Archive of Our Own

Calem was cold.

His jacket currently sat abandoned in a cafè on the other side of the city, and, in an effort of seeming cool and nonchalant, he had yet to mention it to the rest of the group. After all, how embarrassing would it be to ask everyone to walk all the way back to the cafè because he’d been careless enough to forget his jacket? He didn’t want to risk it. 

But he was cold. He was so, so cold. 

“Brr! It’s freeeeezing!” Complained Shauna, who had somehow layered three entire wool coats on top of each other. A feat Calem had to commend her for. “When are they gonna turn on the street heaters?”

“The… what?” Asked Trevor, who had evidently never learned the sacred rule of not asking Shauna to elaborate on anything ever. 

“Y’know, the street heaters they turn on in Lumiose when it gets too cold?” About halfway through her sentence, Shauna’s face dropped. “Don’t tell me that’s all a myth…”

“You should pitch it to Clemont!” Tierno suggested. “I’m sure he could find a way to do that. He’s a genius!”

“Won’t something like that overload the circuits…?”

“Circuits schmircuts! I’m cold!”

Calem laughed amusedly to himself, smiling slightly as he watched the condensation of his breath. He loved being able to enjoy silly conversations like this with his friends, even if he wasn’t necessarily the most talkative person himself. Just listening was enough, and it made him happier than he’d ever been able to properly express in words. 

Though, he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

“Hey,” Serena suddenly appeared next to him, causing him to jump back slightly in surprise. She giggled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you like that. I just wanted you to know that I’m back.”

“No, no, you’re okay!” He reassured, his pitch rising ever-so-slightly. “I was just starting to wonder where you were, actually.” 

“Oh, I stopped to read one of the ads back there.” She pointed behind them. “One of the Pokémon groomers here actually offers a specific session for Sylveons, since it’s native to the region. I was wondering if it’s something Emmy would like.” Serena smiled warmly, the sight enough to make Calem forget the chill on his face and the numbness in his hands. Serena was so sweet, caring for her Pokèmon like that. It made his heart melt. 

Calem adjusted his hat to hide his face, as if Serena could somehow read his thoughts through his expression. Though, with the way she tended to read him like a book, he wouldn’t have doubted she had the ability. 

“I would’ve stopped with you if I would’ve known,” he offered, feeling bad for leaving her back there all by herself, but Serena merely shook her head. 

“I know.” She smiled. “But I’m alright. I’m a fast reader. And runner.” 

“I can tell,” he smiled back. “Are you sure you’re okay, though? You look a little winded. Wanna stop for a bit?”

“I should be asking you the same question.” Calem paused, confused by what she was referring to, until it hit him all too late. “Don’t tell me you’re seriously walking around in this weather without a jacket.”

“You sound like my mom,” he laughed quietly as an effort to dodge the topic. Having anyone scold him for being careless like this was embarrassing enough, but it coming from the girl he was in love with made him want to bash his head against a street lamp. 

“Well, we’d both rather have you alive.” Serena paused for a moment, lost in thought. “I’d give you mine, but I don’t really wanna freeze either.” The thought of Serena giving him her coat totally didn’t make Calem accidentally bite his tongue so hard he let out a pained mumble. Absolutely not. Must’ve been the wind. Her jacket was cute, too—black with pink accents. And it looked warm. It looked so, so warm. “Wait, I have an idea.” 

“Serena, seriously, it’s fine,” he said, though the redness of his arms wasn’t exactly doing his argument any favors. “I appreciate it, but it’s my fault I left my jacket back there. I’ll be fine, really.” Somehow, that only made her more sceptical. 

“Oh, you left it back at the cafè?” She asked, and Calem gave a half-nod to hide his embarrassment. “Wait. Don’t tell me you’re trying to act all cool and tough by braving the cold like this because you don’t want to ask everyone to walk back to the cafè.” 

…

Are you serious.  

Calem didn’t have an adequate response to Serena reading his mind, so he could only muster up a quiet, “Uh…”

“Calem,” her eyes narrowed. “I’m not gonna let you freeze because you’re too afraid to ask your friends to walk five minutes—”

“It’s actually closer to fifteen by now…”

“—Down the street.” Serena stepped forward to be closer with the rest of the group, then suddenly raised her voice. “Hey, do you guys mind if we stop in this clothing store really quick? The hats in the window look super cute!” 

“Hm?” Shauna turned her head to look, and her eyes immediately sparkled. “Ooh, you’re right!! Oh, and look at those scarves too!! C’mon guys can we go? Pleaseee?” She batted her eyelashes at Tierno and Trevor, who both seemed much more eager than Calem anticipated. 

