"Are you cold?"

"N-No, why do you a-ask?"

The resting Braixen stared in silence at the human lying on the cold grass with his back turned to the pokémon. The Braixen fought back the urge to sigh, but as much as she loved battling, fighting urges wasn't precisely her forte so she instead let out a soft sigh that became visible under the chilly weather. Sleeping outdoors was never an easy experience, less so during winter nights.

The Braixen began to tap her fingers on the grassy ground as she sat up. She concentrated for a moment to employ her well-trained telepathy. "So you're shivering for the fun of it then. I was not acquainted with this particular behavior in humans, Will. Most mystifying."

"W-We humans are enigmatic like that, Ada."

"I guess you cannot be that close to hypothermia if you're wisecracking at me. But just to check: would you like me to rest by your side, Will? I wouldn't mind."

"N-No need." William adjusted the thin blanket wrapped around him. That blanket had seen better days, but that was bound to happen when you're out there adventuring for weeks away from civilization. He was buying a new, thick blanket so soon as he found the nearest city. Maybe two. Or three.

Ada let out a low growl as she stood up. "You know, as your starter it kind of is my duty to keep you from dying a gruesome death and all that, so maybe I should actually make a token effort towards preventing frostbite." She approached the human that still lay with his back turned to her and crouched down by his side. "Are you sure you don't want us to sleep together?"

"Woah. I didn't think you were such a lewd girl."

Ada playfully pressed her fist against his cheek. "I meant it literally, you doofus. Just sleeping side by side so that you can benefit from my body heat. Just like in the olden times! So what about it?"

William wrapped one arm tightly around himself while he pulled on the blanket with the other, trying not to shiver and failing miserably. "It's not even t-that cold."

"We're well below water-freezing temperature, Will."

"T-Then it is a good thing we're not water-types, uh?"

Ada groaned, but instead of retorting back she decided to play it smart. She sat down on her knees, placing one warm, fluffy paw on the human's back. His whole body squirmed. "Just imagine my soft, warm fur brushing up against your body as I coil my fuzzy arms around you in a tight embrace. Just imagine how comfy it would feel for my body heat to spread all over your body as I cuddle up to you and keep you warm and safe…"

"Fuuuck." Somehow, listening to her velvety voice made him feel even colder and only made him want her embrace even more. "A-Are you sure, Ada?"

"Given I'm the one offering, one would assume so." She didn't wait another second in case the trainer changed his mind. With a smirk lining her lips she took this rare opportunity to cuddle up as close as physically possible to the human, pressing her soft body against his back. She was a bit shorter than the human and her arms couldn't fully envelope him, but she went as far she could. "Better now, Will? I'm like a portable heater. With legs. With some really nice legs." She slapped one of her black thighs, and although William could not see her legs as he was facing away, he did still hear the oddly alluring vibration of the squishy flesh.

William's stiff body began to loosen up as seconds passed. In truth, it felt indescribably amazing to have a fire-type curled up against you, specially if it was one covered in such silky fur. There was nothing comparable. The man felt his entire body relax, decompressing all accumulated stress, as if he was receiving an affectionate full-body message. He was reminded of back when Ada used to be a little Fennekin. They used to sleep together like this all the time. Why did they even stop? Why deny himself this snug delight when he was fortunate enough to have a fire-type starter?

Then he felt two modest-sized soft lumps of flesh on his back and he recalled why this was a bad idea. He would have slithered away, but the warmth that her petite body offered made for a pretty convincing counterargument.

"We used to do this all the time!" the Braixen said. She must have been reflecting on the past too. "Remind me again why we have been abstaining from sleeping cuddled up like this? Frankly, I prefer it. I am more comfortable if I can keep you close to better protect you, plus it's a lot cozier. I find it easier to sleep like this."

"That was then, this is now," William said. They had innocently lied together only a few times ever since she evolved into a Braixen, and it always proved too awkward and he never slept too much. But some nights were really cold so he was left without a choice. "I was eleven when I started out this whole ordeal and the professor assigned you as my starter. I was a kid and you were a young cub. There was nothing off about us sleeping together then."

