"Through generalissimo's request
I can't help but feel impressed
And I find that my head's nodding yes
But my legs are not following"
"I'm Impressed" from The Else by They Might Be Giants
"What do you mean, 'Fara Saved us'?!" Max barked at a mute piece of paper. Her paw clenched around it, stabbing her claws through the notice. It came in the same stationery that the previous notice had, and this one made her even more angry. She never thought that would be possible. She looked up at Wigglytuff and chucked the paper back onto his desk. "Don't tell me you believe that."
Wigglytuff slapped the paper down before it could drift to his side while Ithos nervously tried to calm Max down by rubbing her shoulder. "No, we don't," Wigglytuff said. "Of course it's propaganda, but that's not why I've called you in." He pushed it back over to her. "Finish reading it."
"Yes, sir," Ithos said before Max could chew Wigglytuff out. He snatched the paper up and held it out for both of them to read. Max still wanted to tear it to shreds. When Ithos gave her a pleading look, though, she bit back her rage and kept reading it.
These sacrificed lives will not be taken lightly. Many great pokémon died protecting their loved ones, and the many, many people of this Continent that they've never known. Every single soul was brave, Soldier or Civilian. This tragedy must be a wake-up call for all of us. Our enemies are callous monsters that seek our destruction and nothing else. These soulless beasts will not prevail against us.
This Continent must Unite as a guiding force. The powers against us are vast only in their deception. We can defeat them. If we can take anything from this tragedy, it is inspiration. Even this horrific power they've kept hidden for all this time was not enough to defeat us. We will build our power. For every life lost, we will strike back a thousand-fold.
Our enemy has been known for a long time, now. Those Humans that wish to retake their dominion over us will not break our will. Even after this travesty, they will have to endure the Triumph of the Will of us all.
The disdainful fools make a mockery of us in their false forms. Because of this, we have discovered them yet again. The agent they've sent this time is a female pikachu, identifiable by black fur on the end of her tail. She is the monster who has done this, and she will pay with her life. If you see her, know that she is wanted, Dead or Alive, and you will be immortalized as a Hero of the Great Water Continent.
It is believed she is on route to the Tree of Life. If Humans control that, they will control Life itself. We have sent to protect it. Do not let the Humans convince you that we are helpless.
Pokémon will Reign forevermore.
For the Glory of the Water Continent.
In the names of the innocent victims, Never Forget.
"Female," Max whispered. It was the least important word on that page, but it still surprised her. It was the only remotely light thing in that entire address. Ithos gave her a nervous glance, and she shook herself out of it to look up at Wigglytuff. Since he'd finished as well, Ithos placed the letter on the desk.
"I'm sure you understand the stakes, now," Wigglytuff said. He pulled the paper towards himself and slipped it into a drawer. After closing the drawer, he brought his paws forward, resting his elbows on his desk. After a glance at Ithos, he stared down at Max. "I understand you must be scared, but don't worry. This base of operations is well defended. We will keep you safe."
"Like hell you will," Max said. Wigglytuff flinched back, raising a brow. "You think that's stopping me?" Wigglytuff kept staring at her in confusion. "I'm not gonna stay in this base and rot."
"Max, please," Wigglytuff said. "You must understand, the risk of you leaving for extractions is far too great." He spoke gently and slowly while carefully watching her with every word he said. "She intends to kill you. Be it herself or those who've fallen under her thrall, you could lose your life." His expression hardened; she hardened hers in turn. "I cannot allow you to leave."
"What about the people who haven't fallen for it?" Max asked. It hadn't been a week since she'd seen that Sneasel. She saw him in her eyes as she stared Wigglytuff down. "There are people trapped in there with nothing. The least they deserve is hope."
"And hope will live much longer if we keep you alive," Wigglytuff said. Max clenched her paw into a fist, tail flicking behind her. "We have other teams for extraction. There's no need for you to risk your life needlessly when we have so many other pokémon available for the same missions."
"To risk their lives instead?!" Max shouted. She hopped up in her stool and slammed her paws on his desk. "I knew the risks when we started doing this! Fara's troops want to kill all of us!" Indignant sparks of rage hopped off her cheeks while Wigglytuff's expression hardened in indifference. "How are their lives any different from mine?!"
"Because you're a human," Wigglytuff said. Max's mouth pulled into a snarl. "If you are to save us from this, you must be alive."
