Oh I just love this story period. They say the best things you write are the ones you enjoyed writing, so that means I'm doing things right! Anyways, on to the chapter!
Disclaimer: Sven is mine physically as the same applies to Gizmo, Ratchet belongs to my bud, Shotze belongs to a great guy, and then two guests OCs that belong to another awesome guy.
After all their injuries were tended to, the actual camping began. The Luxray was thankful that Ratchet was a professional medical expert, he felt little to no fatigue from the battle which lead to the tents getting pitched rather quickly.
"Speaking of pitching tents~" The tricky fox began, though he never got to finish when the mechanic tool struck his temple again. "Dammit, you didn't even know what I was going to say!?" The Zoroark yelled in his defense. The Arcanine had his arms crossed with a stern stare directed towards the Dark type.
"It couldn't have been good with a setup like that." The Zoraork grumbled as he tended to the large bump that appeared on his head. Much like before, the Luxray was laughing at his roommate's pain. Not as hard as before, but still loud enough to not go unnoticed. It still disturbed Gizmo how much he was laughing on this trip in such a short time.
"Well, since it was a tie and that we all helped with the tents, does that mean we all get ice cream?" The Leafeon asked as he rested on a log that was placed in the sunlight. He didn't care much for sweets, but he was concerned about the outcome for a tie.
"No! I refuse to let anyone else enjoy my ice cream!" The tricky fox shouted as he dove for the ice chest that contained said sweets. "Besides, I only packed two bars of Sea-salt Ice cream."
"Then give those two to Sven and Ratchet, if it was a tie, then it should go to the two left standing." The Grass type proposed the idea, knowing that Gizmo would regrettably listen to him and allow it. He could hear a string of swears fly out of the Zoroark's mouth as he released the ice chest and walked away. Sven sighed in relief as he flashed a thankful smile towards Shotze.
It didn't take long for him to find the bars of ice cream, he happily handed the Fire type his and stared at the bar. "Hey Gizmo, you want it? Not really in the mood for sweets."
"No! I won't take your pity..." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tricky fox restraining himself. The evil gears in Sven's head began to turn as he found a bit of payback for the whole day.
"Alright, suit yourself." He grinned as he took a lick, almost forgetting that it was called Sea-salt for a reason. The sweetness blended with the salty taste, making it seem as though it wasn't a treat but a snack. "I like how salty it tastes compared to the sweet in it."
The Zoroark gritted his teeth as the Luxray deliberately made eating the bar of ice cream as noisy as possible. Eventually Sven grew tired of all the licking and had an impulsive idea that he decided to vocalize. "I wonder if I can just swallow this thing whole, last chance if you want still want it, Gizums."
The Arcanine could only stare in fascination as the Electric type managed to fit the cold treat into his jaw. A blush formed across his muzzle as his mind started to wander, but Ratchet shook his head to clear his mind. At the moment, the Luxray slowly pulled the wooden stick out from his lips and swallowed the whole bar with a grin.
"No wonder you're an addict for these things, they're fucking delicious." The Electric turned over to face his new friend and noticed that his bar was left alone to melt in the setting sunlight. "Better hurry up, I'm sure your heat is going to make it into a puddle before you can eat half of it."
The Fire type nodded in agreement and went to work on his own treat, instead of the quick approach, the Fire type was savoring the flavor as he ate it. Afterwards when the sun was halfway swallowed by the horizon, the Arcanine was beginning to think that now would be a good time to start resting.
"The sun is setting, we should head to bed." The others stared at him with confusion and soon realized that they never shared an entire schedule with him.
"Sorry, but we're not heading to bed yet without a quick dip." Shotze briefed, yet it was still a bit vague to Ratchet's ears.
"So... You guys want to swim?" He crossed his arms, he had neglected to bring a swimsuit, and if he even did, it would take a lot to convince him to get into the water. Being a Fire type, even getting splashed with some water brings great discomfort. "I'll pass, didn't bring a swimsuit, and I'm a Fire type."
"Nope, this river has a hot spring in it, it's really well known to the public, but we like to go at night when no one is around." Sven explained as he smiled at the Arcanine. His words coming out as if Ratchet didn't have a say in the decision at all. A smile which quickly faded as soon as the tricky fox added his two bits.
"And I got ya covered in the swimsuit area, I brought an extra just for you." Both Sven and Ratchet sighed with the feeling that nothing good would come out of that nice gesture, it was Gizmo, so it would either be nonexistent or incredibly revealing. Sven was hoping, just once, that the Dark type was sane for the first time in his entire life. Said Zoroark looked through his bag and soon pulled out a small piece of fabric that looked more like a handkerchief than a swimsuit. "Here it is."
