#postwick week 2021

[postwickshipping]

Postwick Week 2021

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[misskikuwrites]

Paper Thin

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Bederia Week 2021: Day 6 - First Sleepover

Tags: Fluff, angst, grief/mourning

Words: 6,869

-

Bede took in the mix of Gym Leaders and League Staff with a sigh. The tension that had coiled tight in his stomach all day finally loosened and left him deflated. He’d worked himself up for nothing. Gloria, the Champion of Galar, the very reason why his nerves had been alight and dancing uneasily in his chest for hours, wasn't even here.

“It’s just like her to skip out on something like this,” Bede muttered beneath his breath. She never did well in crowds, especially when the media was involved. In the late afternoon light filtering in from outside, Bede could see the reporters clambering to get closer to the windows, the doors, of Motostoke’s Gym like a flock of hungry Wingull ready to swoop on an unsuspecting victim’s lunch. The frenzy of reporters was enough to put him off, so he could hardly blame Gloria for not wanting to show up.

However…

“But missing the opening ceremony rehearsal?” Another sigh. Even for Gloria, that was a new one. “She’s the Champion, for Arceus’ sake. What sort of reputation does she think this is going to give her?”

Bede tsked. Nervous energy that had pestered him until this moment turned to frustration. At himself, for getting so worked up over seeing Gloria in the first place, and at Gloria herself for skipping the rehearsal. The air between them had been constantly shifting, leaving him confused and hopeful and wanting, yet unable to tell what, exactly, they were to each other. He’d hoped to catch her here and at least have a brief conversation with her. Even an amicable greeting would’ve sufficed. He needed something to ground himself back to reality. To remind himself that they were friends.

Merely friends. Nothing more.

Friends who’d kissed three times-

No, no, no, no, no. He was not going to think about that again.

Bede flicked a hand through his hair with a huff. Sparks crackled through his chest, making his heart flutter and his cheeks begin to burn. Enough of that, he chastised himself. Now wasn’t the time to be recalling how soft and warm her lips had felt against his, how adorable she looked when she’d accidentally kissed him when he saw her last, her eyes widening and her faint gasp piercing his heart like a blazing arrow.

And oh, how she’d melted under his touch when he’d kissed her, when she’d let him kiss her, on that bench beside the lake. How it was everything he’d wanted and more, and how she’d wanted it too-

Bede tore out of his memories with a sharp shake of his head. He had to stop doing that. Gloria had made it clear that the kiss they’d shared hadn’t meant anything, hadn’t changed anything between them, and despite the steady thrum of longing in his heart, he’d said the same.

He’d sealed his fate.

Not only that, but he vividly recalled the look on her face when he’d tried to press her as to why she’d kissed him at the Gala, when she’d explicitly told him she’d never kiss anyone she wasn’t dating. Absolute terror had flashed behind her eyes. Her voice had broken. She had broken, and pleaded with him not to ask her that. Bede had never seen her like that before. As if a single word from him would have shattered her into pieces. He’d swallowed his question, let it drop, and knew he had to tread carefully from then on. He’d pushed her too far. Taken that first kiss, and the ones that had followed - accidental or not - as a sign that the cage around Gloria’s heart was beginning to crack.

But that cage, the walls that Gloria constructed around her heart, weren’t ready to fall just yet. If they came down too soon, then so would she.

And Bede would never forgive himself for doing that to her.

No, he needed to keep himself, and his feelings for Gloria, in check. She didn’t love him. If she realised how he felt towards her, he didn’t know how she would react, but that it would certainly drive a wedge between them. Would she grow to fear him, as she feared love?

There wasn’t any point to thinking about that now, not when he needed to focus on the task at hand. The rehearsal, from the order they were to walk out, to their positions on the pitch worked out to the nearest inch, and the expected interviews following. Bede sent a sardonic glance out the window.

“They’re in for a world of disappointment when they find out their Champion decided not to show up,” He said, a part of him relishing that moment.

“They already know.”

Bede turned to Marnie with a slight frown. He hadn’t noticed she was in earshot, and for the briefest second of panic, he wondered how much of his internal struggle she had seen. Marnie’s expression was unreadable, her teal-green eyes watching him.

“Gloria never attends the rehearsal,” she said. “Wasn’t here last year either.”

Bede hadn’t noticed. At this time last year, Gloria was nothing more than the Champion, a rival to beat, an inconsequential Trainer who had the title he longed for. Her non-appearance wouldn’t have phased him in the slightest.

“I see.” Bede folded his arms and skipped his gaze elsewhere. “I wasn’t aware of that.”

Marnie’s brows knit together. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

There was a hint of something in Marnie’s tone. Surprise, confusion, disbelief, he couldn’t place it. Whatever it was, it made something twist in his gut, and that only worsened when Marnie didn’t respond immediately. As if it was something she couldn’t say.

“What is it?”

“Not sure if I should say,” Marnie eventually said, “I only heard about it ‘cause of Hop, ‘n’ even then he weren’t that keen on tellin’ me.”

She looked away, her words hanging uneasily in the air. Bede’s head spun.

“What happened? Is she okay?” He took a step towards Marnie, into her line of sight, and met the worry in her gaze. “Where’s Gloria?”

Marnie looked conflicted. “Can’t say. She’s not… well enough to be here,” she offered non-committedly, and folded her arms. “The rest you’ll hafta ask her yourself. If she’s able to talk to ya, that is.”

Bede’s heart plummeted into his stomach. Questions jumbled into knots on his tongue, his mind reeling, and before he could form a coherent sentence to try and coax more out of Marnie, a League Staff called her away, leaving him to deal with the implications of what she’d told him.

The conclusions his mind came to made him feel ill. He swallowed thickly, mouth going dry, and dug out his phone. There was only one way to put his mind at ease, only one person who could give him the answers, and reassurance, he needed. He dialed Gloria’s number and pressed the phone to his ear to drown out the thundering of his heart. Each ring seemed to ripple through his body. Seconds passed. Bede held his breath, vision going out of focus, the world blurring into a haze of colours.

A click.

“The number you have dialed is not available, please-”

Bede whirled on his heels, shoved his phone into his pocket, and made for the doors. He didn’t think, didn’t stop to respond to the calls following him as he stormed out of the Gym and hailed the nearest Sky Taxi. Reporters, League Staff, the rapidfire of cameras clicking, it was all background noise.

He shrugged everything off, slammed the Sky Taxi door shut, and told the driver to head to Postwick. He didn’t care what he looked like, fleeing the Gym part-way through rehearsal, the blood having drained from his face. He didn’t care what rumours would start, nor about the pictures that would surely circulate across the internet in a flash. He didn’t care what damage, if any, this would do to his reputation as an upstanding, conscientious Gym Leader.

Right now, it didn’t matter. Nothing did. Not until he knew Gloria was safe, until he knew she was okay and confirmed that with his own eyes. The rest he would deal with later.

-

The sun had begun to set by the time Bede was met with silence at Gloria’s house. He tried her number again, receiving the same automatic message that told him her phone was off. His heart sank deeper and deeper into his churning gut and, despite knocking on the door a half-dozen times already, he rapped his knuckles firmly to the wood again, before checking the windows. All was still behind the glass. No one was home.

Where is she?

He didn’t want to think about what that meant, or to entertain any thoughts as to where else she could be. Bede marched down the path and made for Hop’s house. If she wasn’t there- He quickened his pace, leaving that thought behind. Images, memories, flooded his mind as a familiar fear gnawed away at his heart.

Peering through frosted glass, hands gripping the windowsill. Unbalanced on his toes, craning and teetering for a glimpse of the outside world. A small flame of hope flickering in his chest. Faint, growing smaller every day. The same thought playing again and again in his mind.

Where is she?

Laughter piercing the silence. His name, followed by taunts, jeers, insults. Shame washing over him, shame and something more, something darker and colder and dousing that final flicker of hope. Hands released the wood. Clenched into fists, clenched tight, nails biting into flesh. The cold burn of rage.

The words his mother left him with faded into silence.

“Be a good boy and wait for me, alright?"

He snuffed out that flame himself. The first crack of his fist against a jaw sent a ripple of agony down his arm. Then another. And another. Faster, faster, faster, a roar tearing from his throat. The pain was worth it, even when returned onto him three-fold, even when his vision swam and he tasted blood, and when that blood mingled with tears and he saw stars, he knew that this was it. This was reality.

And she was never coming back.