“Sure. Why not?” 

“I’m with Trevs! Maybe they have some new dancing shoes!”  

“Yayy!!” Shauna beamed, stretching her arms out excitedly. “What about you, Calem? Are you in?” Shauna was looking at him like a Furfrou staring up at a treat. Serena nudged his shoulder. 

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Sounds fun.” Without waiting a second longer, Shauna pushed open the front door with a huge smile. Tierno and Trevor quickly followed, and, once they disappeared inside, Calem turned to Serena. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly, not wanting the others to overhear. It was less out of embarrassment, and more to express how thankful he truly was. “You really didn’t have to do that.” 

“You don’t have to thank me.” She leaned in slightly closer, and Calem’s breath caught in his throat. “It’s enough just to see you warm again. You’ll catch a cold if you keep walking around in this weather with just a t-shirt.” She paused, as if debating something internally. “And if you get sick, we won’t be able to spend as much time together, so I can’t let that happen. I’ll miss you too much.”

“R-Right.” Calem hated the slight stutter in his words, but he couldn’t blame himself for it. Serena’s words repeated themselves over and over again in his head like an Encore, and he found himself hardly able to breathe as he let them sink in. 

There was a part of him that felt stupid for overthinking it. Serena was his friend, of course she would miss him. Calem would miss Shauna or Tierno or Trevor if they were sick and bedridden for a while, and he knew Serena felt no differently. Obviously that’s what she meant, because she was a kind person who cared about her friends. 

But there was another part of him that couldn’t stop thinking. A smaller, more selfish part, that couldn’t help hoping she meant more than what was on the surface. Hoping that she would miss him specifically. Hoping that, if he were to get sick and stay at home for a few days, she would give him a warm smile and hug upon returning, and talk about how much she had missed him while he was gone. Hoping that she’d stand a little closer to him than anyone else. Hoping that she’d give him her jacket so he wouldn’t get sick again. Hoping it would give him the confidence to finally just lean in and—

“Are you okay?” Serena asked, and Calem came back down to reality. “You’re not getting sick already, are you?” 

“No, I’m fine.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Sorry, I just zoned out.” 

“That’s not like you.” Her statement was phrased as a joking observation, but she was right. It wasn’t like him, but Serena did things to his mind that caused him to act in ways he normally wouldn’t. Hell, if she wasn’t here he probably would’ve asked the group if they could go back for his stupid jacket by now, but he cared too much about not embarrassing himself in front of Serena specifically to risk that. He knew she wouldn’t care, knew she would’ve rather walked the fifteen minutes back than let him freeze, but his brain refused to cooperate with that knowledge. 

“Maybe it’s the cold getting to my brain,” he laughed, hoping his deflection would prevent Serena from realizing the actual reason he had spaced out. “Speaking of. We should probably get inside before Shauna finds the Furfrou accessories.”

“Oh Arceus, you’re right.” Serena giggled, louder than normal. Calem’s heart skipped a beat in his chest. “You remember last time, right?”

“When she spent over a hundred dollars on accessories for her and Furfrou?” Calem laughed at the memory. “How could I forget?”

“I don’t think Shauna’s wallet’s forgotten either.” Calem hardly even registered Serena’s words, becoming too focused on the closeness between them to think straight. He was almost certain his mind was playing tricks on him, but it felt as if she had moved even closer to him than before. He could feel his heart doing backflips in his chest, and he tried his best to hide any evidence of that feeling in his expression. Serena could read him like a book, and he absolutely could not have her knowing the way he felt right now. Absolutely not. “Actually, she made me promise to stop her from spending that much at one shop again after last time. I mean, I doubt there’s much I can do to actually stop her once she finds something she wants, but I have to keep my promise.” Something something, don’t let Shauna spend too much money was about all Calem caught from that. He nodded to show he was listening, and hoped Serena would continue so he wouldn’t have to actually think of something appropriate to say in response. 

Calem wouldn’t normally describe himself as an anxious person, but being with Serena completely changed that aspect of him. With Shauna or Tierno or Trevor or anyone else he felt that he could say whatever was on his mind without a second thought, as if it came naturally. With Serena, though, he started to overthink things in ways he never had before. Was he talking too much? Too little? Was he coming off as uninterested? Or somehow too interested? He’d always catch himself doing it, knowing that Serena couldn’t possibly care less if he stuttered over his words or gave an opinion she didn’t agree with, but the logical side of his brain and the emotional side of his brain could never quite agree with each other. 

