Pokémon PrismGold

Chapter Eighteen: "Truce"

Nate raised an arm to rest it on the thin divider that separated the bedroom from the rest of the small hotel room. Mark let out a heavy sigh, looking at the TV. After a minute, he turned off the TV and told them through a pained wince. "Maybe... Right now. I'd like to just sit and lick my wounds. We clearly won't be going anywhere tonight. Might as well relax and try to get along." Nate shrugged dismissively. He didn't feel like he was the problem. He felt pretty neutral. He had everything that he had come for. That alone put him in a good mood. Beside him, Sean took sips of the coffee. Nate couldn't help looking at him. The tears in Sean's eyes made his bright blue eyes stand out. Had his eyes always been so blue? He rarely saw blue eyed brunettes. Sean tensed, sensing eyes on him as he peeked at him over the mug. His eyes seemed to get bigger as he mumbled out anxiously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did you put something in the-" Nate cut him off to ask him genuinely curious. "Your accent. I'm not familiar with it. Where are you from?"

Sean swallowed, taking a small step back as he told him. "Galar. Why?" Nate shrugged, telling him with a smirk. "It's cute. When you're not yelling anyway." Moving away from him, he went to the bunk beds. Grabbing the black metal guard railings, Nate pulled himself up enough to grab his hat and glasses. The quilted pokemon ball pillows and blanket made the bed look so comfy and inviting. He couldn't wait to try it. It had been awhile since he'd slept in an actual bed and not just a tent. He couldn't wait to get a room. Hopping down, Nate told them both coolly. "Well, I don't know about you boys. But I think I'm going to get a room before the typhoon takes all the vacancies away." Nate slipped on his glasses, reaching the door when Sean blurted out reluctantly. "Nate, wait..." Nate glanced back over his shoulder. Sean leaned his shoulder against the divider, not making eye contact as he blushed out. "You don't have to go... You did save my life from the Arbok..." Nate turned, crossing his arms over his chest. This was the last thing he expected to hear.

Sean cleared his throat, still avoiding his eyes as he told him nervously. "I... I'm sorry too. I... don't express my feelings well. I'm a workaholic. So, I don't spend a lot of time with... people." Nate leaned back against the door, chuckling out softly. "Clearly." Beside Nate, Zoey blurted out with a wolfish grin. "Nate's no better." Nate turned his head slowly to stare at her with a defensive concern. Zoey's grin only spread wider on her smug face, commenting to him just as smugly. "I've got your back." Nate huffed sarcastically to her. Mark stiffly got up from the booth, asking them both hopefully. "If I leave you two to get a shower... Will you promise not to kill each other?" Nate only shrugged. He didn't want to make a promise that he couldn't keep. Zoey blurted out to Mark though. "I'll keep an eye them." Nate tossed up his hands, asking her lightly. "I thought you were my friend?" Zoey crossed her arms now, answering with her chin held high. "I'm also your mother when I have to be."

Nate tossed up his arms again at her. Zoey chuckled to herself, moving toward the bunk beds to stretch out over the bottom bed. Nate rolled his eyes, taking off his sunglasses as he mumbled out to himself. "Whatever. At least, I won't have to pay Giovanni back for a room." Moving to a set of six rounded pokeball shelves mounted on the wall in front of the bunk beds, Nate put his hat and glasses in one. Then began to remove his shoes to put in another. Mark stiffly made his way past them to the single small bathroom, while Sean sat down on the master bed to ask him curiously. "What do you see in a man like Giovanni?" Nate straightened up with a sigh, before reluctantly replying in a calm tone. "He's safety. I may not agree with everything he does... but he's always been there for me. He does me favors and in return I repay those favors. He loves me. He just can't show it. Although... Now with his mother out of power, I don't know. But loving someone is a weakness in his line of work. So, I don't expect our relationship to change. I'm happy with things as they are." From behind him, Sean uttered out lightly. "You're really happy being his doormat?"