GOD THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE

This chapter's where the M rating comes in.

It took only a brief glace in the mirror that morning for Volkner to confirm his own suspicions; the blemishes on his neck still showed themselves proudly. He found himself wishing he had brought a scarf, conspicuous as it would be, but even if he had, the temperature was much too high to justify wearing one. Thankfully, his shirt mostly hid the crescent-shaped bite mark Flint had left in his heated fervor.

Speaking of Flint, the man was still snoring and drooling face-down into his pillow, his limbs splayed haphazardly across the bed like a Slakoth, covers half-falling off. Volkner shook his head fondly, again wondering how this buffoon had managed to become captain of anything as he roused him from his slumber.

Unlike the morning before, Flint was acting almost manic early into Day Two. Volkner suspected the man was trying to hide his embarrassment, though he didn't say as much.

"Volk, your Magmar is just about the coolest I've ever seen! I wish I had a Magmar like that. Magmortar's one of the best Fire-types out there, you know." Flint continued ranting about stats and movepools for several minutes, and an idea occurred to Volkner when his mind wandered to the Magmarizer in his room back home in Sunyshore. Before he had a chance to share his thoughts, the two met up with the rest of the team in the hotel lobby. Volkner resisted the urge to slap a hand over his neck to conceal the telltale marks, but no one commented.

Huh. I guess we got away with it. Maybe I was just paranoid.

Flint jogged forward to stand beside Palmer, who joined him in addressing the team with enthusiasm as they reminded them of the day's schedule. They led the group out the door and onto the bus again so they could make their way back to the games.

Dawn and Lucas trailed behind the mob slightly as the boy addressed his twin. "Sis, what's wrong with Volkner and Flint's necks? Are those bug bites? Do you think they had a Joltik infestation in their room or something?!" The boy shivered with trepidation.

Dawn stared blankly at her naïve brother. "Lucas, have you ever heard of a hickey?"

Lucas tilted his head in confusion. "No. What does that mean?"

"It means they probably spent all night sucking at each other's throats like vampire Crobats," she deadpanned.

"Why would they do that? That...wait..." A horrified expression spread over the boy's face. "Oh...ew...EW! BAD IMAGES! Why did you tell me that?!" He hastily covered his ears.

"Don't blame me. You asked."

Volkner stared in disbelief at Flint, who seemed to have transformed into a human vacuum. The two were eating lunch at the makeshift food court organized for the competition...well, Volkner was finished, but Flint was still going. He was already scarfing down his fourth hot dog and showed no signs of slowing down. Volkner couldn't decide whether he was impressed or nauseated.

"Dude...are you alright? You're gonna get a stomachache if this keeps up."

"Mph scrmph," Flint quipped through a mouthful of hot dog.

"Uh...fair enough, I guess..."

Flint sloppily slurped down a gulp of soda before opening his mouth. "That last match was rough! I have to regain my strength."

Volkner smiled crookedly. "You're not the one doing all the work, you know."

Flint stopped just before he could take another bite and rebutted indignantly. "Hey, cheerleading...uh, leading teams in cheers, I mean...is hard work!" He wiped off his mouth with a crumpled napkin. "Team Castelia was tough! And those clowns...ugh..." Flint's eye twitched at the memory of their opponents' unnerving costumes.

"I believe they prefer the term 'harlequin,'" Volkner pointed out. At Flint's unimpressed look, he tried to defend the strange men. "Hey, at least they offered us ice cream afterward."

Flint looked disgusted and put down his hot dog entirely. "Ugh, don't make me lose my appetite! Who the hell models ice cream after a Pokémon anyway?!" Volkner shrugged in assent. "Well, either way, the drivers couldn't have done it without our help," Flint said, nodding decisively.

Volkner decided not to argue. "The bouts have definitely gotten harder. Who are we up against in the finals?"

Flint grinned. "We're facing Team HeartSoul of Johto. They NEVER do well in this competition; they must have gotten really lucky with their opponents to get to the finals! It's gonna be a breeze. The trophy is as good as ours, Volk!"

