Chapter Text
Moon was not hungover, because there hadn't been alcohol at the Team Skull party. There probably would have been if they weren't on Aether Paradise, but there was no way that Wicke was about to let a bunch of teenagers drink. Moon thought that Guzma and Plumeria might have had alcohol— Guzma had a cold-thermos he kept drinking out of, and Plumeria stole sips and sat on his lap the whole evening— but they were legally allowed to drink.
So no, Moon was not hungover... but that really didn't explain why she was waking up with a lightly snoring Gladion clinging to her like a Komala.
“Rotom?” she whispered.
“Yeah?” answered her Dex, also in a whisper.
“What time is it?”
“Ten fifty-four a.m., bzzt. The date is January first.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Too early,” said Gladion, his voice only slightly muffled by Moon's shoulder. “Go back t'sleep.”
“I'm like, never asleep this late. The only reason I slept in was because we were up until like three in the morning playing parchesi with Molly, Rogelio, and Almas.”
“Three-thirty. That's seven 'n' a half hours. Average adult needs eight to function. Go back t'sleep.”
“I think you just want to keep snuggling,” teased Moon, reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. Gladion made an annoyed sound, but otherwise didn't try to stop her. “You're way clingier than I thought you'd be.”
After a few moments, she thought he'd actually fallen asleep again, but then he grunted, clearing his throat and turning his head up to stare at her sleepily.
“Lillie's a hugger,” he mumbled. “Or she was, when we were kids. So was Dad. Wicke— sorry, 'Melia— only hugs people when they're upset or when she's upset. Mother hugged us until Dad died, and then she stopped. So I'm used to touching. When nobody's around, I've always got my team out. Null took some time to warm up to me, but now she'll take up two-thirds of whatever bed I'm sleeping on. Imp and Rey like cuddles. Nox doesn't really care because he's a plastic robot duck or whatever, and you saw Ellie.”
“Aww, cute.”
“Couldn't cuddle with the Skulls. Not even Molly 'n' Rogelio. Made me homesick. So I avoided it. Think I'm—” His jaw clicked as he yawned widely, eyes crinkling shut. “—making up for lost time.”
“I will snuggle whenever you want to,” promised Moon.
“I know,” he said simply, turning his face back to her shoulder.
“Are we in your room at the mansion?”
“Mm-hmm. Bed's a damn sight comfier than the one in Medical.” He yawned again. “Don't much like being here, but it's pretty nice with you.”
“Anywhere's nice with you.”
He kept his eyes closed, but the natural pink sleep-flush deepened to scarlet. “Way too early to be cheesy. Go back to sleep.”
“I won't be able to,” said Moon regretfully. “Sometimes I can wake up and nap again, but despite your statistics I thrive on six and a half hours of sleep. I'm awake now.”
He let out a soft sigh before opening his eyes again. “Okay,” he mumbled. “Guess I'll wake up too. Bet 'Melia wants to talk to us anyway.”
“Why?”
“Prolly to help you out with Z-Crystals. Tellin' Lillie 'n' me what to pack for therapy. Hau's invited on principle.”
“Pack for what now?”
He let go of her arm and sat up; so did Moon, intrigued by the conversation. “Therapy.” Another yawn. “Like, the super intense kind. Dunno how she does it, but 'Melia got Lillie 'n' me to agree to it. 'S gonna be like, two months. I'll go to Kanto after that. Whenever the visa comes through.”
“Oh.” It hadn't occurred to Moon that Gladion wouldn't be travelling with them anymore— let alone Lillie, who had been travelling with them since Melemele Island. “Are you doing it here?”
He shook his head. “Mother's therapy is here,” he explained. “Whenever she actually gets around to it. Wicke's putting pressure onto her to get help and shit. I think she might be working something out with Nanu about house arrest. She'll move back over here once she's fully detoxed from Nihilego. Lillie and I are going to the hospital on Poni Island. We're staying with Hapu.”
“I guess I'll see you a few times. Hau and I have a Grand Trial to do with Hapu, after all. And I've got some stuff to ask her about Z-Crystals anyway.”
“It'll be long-distance, kind of.” He turned to look at her, green eyes wary. “Are you okay with that? We should figure something out, if you're not.”
“I'm okay with literally everything. Rotom always has an Internet connection, and when you leave for Kanto we can talk with one of those free messaging apps that doesn't use cellular data. Preferably it'll do calls and video calls, too.”
