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Paxton didn’t know when all of these exactly started.
He tried to jog his memories, thinking back, to the possible moments that started all of these feelings blooming inside his chest. Was it when Naveen felt emotional over a signed plush? Or how he suddenly smiled a lot afterwards to Paxton? Or when Paxton comforted him when he grieved over AZ’s death? Paxton wasn’t sure when exactly was the moment that really made these feelings into full bloom, because in retrospect Paxton noticed that he started to see his friend in a rather different light the morning after he reached rank E in Z-A Royale, seeing how Naveen felt much more refreshed than before, and when Lida noticed it, he simply replied that he just watched Canari’s stream, and talked a little bit about how great of a battle that was.
Whatever moment was the one to blame, there was no need to beat around the bush. Paxton had a crush on Naveen.
It didn’t help when Naveen’s attitude just made it harder for Paxton’s feelings to ignore. When Paxton went downstairs to go on his day, he would sometimes see Naveen sitting on his usual armchair, busy working or watching Canari’s stream on speaker. Other times he wasn’t there, but more often than not, he was. Then, Paxton would wave his hand, murmuring a short greeting and telling him he’d be out for the whole day. He wished the stream would drown his voice or Naveen had been too busy to pay attention to his surroundings so Paxton could go unnoticed, but Naveen always, always noticed whenever Paxton was around, no matter how brief.
And he always, always replied to Paxton’s greeting, head tilting slightly to the side with a smile and soft look from his beautiful purple eyes.
“Good morning. Be careful on your way.”
And as soon as he stepped outside Hotel Z, Paxton ended up falling to his knees, hands clutching his head—that was covered with his hat that he got from Naveen—in front of the door, hoping his friend wouldn’t notice his strange behavior from inside. At least Hotel Z not having that many guests had its merits, such as having next to zero chance of strangers seeing him in this state.
Damn it! Paxton cursed to himself. How am I supposed not to fall head over heels at him when he’s like that?! His hands then fell to his face, and he didn’t even need to look at the mirror to know he was blushing really hard now, especially when he could feel the heat from his cheeks with his hands.
Well, that was the problem that Paxton had. A big problem, he should say. And when he realized that he had this kind of feeling to Naveen, he knew he signed up to a game he would never win.
Everyone knew how much Naveen admired Canari. Paxton wouldn’t have been able to reach rank E—and by extension, saving Lumiose and everything else—if not without his massive knowledge about her, defeating every single Canatic that attended that event. The way Naveen was holding the signed Canari plushie that Paxton gave to him like it would break and shatter into million pieces should it ever drop also said a lot of how much he seriously admired her. On one hand, Paxton was flattered that Naveen really treasured the signed plushie that he gave to him, but on the other, if it had been any other plushie, Paxton wondered if Naveen would have remained distant as their first meeting, and it would have meant nothing to him.
Paxton wondered if he should give him a giant Canari plushie that he would get if he could collect all the Colorful Screws whenever he would confess his feelings, but it would sound like Paxton was bribing him, huh? That didn’t feel right. Maybe when he was able to navigate around the scaffolding a little bit better and could gather all the Colorful Screws scattered around Lumiose City, he would give the giant Canari plushie to him for no reason other than seeing him happy.
Plus, Naveen already had a lot of things going on in his life, with his grandmother disapproving his dream and how he began to build some reputation in Lumiose City as a fashion designer, and so many people loved his works. He also had commission work to do, surely he wouldn’t have much time to worry about something like a romantic relationship. There was also a chance that he wasn’t interested in that at all, considering his overall distant attitude to other people in general. He might have begun to open up a little, but even then that was only limited to his friends.
That was why, Paxton knew he was playing a losing game here. There was no way he could win this. Even so, these feelings were blooming so rapidly in his heart, reaching to a point where he couldn’t ignore them anymore.
But, these were such bothersome feelings, right? Really, if anything, he’d just be adding more burden to Naveen, and his friendship would be ruined as well. This was a lose-lose situation.
Paxton sighed a little and stood up, as he began walking away from Hotel Z, hoping no one would see him before. Thankfully, Hotel Z was as quiet as ever.
