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?"

Nate stiffened, seriously growling out lightly. "Watch yourself. That's not what I said." Sean took a sip of his coffee, then leaned forward on his legs to say gently with unreadable features. "Tell me this, Nate. When you are with him. Is it always about sex? Has he ever just taken you out to a nice dinner and watched a movie? Leaving you with just a parting kiss?" Nate turned to face Sean more, uttering out in a small voice. "What are you getting at? He's a busy man. He doesn't have time for that." Sean nodded to himself, his eyes going to the carpet as he continued on neutrally. "After you have sex. Does he cuddle with you? Or does he get up and leave after he's had his fill? Does he buy you things that you like or things that he thinks you like?" Nate's eyes drifted to the sunglasses, before Sean looked up and he darted his eyes to him without a word. Sean read his face, adding in gently. "Ya. It's not affection. He's paying you for your services. That's how guys like him work. They give you every reason to stay by making you think that what you have is special... but it's all about the sex. I bet you probably drop whatever you are doing to be there when he calls you... but would he do the same thing for you?"

Nate clenched his jaw. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Sean tapped his fingers on the mug without a sound, telling him in a sweet tone of voice. "I'm not saying this to hurt you. I'm telling you what I went through. Just to see if your situation is similar. Because if you are... Nate, it's better to get out before he starts putting you deeper into his debt. These favors he asks you... They'll get harder to do. And before you know it, you'll be drowning in favors that you can't pay him back for. By that point... saying no will not be an option. He'll start getting violent or controlling. He'll take your freedom." Nate turned away from Sean to face the shelves. He heard the bed squeak behind him as Sean got up to tell him in a whisper. "Nate...? You are not a victim. You fought off those Valor men all on your own." Nate looked over his shoulder, asking in a neutral voice. "Why are you telling me this?" He barely saw Sean standing behind him, when Sean informed him nicely. "Because... From one Mystic to another... I feel like I owe you. We're supposed to look out for each other like a family... but we don't. I can't help thinking that if even one person had stood with you, that it might have given people a reason to doubt and see your side."

Nate inhaled slow and deep. Listening as Sean continued with regret in his voice. "I can't change what has been done. But I hope my advice helps you with your current problem. I ran to Mystic when my relationships fell apart... I don't know where you'd run to get far enough away from him. But if you need help... My door will always be open to you. I know you have no reason to trust me. But as you told Mark... I have issues with that kind of thing. And I don't want to watch someone suffer what I went through alone." Nate swallowed, a weird feeling creeping into his system. He didn't understand the feeling, but it made him turn around to ask Sean directly. "Do you mean that?" Sean looked him in the eyes with his bright blues ones, nodding subtly but the look was firm and genuine. Overwhelmed a bit by the feeling swelling inside him, Nate put a hand to Sean's collarbone and shoved him back against the wall by the master bed. Sean flinched as he hit the wall, giving him a startled expression.

Sean raised his hands, but Nate acted faster. Cupping Sean's neck and jaw in his hands, he brought his lips to his. Sean pressed himself back harder to the wall with a small whine that made Nate smirk. Sean was adorable when he was surprised. Sean's lips tasted like sweet vanilla coffee, coaxing Nate into deepening the kiss to taste it on his tongue. A muffled whine left Sean as Nate tilted Sean's head back and managed to work Sean's mouth open enough to accept his tongue. Sean's tongue tried to stay away from his, until Nate's tongue cornered his. Sliding his tongue over Sean's, he felt Sean's hands grab the arms of his leather jacket in a death grip. Instead of backing up, Nate stepped in closer to press himself against Sean. Sean jerked again, but his resistance to his kiss was melting away. He was starting to accept the kiss and his hands were sliding up the arms of his jacket to his shoulders. Sean's fingers slid under the collar of his leather jacket, stroking his chest over the thick fabric.

Nate's heart raced in his chest. He'd shared many kisses with guys... but this one felt like pure gluttony. Sean tasted so good that he couldn't stop himself. He thought it would just be a short kiss to thank him... but clearly, he had misread his own emotions. Sean's fingers unzipped his leather jacket, before sliding in to pull him closer by his ribs. Nate pressed himself as close to him as he could. His main focus was on the kiss, even as Sean's hands moved up his body to his neck. Sean's thumbs brushed over the black gauges in his ears, while his fingers trailed up into his short straight black hair. Nate was just starting to think about throwing Sean to the bed, until Mark stated out from somewhere nearby. "Guys, I said no fighting... What do I have to..." Nate broke the kiss, looking over at Mark as he took a needed breath. Mark was wearing only his pants, drying his wet hair as he looked at them with a stunned expression and wide eyes. Sean cleared his throat in the sudden silence, slipping around Nate to hide his face. Slinking off into the other part of the room, Sean mumbled out without looking at anyone. "It's not what it looks like... Nate was just... thanking me."

