empathy, though, and I sort of realized for the first time why he might have been so angry with my sister. Not that it justified his anger, of course.

"I deserve that spotlight of being the champion. She has zero traits or gift for fame."

I shrugged. "May didn't really get a lot of attention for winning," I informed him. "One or two magazines interviewed her, but that was it. Johto Contests don't really receive as much attention as the ones in Hoenn."

Harley pursed his lips and released the pressure with a slap sound. "Well, that is true. And, very fortunate, seeing as how they avoided spreading her existence to the world."

I groaned in annoyance. I could relate to seeing a rival win, but I certainly couldn't grasp why Harley thought May was synonymous to evil. I also didn't understand why Harley spent so much time badmouthing her victory and yet was wasting time on his "vacation." That made no sense.

Ahead of us, I finally saw the city area of Ecruteak. As we approached, Harley let out a loud, exaggerated yawn, half-covering his mouth. The city was very simple, and like Harley said, very traditional. The Tin Tower literally did tower over every other building in the city, appearing so old and rickety that I didn't even want to go inside it later. But, despite its dark and rusty color, it didn't look all that burned, though I knew the story behind the structure.

I saw many teahouses, inns and the Pokémon Center. There was no mart for supplies, but I guessed such a small town would end up having self-run shops, which were always more expensive. At the very far left of my sight, I spotted a modern-looking tan building, probably the second tallest structure in the city. With a very fancy sign reading Nest Inn, I knew for certain it was the hotel Harley had showed me.

As we walked, Harley tilted his sunglasses down his nose a bit, looking over the lens and down to me. "It's late," he told me matter-of-factly. "I don't see anything in this city that would excite the souls within us."

I knew he was hinting at checking into the hotel. Once again, it just disturbed me. "You can go ahead and go," I told him calmly. "I think I'm going to go to the Center and get Stantler and Mareep checked out."

Even though he continued to walk, Harley huffed loudly and put his hands on his hips. "I know what you're trying to do, Maximus. You're going to just end up staying there all night, and I must say, it's even ruder to have me under the assumption you're staying with me and never showing up than just rejecting my offer straight off the bat."

I gaped at his long hypothesis. "N-No!" I shouted. "I wouldn't do that!" But, truly, I wasn't sure if that's what I had subconsciously been planning.

"Then what are you avoiding, hmm?" he wondered, biting his lip.

"I just want to get my Pokémon checked!" I explained roughly. "Why does it even matter anyway? Your whole obsession over sharing a room together is creepy."

"If it was creepy, you wouldn't still be hanging around me, darling," he insisted.

"If I stay with you I bet—" I stopped mid-sentence and decided to rephrase myself. "I'm not sure why you want me to stay with you."

"We've been over this," Harley sighed out tiredly. "I like your company, and I don't see why you should deal with uncomfortable beds."

"It's more than just that, and you know it," I said in a quieter tone.

"You want it to be more than that, don't you?"

I stopped walking and looked at him with a very puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

Harley stopped, too. "Maximus," he began, shrugging out his entire arms, "you're spending far too much time wondering what happened this morning. And, believe me, I'm more than happy to be in your thoughts, but I think I need to speed up your conclusion and just tell you that whether or not you and I end up fucking, I still want you around."

"Harley!" I exclaimed, turning away from him afterwards. My face was so red, redder than it ever had been before in my life. I gaped several times, trying to say something intelligent before I just gave up and said, "I never even thought about that…"

But, what a lie that was! Ever since this morning, I had thought about it, thought about how weird it would be for Harley to want that, and how inappropriate and too soon it would be for me. And, Harley knew I was lying, because I could just sense the grin on his face even though I wasn't facing him.

"Oh, you've thought about it, Max," he settled on saying. "And, I think somewhere beneath all that little boyish confusion, you'd like very much for it to happen. And, why not? What better time for a boy to lose his virginity than when all his hormones are raging?"