Yeah, perhaps it was fine if he kept these feelings away. It was for the best, after all. Paxton wanted Naveen to be happy, to let him continue pursuing his dream while also continuing his Canari fan activities. Feelings like these would hinder him more than helping him.
Paxton stopped his tracks, looking around to make sure no one—nor Pokemon—was around, then he looked up to the clear blue sky.
“Naveen, I’m in love with you.”
Paxton said, to no one but himself, then he let out a dry laugh, feeling self-conscious as he continued walking, his palm covering his embarrassed face.
“What am I even doing?”
Paxton mumbled to himself as he sighed, feeling defeated. He decided to stop by Cafe Introversion to order a coffee and perhaps a croissant as well to cheer himself up.
It was better for things to stay the same, Paxton repeated internally like a mantra, hoping it would eventually convince himself.
***
If things remained the same and nothing changed, then it would be better for everyone, so Paxton chose to shove and bury his feelings away, as much as they were hard to ignore. Then, hopefully, Paxton would be able to accept that it was the best outcome.
At least, that was what he hoped, until strange occurrences began happening yet again in Lumiose City, and Hyperspace Zones began appearing, threatening to swallow the real Lumiose if not handled quickly.
Well, Team MZ was a team full of amazing trainers, and Paxton would always do his best in these Hyperspace surveys, as well as calming the Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon inside the Hyperspace. Surely this would be done in no time, with so many powerful trainers helping out.
The theories about Hyperspace Lumiose being a reflection of people and Pokemon’s subconscious, creating some sort of other dimension, lingered inside Paxton’s head longer than he thought he would. He began to think if the Hyperspace Zones that he’d been entering all this time were made from people and Pokemon’s subconscious thoughts. If that was the case, it felt like Paxton was invading their privacy.
The thought of Paxton’s subconscious manifesting into a Hyperspace Zone for his friends to enter into—especially Naveen—and then ending up finding a lot of things about him that he wished no one would see—including his feelings that he hoped he buried deep enough not to manifest into another dimension much less being seen by his friends especially his crush—worried him a lot. Honestly, for once, he was glad that Naveen wasn’t much of a battler and he had been staying in Hotel Z to look out for Ansha alongside Lida for most of the time.
Speaking of Naveen…
“It’s the signed Canari plushie I gave to you a long time ago, right?” Paxton tried to offer his help—once again, after being thoroughly rejected—in looking for Naveen’s missing Canari plush in his room, as the latter continued rummaging through his room, making his already messy room even messier. “Then it should be fine if I touch it, right?”
“No, it’s not!” Naveen’s answer was immediate, and very loud too, it made Paxton flinch. This wasn’t the first time he saw this side of Naveen, yet Paxton still found himself thrown off guard anyway. “I’ve made sure I cleaned it! I won’t let anyone else touch my precious plush!”
It wasn’t like this was the first time Paxton got rejected—he did offer his help to look for the plushie before this as well—but it still stung anyway. That, and he couldn’t deny a strange feeling began making its form in him, which he knew what that was and considered himself stupid for feeling this way. Feeling jealous of Canari was stupid. He knew very well that Naveen’s admiration for Canari didn’t have any romantic sense in it, it was born out of gratitude. That was why Naveen didn’t have any problems with Gwynn, who was utterly smitten at Canari—it really wasn’t that hard to figure that out, whenever Paxton tried to talk to her he was always ignored while he could swear he saw hearts in her eyes whenever Canari was around, whether in Whiz Quiz or during Jacinthe’s tournament.
So, feeling jealous over Naveen’s admiration for Canari was stupid. Paxton should stop feeling like that. Perhaps if he ignored that, it would go away. In any case, he was happy that the plushie was found safe and sound by Gulpin.
Still… the way Naveen smiled happily at the plushie as he carefully set it back to the small table next to his bed…
Certainly, it didn’t have anything to do with who gave that plushie to him. It was a Canari plushie, whoever gave it didn’t matter. Paxton silently repeated that to himself.
