Impossible

"Is that what I think it is?" Butch asked wearily when he met with James on the outskirts of Verdanturf Town.

"It's a unicycle!" James answered, showing off the small vehicle leaning against a tree.

"Yes, I can see that…"

"I'm going to teach you how to ride it."

"Huh? No way." Butch chuckled, until he realized James wasn't kidding. "Oh crap. But you know I can't even ride a bicycle. How do you expect me to ride a unicycle?"

James smiled brightly. "One or two wheels, what's the difference? You should at least know how to ride something. It's simply unacceptable that you can't."

"I can drive cars, pilot helicopters and steer boats. I don't need a bike."

James shook his head and made a disapproving sound. "How can you drive something with four wheels but not with one? Come on, I'm sure you'll learn it in no time."

"No. I don't feel like falling on my face five billion times just to learn something so trivial."

"Trivial? Do you have any idea how cool this is?" The younger Rocket agent promptly reached for the single-wheeled bike and demonstrated his point by riding around Butch a couple times.

"Yeah, I don't think 'cool' is the right word for it. 'Show-off' and 'super-dork' seem more appropriate."

"Hey! Don't be jealous, Butch. You know you want it." James rebuffed while he jumped off and looked at him grinning.

Butch sighed and shrugged eventually. "Fine, I'll try it."

"Great! You'll like it, I promise." Leaning on both a tree and James, Butch carefully mounted the unicycle. After a few tries he could sit up straight, with one of his arms around James' shoulders and his other hand keeping a death-grip on a branch.

"Whoa! I'm gonna fall!"

"Keep calm. Just try to keep your balance." James smiled inwardly at Butch' childlike panic and kept his arms around him to steady him.

"Okay, now slowly try to pedal forward."

It worked for a whole second before Butch fell forward. "I'll never learn this. It's impossible."

James rolled his eyes. "No it's not. But you need to keep your back straight. Try again."

They continued to practice for the next half hour and eventually Butch could stay on for a whole thirty seconds while holding onto James' arm. James counted the seconds and when the green-haired boy lost his balance again, he pulled him into a hug.

"Good job! Thirty seconds! You move along really fast, Butch. It took me weeks to learn this."

Butch returned the hug happily, proud of his progress. When they broke apart, the older boy looked at him fondly. "Thanks for teaching me. You sure made it look easier than it is."

"Don't you want to keep practicing?" James asked, holding onto Butch' forearms.

"Well… Do I have to?"

"Yes! What are you talking about, you liked it. Stop acting like you didn't."

"… Not as much as you."

"That's because it was your first time. The more you do it, the better it gets." At this point, Butch realized how suggestive it sounded.

"Oh really?" He grinned lewdly, but James was oblivious as always.

"Yes. The first times are really awkward and hard, but once you master it, it's so much fun." Butch secured his arms around James' back and pulled him closer.

"Hmm. Tell me more about how much you like to ride it."

"... What?"

Butch wiggled his eyebrows and more cheesy lines ensued. "You love to have that long stick between your legs, don't you?"

When James finally caught on, he burst out laughing.