He felt Ada nodding as her nose rubbed against his neck. "Right! It's a basic bonding activity and it helps us stay warm and sleep tighter. Cuddles release oxytocin, which reduces blood pressure, relieves pain and lowers stress! So of course most trainers do it to strengthen their ties to their pokémon! So why did we stop after I evolved, Will?"

Not this conversation again. He bit his lip, knowing she wouldn't get to see the gesture. "Because we're not any longer an eleven year old kid and a Fennekin cub. We're close to becoming adults. It's just… plain weird for a male and a female to lie together like this."

Ada rested her head on his shoulder blades. She would have preferred to sleep on his chest to hear the soothing beating of his heart, but she didn't want to push her luck. "Why is it weird? We're not doing anything bad. Who are we hurting? And we're in the middle of nowhere so it's not like anyone will see us anyway."

"Oh, c'mon, Ada. You can play the role of the cool and collected intellectual girl all you want, but even you have to feel a little embarrassed about lying with a male. I bet if I turned around your cheeks would be red."

"Maybe? But I would be more embarrassed of letting you die from the cold just because I was too shy to hug you. Some starter I would be." She tightened her embrace on him for emphasis, frail as her arms were. "Is it really that much of an issue that I am a female? If I were a male instead, would this suddenly be okay?"

"It would be less awkward. Although it would still be awkward."

"Then what is the greater objection? Is it the fact that I am a Braixen? If I were a pretty human girl, would you be okay with this?"

William pictured it for just a moment. What if this was some short, blonde babe hugging him from behind? Oh, would that be nice. Although then he wouldn't feel nearly as warm. "I would argue that even that would be awkward. Ada, we have known each other for years, ever since we were both little. It's… I don't know. I like what we have right now, you know? I'm having a lot of fun adventuring, and battling, and learning with you. I don't want to risk ruining our… friendship? Partnership? Whatever it is we have."

A hesitant whine escaped her throat. "Why would it ruin anything? And if you're having fun as things are now, let me tell you, we could be having a whole lot more fun right now." Ada let out a soft giggle that he felt on his neck. "Now that would truly warm you up."

William wriggled forward in an attempt to escape her suddenly encumbering warmth, feeling uncomfortable, but the Braixen held tight to him. "Okay, Adelaide, time out. I seriously cannot tell when you're joking and when you're not anymore. Like — I'm your trainer, and a human. That's not something you should suggest even as a joke. So I don't — h-hey!"

He felt the limber Braixen climb on top of him, and she then let herself fall on the other side such that they would now be facing each other. Both of their faces were redder than they had any right to be, but at least the Braixen was smiling, if timidly. Although William had sporadically slept together with her even as a Braixen during cold nights, they had never done so face to face.

Ada held his cheeks with her warm paws, cleared her throat and tried to put on the most serious face she could muster, although she couldn't help but display a gentle smile. "Let me state this in uncertain terms then. I swear on the bond that binds us that what I am about to declare is true: I love you and I want to mate with you, my dear trainer. I just want to make it clear I am not joking. If you accept, just kiss me and I will take it from there."

William stared at her as if paralyzed. He stared at her cute little nose. He stared at her sparkling orange eyes, skittish but imploring. But above all he stared at her ruby lips, delicate and inviting. No. Stop. He berated himself for entertaining the notion for even a second. "W-Wait. Waitwaitwait. Why would you even tell me that?"

"I just wanted to clear it up. I didn't want miscommunication to become a hurdle." She leaned in just a little bit closer, perhaps to empathize that she was willing, but still waited until the human made the next move.

William pondered his options. The Braixen's pokéball was safely stashed away in his pocket, and since Ada was staring straight into his eyes it should be trivial to produce the ball without being noticed to call the pokémon back. It was a rare occurrence that she was ever sent back to her pokéball, unless she fainted or the like. Neither of them was all too fond of the item, but human law required that every registered trainer had a pokéball for each of their registered pokémon, and they would not be an exception. Still, although William's hand hovered over his pocket, he ultimately decided against it. That would only delay the problem and likely damage their relationship. His partner had only ever been helpful and loyal. She deserved better.

He tried to hold her gaze, but his eyes constantly shifted away against his will. Her eyes looked so earnest. She would not like what William was about to say. "Ada, I appreciate how you feel, but I'm afraid I cannot return your feelings." Simple and to the point. He didn't want to prolong her suffering more than necessary.