Paxton was glad Corbeau immediately called right after that so there was something to distract his thoughts away. Then he would be so busy surveying through the Hyperspace Zones without any time to think about these feelings. After all, Naveen would remain in Hotel Z alongside Lida, he wouldn’t go to Hyperspace Zones because he and Lida had to look out for Ansha.
Yet, here he was.
“Wait a minute! I’ve got something I want to tell you, Canari!”
Here he was, standing next to Paxton with a determined expression like he had decided something, in a Hyperspace Zone where Canari and his grandfather were—apparently—arguing again over something that Paxton didn’t really catch. At least Naveen’s approach managed to stop the so-called quality time—which Canari disagreed to call such—and they stopped to listen to him.
“Paxton gets to talk to you plenty, but I never get a chance… Is it just a matter of proving my worth?”
Paxton noticed his usual reserved expression became slightly somber, and frustrated, and that left Paxton shocked.
He shouldn’t have taken everything that happened in the Hyperspace Zone at face value. After all, this realm was a projection of someone’s subconscious. To put it frankly, this world wasn’t real. It was a dream. Therefore, he shouldn’t let everything that happened here get to him.
But still, Paxton couldn’t help wondering if that was what Naveen felt to him all this time. That he too, felt jealous of Paxton, because of Paxton’s strength and that gave him the chance to talk with Canari and battled her in a way that Naveen was never able to—at least, until now.
Ah, what a mess…
Paxton could definitely say his mind drifted off when the double battle of him and Naveen against Canari and Tarragon began, so much so that Naveen ended up carrying most of the fight. He felt ashamed for underperforming in front of someone he liked, but at the very least he could show to Naveen—as well as Tarragon and Canari—that he really had his moments when he couldn’t battle optimally, and thus didn’t deserve Canari’s attention. He hoped that she would want to hear his friend out, instead of him.
Paxton noticed the stare from Tarragon that carried so much weight directed to him as Canari asked Naveen what he wanted to say, but it lasted only for a moment before Tarragon turned his attention to Naveen as he confessed his dream to create outfits for Canari, which she agreed with almost immediately.
Paxton’s exhaustion over handling the messy thoughts in his mind was cast away after seeing Naveen’s relieved—and clearly overjoyed, as much as Naveen tried to conceal it, Paxton could see Naveen’s eyes screaming how happy he was—expression and reaction when Canari let him make a new outfit for her. Not to mention, he also got a Canari-shaped bread, the trademark food that Tarragon promised he would make for all Canatics the other day. Paxton could see joy and bliss written all over Naveen’s face.
Complicated feelings aside, Paxton was glad to see Naveen being happy, even though his happiness didn’t directly involve Paxton whatsoever.
When Paxton and Naveen were about to walk out from the Hyperspace Zone, Naveen was still clutching on the Canari bread, staring at it instead of eating it like Canari told him to. Paxton let out a soft laugh, and gave him a pat on his back, while pocketing his other hand.
“You finally said it.” Paxton said with a reassuring smile. “I’m happy for you! Now go make that amazing outfit for her.”
Naveen’s eyes widened for a moment, his attention finally was away from the Canari bread on his hand as he stared at Paxton, then he returned the smile that Paxton gave. The same, soft smile that he always showed whenever he replied to his greeting. The same smile he often showed not just to him but also to everyone in Team MZ—but oftentimes to him—when he was happy.
Though, it was a different smile than what he showed when he placed his treasured Canari plushie back to the bedside table after Gulpin found it.
To Naveen, the smile he showed right now probably meant nothing special, it was the same one as usual. But to Paxton, that smile always made his heart skip a beat, and perhaps his cheek began to redden as well. Paxton could only hope Naveen didn’t notice.
“Thank you, Paxton.”
And the way Naveen said it, like he really, truly meant it from the bottom of his heart…
“Now I just need to tell Canari the same thing in reality.” Naveen paused to turn his attention back to the bread in his hands. “I’ll… work up the nerve, eventually.”
Damn it. Paxton silently cursed to himself, again. And here he thought he would be able to bury his feelings forever, not burdening his friend with such bothersome feelings and let him pursue his dream. It seemed the feelings just continued to bloom more rapidly, perhaps more than ever, mixed with his uncertainty and anxiety when he discovered that Naveen felt jealous of him for all the chance to interact with Canari due to his strength.
