Darkness… Like the dead of night or the endless void of space that stretches on forever and houses creatures unknown in its inky depths. Darkness was the very essence of the chilly Mt. Coronet, and almost unbearably so during the winter. The roof, the floor, the walls were all comprised of rock. Dull and jagged, the interior was less than appealing. Other than the occasional pool of water, there was nothing but rocks, rocks and more rocks with stairs, ledges and boulders littered throughout. This death trap was arguably worse than the hike through Victory Road, but two boys who had long since lost their valor trudged with forced valiance as they desperately sought the exit. Without the sun there was no real concept of time other than when they happened to fall asleep and wake up presumably the next day. But how many times had that happened?

Diamond ran his fingers absentmindedly through his hair. It had grown out since they started their adventure and he debated whether he wanted to cut it or not. He sighed and slid his beret on, and looked around. Nothing, there was hardly a thing he could make out even if he squinted.

Does he even know where the hell we are? Everything looks the same in here, even the pokemon are the same. Every few minutes it's another… ugh, another zubat! Why do they even exist?

He rolled his eyes impatiently, his mother's words echoing in his conscious that all creatures had some sort of purpose or place in the food web. He shooed the bat pokemon away as at last he felt himself reaching a boiling point. He was usually easy going, Pearl the one typically losing his temper but he just couldn't handle this, this darkness any longer. As he tried to catch up to the blonde who had sauntered ahead of him in his distraction he finally lost it.

"Pearl! For the love of Arceus, please let me look at the map!"

Diamond groaned nearly on the verge of tears as they meandered through the mountain aimlessly. The near total darkness only broken by the faint illumination of Pearl's poketch and the flashlight he was holding in his limp arm, barely caring enough to point it ahead or turn it on not that there was anything to see. The blonde huffed in annoyance, scowling as his feet continued moving at their own accord wishing more than anything that he could be somewhere else, anywhere else.

"No, we don't need a map! I know how to get out of here…"

You sure about that? A small voice mused smugly in the back of his head. Fuck you… stupid voice. Since when did my conscious become Diamond? I know how to get out of here! It's… a little bit farther. Yeah, only a little farther… right?

"Pearl! You have said that every day for the past two months! I bought that map for a reason. I haven't seen the sun in Dialga knows how long and another thing, we're out of food and you…" He frowned, his cheeks heating up a bit. "Y-you wouldn't cuddle with me last night and I was scared!"

He sniffled, stopping and slumping over as he wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm.

"There are zubats everywhere! It's not even right! It's i-i-impossible!" He exclaimed desperately. "I-I want t-to go ho-me!"

He choked a sob as the blonde continued on indifferently, consumed by his own irritation.

"We haven't even been here two months! And how do you think I fe-" He stopped mid-sentence and turned around curiously. Wh-What's that sound? For the love of… "Are… are you crying?"

He received no answer and his heart sank as he went back with a heavy sigh. Nice work, asshole. He approached the boy cautiously, "Dia?"

The boy sniffled, stifling his sobs as his shoulders and chest convulsed with his cries. "Diamond? Diamond, don't cry. I-I'm sorry… please don't…"

Fuck…

"D-Don't act like you… y-you care now," he crossed his arms defiantly, hiccupping pathetically as he spoke, refusing to make eye contact with the boy as his tears had free range of his flushed cheeks.

"Don't be like that, Diamond," he folded his arms in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

"Don't be like what? 'Myself'?" He narrowed his eyes fiercely at the boy trying to imitate his voice.

Ooh, he winced at the figurative blow. I guess I deserve that… Ok, we know how to fix this, be gentle, don't snap at him… he's just tired…

"Please, babe, you know that I love you," he pleaded but the boy refused to make eye contact again and held his eyes closed.

"I have a whole thing planned once we get the hell out of here. It'll be wonderful. I'll make it up to you, I promise I will… If I didn't love my cupcake then why would I be here? Mm?"

He spoke softly, trying to fight the agitation he felt though it was mostly inwardly directed at himself for not being more sensitive to Diamond's… well, sensitivity. The beret clad boy folded his arms tightly and stared daggers into the ceiling, lip quivering as he tried to suppress his sobs.

