Begin With the End in Mind

by vegetables

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

6. Part Six

Part Six

-Max-

Blinded by the yellow sun and distracted by the clanging coming from the far side of the room, I was forced to open my eyes, finding myself staring up at the white ceiling. Although protected and covered by the sheets, which I had somehow gotten under, I suddenly felt very empty in the bed when I realized Harley was not with me. I sat up, still hearing the clamoring shackle of whatever was happening out of my view. I saw a shadow move about on the wall, and although I knew instantly it had to be Harley, I was still startled by the ruckus he was making.

Tempted to get up from the bed, I decided against it since I was unclothed. Plus, humiliation and embarrassment were flooding me, instantly thinking back to how I acted last night. If my behavior before was not ludicrous then now it surely was without a doubt. That had been outrageous what I did, so completely unlike me. For one, having let it happen twice and then begging. And, though I knew deep down Harley had intended this, teasing me and playing some sort of game, I still couldn't shake the mortification. Especially since I now felt so sensitive and sore in that particular area.

It wasn't the same kind of pain that I felt after the first time, because that had felt stingy and burnt; now it was a stretched hurt, and I could literally feel it with every small move I made. It upset me, but at least it wasn't stinging.

So, still staying under the sheets, I crawled to the end of the bed, looking around the corner to see Harley balancing a tray in his arm and trying to shut the door with his leg. He was dressed but still jacketless, and his hair was damp from a shower or bath, I concluded. Struggling to hold the tray, the dishes were sliding around, hitting against one another. He muttered several curses, finally slamming the door and being able to grip the tray with two hands. Now no longer at risk of dropping it, he turned, but was very surprised to see me staring at him. Quickly, however, a smile formed, and he happily swaggered over to me, setting the tray on the bed.

"Hello there, Maximus," he said, moving in front of me.

I sat up a bit more, trying to give a smile. It was hard, though, what with images rushing through my mind of what we had done. How was it Harley could so easily awaken the next morning and not be fazed by what he had done?

"Uh… Good morning," I said nonetheless.

Harley leaned down, pressing his lips against mine. I let him, but not responding, he was quick to break the kiss and give me a questioning look. I narrowed my eyes, taking a glance at the food. It was a very simple breakfast, just two bagels with some sort of flavoring cream and two glasses of orange juice. I suddenly felt guilty for not responding to his kiss, and I knew he was once again under the assumption I was clamming up on him.

The man stroked my cheek, leaning my head back so I could look at him. I blinked a couple of times before he took hold of my underarms, pulling me up and forcing me to half-stand on the bed so we were at full height. The blanket I had cleverly used to cover myself fell from my body, landing back on the mattress.

"What?" I asked, the man still holding me.

"You should eat up, so you can get to the Gym before other youngens beat you there."

I blinked again, unsure why he would go through so much trouble of positioning me just to say that single sentence. He grinned, and I carefully returned the gaze, still feeling like I owed him something for not responding to that kiss. So, I moved closer, kissing him on the lower jaw, my lips gently coming in contact with the edge of his mouth. Harley reacted to this instantly, turning his head and forcing my lips on his own. He made it deepen, pulling me towards him and embracing me tightly. I knew where this was headed, and I pulled away, annoyed.

"Harley," I grunted.

But, instead of getting flip about it, Harley laughed. He gave up, apparently, moving to sit next to me and setting the tray on his lap. He picked at one of the bagels and handed me the other. I managed to cover myself with the blanket again after I took the food. When I bit into the bread, Harley said:

"You know, I don't think I've ever had as much fun as I had last night." He sipped some orange juice and crossed his legs.

For some reason, I really felt like that was a lie. It was probably because of yesterday, when I managed to come across all those weird phone numbers, and now I suspected him to have quite the eventful past. I didn't want to think back to that fight we had, though. It was too disturbing to think about how sincerely, well, jealous I had gotten and how angry Harley had become when I revealed that. What he had called me, though… even if I forced myself not to think about it I knew I would still remember it. The tone, the volume, the sincerity; he had been just as upset as I, but he had gotten verbally violent about it, and I hated remembering the look on his face.

"Moreover," Harley went on, "I think you've proven once and for all how much you like me." His teasing was uncomfortable and very suggestive, but I remained calm and actually succeeded in blocking a blush.

Unfortunately, what he said was true. There was no way I could ever deny to Harley how I felt, not after last night. I couldn't even remember the last time I begged for something, and the fact I begged for that made me feel so stupid. But, thinking back to how much I ached at that moment—being so on-edge of some wonderful completion—I knew there was no other way I could've gotten it. How was it that Harley stirred so many needy and lustful desires in me? I had never felt that for anyone ever. It was such a powerful thing, really, and in some very weird way, I hoped that Harley was telling me the truth when he said I was able to drive him wild.

Both Harley and I finished the small meal, and I was quick to look around the room, searching for my clothing. I spotted them on the desk, neatly folded and lain out. This somewhat clean and orderly layout made me realize that the mess of last night's dinner had disappeared. I wanted to get up and dress, but the distance between the bed and desk seemed horribly far. If I got up, I wasn't sure I'd ever make it, and then I'd be forced to have my naked self exposed longer than I cared to. This sense of decency contradicted so much of my other behavior, but the line remained thick between what I was willing to do at certain times, just like Harley had suggested at the park.

"Um, Harley," I began, trying to find myself out of this peculiar rut.

"Hmm?" he wondered, smiling sweetly, which made me think he knew what I wanted even before I asked.

"Can you get my clothes?" I tightened the blanket around me, gesturing toward the attire. I really don't know why I bothered asking because I knew he was going to make some sort of game out of this.

Sure enough, this mischievous grin made its way across his face, and he said, "Oh, you don't need those."

I frowned immediately and retorted, "Yeah, I do. You said yourself I should get going." I was too frustrated to wait now, so I got up, still having the sheet wrapped around me like a closed cloak. I felt absolutely retarded, but even worse, I felt that particular soreness seize me when I rose from the bed, and I knew it wasn't going to leave me anytime soon.

Harley rushed up, practically making the contents on the tray topple over. He hurriedly grabbed my hips, and I jerked, feeling Harley's hands move over my stomach and push me back into his chest. I squirmed, but Harley was determined, and he made sure that I couldn't get anywhere. However, I realized he wasn't trying to pull off the blanket like I suspected—instead, he turned me, making me face him. My eyes widened, unsure, before he gave me a deep, long kiss, sighing into it. I gave the kiss a moment, making sure he wasn't trying to double cross me, and then eventually put my hands against his chest, pressing into him.

When we broke apart, I sucked in my lower lip, still tasting his metallic tang. I couldn't detect any strong tobacco flavor, and this reminded me he wanted to get cigarettes. In a way, I missed the taste, but I sort wished it could be there without him having to smoke. After I pushed my face into his shoulder, trying to distract him so he wouldn't be tempted to remove the blanket, I got out of his grip, eventually grabbing my clothes and heading towards the bathroom.

In there, I cleaned myself up the best I could. I felt rather dirty, still having the lingering essences of Harley's mouth and hands… It was a rather odd feeling, knowing exactly where his tongue had been, where his fingers had grazed. I wondered whether or not Harley thought similar things. I knew he could be rather melodramatic, but again I hoped his claims of me being supposedly "glorious" and "fantastic" were sincere in his eyes. At least then I wouldn't fear just being this object to him.

I left the bathroom, tidied up and fully clothed, finding Harley happily reclined on the bed amongst the disheveled sheets. I threw my blanket back on the bed with him, and he turned to look at me with a specific gleam in his eye. I was really sick of him just expecting me to read his thoughts, especially since part of me truly didn't want to know what he was thinking.

I grabbed my glasses and gave Harley a small shrug, telling him we could leave at any time. The man sat up, smiling broadly just as I went to retrieve my backpack. As I had my back turned to him, Harley wandered over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder and dragging it across as he circled my body, eventually standing in front of me. I knew he was going to make a move, but I wasn't sure what. Instead of just idly waiting and humiliating myself in the process, I looked up at him, questioning his motives. He tilted his head as if he were examining me, and when he reached to touch my face, I allowed it.

"When we leave this hotel room, are you going to start acting like nothing ever happened between us, darling?"

I narrowed my eyes. I really hadn't expected him to say this. I wondered exactly what he had in mind for the rest of the day after the Gym Battle, because he certainly made it sound like we were going to be in the position of having our relationship questioned.

I confusedly countered, "Are you going to try and make it obvious there is?" I was quite proud to have managed to formulate the question.

Harley scoffed. "Well, you know, I heard the Gym Leader is an old man," he informed me, "and you know how old men are."

I furrowed my brow. "Uh, no, I don't. What do you mean?"

The man shook his head. "You can never trust them. They go after pretty little things like you!"

My confused expression continued. "I don't know what kind of old men you're talking about, Harley, but I really doubt any respectable Gym Leader would be like you and go after me."

A proud grin developed. "Oh, really?" the man mused. "I think you'd be surprised about what many Gym Leaders, high-class trainers and even those Elite Four bastards do in their personal lives!"

I shrugged. "It isn't even our business."

"It is if one of them tries something funny with you."

I managed to smile at his concern, but it was still weird. It sounded like it wasn't so much about my well-being than it was his possessiveness. "Then I guess this gives you all the more reason to come," I told Harley. "And, his name is Pryce, by the way. He uses Ice Pokémon."

"Ice?" Harley echoed. "You don't seem to have anything strong against that."

"I know," I admitted, rolling my eyes. "But, I also don't have anything necessarily weak either. Murkrow may be a Flying-type, but he's also a Dark."

"I'm wishing you all the luck in the world," Harley said, bending down a bit to kiss the top of my head. He slid his mouth down to the side of my face, whispering, "And, if you're the victor I think that gives us all the means in the world to celebrate."

I pulled away, beginning to walk towards the door. "Can we just go?" I insisted, not caring for his little innuendoes. "You need to pick up your cigarette things anyway."

"That's right, I do." Harley nodded again, grabbing his bag and following me out the door. I noticed he left his hat on the chair, and I guessed he wasn't going to wear it today. He looked rather empty with it, especially since taking off his hat sort of seemed like a personal thing, and it was foreign to see him without it.

Of course, leaving his hat also meant we would be back in the hotel later today. Since Olivine City was so far away, it would actually be better for us not to start heading there until tomorrow morning. Even then, I doubted we'd be able to make it to the city in one day, which meant having to camp out. I wanted to breach this to Harley, but I wasn't even sure how he'd react at all. I knew he frowned upon that sort of thing, but what I feared was him suggesting not even going to Olivine or taking some means of transportation, which, in the long run, would take even more time to arrive there. If Harley didn't want to go because of something so silly I would take it upon myself just to part ways with him. I wasn't going to risk not earning a badge just because he was too sensitive to sleep outside for one night!

I decided I would bring this up at a later time, though. I knew that some part of me would actually miss Harley if we were to part ways, because as annoying as he could be—his constant lascivious attitude, for one thing—he was still exciting to be around. There was no way I could feel lonely when he was here to talk with, and maybe even on some level, what we did otherwise, was another perfect example of the way he made me feel like I had someone. I smiled at this revelation, knowing truthfully that even as conflicted as I could get about everything, I didn't really want it to end. How was it I could be so frustrated and amused with Harley at the same exact time?

Having exited the hotel, Harley and I were walking towards the direction we came yesterday. The streets were less crowded now, and it appeared that the park was practically empty. As we walked, Harley made the effort to stay right by my side despite the streets being blank. I had a feeling he was going to pull me close again, having me pressed against his side, but before anything like that could happen, the man stopped.

"This will only take a moment," he said, turning to go into a shop.

I walked halfway into the shop, staying by the entrance as Harley wandered off, going to the counter and speaking to the lady there. I stared out to the street as I waited, looking off towards the more uninhabited area of the city where the Gym and Pokémon Center were located. From here, it didn't look that busy, but I couldn't really tell. I turned around when I heard Harley approaching, the man carrying two boxes of cigarettes. He threw one into his bag then began ripping off the plastic wrap on the other, which he threw into a trash bin as we exited.

"So, my sweet," the man said, placing a cigarette between his lips, "do you have a strategy?"

"Mareep will probably do the best," I concluded, "but I'm still counting on Stantler, too."

Now Harley put his arm loosely around me, tugging me in his direction as we walked. "I'm not keen on Gym Battles as you already know, but I think watching you might be something of a thrill now that I consider it." He grabbed his lighter from his pocket, striking it to life and burning the tip of the long, white stick. "When we battled, I noticed a very intense look on your face—way different than May."

I considered this for a moment, thinking back to how May usually looked when battling. She had a very intense look, too, as did Ash. But, with May, she always became very tense, and eventually her movements grew out to something of imitating the attacks themselves. She would call out an attack, and her body would quickly morph into a clever display, her muscles bending and flexing magically as if she could predict how her Pokémon were going to perform their attack. There was nothing even remotely similar to how I battled. I knew I must have been like Ash, very strained and in deep concentration.

"May was a coordinator," I finally said, "and she had a more fashionable way of calling attacks."

"Oh? Does that mean yours truly does, too?" Harley wondered, after a long drag of his cigarette. He puffed out the smoke in my direction, cocking his head curiously.

I waved the smoke away quickly, managing to stifle down a cough. I heard Harley give a small laugh, but I spoke anyway, telling him, "I can't really remember. Or, well, actually noticed." I hoped this wouldn't upset Harley, since he could be so sensitive. But, it was the truth. Harley had never been of a single interest to me back then, so I never took the time to examine aspects of him that weren't already extremely apparent.

Harley made a thoughtful hum, and I knew part of him was considering saying something snippy. But, instead, he stayed calm and he replied, "Well, I guess I can't get too upset. I mean, back then I couldn't see in you what I see now." He gave a high-pitched laugh.