Calem knew he’d manage to get over his anxieties, though. He’d have to, if he ever wanted to—

“Calem, Serena!” Shauna burst back through the door with a terrifying amount of energy, causing both of them to stumble backwards. “They have a sale on scarves and hairbows! And the girl working today is sooooo cute!! She asked me if I needed help with anything and she smiled at me!! Do you think she’s into me? Ohmygosh what if she’s into me!? Should I ask for her Pokégear number!? Oh, but what if—”

“Calm down.” Serena put her hands on Shauna’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes—her standard way of getting her out of her little bubble. “Maybe asking out a girl you’ve known for three minutes isn’t the best idea.” 

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right.” Despite her words, Shauna was still smiling. She always seemed to be, no matter what happened. Calem admired that about her. “Sooo are you guys done flirting out here or what? Trevs and Tierno were starting to wonder if you guys bailed on us.” 

“We weren’t—! We were just—”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming inside,” Serena spoke up, thank Arceus, because nothing coming out of Calem’s mouth was anything near coherent. He knew Shauna was just joking, but she couldn’t just say that! It wasn’t fair! “And make sure you don’t spend too much money this time. You made me promise to tell you that last time, but I don’t know if we’ll be shopping in the same section for me to be able to stop you.” 

“ Fiiineeee, I won’t go so overboard this time.” Shauna playfully rolled her eyes. “But where are you going to be? The store’s not that big?” 

“Just… looking around.” She made eye contact with Calem for a brief moment. He smiled at her. “I’m putting Trevor on budget duty just in case.” Shauna frowned exaggeratedly. 

“You’re soooo mean to me, y’know that!?” She whined. “But alright. You two have fun with your mystery shopping; I’m gonna go get some discount bows!” And with that, she disappeared back inside the shop. 

“…We should probably head inside,” Calem suggested, finally speaking up in a way that wasn’t a frantic, stuttered mess. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Serena looked back over at him, then frowned slightly. “You’re probably freezing out here. Sorry for keeping you so long.”

“No, no, it’s okay!” In all honesty, the rush of excited nervousness he’d gotten from being alone with her was enough to make him forget the effects of the weather on him. But of course, he couldn’t say that. Not in a million years. The thought of admitting something like that out loud made his skin crawl. “I barely even noticed.”

“Alright, Mr. Tough Guy.” She playfully nudged him in the side. “Let’s go get you a new jacket.” She held open the door for Calem, followed him inside. 

“Are you coming with me?” He asked, phrasing the question as if it was merely out of curiosity with no preference one way or the other. In reality, he held his breath and hoped. It was a simple thing, really, and Calem wasn’t sure he was supposed to care so much about something so mundane. He couldn’t quite explain why, but the idea of shopping together with Serena, gawking at the prices and trying on the most ridiculous and expensive outfits they could find made him feel… warm inside. The knowledge of that embarrassed him beyond belief. 

“Why not?” She shrugged, and, as clichè as it was, Calem let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “It’ll be fun! And good for my wallet too, since we’ll be staying in the men’s section.” She paused, then added, “…Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I dunno, some of these places categorize gender pretty arbitrarily.” Calem started glancing around the area as she spoke, trying to get a general idea of where to start. He was pretty sure he’d been in this particular store at some point, but with the amount of outings he’d made to Lumiose City in his life, they all started to blend together a bit. “Or maybe you just want a bright pink sparkly jacket. I don’t judge.” Calem thought she was just using that as an example, until he looked over at the absolute monstrosity that Shauna held in her hands. He was too far away to hear exactly what she was saying, but he definitely heard the word, ‘abomination,’ in there somewhere. 

“…I think I’ll pass.” He continued to look around, trying to ignore the price tags on the items he walked. “I mean, if it looks anything like that , anyway.” 

“What, so you’d wear a sparkly pink jacket if it wasn’t hideous?” Calem couldn’t fully tell if Serena was joking or not, so he gave a serious answer. 

“I mean, sure. Why not?” He shrugged. “If it’s comfortable and doesn’t look anything like that, then I guess so.” Finally, Calem noticed a sign for men’s garments, (garments? seriously?) and followed the arrow it was pointing to. For such a small store, it sure did manage to have a confusing layout. 

“I’m making that my life mission now.” Serena joked. “Finding a sparkly pink jacket that you like enough to wear.” 

“I can’t imagine that’ll be easy.” Calem laughed. “I can be pretty picky with my clothes sometimes.” Picturing it in his head, he couldn’t possibly imagine ever wearing something pink and sparkly, but he knew Serena would never give up trying. Maybe he’d have to buy one at some point just to make her happy, even if it meant having to put up with wearing the ugliest jacket he’d ever seen. He’d probably get kicked out of all of those fancy members-only boutiques he’d somehow managed to get into, but it would be worth it if it meant seeing Serena smile. 

