There's one quiet little spot that I liked above all near the busy town of Jubilife. A spot where I could bring some warm clothes and sit down for a bit to watch the stars, perhaps even light a little fire to keep myself warm and gaze at the dancing flames when stars were not as visible. A small beach, with waves softly spreading on the sand.

Tonight was one of those nights were the fire crackled slowly in the dedicated fire pit. I sat hugging my knees some ways away from the water, enough to not have to worry about waves reaching me, the cool spring breeze offering the perfect balance of heat with the fire to keep me at a comfortable temperature. Crickets chirped here and there, hidden in the grass behind me, while orange light danced on my skin and clothes.

It had only been a day since the last time I'd seen Lucario. Yet anxiety did not freeze my veins like it had the last time we'd been apart. His words, his promise to find me, kept me warm and happy. Helped me be patient. I fiddled with the burning embers with a stick, a shy smile spreading on my face just remembering my time with him. There was nothing else I wanted more than to be in his arms again. This perfect Lucario.

It didn't come as a surprise, but rather an intense excitement, when I heard soft yet heavy footsteps approach behind me. I knew almost immediately. I stood and spun around, seeing a tall blue, yellow and grey shape emerge from the darkness, a sheepish smile on his face.

I did not even wait for him to reach the fire. Running to him, he barely got the time to flatten his spike before I jumped in his arms and squeezed him as hard as I could, throwing all restraint out the window. He patted my head gently and looked down at my overjoyed face with a soft smile.

"Lucario ! You're here !"

"Hello there, Leo. Someone seems happy tonight."

"Well, of course ! You have no idea how glad I am that you came. Want to come sit down near the fire with me ?"

He nodded, and followed me as I grabbed his hand and led him only five feet over, and sat down. He sat as well, cross-legged, and I let out a little sigh. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Several days ago, being in his presence so casually would've been an impossibility. Yet it seemed so natural now that we would be together, gazes shared, as I fiddled and shifted in pure unbridled joy.

"You look like you're about to jump at me, human."

"I'm definitely considering it. I'm sorry, am I being a bit too much ?"

"Not yet, do not worry. I'm simply not accustomed to seeing such overt expressions of joy at my presence."

"Really now ? Does that make me special ?"

The pokemon didn't answer, but he smiled wistfully. He turned his gaze to the fire, his posture straight, almost meditative.

"You wanted to talk more," he simply declared.

"Well... Yes, I just wanted to be with you more, Lucario."

"You misunderstand. I mean, you had more questions."

I froze for a moment. His gaze turned to me once more, his expression neutral, patient.

"So many. I'm surprised you want to go right into that, though. Figured you'd want to ask how I'm doing at least," I answered with a little smile, more playfully than bitterly.

"I apologize. I did not mean to be brusque. I thought it would be a good idea to start with the more important subjects."

"I getcha, I getcha. Can't get too mellow with the human yet, right ?"

I continued to tease, but the playfulness seemed somewhat lost on the pokemon whose ears lowered slightly. He opened his mouth slightly, then closed it, then turned his face towards the fire again before I realized what I was seeing on his face was guilt.

"Oh no, no ! I'm sorry, Lucario, I was just joking," I quickly corrected, hugging his right arm and coming closer. "I do have a lot of questions, yes. I'm so lucky to get to speak with you, and I hope you don't mind me inquiring a bit into your... everything."

"That is okay," he answered, feeling more comfortable now that I was actively trying to reassure him. "A lot of things happened. Not many were explained."

"Well... Who was that Lucario that tried to kill me?"

Like landing a perfect jab with the first punch, painful but predictable, that question made him silent for a moment, thinking of what to say and how to say it.

"Alkair is... an old friend of mine. We belong... or, I suppose, belonged, to the same clan."

"Clan ? Belonged ?! You weren't forced to leave it because of me, right ?"

"Not exactly. I had run away before we met. You simply accelerated the inevitable."

