Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Waking up in a warm bed wasn’t a… new concept to you, but it certainly was surprising. 

The last thing you remember, you were nowhere near a bed. Instead, you were on Glaseado Mountain in Montenevera. Hassel had a work trip with the league and invited you to come with, and it’s not like there’s much to do when he isn’t at the academy. So, of course you said yes. It made Hassel happy to have you and you got a free vacation. A classic win-win.

Or so you thought. Because, while Hassel was in his morning meeting with the league members in some meeting hall, you left your safe and warm rental cabin to explore. It was freezing, but beautiful outside. And you were more than interested in checking out the local pokemon. And so you wandered until you found a small lake just outside of town. You saw a woman dressed in white by the shore and approached her. 

And now you were here. 

You groaned, suddenly cold and achy, and your head throbbed violently. As you curled in on yourself, a warm hand grasped and squeezed your shoulder. The bed dipped beside you and you forced your eyes open in a squint. In the dim light, smiling worriedly down at you, was Hassel.

“You’re awake.” He said, his voice only slightly shaking. “You took quite the fall earlier.”

“I think I was almost murdered?” You mumbled and Hass raised an eyebrow. You forced yourself to sit, Hassel supporting you as you did so. He then handed you a glass of water and some pills from the nightstand and you took them greedily.

“Saw a lady on the lake. Went to talk to her and then…” You gestured to the room around you, which you now realized was your room in the rental. It was cosy, a pretty fireplace set at the foot of the luxuriously fluffy double bed.  The decoration was sparse, but elegant. Much like Montenevera itself.

“Ah.” Hassel laughed mirthlessly. “A froslass, maybe?”

“A Pokemon?”

“Yes. They look like women dressed in white. They have a history of tricking people with their looks and harming them.”

“That’s probably it.” You sighed through your nose and rubbed at your arms, trying to regain some warmth. It was then that you noticed you were no longer wearing your clothes, but an oversized shirt. You weren’t sure about your underwear, but you definitely couldn’t feel your bra. “Hass..?”

“A local heard you fall into the lake and rescued you. He had his son run and get Ryme while he kept you alive.” His face crumbled and you could tell he was barely keeping it together. “I was so worried! We rushed you here and Ms. Ryme said you’d be fine, but I couldn’t help but think-” A sob wracked his body and you lunged forward, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him close.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You stammered while rubbing circles into his back. “I should’ve been more careful and waited for you to come back.”

“No,” he hiccuped, burying his face in your hair. “I’m not upset with you. Just relieved that you’re okay! Everyone was so worried!” 

You squeezed him tighter and let him cry it out a bit longer. After a few minutes, he was able to calm himself down. With a deep breath, he pushed a soft kiss against your hairline and pulled away. And though you felt exhausted and sore, that kiss sent little sparks of warmth from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. 

That was a new thing for the two of you. Movie nights had started with awkwardly sitting on opposite sides of the couch and became cuddling and hugs and the occasional kiss to the cheek or nose or top of the head. Never the lips, never anywhere else, and it was never talked about. And as silly as it sounded, such a tiny bit of progress in your relationship made you feel silly and giddy and over the moon. And you could tell that Hass felt the same. Who knew that, even well into adulthood, new relationships could still feel like this.

Not that the two of you were in a relationship.

Glancing over at the clock, you noticed that it was only ten in the morning. You really fucked up the minute you walked out the door. New record, go you! Of course, if it was ten, then that meant…

“Hass! What about your meeting? Isn’t it super important?” 

Hassel sniffled and rubbed the tears from his eyes.

“It’s fine. La Primera gave me a few hours off to take care of you.” You groaned, seeing Geeta’s smirk in your mind’s eye. She was never going to let you live this down. “How are you feeling?” 

“A bit cold and achy, the fire’s nice though.” And more than anything, you were positively exhausted.

“Hold tight, then.” He said, reaching over and squeezing your knee through the blanket. “I’ll bring you something hot to drink. Tea or Cocoa?”

You hummed, your throat gravelly, as you thought about it.

“Cocoa, please.” 

With an affirming nod, Hassel stood, leaned over to kiss your cheek, and left the room to prepare your drink.

You didn’t normally enjoy being taken care of like this. Perhaps you had developed a complex over the years from experience after experience of people underestimating you and your abilities. You knew you didn’t look like much, but you were a hard worker and fairly clever. It always frustrated you when people treated you like a child or babied you. But Hassel never made you feel like that. He had a naturally nurturing aura about him and he trusted you to get your work done without questioning your skills. It was nice. A breath of fresh air. 