“Yeah. That'll be nice.”
Gladion's voice was soft, and he looked down at his hands where they were twisted with worry over the dark-gray comforter; slowly, he pulled them apart as he lifted his shoulders, rolled them back, and let them drop. Moon interpreted this as a conscious effort to relax, and felt pride well up in her chest. He was doing so well.
“I guess we should get dressed and find some breakfast, then.” Moon pushed the comforter off her own legs and got to her feet, stretching out her arms. “I think I left my bag in Lillie's room... you think she's in there?”
Gladion didn't respond immediately. Moon glanced back and was very surprised to see his gaze focused on her pajama-shorts-clad thighs, drifting downwards. Trinh's words, from the previous day, came back to her: “He thinks he's being subtle as long as you don't see him staring, but the rest of the world exists. He ain't slick. He looks at your legs a lot.”
He blinked and looked up at her, expression suddenly guilty and very, very red. “Sorry,” he mumbled, staring back down at the blanket. His hands twisted back together. “Didn't mean to— yeah. Sorry.”
“It's fine,” Moon assured him. “I, um, kind of had the impression. It's okay.”
“It's rude .”
“It would be rude if you were treating me as just a pair of legs,” she corrected him. “But I'm pretty sure you like the person attached to them, too.”
He nodded.
“And—” This was approaching territory they had agreed not to touch, but she wanted him to be honest. “—um, as long as it's me, and you're the one looking, and you're not looking at anybody else like that, I... am sort of, um, very okay with that?”
He blinked a few times.
“Like, it's flattering,” Moon hastened to clarify. “Because I like you, and you like me, and I like that you like me. It's nice to see. It's nice to know.”
“Oh.” His brows furrowed. “It still seems a little disrespectful.”
“You're one of the least respectful people I know.”
As she thought it would, the jibe made him roll his eyes. “Okay, sure, I'm an asshole, but I'm not a total fuckin' tool . Women aren't commodities designed for my viewing pleasure, and all people are complex and nuanced regardless of gender.”
“I am so attracted to your brain,” Moon informed him, and was delighted to see him go from red to nearly maroon. “I'm going to go find some clothes, and probably use Lillie's bedroom shower unless it's occupied. Um, meet you back here in like twenty?”
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled, staring at the ground.
Moon ruffled his sleep-mussed hair and left the room, warmth welling up in her heart.
* * * * *
chat: AW, GM, LM, HA, MH
AW : Brunch will be waiting for you in the eastern dining room. Team Skull has been taking their meals there. I would like everyone in this groupchat to meet me in my office— the mansion office, not the complex office— at noon. Gladion and Lillie know where it is.
HA : coolio thx 4 tellin us
MH changed the chat name to Gladion and Lillie Support Squad
MH changed AW 's name to omnipotent and omniscient
MH changed GM 's name to poképharmacist
MH changed LM 's name to pinky mcgee
MH changed HA 's name to bottomless pit
MH changed their name to bookworm
bookworm : MUCH better
poképharmacist : Who let you have admin privileges? That was a mistake.
bookworm : Wow RUDE
omnipotent and omniscient : If this doesn't hinder anyone's ability to identify other members of the chat, I find I don't object terribly.
bottomless pit : its moon u get used 2 it
omnipotent and omniscient : Also, everyone has admin privileges in this group. I expect you will not abuse it.
bottomless pit : no ma'am
poképharmacist changed bookworm 's name to the thorn in our sides
the thorn in our sides changed poképharmacist 's name to meanie >:(
meanie >:( changed the thorn in our sides 's name to rock hunter
rock hunter changed meanie >:( 's name to null's weird dad
null's weird dad : And here I was trying to be nice to you.
pinky mcgee : I could have seen that coming from miles away, honestly.
bottomless pit : yea same
bottomless pit : @gladimoon the 2 of u r GROSS but also v cute, do not change thx
rock hunter : Oh, like you and Lillie aren't also gross?
null's weird dad : ^
Moon filled her plate with some kind of scrambled-egg stir-fry, which had cubes of ham, bits of bacon, chopped mushrooms, shredded potatoes, and diced onions; it was a very greasy-looking breakfast but that just meant it would be tasty. Gladion followed, with a withering stare at her plate— unjustified, because he had a pile of what appeared to be breadsticks with a cup of maple syrup to dip them in— and they sat down at a table across from Molly and Rogelio. Jeremiah and Ki-moon were a little further down the table with Almas, who was half-paying attention to the conversation and half fiddling with something in his lap.
