Chapter Text
Ash and Gou stumbled off the plane with a lot of luggage, they were planning to stay in Alola for quite a while. Ash and Lillie made eye contact and immediately ran to each other, leaving Gou stranded with the luggage. He eventually found them and they took off in Lillie’s car. They reached Lillie’s house, it was huge.
She took Gou around and then took him to get lunch, telling him that she and Ash had to have a separate meal to discuss something. Lillie took Gou to his room last and let him get settled in and told “Go anywhere in the house but just don’t disturb Ash and I, please? Gou nods and drops his stuff.
He unzips his suitcase and begins to put things in their spots, he sings whilst doing this. After unpacking, he walks around a bit and then goes in a loop before hearing guitar strumming and a beautiful voice.
It was the song ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ by Angel Olsen. Gou loves that song. He walked towards the music source and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” The voice replies. Gou turns the handle and sees a beautiful boy with blond hair and bangs pushed to one-side sitting with a red and black electric guitar.
“Oh, so, your Ash’s company?” The boy says, Gou nods.
“Do you need anything?” The boy asks.
He turns to leave but then turns back and says “Was that Angel Olsen's ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’?” The boy nods.
“You’ve got taste. I’m Gladion, Lillie’s older brother.” Gou stands awkwardly in the doorway “I’m Gou from Vermillion City in Kanto.”
Gladion waves “Hey Gou, since you know the song - do you wanna listen to me play,” He asks “Or sing or something, I heard you sing earlier when I went to get water.”
Gou blushes “O-oh you did? I think I’ll listen to you play for now.” Gladion motions for him to take a seat and Gou sits next to him. Gladion plays the song from where he stopped.
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“Song requests?” Gladion says after he’d finished.
Gou thinks “Incoherent Love Songs by P.S. Eliot.”
Gladion smiles “I love that song, here we go.”
“The same hair colour, the same tattoos - you've got unlimited resources or nothing to lose. You make a choice and you were always afraid of dying” He sings deeply and his voice sounding a bit husky, Gou’s distinct blush continues to grow.
“And I know I've been distant and I've filled you with doubt.” Gladion looks at the space in front of him, glaring.
“But I've been heartbroken and I figured out we all make a choice.” His glare is filled with pain and scorn. “And I've never been afraid of dying.” Gladion sounds tired like it’s happened and he’s just done.
He then smiles gently and sings bolder than before “But it's fine because I'm already hardly alive.” Pain is evident in his voice, he tries to cover it but it’s there. “We keep on holding on, hostile or withdrawn.”
He stares out with fondness and strumming pace increasing. “It's our will, our way, live through it every day.” Gladion seems like he’s letting go of something hurting him, he seems free when he lets himself sing.
“And I don't really care to stop it because…” He looks around the room and then settles at the pokeballs sitting on his desk and a smile grazes his lips “We've brought it all on ourselves for so long and it helps us to remain valiant.”
He moves his fingers gracefully across the frets, he even looked good singing. “Harboring affection, you pull me in too deep.”
He rolls his eyes. “Just for female attention or some form of relief and we'll just come back.” Gladion shakes his head. “We're always ashamed of trying.”
It felt to Gou like Gladion was just angry but letting it go through the song. He just felt angry, his body and his aura were two separate things. His body was graceful and gentle but he felt done, hurt and angered.
“It's all so familiar, all of this pent-up regret behind last night's mascara and 10 dollar bets that you knew you'd lose.” Gladion smiles at an old memory.
“But you've never been ashamed of trying.” Gou looks at his face, he looks remorseful.
“The same apprehension, the same subtlety. It's been 3 years and you still tread on me.” The same sadness lingers in his voice.
“It's not a choice, it's a struggle to stay conscious.” He slows his strumming pace down and then strums carefully “Some romantic metaphor, it's an uncanny sign. Baby, I'll be your muse if you'll always be mine.”
He strums a bit more, gazes fixed on Gou and almost whispers “We spell it out in incoherent love songs.”
Gou and Gladion sit in silence and Gladion says “I wanna perform with you,”
"Really?!" Gou smiles “I’d love too, but maybe not today.”
Gladion nods and then grabs Gou’s arm “Don’t tell Lillie or Ash or anyone, please, it’s my hobby but I just don’t want them knowing.”
Gou nods again “These lips are now sealed.”