Volkner snorted. "Team HeartSoul? Is that supposed to sound threatening?"

"They say it's supposed to be about spiritual connections or some bullshit. This'll be a cinch, Volk. We've got this in the bag!" Flint proclaimed, pumping a fist in the air with conviction.

Volkner let out a breath of relief and exchanged confident smiles with his partner. "Whatever you say, Flint."

Team Firewire most definitely did NOT have things in the bag. After both robots were charged and Firewire shook hands with HeartSoul's drivers—two serious-looking girls with pigtails—their opponents wasted no time in taking control of the game and barreling into a commanding early lead. Flint was grinding his teeth in agitation and clenching his fingers in his hair. Volkner glanced idly at the captain, wondering if it was possible to rip out an entire afro from stress.

"I'm actually quite impressed," Volkner admitted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "That Ampharos charged their robot in no time flat. Their drivers are perfectly in sync, too; it's almost like they're the same person." Flint gave him an incredulous look, but Volkner continued. "Their creativity is admirable as well; shaping their bot like a Gyarados was quite clever. The red spray paint is a nice touch."

"Yeah, well, that shape is a pain in the ass. The teeth and tail make it impossible to get too close, so we can't hit it with our weapon!" Flint continued trying to rip his hair out in frustration. "Why are you praising them?! We're losing ten to seven with one minute left! This is no time to be impressed, Volk!"

Volkner chuckled softly. "I'm glad to finally have a challenge. This is a fun battle to watch!" His eyebrows knotted with concern at his partner's agonized expression, and he gently extracted Flint's tense hands from his red mass of hair and patted him on the back comfortingly. "You're going to give yourself a headache at this rate. Isn't there anything more productive you can be doing?"

Flint's eyes widened as he leapt out of his seat, pumping a fist in the air. "That's right! We still have work to do! Ready, team? We're not finished yet! Let me see your spirits burn!" Volkner couldn't help but laugh at Flint's sudden burst of enthusiasm, but it must have been contagious, because the rest of the team joined him in one last rowdy cheer.

Encouraged by the support of their friends, Dawn and Thorton were able to score two unanswered goals, but the final buzzer cut in before they could make a full comeback.

"AND THAT'S IT! TEAM HEARTSOUL HAS WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THEIR DRIVERS, KRIS AND LYRA! THOSE TWO ARE FRESHMEN, SO YOU CAN BET WE'LL BE SEEING MORE OF THEM!"

"Oh, freshmen. That's probably why they didn't do so well in previous years...Flint?" Volkner questioned, looking down at his friend. "You okay, pal?"

Flint was staring at the field with a shell-shocked expression, his hands limp at his sides. Volkner was willing to bet he couldn't even hear the cheers from the other team's bench and the respectful applause of their own team.

"...Flint?" he tried again. "Flint, it's alright. There's always next year. And hey, we got second place! That's great, isn't it?"

Flint finally managed to shut his mouth, but he was looking down at his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets as he frowned. Volkner bent down to try and look him in the eyes and rubbed his shoulder. At this, Flint raised his head and forced a grin. The captain descended the stairs to congratulate his drivers, so Volkner turned to the rest of the team and thanked them for their support in lieu of the captain.

Flint faked a smile all through dinner. Volkner noticed, but he wasn't sure if the rest of the team did (Palmer clearly didn't, but Palmer was dense as an Avalugg, so Volkner didn't use him as a benchmark). Flint debriefed the team and reviewed the schedule for tomorrow's awards ceremony and return trip, upholding his facade all the way through. Volkner would have been impressed if it didn't make him so sad, though he did his best to keep a supportive smile on his face for Flint whenever he looked his way.

Once the team members finished eating and were making their way out of the cafeteria, Lucian pulled Volkner aside and gave a knowing look at Flint. "Is he going to be alright?"

Volkner smiled. Of course Lucian would notice; he was too perceptive for his own good. "It'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll see to taking this husk back upstairs," Volkner said, looping an arm in Flint's and walking him back to their room.

