Like Fire And Water

by Mouko

Team Aqua and Team Magma are known rivals throughout Hoenn, with tensions as vast as the ocean and hot as lava. Now their two leaders are about to take things to the next level, as Aogiri goes all out to target Matsubusa's civilian persona.

14. Chapter 14

When Aogiri had said 'big bonfire', Matsubusa wasn't certain what to expect. Yet despite having no idea what he was in for, Team Aqua still managed to surprise him. When Aogiri had said 'big', he meant it - and big was a severe understatement. Outside the base, on the island itself, there was a large open space apparently meant for such occasions. At the center of the space was an enormous burn pit, far too for any practical - or legal - purpose.

The end result was such an intense, incredible flame that the bonfire shined like a beacon, generating enough heat and light to keep all of the revelers warm and lit even in the deepest of darkness.

Aogiri kept close to Matsubusa throughout the festivities, getting a particular jolt of pleasure seeing the redhead react when Pokémon launched fire attacks at the pit to get the bonfire started. "Big enough for you, Masky?" he whispered in Matsubusa's ear.

Matsubusa shivered at the closeness before he glanced at Aogiri out of the corners of his eyes. "...If you lose control of that thing, you'll torch the entire island."

Aogiri snickered and ruffled Matsubusa's hair affectionately. "With all these water Pokémon around? I don't think so."

Matsubusa squeaked and reached up to protect his hair, to no avail. "D-drunk water Pokémon are just as useless as no water Pokémon!"

"Hey, all else fails, we'd just piss on it to put it out!" Ushio said, with a deep laugh, before he took a sip of his ale. He blinked when he noticed the thoroughly disgusted look Matsubusa shot his way. "...What?"

Aogiri burst out laughing, slapping his leg. "That's one way to get a lot of liquid flowing!"

Shelly leaned back in her lounge chair and raised her bottle of mead at Ushio. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is but a small sample of the many brilliant ideas floating around in the gifted brain of our one and only Ushio."

Ushio blinked before he grinned brightly. "I got plenty more where that came from!"

"Do us all a favor and keep them to yourself," Matsubusa snapped, eying the large man.

Shelly gasped in mock horror. "And risk damaging his kidneys from holding it in too long? Surely you jest!"

Matsubusa stared at Shelly blankly for a moment, before her words registered. The redhead bristled as he glared at the doctor-turned-pirate. "E-enough with the urine jokes!"

"What about pee puns?" Courtney asked as she looked up from the branch full of marshmallows she was roasting over the fire.

Matsubusa shot Courtney an irritated stare. "No. No toilet humor of any kind!"

Courtney met Matsubusa's gaze unwaveringly even as a few of her marshmallows caught fire. "The fire isn't a toilet."

Matsubusa's cheek twitched. "So don't make it one!"

"Never," Courtney said before she ate one of the flaming marshmallows. She didn't flinch from the molten sugar even as she spoke through her full mouth. "It'd make the marshmallows taste like piss."

Matsubusa blinked as he stared at Courtney, then turned to stare helplessly at Homura.

"Don't look at me," Homura said as he sipped his beverage, a fruity drink with no alcoholic content. "This is your party."

"That's right," Aogiri said as he ruffled Matsubusa's hair. "This guy's in charge tonight! He calls all the shots!"

Matsubusa squeaked and reached up to cover his head, then shot Aogiri a scowl. "T-then don't argue with me! T-this is a no urine zone!"

"Hey, don't look at me," Aogiri said with a shrug. "I only ever pee in the woods when out in the middle of nowhere with no toilets around."

Matsubusa gaped at Aogiri, thoroughly aghast, before he slammed his hands on the table that had been set up for their use, covered in mugs and bottles of alcohol – which jostled from the impact. "Have you people never heard of bathrooms!?"

Smirking, Aogiri's expression turned wry. "I'm guessing you've never been a Pokémon trainer."

Matsubusa bristled, gripping the table. "I-I went to college instead! What of it!?"

"A lot of being a trainer means traveling through the woods," Aogiri said. "Which means you better get used to the idea that sometime, eventually, even if you bring a portable toilet and try to stick close to rest stops, you're going to go to the bathroom in the bushes at least once."