I remained quiet, waiting for further explanation. But it did not come. I saw fit not to pry any further, and instead shifted the conversation slightly.

"It's incredible how you came at the right time. Like a true hero."

"Well I- Mh-" Lucario stuttered, that compliment having visibly made him blush. "I felt a Lucario's aura sneaking into the village. I knew it could only spell trouble. I am just glad I made it in time."

"You did ? So, you were hanging out near the village when he appeared ?"

"...Yes."

"Whyever would a Lucario like you hang out so close to a human village ?"

My confidence was borne out of his very clear embarrassment : the tall, prideful pokemon was staring in front of him and fiddling with some rocks he was holding between his fingers, his ears lowered somewhat, a slight blush on his cheeks. I squeezed his arm some more and giggled.

"It couldn't have been for little ol' me, right ?"

"It... was. I wasn't sure how to come back."

"Well, you did leave for a week. But I can't blame you, I didn't exactly expect you to come back, being a pokemon and all."

"I do not know how humans... befriend others. It did not feel right for me to simply barge in."

"Who cares how humans do it ? You have your own way of treating me. And you've been nothing but kind and patient."

His head turned to me again and he looked into my eyes. His body language was that of contained nervousness : fully accepting of my affection and my closeness, yet not reciprocating it. In this moment however, he shifted his body towards me slightly, and his eyes glowed.

"Is it wrong of me to want to learn how humans treat each other ?"

"Not at all. You've... already learned quite well. That hug yesterday was..." I began, but had to stop, giggling slightly.

"Yes. The hug. I'm surprised at how comfortable it felt."

"Would you..."

I had to stop myself once again, and bit my lower lip, as Lucario looked at me, attentive as ever. I wasn't too sure if it was right of me to ask what I wanted to ask, and I squeezed his arm some more.

"You know, the caresses you gave me the first day we met ? Would you... Like me to do it to you as well ? So you can see how relaxing it feels."

"These caresses ?" he asked, one ear twitching. "I thought those were reserved for those for which you feel "intense affection"?"

The longing stare I gave him, shy but very clear, seemed to take him off guard. He straightened up slightly, the blush increasing on his cheeks, mouth half open for a moment.

"V... Very well."

"Is it okay for me to sit in your lap ?"

"Whatever you feel is necessary."

My whole body felt like it weighted three tons as I let go of his arms and climbed onto his lap. I felt sluggish while my brain spun up to 1000% of its normal speed. I didn't need to read aura to see how flustered he was as I sat on his thighs, right in front of him, hands against his chest. He seemed not to know what to do with his own hands for a moment before he settled them on my hips. Slowly, silently, I began to caress his body. Fingers running through soft fur, playing with it, hands moving from his toned chest to his sides and stomach. Long circular motions that allowed me to feel the powerful muscles hidden under his coat of fur. I tried not to look into his eyes, and hoped he wouldn't feel my heart beating out of my chest. I gave long strokes to his body, and soon enough felt him relax. Consciously or not, Lucario had begun a low murr, and I moved my caresses from his chest to his cheeks, finally daring to gaze into his eyes. They were half lidded, and his hair was gently floating behind him.

"This... does feel great," he begun, as I caressed his cheeks, his ears, petting him all over.

"It does, doesn't it ?"

My own voice sounded strange to me. Almost a whisper, heavy with feelings that I hadn't expected to express.

"There's one means of affection Lucarios and humans share, I believe."

"Is there ?"

"Yes. Would you allow me to show you ?"

I nodded, unsure what to make of this proposition. I lowered my hands back down to his shoulders as his went to the back of my head.

My heart skipped several beats as the pokemon leaned forward, head tilted, and pressed his lips to mine. It lasted for barely a second before he pulled back, his ears nearly fully down, my face now bright red. I didn't even know where to look and forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Was... that inappropriate?" he asked, worried about my reaction.

"W... What does a kiss mean for a Lucario...?"

