That Summer | Raihan x Piers [Pokémon]

Chapter 12 ❀ Aftermath

It was Raihan who awoke first the next morning whilst wearing a warm smile the moment his eyes were wide enough to catch a glimpse of his slim lover's sleeping figure. Piers always looked peaceful and it wasn't like this was the first time the tall male had seen him dozing off, but Raihan would always feel purified by this sight. Though he didn't know how much he was going to be affected this time, given their activities the previous night.

Apart from Piers suddenly turning dominant in the middle of their session, Raihan hadn't noticed anything else in regards to the shorter boy's attitude. They didn't go all the way last night though Raihan felt as if they had reached the peek of intimacy in their relationship, and he couldn't stop himself from feeling happy and fulfilled.

He shuffled somewhat closer to his boyfriend, making as little noise as possible and slipping his leg between the other's thighs. Raihan had been feeling warm due to the covers already, but it was so much more pleasant when the warmth that spread through his body radiated from Piers. As if being lured in by that same warmth, the caramel-skinned male carefully wrapped his arms around Piers' frail body, his hands resting on his bare back.

Piers was a person who would wake up at the smallest of sounds or the slightest of touches, so he groaned a tad in his sleep before hesitantly forcing his eyes to open. He was greeted by the bright face of his lover who had been admiring his sleeping figure and with it, Piers was reminded that the occurrences of yesterday hadn't been a dream. The fact was even more evident when the pale boy ran a hand over his own neck, feeling the metallic choker he had been gifted.

"You're still here..." The spiky-haired boy blurted out in a whisper as he reached his other hand out and laid it tenderly on Raihan's cheek, causing him to furrow his brows playfully. "Of course I am! What were you expecting?" The taller male protested, placing his bigger hand over the one he had pressed against his own cheek, stroking the back of Piers' hand while he was at it.

"I thought you'd have regretted doing that with me." Was something that echoed in the shorter boy's mind but also something that was never voiced. Raihan didn't seem disgusted at the moment, so why would Piers dig his own grave by bringing the matter up? His train of thought was cut off the moment his boyfriend decided to purse his lips and greet Piers' in a good morning kiss in which the latter simply melted.

They had gone back to exchanging pecks which made all the passionate french kisses from yesterday seem as if they had never taken place. Neither of the boys minded the gentle molding of their lips together. Piers actually secretly enjoyed being treated with such tenderness and care, so much that he set himself free when running his hand through Raihan's smooth, raven hair — the hair he had cut that way.

"Is your body OK?" Raihan suddenly asked as soon as their lips separated from each other, gaining a somewhat skeptical look from his boyfriend who already had a tinge of red covering his pale cheeks this early in the morning. "Why wouldn't it be? We only t-touched and kissed..."

"It would've been fine if we did it till the end." Piers admitted, avoiding to stare directly into his lover's turquoise eyes. Was he being greedy when saying that? Or even desperate at that point? It didn't matter much because Raihan had interpreted it as his boyfriend being overly cute. He went to pinch his cheek in order to attract his gaze back to himself. "Normally that would be bad, wouldn't it?"

"Besides, yesterday wasn't the last time. I want to do more things like that with you once we're a bit older." The raven-haired Trainer said truthfully, a pinkish blush coating his caramel skin. Piers was caught off-guard a bit and it certainly showed on his face, but the male getting flustered at Raihan's straightforwardness wasn't anything new.

The two boys stayed under the cozy blanket of the luxurious bed some time longer until both of them figured they should check out of Hotel Ionia and start going back to Hammerlocke. They did exactly that and instead of returning to Raihan's hometown using the dry road they had when coming to Circhester, they travelled along Route 9 which concerning surroundings was a complete contrast to Route 8.