Bede clenched his jaw, forced the past from his mind. Cold dread filled the hollow of his chest as he recalled the fear he’d felt, how it had frozen him in place, when Gloria had left him in the Wild Area as she ran into a wildfire. The smile she’d given him, evoking memories of a face he could no longer recall. That same look. That same acceptance, forlorn yet warm.

No.

A burst of indignation flooded Bede’s veins as he rounded the stone wall by Hop’s house.

It’s not happening again.

He thumped his fist on the front door, heart in his throat.

I won’t let it happen again.

Movement inside. Bede swallowed thickly, his tongue twisting in his mouth, and couldn’t stop himself the second the door opened.

“Gloria-” her name fell from his lips as a gasp “-is Gloria here?”

Hop’s mother blinked for a moment, before recognition filled her eyes and she nodded, albeit confused.

“You’re Bede, right?” she said, pursing her lips. “One of Gloria’s friends?”

Bede straightened. Desperation had gotten the better of him, his mild a jumble of memories and fear, and he quickly collected himself so as to not repeat that mistake.

“Yes, I am,” he said, and cleared his throat. “I apologise for turning up unannounced. I’m looking for Glora.”

Hop’s mother shifted uneasily. “She’s here, but…” She looked away, glancing towards the stairs, and Bede’s stomach dropped. “Well, I suppose it’s better if you see for yourself. She’s upstairs with Hop.”

She stepped aside to let Bede in, and he nodded stiffly.

“Thank you,” he said, and made for the stairs. He took them two at a time, and when he’d reached the landing, voices met his ears. He turned towards them and threw the door open. The scene before him stole the air from his lungs.

Whatever he’d been expecting to find, it wasn’t this.

-

Gloria jolted her head up as the door to Hop’s room abruptly swung open. Bede, staring at her from the doorway with wide eyes, let out a heavy sigh. She stiffened in shock. Gloria quickly blinked to make sure no tears were left, though her red, puffy eyes were evidence enough that she’d been crying on and off all day, and managed a smile to mask her panic.

“Bede, what- what are you doing here?” she asked. Her heart clenched as tightly as her hands on her lap, threatening further tears. The breath she took shuddered. With Bede’s eyes on her, she felt vulnerable. Paper thin- no, even worse than that. As if a simple breeze, a simple word from Bede, would topple her over.

For it to be Bede who found her today, of all people, was the worst.

Bede studied her for a second, though it felt like a lifetime. As if he could see everything she was desperately trying to hide.

“You weren’t at the rehearsal,” Bede said quietly. His expression, having been one of surprise and then relief, dropped. He knew. He could see she’d been crying.

Gloria forced a sheepish laugh. Panic continued to rise like a creeping vine around her throat, and she couldn’t swallow it down. Not like this, not with him here.

“I didn’t think that’d be an issue,” she said quickly, shooting a glance at Hop. “I called ahead to let them know I wouldn’t be there.”

Hop noticed her silent cry for help, their eyes meeting briefly before he stood. “Come on, mate, there’s no reason for you to-”

“I thought-” Bede’s voice caught. Hop paused, about to usher Bede from the room. “I tried to call you,” he said, slower this time, and the unspoken hurt in his voice rippled through Gloria.

She’d worried him.

All because she was too weak to face the world.

“I… turned my phone off,” she admitted, staring into her lap. Her heart thrummed painfully. With guilt, for not saying anything to Bede, and with fear. With every second, she felt it build in her chest, pulsing like a deadly poison through her veins.

Why is he here? Why now?

Why Bede, of all people…?

Why today, of all days?

Her heart couldn’t bear it. As much as she longed to see him, as much as her heart betrayed her, grief overwhelmed it. Swallowed it. Crushed everything into dust, into pain, into fear.

“I thought something had happened to you,” Bede said. He wasn’t looking at her. “Marnie said… that you weren’t well.”

Gloria couldn’t stop herself from flinching with guilt. “I…” The words wouldn’t form. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t explain. She met Hop’s gaze again.

“Look, we appreciate you coming to check up on her,” Hop began, “but as you can see, Gloria’s fine, so…” He gestured to the door.

“I see,” Bede said flatly. He glanced from Hop to Gloria, eyes landing on her for an infinitesimal moment, not even a second, and it sent an ache through her heart. He turned his back to her, and she broke.

“Wait-”

Tears blurred her vision. Her throat burned with everything she couldn’t say. She was crumbling. Above the fear, the panic, the shame and grief, she didn’t want him to leave.

“It’s alright,” Bede said. “I understand.”

No- her heart ached. You don’t.

He moved to go.

“Hop, please-” the hitch of her voice making Bede snap his head towards her, finally seeing her tears for the first time. “Tell him,” she said. “Please.”

“Are you sure?” Hop’s question was gentle. She palmed away her tears, pressing her hands to her eyes, and tried in vain to swallow her sniffle. All she could do was nod. “Alright.”

Hop gestured towards the door again, stopping Bede mid-step from moving any closer to Gloria. Bede paused, before allowing himself to be directed from the room. The door clicked shut, leaving Gloria in silence, and when she finally let out the breath she’d been holding, her whole body shuddered with it.

-

Bede whirled to face Hop as the door shut behind them.

“What happened?” he asked point-blank, the sight of Gloria failing to fight back tears all too fresh in his mind.

Hop folded his arms uncomfortably. “Nothing happened. Not today, at least. Gloria’s fine.”

“She didn’t look fine.”

Hop took a breath and sighed. “Yeah, I know.” He ran a hand through his hair restlessly before sending a glance back to his room. “This time of year is always difficult for her.”

“Why?” Bede had a feeling he knew, but asked anyway. He dreaded the confirmation of Hop’s answer when it came.

“Today’s the anniversary of her dad’s death.”

Every fibre in Bede’s body stiffened at once. He was painfully aware of what the expression on Glora’s face meant now, when he’d burst into Hop’s room. Anything he could say fled his mind. How could he respond to that? Gloria had experienced a loss he’d never had the chance of going through himself. He knew grief, but not like that. Not in such a tangible manner.

“She can’t really be around people at the moment,” Hop continued. “Sometimes she’ll be fine, but the next second it’ll hit her again and she’ll break down. The rehearsal’s always held on this date, so…”

Bede nodded slowly as Hop’s words fell into place. It made sense. Damnable, chilling sense. And all the while, at the rehearsal, he’d been frustrated and complaining about her nonappearance, and she’d been grieving the death of her father. A heavy wave of shame crashed over him.

“She’s alright, mate,” Hop said, nudging Bede with his elbow. “This is just how she gets through it. I distract her for as long as possible, and let her cry it out when she needs to. She’ll be alright.”

“I know.”

Except he didn’t. He didn’t know what she was going through, the level of pain and grief she was feeling, something he’d never understand.

“Um…”

Bede blinked at Gloria, as she poked her head through the doorway. Their eyes met, a stab of pain needling Bede’s heart, and Gloria quickly looked away.

“Hop and I were going to head to my house to watch some movies,” she said. She opened the door fully, and stepped out into the hall. “Since you’re already here, I was wondering if you wanted to join us?”

It took a moment for Bede to gather his thoughts enough to answer. “Are you sure?”

Gloria nodded, managing a slight smile, and met his eyes again. Her tears were long gone, but a ghost of them remained in the weariness of her face and the shadows beneath her eyes. “Of course. I was… going to ask Marnie to come as well, since the rehearsal’s finished.”

Bede stiffened sheepishly. “It’s not actually over yet.”

“What?” Gloria gaped. “But you…? How come you’re here then?”

Hop struggled to cover up his smirk, muffling his laugh into a cough. “Dude, seriously?”

Bede crossed his arms as a slash of heat burned across his cheeks, having been caught out by his own honesty. He fought back a scowl as Gloria stared at him.

“I… may have left early,” Bede managed to say without his voice cracking.

“What? Why? Was that- because of me?” Realisation hit Gloria all of a sudden, making her straighten. She stole a breath and Bede could have turned to cinders on the spot.

“We’d already gone through everything once,” he said quickly. “There was no point in me sticking around any longer.”

For a split second, Bede could have sworn Gloria’s expression fell. Then she laughed, and he wondered if he’d been mistaken.

“Yeah, those things tend to drag on endlessly, don’t they?” She nodded and dug out her phone. “I’ll see if Marnie wants to ditch too. Are you… going to join us?” Gloria tilted her head at Bede. “If you don’t have anything else on, that is?”