When the two arrived back at the room, Flint allowed his mask to dissipate at last. He let himself drop down on his bed with a monumental sigh. Frankly, Volkner was surprised he managed to stay seated instead of falling straight onto his back. Volkner took off his shoes and socks, relieved to be rid of them after the long day.

Volkner dropped down next to his friend, his own slouch less noticeable than Flint's. He wrapped a comforting arm around Flint, and the man instantly pressed his face into Volkner's shirt.

"Volk...I let everyone down," he said, his voice muffled in his friend's shoulder. "We almost had it!"

Volkner looked down at Flint in disbelief. "Flint, we got second place in a competition with one hundred and twenty-eight teams. One hundred and twenty-eight, and we were better than all but one of them! That's pretty damn good! And how the hell is it your fault?"

Flint lifted his head a bit and ran a hand through his afro absently. "I'm the captain, Volk. There has to be something I could have done better. I must have missed something..."

Volkner was already shaking his head vehemently in disagreement. "No way. One team just happened to be a little bit better, and you know we put up one hell of a fight. It was no one's 'fault.' Aren't you glad we got to face off against such a strong team?"

Flint half-smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I hadn't thought about it that way. We were doing so well...I guess I just got my hopes up, you know?"

"Yeah." Volkner smiled kindly at him. "I don't like seeing you so sad when we did so well, though." With that, Volkner shifted back on the bed behind Flint and swung a leg around his other side so Flint was sitting between his thighs. Volkner slid his palms up Flint's back and rested his fingers on his inner shoulders before kneading gently.

Flint hummed in contentment. "Whatcha doin' back there?"

"Just distracting you for a little while."

Flint offered no complaint as Volkner worked the knots out of his shoulders. There weren't too many, most likely because Flint hadn't been stressed for too long. Nevertheless, Flint seemed to be enjoying the treatment; he relaxed his shoulders and kicked off his sandals. He occasionally let out soft sighs of relief. Volkner was just getting cocky about his skills when he accidentally pressed too hard above one of his shoulder blades, and Flint flinched with a quiet yelp.

"Sorry," Volkner said sheepishly. Okay, so maybe he wasn't perfect at this quite yet. He heard Flint snicker and decided to switch it up. He skimmed the pads of his fingers up and down Flint's back just to the sides of his spine, applying moderate pressure.

Flint sucked in air sharply and stopped him. "Careful where you're aiming...just a sec." To clarify the issue, Flint carefully reached down to gingerly peel the shirt off his back, and Volkner cringed at what was revealed.

Jeez, what happened to his back? Who hurt him like that? Those...wait. Ah. Volkner laughed nervously when he saw the raw, wild scratches he'd left on Flint's back the night before in his fervor. "Whoops."

"Nah, it's all good. Not gonna lie, though, it was a little distracting; whenever I scratched my back today, I couldn't help but think of last night," Flint admitted, throwing a roguish smirk over his shoulder. "Didn't help that you're covered in hickeys, too."

Volkner's hand instinctively shot to his own neck at the remark. "Fair enough. Speaking of which..." Volkner leaned down with little warning and bit roughly down on Flint's shoulder.

"Ah! What was that for?!" Flint squawked. Volkner responded with a laugh.

"Now we match," he explained. He licked the mark in apology. Just like the night before, Flint's skin tasted vaguely spicy. Volkner moved his head down to press gentle kisses to his partner's shoulder in contrast to the harsh bite. Not wanting to hurt Flint's back further, he slid his hands to the front instead, taking advantage of the other's bare chest. He remembered one of Flint's actions from yesterday and imitated it by deftly rolling a nipple between his fingers, feeling satisfied when it hardened under his digits and his motions drew a gasp from Flint. His other hand moved lower to Flint's flat stomach so he could trace patterns over it, and he combined the light kisses with heated presses of his tongue.

By this point, Flint's mouth was wide open to make way for pleasured gasps and whines: not just from the sensations, but from Volkner's tenderness. On the first day he met Volkner, the boy had emanated a cold aura, and Flint never would have guessed he could soften into someone so caring. He squirmed and arched his back to get more contact from the man behind him, gasping softly and thoroughly enjoying the other's ministrations as well as the sensation of warm, heavy breathing against his skin. In his desire to touch Volkner somehow in return, he reached his hands down to grip the man's thighs.