"I don't have hormones!"

Harley laughed and said, "Then I guess I'm wasting my time on you."

"So, that's all you want from me?" I wondered, turning to face him again with a very irate expression.

"You need to figure what you want from me, Max. I know what I want, and I might share it with you if you figure out your own problemos."

It wasn't fair he kept playing with words and turning everything back on me. This was way too complicated to try and figure out. Harley was basically giving me a choice. If I came with him, the two of us seemingly had some sort of schedule to follow according to him; but, if I didn't come with him, he would act like I had insulted him when really I would chose not to come based on my own issues. I had no idea why Harley had to be so… so Harley.

As I dwelled on this all, Harley had lit a cigarette. He moved some of his hair behind his shoulder and pondered, "What will it be, darling? Are you coming with me? I told you already: there's two beds, so if you don't want to have fun, we don't have to."

Have fun? I didn't even want to try and figure out what he meant, though I was 99 percent certain I already knew. And, wait a minute, he just called me "darling" again, didn't he? Only my mother ever called me that.

"I want to get my Pokémon checked out," I finally said.

"And, what about after you do that?" He tilted his head, blowing out some smoke from his mouth.

"I don't want you to have wasted your money by getting a room with two beds," I tried explaining.

Harley smirked. "Well, however you justify it is fine with me." He held his cigarette between his lips and began walking away towards the direction of the hotel.

I was about to follow him, but thought against it. I honestly did want to go to the Center, but I feared that if I did, I wouldn't have the courage to go to the hotel. I frowned heavily, feeling as if I was left hanging, as if our conversation was unfinished and as if I was never going to see Harley again. I was becoming so cowardly and gutless, completely unable to step up and approach the mess I had fallen into with Harley.

"Harley…" I called out, the volume still slightly low.

Harley turned around and cocked his head again. I knew I looked so stupid and retarded just standing there lost, but I was lost. I didn't know where I was going or what Harley wanted from me.

For a while, Harley just looked at me, his eyebrow raised in a way suggesting he wanted me to speak. But… I didn't. And, neither did he. I couldn't even see his eyes because of the dark sunglasses he wore. The fading sun just hit the lenses, lazily revealing nothing. The sun was hurting my eyes, but I didn't care.

"Yeeees?" he finally asked.

"I'm sorry."

God, that was pathetic. I was pathetic. How could Harley even want me when I was this pitiful? I had no idea how he could like me but hate May so much. She would never let herself act so stupid in front of someone. She would never just stand there and wait for someone to decide for her what she should do… like I was doing with Harley now.

And, so, fed-up with the silence, Harley moved towards me. I backed up, alarmed by how he stomped his feet, even though it was slothful. He took his cigarette into his hand and ended up placing his palms on both my shoulders. Looking down at me, he appeared as if he were going to give me words of wisdom, like some mentor.

"I want you to stay at the hotel with me," he stated, "and I would feel an immense amount of disappointment if you chose to stand me up because you think I'm some goddamn pedophile, which I'm most certainly not."

I furrowed my brow, watching and feeling as he kneeled down, letting our heights shrink in comparison. His loose grip on my shoulders tightened, and I felt a small flame of heat from the cigarette just centimeters from my clothing. Soon, Harley's face was only a few inches from mine, and I didn't even care about the possibility of ashes staining my hoodie. When his breath hit my face, I immediately turned in every direction, looking to see who could possibly be around. But, there was no one near or far.

He kissed me. Just like that, his lips were on mine, and he wasted no time turning his head and letting his tongue slip into my mouth. I shivered, not wanting to think this was anywhere close to being normal. But, the velvety sides of his lips were warm and smooth, and it… felt nice. And, yet, I couldn't get myself to respond or close my eyes.

He broke the kiss, sticking his cigarette between his lips and sucking in some fumes. "Have a fun time at the Center, Max," he told me half-mocking, and then began walking towards the hotel again.

