seijaku

The building that used to be Lysandre Cafe had been renovated into someone else's brand. The Holo Caster industry was slowly growing defunct in spite of the many charitable donations it had produced with its former profits. Malva managed to redeem herself by playing the pity card and denouncing Lysandre's actions as those of a callous madman.

Augustine had to turn off the TV any time she came on screen. If he didn't, he would just end up breaking something.

It wasn't as if Lysandre had been deranged. It wasn't as if his concerns were unfounded. Yes, he took his ideals too far, but could everyone truly say with utmost conviction that he had been wrong?

The answer wasn't as easy as Augustine would have liked. He knew that he was biased because of his friendship with Lysandre, but that didn't make him a complete fool. He had refused to make any public comments when reporters came after him following the incident—quite literally the day after. He had barely had time to process what had happened before he had a million people staring at him through a camera, waiting for him to say something to the effect of Lysandre being evil and irredeemably corrupt.

...But he couldn't, he wouldn't, no matter how many news stations and journalists poked and prodded at him. For a time, he closed the doors to his lab and refused to meet with any new trainers until Serena managed to talk some sense into him. Really, she was likely the only reason he bothered to continue his profession at all. He had been so close to packing up and running away from it all for good, but she was able to remind him that there was no escaping reality, so he might as well face it head-on the same way that she had to deal with being the one who killed Lysandre.

Things were...strained between them, for a while. Augustine couldn't reconcile his rage with his grief until he had watched Serena break down in tears in front of him. He knew that it wasn't her fault that Lysandre had pushed her to that point. Lysandre's death wasn't anyone's fault but his own.

Well, and Augustine's. He may not have known the extents of Lysandre's idealistic and somewhat twisted views, but he could have paid more attention to the signs. He just didn't want to.

Augustine placed down the newspaper with the headlines facing down, rubbing his hand over his tired eyes. The world would never stop reminding him of how evil his best friend had been, it seemed.

He was distracted, however, by a flash of blue (no—green?) as it strode by his window booth. The man's long hair swayed behind him in a thick braid, seeming to change colours depending on the angle of the lighting around him. His eyes, on the other hand, were bright orange like tiny embers fiercely burning. He had this carefree air about him, in the way he moved, in the way he smiled as he ordered his coffee at the counter. Augustine recalled a time when he used to embody the same lively aura, when the only thing that kept him up at night was trying to crack the mystery behind Mega Evolution. Well, now he had done it, so what next?

Too late did he realise that he had been caught staring once his mind returned to the present and found those eyes like firelight meeting his from across the cafe. Augustine dipped his head down to sip from his own coffee, lukewarm now that he had been sitting in this booth, muddling around in his own thoughts for nearly an hour. It was almost laughable that he could still be enraptured by someone else's surface-level beauty after everything that had happened. Wasn't beauty the very thing that Lysandre chased into his early grave?

He felt a presence come to linger next to him before he saw it, glancing over his shoulder at the very same man as before idling by his booth with his fresh cup of steaming coffee in hand.

"I do hope this isn't too forward, but is this seat taken?" he asked in a strange, foreign accent, pinning Augustine with that soft smile of his.

Well, he didn't want to be rude.

"Not at all," he said amicably, gesturing to the bench in front of him. Obligingly, the man sat down across from him, cradling his cup between his palms.

"I hate to intrude when you're clearly deep in thought, but I couldn't resist introducing myself," the man said. "My name is Soren, and you're the famous Professor Augustine Sycamore, yes?"

Ah, so he was a fan of Augustine's work. That only made things slightly more mortifying.

"That'd be me," he confessed with a half-smile of his own that barely reached his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Soren."

"Oh, no, the pleasure is all mine, I assure you," Soren said. "I've followed your studies for quite some time. Dare I say you even inspired me to follow my own dreams of becoming a researcher."

This made Augustine's eyebrows rise up, genuine intrigue bleeding through on his face.