And so, when Hassel did want to take care of you, you were more than happy to oblige.

Hass came back a few moments later with two mugs and handed one to you. Your fingers, once stiff and uncomfortable, warmed quickly from the heat of the cup. As steam from the sweet drink wafted up, you took a deep breath and let yourself smile. And when you looked back at Hassel, he was smiling too.

After a few sips, you set your cup to the side and yawned.

“Feeling better?” Hass asked over his own mug. 

“Mmmm. Yeah, just sleepy now.” You rubbed your face and pushed back your hair, debating if sleeping sitting up was a good option.

“You should sleep then. I can stay for a while longer, so if you need anything, you can call out for me.” And as he went to stand, you had a very warm idea.

“Hmmm. Nap with me?” You held out your arms, reaching out to him. Several emotions crossed the poor man’s face, and if you had more energy you might tease him for it. But all you wanted was to rest your head against his chest and drift off. 

Finally, Hassel nodded, resigned to his fate with a huge blush on his face. You vaguely registered him set his mug down and toe out of his shoes. After some contemplating, he removed his belt and jacket before slipping into the bed on the other side of you. Any distance he intended to keep between you was quickly lost as you flopped over and buried your nose into his shoulder.

 He stiffened, but slowly he let himself relax. And then he took the time to adjust you a bit, tucking you underneath his arm and pillowing your head on his chest. You felt him wrap his arm around you and press a kiss to the top of your head as you fell asleep.

-

You woke to an empty bed and an emptier stomach. And while you were tempted to go back to sleep, the idea of eggs or some hot soup wormed into your brain and tempted you too much to ignore. Reluctantly, you forced yourself up and out of your room. Trudging down the hall, you reached up to scratch your stomach and remembered your state of dress. 

The shirt itself was a silken dark blue. Men’s, definitely. And there were little swablus and altarias embroidered into the breast pocket and cuffs. This was definitely Hassel’s. It was too cute to be any of the other league members. You giggled to yourself at the image of your old man Hassel in these silly old man pajamas with matching pants and a little cap tucked into a big ol’ bed, reading a book.

And maybe you entertained the idea of being tucked in beside him in a matching mumu, doodling in a sketchbook and basking in the fire.

You inwardly cringed at yourself for just how embarrassing that was.

You plodded into the kitchen and went to the fridge, opening the door and frowning in disappointment when you found nothing there. You were supposed to go out for lunch with the League and pick up some groceries after, but the clock on the microwave oven reading 13:35 told you that that ship had sailed. 

But just as you were about to go get dressed and trudge out into the cold, you heard the jingling of keys and the front door open. With a burst of cold air, Hassel shuffled into the room, takeout bags in hand.

“Oh! You’re up!” He set the bags on the counter and walked over to you. With his teeth, he removed a leather glove and pressed it to your forehead. Though freezing, you melted under the obvious show of care. “How are you feeling? Any more aches or pains? How’s your head?”

You laughed and gently grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers with yours. 

“I’m fine. The medicine I took earlier is working well. And that nap did wonders.” You were about to ask how he was. What he had been doing while you slept. But your eyes and stomach betrayed you as you glanced over at the paper bags emanating delicious smells nearby.

Hassel chuckled and grabbed them, pulling things out.

“Sorry for being late. La Primera asked me to sort a few things out before I came back. Here.” Of the various packages and boxes he had revealed, he grabbed a small paper cup and a plastic spoon. On the side read the name of a popular sushi chain. Your eyes lit up when you realized what that meant and you quickly popped the lid off and downed the contents. Miso soup had that magical ability to cure your woes and sooth your bones and Hassel laughed as you excitedly scarfed it down spoonless. 

“Oh god. I needed that.” You sighed, recapping the cup and dropping it into the nearby trash.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Hass replied, kissing your temple. You hummed happily and leaned against him, looking over the rest of the food haul. There were some sandwiches from Every Wich Way, wrapped in the iconic wax paper and probably filled with delicious meats and veggies. There was also a clear plastic container filled with pinchitos and another with grilled rice balls. And to the far side, peeking out of a poorly hidden shopping bag, was a box of sweets that you were sure Hass was saving for later. 

Happily, you popped open the box of pinchitos and plucked one up. Hassel did the same, grabbing a rice ball in his other hand, now ungloved, and led the two of you over to the small dining room table in the corner. 

“How was everything with the league?” You inquired.

“Oh, everything is fine. They’re happy you’re okay. Though La Primera and Grusha are insisting that you go through a field safety course before you’re allowed to join me on one of these again.” 