“Yeah, I can tell.” Calem spent maybe a little too long trying to figure out if that was meant to be a good or bad thing. Eventually, he decided on the easiest option— it doesn’t matter. “It seems like you’re always wearing that same blue jacket every time we see each other.” Okay, scratch that, it did matter. Did he really wear it that much? Yeah, it was his favorite jacket, but was it really all he wore? To the point that Serena noticed? He definitely needed to try out some more outfits if that was the case. 

“It’s comfy and has deep pockets.” He shrugged, brushing off the wave of embarrassment he’d just felt. “I’d rather wear something basic and comfortable than something ‘cool’ that feels like sandpaper.” 

“Not all designer clothes are uncomfortable, y’know,” Serena argued, but it fell on deaf ears. 

“But do they have pockets big enough to fit a Pokègear?” She paused, a look of exaggerated defeat washing over her face. 

“…You got me there.” She laughed. “Pretty much none of my clothes have pockets, except this jacket. Sometimes they put fake pockets on them, though. Like putting salt in the wound.”

“Fake pockets?” He asked in disbelief. 

“Fake pockets.” Before Calem could even question how or why, Serena spoke up again. “Oh, looks like we’re here!” Calem hadn’t even noticed, but, sure enough, they were standing right underneath the ‘men’s garments’ sign, but something seemed to be missing. 

That ‘something’ being the actual clothes themselves. 

There was only a single shelf and a single clothes rack, and both seemed to have been thoroughly ransacked. Compared to the rest of the store, which was completely organized and spotless, the men’s ‘section,’ if you could even call it that, looked like no one had touched it in weeks. 

“Oh.” Calem mumbled to himself as he looked at the barren remains of what probably wasn’t even that great to begin with. “Well.” 

“This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.” Despite her words, Serena was holding back a laugh. She grabbed one of the few items left on the shelves—a long sleeve t-shirt that somehow smelled like dust, and held it up. As if it couldn’t have gotten any worse, the shirt had a giant, stretched out picture of an Ursaring on it. Nothing else. That was it. 

“We could get you this!” Serena suggested jokingly, and Calem almost knocked the thing out of her hands. “It’s got long sleeves; that’s close enough to a jacket.” 

“I’d rather freeze,” he replied plainly, letting out a small laugh at the ridiculousness of this all. Glancing around the rest of the barren section, there didn’t seem to be a single coat or jacket in sight. Only a few dusty Ursaring shirts, some pants that didn’t actually look half-bad, and a few bottles of cologne for some reason. 

“Look, this one’s wood scented!” Serena seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. 

“Who would want to smell like wood?” She shrugged as she picked up another bottle. “What does wood even smell like?”

“Guess you’ll have to buy it to find out.” 

“I think I’ll pass.” 

“Lame.” She giggled, reading the label on the second bottle she picked up. “Oh, this one’s scented like… golf?” Calem didn’t believe her, thinking she was just making things up to mess with him, so he took the bottle out of her hands and read the label. 

“Golf de fantaisie,” he said in disbelief, reading from the bottle. Fancy golf. This cologne was scented like fancy golf. Calem laughed to himself—seeing products use broken Kalosian to try and sound expensive never failed to amuse him. He set the bottle down before reading any further, as curious as he was. “Can we leave now?” He stated with exaggerated disgust. “I think I’ve seen enough.” Serena looked ready to agree before remembering something and shaking her head. 

“We still have to find you a jacket,” she argued, looking straight into Calem’s eyes. It took all of his willpower to maintain eye contact. “That's the whole reason we came in here!” Serena took a quick glance around the non-existent outerwear section before sighing and realizing their situation. “Ah. Right.”

“I’ll be alright,” he reassured, though Serena didn’t seem convinced. “I’m sorry for making you come in here for nothing, but I’ll be okay.” Calem frowned, his eyes locked with the ground. He’d made Serena do all of this, made the entire group go on a detour, only for them to be right back where they started. He felt selfish, and really wished he’d never left his stupid jacket in that café in the first place. “It should be warming up soon anyway.” He had no idea whether or not that was true—he just didn’t want Serena worrying about him.

“Don’t apologize.” Calem hadn’t expected that to be her takeaway from this. He wanted to feel relieved that she didn’t seem too upset, but the death glare she was giving him once he looked up from the ground prevented that. “You apologize too much. We had fun, didn’t we?”

