"You're cordially invited to Aether's Annual New Year Gala," Moon slowly reads out loud before putting down the ornate invitation to glance at the messenger. Lillie was shifting her weight between the balls of her feet excitedly, her smile was vibrant, and her eyes were wide with hope and expectation.
"I just figured since this year's Champion Summit was in Alola, your attendance could be expected," Lillie states matter-of-factly prompting the Champion to chuckle as her hands carefully fold up the card and give it back to the blonde. Lillie could very well be the President of the "Get Moon to Attend" club, but try as hard as she will Moon was always traveling.
This year was different, however. Moon would be in Alola, unable to make excuses.
"Lillie, this event is for important Aether people, I wouldn't fit in-" Moon begins only for Lillie to interject.
"Cmon, you don't believe that," Lillie begs, "besides the whole region is invited! Kahunas, Captains, families and friends, and it's not like you have fun at the Summit to want to pick them over us!"
"There's no way you know that for sure," Moon answers playfully only for Lillie to give her a very suggestive smirk.
"Really? Is that why you message my brother in the dead of night when you're overseas every year?"
Moon opens her mouth to retort, but it closes immediately. A pinkish hue making its way onto her freckled cheeks like a kid getting caught stealing cookies.
"Don't try to deny it Champion, I've seen my brother hover over his phone at the Gala in the past years"
"He's simply crazy enough to be up at that hour anyways," she tries defending only to receive a scoff from the aforementioned person's sister.
"Suuuure," Lillie says unconvincingly as she pushes the envelope into Moon's hands once more. "Please Moon? I want you there, Alola wants you there, Gladion wants you th- "
Moon lifts her hands in defeat, before Lillie could continue. "If I say I'll go will you drop the insinuation that there's something between me and Gladion? Because Arceus knows we're just friends," Moon emphasizes, Lillie simply smiling once more, evil gleam in eye.
"I'll make no such promises."
The Summit, just like Lillie predicted, was as boring as ever. Sure, Moon loved catching up with all the Champions, past and present, but that could only last so long. Eventually the group is pulled into a grand office to discuss the matters at hand for hours. And Moon, being the youngest, constantly felt that she had to prove herself to be focused, level-headed-something she has pulled off just fine the last couple of years, except this year it was different.
This year all she did was fidget. Whether it was her nervously tapping her pen, her constant checking of the time, or the insistent pulling and preening she had to do with her dress, Moon was anything but focused.
It didn't help that Lillie sent her a text, this time with a picture, insisting that a certain President was happily surprised she would be in attendance. The picture, however, said otherwise as an annoyed scowl was embedded on his face as his hand blurrily tried to cover up Lillie's camera.
She couldn't help the breathy laugh that followed, causing the room to shift and stare at her with the utmost curiosity. An apologetic look and a mouthed "sorry" was all she could muster before silently excusing herself into the hall, her dignity barely in tact.
What she didn't expect to happen was Red and Green coming out of the room behind her.
"You look nice," Red murmurs as Moon gives him a half hearted smile.
"Sure, you're a little frazzled, a little distracted, but look nice nonetheless," Green adds as Moon lets out an embarrassed sigh.
"Everyone noticed the whole time, huh? " Red shrugs, giving Moon all the confirmation she needed. The Kanto Champions, unlike the others, were people she knew in childhood. People she always looked up to and wanted to make proud and follow-
"I'm just going to say Moonie, if you're going to play hooky you might as well go now."
Red nods in agreement.
"And being honest here, the Champions have had an ongoing bet as to when you'll finally do it," Green finishes with a coy smirk as Moon just stares at them with widened eyes.
She searched for repeal of their words, for a laugh to give it all away, but it never happened.
They just continued to look at her knowingly.
"There's no point in even asking you guys to keep it a secret, huh?"
The smile on Green's face grows, "not at all" and so Moon turns on her heel and quickly waves goodbye as she zips out of the chamber.
"We'll split the money 50/50."
Moon could say without a doubt that she wasn't crashing this party.
No, not at all, she had an invite.
The physical proof however, did little to ease the ruckus that almost acted as if she did crash the event. Questions of " who are you wearing?", "did you bring a date", and " did you pick the Gala over the Summit ?" were being thrown around. And although she came in a midnight dress that elegantly revealed her figure, her overarching goal was to not be noticed. She wanted to simply slip in, hang around Lillie, and eventually make her quiet escape right before midnight.
Her plan had to be put on hold.
For just her arrival prompted the swarm of photographers to attack. Her quiet entrance becoming chaotic very quickly.
The Champion being at the Gala becoming a grander occasion than the party itself.
And while Moon gave everyone the smiles and waves they craved, she found herself struggling to get closer to the entrance. Suddenly, she felt a sturdy arm wrap itself around her waist, escorting her inside. And when they reached the door of the foyer Moon could finally look back to observe who saved her.
But it was in that moment that Moon considered heading back to the Summit.
Her mouth went dry, her eyes went wide. Her body became hyper aware of Gladion's hand now leaving the sliver of exposed skin it was touching. His whole presence now going unmissed as he steps away from her while rolling his eyes. An action that contrasted with the suit he donned.