Mark huffed loudly, chuckling out. "I leave you alone for two minutes and you two start... 'thanking' each other? What did I miss?" Zoey sat cross legged on the bottom bunk, chuckling out to Mark. "You didn't miss anything important... But did you have to ruin it? I felt like there was an important moment coming." Nate flicked off Zoey and she snickered like a little girl. Beside her, Chad was sitting with the mug of coffee that Sean had left on the floor. There was a stain on his costume from where he tilted the mug to drink through the cloth. The coffee causing him to bounce happily in place like an excited child. Mark glanced at Chad, then did a double take and snatched the coffee mug from him. Holding it out of the reach of Chad's grabby ghost hands, Mark told him a bit distressed. "Hey! You don't need this!" Chad's hands tugged on the hem of his pants, but Mark told him like a firm parent. "No! You drink this and you'll be up all night! And I don't feel like waking up to you acting creepier than usually."

Nate pulled his jacket off, folding it up in his arms to set down on another shelf, when Mark pointed at him with the mug in his hand and said seriously. "You. Start talking. What was that all about?" Nate didn't get a chance to answer, because Sean came rushing through, cutting in blankly. "I'm next for the shower!" Mark let him pass him, then asked over his shoulder smugly. "Promise you won't spray the walls? Or would you like Nate to join you?" Sean gave Mark a dark look, slamming the door hard. Mark winced playfully, turning his eyes back to Nate as he said through a small chuckle. "Sorry. I would have stayed in the bathroom a bit longer had I known you two were getting along so well." Nate huffed, Taking the mug from Mark without directly looking at him. Turning away to hide the blush that was creeping across his face, Nate took the mug to clean it out in the sink. Mark groaned stiffly as he sat down on the master bed, asking him curiously. "That's not the thanks you gave me for helping with your leg. I feel kind of cheated now."

Nate rolled his eyes, taking a hand towel off the counter. Going to the table, Nate pulled the ice box closer to fill the towel with ice cubes. Wrapping them up, he walked over to Mark, finally answering softly. "Here. Put this on your cheek. I didn't intend to kiss him like that... it just happened." Mark took the towel of ice from him, putting it to his bruised ribs instead, but told him sweetly. "Most good things just... happen. Out of curiosity though. Why him? Last I saw you two were as tense as stray Meowths in an alley. What changed?" Nate licked his lips, trying to recall the emotion as he said distractedly. "I don't know. It must have been something he said." Mark eyed him for a second, then smiled as he purred out in a deep voice. "Whatever it was. I'm sure you've given him a reason to like bad boys now." Nate watched Mark lay back across the bed with a deep groan. Nate raised an eyebrow, glancing at the bathroom door as he told him neutrally. "Why would you think that? I probably traumatized him... I think I was a bit forceful."

Mark laughed, draping his arm over his eyes as he said. "Even better. I hope you weren't planning to shower... He'll probably be in there awhile." Nate rolled his eyes, sarcastically mumbling out under his breath. "Very funny. You shouldn't tease him. You were the one that wanted us to get along in the first place." Moving to the ladder, Nate started to climb up to the top bunk, when Mark lifted his arm to peek at him as he boldly retorted. "Maybe I'm jealous. I didn't think he was your type. Bad boys are usually my thing." Nate froze halfway up the ladder, glancing back to see Mark grin and cover his eyes with his arm again. Nate raised an eyebrow unable to think of anything to say. He didn't know how to respond to that. Crawling into bed, Nate buried his face in the quilted pokeball pillow to hide his own blushing grin. Was that Mark's way of hitting on him? He'd never gotten the impression that he had liked him before. Had he done something to change that? Zoey practically jumped up onto the top bunk with him, shoving him to the wall as she tried to contain her excitement with a soft girlie squeal over his shoulder. She was enjoying his moral dilemmas a little too much lately. To Be Continued...