“Um… yeah?” He quite wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but he answered truthfully regardless. Of course I had fun. I always have fun with you. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back. He’d say them someday, he promised to himself, but not today. “I did, at least.”

“See? We both had fun, so it wasn’t a waste.” Oh. Calem immediately let out a sigh of relief, a bright smile washing over his face. Immediately, his fears felt so small and insignificant that he couldn’t believe he was so worried about them mere moments ago. Of course Serena wouldn’t be upset at him—she was the one who’d asked everyone to stop in here in the first place. Still, though, a part of him still felt a little guilty. In all the time they’d spent in here, they could’ve just walked back to that café and gotten his jacket back, which would’ve prevented this whole mess in the first place.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He laughed nervously. “Sorry, I guess I—”

“Stop apologizing.”

“But—”

“Calem.” The look in her eyes was uncharacteristically scary, and he had no choice but to back down. 

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes, holding back a laugh. “I was just worried you’d be mad or something. I mean, we came all the way here and all we found was golf cologne.” 

“Y’know, you’re too hard on yourself sometimes.” Calem raised an eyebrow. “I was the one who asked everyone to stop here because I knew you wouldn’t say anything. We came in here because I—” She paused, like something was on the tip of her tongue. “…Care about you and don't want you to die out there in the cold. If I’m upset about anything it’s because you’re gonna have to go back out there and freeze because—” Serena paused, her eyes sparkling with a sort of mischievous joy that looked more like Shauna than herself. “Stay right here. I have an idea.”

“Oh?” He expected her to elaborate, but by the time he opened his mouth to ask what said idea was, she had disappeared. 

Ah. Well then. 

Calem idly played with his mega-ring, not really sure what to do as he waited. He could wander around the store and shop, but considering he’d already thoroughly searched through the pitiful men’s ’section,’ he didn’t imagine there was much here to his liking. Besides, Serena asked him to stay put, and with how stupidly confusing it had been to navigate to this spot in the first place, he wasn’t sure he could manage to find his way back. 

So he stood in place and thought, staring down at the floor as he lost himself in his head. Like they always seemed to, his thoughts quickly drifted to Serena and her words. 

Calem obviously knew Serena cared about him—saying otherwise would be completely dense. He knew it from her actions and words, even if a part of him occasionally wondered if he was deserving of that treatment. 

He knew that, yet there was something about it that felt… different. 

She’d paused. Calem wasn’t always the most conversationally aware person, and he knew that, but it was so long that even he’d picked up on it. It was almost like she’d meant to say something else, but what? What else was so embarrassing that even Serena couldn’t say it?

…

She couldn’t have meant to say…

No, there was no way. 

But—

“Calem!” Serena’s words knocked him straight back to reality. What a silly thought, he scolded himself. Serena just thought of him as a close friend, is all. And there was nothing wrong with that. 

There was nothing wrong with it, but—

“That was fast,” he said with a smile. He noticed that Serena was hiding something behind her back—a gift, maybe? Or maybe it was just something dumb and hideous that she wanted to laugh at with him. With Serena, it could be either or. “I expected you to get lost, with how confusing this layout is.”

“Turns out what I was looking for was right around the corner, and the line was super short.” She smiled. “Aaand!! Shauna was right behind me in line. With only, like, half a cart of stuff!” Only? 

“Is that really an improvement?” He asked, and Serena stared at him. 

“Do you remember last time?” She asked plainly, and Calem nodded solemnly. 

“…Yeah. Forget I said anything.” He briefly wondered how she was going to walk carrying that many bags of stuff, but that was a problem for fifteen minutes from now. “But what’d you get? You seem super excited about it.” Calem wasn’t dumb, so he immediately figured she’d gotten him a jacket or coat to wear from the women’s section. The thought made his heart spin in his chest, knowing Serena cared so much about him that she was willing to spend Arceus-knows how much on a jacket just to keep him warm for a few hours. It was so, so sweet of her, and Calem was already thinking of ways to repay her in the future. 

“Ta-da!” She exclaimed, holding out the jacket she had bought. To his surprise, it wasn’t something sparkly and pink like he’d expected. It was instead a light brown with white fur accents, looking genuinely comfortable and like something he’d actually wear. Calem smiled widely, wondering how Serena had picked something he liked so much if he apparently only ever wore one outfit, before she spoke up again and completely threw him off-balance. “I got myself this super cute jacket! It was on sale, too!” 