Bede swallowed. The way she cocked her head to the side made his heart swell, and he tore his eyes from her lest he begin to blush any harder than he already was. Any more blood rushing to his face and he’d surely get dizzy.

“I may as well,” he said, shrugging. As if his mind hadn’t latched onto joining them the second she’d asked. “Since I’m already here.”

“Great!”

Gloria lit up as he used the same phrase she had, and Bede coughed to clear his throat, keenly aware of the amused expression on Hop’s face as he watched this unfold. The way Gloria was acting, upbeat and smiling, if Bede hadn’t witnessed her tears moments earlier, he wouldn’t have suspected anything. Now, however, he could see how hard she was trying to hide her pain. It was there behind her eyes, in the second her laughter faded and her smile dropped. As they headed for Gloria’s house, he spotted the moments when her attention drifted. When memories played in her mind, her eyes glazed over. She quietened. Then, as if on cue, Hop would say something, make a joke or wisecrack, throw his arm over her shoulder, and she’d snap back to reality. Her smile would return.

Her smile, her laughter, was genuine and yet forced at the same time. Her enjoyment was real, and yet overdone. When Marnie arrived, Gloria embraced her for longer than usual, her smile brighter, her voice too upbeat. All signs of the grief Gloria wanted to forget.

Marnie met Hop’s eyes, and Bede witnessed a moment of understanding pass between them, and so Marnie acted as if nothing was up. As if Gloria was always this excitable, always this bubbly. She even let Gloria drag her by her hand into the lounge to dig through their movie collection, leaving Hop and Bede to get the snacks ready.

“If I’m in charge of snacks, they’ll all be gone before the movie stars,” Gloria said with a laugh.

“I think you mean you’ll burn the house down instead,” Hop threw back. “Remember what happens when you try to make popcorn?”

Gloria’s scoff was heard loud and clear from the lounge. “That was one time!”

“And it was spectacular!”

Bede raised an eyebrow as he set the pot of popcorn kernels onto the stove, deciding not to comment on that himself.

-

It wasn’t long before they were all crammed together on the couch, crisp packets open, popcorn in hand, passing a bag of sweets between them. Gloria curled her legs beneath her, wishing she could focus on the movie and not the press of Bede’s arm against hers. The contact between them dug a cold knife into her chest, spreading ice through her veins until she went numb, an acute and burning reminder of why she wanted to stamp out her growing feelings for him. She didn’t want to feel this pain ever again.

Gloria bit back tears, biting hard on her bottom lip as she refused to let herself cry. Not now, not here, not with Bede next to her. But, as always, the memories that flashed in her mind were all too clear, all too real.

Waiting, wondering, confused, as the afternoon turned into night and her father hadn’t returned. A knock at the door. Running excitedly to answer it, finding a stranger in her father’s place. The crack of her mother’s voice. Hearing, but not understanding, what the officer was saying.

And the sound that tore from her mother’s throat. The sound of a heart breaking.

The movie turned into a blur of colours behind tears, and Gloria hurriedly blinked them away again. When the credits ran, they ordered food in, and she took that opportunity to flee to her room for a moment of silence. A moment alone. She leant against the door, hands clenched into fists, and took a shuddering breath. She would get through this. She would. Bede’s presence here hadn’t changed anything, she tried to remind herself. It was just Bede. Just a friend, just a movie, just another, ordinary day.

Except it wasn’t.

And the heavy, gnawing ache in her heart reminded her that Bede was no longer just a friend. Not to her.

Gloria sucked in a deep breath and steeled herself. She wasn’t going to give in. These feelings were hers, and she would control them. She had to. It was just another challenge for her to overcome. Another battle to win. Like any Pokemon battle, she had to calculate every move, had to size up her opponent and not back down. If she lost, she’d try again. Harder, faster, until she finally came out on top. Avoiding Bede didn’t work - she’d already tried that, and it only made the longing in her heart worse. She had to find a different strategy. She had to adapt.

Failure wasn’t an option here.

Gloria risked a glance at the alarm clock beside her bed and winced. It was that time again. Another detail she couldn’t forget, sewn into her mind, her memories, from the day her world changed. As much as she wanted it, nothing could distract her from this. From reliving it again and again every year that passed. Tears came quickly. Her legs buckled, and she sank against the door as wave after wave of grief crashed over her and left her breathless. Through clenched teeth, she sobbed. Tears escaped around the palms of her hands that she pressed firmly to her eyes, blocking the world out. Grief and pain burned in her lungs. Holding her breath, forcing it down, to silence her wails. To stifle her cries.

And she crumbled into a heap on the floor.

It hadn’t worked. The company of her friends, a great movie, all the snacks she could want, and it hadn’t worked. It never did. Grief came after her like a vice, striking the second she let her guard down. Striking through her defences. It left her weak. Vulnerable. No matter how many years had passed, it always came for her.

A gentle knock on her bedroom door made Gloria stiffen.

“Gloria? Hun?” her mother’s soft voice filtered through the door. “Can I come in? I’ve brought your food.”

Gloria couldn’t respond beneath the crush of grief.

There was silence for a few seconds, before Gloria’s mother said quietly, “It’s that time, isn’t it?”

A sob escaped. Gloria curled into herself further. Doubling over. Pain reared up the hollow of her throat, but made no sound.

“Can I come in?” her mother asked again. “You don’t have to handle this by yourself. I’m here too.”

Somehow, Gloria managed to draw an affirmative noise from her throat, and shifted enough away from the door so her mother could come inside. She held a container of take-away Kantonian food, and carefully knelt beside her daughter, placing the food to the side. Gloria’s lips wobbled, her face caked in tears, and fell into her mother’s arms with a wail. All the grief she’d been holding in, the agony she’d buried, came forth at once in a torrent of heartache. She couldn’t stop it. Even knowing her cries could be heard throughout the house, she could no longer keep it in. In the arms of her mother, she let it all out.

The pain, the grief, her fear and her weakness, how it felt like it was tearing her in two, as though her world was crumbling once again, she let it all out.

She clung to her mother and cried until she had no tears left to shed and her food went cold.

-

When Gloria emerged from her room with her mother, she hurried over to the microwave with her cold Kantonian take-away meal, and sheepishly focused on that instead of the overwhelming feeling of being watched. She knew Hop, Bede and Marnie were waiting for her, that they’d heard her cries. She cleared her throat awkwardly. It was too quiet, and the gentle humming of the microwave made the silence coming from the lounge even more obvious.

“Is everyone staying the night?” Gloria’s mother asked.

“I… I haven’t asked yet.” Gloria tried to ignore the fluttering of her heart at the idea of Bede staying the night. Usually, after she and Hop binged a few movies, they’d fall asleep on the couch or on mattresses on the floor, having talked late into the night or early morning.

“Would you two like to stay the night as well?” Gloria’s mother called to the lounge, making Gloria flush. “We have more than enough mattresses, and we’d love to have you stay.”

“Mum!”

Her mother shrugged, grinning. “It’s easier for me to just ask them now, right?”

“That’s not the point!” Gloria hissed.

“I’ll hafta check with my brother, but I’m keen,” Marnie said from the lounge.

Gloria swallowed, waiting. Her heart thumped harder in her chest, and she yanked her food from the microwave with more force than necessary.

“Of course Bede’s going to say yes,” Hop called, vaulting over the back of the couch before Bede could protest. “I’ll grab the mattresses!”

“Looks like my decision has been made for me,” Bede said and rolled his eyes, “but… as long as I’m not imposing on you, then I'll take you up on that offer.”

Gloria’s mother smiled pointedly at her. “Of course you’re not imposing on us. You’re very welcome to stay the night!”

Gloria shot a dark look at her mother, and at Hop as he passed her with two rolled up mattresses in his arms. Hop stuck his tongue out at her in return. Soon enough, the mattresses were spread out on the floor, a bundle of blankets and pillows strewn across them, and the movie-binging resumed. No one mentioned Gloria’s prior absence. Everything carried on as if nothing had happened, and she silently thanked her friends for that. The heavy ache in her heart settled into its place once again, like a raging beast having exhausted itself, and finally calmed. It remained inside her, tempered for now. A pain she doubted she’d ever be free from. At least, at this moment, she felt at ease. She felt safe.