"When... Lucarios are very close, which happens rarely, or when they decide to, well... to be mates."

At this point, my emotions exploded so violently that I might have fainted on the spot : instead, I gasped loudly, and covered my mouth, looking at him with intense embarrassment and shyness. I saw panic glint in his eyes and he removed his hand quickly.

"I apologize, was this presumptuous of me ? Of course I don't- I didn't mean that we have to be mates, this was simply to show you- You were sharing your experiences with me and I-"

"I-it's fine... Um... Do you want us to be mates...?"

His hands were fully off of my body at this point and I saw his bottom lip quiver, his eyes fixed on mine but expressing the biggest combination of panic and shyness I had ever seen. I was strangely a little soothed by seeing him perhaps more panicked than me, but I was a mess. I asked myself a question that felt like my soul had been pierced : this couldn't be love, right ? I felt my heart squeeze when that word so powerfully crossed my mind, like an incantation to invite more of these feelings in.

"Now?"

"Well, you... when... I-I love spending time with you, and..."

"I'm... I'm a Lucario. You know this. Wouldn't your human peers reject you if something like that happened ?"

"They don't have to know. We've been meeting in secret ever since the first day."

He looked around nervously, checking if anyone was around. No one was here, no sound aside from the fire burning behind me, his face illuminated in orange.

"Leo, I don't think you realize what you're asking..."

"W-well, what if I told you I want to be your mate ?"

The best way to describe how I felt as I watched Lucario's face melt into a multitude of intense emotions was : screaming internally. At myself, because where the hell was I finding the confidence to ask this ? What the fuck was happening ?! And also, because while he seemed flustered and struggled to find anything to reply, not even daring to touch me, he certainly didn't seem against it. His hands, after a heavy pause, once more rested on my hips.

"And you can... you can teach me what that really means for a Lucario. I'm willing to learn," I continued, to break the silence.

"Leo..."

He seemed to struggle to express his thoughts. I could tell he was still conflicted. I moved my hands to his cheeks, leaned forward, and kissed him.

I felt him grip my hips and his whole body tense up, and then relax. I attempted to copy his kiss, pulling back after only about a second.

"W-was that okay?" I asked, almost whispering. "I can... I can stop, if you want."

His eyes were fixed on mine, our breaths colliding, warm and deep, mouths so close. I continued to pet his cheeks as one of his paws fully grabbed the back of my head. He seemed to move forward for another kiss for a moment, then stopped.

"What does a kiss mean, for a human ?"

"When people decide to be mates."

Then he leaned forward for another kiss.

Longer, this time. Deeper. I hugged him tight and sighed into the kiss, hearing his deep murr. Seconds passed, and our lips remained locked.

It only broke for a small moment.

"Leo, would you allow me to read into your aura ?"

"Whatever you want."

I wasn't even sure what he was asking. But I was willing to let him do anything. His hair floated a little more, his eyes shone bright red, and he pressed his lips to mine all over again, with a confidence and dominance that made me melt.

I gripped the fur of his chest, my entire body becoming warm, heart beating through my chest.

In fact, it wasn't just the emotions making me warm, but my whole being felt surrounded by a soft blanket. Our emotions merging together became almost too much. As he read deep into my aura, so too could I experience his emotions.

Lucario pushed me forward and I landed on my back, legs around his hips, kiss unbroken. Our lips caressing, pushing at each other. I was squirming a little under him, a soft moan escaping my maw.

We needed to breathe, eventually. I looked into his eyes, completely enraptured.

"I apologize if I took control."

"My alpha... You can have all the control you want."

I felt his body shiver and tense up. Up until now, I didn't know what a riled up Lucario looked like, but it seemed I had struck quite a chord.

The kiss was more passionate this time. One of his paws still gripping my head, not allowing me to leave the kiss, while the other began to slip under my shirt to caress my bare skin. Jeez, he learns fast, I thought.

