It was a warm summer afternoon, the midday sun beating down heavy rays of intense August heat as the boys were at last within a ten minute walking distance of Twinleaf Town. A day like today would have been perfect for a trip to the Sandgem Beach or a walk on the boardwalk near Sunyshore but alas Diamond found himself walking miserably behind Pearl who was all but dragging him home as he moved as fast as ever.

Pearl had his sleeves rolled up like a t-shirt and one could hardly notice it was the same long sleeved pullover he usually wore and some khaki shorts. Diamond was wearing a plain t-shirt with some cargo pants, nothing on either boy's account terribly out of the ordinary.

It had been months, nearly eight, since they had been home and the once crisp air was now thick while the once scattered leaves found themselves bursting to life on the trees once more in dazzling shades of emerald. A gentle breeze just barely made the heat bearable as they passed through Sandgem rather quickly.

The sweat that washed over the beret-clad boy's body was unbearable; he could actually feel it dripping in some spots. The subtle movement of the air only served to make it more obvious where he was perspiring from, various places on his face and chest beneath the thinner fabric of his shirt feeling more pronounced in his conscious. He lifted the bottom of his shirt up and down in attempt to air out his abdomen while he watched his boyfriend get further and further away from his sluggish stride.

"Pearl, must you go so fast? I can't keep up, it's too hot and I'm tired," he whined, his shoulders sagging in anguish from the seemingly impossible weight of his backpack after travelling nonstop for several hours.

Pearl clenched his fists, how many times had he heard Diamond's needy, unsexy whining in this hour alone? Too many… he pinched the bridge of his nose. Turning around he waited for Diamond to catch up the ten feet he was lagging. His pale complexion was flushed from the heat, a look of utter desperation etching his boyfriend's face. He frowned a bit, feeling slight guilt for rushing him though the call of his air conditioned home was enticing him to push past the ruthless summer sun.

"Dia, I mean Diamond! You're slower than a munchlax today! Arceus' sake…"

"Well, sorry. Geez…"

He groaned, uncrossing his arms to join hands with Pearl as they continued walking at much more leisurely pace. They were careful not to trip on the ledges and avoided the tall grass whenever possible as the familiar surroundings of home passed them by. Where the scattered twigs and dead grass once crunched beneath their shoes were wild flowers unfortunate enough to be growing in the path that were now haphazardly meeting their demise under Pearl's sneakers instead. The sounds of home with starly chirping and pokemon playing in the surrounding forest could be heard the farther they ventured from the entrance to Sandgem Town.

Diamond bit on his dry lip, trying to make a game plan for once they got in. What he should make them for dinner, if Pearl wanted dessert or if maybe after some rest he would be up to surprising him with something other than cupcakes that took hardly any effort to produce.

No, no… made that yesterday… Not in the mood for that… Uh… I wonder what mom has at home anyway or if she… needs... to go… Oh, shit.

With the entrance to Twinleaf vastly approaching, his conscious's voice faltered as it dawned on Diamond that he would have to go home for the night. Home, as in his own bed in his room in his house. His heart clenched as the realization sunk in that he would be going home…

Without Pearl.

They had been together every day and night for so long he couldn't imagine not being with his hyperactive blonde lover. He would have to sleep alone, with no one to cuddle with or to cling to him or kiss or touch him at all. Tonight there'd be no one to cook for or with or to do anything with for that matter. So many small things he had grown accustomed to and taken for granted like waking up to Pearl's lips on his own, the way they would fight a blissful smile as he did so. And now he felt his stomach drop with panic as it began to register with each passing tree that time to be with him was slipping away as fast as Pearl could run. He wondered if Pearl had realized this as well.

"Hey, Pearl?"

"Hey, Dia," he squeezed his hand lightly still staring determinedly ahead.

"So… we're going home…"

"…Yeah?" He furrowed his brows, raising one quizzically as he gave Diamond a confused side glance.

"Alone."

"What do you…? Oh wait." He stopped walking, his eyes flashing as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You know, I hadn't thought of that. Uh, I guess so. I-I mean, our mothers will want to see us…"

He frowned with a nod as reality began weighing in on them both.