A suit that fit him very well paired with an expression that was also very familiar. He asks a question she clearly misses. But as her eyes stayed glued to all of him, Moon realizes that she couldn't just stand and gawk at someone she considered her friend.
Just her friend.
He waves a hand in front of her face in an attempt to pull Moon's attention back to Earth.
"Arceus Moon, can you go anywhere without causing a commotion?," he asks half-seriously and half-jokingly, a low chuckle escaping him. Moon feels her heart pick up in pace at the sound and her cheeks flaring up involuntarily. Gladion rarely joked. And when it did happen it was usually when it was just them two, small quips, snide comments and it definitely was never in the presence of a big event like this.
Luckily for her, she didn't have the chance to remember how to speak because Lillie waltzes in through the doors screaming her name with champagne flutes in hand.
"Have you been drinking?," Moon asks almost immediately as the girl simply nods excitedly.
"It's a party, you're late, and you need to catch up to Gladion!," Lillie announces as Moon now understood why Gladion wasn't the grump he usually was.
"You both have been drinking."
To which the siblings simply shrug as they beckon Moon to follow suit.
"Now that I think about it I should go find Sun, I let him loose with Hau for a wh-" Lillie stops her sentence short, noticing that the Champion's attention was drawn to another part of the party-or onto someone to be more specific.
"I see you're distracted by my brother."
"Am not," Moon responds curtly. "I'm just taking in the ambiance"
"The ambiance that follows him?" Lillie pokes as Moon lets out a sigh. Subtlety definitely wasn't her strong suit and slight bit of alcohol in her didn't help out.
"What happened to just friends?"
"We are just friends!" Moon exclaims desperately as she tries to keep a firm understanding on the relationship. "Maybe we're rivals too?," Moon whispers into her glass as Lillie simply giggles.
"Pretty sure it's always gone beyond that. I know it has on his end for sure."
Moon rolls her eyes, "Lillie, please. In the last 5 years we've been friends name one moment Gladion has ever not seen me as a friend"
The challenge seemed to spark something in Lillie as she puts down the glass and looks over at the clock.
"Given that it's five minutes 'til midnight I'll entertain you with five moments I've personally have witnessed off the top of my head."
Moon purses her lips at Lillie's confidence, "Arceus you clearly drank too much if you can say that with that much conviction."
Lillie ignores the jab, deciding to progress instead. "Moment 1, when you saved our mom from Ultraspace"
"Pretty sure anyone would be grateful-you were too."
"I'm besides the point," Lillie shushes as she sticks out a second finger. "Moment 2, when you won the League Championship, Gladion came home in complete awe of you."
Moon crosses her arms, "and yet he didn't attend the party-hey, no don't give me that face Lillie..."
A third digit. "Moment 3, don't think I don't notice how quickly he puts down work when you come around to Aether." Moon bites her tongue, not wanting to say that as a volunteer he had to give her direction.
"Moment 4, Gladion rushing out of this very room to go save you outside."
"The Countdown will be beginning shortly! Grab your poppers, your drinks, your significant others and those you wish who were and come to the dance floor," the DJ announces over the music as Lillie leans in closer to Moon's shocked expression.
"Moment 5, the way he just looked back at you when the DJ made the announcement."
Moon's head snaps away from Lillie and towards Gladion, their eyes meeting for a fraction of a second, and that's when she feels doomed all over again.
"I could easily tell you your 5 moments too," Lillie gets off her chair with a triumphant smile, "but I'll let you handle that." She ends with a reassuring pat on Moon's shoulder as her back disappears into the crowd leaving realization to hit Moon all at once, and all too quickly.
If Gladion's liked her for that long-how long has she liked him?
"One minute starts now!" the DJ announces as Moon's nerves suddenly shoot up. Her chest pounds, she tries to remember how to breathe, and attempts to talk herself into being daring.
"The countdown begins now! 20!"
She jumps off the chair and walks towards Gladion's direction, a fact Lillie would love to point out she knew almost immediately.
If Lillie's wrong-about all of this-Moon can pass it off as the alcohol.
A mistake during a drunken stupor.
" 10 seconds left!"
She only hoped it didn't have to come down to that.
The crowd stirs as the countdown hits its final moments. Moon stops in front of Gladion, her face full of determination.
5
"Gladion."
4
"Lillie finally left your side, huh?" he comments as Moon notes he no longer seemed phased by the champagne. He was back to being stoic, calm, collected-unlike her.
3
"I have something to tell you."
Gladion quirks his eyebrow curiously at the announcement.
2
Her lips move saying something inaudible as the poppers go off and swiftly Moon shifts allowing herself to quickly place a hesitant kiss on Gladion's lips, catching him by surprise as all the sounds surrounding them suddenly fade away into white noise. The blonde pulls away slowly, their faces still only mere centimeters away, as his eyes frantically searching for an explanation; as if trying to see if she was in the right state of mind.
"I like you," Moon repeats. This time, however, he hears her loud and clear and decides to close the gap once more, his own lips sliding against hers in wordless reciprocation.