I was completely melting under him. More soft moans flowed from my busy mouth, being assaulted by the Lucario's passionate kissing. Truly, I didn't think he would've been capable of such firey passion, but I was completely giving into it. My shirt was lifted until my chest was bare and his hand petted me more insistently, caressing my sides, gripping my body every now and then. It was... powerful, dominant. Possessive.

Now that I had made my desires clear, given myself to him, now that his inhibitions were gone, there was no part of me that I felt didn't belong to him. He moved forward a little more, a small growl rising in his throat, getting me to lift my hips more as my legs remained wrapped around his body. I moaned louder and pushed against his chest, which got him to break the kiss instantly.

"I apologize. Did I go too far ?"

"Guhhh... N-no... Lucario... This is perfect... I-I just need a moment..." I said, blushing like crazy, hiding my face with one hand while giggling shyly.

His expression went from worry to amusement. I felt him nip softly at my hand, kiss my forehead, both hands now stroking my body.

"Unsurprisingly, an alpha Lucario is proving too much for the little human."

"D-don't get cocky..."

"It's too late to go back on your decision. You are mine, and mine only, now."

Oohhh boy.

Those words were like a final blow to my body.

I felt my entire body heat up, especially in my lower belly, and I squeezed my legs reflexively as sensations I was far too ashamed to show overwhelmed me. His dominance was making my body crave him, and unfortunately for me, it did not seem to go unnoticed. The squeezing of my thighs meant I pulled him in slightly closer, and his murrs stopped for a moment, before resuming, louder than before, closer to a growl now.

"I can feel that, you know."

"Y-you can't feel shit..."

"Our auras are linked. My words somehow had quite an effect."

"I-I don't know what you're..."

I was a mess. Hiding my eyes. Unable to look at him. I let out a little yelp when I suddenly felt his muzzle, heard his growl, right next to my ear.

"You're mine."

Desperately, I grabbed the fur of his chest, gripping it. I began to pant, his body so close to mine, his growls heavy and deep in my ear while he spoke in my head.

"My little human. Mine."

"L-Lucario..."

"You can barely talk anymore," he continued, gripping my body, letting me feel his claws slightly. "Does me being an alpha attract you even more ? The way I control and hold you. I thought you'd be afraid of it, but that's not quite true, is it?"

"It's... It's not fair that you're learning t-this fast..."

"You're aware I can tell where your body is hottest, no ?"

I gasped. His growl became louder. His grip on my body tighter. The tension was making me feel like my heart was about to burst.

"What the fuck is happening here ?!"

A bitter and angry voice rung into both Lucario and I's head, and he snapped back up, letting me go. He kneeled at first, identifying where that voice came from, while I scrambled to sit back up, lowering my shirt back onto my body, my hair now frazzled.

Alkair was standing a few ways away from us, mostly hidden in the darkness. Lucario popped back up, standing now, between me and the other.

"Alkair. I thought you'd gone back to the clan ?"

"You better have a really fucking good explanation."

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

Both their voices rang into my head as well. They were purposely letting me hear everything. Alkair's claws were bright and sharp on his hand, and Lucario was standing not quite in a defensive pose, yet prepared to retaliate if needed.

"Here I was, thinking I could attempt to convince you to come back one more time. And now you're fully mating with this human ?! Have you lost your mind ?!"

Lucario's silence betrayed no emotion. He was simply waiting, frowning, and aura claws appeared on his hand as well.

"Leave us."

"I can't do that. Either you kill this human right now, or I'll do it myself."

I gasped quietly. Began to shake. Was I really about to die here ?

For a moment, I doubted Lucario. Thought he might betray me.

But from our auras linked, I felt a warm wave of reassurance. Sent from him, having sensed my anxiety. I clung to it in this moment of panic.

"I'd cut off your head before you can even lay a finger on them. You know this, Alkair. Do not be foolish."

Tension remained. Both Lucarios gauging each other, the air heavy and vibrating with powerful aura as they stood fifteen feet apart from each other.