"It would be suspicious, too, for us to so adamantly want to be together… especially for the night. I mean, they'll probably say that, 'oh we've been travelling together for months a few days won't hurt.'"

"'A few days'?"

He squeezed his hand tightly looking over at him with a distressed look of helplessness. He felt like he wanted to run a marathon, overwhelmed by the feelings that came rushing toward him at the realization. Of course it would be a few days. Tonight would transition into tomorrow and tomorrow night into another day and night, who knows when they'd be able to sneak away without raising suspicions, at least from Diamond's mother. But he tried to level out his labored breaths, trying to exhale the tension in his shoulders, flexing and unflexing his free hand nervously.

Diamond swallowed slowly, unable to make eye contact and he shrugged.

"I-It'll be fine," the blonde tried to assure him or really himself. "There's always the phone! A-And tomorrow day- maybe, too! It's only…"

He counted on his fingers determinedly while Diamond wiped his eye with the back of his fingers. The last thing he wanted was to spend the night or the next few days with his mother of all people. She didn't understand him, but what mother does understand their son, and the thought of Pearl being alone left an aching in his chest to know he couldn't be there in his arms as he slept.

After restarting his count several times he looked over at his now teary eyed boyfriend. He dropped his counting hand instantly to squeeze Diamond's tighter. What made it worse was that he knew the real water works would happen later, when he was alone and he wasn't there to console him.

He smiled weakly at him with a light air of humor and endearment at his boyfriend's display of emotion, the tears hardly the silent screams of misery he had seen last time they had appeared on his face.

He shook his hand lightly. "Hey."

He fought a weakly amused smile, furrowing his brows inquisitively. A glint in his eye like Pearl's partially amused expression was cause for suspicion.

"Don't cry, babe," he whispered. "Please, it's not forever."

He started to move in to cup his cheek and pull him into a kiss but Diamond forcefully threw his arms around him in an embrace, the abruptness and weight of his backpack offsetting the two causing them to fall. After a dizzy moment of disorientation and groaning, Pearl lifted himself up with his arms. Huffing, Pearl looked down at Diamond's glossy eyes with a halfhearted smile and breathy laugh.

"You're not supposed knock us down, that's my job."

"S-Sorry about that."

He leaned down and kissed him softly.

"Don't be. It's not going to be that bad, though. It's only…" He took Diamond's open hand in his own, kissing the underside of each finger tenderly, one by one down to his palm then gradually to his wrist where he stopped. "Well, we can count the hours when they're done and make up the time we lost in bed... on every inch of you."

Diamond blushed, eyes narrowing longingly as he followed his lips' path to his wrist. It shouldn't be this hard to go home. Home was supposed to be simple, a place where nothing seemed to change. Where journey's started and ended, it was only befitting that they would again find themselves here with yet another chapter done and a new one at the moment unbeknownst to either of them.

He sighed. Pearl fidgeted a bit as he watched him, pecking him on the cheek and the corners of his lips trying to get him to smile though he was much more at ease, more so depressed than anxious now. He reached up, slipping Pearl's bangs behind his ear, stroking his cheek with his thumb.

"I miss you."

"Already?" He took Diamond's hand and kissed his palm. "Me too."

They kissed, one drawn out tense lip lock then another and another. Lips moving against each other, being sucked, bitten, and licked as their tongues massaged each other instinctively. Breathy sighs were exhaled, every light smacking sound of their lips parting seeming to whisper "I miss you" a thousand times over. Pearl held Diamond's face firmly against his, kissing him sternly and barely parting long enough to gasp for the thick summer air as he fought to erase the uneasiness that plagued his thoughts.

They sat up, still touring one another's mouths with their tongues as they began to slow their momentum.

"I miss you more now."

"It's going to be fine, Dia- I mean, Diamond."

He picked up some of the little things that had fallen out of his messenger bag and returned them to their pouches. He stood up with a stretch, running his fingers back through his hair with a winded exhale at the heat. Reaching out his hands, he pulled Diamond up to his feet and they continued the short walk back hand in hand.