"Maybe that's because it wasn't in me," I pointed out with a huff.

"Is that a confession for now?" Harley quipped, smiling widely and rubbing my upper-arm.

"No," I argued. There was no point to getting into this again, so I pointed ahead, the Gym not far off. "Look, we're almost there, Harley."

And, as we approached further, Harley muttered, "Max, you're lucky to be what you are, because I don't think I would ever submit myself to one of these damn matches otherwise." He let out a heavy sigh, pushing his bangs up and shaking his head. "How about doing me a favor and making it quick, hmm?"

"I'll try," I blandly agreed. "But, if you truly don't want to be here, you can go, Harley. I'm not forcing you."

Harley sucked in some smoke, but waved his hand about in dismissal. "Oh, no, Maximus. Like I said, seeing you battle is worth it."

The wide and obvious building was still so much older looking than the rest of the buildings in the city. Thankfully, it looked like Harley and I were the only ones around. We entered, and there was a distinct change in temperature. It was freezing in the Gym, completely opposite to the warm air outside. Harley must have noticed it, too, because he folded his arms, keeping his cigarette between his lips as he sucked in and blew out the smoke through his nose. This was an Ice-type Gym, undoubtedly. I was actually a bit nervous now, the cold air causing some shivers in me physically and mentally.

Harley was the first to notice someone moving around in one of the halls. I looked in the direction, seeing an older man slowly sweeping, appearing in deep thought. It was obviously Pryce, and his gray, balding hair was an appropriate match to the entire Gym's dull look. All the decorations were mundane and very boring, and I could sense instantly this Leader wasn't going to have a bright and warm attitude either.

"Why, hello there!" Harley shouted, breaking the silence.

The man stiffened and turned to face us. He gave a rather unfriendly look, very flat and deadpanned. But, he stopped sweeping, resting the broom against the wall and walking over.

"Are you here for a challenge?" the man asked, his thick, white brow raising as he looked at Harley.

Harley removed the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out quite the hefty amount of smoke. "Me? No. But, my little friend here sure is." He smiled fondly at me, a grin that I knew was very suggestive beneath everything else.

Pryce eyed Harley's cigarette, immediate disapproval setting in as he watched Harley take another drag. He ignored the revelation it was me who was the challenger, and said, "Please put that out."

Harley gave a quick glare, but continued to suck in the gray fumes for a moment or two before complying. He extinguished the end of the cigarette onto the bottom of his shoe, then threw the thing into the trash as he gave a rather sardonic grin. "Sorry about that," Harley apologized, and the tone was so fake that I turned red myself, embarrassed for him.

The quick gritting of his teeth made me certain Pryce was trying to contain some of his emotions. He finally acknowledged me, looking down questionably, and asking, "So, it's you who wants to battle then. Exactly how many badges do you have?"

"I have five," I told him, frowning.

"I see," the man said. "And, is he staying?" he asked, his eyes gesturing to Harley.

"Oh, um, well, yeah, I'd like him to," I responded. Part of me wanted to laugh because Harley deserved this for being so nonchalant towards this Gym Leader. I remember how defensive my father would get when trainers and guests weren't respectful to him.

Pryce extended his arm to shake my hand. "I'm sure you know already my name's Pryce," he said.

I took his hand and quickly shook it. "Yes. My name's Max. It's great to meet you."

The Leader looked over at Harley, giving him a rather blank expression, but obviously wanting him to introduce himself.

And, so, Harley smiled, but it was false and ridiculing. "My name's Harley," he revealed in a lofty tone. "But, I'm just here to watch my Maximus battle."

The nickname was enough to produce a very peculiar look from Pryce. He eyed Harley for a moment, then me, and I felt very exposed, fearing he might have suspected something. And, Harley was feeding into this now, sensing my discomfort. He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it in an exaggerated assurance.

"And, he's quite the trainer, so I'd be on my toes if I were you," Harley went on, giving me a long, almost salacious stare.

I glared back at Harley. I knew he was pulling this because of how Pryce had treated him, and it reminded me so much of how showy Harley acted with May. He flipped his hair over his shoulder, looking at Pryce with an overwhelmed expression. I sighed and interrupted Harley's little act, by asking:

"So, what kind of match will this be?"

Pryce now seemed a bit distracted by Harley's attitude, especially since the man's hand was still on my shoulder, and I wasn't doing a single thing about it. But, the man's burning gaze finally made me shrug off Harley's touch, moving away slightly. Pryce seemed more comfortable now.

"If you don't mind, Max," he said, "I'd prefer a one-on-one match."

"Oh, how is that a challenge?" Harley exclaimed rudely.

"Harley…" I muttered, showing complete disdain towards his attitude. I wondered if he was doing this because he was truly considering his earlier statement of Pryce's intentions, or if he was just bitter for being criticized as soon as he walked in the Gym.

"Actually," Pryce began, but he was still looking at me, "I would consider this a greater challenge. You shouldn't underestimate my Pokémon, especially the one I'm planning to use."

"It sounds okay to me," I agreed. "But, my Pokémon shouldn't be underestimated either." I gave him a confident grin.

Pryce gave a small smirk and said, "All right then. Let's go to the arena."

Harley and I followed as Pryce turned and began walking down the hall he had been sweeping. When the man was slightly ahead of us, I turned to Harley, giving him another glare. Harley just shrugged his shoulders, grinning proudly at his attitude towards the Gym Leader. I still couldn't believe he had the nerve to insult one like that, as if it didn't even matter. It made being around Harley quite embarrassing, but at least Pryce was still talking to me, like he knew it wasn't me who was disrespectful and rude. Thankfully, though, I was positive Pryce hadn't quite grasped the rest of our relationship, but I still feared it… especially with the gross soreness constantly reminding me of the extent of Harley and I.

"Don't give me that look, Max," Harley quietly hissed, but he had a ridiculous smile on his face.

"Well, don't act this way," I whispered back, sneering tensely. I looked ahead of me, watching Pryce walk. His head was turned only a little bit to the side, and I had a distinct feeling he was trying to hear the banter between Harley and me.

"Until all Gym Leaders look half as nice as your father, then I have no reason to fall on my knees for them, now do I?" Harley replied, lowering himself a bit so he could say this closely to my face.

"As a Gym Leader, my father expects respect from challengers, and I think you're being pretty—"

"Your father's a Gym Leader?" Pryce suddenly interjected. So, he had been listening to us.

I turned red, pushing in my lips for a moment. "Um, yes. He's the Petalburg City Gym Leader," I told him.

"I suppose that puts high expectations on you," Pryce concluded matter-of-factly.

We entered the arena. It was even colder than the rest of the Gym, a very brisk and nippy feel to it, no doubt caused by the large battlefield spread out across the room. With glaciers decorated throughout the shiny ice, there were also several voids of water on the field. And, as always, there were two boxes for the trainers, both of which were spared the slippery coating. Instead of having large bleachers like some Gyms, this arena only had a single bench for bystanders to sit and watch. I suddenly became very nervous, knowing Harley would be watching me battle.

The Leader turned around when he stopped, gesturing towards the bench with his head. "This is where your friend can sit and watch, if he so chooses," Pryce said, looking at Harley.

"Why, thank you," Harley acknowledged. He placed a hand on my shoulder, moving in front of me. I was so scared that he was going to kiss me—right here, right in front of Pryce—but, thankfully, he just let his hand slide down my shoulder blade, quick and fast. "Good look then, my Maax-ah-muus." And, with that said, he turned, walking away towards the bench to sit.

I was red, so red, and I was forced to stare at my feet for several moments. Worst of all, I felt Pryce's piercing stare on me, undoubtedly spot-on with his suspicions. I took a quick breath, looking back up to the Leader and trying my best to remain composed.

"So, um, are you ready?" I asked, stuttering like a moron.

"Of course, Max. I suspect this will be quite the battle." He gave me a grin and walked off to the far side of the room, standing in the box.

Those sort of comments usually came after I told someone I was indeed the son of a Gym Leader. Although it was supposed to be a compliment, it was rather insulting, especially in cases like Pryce, who had previously made suggestions that minimized who I really was as a trainer. Pryce seemed to have a friendly nature underneath his current attitude, and since I had read some things about the man's past—which I wasn't sure were true, to be honest—I guessed whatever cold exterior was left was a result of not being able to let certain things go.

I sighed once more, managing to walk off to the challenger box. Harley was sitting on the bench with his legs crossed, looking rather bemused at the moment. When he noticed my stare, he gave a smile, one full of embellishment. Suddenly having a flashback of how he would treat the crowds after winning a Contest, I feared he was going to try one of his little gratitude acts, blowing a kiss or giving me some deluded wink. If he did, I knew I would just die of embarrassment. Fortunately, he did no such thing, and Pryce and I were free to begin our battle.

"Remember what I said, Max," Pryce called out from across the arena. "I expect you to treat this battle no different than that of a six-on-six match. My Pokémon are strong, and one-on-one matches bring out their best traits."

"I understand," I told him, and I knew instantly that using Mareep was my best choice.

"Then, let the match begin!" the man shouted, throwing his Pokéball onto the arena.

On the frozen coat of water came a brown hump of a creature, thick and furry with tusks extruding from underneath its large pink nose. It was a Piloswine, a Pokémon I had never seen before. I was instantly mesmerized by its somber-like look, appearing so blundering and dull. But, I knew, just as Pryce had said, not to underestimate it. Especially since it was a Ground-type, which unfortunately meant using Mareep wasn't going to do much good at all.

I clutched my fist, unsure, and for the first time—even before I had asked Harley to come with me—I considered the fact I could lose. And, what then? I would be mortified to lose a match with Harley watching. Even though he had beat me in a battle himself, losing to another opponent seemed so much more humiliating. Because, well, I cared what Harley thought about me. I didn't think I could, but now it was so painstakingly obvious. Even now—at this very moment—I was concerned with what Harley was thinking about me, whether he was judging me or thinking one of those sensational and slightly theatrical flatteries.

I had to call out a Pokémon. I was so thrown off by a Ground-type—something I ignorantly hadn't even considered—that my mind couldn't even consider a good opponent. Murkrow was probably too tired from his battle with Morty, and Stantler definitely needed more training. Hoppip. Yes, Hoppip was a good choice! Even though Flying-types were weak against Ice, its Grass attacks would surely prove formidable against Piloswine's Ground moves.

I finally moved, grabbing Hoppip's Pokéball and throwing it out. "Go, Hoppip!" I called, and the pink cottonweed Pokémon landed in front of her opponent, twirling its two, long blades and floating casually above the slippery ice. I knew for certain that not having to the touch the arena would give Hoppip an advantage.

"You chose well, Max," Pryce complimented. "I'm glad to see you didn't overlook Piloswine's Ground aspects."

I nodded, knowing that my conflicted thoughts must have been obvious for a moment or two. I set down my bag and glanced over at Harley who was still looking my way instead of focusing on the battlefield. I hoped dearly that this wouldn't last throughout the battle. I turned to face the arena, extending my arm, and shouting, "Okay, Hoppip, Poisonpowder!"

"Piloswine, dodge it, and use Take Down!"

Hoppip leafs momentarily glowed with a bright, white light, preparing to send a powerful gust of powder Piloswine's way. Piloswine used the slippery ice to drag its heavy body away, sliding all the way to the end of the field and stopping itself just before a tall chunk of ice. Hoppip flew upwards, turning and spouting the dusty grains towards in Piloswine's direction. The brown creature moved away again, pushing its weight upwards and smashing its back onto Hoppip.

"Hoppip, move away, and use Tackle!" I ordered.

Hoppip recovered quickly, floating over the swine Pokémon and escaping another possible undertake. She gracefully landed on the ice, running forward and gaining much speed on the ice before she belted herself against the other creature. Piloswine let out a holler and the muscles in its back tightened, trying its best to take the attack well.

"Endure!" Pryce commanded.

Piloswine's muscles continued to compress, and a soft glow encircled it, a sure sign the creature was powering up. Hoppip leaped up, floating in the air again and watching carefully.

"Bullet Seed!"

One after the other, Hoppip let out plenty of seeds, spitting and sputtering out the things and aiming them all over Piloswine's lofty body. Piloswine didn't even move, just remaining stiff and unnerved.

"Tackle again and then Leech Seed!" I yelled, clutching my fist and letting my voice emit throughout the entire arena. The volume of my shout made me turn to Harley, who at some point had lit another cigarette and was smoking away casually. I frowned at this sight, knowing just how unconcerned Harley was for Pryce's wishes. I wondered if he had even noticed Harley was smoking, and if so, if he planned on saying anything about it. I sure wanted to, and this wasn't even my Gym.

Looking back at the battlefield, Hoppip had already used Tackle and was now high in the air, emitting her Leech Seed from her blades. She threw it down, but Piloswine moved, rushing behind a glacier and blocking the seed from coming its way.

"Fury Attack, Piloswine!" Pryce said, his voice rough and demanding.

Behind the block of ice, Piloswine released several stings of the Fury Attack. Hoppip evaded the first blow, but moved into the next, and the strong attack was enough to send her back to the ground, slamming into the ice brutally.

"It's okay, Hoppip," I assured. "Just get up, and use your Leech Seed!"

Hoppip listened, getting back on her feet and moving in to get a good hit on Piloswine. Unable to get in the air, Hoppip slid her body around on the ice, throwing out the seed and having it land right above the swine's nose. Instantly, the brown creature shook in a quake of pain, the energy being sucked out of it and transferring to Hoppip. An intensity restored, Hoppip bounced up, finding her ability to float in the air once more.

"Ice Beam!"

"Hoppip, use Protect!"

In unison, our Pokémon prepared their attacks. Piloswine's open mouth gathered a glistening and radiant beam of ice while Hoppip shielded herself the best she could, transferring a tough blockade in front of her. Piloswine emitted the beam, sending it right into Hoppip's direction. Instantly, the ray blasted through the barricade, breaking it and slamming into the pink creature, sending her flying backwards and against one of the many, tall glaciers.