"That doesn't make my life more important!" Max hissed. She nearly jumped onto the desk, but Ithos' paw barely stopped her in time. "Being a human doesn't make me any fucking better, dammit!" The sound of Parry slicing through Gardevoir's torso still haunted her. Tears started forming, and her voice started cracking. "I won't let anyone die in my place."
"We understand," Ithos said. He pulled her down from her stool, and Wigglytuff sighed in relief. Max stumbled back and glared at Ithos when he restored her balance. She opened her mouth to scream at him when he turned to face her directly and winked the eye opposite Wigglytuff. "Thank you for letting us know."
"Yes," Wigglytuff said with a nod. Even if Ithos was planning something, she could only glare daggers at Wigglytuff. "I'm deeply sorry. I hope your partner will help you see the necessity here."
"I hope your troops know how little you care about their lives," Max growled. The apathetic resolve in Wigglytuff's eyes finally twisted to fear for an instant before he managed to mask it. Even when he did, Max could feel the real terror in his stare. The same fear she'd seen in Weavile's eyes. Even the people fighting Fara had fallen for it. Her own allies could see her as a threat with one simple slip.
"Sorry," Max said. She didn't soften her glare at all. "I let my Taint get the best of me."
"Max, come on," Ithos said. He turned to Wigglytuff one last time as he tugged her out. "See you later." The door shut behind them before Wigglytuff responded. Max ripped her paw out of his hold when they made it out. "I thought you hated calling it that."
"Did you see how he looked at me?" Max said. There were a few others in the hallway as they walked, but she didn't care. She grit her teeth to glare at Ithos, hoping his eyes would show any recognition, but they didn't. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes forward. "The second I slipped, he looked at me like I was a feral chomping at the bit to attack him!"
"Well, you did really look like you were going to," Ithos mumbled. Max stopped in place as her breath hitched. Both paws clenched, she couldn't bring herself to look anywhere near him. Did he really think the same things? "Max?" He reached for her shoulder.
Max smacked his paw away with the edge of her tail and shoved him away, running to their quarters. It turned more than a few heads, but she didn't care. A few pokémon tried to stop her, but she ignored them. She kept running until she made it to their quarters. Slamming the door behind her, she curled up in their bed against the wall.
When she'd arrived, no one knew what Dungeon Sickness was. It was unique to her, but ever since Fara had taken power, something changed. It couldn't have been Dungeon Sickness, but it had all the same symptoms. The only difference was it was random.
It didn't come from being in a Dungeon too long. No one knew where it came from. It just happened. It could happen to anyone.
Without any other explanation, it was easy to convince everyone it was illness borne of an evil soul, born of a weak will, anything. Taint. Instead of getting help, anyone displaying symptoms was labeled a monster. Getting people off the Continent helped them, somehow, but few Teams were willing to risk it.
No one wants to risk their lives for soulless beasts.
The door clicked and creaked as Ithos gingerly opened the door. Max didn't react, not even letting her ears flick up on instinct. He closed it as carefully as he'd opened it and quietly stepped over to hop on the opposite side of the bed. He let his tail hang off it and dangle with his legs. He didn't move to get closer. Was he giving her space, or…?
"I'm sorry," Ithos said. He turned his head halfway around to look at her with at least one eye. "That was really insensitive of me to say."
Max couldn't answer. She couldn't accept it, not yet. For all the looks, threats she'd gotten since other people started displaying these symptoms, hell, before she'd come here, she should've been used to it by now. Ithos hadn't even meant it like that. He probably didn't realize until he said it.
It still hurt.
She wasn't allowed to be a person anymore. She was either a pity-case or an active threat. She could put on a brave face for kids that didn't know any better, but it never blocked the blow. It always cut her. People she wanted to help staring at her like she was threatening their lives by making a mistake trying to speak. Once they knew, they never looked at her the same. Whether they said it out loud or not, she could feel it.
She always looked like she was about to attack. She couldn't get angry, couldn't get sad, couldn't get scared without it being a sign she was losing herself. It didn't take much to convince people to be afraid of her. It didn't take much for people to think she was a monster.
All she ever felt was fear. She never felt smaller in her life than when people thought she was Tainted. She was a cornered mouse that the cats trying to capture her called a threat. They could only see her lashing out, attacking, and never how close their claws came to her throat. They never saw that they had her surrounded, backed against a wall.
Ithos was supposed to be the one that understood. Ever since their first night together, he'd been nothing but kind. He'd been nothing but helpful. He tried to understand as best he could. He was the one to hold her in his arms.
If he thought she was Tainted, she didn't have anyone.