Now she was the one averting her eyes, looking down to her humble chest. Her eyes seemed lost, as if she were thinking of hundreds of different things at once. But after a short pause she raised her head again to his level, although she didn't dare look into his eyes. There was a frail smile on her lips. "I can accept that. I have far more self control that you give me credit for, Will. If you truly don't reciprocate my feelings… that's okay. I mean, it hurts, but I can learn to live with it." She stared straight into his eyes. "But that's only if you don't love me. You said you cannot return my feelings. But is that because you don't love me back, or because you think you are not allowed to?"

William fought the urge to gulp. Not now. She would hear it. "Would it make a difference? The end result would be the same."

"I only care about two things: whether I love you, and whether you love me. I don't give a damn about anyone else's opinion on this. I don't care who else objects. I only care about you and me. I know I love you, at least. So now I only need to now: do you?" Silence. They waited in silence for the other to say something. Five seconds. Ten. Impatient, seeing she wasn't getting any answers out of the human, Ada resumed speaking. "Let's make this easier. Do you find me attractive?"

"Uh? I think you…" He needed a moment to choose his words. He didn't want to lie or be cruel, but he also wanted to avoid giving her false hope. "I think you're cute. You've always been."

Her ears twitched. "Thanks, but you know that's not what I meant, Will. Do you find me physically attractive for a female? Or to ask more pointedly, do you find my body sexually arousing?"

He clicked his tongue in an overly annoyed fashion. "What? Is that all love means for you pokémon? Just sexual attraction?"

Ada let out a high-pitched yelp, her eyes widening. "H-How can you even suggest something like that? Do you think that's all I feel for you, just stupid animal lust? You think that's the only reason I want to mate with you?"

"Ah, no, that's…" He had regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He looked down, to her trembling lips. "Sorry, Ada. That was uncalled for. I know you care a lot for me."

She needed only a moment to calm down. She wasn't particularly angry anyway. "Uh, it's fine. I won't even deny that stupid animal lust is a big part of it. It's just not the biggest part." Ada rested her head against his chest, as she used to do as a Fennekin. She had missed this so much. "I am being too brazen and selfish, right? I know. I don't know what I was thinking. Why have I even said anything at all? I'm sorry. Let's — Let's pretend this conversation didn't happen. This is just a cold-induced delirious dream." She began to nuzzle his chest. She couldn't help herself. "So just lie to me. Just tell me that you don't find me attractive and I will believe it. And I will just bottle up my feelings and never talk of this ever again. But I need to hear it from your lips. Please."

William began to pet her fluffy head with gentle affection as he felt his chest begin to wet faintly. He really wanted to plant a kiss on her forehead to help calm her down, but feared it might get misinterpreted. He often thought he didn't deserve a pokémon this loyal. "Ada, you are the most beautiful and charming female I have ever met in my life." She raised her head to meet his eyes. The underside of her scarlet eyes was lightly wet. "And, yes, I mean that in a sexual sense too," he added, averting his gaze.

"Thanks," she muttered. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts as her tail wagged gently against the human's abdomen. "Although this would have been easier if you had just called me an ugly imp, you know. What a moment to decide to be honest with yourself."

William chuckled, not stopping the petting. "You're always bending yourself over backwards for me. I felt like you deserved something better than a lie."

"Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"I'm not going to repeat it again."

"But I want to hear it again!" Ada playfully smacked his chest, grinning. "But okay, have it your way, mister. I'll ask a different question then. Have you ever, um, touched yourself thinking of me?"

He raised both eyebrows, wondering if he could have misunderstood her question. Because that would be the most embarrassing of all misunderstandings. He wasn't about to admit to that anyway. "Why are you even asking that, Ada?"

She began to poke his chest with a finger. "I'm trying to gather information here, Will. I cannot formulate an hypothesis otherwise. It's your fault for calling me pretty before. We could have avoided this whole conversation, you know, so now you have no choice but to answer."