"That's true," Izumi said as she tapped her chin, thoughtfully. "That's why you always had to carry around a roll of toilet paper-"

"Stop!" Matsubusa shrieked as he raised his hands in the air. "Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop!"

Shelly raised her bottle to Matsubusa. "As you wish oh master of the great bonfire party. We'll stop discussing what comes out of our asses and urethra and start talking about chugging beer until we puke instead. Right guys?""

A resounding cheer answered, as others raised their drinks as well before taking swigs of their alcoholic beverage of choice.

Matsubusa lowered his arms as he slouched forward in an obvious sulk, glaring across the table at Shelly. "Nnnnghh..."

Aogiri wrapped his arm around Matsubusa and leaned in to give the other man a hug. "Okay, okay, mates, let's lay off the teasing for a while. I think Masky wants a turn to mock someone else for a while."

Shelly jerked her thumb to the side. "I'd volunteer Ushio, but he wouldn't notice he's being mocked."

Ushio let out a deep laugh, a bright smile on his face. "Damn right!"

Matsubusa eyed Aogiri, a pouting scowl on his face as he picked up his drink to give it a deep sip. There was no way he was going to handle these bastards sober, that was for certain.

"How's about you, Matt?" Aogiri asked. "Wanna volunteer?"

Matt hid his face behind his Pokédex as he tilted it towards Aogiri. "Nope, nope. I think I'll stick with recording all the mocking and idiocy for posterity."

"You could always shake it up," Shelly said with a smirk. "Try dancing on the other side of the lens for a change."

"Nope, I'm good," Matt said. "Besides, Matsubusa should volunteer the next person to roast. It's like truth or dare, only full of toilet humor and embarrassing video evidence."

Matsubusa huffed, looking away. As he did, his eyes fell on to the bonfire, where he spotted Leviathan and Dante together. The redhead paused and blinked, staring at the two Pokémon.

Leviathan stood in front of the bonfire, the flames casting a red glow on her body. She didn't seem to mind, instead boasting a big grin on her face as she swayed back and forth to the music, her tail lashing about behind her. The grunts kept a wide berth from the Pokémon, avoiding her massive tail as the Feraligatr wiggled.

Dante, meanwhile, raced around the flame as fast as he could. He barked loudly as he ran, hurrying around the perimeter of the flame before he arrived to Leviathan's side. As the Houndoom got close, Leviathan jerked about to greet him, crouching down and snapping her jaws. Dante stopped just short of the jaws and spun around wildly, turning around in several circles before suddenly taking off back around the bonfire. Leviathan returned to her wiggling, tail lashing back and forth as she straightened up.

Dante continued to bark as he ran, following the perimeter back around until he arrived at the opposite side of the Feraligatr. Leviathan jerked around again, mimicking the same action she had before, snapping her jaws in the air. The Houndoom once again spun around in several circles, barking furiously, before he raced off.

Matsubusa watched as the two continued the action several times, with Dante running round and around while Leviathan wiggled, in what he could only imagine was a strange dance that the two had created entirely for themselves. "Dante...?"

Aogiri looked over at the Pokémon and grinned. "Looks like our partners are having fun together."

Matsubusa paused at that, then glanced tentatively up at Aogiri. "I-i-if you're thinking of asking me to dance, y-you can forget it!"

Aogiri's eyes lit up and he rose to his feet. "Too late." He brought his arm to his chest and bowed as he gestured in the direction of the bonfire. "May I have this dance, my dear Matsubusa?"

Matsubusa jerked, his face going solid red as he stared at Aogiri. "A-are you stupid!? You want me to dance in front of everyone!?" Even as he uttered his protest, the redhead reached out to take the pirate's hand.

Aogiri smiled and squeezed Matsubusa's hand tenderly before leading the other team leader away from the chairs and tables to the open area near the fire. "Not like Levi and Dante at any rate. I figure we just listen to the music and let it move our bodies where it takes us." He nodded over to the grunt serving as DJ beside a pair of large speakers and a laptop. "Hey, let's get this party started!"

The grunt nodded and in seconds the air was filled with a pulse pounding rhythm.