Max whimpered through the tears, not sure when they'd started. Maybe they'd not stopped since she started in Wigglytuff's office. She had barely felt them, then. She barely felt them, now. Maybe she wasn't really there. Maybe she really had gone Feral again. Maybe she'd find a way to get Ithos to hate her again, after all.
Max pulled her tail around to hold it tight. The few feet between her and Ithos felt like miles. She squeezed her tail into her chest with another whimper, the closest she could get to a hug. He was right there, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. She still felt the cut his words had left.
"I'm not afraid of you," Ithos said. Max flinched at his voice. "I didn't think you were going to attack him because of your instincts, okay?" He turned to smile at her. She still wasn't looking. "I thought you were going to attack him because he deserved it."
Max clenched her tail harder, curled up tighter. It meant the world to her that he knew she could get mad like everyone else; it didn't matter at all.
She felt trapped. She felt like she was holding onto nothing. It wasn't like he was wrong. She'd definitely thought about letting the asshole have it. That's all Ithos was saying. He hadn't insulted her at all. He'd just stated the obvious. He hadn't meant any offense.
It still hurt.
She wanted to forgive him already. It was such a non-issue.
It still hurt.
She clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. She pressed her tail harder and harder into her chest until she was certain she'd crack her ribs again. It all felt so familiar. It was all going to end the same.
Again, again, again and again and again, Max had gotten mad at Ithos for nothing. He'd screamed at Ithos for some slight he made up or imagined, always lashing out before even trying to ask for help. He never took the time to try and figure out why he felt what he did. That was Ithos' job. Ithos solved all his problems. Ithos knew him better than he knew himself, so why didn't he know any better?
Why did it still hurt?
"Do you need anything?" Ithos asked.
"WOULD YOU FUCKING STOP IT?!" Max screamed into her tail. Her chest ached with sobs such that she thought she really had broken her ribs again. The outburst took all the rest of her tears with it, leaving her a sad, empty shell. When she spoke again, it was barely a whisper. "Why are you still here? Why do you care?"
"Because I love you," Ithos said. It wasn't heartfelt, it wasn't emotional, it was a statement of fact. He was answering her very simple question with a very simple answer.
"I attacked you," Max said.
"I kinda deserved it," Ithos said. Max turned halfway around to glare at him. He was smiling at her apologetically.
"No," Max said. She jerked back around to stare at the wall. "You didn't say anything wrong. You didn't mean anything by it. I'm just freaking out over nothing."
"It looks like something to me," Ithos said.
Max clenched her teeth in frustration, grumbling, "Then I guess I tricked you." Her heart stung remembering that conversation in the Voidlands. She still didn't see how he took the news that well, never seeming to even care that she had all that opportunity to manipulate him. "I'm just making up more reasons to be a jackass to you again."
"That doesn't sound like you," Ithos said. "And you really suck at tricking me, anyway." He rolled onto the bed, laying belly up with his head at the foot of the bed.
"I can't really understand what you go through," Ithos said. He clasped his paws together on his belly, rocking his head back and forth while flipping his hindpaws up and down. "But I know it bothers you when people freak out about your instincts." Max flinched, curling up into a tighter ball. "When I said that, you thought I was doing the same thing."
He spun around so he was laying in the same direction as her. Max wanted to shove him away as he scooted over, but she couldn't make herself. The air behind her felt so empty. He really did understand her. His flawless explanation only dug a deeper crater in her heart that didn't heal when he wrapped an arm around her.
Max curled in on herself tighter. Ithos' arm only got in her way. The paw he placed over her heart to comfort her sat primed and ready to stab right through.
Sobs choked out against her harsh resistance. She could feel him reaching out, but she couldn't let him. He knew better. He knew everything that mattered to her, and he still had every opportunity to hurt her. Just like everyone else, but she couldn't let herself get angry. She could only feel the pain of the unintended wound. She buried herself into her tail to hide from him, but he only felt closer.
He lay there, right behind her, waiting. Whether or not she could reciprocate, or even wanted him there, he was. Just like last time, he wanted to stick with her through it all. Yet, that didn't stop the slight. He wanted to be with her, wanted to understand her, was—did—and that didn't stop him.
Max didn't want to say a word; she pulled in the breath to speak. Most of it came out in a sob, leaving barely any air to whimper out, "Then why would you say that?"
"Because," Ithos said. He pulled her tighter while letting out a deep, long sigh. "I'm an idiot."