"Is that so? And what is it that you research, if I may ask?"

"I dabble in most anything that tickles my fancy, but I'm particularly fascinated by the idea of pokemon fusion," Soren explained, leaning forward a bit on the table. Augustine could recognise the budding excitement in his body language; he used to get the same way when he was given a single opportunity to talk about his passions. "You've heard of the man-made pokemon called Mewtwo, yes? Such a grim origin, and yet a true unicorn of scientific exploration, wouldn't you say?"

At this, Augustine pursed his lips. He tried to hide any outward disdain, but he couldn't help the trickles of it that slipped through his composure. Soren seemed to pick up on it all the same.

"I know—the ends fell far from justifying the means," he added. "Giovanni's methods were questionable at best and downright morally reprehensible at worst, but I don't think anyone can deny his genius. What I'm curious about, though, is how to produce similar results organically. After all, there exist pokemon such as Slowbro and Slowking, a symbiosis of two pokemon so synchronised that they form a new pokemon altogether. Then there are pokemon like Magnemite and Metang, Exeggcute and Weezing—fusions of the same breed of pokemon, but fusions nonetheless. Now, surely there must be more possibilities like these. We just haven't found the right combinations yet."

Augustine had to admit that Soren's theories were fascinating, even if he hadn't presented them with such charming gusto. It was nice to talk with someone who cared as much about their craft as himself.

"It's a...unique thought," he said slowly, drumming his fingers against the table as he considered the possibilities that Soren's research could produce. "Finding the right combination of pokemon would be the biggest obstacle. They'd have to be extremely synchronised, or share some sort of common denominator with each other."

"And therein lies the challenge," Soren said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest with a self-satisfied smirk. "Metamorphic synchrony—that's my field of study. Believe it or not, I've already discovered a few subjects with promising potential."

Augustine watched as he reached into a pocket inside of his vest, pulling out a small, weathered journal. He flipped it open to a particular page and held it out to show his notes and sketches to the professor. Augustine leaned forward, plucking his reading glasses out of his own chest pocket to get a better look.

"Parasect, the Mushroom pokemon, and Pinsir, the Stag Beetle pokemon. I've observed Pinsir feeding on the tochukaso fungi that Paras and Parasect produce, so I know that they share a close ecological relationship with each other—not to mention that they're both Bug-type pokemon. Interestingly, the tochukaso fungus that attaches itself to Paras in the first place is parasitic in nature and gradually takes control of the pokemon's neural pathways. My running theory is that if a Parasect can be taught to recognise a Pinsir as a suitable host, then its spores could take root in Pinsir and form an entirely new kind of pokemon."

This was...a lot. Augustine eyes were wide with wonder as he listened to Soren speak about his findings and skimmed through the notes in his journal. In spite of how scattered they were, they were also extremely detailed. While Augustine had chosen to pursue a science that had already made itself known to the world, Soren had the determination to seek out a whole new science of his own. It was quite impressive, really.

"A parasitic fusion. That's fascinating!" he praised, straightening himself again as Soren returned his journal to his vest pocket. "If you can actually find a way to make it work, the possibilities will be endless."

Soren smiled across from him, clearly chuffed with receiving recognition from his so-called idol.

"It's a small step in the right direction. Ideally I'd like to find pokemon further removed from one another that also produce viable results, but I'm confident I'll make a breakthrough sooner rather than later," he said.

"Well, you have my support," Augustine said, raising his coffee cup toward Soren. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd love to be kept abreast of your findings."

"No trouble at all! It'd be my pleasure, professor."

"Oh, please." Augustine sputtered a little through taking another drink of his coffee, waving his hand dismissively. "Call me Augustine. We're peers, are we not? Besides, 'professeur' sounds so stuffy, don't you think?"

Soren chuckled, leaning forward again to rest his arms on the surface of the table while he circled the rim of his cup with the tip of a finger.

"Very well, Augustine. I'm honoured."

