Autumn Fires | A Leafeon x Flareon college fanfic

*Chapter 6

Aki's whole face quickly shifted to a deep shade of crimson. She stammered nervously for a few moments before being able to string a sentence together: "H-Holy shit, Rhys! How are you so good at dirty talk?"

"You think that's dirty talk? Nah, it's just a reminder that I still need to repay you for last night~." He smiled innocently, though his eyes showed a different story. While most of the look he gave her was sort of flirty and teasing, she could see a little regret, not to mention that he was.. shaking? It wasn't very noticeable unless she really focused; but now that she had noticed it, she was going to make sure that her new mate was doing alright.

"Are... you okay, Rhys? You're... shaking a little." Aki asked in almost a whisper, Rhys looked slightly alarmed at her question.

"N-No, I mean, y-yes! Yes, I'm f-fine, completely and totally fine!" He smiled, though it was clearly forced, his façade was slowly crumbling.

"Rhys, c'mon, we've been friends for ages, I know when something's troubling you. "Aki looked at him caringly, trying to convey that she only wanted to help him, yet he looked awkwardly away.

"Is this about the whole 'nickname-I-won't-mention' thing?" She queried, gently lifting his face with her paw to meet hers again. Rhys just nodded slowly, causing Aki to sigh deeply.

"Well, can you tell me at least a little about it? Even just the very basics would help me in being able to help you come to terms with it at the very least." She bartered, she saw what Rhys was thinking, she just hoped she wasn't being too pushy with him.

"I... I don't r-really want to, but I g-guess I can. The only real problem is my ex, she..." He paused, as if trying to find a way to word it. "Let's just s-say she puts the psycho in psychic type, and... she's tried, and succeeded in stopping me every single Ar-Arceus forsaken time I've tried to tell anyone what she did, even my own fucking parents!" He winced, as if bracing for something, like he was waiting for a blow that might never come.

"She was, and still is, just plain a-abusive." He braced himself again, the sight of her new lover wincing and treading on eggshells for someone who wasn't even there was enraging to her; whoever this ex was, she'd have hell to pay if she knew her name.

"Aki, I can tell what you're th-thinking, no." Rhys murmured in a serious tone. "As much as I'd love for you to beat the everloving shit out of that waste of oxygen, she's much stronger than you. I know first paw.." He almost whimpered at the end. Almost instantly, Aki shuffled over to hug him, she felt him get less tense as she wrapped her paws around him.

"I.. I think I get the picture now.. Arceus, I never would've expected you to have gone through something so..." She paused, trying to think of a fitting word that didn't seem offensive.

"Painful? Abusive? Mentally scarring?" Rhys mumbled nonchalantly, catching Aki off guard.

"W-well, uh... yeah, those work, I guess. I probably would've chosen one with a little more tact though." She mumbled quietly.

The two sat there for a little while longer, holding each other in their embrace. That was until Rhys shuffled back and stood up.

"It's getting late, we should probably head back." Rhys groaned, Aki just hummed in agreement. She stood up to be beside him, curling her tail around his. Aki saw a small smile creep into the corner of his mouth as they walked in silence; she didn't blame him for not wanting to talk, not after what he had just said.

From the context clues he had given her, this ex was still plaguing him, even to the point of forcing him into silence to either a.) threaten him into silence by saying she'd ruin his image, or b.) just to fuck with him mentally.