Max shook her head and buried her face behind her tail. She was wrong. He didn't understand. He couldn't. He couldn't know what she knew. He took the burden of her own mistakes without a second thought. It was the same cycle as last time. How long until she hit his breaking point again? He was doomed to suffer the same hell at her paws for eternity. The only difference was it was happening sooner, this time.
Maybe that's why he was going to fail.
"Is this about the last time you knew me?" Ithos asked.
"WHAT?" Max shouted. She turned halfway around, eyes wider than she thought possible and jaw agape. Before she could voice her bafflement, he tapped her nose.
"'Again,'" Ithos said with a smirk. "You said that after describing something you have never done before. Also, you refused to look at me, and you only really do that when you think you're keeping a secret from me, and you've only ever told me you're tricking me when that came up."
"I hate you so much," Max growled. She let out a shaky breath and turned back to the wall. It could never end another way. It was too late. This little fantasy had to end, and he deserved sooner more than later. It was too late for them. Whatever accident of time caused this was her own personal hell. A chance to fix their relationship that was doomed from the start by bringing the source of everything wrong.
Her.
It was too late for her. She'd already broken her own heart, but maybe she could save his. Maybe she could stop him. It might kill her, but it would save him.
"Do you want to know how it ended last time?" Max asked. She couldn't put any emotion into her voice. She didn't have any left on offer. Ithos pulled himself closer, tilting his head up to get a look at her face. "I took advantage of you." She could barely remember any of it and barely had the energy to speak, but she pushed through. He deserved better.
"Over and over and over again, I would make myself mad and take it out on you," she said. That message she'd gotten back from him was nice, but it wouldn't replace the last words she heard from him. The last words she'd ever hear from him.
"I never told you the truth," she said. Her throat tightened when she needed to fight back her tears again. "I couldn't. I didn't know what was wrong, and I didn't want to. I just wanted to be right. I wanted you to hate me, so I did, because I was too stupid to see myself for what I really am. I put all the burden on you until it was too late. I wanted you to fix me, but I wouldn't tell you how I felt, because I never knew what was wrong."
Ithos pulled her tighter again. She wanted to rip his arm off for it. He needed to run while he still could. Was it already too late?
"You had a crush on me then, too?" Ithos asked. Max rolled her eyes, burying her face into her tail. His ability to deduce went from impossibly great to the stupidest shit she'd ever heard.
"Well, yeah," Max grumbled. "But that's not important."
"Did you feel important?" Ithos asked. Max froze. The touch of his scales against her fur started to burn. "All of that, it sounds like you were afraid. Lonely." He pulled his other arm to the back of her head; she flinched away from his touch. "How much of it do you even remember?"
"Enough," Max hissed.
Ithos nodded silently, scratching at the back of her neck; the comforting scritches sliced through her flesh like knives. "Are you sure you didn't know, then?" he asked. "Or were you afraid to tell me?" Max clenched her teeth as another whimper forced itself out. She didn't know the answer. "Did I know something was wrong? I care about you, Max. You couldn't ever make me hate you."
"Well, I did," Max said through grit teeth. She knew better than him. She knew that last conversation, and he didn't. She heard his voice as he begged her to tell the truth, saw his eyes as he begged her to let him help, felt his paw reaching out one last time before she hit it away and ran.
"That's not what happened, is it?" Ithos asked. Max hid deeper into her tail. He was wrong. He was wrong. He couldn't possibly know. "Did you want me to hate you then, or now?" A trembling pain ripped from her ears to the tip of her tail. "It makes it easier on you to think I hated you. You wish I did, because then you couldn't have hurt me as much as if I still loved you.
"Because no one hurts us more than the people we love," he pulled her tighter into warmth, "and nothing hurts worse than hurting someone who loves you." The burning warmth pulled her, begged her to embrace him, but she couldn't let herself. She squeezed her tail tighter to hold her arms back.
"You're not a monster, Max. You never were, and you never will be."
The sobs she was holding back broke free. She ripped herself out of his hold to turn around and wrap her arms around him. Even though she'd already cried so much, another ocean of tears came to evaporate off his chest. She pulled him as tight as she could, terrified that he'd disappear if she didn't break her ribs hugging him. It felt like a longer drought without him than it had been the day she'd arrived.
"M-Max," Ithos wheezed.
Max's eyes shot open. She was hurting him, strangling him—killing him. She leapt back in horror, one paw landing on the sheets while the other landed on air. Her landing turned into a tumble as she rolled backwards off the bed, smacking into the ground.