“Oh.” He genuinely hadn’t meant to sound disappointed, but he was almost certain it came across in his tone anyway. Of course it’s for her, stupid, he scolded himself. It’s her money, and it’s your fault you don’t have anything to wear. Why did I think it would be for me? That’s so selfish. He did have to wonder why she had brought it up as a solution, though, if all she was doing was buying something for herself. Calem quickly shoved the thought aside, not wanting to be upset at Serena for something that was 1000% not her fault. “It’s cute,” he commented, fixing his tone. “I like the fur.”

“Right? It’s so comfy, too.” Totally not salt in the wound. Calem was frustrated how much he cared about a jacket that wasn’t his that he could totally just go buy himself right now. “You look totally confused right now,” she noticed, giggling quietly. “I promise I’m not just being mean.” 

“I never thought you were,” he laughed awkwardly, trying to ignore how easily he’d just been read. “I just didn’t know what to expect. Or why you wanted me to stay here and wait for you.” Serena didn’t say anything in response, instead only starting to unzip her jacket. Was she okay? Either Calem hit his head on something, or Serena was acting strangely. Either way, he just wanted to know what her so-called ‘idea’ was. 

In retrospect, it was amazing he hadn’t figured it out already. 

“Here you go,” Serena said as she finished unzipping her jacket, holding it out towards him, and it took Calem a moment to process what she meant. “I told you I’d let you wear mine if I wouldn’t freeze, and I meant it.” Wh— But— Was she really—? “Look, and it’s got the pockets you care about so much!” To demonstrate, she stuck her hand in the side of the jacket, and pulled out a tube of lipstick. “Oops. Forgot to empty these out,” she giggled. “I mean, you can keep ‘em if you want. I just don’t see you as the type of guy to wear makeup.”

“Serena, I—”

“Or maybe you are, I don’t know. It’s totally cool if you are! Y’know, maybe I can give you some tips sometime!” It was amazing how she was focused on the completely wrong thing. 

Calem’s heart did a lot of funny things around Serena. It was just something he’d grown used to over time, as annoying as it could be. However, this was the first time he physically felt his heartbeat start to race and his face start to burn. 

He couldn’t even blame himself, either—Serena just handed him her jacket. Her jacket. Not one she’d bought or found specifically for him. Hers. Sure it was most likely temporary, and sure it was most definitely an act of friendship rather than anything else, but that still didn’t stop Calem from hardly being able to breathe. 

“Are you sure?” He asked in a voice so meek it hardly sounded like it was coming from him at all. “I mean, it’s yours! And—and it might look a little—” Once again, Serena didn’t respond, and Calem feared the worst until she came up behind him and placed the jacket on his shoulders. 

He was going to die here. He was going to die in this boutique’s horrible men’s section, and it was all Serena’s fault. 

“Your face is so red!” She said with a grin, and Calem genuinely thought he was going to fall backwards into the shelves behind him. To add salt to the wound, she started to zip up his jacket for him. Probably for the best—Calem’s hands were so shaky he wasn’t sure he could do it himself. “You look like my Delphox’s ears.” Before he could even begin to formulate a response to that, Serena continued. “It’s cute.” In a wonderful moment of social expertise, Calem choked on his own spit. 

“You can’t just… say that!” He argued, and Serena giggled as she finished zipping up his jacket, taking a step back. 

“You really don’t seem like you’re in a state to stop me.” He was going to fall over and die. He was going to have a heart attack in the middle of this stupid boutique and die. 

“I—” Deep breaths. He had to say something, because if he just kept stumbling over his words like this Serena would keep teasing him until he actually died. “I don’t think you realize what you’re doing, Serena.” Calem himself wasn’t even entirely sure what he meant by that—all he knew was that if this wasn’t the flirting he thought it was, he wanted it to stop. His heart couldn’t take it. 

“Who says I don’t?” She asked, somehow nonchalantly. How on earth could she just say that so casually!? She started to zip up her own jacket, and took a step closer to Calem. They were close now—too close. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears. In a voice hardly above a whisper, she continued, “I’ve never lent a jacket to Tierno or Trevor, have I?” Again, all Calem could manage to do was choke on his own spit. It was like his entire world had come crashing down on him, but in a good way? Crashing up? He was too delirious to come up with a decent metaphor. His heart was racing in his chest, his face was burning with the power of a thousand Talonflames, and he was about one more flirtatious comment away from losing his balance and falling to the floor. 

Calem froze in place for an embarrassingly long time after that. He genuinely had no idea how much time had passed, but it was long enough for Serena to take a step back and lose her signature confidence. 