Matsubusa felt the music vibrate through his body, beating away as if it were his heart. He gripped Aogiri's hand tightly, staring up at the pirate as he obediently followed. "B-but I... what do I do...?"

Aogiri leaned in close to Matsubusa, his eyes alight with mischief. "Just follow my lead."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri, then squeaked as the pirate reached one arm around his waist, pulling him close while holding his other hand captive. The redhead gripped at the pirate, his fingers curling around Aogiri's while his other hand grasped the pirate's powerful bicep as Aogiri began to lead the way.

The redhead felt a bit of a thrill as Aogiri moved him across the dance floor, the music throbbing through the air - and his body. As self-conscious as he felt, he couldn't deny that there was something stimulating about the experience.

Aogiri savored how Matsubusa's body brushed against his intimately as they moved to the music. It made him feel bold, especially after seeing how the redhead blushed, and he waited until the climax of the song before he bent Matsubusa backwards into a dip and seized the other man's lips in an intense kiss.

Matsubusa felt his heart surge in his chest as he was kissed, the redhead holding tightly on to Aogiri. He vaguely thought he heard catcalls and cheers from all around him, but the sounds were drowned out by the beat of the music - and his own heart in his ears.

The kiss lingered long after the song ended and the next began, until finally Aogiri straightened, bringing Matsubusa up with him. He smiled in satisfaction at seeing that the other man's cheeks were almost as bright a shade of crimson as his hair. "Now that was a damn good dance."

Matsubusa felt his face flush with a mixture of emotions as he panted for breath. The dance felt like it had flown by so quickly, over in a single breath that he couldn't even clearly remember it, leaving him disoriented as he clung to the pirate. "I-I..."

Aogiri beamed with excitement and energy as he suddenly lifted Matsubusa up in the air and swung the leader of Team Magma around. "How's about we keep dancing like this all night long?"

Matsubusa squeaked as he was spun about and held on tightly to Aogiri, his heart still beating heavily in his chest. "A-all night!?"

Aogiri took the time to contemplate the question, still holding Matsubusa high above him. "Well, until you're ready to hit the hay or we get too plastered to stay conscious, whichever comes first."

Matsubusa blinked before he frowned, dangling above Aogiri. "...S-so long as I get to keep my feet somewhere near the ground."

"I dunno," Aogiri teased. "I kinda like this position."

Matsubusa blinked before he scowled, his face still red. "And why, pray tell, is that!?"

Aogiri teasingly spun Matsubusa around again. "Because I'm holding you in my arms, of course!"

Matsubusa's face burned more brightly, and he swiftly kicked his legs out as he raised his arms. "Y-y-you just like seeing me unbalanced and at your mercy!"

Aogiri chuckled and lowered Matsubusa just enough so that they were eye-to-eye. "Actually, I like seeing you flustered with emotion and trusting me not to let you fall."

Matsubusa's heart skipped a beat as he stared at Aogiri for a moment, then quickly bristled. "I-if you did drop me, y-y-you'd never hear the end of it! I-it's more your problem than mine!"

Rather than answer with words, Aogiri pulled Matsubusa close and seized the redhead's lips with his own in a tender kiss brimming with passion.

Matsubusa was cut off, startled by the kiss. However, he quickly found himself melting in to it. His eyes drifted closed as his hands moved to grip the front of Aogiri's shirt, clutching the black fabric tightly. "M-mnn.."

Shelly slid a little closer to Homura and looped her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, it seems to me Masky is having fun, so why don't we do the same?"

Homura glanced at Shelly out of the corners of his eyes as he sipped at his drink. "...Even so, I still need to keep his drinking to a the past few days, he's done being wasted for quite some time."

"No argument here," Shelly said with a smirk. "That's why Paula is keeping an extra close eye on him from here on out. When it comes to spotting guys reaching their booze limit, she's an expert."

Homura blinked, then glanced about before his eyes settled on a woman in grunt uniform that was standing off to the side. Normally she wouldn't have stood out, but she was busy wandering the tables with drinks with the expert of a long-time waitress. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "...Is that so?"

Shelly pressed her cheek against Homura's and slid her arm around him before bringing her bottle to her lips. "Trust me, the second she spots anyone here at their limit, she's cutting them off. We've had enough of drunken mishaps for one week."