"Max!" Ithos shouted. He rushed to the foot of the bed while she scrambled away, pressing herself against the wall.
She could see him, the hurt in his eyes as she attacked him, broke his heart. She shook her head and whimpered, pulling away. Lapsing for a second had been plenty of time for her to hurt him again. It was inevitable. She hid her head in her arms while trying to curl up against the wall. It didn't matter her intentions, her feelings. She was a threat. That's all she was. That's all she'd ever be.
Ithos' paw met her back. "It's okay," he cooed. She tried to hit him away with her tail; it barely hit hard enough to make a sound. "I'm okay." He sat in front of her, his knee nudging her arm. His forepaw ran down the length of her back, slowing and soothing the whimpers as it did.
He brought it down a well practiced, even more well worn path. Even thousands of years removed, he still pet her the same (if a touch more intimate, now). It really felt like him. It really was him. She'd known that, but she still couldn't really let herself believe it. It was a sick attempt to run away from what she'd done instead of facing it.
Yet, he had a way with those paws then, and he had it now. He knew exactly where to scratch, exactly when, in exactly the right sequence. The warm press of his palms coaxed the terror and guilt through her until she was peeking one eye up to look at him.
Ithos was smiling at her. It was his smile, his face, his eyes. The relief she got from confirming it really was him cut her deeper than any word he could ever say.
At least, so she thought.
"I forgive you," Ithos said.
Max froze in place. He couldn't have said that. She must have imagined it, she was imagining it. She'd finally snapped enough to start hallucinating. She didn't feel his paw running across her back so his arm could lay over her as he went down on the floor to pull her into an embrace. She didn't know why her arms felt warm, but she knew she was only imagining the feeling of them wrapping around his scales.
Then, Ithos lightly squeezed her. His snout pressed against her nose as he looked her in the eyes. She watched in horror as he stared back with tranquil certainty and said again, this time in a whisper, "I forgive you."
Max whimpered, grief contorting her face into an unrecognizable mess as she shook her head. "You can't," she wept. "You don't even know what I did."
"Maybe not," Ithos said with a smirk. A familiar smirk. It was the smirk he had when he knew he was about to be right. "But if I guess, you have to tell me, right?" She winced and tried to hide her face by burying it into his shoulder. His right paw held her tighter while the left wriggled out from under her to pat the sobs out of her.
"It's what you're trying to do right now." Max squeezed her paws into fists. It really was all the same mistakes again, wasn't it. "You ran away." She tried to squeeze her paws tighter to resist squeezing him; he squeezed her tighter instead.
"It's why you never wanted to tell me," Ithos said. "If I hated you, you wouldn't have been so happy to see me that day we met." He chuckled. "You don't try to hug someone who hates you on sight." His chuckles grew into laughter. "Though, I guess you would slap someone who hates you for kissing you." She slapped him on the back. "Yeah, like that." She slapped him (and he laughed) harder.
"Max," Ithos said. He pulled away and used his left paw to retrieve her maw from his shoulder, resting her nose against his once again. "I love you. If you don't know why you're feeling the way you do, we'll figure it out. You didn't do any of this because you're evil.
He ran his left paw down the back of her head to smooth out her fur. "You were hurting," he said. He looked her directly in the eyes, and by some miracle, she didn't hide. "I'm sorry I didn't try to help."
Max shook her head, tears streaming sideways down her face. "You did," she whimpered. His paw came to evaporate away the tears it wiped.
"Then I'm sorry I didn't know better," Ithos said. He had his smirk again, that same goddamn smirk that she'd always seen. The smile that pulled her from nightmares and tormented her dreams. "But we know better, now, don't we?" He tilted his head with that same stupid smirk, waiting for an answer. She wanted to shock it off him. Instead, after much consideration, she just nodded instead.
Ithos pulled her in for a hug again, whispering, "Then we'll do better, won't we?" Despite everything in her heart fighting against it, she started to smile as she nodded again. It was absurd. It may as well be a completely different charmander, but that didn't change anything.
It still worked.
Max sobbed into him like she'd been trying so hard not to all this time. The worst fear of her life fell from her eyes in an ocean of tears. She could never have let herself face this nightmare again on her own. She never wanted Ithos to know, but now, he did. He'd pulled it out of her without her even noticing. If it was too hard for her to say, he'd take the words out of her mouth for her.
They pulled their heads back in unison. Their eyes met with agreement that needed no words. Ithos started to lean forward first.