Hoppip flew against the berg, falling onto her side and onto the icy platform. Struggling to get back up, Piloswine moved around quickly, watching her attempt to get back up. I turned to look at Harley quickly, seeing him attentively staring at the battlefield this time, his cigarette trapped between his fingers and the smoke weightlessly fleeing into the air.

"Hoppip, come on, you can get up!" I encouraged, stepping forward as far as I could go without touching the ice.

The pink Pokémon managed to get back on its feet, but she quickly fell backwards again, having to press her back against the ice block to remain standing. Looking drained and dizzy, I knew she was on the verge of fainting and likely too tired to even use Leech Seed or Giga Drain.

"Piloswine, finish this off with Hyper—"

Pryce stopped mid-sentence at the sight of Hoppip's shaking body suddenly glowing, a radiant light unlike that of any attack. The light overtook her entire form, bright and blinding and allowing Hoppip to fully stand.

"Oh, Max, darling! It's evolving!" Harley shouted from the side of the room.

I blinked several times, watching the creature's form change in the light, developing into an even rounder shape. The long blades on her head disappeared, changing into a flat, thick bud. The light went away, and I saw the new green and yellow Pokémon standing strongly on the ice.

"Yes!" I cheered, a wide smile developing. "All right, Skiploom, Giga Drain!"

Pryce regained his concentration and finished his earlier statement: "Use Hyper Beam!"

Skiploom was quick—a lot faster than Hoppip—and she speedily zoomed on top of the ice, the flat flower beaming to life and sending a quick burst of light onto Piloswine and stopping the creature's attack instantly. Again, the swine jolted and shook as energy was rapidly taken away, making the creature lose its balance and fall helplessly on its side.

"Solar Beam!" I ordered.

And, Skiploom remained quick, gathering a handful of light into her body, the energy building and building as Piloswine gave all its might to get back up, just as Hoppip had done.

"Come on, Piloswine!" Pryce urged.

But, before Piloswine even comprehended its trainer's encouragement, Skiploom released the attack, sending a full-fledge burst of light right onto its body. The swine's body was thrown back, hitting and breaking a glacier before falling by the void of water and lying there stiffly, fainted.

Several seconds went by as Piloswine made one or two attempts to get back up before it just fell back down, unconscious. Skiploom made a squeal of excitement, rushing back over to me and throwing herself against my body in a triumphant embrace. I took a few steps backwards to keep my balance, but ultimately wrapped my arms around the small creature, bringing her close.

"Skiploom, you were amazing!" I complimented enthusiastically. "I can't believe you evolved!"

The Pokémon squeaked with a satisfied smile. I patted her several times on the head before setting her back on the ground. When I stood back to my regular height, I saw Harley swaggering over to me, the cigarette he was holding nowhere to be found and obviously discarded wherever. He gave me quite the warm smile, and for once, I didn't feel embarrassed or suspicious by it; instead, the beaming look made me feel accomplished and proud, knowing that he was actually happy for my victory.

"I just knew you would win, my dear," he said to me, brushing his hand in my hair. He didn't even stop when Pryce began walking over. In fact, he did a couple more times before I pulled away myself, turning to face the Leader.

"You did very well, Max," the man said. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this." I noticed the man had recalled his Pokémon and was now holding a small, pale badge in his hand. He waited for me to open my palm so he could place the small object in my hand, and then announced, "The Glacier Badge is yours, Max." He gave a noble smile.

"Thank you very much," I said, taking the badge. I examined it further, seeing that the blue and white emblem was shaped like a snowflake. I turned to show Harley, and voiced, "I only need two more badges now, Harley!"

Harley flashed his teeth in a grin, then looked at Pryce with a somewhat cocky expression. "What did I tell you, hmm?"

Pryce was not amused with Harley's remark, and went into asking, "Do you have any Pokémon?"

"Yes, I sure do," he admitted happily. "I'm a coordinator."

Again, the man carefully eyed Harley and me. "Is that so?" he mused. "Well, then I'm sure you know about the Contest in Olivine City this week."

"Of course," Harley said, acting as if he were going to enter. In reality, Harley had repeatedly expressed total disinterest in the competition since he was on his little "vacation" and all.

Pryce returned to looking at me. "This was an excellent match. I'm glad to see your Hoppip evolve. That always makes a battle more interesting."

"Thank you," I repeated. "The outcome would've been pretty different if she hadn't evolved, though."

Harley placed a firm hand on my shoulder, half out of show, half out of just being Harley. "Oh, Max, I think you would've found a way around it," he assured as he began rubbing his thumb against my skin.

"Well, um…" I stuttered out, looking at Pryce. "It was nice meeting you. Thank you for the match." I pulled away from Harley and quickly returned Skiploom after a small gush of pride. I then began walking away from the battlefield, feeling Harley following closely behind.

"Good luck at your next Gym Battle," Pryce called out.

When Harley and I made it outside the Gym finally, I stopped walking and examined my badge once again, but this time, in the bright light of the sun. Every badge looked better than the last, and this Glacier Badge certainly was no exception. It was so shiny and new. I dug into my backpack, grabbing my yellow badge case and placing it right next to the Fog Badge. I gave a grin and showed Harley the six, perfectly aligned, badges.

"I should call my parents and tell them!" I said with excitement. "Considering how I just earned my Fog Badge yesterday, they'll be absolutely floored."

Harley scoffed, taking the case in his hands and looking closely at all my badges. "And, anything to make yourself look better than May, hmm?"

I bit my lip. "N-No," I argued. "This is just the fastest I ever earned two badges."

The man shut the case and grinned. "I'm sure Daddy will be proud. I sure am." Harley gently hit me on the head with the case and then handed it back to me. "Though, I can't say I cared for what's-his-face very much."

I took my case and put it away, giving Harley a dissatisfied expression. "Yeah? Well, that happens when you're a total jerk in front of a Gym Leader."

Harley laughed, putting an arm around me and guiding me further away from the building. "To deny a man a cigarette is absolutely unacceptable," he explained in a sad tone. "Anyway, that didn't stop me from having another later on, which he most certainly did not stop, so I can assume he really didn't give a damn in the first place and was just being an ass."

I sighed. "And, is there a reason you lied to me by saying you weren't going to make things obvious and then doing so anyway?"

"Max, I promised nothing," he assured. "We came to no agreement on those terms, so I found nothing wrong with my actions."

What he said was actually true. We truly hadn't come to any agreement, which I now regretted. "Still," I continued to argue, "I think he knew something."

Harley waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, it doesn't matter, though!"

"Where are we going?" I suddenly asked, noticing we were far away from the Gym and the rest of the town. Ahead of us was a large, spread out field and a single, rather hilly, path cutting across. There was a sign that read Route 43 on it.

"You're the one that mentioned the Lake of Rage," he said. "So, I figured we ought to check it out."

I brightened, looking up to him as we walked. "Really?" I wondered. "I didn't think you would care."

Harley smiled at me "I rather enjoyed our fishing yesterday," he admitted. "I thought maybe another round would serve us both good. Maybe we can catch something this time."

"I am so catching something today!" I exclaimed, pumping up my arms. "First a badge, now a Pokémon."

Harley's smile widened. "This is the Maximus I like seeing," he commented, bending over and kissing me on the cheek all while continuing to walk. "That little pissy boy who doesn't like to be touched isn't my cup of tea."

I grunted, not liking his comment, but allowing the kiss anyway. As we began walking through the path, Harley pulled me closer to him by encircling his arm around my hip. I allowed this also, but felt a distinct shiver of discomfort run through me, though I wish I didn't. I wasn't sure why, but I suddenly wished I could just be 100 percent comfortable around Harley and not have to worry about anything.

"I still haven't seen your Sneasel yet," I reminded Harley, trying to fill the sudden silence.

"Oh, my, you're right!" the man exclaimed. He was quick to reach into his bag, searching for the Pokéball. When he found it, he threw it ahead of us, allowing the creature out of the ball and onto the path.

The Sneasel was small and dark and actually looked a lot friendly than some I had seen. The bluish-black Pokémon instantly recognized Harley, jumping back towards him and making several shouts of its name. Harley stopped walking and turned to me.

"Sneasel, this is Max," he introduced, just as he did with Totodile.

Sneasel looked at me for only a second then put its attention back on Harley. The man allowed the creature to jump onto his shoulder, balancing half of its weight on Harley's back. Unlike Harley's other Pokémon, this one seemed rather affectionate, proven now how it was happily rubbing its face up against the side of Harley's. I watched as it continued to playfully paw him, and the two of us began walking again. When Harley noticed I was watching admirably, he cocked his head and gave a waggish grin.

"Jealous?" Harley wondered. "Wish it were you all over my face, do you?"

I furrowed my brow. "No!" I shouted, and it was the truth, too. "I just never saw you so affectionate with your Pokémon. I mean, yesterday you hugged Totodile, but this—this is definitely different."

Harley patted Sneasel's head. "Well, my little Sneasel is too cute not to ravish," he explained. Then, after a pause, he added, "Kind of like you, my love."

"Love," I echoed bitterly. "Out of all your little pet names, I really hate that one the most. Can't you just call me Max—you know, my name?"

Harley exhaled. "Max isn't a very interesting name, though. I can turn it into quite a few things, and then totally invent my own names. You're just that special." He winked at me slyly, then pointed ahead. "I spot a lake!"

I squinted ahead, seeing the blue outline of the water, too. I also noticed there were quite a few boats on the lake, scattered about everywhere. I could even spot a variety of people alongside the water either standing or sitting, all with fishing rods in their hands. I was surprised to see how busy the lake was, though I suspected everyone there was secretly hoping there might have been another Red Gyarados.

When Harley and I made it out to a clearing, I noticed a narrow little building resembling the small fishing shack we had seen on the way to Mahogany Town. It seemed to be the same kind of building, where you could indeed rent equipment, but it was much tidier and spruced up. There was also a videophone under the wooden awning, which reminded me that I needed to call my parents. I hoped Harley would comply to go away as I called.

"I'll go get our fishing equipment," Harley suddenly said. "You go find us a pretty place, preferably away from all these people." The man placed a hand on my head, leaning down and speaking to me eye level.

"Uh, I actually need to call my parents," I told him.

"Hmm, I see." Harley let Sneasel jump off his shoulder just as the man bent down a little and gave me a strange, very odd embrace with a single arm. "But, I doubt either your parents can give you any sort of congratulations that matches this." He smiled, then pressed our mouths together, worming his heated tongue through my closed lips and sliding it against mine. Harley forced my head to fall back, and I closed my eyes, reaching up to grab his shoulder so I wouldn't fall backwards. Before Harley completely pulled away, he pressed his lips on my forehead and gave another smile.

I sucked in my bottom lip, still tasting the tobacco from his mouth. I felt sad that he had broken the kiss so soon, but I was too nervous to fuse our mouths back together. I wasn't sure how he'd react to that, though part of me knew he wouldn't have minded. Nonetheless, I continued to keep my hand on his shoulder, not really realizing one of the many people around the lake could be watching. I pushed those possibilities to the back of head and let our eyes stay in contact as I licked my lips gingerly and slowly moved closer to him.

Harley didn't move. Instead, he waited for me to make the kiss happen. I was slow, but eventually, I let our lips meet once more, and Harley was quick to turn it into a fervent, passionate liplock. I let out a strangled hum, feeling him kneel to his knees, pulling my shoulders forward so we were closer. For some reason, I smiled idiotically, and it made the kiss uncomfortable and quaint. Harley smiled, too, breaking the kiss, and whispering:

"Quite the precocious little thing when you want to be."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment," I replied.

"Oh, it is," he assured, rubbing my back. "Now, go call Daddy."

I frowned and then walked by him, heading towards the phone as he walked inside the small wooden building with Sneasel. I stared at the blank screen for a while before managing to dial. I took a deep breath, craning my neck to the left to make sure Harley wasn't coming back out. Just as I looked back at the screen, it came to life, displaying my father. He smiled instantly when he realized it was me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Max!" he greeted. "It's good to hear from you again. Your mother and I didn't mean to miss your call yesterday."

"That's okay," I said as I reached into my bag. I brought out my badge case, opening it and moving it towards the screen. "Ta-da!"

My father's eyes widened, and he moved in to get a closer look. "There's six, Max!" he gasped. "Kenny said you earned your fifth."

"Yeah," I said, "I did, but I just got my sixth one today!"

"Really?" he wondered. "May just earned her third ribbon, so it looks like you two are both doing excellently."

I wasn't surprised by this comment, but it still bothered me. "Thanks," I just said.

"So, are you in Mahogany Town?" he asked.

I nodded, but let my eyes drift off the screen when I felt the presence of someone lingering around. I looked to see Harley standing by the door of the building, giving me a curious look as he held a pair of fishing rods and a tin of various supplies. Sneasel was by his feet, not moving at all, just like its trainer. I bit my lip, suddenly very nervous. I felt my face flush, and I stuttered a couple of mixed words before getting my act together and replying intelligently:

"Yeah, um, yeah, I am."

My dad caught on to my nervousness and furrowed his brow questionably. But, instead of asking what was wrong, he asked, "Are you still going to be there for a few days?"

I suspected this was about my birthday and how my father and mother wanting to send me something. I considered his question for a moment, figuring that by the time it was my birthday, I'd be in Olivine City… with Harley…

I exhaled, completely embarrassed all of the sudden. I couldn't believe that I was standing here, talking to my father while Harley just stood, off-screen, with me knowing he was there, but my father completely oblivious to his existence and what I had done in the last week. These thoughts were just the same was when I was talking to Kenny. It was as if I were lying directly to his face.

