Begin With the End in Mind

by vegetables

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

5. Part Five

Part Five

-Harley-

I turned, closing the door with my foot as I balanced the large tray of food in my hands and bit down on two cloth napkins in my mouth. It was five a.m., way too early to be up, but way too late to try and go back to bed. The room service attendant, who had just dropped off the breakfast I ordered, had not been the friendliest man in the world, but that really did not matter. After all, I just saved money on the tip.

Walking towards the bed, I eyed Max's body, twisted in the sheets. The towel he had worn was now on the floor, having fallen off sometime during the night. The two of us had spent some more time talking last night before both drifting off into an early sleep. I now regretted that since I was up so goddamn early, but at least room service had been kind enough to make breakfast. Seeing Max so comfortably asleep made me not want to bother him, but I kept making my way towards the bed, letting out of small cough after placing the napkins on the tray. Max, hearing the sound, moved around in annoyance, not wanting to get up quite yet.

I laughed quietly, setting the tray of eggs, bagels, hash browns and two glasses of orange juice onto the unoccupied side of the bed. The boy's leg stuck out from the messy sheets, his ankle, knee and thigh so perfectly shaped that it drove me wild to just take a glimpse. He looked more delectable than the fucking food. I knew what he tasted like, how his skin felt, how clean and smooth his entire body was.

"Mmm, Maximus," I called out.

The boy stirred again. He had been in and out of his sleep since I awoke thirty minutes ago. Slightly irked by the boy's refusal to rise, I carefully placed my hands on the edge of the mattress and began to crawl across it, making sure I did not disturb the tray.

"Oh, Maximus," I repeated, raking my hand across the boy's chest. I continued to crawl directly on top of him, positioning my legs on either side of the younger boy's body. "My sweet, you need to wake up, darling."

Max groaned, and I suspected it was because of the pet names I randomly decided to say. He threw an arm over his eyes, avoiding the lighting from the lamps around the room. I petted his head, urging him to wake.

"That's it," I said, running my fingers through the boy's hair, then leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"Errm, Harley," he moaned, and fucking hell it sounded seductive. "What time is it?" he wondered.

I reached backwards, still pinned above the boy as I took one of the bagels from the tray. "That doesn't matter," I explained, biting off a piece of the food and keeping it trapped between my teeth. I leaned down once more, poking the bread into Max's face, urging him to take a bite.

Max groaned again, irritated. He attempted to reach for his glasses on the nightstand, but I was persistent, still trying to make the boy bite into the bagel before I even allowed him to sit up. He chewed and swallowed the bread just as I offered a glass of orange juice to him. He put up a hand, not wanting it, so I drank it slowly.

I readjusted myself, allowing Max to sit up and lean against the headboard while I sat, legs crossed, and slid the tray in between the two of us. "This is nice, hmm?" I voiced cozily. "And, I intend to make all our mornings this lovely."

Max blushed but managed to smile at me anyway. Because of this, I extended an arm out so I could comb his messy hair. The boy was still unclothed, never quite getting around to dressing last night. I had taken off my robe before I drifted off to sleep, but now I was wearing it, completely contrasting to the naked and non-groomed boy. But, it was fair to say Max never looked more delicious, oh, that was for sure!

"Why are we up so early?" Max complained, unfurling the cloth napkin to wipe his mouth. He just continued to eat, eyeing me all the meanwhile.

I leaned back, holding my weight by my arms. I patiently watched Max eat, enjoying how the boy purposely kept looking at me as if he was begging for me to just kiss him. Once Max was done eating, I took the boy's napkin and wiped his mouth myself. I took a few bites of a bagel, then moved the tray away from us, pushing it to the very far side of the bed. Max began to reach for his glasses, but once more, I stopped him, this time by leaning forward against the boy and pressing our mouths together. Max responded enthusiastically, craning his neck as he deepened the kiss.

"Mmm," I moaned into his mouth, pulling away for a second. I let one hand travel up the back of Max's neck, grinning at him. "Don't you think this day is off to a great start?"

Max shrugged, reaching for his glass of orange juice. He took a sip and then licked his lips dry. "Maybe," he answered.

"Thing is," I began, matter-of-factly, "I only paid for this room up until seven a.m., so we ought to get going for the day."

Max finally had a chance to put on his glasses. He looked up at me—so fucking adorable!—and frowned. "So, what does that mean exactly?"

"I want you to decide where to go next," I told him. "Because we can either go to Mahogany Town or Olivine City, and since I personally do not give a shit, you can decide."

Max blinked, seeming to actually realize for the first time that we were indeed going to be traveling together. I took a moment myself to think about that, but it didn't really hit me the way I expected. Maybe because I was already so used to the idea.

"Mahogany Town is closer," he told me, "but then it would take longer to get to Olivine, so it doesn't really matter. It will even out in the end." After another sip of his orange juice, he said, "Let's go to Mahogany Town."

"All right, then," I agreed simply.

Max began fidgeting beneath my lap, trying to get out from under me. I stopped him, cocking my head in question. Where on earth did he think he was going? The boy was confused when I stilled his body, but he seemed to understand what I was saying. He raised an eyebrow, asking, "Can you get my PokéNav?"

I smiled. "Yes, I can," I said, getting off of him and searching for his backpack in the living room. I returned quickly, just bringing the whole goddamn bag into the room. I put the tray of food onto the floor, not wanting to spill anything when I got back onto the bed. I gave Max his backpack, returning to sitting on top of him possessively. But, Max didn't seem to have a single problem with this at all. And, I was glad.

Little Maximus dug through his backpack, finding the yellow device and turning it on. Being the little nerd that he was, full concentration was enforced as he messed with the object, searching for the route to the Mahogany Town or whatever the fuck he was doing.

"It's not that far," he restated. "We could make it tonight."

"Excellent," I said, tugging at the top of his backpack, peeking inside of it. I had nosed through it before, but I hadn't seen much besides those scanty pair of blue undies that I desperately wanted to see again.

Max pulled the bag away, not seeming to like me trying to look inside. I wondered if he knew what I was looking for. He spoke, softly, saying, "Harley, you don't seem too familiar with traveling, well, um, through the wilderness, I guess."

"That's true," I admitted, raising an eyebrow as I wondered what he was trying to ask.

He motioned his head towards my brown bag resting on the dresser. "You don't have a sleeping bag or anything, not like I do."

I pulled his backpack towards my direction, looking inside. I saw a small sleeping bag rolled into a tight cylinder-shaped thing. "Yes, you're right," I voiced. "Don't tell me that there's been occasions you've slept in the fucking forest all by yourself!" I then exclaimed.

Max's eyes widened at my holler. "Of course there has been," he stated. "All Pokémon trainers have… except when they're you."

I bit my lip, knowing he was suggesting that I had never slept outside, which was true, but I felt that he had no right judging me. Shouldn't he have been the one feeling inferior as I spent my nights in lavish hotels?

"What happens when you can't make it to a city in one day?" he wondered.

"That's never been a problem for me," I told him honestly. "I take buses, trains, hitch rides with weirdos."

Max frowned further. "That's not normal for a trainer!"

"You're not normal!" I protested. "Sleeping in the wilderness like that—you should be thankful some Pokémon never attacked you in your sleep!" Or, moreover, I thought to myself, that some serial rapist hadn't gotten to him.

"I let my Pokémon out during the night," he revealed, "so I'm not at risk of getting eaten by some Ursaring."

I put a hand over my heart, a dramatic hyperbole of relief. "You won't ever have to worry about that again, my sweet," I assured. "We will not be going anywhere without elaborate knowledge of how long it will take to get there and what rest stops are where and—"

"—stop," Max ordered in annoyance. "I'm getting a headache."

I smiled, leaning down and pressing my lips against his forehead. "Well, if for some strange little reason we get lost in the forest and are forced to spend the night there," I began, my voice dropping to a whisper, "I can just cozy up in your sleeping bag, okay?"

Max turned his head away, pushing me back a little. He closed his PokéNav, placing it into his backpack as he dug through it for a new pair of clothes, I assumed. As he took out random items—his Pokéballs, socks, that seductive bathing suit, a bag of something labeled "Organic Pokémon Food," a sketchbook that looked unused, and so on—I spotted the extremely small blue undies. My previous assumption that the apparel was smaller than the bathing suit proved to be 100 percent correct since both things were lying right next to each other.

Just like before, the underwear looked so downright tight and skimpy. I picked them up, but Max's arm flung forward, fighting for the apparel back. This made my determination stronger, pulling the blue things away from him and holding them up into the air, getting a good look all over again. Oh, fuck, I really wanted to know how many pair of these things he owned!

"Ahh," I gasped, smiling widely. "Oh, Maximus, you little faunlet thing, you."

Max buried his face in his hands. "Harley," he warned.

"What?" I wondered, stretching the material a little. These had to be so goddamn tight on him, they really had to be. And, they were light blue, light blue! "Put these on," I suggested, a single side of my mouth turning up in a smirk.

Max turned beet red. "What? No!"

"Oh, yes," I insisted, pushing myself onto his thighs, holding him down beneath me.

The boy automatically began to struggle, a sincere sense of fear running through his body for a moment before he relaxed a bit, realizing I was being playful. He still seemed determined to get away, so I grabbed his hips, stilling him and dragging him out from beneath the sheets, revealing his naked little form.

"Harley!" he shouted, kicking his legs when one of my hands wrapped around his ankle. The various items from his bag, still scattered, bounced around as I fought him again, clanking together noisily on the mattress.

"Be a good boy, Max," I teased, slipping his foot into one of the leg holes of the tinsy pair of undies.

"Harley, stop! Those things are old, and they,"—the boy twisted himself, trying to get his leg out of the attire—"they don't fit anymore!"

"All the better!" I exclaimed, laughing through my grin as I managed to get his other leg into the underwear. I slid the attire up his calves, past his knees, against his thighs, finally snapping them down when they reached just under his hips.

And, fucking hell were they ever tight on him! I mean, Christ, his cock was so perfectly outlined in the things I knew it had to hurt on some level! I could sense if he kept them on long enough, the elastic grip around his inner thighs would cause a rash. Mmm, oh, he just looked fucking delicious in those things, though!

I breathed out heavily, telling him, "Oh, Max, I don't think it's normal to be so turned on by this."

Max turned redder, beginning to fight all over again to try and get the things off. I stopped him, pressing our chests together so I had him fully pinned onto the bed. I was so goddamn hard now, revealing this to him by rubbing myself on his hip. Max shut his eyes at the feeling, but I felt a twitch under his little blue undies, the boy beginning to get hard himself.

"See what you do to me?" I voiced happily. "This is why I need you around."

Max grunted. "These things hurt!"

"Then why didn't you throw them out, hmm?" I wondered, untying my robe so that my bare skin could touch him. Max pursed his lips when I rested my cock against the material of the underwear. I could feel his arousal pressing, restricted from going any further in the tight confinement of the undies.

"I can't just throw away perfectly good underwear," he argued miserably.

"So, these are emergency pairs, eh? Ah, fuck, Max, you kill me." I exhaled, brushing our bodies together. "But, if you're so sensitive about them being 'perfectly good,' I am familiar with one or two ways to dirty 'em up."

"Stop," he complained, but his cock was growing harder and harder, my warm body just inflaming his own. He threw his head back in frustration, trying to push me off just to prove a pointless point.

Like some fucking beastly savage thing, I just sat up, our cocks still in contact as I thrust my body against his urgently. I moaned loudly while Max pursed his lips. My cock slid against his beneath the material, each thrust fast, hot and so goddamn rough. I was surprised by the severity of his hardness, seeming so equal to mine as I made us grind together, over and over.

"Are you sore?" I breathed out, my hips shoving against his carnally, making the items from Max's bag scatter even more messily around the mattress.

Max furrowed his brow, opening his eyes and looking up at me. "Huh?"

"Sore. Are you sore?" I repeated, staring up to the ceiling even as I continued to rub our bodies together, so on-edge of a climax, but so ready to stop my movements just in case he thought he could handle me inside him again.

"You mean…?" he began, blushing.

"Yes," I answered, holding the boy down by his shoulders just to get more contact with him, grating against him, feeling like our bodies were leaving burns on each other.

Max closed his eyes, his hips bucking up involuntarily when my grinds became even fiercer, our thighs, our knees, our groins just pounding against the other. I pushed my hands into his own, tightening my fingers around his smaller ones.

"Fuck—!" I shouted, my release coming unexpectedly and Max's following just after. The thin fabric of his underwear was now stained, soaked with our climaxes, so completely dirty that Max had no excuse not to throw them out now. I grinned like a madman, collapsing onto the boy and making the wetness on the fabric sink in further as I relaxed against him.

Damn, I thought to myself. I would've loved to have fucked him again, but through my desperation I hadn't thought about how uncomfortable it would've been for the boy. I had just taken the poor kid's virginity last night, and it was wise to keep my cock away from his ass for a while, lest I do more damage than good. Still, it was a shame that we came before he even had a chance to answer. There was always a possibility it could've happened.

Suddenly, Max made a painful gasp beneath my weight, groaning soon after as he tried to push me off. "Harley," he exhaled, half-afterglow, half-annoyance. He straightened out his glasses, the things ever quite going off during our fun.

I kissed the side of his face several times, so lost in a passionate lust for him. I let my now-soft cock glide against the damp fabric for a while, feeling Max go limp under the material as well. Tired now, I rolled off him, moving aside the miscellaneous items from Max's bag. The boy grimaced, looking down at the pair of undies matted onto his skin. I laughed at his reaction, reaching out to pull the attire off his body. They really were drenched, and it would've been disgusting had it been anyone else but the two of us. Just to tease him, I dangled the undies in front of his face, getting ready to press it against his cheek.

"Ugh, Harley!" he shouted, slapping the things out of my grip. They fell to the floor, making me laugh loudly. "You're gross," he complained, turning away from me.

I adored him immensely at that moment, watching a slight blush cross over his cheeks and a stiffness creep into his shoulders. I couldn't help smirking brightly, kissing him again, but this time, on the lips. I even forced him to lean his head back so I could deepen the liplock, letting my tongue slide in and getting a nice taste of his mouth.

"To be honest with you, Max," I told him, "I nosed through your backpack before, and I found those very undies. This was all a part of one devious plan."

Max didn't seem too surprised. He huffed nonetheless and shook his head. "They're just underwear. Maybe if you wore some, you wouldn't be so mesmerized by mine."

I chuckled. "Even if I did choose to wear some," I argued playfully, "they wouldn't be nearly as cute as yours." I caressed his face before I hopped out of bed, stretching my muscles tiredly and retying my robe.

"So, are we getting ready to go now?" Max questioned, untwisting himself from the sheets.

"I suppose," I said, taking his hand and helping him out of the bed.

Max gathered the items messily thrown around the bed, replacing them in his bag as he took out some clean clothing. Ah, just watching him stand there—stark fucking naked—in front of me was an amazing sight. Just a few days ago I never would've thought this was possible, that this boy would be standing in my hotel room naked right in front of me, the two of us having just dirtied up a pair of his undies with our come.

I knew I could've spent more time exploring and having fun with that body of his, but if I did, we'd never get around to leaving this hotel. I'd have to look forward to a day like that in the future since right now we were on a time-constraint.