William took a moment to take in the form of the vulpine creature lying in front of him. She was cute. That adorable nose, and those long ears, and those sweet eyes. It made him want to hug her tight, but that had been the case ever since she was a Fennekin. But something began to change soon after she evolved. Coinciding with his own sexual awakening, his mind had started to become more and more inundated with less than pure thoughts about the Braixen and he hated himself for it.

He would lie to himself about it at first. He found himself staring at her body often, but he would tell himself he was just admiring her strength. When he grew into a pre-teen he would begin to masturbate and fantasize about pretty human girls he had met in his travels, but then his fantasies would be invaded by furtive thoughts about the Braixen's slender, gropeable black legs. He would discard those thoughts. At other times his mind would instead flash him images of Ada's modest but perky chest hidden beneath a patch of white fur, as he imagined what would lie hidden beneath. He hated that those unintended thoughts made him harder and more aroused than any of his conscious fantasies, but then he would force himself to think of someone else as he kept wanking.

Then a few months ago, he was relieving himself one day when he began to think of that captivating sway of her hips when she walked, and he couldn't think of anything else, and he was a little too horny to be aware of what he was even thinking about, and when he realized it he had just ejaculated to the thought of his dear Braixen partner. And he felt like a terrible person. And then he did it again many times afterwards, because no jerk off session felt as good as those when he imagined himself invading that lithe yet shapely vulpine body.

"That's private," William said, avoiding her gaze with all the subtlety he could muster. "I don't see how knowing that would make a difference."

She had a knowing grin that sent a chill down his already cold back. "I'm taking that as a yes. If it were a no, you would not be hesitating so much to answer."

Goddammit. Why did she have to know him so well. "Or maybe I'm playing 4D Voltorb Flip with you and only pretending not to want to answer. Yeah, I'm that smart. I bet that possibility didn't even cross your mind." He bopped her nose, and she responded by sticking her tongue out. "Ada, you cannot just ask someone if they masturbate to you out of the blue. It's like the very definition of a faux pas."

"But it's not like we're random acquaintances. I think we're close enough to talk about this kind of stuff. I am your starter and you are my trainer."

"So? How would you feel if I were the one asking you?"

Ada grabbed his shoulders and pushed herself closer to him. As he realized his mistake, he couldn't help but wonder if the Braixen had led him in this direction on purpose. "Oh? You want to know if I touch myself thinking of you, Will?"

Fuck. He tried to keep a poker face. Tried. Indeed, he had wondered on occasion. Sometimes when taking care of his needs he would imagine that the Braixen was also playing with her pussy in an adjacent room as she fantasized about him, and few thoughts could turn him on more. "That was just a rhetorical question."

Ada leaned even closer until their noses were almost touching. "But do you want to know? Ask, and I will answer with total honesty." She was too dangerous.

William felt his breathing grow erratic. He kind of wanted to know, for curiosity was a terrible thing, but of course he was not going to reveal his hand just like that. She would never let him live it down. "Again, just a rhetorical question. Don't read too much into it."

"Unfortunately for you, reading happens to be one of my favorites pastimes. I mean it when I say I will answer if you just ask."

William was debating with himself what to do. He couldn't discard the possibility that this was all a practical joke, but that wasn't her style. She probably would answer with sincerity if he asked. But this was just wrong. He shouldn't ask. He shouldn't ask. "I'll call your bluff, Ada. You're not going to answer even if I ask."

She flashed him an unnecessarily sultry grin. "Oh? Try me."

"What?" Don't bite. Don't bite. "Then let's say, hypothetically mind you, that I asked you if you had ever masturbated thinking of me. What would you answer in this hypothetical scenario?"

Ada giggled. Oh no. He knew that giggle. It never meant anything good. "In that completely hypothetical scenario that has no relation whatsoever to real life, I would answer that I very often fantasize about my trainer pounding me wild whenever I paw myself. Perhaps I would go as far as to say that it is my favorite fantasy, and the one that gets me wetter and hornier than any other. Uh, under this hypothetical scenario, of course."

William no longer could feel the cold as he felt a pressure growing within his pants. Don't you dare, buddy. Not now. "Ada, that's just… that's just wrong. You shouldn't think of your trainer like that."