At this rate, Paxton wasn’t sure how long he would be able to hide this.
“I’m sure you can do it! I’ll always be rooting for you.”
Naveen really needed to stop making that gentle smile directed to him or Paxton needed to bury himself in the nearby ground somewhere.
***
The Hyperspace Zone that Paxton visited this time was among the strange ones.
It was a medium one, but no one was there. No Pokemon, no floating Pokeballs, no Hyperspace trainers to battle against, no small items on the ground, no Mega Shards, nothing. Just an empty, lifeless replica of Lumiose City spreading before him. This could mean there must be something that he needed to do here instead of the usual survey, so he went to look around the area thoroughly, looking for someone he could help out, or perhaps a Rogue Mega Evolved Pokemon that he had to handle.
In front of the seemingly perfect replica of the Lumiose Sewers’ entrance, he saw someone he didn’t expect to be here by himself—Naveen, staring at the river in front of the Lumiose Sewers—or the imitation of it—before him. Paxton stiffened by reflex, suddenly feeling afraid to approach him. But then he reminded himself that this was just a dream. Naveen that was standing there wasn’t the real him.
After all, that was why Naveen had the courage to talk to Canari in that Hyperspace Zone. Because he knew that wasn’t the real Canari. He was able to be honest and say out loud about his dream, because he knew the Hyperspace Zones weren’t real. Even though the Pokemon that came from it were real and could be brought into the real world, it was still a realm made out of people’s subconscious, which would cease to exist when time ran out.
That was why… if Paxton decided to confess his feelings, right here and now, there wouldn’t be any consequences. No friendship ruined, no added burden to his friend’s already difficult life, and they could continue on doing their own respective activities like nothing happened. Paxton wouldn’t also be bothered by this feeling anymore, right?
Perhaps this was the chance.
After steeling himself enough, Paxton went to approach the Naveen in the Hyperspace, calling out to his name. The latter turned, and gave a small smile, but he didn’t move from his spot, letting Paxton approach him fully instead.
“I’m surprised to see you here.” Paxton averted his eyes away, starting with a meaningless conversation before jumping to the main point.
“Yeah, I’m surprised as well.” Naveen responded nonchalantly, his expression returned to the usual stoic one. Paxton knew this wasn’t a good opener to a proper talk, and decided to jump right to the business.
“You know, Naveen… There’s something I want to talk about to you.”
“I also want to talk about something to you, Paxton.” His response surprised Paxton, but before Paxton could say anything, Naveen looked away as he added. “But, go ahead, you can go first.”
“No, no! Mine is not really that important anyway.”
“Neither is mine.”
Darn, this is going nowhere! Paxton was frustrated, but mostly at himself because of how awkward he always ended up becoming in front of Naveen. Though, with how Naveen responded very similarly to him, he couldn’t help but wonder if this Hyperspace Zone was a projection of Paxton’s subconscious thought of his crush to his friend. If that was the case, he was glad for being the only one in here and handling it, not anybody else.
Naveen let out a defeated sigh. “All right. I will go first.” He put his hands on his hip, looking slightly annoyed. Paxton felt guilty for making him a little upset, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling like you’re walking on eggshells, every time you talk with me.” Naveen finally spoke after a moment that felt like forever to Paxton. “I know I’m not exactly the most approachable person compared to everyone else in the team, and sometimes I’m too busy watching streams or working, but I have a feeling like you’re trying to keep me at a certain distance compared to everyone…”
Yes, of course Naveen would notice Paxton’s strange attitude. As much as Paxton tried to act natural, he couldn’t deny that he had been feeling a lot more conscious of his actions around Naveen. Especially after he discovered what he felt for his friend. Truly, these feelings had been nothing but a hindrance to their friendship, and Paxton didn’t like that. He didn’t like making Naveen sad.
“I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s what I’ve been feeling from you.” Naveen then lowered his head while closing his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m not being a good friend to you.”
