Chapter 3: Bathwater and Feelings
Leaving the eerie Silver Mire behind, the dense, wet woodlands eventually gave way to rolling grassy hills bathed in the fading light. Team Mavericks had finally reached more 'normal' territory. They arrived at Azure Glade just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Their client, a Roserade, was immensely thankful for the delivery of the delicate seeds, even adding a bonus tip for their trouble navigating the Mire.
Given the late hour, Chino and Layne decided to stay the night at the local inn. It was a small, cozy cottage with only a couple of rooms for rent, nestled in the quiet settlement. The lack of visitors likely explained why regular mail routes didn't frequent the Glade, necessitating the specialized delivery job.
Stepping into their assigned room, Layne tossed his bag onto the chair beside a small desk in the corner. "So..." he began, eyeing the single twin bed, "we playin' roshambo to figure out who's sleeping on the floor? That bed be lookin kinda small". He chuckled; it wasn't their first time sharing cramped quarters in some remote inn.
Chino dropped his own bag near the bed, snorting with amusement at the creaky-looking mattress. "Roshamb - pfft," he shook his head. "C'mon, we've done this song and dance before. You're bigger - obviously - so it's not like you'd even fit on the floor without half of you sticking out". He smirked, slowly untangling his scarf. The room smelled faintly of lavender, cleaner than many places they'd stayed, but the bed remained ridiculously tiny. Not that it'll matter, he thought, I'll be half-asleep before it gets awkward anyway. He tossed his bag onto the chair and flopped onto the bed with a dramatic sigh. Narrow, lumpy, but infinitely better than swamp muck. "Besides," he added, lacing his claws behind his neck, "let's not pretend you didn't just save my hide back there. Take the bed. You earned it". A sly grin spread across his face. "Unless you're scared of me stealing all the covers".
"Aw shucks, you're too kind," Layne chuckled, sitting on the edge of the bed. It wasn't terrible, despite the size. "I mean, we could always try sharing, but I'm pretty sure we'd either have to spoon or you end up using me as a bed just to fit in it," he teased. He lifted an arm, sniffed exploratorily, and grimaced. "Woof, but before we even discuss sleeping arrangements, I need a bath something fierce. That swamp left us reeking to high hell". The Blaziken grumbled, remembering the inn owner mentioning a bathing area in the cellar. "Why don't we go hit it up? Don't feel like stewing in my own filth, especially if we end up having to share a bed," he snorted, standing up and stretching, still feeling the strain from the fight and the Mega Evolution.
Chino snickered. "Yeah, you're not wrong. Smell like we wrestled a Muk and lost". He pushed himself up with a groan, muscles protesting. The thought of a hot bath was pure bliss. "Alright, let's hit it up before the owner locks the place for the night". He grabbed his scarf from the chair. "No way I'm crawling into any bed like this. Especially if we're…" he trailed off, smirking, "…spooning. Or whatever". He gestured to the door. "C'mon. Let's get clean before you gas out the whole inn".
The cellar was much as expected: dingy, cramped, cobblestone walls lined with dusty shelves holding random items. In a corner sat a modest wooden tub with what looked like jury-rigged plumbing attached and a drain leading to parts unknown. "Man this looks real sus," Layne snickered. "But beats washing off in the river, I guess". He turned the handle, plugged the drain with the provided cork, and cold well water began pouring in. "Cold as the grave, shoulda guessed. I can fix that...". Dipping his talons in, he willed warmth into the water without igniting his wrist flames. Soon, the tub was full of pleasantly heated water. He turned off the tap, peeled off his sticky vest and neckerchief, tossed them aside, and slid into the tub with a contented sigh. "Come on in, water's fine~" he purred, leaning back.
Chino eyed the tub warily. "Could probably use less of the 'sus,' but hey," he murmured, shrugging off his scarf and draping it over a crate. "We've dealt with worse". He dipped a claw into the water - surprisingly warm. Leave it to Layne. Sighing, Chino shed his own scarf and slid into the tub after Layne, splashing water over the sides. It was incredibly tight, but the warmth immediately began soothing his sore muscles. A low groan escaped him. "Ohhh, okay. This might actually be worth smelling like a Gloom all day". He smirked at Layne, leaning back with satisfaction. "If this thing collapses, though? I'm blaming you".
"You callin' me fat bro?" Layne elbowed him playfully, grinning. "I'm more worried about your frigid Ice-type ass makin' the water cold," he laughed, grabbing a piece of handcrafted soap from a nearby shelf. "Fancy," he mused, lathering up and scrubbing the muck from his feathers.