"Oooh?" She pouted and frowned in an exaggerated fashion as if pretending to be angry, although she did genuinely feel a bit annoyed. "Thanks for the tip, Mr. Hypocrite. Maybe I'll follow it once my trainer stops jacking it off to his Braixen. You're an open book, Will. Or are you going to deny it? Go ahead, tell me to my face that you have never come while thinking of this fine fur of mine."

He recoiled for a second, but this was not the moment to falter. "I should stop too. I'm not saying I'm any better. What kind of sick freak faps thinking of his starter? We should both stop."

"No amount of badges will make me obey an order that stupid. Who cares what we're thinking about in private? I'm gonna keep sloshing it to you, thank you very much. And I'm cool with you daydreaming about me. You don't have to stop that."

"But this is all just…" Finding it difficult to find the words, he forced himself to sigh to fill the ensuing silence. "Ada, do you really not find all this appalling? You are my pokémon. My starter. My most loyal partner. I cannot be thinking about you that way, as if you were a… vulgar piece of meat. How are you not revulsed?"

"I would be, if you indeed thought of me as a vulgar piece of meat. But I know your emotions run deeper than that, my dear trainer. So a little bit of lust is not going to alarm me. I actually welcome it. It's just yet another way for us to strengthen our bond, isn't it? Besides, I'm attracted to a human myself, so who am I to chastise anyone about interspecies attraction?"

"But you must have thought this was weird at some point. Did you really never question it?"

Suddenly fidgety, Ada looked down, although she would fire short timid glances at him as she spoke. "Evolution gifted me with a stronger body, but also with urges that I need to take care of routinely. Early on I didn't think of anything. I just did what my body asked of me. But as you would caress me and treat me nice, something would awaken inside of me that would make me want to fantasize about you while taking care of my needs. I found it a bit embarrassing, maybe, due to how close we were, and it made me feel a bit awkward around you at first, but I never thought there was anything 'wrong' about it."

"You never questioned feeling attracted to a human?"

She paused for the briefest of moments to think. "No? I only found it awkward at first because of how close we were, until I realized this could make us become even closer. The fact that you were a human never concerned me. Why should I care what species you are?"

William closed his eyes to think. Pokémon could breed with many different species, so perhaps an attraction targeted at an out-of-species suitor wasn't anything extraordinary for them. It was a different story for humans, though, due to a complex combination of societal factors and a different cultural context. It's not something a pokémon would innately understand. But the issue wasn't that Ada wasn't intelligent enough to understand those factors. On the contrary. The issue was that she was intelligent enough to question them.

Noticing that her trainer was starting to shiver a little from the cold again, Ada was quick to cuddle up to him once more. He grunted, but made no effort to shove her away. "No, but I do agree with you in one point, Will. We should stop the whole engaging in onanism while thinking of one another thing."

William let out a chilly breath of relief. He hated that there was a small part of him that felt disappointed. "Thank goodness. You're actually listening to reason."

Still huddled against him, Ada raised her gaze to meet his. "It's stupid for us to touch ourselves while thinking about mating with one another while we could instead be mating with one another. Don't you think?"

William looked down to the smaller Braixen. Oh no. He didn't like that mischievous glint in her ruby eyes. He knew that meant she must have rehearsed this very conversation hundreds of times in her head, trying to anticipate anything he would say. He loudly cleared his throat. He would need to be blunt and unambiguous.

"Adelaide."

"Yes, Mr. Lovelace?"

"We are not going to mate. Not now, not ever. Do whatever you want in your fantasies so long as you keep them to yourself, but in the real world we're only a trainer and a pokémon. We are close, and I appreciate you deeply, Ada, but that's all we are."

"Great observation! We are indeed a pokémon and her trainer, yes. But we can be a pokémon and a trainer that get frisky with each other. We wouldn't stop being a team because of that. If anything, I expect it would make us even more attached to each other."

William mumbled something under his breath, then he dared to speak it out loud. "I am a human and you are a pokémon."

"Another great observation. You're on a roll today! So what is the problem with it? I am not fully acquainted with all of your peculiar human laws, but it is not illegal in this region, is it?"

"It's in a bit of a moral gray area. We're not going to end up in prison or anything, no, but this kind of attraction — poképhilia? — is seen as an unwritten taboo. It is heavily frowned upon and most of society ostracizes those who engage in it. In polite society, it is usually considered a blunder in etiquette to go around proclaiming that you fuck your pokémon, believe it or not."