I removed my robe again, throwing it on the bed and changing into my normal clothing. As I threw on my small jacket, I turned to see Max pulling that little collared shirt over his head. I sort of wished he would wear that green hoodie again, as he looked absolutely darling in it. I bent down to pick up the pair of stained underwear, smiling distantly as I threw them in the trash. What a waste, too. I decided that Max needed even tighter undies, though, and so I made a mental note about it.

I gathered up the rest of my random belongings and put them in my bag, stepping over the tray of food as I left the bedroom. I put on my hat lazily, letting it droop in front of my eyes just a bit. The tea cakes were still sitting on the coffee table, though most of them were gone. I ate the last two so I wouldn't disappoint Max, then sat down to put on my boots.

Max came out of the bedroom, his shoes on and his hair brushed. I grinned at Max, motioning for him to come over to me. His backpack hung from a single shoulder, and while he walked over, he managed to get his other arm through the other strap. I pulled him close to me, my fingers crawling up his chest merrily. I adjusted his glasses for him, licking my lips before kissing him thoroughly on the mouth.

"What was that for?" he questioned, furrowing his brow.

"Nothing," I told him, rubbing his back. "I just can't get enough of my Maximus."

Max paused, uncertain how to respond to that. He eventually pushed me away, heading for the door. "Are you ready?" he asked bitterly.

Max's sudden change in mood amused me, and I took a moment to laugh at his childish ways before I got up and followed him out of the room. I had already talked to the desk attendant before I called room service, so there was no need to inform anyone I was checking out.

Outside, the sun still had not fully risen. Dusky and silvery, the sky still managed to glisten, and it smelt like an ideal summer morning. I breathed in the scent, looking down at Max and relaxing. No longer would I have to worry about what was going to happen between the two of us. I could now look forward to having lots of fun with the boy, claiming his body even more and simply being able to enjoy his ravishing looks whenever I felt like it.

"I was hoping maybe we would hear the bells," Max noted, referring to the Tin Tower. "But, I guess that's a little too much to ask for since they only go off when Ho-Oh is said to return to the city."

I smacked my lips in disbelief. "Oh, I doubt that ever happens then," I told the boy.

The two of us walked west, heading towards Mahogany Town. Now that town I heard was a fucking bore, even worse than Ecruteak! I had never been, but I doubted if I told Max he wouldn't believe me since I had lied about Ecruteak. From the corner of my eye, I watched Max dig into his backpack to fetch one of his Pokéballs. He threw it, releasing his Murkrow into the air. The Pokémon happily flapped its wings, turning to face Max and landing on the boy's shoulder.

"Maybe I should get some of my darlings back from Slateport," I mused. "I do miss my sweet Ariados."

"I think you should!" Max said, his mood brightening. "I wouldn't mind seeing some of the Pokémon you caught here in Johto."

I chuckled to myself, amused by how the simple talk of Pokémon brightened the kid's mood. He was such a dork. "Well, then, I should give the daycare a call and ask," I decided.

"The daycare?" Max repeated. "I thought you said a friend was taking care of them."

"The lady at the daycare happens to be my friend," I told him.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that sort of, I dunno, unfair that you leave them there?"

"How?"

Max shrugged and said, "Because you're having your Pokémon stay with someone who trains them. You're their trainer, so you should be the one training them."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Well, what do your Pokémon do at home? Just lie around in Norman's greenhouse? Don't you think it would be more beneficial if you had them stay some place where they could keep up with their skills?"

"Sure, but to pay for that is just wrong!" he argued.

I watched as Murkrow perched its head high, letting the wind hit its face as Max and I walked along an open path. The route was barely decorated with any kind of trees, and instead, a wooden fence outlined where we were supposed to walk. This was all unfamiliar to me, but I figured this route would lead straight into Mahogany Town. There was absolutely no one else around. The two of us were alone at this hour of daybreak, the colors in the sky still shifting from a dusky gray to a purple saturation.

I let out a huff, not caring to argue anymore. Despite it, I concluded, "Well, it's better than leaving them in a crackhouse, now ain't it?"

Max rolled his eyes, and asked, "So, which Pokémon are you going to have transported over?"

I hummed, biting my bottom lip as I thought this out. "Sneasel, of course," I said, "and maybe I should send back Cacturne since he really doesn't seem to enjoy staying locked up in his ball all day."

"But, isn't Cacturne, like, your strongest?" Max questioned. "I know you said when you caught Cacnea you began liking Pokémon, but was he even your first?"

"How conclusive of you, Maximus. Cacturne sure was, and I've always carried him with me since, so it would be difficult to be separated," I stated. "So, maybe I won't send him back after all."

"I think you should have Totodile sent over," he then said, ignoring my judgment.

"Hmm, maybe I should," I mused further. "Oh, and of course there's my cute little Natu, but I might not have him transferred over."

Max nodded along with the list. "Is that all you caught in Johto?"

"I also caught a Skarmory," I admitted happily.

"I can't wait to see them," Max said, turning his head as if he were speaking exclusively to Murkrow. I really enjoyed his statement, though. He said it with complete certainty, like he was subconsciously admitting that he was going to be sticking around with me. "Um, so," Max then said, "I was wondering… when did you start training? I mean, I know you left home after your mom and dad, um, died, but how old were you?"

I smirked, happy Max was interested in my past, though there wasn't much to tell. "I was eighteen, Max. And, well, I don't think I ever really began, so to speak. It was just sort of something I fell into."

Max's brow creased, nodding along as he tried to make sense of that. I had a feeling he wanted to know some personal aspects of my past, particularly acquaintances and the sorts. I was becoming almost guarded now, not wanting to tell him anything too personal. I hoped giving Max a story in a nutshell might satisfy him.

"See, once what's-their-names died, I decided it was time to get out of Slateport once and for all, and thankfully, I was successful. I just traveled, and I decided to catch a Pokémon for protection, which happened to be my sweet Cacturne... Or, Cacnea, to be more specific."

"Uh-huh," the boy voiced, urging me to go on.

I waved my hand about in dismissal. "You knew all that already, though," I stated. "What are you really prodding in my past for?"

"I'm not!" Max snapped, looking up at me as he walked. "I'm just curious. I mean, I think you know more about me…"

"Do I?" I wondered. "Let's see, I know you're a nerd through and through. I know you love your sister a lot for whatever goddamn reason despite being on bad terms with her. I know you love your daddy plenty. Hmm, that's about it." I then smiled, putting a finger to my lip as if I were thinking. "Oh, wait, I also know you're not as innocent as you seem."

"W-What?" he stammered. "Innocent! What are you talking about?"

"Pah, you know what I mean," I went on, still grinning. "You make people believe you're an innocent little boy, but folks like me—those who have seen how tight you wear your undies!—know better. Oh, yes, Max, you're one hell of a faunlet, and you've never fooled me."

"Harley!" he shouted, blushing. "That's not the least bit true! I'm twelve years-old!"

"So you are," I reflected, letting out a sigh. "But, no normal twelve year-old would conspire such a devious plan of seducing an older male, such as yours truly."

Max stopped walking. "Harley!" he repeated, and oh, glory day, he should've shouted my name all the time. "How can you even say that?"

I watched Murkrow fly off his shoulder, flapping its wings forcefully in the air as it flew about, avoiding the volume of Max's voice. I put a hand on my hip, leaning my weight to the left. Now, what I said was purely for play, a way to get a reaction out of Max. I suspected he had an abnormal need to be ravished, but he was oblivious to how he could possibly get another person's attention. But, I was smarter. Oh, no, he would not have let me do all those things to him had he not possessed that subconscious desire. Oh, no.

"Relax, darling," I chided in a low voice. "I'm just kidding." I watched his expression soften, considering if I really was joking around or whether I was worming my way out of a statement that got him all upset. I wanted very badly to kneel down and kiss him, feel him push himself into my chest and breathe in my scent.

Max turned, looking at his feet. "Is it really… my fault?"

"Fault!" I echoed in dismay. "Please don't use the word fault. I really don't believe it applies to what we've stumbled upon here. And, besides, I really was kidding. I've already explained that this is a mutual thing."

Max's frown deepened a bit more as he said, "You do realize there's a twelve year age difference, right?"

"Sure, I guess," I shrugged out, knowing that Max wanted to talk about this again despite it being a rehash of the conversation we had after the battle between Stantler and Wigglytuff. "But, I'm sure you of all people can relate to not being fond of their own age group."

The boy blinked. "Well…" he trailed off, cocking his head in consideration. "That's because I'm smarter than other kids my age."

I laughed, knowing he was going to go in that direction, the little egotistical fuck. "So, compare that to how stupid others are who are my age. Reckless, careless, downright clueless above all else." I put up a hand immediately. "And, Max, if you dare say I'm those things I will hurt you."

"I guess I understand," he said, rolling his eyes at my threat. "But, if I can't relate to kids my age, I'm obviously not going to relate to anyone younger, so it's logical I'd get along better with older people. But, you have no reason to want to be around kids my age when there's probably a majority of people your age or older who aren't the things you hate."

I really had no idea what the hell he just actually said, but I had an idea of what he was trying to convey, so I nodded. "See, Max, kids your age are a lot more fun to be around. Maybe you'll realize that when you get older and won't get annoyed with them, but now you should appreciate the fact I want to be around you at all. I could very easily find someone else to bother."

Murkrow, who had been flying energetically near the top of the trees, came back down, landing on the ground and pecking at it curiously. Max watched his Pokémon for a long moment, most likely avoiding my stare. When he finally looked back up, I had begun walking, and the boy quickly began to walk, too. Away from my view, I heard Murkrow flap its wings to follow.

"Does this all mean…?" Max began to question, letting his sentence slide off.

"Hmm, what?"

"You like younger, uh, guys." He stuttered a bit more, correcting himself with: "Or, boys. Whatever."

"Perhaps," I answered casually, but really my mind was screaming bingo. "I know it may sound confusing, but Max, if you could see how you look from my perspective, oh, you'd understand."

Max shook his head, uncomfortable. "I can't believe I got myself into all of this," he muttered.

I felt a pang of guilt, having messed with this kid enough that I couldn't keep track of what I had told him. Apparently, he was starting to believe everything was his "fault," but really, he needed to open those doey brown eyes of his and realize it was taking both of us to create this fascinating relationship.

xxxxx

-Max-

We had been walking for a good fifteen or twenty minutes before the conversation was finally put to rest again. Although Harley seemed displeased to have to go through that Question and Answer routine, I sort of felt like I got most of my inquiries out there, especially since most of them would eat me alive if I kept them all in. I knew, vaguely, Harley had of a way of just joking around, but I felt, deep down, he meant some of the things he said. I think he was really under the impression I had provoked him to try and further our relationship.

If only I wasn't so embarrassed to admit how clueless I had been about most things before I met Harley. The man knew this, of course, and I would've felt so dumb saying it out loud, but it would've helped just to make sure he did know. I mean, this morning had been quite different for the two of us. There was no fighting, no discomfort, no anything. And… because of that, I think I enjoyed it a lot more.

Through the haziness of awakening, I managed to remember the feeling of him stroking my chest, urging me to wake up. It reminded me of when May used to do something similar on the weekends, rocking my body back and forth and waiting for me to wake up so we could have breakfast together. It was always her scent that awakened me, though. She'd usually have just taken a shower, and the soapy, flowery scent would float off her, like some magical dust. And, this morning, with Harley, I could smell him: that smoky, metallic scent, which was so different from May, but so comforting and nice.

Then, after Harley woke me up, he revealed to me the breakfast he ordered and then kissed me, and then he wrestled me for a pair of old underwear, and the two of us ended up engaging in some weird situation. How uncommon were the things we did? I had felt so happy and delighted to be in his presence, to have him wake me up, but now I felt uncomfortable and weird. Just like he predicted. But, had he not said that one statement—whether we was joking or not!—I doubted my mood would've suddenly turned.

Murkrow, sitting on my shoulder peacefully, suddenly squawked a few words to me, probably wondering why I had slumped into a moody mess. I had to admit my curiosity was booming about whether or not my Pokémon had any idea what I was going through, not to mention the extent of my relationship with Harley. I had never traveled with anyone before, and his presence was the longest of anyone I had ever bumped into on my journeys.

I gave Murkrow a pat on the head, returning him into its Pokéball for some rest. Now that my eyes weren't focused on the ground, I got a good look at my surroundings. Though nothing had really changed—there were still the trees, the dusty and silvery air, the dirt path—I did spot a small shack-looking building straight ahead of us. There were weeds around the bottom of the structure, covering the beginning cracks running along the wood. The shack was doorless, but there was a sign posted in front of it, and as we got closer, I saw the inside.

The thing was bigger than I thought, and there seemed to be a large majority of fishing equipment inside and other weird things that made it look crowded and old. Apparently, though, there was a fishing route behind the shack. I could see a twisty boardwalk leading around a lake, and just there, I saw a man standing, looking out to the water.

"I think people can fish here," I said.

Harley was not amused. He continued to walk at his normal speed, but stopped to get a good look at the sign advertising a greeting and fees. I stopped behind him, wondering if he was going to consider fishing. I wouldn't have minded, really, but I couldn't see Harley being patient enough to fish. Then again, I wasn't either.

"Let's try, Maximus."

I gaped, surprised. "R-really?"

Harley pointed to the last line on the sign. "First time customers free of charge," he read. "Better than paying some goddamn price to fish."

I truly wondered how Harley justified "not wasting money" on hotels compared to this, which was cheap and at least worth something. But, regardless, I was excited by his interest to fish. I didn't expect this from him at all. It was brief, but for a moment, I truly thought he offered just because I was obviously interested. Being selfish when it came right down to it, I decided he most likely had an ulterior motive.

By now, the man was approaching us. He was middle-aged with brown hair only just turning gray around the sides. "Good morning," the man said, extending an arm to shake Harley's hand.

Harley was hesitant, making a momentary grimace before he compiled, reaching out and shaking hands. "It just so happens to be mine, and um," he paused, looking down at me, "his first time here."

I was a bit insulted by his labeling of me. I wondered if this was caused by discomfort, a newfound embarrassment of being around me. But, as Harley and the old man talked, I considered that maybe Harley was going to refer to me by one of those many pet names and only just when he was about to spit it out did he realize it might have sounded odd. Was Harley actually ashamed of me? His overall struggle and stutter of my very existence was difficult for me to grasp.

I honestly didn't care if Harley didn't want to go around and tell every living being about, well, us—in fact, I was quite relieved, especially given the fact I had a hunch about what people would think.

"I think it's a fine policy," Harley complimented suddenly, and I guessed he was referring to the free charge. Yet, there was something so phony about the tone, and it was slightly disturbing that he continued to act so falsely kind even when he wasn't fond of someone.

The prime example was his early attitude towards May, and I could sense he thought this man right here was annoying.

The man walked into the small shack, coming out and handing us a pair of fishing rods and a red case of lures and bait, too. "If you need anything," the man offered, "don't be hesitant to ask."

"Why thank you," Harley cooed, being overly nice in a way I felt was mocking towards the guy. He even patted the man's shoulder, and since I knew how rough Harley could be, I cringed.

"Do you get many customers?" I wondered, looking up to the older man.

The man shrugged. "It varies," he told me. "I expect today will be busy since it's so nice out. You two just happen to be the first of the day."

