New Bad Habit – Attraction
By taitofan
Rated T for implied sexual situations
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or its characters.
Author's note: 4242564shipping has been my otp for a long time, and with the nice surprise in Sun and Moon, I think it's time I finally wrote something.
Comments are highly appreciated. Finished 11-11-2016
Grimsley doesn't particularly like leaving the Unova Pokémon League. Sometimes, he truly hates having to go out and try to prove himself something he's not, chasing after wealth his family lost and he's never getting back. He's not naïve; he knows that he has a problem. He also knows that's exactly the reason Alder makes him the representative in this little get-together among elites.
One representative per league, trading ideas and building relations, and everyone knows that Marshal or Shauntal would be the better choice for rubbing elbows with the other regions. His opinion is ignored; he's going, forced to stop remaining cooped up in the League, and Grimsley can't bring himself to disobey Alder anymore now than he could when he so badly wanted to fight against Team Plasma.
It's funny, he thinks, that a gambling addiction ultimately leads him to a conference room in a swanky Kalos hotel with a group of colorful characters. He doesn't know anyone there, but the Hoenn rep—a cheerful girl named Phoebe—suggested the little name tags they all wear. It's a little clichéd—Hello, my name is XXX!—but it gets the job done.
The Kalos rep—Wikstrom, the sticker says—is going on about something, using words Grimsley is sure haven't been in the popular vernacular in a century. Despite his best efforts, Grimsley can't pay attention to what Wikstrom is saying. It's amazing he can focus on anything, really, considering the sight that's sitting across the table from him.
Maybe it's the clothes, befitting a stage magician. Maybe it's the mask, and the mystery of what lies beneath it. Maybe it's that rich voice, the only one Grimsley has been able to pay attention to for the past few hours. Maybe it's those hips, shapely and begging to be touched, making Grimsley long to see the beauty before him stand up again…
It's all of those things, really, that make Will by far the most interesting thing in the room.
Grimsley has a hard time looking away, and he knows Will has caught him staring more than once. He isn't sure if Will appreciates the attention or not, but if nothing else, the fact remains that Will hasn't kicked him under the table or thrown water in his face. The odds are in his favor.
"Alright everyone, let's take a short break and reconvene in half an hour."
Everyone agrees with Bertha, the Sinnoh rep, and while others linger, Grimsley wastes no time leaving the room. He briskly walks down the hall to the elevators, and he waits. He knows he has a problem, and that's why he can't stop himself from running odds through his mind. 4:1, he thinks. Not the greatest, but it's doable.
He's rewarded when Will shows up and stops next to him. Grimsley smiles and hits the down button.
"You've been staring." Will's tone isn't upset, per se, but it's hardly welcoming. "Why?"
If Grimsley were a gambling man—and he is—he'd hazard a guess that Will doesn't get hit on enough for as attractive as he is. Insecurity—that's his bet for the mask. Of course, his luck isn't the best, he knows, and it's entirely possible that the mask is simply there for the magician aesthetic and nothing else. Still, he sticks with his gut. At least money isn't on the line for once, but he really doesn't want to leave Kalos without Will's number.
"Why wouldn't I want to look at the most attractive person in the room?" he all but purrs, glad that no one on the streets outside the hotel are paying attention to them, because he doesn't want to share the delicious view of Will's flushed face with anyone else. "Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of interesting people up there, and some are quite lovely, but I feel as if I should personally write your champion a thank you card for sending you to represent the Indigo League."
They don't have a long time outside, but when they head back in, their numbers are in each other's phones, and for the rest of the conference, Grimsley finds his staring met with a smile.
"Tell me," Will asks, his tone teasing, "did you learn anything from yesterday's meeting, or did you just look at me the whole time?"
Grimsley shrugs and takes a sip of the coffee he really doesn't have the money for. It's far too overpriced, and isn't even that great, but he can hardly let Will know that the nice paycheck they get from their leagues was blown at the casino the day after he got it. He'll win one day, and it will change everything, and—
'Stop,' he thinks. 'Just stop. Not now.'
His plane is leaving for Unova in a few hours, but for the moment he has Will in a nice little café outside their hotel. Will's response to the impromptu date was a kind laugh and "That sounds pleasant." Grimsley isn't about to ruin this with his self-pity.
"I learned that the Indigo League is finally revamping their building so their handsome psychic master has a room befitting his theme rather than the ice palace he's had the past year."
At the flattery, Will laughs softly, shaking his head with a smile on his face.
"Do you remember anything that anyone but me said?"
"No, not particularly," he admits easily, not at all bothered about the consequences. Alder knew what he was getting into when he forced Grimsley to attend. "Alder and the others will just have to hear all about the charming man I managed to wine and dine in less than twenty-four hours." Will mutters about cake and coffee not being wine and dinner, but he's still smiling. Grimsley is too, until it suddenly hits him how long it's been since he'd felt as good as he does now. "…You will call, won't you?"
Will pauses, his fork almost to his mouth, and he frowns as he sets it back on his plate.
"Have I given you any indication that I won't?" Grimsley knows that he hasn't, but he's spared from admitting it when Will reaches across the table and places his hand on Grimsley's, squeezing it gently. "I'd really like to get to know you better. We won't get to see each other often, but if we can manage to make something of this, I'd like that. So I'll call you when I have the time, and I expect you to do the same. Are we in agreement?"
Grimsley is taken aback for but a moment before he relaxes and chuckles, moving his hand so that Will's fingers thread with his.
"Yes, of course."
"…Did you pay attention to literally anything that doesn't relate to the Indigo Plateau?"
"Don't give him that much credit. He didn't pay attention to anything that doesn't have to do with that Will guy."
Grimsley pointedly ignores Caitlin and Marshal, smirking as he sees Shauntal writing furiously in her notepad. He wants to read whatever crazy fantasy she's penning when she finishes.
"Need a detailed description?" he asks quietly. She nods readily, giving him a looks he's come to realize means 'You're giving me all the juicy details once we're alone.' He doesn't have anything juicy yet, but he hopes it's coming. Louder, to stop the others from complaining, he continues, "That Will guy was kind enough to text me his notes, so do calm down. Alder is perfectly content with the trip's outcome, and you two should be too."
They quiet down, and he can tell by the looks on their faces that they think it was a wasted trip. He can't disagree more, of course, not when he finally has some hope that things can change. That he can truly be contented one day. Perhaps it's nothing but infatuation that will quickly fade now that they're on opposite sides of the globe. But then again, maybe it will all work out. Maybe happiness is within his grasp this time.
He tentatively puts the odds at 3:1. He's played against worst; he'll take it.