"I am not wearing that tiny thing!" Ratchet protested, fist clenched tightly and face flushed red. The Electric type grumbled to himself as he turned away from the situation. 'Bastard probably did this on purpose just to... Ugh I don't even want to think of that!'
"Either wear it, or I Flamethrower your tent over there." 'That fucker wouldn't!' Sven was hoping that the Aracnine wouldn't accept just to see that the Dark type was all bark and no bite. Yet Ratchet approached the Dark type and snatched the small bathing suit from him.
"Fine, only because Sven has to sleep in the tent too, and he wouldn't be as comfortable in a burning tent as I would." The three friends stared in shock, not even Gizmo expected a yes, he had already prepared to unleash Flamethrower before the answer was ever given. The Luxray cursed his luck and began to dread visiting the hot spring.
The four walked along the river, the sound of the rushing water becoming ambient along with the brushing of leaves. While Gizmo, Sven, and Shotze had nice swim trunks and towels thrown over their shoulders, the Arcanine wrapped his towel around his waist as to prolong the eventual reveal and embarrassment. His blush was visible even after the sunlight died out.
On their way to the hot spring, the Zoroark couldn't help but catch wind of a few voices. "Dammit, guess we won't be alone."
Ratchet swore under his breath, he was hoping that the swimsuit would only stay between them and not be shown to the public. While making their way to the hot spring, the Fire type began to notice steam that rose from behind some brush. From their proximity, they could clearly hear the conversation of those that were occupying the spring at the moment.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt your alone time." Gizmo announced as he pushed aside the brush and allowed the others to go through into the hot spring area. The Arcanine stared at the scenery as well as the other guests. The Hot Spring seemed to be a part of the river, a small stream poured in the hot water to the river. To keep in most of the hot water from getting carried out by the cold stream, rocks had been piled around to dam up the two bodies of water. The other civilians that they were joining were only a Noivern and a rather built Gogoat.
"Ey, don't worry about it, anyone can relax here." The Noivern assured that the intrusion was fine. The Gogoat beside him smiled and motioned for the others to join.
"Yeah, the more the merrier!" Though the Leafeon and Zoroark practically leaped in without hesitation, the Luxray stared at the dam that was made with a keen eye, while Ratchet had stayed out for comfort reasons. While the two stayed dry, the tricky fox and Grass type socialized with the guests.
"Nice night isn't it?" Gizmo greeted as he submerged himself up to his shoulders in the water.
"It sure is, nighttime bathing is the best." The Noivern responded, at this close distance, the Zoroark was able to pick up on a Spanish accent. "My name is Eduardo, what about you?"
The Dark type grinned as the name brought light to the accent. "Name's Gizmo." The Noivern stared a bit before smiling at the Dark type. "And this is my boyfriend, Shotze." The tricky fox announced as he pulled in the Grass type by surprise. The Gogoat smiled widely, the kind of smile that seemed incredibly goofy which was in major contrast to his appearance.
"Hey, another couple to join us!" The Zoroark laughed at the coincidence and the thought of that sentence in different contexts.
"Sorry, but I would never share my Shotzy with anyone." Upon realizing on what he had said, the Gogoat apologized rather quickly.
"I'm sorry, didn't mean it like that, my name is Quinn by the way." After a moment, the Gogoat looked over at Sven and Ratchet, one lost in thought while the other remained ankle deep in the water. After shaking his head in disappointment, the Luxray leaped into the water only to faced towards a large rock that was set beside the steamy stream that provided the warm water. Without warning, the Electric type glowed brightly in the night while lifting the boulder up and carrying it over to the small dam. With ease and gentle care, the Luxray fitted the stone to reinforce the dam and allow more hot water to flow in.
"When I find the assholes who keeps moving my rock, I'm gonna knock them into space." Eduardo rose up and soon stared at the Electric type in awe.
"You're Sven Blitzkrieg! I can't believe I didn't notice it before." Said Luxray sunk into the water, letting the warmth wash over his fatigue as he greeted the fan.
"Yeah, honestly didn't expect to see an old fan... We quit professional battles a long time ago." During the entire commotion with the rock, the Arcanine found it was the best time to slip into the water without the others noticing. Though it felt utterly strange at first to have his fur wet, the near boiling water melted away his discomfort.
"Forgive me, I just idolize you and Mr. Kanso when I was still a Noibat." The Noivern gushed a bit, which lead Ratchet to think how lucky he must have been to befriend a celebrity. "Um, is this your boyfriend?" Eduardo indicated towards the Arcanine, who had just sat down to soak in the water.