I couldn't even begin to collect my thoughts afterwards. I just walked towards the Pokémon Center, and I hoped I would be able to regain some of my senses.

xxxxx

-Harley-

I had finished checking into the hotel room, now walking up the stairs as slowly as I could manage. Apparently, this town was against elevators or something ridiculous like that, so the hotel only had staircases. Thankfully, my room was on the second floor, and the hotel as whole only had five stories.

When I found my room, I slid the cardkey through the slot, pushing open the door with ease and stepping into the room as I allowed my bag to fall off my shoulders. The first thing I noticed about the inside of the room was the large window from the far end. The shades were pulled back, emitting the last of the sun's light from today. It was on its way to completely disappearing, and I wondered if Max had any plans of truly coming.

It might have been better if he didn't, because I lied to him about the beds. There was one, and it had nothing to do with saving money or anything about being cheap at all. I just wanted to trap him in my corner, and it sounded like a good idea at the time, but now it felt like wasted effort since I doubted he was going to show up, that fucking tart.

But, this room was extravagant. It wasn't even a room; it was a suite. There was a comfy little living room where you entered, complete with a coffee table, couch, occasional chair and television set. Then to the end of the living room, there was that large window, taking up the entire wall.

I walked to the other side of the suite by going through a short hall where the bathroom was located to the right. Inside the bedroom was a single bed, another television, a dresser and a lovely balcony. I figured I'd blame the hotel if Max did ended up coming and questioned the bed situation. Regardless, I had a feeling Max didn't want to come here because he thought we had to fuck, but he had no idea what he was missing in terms of the room's exceptional beauty.

I switched one of the lights on the nightstand. Then, I placed my bag on the dresser, setting out my hairbrush, cigarettes and grabbing my Pokéball containing Wigglytuff. I had once again neglected to let them out, so I decided it was now or never. Even so, I only let Wigglytuff out, since she was in a much more desperate need of non-confinement.

The balloon-like creature stretched its body in a tired sort of way, realizing she was indoors and realizing it was I, not Nurse Joy, who had let her out. She gave me a very disgruntled look, appearing as if she was going into the battle mode, which was the only time she ever looked fierce and angry.

I laughed, taking off my jacket and putting it on the dresser, too. "I've been busy," I told her.

The pink creature groaned, sounding annoyed and unsatisfied with my answer.

"I think the two of us need to find someone to battle," I then mused. "Maybe if my little Maximus decides to show up, I can convince him to a battle before he scampers off to challenge what's-his-face tomorrow."

She cocked her head, the nickname for Max not ringing a bell.

"Oh, little Maximus," I began with a greedy smirk, "is this devilish little faunlet who I've decided to claim before the two of us go separate ways."

Wigglytuff seemed disinterested, either not understanding my explanation or not caring. Both seemed logical. Only Cacturne and Ariados ever seemed to grasp my antics of pursuing certain conquests.

"We battled his sister way back when," I told her. "I doubt you remember, because I myself hardly do anymore." I sighed and finally took off my sunglasses. I turned to the balcony, and for a second, watched the last of the sun disappear.

I was so goddamn tempted by Max, it wasn't even the least bit funny. That kid had been using all his little mischievous strategies to try and get me hard, just to turn around and pretend he had no idea what he was doing. Oh, like hell he did… Well, actually, in all reality, he didn't, but it was easier dealing with how much I wanted to screw that boy by believing he was the one tempting me.

Wigglytuff had disappeared into the other room. I searched for a packet of food at the very bottom of my bag and walked into the living room, finding the pink balloon waddling around the coffee table. I grabbed a tissue from the bathroom and poured the packet of food onto it, placing it on the table for Wigglytuff. I really had become quite the awful trainer, feeding my Pokémon on a goddamn tissue and ignoring them for days on end.