Augustine took a good, long sip of his coffee. He didn't miss the trace of a purr in Soren's voice and he pondered what, if anything, he should do about that. It seemed out of place that a stranger would be brazen enough to make a pass at someone like Augustine in a place like this—especially a stranger as good-looking as this one—but it wasn't as if this were the first time it had happened. They were just having such a riveting conversation, though...

He thought back to the state of his mood before Soren had approached him. Dull, bored, sad. Now, at least, he had managed to keep his mind off of such unpleasant thoughts for long enough to give way to curiosity. It wasn't necessarily good or bad—just neutral, but that was better than the alternative.

Setting down his cup back on its saucer, Augustine turned it until the handle was perfectly parallel to the spoon beside it.

"Soren, how would you like to visit my lab?" he asked then, locking eyes with the man across from him again. "I just remembered that I have a few notes of my own that I'd love to run by someone as sophisticated as yourself. It's not very often that I get to enjoy the company of another scientist."

Soren's grin widened, his eyes lighting up like a Yule tree. Augustine almost felt guilty.

Almost.

"It would be my sincerest pleasure, Augustine," he said, voice laden with the undertones of that purr again. "Please, lead the way."

Tugging on their gloves and scarves to face the bitter cold that awaited them outside of the cafe, Augustine did just that. They didn't exchange many words as they scurried down the streets of Lumiose City toward his lab, but that was just fine. Any tension seemed to thaw once they were safely within its walls, greeted by the warm air inside and a chorus of pokemon eager to welcome home their professor.

"It's like a sanctuary in here," Soren remarked, his eyes travelling all around the room as they walked farther inside and admiring the various pokemon who resided in Augustine's lab.

"Oui, well, my lab is home to the many friends my trainers capture on their journeys," Augustine said as he hung up his coat on a nearby rack, inviting Soren to do the same. "Most of them belong to Serena, of course."

He paused by a bay window carved into one of the walls where a very spoiled Fennekin was resting. It awoke when he scratched at the fluffy fur on its head, yawning wide and glaring at him halfheartedly.

"Serena... That's the name of the Kalos Champion, is it not?" Soren asked, coming to stand next to Augustine as he observed the Fennekin.

"Oui. You are...not from around here, are you?" asked the professor, glancing at Soren out of the corner of his eye. Soren offered a bashful smile in return.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked rhetorically. "You'd be correct. I'm actually on assignment from Paldea."

Augustine's eyes widened at that as he turned to look at Soren properly now.

"That's quite the distance to travel. Who gave you such an assignment?" he asked. Soren reached up to scratch the back of his head with a chuckle.

"Ah, I requested it specifically, actually. I admit I wasn't entirely honest with you when I introduced myself." He lowered his hand, holding it over his chest instead. "I'm in training to take over as the lead professor of Paldea, so I'm working closely with Director Clavell of Uva Academy."

This was starting to make a little more sense now. Augustine squinted at him, tilting his head to the side.

"It was no coincidence that you found me in that cafe, was it?" he asked.

"Not really, no," Soren answered quickly with a slight shake of his head. "It was a bit difficult to narrow down which one you'd be in, though."

Well, the one I used to go to got overhauled, Augustine thought bitterly to himself.

"Why didn't you tell me that in the beginning? Or send a letter for that matter?" he pried, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not as if I would have turned down a pupil."

Soren's shoulders slumped as he let out a groan, pressing a hand against his face.

"That's the problem," he lamented, peering down at Augustine through his fingers. "I wanted you to meet me before you knew how under-qualified I really am."

Augustine's face softened at that. He could understand where Soren was coming from; it could be intimidating to meet someone you considered to have a superior intellect to your own. Augustine could remember how daunting it felt when he entered the scientific community for the first time, as well, especially when compared to the great minds of the likes of Professors Oak and Rowan.

"I do not think you are under-qualified," he assured, reaching out to place a hand on Soren's shoulder. "You like to think outside of the box—that's a quality every great professeur must have."

