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There was nothing like biting into a fresh crisp apple in the shade, on a warm summer evening.
At least, Ash thought so.
A small pile of apples sat between himself and his starter, Peeks. They each ate one after another, while watching the vibrant colors of the sunset wane. They didn't say much of anything; they didn't have to. A bit of quiet company was enough for them.
Ash chomped into a particularly sweet apple, rotating it to bite it down to the core. He couldn't care less that he'd smeared the apple's juices into his beard, and casually tossed the core aside for some less picky Pokémon to scavenge what was left.
A Caterpie decided to be that scavenger, wriggling their way down the tree to start munching on the remains. A loud whinny of a squeak was Caterpie's thanks, before they chowed down.
Ash had had a good bounty. Caterpie had, too.
Peeks, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
"Piiiih! Ptuh! Pikah!" The Pikachu bitterly spat out the apple he'd just bitten into. Bitter. This apple was extremely bitter. His face scrunched up like he'd just suckled an entire lemon. He held the beloathed fruit between his paws, eager to crush the damned thing between them.
"Pfhahaha!" Ash cackled, pointing at his partner's expression with uproarious laughter. "Oh, man, Bud. Your face! You should see it!" He flicked a tear from his eye. The pout Peeks wore bordered on juvenile, with puffed out cheeks, and squinting beady eyes. "Ah, that's priceless!"
Unfortunately, Peeks didn't think it was very funny. His sour expression intensified; he looked legitimately distraught. There were tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, like little puddles welling up in the grooves of asphalt, after a spring shower. Perfect for pulling the heartstrings.
Ash's schadenfreude crumbled, like the earth beneath his precious partner when he unleashed a devastating Thunderbolt. "...Shit, you really didn't like that, huh? My bad, Buddy." Ash, too, now, was pouting. He just looked so sad! "Tell you what. I'll taste test the next one for you!"
He picked up another apple, and took a bite, and hummed with delight. "Mmh! Shee? Shish one'sh guth!"
Peeks rolled his eyes at Ash talking with his mouth full, once again making a mess of himself. But if he hadn't gotten used to his trainer's sloppiness, he wasn't sure how he'd survive.
"Gimme." Peeks opened his mouth, miraculously no longer pouting or crying.
"You fucking faker." Ash snorted. "Uh-uh. You come here. I'll feed it to you." He jostled the apple, pulling it back closer to him, and offering both of his legs, hiked up and bent at the knee.
Peeks smiled; a victorious gleam in his eye. Sweet, sweet manipulation. "Alright. Fair's fair. You were my guinea pig, after all." He got up and scooted his way into Ash's raised lap, kicking his little haunches before planting them and standing up, placing his paws on Ash's chest.
Even as he neared, Ash held it higher out of range. "Uh-uh! Open your mouth and say 'aaah.'"
"Bitch." Peeks complained, but obeyed, closing his eyes, and opening his mouth wide. He was surprisingly an omnivore, despite being a rodent-like Pokémon. His sharp lil' fangs glistened.
He waited patiently for the apple. Instead, Ash cradled the back of his partner's head, and tilted his to pull Peeks into a kiss, his lips meeting his muzzle.
Peeks's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this at all, but he eased into it, deciding he didn't mind, and let out a low, pleasant hum. He could taste the apple's sweetness on Ash's lips.
He committed to the kiss until he could taste the fruit no longer — but enough about Ash — and pulled back just a tad, smiling up at his trainer, eyes half-lidded. "You sly, conniving bastard."
Ash grinned, as if to say 'you love me for it.' "It got rid of the sour apple taste, didn't it?"
The Pikachu laughed, leaning in to brush noses with his trainer. "You win this round, Pikapi."
Okay, so there were a few things better than biting into a fresh, crisp apple in the shade.
Ash was lucky to have one of those things, right in his lap.