I smiled, preparing to ask what kind of Pokémon we'd likely find in the waters, but Harley jabbed me with the end of the fishing rod he was holding, urging me to begin walking to the lake. I turned to glare at him before moving, taking the small path between the bundle of weeds. When I stepped onto the boardwalk, it creaked beneath my weight. The wood itself was splintery and chapped, some boards even missing all together. I was careful to step over some of the more suspicious looking planks until we reached the very end of the boardwalk.

"I swear," Harley began, his voice low in an angry growl, "if I get a splinter in my ass…!"

I took off my backpack and sat down on the ledge. I placed the rod beside me before looking up at Harley who seemed very hesitant to sit on the fragmented planks. I reached up, taking the tin red container from him as he examined the wood carefully. He finally sat down, grumbling about something.

"What do you think we can catch here?" I asked, opening the tin. Inside, there were colorful lures, and I chose the yellow one to hook onto my line.

Harley shrugged, leaning over me so he could pick out a lure. Instead of simply snatching up one, he slung his arm all the way around me, bending his hand down as he selected a green one shaped like an oval. As he attached it to his line, he let his legs dangle off the ledge, finally loosening up about the condition of the boardwalk.

"Maybe I'll catch a Feebas!" I optimistically said, smiling widely as I plopped the end of the line into the water.

"Ooh, a pretty Milotic," Harley mused. "I might have to fight you for it if either one of us ends up catching a Feebas on our lines."

"No way!" I argued. "If it's on my line then it's my catch."

Harley turned to smirk at me, throwing his line into the water. "All right, darling, whatever you say."

I concentrated on the water's movements, watching as it swished when a Pokémon swam beneath the surface, and in other parts of the lake, rippled violently from the wind's impact. The lake itself was not that big, only spreading out for maybe a mile. On the other side, there appeared to be a boating lodge. There were small canoes lined up against the rickety-looking harbor, and I actually spotted a group of people preparing one.

I turned to face Harley when I heard him exhale roughly. He was concentrating on the water, too, but seemed very bored. I hoped he wasn't, because I would have felt as if it were my doing. He probably wouldn't even be doing this hadn't I been with him. Although I supposed I should've been flattered and touched, I wasn't. I felt bad. Then again, Harley definitely wasn't the type to allow someone to drag him around. He had a backbone—more than one, actually—and if he didn't want to do something, I don't think he would have a problem telling me.

I wasn't sure what to think about this whole traveling together thing, to be honest. I doubted it would last longer than a week. Harley and I constantly being together was just, well, creepy, and I knew, despite what he said, he was probably just sticking around because he enjoyed doing stuff, which was still mind-boggling in its own way.

What he had done last night was absolutely strange and uncomfortable, and I knew it had to be wrong on some level. But, he had done it, and I let him, and it had sickeningly brought me enjoyment despite all the pain. Even now, feeling sore and sensitive, I couldn't help thinking back to how he made it feel so good. The fact he knew what to do—how to make it feel good and guide me through the burning stretch—made me wonder exactly how experienced he was with, well, sex. He was a lot older, and therefore, I knew he had to have a vast amount of knowledge when it came to it, but knowing how to make others feel good meant he had been in the position of discomfort at one point. And, I couldn't quite grasp the concept of Harley being inexperienced when he had been so adept with me.

Who Harley had lost his virginity to began to creep into my mind. I even wondered when he lost his virginity. If he truly felt there was nothing wrong with how old I was or the age gap between us, it was possible he could've been around the same age as I was now. I really wanted to ask, but was far too cowardly. It would've made me sound like a pervert.

It was odd just hanging around Harley now, sitting next to him without any kind of physical contact. It was like we were just friends or something. I had already figured this wasn't the sort of thing you displayed in front of others, and I was glad, because I really didn't want people to know the kind of things Harley and I had done. But, was engaging in those "activities" (as Harley called it) going to be a part of us traveling together hands down? If so, what did that make Harley and I? Did he even have any intention of labeling it, or was I just sort of this something for Harley as opposed to being something special? I suddenly felt very used.

I readjusted the fishing line, moving it more towards the left. Harley hummed a tune for a moment then sighed once more. I felt like I needed to say something, and it would've been a great opportunity to question Harley about what I was to him, what he intended to happen between us, and so on. But, I felt like we had already talked about "us" enough for the day, so I held off.

"A tug!"

I looked up. Harley's arms extended and he pulled the rod into the air, hauling it back. I jumped, watching intensely as Harley continued to pull, pure frustration rising in his face as his green hat slid back, and he gritted is teeth. I was tempted to help him. I even began to reach out. But, just then, the line flung out, water splashing around as he stood up in a rush. The Pokémon dangling from the line was thick and curved, white and red scales decorating its body. It gleamed in the sunlight, appearing shiny and glossy just like the horn right above its face. It was a Goldeen.

"Oh, look at this little darling!" Harley beamed, throwing the line over his shoulder to try and get the creature onto the ground. Just as he did, however, the Goldeen flapped even more wildly, allowing the hook caught in its lip to slip off. It fell back into the water, a splash emitting around its landing point. "Damn," Harley cursed, letting out a huff.

I laughed lowly. "That was short-lived."

Harley glared at me, plopping back down onto the boardwalk. "Better progress than you, kiddo." After a moment, a smirk graced his lips, and he said, "This reminds me of when I caught my Remoraid."

I moved my line back towards the right and admitted, "I've never caught a good Water-type. But, it never affected me that much since I used Kirlia against Rock-types."

"Isn't it time you caught yourself one then?" he pondered. He rubbed the back of my neck momentarily, moving his hand up to my cheek.

I shivered under his touch, but I tried my best to let it pass. "Yeah," I simply agreed, distracted by the man's fingers, which were tracing under my ear. He deliberately traced upwards, moving my bangs out of my face. He was looking at me funny, too, as if he were in some sort of trance. I cleared my throat and turned away, looking at the fishing line.

Despite his fear of splinters, Harley moved himself over, sitting close to me so that the sides of our bodies were in full contact. "It's such a nice day out," he noted, not even bothering to say anything about the way he moved over.

"I have a feeling it's going to rain again," I muttered, flopping my lure in and out of the water, hoping to get a bite.

Harley rolled his eyes and groaned in a somewhat mock-annoyance. "Then I should prepare myself for you pulling out that poncho?"

I said nothing, not wanting to get into that argument again. Though, truthfully, it felt like eons ago when Harley and I had sat in that hotel lounge and argued over purchasing an umbrella. I also recalled how he grabbed my wrist when I attempted to leave the booth. His nails had dug into my skin, and the look in Harley's eyes was both intimidating and spooky. I really hoped he didn't have any intention of drinking again. The strength put into that grab was the exact opposite of how delicately he stroked my face, and certainly that cruel grimace was the opposite of that lusty stare he gave me sometimes.

Thinking back to that day, I sort of felt stupid for having been so taken aback when Harley first kissed me. I mean, the signs were all there. The way he'd go on and on about my looks, the way he'd comment about something for no reason—he had been working out some kind of realization of how he felt for me while I was clueless! It all made sense now, especially when I considered how he touched me at times. A perfect example was when I called my dad, and Harley had laid his hand over my knee in a possessively comforting way. I had called my father with the intention of wishing him a happy birthday, but I hung up pretty depressed because of May. And, Harley had attempted to comfort me, and, really, he succeeded, even if he possessed an ulterior motive for himself.

Speaking of birthdays… My birthday was coming up soon. Last year, my parents had sent me a card and money when I told them what town I would be in by the time my birthday rolled around. They had the card sent to the Pokémon Center, and I figured they'd do the same thing this year if I informed them what town I'd be in next.

"I'm turning thirteen in like three days," I blurted out, watching the water. It was more of an attempt to fill the silence, rather than a blatant need for him to know about the date.

At the sound of my statement, I saw Harley's fishing line jerk, a result of his own surprise. "Oh, my!" he exclaimed. "Max, your birthday is coming up?"

"Um, yes," I answered, hoping he wouldn't accuse me of telling him because I wanted something. I truly didn't. I just wanted him to know I would be turning thirteen, the official age of being considered a teenager.

"Max!" he chirped. "Oh, I'm gonna have to remember this," he said through a grin.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" he scoffed. "Birthdays are special. And, so are birthday boys."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "But, I'll be a teenager technically."

"You're still a boy," he insisted rather pleasantly. "But, I'm glad you told me. Nothing worse than having no one remember the day you were born."

"Who remembers your birthday?" I asked.

Harley sneered, his mood shifting. "Excuse me," he snarled, "lots of people do!"

I hadn't meant for my statement to sound rude, but now I did sort of doubt enough people remembered Harley's birthday. As far as I knew, Harley didn't really know anyone at all. People he was acquainted with, such as May and Drew, were definitely not his friends. I shrugged my shoulders at Harley, and emphasized again, "Who?"

"Friends," he asserted, but his lack of further explanation continued to make me feel doubtful. "I've met quite some interesting people over the years. But, the thing is, birthdays mean less when you get older. Once the cake and candles no longer strike your fancy, what's the point?"

"Well, since I've been traveling, I haven't really had parties," I pointed out. "But, I usually get cards and money."

The right corner of Harley's mouth turned up in a grin. "Ah, well, we should make this upcoming birthday fun."

"No thanks," I declined. "I'm used to not making my birthday a big deal. I like it better that way, actually."

"Oh, whatever," the man dismissed. Then, in a happier tone, "Oh, I'm so excited now! My mind is just brewing up some fun, it really is."

I was actually pretty weary of what "fun" meant in Harley's book. In a way, I regretted telling him at all, because I should've known he'd get all excited like this and make a big deal out of nothing. Before I could argue against his plans, however, my line suddenly tugged.

"I got something!" I shouted, leaping to my feet without hesitation.

Harley leaned back to watch me struggle, pulling with all my might. Whatever I caught was trying to get away, desperately attempting to swim one way as I tried to pull it the other. I almost lost my balance as the creature thrashed in the water, but I quickly readjusted my grip on the fishing pole and continued hauling it in with the reel. Harley then looked into the water, trying to examine whatever it was in there.

"It looks like a whachamacallit!"

"That's not very helpful!" I breathed out, continuing to pull stubbornly.

"A, um, a…" Harley snapped his fingers, trying to think of the Pokémon's name as he continued to stare into the lake.

Beneath the water, I saw a shimmering light and a blue fin beating against the surface moment by moment. I kept pulling, stepping backwards and swinging the pole over my shoulder the best I could.

Harley clapped his hands together and revealed, "A Lanturn, that's it!"

I kept pulling, my feet even sliding against the wooden planks. When I stumbled forward, Harley finally noticed my struggle, getting up quickly and preparing to help. I flushed even before he touched me, my entire body heating up at the knowledge his hands were about to be on my hips. When I felt his palms clutch around me, I stiffened, my strength lessening in the pull. I then felt the older man's arms clasp around my underarms, yanking me aggressively against his chest. The change startled me. I let go of the pole, and the sudden cease of force made Harley stumble, falling backwards with me still in his arms. The rod hit the water and floated against the surface as the Pokémon dashed off without a bit of hesitation.

I let out a frustrated sigh but didn't move. "Shoot…" I muttered, truly disappointed.

Harley let out a loud sigh as well. But, he bent his knees, putting his hands on my shoulders and pulling me against his chest in a more comforting way. "Sorry, Maximus," he said, patting my back.

I pulled away and stood up angrily. "Was it really a Lanturn?" I asked, looking out towards the middle of the lake and seeing the fishing rod continue to float along the surface.

"Looked that way," Harley said, getting up and dusting himself off. "I didn't mean to startle you," he then stated.

Arms still folded, I frowned deeply and huffed. "I know. It was my fault. You just kind of, I dunno, made me nervous."

The man took off his hat, shaking his head to adjust his hair before putting it back on. He moved a strain behind his ears and chuckled. "Oh, you poor thing," he consoled, smiling. He looked out to the lake, covering his brow with a flat palm to block the sun. "Well, you lost the fishing pole."

"It hasn't even been an hour," I complained.

Harley shrugged and looked down at his fishing rod he left lying on the boardwalk. "We can still fish."

"I don't even feel like it now," I went on, letting my shoulders sag.

Harley seemed almost slightly annoyed with my negative mood. But, he tried to comfort me anyway, approaching me slowly to pull me into another embrace. I noticed it lacked his normal affection, so I moved away, looking up at him with doubt.

He rose his brow, intrigued with how I recognized the difference. "What would May think if you got this down on yourself?" he wondered, his tone sly and curious.

I groaned in disdain. "Don't even try that," I muttered.

"Well, it helps to think about your rivals in moments of doubt. It helps you win back that strive." He folded his arms, nodding thoughtfully.

"May's not my rival," I told him. "Come to think of it, I've never battled her."

A surprised expression washed over Harley's face. "You would've beaten her," he assured, but it seemed so phony.

"Stop it," I ordered, rolling my eyes. I reached down to grab my bag. "I want to go now."

"What a quitter!" Harley exclaimed, but he didn't seem disappointed. He picked up his fishing rod and the red tin, slinging the rod over his shoulder in preparation to begin walking.

"This just reminds me why I don't like to fish," I grunted. "Besides, it takes too long!"

As he began walking back to the small shack, he said, "I agree, but this wasn't my idea." He then added, "It wasn't a complete waste of time, though."

"Why? Because I told you my birthday was coming up?" I wondered.

"Yes," he replied. "I have a feeling if you didn't tell me then, you would've never told me."

"I might have…" I said, shrugging.

Near the shack, the man was sitting and reading some sort of book. He looked up when he heard us approaching, raising his eyebrows high. "Giving up so soon?"

Harley nodded, returning the rod and tin. "Yes, it seems little Max here has no patience. Kids, you know?"

I glared at him when he looked down at me, smiling. The man laughed anyway and then asked, "Where's the other pole?"

"Max also has no strength. So, he lost it in the water."

"Harley!" I shouted, my face turning red.

The man didn't seem to care, though, because he just waved his hand in the air to dismiss it. "It happens all the time," he revealed. "But, do come back if you ever have the chance."

Harley smiled in an exaggerated way. "Thank you. We just might!"

"You didn't have to say that," I complained softly, heading back on the dirt path.

"I think I did. I mean, it's true, right?" he suggested, digging messily into his bag as he walked.

"What do you think you'd be doing if you weren't here with me?" I suddenly asked.

Harley cocked his head, placing a cigarette he dug out from his box in his mouth. "Hmm…" he wondered, lighting up the stick. "Maybe I would be drinking out of boredom." He sucked in some of the tobacco, letting some out and causing the forest air to smell soggy and stagnant. The white smoke looked even more dusty than usual. "But, I think I would be asleep at this very given moment," he added.

"And, for the rest of the day…?"

"Probably nothing of interest," he explained. "Unless random binge drinking is interesting. Hmm, speaking of which, I really could go for a drink."

I sighed. "Smoking and drinking," I muttered, watching Harley blow out some smoke through his nose. "You're a real winner, you know that?"

"Ha!" the man exclaimed mockingly. "Oh, my love, you're too young and pure to understand."

In a weird way, I considered the drinking worse than the smoking because at least cigarettes did not change his personality. And, what did he call me now? My love? That was a new one and officially my least favorite. I really wanted to know why Harley had to give me a pet name in the first place. It was ridiculously humiliating. I let the silence creep over us for the first time all day, allowing it to stay that way for the rest of the time in the forest.

