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A loud bang of thunder shook the Galar region as it followed a blinding bolt of lightning. The weather channel had been threatening a storm all morning, and by the late afternoon, it finally seemed to have come. Victor was sitting on the sofa of his cottage, given to him by the Rose Foundation for becoming champion, a book in his lap, but he couldn't bring himself to read it. He was busy focusing, as he had a bad habit of doing, on his Rotom-phone instead. The Galar News Network had just published a piece about breakthroughs in Dynamax research, and saying Victor cared about the article would have been a lie. His interest lay more in the boy-no, man standing next to Professor Sonia. He was taller now, and his face was incredibly stubbly, but his eyes still lit up with enthusiasm, and he stood posed, shaking his fists in what was obviously sheer excitement. The image brought a smile to Victor's face. He really missed Hop being around all the time. Sure, they messaged each other often, and even had the occasional phone call, but that didn't measure up to seeing the look on Hop's face when he saw his best friend for the first time in a while-
"WOOF!" A loud bark shook Victor from his thoughts. When he finally tore his eyes away from the photo of Hop, he saw his Boltund standing by the door, practically dancing with excitement.
Of course, Victor thought, the thunderstorm. He rolled his eyes at his Boltund and slowly stood up, stretching lazily before walking to the door.
"All right, fine." He said as he slipped a beep collar around the neck of the eager dog, who was now jumping at the thought of playing in the storm. "But if you get struck by lightning, you had better go battle it out of you, I won't have you coming inside and blowing another fuse."
The dog whimpered momentarily at the accusation, but nonetheless zipped out the door the moment it opened. Victor sighed, and made to shut the door, but something in the sky caught his eye as he did. Surely, no one was taking a Flying Taxi while the sky looked like this? When the rain would be pouring down at any moment?
"Hey! Victor!" A voice cried out from the sky, and once it got close enough, Victor realized that it wasn't a Flying Taxi, but Hop, riding on his Corviknight, which looked very disheveled, as if it too thought that flying in a storm was incredibly stupid for a Steel-Type Pokemon to be doing, and that the only solution would be to get to its destination as soon as possible.
"Hop!" Victor yelled in surprise as the purple-haired boy landed his Pokemon in front of the cottage. "Are you insane? It's about to storm! He's a steel type!" Victor rushed, not to Hop, but to Corviknight, who cawed accusingly at Hop, clearly happy that someone else shared his displeasure, and allowed Victor to pet his beak, closing his eyes comfortably.
Hop jumped down from his Pokemon and shrugged his shoulders. "It isn't even raining yet!" He argued defensively, taking out a Pokeball and calling back his Corviknight. "Is that any way to thank me for coming all this way to see you?" He added, the snark in his voice retreating as he wrapped his arms around his friend, who had rushed forward to hug him. "Wow, miss me much?" He smirked.
"Terribly," Victor said into Hops shoulder, "you're a damn sight nicer to look at than Raihan's Duraludon, believe me." He pulled away slightly to look Hop in the face, but kept his arms around him. "I thought you would be stuck in the lab, I just read about some breakthrough you made."
"SOME breakthrough?!" Burst Hop, a mock look of offense on his stubbly face. "As if it won't affect you, Mr. Champion." He grinned at his friend, "Sonia gave me the weekend off, so I thought I'd come stay with you. Without asking first, of course." He winked at Victor, who finally let go of his embrace.
"You're always welcome here." Victor said as he stood aside, letting Hop come in.
----
Five minutes later, Hop was sitting cross legged on the ottoman in Victor's posh living room, while Victor was busying himself in the kitchen, preparing tea for the two of them. He looked around the room, and couldn't help but feel like he was home. It was Victor's house, of course, but Hop came to stay as often as he could, just like he had done when the two of them were growing up in Postwick.
"I've just gone to the shops this morning, so I've got plenty in." Victor said from the kitchen, poking his head out the door frame. "Hungry?"
"I'm starving." Replied Hop as he smiled excitedly at his friend. "Got any curry?"
Hop ignored Victor's scoff of astonishment as he went back into the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later, not with curry, but with tea and biscuits.