"Diamond, I'm sorry! Please don't cry! I'm begging you, please!"

"T-Take m-me home!" He sobbed harder uncrossing his arms to cling to Pearl as he cried into his shoulder.

"Oh, Diamond…" He frowned, holding the boy close. "Look at me…"

He pressed his lips gently to each cheek, tasting the saline with a sense of estranged indulgence as he began tracing the frayed rivulets with his tongue. Diamond gasped, shying away from the bold and maddeningly sensual gesture. He planted rows of kisses along his jaw line as he pulled him closer. It'd been so long, it was like the slightest ounce of alcohol after months or even years of sobriety, sinfully wonderful. It tasted like angst, it tasted like the first time they made love on a winter night, like the ocean breeze in Sunyshore; he couldn't get enough. He loved him, truly he did but sometimes he found himself caught in the awkward emotional tension of their new relationship. Diamond was the emotional one, and he wasn't always sure how to handle it when a hug wouldn't suffice. He whispered his apologies against his skin savoring the way the boy shuddered under with his labored breaths as his dormant hormones reawakened at the gestures though they were strictly platonic.

He kissed his tear stained cheeks again, "I love you, Diamond."

Oh, don't say my name, please…"P-Pearl?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" He whispered, pressing his lips to his fingers in a chaste kiss.

"Can I look at th-the map?"

Pearl's lips had jerked to a tense smirk and he could have sworn his eye twitched at the thought. He felt emasculated as he considered it, I have natural directional instincts… or whatever. I don't need a map. Pokemon navigate through here all the time, so why can't I? …I know, he's just challenging you; he's trying to encourage you to be faster. He nodded thoughtfully, Yeah, well I accept that challenge! We're leaving today! His conscious cheered, Oh, Diamond, trying to con me into looking at a map. Hah!

"No… I'm getting us out of here right now. You almost had me for a second there. But we're almost there, I swear."

"I'm not taking another step then." He said indignantly.

Pearl narrowed his eyes but smirked deviously, So stubborn…

Diamond began lecturing him on how they were going to die there and never escape and be eaten by Zubats… or something. Pearl wasn't really listening at all. All he knew was that he was going to get out of here as fast as humanly possible and no one was going to challenge him further. If Diamond thought he was ever going to see that map he was mistaken, Pearl had other plans. He casually slid Diamond's bag from his shoulders and slung it over one of his shoulders while he continued rambling.

"Are you even listening? Do you really know where weee! Pearl! Put me down right now!"

"Nope, I know how to get out of here so trust me," he said with a victorious smirk as he continued walking through the tunnel with his lover bent over his shoulder flailing to get down. "You know your kicking isn't getting us there faster…" He mused.

"Pearl!" He groaned, his voice echoing his frustration through the barren landscape. But his futile attempts were ignored and they carried on hopefully in the right direction, not that Pearl had a doubt in his mind.

A few hours later, Diamond had resumed walking side by side with his boyfriend who had his fingers laced reassuringly through his own. Eventually Diamond realized that trying to fight with the blonde would never work, it was a one sided battle where the victor had clearly been predetermined. Pearl seemed more energetic, eager to get through and confident that nothing would stop them. Though the blonde's energy was contagious, Diamond was still skeptical as to whether or not they were going to be out of there today like he claimed.

"Right or left?"

"Huh?" Diamond blinked dumbly, coming back to the reality that was the mountain rather than his stomach's whines.

"Right. Or. Left?" The blonde enunciated more slowly as they reached a fork in the path.

Arceus… His guess is as good as mine… "Right. No wait, I mean left."

"So, left, right?"

"Right."

"Right?"

"Pearl, stop it! Go to the left alright?"

"Fine, you're no fun," he sighed as they rounded the turn and at last for what felt like an eternity there was light in the distance.

"Are we dead?" Diamond's voice laced with desperation and disbelief.

"You wish! But no, look!" The blonde pointed down the tunnel.

"Wait what?"