After a good hour or so, I spotted a large sign advertising our arrival in Mahogany Town. The town was actually quite busy with so many people bustling through the streets, mostly trainers. I immediately saw the Gym, which stood out so well from the other buildings. It was a plain, old looking place and several people were loitering right in front of it.

"The Gym!" I announced, breaking the silence.

Harley gave me a somewhat startled look. "Shouldn't you train?" he asked.

I figured he was mocking me more than anything else, but he was right, and in reality, I didn't really have any intention of battling today. A couple of good practice battles would benefit me, and Stantler needed to work on his attacks.

"Well, yeah," I admitted, "but I just can't wait! It'll be my sixth badge, Harley!"

Harley gave me a smile. "We need to stop by the Center so I can have my Pokémon sent over," he stated. "Then, maybe the two of us can have another little battle, hmm?"

"Sounds fine to me," I excitedly said, just knowing it would be preparation for my Gym Battle. I sprinted forward a little bit and shouted, "Come on!"

I started running towards the Center, flying by many trainers. Behind me, I heard Harley groan, beginning to walk faster but not running. I raced, continuing fast and urgently until I burst through the doors of the Center. I turned to see if Harley was nearby as I caught my breath. Way behind, Harley managed to make it, not even bothering to keep a speedy pace anymore.

"Good for you," he commented dully. "I don't race people, though. I'm not much of a runner, darling." He gave me some sort of faux grin.

I frowned, not expecting such a negative reaction. But, I just shrugged and said, "Fine, but you're just angry I beat you."

Harley shook his head. "You would've felt bad had I actually participated. I could've been badly injured." He searched around the lobby suddenly, then said, "I should get my Pokémon transferred over now." He spotted the line of videophones and began walking over, trying to get something out of his bag once again.

I followed, wondering if maybe calling my parents now would be a good idea. I had just called a couple of days ago, and I talked to Kenny yesterday, but they would definitely be curious as to where I would be on my birthday. But, I really did not want to call in front of Harley. I'd have to ask him to go away while I called, given the fact the phones here were videophones. I could only imagine what my father would say if he saw Harley lurking behind me. I wasn't sure if he'd remember Harley from any of their past encounters, but my mother sure would from the Hoenn Grand Festival.

In a way, I almost wanted to see what would happen if I did tell them about Harley and I spending time together. Of course, I knew deep down I would never gain the courage to do that, but if I did, would they know what I really meant? Would they know that Harley and I had, well, done things? I was tempted to believe they wouldn't care, but that was a lie. They would freak out, especially my father. For one, he'd probably think Harley had molested me, and while that was sort of true, I knew everything had, in fact, been consensual despite my uncertainty. If I told my parents that, would they be okay with it then?

Shame washed through me at that instance, knowing that they could never accept it no matter what. If they couldn't, that must have meant there was something wrong with what Harley and I were doing. He said there wasn't. And, something that was so intense, something that felt so good… how could that be considered wrong and unacceptable?

I looked up at Harley who was busy dialing a number on the videophone. Apparently, he had pulled out a small address book from his bag, which was now placed on the small counter. He was waiting for an answer, but since he was using the receiver, I wouldn't be able to hear what the other end was saying. I kept looking at the screen anyway, waiting to see who was going to answer.

Finally, a woman appeared on screen. She was young looking, maybe a little older than Harley and had brown hair down to her upper-arms. She was thin and very pretty for someone who was a Pokémon caretaker. She smiled immediately at the realization it was Harley calling. Her lips moved in an excited way, her entire mouth moving up into a deep smile as she talked and talked.

"It's nice to talk to you, too," Harley said jovially. "Yes, I've been very busy," he then answered.

I continued to peer from behind Harley, watching the woman gesture her arms around as she told some story. Harley was nodding, his lips turned up in his own smile. But, his smile wasn't like the ones he gave me and that settled the weird knot in my stomach. It was really stupid, but I realized I didn't like this woman simply because Harley knew her, and she caused him to smile at all. I mean, it was really stupid, especially since Harley didn't even like women. But, I felt… jealous, I think. I was angry that he wasn't paying attention to me. Was that normal? This dislike for a stranger wasn't natural, but I did sense that I wasn't fond of her because I wasn't familiar with any kind of interaction Harley and her had. And, I really hated not knowing things.

After a while of meaningless jibble, Harley got to the point and stated, "I'd like you to transfer two of my Pokémon here, if that's all right with you."

The woman nodded, saying a few things before disappearing from the screen. Harley turned around now, looking down at me with a suspicious grin. "What?" he wondered, but I knew he could read my exact thoughts at the moment.

I made a pathetic attempt to hide what I was thinking by shrugging. He ended up putting a hand to his mouth, laughing lowly as he tilted his head.

"Don't be silly, Maximus," he consoled without really revealing what he was talking about. But, I knew. He then waved his hand about and said, "And, don't worry either. I'm not going to tell her a damn thing about you. She's too stupid to even notice you anyway."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, frowning.

Harley shrugged broadly, looking back at the screen for a second before bending down and kissing me fully on the mouth. It was so quick and fast, but it was a complete kiss: a brief contact of lips, tongues and teeth. He stood back up properly, returning to face the screen. My complexion flushed, taken aback by how quick the kiss was, but also how public it was, too. I began looking around the lobby, trying to see if anyone had saw the liplock. But, no one was paying attention. I exhaled.

The lady returned on the screen a moment later, explaining some more stuff and pointing to Harley's right where the Pokéball transfer machine was located. Being able to read her lips at her last sentence, I realized she asked, "Which Pokémon would you like?"

And, just as I suspected, Harley answered, "Hmm, I want my darling Sneasel and Totodile."

The lady nodded and began messing with something I couldn't see on-screen. Harley then pressed something on the transfer machine. Soon, a bright light emitted in the main area of the device, a round shape forming instantly and relaxing against the metal as it safely arrived.

"Ah!" Harley exclaimed, picking up the ball. "Oh, my little Totodile!" he said, examining the circular thing. He then pressed something on the machine, and the routine repeated a second time. Distracted by placing the Pokéballs into his bag, I decided to take the address book resting on the counter so I could look through it. I was definitely curious as to who was in there and why.

I looked up to the screen real quick, and the lady continued to talk, seeming to chide Harley for something before she gave a small wave.

"All right then. Talk to you again! Bye!" Harley smiled thoughtfully and then hung up.

I flipped through the book, discovering most of the pages were empty. He had business cards taped in various sections, most of them being for hotels and a couple for hair salons, which humored me. On the very last page, there were scribbles everywhere, all phone numbers and illegible names. I could make out just a few, and they were all male names. I frowned immediately.

Suddenly, the book was grabbed out of my grip. Harley waved the small item in his hand, telling me, "Is this really any of your business?"

I thought for sure it was, but I would've felt stupid explaining why I thought so. It only took me a few seconds to collect my thoughts and stutter out: "So, who are all those names in the back?"

A quick change in expression flickered in him, but I couldn't tell if it was shock, uncertainty or embarrassment. I ruled out the latter since Harley never became flustered, and since he had such a cocky smile on his face all of the sudden, I realized that Harley wasn't even taking my question seriously.

"Friends," he assured me dryly. "See, I have some."

"I'm sure," I muttered, narrowing my eyes. "But, what kind?"

Harley's eyes closed just slightly, gleaming oddly as though what I was asking didn't even matter. "Given the tone your using," the man began, "I think you already know."

Was that supposed to make me feel better? I sighed heavily, knowing there was no reason I should've been surprised by Harley's long list of not-just-acquaintances. What I was surprised about, however, was the fact he kept their numbers. At least that proved Harley wasn't as—what, anonymous?—as I thought. Still, knowing he had been with other guys made me very uncomfortable. Was I just another one of those who he'd eventually get tired of?

Bothered, but not wanting to get into it right now, I asked Harley, "So, are you going to let your Pokémon out?"

"Yes, but, first thing's first… I think we ought to find a hotel." Harley leaned down, putting a single finger against my lips forcefully. "And, no, don't even tell me that since we're at the Pokémon Center we should just stay here, because I'd rather die."

Since I wasn't even going to suggest it, I slapped his hand away, annoyed. But, Harley laughed, urging me to face the other direction and walk towards the exit. He kept close to me the entire time, using his thighs to push me along in a very weird way. Again, I considered how tall he was compared to me, thinking about how he simply had to get on his knees to kiss me properly. If that annoyed Harley, I wouldn't blame him, but I felt like it was my fault for being so short.

Outside, Harley began scanning around. "Now, there's gotta be one somewhere around here," the man said.

"They are all probably around the busier part of town," I admitted, moving away from his leaning touch and looking up to him.

"And, there should be food there, too," he noted, beginning to walk.

"Have you ever heard about the Red Gyarados?"

Harley looked at me, puzzled. "Yes, I have, but I heard someone caught it, so if you're cruising to capture it, you're too late."

"I know that," I said, glaring. "And, I met the man who caught it! Lance, from the Elite Four."

Harley sucked in his lower lip and mused over the name. "Those Elite Four fucks think they know everything," he complained.

It was a pretty dumb thing to say, but very typical of Harley since he never wanted to admit someone being better than him. Even with my father he only ever seemed to express admiration for his knowledge, not so much him being more experienced with battling and information. Being so conceited and catty, it was no wonder why he got so upset when people proved to be better than him. His mind seemed incapable of grasping the whole concept.

"Well, Lance was nice," I eventually acknowledged. "You know, without his help Ash would never have been able to stop Team Aqua and Mag—"

"Would my Maximus like some ice cream?" he interrupted, raising his eyebrows.

I blinked several times, unsure where the question came from until I saw an ice cream cart ahead of us. "I am hungry," I admitted, "but that's not much of a meal."

Harley either didn't hear my last part of the sentence or was ignoring me, because he simply walked over to where the man was selling ice cream and greeted him politely. Before he ordered, he looked down at me and asked, "So, what will it be, Maximus?"

For some strange reason, I felt like he was trying to distract me from something. And, I gaped, not feeling as though I was in any position to answer that question, even though he was asking me. Harley was kind enough to treat me to food, but he also had a way of making me feel too nervous to accept the offer. I continued to just stare at him, watching his a long feline-like smirk form. It disappeared all the sudden, and I realized I had taken too long to answer.

Harley looked at the salesman and said, "I believe he wants chocolate."

Before opening the freezer in the cart, the salesman looked at me, making sure I wanted that. I shrugged helplessly, and so he began scooping out the ice cream onto a cone. Harley had asked for nothing even though I was certain he had to be hungry. Whatever the case, I was handed the small cone by the guy, and Harley paid.

"I don't know why you clam up when someone offers you something."

I furrowed my brow, looking at Harley in confusion when we continued walking towards the busier side of town. I hadn't even said anything. It was true that I wanted to ask if I could pay him back, but knowing he'd refuse and probably say something mean, I kept quiet.

"I didn't say anything," I voiced out loud.

"Heeello, that's the problem," he asserted, shrugging out his arms as if to emphasize the obviousness.

The ice cream didn't really look appetizing now, but I took a small taste of it anyway, licking around the circumference of the cone so that it wouldn't start to melt down the edge. Harley put a hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture that actually lacked any naturalness. I avoided looking at him, so instead, I ate rather unhealthily large morsels from the cone, causing a quick brain freeze.

The man kept his hand there as we approached the busier section of town. I noticed a change in building sizes, an increase in people, and finally, an orderly development of sidewalks in place of the paths we were walking on now. The streets were becoming more crowded, so I busied myself by biting off some of the cone, again licking around the circular shape to ensure no dripping.

Harley removed his hand suddenly. I ended up looking up, seeing him point excitedly towards a building as he exclaimed, "That looks like somewhere fine to stay."

The building he pointed at was tall, but only when compared to all the other smaller ones around it. It looked just as fancy as the one in Goldenrod and Ecruteak, although I could tell there was something different about it, but what was funny was that we were passing a lot of cheaper hotels, yet they all looked so fair and acceptable in my eyes. Harley would've disagreed, which is why I shrugged at his excitement towards the hotel and said to him:

"It looks nice."

"I'm so fucking in the mood for a drink…"

Being the second time today he mentioned "a drink," meaning alcohol, I had a feeling he would be participating in some later in the afternoon. Being that he neglected the substance in the last two days, I had almost forgotten about his penchant, and I was a bit worried about how his behavior would alter if had some tonight. Though, truthfully, when he had that vodka or whatever when we were at the hotel in Goldenrod, he handled it well without any noticeable change. But, still… the memory of him grabbing me in the booth was a bit unsettling.

"It's pretty early," I threw out, hoping to avoid a long silence. It meant nothing to him, though. If he had been drinking that early a couple of days ago, seeming so comfortable and calm, I suspected he did it regularly.

Harley pushed me closer to him on the street, urging us to walk aligned. Although I was uncomfortable with the jammed crowd on the street, I felt like he was being very possessive, not wanting me to even brush up against another person. I continued eating the ice cream, having to bite through the cone to get the melted stuff at the bottom. From the corner of my eye, I sensed him watching, and this reminded me of when we first met, and he bought me the ice cream sundae. The way he would watch with a smile and a gleam in his eye disturbed me then, and seeing partly the same look now, I felt the discomfort creep into me.

Moistening his bottom lip, he asked, "You ate that pretty fast. What if I had wanted some?"

I considered the various reasons that provoked this, and none of them were even the least bit clean or wholesome. I knew he was expecting some kind of facial reaction so I did not give him one; I gave a poker face, deadpanned and still. We stepped down onto the street, having to cross it to get to the other sidewalk. The hotel was just ahead of us, but to the left, there was a park, small and desolate, but occupied by several trainers with their Pokémon. This interested me, so I stopped walking, finishing the rest of my ice cream cone and examining what each trainer was doing.

Harley noticed my halt immediately. He stopped, too, raising an eyebrow. He quickly caught on to my view, and assumed, "You want to battle."

I shrugged. "This might be a nice place to train, yes," I told him, "but, I don't think my Stantler needs to battle. I think he needs to work on his attacks alone."

Harley clapped his hands together suddenly. "Oh, then let's go over there!" he shouted, grabbing my hand. His fingers encircled mine, pulling me over to the park. It didn't take long to realize this was the first time that he held my hand, not my wrist. "You still want to see my darlings, after all."

My body heat rose from his tight grip around my palm. I tugged it away, not wanting him to feel my sweat. I looked up at the sky, which was so bright and friendly, but suspiciously vulnerable for change. There were many clouds in the sky, a few darker than others, and I felt, once more, a downpour was on its way.

Harley pulled out his sunglasses, putting them on as we walked over to the clear field of a park. The grass was still damp from the dewy morning, but further into the area it was smooth and dry. Some of the trainers were sitting down with their Pokémon, while other people were just relaxing and chatting amongst themselves. I was quick to throw out Stantler's ball, letting him out and having him land right in front of me.

Harley had his hands on his hips, scanning the entire field. When I slowed down, he suggested, "Let's go further over there." He pointed towards a solitary section, very absent of the trees and benches that took up space everywhere else. The man continued to walk, and strangely, Stantler followed as if Harley's presence had become so normal that the creature knew he was with me.