Soren lowered his hand from his head, offering a small, grateful smile.

"That means a great deal coming from you, Augustine," he said. "I'm sorry to have put you on the spot like this... I hope you'll still consider mentoring me."

"Soren, this time, the pleasure will be mine," Augustine said, returning the other's smile with one of his own.

This was...a new feeling. He had never mentored anyone before. He could only recall how much of a pain in Professor Rowan's rear he had been when that genius of a man had taken him under his own wing. Of course, Augustine had been quite young back then, just an ambitious boy. This was different.

This was also getting a little awkward the longer that Augustine kept touching him like this. Suddenly extremely self-aware, he retracted his hand with an inconspicuous cough, flattening down his shirt as he turned around and gestured for Soren to follow him.

"So, ah, as I mentioned before, I had some notes I wanted to share with you..."

He led Soren to his office without looking back at him. Once there, he started rifling around in the drawers of his desk until he found the binder he was looking for. He splayed it open on the surface of the desk, sifting through papers to lay out the ones he wanted to draw attention toward.

"Honestly, I just want to pick someone's brain about it to find out if I'm onto something or if I'm seeing connections that aren't really there," he said. "You're familiar with the Ultra Wormhole phenomenon that originally appeared in the Alola region, oui?"

Soren nodded, leaning over his shoulder to observe the research notes that he had lain out.

"Two years ago, it was discovered that an Ultra Wormhole appeared in the Galar region, as well," Augustine continued. "The pokemon and Ultra Beasts that appeared through that portal were capable of Dynamaxing despite not being native to the region. It used to be widely accepted that the legendary pokemon Eternatus was the one who produced the Galar particles that enabled Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing, but as we all know, the Champion Victor caught that pokemon, and yet these so-called Galar particles continue to be produced."

"So you think the Galar particles are caused by something other than Eternatus?" Soren asked. Augustine nodded, but held up a finger.

"That is not all, though." He fished out another set of papers to present to Soren. "Back in Alola, its trainers practice a battle strategy involving the use of Z-Moves—a special type of pokemon ability determined by the type of Z-Crystal it holds and the stone its trainer wields. These moves draw from something called Z-Power, which is a byproduct of the Ultra Wormholes that exist all over the Alolan islands. Now, here is the most interesting part.

"As I began my research into Mega Evolution in earnest, I came to the conclusion that it was a transformation only possible here, within the Kalos region. However, my assistants proved otherwise when they observed a Mega Ring activating within Alola when they gave one to Elio, the Champion of Alola. This means that there is some environmental similarity between Kalos and Alola which makes it possible for pokemon to Mega Evolve, in the same way that there are similarities between Alola and Galar that makes it possible for pokemon to Dynamax."

He paused there, turning to look at Soren for his thoughts, but he needn't look far. Soren was incredibly close to him now, nearly brushing against him as he stare intently at the papers Augustine held in front of him. He was clearly engrossed in everything Augustine was saying to him...perhaps too much so.

"Augustine..." he began, his voice laced with awe. "You're suggesting that Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing, and Ultra Wormholes...are all connected somehow?"

His eyes finally met Augustine's again, something flashing in them that made it clear he had also suddenly become acutely aware of their proximity. Despite this, he didn't make any move to put more distance between them. In his defense, neither did Augustine.

"...That's my running theory," he muttered. "I just...haven't quite figured out how they're connected yet."

He watched Soren's eyes flicker down and then back up, clearly contemplating something.

"I've no doubt you will figure it out," he said, his voice growing a touch quieter. "You're smart, Augustine. If anyone can put the pieces together, it's you."

There was something lingering in the air, an invisible, buzzing tension not unlike the seconds before lightning strikes. Augustine had trouble breaking free of it, his body trapped between fight, flight, or freeze. Soren took a step closer, reaching out a hand.

"August—"

"I could use a drink. You?" Augustine said in the same moment, tossing the papers in his hand back onto his desk without a care for where they landed.

