They go on with their separate lives for nearly ten years.
Then they come crashing back together in the second worst way possible.
The engagement dinner is when it truly feels real to Gladion.
Across from him sits his sister with a simple ring on her finger and her husband-to-be at her side. Hau's managed to scrounge up a simple button-down for the occasion, and with the young man's athletic build and chiseled face, he's nearly unrecognizable from the scrawny kid he once was. It's the smile that connects the two, as Hau makes another series of cringe-worthy jokes, beaming at his puns as Lillie only laughs, forehead against his shoulder. Her hair is shorter now, and she's no longer a bundle of nerves, but she's every bit as genuine and driven as before.
Together, they're unabashedly happy, and they aren't the only ones at the table.
Family friends crowd the long table, and as Gladion looks over them for the millionth time during the night, there isn't an unhappy face amongst the crowd. Trial captains, scientists, and kahunas alike talk excitedly about wedding plans and young love and the fact that these two finally figured things out and are tying the knot. It's a surprise to no one that after six years of friendship and three years of dating, Lillie and Hau are more than ready to spend the rest of their lives together.
"Kiawe, please convince my lovely fiancée that we absolutely need the Marowak dance you had at your wedding," the young kahuna says across the table, sparking laughter from those seated around him, Lillie only shaking her head.
"Ilima, please convince my wonderful fiancé that while it was amazing at your wedding, it'll only give me a heart attack," she adds, the laughter growing into a roar as Hau pouts. Even the pout can't stay around for long as the second Lillie gives him an apologetic smile, it cracks into a radiant grin and he kisses her forehead.
From one end of the table, a melodic voice pipes up, "I'd like my daughter to remain alive for her marriage, please." Heads turn to look at Lusamine, who looks at the young couple with a nostalgic smile, Hala sitting to her right and nodding with a chuckle. She's spent the engagement dinner speaking quietly with most of the older guests around her, especially with Wicke regarding wedding planning. It's been years since she's recovered, and she's never looked better; Gladion remembers seeing her this healthy and calm only when he was a child, back before everything went wrong and they were a simple, happy family.
Now things are far from perfect but he can't deny that he's somehow finding himself celebrating his sister and his best friend finding love with each other with a group of people he'd trust with his life.
Which doesn't explain why he keeps biting his bottom lip and thinking something's missing. He suspects it's the familiar nagging feeling of a what if that's been haunting him for years.
Still, he shakes it off as the couple of the hour stands, Hau excitedly tapping his knife against a glass to prepare for their announcement. Lillie waits until the table settles before beginning, "So we would like to thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate. We originally intended this to be a sort of reveal of our engagement, but, well, you all ended up finding out before tonight in one way or another."
"Sorry," Hau cringes, rubbing the back of his neck as the table laughs. It's true that most of them found out from the cheerful young man, because the second he realized the love of his life said yes, there was no Pokémon strong enough to keep him from shouting it from the rooftops of every island. Gladion laughs along with the table, remembering when he missed a phone call that ended up being Hau and Lillie crying and yelling that it was official mere minutes after he proposed.
He still has the voicemail saved and fully intends to spread it around during the wedding.
Once the table is quiet once more, Lillie can't keep from bouncing on the soles of her feet. "As it turns out, we did manage to keep a few things secret until now."
Hau nods, and unable to contain himself any longer (because it's a miracle he made it this far without blurting it out), tells the table, "And one of those things is that the best man, to no one's surprise, is my best friend and future brother-in-law, Gladion!"
"He's been incredibly supportive of us, despite a rocky start," Lillie laughs, adding with a warm smile, "And we hope he knows how much we appreciate it."
The table cheers and the Aether President gives an embarrassed half-wave, still not used to having so much attention on him. He's more than glad when Olivia shouts from the other end of the table, "Nepotism!" Then the table is back to talking amongst themselves as Lillie and Hau sit back down with matching grins. Waiters come by with plates of dessert, setting them along the center of the table, mugs being filled with coffee.
As Ilima takes a sip from his mug, his eyes look to Gladion sitting next to him, asking the blond man with a smile, "So, nervous?"
"For what, exactly?" he replies, the flicker of his eyes betraying that he's incredibly tempted to steal a bite of the chocolate cake in front of him on the table.