“How'd y'all sleep?” said Molly, wiggling her eyebrows at Moon.
“Like an absolute log, thanks for asking.”
“And how did Gladion sleep?”
“I dunno, ask him.”
“She wanted juicy details,” laughed Rogelio, as Molly pouted. “You both left at the same time, after all.”
“There's nothing juicy about the details, you would find them boring,” Moon informed them. “We are superbly uninteresting.”
“I dunno, I think you're pretty interesting.”
Both Molly and Rogelio began cackling as Moon's face instantly heated. Gladion was sitting there nonchalantly eating, but as she glared at him he turned to look at her and winked , which was— gah . Moon allowed her brain a few seconds to reboot before turning back to frown at her delicious fried breakfast.
“That was smooth, man,” Hau greeted Gladion, sitting down on Molly's other side; Lillie was next to him, across from her brother. “Always nice to see Moon at a loss for words.”
“I didn't get the memo that it was pick on Moon day.”
Lillie blinked at her. “Why would you get a memo for something that happens every day?”
“ Hey !”
Molly whooped, leaning behind Hau to high-five Lillie. “Oh, nice .”
Despite the teasing, Moon was happy to sit with all of her friends and eat. Soft winter sunlight streaked in through tall windows, and haphazard streaks of bubblegum pink, royal blue, and harvest gold paint warmed the otherwise bleak white walls. Gladion didn't quite seem to be awake, eating slowly and frowning down at his plate; Lillie was only a little more alert, as she and Hau had tapped out from the New Year's festivities at about one in the morning. Hau, Molly, and Ki-moon were all quite chipper, as was Moon; but Rogelio, Jeremiah, and Almas shared Gladion and Lillie's lethargy.
“Hey, Al, are you talking to So—”
Rogelio, without looking up from his breakfast, placed a hand over Molly's mouth. “Shh,” he said firmly. “You are loud, and Al is easily embarrassed.”
“Right,” said Molly ruefully. Moon might have easily dismissed the exchange if it were not for the fact that firstly, Molly only backed down from jokes when they were treading really, really sensitive topics; and secondly, Almas looked up at this, glanced around the table, and nodded timidly before looking back down at what was in his lap.
“He's a lot louder over text,” she said to Gladion, as they were making their way through the maze of hallways to Wicke's office. “Like, almost as loud as Molly.”
Gladion's fingers laced through hers. “It's the only place he feels safe being loud. I can relate.”
“You're not loud over text though.”
“Whereas you're always loud, regardless of the medium of communication.”
“You like it,” retorted Moon, lifting her chin so she could look down her nose at him.
“Clearly.” There was a short pause, and then Gladion said quietly, “Almas has been through absolute shit. I'd venture to say even worse than what Lillie or I went through. You can ask him about it yourself— it's not my place to say anything.”
“It must have been really bad, if it's worse than what you went through.”
“Don't get me wrong, my mother is awful. But there's a special place in hell for Almas's birth family. I hope Giratina and Darkrai make them suffer when they die.”
There was an undercurrent of viciousness in Gladion's voice that usually only manifested when he spoke about Faba. When the discussion touched upon Lusamine's abuse it was tempered by a weariness that went to the very soul, but Faba made Gladion angry , and clearly so did Almas's birth family. Moon resolved to ask Molly and Rogelio what would be the best way to ask Almas about it. He seemed like an awfully sweet kid— and his friendship with Jeremiah and Ki-moon reminded her a lot of her own friendship with Red and Blue. They were practically siblings, but two of the three were dating each other and as such, the third might occasionally be left hanging to dry.
Hau and Lillie caught up with them at Wicke's office door; they were a couple of minutes early but Gladion knocked anyway, pausing only for the answered, “Come in, please” before opening the door and walking in. Wicke was speaking on her phone and tapping on her tablet at the same time. There were four chairs crammed into the room— clearly not a usual occurrence, judging by the unavailable real estate— and to Moon's surprise there were also several Pokémon in the room. A Clefable appeared to be sorting through paperwork on one side of Wicke's desk; an Alolan Ninetales curled up on a bookshelf behind Wicke, cleaning its fur; an Ampharos sat on a small stool next to Wicke's chair, holding a cord that was plugged into the tablet and looking bored; and a Bisharp lurked in the corner, staring at both Lillie and Gladion with malevolent eyes as they walked into the room.
