It had been raining a lot lately.

The clouds blanketed the skyline for as far as Moon could see. Rain poured down in thick sheets, bounced off the sidewalks, the asphalt, even the grass, and bounded back up, only to repeat the cycle. She watched the rain wearily, huddled in a plain black hoodie, and held a cup of coffee between her two sleeve-covered hands. The rich aroma of the drink made her stomach growl, but she ignored it, and continued to gaze out the window as she lounged back on the chair.

The Pokemon Centre she was in was packed with trainers, they and their Pokemon taking refuge as well from the torrential downpour. She was supposed to meet Hau and Lillie here, for something important, they said. Moon had hummed and hawed, wondering what would be important enough to go out into the rain for, but nothing had come to mind after hours had passed.

Ever since she became the Champion of Alola — ever since the Ultra Beasts were taken care of, ever since Team Rainbow Rocket had been dealt with — ever since things had started to wind down for the region, Moon had found herself longing for something new and exciting to happen. She was almost ready to take off to another region, and leave being Champion to Hau, but decided against it every time. Champions of other regions had done that enough, already.

Moon didn't want to be coined another Steven Stone. Not yet, anyway.

The doors of the centre opened, and a pair of trainers rushed in with a gust of wind that circulated the lobby. Moon glanced up, eyeballing a soaked Hau, his hair a limp, soppy mess. Lillie stood next to him, pristine as always, tucking away a sky blue mini-umbrella for later use. Hau's eyes lit up once he noticed Moon, and fast-walked towards her, devilish grin forming as he neared.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Moon hissed, holding a hand out in front of herself in hopes to stop the oncoming traffic that was Hau. He came to a stop as her hand met his stomach, and pouted.

"But I want a hug," he whined, grin reappearing on his face as he stretched out his arms, fingers grazing Moon's cheek as she recoiled in horror.

A cough caught their attention, and Hau ceased the grabby hands. With a quick sidestep, he instead wrapped his arms around Lillie, pulling her against him. The colour drained from her face instantaneously; she bit down on her lip and sunk her nails into Hau's arm as a muffled scream escaped her. The young man only laughed, releasing her from his hold.

Moon quirked a brow at the two, but said nothing. She knew something was blossoming between them — was quite happy about it, actually — though she didn't ever voice her observations. Some things were meant to be relished silently, after all. A quiet joy, one that you could reflect on, could call back, when you needed some extra joy during the hard times.

"So what's this important thing you need me for?" Moon asked, excitement dwelling quietly in the pit of her stomach. It had been so long since anything notable had happened.

The last time anything interesting had happened, Gladion had come back for a visit. A hint of red graced Moon's cheeks as she recalled Lillie's brother. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of his piercing green eyes, of the determination to save his sister and his mother, of —

She took a long swig of her coffee to repel the memories that wanted to flood back.

Nope. No feelings to be had here. None at all.

"It's best to show you," Lillie replied evenly, noting Moon's failed attempt to cover up her blush.

She finished her coffee quickly, then stood from her seat. She set the cup on the trolley that had dirty dishes, slung her bag over her shoulder, and gave her arms a quick stretch, bones snapping in all the right places in turn.

Lillie shook her head once, only slightly perturbed by Moon's bad habits now.

Ready to go, the trio left to brave the rain. Hau huddled under Lillie's umbrella with her, while Moon followed behind them under her own pink monstrosity. Water sloshed beneath their feet as the walk lead them to Melemele Ferry Terminal, and Moon was growing more anxious with each step the group took. Were they expecting someone?

Her heart skipped another beat as she took in the sight of the large ferry docking into the harbour; brave travellers stood against the rails of the ship, hands that weren't holding umbrellas waving to their loved ones. The odd passenger that stood without an umbrella — the unfortunate ones, Moon thought to herself — instead wore hoods over their heads, or in some cases, their suitcases.

Moon's breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with a familiar blond who stood near the bow of the ship, and a soft, almost shy smile greeted her back. Gladion waved a hand lazily to the three below, and proceeded to follow the crowd off the crowded ferry.

Moon's vision swung to Lillie and Hau, who merely shrugged nonchalantly at the silent accusation. With a cough and pointed look from Lillie, Moon wheeled back to face the ferry. Her heart ran mile after mile in her chest, and she was certain that if she couldn't calm down, it was going to jump out of her chest and race off to the middle of nowhere with a Mudsdale and a cheri tree.

Maybe this was too much excitement for one day.

She breathed out, long and slow, attempting to calm her heart as Gladion walked towards them, suitcase in one hand, bag slung over his opposing shoulder. He stopped before the trio, and only then did Moon notice that he didn't have his hood up — hi hair was in much the same state as Hau's, sopping wet, bangs hanging lifelessly over his one eye.