When an apology escaped Naveen’s mouth, Paxton wanted to exclaim that it wasn’t his fault at all, but Naveen still had more things to say as he continued, which prompted Paxton to keep his mouth shut until he finished.
“I’m sorry if I sometimes…wasn’t being clear enough. But I want you to know that I always have your back whenever you need it.” Naveen raised his head, but he still kept his gaze away from Paxton. “And I’m sorry if I’m sometimes too busy with my own business. I will… do what I can to be a better friend to you. But I need your help in this, I hope you will tell me if I do something wrong to you that I don’t realize, okay?”
It was only after Naveen finished everything he said, that their eyes finally met.
Paxton bit his lower lip, feeling horrible that Naveen ended up apologizing a lot for something that wasn’t even his fault. Because none of it was. It was all Paxton’s fault, because he had no idea how to handle these feelings that ended up being such a trouble to their friendship.
If only he had been better at handling his feelings, none of this would have happened.
“Naveen…” It was his turn, he had to make sure he would say everything properly. “I want you to listen to what I’m going to say, is that okay?”
Naveen blinked once, seemed curious, but he nodded nonetheless. Paxton took that as a sign to continue.
“I’m sorry as well, for acting so strangely around you. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything, it’s just that…”
Paxton paused, unable to continue. Suddenly hesitation overwhelmed him, but he had reached this point. He couldn’t turn back now.
Naveen seemed to notice his hesitation, but Paxton didn’t want to let it stop him from saying what he needed to say. Even if he had to lose his friendship, or worse—he didn’t have a choice. He had to say it.
“... The truth is, I was acting all like that… because I love you.” Paxton hung his head low, like he was apologizing. Like he was sorry for holding this kind of feeling to Naveen. Like he was sorry for causing this much trouble because he didn’t know what to do. That, and he didn’t want to see Naveen’s expression just yet. “... More than friends should. I really, really love you.”
“I was acting strange… because of that. Because I don’t know whether or not I should say it to you. Because every time I try to ignore that feeling, it just keeps growing, and it’s driving me insane.” Paxton paused to emphasize what he wanted to say next. “So, don’t be sorry, please! I was acting strange because of that, none of that is your fault! It was mine…”
Mustering his courage, Paxton raised his head, and formed a sheepish smile. “Sorry it ended up like this, huh? But yeah, that was why I’ve been… rather self-conscious of how I acted recently, around you.” He reached to rub the back of his head, let out a dry laugh to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere, but it didn’t seem to be effective. “It’s okay, you don’t have to respond. Just forget about this and pretend this never happened.” He waved his other hand, as if that would magically wave off the confession he just said. “After all, this realm isn’t real, right? Whatever happened to this may or may not even be true anyway, so really, just forget about—”
Paxton’s futile attempt to lighten up the mood was cut off when Naveen suddenly dashed to wrap his arms around his waist, burying his face in Paxton’s shoulder. Paxton was left stunned, unable to react, not even able to return the gesture, because his brain was still struggling to comprehend what in the world just happened.
There’s no way. There’s no way he—
Even his thoughts were interrupted because he could feel his face was being gently pulled, and something soft landed on his cheek with a small noise before that was lifted and he was released from the hug.
Did he… did he just—?!
Paxton’s face was dyed in red right now, as much as his friend, standing before him, covering his lips with the back of his hand with his purple eyes turned away.
“... Since this is a dream, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be a little forward.” Naveen mumbled to the back of his palm, but Paxton could still hear what he said. “Not like all of these actually happened anyway.”
“T-T-That’s right…” Paxton stammered, he still hadn’t fully grasped what in the world happened, he still felt so overwhelmed over everything. “So… does that mean you’re…”
Naveen didn’t answer, he still kept his gaze fixed to the ground, still appeared very embarrassed over what he just did. Fair enough, Paxton also felt the same. None of them looked at each other for a few moments, at least until Paxton heard a notification from his Rotom Phone that said the Hyperspace Distortion would close in a short time.
“This zone… is going to be gone soon…” Paxton started after an awkward silence that lasted for a little while that fell before them. Naveen nodded with a hum, his hand reaching to play with his hair, a gesture he would usually do to hide his embarrassment.