“I don't think that Bisharp likes you,” said Moon under her breath.
“Joy doesn't like anyone , but she hates Mother most of all and she thinks we're evil because we look like her.”
“Is Clefable doing paperwork?”
“Yeah. 'Melia put together a color-coding system ages ago, so people's Pokémon can help as long they aren't color-blind. Red is very urgent, orange only slightly less so, and all the way through yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink, which is the lowest urgency. There's little sticky tabs on all the paperwork. Alouette sorts incoming files for her.”
“What about the other two?”
Lillie pointed at the Alolan Ninetales. “Justinian doesn't help. He thinks he's too pretty to work.”
“Tay tay nye,” said the Ninetales smugly.
Lillie rolled her eyes. “And Nikola charges Wi— sorry, Amelia's things.” The Ampharos nodded briefly and let out a soft sigh.
Wicke abruptly hung up the phone. “She also assists me with some physical therapy needs,” she said briskly, as though she'd been participating in the entire conversation. “With all the work I do, I am quite often prone to stress headaches and muscle tension. Nikola was trained here at the Paradise to perform transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy. It's not painful. A very light electrical current is run through the tensed muscles. Usually it will get worse for a few moments, but then the heat from the current loosens everything. It's treating a symptom and not a cure, but until things calm down a bit I don't really have the time for anything else.”
“Which is literally what you've been saying for the last seven years,” pointed out Lillie with a frown. “You really should take better care of yourself.”
Wicke merely smiled. “I'll work on it,” she said, in a tone that sounded quite sincere to Moon but at which Gladion and Lillie both narrowed their eyes. “Anyway, I have penciled you in for a twenty-minute meeting, after which I must take a video call from the president of the our branch in Kalos. So, to begin with— your plans from this point.”
“Well, Moon and I are finishing the island challenge,” said Hau, glancing at Moon. “And Moon's got her Z-Crystal thing, for Necrozma.”
“Indeed.” Wicke's head tilted slightly— questioningly— at Gladion. “Shall I?”
He shook his head. “Lillie and I are doing therapy,” he said, a bit brusquely. “Arceus knows we fucking need it.”
Lillie nodded. Hau didn't seem surprised; Lillie had probably already told him, as Gladion had told Moon.
“I know you and Hau are both eager to set out,” said Wicke, looking at Moon. “Would you mind dropping Gladion and Lillie off at Kahuna Hapu's home... either tomorrow, or the day after? When are you planning on leaving?”
Moon hesitated. She wanted to start getting the rest of the Z-Crystals— there was a soft, aching need inside her to help, to make things right for Necrozma. At the same time, she wouldn't see Gladion or Lillie very often for the next few months, and it would be nice to have a little more time with them. “The day after tomorrow,” she decided. “If that's okay with you, Hau?”
“Fine by me.”
“Thank you. That gives everyone a little more time to get their things together.” Wicke nodded, lips pursing. “Now, will you need any assistance with the Z-Crystals from Aether? Is there anything we could provide that would help you?”
It was a generous offer, but Moon only had one thing in mind. “Yeah, actually. Um, so did Lillie ever tell you how I ran into Dr. Colress on Route Eight, and he had like this neat scanner thingy that could pick up Z-Crystals and unusual Pokémon auras and stuff like that?”
“She mentioned your meeting, and I already knew about the scanner. Dr. Colress splits his time between the Route Eight facility and the Route Sixteen facility; they are both isolated in nature, which is what he prefers. I believe he has a spare scanner, if that is what you are asking about?”
“Yeah. I've got a general idea where to look for the Z-Crystals and so on, but once I get to a place I need to be able to narrow it down.”
“I will get in touch with him directly. A courier should be able to bring it by the end of the day. Is there anything else you need?”
Moon found herself almost uncomfortable under the intensity of Wicke's gaze. There was still a slight smile on her face, as always; but it seemed as though she were waiting for an answer to a question that hadn't been asked.
“I don't think so,” she said finally. “If I need anything I'll let you know.” An idea popped into mind. “Is there anything you need from me?”
One of Wicke's eyebrows rose. “There might be. I understand you are acquainted with Kanto's Professor Samuel Oak.”
“I guess being the neighbor's annoying kid who tags along after your grandson and his soulmate everywhere is kind of an acquaintance, yeah.”
“I'm sure the Professor doesn't see it that way,” said Wicke, though the corners of her mouth curled in amusement. “I doubt that Gladion has any special requests regarding his planned journey to Kanto—”
“What?” said Lillie and Hau in unison.