Without so much as a second thought, Moon walked towards Gladion, and brought her umbrella over his head, shielding them both from the rain. He turned his head to her, eyes wide with shock, but it smoothed over soon after, replaced with another small smile.

"Welcome back," Moon chirped, her own smile gracing her lips.

That was the first time they shared an umbrella.

The second time they shared an umbrella, it was not a downpour as much as it was, what other regions would consider, a "spring drizzle".

The rain was warm and welcoming after the day's heat, and Moon was happy with the surprise. The rain felt nice on her skin — though it wasn't cold, the evening breeze made up for it, letting her cool down without the help of air conditioning or a cold shower.

She sat on the edge of a cliff face, looking down at the beach below, and the rays of sun on the horizon. The golds, oranges and reds mixed with the blue of the ocean, and shades of purple weaved the night sky that was beginning to settle in. Her Silvally, Alabaster, which had been gifted to her by Gladion soon after he left for Kanto, laid behind her, head rested on his front limbs. She leaned back against the furry chimera and let her mind drift as she took in the sunset.

It had been a few weeks, now, since Gladion had come back to Alola. He had challenged her at the League the second he regained his bearings, though Moon still found herself victorious.

He had improved though.

A lot, actually.

In all honesty, it could have been a tie — perhaps he could have won, even — if it wasn't for Moon's quick thinking.

Moon smiled at her recollection of the battle. Finally, she had a challenger she needed to watch out for. Perhaps training a new partner or two would be in order, to keep Gladion on his toes the next time they fought.

Her smile widened. Perfect! She had been studying the ins and outs of Pokemon breeding lately — perhaps she could gift Gladion a Pokemon like he had with her.

That wouldn't be over the top, would it?

A twig snapped behind Moon, and both her and Alabaster whipped their heads around to see what caused the noise.

It was none other than Gladion, black umbrella clutched in his hands.

"You've been out here for two hours, Moon," he noted, walking closer towards her. Alabaster relaxed upon seeing Gladion, and decided to resume his nap. Moon shrugged in reply, and instead pat the ground beside her, beckoning Gladion over.

"It's nice out here."

"You could catch a cold!" His quick words were laced with concern; a defeated sigh followed them into the ether as Gladion stepped over Alabaster carefully, then sat down beside Moon, holding up the umbrella to cover the both of them.

They sat like that, enjoying the view of the sunset as stars began to peek out from between the rays and what clouds dotted the sky. Few words were exchanged; Moon was unsure of what she could talk about.

And Gladion was just happy to enjoy a moment alone with Moon.

Moon and Gladion have been spending a lot of time together, Lillie realized one morning as she busied herself in the kitchen — Hau stood beside her, prepping berries to add to yogurt. The pinap-haired boy gave Lillie a curious glance as stood at the counter lost in thought, stirring the pancake mix idly.

"You've noticed too, huh?" Hau confirmed, a devious smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Your brother seems to be more interested in Moon than he's let on."

Lillie nodded once, then twice, before Hau's words fully sunk in. In another moment, she had pushed the pancake batter away from her as she jumped in surprise. "He's said something to you?"

Hau rubbed the back of his head sheepishly in reply. "It's more of what he hasn't said, but yeah."

The two gave each other a look, minds coming up with the multiple ways they could add to the mess that was Gladion and Moon's bumbling relationship.

And then they grinned.

"I'm not going to the beach." Air hissed between Gladion's teeth in agitation as he stood opposite his sister, who bounded on her toes excitedly. She had been trying to recruit him for hours now, ever since they had woken up this morning.

She hadn't pulled the final stop, yet. Until now, bless Hau for letting her know his part of the plan had worked.

"But Moon is coming along, and she's been looking forward to going swimming for a while," Lillie added the detail as if it was an afterthought, index and middle finger casually tapping her cheek in thought. "I mean, Ilima and most of the other Trial Captains will be there too —"

Gladion placed his palm over his sister's mouth, effectively silencing her.

"Moon's going?"

A grin befitting a Gengar peeked out from where Gladion had covered Lillie's mouth, and her eyes glowed as if she could will the world to do whatever she wanted. A muffled "yes, she is" sounded from under Gladion's hand.

Gladion removed his hand and turned away from his sister. "I'll go get ready, then," he murmured, disappearing down the hall shortly after.

Lillie did all she could to refrain from laughing out loud on the spot.

Moon forgot how hot it could get on the beaches in Alola. She had just arrived, opting to walk to her destination as the sky was a clear, bright blue and she swore she could handle the heat.

Alas, she was now busy fanning herself with the nearest book, courtesy of Ilima.

Hau, Lana, Mallow and Kiawe were already enjoying the cool ocean, the girls sitting on the shoulders of the other two, currently engaged in a particularly extravagant game of torchic fighting. Most of the trainers' Pokemon opted to sit in the shade of the parasols provided, and Lillie and the others who had decided to join were either tanning, hiding in the shade, or, like Ilima, waiting for Moon to give him his book back.