I, myself, was not hungry at all. Just fucking aroused and restless. If Max were to knock at my door right now, I would have opened it, grabbed the boy by his hair, pushed him down onto the floor and had my goddamn way with him. I lolled my eyes back at the thought, a constricting tightness developing in my groin.

When I returned to the bedroom, I sat on the large bed, thinking about this morning and how epic it had been to have Max's cock deep in my mouth, where it belonged. Oh, and to think of that kid swimming was a vision of its own. Then, as he had triumphantly caught that Stantler today, with his full concentration on the battle! Needless to say, it had to be the most darling thing I had seen. May and him contrasted like black and white with how they positioned themselves in battle. May would lean forward and move her body about in what could have been mistaken for a nervous fit; Max, as I saw today, just huffed his chest and clenched his fist, allowing his muscles to strain in his legs. Ah, it was brilliant.

I was growing hard at the thought of Max's creased brow, his gorgeous little cheeks, his fucking legs that splashed through the pool water this morning and then struggled to keep up in the forest before Ecruteak. I leaned back in bed, undoing my belt and slipping a hand inside my pants.

Hard and already aching, my cock hit my intruding hand, and I quickly wrapped my palm around it, readying myself. I promptly began pumping my length up and down, the grip of my hand tightening greedily as I put my left arm over my eyes and bit my lip as I tried to quiet a needy moan. I ended up humming, bucking my hips up to meet my continual hand jerks.

My breathing quickened, and I could feel my release building. I pictured Max's pathetic little expression just before I left him, wishing it was his hand around my cock, wishing he was here in bed with me, begging to be fucked the way a boy his age should've been! My fingers trickled around the head of my erection, feeling the heat and sweat from my thighs, my palm, my—

—a pounding knock from the door made me sit up in a rush, letting go of my cock and going limp at the reflex of having been caught doing what I was doing. I was frozen, unsure what the bloody hell just happened. It took several seconds for the knock to register.

Max…

Oh, yes, that non-disappointing little tart had decided to come here, after all. Even though I was no longer hard, I knew I would be all over again if he insisted on being in faunlet-mode when I let him in the room. I sighed and adjusted my pants back to the way they were. I buckled my belt, brushing out my hair quickly and then heading towards the door.

Wigglytuff was near it, wondering who was there. I gave her a smile that revealed my jovialness, and before I opened the door, I exhaled like some fucking teenage girl anticipating her prom date.

When I swung the door open, I saw Max's short and adorable figure standing there, not even looking up at me. Just to tease him, I leaned against the doorframe, my shoulder supporting my weight. I lifted an eyebrow and wondered, "Yes?"

This tone got Max's attention, and he looked up at me curiously. "Mareep and Stantler are fine," he just said, narrowing his eyes back to the ground halfway through the sentence.

"Is that so?" I smirked.

"Stop," he ordered, and he pushed his way through the doorframe and into the room like some snotty little prick.

Wigglytuff made an exclamation, unsure about Max's presence.

I closed the door and walked further into the room. "This is my Maximus I was telling you about," I explained, empathizing on the nickname to tick off Max.

Max rolled his eyes but looked at Wigglytuff with curiosity and interest. "She looks so much sweeter than when I first saw her," he noted.

Wigglytuff cocked her head again, but accepted the compliment with a smile. Max reached out and patted the Pokémon's head. I looked over to the food I set out, seeing it was all gone.

I retrieved the Pokéball from the other room and said, "Little Max and I need some privacy." I then returned Wigglytuff, the creature giving a weird look before disappearing into the ball.

Max sighed and let his shoulders sag as he placed his backpack on the coffee table. "Nurse Joy said Stantler roam all over the place here, but hardly anyone ever catches them."

I wasn't sure if that was a lie or not, but I said, "Now I'm extra glad to have been a witness of your catch." I took a seat on the sofa, wondering if Max had any idea what I had been doing before he knocked on the door. "So, how'd you know what room yours truly was in?"