"Told you I knew how to get out of here! Maps… Hah!" He exclaimed haughtily as they ran out of the mountain into two to three feet of packed snow.

Route 216 was heavily blanketed in snow and the snow was falling serenely under the grey sky. The wind blew gently but nipped at their exposed skin mercilessly. The air was crisp and dry, tousling the blonde's wispy hair playfully. Conifers of all heights were sprinkled with snow all along the route and the pine scent was welcomed and nostalgic.

Like home…

The snow crunched beneath their shoes which felt strange considering Twinleaf never held onto what little snowfall it had long enough for it to be so tightly packed. As they passed under the overpasses, a battle could be heard from beyond their range of vision and the determined cries of both parties left one to wonder who the victor would be but they carried on. The snow began getting deeper as they continued on and the cold began getting between their clothes and skin making it intolerable to continue despite their need to avoid frostbite or, in the willowy blonde's case, hypothermia.

S-S-So c-c-cold… I hate s-s-snow… His conscious whined as he struggled to keep his thoughts from straying from anything but the cold.

Diamond looked around at their surroundings. Lots of trees and lots of snow but not a considerable amount of people in this general area, he noted. The ground was completely leveled and concealed stairs beneath the thick blanket of white and their shoes continued crunching as they shuffled along. No straying footprints could be noted, not even a snover print around the trees. How long had they been in the mountain?

Forever…

"Isn't there a lodge around here if I remember correctly?" Diamond asked rubbing his arms to warm up despite the futile effort.

"Y-Yeah, there's a f-f-few actually," his teeth chattered as he fought his body's desire to involuntarily convulse in a fit of unnatural cold. He felt every goosebump on his body and his nose felt uncomfortably dry and frigid as he inhaled. Why doesn't my hair cover my ears? Ugh...

"Oh, babe! Want my jacket? Here," he quickly draped the jacket over the boy's shoulders affectionately and adjusted his scarf before continuing on. Pearl somewhere found the heat to spare to blush slightly.

"I-I have-ve a sweater in m-my bag," he insisted trying to remove the jacket despite his body's protest but Diamond put his arm around his shoulder to pull him closer, fixating the jacket in place.

"Well, cupcake, you can change when we get to the lodge. We've been walking at least half an hour, we should be close."

"Sh-Shut up..."

Sure enough a small lodge was just ahead, a column of steam spewed from the chimney and they could practically feel the heat radiating from within as they approached. Upon opening the door a blast of hot air greeted them as well as an elderly woman who became roused from her seat in the living area and rushed over to them instantaneously.

"Boys! Welcome, please come in. Oh poor thing, come over here, deary." She guided the shivering blonde over near the fireplace and Diamond followed suit, shaking hands with the woman who insisted on hugging.

"Coffee? Tea? Soup? No, you're too young for coffee; it stunts your growth you know! Boys like you need some hot chocolate! Marshmallows? Oh what am I saying, of course! Make yourselves at home, boys! You can settle yourselves upstairs if you'd like to change and shower."

She was an energetic woman of about sixty or seventy one would guess and her lodge was quite hospitable and spacious. The woman was considerably shorter than both boys, maybe even shorter than Pearl's mother if it were possible to be smaller than five feet or however tall she was.

"U-Uh, thanks, ma'am. Really, we appreciate it," Diamond smiled, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked over to where Pearl was a shivering heap on the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair which was beaded in melted snow and slightly dampened from it. His nose and ears were red and he was retreating into the blue jacket comfortingly. "How are you feeling, babe?"

Pearl sucked in a long stifled breath, sniffling up a generous amount of what Diamond was hoping, practically praying, wasn't mucus. He coughed, wiping his nose with his sleeve with a smug grin before responding with a simple "Good… warm."

He sniffled again.

"Arceus, Pearl, blow your nose!" He grimaced in disgust taking a step away.

Pearl laughed loudly, snuggling up to Diamond's leg with a grin. The raven rolled his eyes, hesitantly offering a hand to help the boy up. He put his arm around the boy's waist and watched the fire. Its soft flames crackled, the heat hardly intense enough for the numb forms before its radiance as the flames danced fluidly.

