I Want To Lay the Very Best!

204 – Not Perfect, and That’s Fine

Hot, crazy sex. Heart pounding, body pounding, actual literal pounding. Fucking, if you will.

Brandy liked it.

That did feel obvious as a revelation, but it was a little more complicated than that. It wasn't just that it felt good, though it did. Something about the physical exertion mixed in with all the emotional outlets made it just as exciting as fighting. It made sense that the two went together; there was technical skill, clever use of Moves, and trust. So much trust. Sex, good sex anyway, made you both a little vulnerable. If you held back and hid parts of yourself, it didn't quite hit as hard. It was still good, but it was the difference between a cheap burger stuffed with sauce and cheese and a properly made fancy thing where the meat's flavor does all the talking.

It also meant in a wild, eight-person mess of a campfire orgy, you could tell who was shying away. Nobody here was shy, except maybe Marina, so when they didn't want to engage, there had to be a reason.

Mahi wasn't interested in going for Brandy, and that made sense. Their relationship was still awkward; it'd started badly, and while they both loved Maple, it'd be hard to say that Brandy actually liked Mahi. It wasn't that she was a bad person, though she certainly was a bit full of herself, just that they hadn't had the chance to open up to each other properly. Mahi had spilled a bit about how much she loved Maple and was thankful for Brandy introducing her, but that didn't really fix their relationship.

It wasn't that Brandy couldn't sleep with someone antagonistic; Mercury was a rather prideful menace, and even if she also had a good heart, she was just so full of herself. Brandy was more awed by her sheer brazenness than in love. Victoria and Shay were both menaces of a kind that were a fun little challenge to run across, but it's not like Brandy would call them friends. Passing Rivals at best.

Still, from the bits she saw of Mahi, she had depths Brandy hadn't seen. Marina had gotten exhausted after a while of mushing Brandy's brains out, and Mahi was giving her a nice rub down with a spray of water, clearly getting some kind of satisfaction out of soothing her aches. Mahi didn't take being spurned well, but she was genuinely pretty sweet to her team. Sure, she called Holly a rat a lot, but she also admitted freely she was better at sex. It was more like her own team's friendly rivalries than actually bitter. They all seemed to get along with her. Holly and Morgan were cheerfully watching over Calcine as they tried to cook marshmallows on sticks, and by Brandy's count, Calcine had set four on fire so far. From the way Calcine ate the charred lumps anyway, she was starting to think it was on purpose.

It'd be nice to grab some time with Mahi and see if they could finally bury the hatchet. Something for another day.

Mahi she could deal with giving her the cold shoulder. Maple, well, that was a thornier problem. They were lying on the sand together, arms outstretched to entwine fingers as the fires warmed them. Sparky was curled up on the other side of Maple, just enjoying the hug after doing some excellent work turning Maple into a boneless mess. Both of them a little exhausted, but also drawing strength from being with each other.

But her grip was a little too tight, clinging to Brandy as if she might drift away. There was a pain in her eyes, an awkwardness Brandy hadn't seen since that rough day they'd met at the Pokémon center when Maple was at her lowest. Brandy could ruin the moment and address it head-on or hope that look disappears as they relax. It was not really a choice; Brandy couldn't look at those sad eyes in good conscience. She just had to tear off the bandage with a delicate enough touch that she didn't make it all worse.

"Your team's incredible," Brandy said, squeezing Maple's hand back. The gritty sand under her fingers was a huge contrast to Maple's silky smooth skin. "Marina's the perfect addition."

"Isn't she?" Maple smiled, leaning her head back to look at the stars. "You should see her fight properly. She's a real force of nature."

"I'm going to see it tomorrow. I'm watching your fight. You ready for your first tournament fight?"

"Yeah," Maple said, "I think I am. We all are. The teams really come together after the Gym here."

Whatever had happened in that Gym was pretty intense, but Brandy couldn't ask what. That was the rule. She was starting to wish they'd had a chance to beat it before they met up so they could swap stories. Water Gym is something to do with passion. Affirming your love? Understanding your feelings? It was so flexible it'd be hard to guess. Well, there was one thing she could ask.

"What's the Gym's theme?"

"Baring hearts."

Oh shit. Well, that explained why it was on Maple's mind so much. Brandy knew why she loved her team, but she doubted the Gym would be that easy. It was going to dig deep. Still, if Maple is all torn up about that, she could practice right now.

"Your drive is incredible. You're never satisfied with anything but the best." Brandy said, "If you fell for me, it's because you knew I was worth it. It makes me feel like a giant."

"What are you doing?" Maple huffed, her fingers flexing to tap the back of Brandy's hand in admonishment. "Complimenting me like that out of the blue. Stupid."

"No, not out of the blue. I'm bad at the book stuff, but I'm not stupid. You've been thinking about us after the Gym, right?"

"That's..." Maple faltered, sighing. "Calcine told you? Sparky, did you tell her."

"Nope," Sparky mumbled, cozying up to Maple's side. "You should be proud of Brandy. She's usually pretty awful at reading humans. Want me to shoo so you two can talk properly?"

"Nah, it's fine," Maple said, "You're very cuddly, and I could use the support."