As he tried to turn his back on Soren to run away from this situation entirely, though, that hand caught his arm, holding him in place. Before he had a chance to protest, he was pulled forward against Soren's chest, his lips captured in a kiss. He froze on the spot, eyes slowly widening as he listened to the war drums of his heartbeat in his ears. He couldn't decide how to react in time before Soren was pulling away, regarding him with an expression filled with conflict and confusion.

"...Ah. Um—..."

Augustine stared, unblinking, as Soren swallowed and carefully peeled himself away, brushing his knuckles against his lips. He suddenly avoided eye contact at all costs.

"I'm...sorry? Maybe I misread—"

Augustine didn't let him finish. He pulled Soren forward by the collar of his vest, bringing their lips together once more with ten times the intensity as before. He heard Soren try to stammer out something—a question, perhaps—but he gave up quickly, melting into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Augustine's waist.

This is stupid, his conscience warned him from the back of his mind, but he made a point of ignoring it. So what if this were a bad idea? So what if they had just met and barely knew each other? Augustine had had a very shitty last four years and he was surely entitled to a fucking break from the constant stream of self-loathing and heartache.

It didn't hurt that this Soren fellow was young, handsome, and willing. Very willing, judging by the way his lips moved against Augustine's with a twinge of desperation, as if he had been anticipating this moment all evening. Augustine wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case. Soren had practically been flirting with him from the moment he asked to sit down at his booth.

Playing dumb and turning down those advances would have been the responsible thing to do if Augustine were going to go through with becoming his mentor. It was a shame that Augustine had had quite enough of being the responsible one.

Soren pressed forward, backing Augustine against his desk as their mouths moved against each other. He looped his arms around Soren's shoulders, drawing him closer against his body, and he arched his back ever so slightly. Soren responded in kind, flicking out his tongue to trace the seam of Augustine's lips as he moved his strong hands to grasp at the meat of his thighs. Augustine parted his lips without complaint, a small sound escaping his throat when he felt Soren's tongue slide against his. His whole body was hot and tingling with the flush of excitement, of adrenaline, of unfettered lust. He hadn't felt like this since—

He'd rather not think about that right now.

He tangled a hand in the roots of Soren's hair, fighting through the braid to find his grip. Soren moaned into his mouth, lifting up Augustine by his legs to prop him up on the edge of his desk and slot their hips together. Augustine could feel a prominent bulge grinding against his own groin, making him shiver in anticipation.

They finally parted for air, Soren's head dipping to the side to lavish open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and down his neck while Augustine fought to catch his breath. He was quite literally dizzy with want, his head reeling from all of the intense sensations hitting his body at once. Soren didn't give him a single moment of repose, grinding their hips together at the same time that he was deftly unfastening all the buttons of Augustine's shirt. Meanwhile, the professor didn't even know what to do with his hands other than hold onto Soren for dear life. Luckily, he didn't have to mull over that dilemma for long before Soren had his shirt open and he splayed his hands over Augustine's skin. He started sucking a bruise into the juncture of Augustine's shoulder as his fingertips grazed over his exposed nipples, wringing out a noise from him that he couldn't recall ever making before.

In response, Soren paid close attention to his chest, lightly pinching at his nipples to keep eliciting more sounds from him, until they were pert and his back started to ache from the way he was arching into the touch. When Soren finally pulled back to look at him, his eyes were hazy with a lust of his own, his tan skin flushed across the cheeks as he admired his work on the professor in front of him.

"Augustine..." And mon dieu, his voice had a new hoarseness to it that sent a jolt of want straight down Augustine's spine. "Tell me this is okay," he said, placing his hands back on Augustine's thighs as he leaned into him. "Tell me you want this."

Augustine slid his hands up to cup Soren's face on either side, looking him dead in the eye with as much meaningful intent as he could mustre.

"Right now, I want this more than I want to breathe," he said. "Fuck me. Now.