"You're going to get a stomach ache if you eat curry for every meal" Victor said as he sat down on the couch in front of Hop, taking his tea and stirring in a sugar cube. "But that never bothered you on the road, did it? You and Boltund used to fight over the leftovers." Hop watched Victor sip from his tea, a small, peaceful smile on his usually blank and collected face. Hop took a biscuit and shoved it in his mouth, "You always made the best curry," He said, washing his biscuit down with his own tea, which had a lovely spice to it. "I never had the patience to make it on my own, I always burned it." Hop looked up from his tea at Victor, who just shrugged.
"I'm glad you're here." Victor said casually, although a slight blush was starting to creep up his neck. "I always miss you when we don't get to see each other."
Hop blushed a bit too, but his face lit up in a smile anyway. "I miss you too, mate." He said as he got up and sat down on the couch next to Victor, sitting too close, as always, but he knew Victor didn't mind, in fact, Victor pressed their shoulders together. "I'd love for us to be kids again, all we did was chase Wooloo and sneak into Leon's room to look at his 'magazines.'"
Victor was taking a sip of his tea as Hop said this, and ended up sending it out of his nose when he laughed, caught completely off guard by Hop's comment. "I'd nearly forgotten about that" He said once he returned from blowing the tea from his nose. "He didn't make them very hard to find, and he was never home." Victor sat back down next to Hop, who instinctively wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Victor turned his head and looked Hop in the face, but hesitated in saying anything. The way Hop was looking at him had frozen him solid. He gazed softly into Victor's eyes, a content smile on his face.
Victor reached up and lightly placed his hand on Hop's cheek, brushing his thumb against his stubble.
"You need a shave, or does Sonia like a bit of stubble on you?" Victor tried to hide the contempt in his voice, but he wasn't sure it worked, for Hop's eyes widened slightly at his words.
"Bugger what she thinks, mate." Hop's face was barely inches from Victor's now, he barely had to speak above a whisper to be heard. "But if you don't like it, I wouldn't mind shaving."
Victor shook his head softly, "There isn't a thing about you I don't like, Hop." He said just as quietly as he leaned in closer, parting his lips in anticipation for the inevitable-
"BOOF!" For the second time that day, Boltund had barked as loud as he could, and it made both Hop and Victor jump. Blushing horribly, Victor quickly got up and rushed to the door, barely having to open it before Boltund rushed, sopping wet, and covered in mud, straight for Hop, who only had a moment to react.
"Woah! Hey buddy! It's been a-OUCH!"
With a loud thud, Boltund had knocked both himself and Hop off of the couch, where they landed in a jumbled, muddy mess on the floor.
Victor had started to laugh, but he had quickly noticed Boltund standing stiffer against Hop's chest. "Boltund, no!" He had started, trying to get to the dog first, but it was too late. Boltund had seemed to feel that he had not caused enough of a mess, and that the only way to solve this issue was to shake violently, sending water and mud all around the room. Victor watched this happen almost in slow motion, knowing that there was nothing he could do. "Bad!" He yelled loudly, as he stomped across the room to his bag, which was sitting next to the door. He rummaged around inside it for a moment, then withdrew his arm, now holding the Pokeball he had taken from within. With a press of the button, Boltund had been recalled back inside, and Victor replaced the ball in his bag.
Quickly, Victor rushed over to Hop, who had yet to get off of the floor in his soggy dismay. "I'm sorry Hop, I know better than to let him out in a thunderstorm, he just gets me with his puppy- you're a mess." He stopped as he reached Hop and looked down at him, a small smirk on his face.
"Oi, thanks mate." Hop said sarcastically as he held up his hand, which Victor took and pulled him to his feet. "You don't mind if I shower, yeah?"
Victor nodded. "That's fine, I'll get you a towel."
---
After twenty minutes of scrubbing mud out of his hair, Hop stepped out of the shower into the steamy bathroom before him. He grabbed the towel Victor gave him from the vanity and started to dry himself off. Once he was finished, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to the mirror. Once he had wiped away the steam, Hop stared at his reflection. He really was getting a bit too stubbly. Did Victor like it? He made a comment earlier, something about Sonia.
Does Victor really still resent Sonia? Hop thought. I told him there wasn't anything to worry about.