Though he wasn't being directly stimulated, Volkner easily derived pleasure from Flint's reactions. He pulled his face away for a second to bite his lip impatiently, then slid the hand on Flint's stomach around his hip to rub teasingly along his inner thigh. Flint let out a harsh, choked gasp. At this, Volkner felt himself growing harder, and he gave into the temptation to shift his hips forward and press his hardness against Flint's lower back, hoping he'd take the hint.

Flint must have felt it, because he groaned and ground his ass against Volkner's groin. A moan escaped Volkner's lips in response, and the hand on Flint's thigh hesitantly drifted inward to palm Flint's erection through his pants.

Flint moaned in need as he automatically thrust into Volkner's hand, throwing his head back. Flint desperately grasped the invading hand, threading their fingers together tightly to keep it exactly where it was. They didn't quite have the right angle for kissing, so Volkner settled for nipping Flint's jaw—gently, of course. They didn't need any more visible marks than they already had.

After a minute of frenzied writhing in the awkward position, Flint managed to gasp, "Volk—I can't s-see you like this. L-let's turn around—!" His voice cracked at the end when Volkner pinched his nipple and squeezed his length at the same time. Volkner could have gone on teasing the man, but he was frustrated with their placement as well, so he grudgingly relinquished his grip on his partner to slide backward onto the bed, lying down and resting his weight on his elbows. Flint let out a huff—whether of relief, frustration, or some strange mixture, Volkner didn't know—and took a moment to gather himself. He then flipped over onto his hands and knees, crawling forward and advancing on Volkner with a seductive glint in his eye.

Well, it was seductive...until his hand slipped out from under him on the comforter and his forehead smashed into Volkner's knee on the way down.

"Ow—shit," he cursed, fumbling to regain his bearings.

Volkner was proud of himself for successfully holding in his laughter for the first five seconds. After that, though, he couldn't help but release the floodgate.

"Pfft...F-Flint...did you just—ahahaha! That was hilarious! You alright, dude?" A few snickers continued to escape.

Flint couldn't really blame him for laughing, but he still felt justified in pouting angrily.

"Hmph. Yeah, I'm fine."

Volkner wiped a tear from his eye and tried to get himself under control. "C'mere, Flint," he said, wrapping a hand behind Flint's neck to pull his head down. He kissed the man's forehead where it had been hurt, then pulled back a bit to examine Flint's expression.

As usual, Flint couldn't keep from grinning for too long, and the pained pout melted off his face to make way for a goofy grin. "You're such a sap," Flint accused jokingly, leaning back in to connect their lips in a real kiss. Flint slanted his mouth over Volkner's so he could push his tongue into the other's willing mouth, and he leaned his body farther over his friend's.

It didn't take long for the two to get carried away again, their teenage hormones happily taking over. Volkner accepted the invasion of his mouth, eagerly tangling his tongue with Flint's. He became very aware of Flint's position on top of him; the man was bracing himself above Volkner with both hands on either side of his head. One of his knees was to the side of his body, but the other was pressing dangerously close to Volkner's crotch, and the thought sent a thrill down his spine. Volkner ran his eyes hungrily along the lean body above him. Some would have thought Flint was too skinny, but to Volkner, he was perfect. As always, Flint's baggy pants obstructed Volkner's view of his lower half. He'd have to fix that.

Volkner loosened his grip on Flint's neck—which, by now, had a thin layer of sweat—to pull back slightly, enough for his tongue to retreat back into his mouth without breaking the kiss entirely so he could speak against the other's lips. "Hey, Flint, guess what?" he questioned, his voice husky but playful.

Flint's eyes barely fluttered open and shifted restlessly back and forth between Volkner's darkened eyes and his swollen lips. "What?"

"I found another use for your suspenders."

"...Wha—OH, GOD!"