"Actually, I might be in Olivine," I finally answered. I glanced over at Harley, watching as his lips developed into a smile. He was obviously dying to know whether or not it was my dad I was talking to and what we were talking about. This made me even more nervous, and I stuttered out, "Um, I think I need to go now. I'm sorry…"

My father nodded. "All right. Talk to you later, son."

"Okay, bye." I quickly hung up the receiver. I turned away from the screen, stuffing my badge case back in my bag and exhaling deeply.

Harley walked over slowly, snaking an arm around me and saying, "Did you tell Daddy I said hi?"

I made a grunt. "Hardly," I said, annoyed. "You made me feel completely retarded, though."

"Hmm, well, I'm sure Norman spoke wonders of May." There was a cruel gleam in Harley's eye, one that reminded me instantly just how callus Harley could be if given the opportunity.

"I really shouldn't call my parents anymore," I concluded, sighing heavily. "All it ever does is upset me."

Harley jabbed me with one of the fishing rods. "Now, don't say that. I couldn't bear the thought of Norman losing his only son." The man began scooting me along, urging me to begin walking towards the lake since I had failed to pick a spot for us to fish.

"I'm not saying I should cut him off," I defended. "I just think I should call them less. For a while I did, and it actually made things easier."

"Whatever works for my Max," he concluded. After a moment, Harley made a considerate hum and then smacked his lips together.

xxxxx

-Harley-

I watched as my Max sat down beneath a pathetic treed area we had found, which was very far off from everyone else. I followed suit, slowly sitting after I brushed away some dirt and leafs. Sneasel, meanwhile, rested closer to the tree, sitting against it and closing its big, red eyes. I handed over one of the fishing poles to Max, then opened the gray tin.

"Max, do you have any Pokémon food?" I wondered, picking around for a suitable lure.

The boy blinked, but eventually nodded. "Yeah," he answered, turning to dig into his bag and handing over that organic crap I had seen before. "I should let out Skiploom," he then said, taking out the Pokémon's ball and releasing the creature.

As Max prided the damn thing for the billionth time, I opened the bag of food and poured a hefty amount before Sneasel, who began picking at it stubbornly. Hoppip—Skiploom, whatever the fuck it was—waddled over and began eating, too, looking at Sneasel with interest. I turned away and went back to setting up my line while Max talked to the two Pokémon. When the boy came back over, he began messing with his own line, and I could vaguely sense that the phone call to his parents was still lingering over his head. I was tempted to ask about it, but I knew it would only get the boy all frazzled again. So, instead, I decided it was better to just woo him up a bit, like always.

I threw the line into the water. "Max, my sweet," I said, "as you battled, I couldn't help but notice the alluring way you got all frustrated." I pursed my lips, trying to suppress my grin. What I said was very, very true. Oh, that boy looked ridiculously adorable with his fist clenched, his brow furrowed and his leg muscles all tense!

I already sensed a snide remark coming, and sure enough: "Yeah, and you sitting there smoking was alluring, too." The boy frowned at me and threw the rod's line into the water after hooking the lure to it.

"I know," I retorted. I reached over, slapping the boy's back playfully. A small, pleasant gust of wind brought me back to facing the lake. The water was bright and sparkly, almost transparent in some areas. If I squinted, I could see a few Pokémon swimming about, although I couldn't tell what kind they were.

I looked back over at Max, who was staring out at the lake as well. Ahh, why did it have to be so early in the day? I wanted so badly to fuck this kid again. That thought might've come off as a completely random and sad desire, but it really wasn't. If people just knew how this kid presented himself, how he made me want him no matter how early it was in the day. I mean, Christ, when he had woken up in the morning I was tempted even then to push the boy back onto the bed and shag him mercilessly.

I had been in his ass three times, and I still wasn't satisfied. By now, I had no idea what would satisfy me, but I didn't really care to mull that over. Max was here, he was compliant (when he chose to be), and I had him all to my fucking self. Not even his goddamn sister could take him away from me! Just the thought of that, knowing I had her brother—who I'm sure she was desperate to makeup with—oh, it made me beam with pride and accomplishment. She had lost Max, and now, now he was all mine.

Of course, I still didn't know exactly what had caused their falling out, though I pretty much guessed. I figured it had to do with when she went to Johto by her onsie, leaving my poor Maximus to fend for himself back home. Oh, the poor faunlet had every right to stay pissed at that sister of his. Where did she get off abandoning him like that? If she hadn't, and if she had taken him to Johto with her, I might've even seen his faunletism earlier. Oh, I was aching for the possibility of May finding out about us—I really was!

Startled by a squeal, I turned my neck, seeing my Sneasel had finished eating as much as she could. She gave me a look, hinting at wanting to rest in her ball. I dug out the object in my bag, wishing her a sweet rest and returning her. Max followed suit once Skiploom was finished, but did not say a single word, even to his Pokémon. I figured for an absolute certain that Max's mind was busy with thoughts and questions concerning his dear kin, May. I decided to breach it.

"Max," I started, puffing out my cheek to appear nonchalant, "are you willing to tell me exactly what has you so worked up about May?" And, yes, it was really a pointless thing to ask considering I had not only concluded it myself, but also knew Max was going to get upset. Maybe I could make that work to my advantage, though. If he got upset, I could comfort him. And, if I comforted him, oh, Max might've been willing to show me his faunlet side once more.

Max looked over to me, then back at his fishing line, which gently moved about in the soft wind. "I already told you," he said in a tinge of embarrassment. "You already know about when I call and how I feel compared to her success."

"Why, yes, I do know that," I replied smoothly. "But, I was hoping you'd let me in on exactly why you haven't chosen to make amends with your sister."

Max sighed, now uncomfortable. "I don't know," he decided to say, and it was just a result of now clamming up.

"I think you do," I insisted.

"Well, you know what it's like to have to compete with her," he muttered. "Of course, with you, that's literal, but with me, I'm competing against her in a different sense. And, I don't really like that, because I shouldn't have to—she's my sister. But, I've always been jealous of her in some way, because she's older and stuff." He gave a shrug, making it seem like that was the conclusion.

"Keep going," I urged, my tone proving just how interested I was in his words. But, I could tell he was nervous about sharing anything that involved May, because that's where he didn't trust me. It was ironic, really. He'd let me suck his cock and shag him, but he simply wouldn't talk about little Maykins.

"Harley," he said, looking at me in puzzlement, "this really doesn't matter right now."

"Ah, come on," I sighed out. "Didn't you always imagine traveling with your sister once you were a trainer?"

"A little," he admitted. "It's not about that, though. I mean, it was three years ago when she went to Johto, so maybe I am sort of over that, but it's really just about never seeing her in general… I don't know…" The boy let out a frustrated sigh.

Shamelessly, I scooted closer, wrapping an arm around him. "Now, as you know, Maximus, I would never want to push you to make amends with her, because if you asked me, it's not a big loss, but I can see how this affects you, and it concerns me!" I grinned away from him, wondering if he'd be able to see through my overdramatic spew.

Max made a noise in the back of his throat. "I doubt it does. You don't care if I'm on bad terms with May. In fact, I bet you love it. Why wouldn't you? You hate her!"

I grabbed hold of the boy's chin, forcing him to look at me as I gave him a sly grin. "But, I don't hate you, Max." I gave a serious look, letting my eyes widen to emphasize the truth.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter," he grunted, narrowing his eyes. "Sure, I don't see her anymore and we don't talk, but… maybe you're right. I mean, I haven't spoken to her in months, but I'm still a trainer, and I'm still earning badges."

"And, now you have me," I concluded. "So, see, you're not completely alone." I closed the space between us, kissing him directly on the mouth while still holding his chin. I pressed into him hard, feeling his glasses on the bridge of his nose and the hot air escaping his nostrils.

Surprisingly, Max closed his eyes and was welcoming to my tongue that prodded his mouth open and collided with his. I felt his free arm shift, moving between our bodies and clutching at the fabric of my jacket. Apparently very needy, Max made no effort to fight when I reached behind him, running my hands through his hair. We broke apart for a moment—Max taking a deep breath and me losing my grip on my fishing pole—before our mouths fused back together, and I pushed my hand underneath the boy's shirt. Ahh, and his skin was so fucking warm and soft. This reminded me of the taste of his skin, and I quickly moved my mouth down his chin and neck, sucking at his shoulder blade.

"Harley!" Max gasped, pulling away.

"Mm, what?" I wondered, giving him a questionable look.

"Something's on my line!" he shouted, pushing me away and using both his hands on the fishing rod.

I glanced over to my abandoned one on the ground, not seeing a single bit of movement. I quickly looked back over to Max, who was pulling the rod with all his might. He then stood up, backing up and winding in the line as he continued to pull. I let out a quick huff, both angry that we had been interrupted and that he was so quick to dismiss what we had been doing.

The boy skidded across the grass for a moment as he struggled. I considered helping him, but I wasn't sure if he'd freak out like last time. He had no reason to, as we had just been making out two seconds ago—but oh, little Maximus was so annoyingly notorious for his little mood swings. I sighed, getting up, too, and helping the boy by looping my arms under his own struggling ones. I felt him tense, especially when I intentionally pressed my lower body up against his back.

"It's getting away, Harley!" the boy complained, pulling his arms over his shoulder, tugging the best he could.

I exhaled, relishing his taut back against my chest and his raspy gasps of impatience. I quickly shook away the greedy thoughts, yanking the boy backwards with all my strength. He stumbled violently, causing me to as well, and the sudden force put into our fall caused the line to burst from the water. Still attached to the line, the creature flopped into the air before falling onto the land in a sudden plop.

"Harley, it's a Corsola!" the boy exclaimed, quickly moving away from my grip and turning to grab his backpack.

The pink, stubby thing of a Pokémon hopped from its side back to its feet, bending forward and ready for a fight. Max threw a Pokéball from his bag and Skiploom came floating out, an equally anxious look on its face. The boy rushed up behind his Pokémon, clutching his fist and pointing to the Corsola with his other arm.

"Okay, Skiploom, Tackle!" he ordered, and oh, he was so demanding and fucking adorable!

And, so, the little cottonweed charged forward, slamming its weight against Corsola and causing the Pokémon fly backwards. The coral creature jumped back on its feet, running forward with its own attempt of a Tackle. Skiploom jumped up, dodging it instantly and landing behind its opponent.

"Bullet Seed!"

Producing multiple seeds from its small mouth, Skiploom sputtered them out, and one by one, they hit Corsola, making it skid an inch across the grass with each heavy pelt. Fallen on its side, Max grabbed his backpack again, throwing things here and there as he dug into it. I watched intently, witnessing frustration sweep over the boy's face as his movements became more and more neurotic and unstrung.

"I can't find it!" he blurted out. "I can't find my Lure Ball!"

"Lure Ball?" I questioned, furrowing my brow. I looked back over at Corsola, only to find the creature back on its feet and making a cowardly run for it. "Oh, it's fucking going back into the water!" I informed him.

The boy dropped his bag, watching as the stupid pink coral thing hopped back into the water, swimming away briskly. He bit his bottom lip, probably silencing a vile remark before he threw down his bag in aggravation and turning away from the scene entirely. I blinked several times, watching as the boy continued to bite his lip, seeming to press down harder and harder by the passing second.

Skiploom approached its trainer, speaking up loudly and standing by Max's leg. Max looked down at the creature, bending to pat its head and praise it despite the failed capture. Max returned Skiploom, sighing deeply once more and turning to face me with the saddest little face ever. I smiled warmly, delicately offering my open arms. Max gave me a deadpanned stare, sagging his shoulders and not moving an inch before I raised my eyebrows and gestured my arms out a little more.

"A hug isn't going to make me feel better," he droned, but nonetheless, he scuffled over, pressing himself against my chest and sighing into it. I smirked wickedly, closing my arms and tucking them beneath his underarms. I lifted him before he had a chance to protest, holding him the same way I held him the previous night.

The boy squirmed a bit, but I felt for certain that he was trying to get comfortable beyond anything else. When he settled, he narrowed his eyes, saying, "I hate fishing."

I laughed, shaking my head and mischievously sliding a finger beneath the waist of his shorts. "And, I hate seeing your pretty little face all upset-like." I grinned, teasing him by letting my lips linger around his face. "Pokémon flee all the time—you're no failure, my Maximus."

"Whatever. Anyway, stop humiliating me even more," he demanded, placing his hands on my shoulders and trying to slide off my body. When I pulled him closer he stayed still, and added, "Do you even realize you do that?"

"Maybe, but then why do you let me?" I raised my eyebrows and cocked my head. I then flashed my teeth at him, playfully clamping them together as I leaned in, pretending to bite his chin.

"Harley," he groaned, pushing me away. But, all this did was turn me on, per usual. The way he insisted calling out my name was so arousing! "You're way too obsessed."

"With good reason," I told him, scraping my teeth along his cheek. "You know, Max, I'm not one for voyeurism, but I'm willing to make an exception right here and now, just for you."

This made Max frown, and he put all his effort into pushing me away and allowing himself to drop back down to his feet. I gasped at the sudden loss of weight, but the boy remained close to my chest, looking up as he furrowed his brow with disappointment. I bent down, kissing him on the head and making his eyes shut magically. And, just because I could, I snaked an arm around his waist and smacked him hard on that delightful bottom of his. The boy let out a yelp, backing up from me and giving me quite the puzzled look.

"Harley!" he yelled once again, this time with astonishment.

Ah, just the reaction I was hoping for. I played innocent, however, giving him a clueless look and stating, "So, Norman never did spank this naughty little son of his." Well, it wasn't much of playing innocent, but it was fun to play this way anyway.

"Stop," Max demanded, his tone completely serious. "You're disgusting."

"Disgusting, obsessed," I mused, mimicking all the things he called me. "Why do I put up with your rambunctious fucking self?"