“I'm doing the Gym challenge, catch up,” said Gladion, a lazy smirk drifting onto his face.
“—but I would like to ask you to make the introduction anyway,” continued Wicke, seamlessly speaking over Hau's and Lillie's indignation. “Having access to Professor Oak's experience and knowledge and more importantly, his resources, may greatly aid Gladion while he is there. It would make my mind easier to know that he is taken care of, in some small way.”
“I can't promise you anything,” Moon warned her. “Professor Oak has always been... not crotchety, exactly, but terse. He has a soft spot for Blue that's extended to Red. He kind of tolerates me, probably because he knew I wasn't going to bug him about getting a Pokémon. Because I couldn't afford one. Sorry, that's irrelevant. The point is that it would be smarter for me to ask Blue to ask his grandad. Better results.”
“I wouldn't complain about a connection with a widely respected gym leader, either.” Wicke's gaze was narrow. “Gladion would be the one making the connection, but he and I both know that socializing and maintaining professional relationships is more my area than his. I have some ties to Silph Co. through R&D, but I'd like to cultivate a trade of knowledge with Samuel Oak on behalf of the Aether Foundation.”
“Oh, so this is like business business. Yeah, I should definitely ask Blue first. He majored in Pokébio and he's technically a scientist as well as a Gym leader, but he's also way more a people person than his grandad. Red is socially hopeless.”
“You really don't have to,” muttered Gladion. “Like, sure, do it for Wicke or for Aether. But you don't have to mention me.”
“No, I kind of have to,” said Moon, turning to look at him. “Red and Blue are pretty much my older brothers, and if you're doing a gym challenge you're going to see both of them eventually. If I don't tell them my boyfriend is coming to Kanto to do a gym challenge, they're going to lose their collective shit at me. I've been on the receiving end of both of them being mad at me, but never at the same time.”
Gladion blushed violently as Hau, Lillie, and Wicke all stifled laughter. “Um— sure, whatever.”
“I'll shoot him a note, no biggie. I bet you anything they'll volunteer to meet you at the airport.”
He sighed. “Should I expect the shovel talk?”
“Probably, but Blue is a twig and Red looks scarier than he actually is. You have nothing to worry about, unless they invite you for dinner and Red is cooking. Then you know you've fucked up, because if Blue is actually allowing him to cook then they're legit trying to kill you.”
“As enlightening as this insight into perhaps two of the world's most famous Trainers is,” said Wicke dryly, “it is no longer entirely relevant to the discussion at hand. Feel free to pass out my contact information to any of them, and do ask if you may pass theirs on to me. I assure you I will be a terribly well-behaved and charming business associate.”
“Yeah, I can do that. I'll get back to you soon.”
“Thank you.” Wicke studied her for a few moments, then got to her feet and turned around, taking a ring of physical keys from the pocket of her skirt. The Alolan Ninetales shifted on the cabinet he was sitting on, moving his voluptuous tails to reveal a keyhole and a numeric dial— a combination safe with an additional lock.
“It does not come close to what the two of you are owed, for the physical assistance in Ultra Space and the escort on Poni Island— not to mention the friendship and love you have given to Gladion and Lillie or even my own personal gratitude for services rendered,” she said, one hand covering the dial as she turned it; the Ninetales' tails flicked back down to block Moon from seeing the combination, but she heard the lock click. “But you may consider it a down payment.”
The cabinet opened, and closed. Wicke turned around, with two closed fists; she leaned across the desk, held one hand each out to Moon and to Hau, and opened her hands.
“Holy shit that's a Master Ball,” blurted out Hau.
“Indeed. The Aether Paradise keeps about twenty on hand; we use them for any Pokémon that cause major destruction when injured. A beached Wailord, for instance, can and has flattened palm trees and small houses. The Geodude, Gible, and Trapinch families can all cause earthquakes, and we have long since relocated any Electric-types from anywhere near the vicinity of Po Town. The Magby and Magmar of Wela Volcano have periodically caused fires on Routes Five and Six. If we cannot quell a hurt Pokémon any other way and lives are in danger, we use a Master Ball to contain it, later releasing the Pokémon inside. Aether uses them as rescue tools, but I know that Master Balls are highly prized among Trainers for their failsafe ability.”
“Aren't they super expensive though?” Moon took the offered Master Ball anyway, carefully tucking it into her belt.