A quick rustle of fabric was heard as Volkner took ahold of the red straps and swiftly yanked Flint's pants down with a triumphant cackle. "Hah! You know, Flint, most people wear suspenders to keep their pants UP. Yours, on the other hand, are just begging people to pants you. You have NO IDEA how long I've wanted to do that," he admitted breathlessly.

To Volkner's surprise, Flint didn't get flustered or embarrassed, instead giving a wide smile as he replied, "Probably as long as I've wanted to do this." His hands shot to Volkner's pants, taking a little time to unbutton and unzip them, mindful of Volkner's erection, which gave an interested twitch at the proximity of Flint's hands.

While Flint worked, Volkner distracted himself by looking elsewhere. He raised an eyebrow. "Flint...are those..."

Pausing to follow his gaze, Flint beamed proudly. "Yup! Limited-edition Firewire boxers from last year!" He gave a proud thumbs-up, clearly unashamed to be wearing an outdated robotics logo on his crotch. "They didn't sell too well, so we didn't have them this year. It's too bad, we could have matched!"

Volkner just shook his head. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes, Flint," he admitted as the man succeeded in removing his pants with a noise of triumph. Flint smoothly slid his hands up the skin of Volkner's torso, pushing his t-shirt up and off with the other's assistance.

Flint waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, you could start by using your hands," he suggested.

Volkner grinned in agreement. He reached his hands inside the waistband of Flint's boxers, slipping them off and tossing them to an unknown corner of the room with the rest of their apparel. He tried not to stare, but he couldn't help but compare his and Flint's cocks; he was pretty sure his was a bit longer, but Flint's was slightly thicker. Flint smirked at Volkner's inspection. "Like what you see?"

Volkner forcefully tore his eyes away, knowing that if he hadn't been blushing before, then he definitely was now. "You wish," he snorted weakly, though he knew it didn't sound convincing. Flint laughed softly to himself.

Figuring he'd teased his partner enough, Flint hooked his thumbs into Volkner's briefs, which were plain and unembarrassing; it was a shame, really. He was hoping they'd be decorated with cute little Pikachus or something so he could tease his partner. Instead, he pulled them off without a word and tossed them away to be forgotten.

Volkner pulled Flint down impatiently, squeezing his ass and pressing their hips together. Both boys moaned audibly at the contact. Flint laid the rest of his body on top of Volkner and connected their lips once again. The kiss grew sloppy when Flint took hold of Volkner and rolled his hips. Volkner moaned into Flint's mouth before reciprocating the action, drawing a pleasured noise from Flint in response.

It wasn't long before the two were rutting against one another mindlessly. Flint had pulled his head away to groan against Volkner's collarbone and shut his eyes, continuing to piston his hips. Volkner grew tired of being pinned and flipped them over, taking control of the situation. He punctuated the action with an avid thrust as he took hold of both their lengths and started to pump them both simultaneously.

"Volk, wh—ah!" Flint cut off his own protest with a cry of pleasure, his eyes fluttering shut as he shivered with arousal. Volkner thrust against his friend and watched him come unraveled. Flint had always been an expressive man, but his current look—flushed cheeks, slackened mouth, and distant, distracted eyes—was Volkner's new favorite. No matter what faces Flint would show in public, Volkner would make sure he'd be the only one to see him like this.

Volkner was forced to regain his focus when Flint gripped his shoulders and flipped them again so both boys were lying on their sides facing each other. "Compromise?" he panted simply. Volkner nodded breathlessly in agreement. Clearly, neither one wanted to be on the bottom for too long. He couldn't complain about the new position, especially when Flint tangled one of his legs around his to pull them closer and pushed the other between Volkner's thighs. He shuddered at the contact and continued to stroke their erections, and Flint took ahold of his waist so he could thrust his hips against Volkner's.

Both were too breathless for proper kissing, so neither tried; instead, they carelessly let out loud moans and cries of passion. The friction of their sweat-soaked skin was driving Volkner crazy, and he sped up the motions of his hand, feeling a bit of fluid from both of their lengths leak onto his fingers. Flint's body heat and their combined heavy breathing were beginning to make him feel overheated. Flint shuddered in his embrace and licked his lips.