"The lady at the front desk told me," Max explained, roaming around the room and examining the decorations.

Without my jacket, my arms felt bare and the chill in the room began affecting me. Despite that chill, I sensed a stuffy discomfort in Max due to being here with me. I cleared my throat in a mannerly fashion, and started, "You know, I believe the clerk may have messed up on my specifications, because if you look for yourself, they failed to provide a room with two beds."

Max's face turned from puzzlement to disbelief to simple annoyance. Instead of saying anything outrageously rude, he exhaled and muttered something quietly. I let it slide without saying anything back, not wanting to test the boy's limits at the moment. Max could possibly just storm out of the room and back to the Center, if he wanted. This boy was even more moody than a menstrual woman, except he didn't make excuses for his attitude, let alone seemed to realize it existed.

Honestly, it wasn't all that pleasant, but a boy with his impeccable charms could handle it right, if you asked me. I was willing to put up with a lot more just to get what I wanted from him.

"Is Maximus hungry?" I asked sweetly, giving him a very dashing look.

But, Max shook his head. "I ate at the Center."

This revelation made me frown. And, what if I had ordered some sort of meal for us? I had a feeling the boy would've eaten the food anyway, just because he could be a gentleman like that, but still—why had he eaten all alone? Maybe he just wanted to spend his own money since he was under the assumption I wasted my own. Since I wasn't hungry, I guess there was no reason to care all that much.

Max walked around the room, investigating more. This room was a lot more exquisite than the one in Goldenrod, and he better have damn well realized that. Well, if he did, he didn't make an effort to reveal it. Finished with looking at this room, he went off to the bedroom.

I got up and followed, slinking near the doorframe of the room and watching as Max just looked blankly at the bed, dresser and window. I wished I knew what he was thinking. It was impossible because his eyes wouldn't stay on one object. Annoyed by his dull ease, I approached him, surprised how he stayed where he was instead of moving. I placed my hands on his shoulders, dropping to my knees gradually wrapping my arms around his chest. I pressed my own chest against his back, feeling him become rigid before he slowly relaxed.

Yet, he relaxed. That was a good sign for sure. I put my chin on his shoulder, nudging the side of my face against his. He let out a puff of air and closed his eyes.

"I'm very glad you kept your word," I told him. "You had me pacing about like a john waiting for a lady escort."

Max grunted, but made no attempt to escape my embrace. "I felt bad, but you don't have to compare me to—"

"—to a whore?" I finished for him, not wanting any harsh terminology coming from his delicate little mouth. "You're right, though. It's not fair to compare you to a loose harlot when I'm certain you're the exact opposite, if you know what I mean."

The boy seemed uncomfortable with my statement, his head sinking down. I pushed him close into me, trying to comfort him by stroking his chest with my entire arm. Max had been breathing in and out normally, but his breath sharpened when my lips grazed the tip of his ear and my tongue flicked behind it just for a second.

"Harley," Max voiced in a cautious tone, "don't you want to rest?"

"We can get to that," I assured with a smirk. I almost chided him for making this a big deal, but thankfully, I stopped myself. As much as I didn't want it to be a big deal, whatever would happen very well had to be one for my little Maximus. He was untouched, pure, and although I anticipated him being frigid as hell, I was ready to find a way to let loose that repressed and reserved tart within him.

I figured trying to move things in my desired direction was worth a shot. After all, being tightly pressed against the boy was renewing my previous arousal. Max had interrupted my fun, and I believed he should've had the decency to repay me for it. I grinned through my teeth, spinning the boy around to face me.

Max dodged my stare. I was displeased, so I lifted his chin with my hand and leaned in. Max clearly suspected the kiss was coming, because he shut his eyes, blocking out the image of me. His small, soft lips were shaky, but that jittery nerve allowed my tongue to easily slip through. I felt the back of his teeth, then the roof of his mouth, then, finally, our tongues slid against each other. The boy somehow managed to swallow some of his spit, unsure of how to respond, if at all.

