Not Part of the Plan

Carousel - Part One

By the time he had waken up, it was already in the afternoon. "12:32." The digital clock by his bed read. Silvally was still curled up in the bed as Gladion got up. He began getting ready, if he was planning to go the festival.. Maybe his usual tight clothes wouldn't cut it. He decided he'd go shopping for clothes in Malie Town.

He slowly coaxed Silvally out of his sleep, and put the gentle pokemon in it's pokeball. It was hard to imagine it as the pokemon created to combat the ultra beasts. He headed out the door, blinking rapidly when his eyes met the sunlight.

As soon as he made it to Malie town, he noticed preparations were being made. Was this where the festival was being held? Strings of lights were being hung up between the traditional styled buildings. Signs were put up, leading towards Malie Garden. He was staring at all the workers when he accidentally bumped into someone.

He flinched, "S-Sorry. My fau.." He froze up when he saw who it was.

"Gladion!? This is where you've been!?" It was Lillie, and she looked upset.

"Why are you here?" He hissed. "You should be with mother!"

She glared into his eyes, making even him feel anxious. "No, I escaped, just like you. And I think I'm the one who should be questioning you!"

"I know.. I have a lot to explain. But for now, I just need a bit more time alone, okay? I'm figuring a lot out and.. I want things to be different for us. I've been earning money for doing jobs!"

"I'm not here to get you. I'm here for my own reasons. I'm not going to try to coax you to come home. Just.. be careful." She hugged him. He hugged back.

   "I know. I'll see you soon." He gave her a smile, before she nodded, heading towards the library.

He thought about shopping.. Until he realized he'd practically never shopped for himself. He decided.. Maybe Hau could help him. He took out his phone, calling.

"Hey.. Um, I'm over in Malie right now.. I was wondering if you wanted to help me shop for clothes for tonight? It's fine, if you're busy." Gladion felt almost like a normal teenager, like he wasn't inviting someone who was actually his target. He heard a laugh from Hau.

"I'm already here! I see you!" Hau responded.

Gladion looked around, before spotting the cheerful boy, who was already approaching him. "Hi Gladion! Were you here to scope out tonight's festival too?"

"Oh.. No, I came to shop for clothes, honestly, I didn't even know the festival was taking place here." Gladion admitted.

"Hmm.. You really are new here!Lets get you some clothes then." Hau smiled.

Gladion simply nodded, heading into the store. He was overwhelmed by the many options.

"Why don't you get some clothes like mine? They're really comfy!" Hau suggested, grinning.

Gladion looked Hau up and down. "I'll pass."

"Yeah, maybe that's not your style. You're the cool guy."

Gladion simply shrugged. Is that what Hau saw him as, cool? He smiled to himself. "How about this!?" Hau held up a shirt, which read "Maulie town, 67th anniversary!" Gladion stared, thats what the festival was for?

"Thanks, but it's not my style either" He gave Hau a weak smile. He was a difficult shopper.

   "Ooo! This should be your style!" He held up a plain, dark red sweater. Gladion actually admired Hau for finding something he liked. It wasn't amazing or anything, but it was certainly something he'd wear.

   "I'll wait out here and you can try it on in the dressing room!" Hau gleamed, happy to have found something he liked. He stood, waiting outside.

...

Waiting,

...

"Gladion?" Hau called, yet nothing came back.

He peaked in, only to see Gladion shirtless. He blushed intensely, quickly pulling away from the curtain. Though.. Had he seen correctly? It seemed that Gladion was covered in bruises..

   "Uhh.. Everything alright?" Gladion stepped out of the dressing room, sweater in hand.

"Totally! Everything is great!" Hau was flustered. Why had he felt so strange seeing Gladion shirtless? They were both guys..

"Umm.. Ok then. Though, thanks for tagging along. I'm going to buy the sweater, though it's a bit big." Gladion shrugged, approaching the counter as Hau followed beside him.

"Of course, I'm always ready to tag along with a friend! I have nothing better to do. Moon is always off training her pokemon. That's why I'm happy she's coming tonight! I'm really excited! I heard this year they're even going to have carnival rides in Malie Garden! We don't see a lot of stuff like that here, but they're gonna have a ferris wheel and a carousel! Maybe even some spinning rides!" Hau rambled on, excited.

Gladion couldn't help but laugh. "I can tell you're very excited." He said as he payed. "I am too.. I've never gotten to go out with friends before I met you. I'm thankful you invited me." Gladion said. On the inside, he was trying to keep in mind that Hau was, in fact, his target. But he had been so kind to him..

"Then it must be fate that we met! Trust me, we're gonna have a lot of fun, tonight, and more! I just know it!" Hau smiled, as they began to walk out.

"That reminds me, I forgot to mention.. Moon decided to invite her friend too! So we'll have four people tonight!" Hau continued.

Gladion felt a bit overwhelmed, but nodded. "That's fine, I guess. Just don't expect me to become best friends with them both."

"Of course not. Now, I have to head back and get ready, so I'll see you tonight!" Hau smiled, before giving Gladion a quick hug.

Gladion was surprised. Hau was hugging him.. This made him realize he'd never actually been hugged by a guy. The nicest people in his life before he left Aether were Wicke and Lillie.. He hesitantly hugged back. "Yeah, I'll see you soon."

Hau grinned, before running off. Gladion could not believe any of that had just happened. That was.. amazing. He couldn't ever hurt Hau, he knew that much. When Hau hugged him, he felt his worries slowly fade. What was this feeling he had for Hau? He hoped things would go well tonight.

Author Note: Decided to do a longer one in celebration of getting over 100 views! Thank you to all who comment and vote, and even the people who add this to their reading list. Every bit makes me really happy! Hope you enjoy, next part will be up sometime tomorrow!