Homura's cheeks tinted lightly as Shelly drew closer, though he managed to restrain any further visible reaction. "I agree."

"Glad to hear it," Shelly practically purred as she held the bottle closer to Homura's lips.

Tabitha set down his nearly empty mug of beer with a chuckle. "Don't bother offering him any. Homura doesn't drink. Ever. He's pretty damn proud of that."

Shelly smirked like a Meowth that caught the Pidgey. "Oh, I think you'll find I can do the impossible. I've done it once before, after all." She slid her wicked gaze to Homura as she lightly tapped the mouth of the bottle against the assistant's lips.

Homura's blush brightened as he side-eyed the Kalos-born woman.

Kagari's eyebrows shot straight up as she stared at Homura and Shelly. "Oh really? ...Miracles do happen."

Homura paused before he turned his attention on Kagari. "I drink - or don't drink - by choice. I simply...made a different choice than usual."

Courtney looked up from skewering more marshmallows on her stick. "They say you regret drunk sex the most."

Homura bristled and he whirled to glare at Courtney. "I wasn't drunk-!"

"You just had sex," Courtney finished for him.

Homura paused at that, his eyes widening.

"Hmhmhm," Kagari giggled as she tapped her chin. "It would seem Homura might be spending a bit too much time with Matsubusa~!"

The personal assistant's cheek twitched before he turned to glower down at his drink, sipping at it to keep himself from retorting.

Shelly nipped at Homura's ear, eliciting a yelp from him. She smirked at the pink that flooded the purple haired man's cheeks before whispering in a low, sultry tone. "I agree. You should be spending more time with me."

Izumi watched Homura and Shelly, a sly grin on her face as she slowly traced her finger around the rim of her fruity drink. "It looks like a total victory for Team Aqua, wouldn't you say~?" She turned to wink at Tabitha, her smile widening.

Tabitha blushed, but still returned the smile. "I'd say it was a victory for all of us, dear Izumi."

"True enough," Izumi agreed, with a giggle.

Courtney waved her stick of flaming marshmallows towards Izumi and Tabitha. "When did you two actually get together?"

Izumi wiggled her brow, her smile still sly. "Hm, I wonder?"

Tabitha coughed behind his hand before taking a long sip of his drink.

Courtney narrowed her eyes, her stare piercing, as the fires on her marshmallows eventually burnt out.

Laughter accompanied Aogiri as he carried Matsubusa to the picnic table. "Dance break!"

Matsubusa blushed as he slumped in Aogiri's hands, rather resigned to being carried around bridal style. However, when the pirate moved to sit down, the redhead was startled to see that Aogiri still hadn't put him down, and instead the leader of Team Magma found himself sitting in the pirate's lap. "A-Aogiri-!?"

Aogiri could tell from the way Matsubusa yelped his name what had startled the other man, which made him smile in satisfaction before he stole a kiss and silenced any potential protests.

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss before he fumbled up to place his hands on Aogiri's chest, pushing him back. "H-honestly! Your lap!?"

Aogiri snickered and let Matsubusa hold him at bay as he began to play with the other man's long red hair. "Best seat in the house."

Matsubusa glowered at Aogiri, though it was a struggle to maintain the angry expression. Each touch sent delightful chills along his spine, goosebumps forming on his skin. "...You're pushing your luck, as always."

Aogiri brushed his lips along the contours of Matsubusa's chin. "It's what I do best."

Matsubusa shivered at the kissing before he looked away, flustered. He reached up to grasp at his collar, tugging at it slightly. "I-idiot."

"When it comes to you, always," Aogiri chuckled, his quiet laughter tickling Matsubusa's skin.

Homura eyed Aogiri and Matsubusa before he glanced to Shelly. "...Have they been like this the whole time?"

Shelly shrugged. "Whenever Masky wasn't trying to escape, yeah, pretty much."

Homura wrinkled his nose. "...I see."

Straightening up, Aogiri reached out across the table to snag a large bowl of fruit along with a smaller bowl of fudge. He made a show of taking a strawberry and dipping it in the fudge, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa, before he held it out to the leader of Team Magma. "Care for a bite?"