You huffed and rested your head in your palm. Begrudgingly accepting this as a very fair and measured response.

“Yeah, okay. Fair.” You took a bite of meat and chewed it slowly. “And how was your day? Did anything exciting happen?”

You smiled innocently as he leveled you a look.

“Actually, yes. We voted on a few rule addendums and a merchandising partnership with Delibird Presents.”

“Oh really? Am I finally going to be able to get the Hassel of the Elite Four plushie I’ve been begging Geeta for?” 

Hassel chuckled, a small blush forming on his face. 

“Nothing of the sort. Just some trading card proposals and key chains, though Ms. Tulip had some great ideas as far as themed accessories and battle products that I found very interesting.”

“Oh? Tell me more!” 

Hassel chuckled and continued on, telling you everything that had happened since he returned to work. Making you laugh with his stories of Larry dozing off and the younger girls harassing Brassius for fun. Poppy had apparently been very worried for you and was working on a spectacular get well card.

“It has everyone on it!” Hassel teared up at recalling his pseudo granddaughter’s artistic efforts. “She’s been improving so much as an artist! Maybe she could be famous like Brassie one day!”

You knew in your heart of hearts that that would never happen. That card would be scribbles at best and the only future this girl had in art would be visiting art museums with Hass to make him happy. But you still nodded along and let the man dream. 

Glancing over at the clock, you noticed it was well past three.

“Oh, don’t you have to go back to work?” You asked.

“Not yet,” Hass said happily. “La Primera asked us all to take a siesta and meet back at five to continue.”

“That was nice of her.”

“Yes, we’ll have to work a bit later, but considering the circumstances, I think it’s well worth it.” 

The circumstances being you almost dying this morning, of course. Oops.

“I should… stop by tomorrow to apologize. Maybe bring some sweets for everyone?”

Hassel nodded in approval.

“I don’t think the treats are necessary, but I’m sure everyone would like to see if you’re okay.” 

“I’ll message Geeta tomorrow and ask when a good time would be.”

“Good idea. Thank you, my dear.”

After a few more minutes of idle chatter, your exhaustion began to catch up with you again. Your body grew heavy and your eyelids kept fluttering shut on their own accord. Finally, after Hass had to repeat something for the third time, you decided it was time for another nap. 

You pushed back your chair and pushed yourself up.

“Time for another nap?” Hass asked, smile soft and half laughing.

“Mmhmm. Join me?” It was wonderful napping with Hass before. He was so soft and warm.

“... maybe not for a nap. But I will lay with you.”

“Yay!” You cheer sluggishly. You then shuffle your way to your room and slump into bed. In the other room, you can hear Hassel move things around and throw away your trash. A few minutes later, he’s at the foot of the bed with a book in hand and an extra pillow from his bedroom.

“Do you mind if I read?” He asked as he climbed into bed next to you. 

“Go ahead.” You scooch in close to him and wrap your arm around his waist. It’s not very comfortable, but it’s worth it when he began combing his fingers through your hair. 

The lamp on his side clicked on and the lamp on your side clicked off. A soft humming mixed with the occasional turn of a page lulled you into a deep sleep. 

-

Hass woke you when he left this time. He encouraged you to eat the leftovers from lunch for dinner and to check your purse for a surprise later. (No doubt those sweets he was hiding earlier.) With a kiss to the cheek, you shooed him out the door and went to read on the couch. After a bit, you toasted a sandwich in the microwave and munched on some cookies before dozing off on the couch.

The next thing you knew, someone was shimmying their arms underneath your shoulders and knees. And with a grunt, Hassel lifted you up and started carrying you to bed.

“I’m keeping this shirt.” You mumbled as you stirred, lazily wrapping your arms around his neck.

“If you were awake, you could have told me and spared me the trouble.” He laughed breathlessly and moved to set you down. 

“But I like it when you carry me.” You mumbled, finally coming to. “I don’t know if you know this, but you have great arms.”

“Why, thank you.” Hass was bright red, but had schooled his face just so. You’d have to fix that.

“And you have great hands.” You reached over and grabbed one, lacing your fingers together and pressing kisses to his knuckles. 

“All the piano playing, I suppose.” He was getting redder.

“Ah yes, a talented maestro and artist to boot! How lucky am I to be in the presence of such a man.”

“(Y/n)...”

“Yes, my dearest, most beautiful and lovely man? To what do I, a lowly mortal, owe the honor of being addressed by such a wonderful, godlike man?”