The breeze seemingly vanished as they trudged on feeling the heat simmering through the seams of their clothes. Diamond felt particularly discontented by his thick, black hair which only intensified the heat under his hat like an oven. As soon as I get home I'm changing… and cutting all my hair off, this heat is ridiculous.

His blue eyes looked around absentmindedly, a few puffy clouds happily sat in the vast blue sky with one greyish one farther off in the distance. He took his hat off and fanned himself with it a bit before slipping it back over his disgruntled hair, almost tripping as Pearl abruptly stopped walking.

He looked over at Diamond who stared back for what felt like several minutes without speaking. They each smiled awkwardly, Pearl noticeably managing a far more charismatic and comforting smile as he pinched Diamond's cheek playfully.

"It's going to be fine. Take care of yourself, say hello to your mom for me and…" He slipped his arms around his waist, Diamond throwing his arms around his shoulders, as he picked him up as much as he could manage, spinning him around as they kissed. "I'll miss you, but I love you, baby. You call me or just come get me if you need me, okay? Day or night, rain or shine… clothed or unclothed."

He smirked with a silent triumph, laughing as Diamond at last laughed with a brilliant smile, tugging on his sweat laced hair in the back playfully.

"Same to you, cupcake."

He laughed mischievously, nuzzling their noses as Pearl rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to drop that are you?"

"Nope. But try to sleep tonight, and just relax."

"Yes, dear." He smirked, hugging him tight before taking his hand and planting a kiss on his fingers. "I love you, Diamond."

Diamond smiled, albeit a bit sadly and slicked Pearl's bangs up out of his face so he could kiss his forehead. "I love you, too, Pearl."

With some hesitation, Pearl let go of Diamond's hand, knowing full well that Diamond wasn't going to, he was never the one to let go. And he walked home, trying to maintain a casual stride and refrain from sprinting, not looking back knowing that it would only make things worse.

Once he rounded the corner of the front of his house he rushed inside closing the door harshly and practically falling back into it with audible breaths. He looked around at his living room, everything exactly as it had been, the lights all off and everything eerily neat likely because he had been gone. The air in the house was comfortably cool after being outside and he could feel the sticky layer of sweat sitting on top of his skin, a few beads of sweat near his hairline as he thudded his head back against the door. It was a feeling he knew well after so many months with Diamond, the sweat over his body- both their bodies. This time it was less than pleasant as his clothes uncomfortably clung to him on top of it.

He ran some fingers absentmindedly over the spot on his forehead where he had been kissed and sighed. He felt like a child whose mother had left him unexpectedly, a sense of uncertainty as to what to do with himself and the feeling of emptiness. He slung his messenger bag's strap over his head setting it down near the door with a thud.

He let out a soft hum, still feeling the anxiety from their separation as he looked around the barren house once more. He wondered where his mother was, if he was truly alone in this house that hardly knew the inner swell of a family's memories, laughter, tears, and occupancy filling its walls. Someone was always missing. He couldn't remember the last time everyone had been there at one time.

This… is what my life almost was, he thought cryptically.

Alone without Diamond, perhaps even still in this very house or maybe somewhere else that would never know the warmth only a family, biological or otherwise, can bring to its rooms. A life where his happiness would only come in brief, halfhearted doses while he was force fed the afterglow of Diamond's happiness with her like swallowing hard candy.

He put a hand to his mouth, it gesticulating awkwardly behind his fingers as tears started to well up behind his blonde lashes. He reached out and gripped the door knob feeling dizzy. He had to clear his head. It was stupid of him to let his mind wander like that, but the emptiness in the house, between his fingers, and later his bed came down to one thing. He hadn't felt it in so long it seemed but he remembered the feeling well. This was about more than being alone.

It was about loneliness.

He clenched his hand around the doorknob, forcibly turning it ready to run out of the house for a jog when he heard the pattering of quick, delicate steps from the hall descending the stairs. He seized up, smoothing out his shirt and hurriedly moving trying to conceal that he had started to cry. He looked up with a distraught stare, lips paining a genuine smile as their eyes met. As she stood in the stairwell she couldn't have smiled wider if she tried. Her eyes smiled as well, the dimple in her cheek noticeable even from across the room.

