Hau x Gladion: Moonlight Malasadas

Hau was hungry. But that was always the case. He had just arrived at Royal Avenue on Akala Island after narrowly being defeated at the Pokémon League by his close friend Sun, the League Champion. From the freezing peak that was the Pokémon League, he had flown across the channel between Ula'ula Island and Akala Island on Charizard as the sun set, so naturally he had missed dinner. He had come to Royal Avenue to get stronger by winning the Master level of the Battle Royal. Hau had just surpassed his grandfather, the Kahuna and Elite 4 member Hala, but he had wanted to become champion, especially to be able to brag to Gladion, his favorite edgy rival. This would be his training. Hau checked the time.

'Yes! Only 23:00! The Malasada Shop should still be open!' he thought to himself, his usual grin growing wider and wider with each step he took closer to the restaurant.

The light of the full moon beamed down on Hau's back, illuminating the otherwise dark street as he turned the corner into the line of sight of the Malasada Shop. Hau couldn't help but pump his arms and jump up and down. He hadn't been this hungry in at least a couple of days or so. Pushing the door to the shop open, his face looked like that of a child in a toy store who was told he could have whatever he wanted. The cashier and waitresses greeted him politely and asked him for his order. Of course, he couldn't decide right away, and pressed his face up against the glass, visually gleaning down at the golden-brown fried dough before him. He could smell the sweet creams and savory dough even from behind glass. Even the scent of the sour malasadas created a sensual harmony for Hau.

"I'll have a vanilla custard malasada. And could I get extra powdered sugar on top of mine?" said Hau, handing over the exact cost in Pokédollars. Naturally, he had the price memorized.

"Of course, and she will show you to your table," said the cashier, smiling and pointing to her colleague.

"Right this way please." Hau followed the waitress through the mostly empty restaurant, the lack of customers quite common for this time of night. As they strolled through the restaurant, a blonde boy pressing one of his hands into his face, as if he was trying to hide, caught Hau's attention.

"Gladion! How's it going? I didn't know you were here!" said Hau, happy to see one of his companions that he had taken on the Aether Foundation and Team Skull with.

"I didn't know you were here either. If I had I probably would have gone elsewhere," said Gladion coldly, knowing this manner would be not very effective on Hau.

Hau laughed. "It's good to see you too. Can I sit here with you?" he asked, indicating to the empty seat across from Gladion at the small table he was seated at.

"I guess so. It's not like we're friends or anything, but there's no need to trouble the waitress by having her attend to multiple tables," replied Gladion indifferently, biting into his malasada. The waitress smiled at them and went bring Hau's order.

The two Pokémon trainers made small talk for a couple of minutes, mainly consisting of Hau smiling and Gladion giving short answers, until the waitress brought over Hau's vanilla custard malasada. He breathed heavily once before taking his treasure with both hands and excitedly biting into it.

"Anyways, what brings you here Gladion?" asked Hau, in between bites.

"Same as you probably. Challenge the Battle Royal and get stronger. Beat your friend and become the champion with Silvally. And do you have to talk with food in your mouth?"

"He's your friend too! And anyways, I meant what are you doing HERE, at the Malasada Shop? I didn't know you liked sweet things Gladion." Hau ignored his last comment.

Gladion pressed the hand not holding the malasada into his face, his signature pose. "I don't like sweet things. It was just the only restaurant open." he said defensively. "And this is a sour malasada."

Unfortunately for Gladion, his hand holding the malasada naturally inched forward as his head was hunched down and Hau took this opportunity to lean forward and bite into the back end of Gladion's malasada.

"HEY! What's wrong with you?!" yelled Gladion, reflexively pulling his hand back.

Hau somehow managed to chew and swallow Gladion's malasada while grinning at him. Hau paused, momentary taking a serious face as he pondered the milky, coconut taste. Sweet too. Hau's grin returned.