"We can talk, still. I understand your anger and your confusion," the alpha continued, just as calmly as before.

"I thought you didn't have to explain yourself to me ?"

"I don't. But I do not wish to kill you tonight."

"Then what the fuck is there to talk about ?!"

"Alkair. I'm never coming back."

The Lucario froze for a moment, and trembled.

"Go back. Leave me and my human in peace."

"YOUR HUMAN?!"

Rage filled Alkair's veins and all carefulness was thrown out in a second. He lunged forward, towards me.

At speeds that exceeded my ability to see, Lucario grabbed him by the throat, lifted him, and slammed him into the ground. Alkair cried out in pain, and then fury, his claws whistling in the air as he attempted to strike Lucario in his sides.

A wave of aura washed over him in a fraction of a second, and glowing restraints appeared on his wrists, pinning them to the ground. He roared, but Lucario kneeled above him, utterly and completely overpowering him in a few seconds.

I gasped and stumbled back, the speed and violence of it making me utterly panic. I crawled back further as Lucario stared down at Alkair, not with anger, but disappointment in his eyes. Claws shifted into an aura knife in Lucario's hand.

"I warned you what would happen if you attacked them again."

But he wavered.

Memories of his human's scared eyes flashed in his mind.

Then he saw the look in his friend's eyes, that of fury mixed with terror, breathing erratically, fighting against his restraints.

The aura knife disappeared.

Lucario stood up, and a tense, heavy silence fell upon us all. He walked towards me, and I looked up at his face, a bit afraid. But he simply kneeled down and offered his paw.

"Are you okay, Leo? I'm deeply sorry about this."

"I'm... I'm fine..."

I got up, although my legs were shaking and I could feel blood rushing to my head from the sheer panic I had experienced.

Alkair writhed on the ground, trying to break his glowing restraints, pushing against the ground with his legs.

"This is... This is my fault...?" I asked, tears in my eyes, the intense hatred I was seeing in Alkair's eyes hurting me more than I expected.

"No. He is misguided, and hurt."

"How could you do this to us...?!"

Lucario sighed and kneeled next to Alkair.

"I'm sorry. I know I have failed you."

Alkair's struggling settled for a moment.

"I fled from the expectations the clan had set upon me. But sometimes, and I wish for you to understand this someday, sacrifices must be made in order to stay true to oneself."

"What are you talking about...?"

"I could never stay with the others. You know this. And I cannot come back."

I walked back, as out of sight as I could. I had stopped hearing their voices, and knew not to get involved.

Lucario put his hand on Alkair's chest, and the restraints disappeared.

"You'll make a great leader. Now that I'm gone, you can fulfill your dreams."

"...You're asking me to abandon you ?"

"No. I'm pleading you to."

Alkair swatted Lucario's hand away. He sat up with a thousand yard stare.

"... This human. Do you think you can trust them ?"

"Yes."

"You know this because ?"

"Our auras have linked already."

Alkair's eyes snapped to Lucario in an expression of pure disbelief.

"That's... possible ? With a human ?"

"I learned that just a few minutes ago."

He thought for another moment. Gritted his teeth. So many things he wished to say. But he knew talking to Lucario was pointless right now. The sting of betrayal made his entire body hurt more than being slammed into the ground. Yet Lucario, as he'd always been, was true to himself. And a part of Alkair knew he must've been right. Again.

He stood up, before Lucario did.

"This is goodbye?" Alkair said, bitterly. His eyes moving to the human behind them, shivering in the shadows, frail and pathetic.

"You'll be busy leading the clan. But I'm sure we'll meet again."

Alkair nodded.

"I hope, for you, that you made the right decision. And if they ever betray you, I'll kill them myself."

"I know."

That single sentence was too much to bear for Alkair. Despite it all, it was a simple acknowledgement of trust and acceptance. Clenching his fists, he turned around, and disappeared into the night.