Harley and I were now alienated from everyone else, which made me feel like they all were watching us. Harley threw his bag and hat on the grass, retaining a single Pokéball in his hand. He stepped foward, throwing it out into the air so the creature inside burst out, revealing itself in a high jump. It was his Totodile. And, from my memory, it looked about the same size as Ash's had been, but it was so obvious that it did not have the same personality. Instead of dancing about with excitement, it turned on its feet, looking up to Harley with quite the angry face.

Harley laughed. He got on his knees, opening his arms and saying, "Oh, my poor baby! I'm so sorry for the time we spent apart."

The creature considered the apology and ended up jumping into Harley's arms, pushing its small head against the man's chest. I walked over, bending down a little with Stantler by my side. I gave the scaly blue Pokémon a pleasant smile, and it seemed curious to know who I was and why I was with Harley.

"Hi!" I greeted. "Nice to meet you."

Harley lifted the creature, hugging it once more before turning it in his arms so it faced me. "This, Toto," he began, eyeing me fully since we were at the same height, "is my little Maximus, who makes your trainer feel not-so lonely and very happy."

I gave a doubtful look. Harley had been everything but lonely, that was sure. As conceited and selfish as Harley tended to be, it would truly be a miracle if he even ever realized he was traveling alone all the time. I was tempted to just blow off the introduction all together, but I thought the open-mouth smile on Totodile was way too cute to ignore. I reached out and petted its head. It made a happy snarl.

"Isn't he adorable?"

I nodded slowly. When my tall Stantler walked a bit closer, Harley put down Totodile so the two could introduce themselves to each other. Stantler bowed its head and the two began talking.

"Aww, it looks like we have ourselves a pair of future close pals," Harley basically squealed. "And, this is good, considering their trainers have quite the relationship!" The man raised his eyebrows suggestively, moving forward to kiss me. He smiled through it, making the quick liplock lack a fair amount of contact.

I put up a hand, pushing Harley gently away when he tried to attempt another kiss. "Stop. It's embarrassing." It was a bit hypocritical to say considering how bothered I had been when Harley struggled to say my name to the fisherman. But, this was different; this was a physical touch, a very revealing indicator of what Harley and I were to each other… whatever that really was...

Harley repositioned himself, sitting down on the grass cross-legged. "Oh, really," he sighed in disappointment. He then twirled some hair around his index finger and adjusted his sunglasses. "I assume you have no more of those saucy little undies, do you?"

"N-No," I answered. I blushed, turning away from his stare as I sat down, too.

"Don't get me wrong, because I adore the little things you were wearing before, but there was truly something magical about those tight ones you claim were old."

"They were," I blandly stated.

The man chuckled. "So, is it safe to assume there's a drawer full of those back home?"

"Harley, please!" I shouted, rolling my eyes. "Why do our conversations always have to go this direction?"

Giving a sincere shrug, he smiled innocently and told me, "The thoughts just come to mind, Maximus." He looked past me towards the hotel. "You know, night is an awfully long time away."

"I know that," I blurted out, though I had caught on to his clearly suggestive undertone. "It's like noon, and yet you're desperate for alcohol and sex!"

This made Harley give one of those chortles. "I never thought you'd say the word, dear," he admitted, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "I must say, I like hearing it from you."

"Don't you realize things are different when we're alone… and when we're in public?" I wondered.

"I have to admit, Max, I do not like that statement one bit," he said to me. "It makes me feel like there's a set time for when and where I can see Maximus for who he really is." Harley leaned back to support his weight on his arms. "So, is that why you have a terrible habit of switching moods on me?" he asked.

"I don't know," I muttered. "Maybe…"

"If so," he started, devilishly smiling, "we ought not go out that often."

"It doesn't change the fact it's noon," I complained, watching Stantler and Totodile, who had walked over to a tree, going under the shade. Totodile looked so small compared to Stantler, and it sort of reminded me how much smaller I looked when next to Harley.

"Noon, midnight—whatever. There's never a set time for when people can screw, Max," he told me in a lecture-like tone.

I began to blush again, looking down. "Why does it matter if we—um, yeah—again?" I said it so lowly that I wasn't sure he heard.

A laugh escaped Harley before he mockingly echoed, "Um, yeah, huh?"

I gave him a helpless sort of look, the kind that revealed I really wanted my question answered.

"Do you really have to ask?" He rubbed my back comfortingly, asking, "So, what would you say if I wanted to, huh? Are you really against something we've already done? Unless, of course, you're in a sincere amount of pain, which I doubt, because I've been watching you walk, and you look fine!"

"Pain?" I mused before biting my lip in embarrassment. "Uh, well, um… no, I'm fine."

But, I hadn't really thought about it all day. The pain was almost nonexistent now, though if I moved a certain way I could feel a sting. It was almost greedy and savage for him to ask. I mean, granted, he was asking because he wanted to make sure I was okay, but he was also asking because he was desperate to do it again, and that was so insulting. Why did he have to be so concerning like that but express such stern and persistent suggestions beneath?

Harley gave a quick grin, turning it into an exaggerated frown of concern. "I don't like seeing you in pain," he voiced lowly. "But, it's not that hard to get used to."

"I, uh…" I stuttered again, getting uncomfortable and readjusting my weight. "I was sort of wondering, and I hope it's not rude to ask, but have you ever let someone do, um, that?"

"You mean what I did to you?" he asked, mocking my way of not quite saying the real words. "Have I ever been on the receiving end, so to speak?" Harley laughed childishly, covering his mouth and smiling widely.

"Well, yeah, I guess," I muttered, annoyed by how he was treating my questions.

"Of course I have," he replied before I had the opportunity to say something else. "And, I like it either way, but when it comes to sweet things like you, I prefer being the one doing the work." He then playfully hit me on the shoulder. "Though, I would appreciate some more movement once and awhile."

Completely red, I turned away from him and babbled out, "Oh, um, sorry, but um… so…"

This sent Harley into a full-fledged laugh. He held his ribcage to control the cramping of losing his breath, continuing to basically cackle. I glared at him, wanting so badly to just, well, hit him. I was too scared to actually do that, but I did manage to swat at his knee, giving him an insulted look.

"This isn't funny!" I shouted.

"Oh, but it is," he went on, laughter mixing in his words. He managed to calm down enough to intelligently say, "Max, I adore you." He straightened his sunglasses, which had slipped down due to the amount of energy he put into laughing.

I furrowed my brow, wondering how on earth laughing at me qualified as any kind of adoration. I huffed, then said, "I was trying to ask you a question, Harley."

"I know, I know. Go ahead." He stifled the last of his laughter, then smiled.

"I wanted to know when you first—" I cut myself off and made a gesture of my hands.

There was a look of either pride or reminiscence on Harley's face. His crooked smile revealed he was thinking more about it than he was going to talk, but he did say, "Max, I believe I was a year or two older than you, to be honest." His voice was almost in a lecturing tone. "So, aside from beating your sister at losing your virginity, you also lost it younger than me. Quite an accomplishment!"

Instead of getting embarrassed, I became offended. "And, how can that be normal?" I demanded. "I would never have done any of this had it not been for you!"

Harley messed with his hair again, wondering, "So, if you befriended a man who wasn't me would you have done 'any of this' if he wanted to? Figuratively, of course."

I narrowed my eyes and stood up. "I don't know. I doubt there's any other man who would've wanted to. Plus, who says I'd even like a man who wasn't… well, um, you?"

And, unfortunately, this made Harley brighten up and then stand, too. "Well, thank you for that! But, why wouldn't he, Max? I find it very hard to believe I'm the first man to strike an interest in you. And, by the way, I'm thrilled to know you like me." The cocky grin never left Harley's face.

I couldn't have been all that embarrassed by his statement, though. It was already obvious that I had to feel something for him. There was no way I couldn't have when we had already done so many… things… I mean, what I felt was a bit obscure, sure, but I wasn't going to make any kind of excuse for it. I never thought these real, sincere feelings—the kind I had read about, heard of, but wasn't convinced existed—would ever develop for another man. Another very older, very catty, very eccentric man.

Now I felt it was best to drop the whole conversation. I called Stantler over, and the sudden yell made Harley give a curious look. When Stantler—and Totodile, who had followed—walked up to us, I looked at my Pokémon and wondered, "Do you want to practice your Tackle with Totodile? It might benefit you more than just battling."

Stantler gave an interested look before turning to Totodile. The blue Pokémon looked at Harley, and the man shrugged as if to say he thought it was a good idea or didn't care. Stantler began scraping its hoof against the ground. He looked as if he were readying himself for battle, but the expression on his face was anything but threatening. Probably wanting to play more than anything else, Totodile skipped across a patch of grass, giving a dodging gesture. It squawked in its own excitement, wanting to practice/play with Stantler eagerly.

Harley shrugged and said, "Good, then this gives time for me and my Maximus to talk more."

I watched Stantler give a friendly little look at its would-be opponent, and I realized the two had already made friends with each other. This made me feel better about not having a real battle. I looked up at Harley with a flat expression, telling him, "I'm not sure there's much more to talk about."

"There's always something to talk about," he insisted, pulling my arm as he sat back down on the ground. I was forced to sit, too, though I quickly readjusted myself so I was further away from Harley.

"You know, I wanted to call my parents back at the Center," I revealed. "I couldn't, though. I felt too intimidated by you being around."

"Is that so?" Harley wondered, raising his eyebrows high. Surprisingly, he didn't seem all that insulted. "You must have thought I was going to force myself to be seen on the videophone's screen."

Since his statement was certainly not a question, I replied, "My parents wouldn't have known what to think. Especially my mom, who met you."

"Norman met me!" Harley quickly harked back.

"I know, but do you think he really remembers you? You're just another clouded face within all the other fans who he's met."

"That's not fair to say!" Harley yelled. "You're implying I'm not memorable, Max!"

I backed down a bit, lowering my nagging tone. "Well… um," I stuttered, very alarmed by his reaction. "My dad has met tons of people. You can't blame him."

"Whatever," he huffed angrily. "The point here is that you didn't want your parents to know you're escorting around an older, saucier male, who you just happened to—"

I cut him off quickly and firmly with: "Can you blame me?"

The man gave a casual shrug. "You should have more faith in me to not screw up your phone call with revelations of what you're doing on your personal time."

From Harley's tone, I could tell he wasn't all that upset. He was simply stating a point, and now I felt bad. I told him, "Well, it's true that you haven't really… flaunted anything about us yet."

"See, Max, you should have more faith in me," he restated. "Minutes ago you told me there's a difference between being in private and being in public. And, I respect that… I think. Granted, maybe I will ravish you in front of others when I have a chance, but it's nobody's goddamn business unless we want it to be."

"I just thought you would…" I muttered.

"Actually, there's nothing more I'd like than to shove you in someone's face, tease them about how you're mine and how they'll never have the opportunities I've had," he said quickly.

Mine? Mine? What did that mean? I didn't belong to him. He had blurted all that out and his sentence wasn't even that complete, so I shook it off, hoping that he hadn't realized or meant to say it. I simply wondered, "Then why don't you?"

"Because I haven't had the chance," he restated.

"But, I know this isn't exactly normal, Harley." I narrowed my eyes and added, "Despite what you say."

"I don't believe there's anything wrong here," the man stressed. "It may be abnormal how much you make me want you, but we're dealing with that, no?"

"Harley—"

The man put up a hand to silence me. "This is about the third time we've had this conversation. And, it's getting us nowhere. I would like to think the sweet, responsive temperament you displayed this morning can carry out through many other days. I don't want this to be some big fucking circle of this and that, that and this. We'll both get bored." He sighed and then widened his eyes as he added, "So, can we just let this play out for what it's worth?"

xxxxx

-Harley-

I stared at Max, very intent on getting his answer. But, there were various flashes of expressions on the boy, the first being cluelessness. Then, somehow, it developed into consideration.

"You have an incredible way of making me feel really dumb, Harley."

I blinked. "I assure you that's not my intention." I tried brightening my tone when I continued, "I just don't want to have these conversations over and over. I really hate that."

Max shrugged for some reason. "I enjoyed this morning," he admitted. "I mean, not what happened with my, um, underwear—I'm not saying that wasn't, um—" the boy gave up, cutting himself off and just looking at me blankly.

"The breakfast," I concluded for him and watched him nod. "I told you every morning could be like that. And, I meant it."

And, for the first time in a bloody while, the boy smiled. He looked over to our Pokémon, who were still chasing each other around, not really practicing battle moves, but playing. I felt like he really wanted me to touch him, but I knew if I did, he would try and fight it just to prove one of his dumb points. Because of this, I was slow when I reached out to pat his knee. Max returned his gaze on me, just catching sight of my face before I leaned backwards, lying down on the grass lazily.

I felt very tired, having been active all morning. We had walked a good two or three miles to get to Mahogany Town, and I knew the two of us deserved a good rest. Besides that, my upper-arms were sore as hell from fishing, which was pretty pathetic. The sun was still burning bright, but I was able to lie on my back nicely, staring up at the sky with the help of my sunnies. There were many clouds in the sky, and I considered Max's prediction it was going to rain.

Max, still sitting up, cocked his head to look at me correctly. He noticed the way I was staring up at the sky and looked, too. Distracted by the clouds, I pulled his arms, forcing him to lie back with me. The boy was startled at first, jolting at my rough pull and trying to stay sitting. But, I tugged some more, and he slowly—very slowly—lied back with me. I turned to look at him, raising my eyebrows in a friendly way.

"What?" he wondered.

"Nothing," I assured, reaching to move some bangs out of his face.

Max lifted his head and looked around the entire park to make sure, just like in the forest outside Ecruteak, no one was watching. Seeming convinced no one was, he allowed my touches, settling down on his back again as he stared at the sky, squinting. Since he wasn't looking in my direction, I could only gently stroke the side of his face, rubbing under his chin and down his neck. His skin was endearingly soft and smooth. I suddenly remembered how that felt and tasted under my tongue, and I couldn't help making a noise in the back of my throat.

Max looked at me awkwardly, seeming to comprehend why I made the noise. My hand on his shoulder, Max reached up, placing his over mine. I wasn't sure whether he was trying to stop me from moving it anywhere else or if he was trying to hold my hand. It was sort of odd either way, but I felt like his acknowledgment of my touch was nice enough.

"What time is it?" Max asked.

"How should I know?" I countered. "Get your little whachamacallit and check."

Max slid his backpack over without having to sit up, finding his PokéNav and checking the time. "It's three p.m.," he told me. "It's already so late."

"Not late enough in my book!" I exclaimed. "You know, since you have this whole when-and-where thing going for us." I huffed and got to my feet in a clumsy way.

Max sat up and called Stantler over. Totodile followed, and we promptly returned our Pokémon. As I reclaimed my hat and dusted myself off, Max continued to just sit there, looking so helpless but so fucking adorable! I wanted to take him right there on the ground, I truly did. He was sitting cross-legged, his shorts being baggy enough for me to see up his thigh if I turned my head the right way.

"Do you need help?" I asked through a smile.

"No," he answered, "but I was wondering if you wanted to come to my Gym Battle tomorrow."

Gym Battle? I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking about this in-depth. Oh, I truly did not want to sit through that garbage. Yes, it was selfish and inconsiderate, especially when you took into account all the times Max watched Contests for May, but goddamn, I just detested Gym Battles. They were boring as hell. I gave the boy a shrug, making the answer a bit foggy.