Hassel burst into laughter and pulled you to him.

“That’s enough of that!” He joked and started peppering your face with kisses. You started giggling in return and feigned fighting back. It all ended when Hass pressed one last kiss to your nose and rested his forehead against yours. The two of you stayed like that for a bit, just enjoying eachothers company until:

“I do want that shirt back, (Y/n).”

“Nope!” You laughed and walked away from him. Heading towards your bedroom, you listened carefully to make sure Hassel was following you. “This shirt is too comfy. It’s mine now.”

“Why do you think I want it back?” 

“Then I want a matching one.” You turned to face him, crossing your arms and smirking up at him. And to his credit, Hassel, rather than looking annoyed, looks absolutely besotted.

“That, I can do.” 

“And you have to wear it sometimes.”

“And why is that?”

“So it smells like you.” 

And that was the comment that broke him. He turned tomato red and buried his face in his hands. Before he started crying though, you wrapped your arms around him and squeezed.

“Wanna lay in bed with me for a bit?” 

You let Hass decompress in silence until he nodded and revealed his face.

“Alright. Let me go change and fetch some things.” 

“Okay.” And he left you. You readied yourself for bed while you waited, though there wasn’t much to do. It was a shame that you had slept all day, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be disappointed. You could always explore tomorrow. With a chaperone, of course.

When Hass returned, you both climbed into bed. You made yourself comfortable by, this time, draping yourself across him. He made a grunt of discomfort, but only shifted enough to get comfortable. You felt truly blessed to be allowed to be this selfish with this man.

The two of you lay in silence for awhile, but this time you weren’t nearly as tired. You let your mind wander until you decided that a conversation may be the only way to put you to sleep.

“Hey,” you said as you propped your head up on Hass’ chest. Hass tilted his book down to look at you.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for today. I mean it.” 

“There’s no need for that. I didn’t do anything.”

“I disrupted your work and you had to drop everything to take care of me. You could have lost your job.”

“Oh, that wouldn’t have happened. La Primera isn’t that heartless.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Well, Geeta isn’t that heartless.”

You snorted and shook your head.

“Regardless. Thank you.”

He offered you a soft smile.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

And suddenly, you were choking on your own breath, heart thumping in your stomach. What in the world is with this man? God you were so lucky to have him.

“I want…” You faltered as the butterflies claimed your breath once more. “I want to try something. You can tell me to stop if you don’t like it.”

“Okay.”

You pushed yourself up onto your arms and leaned forward slowly. Too slowly, maybe, but you wanted to give him ample time to realize what you’re doing and push him away.

He didn’t.

You kissed him softly, closed mouth and comfortingly warm. Much to your delight, Hassel kissed back immediately and you inhaled in surprise when he cupped your face with his hand. A few seconds later, you pulled back, a stupid, wonderstruck smile glued to your face.

“Well… that was nice.” You said dumbly. Hass nodded back.

“It was.” Quietly, Hassel shut his book and placed it on the nightstand. He then leaned forward to kiss your forehead. “We should get some sleep.”

“Stay with me?”

“Of course.”

And with the lights turned off, the two of you drifted off to sleep curled up in each other’s arms.

Chapter Text

“Have you seen my keys?”

Hassel stared up at you, his morning coffee half raised, and did his best impression of a magikarp. Your stomach dropped as you assumed the worst.

“It’s at the bo-”

“Ms. Ryme has them.” He quickly cut you off. “She was worried about your rotom phone and wanted to see if she could salvage it. She took your whole winter jacket and wet clothes with her after she helped settle you in.”

“Oh.” Your shoulders dropped in relief, but you were still in trouble. “Well, um, I need them.”

Hassel raised an eyebrow.

“I need to get into my suitcase.”

“Ah!”

And then he followed you back to your room. The suitcase was lavender and actually Jacq’s. He had lent it to you as long as you promised to not break it since it was his only one.

Which meant that breaking the lock or ripping the zipper open was off the table.

“Perhaps we could try my key?” Hass suggested, and it was a good suggestion. A lot of these suitcase locks used the same mechanism. Unluckily for you, Hass’ key was not included in that group. 

“What should I do?” You groaned. “I can’t show up to the League like this.” 

Hassel had to agree. Even if you looked amazing in his pajama shirt, it wouldn’t be proper for you to go out in the cold in it. And it would certainly get tongues wagging.

You sighed, only one idea coming to mind.

“I’ll have to go buy some new clothes.”

“Well, hold on. Perhaps I could head to the League now and get your keys. If I’m quick, I could be back before my meetings start.” He offered, but you were already shaking your head. 