After several minutes, Pearl yawned and wiped his eye rousing Diamond from thought.

"Uh, here, we both need to shower and maybe take a nap and definitely eat before we head out again. You shower first, ok?"

"Alright," Pearl exited the main room and ascended the stairs while Diamond wandered into the kitchen and seated himself at the angular table while the woman had several pots going on the stove. She hummed soothingly with a grin as she stirred the hot chocolate. Her hair was mostly grey with the faintest hints that she used to be a platinum blonde with a small frame in her youth. An apron was tied about her waste and her hair was held is a loose bun with fraying curls escaping where possible.

"So, deary, where are you boys from? Somewhere down south, heh?"

"O-Oh, uh, yeah! From Twinleaf Town, ma'am."

"Aha! Knew it. Your little friend over there doesn't seem to deal with the cold well at all." She said plainly, looking over at Diamond with a small smile. "He's too thin, that boy."

"Eheh, y-yeah…" Diamond smiled back, Poor Pearl…

"He's pretty dashing, eh? I bet he keeps you on your toes."

"Yeah, he's great…" He sighed dreamily, blushing slightly. "Uh, want some help? I could take care of the soup if you want."

"No, no, no! You are a guest, I'll have none of that, sonny," she waved him away as she continued tending to the various pots on the stove. The smell of chocolate was thick in the air and Diamond was content just to breathe it in. The woman handed him a mug with little Luvdiscs adorning the porcelain surface. He could feel the heat radiating from within the cup and let it sit on the table to cool some. "So how old are you two?"

"I'm seventeen but he just turned eighteen in February,"

"Older man, eh?" She snickered mischievously. "But that's good, older than I thought. So, just the two of you?"

"Uh, yeah… just us."

He looked around, red and white checkered prints all over everything in the kitchen to accent the polished wood theme. He toyed with the center piece made of pinecones and evergreen branches adorned with some bows in a basket. The house was dimly lit and a large rug sat lazily before the fireplace in the living room that connected to the kitchen on the first floor. The woman went about her cooking, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at Diamond to check on him. The comforting warmth of the lodge was enough to lull Diamond past his hunger pains into sleep but the woman didn't want him to fall asleep at the table and broke the silence after several moments of silence.

"Lovely… so, you seem pretty sweet on that boy, heh?"

"Uh…? Oh! Um, y-yes, ma'am," he blushed a deep red and averted his gaze with a wide grin.

His inner divergences were interrupted after a few minutes as the woman stopped humming to converse once more. "So Twinleaf, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a small town. It's nice though. The lake is nearby and there's a beach the town over."

"Sandgem?"

"Uh-huh, and it's close to Jubilife City which is pretty convenient."

"Ever been there on New Year's? Quite the party." She sighed reminiscently.

"(Oh you have no idea) Yes, went there this year actually. It was… (The greatest night of my life) exciting."

"Looked it on the TV. A rowdy bunch of youngsters this year in the city… Say, deary, what did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I'm Diamond and his name-"

"-Is Pearl," Pearl came down the stairs, hair slicked back and dripping with a sweater under his arm. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said with a grin as he sat himself down next to Diamond, planting a kiss on his cheek when she wasn't looking.

"And nice to meet you! Such, good boys. Now then, here you go. It's hot so be-"

"Ack! That's hot as hell!" The blonde flinched, holding his scalded tongue out in the cool air for some relief.

"Are you alright? Lemme see…" Diamond took his face gingerly in his hands and examined the distressed muscle with a sigh. "You need to be more careful."

"My my, well, deary, something tells me you should listen to your friend more often," she said putting her agile hand on her hip, shaking her wooden spoon at the blonde who blushed slightly.

"Y-Yeth, ma'am," he said, tongue still out.

"The soup will be ready when you're done with your shower, Lucas."

"Um, 'Diamond'," he corrected. Lucas? The hell… "And ok, Pearl, behave yourself," he warned, pointing at him to further emphasize his point before planting a kiss on his forehead affectionately and exiting the kitchen.