"It's a haupia-filled malasada," said Hau, referencing the traditional, tropical, coconut desert. "I thought you said you didn't like sweet things, Gladion."

"T-they got my order wrong okay? I d-definitely ordered a Bitter Malasada, got it?"

"You said it was a Sour Malasada the first time." Hau had somehow managed not to laugh up until now but at this point it was impossible, and he began cracking up.

Gladion's scowl tightened in sync with the volume of Hau's laughter, but his face was beginning to flush. "T-he point is you stealing my food, not the kind of food that you stole." Gladion put the food back on his plate. Cream colored custard was starting to drizzle out of the side Hau had bit. "Here, just take it, I can't eat it anyways, since your mouth was on it," said Gladion, pushing the plate toward Hau.

"But Gladion, don't you like HAUpia flavored malasadas?" said Hau with a wink, pushing the plate back to him.

"Don't be gross Hau." Gladion was crimson red now, and once more pushed the plate back to Hau in a strangely timid manner.

"But you ha~ave to eat it! Malasadas are more delicious when you eat them with someone else, you know. Here, I know." Hau took a knife and cut Gladion's malasada in half and moved the side he had bitten to his own plate.

Gladion accepted the malasada but looked at Hau quizzically, still red. "You could've just cut the part you had bitten; you didn't have to take half! You eat malasadas everyday anyways. You're going to get fat, you know."

"W-what? I didn't – you said you didn't even want yours, so I cut it so we could still eat it together. You tried giving me the entire thing!" Hau looked like he had just lost a Pokémon battle.

"Nooo, I wouldn't wanna separate you from your one true love Hau," Gladion saw that he had taken the offensive and was going to keep it up.

"Malasadas aren't my one true love!" Hau was the one who was red now. "It's true that they are my favorite food but I wouldn't go that far!" He nervously took a massive bite out of Gladion's former malasada. Coconut hued cream splattered everywhere. "Eeeeh! Oh no!" Hau took his napkin and frantically scrubbed the table where the cream has splattered.

"You're such a spazz, you know," said Gladion, watching the entire scene that was Hau. "You got malasada cream on your face too."

This hardly calmed Hau down, but he stopped flailing like a Magikarp and wiped his mouth with the napkin. "Did I get it?"

"No. It squirted all the way on your cheek, you idiot. Here." Gladion leaned across the table and wiped Hau's cheek with his hand. Sitting back down, he saw Hau staring at him and the gravity of what he had just done hit him. "Sorry! I didn't mean… It was a reflex… when Lillie was little…forget that."

Hau's grin had returned. "I can't believe you just did that, Gladion." Hau looked like he normally did, but he was bright red.

"I SAID, forget about," reiterated Gladion. "Whatever. Let's just hurry and get out of here."

Gladion picked up his malasada and quickly starting eating it. He finished it quite quickly compared to Hau, either due to the fact that Hau had taken half of his, or that Hau continued to tease Gladion as he sat in silence, glaring at him. After what seemed like forever to Gladion, the two trainers stood up and went to leave the restaurant. Hau thanked the staff while Gladion remained silent, worried they had seen or heard what had gone down. If they had, they managed to suppress their giggles as the two of them left the restaurant. The two of them were greeted by the moonlight, which somehow glowed brighter than before.

"Wow, it's so pretty. It reminds me of Nebby," said Hau, jumping up and down and pointing at the moon.

"Maybe a little," said Gladion, but he was looking up at it too. "Anyways, I'll see you at the Battle Royal tomorrow, I guess." He turned to leave.

"Wait, Gladion! You got a little malasada on your cheek too."

"What?! Are you that messy that you got it on me too!?" said Gladion, rubbing his cheek opposite to Hau.

"Other cheek," said Hau, and before Gladion could stop him, he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Got it! Yup, see you tomorrow! I'm going to win!" Hau had already turned around and began running off, leaving a stunned Gladion behind, with a reply frozen on his lips.