“I can’t ask you to do that and there’s a chance that Ryme didn’t bring them with her anyways.” You glanced at your purse on the dresser, thankful that you were dumb enough to forget it yesterday. “I wanted to buy some sweets to share before I came. If I leave now, I can buy those, the clothes, and pick us both something up before noon.”

Knowing he couldn’t argue with you, Hassel nodded before reaching out and grasping your sleeve. He thoughtfully rubbed the silky fabric between his fingers.

“I don’t suppose you’ll be wanting to borrow more of my clothes when you go out.” He really tried to sound disappointed or firm, but he only barely passed fond. Apparently, he really liked you in his things.

“I would be honored.” You smiled. He led you to his room and let you rummage through his bag. It was packed to the brim with different sweaters and pants and at least two weeks worth of tacky old man socks. You shot him a look.

“I like to have options.” He shrugged, sipping from the mug he must’ve picked up between rooms. You could feel his eyes on you as you picked out a green knit sweater and a long pair of thick brown socks. The dirtier part of your mind wondered if he was undressing you mentally, and you had to suppress the hot, itchy feeling that shot down your chest and in between your legs as a result.

Hass left the room and you changed, though the results weren’t anything remotely flattering. The sweater was, of course, too big and not made with the feminine form in mind. However, it covered your important bits which is what mattered. The socks made it about mid-calf and were way too baggy, but they were warm and were the least ugly of your options. All in all, you weren’t going to be starting any trends, but you were better off than going out in a pj shirt and nothing else. 

You walked out of Hass’ bedroom to Hass pushing his snow boots and heavy duty winter coat into your arms.

“Remember, lunch is at noon.” He said as he pulled on his usual jacket and stuffed his feet into his loafers. “Geeta is expecting you.”

“Yeah, but what about-” You held out the boots and coat uselessly.

“Use them.” He didn’t bother with eye contact, checking his watch instead.

“But you’ll get cold!” Guilt bubbled up inside you. This man! He looked at you with an exasperated smile.

“And I’ll be too worried to concentrate at work if you’re running around the mountains in barely anything at all.”

“Oh.” 

“I’ll see you at noon.” You nodded and he made for the door. Something then lurched in your chest and you reached out for him.

“Hassel!” 

“Yes?” When he turned, you grabbed him by the tie and pulled him down, planting a kiss square on his lips. You pulled back quickly, feeling embarrassed, and he had the audacity to turn a shade redder than his sweater vest. 

“See you at noon?” You breathed out. He nodded and left, leaving you to figure out how to get his giant boots to fit your non-mansized feet. It took about 30 minutes, but after some strategic stuffing with some paper towels, you could kind of walk without losing the entire boot in the process. With that, you threw on Hass’ coat, grabbed your bag (someone had placed your pokemon safely inside of it, thank god) and went out the door.

Luckily for you, Montenevera was a small town and most people kept to themselves. You didn’t meet a single person between the rental cabin and the nearest clothing store. Unluckily for you, Montenevera was a small town, and despite people keeping to themselves, the rumor mill was just as fast as, if not faster than, Mesagoza.

The shopkeeper recognized you immediately upon entering as ‘the girl that fell into the lake.’ She followed you around the entire time, helping you find comfortable clothes while teasing you mercilessly. She even asked about your husband (Did she mean Hassel?) and how distraught he was.

“My friend, Melanie, said she heard him crying halfway to Glaseado Peak!” She giggled. You rolled your eyes and smiled. That definitely was an over exaggeration, but knowing Hassel, anything was possible.

You paid and the shopkeeper let you wear the clothes out, giving you a shopping bag to store Hass’ clothes in for the time being. 

You then hit Chansey Supply and made a beeline for their small, but well stocked, specialty sweets section. You grabbed some turron and a package of fancy looking assorted cookies, hoping that these would appease everyone. You knew Poppy would eat just about anything sweet, but Arturo hated chocolate. And then there was Iono’s nut allergies… 

You noticed a small cart outside selling fresh bu ñuelos and snagged some of those as well. 

Lastly, you made a stop at the local sushi restaurant to grab yourself and Hass some lunch to go. You were surprised to find that they didn’t just have sushi, but a variety of foods from across Kanto and Johto. You were pleased to order a tempura set with miso soup and rice while you got Hass the sushi set that he had requested. 

The League members were meeting in the gym and the trek up the snow covered slope wasn’t so bad. Your heels hurt, not used to your new snow boots, but you could deal with the blisters just fine. You liked the outfit you’d pieced together. It kept you warm in the frigid mountain air and looked fairly nice on you.