Matsubusa stared at the food, then Aogiri. "What are you-?"

The taste of chocolate and strawberry cut the question off as Aogiri slid the food past Matsubusa's lips. "This, of course."

Matsubusa instinctively bit down on the strawberry and began to chew, blinking slowly. After several moments, the redhead swallowed as his face tinted. "...Oh."

Aogiri picked up a blueberry and teasingly waved it beneath Matsubusa's nose. "Get the picture?"

Matsubusa's eyes followed the blueberry, even as Aogiri retracted the fruit before moving it over to where the fudge awaited. The leader of Team Magma watched as the pirate dipped the blueberry in to the chocolate coating, before he eyed the pirate out of the corner of his eyes. "A-and you think... I'll just sit here and let you feed me?"

Aogiri was quick to pop the sweet confection into Matsubusa's mouth before it closed. "Yup~!"

Matsubusa found himself with food in his mouth yet again, and was quick to eat it. His blush deepened as he continued to side-eye the pirate. "Y-you just surprised me, that's all! Twice!"

"Funny," Aogiri murmured as he reached out for a cherry next, "It looked to me that you were watching me very closely."

Matsubusa paused at that, before looked away. "T-t-that's... just your imagination!"

Aogiri pressed the chocolate-coated cherry against Matsubusa's lips before easing it inside the other man's mouth. "Careful, there might be a pit in this one."

Matsubusa's tongue instinctively flicked out to clean up the chocolate syrup against his lips, then paused as he carefully ate the cherry, leaving the pit. He then paused, uncertain what to do with it. The thought of spitting out or reaching in to remove the pit seemed embarrassing, and the redhead briefly debated swallowing the pit rather than risking such embarrassment. Logic, however, won out and rather than doing something so stupid, the redhead simply flushed with mortification and lifted his hand to hide his mouth as he retrieved the pit with his other hand.

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle at how timid Matsubusa looked and offered the redhead a napkin. "No one here is going to care if you just spit the pit into the fire, you know."

Matsubusa accepted the napkin, using it to dispose of the pit. "...I don't spit."

Aogiri tried to hold himself back, but the opening was just too tempting. "Oh? So you swallow?"

Matsubusa blinked slowly, then arched an eyebrow. "Well, of course. There's no other civilized way to deal with it."

Aogiri covered his mouth to hold back his laughter. He coughed to try and cover it up and keep a straight face. "So you enjoy swallowing then?"

Matsubusa was about to retort when he paused and eyed Aogiri suspiciously. The pirate's mirth sent off a warning bell in his head – he was being teased somehow. "...What?"

"Oh, nothing," Aogiri said in a sing-song voice as he reached out for some sponge cake to dip in the fudge next.

Matsubusa furrowed his brow, unsatisfied with the response. "Is that so."

Aogiri offered the chocolate-dipped cake with a faux innocent look. "Nothing as tasty as this."

Matsubusa stared hard at Aogiri for a moment before he reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing the pirate to slip the cake inside.

Aogiri smiled in satisfaction. "Though not even that cake is as tasty as you."

Matsubusa blinked before he swallowed hard, his blush going full force on his face. "I-idiot-!"

"How cute," Shelly said as she watched Aogiri and Matsubusa. "It's like they're in their own little world." Her gaze slid to Homura. "It's seems a shame you want to tear them apart so soon after they're finally so happy being together like this."

"...We have no choice, and you know it," Homura said, stiffly.

Matsubusa paused at that before he whipped around his head to stare at Homura, startled out of the moment. "What-?!"

Homura's eyes shifted over to Matsubusa's face, noting his outraged expression. "...Look, let's not forget this started with a kidnapping in broad daylight. The police are actually taking the situation seriously now, for whatever reason, and won't stop until you're 'rescued'. That means we need to return with you in tow, the 'ransom' having been paid. Otherwise, they're going to keep trying to attack Team Aqua in order to restore their reputation - and maybe rescue you in the process."

Matsubusa paused at that before he grimaced, reaching up to fidget with his collar. He had to admit Homura had a point. It was just unbelievably ironic that the police attempting to rescue him was ending up being more a nuisance than a help. But then, the police were always nuisances.

