Not long after Xanthe left his side, Ferroco's trainer had come to take him back to the Team Aqua base in Lilycove. The two were cozy in their quarters--that is, a very small room with little more than two hammocks--the next evening. Ferroco had the bottom bunk, lying on his back with his own Team Aqua bandana covering his eyes.
"So you didn't find anything then?" the human spoke up after a while. Ferroco shook his head when his trainer asked this.
"But did you search the whole volcano?"
Again, this was a 'no.'
"Then you're going back tonight. Be a little more thorough this time, got it?"
The Cacturne nodded, removing the white-and-dark grey-striped scarf from around his neck. That was Kinsho for you: all business and no nonsense. Of course, that wasn't to say he was a bad trainer or anything; he was only next in line to become Team Aqua's admin, but still… Would it kill him to lighten up a little or show an emotion every now and then…?
XXXXX
The moon seemed just as full the next night, but this time there was a fair breeze blowing.
Of course it came now that Ferroco didn't need it.
The Cacturne was hastily circling the mountain, climbing a bit higher each time he completed a lap. He was about halfway up, and so far, none of the countless stones or rocky structure he'd checked held any secrets. Leave it to Team Magma to be so stubborn as to make their base of operations this annoying to find, if it was even there…
On the opposite side of the volcano, Xanthe exited the base quietly, stepping out onto a ledge. He was about to hop off of it when a wide, feathered arm wrapped around his middle, pulling him back into whoever-it-was's chest.
"And where do you think you're going, sweet cheeks?" The male voice behind him asked. Xanthe pushed on the arms lightly, laughing awkwardly.
"Allucard, permettez-moi s'il vous plait. Please let me go. I'm just wanting to go out for a walk; make sure no one comes around that isn't expected," he lied, smiling as the arm loosened on him.
"You better not be out for too long. Alex might start to worry. You know you're his favorite. If something happened to you he'd--"
"He'd start up a search and kill off anyone who gets in his way. I've heard it un grand nombre from him. Do not worry."
The Combusken just sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "You are way too much of a free spirit, Xanthe."
The Roserade just giggled before jumping down the ledge and running off. Now to search for Ferroco. Hopefully he kept his promise and was near already.
The latter had been having no success in his endeavor and was getting nowhere fast with his job. Ferroco decided to just postpone the task until after he'd met with Xanthe again. He quickly and silently made his way down the steep rocks, and wound up at the same corner he'd been at the night before. He rounded it to find Xanthe already waiting for him.
"Hola."
"Salut, mon cher." The Roserade giggled, sauntering over to Ferroco and planting short kisses on either cheek. "Come with me. There is a place I'd like to show you."
"Lead the way, then," Ferroco gestured for the Roserade to go first.
He walked off in one direction, away from the entry to the base, until they reached a clearing. Short, soft grass covered the area and the shorter plant spun around, smiling happily.
"This is my favorite spot for stargazing." He looked up at the sky. "And it's a wonderful night to do so, don't you agree?"
"Si, it is." Though the moon was bright, the stars dotting the skies were also in clear view.
Xanthe plopped down onto the ground, letting his legs fly up in the air as he dropped backwards to lie down. He put his hands under his head and crossed his legs as if he were sitting in a chair. He looked over to Ferroco, waiting for the Dark-type to look down at him before motioning with his chin to lie next to him.
The taller one did just that, taking care to make sure his hat didn't fall off. It probably wouldn't have looked too good if a Team Aqua uniform randomly fell out of his hat.
The Roserade gazed at the stars, completely relaxed next to his new companion. A fair amount of time passed in silence before he looked over to Ferroco to make sure he was actually there.
Ferroco was much the same, relaxed lying next to Xanthe. He noticed the other had turned his attention to him. He purposefully turned his head as slow as possible to face him, his single eye staring ahead blankly and never blinking.
It was so fun to try and freak people out like that.
