Chapter Text
"I decided to go on my own. I’ll be back after dinner. Don’t wait up for me."
Archie sighed in frustration as he read the sticky note Maxie had left him in the fridge. The short, concise sentences oozed bitterness, barely a vestige of the anger the redhead had expressed during the heated argument they had had the night before. Looking around the living room, the buff, dark-skinned man spotted the neatly-folded blanket on the sofa where his husband had slept. He supposed he had set off early in the morning, careful not to wake him up.
“Damn it, Maxie...” he sighed again, running a hand through his hair, “you always gotta have the final say, don’t you?”
If you ask him, it hadn’t been his fault this time. All he did was commenting on how he didn’t feel like accompanying Maxie this time to the hiking excursion he had planned for the weekend. Then things got out of hand, what with the redhead quickly remarking that almost all of their past trips had been to the coast, then the brunette replying that all Maxie did during those was complaining...
It all ended with an exasperated Maxie refusing to speak to him and choosing to sleep on the couch. No one could beat his husband in stubbornness, thought Archie bitterly, remembering the fight as he helped himself some cereal for breakfast. He put the bowl down with a loud thud. The house felt incredibly silent. Gone was the sound of his significant other as he turned the pages of the newspaper and commented with surprise, curiosity or indignation on every different piece of news while sipping on his morning coffee. Archie felt lonely, but shaking his head, he returned back to his annoyance. He wouldn’t give this one to him, that was for sure.
“I don’t need him. I’m fine on my own,” Maxie repeated mentally to himself as he went across the rocky path near Mt. Chimney.
The redhead was still mad at his husband for being so inconsiderate.
He had planned the trip so they could have a nice break in the middle of the nature. But no, the stubborn man had to refuse the night before, alleging a sudden loss of interest. Maxie wouldn’t have minded – well, maybe a bit – if Archie had told him earlier. But he was so excited about it that the apathetic excuse he got in response had broken his heart. He was furious, and he hadn’t hesitated to make his spouse know of it, and that lead to a heated fight which no one had really won.
“I’m not going to budge an inch,” he spoke to himself, louder than he intended to. “I’m not forgiving him so easily.”
Reaching the top of the trail, he observed the breathtaking views from there, and his anger subsided a bit. Gazing at the incredible landscape, in a location somewhat hidden from the main path, he spotted an ideal wall for rock climbing. His hand reached unconsciously at his backpack, where his ropes, anchors and other equipment awaited to be used. He had brought everything with him just in case, as he usually did when treading the Jagged Pass. Climbing always lifted his spirits, it gave him the feeling of being in control. He needed to feel that rush of adrenaline so he could clear his mind. He descended the hill towards the rocky formation and proceeded to check its state. It seemed like previous climbers had been there and had left their anchors. Without thinking further of it, he took out the ropes from his backpack. He’d be climbing it solo.
The modulated voice of Shelly came from Archie’s MultiNav, the low buzzing sound of the running device mixing with her words.
“You know that’s just him. And you should know by now he’d react that way.”
“You too, Shelly? Are you on his side?” Archie pouted, a bit disappointed that his friend didn’t share his point of view.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Archie, this isn’t about taking sides. You’re always clashing because both of you’re the people with the most inflated ego and least likely to give in I’ve met in my life,” the girl openly reprimanded her friend.
Her words were blunt, but she told it like it was, and that’s what Archie liked about her. But in that moment it was making him feel exasperated. With a vague farewell, he hung up and turned off the MultiNav, and the room suddenly went dark again. Huffing in defeat, he checked the clock that hung from the wall opposite to him. Almost half past ten in the night.
Getting up from the couch, he walked into the kitchen. The dishes from dinner were in the sink, waiting to be washed. It had been almost an hour he’d finished eating. In the note it wasn’t written the exact time Maxie would be back, and that made him feel more and more concerned as minutes ticked by. Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched cry from behind. It was Maxie’s Mightyena, which had walked in the kitchen after him as if asking where his owner was for the umpteenth time that day.
“Hey, buddy.” Archie smiled, kneeling down and scratching the pokémon behind the ears. “I’m afraid Max hasn’t come back yet.”
Mightyena cried again, a sad look on her face as she put her tail between her legs.
“C’mon, don’t cry. He’s okay, he’s going to open that door from a moment to another and come in, tired from his day out...” Archie comforted the pokémon, petting her neck gently, his voice beginning to break “and then he’s going to act as if I’m not here, and he will not speak to me... because he’s angry. Because I made him angry.”
His voice faded away, barely a whisper that managed to go trough the lump in his throat. He stood up and rushed out of the kitchen as Mightyena gave him a look of concern. Reaching for his MultiNav, he dialed Maxie’s number, and stood there, vacillating for a few moments before pressing “Call”.
“What if I fucked up real bad this time?” He thought to himself, the beeping sound of the MultiNav echoing in the empty room monotonously. “What if he doesn’t want to come back and... and I don’t see him ever again?”
Clenching his teeth, Archie awaited for an answer.
Five beeps.
Six.
Seven, eight.
The automatic responder informing that the dialed number was switched off or out of coverage.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. His grip on the device loosened and his eyes opened as it struck him hard.
The terrible feeling that he wouldn’t see him again.