Max shoved him away while holding tight to his chest. When his back hit the ground, she grabbed his shoulders and used the force of the tackle to slam their lips together. Ithos' eyes shot open in surprise before he rolled them and went with it.
Emotional intimacy turned her on more than anything else in the world.
Max felt her lips shake with his chuckle as she brought her tongue along his lips. She traced the length of his mouth, tickling the scales of his beak in ecstasy as she tasted the hints of hickory smoke embedded between his scales. Her saliva sizzled from the heat, so she traced over his scales to replace it and savored the tastes as they mixed together.
When her tongue breached his lips, his was right there to meet it. It dexterously twisted and wrapped around hers in greeting before moving to do the same for her, tracing along her lips to taste them. The mind numbing warmth drove her crazy as he ran his tongue along her lips.
She chased his tongue with hers in a dance, following the trail it left behind. Each time they met, he effortlessly outmaneuvered hers and guided her along. When they met at the tip of his beak, he wrapped around her tongue to dive into her mouth. Max inhaled in pleasured shock, a tingle of sparks bouncing harmlessly from her cheeks.
Ithos ran his tongue down the length of hers, coating it in the intoxicating taste of sulfur and smoke. His typing oozed from the taste and drove her wild as he coated every inch of her tongue in it, all the while tasting her flavor for himself.
Leaving her tongue embraced, he slipped out of her hold to run along the base beneath her tongue. It almost burned, though Max couldn't tell if it was heat or arousal. Either felt insufficient on their own, and as she felt him sliding up to run along the ridge between her gums and the roof of her mouth, she knew for certain it was both. Every second of satisfaction left her wanting more, and more he happily gave.
Ithos, though, had his time. It was Max's turn, now. She took advantage of her place on top of him and finally took to the role proper. She ran her claws along his neck and gently scraped his scales as she wrapped around his neck to the back of his head.
Max gently yanked his head a bit to the side to free her tongue from his embrace. With one last lick goodbye, she dove into his gasping mouth. She went to his teeth, first, feeling the many, many more sharp points. Without a doubt, the mouth of a predator that had reluctantly evolved to enjoy fruits as well, and dancing around inside brought a shivering thrill.
Ithos respected her little endeavor without giving up on his own. While she dipped into the ridge between his gums and his cheeks, he did the same to her opposite side. Not to be outdone, Max scratched right underneath the hinge of his jaw as she traced it, milking a delectable chur out of him.
Hearing himself, Ithos glanced at her eyes with a flush in his cheeks. The light embarrassment warmed his mouth even more. Max growled in pleasure and got to work making sure he only got hotter.
She sucked on his tongue and his lips as she danced around his gums and tongue, tormenting him like he had her by coating his mouth in her flavor. Her paw traced down his arm, groping the definition while she sparked harmless shocks into him with her cheeks. She basked in the sting of his warmth as it continued, purring in pleasure as he got even hotter.
Perhaps her own animalistic sounds should've embarrassed her, too, but she was much more used to them. Milking his out was a much more novel feat. Her paw clenched around his cheek in ecstasy as she tasted the burning sizzle of his typing. She brought her eyes to his in victory and saw the embarrassment had left.
He wasn't embarrassed anymore. He knew what she was looking for. He was giving her what she wanted.
Of course he'd figure that out, too.
Ithos dragged his paw down her back to grope her ass. The squeeze made her squeak in joy, but hardly turned the tables like he'd wanted. She let herself bask in the sensation for a moment before pressing her body against his. Would they finally…? She squeezed her thighs together to temper the flames of desire and hope as she brought the paw on his arm to his back.
She wrapped her legs around his belly and started sliding down. Ithos tightened his grip on her ass and she let out a deep purr of excitement. She couldn't wait to press herself lower, but then she found out why he'd gripped her tighter.
His other paw came to grab her shoulder and pull her away. He sat them up and rested against the wall behind him with a smirk.
"That's far enough, don't you think?" Ithos asked.
"PIKA chuuuuuuuuuuuu," Max growled, too worked up to even guess what she'd said.
Ithos chuckled and shook his head as he brought his paw up to her face, letting her rest on his lap for now. He stared into her eyes in thought. She stared back in need. He giggled as he shook his head again. "I don't get it," he said. He rubbed his thumb along her cheek, pulling out a few sparks with friction. "Why did you ever think I wouldn't love you back? You had to have been just as beautiful."