Grief remained in her memories, slowly retreating from the marrow of her bones, and as she curled up on the couch again, her friends by her side, Gloria smiled. As the night wore on, conversation took over the movies. The TV continued playing without an audience. Even as hours passed and they had to stifle their yawns, no one suggested going to sleep. Topics jumped from one to another, from Hop’s research to the upcoming League Challenge, and how they’d have less time to catch up once it began. At some point, Marnie moved to one of the mattresses on the floor. Hop sprawled across the now-free space, and was the first to fall asleep. Gloria clicked the TV off, plunging them into darkness.

“Oh, wow, that’s dark,” Gloria laughed. Their only source of light had been the TV once Gloria’s mother went to bed and switched off the lights in the rest of the house. “Do you guys want me to turn a light on?”

“Nah, ‘m good,” came from Marnie, somewhere on the floor. She sounded muffled, as if speaking through a pillow, and Gloria wondered if she was close to falling asleep.

“I haven’t stayed up this late in ages,” Gloria said. She toned her voice down to a near-whisper. “It always makes me feel like a kid again. There’s something special about staying up past midnight.”

“It’s not something I do regularly, I’ll admit.” Bede’s voice sounded louder and closer than Gloria had expected, and she stopped herself from jumping in shock. In the darkness, she couldn’t tell where he was. It made her heart skip, her pulse scattering.

She laughed, trying to hide her nerves. “Hop and I used to stay up late all the time when we were younger,” she said quickly, keenly aware of the warmth of Bede’s arm against hers, trying to keep the conversation flowing to distract herself. He hadn’t moved, but somehow, he felt closer. “Sometimes, we’d sneak out at night and find a paddock to stargaze in. We learnt very quickly to bring a blanket or two, the first night we almost froze to death!”

“That definitely sounds like something you would do,” Bede said.

She heard the smile in his voice, and was suddenly glad that he couldn’t see her as she flushed. Affronted by her own reaction to the sound of Bede’s voice, she curled up tighter on the couch in defiance. Her insides bubbled and crawled at the same time. Enjoying yet despising the feeling. The contrasting emotions swirling within her fought against each other for dominance in her mind, and it left her drained and sapped of energy. She didn’t know whether to relish or fear the way Bede managed to tug on her heart.

“Have you ever stayed up all night?” Gloria asked. She needed to fill the silence, to stop her mind, and heart, from wandering. All was quiet from the mattress on the floor, and she couldn’t tell if Marnie had fallen asleep, or was just listening.

“A few times,” Bede admitted. “Mostly after I’d just taken over the Fairy Gym. I’d work late into the night and before I’d realised it, the sun was rising.”

Gloria snorted. “You workaholic.”

“That’s rich, coming from a slugabed.” Amusement softened his voice.

“Says you! At least I don’t have grey hair!”

“It’s platinum-blond.”

Gloria suppressed a laugh. “Sure it is. That’s why you fit right in at the Fairy Gym.”

“I’m wise beyond my years, something you could learn from.”

“And go grey before my twenties? No thanks!”

“Who’s fault would that be, I wonder?” Bede said, his tone light. “I believe the greatest stressor in my life would be you at the moment. Haen’t you already taken the blame for that?”

“You’ll go grey and no one would even notice!” Gloria snickered. “How sad!”

“I’d rather overwork than put a Snorlax to shame. Or was it a rock?”

Gloria gave him a shove with her elbow. “A girl needs her beauty sleep!”

“Then I’m not sure you’re sleeping enough for that-”

“Hey!” Gloria scoffed.

Bede’s stifled laugh set her heart skittering away in her chest. “I had to, that was too good to pass up.”

Gloria pouted even though Bede couldn’t see her in the dark, her cheeks flushed hard enough to burn. His teasing always had this effect on her, stirring her blood and stealing the air from her lungs, leaving her mind blank.

“If I had one of those pillows, I’d throw it at you,” Gloria huffed.

“That sounds like a threat.”

“You’d better believe it’s a threat!”

“Wow, Gloria,” Bede feigned disbelief, mirth coating his words, “I never knew you could be so violent.”

“Just you wait until I get my hands on a pillow.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

Gloria narrowed her eyes towards Bede’s voice.

“Unless you’re too scared to lose…”

The insinuation, the challenge, in his words made Gloria bristle. “Oh, that’s it!” Instead of fumbling in the dark for a pillow, she yanked the couch cushion out from behind her and thwacked Bede with it. She got a satisfying, and muffled, gasp of shock from him, right before the cushion was snatched from her hands.

“Hey-”

A cushion to her face cut Gloria off. She swallowed her grumble, and wrenched out the cushion from behind Hop, using it as a shield before swinging it blindly at Bede. Hop made an incoherent noise that was lost under Gloria’s squawk as she struggled to keep her cushion out of Bede’s hands.

“That’s cheating!”

“There are no rules in pillow fights,” Bede said, before a loud thump followed, and his grip on Gloria’s cushion slackened. She tugged it back, barely making out a second figure in the dark.

“Marnie?!”

“I got your back!”

“Now that’s-” Bede was cut off by another thump “-definitely cheating!”

Gloria bit back her laugh. “There are no rules in pillow fights!” She lifted her cushion to swing again, and it was snatched from her. “What-?”

“Ha! Sneak attack!” Hop cried, smacking Gloria in the back with her cushion.

“It’s not a sneak attack if you announce it!” Gloria huffed at him. “Now give that back!”

“Never!”

Gloria raised her arms in time to block Hop’s blow, but the impact shoved her backwards enough for her to topple onto Bede. A split second later, a pillow whacked her in the face. Her cry was muffled by the pillow, and another blow came before she could right herself or pull herself off of Bede. He stiffened against her, a sharp gasp escaping him in the midst of the chaos.

“Wait-” A cushion thumped into her as she scrambled to protest. “Let me get up-!”

In the dark, she couldn’t tell how, exactly, she was positioned on top of Bede, except that his legs were definitely beneath her back. She tried and failed to push herself up in between blows, her hands fumbling to find purchase on something that wasn’t Bede’s thighs.

“Hop!” Gloria hissed. She tried to swat away his next blow and ended up hitting Bede’s face instead. “Sorry!”

With nothing left to lose, and receiving blows from multiple directions, Gloria struck out with her foot. Hop groaned, and she took her chance. Pushing up off Bede, she snatched back her cushion from Hop, and smacked him in the face with it.

“Low blow!” Hop wheezed. “Against the rules!”

“There are no rules in pillow fights!” Gloria, Marnie and Bede echoed each other.

“Alright, alright, alright!” he said hurriedly. “Truce! I’m calling a truce!”

A light clicked on, blinding them all and making Gloria wince.

“I was wondering what was going on in here,” Gloria’s mother said, staring at them by the lightswitch, dressed in pyjamas. “This looks like an unsanctioned pillow fight to me.”

“Oops.” Gloria grinned sheepishly, slowly lowering her cushion.

“Gloria started it!” Hop said quickly.

“Hey!”

Gloria’s mother shook her head, though a smile remained on her face. “I’m glad you’re all having fun, but you do realise what the time is, don’t you? I thought you’d at least try to get a few good hours of sleep.”

“I apologise for disturbing your sleep,” Bede said. Any amusement that might’ve been present on his face drained away and he slid the cushion in his arms back into place on the couch. “I wasn’t aware of how loud we were being.”

Marnie shrunk, holding her pillow to her chest.

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Gloria’s mother said. “With Gloria and Hop, I’m well and truly used to disturbances like these.”

“Sorry, mum!” Gloria chimed. Despite taking multiple blows from cushions and pillows alike, she felt lighter. As if a weight had eased off her chest. When they settled into the darkness once more, cushions back in place on the couch, the slow pull of fatigue descended over Gloria, and the weight returned. All too quickly, the moment of laughter they’d had vanished from her mind.

Silence, and darkness, took hold. The night wasn’t over just yet. Not willing to give in to grief so easily, Gloria tried to fight it again. She led the conversation, keeping everyone talking until Hop’s steady breathing came from her left, and soon Marnie stopped replying. Gloria’s heart sank, threatening to drag her back into memories, into pain. She shifted to keep her mind occupied, and accidentally bumped the side of her head against Bede’s shoulder.

“Oh! Sorry,” Gloria said, shuffling away from him. She curled up into a more comfortable position with her back to Hop, and nestled into the couch cushions. Her eyes drifted shut as she tried to block out the hollow ache building in her chest.

Bede’s voice gently floated out of the darkness. “How are you feeling?”