"Ah, sorry," Moon sheepishly handed the novel back to the pink-haired, affectionately named "dreamboat", who only chuckled a small thanks before finding his place among the pages.

One more glance-over of her surroundings was all it took before Moon noticed Gladion, who was huddled under the shade of a parasol, sitting next to his Silvally.

Gladion had to stop himself from sighing in relief as Moon began to walk towards him — he was just happy to see his rival, of course! Nothing more!

That's what he kept telling himself, ever since he came back from Kanto.

She propped her bag up against the stem of the parasol, and plopped beside Gladion, who hummed a greeting as he passed a frozen water bottle between his hands.

Arceus, was it ever hot out.

"Aren't you going to swim, Gladion?" Moon asked as she grabbed the hem of her floral-print shirt. With one swift motion, she tugged it over her head, revealing a purple bikini top.

"I'm thinking about it." Gladion looked out towards the water and pressed the water bottle to his forehead as he replied. Out of the corner of his eye, Moon finished changing, and piled her discarded clothes on top of her backpack.

She stood, walked out into the sun and stretched her arms behind her back. "Suit yourself, then." With that, she raced to the water's edge, splashing and joining the others.

Gladion's eyes were on Moon's back the whole time; he gave a hearty sigh as she jumped into the fray, just as Lillie meandered over to him.

"You should stop staring, brother," she commented slyly, before turning around to join the festivities.

Gladion's face warmed considerably, and he moved the water bottle from his forehead to the creeping blush that turned his face a bright red.

The third time they shared an umbrella, Gladion knew his secret was out.

That night, they sat around a bonfire under the stars, sharing stories and roasting marshmallows. Gladion spoke of his journey in Kanto, at Moon's request, and continued to glance at her throughout his story, gauging her reactions.

Obviously, it was nothing near as adventurous as her journey was, but it was his, and he wanted her to be proud of him.

The night crept on, and friends parted throughout the evening until only the siblings, Hau, and Moon remained. Lillie stretched and yawned, and nuzzled her face into the crook of Hau's neck, who blushed considerably at the action.

Gladion eyed the two wearily in response, but said nothing on the matter. He learned to accept that his sister was growing up, and that she could lean to other people for support.

Gladion still had trouble with the idea, himself.

Hau shuffled nervously before clearing his throat. "How would you feel about letting Lillie spend the night at my place?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking everywhere but at Gladion, who seemed flabbergasted at the idea.

"I imagine you'll be sleeping on the couch?" He returned, an edge to his voice Moon hadn't heard in a long time icing his words. Hau nodded vigorously, to which Gladion visibly relaxed.

"Alright, then."

It didn't take much for Hau to coax Lillie awake long enough for them to pack up what was left behind, and then they were off to Iki Town.

Not long after that, thunder cracked between clouds Moon had barely noticed, and then the rain poured.

The two looked to each other, bewildered over their circumstance, and then Moon let out a hearty laugh. Before Gladion could question if she was alright, she raced to her bag, and with some help from her phone, found her umbrella.

Gladion's head titled to the side, bangs clumped to the side of his face awkwardly as the rain pelted down. "You brought an umbrella."

"Why, Gladion, you make such intricate observations!" Moon retorted, walking back out into the rain, and opening the umbrella in front of him, soaking him further.

He gave Moon a deadpanned expression. "Thanks, that's a great gift."

"No problem!" Her eyes shone in what streetlight was available from up on the road, and Gladion's heart skipped a beat as she moved to cover him under the umbrella. He cleared his throat, and turned his head to the side, once again finding something besides Moon to look at.

"I guess I should head home," he managed, stealing a glance at Moon, who shook her head at the suggestion.

"Not in this weather." She grabbed him by the wrist, and tugged him gently towards the parasol that housed their belongings. She set down her umbrella lightly, then went to work putting the rest of her items together. Gladion followed her lead, throwing his items together in his bag. "You can stay the night at my house, if you want," Moon added softly. After a few beats of his brain short-circuiting, Gladion understood what she had said.

"O-oh, sure." His heart stuttered along with his words. He bit down on his lip to steady himself, then took a deep breath. "That would be better than flying in the rain, certainly."

After a final check-over to make sure they had everything, the duo left the beach, and walked along the dimly-lit midnight streets to Moon's house, huddled together under her pink umbrella. As they walked, Moon hummed a song that was unfamiliar to Gladion, and at one point, he swore he could hear her whisper the odd lyric.

He relished in the sound of her voice as it mingled with the pitter-pat of the rain. It was soothing.

He wanted to spend more time together with her, just like this.

It was sooner than he would have liked when they reached the doorstep of her house. As Moon moved to fold away the umbrella, Gladion spoke up.

As usual, without thinking too far in advance.