“Since this is a dream, as you said…” And Paxton didn’t know whose subconscious that manifested into this zone—probably Paxton’s, that was the very likely possibility—but he wasn’t sure if this Hyperspace Naveen would know the answer, so he decided not to ask. “... Can I ask… for a rather selfish request?”
Naveen remained silent, but he nodded anyway.
Paxton swallowed, feeling nervous. His confession was accepted, and it appeared Naveen also felt the same way, yes, but only in this Hyperspace Lumiose. Paxton still didn’t know if Naveen in the real world was feeling the same way. But at least, at least in this world which was certainly manifested from his subconscious thoughts, his feelings were reciprocated.
And Paxton was glad. At least his feelings wouldn’t bother him and his friendship with real life Naveen anymore. He felt relieved, as if a huge burden was lifted from his chest. He would certainly be able to continue being friends with Naveen in the real world, he didn’t need to bother him anymore.
In another world—which would disappear very soon—he could proudly call himself Naveen’s boyfriend. His lover. That fact alone made him happy.
“Can I… kiss you?” Paxton nervously asked. Naveen blinked once, his cheeks became tinted in red again, just like Paxton. “On the lips… I mean…”
Realizing how forceful he came off by requesting that, Paxton hastily added to make the atmosphere less awkward—and hopefully ease his embarrassment a little bit—with a sheepish laugh and an attempt to properly apologize. “It’s just a dream, right? It’s not like the real Naveen would feel the same way, right? I guess it’s really selfish of me, huh… Sor—”
His words were halted by an index finger gently placed on his lips. He could feel Naveen’s finger trembling, but he remained still in that position, making Paxton unable to say anything.
“About that…” Naveen inched close to Paxton, his purple eyes stared right to his brown ones, and Paxton felt like he could explode at any moment over seeing how beautiful the man before him and how close he was. Paxton was the one requesting for a kiss, yet he ended up being flustered over a gesture that wasn’t even a kiss. “How about you save it up for the real world Naveen?”
Naveen broke the stare and looked away, though his finger was still placed on Paxton’s lips, leaving him no chance to argue nor say anything. “... I think the real world Naveen will be happy to know what you’re feeling to him… Maybe you should tell him as well.”
It was after saying that Naveen finally lifted his index finger and took a step away, as Paxton hurriedly took a breath and exhaled it, not even realizing he was holding it at that moment. But before Paxton could even say anything in response, his Rotom Phone sent a notification that Hoopa had run out of donut energy, as he was about to be thrown out of this Hyperspace Lumiose.
“Wait! Naveen!” Paxton could feel his body was slowly being pulled by a mysterious force that he couldn’t resist—something that he always felt whenever he ran out of time in traveling through Hyperspace—while Naveen just stood there and waved his hand. However, Paxton caught what the Hyperspace Naveen said and what expression he made before the realm disappeared.
“I love you, Paxton.”
And the smile he showed was possibly the first time Paxton ever saw, and possibly the happiest, most beautiful one, with purple eyes narrowed blissfully and slight red tint over his cheeks.
When Paxton opened his eyes, he was back to the real world, the portal that he entered disappearing behind him.
Paxton covered his face—still dyed in crimson especially with his head mercilessly replaying everything that happened there—with his hands while sighing heavily. His heart was still beating really fast as well. The advice that the Hyperspace Naveen told before the zone closing really made his plan on staying as friends with the real life Naveen went out of the window.
Paxton reached out to his cheek, tracing the exact spot where Naveen placed the kiss. It really felt like a kiss had been placed there, and that drove Paxton crazy.
That was definitely the most…interesting Hyperspace Zone he ever entered, bar none.
***
Paxton had been standing in front of Hotel Z for fifteen minutes and counting, still contemplating whether or not he should confess his feelings to Naveen in this world, just like what Naveen in Hyperspace said. He did say that Naveen in the real world would feel happy to hear what Paxton felt—what did he mean by that? Why did the Hyperspace Naveen talk like he knew a lot about real world Naveen? Even in the beginning before Paxton confessed, Hyperspace Naveen talked about problems that real world Naveen might have, and surprised Paxton as well. If that Hyperspace realm was a projection of Paxton’s subconscious, then he shouldn’t be having problems that real world Naveen might have, right? And he shouldn’t be saying things that surprised Paxton as well if that zone was truly manifested through Paxton’s subconscious. After all, it wasn’t like Paxton knew a lot about Naveen. He probably should have acted evasive or something, to show Paxton’s limited knowledge about Naveen.