Hot and somehow both rough and smooth, his mouth was the most magnificent and scrumptious thing about him. Maximus tasted of something sweet and salty, obviously his everyday taste since this very morning the same flavor lingered. I couldn't believe he hadn't moved away from me at this point, and the hardness in my pants just increased. I moaned into his mouth, pushing his head forward so our lips stayed passionately locked. And, yet, he still wasn't responding.

Disgruntled, but still ridiculously hard, I broke our kiss, moving my mouth down his chin and onto his collarbone. I leaned my face into the crook of his neck, all the meanwhile, taking his hand in mine and dragging it down my body until it rested on the stiff area of my crotch. Max gasped at the feeling, surprised to be touching me. He kept his hand there, however, even after I released my own from on top of his.

Max's fingers moved only for a second, but the small brush sent me into an astonishing state of joy. I desperately needed more. I thrust my hips forward, his palm being forced to rub against my cock. I choked back a pleased groan, and Max gaped at how he caused such a reaction from me. He was undoubtedly intrigued. He even kept his eyes open and was staring down at his hand against my body. When he looked back up at me, I grinned wickedly, not wanting to keep things in a continual slow pattern.

Though comforting and pleasant, the fabric of my pants was restricting me from a fully blissful touch. I was actually hesitant to do anything at all in fear he would be startled and end the one bit of contact that proved to be an absolute joy. But, that curious look in his eyes excited me and made all wary hesitation go out the window.

I ran my fingers through his hair, assuring he should have some faith in me. I then used both my hands to unbuckle my belt once again, and Max, skeptical, let his hand drop, losing contact from my hardness. I grunted, taking in a deep breath as I pulled the green garment down my hips and thighs. Max nervously swallowed again, but didn't appear very shocked I had nothing on underneath my pants. I extended my hand, rubbing a single thumb over his cheekbone.

"Harley, I…" the boy trailed off and narrowed his eyes.

I made sure our bodies were reasonably close before I urged the boy back towards me, making him lean into my chest. I wrapped a hand around his wrist, guiding it back towards my exposed self. Max made some sort of unsure huff, trying to fight his hand away.

"What's the matter?" I questioned, my tone a bit on-edge.

"I…" Max sighed, frustrated with his inability to form a sentence. "I don't know how, um…"

I moistened my lips. "Then just follow my lead, Maximus," I suggested, purring out his name. He gave me a look, but I continued to try and get his hand around me. When I finally succeeded, him being absolutely no help, I lifted his fingers up to encircle my hard length. I gasped, smiling through it and unable to control the need to have our mouths pressed together.

Our chests fused, our mouths locked, I growled in needy lust as I pushed my hips back and forth beneath his loosely encircled hand. Max moved his head away, trying to look the other direction. My palm spread-out against his back, I slid it down, clutching to the waist of his shorts. I messed with the zipper and single button, pulling them down to his ankles.

"Mmm, well, look at these," I commented, my finger tracing over his hipbone and down towards his tight little undies. Ahh, they are remarkably fitted: his semi-hard cock pressed against the apparel and his overall curves nicely complemented with the dark blue hue of the material.

Max's face burned with embarrassment, and I could tell he wanted me to stop talking. I just smirked crazily, my fingers flowing inside his adorable undies and feeling around for his length. Oh, and with just a few jerks of my fist, I made it fully hard. Max's head tilted backwards, the boy biting his bottom lip hard and practically holding his breath.

I began moving my hips again. Max's hand tightened because of my strokes against his own boyhood, and I knew the more I touched him, the more he'd unintentionally touch me. I gave a wide grin, letting one hand pull down his underwear and letting the other stroke him in my enveloped grip.

"Harley…" the boy panted, completely involuntarily.