She didn’t know how to answer that.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he continued. “Just… know that we’re here for you. I’m sure Marnie would agree with me when I say that you can rely on us too. If, for whatever reason, you can’t lean on Hop, you can always come to us.”

Gloria pressed her lips together to stop them trembling. Her throat tightened. Heat washed over her eyes. She wished to say something, to reply to Bede with more than just silence, but nothing came out. Instead, she reached for him. Fumbled in the dark for his arm, giving it the slightest squeeze, and without thinking, Gloria leant towards him and pressed her brow to his shoulder. Her heart clenched as Bede rested his hand over hers. She began to shake, to buckle, to break. Warmth enveloped her, an arm looped around her back to hold her close. In the silence, no words were needed. As Gloria shook, as her tears came without a sound, as she held Bede’s hand so tightly she feared hurting him, they remained together.

And finally, after what seemed like endless tears, endless hours, the night gave way to dawn.

It was over.

[misskikuwrites]

Piece by Piece (1/2)

Bederia Week 2021: Day 3 - First Kiss 

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Tags: Fluff, angst, alcohol spiking, underage drinking, leon/sonia ship reference, swearing

Words: 8,806

@bede-x-gloria

-

Gloria stared out the Sky Taxi window and into the night. The city of Wyndon was a glistening sea of lights below them, alive and vibrant as though unbothered by the late hour. As they flew closer to the Rose of the Rondelands, the elegant five-star hotel where the Gala was taking place in its grand ballroom, the nerves in Gloria's stomach began to tighten. She wove her fingers together on her lap to stop herself from wringing the delicate chiffon skirt of her violet dress. 

 Violet. Gloria clenched her jaw and swallowed the lump in her throat. Even now, her heart ached when she thought about him- about Bede. A week had passed since she'd ran out on him, since she'd realised how she felt towards him. It had been a week filled with tears. A week spent fighting the pain, the guilt, the fear. A week where she struggled to put the pieces of her heart back together. Fragile like broken glass, the wound was still raw. It hadn't been long enough

 She felt unbalanced. About to crumble at any given moment, ready to fracture. The impending Gala was more daunting to her than ever before, knowing that Bede would be there. There was no avoiding it. She'd sent him a short text, apologising her abrupt departure with the weak excuse that something had come up. Something she needed to attend to. 

 That much wasn't a lie, but she refused to read his reply. It hurt too much. She'd cried enough for a lifetime over the past few days, overcome by fear, and couldn't bear to find out how he'd judge her for it. Gloria let out a shaky sigh. She blinked hastily as tears pricked in her eyes, tilting her head back to stop them forming. She couldn't risk crying now, not after spending an hour - and a lot of money - getting her make-up done by a professional.

 Hop shifted closer to her on the plush seat. "Hey, don't worry. Everything'll be fine," he said, giving her arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

 Even with Hop next to her, fear had taken hold inside her. Like a creeping vine, it wound around her heart, making its home in her chest, in her lungs, with a thousand thorns that pierced her flesh whenever she breathed. 

 "He's going to be there," Gloria said quietly. She didn't need to say his name. She couldn't, not without giving in to her tears. 

 "I know," Hop said, "but that doesn't mean anything's going to happen." 

 She pressed her lips firmly together. He was right, but trepidation seeped through her veins with every beat of her heart, filling her with fear. Drowning out Hop's voice of reason. 

 "I don't want to see him." Her lips trembled. Chest tightened. Gloria wanted to curl up as small as she could, to hide away, to vanish completely. 

 She didn't want to do this. 

 "There'll be tons of other people there, you probably won't even notice him!" Hop pointed out. "You'll be too busy dancing or talking with all the sponsors and famous people fighting for your attention. I doubt you'll have any time to worry about Be- about him at all." 

 He quickly cut himself off from saying Bede's name, but Gloria's heart thumped painfully in her chest, hard enough to make her wince. It wouldn't be difficult for her to avoid Bede- as Hop had said, there'd be dozens and dozens of people clambering to speak with her all night. The issue was her heart, the longing, the ache inside her that drew her towards Bede. It corrupted her, this feeling she despised.

 This love. 

 Gloria wrapped her arms around herself and sank further into the chair. "What if he knows?" she asked, her voice as quiet as a breath, faint and insecure. Full of fear. 

 "C'mon, Glo. There's no way he'd know," Hop said. He gave her arm a gentle rub, trying to comfort her. 

 Gloria let her vision blur, eyes falling closed. The lights out the window, tiny speckles like stars below, bloomed into ribbons of light. The glass was cold against her skin. Cold and hard, echoing how numb she felt. 

 "You know I'm not good at pretending," she said slowly. "I can't… hide my feelings well." 

 Gloria had never been good at that, hadn't seen the point in pretending to feel something she didn't. She couldn't fake it. She was an open book for anyone to read, and it had never been an issue.

 Until now. 

 Gloria felt vulnerable. Paper thin, as though everyone could see right through her. As though her heart was out in the open. 

 "You won't have to fake anything," Hop said. "Just be yourself. He can't read your mind, remember? He's your friend. If he does come up to you, act like nothing's changed, because nothing has changed." He nudged her with his elbow gently. "You said you've felt like this towards him for a while, right? If he didn't notice then, he won't notice now." 

 Gloria grimaced with a flash of pain. "I don't want to feel like this." Her voice caught. "I don't- I don't want to be in love." 

 Tears threatened to fall. She sucked in a breath and blinked rapidly to force them away again. She wasn't about to let the efforts of her make-up artist go to waste just because she couldn't stop herself from crying. 

 "Hey, love's not all that bad," Hop said. "You never know, maybe he feels the same about you-" 

 "That doesn't matter!" It came out in a beat of panic. Her heart clenched tight in distress, forcing a sob out of her throat. "It doesn't matter," she said again, softer this time. "Love only leads to pain. I don't… I don't want to go through that again." 

 Hop touched her arm. "Gloria…"

 "Sorry." She shook her head. "I'm being stupid again. I know you think it's ridiculous that I'm terrified of love." 

 "No, I…" He looked away. "I don't think it's ridiculous. Neither does your mum. Those of us who know what happened… we understand." 

 "But you still think I'm wrong." 

 Hop stifled a grimace, his expression twitching with regret. "I think… it's a shame that you won't give this a chance, that's all." 

 A chance. That was a risk she couldn't take. Gloria tried to shove her feelings away, to force them deep, deep into the back of her mind in the hope that she was strong enough to stop them from resurfacing. If she could get through tonight without crumbling to dust, then perhaps she could control this and keep those feelings at bay. It was a test, one she'd been practicing a week for. The Sky Taxi landed out the front of the Rose of the Rondelands hotel, and Gloria sat up straight. She took a deep breath and perfected her mask. 

 When the Sky Taxi door pulled open, she was no longer just Gloria, a simple girl from Postwick. She was Gloria, the Champion of Galar. She swept out of the carriage and into the blinding lights of camera flashes. Cries of her name filled the air, increasing in volume when she waved politely to the journalists with a smile. She felt like someone else. Someone more confident, more classy, someone who fit in the world of the elite and famous. The delicate make-up and stunning dress gave her a veil to hide behind. Her hair was styled into an elegant updo, fashioned with a French braid that trailed above her right ear.  Even her usually plain fringe was styled to fit, and she had soft wispy curls left to frame her face. It wasn't Gloria they saw, not really. They saw the Champion. 

 Behind her title, she could hide in plain sight. 

 Hop stepped up beside her, looking smart in his dapper, slim fitting navy suit, and he met her smile with one of his own, one that soothed away the final cracks in Gloria's mask. He offered her his arm, and she took it with practiced grace. The week they'd spent rehearsing paid off as they strode arm-in-arm with confidence through the doors.

 Gloria breathed the faintest sigh of relief as the doors closed behind them, shutting out the buzz of noise and lights from outside. Hop's eyes twinkled with unspoken pride as they were led through to the grand ballroom. It was as exquisite as last year, and Gloria found herself dazed for a moment. Chandeliers glistened like diamonds over the marble floor, the ceiling towered above them, held up by pillars carved with intricate designs. Interspaced between the pillars were glass windows and doors that fed out into the balcony, the night a wedge of darkness outside.  