Chino snorted, leaning away as the tub sloshed. "Not fat - dense," he retorted slyly, stretching out in the warm water. "And don't worry about me freezing anything. I'm not that bad". The soap smelled faintly of lavender and honey. Chino snagged some lather from Layne's hand and began washing his own arms, feeling the grime peel away. "Y'know," he murmured, glancing at Layne, "For all the hell we went through back there… this isn't the worst way to end the day". He smirked. "Even if it's a bit... cozy".
"Oh so I'm stupid now? I'll have yew know I are vurry smurt," Layne snickered, dunking his head to rinse. Now clean, he leaned back again with a sigh. "Yeah this is pretty great, honestly. Even if my long-ass legs are barely fitting in here," he snorted, playfully tapping Chino's hips under the water with his feet.
Chino rolled his eyes, smirking. "Yeah, yeah, smurt as a Slowpoke," he shot back, rinsing the last suds from his fur. The tap to his hips made him jump, splashing water. "Hey!" He gave Layne a mock glare, brushing a hand near his leg. "Keep your talons to yourself or I'll start cooling the water just to mess with you". But there was no heat in the threat; he relaxed again, closing his eyes for a moment. It felt nice.
"What! I'm just making use of all available space is all!" Layne retorted, raising a leg to playfully boop Chino's nose with a talon. "Maybe I ought to just use you as a leg rest," he grinned mischievously, proceeding to prop the leg on Chino's shoulder. "Ahhh that's better. Chino I think you should give up your job as a rescue team member and take up being a footstool full time," the Blaziken laughed, gently tapping Chino's cheek with his foot.
Chino froze, blinking as the talon rested casually on his shoulder. He gave Layne a flat look. "Really? A footstool?" he asked dryly, though amusement tugged at his mouth. His claws tapped the tub's edge. With an overly dramatic sigh, he shifted, nudging the leg off his shoulder. "You're lucky I'm too tired to drown you right now," he teased. "Barely". But he didn't move away.
"If you're drowning me, I'm taking you down with me," Layne snorted, planting his leg back on Chino's shoulder as he tried to shake it off. He upped the ante, balancing his other leg on the opposite shoulder. "See? Make any moves and I'm in the perfect position to triangle choke yer ass," he snickered, grinning stupidly and playfully tapping both sides of Chino's face with his feet.
Chino groaned theatrically. "You've gotta be kidding me," he mumbled, bracing himself. The tapping talons tested his patience. "Alright, birdbrain," he growled, fighting a grin. "You asked for it". He ducked low, rolling his shoulders to throw Layne off balance. Water sloshed everywhere. "Let's see how good your chokehold is when you're - " he shoved gently at one leg " - outta the tub". He was secretly laughing but would never admit it.
"I'd like to see you try, weasel!" Layne growled back through laughter, struggling to keep his balance as Chino actively fought back. Their brief wrestle ended abruptly. SPLASH sliiiide. Layne blinked. His legs had gone askew, and suddenly, Chino was practically on top of him.
Silence. Neither knew how to react. Layne was suddenly grateful for his red feathers, because he was blushing hotly.
Chino blinked, claws braced awkwardly on Layne's chest, a knee wedged between his legs. Water covered the floor. Oh. Oh no. He froze, brain short-circuiting. The silence felt heavier than the entire Mire. Layne's blush was visible even through his feathers. Chino felt the warmth radiating off him - and it wasn't just the bathwater. His first instinct was to pull away, but his body hesitated, claws remaining planted for a fraction too long. His heart hammered painfully loud. Say something. "Uh… well," he finally croaked, snark failing him. His mind scrambled for a deflection. "Didn't… didn't see that coming". Great save. His ear tips burned. Fantastic.
"Erm..." Layne mumbled, shifting awkwardly. He could feel Chino's rapid heartbeat against his own equally racing one. "Seems like someone's practicing for using me as a bed later," he managed to quip, laughing nervously as he carefully disentangled himself. "Uh, good time to get out of the bath I guess," he added awkwardly, sliding out.
Chino remained frozen for another moment before sitting up, rubbing the back of his neck as the awkwardness clung to him. "Uh, yeah," he mumbled. "Probably a good call". Smooth. He fumbled with a towel as he climbed out, the cold floor shocking his paws. He stood there, toweling off, fur sticking up awkwardly. "Right," he rasped, clearing his throat. "Clean and not smelling like Gloom. Mission accomplished".