The sound of my name wheezing from his mouth drove me mad. I stood up, not even being able to register the surprised and uncertain expression that swept across the boy's face. I just pushed him back on the bed, only half-gently. The boy lied there for a few seconds, before removing his glasses from his face and placing them near the pillows.

I crawled onto the bed with him, removing my tank-top and now being completely naked. Max examined my body, trying to appear as if it was just a quick scan, but his eyes lingered below my waist. I sat above him, positioning my legs on either side of him.

I shivered at the image of him beneath me. But, he needed to get that hoodie thing off of him now. I took the clothing by its end, lifting it up and over his body with little help from his lazy self. When I managed to pull it off, Max's hair was disheveled, and he had his eyes tightly shut. I leaned over his body, placing a hand on his thin, flat chest while my lips lingered over his.

He opened his eyes slowly and said, "I'm sorry."

I furrowed my brow, taken aback. "For what?"

"For not knowing what to do," he told me.

I sniggered, brushing my bangs out of my face. "Oh, Maximus, don't be. This is undeniably going to be one fantastic phenomenon." Still close to his face, I let our lips touch. I sucked at his bottom one, wet and slippery against my dry and plush ones.

Max managed to gain some courage, moving his right hand around my body and cautiously resting it against my back. I supported my weight with a single hand as I lifted myself straight up, rubbing our bodies together: our chests, our legs, our arms, and of course, our cocks.

Not knowing what to do, hmm? Max thought he should be sorry about that? It was ironically hilarious. If Max only knew how hard I got just thinking about him! It was frightening to know I was this turned on by his youth, his innocence, his inexperience. I wanted to teach him everything I knew, I wanted to corrupt Max in the best possible way and prove he was that seductive little tart.

Max's eyes were shut tight, but for once, I didn't fear it was because he was trying to think of something else; I knew he was concentrating on this, on us. I thrust my body against his, our erections sliding against on another roughly, but so damn amazingly. I stopped supporting myself with one hand, trying to do it myself as I slid the free arm between our bodies, using it on the boy. Max's hips sunk down into the mattress, but his knee jerked, a sign of trying to control how revealing he was about enjoying my touches.

Still keeping our friction, I let go of his length and slipped my hand further beyond his body, a single finger guiding the way. Max's eyelids flung open, moving away from my finger pressing around a certain cleft. He blinked a few times, watching me above him, my arms out of his sight, but my hands busying themselves accordingly.

"Wha—?" Max cut himself off, discovering my touches were intentional. He now seemed very uncomfortable and stiff, making the opening I was attempting to reach into tight and uninviting.

"Relax, Max," I tried to persuade, slowing our grinding bodies to comfort him.

Max clenched his teeth at the feeling of our cocks rubbing against one another, but his jaw tightened in discomfort when my finger managed to squeeze into the puckered hole. He constricted his muscles, my finger feeling the pressure as he unintentionally complicated the situation.

"Relax," I repeated, taking my free hand and using it to stroke his hair.

Max clearly had no idea what I was trying to do now, but I lifted my weight up, angling my finger right before I plunged it further into his body. Max grunted, uncomfortable, but I then bent my digit again, stroking into his taut, hot body and making him moan softly when I hit the sensitive spot. The moan, his moan, escaping his lips at my touches made me wish it wasn't my finger buried deep into his body, but my own cock. That constricting tightness would've felt so amazing as I thrust in and out of him, his legs wrapped around my waist.

I wanted to be inside him. I wanted—no, needed—it so badly that I positioned myself away from him, losing contact with his erection as I almost readied myself for it. I could do it if I wanted to, I really could. What was the difference if I didn't ask? He would've fought me, yes, but I'd get him to settle down and enjoy it. He'd learn how amazing having another man fuck him was. My breathing hitched as I continued to rub into his tight ass.