Unless that Hyperspace Zone was not made of Paxton’s subconscious, but rather, someone else’s?
Perhaps Naveen’s? Paxton shook his head. That possibility seemed unlikely. There was no way that was the case, right?
Well, in any case, whose subconscious that Hyperspace Zone was created from, didn’t matter. The reason Paxton returned to Hotel Z much earlier despite still needing to do more Hyperspace surveys was to follow the Hyperspace Naveen’s advice: to tell the real world Naveen what he felt, and save the kiss on the lips for the real one—if he felt the same way. If he didn’t, then that was fine for him.
From the beginning, Paxton had never minded the possibility of rejection, but at the moment he surprisingly felt more lighthearted than before he entered that Hyperspace Zone, like he was ready for whatever might come, no more bad thoughts and anxiety burdening his chest and his mind. Was it because of meeting Hyperspace Naveen, and seeing he returned his feelings, maybe Paxton had a feeling he might have the chance? And even if he ended up being rejected, there was at least an alternate world where he could be Naveen’s boyfriend?
It was strange. Paxton wasn’t even sure what he was feeling. The initial doubts that he had when he arrived at Hotel Z were also gone now. Taking a deep breath, he entered Hotel Z, expecting to see Ansha and Lida alongside Naveen at the counter, but surprisingly, only Naveen was around. Not even Gulpin was there. And he wasn’t even at the counter, he was sitting on his usual armchair in the guest room.
Naveen stood up from his seat, seeming surprised. “You’ve returned?”
“Yeah, only for a bit, though. Just taking a break.” Paxton answered, then he looked around. “Where are Lida and Ansha? Gulpin isn’t here either.”
“They took Gulpin and Hoopa for a walk around Lumiose City, while buying some more flour and eggs.” Naveen walked to approach Paxton, expression stoic and reserved as usual. “They just headed off though, maybe they wouldn’t take too long.”
“I see!” Paxton responded, surprising himself with how chipper he sounded when he said that, but he shouldn’t waste too much time now. “Naveen, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Naveen tilted his head slightly, his visage remained unchanged but he clearly was curious. “What is it?”
Paxton reached out to hold both of Naveen’s hands in his—he could feel Naveen tensed and trembled a little out of surprise—and went right away to the confession. Paxton lowered his head and closed his eyes, trying to confess in a similar way like he did back then, but better.
“Naveen, I love you!” Paxton said firmly, with no hesitation whatsoever, especially after the experience he had back in that Hyperspace Zone. “I’m sorry that I’ve been acting strange around you all this time, but the truth is, it was because I’ve always, always had a crush on you for a while! I didn’t know how to handle my feelings, so I’ve been tiptoeing around you and I think that made you feel uneasy—I’m really sorry!”
“But now I’ve said it, and it’s okay if you don’t return my feelings. I’m honestly fine with both of us staying as friends! As long as we can always continue to be together, even as friends, I have no problem at all!” Paxton paused to take a breath. “So, don’t worry! You just continue to be who you are, and be who you want to be! That’s Naveen whom I love so much, after all!”
After finishing his surprisingly lengthy confession—probably even lengthier than what he said in that Hyperspace Zone, but it was better than before, Paxton could say for sure—Paxton let out a sigh of relief as he released Naveen’s hands. At least, he finally could pour all of his feelings out properly, without any hesitation or worry blocking his way. Whether or not Naveen accepted it, it wasn’t any problem. He just wanted Naveen to know what he felt, and the reason why Paxton had been acting strangely around him.
When Paxton finally raised his head and opened his eyes, Naveen was looking away with a face so flushed in red, and with the back of his palm covering his mouth. “... So that’s why…” He trailed off, didn’t continue what he said. Paxton wondered if Naveen was worried for the same thing as the Naveen in Hyperspace, but if that was the case, at least he could clear things up now.