"Pearl!" She exclaimed excitedly, rushing over with arms outstretched as she hugged him tighter than seemed possible given her stature. "Welcome home, sweetheart!"

"H-Hi, mom!" He sniffled, smiling wide and bending down to hold her close while wiping his cheek again. "You look great, did you get taller?"

"Hah! Still have a sense of humor I see." She smacked her hand against his back jokingly. "I missed you," she pulled away and smiled up at him.

"Missed you, too, ma."

She noted his disgruntled look and watery eyes as his grin faltered to a more somber look. She rubbed his arm with a sad look.

"You ok, hun?"

He said nothing giving a weak shrug as he looked seemingly off into the kitchen.

"He misses you, too, I'm sure."

"Huh?" His eyebrows rose as he looked down at her with wide eyes.

She quirked a brow at him, batting her lashes at him but shook her head dismissively.

"Ready to eat?

"S-Sure, yeah." He shook his head back to attention as they entered the kitchen.

He seated himself at the island on one of the stools while his mother began checking the pots on the stove. She adjusted her ponytail as she stood on tip toes to see into the main pot. She moved mechanically throughout the kitchen, no hesitation as she grabbed dishes and prepared the plates methodically.

"I wasn't sure what to make for dinner today- well, the leftovers will be dinner I mean. I actually was kinda in the mood for pizza but that's more of a Friday thing than a Wednesday one, you know?"

"Wednesday…?"

"Why, yes of course. But anyway, I came onto some money recently so I want to take you shopping tomorrow! We can get you some new clothes and maybe a new bed set or we could redecorate a different room if you want. You really do need some shorts though, aren't those your only pair? It's going to be terribly hot, you know."

He rubbed his temple with a sigh as she went on about her plans and poured them drinks.

Of course it's Wednesday. We should've gotten a hotel for the night… We're missing our date night. We always do something special…

They did go out on weekends usually trying to keep travel days during the week when there was little to do, But why let the week drag on until then? Pearl figured. Dinner and a movie seemed simple enough but gave them something to look forward to. He was actually starting to learn how to cook decent meals because of it.

He tuned back into his mother's ramblings, excitedly planning out all the stores they would hit up and where they would stop for lunch.

Clothes? What? It's always clothes for me. I don't want new clothes…

He frowned miserably at the thought of clothes shopping. He didn't want to be like those lovesick girls that everything seemed to remind them of their special guy. Of course it was too late at this point, everything truly did make him think of Diamond but he liked to think he wasn't as sappy about it.

He rubbed at his eye, growing more irritated than he was sad at their separation. Impatience was the essence of his conscious as he tried to figure out how long they would be apart.

"Sounds great, mom." He chewed his food with a pout, toying with the remaining food irritably. Today was simply not his day nor would tomorrow be clearly.

"You're just like your father with that face. Fine, we could always go shopping another time if it so displeases you," she shook her head with a half amused smirk as she ate, her youthfully round face ballooning out on one side from her food. "What…? Mm, did you already have… plans?" She spoke between chews while Pearl conquered his food melancholically.

"I guess not," he shrugged taking a drink. "When's the last time you even talked to dad?"

"We talk everyday! He's always asking about you, sweetheart." She smiled excitedly.

"R-Really? Oh, cool." He looked a bit surprised, smiling slightly for a moment before finishing his food. "So what have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing really. Been home, done some travelling, had some battles, had some fun. The usual I suppose you could say."

"And here I thought you stayed home all the time," he smiled amusedly.

"Hmmm! No," she said with an amused tone, laughing impishly. "I do stay home more often than when I was your age surely. I need to make sure I'm here in case you need something. Besides, I got a lot out of my system young so I'm perfectly fine to stay home!"

He hummed thoughtfully, nodding his head in response, wondering what adventures she had gone on herself since he had been gone.

"And you, how was your trip? What did you do?" She folded her hands, resting her chin upon them as she listened intently.

"Well…" He grimaced embarrassedly, the first things coming to mind various dates and the sex that had followed. "Uh, we just… you know, hung out…"

"Uh-huh…" She smirked, her face a dead ringer of Pearl's mischievous face he often flashed at Diamond.