Despite it all, Max extended his arm, wanting to return the favor by wrapping his hand around my cock and slowly moving it up and down. I groaned in excitement and pleasure, the speed quickening more and more. I couldn't believe he had reached out and touched me on his own accord. I must have been imagining things, I really must've. And, though his touches were clumsy and messy, the knowledge of it coming from him, my Maximus, made it delightful.

I kept my finger penetrated, flicking it back and forth, each time making the boy's hips quiver despite his best efforts to stay calm. I felt my own muscles constrict, an impending release on its way but seeming just too far out of reach. I repositioned myself against the boy, rubbing our bodies together mercilessly, not even caring to properly balance myself anymore. I leaned forward, my chest and face close to Max's. I felt his heavy breathing right on the nape of my neck, and it urged me on, thrusting against him again and again until I felt both our bodies tighten. My digit curved and bent, matching the rhythm of my hips.

"H-Harley!" the boy gasped, his brow creasing, and his hips thrusting up against me.

Hot liquid hit my stomach as Max quietly continued to let out small gasps and cries. The sound of my name in such a needy tone caused my own release, messily landing into the hand I used to stroke Max out of the aftershocks. My weight fell, and I slowly slid my finger out from the boy. Still on top of him, I panted, my head lolled back as I gazed at the ceiling, not even believing I had done this again.

Max made a noise beneath me, uncomfortable with the weight I forced onto him after my release. I moved away, collapsing next to him and panting wildly as I tried to catch my breath. I then turned onto my side, watching as Max rested there with his eyes closed. I could tell he was trying to control his breathing the best he could. I simply pushed myself against him, my lips hitting his. I kissed him deeply, using my clean hand to rub his back soothingly.

And, then I felt it: I felt Max's mouth move against mine, our lips brushing strongly together and his tongue hitting my own. This was the first time he responded to a kiss, and goddamn, it was wonderful to feel the response. His movements made me freeze, and Max automatically stopped, thinking he had done something wrong. He backed away until I urged him back, our mouths meeting once more before I flopped onto my back and gave a loud exhale.

"Oh, Maximus, who knew you were capable of such obscene behavior," I chuckled, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand and cleaning off my hand and stomach. I then threw an arm over my head, falling backwards onto the bed and sighing once more.

Max said nothing in return. I had a feeling he was starting to regret it, just like this morning. Frankly, I would've been annoyed if he started acting up again. And, worst of all, I hadn't been able to shag him the way I wanted to, which would've been far more enjoyable than just mounting each other to death.

This made me wonder, though… What on earth was going to happen now? I still wanted to get into that virginal little ass, but I had feeling after tonight, Max never wanted to see me again. This didn't just anger me, either; I was sincerely distraught by the thought of a missed opportunity, an unsuccessful conquest. I prodded Max softly with my elbow, wanting him to say something to distract me from my thoughts.

"What?" he wondered, sounding like his typical moody self and nothing like the embarrassed boy I kissed just a second ago.

"Just wondering how you're doing," I told him. I began messing with the sheets, finding Max's glasses near the pillow. I moved them to the nightstand then continued to unfurl the sheets. I slid underneath them, trying to get Max to do the same. He eventually did, but moved further away from me on the mattress.

Max let out a small sigh, sounding more tired than annoyed or defeated. I turned over in bed to look at him, and he rudely turned away from me. I wormed my way over to him, knowing the only way he could get away from me was if he decided to throw himself off the bed. He didn't, and this allowed me to loop an arm around his chest, pushing my face into his neck.

"I'm very glad you're here," I murmured.

And, boy, was I ever. His scent, his lithe body, the taste of his lingering saliva in my mouth—it was all too fantastic. I smiled widely, making my cheek stroke his shoulder. As much as I had thought about it time and time again, I was now unable to vividly think about actually being inside this boy. If this simple wank had been this remarkable, more would be mind-blowing to the extent of an ethereal hallucination. I breathed out heavily, closing my eyes and thinking about what else I could lure this boy into doing with me.

End of Part Three