That Summer | Raihan x Piers [Pokémon]

Chapter 27 ❀ "I Love You."

Piers was more than used to waking up to an empty bed, the only difference now being that the ceiling his eyes fluttered open to didn't belong to his bedroom nor any other chamber in his house. It took him a moment to recollect his thoughts, but when he did, he remembered that he had come to watch another exhibition match between Raihan and the new champion, Victor.

Since the dragon-type Gym Leader had regrettably yet somewhat expectedly lost, Piers took it upon himself to cheer the latter up by taking him out on a date. They had taken a walk around Hammerlocke and done the typical things such as shopping, snack-eating and Pokémon training, but eventually they had ended up at the taller man's apartment to eat dinner.

A movie had been watched after a homemade, tasty meal, and before realizing it, it had gotten far too late into the night for Piers to return home. Of course, he could have travelled to Spikemuth by foot — his hometown wasn't situated that far away from Hammerlocke, after all — but neither of the two felt like that was the right thing to do after a day so well-spent together.

It wasn't the first time the spiky-head had shared a bed with his lover — far from it — but he still enjoyed it as much as when first experiencing it. Even though they had only lied beside one another, warming each others' bodies with their embraces, Piers found so much love and safety in Raihan's arms.

It was the smell of something fried that managed to shake Piers out of his trance, forcing him to sit up and run a hand through his even unrulier two-colored hair. Before he had started dating the dragon tamer, Piers wouldn't find so much enjoyment in breakfast because it would usually be Moomoo Milk with cereals and at other times nothing at all. So knowing that beyond the room's door and the corridor Raihan was cooking a meal was more than refreshing.

The alluring smell had invaded the pale young man's nostrils to the point that it drove him impatient and even a tad hungry, so much that he gave up searching for his clothes halfway and simply picked up the first article that was lying around. That happened to be a thin, black sweater his boyfriend owned. Piers didn't hesitate for even a second when he threw on the soft fabric, soon strolling into the kitchen groggily.

"Good mornin'." He said in his usual, hoarse morning voice, Raihan sending a small glance his way over his shoulder. The caramel-skinned male replied with much more enthusiasm, already glowing with a bright grin this early in the day. Sometimes Piers found himself wondering how he could handle such cheerfulness, especially in the mornings, but his lover's smile was just too contagious to complain about.

"What're you makin'?" The question came out as a hum when the shorter Gym Leader concluded his trip to the kitchen isle, allowing his face to drop into Raihan's back. At the same time, Piers wrapped his slim arms around the other's masculine form, hugging him as tightly as his strength in the morning allowed him to.

"Smoke-Poke Tails with boiled eggs. I can make pancakes if you want something sweet though." The ravenet replied, leaning his head backwards a bit, just enough for him to rest it against Piers'. Their considerable height difference couldn't be displayed in a more obvious way, but it certainly wasn't enough to stop the pale young man from planting a few sloppy kisses on the side of Raihan's neck.

"No, this is fine." The cyan-eyed male's answer was a bit muffled because his lips were more preoccupied with sucking and nibbling the caramel skin of his boyfriend. Raihan let the other do as he pleased, humming in satisfaction every now and then until he could no longer endure being on the receiving end of affection.

He placed the pan that he had been holding firmly away from the heat where it wouldn't endanger itself from burning before turning around entirely. Piers wasn't exactly expecting the taller man to leave everything be in order to shower him with love, so he was pleasantly surprised when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his frail waist.