Just a little fluffy one-shot that I wrote for my friend Drake! This is probably the first non-sad romance fic I've written, so apologies if it's a bit rough!
I hope you enjoy
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"So, what do you guys want?" The smiling barista politely asked them.
It had been Sun's idea to go to the café; movie star and former champion Diantha reportedly enjoyed spending her off-time here. Gladion didn't particularly care to meet her, but he could tell Sun was star-struck by her and genuinely excited at the chance. "Come on, it won't hurt to look. Besides, you can't go to Lumiose City and not try one of their world-famous cafes!" he had pleaded.
Although Gladion just wanted to go to their hotel room and sleep after the stressful train ride over, he would hate to rain on Sun's parade. Besides, a fresh, warm cup of coffee sounded exquisite to him at the moment; perhaps it would replace the fresh, warm feeling he would get after napping.
And now they stood behind the glistening mahogany counter, fretting about what to order. There had been a small line when they entered, which would normally offer a chance to decide on what to order. However, as that line had dissipated, neither Gladion nor Sun could come to a decision.
As the barista patiently waited for their answer, a melodious voice rose behind them. "Are you two having trouble ordering?"
Gladion whipped around, instantly setting his face into the suspicious glare that came so easily. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled warmly back at him, despite his less than friendly attitude. "The name is Diantha. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sun made a little excited squeal and his eyes sparkled brighter than a Z-crystal. "Ohmygosh, I can't believe we actually ran into you! I'm Sun, and this is my boyfriend Gladion! I'm such a big fan of yours!" Words tumbled from his mouth at about a mile a minute as he grabbed Gladion's hand so fiercely he cut off the circulation.
The blonde-haired boy blushed slightly, embarrassed at being so harsh to the woman, and covered part of his face in his hand. "Uh, yeah, I'm Gladion. I'm sorry for being so… impolite when you first spoke to us." Apologizing wasn't really his style, but he didn't want to ruin this moment for Sun.
"It's quite alright, I know travel can be stressful." She replied in a kind tone.
"Whoa, how did you know we travelled here?" Sun gasped.
"Well, I can tell you two are very strong trainers, and I would like to think I'd have heard of you if you were from Kalos. Besides, I know every boutique in this region, and I've never seen clothes like that before." She dotted the end of her sentence with a smile.
"Wow, you're amazing!" Sun laughed, "you're right, we're from the Alola region to the south."
"Oh, isn't that the lovely tropical region that got its first Elite Four and Victory Road a few years ago?"
"Yep! And you're looking at him!" he beamed.
"He means you're looking at the first Champion of Alola." Gladion clarified.
"Ohoho, you do strike me as that kind of trainer. You can always tell a champion from that aura of strength and happiness they emanate when they're with their Pokemon." She paused, but continued, "If you're looking for something to order, you can't go wrong with the Pecha-infused Sinnoh blend. It's truly divine."
"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" He chuckled. "Well, if Diantha recommends it, then I have to try it. What do you say Gladion?"
"Uh, yeah sure, why not." He mumbled, not entirely sure how to handle the celebrity before them. He never was much of a "people person".
"Then it's settled!" Sun placed his hands on his hips and whipped back around to face the barista who had been left waiting in all the excitement. "Two cups of Pecha-infused Sinnoh blend, please!"
Seemingly relieved that they had finally ordered, the man nodded, and started to assemble their drinks on all the various machines softly whirring behind the counter.
"So, Gladion, how did you two meet?" Diantha addressing a question to him startled him away from watching the rather hypnotizing process of brewing coffee.
"Uhm, it's a, well, it's kind of a long story." His hand returned to shielding his face. To his relief, Sun took over.
"Well, to shorten it up, we were rivals back in Alola, and after I saved the world from the… well from the Aether Foundation, he asked me to help him set the Foundation back on track, and from there, well, the rest is history." Sun placed a light peck on his cheek, causing Gladion to flush an even deeper shade of red than he had already turned.
"That's great! I'm happy for the two of you." She actually seemed genuine in her words. In some ways, she seemed like the most genuine person he had ever met next to Sun.
"Sirs, your orders are ready." The barista spoke, which, thankfully, ended the conversation before Gladion had to talk any more as Sun turned and fished around in his bag for money.
"I'll pay for it." Diantha stepped in and elegantly produced the PokeYen for their drinks.
"You don't have to do that!" Sun exclaimed.
"Oh no, I don't mind one bit!" She chuckled, "It's my pleasure. I rather enjoyed meeting the two of you, I hope we run into each other again someday. Maybe then we can have a battle, champion to champion." With that, she winked, smiled, and strode out of the café.
"She's just as amazing as I always thought she would be! I can't believe we actually got to meet her! And have a conversation with her! And she paid for our drinks!" Sun was practically jumping up and down; Gladion placed a hand on his shoulder to still him so that he did not splash their drinks over the brims of the mugs.
"I know, I know, it's very exciting. We can talk about how exciting it was once set down our cups of extraordinarily hot liquid."
"Oh! You're right, you're right! I'm glad one of us has his head on straight!" Sun laughed shot him that beautiful, genuine, goofy smile that enchanted Gladion's heart into thinking that with him, maybe the world wasn't as gloomy or as frustrating as he always felt it was.
They, surprisingly quickly, settled on a table out front of the café; it was a lovely day, Sun had pointed out, and Gladion was glad to be out of the proximity of so many people.
Once they were seated, and Gladion had delicately set out the napkins he had managed to snag from inside, both took a long sip of the steaming, aromatic coffee sitting enticingly before them.
"I cannot believe how ridiculously good this is!" Sun exclaimed almost as soon as the liquid had passed down his throat. Gladion, on the other hand, was still sitting with his eyes closed, savoring the flavor.
"Mmmmm." Was all he offered, agreeing with Sun's adorably over-the-top reaction.
"I'm so glad we met Diantha and she told us to order this and she totally paid for it and she said she would want to battle me someday! Me!"
"Well, you are the champion of Alola. Lots of people want to battle you." Gladion offered as a response, taking another sip of the decadent coffee.
"Technically Hau is the champion now; I left him in charge when I decided to come on this trip with you, remember?"
"But did he beat you in a battle? You're still technically the strongest trainer in Alola."
"True, true. Still, I'm not sure I'd be able to win against Diantha. They have these things called Mega Rings here that supercharge your Pokemon, even stronger than a Z-Move!"
"You could handle it." Gladion stated.
"I hope someday I'll find out for sure." Sun sighed wistfully as he, too, continued to sip on his drink.
They sat in thoughtful, content silence as they watched the world slowly turning and changing in the way you only can when sitting outside a café, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and the touch of your love in the other.
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As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! Please tell me what you think!