“Did I read this wrong?” As much as Calem tried to shake his head or say something to cut her off, both his brain and his mouth completely failed him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” In a burst of confidence he’d never had before, built up from a mix of both Serena’s teasing and her doubt, Calem did something he never thought he’d be able to do. 

He leaned in. 

It was just a quick peck on the cheek, lasting about half a second as reality set in and he pulled away, but it was there. It was there and it was real and he’d just kissed Serena. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He could only stare ahead awkwardly, waiting for Serena to say whatever was on her mind. He had all the reasons to assume it was the same as what he was thinking— Oh Arceus I can’t believe this finally happened— but of course, his anxiety didn’t stop the tiny fears from creeping in. 

“…Finally.” Was all she said as she reached for Calem’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I was starting to think you’d never do it.” For as quiet as he’d been until that moment, Calem spoke immediately. 

“Wait. Were you waiting for me to kiss you?” The words sounded completely ridiculous leaving his mouth, but to his disbelief, Serena nodded. 

“I had a feeling that you felt the same way, but I wanted you to be the one to make the move,” she explained, and Calem’s knees felt wobbly again. “If I wanted to make myself sound cooler I would’ve just said it was because I wanted to break you out of your shell, but…” she paused, a rare look of vulnerability washing over your features. “I was scared. I was so scared.” 

“I understand.” He squeezed her hand. “I was too. I didn’t want to lose you as a friend by rushing things, but the thought of seeing you end up with someone else made me sick to my stomach.” The thought was embarrassing to admit, but he knew Serena wouldn’t judge him for it. It felt selfish, even when kept to himself. What kind of friend was he, not wanting her to fall in love so long as it wasn’t with him? But as he looked at her flushed expression, as he squeezed her hand and felt the warmth of his heart still fluttering in his chest, he figured that it was okay to be just a little selfish sometimes.

“Wow. I guess we feel the same in more than one way.” She giggled, though the emotional look on her face remained. “It’s just—I’ve never really seen you with a girl before, so I wasn’t sure if you were just being nice to me or not.” Before Calem could say it, Serena continued. “Shauna’s never liked guys, so that’s different. At least it was in my mind at the time.” She smiled. “Looking back, I think I knew you treated me differently than her, and that there was a reason for it. But I was just so scared of being wrong that I came up with an excuse and stuck with it.” Her eyes shimmered with a newfound understanding as she took a step closer to Calem. 

“I was worried I was being too obvious.” His voice was quiet, not wanting anyone else to hear his confession. “I… I honestly don’t know what I was doing. It was like I wanted you to know, but I also didn’t at the same time. Sometimes my fear and hope would start fighting each other, and—I don’t know. If you hadn’t said what you said, I don’t think I ever would’ve had the confidence to do anything.” 

“But you’re still the one who kissed me.” For some reason, hearing it aloud was so exciting. Yeah, he’d kissed her. He’d kissed Serena. Calem smiled brightly. “So I think we’re even here.” She paused for a moment in contemplation before leaning in and returning the favor. She didn’t chicken out as quickly as Calem did, though, which let him enjoy the feeling for just a moment longer. 

…

It was wonderful. 

“Hey, guys!! Everyone was wondering where you were! We’re all ready to leave, but wanna see the bows I bought for Furf…frou….” The two of them jumped back as quickly as humanly possible, but it seemed the damage was already done. One quick glance at Shauna’s face proved that she’d seen everything, and Calem wanted to bury himself in a clothes rack and hide. “Oh!! Um… I have to go… water my…Chesnaught….” She mumbled before shouting, “Excuse!” And running away. 

…

Calem and Serena stared at each other in silence for a good thirty seconds before Calem finally managed to speak up. 

“…So we both know she’s never letting this go, right?” Calem expected Serena to agree, but she shook her head. 

“Actually, I think she has more important things to worry about right now.” Confused, Calem tilted his head, but Serena merely brushed it off. “You’ll see soon.” 

“I’m a little worried,” he laughed, but Serena reassuringly squeezed his palm. 

“No, she didn’t send a couple hundred dollars to a ‘Galarian Princess’ she met online this time.” That wasn’t what Calem had been worried about, and, in fact, only made him more worried. “Oh. Did she not tell you about that one?”

“No!?”

“Ah.” Serena merely started walking away, leading him out of the store, as if that was a completely normal thing to bring up. “Forget I said anything, then.”

“I don’t think I will, actually.” 

“Just don’t mention it around her. It's a sore subject.” 

“I can see why.” 

Navigating their way to the entrance took significantly less time than it did getting to the men’s section in the first place, though maybe Calem was just so overjoyed that time seemed to go by faster. Regardless, they were at the store entrance within a few minutes, and were greeted by Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all waiting for them. 