Max stiffened in his hold. Her cheeks sparked in the embarrassment he'd tried to incite earlier. "K-ka, pii, Chu pii," Max squeaked out. She kept her eyes firmly away from his, shrinking away from him a bit. Ithos tilted his head in confusion. Max couldn't find the words, wasn't sure if she wanted to.
When her eyes glanced back to her tail, though, she didn't need to.
"Oh," Ithos said, eyes flashing with realization. It hit again, and he nodded with a much longer, "Ohhhh, that." Max's cheeks sparked in humiliation while she tried to pull away, but he held her tight. Not too tight for her to break out of, but tighter than her will to wriggle away. He kept his eyes on hers. No matter how hard she tried to keep them away, she eventually couldn't help herself falling into his gaze.
Without a word, he leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. "Hey," he whispered. She nervously glanced up, too afraid to keep her eyes on his, yet too afraid to look away. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Got it?"
Max groaned in pain and relief. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace, shaking her head. "You can't do this to me," she grumbled. "Can't you say the wrong thing once in a while?"
Ithos tilted his head back to raise a brow with that same, familiar, infuriating smirk. He waited a moment for her to get what he did, but she just stared blankly back. "Max," he said. He chuckled and shook his head, pulling her in to another embrace. "I did. That's why we had this conversation at all."
"Right," Max said. She blinked, then huffed out a sigh. The reminder had a sting to it, but it was enough to bear. Even if it wasn't, she had Ithos' arms wrapped around her. They'd spent more than enough time on that, though, so she swallowed any other conflicts and went for the heart of the matter. "So." She shuffled back to look him in the eyes. "What was that wink supposed to mean?"
"Heck no," Ithos said, rolling his eyes while Max fought the urge to do the same. She never understood why he insisted on talking E for Everyone, well.
She had her suspicions.
Ithos let out a sigh as he pulled her back in. Max pressed her cheek against—his was still surprisingly hot. Had she really worked him up that much? She certainly hoped so. "When should we head out?" Ithos asked.
Max shrugged, but said, "Soon."
Their door swung open, and both of them jumped. Ash danced in while Max started to get off Ithos in a rush, but Ithos yanked her back. "Blanket!" he whispered. Max tried to pull away again, but he held tighter, cheeks flushing so red that she wondered if he'd surpassed her own. "Hurry!" He nodded at Ash wriggling his shoulders, back turned to the both of them. "I don't want him to see!"
"See what?" Max hissed back. She glanced him up and down to demonstrate, and then her eyes shot down. She found the problem. Two of them, even.
Maybe she had better luck than she gave herself credit for.
"Blanket!" Ithos whisper-shouted at her with a shake. Ash had continued his slow twirl while his arms dorkily bobbed with his shoulders. He still couldn't quite see them, though, and he wasn't looking. Max's ear popped up, and she smiled up at Ithos with a gnarly grin.
"Don't worry, I've got it," Max whispered. Ithos let out a sigh of relief that turned into a helpless chirp when she spun around to slide the rest of the way down his belly. His body heat flared enough that the burning sensation made it a little bit harder for Max to make out the arousal she'd dropped to hide (but she managed, almost too eager to feel it pressed against her).
"Hey, Ash!" Max cheered. As Ash completed his rotation, she wriggled back against Ithos, pretending to get comfortable while he churred in desperate torment. "Ever heard of knocking?"
"Pfft, why?" Ash chuckled. "Not like I'd ever catch you two fooling around."
"You know," Max chuckled along. She smirked up at Ithos and scooted back one last time, the pudge on her back and his belly working together perfectly for full coverage. "That's a really good point." Ithos glared at her as angry as he could, fighting against the pleasure to be enraged. Max lightly elbowed him and swung her paw out to Ash. "Aren't you going to greet our friend?"
Rage burned in Ithos' eyes hotter than she'd ever seen for a second until he put his face against the back of her head in resignation. "Hey, Ash," he whispered in as neutral a tone as he could force. For being such a good sport, Max rewarded him with a subtle wiggle of her hips.
Ithos did not appreciate the reward.
"What's his deal?" Ash asked. He didn't wait for an answer before shrugging. "Whatever, I know what'll cheer you two up." He resumed his dance for a few demented steps before hopping onto the foot of their bed, swinging his arms wide. "Guess what team got vacation for the foreseeable future!" Max's ears flopped down.
"That's right!" Ash jammed a 'thumb' into his chest and flopped back. "Team Plasma!" He threw his paws in the air in bed ruining celebration. "Finally! FINALLY! I have enough time to myself to get some action!" He rolled over to hang his head over the bed.