"Mmph...Volk...I can't—" Volkner nodded, getting the point; he wouldn't be able to last much longer, either. He did his best to connect their lips in one last, sloppy kiss as he stroked them more roughly, losing all rhythm and finesse in his desperation and need.

Apparently, Flint didn't mind the lack of technique, because he broke his lips away from Volkner's to let out one last, clipped scream.

"V-Volk...ah!" Flint gripped Volkner's upper arms tightly as he cried out, his whole body spasming with the force of his climax. He gave one last, powerful jerk of his hips as he came into Volkner's hand.

The feeling of his partner's length throbbing and releasing in his hand and his cry of pleasure were too much for Volkner. His muscles seized up, and he froze as he came violently, his vision going white. "F-Flint—!" He didn't bother trying to muffle his shout.

Volkner went limp in his partner's embrace and kept his eyes closed for a moment. When he opened them again, he was about two inches from Flint's face. The man had a dazed, affectionate look on his face as he inspected Volkner's features fondly.

Okay, so Volkner now had a new favorite Flint expression. He couldn't help but lean forward to kiss his friend innocently. It was nothing heated this time, just a simple press of lips. Flint returned the gesture and stroked a hand through Volkner's hair, laughing as he ruffled it a bit.

"Dude, your hair is ridiculous right now. It looks like a Combee's nest."

Volkner snorted at that. "You're not one to talk."

Flint didn't argue, probably because he knew Volkner was right. "But man, was that awesome. I'm glad we got that out of our systems." He stretched out on his back and pulled Volkner to his side.

Volkner nuzzled his face into Flint's collarbone and hummed in agreement. "How long do you think that's been building up? It's been a while..."

"You mean how long we've wanted to screw each other?" Volkner snorted into the man's side, but Flint continued on, unfazed. "Well, I liked you pretty much from the get-go, so it's been almost three months for me. What about you?"

Volkner laughed hoarsely and started absently tracing patterns on Flint's chest. "Actually, I thought you were really goofy in the beginning."

"Oh, yeah?" Flint waggled his eyebrows. "And now what do you think?"

"Now I KNOW you're really goofy."

"Aw, you wound me!" Flint wailed dramatically. "Anyway, I feel really gross right now. Shower?"

"Yup. Your bed's still gonna be gross, though." Volkner sighed. He rolled out of bed and started toward the bathroom, yanking Flint up and pulling him along. "Looks like we'll have to share."

Flint pumped a fist in the air triumphantly. "Yes! My wish came true!"

Volkner rolled his eyes fondly and spanked his friend, who yelped. "Good for you, Blissey. Now let's get going. I'm tired."

Volkner awoke face-to-face with a mass of sweet-smelling red hair, and he looked down to see that Flint (still naked, just as he was) was clinging to his torso like a spider Mankey and snoring obnoxiously. A small stain could be seen in the sheets below his mouth, presumably from his drool. Seeing the scene, Volkner couldn't help but smile warmly at Flint.

All-in-all, the only thing that ruined the moment was the blaring of his alarm.

The pair struggled through the morning routine, their late night taking its toll in the forms of sluggish sleepiness and dark bags under their eyes. It was all they could do to pack up and make their way to the door of their room.

On the way out, Volkner stopped Flint before he could open the door. "Hey. I got one more use for those suspenders."

Flint blinked heavily and gave a lazy grin. "You're not going to pants me again, are you?"

"Nope." Instead, Volkner grasped the straps and pulled Flint toward him to plant a brief but passionate kiss on his lips. They broke away, and Volkner grinned. "Wasn't sure how long it'd be before I'd be able to do that again."

Volkner joined his team at the continental breakfast down in the hotel lobby, bringing his bowl of cereal with him as he plopped down in his usual seat next to Flint. They were surrounded by Maylene, Dawn, Lucas, Thorton, Roark, and Lucian. Something struck him as odd about his teammates' faces, though.

Dawn had her usual blank stare and Lucian retained his customary gentle smirk, but Lucas, Thorton, and Roark looked rather uncomfortable and wouldn't keep eye contact with him.

