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"...well, I guess you're stayin', then." Archie shrugged, kicking his legs back onto the desk. "I guess I am." Maxie mumbled, "What am I going to do now?" Archie closed his eyes, "I have an extra private bunker here that used to be mine. you can use it for now if you want." Maxie paused, and then nodded. He gave a slight smile. "Thank you, Arch. But, I still can't exactly walk."
"Well..." Archie stared at the ceiling. "you can just stay in here for now. Until you're okay to walk on yer own." Maxie felt his face heat up. "s-sure, yes." he replied. Maxie got up and dragged himself over to Archie's couch. It was soft, used often. probably a nap spot for when Archie didn't feel like sleeping on his bed. It smelled faintly of him. He laid down, trying to find a position where his body wouldn't ache. Normally he would be working right now, but he didn't expect to be here more than a day, so he didn't bring his work with him. The room was very quiet, neither of the leaders uttering a word to the other. So quiet, that Maxie could hear Archie's breaths every few seconds. It was calm, but heavy. Archie looked a lot softer in normal clothing. his hair, as always, wasn't brushed properly, and his shirt was unbuttoned farther than for Maxie's comfort, but he seemed a lot less intimidating. If anything, he just looked tired, pretty heavy bags under his crystal-blue eyes. He smelled of the ocean. It was calming. Maxie felt his face after staring at Archie, it was warm. "I can feel your eyes on my face." Archie said loudly, startling Maxie, who looked away quickly. "I'm spacing off, Archie. don't... don't stroke your ego." Maxie snapped. Archie snickered and closed his eyes again. "you do realize we're alone, right? It's okay." He smiled. "What on earth do you mean?" Maxie's voice quivered. Archie shook his head. "I guess you just don't wanna tell me, huh. I can tell something's up, Max. I'd rather break the silence than keep the air tense, y'know?"
"I don't have anything on my mind. I'm simply just in pain, Archie. I space off a lot when I'm in pain."
"oookay, Maxie." Archie continued to smile.
Maxie sighed and looked back at Archie. "Is there anything to do around here? Or will I spend my days rotting here?" Maxie asked. Archie rolled his eyes. "We could always go somewhere if you don't wanna stay here."
"If I could get up, gladly." Maxie replied. within a blink, Archie had picked Maxie back up. "hey! what in the world?!" Maxie shouted, trying to push away but not having the strength to. Archie shrugged. "You said you wanted to go somewhere."
"not... not like this!" Maxie stopped fighting, but glared at Archie. "Do you wanna not go anywhere?" He asked. Maxie sighed, "no... I do wanna go somewhere, but... not like this."
"How do you wanna do this, then? You can't walk." Archie stared right back at Maxie. Maxie thought, but gave up after a minute. "Fine, you can do it like this, I suppose. but don't make a fool of me! I mean it!" he snapped. Archie snickered, "of course I won't."
There were so many different halls in this base that it made Maxie lightheaded, as even his base wasn't as complicated as this one. But, as long as this embarrassing predicament wasn't noticed by the grunts- or even worse, Shelly. He knew that she couldn't keep her mouth shut when it came to "big news." He sighed and sank into Archie's arms. Archie didn't seem to notice, and stepped out of the entrance and onto land. "Why in the world do you have a secret entrance?" Maxie questioned, while trying to get comfortable held like this. "In case something happens and I can't go out the front." Archie shrugged. "I've never really needed to use it, but it's good when I don't feel like surfing to land." Maxie half-nodded, taking in the sun. It was surprisingly warm today, waves of heat rolling onto Lilycove. It felt nice, compared to the hell that was Groudon's drought. He was glad he fixed the situation before it was too late. The ocean was the same as the sun, crashing, warm waves rolling to and from the shore. "...Is this why you live here?" Maxie asked quietly. "What do ya mean?" Archie sat both him and Maxie down onto the grass, seemingly a bit tired of carrying him. "This place. it's nice." Maxie mumbled. Archie laughed, "I always wanted to live here after I got on my own feet. I never lived very close to the ocean when I was younger, so I guess this was just the place for me." Maxie stared into the ocean, watching Pokemon jump in and out of the ocean. "I can see why. This is a very.... you place." Maxie brushed his hair back into place. "Yeah, it is." Archie laid on the grass. everything felt soft today. the grass was a bed, the ocean had a soft color to it, the sky was open and cloudless. It had been a while since a day like this, and it felt like Arceus had cherry-picked his staying with Archie to be that day. Maxie turned to look at Archie. He had relaxed into the grass, his eyes closed. He almost seemed asleep, but paying attention to every detail in Lilycove. Maxie quickly looked away from him, as he didn't want Archie to notice his eyes right on him. He looked into the city, full of bustling people, hurrying in and out of the city. It was odd, no Aqua grunt occupied the area. everyone was either a worker or a trainer, running in and out of the store and pokecenter. Maxie sat there silently, not sure what to do, what to think, what to say. "You gonna say somethin', or are you just gonna stare off into space, Max?" Archie got up and stretched, startling Maxie. He had almost tumbled off the edge from that. "God- Archie, please stop doing that. it's annoying." He rolled his eyes, "it's not like I'm doin' it on purpose."
"I know you aren't, but it isn't like you can't, at the very least, take your voice down a notch."
"Okay, okay, Mister Ecology. anyway, are we actually gonna go somewhere?" Maxie groaned from the obvious teasing. "I'm not very good at figuring out where to go, you know."
"Bold to assume I'm any better." Maxie glared at him, then sighed audibly. "...Are there any cafes we can actually afford around here?"
"mmm, there's a good one a bit of a distance from us, if you feel like going a mile." Archie gazed into the ocean. the endless blue sea was almost as beautiful as Archie's endless eyes, and almost as easy to get lost in... Maxie inhaled sharply, expelling the thought, or at least attempting to. "we... uh, yeah. we could go. As long as you don't carry me like that." Maxie said sharply. His hand was clenching the grass tightly, almost ripping it out. "sure, Max." Archie smirked. That was when Maxie's heart sank. He had just realized that Archie had been so adamant to go out ever since he had asked to leave the base, because this was considered, by both his and Archie's standards, a date.