“Oh, look, there’s the two lovebirds!” Greeted Tierno, and Calem sighed softly. Looks like everyone already knew. Oh well—they would’ve found out eventually anyway. “Aww!! You’re even wearing her jacket!!! That’s so sweet.” Calem laughed nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets. (!!) 

“It’s his jacket now,” Serena corrected, and…

“It is?” He asked, shocked. She was just giving him her jacket? But she wore it all the time! She was so sweet it made his heart hurt. He’d have to give her his jacket once he got it back from that cafè. 

“Well, yeah!” The way she spoke like it wasn’t a big deal at all made Calem smile like an idiot. She was so, so sweet. He had to have been the luckiest man in all of Kalos. “You’re my boyfriend. It’s, like, my job to lend you all of my cute clothes.” This was the first time she’d said it aloud before, and even though it had been all but directly stated, hearing it out loud made everything feel official. Boyfriend. He was Serena’s boyfriend. Arceus above, he must have been dreaming. He glanced around to his friends, preparing to be relentlessly teased for what Serena had said, but to his surprise, both Tierno and Trevor seemed more focused on Shauna. 

“…You know she’s still on the clock, right?” Mumbled Trevor. “She’s probably not going to respond to anything until she gets off work.” 

“You’re just trying to sabotage my beautiful romance,” replied Shauna, who continued typing half-coherent messages on her Pokègear to a contact named ‘Bella <3’ It took a moment for it to set in, but once it did, Calem turned to Serena in shock. 

“Did she actually get that cashier’s number?” Serena nodded, and Calem’s eyes widened. Good for her. Really surprising, but good for her. “I really expected everyone to be more… shocked,” he whispered to Serena as everyone stood crowded around Shauna. “I mean, it’s like they didn’t even hear you.”

“I think it’s more that they kinda expected it,” she replied. “I mean, Shauna thought we were dating until a couple weeks ago. And I think Tierno still does.” Really? Was Calem seriously that oblivious to his surroundings? The thought that his friends had thought him and Serena were a couple this whole time made him feel both happy and embarrassed at the same time. 

“Well, I guess he’s not wrong now.” Serena shrugged, squeezing Calem’s hand. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe he’ll never know.” Calem laughed, but before he could respond further, Shauna spoke up in excitement. 

“She responded!!!!” She gasped, shoving her Pokègear in the group’s face. “She told me she’ll meet me at Lysandre Café after her shift ends!! But we only have three hours…” she trailed off before raising her arms up in excitement. “To the PR Studio!!!!” 

“Heck yeah!” Serena cheered, and everyone else was quickly on board. Even Calem, who, as much as spending alone time with Serena was on the forefront of his mind, believed that a little break would be good for his heart, which was still on the verge of breaking out of his chest. 

“C’mon everyone! Let’s go!!” Despite her excitement, though, Shauna didn’t lead the group out of the shop. She instead waited for Tierno and Trevor to go first, and, once they were out of earshot, came up to Calem and Serena and elbowed them in the side. 

“Congrats you two!” She beamed, her smile somehow even wider than when she was texting her new crush. “I probably wasn’t supposed to see that, but I’m glad I did!! Uh, not in the weird way. You know what I mean.” 

“Thank you, Shauna,” Calem said with a smile. “That was the most embarrassing moment of my life, though.”

“I’m sure there’ll be worse.” Thanks, Serena. That wasn’t threatening at all. “But yeah, thanks Shauna. I hope you and this girl get together soon.” 

“Me too!!!” Her smile somehow grew even wider. The way she could smile so blindingly brightly needed to be studied. “Oh, and your secret is safe with me! I won’t tell a soul. Even if I really really wanna.” Oh. Turns out Serena was right, then—Tierno had just assumed they’d been dating this whole time. Calem couldn’t believe he’d been so worried about losing Serena as a friend because of his feelings when half of their group had just assumed they’d been a couple for months. 

“Um… are you guys coming?” Trevor opened the door to ask, and Shauna pumped her first in excitement. 

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry!” She spun around excitedly before turning back to face Calem and Serena. “C’mon, guys! Let’s go make the best trainer video ever!” She paused, then whispered. “Maybe you two could make one of those new couples ones together…”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Serena agreed, then turned to Calem, who nodded despite how embarrassing the idea sounded. The two of them then followed Shauna out the door, stepping out into a Lumiose City that felt entirely different than the one they’d first entered. 

Suddenly, Calem didn’t feel so cold anymore. And it wasn’t the jacket’s doing.