Gloria forced herself to keep moving as heads turned towards her and Hop as their entrance was announced. Already, the ballroom was filled with people, most of whom she didn't recognise. People mingled in groups by tables overflowing with tiers of cakes, arrangements of fruit, and varying morsels of food the size of which would've better suited a Skwovet. Waiters expertly swept through the crowds, carrying crystal glasses bubbling with what Gloria assumed was something alcoholic. She tightened her grip on Hop's arm and nervously glanced from face to face, from group to group. Instinctively, unintentionally, seeking him out. 

 "Look, there's Lee and Sonia," Hop said, tapping Gloria's arm. 

 "Where?" She forcefully dragged her gaze to where Hop was pointing as he led her over to them. 

 Sonia brightened when she saw them approach, looking absolutely stunning in an off-the-shoulder teal dress. A slit in her skirt ran halfway up her high, showing off her long, slim legs. She wore heels that matched the colour of her dress, the height of which made Gloria blink in shock for a moment. In her heels, Sonia stood as tall as Leon. 

 "Oh, don't you two look so precious!" Sonia said, gesturing with the glass in her hand. "Reminds me of the first Gala Leon invited me to." 

 She leant closer to Leon, their arms comfortably intertwined. He smiled at her, his eyes soft with remembrance, and Gloria suddenly felt as though she'd missed something. 

 "That was years ago," Leon chuckled softly. 

 "You didn't tell me you'd be here, Lee," Hop said, lifting an eyebrow. "I didn't think they let ex-Champions attend." 

 "I'm here as the proprietor of the Battle Tower," Leon said. "Turns out that makes me important enough for an invite. And here I'd thought I'd had enough of these for a lifetime." 

 Gloria managed a smile as her attention drifted away from their group. She looked past Sonia, to where a band was playing by the dancefloor. Couples spun and twirled in time to the music, manoeuvring around each other in a perfectly choreographed synchrony. Gloria's heart thumped as she glanced between the dancers. None of them had his height or his build. None had platinum blond hair or curls like his, none had his elegance or poise. She swallowed thickly and looked away. Would Bede soon be dancing like that with a gorgeous woman in his arms? 

 That thought soured her mood more than it already was, filling her throat with nausea. She pulled away from Hop's arm and gave him a tight smile when he looked at her. 

 "I'm going to grab a drink," Gloria said. 

 She ducked around Hop towards a passing waiter. One of them had to have something non-alcoholic, and if they didn't, then surely they could bring her something that was. She made for the waiter as quickly as her heels would allow while also retaining her sense of refinement. In her haste, she almost collided with someone. 

 "Oh, sorry!" Gloria apologised, swallowing her yelp as she stopped herself a split second away from walking straight into the young man in front of her. He jolted just as she did, his bright blue eyes widening with recognition. 

 "You must be Gloria," he said, "the Champion, right?" 

 She straightened and gave him a smile. "That's me," she said with a sheepish laugh.

 Gloria distracted herself from her nerves by fingering the bracelet around her wrist. She touched each tiny star, the crystals sparkling pink in the light, and her mind drifted to the moment Bede had given it to her, to when he'd gently clasped it around her wrist and her skin had tingled at his very touch. She felt her cheeks warm. 

 Not now! Gloria stamped that memory out. Don't think about that now! 

 "What luck, running into the Champion of Gala before I've even had my first drink," the blond-haired stranger said, smiling gently at her. He held up the glass in his hand, the clear liquid spotted with tiny bubbles. "Here, why don't you have mine? You seemed to be after that waiter before you almost barreled me over." 

 Gloria flushed darker. "Oh, um, I can't drink. Alcohol, I mean. I'm not eighteen yet." 

 "No need to worry, then. It's non-alcoholic sparkling wine," he said, offering it to her again. "I don't drink either, although I could if I wanted to. I'd rather not dull my senses, you see." 

 She accepted his glass, peering into it for a moment. As the stranger had said, there was no evidence around the rim that he'd tried it, and so she gave it a tentative sip. It tasted much like it smelled, though sweeter than expected. 

 "Thank you," Gloria said, appreciative that she didn't have to continue chasing a waiter. "I don't think I caught  your name?" 

 The stranger smiled. "That would be because I hadn't given it to you, yet. I'm Elliott Murdoch. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Gloria." 

 She smiled back despite how strange it was to have people she'd never met know so much about her. She doubted that she'd ever get used to it. 

 "It's nice to meet you too," Gloria said. She filled his name into the back of her mind before pausing. "Hold on- Murdoch? As in, like Richard Murdoch?" 

 Elliott gave a short laugh. "That would be my father, yes." 

 Gloria's heart plopped into her stomach and churned with her nerves. She knew who Richard Murdoch was, almost everyone in Galar did- he owned most of the newspapers, the magazines, that circulated. He was one of the richest men in Galar, and could possibly be the richest now with Rose out of commission. 

 And she'd almost run into his son. 

 Elliott must've seen her pale, for he touched her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, I've got little to do with my father's empire at the moment. I find that associating myself with him tends to limit the amount of people comfortable around me," he said. "I'm sure you must experience something similar, being the Champion." 

 Gloria found her nerves loosening slightly. "I think so," she said. "People see me as the Champion, rather than as myself. It can get a bit exhausting, sometimes…" she trailed off, and slowly drank from her glass. She'd begun looking over his shoulder, her attention shifting between the people behind him. Searching the crowds. 

 Where is he?  

"I know what you mean," Elliott said, and Gloria snapped attention back to him. 

 Arceus, what am I doing? She scolded herself. Pay attention to who you're talking to! 

 She nodded stiffly, trying to listen to Elliott as her mind threatened to drift away again. Every flicker of movement in the corner of her eyes, the people moving about, the couples dancing, itched at the back of her mind. He would be here somewhere. With his date- perhaps with the one he'd spoken about to her, the one he liked. 

 Gloria's stomach twisted into knots. She lifted her glass to her lips and downed the rest to force away the nausea rising up her throat. Even now, Bede managed to invade her thoughts. Just knowing he was here, somewhere, sent something crackling and fluttering away in her chest, and filled her with a longing to find him. A longing that came with fear. 

 Elliott tapped Gloria's shoulder, giving her a sheepish smile. "I believe your date is staring me down," he said, and gestured behind her. 

 Gloria glanced over her shoulder, and caught Hop's gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her, his brow furrowed with the slightest hint of concern. A question in his eyes. 

 "I should get back to him," Gloria said. She gave Elliott an apologetic smile to which he chuckled. 

 "Yes, well, we wouldn't want your boyfriend to get the wrong idea." 

 Gloria stiffened. All the muscles in her body went rigid. Tight. "He's not my boyfriend," she said. Nausea returned with a vengeance, and her heart began to thump heavily in her chest, each beat hollow with dread. "Hop's just a friend." 

 "Ah, my apologies, then," Elliott said with a sweet smile. "I'd heard you were dating the young professor's assistant, but really, of all people, I should know to take what I read in magazines with a heap of salt." 

 Gloria forced a smile. The polite breath of laughter she tried to give died on her lips. "Those magazines have… never been right." 

 "Well, since I've received information directly from the source, I'll be sure to tell our writers to stop publishing nonsense rumours about you two," Elliott said.

 "I'd really appreciate that, thank you." His assurance lifted a weight from the pit of her stomach. "It was nice meeting you, Elliott," Gloria said, giving him a grateful nod. 

 "As it was meeting you." Elliott flashed a charming smile, and said with a wink, "I'll have to ask you for a dance later, if your date doesn't mind me monopolizing a bit more of your time." 

 She shot a glance over her shoulder. Hop turned away unsubtly, but she caught Leon's eyes. His expression was unreadable, almost stern, but when their eyes met, it vanished beneath his smile. The look on Leon's face had lasted but a moment, and it still managed to disconcert her as she headed back to them. His attention remained on Elliott for a while longer. 

 "Who was that?" Hop asked, eyeing Gloria's empty glass. "You didn't get me one?"  

"Sorry." She shrugged. "Elliott offered it to me, and he only had one." 

 "Elliott Murdoch," Leon said. His smile had faded, leaving his gaze distant. 

 "Wait, that was Elliott Murdoch?!" Sonia gasped. "As in, heir to the Murdoch empire? Son of Richard Murdoch, the wealthiest man in Galar? That Elliott Murdoch?!" 

 Gloria shrunk, her grip tightening around her glass. With Hop, Sonia and Leon staring at her, it was like she was being interrogated, forced under a spotlight. 

 "I think so…?" Gloria said meekly. "Is he that well known?" 

 "Of course he is!" Sonia gaped at her. "Don't tell me you didn't know who he was?" 

