Deception - Gladion x Reader. [UNDER CO.]

Malasada Trip

Reader's POV

After everything that had happened over the past week or so, I decided that Torracat and I should spend a couple of days just relaxing, sneaking in a few training sessions every so often, but this time keeping it closer to home. It seemed like a good decision as it had helped us both feel refreshed and ready to go again, no matter what came at us.

I was sitting at my desk in my room, listening to music and sketching in my notebook as Shadow laid on my lap, his slow, calm breaths turning into purrs each time I reached down to scratch behind his ears. After today's training, I'd told my mom I was going to spend some time in my room bonding with him and she'd encouraged me to, most likely because she was once a very talented trainer herself and wanted me to, as she says, 'follow in her footsteps, but take them even further'. I wanted that, too... I wanted to make her proud.

"Honey! There's someone at the door for you!" My mom's voice echoed from downstairs where she was standing at the sink, washing the dishes. It had been a while since we'd had breakfast — in fact, it was almost lunchtime — but she'd insisted on watching me train after we'd eaten and so the sink was still full.

Shadow's ears had perked up at the noise and caused him to raise his head, looking up at me to see what I was going to do. Once we made eye contact, he immediately jumped off of my lap so I could stand up and make my way downstairs, though as soon as I stepped outside my room I became filled with worry about who could possibly be waiting for me. It could simply be Lillie or Hau or even the Professor, but they weren't who I was worried about. After that night on the beach, Gladion knew where I lived and there was nothing stopping him from visiting just so he could annoy me some more. I still may not know him all that well, but it sure sounded like something he'd do, especially seeing how much joy he got out of my suffering.

Eventually, I made it to the front door after dragging my feet a little, and I couldn't help gritting my teeth as I placed my hand on the handle. I expected to be greeted with a pale face and piercing eyes, but as soon as the door swung open I was surprised to see a darker mocha face and calm eyes which held a large hint of energy and excitement. It was Hau.

"Hey, y/n!" He grinned, bouncing up and down on the spot. He looked as if he was about to burst, and so I had to ask what was going on before he actually did.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just bored and wondered if you wanted to hang out. Maybe we could go to Hau'oli City's shopping district? I know you haven't checked out too many of the shops there... plus, we could get some Malasada!"

I chuckled and glanced over at my mom, to which she smiled and nodded. "Just don't be home too late." An obvious rule, but I agreed all the same and gave her a quick hug before heading outside with my friend.

We walked along side by side, all the while Hau telling me all sorts of stories about how he'd been training with Popplio and grown closer with him, along with his many plans to become stronger so he could beat his grandpa the Kahuna. They were nice to listen to, and he was very kind about my terrible advice, unlike most people.

After a few minutes, Hau and I made our way past the last patch of green grass on the route and into the shopping district of Hau'oli City. It seemed to be one of the busier days as there were quite a few people milling about, and it was a joy to see them all enjoying themselves, as was the usual case for living in Alola.

"So, what d'ya wanna do?" Hau sang, skipping past the first few stories with a huge smile on his face. I already knew we were going to get Malasada, but it was only my third time in the shopping district — properly rather than just training there — and so I made sure to look closely at the store names and have a quick peek at what they sold. The first two times I'd been in the area had ended in battles or some other kind of distraction, so I'd never really gotten the chance to look around.

"I don't know... maybe we can just get some Malasada and talk abou—" I began walking faster in order to keep up with him when all of a sudden, I spotted two familiar mops of bright blonde hair ahead of us outside a clothing shop which caused me to fall silent. The white dress and hat confirmed one of them was Lillie, and it was difficult to mistake the edgy black and red outfit for anyone else but Gladion.

It seemed Hau spotted them too, as seconds later he stopped in his tracks, waved, and yelled, "Hey, Lillie!" Her name had barely left his mouth before he took off sprinting towards them, leaving me to play catch up.

The look on Lillie's face was one of complete shock, but she forced a smile as Hau enveloped her in his arms and gave her a friendly squeeze. Once he'd let go, I went in for my hug, however, the intense stare I received from Gladion over her shoulder made me uncomfortable. It made me so uncomfortable that I shifted slightly, causing Lillie to ask if I was alright.

I couldn't lie, I was surprised to see Lillie and Gladion together, and even more surprised by how comfortable they seemed around each other. It was as if they'd met before...