"To be the best man," the trial captain elaborates, setting down his mug as he explains matter-of-factly, "It's more responsibility than you might think. Kiawe and I took weeks to decide on who would be each of ours." After a moment of thought and another sip of coffee, Ilima amends with a chuckle, "Well, I took a few days; Kiawe didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings so he took a bit longer."
"Please don't reveal my vulnerable side," his husband protests beneath the blush, having caught wind of the conversation. As Ilima laughs, Gladion takes the opportunity to sneak a bite of chocolate cake with no one looking, nearly spilling some into his lap.
He manages to savor his bite before Ilima turns back to him, allowing the Aether President to reply, "At this point I'm essentially co-hosting the wedding anyway, and I don't think I'd have it any other way."
"Ah, your control freak is starting to show," Ilima tsks good-naturedly, wagging a finger at the young man.
Though he laughs, Gladion feels something turn in his stomach at the phrase. Burying the feeling in his chest, he looks at his sister and best friend, rolling his eyes but smiling all the same as he watches them feed each other bites of cake in between giggles. "On that note, I'd like to ask the disgustingly happy couple who they chose as the maid of honor." Ilima and Kiawe are equally curious, and turn their gazes to Lillie and Hau, who exchange a strange look between themselves.
"W-well, nothing's finalized yet," Lillie finally stammers, her flustered state raising Gladion's brow. She sets down her fork, her voice becoming steady once more as she assures, "But I'm sure you'll all agree with my choice. Most of you, at least."
Most of us? Gladion wonders, although his musing is interrupted by Kiawe straightening in his chair as he asks, trying to hide his excitement, "Could we try and guess?"
Ilima nods, smiling at his husband. "Good thinking; how about we start listing candidates and you tell us if we're getting close?"
Lillie bites her lip, clearly not half as enthused about the idea, but Hau senses the trio's determination, and so he decides with a hesitant smile, "Sure, why not? Don't think you guys'll managed to guess who it is, though."
Now Gladion's curiosity couldn't get any higher, but he also feels himself growing annoyed at being so out of the loop, especially when he's volunteered to help plan the wedding. He leans his chin in his hand, drawling, "Is it Hapu?"
The young woman, who's a few seats away and worrying about nothing besides finishing the flan in front of her, is an obvious, if unconventional, choice. Her and Lillie have grown closer over the years, and she often grounds the more neurotic young woman, despite being several years her junior.
But Hau shakes his head.
"What about Mallow?" Ilima ventures, glancing over at the trial captain who's sitting right by Olivia and seems to be carefully dissecting the tiramisu in front of her in order to recreate it later.
It's another good guess, especially since Mallow is unofficially in charge of the catering, and is baking the wedding cake herself from scratch. She's also proven to be a steady friend of Lillie's over the years, especially in helping through emotional rough patches.
Lillie hesitates, but ultimately shakes her head.
"Lana," Kiawe says almost desperately, the trio feeling themselves growing confused.
She's a riskier guess, as while Lillie enjoys the young woman's company, she's mostly a mutual friend through Mallow. Definitely close enough to be in the bridal party, but not quite a large enough presence to be a maid of honor.
It's no surprise when both Hau and Lillie shake their heads, still visibly nervous about their guessing but growing amused at their frustration.
"Acerola?"
Shaking heads.
"Olivia?"
Shaking heads.
"Burnet?"
A giggle. Shaking heads.
"Is she even here?" Gladion snaps, wishing the two would stop skirting around the subject and just spit out a name. He has no idea why they're being so coy about it, or who they could possibly be considering that isn't already an obvious candidate.
Hau raises a brow, looking to his fiancée for permission, and after the blonde nods, he admits, "Actually, no. She couldn't make it."
Ilima, Kiawe, and Gladion stare at the engaged pair with wide eyes, before exchanging a round of looks amongst each other. At this point, they're resigned to never knowing, or that the kahuna and Vice President of Aether have lied to their faces. With a shrug, Ilima goes back to sipping his coffee, not wanting to worry himself any longer, although Gladion settles for glaring at the pair, letting them know that he's absolutely going to be a toxic spike in their side about the matter.
Kiawe is deep in thought, and then he lifts his head, eyes sparkling as he guesses almost victoriously, "Oh, Mina!"