Though, as you were smacked by the warm wall of heat when you entered the gym, you couldn’t help but feel relieved. 

You were directed up the elevator and to the conference room, the woman at the front desk already expecting you, and you found it with relative ease. Aside from some cosmetic changes, all of these buildings were virtually the same. You’d been in enough of them over the past year to know your way around. 

Entering the conference room, you noted that they must’ve already broken for lunch despite your being a full ten minutes early. Some of the members were milling about and chatting, most of them already gone. Hassel was nowhere to be seen. But Iono was in the far corner spinning around with Poppy while Brassius observed with disinterest. You rolled your eyes with a fond smile and approached the person closest to you.

“Hey, Artie.” You patted your sort of friend on the back as you moved to stand beside him. “How’s it going?”

Arturo was a severe man, tall and broad and all sorts of hard angles and sharp lines. He was dark skinned, buff, and under the sunglasses he constantly wore, remarkably handsome. Though he wasn’t an official league member, as Poppy’s assistant and formal guardian, he was treated as such. Poppy got to do her battles, her parents didn’t have to abandon their hoity toity rich people lives to care for her, and Rika didn’t have to do any extra paperwork. It was a win-win for everyone involved.

It helped that Artie was undoubtedly fond of Poppy as well.

“Fine.” Though he didn’t move, you could feel his eyes on you. “And you?”

“Better than yesterday!” You joked. Of course, he didn’t laugh. But Artie never laughed. Not in public, anyway. “Meeting done?”

“We reached a natural stopping place and broke for lunch early.” You watched as Poppy attempted to teach Iono how to do a pirouette and fail miserably. To make her feel better, Iono faked a fall with such great exaggeration that Poppy burst into laughter on the spot. “Isn’t Iono a ballet prodigy?” You commented with mild interest.

Arturo nodded.

“(Y/n)!” Poppy had spotted you and charged across the room, slamming into your legs. “You’re okay!”

You chuckled and picked her up with a bit of difficulty. Either she had a growth spurt since last you saw her or you were still in need of some recovery time. 

“Sure am!” You bounced her up and down and did a twirl, appreciating Arturo’s steadying hand on your back when you almost fell. “I couldn’t get hurt knowing I couldn’t see my favorite Elite Four member again!”

Poppy giggled and started on a long incoherent rant about her pokemon, something you’d come to expect from her (and most five year olds). 

“Oh!” She suddenly squirmed and grabbed her purse, fishing out a folded piece of printer paper. “This is for you!” 

With your free hand, you took it and found that it was the card Hassel had told you about. Like you expected, it was mostly scribbles (There was a giant, lopsided copperajah, too. For some reason.). But thanks to her color choices, you could mostly make out who was who. 

“Thank you, Poppy!” You gave her a tight squeeze. “It’s beautiful!” 

“Grandpa liked it too!” 

“Speaking of, have you seen Grandpa Hassel? I was supposed to bring him lunch.”

“Oh! I can show you!” Then, as if she had a deathwish, Poppy flailed and attempted to crawl over your shoulder. Thankfully, Arturo snatched her up and put her to the ground before you collapsed or dropped her. “C’mon!” 

Poppy grabbed at the hem of your jacked and tugged you out of the room, Arturo following behind from a distance. You gave an absent, half wave at those left in the conference room, feeling bad that you didn’t have time to greet them, but you’d be back.

Poppy led you down the hall and into one of the smaller meeting rooms. It was just a simple wooden table and some matching chairs. A loveseat was pushed to the wall next to a window and the lamp overhead was the unflattering sort of fluorescent that made everyone appear five years older and ten pounds fatter. 

At the table, with his back facing you, was Hassel with Geeta across from him, standing and leaning over to point at some documents they had strewn about. Rika was leaning up against the wall watching them and Larry was dozing off on the couch.

Hassel was the only one who acknowledged you entered.

“Ah. There you are.” He smiled and hugged Poppy when she came up to him for one. He glanced up at the clock. Twelve noon. “You’re right on time.”

“Nah. I was early.” You smiled at him and nodded politely to the rest of the room’s inhabitants. From the way Geeta was smirking at you, you could tell she would really let you have it later. “Sorry. Am I distracting you guys?”

“Not at all!” He said, though you clearly were. He turned to face you better and that’s when you noticed that his hair was completely down. “We’re just finishing up some work I missed yesterday. Just give me ten minutes and we can eat.”