Layne shook off the strange thoughts, dried himself, quickly rinsed his vest and neckerchief in the used bathwater, and hung them on a rack to dry. "Mission accomplished," he echoed, heading upstairs. He entered their room, closing the door behind them.
Chino followed, still damp, glancing again at the tiny bed with a low groan. "Still looks just as small as before". He tossed the towel over the chair and stretched, muscles tight. He watched Layne move around the room; an invisible, taut string of tension vibrated between them. Chino didn't want to poke it, but it was undeniably there. He dropped onto the bed with a heavy sigh. "So what's the plan here? Flip a coin? Whoever snores louder gets the floor? Or are we doing the whole spooning thing you joked about earlier? 'Cuz at this point…" He trailed off, patting the mattress beside him with a smirk. "Might as well just make peace with the fact that we're cramming into this thing like a couple'a overgrown Furrets". He hoped the humor hid his skipping pulse.
"Uhm..." Layne started nervously, scratching his head. The earlier jokes weren't coming back to him now. "Why don't ya take the bed? You got banged up pretty bad back there," he offered, looking at the mark the Naganadel's stinger left on Chino's chest. Arceus, that could have been worse. Rolling his towel into a pillow, Layne curled up on the floor beside the bed, facing away. "Goodnight," he said simply, the awkward tension thick. Their earlier banter had evaporated after the tub incident.
Chino sat up, watching Layne on the floor. It stung; the shift between them was suffocating. He frowned at the towel pillow. "Layne," he said quietly. No response. Layne faced the wall, rigid. Chino sighed. His body ached for rest, but he couldn't leave Layne like that. "Get up here," he said finally, leaning over the bed's edge. "You're not sleeping on the damn floor. I'll make space. We'll… manage". Silence stretched. Chino tapped the mattress nervously. "Don't make me drag you up here".
Layne, who had been pretending to sleep, sighed. Grumbling, he sat up and carefully crawled into the bed. It was barely big enough for one, let alone two. Rolling onto his side to maximize space, he avoided eye contact. "Not too late to send me back to the floor, ya know," he grunted softly.
Chino shifted, the mattress groaning. It felt like a tiny raft. He could feel Layne's warmth, impossibly close. "Not happening," he murmured. The heavy silence returned. Chino tapped the mattress edge. "Look," he said after a moment, staring at the ceiling. "It's just sleeping. Don't make it weird". His chest still ached faintly. He shifted too quickly to ease the pressure and hissed low through his teeth.
"You're the one makin' it weird talkin' about it..." Layne grumbled, closing his eyes, though sleep felt far away. Hearing Chino's hiss made him feel bad. "You okay?" he whispered, glancing over his shoulder, though he couldn't really see Chino.
Chino tried to get comfortable. The hiss had slipped out. Now Layne was looking back like a worried mother hen. "Yeah," Chino murmured, throat tight. "Just... still kinda sore. That thing - " the memory flashed " - It got me good". He turned his face to the wall, away from Layne. Too close, too much. The warmth radiating from Layne's back was unavoidable.
"Thought you were used to taking long hard objects to your body," the joke slipped out before Layne could stop it. It sounded far more suggestive than intended, especially after the bath incident. Chino's orientation wasn't secret, but Layne's was more complicated; ostensibly straight, he'd grown curious about guys recently, especially since teaming up with Chino. It made the situation weirder. "But uh... just glad you're still here," he added awkwardly, swallowing audibly. Real smooth.
Chino practically choked, his ear tips burning. The joke, clumsy as it was, landed like a sucker punch. He stared at the wall, trying not to react, while his brain spun through every implication. "Uh…" He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Still here". Inspiring. Idiot. He shifted slightly, his shoulder brushing Layne's. The warmth was unavoidable. "You're…" his claws fidgeted, "…not bad at keeping me here". The statement, half-joking, half-genuine, left his chest tight. This was fine. Nothing weird.
A shiver ran down Layne's spine. Not bad at keeping me here. Another long silence, filled only by their breathing and pounding hearts, both pretending sleep was possible. "Y-yeah dude. I always got your back," he finally managed.
Chino felt the warmth against his back, the awkward closeness inescapable. I always got your back. His thoughts spun wildly. He bit his cheek, trying to stay grounded, but Layne's joke and the bath incident kept replaying. His claws flexed. "Yeah…" he murmured into the dimness, barely a whisper. "Same". His chest still ached from the fight, but this new ache was different, unfamiliar. The silence between them roared louder than any swamp creature.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook them, and silence finally claimed the room as both Pokémon drifted off to sleep.