Max looked up with an apologetic smile, though Ithos remained indisposed (even though she'd wiggled to get his attention). Ash's excitement evaporated in an instant. He stared at her, waiting for a punchline that never came.
"We're disobeying orders, aren't we?" Ash asked.
"Well," Max sighed. "We are." She crumpled against Ithos a bit, wondering why that made him spasm for a second before she remembered. "It's up to you, though, all right?" She looked up at Ash with a nervous smile. "This is…," the full weight of what they were doing finally hit her, making her pause for a second, "really dangerous."
She nervously twitched, and Ithos dug his claws into her shoulders. "If you want to take the vacation, take it," Max said.
"Pfft, as if," Ash said, shaking his head. "C'mon, what do you take me for?" He held out a befuddled paw as he sat up. Ithos' ceaseless squirming didn't seem to register at all for Ash as he shrugged. "We're a team. I'm not letting some silly thing like sex break us up." His friendly smile popped away as he thrust a nubbin towards her and said, "But! I reserve the right to bitch about it the whole time."
Max covered her mouth with a paw, trying to reign in her laughter for Ithos' sake. If he appreciated it, he gave little indication more than a strained, tortured whimper. She finally decided to show some mercy and scooted an inch forward—both remained quite firmly against her, but she at least wasn't squishing them. She tried to hide her cheer that he was still so worked up (was she really that cute?).
Max put a nubbin to her chin in faux thought, then held it up and said, "One." She looked at Ash pointedly. "You get one bitch a day."
"Ugh, one?" Ash griped. He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he tossed the idea about. His head nodded as it processed until he looked down at Max. "One per day, or once a day?" He put his paws behind his head to lean against them, staring down his nose at her.
"Hmmm," Max hummed. She tapped her chin and turned back to Ithos. "What do you think?" His fury had faded as he hid his head behind hers, now staring at her with resigned torment. She nodded at his sagely input and looked forward. "Yes, we would want to reward good behavior, wouldn't we?" She nodded to herself. "Okay, you can stack one at a time."
"Just one?!" Ash asked. He turned his nose up at the absurd bargain, about to reject it out of paw when Max halted him with a raised paw.
"All right, all right," Max sighed. "You drive a hard bargain." She raised an ear in thought while trying not to smirk too much. "For every week you're good and leave at least one bitching unused, you can stack one more."
"Three more," Ash countered.
"One more."
"Two."
"One."
"One."
"One."
"Deal," Ash grumbled. He let out a bereaved sigh, but Max could see the smile tugging at the end of his cheeks. "Well, I guess we left the Rescue Society before. What's one more time?" He shrugged again and hopped off the bed, extending a paw for Max to shake.
Max started to get up to shake back, but Ithos immediately yanked her back in horror. The mistake registered in the same instant as the involuntary thrust of his hips, and he whimpered as he desperately tried to keep himself together. It felt especially clammy back there, now. Unless Max was just sweating from his body heat, he wasn't doing a very good job.
Ash shared a confused glance with Max, but she just shrugged. "Can't get enough of me, you know," she said. Ithos let out a desperate churr of agreement while she reached up to take Ash's paw in her own. After one firm shake, they both nodded and released. Ash gave one more worried glance to Ithos, but ultimately shrugged.
"Well, I'll leave you two to… whatever you sickos do that isn't fucking," Ash said. Max leaned back against Ithos as she waved to really drive the point home. "See ya." He waved and headed for the door.
Once the door closed, Ithos collapsed his head onto hers. "I hate you, you know that?" he grumbled.
Max flinched. It was a joke, one she'd heard him say a thousand times. She shoved the twinge of pain down and tried to bury it behind a wry grin. "You know," she hummed, grinding back against him. He seized up, and his eyes shot open. "I couldn't really tell." She pecked him on the cheek, though the lingering sting hadn't gone away. She hoped she masked it as she finally moved to get off him.
Ithos pulled her tighter. "Max, come on," he said. She stiffened in his hold, only making it more obvious. He tilted his head back to smirk up at her once again. "Did you really think I didn't notice?"
Max let out a sigh, but it felt like a breath of relief. "I don't know," she mumbled. She shrank a bit, but his arms held her up. "I guess I was hoping you'd let me get away with it." In a motion more natural than walking, she spun around in his arms to rest on his lap and wrapped her legs around his belly, resting her head on his shoulder. He held her tighter, and she squeaked out a, "Thank you."