There is nothing wrong with anyone keeping stuffed animals. Even grown men.

But to Maxie, it was a different story. It was a secret he'd take to the grave. And, it was an extremely embarrassing topic for him. His husband doesn't even know that he's kept something very precious that he gave him in their dating years.

But one day, Archie eventually found out. In typical Archie fashion. He could read Maxie like a book, so naturally, he couldn't hide anything from Archie.

"Hey, Max?" Archie asks, turning to face him and he nestled into bed. "I've been meaning to ask ye somethin'."

"Mm? What is it?" He looked up from his book.

Archie looked behind Maxie, which what seemed to only be there was his pillow. But something about it seemed off, like there was something behind it.

"I've noticed that there's somethin' behind yer pillow, somethin' that ye don't want me to see."

Maxie almost choked. How in the hell could Archie notice something like that?! He cleared his throat and tried to brush it off. "What are you talking about? There's nothing back there."

"Max, I ain't stupid.. I saw ye before I came out of the bathroom, quickly hiding something back there. Ye know how observant I am."

The redhead was starting to get nervous. "Again, I have no idea what you're talking about. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"Because ye hid it right as soon as I stepped in here. What's back there, babe? C'mon, ye can tell me. Nothing will surprise me."

"Archie, I told you.. there's nothing! Just stop." Maxie argued, leaning further back to hide what was behind him.

He smirked. "If there's nothing there, then why don't ye just prove it to me? Move, and show me that there's nothing there."

"Archie, this is ridiculous! There is nothing there!! Enough already!!"

Archie kept persisting. "Move, then I'll quit being annoying~"

"You're always annoying." Maxie snapped back. "I am not moving! And you can't make me!"

"Ohoho! I can't, now? I know a way to get ye to move.." Archie grinned, grasping his husband's sides and tickling him mercilessly.

"G-GAH!!! N-Nohohoho dohohohon't yohohohuhuhu dahahahare!!"

"If yer not gonna move, then I'm gonna make ye move! Kitchi kitchi coo!"

Maxie giggled and squirmed underneath his husband, trying desperately to stay still. "AHAHARCHIE!! Stohohohohop ihihihihit!!! Ihihihihi'm nohohohot- hehehe- moving!!!"

The pirate laughed at him and shoved his wiggling fingers into his armpits. "Lemme see what yer hiding, Max! C'mon! I know that ye won't last long!"

"GAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH- NOHOHOHO!!! NAHAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHEHEHERE!! ARCHIHIHIHIHIHIEEE PLEHEHEHEASE!!!!"

"Just move and let me see what's over there, and the tickling stops." He moved his hands to his husband's belly. "How about here, muffin? I know yer really ticklish here~"

"SC-SCREHEHEHEHEW YOUHUHUHUHUHU!! AHAHAHAH- *snort* STOHOHOHOP IHIHIT!!!"

Archie playfully gasped. "How rude! That deserves double the tickles~" He purred as he tickled faster.

"ARCHIHIHIHIE PLEHEHEHEHEEASE-! GAHAHAHAHAHAH!! I CAHAHAN'T BREATHE!"

Obviously, he didn't listen. His hands then squeezed the redhead's stomach.

That did it, he flailed and wiggled uncontrollably in Archie's grasp. "GAHAHAH- OKAY OKAY OKAHAHAHAY!!! AHAHAH- IHIHI CAHAHAHAN'T TAHAHAHAHAKE IHIHIHIT!!"

"Ye give up yet? *squeeze* Will ye let me see what yer hidin' in there?"

"YEHEHES YEEHEHES IHIHIHI GIHIHIHIHIVE JUHUHUST STAAAP!!"

With that, Archie withdrew his hands to let Maxie breathe. Then he reached his hand back behind his pillow to grab the item his husband was so desperately trying to hide. Once he had a hold of it and got a good look at it, he gasped.

"M-Max.."

Trying to recover from the tickling, he looked away, blushing.

What Archie held in his hands was a small Camerupt plushie. After he looked at it for a few moments, he started tearing up.

"B-babe.. ye kept the plushie I gave ye?" He choked on his tears. "After all this time? Even... after the whole me almost flooding the world incident..?"

*blush* "Of course I did... It was a present from you, after all... and it means the world to me.."

The team Aqua leader dropped the plushie into Maxie's lap and then leapt at him, kissing him on his lips.

"Mmm?! Mm? Mmmm~"

Their kiss lasted for a good moment, they both held the other close to his side. Once they released themselves, Archie wipes away his tears.

"Babe.. I don't understand.. why would ye hide it from me? Did ye think I would laugh at ye or somethin'? Hell, I gave it to ye! Why would I laugh at ye?"

"M-Maybe.." Maxie admitted, ignoring the question and looking down. "I just can't let it go... it's the best gift I had ever received.. especially because it was from you.. I've kept it this entire time.." His face turned even more red following that moment. "And.. I often hold it close and cuddle with it when you're not here with me.. so that I know that part of you is still with me.."