Within a second I saw it—a flicker, a glimmer, a flash—but, oh it was there: this small tilt of his lips, his fight to keep his mouth completely straight. But, he wanted to smile; he wanted to smile and say something absolutely snarky and quirky. Why he chose not to was either because he didn't want to admit he was mine, or because he knew any statement acknowledging our relationship would thrill me in more ways than one.

"Say it," I insisted, a cool smile gracing my lips. Then, slowly, I repeated, "Why do I… put up… with your rambunctious… fucking… self…?"

The boy gaped, then bit his lip, then narrowed his eyes, then sighed. He looked up at me slowly, opening his mouth and letting it hang for several moments before he said, "Because you like me." He shrugged.

I gritted my teeth, realizing this boy had purposely sucked out every bit of possible erotic twist that could've been injected into several variations of that sentence. What a fucking brat! I rolled my eyes, straggling over to him as I cornered him against one of the many pathetic trees around us. He gave me a nervous look. I gave him a roguish one. And, when I dropped to my knees, placing a single hand on his shoulder and pushing back some of my own hair, the boy gave a meek grin.

"You're not being completely truthful with me," I revealed, protruding my hips out and forcing my thighs to rub against the boy's. "Tell me the truth. And, don't make me repeat the question."

Max stayed completely silent, watching my every move: my smirk, my hand tucking some hair behind my ear, my several blinks. I even sucked in my bottom lip, letting my tongue stick out as I lapped it against both my lips, slowly and leisurely. I grinned like a madman, allowing my palm to press against his chest and crawl down to his stomach. Max gasped loudly when I lifted my thigh, letting it rest against his crotch. He fidgeted, but eventually, settled, lolling his head back against the rough bark on the tree.

"Tell me," I insisted. "Tell me the truth." My hand was quick and fast, slipping into his pants through the waist. I came in contact with his slightly hard cock, hidden underneath his tightly worn undies.

"Okay, Harley, stop," he blurted out, grabbing hold of my wrist.

"Not until you tell me the truth," I whispered.

His cock was warm—so fucking warm!—and I let my fingers trace around the width slowly, feeling it grow harder and harder. I wrapped my fingers around, giving it two or three long jerks before the boy made a strangled gasp. I used my other hand to unzip his shorts, making the access less constrained.

"What truth?" he asked, sincerely confused. A second later, he let his mouth drop a bit more, breathing in and closing his eyes. The grip around my wrist loosened, until it fell all together.

I laughed lowly, keeping my own grip around his hot, needy length. The boy's legs tensed in an attempt to stay still, but I urged him on, stroking his cock over and over and watching as his brow furrowed deeply. I straightened my back, leaning up and locking my lips on his. Very hesitantly, he returned the kiss, and I supposed in many ways, he was trying to distract himself from my moving hand.

"So, you say I like you," I said, "but why? What makes you so irresistible to me?" I wondered, letting my movements slow and my lips hover over his.

The boy jutted his hips into my touch, but he quickly corrected his movement and pressed himself back against the tree. "You're just teasing me," the boy spewed, and I had to admit that he was doing a pretty good job standing his ground.

"Of course I am!" I told him with a smile. "But, you do it to me every hour of every day." My wrist twisted back and forth, pressing his cock directly into my flat palm and lifting it gently.

Max's knee bent, and he craned his neck, searching subconsciously for a kiss. I did not oblige, simply taunting him further with a quick flick of my tongue against his cheek and a jerk of my hand beneath his pants. The boy made a small squeaky grunt—more of a whine than anything else—and I yanked my hand out of his pants, smashing my chest against his and rubbing our thighs together.

"H-Har-Harley…" he gasped out, shutting his eyes and slowly moving his hips. Oh, and how he wanted my hand back around his cock!

"Mmm, my sweet little Maximus," I moaned, tugging at his shirt collar and then trailing my tongue up the side of his face.

Ahh, and magnificently, the boy—the same innocent little tart, who, just a moment ago, had grabbed my wrist and tried to halt my movements—slid his hand down to mine, urging it back to where it once was, but where I teasingly refused to let it stay. I chuckled, pressing up body tightly against his as I returned to stroking his heated, practically swelling, cock in my hand.

No longer caring for an answer to my playful little question, I pumped his length again and again and began sucking his bottom lip with my teeth. Max let out another inaudible moan, reaching up to clutch onto something, just to find the only thing was, once again, my jacket. He pushed himself forward, resting his chin on my shoulder and breathing heavily. With another jerk of my wrist and a twist of my palm, the boy came, his seed spilling over my hand and his voice calling out my name in a heated frenzy.

I kept my hand still for several moments, but eventually slipped it out of his pants and brought it to my mouth to lick off the sticky, sweet fluid. Max watched intently, catching his breath and keeping his lips parted. I brought my hand up to his mouth, pressing it against his lips forcefully. Max turned away in disgust and smacked my hand in the opposite direction.

I laughed and kissed him through a smile. I pushed back some of the hair in his face and zipped up his pants, patting him securely, which aggravated him greatly. I stood up, dusting off my knees and sighing heavily. Although incredibly hard myself, I tried my best to ignore it. I looked over at Max, who had his eyes closed and was still breathing in and out tiredly.

"The least I deserve is a nice big thank you," I stated, raising my eyebrows high.

Max finally looked up, a deep blush developing across his face before he gaped several times, attempting to say something. "I… I want to leave now," he muttered.

"One failed capture and already giving up?" I wondered. "Just like last time. You certainly have no patience."

"Well, neither do you," Max countered. "If you hadn't done—done this, then maybe I would've caught something." The boy huffed.

"Oh, blame me, will you?" I grunted. "Once again: you could've stopped moi."

There was a very meek smile on Max's face, but he remained embarrassed nonetheless. I gave him an impish little wink and then grabbed my bag from the lakeside. The boy grabbed his as well, then went to pick up his fishing rod. I stopped him, pulling his arm and urging him to just leave it. He did, allowing me to drag him along, but still dawdling sluggishly.

"It's pretty rude to just leave everything here," the boy noted.

I shrugged, pulling his arm harder so he stumbled in front of me. "Consider it revenge for their damn lake not giving out," I told him.

"Hey, wait!" Max suddenly shouted, stopping in his tracks. He pointed towards a leafy, full tree, decorated with various pulpy pink fruit, which were undoubtedly some sort of berries.

I stopped walking and gave Max a small shrug. "What about it?" I wondered.

"Those are Pecha Berries!" he exclaimed, shaking off my grip and walking off towards the tree. "We should pick some and make some PokéBlock."

I raised an eyebrow and followed. Max looked up to the tree in awe, and I could tell he was really fucking interested in the goddamn tree. Just to tease him, I swatted my hand forward, slapping his ass once again. He turned around and glared.

"I hope you know that I'm already sore from what you did last night. And, that doesn't help."

Sore? My expression softened, and I gave him a warm smile as I put an arm around his adorable little shoulders. "Oh, my poor little darling," I comforted. "That's certainly not what I intended." I continued the rest of the way with him, arm still around his body and all.

The boy was able to reach one the tree's lower branches and yank off some of the plump fruit. He smelt it curiously and reached for his backpack and grabbed this empty plastic bag out of the front pocket. He plopped it inside and then reached for another. I sighed, bored, and crossed my arms and looked over to some of the other trees with berries on them. I recognized the oddly shaped blue ones as Rawst Berries, but that was it. I had never really been a fan of crushing, mixing, fucking—whatever it is coordinators were supposed to do with PokéBlock—and I really didn't know why Max had any interest in it.

I smacked my lips together in annoyance as the boy continued to pick the berries from the tree. I finally just reached for my box of cigarettes and carefully lit one up before deeply inhaling the fumes. Max turned when he smelt the smoke and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Come help me," he insisted, gesturing his eyes towards some of the higher branches.

"Hmm, I prefer not," I said, turning and taking a seat on a large rock. I crossed my legs and breathed in some of the smoke.

Max huffed and returned to picking at the berries, getting on his tiptoes and pulling down a long branch. His grip slipped and the branch smacked him straight in face, causing his glasses to fling up to his forehead. I laughed cruelly, tipping my head all the way back and chortling like a madman. When I calmed down, Max was straightening his glasses, and oh, did he ever look like a sweetheart.

I gave him my best smile and licked my lips. "I can still taste your glorious jizz on my mouth," I told him.

"Hey, um, Harley," he started lowly, ignoring my statement. "I have a serious question for you."

Keeping the cigarette between my lips, I murmured, "Really? You never answered mine." I then shrugged and tore the stick out of my mouth. "Of course, that led to greater and better things, so I guess you can't complain." I gave a quick flash of my teeth in a smile, but then said, "Anyway, go on, my dear."

After a mutter of something, Max asked, "Okay, um, I was wondering if all our days are going to be like this, you know? I mean, just this tedious pattern of not really doing anything but… that kind of stuff…"

"Ah, what could be tedious about it?" I wondered. "But, I'm sure we can find other things to do."

"I hope." Max let out an annoyed sigh. "Can we just agree to no more fishing? It gets us nowhere."

"All right," I said, "I'll agree to that." I watched Max wander over to the Rawst Berry tree before I stood up and wandered over to him.

"Finally going to help me?" the boy asked, giving a smile that I knew was his way of trying to seduce me into assisting.

"Do I get to pick you up?" I wondered, smiling widely.

Max shrugged, but a small dash of redness developed in his cheeks. "If that's what it takes to get one of these," he said.

I trapped my cigarette between my fingers. "Fantastic," I replied, snaking my arms around his waist and lifting him. Ironically, the berry he reached for wasn't even half of my height, and he had to squirm down a bit to get it. I laughed and pushed him up, pressing my lips against his shoulder.

Max's breathing hitched, and he turned his neck, feeling my tongue glide up his chin. I kissed his cheek until he leaned back and made our mouths fuse. I grinned in victory, realizing how grand the phenomenon of picking up this kid and feeling him against my body really, truly was!

"Faunlet," I whispered charmingly, using my teeth to tug at the bottom of his ear.

"Let's go make PokéBlock," he said, moving away from the bite.

I frowned deeply, thrown off by the statement. I grunted, loosening my grip until Max slipped back to the ground roughly. He made an uncomfortable yelp, then shook his half-full bag of berries and tied it shut.

"Why on earth are you even interested in making that shit?" I wondered, watching him glare at me as I inhaled some of the cigarette. "You're no coordinator, dear."

"I know that," he retorted angrily. "But, when May learned how to make it, it really helped her Pokémon. And, it doesn't just benefit them in Contests."

"Ah, I see," I said. "I've never made any. Care to teach me?"

Max smiled brightly. "Sure, but we have to go to a Pokémon Center." Before I could answer, he grabbed my hand (oh yes, he grabbed my hand), and began scampering off, pulling me along with him.

I so was not interested in how to make fucking PokéBlock. I really wasn't. But, oh, little Maximus' hand felt so good against mine. I sighed heavily then flicked my cigarette down onto the ground as we began on our merry way, leaving the fishing equipment completely forgotten.

And, even though he had been the one who took my hand, I was the one who wasn't letting go now. In fact, when we eventually entered the main part of the city again, I tugged him along, my grip tightening every now and then around Max's wrist. When we actually arrived at the Pokémon Center, I confidently pushed the boy forward, causing the electric doors to slide open and making him stumble through them. I, on the other hand, followed in a much more fashionable manner, waving around my bag before letting it fling over my shoulder and rest there.

"You do owe me for this, Maximus," I said, breaking the long silence of not having talked through our return back to the city.

Max turned around and looked at me in puzzlement. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" I asked, extending both arms and gesturing around the lobby. "Do you really think I'd rather be here than in my cozy little hotel room… with you?"

Max began untying his plastic bag full of berries and glared at me, ignoring my suggestion. "Hey, you asked if I would teach you," he stated. Then, he scanned the Center's lobby, possibly trying to remember from the previous day where the berry blenders were located.

"Hello there!" Nurse Joy gleefully chirped from behind the counter when she noticed us. She gave a warm smile, moving a tray used for Pokéballs to the other side of the counter before asking, "May I help you with anything?"

"Hi," Max said in a friendly voice. "I'm just here to make some PokéBlock, actually."

I then jumped into the conversation, walking closely up behind my boy and saying, "Oh, yes, my friend and I here are big PokéBlock fans." My tone was bright, but beneath it, deeply sarcastic. I doubted Nurse Joy caught onto that, though.

"Is that so?" she wondered through a smile. "Well, that's fantastic. Feel free to use the berry blenders in the back. And, if you need anything, just come get me."

Max gave her a grateful nod and went on his way to the backroom, where Nurse Joy had revealed the berry blenders resided. The room was much like all the others I had been in before: a big large table with five or six blenders spread out, a shelf of recipe books and some lounging sofas. There was actually no one else in the room, but some areas of the table had a scattered assortment of chopped berries, which led me to believe others had been here earlier. Max quickly set his bag down at the cleaner side of the table and opened the blender to begin.

I casually wandered through the room, sitting back on the large sofa and crossing my legs. "Have any idea what you are even going to make?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered, looking over his shoulder at me. "My sister used to make this stuff called Purple Surprise—or May's Purple Surprise—and all her Pokémon hated it, including Ash and Brock's, too!"

I laughed at this, my lips extending in a wide smile. It was sort of malicious of me to laugh at something so negative about his sister, but the boy really did not seem surprised. Plus, it was just hilarious: May's Purple Surprise. I mean, what the fuck? I eventually said, "I'm not surprised. It wouldn't startle me in the least to discover May poisoned some of her Pokémon."

"She didn't poison them, Harley," he defended, pouring out his bag of berries onto the small wooden copping tray. "Actually, remember her Munchlax? She caught him after she discovered it liked her PokéBlock. It was wild and made its way into the Pokémon Center and ended up eating all the PokéBlock she made." He smiled at the memory, obviously thinking back to more than he verbally revealed.