Hop sighed to himself as he picked Victor's razor out from the vanity drawer and started to shave away his stubble.
"I don't much fancy the idea of losing my best friend." He recalled Victor saying, years ago, when Victor had just become Champion and Hop had just started working with Sonia in the Wedgehurst Laboratory.
"Come on, you'll never lose me, Vic!" Hop had assured him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Sonia was Lee's rival, not mine! You know it's always going to be me and you, we're the heroes in our story!"
This hadn't completely reassured Victor, Hop could tell, but he also knew he wouldn't press the issue.
"All right, just." Victor sighed. "Be careful, Hop. I know you can't help it, but... you have a certain way of making everyone fall a little bit in love with you."
Once his face was nice and smooth, Hop set the razor back down and washed his face off. "You've got it all wrong mate," Hop grumbled at the mirror as he closed the vanity back up. "You're the one people fall in love with, including me."
Hop finished up in the bathroom and walked down the hallway, turning the corner and standing in the doorway of Victor's bedroom. Victor, having already changed for bed, was lying over his bed covers, scrolling absentmindedly on his Rotom-Phone. Hop grinned and struck a pose, leaning his slender body against the door frame in a suggestive pose. "Well, how do I look?" His grin widened as Victor looked up at him, and gave him a bored look of mock disinterest.
"Like a prat who didn't ask to use my razor." Victor said as he got up lazily from the bed and walked over to Hop. He put his hand on his cheek, and felt the smoothness of his face. "Sooo soft."
Hop leaned into Victor's touch and smiled softly at his friend, taking a step closer to him and resting his hand at the other's hip. "Well, I couldn't have you not liking me over some stubble, could I?"
Victor sighed. His gaze moving to the floor. "I shouldn't have said what I did earlier," Victor paused, apparently struggling to find the words. I know I have no reason to be jealous of Sonia but-" he brought his eyes back to Hop, softly returning his gaze. "I dunno. I guess I'd just love to be with you as often as she is." His voice was barely above a whisper again. "I'm not good at sharing my feelings, Hop, but I'm trying. I think what I mean to say is-"
"Can I kiss you?" Hop interrupted, he hadn't meant to say it, but standing there with Victor, barely even a foot away from his face, was too much for Hop to handle. He wanted to kiss his best friend, and if he was hearing it right, Victor wanted to kiss him too.
The look of surprise on Victor's face was short lived, for he did not answer, but instead closed the gap between the two of them before Hop could wait for a response.
Something deep inside Hop roared to life, and he was kissing Victor back. Not necessarily forcefully, but with a soft passion that he never wanted to let go of. Victor responded with the same muted passion, bringing his hand around and cupping the back of Hop's neck, gently pulling him closer. The kiss could have lasted for hours, for time seemed to move differently in this new, lust filled world, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed. When they finally broke apart, the silence they shared wasn't forced or awkward, but hesitant, as if they were both waiting to see how the other felt.
"Hop." Victor said, no longer whispering, his voice seemed to ring in Hop's ears once it returned to normal volume. It made Hop want to flinch.
"Yeah mate?" He said hesitantly, pulling away from Victor to look him in the face again. Victor was bright red.
"You're not wearing any clothes." Victor said as he turned away from Hop, covering his blushing face with his hands, which muffled his voice. "I want to kiss you again, but..." Victor looked back up at Hop for a moment, but seemed to have decided better, because he covered his face with his hands again. You-you should get dressed first."
This, Hop suddenly realized, had not occurred to him, for he momentarily looked down at his bare chest, and let out a sudden, loud laugh. "You're right mate," he said afterwards, walking to Victor and pulling him towards the door. "I'm gonna borrow some clothes, so get lost a minute."
Victor stopped suddenly just outside his bedroom door, and turned to face Hop, a look of near disbelief on his face. "Do you mean to say" he started, holding out his arm to stop Hop from shutting the door on him. "That you flew all the way here to stay who knows how long, and you didn't bother to pack any clothes?"
Hop's sheepish grin was answer enough, and Victor rolled his eyes. "Just don't make a mess," He said as he moved his arm, allowing Hop to close the door.
"No promises!" Hop said, his voice muffled from behind the door, and Victor smiled to himself. Good ol' Hop.