The Electric type flailed around in the water like a Magikarp before regaining some of his composure. "N-No! Ratchet isn't my boyfriend, he's just a friend!" His blush would have been contradictory to the statement, but the others saw it as the heat from the spring. Well, Gizmo didn't believe due to being suspicious since the beginning.
Wanting to change the subject, Sven decided to ask the Arcanine a question that was on his mind since the battle. "Hey Ratchet, I forgot to ask, but what was that attack you did to block Shotze's Leaf Blade?"
The Fire type sighed for a moment before explaining. "It was Sacred Sword. I'm a member of the Swords of Justice." The conversation caught the attention of Quinn.
"Huh, so you're one of the new members?" Sven only stared blankly, he had no idea the Swords of Justice were recruiting new members. It was moments like these that he really hated being behind on news.
"Yes, more specifically, I am the group's Medic." The Fire type explained and began to fidget a bit, finding himself in an uncomfortable spot.
"What's wrong? Got an itch?" The Dark type asked, a small chuckle escaping his lips. Ratchet felt his face heat up as he began to explain.
"This bathing suit is... Tight, I'm finding it really hard to relax when it's squeezing me..." The grin returned to the Zoroark's face as he made his way to the Arcanine.
"Give 'em here, I'll fix it for you." The Fire type was hesitant at first, but found himself slipping off the tiny piece of fabric anyway, making sure to keep his lower body under the water. When Gizmo had a hold of the small swimsuit, he held it up and immediately breathed fire onto it. The others staring in shock at the deed. Before the tricky fox could say a witty remark, the Fire type rose from his spot pulling from behind him his infamous scolding tool.
"Where the fuck did that come fro-" The ratchet struck the Zoroark square in the jaw, shocking the guest from the random act of cartoon-like violence. However, the sight was to behold for the Luxray as he found himself gawking while catching whiff of the scent of blood. He assumed that the blood was from his roommate, but the sound of drips close to him told him otherwise. 'Shit! My nose is bleeding... Why is it bleeding, I never get nosebleeds!'
Luckily, the Niovern, Gogoat, and Leafeon were too distracted to notice at the moment, which made covering up his little bloody sign of perversion easier.
"Alright, I understand why you're angry..." The Zoroark began as he cupped his jaw and tugged at his shorts. "So here, you won't be the only one. Eh, good thing I wore break away shorts." Before the others could understand him, Gizmo ripped off his swimwear to be as naked as the Arcanine in front of him.
"Gizmo!" The Leafeon cried out in embarrassment.
"Oh, sorry... Hey, we're all men here, why don't we all try it!" A loud cheer was given from the Gogoat, the large Grass goat soon peeling off his own trunks to join in the fun. Sven shielded his eyes and felt his body sink lower into the water to the point that his nose was left above the surface for air purposes. Air bubbles rose to the surface from his mouth. It was an underwater sigh of disappointment and realization. Even Eduardo and Shotze were forced by their significant other to join in the newfound nudist group. Soon Sven was the only one clothed and stared at as if he was a monster.
"Well?" The Zoroark asked as if the Luxray knew what he was asking for. In all honesty, the Luxray did know, he just did not want to deal with it.
"Well what?" He asked back, attempting to prolong the inevitable. In the corner of his eyes, the Electric type could see the Arcanine staring at him with a concerned look. "Alright... I will get naked, with my gay friends, and if any of them tries to look at my junk, I will use Discharge to murder all of you."
He warned as the trunks were slid off his frame. "Are you still sure you're straight? I know you and you would never do anything close to this." The Zoroark asked, eliciting a light blush from the Electric type.
"You'll be the first to know when I start questioning my sexuality." 'I don't care if I lie, just get off my back, Gizums...' The rest of the night was uneventful. Everyone had heeded the warning and didn't so much as bat an eye at the Luxray's direction. he was able to relax in the spring under the stars and the wanning moon. As much as he hated to admit it, skinny dipping in a hot spring was an amazing experience. The warmth felt incredible in the areas that would have been shielded had he kept shorts on.
"I've had just about enough water as I could tolerate for a day." Ratchet stated as he began to leave the water and dry himself off with the towel. The Electric type sighed in both content and annoyance, soon getting out as well.
"I'll help you find the way back to camp." He used as an excuse to get out, drying off rather quickly and strangely keeping the towel draped over his shoulders. He could already hear the cat calls behind him from his roommate.
"What happened to not showing us the goods?!"
"I have legitimately run out of fucks to give, so enjoy the view of my ass as I walk out!" Sven called out as he left behind the brush with Ratchet following him and feeling rather awkward about it.
"I can't believe I got to bathe naked with two of my childhood heroes..." The Noivern broke the silence by speaking out his thoughts.
See how much I love writing for this story? Oh Death I just love it. And I'm fucking excited to write the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it!