Ilima nearly chokes on his coffee, and Gladion whips his head towards the fiery trial captain. Then the two of them consider the guess and feel their eyes growing wider and their confidence rising as they turn back to the couple across from them, certain that Kiawe has managed to crack their little game.
They shake their heads.
A chorus of groans rings out as the trio slumps into their chairs, defeated once and for all.
"I'm going to figure this out if it kills me," Gladion mutters under his breath as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
Lillie goes to take a sip of coffee, wishing it was something a little stronger as she mumbles, "Ironically, I think it's going to kill you when you do."
It's a nice day in Hau'oli City, the kind of weather that encourages waiting outside for someone to come to the door; unless you're an impatient man with a busy schedule. Gladion taps his foot as he waits on the porch of a house he visits often. Checking his Dex, he confirms that it's ten minutes past the time Hau had set, and so he calls him. It rings once, twice, and then there's a click to let him know that the kahuna has picked up and the Aether President can unleash his irritation.
"You realize this was your idea, right?"
"Hi Gladion." There's a rustle in the background, and then the speaker is covered up and the muffled sound of Hau yelling something – something suspiciously like "Try Hypnosis again!" When he comes back on the line, the blond can practically hear the sheepish grin in his voice as he apologizes, "Um, things are a little chaotic here so –"
There's a huge crash followed by a roar, and then Hau's voice is no longer clear on the receiver but in the background, shouting commands. Someone might be crying, there's a cacophony of footsteps, and several Pokémon cry out.
"So I'm going to have to call you back," Hau pants when he finally manages to get back on the line five minutes later.
Gladion blinks, eyes wide as he mutters, "Arceus, who's getting murdered?"
"No one, it's just – " Crash. Roar. " – I'll be late – " Shouting. Rocks crashing. " – so go in and wait for me – " Tree falling? More yelling. "Gotta go bye!"
He's left with more questions than answers.
As he pockets his Dex, Gladion thinks, So rather than helping him pick out a song for his first dance at his wedding, should I be trying to save his life? Though every instinct is telling him to dash to Iki Town to jump in and try to help Hau with what sounds like a wild Pokémon gone out of control, he stops himself. Jumping headfirst into a situation he knows little to nothing about won't help anyone in the chaos, and though he doesn't always realize it, Hau's more than capable of taking care of himself. With a sigh, Gladion decides he'll give it twenty minutes.
The spare key is still under the potted plant, and the front door opens with a creak. Gladion stashes the key once more only to freeze in the doorway, realizing that there's music coming from the master bedroom down the hall. An Alolan Vulpix napping on the living room sofa confirms his suspicion. Of course she's home even though Hau swore she'd be out all day, the Aether President grumbles to himself as he calls out, "Lillie? It's just me."
At the sound of his voice the music abruptly stops, and as he begins walking towards the bedroom he hears shuffling and the familiar noises of someone trying to cover something up. "Hi Gladion!" his sister's voice rings out with the faintest undertone of panic, "Give me a second, I –"
Nothing about this feels right, but Gladion holds back his suspicion as best he can, stopping outside of her bedroom door as he asks suspiciously, "Can I come in?"
"Hang on, I'm, um, not decent!"
There's a second voice that he can't identify.
His eyes widen as he hears whispers and rushed murmurs. It could be a friend, he reasons; there's no need to jump to awful conclusions. But then why would she be so secretive, so nervous? He figures there's no way – his sister loves Hau too much, and neither of them are the sort to hurt the other like this. With the benefit of the doubt, he asks her, "Is someone else here?"
The door opens just enough for Lillie's head to pop out as she gives him a smile that borders on manic. "Nope," she tells him, taking extra care to pop the 'p' as she slides out and leans against the door, keeping her hands on the doorknob behind her.
She's always been terrible at lying to him. "What's going on, Lillie?" he asks with furrowed brows.
"Nothing, Gladion," she soothes, slowly letting herself let go of the doorknob and take another step towards him. She puts a hand on his back, frantically trying to guide him away from the room as she rambles, "You know, Hau might be a while, let me get you some water and we can – "
He steps back, taking in her stiff stance and forced smile with a sinking feeling. His hands turn to fists as he prods, "Who's in there?"
"I told you, no one," she asserts, hands on her hips but eyes flickering to the door.
"Lillie," he warns as he puts a hand on the doorknob, causing her eyes to widen and her face to fall into panic. "Tell me what's going on, or I'm going to find out for myself."