"I'm not a very patient person," I revealed. "Can you promise me you'll beat the fucking Gym Leader's Pokémon in, like, two minutes?"

Max finally stood up and gathered up his backpack. "No," he said, "but I can try. Maybe with support I can do it."

"Support, eh?" I echoed smoothly. "Maybe I can just wish you a special kind of luck?" I questioned, smiling at him lecherously as I tried to push the boy into my chest when he approached me.

Max put a hand up to prevent his face from touching my chest; however, he didn't pull away from the short and small embrace. "I highly doubt your kind of luck is going to get me through anything."

"You think? Well, we'll see about that!" I turned the boy face-front towards the hotel across the street. "Now, my lad, go straight."

Max stumbled a bit, but managed to walk hurriedly over to the hotel. Across the street, in front of the hotel, it was almost scarce of any activity. We entered the building, being greeted by a friendly doorman and then being blinded by the extremely bright yellow lights beaming down from the ceiling and walls.

Unlike the previous hotels we'd been at in the last few days, this lobby wasn't nearly as picturesque and exquisite, but it was probably the best in the city. I wouldn't know for sure since my pamphlet did not include Mahogany Town. Still, this hotel looked very acceptable. In the lobby, there was an entrance to a restaurant and bar, a beauty product kiosk for a nearby spa, and to very left of the room, a lovely set of velveteen sofas and chairs gathered around a coffee table.

When I got to the front desk, which was a long ledge of a counter like you'd see in some corporate business, I explained to the receptionist the type of room preferred. I gave all the details, making sure to include my desire for a mini-bar, if possible. The lady, whose hair was pinned-up and had these small, dumb looking glasses on, gave me a sad look, typing things into the computer before telling me:

"I'm sorry, sir, but we do not have any rooms left. Well, except for on the bottom floor. Is that all right?"

I automatically sucked in my bottom lip, biting it gently in a seething disappointment. Max, who wasn't really paying attention as he stared up at the bright ceiling, sensed my gaze, and gave me a furrow of his brow.

"What?" he asked, seeing the look on my face.

"We have to take a room on the bottom floor," I explained. "Do you know how disgusting those rooms are?"

The lady perked up and raised a hand in assurance. "No, no!" she said. "All our rooms are given equal attention and care. The only difference is that the bottom rooms are not suites."

Max honestly did not care, it seemed. He just shrugged his shoulders and continued scanning the lobby. I considered slapping him, just because. But, that uncaring expression disappeared pretty quickly, and as he looked around the hotel, he regained that jaunty, sweet manner.

The woman perched up to get a better look at Max, who was half hidden from the tall counter. She cocked her head and asked me, "Is that your brother?"

This made Max jerk, looking up at me and then at the lady. Instead of turning red like I suspected he would, the color drained from his face, appearing so horrified at what I might respond with. The woman wasn't even fazed by his deep concern. When I gave a smile, the boy looked even more worried, but I nodded happily, and said:

"Why, yes, he is."

The woman smiled, telling me, "The rooms available only have one bed, so I hope that's okay."

I laughed obnoxiously. I sensed that if this woman was dense enough not to see the mortification on Max's face after her inquiry, she would never catch on to why I was laughing so hard now. Max turned away from the both of us, not wanting his face revealed, though I sensed the color was restored, and he was red now.

"Sir, are you all right?"

I settled my laughter and nodded again. "Yes, yes. And, the bed situation is fine, too." And, oh was it ever! If this lady even knew how fine it was for us. I smirked knowingly.

Not even looking at me anymore, the woman retreated to typing things in on the computer. Eventually, I paid, signed the receipt, and she handed over the cardkey. She pointed to her left, explaining the room's location. I smiled, then urged Max forward with a soft hit of my bag. We walked down the small hall, going by the set of two elevators.

"Brothers," Max suddenly mused.

"Brothers," I echoed, but with more amusement.

"I don't even have a brother," the boy groaned.

"Yes, of course, only that sister of yours," I noted, rolling my eyes. "But, I think it's funny, to be honest." I stopped when I got to the room. I let out a long sigh, preparing myself for the horrors of a first-floor room as I slid in the cardkey.

Max noticed my balk and said, "You're making a bigger deal out of this than it is."

"I very much doubt that, Maximus," I replied, opening the door and entering.

And, it was small as hell in the room. I'd seen bathrooms bigger. Well, not really, but this was far from what I considered a hotel room. The only pieces of furniture in it were a desk and chair, the bed, a nightstand and… and a fucking mini-fridge! Oh, this delighted me instantly. I was quick to just throw down my bag and drop to my knees, opening the small thing on the floor and exploring the contents.

"See, I told you so," Max mumbled as he switched on all the lamps. I could sense he was very angry the fridge was in here.

"My, my," I voiced, looking at the label on a whiskey bottle. "Not even Ecruteak's hotel had one of these marvels."

Max looked over my shoulder, trying to see what else was in the fridge. "Please tell me you're not going to drink everything in there."

I leaned my head back to get a good look at Max's face. He looked sincerely concerned, so I smiled brightly and assured, "Maybe once you go to sleep."

The boy grimaced, a mix of disbelief and disgust. "I guess that's better than the alternative," he sighed, walking away and neatly putting his backpack down on the desk. He also removed his shoes, lining them up with the chair legs.

There was also vodka in the fridge, as well as some other hard liquor, such as tequila, which was shit if you asked me. All the little bottles were small and pointless, and there was nothing the hotel provided so I could mix anything good. I closed the fridge but continued to sit on the floor tiredly.

"Max, come here," I said softly as I removed my hat.

Max was over near the one window in room—though, thankfully it took up the entire end wall, so it allowed plenty of light into the depressing little enclosure—and was messing with the curtains absentmindedly. He eventually turned around, looking very emotionless. He must have really been worried I was going to get hammered right here and now.

I picked up a menu that rested on top of the fridge and waved it in the air. "Do you want me to get us something?" I took a look at what was listed, most of the options being these outrageously priced desserts.

Max took a long ass time walking over to me. Since I was sitting down he just leaned over a bit, glancing at the menu before putting his eyes on me and asking, "Are you hungry?"

"I must admit I am," I answered. "But, I don't want to leave this room, so these are our options, kiddo."

"Why?" he wondered. "It's still so early out."

"The freaks are out earlier and earlier these days," I argued pointlessly. "So, we don't want to risk it."

Unconvinced, but not wanting to fight, Max shrugged and said, "I don't really care what you get."

"Ah, fabulous then." I threw the menu down, and just as my Maximus was about to walk away, I used my forearm to bump him towards me, placing my cheek against his stomach. I eventually wrapped my arm around his hip, pushing him forward until he was pressed against me fully. "Can you be a dear and get me the phone, hmm?" And, despite my request, I still held him tightly to me, breathing in his sweet little scent.

"You're making this difficult," he muttered as he pried away. He grabbed the gaudy, common hotel phone and brought it to me. The phone line was thankfully long enough to reach me, which I really shouldn't have been surprised about since this room was so fucking small and stupid.

I dialed for room service, requesting a salad meal that included buttered bread. The man told me they'd charge it to my bill and that it would be up in thirty or so minutes. I hung up, leaving the phone on the floor as I rose to stand.

Max gave me an odd look as he watched me grab my bag and dump its contents onto the bed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I just remembered I need to clean this fucker out."

"So suddenly?"

I nodded. "If I don't do it now I never will, you see," I explained, sitting on the bed, cross-legged and spreading out the messy pile of my belongings. I moved my four Pokéballs over to a safe side, then resumed picking through.

Max took a good look at all the loose change and cash, and I imagined he was thinking back to the first day we met up, and he mentioned something about a wallet in that deli. Oh, how that seemed so long ago. I hadn't even realized I wanted to screw the boy at that time! I smiled fondly, thinking that if I had even touched the boy's ass back then he would've stabbed me.

The boy picked up a crushed cigarette box from eons ago, then poked at an empty pack of gum, which actually had several chewed pieces rolled into the lining. The empty metal tin of mints further revolted him, and the random, half-burnt and torn cigarettes that now littered the bed sheets caused a grimace on his face.

"You're disgusting," he finally said, looking at me seriously.

I took this as a joke and laughed, placing back in the bag my sunnies, my Pokéballs, my umbrella, my address book and my several changes of clothing. Everything else continued to sit on the bed, and I was unsure where to start. So, I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and lit one up, which happened to be the final one. As I gave my first puff of smoke, I gathered all the money and threw it into the front flap of my bag, figuring that was organization enough.

"Mm, Max, you should be the fine gentlemen that you are and go out and get me some cigarettes," I suggested, half-mumbling as I kept the current stick in my mouth.

"No!" Max shouted, completely appalled. "I'm not even old enough to, first of all. And, secondly, that's just stupid and rude of you to ask."

I waved a hand in hasty understanding. "All right, all right, for Christ's sake, calm it." I smiled afterward, looking back at the mess on the bed. "So, what in your fine opinion looks useless?" I asked.

Max brought over the small garbage can and threw away the half-burnt cigarettes and the other smashed things. "Everything," he muttered. He picked up something buried beneath some crinkled papers, and I realized it was my pocket knife.

"Ahh, that's dangerous," I warned, grabbing it from him. "Don't want you marking up your pretty skin, do we?" I laughed, and stuffed it back in my bag.

The boy continued picking at the heap of mess. Curious about the crinkled papers, he picked up one and unfolded it. "A phone number," he revealed, showing it to me with an angry face.

I took the paper and read the number. Not even knowing who the fuck's number it was, I chucked it in the garbage can. I unwrinkled another smashed paper, which funnily had another number on it. I laughed, throwing it away. Max understood my laughter, and his angry face deepened.

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. But, I continued to give an amused look.

"If this is another number…" Max grumbled, unfolding a third piece of paper, which was really a flyer to some store's sale.

The boy's seething little tone made me realize he really was fucking jealous! Oh, Lord, this boy really was something. I tried flattening out my self-satisfied grin as I said, "Max, don't give me that." And, I really only said it so I could provoke a further envious remark from him.

"Harley, how can you be so flip about this?" he inquired, his brow creased worriedly.

I sucked in some tobacco fumes, and playing innocent, I asked, "What do you mean?"

Keeping his eyes down, he quickly grabbed the rest of the scattered and crinkled paper and threw them away. He let out a sigh. "I thought you liked younger guys," he said.

I blinked, thrown aback by this. "I do," I responded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well… to have a phone number you have to have a phone and to have a phone you have to pay for it and there aren't many kids who really have PokeGears." He paused and took a breath before he concluded, "So, these phone numbers must belong to adults."

"Ohh," I voiced, my eyebrows high. "Oh, Max, don't you worry your pretty little head off," I assured. "Warm and willing is all I need sometimes." I laughed in a hidden sense of pride for my conquests.

Max glared at me, giving me the most pissed off face I had ever seen. When I reached out to touch him he slapped my hand away rather violently, and this caused me to glare back at him, wondering who the hell he thought he was for doing that to me. His scowl did lessen in what I guessed was fear, but he remained rather cold.

"You know, you never really told me you do this sort of thing all the time," he sneered.

I yanked the cigarette out of my mouth and tightly trapped it between my fingers. "I don't, Max," I argued harshly. "I don't randomly travel around with kids like you and then just drop them off somewhere when I get bored."

"But, I'm not the first person you've escorted around for a while, now am I?" Max's tone rose considerably, and I could sense he was honest to goodness angry with me.

"Well, no," I admitted honestly, "but what the fuck does that matter? You're still here, and I still goddamn want you around. I don't see the problem!"

"It's just the fact you can carry around so many numbers from people you don't even remember!"

"It's not that random and anonymous," I defended. "If it was, I wouldn't have their numbers, now would I, hmm?"

"Stop it!" Max yelled. "Can't you understand how that makes me feel!"

"I don't see the problem!" I repeated.

"You're—you're sleazy!"

Startled, I threw down my bag onto the floor and hollered, "I am not fucking sleazy, you goddamn ungrateful brat!"

A very uneasy silence crept upon us, and the look on Max's face pained me immensely. I actually regretted saying it immediately, which was goddamn rare. I watched as his eyes glossed until he blinked away the tears and stared helplessly at the floor, unable to move. I opened my mouth several times to voice an apology, but I could never quite get it out.

"Max…" I eventually stammered.

He said nothing.

What a fucking bastard I was, making this kid want to cry. I bit my lip, my chest hurting from a sincere pang of guilt. "Max," I repeated, reaching out to touch him. He backed away. Disappointed, I got off the bed, standing in front of him and kneeling down to match his height. "Maximus, darling, I didn't mean that."

Again, he stayed silent, but his pupils shook as he fought eye-contact.

Cigarette still in my hand, I just let it go to waste, the smoke floating around in the air. I put both my hands on his shoulders, shaking him very gently to urge him to look at me. "Hey," I said, "I'm sorry."

Ugh, and the sincerity of the word was very foreign sounding coming from me. I doubted I would've said it had Max not possessed this power over me, the kind that I seriously hated to feel, but ultimately couldn't deny. Max's body did stiffen at the word, and I hoped that meant he was considering the genuineness in my apology.

"You…" he finally began, and I sensed even he didn't know where he was going with his words.

I leaned in, pushing myself against him in a loose embrace. I felt so pathetic doing this, too, but I really felt the need to make up for that horrid remark. But, wait… didn't he owe me an apology, too? I considered this, wondering if my random rendezvouses were even any of Max's business. I guess they were to him, and in a way I couldn't blame the boy, but still, that was the fucking past, and I had seriously never even stayed in touch with one of those men.

I broke the hug, looking at him with concern. "I don't know what else you want me to say," I told him.

"Harley," he began again, frowning, "I'm honestly not ungrateful for what you're doing… letting me stay with you and stuff."

I realized that Max was probably more hurt with what I had said to him than how I had said it. The fact I called him ungrateful, hinting that he had no gratitude for me basically taking care of him, had broken his little heart. I sighed, taking a drag of my nearly gone cigarette that almost burnt out already thanks to our spiff.

"I know you're not," I said. "And, I hope you know that right now, you're the only person I really give a damn about."

Max was unconvinced, but he managed to get himself to look me in the eyes.

I crushed the end of my cigarette on the side of the garbage and threw it in there. "Honestly, Max," I said, "I enjoy my share of fun, but I'm not completely uncaring about who I decide to, well, have fun with." I tucked a hand under his chin, making him continue looking at me.

Max sighed. "I feel stupid for getting upset like this…"

I chuckled, leaning in and letting my lips hover his. "Don't," I urged, "because all it means is that you are just as infatuated with moi as I am with toi."

I kissed him, turning my head to deepen it after a while. And, thankfully, the boy responded. Responded amazingly, too! He pushed himself against me, seeming so desperate for me to hold him that I was shocked. I answered his plea by driving his chest into mine, making him get as close as possible. He broke the kiss, gasping for air, but quickly, before I even had time to recover, he locked our lips back together for a moment.

"Harley," he breathed, "I'm sorry."

I laughed. "It doesn't matter," I assured. "You are too fucking adorable for your own good, Maximus."

Max's eyes narrowed. "I don't like fighting with people."