“They are,” said Wicke neutrally. “As long-standing customers, Silph Co. has offered us a considerable discount. However, I could give you each ten fully-priced Master Balls, and I would not consider it enough to repay the debt I owe you.”
Moon frowned, opening her mouth, but Hau beat her to it. “It's not like that for us,” he said firmly. “Look, you say we've done a lot for you and we have, but some of it's been for us, too. Nobody asked Moon to give away her Z-Crystals, and nobody asked either of us to be friends with Lillie or Gladion. We do that stuff because we want to. It's a privilege to be friends with Lillie and Gladion. It's a privilege to be with Lillie. You don't owe us anything for that.”
“Honestly we should be paying you,” joked Moon, squeezing Gladion's hand. “For some reason, your kids seem to like spending time with weirdos like us.”
There was a pause, as she registered what she'd said.
“Oh my god, I'm so sor—”
“If you apologize for that, I'm taking back the Master Ball.”
Wicke's voice was so soft that Moon wouldn't have heard it if the older woman didn't have such a powerful command of the room. Her eyes blazed with fire and something like joy— and even what seemed to be glittering, unshed tears.
“Anyway, this has been very productive,” she continued, a little louder. “But it's three minutes until my phone meeting, so I must ask you to leave now. Thank you for your help. I will likely see you off when you leave. Good afternoon.”
Gladion stood up and hastily ushered Moon out; Lillie was doing the same with Hau. The Bisharp was glaring at Moon now as well; she shrugged helplessly at it before the door closed.
“I feel so bad, I really didn't mean to—”
“Oh my god, would you shut up.”
His arms were around her, so tightly she almost couldn't breathe. Moon vaguely heard Lillie sniffling, and Hau mumbling something that sounded comforting.
“Literally that was the highest compliment you could have paid Wicke,” Gladion informed her. “She would never say it, but we all know she's been more of a mother than fucking Lusamine ever was.”
That was obvious, and it was why Moon had made the joke in the first place; but it hadn't occurred to her that it was such a delicate topic before she'd opened her mouth.
The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and packing. Gladion and Lillie had rather different preparations to make since they would be staying at Hapu's house rather than camping and hiking; Lillie, in particular, seemed to favor the more dressy, feminine clothes she hadn't bothered with while they'd been in the wilds. And Moon was really not prepared for how Gladion, with a scrunched-up and extremely annoyed expression, came into Lillie's room to ask if Moon still had the scarf he'd lent her in the caves of the Vast Poni Canyon.
“U-uh,” managed Moon. Her brain was trying to process the white sweater with rolled-up sleeves, as well as that's a lot of rings why does he have so many rings.
“Why are you talking about me in the third person?” said Gladion, staring at her, and Moon realized she'd spoken out loud. Whoops. “I'm literally right here. Also, I'm trying to decide which ones I like. I started buying them when I was rebelling against Lusamine because she hated them, but then I kind of grew to like them. I took and sold most of them when I ran away, but I guess I left a few of them here.”
There was something almost suspicious in his eyes, and Lillie had retreated to her bathroom to, Moon was sure, laugh in private. Hau, peering over Gladion's shoulder, was grinning widely, and held up one hand as he mouthed, “hands.”
“The scarf?” said Gladion, and Moon saw he was flushed again which meant she was embarrassing him and she needed to stop. She blinked rapidly, thinking back to the scarf.
“I-I think I still have it. Do you need it back?”
“No, Poni Island is very mild.” He coughed, uncomfortable. “I just wanted to be sure I knew where it was. Lillie made it for me when she was a lot younger.”
“You can have it back,” offered Moon, grateful for the opportunity to turn around as she unzipped her backpack. “I won't need a scarf until I get to Lanakila, and frankly I'm probably going to need an entire snowsuit anyway.”
He nodded. “I'd rather keep it safe,” he murmured. “I wouldn't mind you taking it with you, but it's rather old and you have a long, rough journey ahead. I'll make it up to you.”
“It's all good, don't worry about it.”
That earned a noncommittal hum, which Moon interpreted as “say what you like but I've already made up my mind.” It was something she'd heard Wicke do as well. Like mother, like son came to mind.