 "He has a certain… reputation," Leon said slowly, pausing as though he was mulling over his words. 

 "What did he say?" Sonia asked. Her eyes sparkled with interest. "What did you talk about? Anything interesting? He offered you a drink- did he ask you to dance?" 

 "Um, we just introduced ourselves," Gloria said. "We didn't talk for that long." 

 Sonia sighed, deflating. "Aw, too bad. These functions get boring and tedious real quick without anything interesting to talk about." She took a long sip of her wine, and hooked her arm around Leon's, leaning against him slightly. He smiled at her warmly. "And the only thing interesting around here are the people, most of which I'd never see in person if not for Leon." 

 "So you've become a gossip," Hop huffed. "Never thought you had it in you, Sonia." 

 "That's Professor Sonia to you!" She rested her head against Leon's shoulder, peering at Hop with one eye open. "You might not be wearing your lab coat, but you're still my assistant! Don't make me fire you for insubordination!" Her lips, shiny with a coat of crimson lipstick, pursed into a pout. 

 Hop recoiled in shock, while Leon chuckled. 

 "Don't mind her," Leon said, his affection clear in his voice, "she gets a bit testy when she's had wine." 

 Gloria looked away. Their casual display of affection, the tenderness in Leon's eyes, made her chest tighten. She swallowed as a vice constricted around her throat. The conversation before her became a blur of noise, her concentration fading, and her gaze drifted past Sonia to the people standing on the opposition side of the room.  

Her heart stopped. She recognised him instantly across the grand ballroom, from the way he stood tall with confidence, the way he held his head high. 

 Bede. He was breathtakingly beautiful- even from a distance, the sight of him whisked the air from her lungs in a silent gasp. He wore a tailcoat coloured a deep lavender, his usually unruly hair parted to the side and smoothed down as much as his curls would allow, his fringe kicking up in parts that sat beside his right ear. Gloria couldn't breathe for a moment. She forgot where she was, who she was, what she was doing. Her feet moved beneath her, drawing her a single step towards him. 

 She froze, heart lodged in her throat. There was an arm linked around his. Desperately, Gloria glanced at the woman on Bede's arm. She braced herself. Every fibre of her body tensed, instinctively wincing, waiting for the pain. 

 It never came. The woman on his arm balanced herself with a dark, ornately carved wooden cane. Her floor-length dress matched the dark lavender of Bede's tailcoat, Ms Opal's outfit topped with a gorgeous, lavender headpiece. 

 He'd come with Ms Opal. Gloria stared at them, her heart plopping into her stomach in shame. Bede always attended events with Ms Opal, she'd accompanied him the before, it made sense that this year would be the same. Gloria had gotten herself worked up over nothing. Over less than nothing, and she cursed herself for being so stupid. Her feelings towards him addled her mind. She saw things, worried about things, that weren't there. It turned her into a lovesick fool. An idiot. 

 Gloria huffed and forced down the feelings welling up in her chest. The yearning, the longing, that she felt towards Bede tugged on her heart despite the creeping fear that always remained one step behind. A lump settled in her throat again. Heat washed over her eyes. She blinked it away and quashed everything else. Her fear would protect her. She wore it as a shield, wrapped it around her heart like a cloak, and refused to budge. She wouldn't give in. The distance between them kept her safe- a wedge, a dark rift, she refused to cross. Gloria would stay here, on the other side of the ballroom, and let the night pass without incident. Without pain. This way, she didn't have to pretend. She didn't have to lie. To herself, to Bede, to her heart. 

 If that meant all she could do was watch him in silence, then she would. To keep herself safe, she would. 

 You'll be okay, Gloria told herself. Soothing the ache in her heart. If you stay away from him, you'll be okay. It's for the best. 

 She sighed, and let herself glance at Bede one final time. Their eyes met. Through the mingling guests filling the space between them, he looked straight at her. 

 And took a step forward. 

 Gloria grabbed Hop's arm and yanked him towards the dancefloor. "We're dancing," she said- ordered. No room for argument in her tone. 

 Hop stumbled, almost tripping on his feet as she pulled him away from Sonia and Leon. Away from Bede. "What? Now?" 

 "Now." Gloria slammed her glass down on a table as they passed it, not slowing her pace in the slightest. Her heart thumped rapidly in her ears, silencing Hop's grumbles of protest, and she forced herself onwards, fueled by panic, by her nerves, by the fear spreading through her lungs. 

 Bede had stepped towards her. 

 Gloria pulled Hop amidst the dancers, not waiting for the current song to end, and turned towards him. She grabbed his hand, his shoulder, and they fell into step with the music. At this distance, she couldn't hide from Hop the shadows, the fear, behind her eyes. 

 "What happened?" Hop asked quietly. 

 He instantly settled into their dance, realising this wasn't just one of Gloria's impulsive whims. Their week of practice paid off as they turned in sync. 

 "I saw him." It came out as a whisper, as quiet as a gasp. "And he-" 

 Gloria clamped her eyes shut for a second, for a step of their dance, and she sucked in a breath. Tears blinked away. 

 "He saw me," she said. Knowing that somewhere across the ballroom, Bede was behind her. 

 "Your eyes met?" Hop stepped right, and she followed. 

 Gloria nodded. She tightened her grip on Hop's shoulder as the world threatened to crumble beneath her feet. Unbalanced no longer described how she felt- she wasn't stumbling, she was falling. 

 "It was bound to happen, Glo," Hop said gently. He didn't patronise her, he understood the roots of her fear, the grip it had on her, and remained realistic. "He's your friend, it makes sense that he'd be looking for you. It's normal to want to hang with people you know at events like this." 

 Gloria let his words wash over her as they slowed to a stop when the song ended. Some of the couples around them departed, new ones taking their places, and the music began again. 

 "I don't want to talk to him," Gloria said. Her heart squeezed tight. "Not yet. Not tonight."

 Hop gave her a rueful smile. "You can't avoid him forever, you know." 

 "I can try." She looked away, keeping in step with him as they followed the music. 

 "Is that what you want?" 

 Hop's words echoed the pain in her heart. The longing. The desire to risk it all. 

 "It doesn't matter what I want," she said finally. "This is what I need." 

 "If you say so…" Hop sounded unsure, but Gloria remained resolute. 

 She needed to avoid Bede. They danced for a while, until Hop's steps became sloppy and out of time, and Gloria decided to let him rest. They stepped off the dancefloor, and she immediately stepped into her role as the Champion, seeking out sponsors, esteemed guests, and patrons. People she recognised and strangers alike, anyone she could waste away time with.  She danced with a few young men, most of whom were heirs to their parent's companies or estates, until her feet began to ache. When she parted from the last one, her throat was dry and hoarse from talking. Her head spun from dancing too long. The endless names she needed to remember blurred together in her mind, leaving her nauseous again. She gave the tables of slowly diminishing food a wide berth, seeking out a waiter she could commandeer for a drink. 

 Someone stepped in front of her. Gloria stopped herself from sagging in frustration, her gaze following the waiter she'd been a split second from reaching. 

 "Sorry, if you don't mind, I was-" 

 A glass full of sparkling liquid appeared before her eyes. 

 "After one of these?" Elliott asked, holding out a drink to her. He held a partially empty glass in his other hand. 

 She smiled in relief at him. "Yes, thank you." Gloria accepted the glass and sipped at it slowly, letting the bubbly liquid ease the ache in her throat. "How come you always seem to have just what I need?" she asked, breathing a laugh. 

 "I'll admit, the first time was a coincidence, but I was looking for an excuse to talk to you again," Elliott said. 

 Gloria tipped her glass to her lips, drinking as she thought. "You were?" 

 "It's not every day one gets a chance to talk with the Champion of Galar," he said, smiling softly. 

 His comment made her feel slightly giddy, as though the bubbles in her drink had filled her lungs. "It's not every day I get to speak with the son of the richest man in Galar," Gloria replied. "I feel like you one up me here."

 She found herself relaxing further as he laughed. There was something about him, something comforting, and she ignored her sore feet when he asked her to dance. She felt like she was floating. Walking on clouds. She danced with Elliott, a smile on her face the entire time, and came out of it giddy and breathless. 

 "Okay, I think that's enough dancing for one night," Gloria said as they stepped off the dancefloor, gently fanning her face with her hand. Her cheeks were flushed with warmth. "Who knew dancing could be such a workout?" 