"And, I don't like fighting with people I care about," I said. I kissed him once more, but this time on the chin. I then voiced, "For the record, I really am not a whore."

For whatever reason, this made Max laugh. I slightly glared at him, but it was all in good means. He was really charming when he laughed, and I felt a distinct sweep of lust wash through me as he gave me a soft smile. Makeup sex was always fantastic, and I wondered how Max felt about fucking right this very second. The little innocent and only faintly distressed look made me give a sigh of desire.

I slid my hands down his body, to his hips, tightly holding him still so I could have eye-contact. Max wasn't hesitant to look me back in the eyes either, and I was grateful for that. The boy ended up moving his hands to my upper-arms, gliding them up to my shoulders. I sensed what he really wanted was another goddamn hug, which was both precious and amusing at the same time. I happily obliged nonetheless, embracing him gently. He rested his chin on my shoulder, breathing heavily to gargle down one of those aftermath wheezes from holding in a cry.

I tilted my head, grazing my tongue along the side of his face, letting it warmly wet his skin. He inhaled nervously when I purposely made our hips connect, brushing strongly against one another. Suddenly, I felt Max move his hands, and I thought for a moment he was pushing me away. But, then, I felt his fingertips on my chest, finding their way beneath my shirt from the collar. I made a melodramatic groan, strictly to let him know how much I enjoyed his touches.

And, like the fucking tart I knew he was, he shut his eyes, licking his lips and leaving his mouth centimeters open to tease the hell out of me. I quickly smashed our lips together, forcing his hands to jerk up my chest and around the lining of my jacket. I shrugged my shoulders out, making it obvious I wanted him to remove the green attire. He kept our mouths fused as he slid my jacket down my arms until it dropped on the floor.

I found myself growing maddeningly aroused, heat building up in every section of my body. I managed to loosen the embrace enough to start undoing the zipper on his shorts, pulling them down to his ankles. We broke apart, and I helped him step out of the apparel. I then kneeled further, pressing my lips against his hipbone. His skin was so warm, so surrounded with this amazing wave of heat that drove me wild. I grinned wickedly at his underwear, unable to help myself from tracing imaginary lines on the top trim of the dark fabric. They may not have been as tight as other ones, but anything that even slightly traced the outlines of his jutting hipbones and his semi-hard cock was masterful.

"You, Max," I lowly spoke, "are too much sometimes." And, I meant that with every ounce of who I was, oh, did I ever.

I could sense Max close his eyes, his head lolling back when my mouth hovered over his covered and restrained cock. I urged him down to his knees, which ultimately made me lose my mouth's position, but made it easier for me to push him carefully onto his back. I crawled over his body, trapping him onto the floor. As I leaned my lower-self down onto his own groin, I felt myself twitch to a painfully full and hard arousal. To tease the both of us, I grated our bodies, making it agonizing to not have our lips molted together in a combination of tongues, teeth and saliva.

Max's small arms were shaky as he tried to untuck my black tank-top. When he got the shirt out from underneath the tight grip of my belt, he pushed the fabric up with an open palm. I helped him out, removing it myself when it reached my neck. I very desperately wanted the boy to lie there, on the floor, naked before me so I could take in the sight and burn it into my mind. I took off his shirt, throwing it to the side and bending my back to kiss him gingerly before my hands dug between his skin and the fabric of those undies and—

—and a knock at the door, a holler of something about room service, broke our kiss and I felt everything about Max go frigid and inert. At first boggled, I gave Max a rather clueless look, blinking several times before he caught his breath and said to me:

"It's the food you ordered."

I grunted, falling backwards to sit. I blew some bangs out of my sight and cursed softly. I couldn't get myself to move, but I watched Max, who, covered so alluringly in those undies of his, gave a worried expression. I managed to stand after a while, feeling so completely unaroused by the situation that I wanted to shoot myself for ordering room service in the first place. I straightened out my pants, throwing on my tank-top lazily before I walked over to the door and opened it only slightly.

"Good evening, sir," the attendant said. And, he had a fucking little cart with him as if the meal I had ordered was the fanciest thing in the history of the world.

I looked back at Max, who was now standing and considering putting his shirt back on. I did not like this, so I kept the door minimally closed, squeezing my body through it so I blocked the man from entering.

"I'll take those, if that's quite all right with you," I said, picking up the tray of food.

The man gave me a helpless sort of look, asking, "Are you sure you don't need any assistance? It's my job to bring them inside the room to you."

I smiled pleasantly, but shook my head. "Oh, no, it's fine, it's fine." I squeezed myself back into the room, setting the plates down on the bed and grabbing some money from my bag for a tip. I returned to the door, handing the man the money and thanking him exhaustingly.

The man smiled and took the money happily. "Have a nice night, sir," he told me, walking off as he pushed the car away.

I shut the door, letting out an annoyed groan. Max had redressed by now, which pissed me off because I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get him undressed again without a lot of work. I hit my head back against the door and muttered another curse.

"Are you okay?" Max finally asked, then looking at the tray of food, examining the brightly covered salad, chockfull of green, red, purple and yellow vegetables.

"I must admit it's pretty disappointing to have this little faunlet beneath you, ready and willing, only to be disturbed by some bellhop fucker." I slothfully dragged my feet over to the bed, pursing my lips in an angry huff.

A small bit of redness crept into Max's face, but he distracted himself from my comment by picking up the tray of food and placing it on the floor. He sat down, too, dividing out the silverware and plates. Oh, this was just pathetic, the two of us sitting on the floor and eating thanks to this goddamn hotel and their lack of suites. But, I sat back down as well, leaning against the edge of the bed.

"This looks really good, though," Max commented, and I was glad he wasn't one of those retarded kids who refused to eat healthy food. In fact, he dug right into the salad with his fork, trapping a nice mix of tomatoes, lettuce and cheese and chewed it happily.

I smirked at the boy, reaching out and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a pity, really. I mean, I wanted you to witness how amazing makeup sex can be."

Max made a face as he swallowed. "I think it's time to let it go now," he muttered.

"I don't," I further complained. "I just love the feeling of you beneath me, Max. Oh, Lord, is it something of a blessing."

"Harley," he warned in a deadpanned tone. "Let's just eat, okay?"

"Ah, well, I guess I have no other option but to comply." I picked up my fork and dug into the salad, too. But, I couldn't help letting out another sigh of disappointment.

"So, have you decided to come to my battle tomorrow?" the boy asked. It was such a fucking amazement that this boy could be lying on his back, urgently pressing our mouths together one minute, then sitting here and asking about a Pokémon battle the next.

But, I really hadn't decided anything. "Well," I started, ripping off a piece of the bread provided in the meal, "I do have some errands to run."

"Like what?" the boy asked suspiciously.

Ah, and I so fucking badly wanted to tell him! Even if this kid had clearly stated he didn't want anything for his little birthday, I wasn't going to agree to that. He was getting something. And, he would like it, too. I hadn't really thought about what I was going to get him, but that didn't matter right now.

"Cigarettes," I said to him, "and I think I need some dental floss, too."

Max's flat expression deepened. "We can do that before I go to the Gym."

I raised an eyebrow, realizing that he really did want me to be there with him. Not only that but I realized Max probably never had a single person ever watch one of his Gym Battles. Maybe his mother watched when he battled Norman, but that wasn't anything special. I felt awful for the kid, but fuck, I hated Gym matches!

"Well, do I get anything if I come?" I teased so I could distract myself for a moment.

"You get to see me battle," he retorted. "Watching matches is fun, Harley."

I shrugged, but felt he had trapped me in a corner. "Fine, kiddo, I'll come." I sighed, rolling my eyes for a moment. "This won't be a regular thing, because I'm not too fond of little Gym Battle thingies."

"What? Why?" the boy questioned, nearly choking on his bite of the salad.

"Not glamorous enough," I explained, "and what's the point if you can't show off how beautiful your Pokémon can be?"

"Well, I think that comes out in battles a lot. Just like strength and ability comes out in Contests," the boy shot back.

I nodded, but still didn't agree with him completely. Oh, how Max needed to learn about the physical beauty of Pokémon.

When I finished most of my salad, I crawled over to the mini-fridge, taking out one of the smaller glasses of imported vodka. I heard Max mutter something behind me, but I ignored it. There were a couple of bottles of water, which had this ridiculous sticker reading "Free!"on them. And, they better have damn well been free because it was water: the stuff you could drink out of the toilet if you goddamn felt like it.

I brought over a bottle of water for my Maximus, handing it to him but unable to shake away that bothered expression he had on his face. I sighed and told him, "I'm not going to get drunk."

Max shrugged in a sudden uncaring type of dismissal.

I snapped off the plastic lock on the top of the glass bottle, throwing it somewhere in the room. I also threw my jacket further away since it as still lying on the floor miserably.

"So, what's the gratification in drinking?" the boy asked. He then sipped his water like some innocent little schoolboy.

I took a swig of the alcohol as he said this, the liquid burning my throat in a heavenly way. I smiled, tasting some excess dampness on my lips.

"There is none," I decided to say. "I mean, people don't drink to get drunk. At least not always. People drink because it tastes good and it sort of cures your thirst." I paused, motioning the small bottle in the air. "Now, take some crackpot junkie OD'ing on their medication. They are doing that to get high, no? But, you don't drink to get that particular high, and—"

"I get the point, Harley," Max interrupted.

"Good."

Eventually, Max finished his meal, too. He sipped his water afterwards and wiped his mouth in the most adorable way possible. While he placed down the bottle, I reached out and patted his shoulder affectionately. For a moment, I thought Max pushed into the touch, but he stopped, and I wasn't quite sure what that brief fidget of movement meant. Before I made any further moves, I took another gulp of my own drink. The alcohol tasted particularly powerful now that the aftertaste of the salad was passing.

Hand still on Max's shoulder, I used my fingernails to graze the edge of his collarbone, and it sent a shiver down his body. It excited me when he shut his eyes, but I hoped the boy wasn't going to get all prude on me again, acting like he didn't still want me. Clearly that shiver he produced was made of neediness and thrill. Had that bastard of a room service man not arrived when he did, Max and I would have been joyfully exhausted and sweaty, drained but panting in the wonders of afterglow. The thought of this, the image of being strained and worn-out next to him, stirred up my lust again, and I was quick to tug on Max's arm, pulling him to his feet.

"W-What are you doing?" Max demanded, surprised.

I placed my hands on his shoulders, still standing at full height, and sighed thoughtfully. I grinned, sideways, and said, "Care to pick up where we left off, hmm?"

A flush of red washed through the boy, and he hummed a pondering sound of uncertainty. I figured he was more embarrassed by the vocal noting of it rather than the act itself. I couldn't help but stroke his cheek, looking at him fondly before I lifted him by the underarms, creating immediate panic.

"Harley!" he gasped, making it difficult to keep a good grip on him as he writhed.

He was heavier than I predicted. I was forced to shift my own weight, forcing the boy's legs to wrap around my hips. He caught onto my plan and cooperated, but remained fidgety and red. I pushed up his arms, allowing mine to encircle his chest. He was more comfortable now, seeming to feel safer, though ironically, I could've dropped the boy if I felt like it. Of course, I would never do that to my Maximus, especially since I was so amazed by how incredibly warm and eager he felt against me. Oh, and it really was something of an astonishment. I decided very quickly that this was my new favorite way to hold him, and perhaps the only way I ever wanted to from now on. It certainly was more comfortable than kneeling down all the time even if I was straining my arms now.

I continued to grin, and Max continued to glow red. I pushed the boy up in my arms, purposely making him rub against my chest before I brought out lips together. Max automatically made some sort of delightful noise, half-gasp, half-moan, and it sent more fervor into our liplock. I was quick to allow my tongue's entrance into that dark, hot mouth of his. He was hesitant, and his response, if anything, was slow and unenthusiastic. I took greater action, making our mouths collide closer and harder, tongues slithering against the other, teeth momentarily hitting due to the frenzy.

Max's breathing was hitched, and I was caught off guard by the developing hardness pressing against my stomach. I moved away from the kiss, giving a crooked little grin of acknowledgment. His growing arousal increased my own carnality. I tucked some hair behind the boy's ear, removing his glasses and holding them in one hand while I used the other to continue holding his body up. I gave the boy a pat on the back, trying to get him to move closer to me again. I readjusted my arms, feeling them slightly give out.

"Mmm, Maximus," I murmured, moving around a bit and bending down so Max could get on the bed.

Max gave me a peculiar look, but sat back on the bed, allowing me to crawl over him, pinning him down the same way I had before. As I placed his glasses onto the nightstand, I brushed my knee against his hardness, emitting a small gasp from him. I bent my back down so I could press my lips onto his shoulder, grazing the other with a wide, open palm. Max reached up, slowly, touching my arm before rising his hips in an exceptional way. I sucked in my breath, feeling restrained even more by my pants. I decided it was time for our clothing to go, and so, I wasted no time stripping the boy of his clothing. It was easier this time around, and now, having him sprawled naked in front of me, I couldn't help reaching for him, encircling my hand around his erection, hard and alive just for me.

I removed my shirt quickly, making sure to have my hips hover over his the entire time. My sweet little Max squirmed beneath me, either very desperate for contact or uncomfortable. As I looked at him, so fucking lithe and little, I was so sure that he could be carried away by a small wind like a goddamn twig. I breathed the boy's name, still lingering above his body, before I unbuckled my belt, sliding off my pants.

Greedily, I pressed our bodies together, purposely teasing the kid by colliding our hips, very much in need to feel his naked form against mine. Max let out the softest, smallest groan. I smirked widely, pushing my face into his neck. I moved against him and while skin hit skin, our thighs were quick to grind together. It was brief, but the look he gave, so hazed and needy, caused me to do it again, devilishly. I then straightened my back, sitting above him so I could take hold of his fully erect cock. I encircled it, and oh, it felt so dangerously hard and warm! I just wished he would stop suppressing his sounds and moan for me.

"Max," I urged in a purr, trying to get a better response. I pumped his length in my hand, my fingers working as I controlled my wrists in a slanting motion.

Max's reply was a loll of the head and a watered down pant. I scooted further down the bed, my upper-body aligned with his lower-half. Still holding him in my closed hand, I lowered my head, licking my lips as I prepared myself to take him in my mouth. Max, knowing I was going to do this, shifted his hips once more. I sucked my lips around my teeth, teasing the tip of him with both my hands and mouth. Max moved again, and I noticed a distinct difference between now and when I first did this in Goldenrod City. His muscles weren't painfully constricted in fear; they were more relaxed, though I sensed a slight rigidity in his body due to nervousness.

As I pushed his heated length further and further into my mouth—where it so obviously belonged!—I let my lips tightly constrict the width of it. I moved back up, leaving a wet trail of saliva, and causing Max to give the first high volume groan of neediness. I smiled through my movements, using my hand to hold his cock in position as I thrust the thing in and out of my mouth. My neck tightened, uncomfortable with the location I was at. I decided to distract myself from the pain, reaching down my body to take hold of my own erection. I stroked myself slowly, matching the rhythm I gave to Max. Losing some of my concentration on the boy, I stopped, but kept his length in my hand when I moved back up to our original position.