Of course, she didn't really comprehend how exactly Gladion had made up his mind until he walked into the bedroom that Rogelio and Almas were sharing, where Moon, Molly, Rogelio, Cassie, Jeremiah, Ki-moon, Almas, and the purple-haired girl named Raquel were hanging out and playing parchesi. Or rather, Moon, Molly, Jeremiah, and Raquel were playing parchesi. Rogelio, with Ki-moon's assistance, was hanging up almost an entire new wardrobe's worth of clothes in the closet with a slightly dazed expression on his face. Almas was lying on his bed with a small video game system in his hands, clearly listening to all of the joking and screaming if the little smile on his face was anything to go by; and Cassie was on her phone, looking considerably less amused. Moon had already come to learn that this didn't mean she was annoyed. Cassie, much like Gladion, was prone to what Moon had often heard termed “resting bitch face.”
Gladion knocked, an apprehensive expression on his face; he was holding a shopping bag with the logo of one of the stores in the Paradise mall— the same mall to which they'd taken Rogelio earlier, to buy some nicer clothes in preparation for the not-seduction of Jack. Rogelio had been surprisingly amenable to the plan, even though it was (in Moon's opinion) a shitty plan. And he hadn't been the only one to go shopping, either; all of the Team Skull kids had some new things. They tended to stick to the monochrome palettes as Gladion had done originally, but now there were a few splashes of color. Molly's new high-top sneakers in electric lime; a terracotta-colored sweater that was too long in the sleeves for Ki-moon and made him look like a pouty Torracat; and slender lilac jeans that fit Cassie perfectly.
“Did I forget a bag?” said Rogelio apprehensively, eyeing Gladion's bag with a wary expression.
Gladion glanced down at the bag in question, as though he'd forgotten he was holding it; and promptly flushed. “No. Um— this is... for Moon.”
He mumbled her name almost inaudibly but her heart still skipped a beat. “Oh,” she managed.
“Is it lingerie?”
“Jeremiah!” chorused six exasperated voices, as Moon's face heated into a blush to match Gladion's.
“Because I'm very not into that. Moon's pretty and all, but I really do not swing that way.”
“Would you shut up,” hissed Ki-moon, grabbing Jeremiah's ear and pinching it so that Jeremiah let out a wounded yelp. “You don't just fucking ask questions like that, they only started dating all of a couple days ago!”
“The fuck?” said Raquel, frowning. “A couple of days ago?”
Molly rolled her eyes. “They only admitted it a couple of days ago, but they've basically been dating for like... well, I dunno, actually.”
“When Moon got lost in the desert,” said Rogelio placidly.
“We were barely talking at that point,” protested Moon, though it was hard for her to hear herself over the thudding of her heart in her ears.
“I'm sure none of this is relevant,” said Gladion, his tone more than a little cold; but he held the bag out to Moon. “Here.”
She took it and he turned to leave, but she reached out and wrapped her hand around his ankle. “Stay and hang out,” she said, smiling up at him when he turned to look at her. “I don't get to spend time with these guys very often, and we're both leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“I've spent enough time with them in fucking Po Town, thanks,” snarked Gladion, but the bite was taken out of the remark when he sat down against the wall next to the door. There was some distance between him and Moon, which was probably because he was still embarrassed over the lingerie question.
“Open it,” said Molly. “If it is lingerie, I actually do want to see it.”
“Oh my god, it's not going to be lingerie.” Moon rolled her eyes, reaching into the bag.
“How do you know?”
She proved herself correct when her hands brushed something soft and woolly, and she immediately knew what it was, drawing out first a scarf and then a hat and mittens. The yarn used to make them was primarily an eye-searing shade of red, but there were streaks of other colors that complimented it: magenta, violet, orange, gold, and even a bit of warm, soft green.
“Oh my god, their faces,” said Jeremiah in a loud whisper. “That's like, the softest shit I've ever seen in my life.”
“You are the reason I'm going to end up in jail,” snapped Gladion, the flush darkening once more. “Because I'm going to murder you, and I will string your dead body up on the Aether flagpole.”
“I'll help you,” muttered Ki-moon.
“Hey!”
Moon rubbed the soft yarn between her fingertips for a few moments, marveling in the braid-like texture of knitted material and the nice colors.
“It's cute that it's mostly red,” remarked Molly nonchalantly.
“Why?”
“That's his favorite color.”
Moon had already known this, but the glare that Gladion shot Molly's way told her that it had probably actually been a factor in the purchase decision. She lifted the hat, pulling it on over her hair and ears; then she wrapped the scarf around her neck and pulled the mittens on, surprised and pleased to discover that they were combination mittens, with a large mitten pocket over the fingers that could be buttoned back to reveal fingerless gloves.