You nodded, a bit distracted. Hassel noticed and raised an eyebrow.

“What happened to your hair tie?” You said. His hand flew up to the back of his head, though you’re sure it was on reflex.

“Oh, it broke this morning on my way here.”

“Here, I have an extra.” You fished around in your purse and found one. You always tried to keep these little things around, just in case. 

“Thank you, my dear.” He responded and held out his hand, but you shook your head. A burst of affection coursing through you.

“Allow me.” You stepped forward and he turned around, allowing you to run your hands through his hair a couple times and pull it into a neat bun while he contemplated the work before him. As you finished, you smoothed your palms over his shoulders and looked up to find Geeta and Rika staring at you with catlike grins.

You blushed furiously and saw yourself out. 

The conference room was even emptier than when you arrived. Iono, Katy, and Kofu were seated at the end of the large table, eating their packed lunches and chatting animatedly. You greeted them and exchanged some words, but when you realized that you couldn’t keep up with their current conversation, you dismissed yourself and plopped down in a seat next to where Hass’ things were. 

You fidgeted around with your bags and took off your new coat, trying to get comfortable, when someone approached you from behind.

“(Y/n).” It was Brassius. Looking as intense as ever.

“Hey Brassie!”

“Might I have a word?” He gestured towards a small sitting area sectioned off by a partition in the back of the room. You nodded and stood, not thinking of an excuse not to. Though you were apprehensive, Brassius’ lecture could be no worse than the angry tirade that Grusha would put you through next time you saw him.

“So,” you sat down and he sat next to you. The room’s electric kettle sat on the table in front of you, and perhaps feeling your apprehension or feeling awkward himself, Brassius busied himself making the two of you some tea. “About your relationship with Hassel.”

You blinked. And you blinked again. And then suddenly you were smiling so hard that it hurt.

“Brassie!” You chuckled. “Are you… shovel talking me?” 

His face lit up in embarrassment and that was all you needed.

“The audacity!”

“Now (Y/n).” Brassius sipped his tea, trying to regain a bit of composure. “Hassel has been a very dear friend of mine for a long time. We both know how fragile his heart can be and as his girlfriend I think-”

“I’m not his girlfriend.” You cut him off and his eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re not?”

“We haven’t talked about it and he hasn’t asked me, so no.”

“He hasn’t…” Brassius’ face momentarily contorted in rage before he schooled himself, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a deep sigh. “He’s an idiot.”

Brassius fell back against the couch and you went with him, leaning on his shoulder like you might with Jacq. 

“Yeah, but we love him.”

“Do you?” He looked at you, brow raised. You shrugged and turned pink, your heart shoving its way into your throat.

“Yeah.” You croaked out, turning redder. “I’ve got it pretty bad.” You’ve only ever admitted it out loud to Jacq before, so telling Hassel’s best friend and ex-boyfriend that you were in love with the man was difficult. Daunting. But necessary. 

“Well, that makes two of you.” Both of you sat in silence for a bit, soaking in what just occurred.

“Y’know, I could ask him.” You said out of the blue. “It doesn’t always have to be the man who-”

“He is older.” Brassius cut you off, still clearly frustrated. “He should know better than to allow your relationship to be so undefined.”

You paused, a smirk forming.

“That’s not very Avant Garde of him.” 

Brassius pushed you off of him and stood as you cackled. Using his catchphrase against him was always a treat, though you’d never been able to frustrate him into a physical response.

“I believe we’re done here.” He turned and stormed off.

“Aw, Brassie, no!” You reached for him over the sofa but he was already halfway across the room. “C’mon!”

You stood and collected yourself, walking across the room to where Brassius was putting on his coat. He rolled his eyes but chatted with you a bit more about his partner and his newest project. By the time he dismissed himself to go find lunch, Hassel was walking through the door.

You watched with amusement as Hass greeted his friend, tittered about something Poppy did, and promptly invited him to join the two of you which Brassie firmly declined before leaving abruptly. Looking at the clock, you noted that lunch would be over in thirty minutes. 

Hassel didn’t seem bothered and joined you at the conference table. 

“Welcome back.” You joked, he smiled back at you.

“Happy to be here.” He took his seat and you grabbed your lunches. 

“So, tell me about your day.” You handed him his sushi and he told you about this morning’s meeting and the topics discussed. You were never sure if it was okay that he was sharing this stuff with you, but you were allowed in the conference room today so no one must’ve had a problem with it. 

The two of you were interrupted during a very deep conversation about the merchandising deal from yesterday (“When am I gonna get my plushie, Hass?”) by someone clearing their throat.