But she's tight-lipped, assessing her options and realizing she doesn't have any. Her brother's caught her red-handed, and so all she can do is argue unconvincingly, "Really, nothing's going on!"
What happens in the next thirty seconds is a blur.
They hear the unmistakable sound of a window being opened in the bedroom. Lillie lunges for the door as she cries out for him to wait, but Gladion is quicker and bursts into the room and freezes, feeling his heart crash through the floor and his brain come to a grinding halt at the sight before him.
Moon is halfway through crawling out the window, staring back at him with storm cloud eyes that are wide like a Deerling in headlights.
She's different than he remembers, though ten years has distorted and blurred the image of her in his mind. Her black hair is longer now, and there's a certain maturity to her style now. But it's undeniably her; the freckles, the spark in her eyes, and the way she holds herself with a quiet confidence remain unchanged and take him back to a time when they were young and stupid and freshly heart-broken. He wonders if she's going through the same thing, if she notices that his hand still shakes or that he's taken out the two piercings that used to line his ear. The longer she looks right through him, the more he's convinced she can see the changes below the skin, how he's reigned in his impulsive streak, or how he still lashes out at the ones he loves most.
No one says anything for a century two minutes. They simply stare at each other, lips parted in shock and pulses racing. She swallows hard, swallows a million questions she has and a million things she wants to scream at him and a million apologies she's practiced in the mirror. Instead, she opens her mouth (and her voice has a slight rasp but is otherwise exactly how he remembers) and mutters, "This isn't how I wanted this to go."
He still has no idea what he wants to say to her. There are thousands of conversations that are left unspoken between them, but he can't think of a single one and instead only manages to ask, "And how did you want this to go?"
She bites her cheek in thought, looking down and taking in her position: caught trying to escape meeting her ex-boyfriend by climbing through a window. "Truthfully," she admits with the faintest hint of a smirk, looking back up at him, "I didn't want to see you at all."
It hurts but only because he understands it, and thinking on it now, he's not entirely sure if he wants to see her again, either. She wasn't the only one hurt all those years ago.
Still, with patched-up hearts neither of them can bring themselves to start yelling or sobbing or even just talking about what happened. In between them, as she hunches in a window and he grips a doorknob for dear life, there lays a mountain of memories, ranging from nights of fighting to dusks spent at the ocean, from tearful apologies to enveloping hugs of laughter, from a broken lamp to a first kiss.
Slowly, Moon climbs back into the room, though she doesn't move any closer to him, instead staying right by the wall. He keeps holding onto the door, because the second he lets go he might just collapse. "What exactly is going on?" he finally mumbles, looking from the half-stranger in front of him to his sister, who stands in the doorway with a guilty frown.
Lillie only offers him a sigh as she replies, "Remember when you couldn't guess the maid of honor?"
And then it all clicks and he thinks escaping through the window isn't such a bad idea.
Before any of them can make a move, though, the front door slams open in the distance, and Hau's voice booms through the small house, "Sorry for the wait! Where are you, Gladion?"
"We're all in the bedroom," Moon responds, her eyes refusing to leave Gladion's as she adds with an amused smirk, "Caught in a stalemate."
Hau all but sprints to the trio, managing to catch himself in the doorway and stop behind his fiancée, wide eyes glancing between the best man and maid of honor with worried and confused brows. He looks down at Lillie, who shrugs with a half-hearted smile before explaining, "Moon got an earlier flight."
"Well," Hau starts slowly, scratching the back of his neck as he tells Gladion, "I told you that you'd probably never guess."
And he wouldn't have guessed in a million years that his first love / heartbreak would be the maid of honor at his sister's wedding while he played best man. He's still not sure what he's feeling, or if he's looking forward or dreading the entire ordeal, but there is one thing he's absolutely sure of.
Nothing's going to go smoothly from here on out.
A/N: And now the story really starts and it's actually a romantic comedy wooo. Apologies for any technical difficulties while uploading, my laptop recently died so I'm making due with borrowing a friend's dinosaur of a computer (and it doesn't help that I'm barely competent with most technology). Also, just a little shameless plug but if you follow me on Tumblr at sad-goomy, I'll probably be posting about this story later, and if I ever want to get some opinions about where to take this story and such, it'll be over there. Other than that, hope you all enjoy and have a great day!