Maylene, on the other hand, had a bright grin on her face. "So, guys, did you have a good time last night?"

Volkner paused his munching and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Wait...Lucian and Roark roomed to one side of us, with Thorton and Lucas on the other...and Maylene and Dawn were across from us...

Volkner exchanged a look with Flint, whose face was pale.

Maylene started giggling, and Dawn took over for her. She maintained her bored expression as she deadpanned, "Are you guys always that loud when you fuck?"

"DAWN!" Lucas shrieked in horror.

Volkner spat out his mouthful of cereal, and Flint choked on the Rawst berry he was eating.

The two struggled to recover, and Maylene collapsed into happy hysterics, pounding the table with her fist in merriment. Apparently, Dawn was immune to social awkwardness, because she continued. "Which one of you tops, anyway? I've always wondered that."

"SIS!"

"What? I'm just curious."

Lucian chimed in shrewdly. "I always assumed Volkner did the honors. He seems more the type. He does have the height advantage, does he not?"

"Not really. Flint just slumps a lot," Roark pointed out. When everyone looked at him, he blushed and pulled his helmet down to try and cover his face. "N-not that I'm terribly worried about it, of course!"

At this point, Volkner was hiding his face in his hands, and Flint was slamming his head against the table. Repeatedly. Maylene couldn't help but add her two cents.

"I always thought Flint would be a seme...because he's such a PAIN IN THE ASS! Hah! Get it?!"

This was going to be a long day.

Thankfully, the rest of the team mostly left them alone for the rest of the day (aside from a few atrocious puns about "sparks flying" from Maylene). Once they boarded the bus again after the awards ceremony, Volkner leaned his head against Flint's shoulder heavily. He was too tired to sit up straight, but he was too awake to sleep, so he merely slumped over lazily as he watched Flint from the corner of his eye, still not understanding how the other had so much energy this early in the morning. It must have been left over from the ceremony.

"Can you believe it, Volk? Two ribbons. Two!"

Volkner blinked and smiled sleepily. "I mean, technically, the team only got one. Our robot got the Toughness ribbon, and we mostly have Roark to thank for that."

Flint bristled. "It was still a team effort. Besides, the Team Spirit Award is nothing to sneeze at, either! We may not have gotten the trophy, but I'm still proud of us!"

Volkner gave his friend a sleepy smile and weaved his fingers into Flint's. "I don't need a trophy. This trip still felt like a victory to me," he said, leaning up to share a chaste kiss with his companion.

Flint's mouth twitched. He managed to keep his composure for a few seconds, but he soon lost it, unable to resist laughing at his friend. "God, Volk, that was SO cheesy! It sounds like we're in a bad fanfic."

Volkner couldn't bring himself to be offended. He knew Flint was right, and he joined in the laughing fit. "It's too early, and I'm way too tired for this. Give me a break, will you?" When Flint calmed down, Volkner kept talking. "Speaking of clichés and cheesy sentiments, I have a proposition for you."

Flint's eyes brightened at this. "Oh?"

Volkner lifted his head and nodded. "Yeah, but we'll need a particular held item."

"You gave Electabuzz the Electirizer, right?"

"Of course I did! You have so little faith in me, Volk. It's not like I'd forget th—crap. One sec."

Volkner shook his head and muttered about irresponsible redheads. He looked around as he waited. Early summer had brought with it blooming berry plants, green grass, the buzz of happy Bug-types...and the end of their junior year. The Poké ball in his hand felt heavy. He shook his head to focus on the task at hand. "You almost done over there?"

"Haha!" Flint declared triumphantly. He held out his own Poké ball. "Ready?"

Volkner nodded with a trusting smile and held his ball up to match Flint's, and both placed their hands on the other's Poké balls. A soft glow emanated from them, and they radiated a soft warmth as they transferred hands...and owners.

Flint pulled away and held his new Pokémon in his hands. "I'll take good care of him, Volk."

Volkner mirrored Flint's actions. "Same here. Electivire's in good hands." He looked down and reached into his pocket. "By the way...um...take this, too," he said nervously, handing Flint a yellow disk.