"Where did you get your hat from? I know generally all Cacturne have one, but where does it come from?" Xanthe wondered aloud.
"Yo no se," Ferroco shrugged. "It's just kind of… there after Cacnea evolve." Come to think of it, it was a little weird…
Xanthe blushed at his own weird question, turning back toward the sky. "Desole... It's the same for every Pokémon after they evolve, so I guess that's kind of a stupid question..." He glanced at Ferroco, thinking of how close they were the night before and wanting to be like that again. The other must've thought he was a dunce after that, though.
"Not necessarily. The only way to learn these things is to ask," he pointed out. "Life is full of such mysteries…" He glanced at the other with a smirk.
"I wonder if death is the same way."
"Mourir..." Xathe's lids drooped as if he were in deep thought. "I'd imagine it's very lonely..." His tone then changed to a joking manner. "I'd never want to try it," he giggled.
"Me neither," Ferroco's smirk lessened. "Suerte para nosotros plants live long, hm?"
He nodded, looking back at the stars for a second before nudging closer to the Cacturne until their upper arms were touching. "Speaking of that, quel age a tu? How old are you?"
"Veinticinco. Er, twenty-five," he corrected himself. "¿Y tu?"
"Vingt deux," he giggled. "Twenty-two. For some reason I was thinking you were older."
"I do sort of look a bit old, don't I? I've been told I look like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean," Ferroco snickered, fidgeting a little with his eye patch. Of course, he's probably fit the description a lot more if he were wearing his bandana.
Xanthe laughed with him, moving to sit up before leaning over the other, his hand hovering over the elder's shoulder.
"Do you mind if I look?" he ventured, gesturing toward the patch.
"No, pero I should warn you, it's muy hideous…" He put one hand to the patch in preparation to flip it up, but waited in case Xanthe changed his mind.
The smaller nodded, gasping as the patch was flipped up. The area around his eye was discolored and alarmingly swollen, a few scrapes and scratches littering the puffy, darkly-bruised surface. Whether or not there was an actual eye under that wound was anyone's guess.
"Sacrebleu...!" The word came out barely above a whisper as he stared at the wound. He looked into the better eye. "Comment est-ce arrive? You said it happened during a battle? Mais, how exactly?" His hand supported him on the other side of Ferroco's neck on the ground, making him lean completely over the larger Grass-type.
"It was a trainer," Ferroco started. "They sent out a kind of Pokémon I'd never seen or heard of before; probably not from Hoenn. It attacked using its claws…" he trailed off for a bit.
"Even as menacing as it was, there seemed to be something… not quite right with it. It acted as if it absolutely had to win, even if it meant killing me. I don't think the trainer had it entirely under control; it used these strange, violent attacks… I'm lucky I got away with one good eye."
He lowered the patch, staring at it for a second as if he could feel the exact moment when the wound was made. "It looks as if it will heal with time..." Xanthe gently kissed the patch, pulling back to smile softly.
"I think so too," Ferroco nodded.
The Roserade pulled back and returned to his former position, feeling awkward.
"Something wrong?" The Cacturne blinked.
Xanthe blushed. "Non, I'm fine," he lied. When he had leaned over the other he had the undeniable urge to embrace him. He turned his head toward Ferroco and his blush deepened. They were so close to one another…
"Bien, if you say so…" Ferroco could tell it was a lie just by listening to the other's voice, but didn't press further.
A few minutes passed by in awkward silence.
The quiet was getting thick and obnoxious after a minute or two of it. If Ferroco had wanted this much quiet he would've stayed in the sand. Obviously Xanthe wasn't going to do anything about it, so why shouldn't he?
In the most awkward and hilarious way possible, of course.
"… Ssssoooooooo you wanna make out or what?"
"Qu-qu-qu-qu'est-ce?!" The younger sputtered, face turning completely red. He looked over to the other grass type wide-eyed. Although... he didn't object to doing so, per say, that question was just so...