"I am happy to be a pillow for you any time." Sparky purred as she cuddled on in. "Throw me between you both if you want."

Maple flicked Sparky's nose, which got an amusing little buzz out of her. "Menace. Okay. Feeling stuff. Baring hearts. I can do this."

"Come here," Brandy shuffled up to get closer, pressing their sides together. Her body warmth melted into Maple's soft skin. It seems water inheritance came with some really nice skincare benefits; just the feeling of it made Brandy's heart race a little. Maple was soft, even with her firm muscle underneath, the Fighting Inheritance from her Falinks mom. Maple took a breath, trying to figure out what to say. Brandy could almost see the gears in her head turning, and while she loved the woman's brain, this was a time for feelings. Brandy could give her a nudge.

"I like you."

"I like you too, Brandy. I hope that was obvious," Maple smiled."I'm not worried about that. You are a very easy girl to understand."

Brandy was going to take that as a compliment. She could be tricky, and she struggled with stuff sometimes, but she did her best not to hide it away. "There's something else that's eating you."

Sparky snorted into Maple's side and got a hair ruffle for her evils.

"We fell in love pretty quick. You helped me out and I was really thankful and ..."

"Hey," Brandy gave Maple a peck on the lips. Just a cute little tap to give Maple a taste of her, sweaty and exhausted as she was. "We're Trainers. Falling in love quickly is what we do. I love my team. I know you love yours. I saw something nice in you and wanted to share it."

"I just worry," Maple licked her lips, those gears turning again. Brandy gave her a soft squeeze to ease the words out. "I'm struggling to find a word that isn't 'pity.'"

"I don't pity you, come on."

"I know!" her blonde hair swished as she shook her head to dispel the thought. "It's more that I was vulnerable, and you cared for me. I want to get rid of that bit of vulnerability you loved. I want to be strong enough to handle anything. Mercury teases me a lot about what she did when we chat, but she really does think I can be that person."

"You're worried you rely on me?"

"I worry I like you because you give more than you take. Mahi, Holly, and Marina, we talked about this. Hashed it out and promised to do better for each other. Help build each other up more." Maple gave a little sniff; she was getting teary-eyed. "It's harder than I thought. We backslide a lot; sometimes, I feel I'm not cut out for this, balancing it all."

"It's not about balance," Brandy said, "My team all want different things, and they have problems too. It's like a wheel. One side falls, and the others have to rise up to keep them moving. We'll never be perfectly balanced, but we can ensure the whole thing keeps rolling."

"She says she's not smart," Sparky said, her voice muffled as she pressed her head into Maple's boob. "Then she comes out with this stuff."

"It's pretty incredible," Maple agreed. "I feel like a burden. You don't need my help. You are doing so well. All I can do is take."

"Take what? What are you being so greedy for? Love? Comfort? Sex?" Brandy brushed Maple's cheek. "You think I don't enjoy giving all those things? It's not a bad thing to need comfort. I enjoy seeing you grow as a Trainer. I'm cheering for you, Maple; I'm going to cheer for you tomorrow so hard my voice cracks."

"Unless we fight each other."

"Oh fuck, I hope that doesn't happen." Brandy groaned, "First round fight? That's too much."

"It might happen," Maple said, "I hope it doesn't. I want to hear you cheer for me."

Maple pulled Brandy onto her side with a few pushes of her weirdly strong hands. She'd definitely inherited a bit more strength from someone. Their faces were so close Maple's flowing blonde hair could barely flutter between them. "I don't think I'm cut out for this," she whispered. "I've never been bad at something before. That sounds stupid, but it's true."

"You're not bad at this," Brandy said, "Your Partners love you, and you've got the same number of badges as me. I didn't help you with any of them."

"Still..."

Brandy just kissed her. She didn't want to hear any more complaints. Not when they were all wrong. "The only thing that'd hurt me is if you needed my help and were too afraid to ask. You do not have to be perfect; you're allowed to make mistakes, and I will help as much as you want. Your smiles are so pretty they're more reward than I could hope for."

Maple tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it. Her face lit up as she bumped foreheads with Brandy. "You can't just say things like that."

"She's a big sap," Sparky mumbled. "She always says stuff like that when we get weepy."

Brandy giggled, "I love you all a lot, and you just have to put up with it."

Maple laughed, pressing a kiss of her own to Brandy's lips. It was nice. Her blue lipstick tasted of something nice and sweet. "Fine, if I get to be greedy, then so can you. What do you want Brandy Joyce?"

"Nothing," Brandy smiled. "This is perfect."

"You pure-hearted soul," Maple bit Brandy's top lip, pulling at it. "This isn't even close to perfect. You're just not thinking big enough. Sparky, give me some ideas of what to do to her."

"Ohohoh," Sparky cackled. "I've some fantasies I wouldn't mind seeing become a reality. Get her legs over your shoulders, and we'll put on a bit of a show for everyone."

Maple's unreal strength got another show off as she just flipped Brandy up and over her shoulder like she was a towel. Her smug grin as she looked down the length of Brandy's body made Brandy's cheeks burn.

Oh. Oh! Maybe she really didn't know what perfect was. She was eager to find out.