He started to blush, laughing nervously as he rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. They made eye contact, holding it for what felt like an eternity of uncomfortable silence, their eyes somehow carrying out a conversation of their own. He averted his gaze, afraid that her once innocent eyes were piercing the wall he was trying to put up between his thoughts and her.

He drew circles in the air with his fork mindlessly, eyes flicking over briefly at his mother occasionally who was silently fighting a laugh, batting her lashes at him inquiringly upon eye contact.

"So… define 'hang out', Pearl," she smirked even more slyly, laughing teasingly at her son with a playful humor.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head with his own amused, albeit embarrassed smirk though he blushed harder all the same. He did nothing to neither confirm nor deny her implications, comfortable enough with the unspoken truth being assumed as factual as long as he didn't have to elaborate.

"Oh, so funny, ma."

She held her hands up in mock surrender with a shrug, smiling more innocently.

"Anyway, we went out to eat a lot. But Dia cooked a lot, too, and taught me how to cook my favorite foods actually." He said it proudly and with some disbelief but continued on trying to recall anything of major interest to report. "Let's see, uh, we saw all the sights- touristy stuff, but we took the back roads and camped out a bit and it was a lot of fun."

"So glad to hear it," she smiled sighing nostalgically. "I miss travelling, there's so much to see out there you boys have no idea. But you both needed the time to catch up, I know those two years were rough on you, honey," she put a hand on his shoulder as he nodded silently. "I'm glad things are better for you both."

They each finished their meals in silence, taking the plates over to the sink where they washed and dried them together quickly. Pearl's hands worked fervently with the plush sudsy bar as he instructed the sponge to conquer each dish and return them to their original state, swirls of foam and bits of food residing amidst the bubbles. The sloshing sound of water with the light clank of plates and eventually pots once the leftovers were taken care of by his mother filled the air alongside his mother's humming and airy grunts as she struggled to reach for things in the cupboards on tip toe. Her bare feet moved like a skitty's across the floor, the slight suction sound of hot feet on cool tiles pattering about the kitchen as she returned the dishes she had finished drying to make room for more.

They stood side by side, Pearl towering over the woman considerably. Her dainty hands gently tended to the glass in her hand, its implied fragility intensified by her careful movements. She looked up at him with wide, youthful eyes and a simple smile that teased the dimple in her cheek to waver in its claim on her face.

She shook her hands, wiping them with the dampened towel before handing it off to Pearl.

"Well that certainly went fast!" Her voice had a pleasant ring to it.

"No kidding," he exhaled a faint laugh to himself.

He followed her into the living room where they seated themselves on the couch. Pearl leaned into the corner of the arm and the back of the couch, one arm on his stomach lazily with the other resting along the spine. One leg dangled off the edge, ball of his foot on the carpet, the other leg outstretched so far his mother was restricted to the opposite end. He sighed, feeling suddenly tired from the long day and the emotional baggage he had brought home. His eyelids felt heavy, the discomfort of his sweat soiled clothes an afterthought to his exhaustion.

"… So you had a good time, hun? Everything went okay?" She smiled over at him dotingly, rubbing his shin soothingly.

"Hm?" He yawned loudly.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she smiled wide with a feminine laugh. "I asked if everything went okay on your trip."

"Oh, yeah. It was great. We made some (steamy, sexy, sweet, sad…) wonderful memories together. I'm glad we went."

He smiled lethargically rubbing his eye as he recalled various occurrences with bittersweetness.

"How is Diamond doing by the way?"

He flexed his hand sullenly, the emptiness between his fingers painfully apparent as was Diamond's absence as he looked down his chest and couch to the space he would have presided, cuddled up against him. He wondered how he was doing right now, if his mother was grilling him for details, what they were talking about, what they were eating, if he knew it was Wednesday or if he missed him, too. Was he crying or perhaps sleeping, probably eating or showering.

He shook his head with a shrug.

"I don't know, he was doing fine when last I saw him," he rubbed his forehead with a small frown.

I hope he still is.