The other man just couldn't contain his tears, nor his smiling face. "First of all, I'M yer number one cuddle buddy... and second, that's got to be the most precious thing I've ever heard of in me entire life.. babe, yer so cute.. and it makes me so happy.. that ye cherish this little stuffed animal I gave ye so many years ago.. *kiss* "Maxie, love of me life.. I love ye."

"I love you too, Archie..."

Archie pulled him into a hug. He cuddled him close and slowly draped the sheets over them. "Ye never have to hide anything from me, sugar.. ok? I won't make fun of ye for anything. I love ye, so much."

"I'm sorry that I kept it from you.. I don't know what I was thinking.. forgive me..?"

"Of course, Max." He smiles, arms coming around his lover. "I think it's so cute and so sweet that ye keep it so close to ye... it makes me so happy." He grabbed the plush toy and set it between them. "Heh. I remember getting this for ye.. I was so excited because I knew it would make ye happy. I didn't expect ye to burst into tears though." He chuckled.

"Well, it meant a lot to me, and it still does." Maxie answers, laying against his chest. "It was the best Valentine's present I ever had~"

"Awww, babe~ c'mere, sugar bear~"

He pulled him in for another hug.

"Mmm~"

"Ye didn't answer me question though.."

Maxie looked up at him. "What question?"

"Why did ye try to hide it from me?" Archie asked. "I'm the one who gave it to ye in the first place, so why would ye hide it from me?"

The other's face turned red. "W-well... it's.. I don't know- I can't.. it's too embarrassing to try and explain..."

*smirk*

"Better tell me, babe~ Or I'll make ye talk~" Archie purrs, tickling Maxie's sides gently.

"Aha-! Wait- no! No no! W-we're nohohohot dohohohing this agahahahain!"

Archie grinned and continued tickling him. "Ohoho yes we are! Ye owe me an explanation! If I gotta tickle it out of ye, then I will!"

He tried so desperately to escape, but Archie was much stronger than him. "Ahahahah- Quit it!! St-stohohohop tickling mehehehehe!"

"I'm waaaaaaaaiting~" Archie teased, squeezing one of his knees. "Tickle tickle tickle~"

Squealing, he fell back, almost falling off the bed with his squirming. "Ahahahahahaharchihihihihiee!!"

"C'mon, babe~ Spill it, or I'll get yer feet!"

"N-no! D-Don't yohuhuhuhu dahahare! I cahahahahan't!! Ihihihit's- ahahahahahah! It's ehehehembarassing!"

Archie tsked playfully. "Alright then.." He grabbed his ankle, tickling under his knee and trying to give him one last chance before he went for his feet. "This is yer last chance, Maxie. No mercy if ye refuse."

"Okahahahay okahahahay!! I'll- I'll tahahalk!! Ihihihihi'll talk!! Ahahahah- Just don't touch my feeheheeheet!! Plehehehease!" He cried out when his husband poked at his foot. Tears of mirth started to dot the corners of his eyes. "Ihihihi sahahahid stahahahp!!"

"Awww, fine.. Fun crusher~" He teases, ending the torture. He holds Maxie close to his chest and nuzzles him against his cheek. "Alright, out with it, before I change me mind and tickle ye again."

He sighs. "Ok.. it's.. it's just.." He then paused.

Archie raised his wiggling fingers at him.

"N-No-!" He squeaked. "I'm t-trying to get the words out!" He pushes him away. "I'm 41 years old, Archie... wouldn't you be embarrassed to keep something like this at this age? Yes, I did think you were going to laugh at me.."

Before he could say anything else, Archie got up from the bed and went over to their closet.

"Uh.. dear? What are you doing?" Maxie asked.

"Ye'll see." He grabbed something from the shelves and hid it behind his back. "Ye wanna know what I've got?"

"Mm? With you, there's no telling."

"Watch it." Archie grinned. "Yer just askin' for another tickle attack." He slowly brought out what he was hiding behind his back.

The sight made the redhead gasp. He couldn't control his tears as he covered his mouth with his hands. What Archie held in his hands was a Sharpedo plushie. Around the same size as Maxie's Camerupt one.

"Archie... r-really?" He choked out. "Y-you really kept it?"

*smile* "Of course I did, baby... like yers, mine is a precious gift I received from someone I care about." He sat back down on the bed. "It doesn't matter how old we are, babe.. we both gave each other these plushies because we both knew it would make the other happy. Isn't that reason enough to keep them?"

His lover furiously wiped his tears away, and gently lunges into Archie's embrace, kissing him passionately.

"Hehehe! Max!" He giggles, hugging him back as Maxie buried his face into his neck.

"Mm~ I love you~"

"Hehe! I love ye too, cutie pie."