"Such a sweet boy, that Kouki. So, Barry, what brings you boys all the way up here? Challenging the gym, heh?" She asked as she began dicing vegetables on the cutting board, tossing them in with various spices as she tended to the soup.

Ok where is she getting these names from? "Yeah, Dia's a great guy, really sweet. And no, we've both already got all the badges. You know, Dia already beat Cynthia. Imagine that? He's amazing…"

Pearl took another, cautious sip of his hot chocolate, the marshmallows bumping into his nose as the delectable liquid warmed his insides pleasantly. Oh Dialga, yes! His conscious purred dreamily.

"Cynthia? That so? Quite impressive for such a young boy. You talk very fondly of each other, yeah? How long have you been together?" She smiled to herself as she tasted the soup, smacking her lips a bit before adding more salt.

"Me and Diamond go way back, since before we started school. We're neighbors." He smiled tenderly. "We've been together since New Year's though. I thought it would be fun to take him to see Sinnoh again. We've been on dates in every town, just the two of us…" His voice trailed off.

"Aw, that's nice, deary. You're impulsive but you're really quite thoughtful."

The thin, crisp air became thickly laced with the aroma of soup that called like a siren to the stomach of the blonde hauntingly.

He shifted boredly, trying to entertain himself as he looked out the window. She returned her attention to the pot and began transporting the liquid into bowls with care on the counter as Diamond entered the room. The fringes of his inky black hair were almost past his striking azure eyes as he flashed a charismatic smile at his boyfriend, who blushed at the gesture and smiled back sheepishly.

Diamond approached the table, cocking a brow at the boy as he held his arms out to the blonde who sprang up and ran into his arms holding him as close as possible. He hugged the blonde all around the waist.

"Hey, babe." He murmured, planting a kiss on his forehead before they reseated themselves at the table. "So what's up down here?"

"Nothing, Kouki." She smiled as she sat down opposite the boys. She sipped her tea with a contented sigh as she looked at the two boys across from her curiously.

Kouki… Lucas… Meh, it's not my name but it could be worse… like Hilbert. He furrowed his brows, That shouldn't even be a name…

"This smells great, ma'am. Thank you so much!"

"No problem, boys. Now eat up, especially you. You're stick-thin, boy!" She said pointing at Pearl who rolled his eyes.

"Yes ma'am…" He mused as he began eating at a record pace, slurping sounds filling the air as he eagerly filled his aching stomach.

"My my, you'd think your friend here never feeds you! You do feed him don't you, deary?"

"O-Of course I do!" He said with slight offense.

"No one cooks better than Dia," Pearl said proudly, putting his arm around the boy's shoulders as he slouched in his chair and rubbed his stomach contently.

"Oh ho ho, is that so? Well good, but tell me boys when was the last time you ate anything? Surely you don't eat that way all the time?"

"Oh-ho, but he does. Where it goes I'm not certain but he can eat. And we ate yesterday, don't worry."

Diamond smiled, snuggling up to Pearl as he leisurely conquered his soup. He looked out the window, it couldn't be but two in the afternoon and snow was blowing off the roof quietly.

"Oh good. Well, dearies you're welcome to stay as long as you please," she smiled and began taking the dishes over to the sink. "And I have all the herbs you need if you fancy going out to look for a battle. There are a whole slew of skiers this time of year all over this area."

"I don't know, not really looking for a battle. And skiing sounds dangerous, didn't you have something planned?"

"Yeah, if we can get to Snowpoint in time to do it today. It may have to wait for tomorrow. We could go for a walk though?"

"Sure, sounds fun" Diamond nodded in agreement, finishing his soup and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Alright dolls, there's your two chapter update. Lighthearted, for now anyway. I must warn you though, the next chapter contains a major plot twist so hopefully I don't lose you guys if you don't like it. The mood of the story is going to take a turn for a few chapters though.

In any case, thank you all so much for continuing to follow my story and to all my dedicated readers who continue to leave positive feedback and send me encouraging messages. See you next week!

Baci XXX