Maybe it was the way he said it or the order itself, but something animalistic flashed across Soren's eyes just then. There was a hint of fear in the way it made Augustine's cock jump in his pants, but that only made him want it that much more. Soren was on him again in an instant, kissing him with bruising ferocity while his hands clawed at the rest of his clothes. Augustine helped him along by kicking off his shoes so that his trousers could come off more easily, and then it was a race against time and patience.

With a little guidance, he helped Soren find the jar of coconut oil in one of his desk drawers. An unorthodox choice of lubricant to be sure, but the most convenient option they had nonetheless.

"Condoms?" Soren asked, dipping two fingers into the jar. Augustine all but growled from where he was now splayed out on the desk, propped up on his elbows.

"Absolutely fucking not," he said. "You are clean, oui?"

"Got tested before leaving Paldea," Soren said with a wink just as he started pressing his fingers into Augustine's exposed hole.

The professor's head rolled back with a groan, dropping onto his back as he reached above his head to grip the other side of the desk. He tried to keep himself relaxed as Soren worked him open one knuckle at a time, but it was difficult when all he wanted was to feel a dick inside of him at that very moment.

"Faster," he demanded through gritted teeth.

Soren was quick to oblige, sliding both fingers inside him with no more preamble. Augustine released a breath, focussing on not clenching too hard around Soren's fingers as they began to scissor in and out of him. His neglected cock lay half-mast against his stomach, but just as he started to consider reaching down to touch himself, he was pleasantly surprised by the feeling of a pair of lips wrapping around the tip and sucking him into a warm, wet mouth.

The moan that came out of him was downright wanton, his back arching. He felt Soren hollow his cheeks as he bobbed his head to the rhythm of his fingers pumping in and out of his ass, making him shudder with the effort to keep his hips still so that he didn't accidentally choke Soren. A third finger was added to the mix then, prying him open even wider. Augustine squeezed his eyes shut. He could almost come like this if he wanted to. Unfortunately, he was determined to wait for the main course before he had his desserts.

He threw a hand into Soren's hair to pull him off before Augustine let himself enjoy the feeling of his mouth too much. Half-lidded eyes gazed down the length of his body, at the spit-slick cock now red and engorged between his legs and the wet hand that pulled itself free from opening him up. He watched as Soren dipped his fingers into the jar of coconut oil again and started to slather it over his own cock that he had freed from his pants at some point while he was preparing Augustine. The professor couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight of it—thick and red and hard.

"Are you ready for me, Augustine?" Soren asked with that purr of his, stroking himself between Augustine's legs while he waited for an answer.

"Yes.

To prove it, Augustine gripped the backs of his thighs and held himself open for Soren, giving him an unobstructed view of his wet, gaping hole just waiting to be filled. Soren pursed his lips, visibly holding back whatever reaction he was having to the sight, and positioned himself at Augustine's entrance. He rubbed the tip around his rim for a moment, just to tease, and right before Augustine was about to snap at him to just put it in already, that was exactly what he did.

He put it all the way in.

Augustine felt the air get punched out of his lungs, the sound that left him more of a wheeze than a moan. Soren stayed sheathed inside of him, leaning over his body to brace his hands on either side of Augustine and loom over him. His blue-green hair spilled over his shoulder, loose strands sticking out from that braid of his. He looked positively disheveled despite being the one doing the dishevelling. Augustine had to admit that it gave him a sense of pride to know that he still had this kind of effect on a man.

"Soren," he breathed out, keeping his eyes locked on the other's.

"Yeah?"

"Move.

It was all the command he needed to jump into action. He slowly, slowly pulled back until just the head of his cock was left inside the ring of Augustine's asshole. Then, finally, he rolled forward again, driving himself back down to the hilt and repeating the process over and over again. Augustine dropped his head back against the desk and moaned. He loved the feeling of Soren's length sliding back and forth against his walls, filling him up again and again. Every thrust was accompanied by the slap of his balls against Augustine's ass cheeks. The sounds of their bodies moving together resonated off the walls of the office, impossible to escape from.