“They're really nice,” she said, feeling a lump rise to her throat as she looked at Gladion. “Thank you.”
He nodded once.
Moon hesitated— but she didn't want to ask him for anything else, didn't want to embarrass him any further in front of the others. She just smiled down at the tassels on the scarf, running them between her fingers.
“Y-you look nice.”
It was barely audible, but the hush that fell over the room after was so tangible that she could not dismiss the compliment as merely hearing things. She peeked up at Gladion again, saw that he was watching her; and a frisson of warmth went from her spine to her toes.
“Thank you,” she said again, offering him a smile.
“I love love,” announced Molly, and Gladion looked as though he were about to start yelling but Moon set the bag down and scooted across the floor without standing to where Gladion sat, winding her arms around his waist and pressing her forehead into his collarbone.
After a few moments she felt him return the favor, and then there was a brief, fleeting pressure on the crown of her head which caused the entire room to explode with noise. Molly and Jeremiah were both screaming with excitement, with Ki-moon and Rogelio trying to calm them down.
“Quit being assholes,” said Gladion flatly. “We're acting just like any other couple.”
“To be fair,” pointed out Cassie, “Molly does the same thing every time she sees Jeremiah and Ki-moon being affectionate.”
“Yeah, but Jeremiah feeds off that shit, whereas it just annoys me. Let me do stuff without making it into a big fucking deal.”
It was too warm inside to continue to wear the hat and scarf and mittens, so she let Gladion go and began peeling off the mittens.
“I still have your beanie,” he said to her quietly, ignoring the conversation around them— Rogelio and Ki-moon having taken over Gladion's half of the argument for him. “The one you lent me in the caves. Do you—”
“You can keep— oh my god, I interrupted you, I'm sorry.”
Gladion huffed out a soft laugh. “Better,” he murmured, meeting her eyes. “You're doing better at that. Do you want the beanie back?”
Moon shook her head as she unwound the scarf from her neck. “No, you can keep it.”
His eyes swam with some intense emotion, and Moon was unable to look away. Then he lifted one hand, reaching out, and brushed his fingertips along her cheek.
“Moon, are you still playing?” called Raquel.
“U-um, yeah,” stammered Moon. “Just a sec.” She lowered her voice again. “Will you stay?”
“If you want me to.”
She nodded, offering him a smile as she pulled the hat off. “I kind of like having you around.”
It was cheesy and he snorted, but a tiny smirk lifted the corner of his mouth as well. “Same here.”
Moon was going to die, but that was fine. It was all fine.
She managed to turn her attention back to the game, and Gladion went over to sit on Almas's bed and talk quietly; but from time to time she could still feel his eyes on her. She always turned to smile at him, when she felt it; and she always caught him just as he was looking away, a seemingly permanent pinkness to his cheeks even while he seemed to be relaxed and comfortable.
They had tomorrow, but the day after that they would be going their separate ways. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous about the distance; but at the same time there was an aspect of Gladion-over-text that she liked just as much as she did Gladion-in-person. He was a little more soft, a little more awkward in person— just like Moon, frankly. But Gladion-over-text was confident, sarcastic, dryly funny— and often unabashedly honest, in a way that made her heart flutter. She would miss the hugs and the soft pecks pressed to cheeks and forehead; but that didn't mean her feelings would wane. Absence was said to make the heart grow fonder; and Moon was also quite sure that distance would make their bond grow stronger.
* * * * *
[Draft] To: [email protected], [email protected]
From: [email protected]
RE: Stuff I have something to tell you Recent experiences Life and near-death updates
Hey, we haven't talked in a whi
So recently I've been through some sh
I don't think I'm okay. Like I'm kind of okay, but also kind of not okay, and I'm not really sure which it is at any given mo
I went to fucking space and it was the worst kind of neat when we weren't trying not to die really weird
I don't know how to write this goddamn email, I used to be able to tell you guys anything
I have like a favor I need to ask you
Low-key I have a boyfriend now and I need advice about boys, which I'm sure Blue has in spades
I miss feeling like your little sister. Like when I spent time with you I always felt safe and happy. I wouldn't change things, I wouldn't go back at all. But I miss feeling safe. I don't know when that sto
I'm writing half about me and half about like a business propositiony thing for the professor from the Aether Founda
Fuck it I'm deleting this fucking email I clearly need to think about it more