Aogiri bit back a sigh of regret before kissing Matsubusa on the cheek, smiling through the disappointment. "Hey, don't worry. We'll just have to figure out creative ways of visiting each other as often as possible, that's all."

Matsubusa blushed darkly at the kiss, returning his attention to Aogiri. "Ah, I..."

Kagari arched an eyebrow as she regarded the two leaders. "Honestly, I'm not sure how much of a concern that should be. The amount of people that didn't care about a pirate vigilante wandering around in public was a lot higher than I would have expected."

"They know Aogiri's identity," Courtney said as she skewered more marshmallows.

Aogiri shrugged at that. "Eh, that's nothing new. There's pretty hilarious editorials from people speculating how I went from champion to vigilante I could link you sometime."

"I've already seen them," Homura said, his tone deceptively light.

Matsubusa frowned as he glanced at his admins, then to Aogiri. He continued to tug at his changshan's collar, a disquieting sense of unease forming inside him. He should've been thrilled to be heading back, but it certainly didn't feel like welcome news.

Aogiri looked at Matsubusa's hands for a moment before bending down to kiss them. "Don't worry, we'll make it work. I promise."

Matsubusa's face burned red as he watched Aogiri, his expression uneasy. "...I-it's not like I care or anything."

Aogiri snickered as he gave Matsubusa a knowing look. "Of course not." He readjusted his hold on the redhead so that he could stand with Matsubusa cradled close in his arms. "Well, I feel like dancing some more, so let's get back on the dance floor!"

Matsubusa squeaked and grasped at Aogiri's shirt, blinking. He then furrowed his brow and eyed the pirate. "Are you going to carry me all night?"

"Or until you get bored with it and ask me to put you down," Aogiri said as he sauntered back to the open area near the fire pit. "Whichever comes first."

"...Is that so," Matsubusa said, his voice going quiet. "So unless I say otherwise, you intend to carry me around."

Aogiri spun around in place with a wide grin. "That's the plan! Though I might make an exception when we're dancing."

Matsubusa glanced up at that. "What kind of exception-?"

Aogiri set Matsubusa down as the next song began to play so that he could spin the redhead around. "Like this!"

Matsubusa gasped as he gripped Aogiri's hands tightly. "I-idiot! Don't do that so suddenly-!"

Aogiri leaned in close as he bent Matsubusa back. "Then allow me to slow things down a little."

Matsubusa felt his heart leap in his chest as Aogiri began to guide him about, one hand on his hip while the other held his left hand upwards. The redhead stared at the pirate as he moved about the floor in a slow dance, one that didn't entirely fit the rhythmic pounding beat of the music. But then, the music ultimately didn't matter, only Aogiri did as he moved with slow and powerful movements while easing Matsubusa around the dance floor.

Matsubusa gripped Aogiri's hand tightly, the other going to grasp the pirate's forearm, as he followed the leader of Team Aqua's lead. "You're... a surprisingly good dancer... f-for an idiot."

Aogiri stole a quick kiss from Matsubusa's lips before replying with a wide smile. "Only the best for you, Masky."

Masky blushed brightly, tightening his grip on the pirate. "...Well, so long as you understand that."

With gentle eyes, Aogiri spun Matsubusa around before pulling the other man flush against his chest. "Of course I do. Whenever I'm with you, it's always the best."

Matsubusa hesitated before he relented, relaxing against the pirate. Propping his head on Aogiri's chest, the redhead closed his eyes and listened to the deep heartbeat of the man before him. It was a vulnerable and surprisingly affectionate gesture, but one that he needed. It was hard to explain, and he could only hope the pirate wouldn't press him for one.

Instead of speaking, Aogiri bent down to kiss the top of Matsubusa's head before resting his chin on Matsubusa's crown as they enjoyed the rest of their dance. He felt giddy and relaxed all at once, but most of all, holding Matsubusa in his arms like this felt so very right.

The two leaders enjoyed each other's company as they danced slowly, the party continuing on around them. The music and the sounds the people made melted away in to little more than background noise, with only Matsubusa and Aogiri remaining. The two men were left to enjoy each other's company, time marching ever onward in to the night.