Soren leaned back slightly so that he could grab Augustine's thighs instead, freeing him of that task. With this new grip on him, though, Soren was able to redouble the force of his thrusts as he dragged Augustine's body against his own. His hips didn't stop moving, drilling forward without a single lapse in rhythm until a particularly deep thrust made Augustine cry out without warning.

Soren paused, staring down at the professor who seemed just as surprised at his own sound. He locked eyes with Soren again and heaved out a gasp.

"Do that again."

And he did. Oh, did he. Soren must have had some kind of eidetic memory to be able to fuck into him at the exact same angle every time after that, repeatedly ramming the tip of his cock against Augustine's prostate. He was all but crying after just a minute or two of this constant assault of pleasure against his body. His hands scrabbled at anything around him that he could squeeze, which ended up being Soren's forearms when he leaned forward and practically bent Augustine's body in half underneath him.

His lips found Augustine's neck again to start mouthing at the skin there again. Sweet kisses were mixed with the wet heat of his tongue and the pinch of his teeth every so often, undoubtedly leaving a number of marks where he would have trouble hiding them. That was the furthest concern from his mind, though, considering he could feel himself getting closer and closer to his orgasm, all without a single touch to his dick.

He might go insane if Soren were able to make him come without touching him. In fact, he might even have to reconsider his plan to end this little escapade after tonight. This kind of feeling was dangerously easy to get addicted to.

Soren began to speed up his thrusts without even needing to be told to, evidently chasing his own high from Augustine's body. His hands gripped so tightly at Augustine's thighs that they were bound to leave bruises of their own, but at least they were in a more inconspicuous place. He panted against the professor's ear, nibbling at the lobe while his hips jack-hammered into Augustine's.

"Come inside me," Augustine whispered, voice ragged from how much he had been moaning.

He heard Soren whine low in his throat, his hips stuttering. Augustine wrapped his arms around Soren's shoulders again, holding him against his body and, conveniently, causing his cock to rub up against Soren's abdomen with every thrust.

He felt the wire pull taut low in his stomach then, eyes flying open wide just as it snapped with the force of a dam breaking open. His cock kicked between their bodies, spurting out cum all over his stomach as he moaned loud and long, clinging to man on top of him. Soren seized the opportunity to capture his lips in another kiss, wet and messy and hot as he kept pounding away into Augustine until, at least, he found his own Nirvana. He pulled Augustine's hips flush against his own, burying himself as deep inside the professor as he could fit, and then he emptied his load with a low groan. Augustine felt those hot ribbons of cum painting his walls, Soren's hips grinding against him to fuck it even deeper inside. Augustine's own cock twitched again at the feeling, tempted to respond despite having just blown his own load.

Gradually they both calmed down, their breaths easing as the seconds passed and ecstasy faded to a pleasant afterglow. Soren steadily pulled out of him, but continued to rest against him while he caught his breath. They stayed like that for a while after, though, holding each other close. Augustine kept his eyes closed. If he opened them, he would be forced to face the reality of what he had just done.

...Although, the longer he kept them closed, the more his thoughts began to wander anyway.

What kind of man was he to seduce someone he had just met who looked up to him as a role model? What must Soren think of him, that he would so easily fall into bed with someone he didn't know beyond a name? What kind of example was he setting?

"Augustine..."

Soren whispered his name against his neck, nosing at the underside of his jaw.

"I have a confession to make," he said. Augustine hummed, idly twirling a lock of the man's hair around one of his fingers. He still refused to open his eyes yet.

"Another one?" he joked. He felt a huff of laughter against his neck.

"I'm afraid so," Soren affirmed. "The truth is...I've wanted this for a long time."

That was what finally made Augustine's eyes slowly open, blinking up at the ceiling as he processed what Soren was telling him. The other pushed himself up just enough to be able to gaze down at Augustine properly.