Flint tilted his head curiously and took the item from Volkner. "TM 24? That's...Thunderbolt, right?"

Volkner averted his eyes and shuffled his feet. "Yeah. I-if I'm trusting you with Magmortar, y-you have to teach him that."

Flint's eyes widened, and he smirked. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well...it's gonna be a little while before we see each other...and I don't want you to forget me while you're gone." Heat rushed unwarranted to his face as he turned pink in embarrassment.

Flint shook his head fondly. "Volk, it's only one summer. We'll be back at school in no time." He placed his new Magmortar's Poké ball in one of his deep pockets. "Besides, I could never forget you." He wrapped his arms around his partner's waist, and when Volkner looked into his eyes, he leaned in to give him a tender, reassuring kiss.

"ATTENTION!"

At the boisterous command, Volkner flinched in Flint's arms before breaking away to face the noise. He startled Flint by locking himself into a stiff salute. Seeing Volkner's intimidating father looking out at the front lawn from a doorway, Flint panicked and quickly attempted to copy Volkner's pose. Volkner subtly kicked his foot, and Flint rapidly shifted it to match his.

"SIR, YES, SIR!" Volkner responded automatically. Flint frantically tacked on his own response as well.

The muscular man marched forward with his hands behind his back. He stopped directly in front of Flint and narrowed his eyes at the young man. "PRIVATE."

It took a moment for Flint to realize the man was addressing him. He started to sweat. "Um...Surge...I mean, Lieutenant...um...yes, sir? Uh..." Volkner elbowed him roughly, and he stopped talking.

Lieutenant Surge glared coldly at him, clearly unimpressed, before he sighed in exasperation. "At ease."

Flint at least knew that one. He and Volkner both relaxed.

Surge turned to his son. "Volkner, you know the rules. You would do well to teach your boyfriend," he spat, throwing Flint a terrifying glare, "the regulations as well." He turned around for a second before looking back at Flint and punching him forcefully on the back, almost knocking him off his feet. "And fix that posture, private. No member of the Surge Division will be permitted to slouch in public like that. It's unsightly." He then marched back into the house.

When the door closed, Flint almost collapsed from the encounter, already exhausted. "Dear Arceus, that was freaking terrifying. How do you put up with that?!"

For his part, Volkner was actually giggling. "Dude, Flint...he accepts you. Dad likes you!"

Flint shot Volkner an incredulous look. "What the hell, man?! I thought for sure he was mad at us! He's not homophobic or anything?"

Volkner's grin spread farther. "No way, man. Soldiers just aren't allowed to show public displays of affection."

Flint's expression remained blank and shell-shocked. "So...I'm a soldier now." Volkner confirmed this with an emphatic nod. "Oh, Arceus, what have I gotten myself into?"

Volkner suppressed the last of his chuckles. "It's too late. If you ever run away, Dad'll hunt you down."

Flint scratched the back of his neck and grinned. "Guess I'm stuck with you for a while, then." He resisted the urge to hug Volkner again, fearing retribution of military proportions. "I'll see you next fall, Volk! Take care of Electivire, and don't you dare let him forget Fire Punch!"

Volkner watched his boyfriend dash off, a soft smile on his face. He looked down at the Poké ball in his hands and tossed it into the air, releasing his new Electivire. The Pokémon couldn't help but inspect its large muscles appreciatively, and it noticed Volkner with a fond grin. Volkner released Raichu as well and led both back inside. As he went, he addressed them both.

"Alright, I'm gonna need your help with this, guys. If we want Firewire to do well in next year's competition, we're gonna have to kick things up a notch! You guys ready?" The pair of Pokémon nodded enthusiastically. "Great! I have a few ideas. First thing's first..."

Lieutenant Surge watched from the other side of the room as Volkner and his Pokémon went crazy over robots and circuits. He shook his head and smiled—secretly, of course. His son was such a geek.

The end

Phew.

Smut isn't really my strong suit, so I'd appreciate any tips. I hope you enjoyed!