"Do you think I'm dumb enough to let us get caught?" Ada raised an arm and pointed in a circular motion around them. "We're in the middle of the woods. The nearest city is days away. If we did it right now, who would ever find out?"

"There are pokémon out there that read minds or auras. We cannot risk it."

Ada made a wry face. "I would argue that a pokémon intelligent enough to read minds would also be intelligent enough to not give a crap who anyone else is bedding in private."

William sighed into her forehead as he pet her fluffy back. "Ada, why don't we leave this conversation for tomorrow? It's getting too late. We should both sleep and try to get some shut-eye."

She scrunched up her nose, leery. "I hope this isn't an attempt to sidestep the topic because it makes you uncomfortable, Will. Tomorrow you won't pretend like this conversation never took place, right?"

"Look, it's late and I'm cold, sleepy and tired. I am a genius so that would be fine if I were talking to anyone else, but if I want to hold a complex conversation with you I need to be fresh and at full capacity to match your brainpower."

She smiled openly as she nuzzled his neck. "Trying to appeal to my hubris, are you? My trainer knows me far too well." As much as she wanted this conversation to go on, she had to admit even she was starting to get a bit drowsy. She pressed her soft body harder against him, holding back a yawn. "Can we at least sleep cuddled up together, Will? I really do miss that. And I assume dying to the cold is probably not that high in your list of priorities."

He felt a bit awkward due to how tightly she was curling up against his chest, but she felt too warm to push her away. "Fine. But we're only sleeping and nothing else." He tried to adopt a strict tone, but that was difficult to do due to the bulge in his pants flattened against her legs. He hoped she wouldn't notice. Her fur was so warm and fluffy… William wondered if it would be okay to hug her, but before he had a chance to decide the Braixen slowly sat up, then stretched out her arms and stood up. "Where are you going, Ada?"

She turned her back to him. "I cannot possibly sleep as I am right now. I'm too wet from the previous conversation, and your erection hitting up against my leg isn't helping matters. So I'll go beyond those trees to take care of it. Unless you'd rather I touch myself here, in front of you?" she said as she grabbed her own ass with one paw, looking back to him with a smirk.

William felt his member twitch painfully against his tight clothes. "Nah, I'm good. Do whatever you need to do to sleep nice. Sleep is important."

Her smirk dying down, she turned to leave. "Just give a shout if there's any trouble and I'll be here. Meanwhile, I'll go somewhere private to rub this soaking pussy of mine while I fantasize about you pounding me like a rutting beast. Just try not to think about it, okay, love?" She marched away with very marked steps, swinging her hips in a very glaring fashion.

So soon as she was out of sight the trainer let out a sigh he had been holding for far too long and wasted not another second to take down his pants. There was no way he was sleeping like this either. He tried not to think of her. He really, really tried to think of any female other than the Braixen. But all his thoughts eventually led back to her, and he really wanted to be done before she returned plus he was painfully hard, so he begrudgingly did what needed to be done while he imagined the Braixen doing the same behind those not-so-distant trees. If he concentrated, he could discern some soft moans barely within earshot.

As soon as he was done he quickly put on his pants again and lay down on the cold grass as if nothing had happened. The Braixen returned soon after with a flushed face and a relaxed expression on her. She sat down by the human's side without a word, and after noticing the lack of a bulge in his pants, she lay in front of him with a wide grin. "Did you think of me?"

"Don't press your luck, Ada."

"I'll press my body then." She curled up against him as she made a cute noise, wiggling around until she found the most comfortable position with her arms against his abdomen and her ears against his chest. Ah. This felt like home. "Will?"

"Yes?" he said as he began to caress the back of her head.

"No matter what happens tomorrow or what we decide, I will always love you no matter what."

"Same, Ada. Our bond will not be affected by this, I promise." He placed a kiss on her forehead before he even realized what he was doing. The Braixen was just too adorable. "Sleep well, Ada. I hope a Cresselia visits you in your dreams."

"She would be a bit too scandalized by what she would find. But sweet dreams to you too, Will."

In spite of the terrible bone-chilling cold, both of them slept tighter than they had slept in years.