I scoffed. "So, she caught it because it liked her PokéBlock? Hmm, guess she needed reassurance someone enjoyed her existence." I laughed at my own joke.

But, Max rolled his eyes, biting his lip to prevent himself from saying anything. From a distance, I could see him separate the Pecha berries from the rest, and much to my own fright, took one of the clean knives that rested in the center of the table to begin chopping. After one chop, I suddenly jumped up, rushing over to his side.

"Oh, Max, a boy your age should not be handling such a weapon!" I looked at Max seriously: my eyebrows raised and my arm extended so he would hand over the knife. Honestly, Maximus was not going to be handling a knife—not on my watch, anyhow!

Max furrowed his brow and said, "I've done this a million times." He returned to cutting the plump pink berry into small pieces, not being bothered by my overdramatic concern.

I stopped his chopping by grabbing his wrist gently. He paused, looking up at me in confusion before I took the knife from his hands, and with the other, wagged a finger at Max orderly. "Let me, Maximus," I insisted, scooting him over with a push of my hips and moving in front of the chopping board.

"Harley, come on!" he shouted. "I've done this before!"

I gave him a smile, but I did in fact look at the berry carefully before slowly cutting it with precision. "Like I said: a boy your age should not use a knife," I lectured. "You need some paternal supervision."

"Parental?" he echoed. "Oh, please, you are anything but." He let out a heavy sigh, watching me continue to cut the fruit. I knew I was doing more than fine, too, but I was sure for him it was just a matter of being insulted that I insisted to do this myself.

"And, it's a good thing," I noted, giving another one of my winks. I patted Max's back gently, bringing my hand up to the back of his neck and stroking the nape of it for a second. He shivered at the touch, but I continued on with his statement, saying, "If I were your guardian, I'd be sure not to let anyone else ever talk to you. I'd make sure you'd be all mine. Oh, yes."

He frowned. "Harley, come on," Max nagged. "Let me do something!"

I finished chopping the Pecha berry and set the knife down. A shrewish frown developed on Max's face, and I smiled despite it, poking his nose roughly and leaning in close. He continued to glare, but I flashed my teeth in a large smile. I eventually pushed closer, kissing him on the lips rather quickly. I didn't give the boy time to respond, although I wasn't sure if he would've since he was upset with me.

"What else do you usually mix in?" I wondered, still remaining close and making my words a soft whisper.

Against what I guessed was his own will, he still blushed. His face was so close to mine, and I could smell his sweet, pretty scent on both his hair and breath. His engaging expression and warm breath was enough to make me pine for our lips to be touching again, but I forced myself to push the thought in the back of my head, knowing he wasn't interested in that right now.

Max eventually said, "I put some of these berries in the mix." He reached over to the pile he made, taking out another type of berry, which was a deep purple color. "The final product usually comes out really dry, but my Pokémon seem to like that."

I nodded, taking the berry and beginning to chop it up. "Maybe Stantler might, too," I said, curving my hip again to tap him with the side of my body. "Oh, my little Maximus, this is fun, isn't it?"

Max shrugged in a droopy way and muttered, "I guess." He reached for another berry, this time a Rawst Berry, and slid it over to the board. "Can I do this one?" he asked, but it was more of a demand than anything else. Since I didn't respond right off the bat, Max just pushed himself in front of me.

I decided to be pretty compliant with the move, but I was quick to place one hand on his shoulder and reach over with the other so I could hand the knife to Max properly. "I think you're going to need some tutoring," I said, taking his wrist gently.

Max froze, unsure what I was trying to do. "I already told you," he said, "I know how this works. And, I've only done it a jillion times!"

I chuckled, bending down a little as I stood behind him and pressed my body against his back. "But, you still might be a bit inexperienced," I asserted, lowering my grip on Max's wrist so the knife pressed down on the berry.

Max stiffened as I pushed myself further against him, making sure my chest meshed against his back. I leaned in more as I continued to help the boy chop the small blue Rawst berry, eventually moving my face near the side of his.

"Having fun?" I murmured.

"No," he said stiffly. "Would you let go, please?"

I laughed and pushed the knife down one last time, cutting the last of the berry before actually following through with his request. Max then set down the knife and began scooping up the berry bits and dropping them into the blender. Just as he readied himself to press the start button, I leaned in towards his neck, giving him a very sloppy and wet kiss on the exposed part of his shoulder. He jumped, turning around and slapping me roughly against the chest.

"My, my, quite the powerhouse!" I exclaimed, mockingly stumbling backwards a few steps.

Max muttered something once more and quickly turned to press the button. The small machine started up quickly, grinding up the berries into more powder before turning it into small cubes. They quickly fell out from the opening and Max gathered them up, examining a few in the light.

"These look great!" he said with pride, seeming to completely have switched moods with his own victorious happiness. He turned slowly, holding them up so I could see them. "But, I think your chopping made them a bit uneven," he pointed out nastily, just to be a brat.

I gave him a snarky look, moving closer to get a glance of the small purplish block he held between two fingers. It looked like a perfect cube to me. In fact, it looked fucking beautiful because I had helped Max chop the berries, and he should have been happy that I had protected him from that dangerous knife! Oh, if his soft, creamy, flawless skin had been cut just the bit I would've had to scream!

"Let me have a taste, darling," I suggested, licking my lips in an exaggerated way. Before he could answer, I craned my neck, trapping his thumb and index finger in my mouth and sucking until Max let go of the PokéBlock. He began pulling his slender digits out of my mouth, but I gently clamped my teeth shut and licked his salty tasting fingers.

The boy's breathing hitched, afraid I might actually hurt him. I smiled through the bite, grazing my teeth along his skin before I let his two fingers fall from my mouth. Max blinked several times, still holding some of the cubes in his other hand. He looked at the wet fingers then back at me, completely dumbfounded.

"What is it?" I asked, pursing my lips as if I were savoring the taste of his fingers the same way I savored the taste of his come.

Max shook away the concern and popped one of the blocks into his mouth to try for himself. He seemed to enjoy the taste, and I had, too. It was indeed rather dry, but it did have a sour tang, too. Max even bit his bottom lip to control an overemotional grimace of rancid vulgarity. It was adorable, too! The way he sucked in his cheeks and closed his eyes for a millisecond.

"I don't know if my Pokémon are going to like these," he grunted. "They are a bit too sour."

I stroked his hair playfully, moving him back to face the table and blender. "Well, if that's so, we ought to make some more."

Max made a pondering sound and set down the few blocks he still held in his hand. He then dug out something from his backpack, which looked like a small red dispenser for PokéBlock. He began putting the blocks inside it as I chopped some more of the Pecha berries.

"I wonder if May ever got any better at making this stuff," he voiced half-attentively.

"Who knows," I groaned out, rolling my eyes at the mention. I was starting to really hope she would become absent from all our conversations, the trollop.

"She actually let me be in charge of feeding Munchlax some PokéBlock," he then revealed, smiling fondly as he continued to put cubes into the dispenser.

"Oh?" I said, chopping the berries more precisely just to distract myself from what he was actually saying.

"Prof. Oak—you know who he is, right?—well, he gave May this recipe for a certain kind of PokéBlock that would automatically make Munchlax full," he revealed happily. "Prof. Oak used to give it to Ash's Snorlax."

Prof. Oak, hmm? I wasn't sure I was too fond of the way Max said his name. I had heard of that professor man, but never really gave him a second thought. Why the fuck did Max seem so chipper all of the sudden? I stopped chopping the fruit and began collecting it in my palm so I could dump it into the blender, all the meanwhile sucking in my bottom lip in a tense confusion.

"Oak?" I wondered nonchalantly, urging the boy to go on about this fucker.

"Yeah," Max said, and he was so oblivious to my disgruntled attitude. "He lives in Pallet Town, where Ash is from, so Ash is good friends with him. I met him, too!" He finished with his chore and looked up to me, his eyes so fucking bright and excited that I was shocked. And, yet, I couldn't provoke this look from him?

I gave a small glare and turned on the blender. "Sounds to me," I said, over the loud grinding sound, "like you have yourself quite the little crush, Max." I made sure to give a rough emphasis on his name.

Max immediately turned red, and this infuriated me completely! He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but eventually stammered, "N-No, it's not like that. I just admire his work."

I wasn't convinced, so I said, "Well, he is quite up there in the age department. And, I know how you like yourself some older male attention." I laughed under my breath. "I guess it isn't that much of a surprise."

Max turned even redder. "Harley, come on," he argued and he furrowed his brow in a pleading sort of way. "Prof. Oak is… old."

"Like I said, my sweet, you like the older gents."

"No, I don't!" he said and then turned off the blender himself. He busied himself by collecting the freshly made PokéBlock from the opening, looking at it curiously.

Max seemed serious, and I supposed the blushing was simply due to an everyday embarrassment as opposed to being found out about something. Still, this was becoming fun, so I said, "Then, what are you doing here with a man twelve years your senior, huh, Maximus?"

The boy looked humiliated now, but he was brave enough to reply with: "Well, I thought you didn't consider yourself old, Harley." He looked at me accusingly, but was obviously very proud of his statement.

"I don't think I said a single thing about being old," I protested, glaring a bit. "Being older and being old are two different things."

Max considered this, shrugging slightly. "Okay, maybe, but still, I don't like Prof. Oak," he concluded and put the new PokéBlock into the half-full dispenser.

"All right," I said, "I believe you."

I supposed it was possible I decided to deny this just for the sake of not wanting Max to have an interest in some rickety old man; but, honestly, I could sense sincerity in the boy's words. There was a matter, however, of what I was in Max's eyes, if I was truly "old," in his book and whether or not he was being a lying brat by saying he didn't desire the ravishment of folks older than him.

"Good," he muttered, and he made an exaggerated shiver of disgust towards the thought of Prof. Whoever. When I laughed at his grimace, Max looked up at me with a similar amusement, but it didn't last long. "But, anyway, Harley…"

"Mmmhmm?" I hummed, but I knew he was going to continue on with whatever he was talking about involving May and her Munchlax.

"It's odd," the boy stated sadly, "because even though I wasn't too, too fond of Munchlax, I always liked being able to feed it. It gave me responsibility, and knowing May thought I was responsible made me feel good."

I snorted rudely, and quipped, "If you ask me, it sounds like she just didn't want to feed Munchlax herself, that lazy girl."

"Well, I didn't ask you," Max hissed, scowling as he cleaned up the mess from the PokéBlock. "But… I bet she wouldn't trust me now," he admitted, packing away the PokéBlock dispenser.

"Why's that?" I wondered curiously.

"It's been forever since we've talked," he told me. "I'm sure by now she's met someone who she could trust way more than me." Disappointment washed across Max's face, and I knew this was the first time he took the revelation into consideration.

"Then, let her," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "It's her loss. I mean, who could be more reliable than sweet, little Maximus?"

"Actually, it's my loss," he argued. "I could end all of this nonsense by just apologizing… even if I think we both should." He let his shoulders sag as he wandered over to the sofa against the wall and sat despondently.

I stayed where I was but casually leaned up against the table, folding my arms and watching the boy sit there in his slump of depression. "She left you," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but, I feel so stuck about it," he stated, and I wasn't sure what he meant. Then, after a moment, he continued with: "Sometimes I can't believe she actually left me all those years ago, and I get so mad about it, but I can't get over it no matter what. And, worst of all, I can't even get myself to talk to her! And, I want to!"

Startled, I was forced to blink mindlessly several times before I could allow myself to fully take in what the boy had spilled out to me. I collected myself despite it all, and asked, "Would it make you happier if you did talk to her again?"

"Of course it would," he answered, saying it as if my question were the dumbest thing I ever asked. "She's my sister. I spent such a long time traveling with her and sharing so many adventures… and even admiring her. I miss that, and I miss her."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. If I had, it would've been something cruel, and as much as I hated Max's pathetic sister, I couldn't get myself to spew out a nasty remark that might've negatively affect him. So, instead, I just watched the boy sit there, sad and so desperate to reconnect with May.

His expression then softened, and he smiled whimsically. "I mean, sometimes I get upset when I think about May, but lately it sort of makes me feel better. But, only because when I think about the way she smiled after winning a Contest, it doesn't feel like we have this huge strain between us anymore."

Her smile, eh? I thought about the few times I had seen the girl smile, and I found nothing magical about it at all. She just seemed like some giddy airhead, really, and the fact Max had admitted to admire her sickened me. What was there to admire?

"I know it's silly," the boy said with a shrug, "but, um, there was always this sort of smell that she had…"

Smell! What on earth was he getting at? I hid my surprised reaction and retained an interested expression without so much as a small hint of what I was truly thinking.

"And, I'm not saying you smell anything like her, but you do have a smell. And, when I smell it, I think about her smell and then it makes me think of that smile she had. And, then, thinking about that reminds me of how her eyes would just light up and stuff." He stopped and shrugged. "I know this all sounds pretty stupid, but since you've been asking what's been bothering me, I figured you should know, because well, that's what's been bothering me."

Her smell! Her smile! Her eyes! What the fuck was Max talking about here, his sister or his greatest love of all time? I scowled deeply, completely dumbfounded by the way he was talking about his goddamn sister. He never said anything like that to me, nothing even remotely close. Either he just missed his sister a lot or he had a whole lot more affection for her than I thought. I couldn't grasp my mind around even half of that, so I just nodded and said:

"You can always call her."

Max looked up at me, either angry that I was mocking him (and, in many ways, I was) or shocked that I would say something that could've been taken as a helpful little suggestion. He eventually gave a sad smile and said, "I could, but what would I say?"