"I've wanted you for a long time," he continued. "I thought you would always be just out of reach, but here you are...live and in the flesh."

Augustine blinked at him again. What?

Soren smiled. It was sad, somehow.

"I've admired you from a distance all this time...because you're not just smart, Augustine. You're brilliant. When you talk about your research, you're not just excited because you made a new discovery. You're excited because you care. You always make a point to talk about how the bond between pokemon and trainer can be deepened...how people and pokemon can become closer."

He must have been talking about the seminars Augustine participated in at conventions and conferences. Soren had been watching him all this time? Maybe he should have been a little disturbed by that, but...all he felt was the flush taking over his face.

"That's why when I saw that you lost your spark, it made me want to cry..."

As if on cue, his eyes glossed over with the unshed tears he spoke of. Instinct had Augustine raising a hand to his face, catching the first tear from the corner of his eye before it could fall.

"And so I wanted to come here, not only to learn, but also to help you find it again...that spark."

Somehow, Augustine felt his eyes begin to water as well. Something tight was coiled in his chest, aching because it had stayed locked up tight for so long, and now it was on the verge of coming loose.

Come to think of it, he wasn't sure that he ever let himself cry after Lysandre died. First he was in shock, then he was angry, and then...then he was just empty.

He never let himself feel it.

The tears came on suddenly and strongly, a wave that he couldn't hold back. Soren was quick to gather him in his arms, holding him close, holding him together while everything he had been suppressing over the past four years poured out of him all at once.

Not even Serena had managed to pry this kind of emotion out of him in all this time, and yet here stood this stranger who seemed to know all the right words to remind him what it was to feel.

Later, once Soren helped to clean them both up and put his clothes back on right, Augustine made them a fresh pot of coffee instead of the drinks he had mentioned earlier. He needed to decompress after that roller coaster of emotions and what better way to do that than with caffeine? Perhaps that was just the Kalosian in him, though.

"You came here with a lot of expectations about me," he noted as they sat together on a sofa in the lounge of his lab.

"I came here with the goal of helping you find your love for life again," Soren corrected, looking at him from the side. "I had no preconceptions about how I would go about achieving that."

Augustine snorted softly, nursing his coffee. He frowned again after a moment, though.

"...I had planned on sending you away after tonight," he confessed quietly, staring down into his cup. "I was going to be cruel to you."

"I thought that might have been a possibility," Soren said, still looking over at him. "...Will you still do it? Send me away?"

Augustine was quiet for a moment, considering. He could still do it. Soren likely had a better understanding of his mental state now than anyone, so he would likely accept it. He would go back to Paldea, or travel to find another professor to mentor him, and Augustine could avoid ever crossing paths with him again. He could do that.

"...No," he decided. "I don't want to do that anymore. But I..." He pursed his lips. "I...don't know if..."

"You are under no obligation to me, Augustine," Soren assured him. Augustine finally glanced over at him, wary. "I may fancy you, but that does not mean I expect anything from you. All I want is to see you smile again and mean it."

Augustine felt his throat try to close up, but he swallowed down the urge to start crying again. It was still perturbing that someone else was able to see that change in him before he had noticed it in himself. It made him wonder how the rest of the world must look at him if one person could see that much.

"I need some time to think through this," he said once he was sure his voice wouldn't waver. "But, for now...I think it's safe to say that Sina and Dexio will have to get used to having another assistant around the lab."

He smiled over at Soren, whose eyes widened.

"Do you mean it? You'll still take me under your wing?"

"How can I turn away an aspiring mind like yours? That fusion theory of yours has some bones to it, you know," he said.

"You really think so?"

"I would not say it if I did not mean it."

It made him happy to see Soren happy. It didn't have to mean anything more than that, for now. It could be enough just to enjoy a moment of repose. Maybe, one day, he wouldn't have to try so hard to forget.

One day, maybe he wouldn't need to forget.