Naveen’s hand fell to his side, as he took a step forward, releasing a heavy sigh with his shoulders slumped and his head lowered. He was rather close to Paxton now, and he closed the distance even more as he wrapped his arms around Paxton’s waist, while leaning his forehead on Paxton’s shoulder. Naveen let out another sigh, this time sounded like he was in relief.
Paxton, meanwhile, felt like his brain stopped working for a moment. He thought he was prepared for whatever might happen, but seeing Naveen acting like this still threw him off anyway. He could feel his whole body frozen, not even having the energy to return the hug—and he really should return it whenever he could, preferably soon. From this position, Naveen could probably hear Paxton’s heart beating like crazy.
“I’ve been worrying all this time… I thought I messed up somewhere, I thought the distance between us just grew farther…” Naveen let out another sigh again. It seemed Paxton’s inability to handle his feelings really made Naveen worried, which made Paxton feel guilty. Naveen buried his face to Paxton’s shoulder, as if he was trying to muffle his voice, but Paxton could still hear what he said.
“I love you too… ever since you gave me the signed Canari plushie… That’s why it’s very important to me…”
Hearing what Naveen said—despite muffled in Paxton’s shoulder—Paxton felt overwhelmed by both relief and happiness, as he returned the hug, tightly. Like if he was in a Hyperspace that was about to disappear soon and Paxton was afraid Naveen would be gone along with it. He wouldn’t, this was the real world and Paxton knew that, but he still didn’t want to let Naveen go, and the latter seemed to feel the same as Naveen also tightened his hug. They stayed in that position for a little while, before they loosened the hug simultaneously, but with their faces drawing close to each other.
“Naveen.” Paxton called his name, his expression determined. Naveen seemed nervous, he averted his eyes away for a moment before meeting Paxton’s brown ones. “Can I kiss you?”
His purple eyes widened for a moment, but he nodded a little anyway. Then, he narrowed his eyes blissfully, while smiling with a crimson tint coloring his cheeks.
Paxton nearly gasped out loud, seeing Naveen’s expression before him. It looked so similar like the Naveen in that Hyperspace Zone back then, before he was thrown out. Goodness, so breathtakingly beautiful.
At the same time, that expression also made Paxton began wondering again, about whose subconscious feeling created that Hyperspace realm, and whether or not he should be telling Naveen about that wild experience he had there.
But he could think about that later. He could see Naveen’s eyes were lit in anticipation, and Paxton couldn’t bear to make his friend, and his lover, wait any longer. Especially not after showing such beautiful visage.
Paxton followed the advice—to keep the kiss on the lips to the real world Naveen, who, as the Hyperspace Naveen said, was happy to hear what Paxton truly felt. Their breath collided with each other, before their lips finally met as they closed their eyes at the same moment. Paxton didn’t know how long that kiss lasted, but he was happy, and he was also happy to see Naveen feeling the same.
When they broke apart for a moment to catch some air, Paxton whispered. “You know, I entered a very interesting Hyperspace before returning to Hotel Z today. I think you might be interested in it as well. Do you want to know?”
Naveen formed a small smile. “Canari will start her livestream of a new game in fifteen minutes, if we can finish this and you tell your story within that time, I don’t mind.” He let out a soft laugh. “Though, I think you should continue your surveys, right? You can save that story for later after you’re done with your business for today.”
Paxton chuckled happily. “That’s right, I should.” Paxton and Naveen exchanged fond looks to each other for a moment. “One more?”
“Sure.” Naveen’s smile grew. Paxton had never seen this kind of happy expression from Naveen, and that made his heart jump in happiness. “As long as I’m not late to the stream.”
“Don’t worry about it. This isn’t gonna take that long.”
They laughed happily to each other again before they locked their lips to each other again while intertwining their fingers.
Maybe after Paxton told about his experience in that particular Hyperspace Zone, Naveen would hopefully want to go to Hyperspace Zones as well when he had the time. It was fun to unravel the unknown realm that manifested from various people and Pokemon’s subconscious.