Teased and now very anxious, I knew Max wanted nothing more than to feel the savage and wild pleasure that would bring him to a powerful climax. I closed my eyes, smiling as I thought about the soon to come feeling of being in that boy's tight, hot ass. I moved my hand beneath him, lifting him slightly so a single finger could feel around his entrance. Max shut his eyes nervously, but I did not press in. Instead, I waited for a reaction, trying to sense a possible sting of pain.

The boy turned his head, biting his lower lip as he wormed gently beneath me. His versatility amazed me, and goddamn, it turned me on like nothing else ever could. The way he reacted to me, so full of confusing lust, made my own hunger heighten. I placed a hand on his hip, urging him to lie on his stomach. Unsure, Max dawdled, but I gave him an assuring and teasing pat on the inner thigh. When he had his back to me, flat on his stomach, I scaled over him, tracing my chest against his back. Somehow knowingly—(I knew he was a fucking faunlet, I just knew it!)—he lifted his hips up off the bed, leaving enough room so I could move my hand beneath him, taking hold of his cock for a moment.

"Max," I whispered directly into his ear, still trying to get more enthusiastic sounds from him. I pressed my erection around the back of his thighs, against his delightful little ass.

The boy's neck moved up, hitting my shoulder comfortingly as I remained behind him. I used one arm to support my weight as I wet my hand, bringing it down to my cock and moistening it abundantly.

"Tell me…" I continued. "Are you okay?" I pressed my mouth to his neck, sucking at his shoulder and chin.

Max stifled some sort of noise, and eventually gave a timid nod. "I—I think…" he breathed, and unintentionally, I felt a rise in his hips, creating greater contact with my erection lain out behind him.

"If you're not, just say it." But, oh, fucking hell, if he said no I knew I was going to just go crazy with greed and dishonor.

Max shut his eyes. "I'm fine, Harley."

Ahh, the way he said my name! I smirked, moving my hand back to his hardness, pumping it at a leisurely pace while I prepared myself—my body, my mind, even my fucking soul—to push into the boy. I tilted my hips up, moving my weight to my knees as I held my length, positioning myself. I felt Max's muscles stiffen at the first bit of contact. I stroked him with my other hand, comforting him the same way I had before. This helped, and so I continued, pushing into his body as slowly as I could possibly control myself to go.

I gritted my teeth, groaning out loudly at the amazing feeling of this boy's body. "Maximus, you—" I never quite finished, just allowing myself further and deeper.

The boy's hand gripped to the sheets, gasping uncomfortably before I paused my movements and leaned against his back. I used my tongue to graze along the back of his neck, murmuring some rather inattentive blabber. I then used both my hands to grab hold of his hips, readying myself thoughtfully to begin sending the two of us into a wild mix of delight.

"Feels good this way, hmm, Max?" I acknowledged, pulling out to begin thrusting. I wondered if he even enjoyed this position. Oh, I adored being able to see the constriction in his back and ass, but I missed his sweet face. I could only get a reasonable view of it from the side, and even that was not enough.

Max stuttered several times. His brow creased, and I felt the temperature rise in his body, sweat forming at his shoulder blades and thighs. He managed to say lowly, "Harley… I… want you to move."

Move. Fucking move. Oh, I thought for sure I was going to faint just from sheer shock. This little wanton thing wanted more, wanted me to get going like an impatient harlot! I couldn't help but grin, straightening my back as I bent my hips, pulling out, then in, and causing the most amazing twist of muscles in Max's back.

"Fuck," I grunted, wanting to savor this tight, tense grip around my cock. He was so goddamn tight, so untouched and sinless. I was so happy to be the one corrupting him, so proud and accomplished. "Oh, geez, Max, you are a such a little blessing, I swear."

"Harley…" he muttered, impatient and aggravated.

I just knew I could dig this side of him up, I knew it! My pride caused a rather rough thrust, a curve and winding of my hips. Max gasped, but remained strong, keeping his hips risen off the bed. I wrapped an arm around him, taking hold of his cock as I began a full rhythm. I pushed in deep, then pulled myself almost all the way out, driving back in as I rolled my hips. Maximus, my little Maximus, moaned with his mouth shut, creating a soft hum of pleasure. I repeated this amazing pattern, my cock so enveloped by his hot, taut entrance.

Eagerly, I felt a small movement in Max's hips, pushing back onto my length as I pushed into him. Managing to do this perfectly, the boy let out a frustrated grunt, the first real sound that was in perfect sync to our bodies. I continued thrusting, penetrating deep and hard when Max felt at ease. I knew I was making some rather amplified groans, feeling so complete as I fucked this boy, in and out, completely, fleetingly, wondrously. I pursed my lips, letting his name come out of my mouth several times before I threw my head back, shouting it and climaxing into his body. The hot, sudden feeling of my seed in his body sent Max over-the-edge, making his muscles constrict, his ass becoming tighter than before. I twisted my hips upwards, feeling his strong release in the palm of my hand, wet and so incredibly warm.

My legs giving out, I collapsed further onto my knees, still inside him possessively. Once more, I let my chest fuse against his back, stamping long, wet kisses on his neck and chin with my lips. Max panted heavily, his eyes shut and in full concentration. I finally pulled out of him, falling backwards besides my darling Maximus. He watched carefully as I brought my dampened hand to my mouth, licking off his sticky release. He seemed slightly disgusted, but not very surprised. I smiled affectionately, moving in for a deep kiss, which he obliged to almost too eagerly.

"Oh, Maximus, you are too goddamn good to be true!"

Max turned to further rest on his side, eventually lying on his back comfortably. He sighed heavily, looking faintly humiliated. I reached out to stroke his face, motioning my thumb back and forth before he finally made a noise of acknowledgment.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded, but his eyes were still closed. My chest, dampened with moist beads of sweat, rose and fell with each breath I took, trying to recover. Lord, if there was ever a miracle performed on earth, this was it. My sweet Maximus, calling out my name, having to plead with me to "move" and once again proving just how wanton and faunlet-y he could get. It was like I was a psychic, predicting his actions excellently.

When I turned to look at him his eyes were still closed, and I realized that his behavior was very different from yesterday. Had I hurt him? I wasn't sure I had been any rougher, and I knew our position couldn't have strained the kid anymore than last night's. It was easier to unintentionally hurt him, though. I frowned, reaching out and bringing the kid towards me in a tight embrace. Max was stiff and inattentive.

"Max," I called out, "tell me what's wrong." I was careful not to state it as a question.

Max's next sigh was heavy. He opened his eyes, giving me such an unreadable look. I watched as he pursed his lips, keeping his neck craned so he wouldn't have to lean down onto my shoulder. I nudged him carefully for a moment, using one arm to stroke his stomach and chest. I then moved my face up, pressing my lips right onto his cheek. And, yet, he still remained silent.

Now I was irritated. I felt the small desire to shake him violently until he spit out what was wrong.

Perhaps Max sensed my annoyance because he breathed out and began with: "I didn't really like it that way."

"That way?" I immediately echoed. I furrowed my brow, considering once again if I had hurt him. "Any particular reason, my dear?"

Max narrowed his eyes, but finally, he relaxed into my embrace, allowing my arm to encircle his body and bring him tightly against my side. He did something similar to our first time, lifting his head up and seemingly trying to sniff my hair and skin. At least he didn't want nothing to do with me.

"It was weird," he concluded. Then, after a flush in his cheeks, "I couldn't see your face."

This revelation made me smile. I pulled Max close, crawling halfway on top of him so I could see his face now. Max bit the inside of his cheek, looking up at me as I pinned him loosely to the mattress.

"Not seeing your face was a disappointment," I agreed, craning my neck down and kissing him. "But, it was still amazing, no?"

Retaining that distant stare even after the kiss, Max gave me a long sigh and voiced, "I guess."

"You guess!" I exclaimed. "Oh, Max, must I repeat it all again to prove to you how goddamn amazing you—or, rather, we—are together?" I gave a snaky smirk, running a hand down his body, to his thighs, which I slyly stroked.

Max jolted at the touch. "Harley—no, it's not that. I just… it was different!"

That was a better answer. I continued touching him nonetheless, spreading my palm across that pale, creamy flesh underneath the crook of his knee. I kissed him once more, pushing my tongue deep into his mouth, finding his and lapping them together fervently. I moaned into his mouth, bringing my hand up to his soft cock, touching it teasingly to watch him shiver. He kept his eyes open, but that quiver of his body proved a nervous side. I chuckled lowly, using my tongue on his chin, gliding it down his neck, and eventually, his chest. Max breathed in, finding a need to take hold of something. He clutched both arms around me, pulling himself up.

"Oh, yes, Max," I growled lowly. "You most certainly agree with me. We are amazing, and you know it."

"Harley…" he voiced as I gave an intentional twist of my wrist, holding his length loosely in my hand.

"Do tell me, though…" I started, tilting my head. "Why did you seem so eager if you didn't like it?"

Max shrugged, trying his very best to not get embarrassed. "I don't know," he told me.

"Still felt fucking wonderful, huh?"

"Harley," he muttered flatly. But, as he turned his head in annoyance, his body stirred, and I felt his twitch length, hardening slightly and coming to life all over again.

I chuckled once more, very impressed by how quickly he recovered. Hand still wrapped around his cock, my ministrations quickened. I felt myself grow hard now, and I made my darling aware of this by pushing my erection against his side. Max looked down at me, holding his breath. I rubbed against him, letting out lengths come into full contact. The boy gave another quiver, and I felt his arousal begin to get even harder.

"Doesn't take long to know how Max likes it," I teased, elevating his knees in the familiar, and apparently, his favorite, way. I continued to touch him with my hand even as I rose his legs, spreading them perfectly, all while Max let me, the goddamn amazing faunlet.

Max's hips rose, and he kept me tight in what was really becoming his embrace. "I don't know if we should do this again, Harley," he debated.

"No?" I laughed, shaking my head in amusement. "Why's that?"

"We just—"

I cut him off with a deep, forceful kiss. Mouth still open from wanting to speak, it was easy to slip my tongue right into Max's mouth. And, he tasted just fabulous, so sweet and divine. Finding it difficult to lean down with his legs so messily spread, I moved back up, grinding our cocks against each other, over and over until I felt the boy's hips buck and his entire body shiver.

"You want it," I growled between hard pants, tormenting him by not letting our bodies touch anymore. I wanted him to admit it. I wanted him to tell me he wanted me inside him, fucking him. And, although the ache in my cock was strong and demanding, I would suffer through it, knowing I probably could come just by him admitting it to me.

Max bit his lower lip, shutting his eyes and sucking in his breath. His hard length, aching just as mine, looked so in need of my touch, my ministrations and my mouth. He squirmed more than ever before, bending his knees up in frustration, so desperate.

"Tell me you want it, Max," I coaxed, rubbing under his knee again. I traced my hand further up, around his thigh, making him pant.

"H-Harley," he heaved. He opened his eyes, begging with those shaking pupils. He whined even further, saying, "Harley, just…"

"Just what?" I questioned. "Say it or this will go nowhere." I laughed, using a single finger to massage along his hardness. He gasped, shaking, and I scooted forward, allowing the hand roaming around his thigh to travel further down, to his hot, little ass.

Max, in a remarkable amount of force, pushed himself to me, making my entire hand come in contact with his cock and my finger press against his entrance. What a fucking delight!

"Want it, Max?" I teased, letting my finger press into him at an angle. Feeling the pressure, the constricting muscles of his already tight self, I couldn't help but go further, and meanwhile, allowing my cock to press against his thigh. And, I knew, instantly, my finger came in contact with just the right place when Max screamed:

"Harley! Okay! Please!"

I laughed, throwing my head back with satisfaction. "That's what I'm talking about, Maximus," I purred, lifting his legs again after I removed my finger. "Here's a great lesson: begging works."

"Harley," he nagged in the sultriest tone.

Still damp from sweat and my seed, I had no problem beginning to press into the boy. The tip of my cock stretched him thoroughly, allowing me to enter the agonizingly tense and firm hole. Warm, hot, flaming, torrid—it was all of those things and so much more. I wasted no time beginning to pump into his body, immediately watching his lip quiver and his hips jerk up.

"Ah, Max, yeees," I grunted, my thrusts giving more vigor with the help of my knees.

Max's eyes glossed as the air hit, having them open far too long so he could concentrate on my thrusts. My arms tightened intensely around his legs, pushing them to my chest as I drove into his body forcefully. The boy bent his knees, hunching his back as he slowly let his legs begin to wrap around my hips, changing our position for the better. Oh, this kid, this boy—my Maximus—was unbelievable! Not even two days ago would he have been thrown off by the idea of having me deep into the hilt of his ass, but now—now—he was pleading for it, wrapping his legs around me like the common strumpet.

I sheathed in and out, rutting into his body over and over until Max shouted my name, spilling his seed onto my stomach and spasms ran through his body. I gave a couple of more thrusts, hard and quick, before I came, too, biting my lip and moaning intensely as I threw my head back.

"Mmm, Max," I breathed, aftershocks still running in my body before I fell forward.

Max loosened his legs around me, pulling away so I didn't have so much weight on him. I used my forearms to balance myself, staring down at him with a hazy lust. My bangs were stuck against my sweaty forehead and Max's were clamped down just the same. His chest felt damp when I spread my palm against it, breathing into his neck closely.

Max made several attempts to say something, all efforts simply coming out as soft whimpers and squeaks. Finally, just as I moved off, still managing to snake an arm around him, the boy gave a sort of relaxing sigh, and said:

"That was… nicer."

Indeed it was, I thought to myself. I grabbed a tissue from the nightstand, cleaning off his release from my stomach. I threw the thing somewhere, then returned to hold Max tightly and kissing his exposed, craned neck.

"Just remember that begging gets you places," I quipped, teasing him by letting my lips linger inches away from his.

"It feels different now," he told me, obviously unsure what he was even saying. "I mean, it still sort of hurts, but, well, I don't know… it's just different."

I flashed my teeth in a smile, running my hand through his hair. "As it should," I said. "You're just so eager get used to me." I kissed him several times, eventually letting my tongue deep into his mouth and rubbing the back of his head with my hand.

Max's eyes shut, leaning his head back and humming into my kiss. When I broke the liplock, Max gave me a smile of the sort, asking, "You're coming to my Gym Battle, right?"

I raised an eyebrow, surprised the question had come out. I grinned at him, nodding slowly. "Certainly, darling. After this I couldn't possibly deny you anything." I stroked his back, flicking my tongue along his chin. "Ah, yes, Maximus, you are so perfectly made for these sort of activities."

Max allowed another kiss. He didn't respond very well, but I could tell he wanted to. I paused, mouths still fused, waiting for him continue the kiss the best he could. And, he did, clenching his jaw for a moment before he pulled at my lower lip, sucking it into his mouth and massaging it against his own. Slick and warm, our tongues touched, slithering around before I broke the kiss in a laugh.

"Amazing," I noted, throwing my head back against the pillow.

And, Max really was; he was fucking downright exceptional! Yet, how was it this boy spent so many years traveling alone? How could anyone have missed his impeccable, glorious traits, and his absolute apparent faunletism? Was everyone fucking blind? And, why the hell did May decide she did not want to travel with her brother? That was the most mysterious and baffling mistake of mankind. She would never know the extent of her brother's glory, though perhaps it was better she didn't. It meant everything about him was saved for me, that he alone could be mine as long as I never let him slip away.

End of Part Five