A second passed before he sat up half-way, supporting himself with one arm as he playfully hit Ferroco on the chest. "Tu es... tu es...!"
"Si, si, yo se, yo se!" The other pushed himself up to sit, raising an arm to block the rather weak barrage of slapping, and laughing all the while. "I was just joking!"
The Roserade sat up as Ferroco did, quitting his half-hearted onslaught. His arms went in front of his crossed legs, palms flat on the ground as he pouted cutely, bottom lip jutting out and face still red.
"Je souhaite que vous n'étiez pas plaisanter..." he muttered, hoping that the elder didn't know enough French to translate if he had even heard it.
"¿Que?" Ferroco only got a bit of that. "You wish what?"
"I-...!" An idea struck him then and he leaned into the larger Pokémon, bringing their faces close. "I wish you weren't joking, Ferroco..." he spoke in a sultry tone, purring out the other's name.
"Adios mio, I keep forgetting you're French," he snickered, putting one hand on the other's back. "Pero, if you insist…" He leaned in a tiny bit closer.
Xanthe blinked, shivering from the hand on his back. He moved his own to Ferroco's chest before pressing their lips together, pulling back after a moment to make sure he didn't take a joke too far.
Ferroco pulled Xanthe in for another kiss, albeit without much force. His hand traced his spine up and down through his leafy cape.
"Nn..." He wrapped his arms around the Spaniard's neck, sitting up on his knees to bring them a bit closer. Small sounds of contentment left him as their lips melded, the hand slowly moving up and down his spine sending shivers through him.
The Dark-type's eye slipped closed as they went on. Experimentally, he leaned back a little as if to ask the other's permission for them to do this lying down, his hand working over the other's back a little lower.
Xanthe gasped slightly at the movement and backed up for a second to crawl over Ferroco, straddling him before returning to his lips. The Cacturne's hand slipped under his cape during their shift, a soft, quiet moan leaving him as the hand moved slowly against his skin. The younger stuck his tongue out experimentally, licking Ferroco's upper lip. Ferroco smirked into the kiss and lightly suckled at the invading tongue, bringing it between his own lips as his hand moved to the other's neck, running over his spine there too.
"Nngh..." He moaned into the kiss, pressing their chests together as he relaxed more.
There was something, though... something he'd forgotten... what was it...?
Oh, right... Allucard's warning... He needed to be leaving soon.
But it could wait.
Ferroco eagerly pressed back, running a hand through the petals atop the Roserade's head that served as hair. A small moan escaped the back of his throat.
Xanthe ran his hands down Ferroco's chest and back up again to cup his jaw. Ferroco's hand was getting dangerously close to Xanthe's rear end. Once, just before it went all the way, it slowed to a stop and veered off to his left hip instead.
The Roserade's mouth replaced his hands, traveling down Ferroco's jaw. The Cacturne tilted his head back a little to provide easier access to his neck while his hands went to Xanthe's hips, rubbing over them in a circular motion.
The younger littered kisses down Ferroco's neck, giggling when his thorns retracted before nipping at the spot. Ferroco ignored this and ran his hands over the backs of Xanthe's legs a few times. The latter moved back to Ferroco's lips, moaning as his hands slid up his thighs.
"Xanthe?" A far off voice echoed, making the Roserade lift his head.
"Fichu..." He spat, looking down at the Spaniard with an apologetic expression.
"I'm assuming you have to leave?" The taller plant propped himself up on his elbows a bit.
The Roserade nodded sheepishly, wrapping his arms around the other's neck and kissing him chastely before hugging him. "Desole, mon cher." He stood up, blushing slightly as he smiled softly at Ferroco. "Au revoir."
"Adios," Ferroco nodded, pushing himself up to stand.
Xanthe returned to the base entrance, glaring slightly at Allucard as he passed him. The Combusken just looked back at him with a quizzical stare.
"What did I do...?" he wondered aloud.