I began to doubt he was playing with me, allowing me to drag him about as I messed with him in return, and I was now under the assumption he very much believed I was offering him a sincere, honest heap of advice. This alone suddenly proved to me that Max could be such a simpleton, such a young and naïve child that I easily could've brainwashed to believe something if I wanted.

Max broke the silence by telling me, "I don't think I could talk to her without making a fool of myself."

"You think?" I wondered. "Because, you've proven to be quite the brave thing to me." And, this I actually meant. How could Max not be brave after he allowed himself to take a huge chance by deciding to travel with me, and moreover, allowing me to fuck him?

"Don't insult me," he grunted, crossing his own arms.

I snorted, unable to believe how ironic it was that Max thought my only sincere comment was a mockery. I decided to walk over to the sofa to sit myself. "No, no," I said, waving about a hand, "I'm being serious, darling. Weren't you scared out of your mind when I made my first move on you?"

"Obviously," the boy replied, knowing we had already been through that conversation enough to last a lifetime.

"Consider how much bravery it took to allow someone into your body," I offered, letting the volume of my voice drop greatly. "You could've taken the easy way out and ran off, but ohhh nooo—you let us have a wicked good time!"

"I thought about some of the scary things I had done myself before you and I took things a step further, Harley," he revealed to me, sounding embarrassed. "Like, when I left home for the first time, or when I came here to Johto. It settled my nerves a little, thinking that maybe being with you couldn't be as scary as those things."

"Hmm," I mused, biting my thumb gently as I pondered whether to be insulted by this. Obviously losing one's virginity was amongst the scariest things a person could go through, but I hated to think Max was comparing it to leaving his goddamn home and the sort. Still, what was I complaining about? We had shagged already. "Anyway, Max, I think you're a braveling, so I don't see the problem here."

"Braveling?" Max echoed. He then bit his lip. "You see me as a kid, though."

"Well, aren't you?" I asked. "Kids can be brave. And, goodness, you have to be stupid to still be under the assumption I think you're a normal, everyday kid. Because, darling, you're not." I gave him a knowing smile, half-suggestive, half-assuring. Suddenly, though, I really fucking hoped none of this was going to backfire on me, that he was really going to call the bitch and beg for forgiveness.

Max shrugged now, either given the boost of his ego that he was searching for, or, maybe, actually convinced for real. He nonetheless managed to smile in a very sweet way, keeping his eyes locked on mine for a while. "Thanks… I guess…"

I decided I fucking loved the smile he gave me, so I went on, telling him, "I'm being honest, Max. I think you're a brave, remarkable lad. I mean, let's face it—May hadn't started her journey alone, but you did. And, you've continued to do go about independently." I reached out, stroking Max's cheek with my index finger.

And, Max's smile fucking extended. "Maybe," he considered, but I didn't know why he bothered to be modest when he knew what I was saying was the truth, and more importantly, when he had always proven to be quite egotistical at times.

I was about to lean forward, giving him a nice, firm kiss on the lips, when, much to my surprise, Max moved closer, terminating the space between us and craning his neck. His lips, shaky and unsure, pressed against mine, feeling so warm and delicate. And, damn, just as I began to return the liplock, he moved, turning away from me and standing up in a heap of embarrassment.

So, to settle his nerves, I gave him a laugh, grabbing his chin and forcing our lips back together. Surprised, Max became stiff, but relaxed quickly when I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer as he stood and I sat.

"I think this is the first time you made me feel sincerely better about something," he said when we broke apart.

"Really, eh?" I raised my eyebrows curiously. "What about when we first spent a night together? Of course, I don't mean a night like that, but a night in the same hotel room, after you called Daddykins on his birthday?" I smiled, pulling him forward and forcing him into an embrace.

"Well, sort of," he voiced. "You made me feel better, but not 100 percent better."

"So, you're 100 percent better now?" I wondered.

"Well, no, but close. Because, I guess what you said is true. If I can do all of those things, including, um, stuff with you, then maybe I do have the strength to talk to May again."

I frowned. Fuck. I really shouldn't have said any of that.

Ah, but he had given me that delicious smile and one hell of a consensual kiss! Besides, maybe he wouldn't really go through with getting in touch with his sister. Wishful thinking, I suppose, but right now, I wasn't in the mood to deal with those issues. Knowing that he was happy now made me feel relieved, and I was glad to see him so light-weighted.

xxxxx

-Max-

Harley and I arrived back at the hotel room around seven o'clock. After we finished making my PokéBlock at the Pokémon Center I made several nagging attempts to get Harley to eat at the cafeteria with me. We hadn't spent a large amount of time eating, as Harley had been picky, but now that we were back in the room, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, eating a pack of peanuts, completely nonchalant and seemingly lost in his thoughts.

I was sitting on the bed as well, but on the far side, against the headboard with my PokéNav in my hands. I was trying to map out which routes we would take to get to Olivine City, and so far, all of them were ridiculously long, and it would no doubt take a day and a half to get there. It was possible for us to go back to Ecruteak and take the train in the outskirts to Olivine, but that was still a long journey, and there were plenty of routes that bypassed Ecruteak completely. I wondered what Harley's preference would be, but I was nervous to ask, in case he tried to persuade me to just forget Olivine, which was so out of the question! I needed my seventh badge, but there wasn't anything there for Harley. Even though he had wanted to go there while in Goldenrod, the city was too far now, and it was reasonable to assume he had forgotten about the place all together.

Of course, there was that Contest in Olivine City, which Pryce had reminded us about today. Harley acted like he was going to enter it, but given the arguments we got into before, I was now a little confused. I glanced up at Harley, watching him carefully chew one of the peanuts as he mindlessly stared off into the room.

"Harley?" I voiced casually. When the man turned, looking at me and then the PokéNav, I continued, saying, "So, I was wondering about the Contest that Pryce mentioned…"

Harley gave a curious look, but I knew he was already spot-on with what I was going to ask. "Yeah?" he said anyway, crinkling up the packet and throwing it across the room.

"Maybe you should enter…?" I said, half-question, half-statement. I shrugged. "I know you don't want to, but it could be just for fun." I smiled at him, trying to remember the particular variation that made him soften up.

The man crossed his legs and made a thoughtful sound. "Weeeeeell," he sung out with amusement, "I did come to your Gym Battle, so if I were to figuratively enter this Contest, I would assume you'd come to watch."

I brighten a bit, believing that with just a tad bit more persuasion, Harley would agree to entering. I wasn't sure how to persuade him, though, since my smile wouldn't be that powerful. "Of course!" I exclaimed nonetheless. "I like Contests, and it's been a long time since I saw any of your Appeals."

Harley gave a confident smile, pulling off his boots and letting them drop to the floor. He then crawled his way up to where I was on the bed, reclining next to me happily. "But," he countered, "I assume you haven't been to a Contest in like three years!"

"Actually," I revealed, "I've been to several. Granted, it's not the same without having May to cheer for, but when I was traveling through Hoenn, I occasionally went to a Contest, if I had time."

Harley was slightly surprised, and I guessed he thought I would never even consider watching a Contest unless May was participating. Truthfully, I never enjoyed them before May had become a coordinator, but afterwards, I truly appreciated them. They were different, and really, really fun to watch.

"I'm supposed to be on a vacation, though," the man said in a flip tone, and I wondered if he was trying to get me to persuade him.

"Well, it never seemed like one to me," I argued, closing my PokéNav. "All you've been doing is following me around."

"And, it's fun," he said, grinning widely. "Relaxing, too. And, if I were to actually enter this fucking thing, I'd have to work on an Appeal and maybe have a few battles and whatnot."

"I'll help you," I insisted, putting down the yellow device on the nightstand. I turned to Harley as I sat on my knees, looking at him sincerely. "We can battle more. It will be fun!" I gave another smile, and I was actually truly getting excited about this.

Harley swung an arm around me, bringing me close and making me lose my balance on my knees just a bit. "Ahh, but that would distract you from your training," he whispered, grinning.

I shook my head. "No, I think it would contribute to it," I said. But, Harley's cool and suave tone was making me a little bit nervous, and it reminded me of how he acted last night and then today when we were fishing: that manipulative, controlling playfulness, desperate to get me to say or agree to something. Both times he had worked me up until I had no choice but to pathetically comply, but ultimately we had gotten what we wanted.

"Such a sweet, considerate boy," Harley teased, rubbing my shoulders with his hands. But, he seemed to still be playing this game with me, refusing to answer but refusing to say an all-out no.

I wondered, suddenly, if his tactics for getting me to say yes to something would work if I used them on him. But, I seriously did not have the courage to try something that extreme. That disappointed me, but it was true. So, in desperation to prove I still had some courage, I leaned in towards Harley, parting my lips slightly before I carefully pressed our mouths together. The look on Harley was definitely satisfaction. He had indeed wanted me to play this way, and since he apparently knew how much I wanted him to enter the Contest, he was bound to have predicted this tactic.

He laughed through the kiss, but still pulled me close as he sat up and made me loosely sit over his lap. I turned my head, deepening the kiss as best I could before I moved away and looked at him blankly. He still looked very satisfied.

"So, you're going to enter, right?" I smiled, but tried to shrug the heavy weight of his arm around my shoulder.

Harley just tightened the arm around me, using his other to guide me over his legs so that I clumsily landed on his lap, being forced to sit there. It was an odd feeling, but not like the first time he forced me to sit on his lap; this time I was positioned directly on him, my legs on either side of his thighs. I blushed, feeling embarrassed by the contact, but Harley brushed some hair out of my face and gave a soothing sort of smile back at me.

"How about I think it over, eh, kiddo?" he said, and he did this crazy thing with his hips, making a wave through his legs so that he made contact with my lower-self.

I stuttered several times, feeling the particular heat in Harley's body and the eagerness in his muscles. "O-Okay," I finally managed. Then, I looked away and said, "I should probably take a shower now."

Instead of giving a disappointed look, Harley raised an eyebrow. "You think? Why not a pretty little bath for a pretty little boy? I have an astonishing amount of bath salts that smell really nice."

"Pretty?" I echoed, frowning. How on earth was I pretty? I was a boy, and I never ever considered myself attractive at all. I was too young to be anything but a kid. "I don't take baths anymore." Actually, I couldn't even remember my last bath! The last memory I had was taking a bubble bath with May when I was, like, four years-old. I was about to share that with Harley, but I figured he'd make something perverted out of it.

"Oh, no, Max, you will want to take a bath with what I come up with!" he exclaimed, and surprisingly, lifted his arms in a scooting gesture. I slid off his lap, slightly relieved, and watched Harley rush to his bag, grabbing some plastic pouch full of colorful-looking squares.

I looked at the bag closer, seeing they were each individually wrapped. He opened the pouch, offering me a sniff, and when I did, I smelt an overwhelming combination of fragrances that I couldn't even begin to label. I picked out a yellow one from the bag, bringing it to my nose and taking a whiff. It smelt awful, so I replaced it and took a pink one. It smelt exactly like Harley, and I was forced to look up to him as a reminder.

"What?" he wondered, seeming offended.

"I don't want to smell like you," I informed him blandly. "I mean, I'm not saying you smell bad—you don't!—it's just… I don't think these are something I want to smell like. I don't like baths anyway."

"Yes, you do, everyone likes them!" the man argued. He dug out a blue colored square and brought it up to my nose, allowing me to smell. "Good?" he asked.

I frowned at the way he ignored my comment. However, I did enjoy the smell of the blue colored salt. It was soft and delicate, and reminded me… of May, actually. Granted, it didn't really smell like my sister, but it just had this certain aspect to it that made me think of her. I took it in my hands and looked at it closer.

"So, does it dissolve in the water?" I asked.

"Oh, yes." He grabbed the tablet back, unwrapped it and hopped off the bed, making his way to the bathroom. I heard him turn on the tub faucet, the heavy weight of the water gushing down and blocking out something he yelled from there.

Was he really drawing me a bath? That seemed so dumb, especially with the bath salt. I wasn't him—I didn't like that kind of stuff—and I really didn't like the idea of taking a bath around him. I had a feeling he'd leave me alone, but it was still odd. I managed to get off the bed, making my way towards the bathroom. Harley was on his knees with his jacket's sleeves rolled up and his arm testing the water's temperature.

I stood next to him, watching the water fill the tub, already halfway. I cocked my head, looking at him questionably. "Is there any reason you think I have to take a bath, Harley?"

The man smiled when he heard me say his name. He seemed to like that all the time, actually. "No, I just think you'll like it is all." He turned away to concentrate on the water, and I suddenly began to suspect he had an ulterior motive. And, as if on cue, he used his free arm to pat my calf, telling me, "Take off your clothes."

I blushed brightly and narrowed my eyes. "Um, later," I said, biting my lip.

Harley looked back at me, giving a lopsided grin. "Oh, Maximus," he said, rolling his eyes, "don't act like I haven't seen everything already."

"But, this is a bath, Harley," I debated. "It's not… other stuff."

The man snorted, smiling through it as he turned off the faucet. The water was mid-level, and I felt the steam from it heavily. It even began to fog my glasses, so I took them off, placing them on the counter near the sink. I looked back in Harley's direction, seeing his roguish smirk.

"Don't be silly, Max," Harley voiced with a shrug, dropping in the blue salt tablet. It frizzled, spreading out across the water and turning white. "Would you feel better if I stripped, too?" he then asked in a lower tone.

I turned even redder, but his question made me nervous, so I cautiously began to remove my shirt, feeling his burning gaze the entire time. I placed my shirt on the floor, feeling totally humiliated the way he kept watching me. I froze, unable to go any further and unzip my shorts. I just stood there, my hands in the right position, but nothing more. The helpless expression on my face provoked Harley to reach forward, using both his wet and dry hand to assist me, unzipping my shorts and pulling them down—all the meanwhile staring up at me and grinning like a madman.

