Deception - Gladion x Reader. [UNDER CO.]

Cheeks As Red As Pikachu

Reader's POV

It was a quiet walk for Gladion and I whilst Lillie and Hau were chatting away in front of us, and although he seemed rather calm and unbothered by the lack of conversation, I was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. It no doubt would've been awkward with anyone, but it was made so much worse by the unbelievable tension between us. It didn't take long for it to become too much for me, and I was just about the blurt out something random to break the silence when we came to stand outside the Malasada restaurant.

Hau's excitement hadn't died down even a little as he looked at us and exclaimed, "This is gonna be great!" He hurried inside and by the time the rest of us had stepped through the door, he was already stood at the counter starting his order. I rolled my eyes, but I found everything about him adorable.

Despite Hau's impatience, we all ordered our Malasada together along with some drinks to wash it all down. With mine, I ordered a refillable lemonade with the plan of drinking it as fast as possible then going to get another, since I was incredibly thirsty and the island's hot weather wasn't exactly helping. I hoped I'd get used to it eventually.

We stood aside for a moment to wait for our order and once the trays were handed to us, we began looking for a seat. Rather quickly we found an empty booth in the corner of the restaurant and got comfortable, Lillie taking the seat next to Hau which left me next to Gladion yet again. I wasn't thrilled, but I took some relief in the fact that we were all together this time and hoped that would mean more civil and polite conversation than in the past. For whatever reason, I believed he wouldn't be a complete jerk around his sister.

As soon as we sat down, everyone dug into their food and ate as if they hadn't for days. The conversation was few and far between aside from the occasional satisfied mumbles and short comments about the Malasada and how good it was which was a nice reprieve, until five or so minutes later when I started to need the bathroom. It would have been an easy enough task if Gladion wasn't blocking my only way out, but I wasn't going to let him get the better of me. I simply asked him to move, a request which he completely disregarded, then poked his arm several times only to be given the cold-shoulder as he continued eating his food.

"Dude, seriously? Don't just ignore me."

Gladion groaned and swallowed his mouthful. "What?"

"I need to get out."

"Why?"

"None of your business why," I answered in a defensive tone, already feeling myself becoming frustrated again. I didn't want to upset my friends again, though, so I took a deep breath as he took another bite. "Um... Gladion?" He put down his Malasada and picked up his drink, simply glancing at me with the most disinterested expression I'd ever seen. "Please, could you move?"

To my surprise, he finished his sip and nodded which prompted me to stand up, although seconds later I dropped back into my seat seeing as he didn't move an inch. Even as I rubbed my head with my hand in annoyance, he still didn't seem to care. "I'm not moving, no matter what you're so desperate for."

"Fine..." I mumbled, getting myself into the right position before I actually stood up. Gladion was being rude and just plain inconsiderate, and I was tired of it. We may not have been friends — in fact, it felt we were pretty far from it — but if the roles were reversed, I would let him out, no matter what it was for.

Brushing crumbs off of my shirt, I shuffled sideways and slid my way past Gladion, keeping my back to him since I didn't want to look at his face any more than I had to. Just as I was almost out, however, he decided to stand up himself which caused me to trip over his foot and stumble. In my mind, I was going to fall and so I prepared myself for the embarrassment of landing on the cold hard floor, squeezing my eyes shut until I suddenly froze in midair. My heart was racing like crazy, and even though I was scared to open my eyes, I knew I had to; when I did, I was greeted with a bright green pair staring right back at me. I recognised them as Gladion's instantly and from the feeling of his hands on my waist, I knew he must've jumped up and caught me before I fell. My eyes scanned his face, noticing he looked about as shocked as I was, a feeling which was only amplified when he lifted me to my feet so we were eye to eye. He kept his arms wrapped around me as my hands hovered above his chest, ever so slightly touching him every time he breathed in. I felt powerless, completely unable to tear my gaze from his, the two of us close enough for me to feel his heart beating which in turn, made my own beat even faster and harder than it already was. It was more intense that anything I'd ever felt in my life.

"Why are you blushing?" The sound of Gladion's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I stared at him wide-eyed until I came back into the real world.

"I'm not blushing," I said, trying to sound as composed as possible. "I'm just embarrassed I almost fell on the floor... why are you blushing?"

His response was almost immediate. "What are you talking about? I'm not blushing. I've never blushed in my life." Despite his confident tone, I had a feeling that wasn't even close to the truth; Gladion may be dark and gloomy, but I know he secretly is human, he just hides his emotions incredibly well.

"Oh? Then why are your cheeks as red as a Pikachu's?"

Gladion inhaled deeply and let out a sigh, staring at me with a blank expression. "It was the strain of catching you before you hit the floor and lifting you up again."

"If that was straining for you, I think you need to exercise more."

That comment caused him to frown, opening his mouth to argue back before quickly silencing himself and glancing behind me in the direction of Lillie and Hau. Curiosity peaked, I looked over my shoulder at the two to see them staring at us, their expressions a mixture of surprise and confusion, though with a hint of a look you'd get from your friend on the playground when you have an argument with someone they think you like. The idea of that last part made me uncomfortable.

Instantly, I felt my face heat up with embarrassment and tore my eyes away from them, glancing around until Gladion and I happened to make eye contact again. It was clear neither of us knew what to do, but thankfully my bladder soon reminded me of what caused the situation in the first place which gave me the initiative to move. I placed my hands on the blonde's chest and pushed myself out of his grip, taking a step back to create some distance between us and try to calm down a little.

"I— I'll be right back..." Before I'd even finished uttering the last word, I scurried off to the bathroom, seeing Hau smirk at Gladion when I turned around to close the door. Gladion himself was bright red and it seemed as though he was desperately trying to hide his face and avoid eye contact with everyone as he slid back into his seat.

After a few more seconds, I stopped staring and ran into one of the bathroom stalls, slamming the door shut behind me. I practically fell back against it as I squeezed my eyes shut, and just about managed to catch myself before I slipped again. Although I tried my best to breathe slowly to calm down, my heart was still beating a million times a minute. What the heck just happened? Why was I so flustered? I've been in embarrassing situations before, in fact, I've tripped and fallen on the floor before, so I didn't understand why this time was so much more... dramatic.

Perhaps I just didn't want my new friends to see me all flustered like that, especially because of someone like Gladion. Yeah... that must be it. There's no other explanation.