"I," he stopped himself, stuck like a Deerling to headlights in front of Moon's piercing gaze. He bit his lip, shook his head, took another breath to steady his heart. "I want to spend more time with you."

Moon blinked once. Then twice. A blush blossomed over her cheeks, only noticeable thanks to the porch light. She looked to the side, averting Gladion's gaze, and placed the folded umbrella against the railing of the porch.

"How so?" She choked out, heart beating faster than the falling rain against the roof of the porch, against the stone slabs that served as a walkway to the porch. Gladion stepped closer to Moon; whatever unconscious part of him that had been holding back before was nowhere to be found.

He cupped her cheek with his hand, both of their faces a delicate red. His thumb stroked her face gently, and then all too soon, he pulled back and looked away.

"We should get inside before we get sick," he murmured. Moon nodded, unable to voice her thoughts over what had happened. She unlocked the door, let Gladion in behind her, and went to find a blanket or two for him to borrow, all the while wondering what had happened.

Had he tried to kiss her?

Had he wanted to?

Her face continued to rage a brilliant red. It felt as if her blood was boiling, like she had run a marathon.

Moon selected an extra blanket and pillow, movements akin to that of an assembly-line robot, and took measured steps back to the front room. Without thinking, she threw the items at a stunned Gladion, whispered a hurried "goodnight", and retreated to her room.

The fourth time they shared an umbrella, neither of them would be able to sleep over the day's events.

Three days passed.

Moon had not seen, nor heard from Gladion, ever since the morning after he had —

She still couldn't believe he almost kissed her.

Mostly because he didn't. He simply... was more friendly than usual.

Oh, Arceus, who was she kidding.

She had texted him, hoping he would reply at one point or another, but she didn't want to be overbearing.

He replied, of course. Saying he was busy helping out at Aether — and that they would talk later.

Moon was half ready to head to Aether to get some closure, whether Gladion wanted her to or not.

Every time she thought of that night, she swore heart palpitations would end her.

And so would the rain, she mused, staring icily out into the cold morning. Once again huddled in her hoodie, Moon was made to face the rain — her mother had asked her to go grocery shopping for that night's supper, and Moon could pick out whatever she wanted.

That was one perk to being Champion, at least. As many expensive, exquisite dinners as she wanted.

The thought of steak and high-quality coffee distracted her as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed her wallet, and when she opened the door, she nearly fainted.

"Gladion!"

Cue blush. Cue pulsating heart that may as well jump out of her rib cage.

Cue cute boy at 12 o'clock.

Cue blushing cute boy at 12 o'clock.

He moved out of the way, so that she could pull the door closed behind her and quickly lock it. When she turned to give him her undivided attention, his blush grew stronger, and he looked away.

Instead of saying anything, Moon grabbed her umbrella and made her way down the steps of the porch. Gladion moved to follow her at her side, and the two made their way to Hau'oli, with little idea of what to say.

Gladion's hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie, fists secretly clenched, not sure how to begin. He glanced at Moon, gauging her reaction to him, and let out a sigh.

Moon's steps halted, and she turned to face the blond beside her. The umbrella shook slightly in her unsteady grip. Gladion's hand ghosted over her side, wanting to pull her closer. Their gazes met; they stepped closer. Gently, Gladion wrapped an arm around Moon, and then the other, and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened, and she dropped the umbrella in shock. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, took another breath, exhaled slowly, and pulled Moon against him.

The first thought that went through her frazzled mind was how nice he smelled.

The second thought was that Gladion was openly being affectionate. And with her, of all people.

He pulled back, only slightly, and their eyes met once again. His gaze moved from her eyes, dipped to her lips — he thought about how he'd like to kiss her, how it would feel.

How it would be to have someone he could spend time with, like this, all the time.

He leaned in closer to Moon, could feel her warm breath against his cheek. He moved one hand to caress her cheek, much like he did on that night.

"Can I kiss you?" He whispered, his words sending a spark of something throughout Moon's body. She nodded, once, slowly, as time stilled around them.

That was all it took, before Gladion pressed his lips against Moon's. It was light, and sent her heart soaring. Before she could fully enjoy it, he pulled back all too soon, eyes half-lidded, lips parted just enough that she could still kiss him back.

And so she does; she stands tip-toed, wraps her arms around Gladion's neck, and leans up to him, capturing his lips with her own. He holds her tighter, afraid she could disappear on him in an instant, and his heart jumps in joy as he kisses her back, pleasant waves coursing through his body. It feels like an eternity before they break apart, and when they do, Gladion pulls her once again into a hug.

"Like this," he murmurs against her ear, sending shivers through her body. "I want to spend time with you. Just like this."

The fifth time they share an umbrella, they end up not needing it, after all.

sometimes you just gotta get some fluff out of your system

one day I'll write sloppy makeouts
today is not that day