"One last thing before we leave... I got you this. It looks like things are getting serious between you and Ava. If you invite her over and it gets to that point, I want you to be prepared."
*
His father's words replayed in his head over and over as he looked at the packaged condom in the palm of his hand. He didn't know what to think about this...neither him or Ava had even said "I love you" or anything similar to each other yet. He'd caught himself imagining the pillows were her a few times though...sometimes he just got horny and had to hump something, which was normal. He'd been doing that since he was around fourteen. Now he was nineteen. A legal adult. He could totally take that girl to bed if he wanted.
She was the daughter of a wealthy business couple, and was one year older than him. They'd met long ago at a hotel in Icirrus in Unova, her parents used to own it. A few years ago, the hotel was sold, and Ava's parents now worked with Team Galactic in the space energy business. The boss wasn't trying to create new universes anymore. Took awhile for the public to start trusting the team.
Merc, short for Mercury, was the son of two Galactic admins. He didn't know if he'd ever become a full admin and get his space name now. But he was used to just Merc. It'd be an odd change.
A wet dog nose nudged his hand. He smiled and patted the arcanine's fuzzy head. "This isn't a treat, boy." Rex looked disappointed. "Do you want a bone?" The arcanine wagged his tail.
A beef soup bone was retrieved from the fridge. Rex took it and curled up in the corner of the room, munching. Merc's phone buzzed on the table. He had a text...from Ava.
"I beat your score", said the text. Attached was a screenshot of an Angry Birds game in which level 9 was completed. Merc blinked at it. Took him a week to beat level 8! Damn, that girl had talent...
"My dad bet your dad I couldn't, and now he owes him 100 bucks."
"What?"
"GOTCHA!"
Ava liked to trick him like that. It seemed to work a lot. A lot more than he would've liked.
"Well losing 100 bucks wouldn't be that bad for your dad lol."
"Lol yeah."
A brief pause, then: "Anything going on? I'm bored over here."
Apparently her parents were also at the meeting his were at. His mind went back to where it was before. Should he? His dad had pretty much said go for it...but he had to be cool about it. Something needed to break the ice...Netflix. Netflix and chill. Didn't that usually work? He had no idea.
"I think I saw Guardians on the Netflix list if you want to come watch it." His finger shook as he pressed send. This was kind of nerve wracking...he hadn't said "Netflix and chill", but he was still inviting a girl over and hoping it would lead to romance...
"That movie with the space zigzagoon and the tree man?"
"Yeah. Guardians of the Galaxy. And their names are Rocket and Groot. You said you thought it looked good?"
"Okay, why not? Be there in a few."
Merc snapped back into reality. Now he was thinking with the head between his shoulders, but he wasn't sure if he ever WAS thinking with the one between his legs. He just didn't know. Maybe he was a little...but why? She'd been over lots of times. Just not when it was just them...alone. Alone. That was the key word. Alone and his dad had left him with some...birth control, like he expected him to give in to his raging hormones today. He wished he'd asked him more about girls and love. How was he supposed to know if she was starting to see him as more than a friend? How would he even go about this? What if she rejected him?
His dad had apparently gotten his mom pregnant on their first time and they weren't even married yet. How did he find the courage to make a move there? It was all so confusing. He knew how he felt about her. She was smart, cute, and funny at times...maybe his dad felt the same way toward his mom back then. He had to.
The doorbell rang. He got up from the couch and let Ava in. She took off her coat and put it down. She was dressed for cold weather: long sleeved shirt and windbreaker pants, along with some boots. Merc blinked at her. "Is it really that cold?"
"It's below freezing." She showed him the temperature on her phone. 30 F. He shrugged. "Yeah, looks like it is, but just barely."
"Not that you'd care. You'd live in an igloo if you could." She smirked at him.
"I don't think igloos have electricity in them."
She shrugged. "Yeah, or plumbing...I'd hate having to use a freezing outhouse, and then how would one bathe or shower?" Rex drummed his tail on the ground. Ava walked over and petted him. "Hi, Rex! I'm sorry, I forgot to bring Vixi. I'll bring her next time. Promise." Vixi was Ava's glaceon. She was mostly a pet, but did battle occasionally. Rex and Vixi had bonded, just like their owners.
"There's popcorn or something in the kitchen, right?"
"In the cupboard by the fridge."
"Okey." Ava made her way into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks near the fridge, staring at the countertop. "Merc, what in the world...?"
Merc's face was almost as red as his eyes. He knew what she found without even having to see it. He cursed himself for not putting that thing away. "Uh...my dad left that there because he thought we were getting serious."
Ava's green eyes burned into Merc's red ones. She didn't look angry or anything...but her eyes were sparkling. "We are though, aren't we? Getting serious..."
"Um..."
"I'll tell you something. When my dad said he'd made a deal with Team Galactic, both me and my mom were wary. But then I saw you...and I thought you were...handsome, kind of cute." Ava paused. "And then when I found out you were the guy who had me swimming in snowdrifts at the hotel when I was six, I was like, okay, there's something at work here. I thought I'd never see you again, but I did."
Merc was speechless. Ava continued, but looked down and fidgeted. "My mom pulled me aside the other day. Said she could see the chemistry between us. But if things got too serious, she wanted us to be smart about it. We are adults... I don't know what my dad would say though." She handed him the packaged condom. "Put this in your pocket and we'll see where it leads. I'll make the popcorn, you start up the movie."
He swore he saw her shake her hips as she walked away from him. His heart fluttered, and he forced himself to think about basketball so he wouldn't picture her naked and possibly pop a boner. Rex padded over to him and sniffed his crotch. He moved out of the way, wondering if he was giving off any pheromones from down there that human noses couldn't detect. Or something.
The wifi router by the TV had two lights lit up. In order for it to work, it had to have four. Merc unplugged it and plugged it back in. The other two lights lit up for just a second before going out again. He checked the cords. They were all tightly plugged in. He was still fiddling with the router when Ava returned with the popcorn. "Wifi's down." He told her. "Now what?"
She beckoned for him to come sit beside her on the couch. He did, and she smirked at him. "I guess we'll have to do something else."
"The playstation should still work. I don't think it necessarily has to be online constantly. I got this fun fighting game-" And then she scooted close to him and nuzzled his forehead. He lost his train of thought.
"Don't you see? This is a sign. A sign that says I should...lose my virginity to you. Everything adds up." Awkward pause. "You're a virgin too, right?"
"Yeah, unless you count pillows." Merc flinched. He couldn't believe he just said that. "I mean...um..."
"I'm not judging." Ava smiled awkwardly. "You're so cute when you're flustered. Go ahead. Lead me to your room. I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level."
"Hold hands on the way?"
"Duh." She extended her hand to him. He took it without hesitation. Rex trailed behind them as he led her to his room. Merc petted the arcanine's ears and shut the door behind him. Rex whined a few times. He'd be fine out there, he had food and water. Merc just hoped Rex wouldn't have to go to the bathroom at any time during this...