"Need help with these?" he asked, pushing his thumbs into the waistband of my underwear. When I didn't say anything, he moved his body forward, leaning down and grazing his teeth over my stomach and hip. He eventually brought his head further down, trapping the waistband between his teeth and slowly—very, very slowly—pulling them down with the help of his hands.

I closed my eyes tightly, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and my body's temperature rising considerably. Harley took my hand, lifting it and urging me to step over the ledge and into the tub. I remained frozen, but he urged me more, and so I stepped over, my left foot sinking into the warm water, and then a moment later, my right. Now standing in the tub, Harley fixed his sleeves, pulling them up a bit more and then took my hand again, gently pulling me so I would sit down in the tub.

The water was incredibly warm and pleasant. It looked semi-transparent, but clouded here and there from the salt. The scent was beginning to rise into the air, and I was able to detect the slightly brine-y and vinegary smell, sort of like a faux ocean aroma. I sat against the far side of the tub, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes, avoiding Harley's intense stare and the instant sting in a particular area when I felt the soapy salt substance make contact.

"Nice, huh?"

I opened my eyes. "Yeah, it actually is pretty nice." I let my muscles relax before I slid down against the wall, dunking my entire body under the water. I quickly came out, shaking off some of the excess water that dripped from my bangs. Drenched, I looked over at Harley who had a ridiculously large smile on his face.

"This brings back memories," he reminisced, and I realized that while I was underwater, he had grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the ledge. "Remember how you swam in Goldenrod?"

I nodded with a blush, then reached for the shampoo. Harley lifted his arm up, quickly preventing me from reaching it. "What are you doing?" I demanded, glaring at him.

"I want to help," he said lowly, uncapping the small hotel-brand shampoo and pouring some into his hand. He reached out to begin washing it into my hair, but I backed away, still scowling.

"Harley!" I groaned annoyingly. "Just let me do it!"

"Nooo," the man continued, slapping it onto my head and quickly beginning to lather it into my hair.

I grunted uncomfortably at the pressure he forced on me, and he eventually began to lessen the pressure until my entire head was covered with the soap. I felt ridiculous, knowing my hair was nothing but a big foamy mess. I sunk down to try and go underwater, but Harley grabbed my arm, preventing me.

"It needs to set for a while, Maximus," he informed me cleverly. He then shrugged off his jacket, and I guessed he was getting uncomfortable in the enclosed humid area of the bathroom. He threw down the attire near my own clothes, revealing the tight, black tank-top.

"You don't have to… bathe me, Harley," I protested dully. I knew, however, that no matter what, he was going to continue on with this weird plan of his, and although it was completely disturbing to think about him actually washing me, it wasn't much different than anything else we had done.

"I suppose you are right," he agreed, much to my surprise. "But, you know, Max, I wouldn't mind a nice, soothing bath myself."

"Didn't you already take one this morning?" I asked. Then, shrugging, I just said, "Well, I won't be long, so you can take one after me," I said, scrubbing my arm a bit.

Harley stood up as I continued to wash my arms, removing his shirt and looking down at me. I avoided his stare, figuring he was stripping down to prepare himself for his own bath. I felt a bit rushed now, so I dunked my head into the water, scrubbing out all the foam and bubbles. I rose from the water, finding Harley standing near the ledge of the tub. I looked up at him, and he eyed me in a dark and disturbing way. I was about to say something until I saw that he was unbuckling his belt, and soon, unzipping his long, green pants.

"What are you doing?" I gaped, furrowing my brow. "I'm almost done—be patient!"

"There's no rush, Max," he eased, letting his pants fall from his hips and down to his feet. He stepped out of them, kicking them away before smiling at me enticingly and lifting a single leg in an attempt to step over the tub's ledge.

"Harley!" I shouted, my eyes widening. "What are you doing!"

"What does it look like, my dear?" he questioned, making a quick move with his other leg to fully step into the tub. The water level reached the middle of his calves, and he began to sit slowly.

I grabbed his leg, stilling him. "Harley!" I repeated.

Somehow that was all I could say.

Harley snickered cruelly, bending his knees and sitting on them as he allowed his entire self into the tub. I moved as far away as I could, but unfortunately, I was already close to the end wall, and even though the tub was really big, I didn't like sharing it with another person. I began to blush, feeling his arm snake through the water and rub my thigh.

"Ah, see, now this is nice," he told me, readjusting his position so that he could extend his arm further, reaching between my legs.

I slapped his hand away instantly. "N-No!" I yelled. "Harley, come on!"

The man brushed off my rejection, and instead, he leaned forward, possessively claiming my mouth and pressing against me passionately. I closed my eyes, feeling his hands grip my shoulders as he dragged himself through the water to lessen the space between us. The heat of the water and the heat of Harley's body stirred something in me, and I felt very, very hot—not only in my entire outer body, but on the inside, too.

Harley made sure I was unable to make anymore movements by wrapping his arms around my body, momentarily breaking our lips apart and grinning at me devilishly. "My sweet, little Maximus," he began in a whisper, "I think we can make this interesting."

My expression flattened, but I let a single arm slide up Harley's side as I narrowed my eyes. "It hurts too much," I told him, referring to the annoying soreness that now, in the soapy water, was a stingy burn.

Harley seemed disappointed, but I was actually glad that he gave this look instead of an unaffected, uncaring one. It meant that he probably was taking my statement into consideration. This, oddly enough, calmed me, once again realizing I had the ability to claim dictation. It almost made me want to deny anything else from happening. But, the heat in my body was still rising even though I knew I didn't feel up to having Harley do what he wanted. That didn't, however, rule out something else, and it slightly irked me that he still had the power to make me desire this not-so-foreign-anymore lust.

Just to make sure Harley knew I wasn't all-out rejecting him, I leaned forward, allowing him to embrace me tightly, which he happily did. I felt the man slip a hand beneath the water again, reaching between my legs and taking hold of my length that was already semi-hard.

I gasped when his fingers encircled it, a firm and knowing grip that felt absolutely astonishing in the heat of the water. I closed my eyes, not bothering to fight and prolong what I knew I would eventually be coaxed into, especially as Harley's hand continued its clever ministrations. Surprisingly, I let out a short moan, one that made Harley chuckle and press his face into my shoulder blade, clamping his mouth around the jutting bone. I turned my head, breathing heavily as my body's weight seemed to float comfortably around the water. Harley's, sloped above mine, scurried downwards, compressing the space between our legs.

When I felt the man thrust against me, both of us somehow grunted with pleasure, but Harley's surge of breath was distinctly different: loud, deep and a lot more lusty. I moistened my lips and used the wall behind me to slide down a little more, desperate for more contact between the two of us. Harley complied, putting his legs on either sides of my hips and mashing our lips urgently. I felt his tongue enter my mouth, the warmth and wetness adding to the heat I felt already. His hand beneath the water moved once more, this time with a grind and pump, making me stutter his name in a cry.

"Oh, yes, Max," Harley urged in an amazingly calm tone as he encompassed my thing and thrust it in his hand. He grated himself against my thigh repeatedly, gripping my right hip with his free hand to deepen the grind.

My back pushed into the water and some of the liquid splashed into my eyes, causing me to shut them tightly and grip the sides of Harley's chest. The man moved me up, letting my body easily float to the side of the tub as he pushed into the empty spot, causing us to switch positions entirely. He was beneath me, but I remained on my back, having his chest pressed against it. I was startled by this change and forced to open my eyes despite the burn of the salt and soap.

"What are you doing?" I breathed as he pulled me closer, letting our shoulders align and our hips rub together.

Harley grinned. "I want to feel that glorious little back of yours against me," he revealed. He used a single arm to snake around my hip, forcing me to float further down. I felt the hardness of his length against my lower back, and it reminded me of last night when he decided to try a new position, one that hindered me from seeing his face.

"I can't see you," I told him, feeling the arm around my stomach move down to take hold of my length again.

"I know," he said, "but don't worry. This will get better, Maximus."

I continued to wonder why he chose such an odd position. But, as I felt his hardness rub against my back and his hand thrust my own, I gasped and my thoughts cleared. His fingers brushed around me excitedly, causing quick spurts of moans and gasps to escape my mouth. Behind me, Harley groaned as he continued to use my back as a firm, solid wall for his length to rub against, over and over.

"Harley…" I muttered, reaching down to my side and behind me, searching for the man's hardness. I took hold of it, copying his technique of enclosing my hand and gently thrusting it up and down my palm.

"Ah! Max!" he exclaimed, his breathing hitched and clumsy.

I lolled my head back, leaning against his shoulder. To the side, I was able to see his face, his neck craned as his eyes were shut to concentrate on the feeling of my hand moving his thing the same way he insisted on moving mine. Together, we continued thrusting each other, and the feeling of his hard, hot self around my hand made me realize how much cooler the water had become.

I writhed in pleasure, gasping continuously and letting my knees flatten throughout the water, extending towards the other side of the tub. Harley's head turned, stamping messy, fervent kisses along the side of my face. Suddenly, just as I felt Harley's hips thrust upwards, his hand tightened just a bit, stroking me in a much more heated frenzy, my length rubbing in his palm before my muscles constricted tensely. I let my mouth fall open, emitting a shaky, completed moan as I let out my release into Harley's hand and into the water. Not even a second later, Harley came, too, and I felt his release between my fingers, warm in contrast to the lifeless temperature of the water.

I collapsed most of my weight back onto Harley and moved my hand, letting it stay beside me. Harley's, however, slunk up around my mid-stomach as he pulled me close against his chest. I turned my head, looking at me as best I could. The man's lips twisted into a pleasant smile, and I craned my neck to reach for a kiss. Lips collided, and Harley deepened it by opening his mouth and urging my tongue inside. I shut my eyes and turned my body just a bit, having our chests half-fused.

When I reached behind his head, pushing him closer, I realized his hair wasn't fully wet, having never dunked himself completely underwater. I smiled after the kiss, and the man ran his fingers through my damp, but slightly dry, strains of hair.

"I'm tired," I said blandly.

Harley sucked in his lower lip, appearing nonchalant. He prodded my nose amusingly, noting, "It's been a long day, my love."

"I think I want to go to bed now." I shook some of my bangs out of my face, then began moving away from his embrace.

Harley set me loose, even allowing me to stand up, much to my surprise. I looked back at him as I stepped over the ledge of the tub, and he still appeared to be catching his breath as he had a very whimsical and satisfied expression on his face. I grabbed a towel from the tall, wooden shelf on the wall and patted myself to a comfortable dryness. When I lifted my forearm and smelt my skin, I noticed it had the same scent as the bath salt. I wasn't too happy about that.

"Are you okay?" I blurted out, confused by how he put his hands behind his head and relaxed against the tiles.

Harley laughed and gave an assuring nod of the head. He then twisted his shoulder blades as he adjusted himself and smiled coolly. "More than okay, and you know that." He paused but eventually said, "It's just doing that—with my perfect little Max—forces me to think quite a bit about how amazing you are. You really are one in a million."

I narrowed my eyes as I blushed at the exaggerated compliment. By now, my ego should've been as big as Harley's with the way he said all these things, but really, it just made me all flustered and uncertain if any it was the truth. I couldn't get myself to say anything back, though, so I finished drying myself off and let the towel drape on the crook of my arms like a shawl. I turned to leave, but Harley stopped me with:

"Ahh, wait just a minute, Maximus." He smiled and continued, "Come here."

I slowly walked over, standing near the ledge and looking down at the man who was ever-so casually relaxed in the tub, seeming so unperceived by what we had just done and how the salt was not the only substance floating around in there. I frowned and was about to remind him of this, but he interrupted me when he grabbed my wrist, urging me to bend down. He craned his neck, and I obliged to the desire of a kiss. It was short, but it was deep and ardent.

When I stood to my full height, Harley puckered his lips and blew me an exaggerated kiss. I blinked a couple of times, wondering what I was supposed to do, but eventually gave up on thinking and turned to leave the bathroom again, taking my clothes with me.

I made a heavy sigh, not exactly feeling refreshed and clean like I normally did after a shower. I wondered if this was because I took a bath or because of what I did with Harley. Oddly, however, I didn't feel any of the strange and frustrating confusion I normally did after something sexual with Harley. Even this afternoon, at the Lake of Rage, I had felt a sense of shame and amorality. I felt none now. Instead, I was washed over with satisfaction and content, something I recognized on Harley just a moment ago.

I just stood still for a while, thinking about how Harley's hands managed to feel a million times better than any of my own touches, how much better my mind sometimes felt when our mouths were brilliantly pressed together. Yet, I still couldn't believe it was this Harley, the Harley. He was capable of making me feel this incredible lust when years ago, it had been the exact opposite: anger, hate, disapproval. This man had enriched my days with a different sense of adventure and experience. I was so sincerely happy to have him around, no matter who he was to May in the past.

Startlingly, I felt a pair of hands grip around my waist. I jumped and turned, seeing Harley standing there with a smirk. He was remained naked and dripping with water, but still only half of his hair was damp. He took the towel that hung from my hands, using it to lazily dry himself off. Afterwards, he pulled me close to him, pressing my head against his chest gently.

When the short embrace ended, the man walked around the side of the bed, pulling the sheets out from their neatly made positions and fluffing the pillows. I made my way to the other side, crawling into it tiredly. My body felt too hot for the thick, full blanket, so I only pulled the thin sheet over my body. After switching off the lights in the room, Harley crawled in, too, scooting over to close the space between us, as if the bed only had room for one.

"Um… Goodnight, Harley," I quietly voiced, feeling his arm wrap around my stomach.

"Goodnight to you, Maximus," he whispered back.

Comfortingly warm against Harley's body and dramatically silent in the small room, I realized it had been quite a few days since I went to bed with any clothes. Even now, the two of us were both unclothed beneath the sheets, and for whatever reason, like everything else with Harley at the moment, it really didn't bother me one bit.

End of Part Six