“Ms. (Y/n), it’s good to see that you’re well.” Fuck. It was Geeta. 

You sat up, ramrod straight and incredibly tense. All in all, Geeta wasn’t that bad. She was even kind on occasion. But you didn’t like the way she looked at or spoke with you. It was never in that superficial, political way that girls talk when they don’t like each other. But rather like a predator toying with its prey. The Wolf tricking Little Red Riding Hood. 

Hassel said it was because she saw potential in you. But he’s never dealt with girl politics the way you had.

“Yes, I am.” You nodded stiffly and willed yourself to relax. You were only half successful. “Thank you for allowing Ryme and Hassel to come to my aid and allowing Hassel some time to care for me. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused, and once everyone has returned, I will give a formal apology to them as well.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Geeta smiled. She seemed more amused than anything. “Accidents happen. Now that we know there is an issue, we can solve it.” You knew she was talking about the pokemon that attacked you, but you couldn’t help but feel like she was implying something else. 

“Right.” You nodded, unsure what to say.

“Grandpa Hassel!” Poppy burst into the room. “Come look!” 

Hassel, who had been quietly watching the two of you, squeezed your knee under the table and stood to go check in on Poppy. With the tension broken, you glanced up at the clock and realized the break was almost over and began gathering your garbage, pointedly ignoring Geeta as she remained where she was. 

Just as you were about to search out a trash can, Geeta stopped you.

“(Y/n),” You stopped, startled. “There may come a time in the future where the Academy might not be the best fit for you. Know that you always have a place at the League when you need one.” With a final nod and smile, she turned and went to set up the projector. Her words had left you anxious, nauseous, and bewildered. Did she just… offer you a job?

You shook your head and took a deep breath. Unpacking that would be a later problem. Once the trash was settled, you set out the sweets you had brought and many of the incoming members were incredibly grateful. Several of them asked if you were okay and for details about the pokemon you saw. Grusha thankfully only shot you a death glare and handed you the information for the field safety course you’d be required to take. You accepted it with grace and dignity.

Ryme, of course, was fairly heated when she arrived. She was happy that you were okay and gave you back your things, but that froslass vexed her to no end.

“I sent out my best trainers and still, nothin’!” 

You thought about the encounter for a minute, but couldn’t come up with anything that might help her.

“Maybe I could show you exactly where I saw it yesterday? After the meeting is over.”

She nodded, seemingly content.

“Good idea. Meet us out front with your pokemon. I’ll have Hassel message you when we’re ready.” You nodded, thanked her again profusely, and were summarily dragged away by Hassel and Poppy who were very excited about the cartwheel Poppy could kind of do now. 

Pretty soon, Rika was announcing that they would be starting again in five minutes and for everyone to take their seats. You gathered up your things, leaving Hass’ snow boots and winter coat at his chair, and approached him to say goodbye.

“Allow me to walk you out.” He said, grabbing your bags from your hands. You smiled and allowed him to lead you out of the room before falling in step with him on your way to the elevator. “I never got to ask you how your day was earlier.”

You contemplated this.

“Strange.” You decided. “Good. But strange.” 

“How so?” 

You reached the elevator and pressed the call button.

“Well, I harassed Brassie and pissed him off. That was pretty funny.”

Hassel chuckled and the two of you boarded the elevator.

“I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for him or relieved that the two of you get along so well.”

“My presence is a blessing and a curse, I know.” He huffed but didn’t push anything. You knew he didn’t believe you to be a curse on anything, but he also recognized that self deprecating humor was how you coped. 

Instead, after the doors of the elevator closed, he leaned over and pressed a kiss into your hair. And that small action, for some reason, made you anxious all over again. 

“I think!” You stuttered abruptly, trying to push your shyness away. “I think Geeta offered me a job?”

Hassel’s eyes widened in surprise. Clearly he hadn’t expected you to say that.

The doors opened and you both passed through the lobby and out the doors. You walked over to the side, off the path and a bit away from any onlookers.

“She said,” you turned to Hass. “That I always have a place at the League.”

You bit your lip. Chewed it. Contemplative and confused for the hundredth time today.

“I do, don’t I.” It wasn’t a question. You met Hass’ eyes and found that he looked so much more in love than you anticipated. “I have a place here. At the League. With you.”

Hassel set you bags down gently and approached you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to him.

“Always.”

He kissed you. Warm, soft, over and over. And you knew that, long from now, this memory would be where you came back to when you needed to remind yourself that you are loved, over and over.

And over and over and over.