 "I'm impressed," Elliott said, turning his back to her for a moment to grab a pair of drinks off the tray of a passing waiter. "You turned down all offers to dance last year, so I thought perhaps you didn't know how. It seems I was mistaken- you dance like an expert." 

 He turned back to her, handing her a glass that she eagerly accepted. 

 "Thank you," Gloria said, sipping her drink to keep herself from telling him she didn't know how to dance until a week ago. "Do those doors open?" She nodded towards the glass balcony doors. 

 "Why don't we find out?" Elliott smiled at her, and she followed him over to the doors. With a simple push, the towering glass door opened, and Gloria skipped out into the cool night air. 

 "That's so much better," she sighed happily. Her body buzzed and tingled with warmth, and she welcomed the embrace of the cold air around her. She stepped over to the edge of the balcony, staring out at the lights of Wyndon. The Ferris wheel turned as a dark form on the horizon. 

 "I'll join you in a moment," Elliott said, "I'm just going to grab one of those cakes before they all disappear." 

 Gloria hummed her response, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze swept over her. She felt so light. So free, so uncaring. Everything she'd worried about had fallen off her shoulders, drifting away into the night with the wind. Footsteps sounded behind her, and Gloria turned with a smile. 

 "Back so soon? I thought-" She stopped. It wasn't Elliott behind her. Her mouth dropped open with a wordless gasp, and she reached for him without thinking. Time slowed around her as her fingers touched the soft fabric of his tailcoat. 

 "Bede?" His name fell from her lips in awe. He stared down at her, violet eyes full of longing, and his expression was so soft, so tender, that she felt lightheaded beneath his gaze. The tips of her fingers remained against his chest.  

"Gloria…" the sound of her name sent a tingle down her spine. "You look so-" Bede's eyes shifted from hers. "Nice," he said, clearing his throat. "You look nice." 

 Floating. Gloria was floating. Why had she avoided him? She couldn't remember. Whatever the reason was, it no longer mattered. He was here. 

 "You look nicer," she said, pouting. "How is it that you're so much prettier than me? It's unfair!" 

 Bede blinked at her, and she snorted a laugh. 

 "Y'know what? It doesn't matter," Gloria said. 

 Bede's expression softened. He searched her eyes for a moment, once again captivating her with his gaze. 

 "I see you found time to continue practicing how to dance," he said. A hint of pride showed in his smile. "You had me worried- I wasn't sure that you'd be able to keep up your practice since you were so busy."

 Busy? Had she been busy? She couldn't remember. Gloria found herself leaning towards him. Drawn towards him. Her palm flattened against his chest as she stepped closer. Something bloomed in her chest. Something warm, something powerful, and her heart felt full. The words were on her tongue before she could think.  

"Bede, I think…" She felt fuzzy, giddy. And light. She felt so, so light. "I think I-" 

 "Where did you get that?" 

 "What?" Gloria stared at him for a second. He was frowning at the glass in her hand. Bede reached for it, and she tugged it away from him. "Hey, get your own!"  

"Gloria, that's alcohol," Bede said with a huff. He looked at her incredulously, and she snorted. 

 "No, it's not," she laughed. "It's non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Arceus, Bede. I'm not an idiot!" 

 "Where did you get it?" Bede asked again. His expression turned serious. 

 She waved his concerns off with her hand. "The waiters are carrying them around. Elliott grabbed one for me." 

 "Elliott." The look on his face, grim with alarm flashing behind his eyes, sent a rush of cold clarity through her when he asked, "and who was it that told you it was non-alcoholic?" 

 Gloria's heart thumped slowly in her chest. "Elliott did…" 

 No.

 She stared at the glass in her hand, a few centimetres of the bubbly liquid remaining. The third drink she'd accepted from Elliott. 

 This isn't… 

 "But I…" Gloria shook her head. She couldn't think straight. Her mind was a blur, her thoughts fuzzy and clouded. 

 Oh.

 Oh no.

 Her heart plummeted into her stomach as everything fell into place. The way she'd been feeling, how comfortable she left around Elliott when she'd never met him before, how easily she mingled with sponsors and patrons without a worry. The strange confidence, the peace, that had overcome her. And now, the thick fog that had overcome her mind, the weightlessness she felt, carried an new meaning. One that made her feel ill. 

 Bede gently took the glass from her and turfed the remaining wine into the planter beside them. 

 "How many have you had?" he asked.

 Gloria reached for the balcony's railing, her fingers trembling around it as she tried to steady herself. The drinks Elliott gave her, one by one, flashed in her mind. She tasted the wine on her tongue. She'd been so stupid, so naive, to trust him, to accept those drinks. Disquiet settled heavy on her shoulders.

 "That was my third…" Gloria answered. Her mind clouded with disbelief. 

 Was this really happening…?

 "Have you eaten anything?" 

 She squeezed her eyes shut. Clenched her jaw to stop her voice from trembling. "No," she replied in a whisper. In shame. 

 Bede's touch on her arm almost brought her to tears. 

 "I don't… I don't understand…" Her voice caught. Fear loomed over her heart, crushed her chest, her soul. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. "Why would he…?"  

Footsteps made Gloria glance towards the balcony doors, Bede turning to face Elliott as he paused in the wedge of light streaming from the ballroom. He held a glass of wine in either hand. 

 "You gave her alcohol," Bede said firmly. He straightened, standing tall between Gloria and Elliott, and yet she still felt small. Vulnerable.

 Afraid. 

 Elliott shrugged. "The jig is up, is it? Shame. We hadn't even gotten to the good part yet." 

 Gloria stared at the floor, eyes wide and unseeing. She felt sick.

 "And what were you hoping would happen?" Bede asked. 

 "Does it matter?" Elliott breathed a laugh, remaining unperturbed. "Someone has to try and liven up these dull events. I thought that perhaps a drunk, underage Champion would do the trick." 

 Again, he shrugged. Everything he said, his calm voice, his laughter, fell over Gloria in a daze. It didn't feel real. Like she was somewhere else, watching this unfold. Witnessing a dream- a nightmare. One she couldn't escape from. Fear crushed her heart, paralysed her breathing, turned her blood into ice. Cold. She felt cold. 

 "You-!" Bede's hands balled into fists. "How dare you-" 

 She reached for him the second he moved, gripping the tails of his coat before he'd taken a single step. 

 "Don't-" A tear slipped from her eyes. "Don't go…" 

 The fury on Bede's face shattered as she began to cry. The fear she'd been holding back engulfed her all at once, buckling her knees and tearing a sob from her throat. Bede whirled on his feet, holding her arms gently before she could collapse. Gloria fell against him. Into him. Breaking into pieces once again. 

 Elliott snorted. "I suppose this will do," he said, voice flat with boredom. "At least it'll be amusing to see how she gets out of this." He shrugged and stalked back inside. 

 Gloria squeezed her eyes shut tight. She grit her teeth, grinding out her pain, her fear, her indignation. Outrage burned up her throat. She wanted to scream, to cry and wail. She wanted to tear after Elliott and shove his pretty little face into the tiles, to send her Pokemon after him and make him regret the day he chose to mess with the Champion of Galar. 

 But she didn't. Gloria pulled her face off Bede's shoulder and took a shuddery breath. She wiped at her tears with the backs of her hands before Bede produced a white handkerchief, lined with intricate lace details, and held it out to her. She blinked at it, at him, and somehow, it made her laugh. 

 "What are you doing with this?" she asked, her voice strained, yet soft with amusement. She accepted the handkerchief and dabbed away her tears as delicately as she could. Her makeup smeared across it.

 "Ms Opal insisted I carry one with me 'just in case,'" Bede said. His mouth twitched with the faintest smile, though it faded all too quickly. 

 "I'm beginning to think that Ms Opal can see the future," she laughed quietly before her lips began to wobble again with the threat of tears, and she grimaced. "Arceus, my makeup is ruined. I spent so much money on it, too…" Gloria sighed, lowering her hands in frustration. "Look at me- some guy I met tonight got me drunk and I'm worrying about my makeup!" 

 "Here, let me help." Bede took the handkerchief off her and gently dabbed it across her cheeks. "I wouldn't say it's ruined…" 

 Gloria huffed. "I must look like a Pangoro by now." She sniffled and closed her eyes, turning her cheek towards Bede as he patted away at the remains of her makeup. 

 "You look beautiful." 

 Her eyes snapped open. Bede's hand stilled by her cheek, the tips of his fingers brushing her skin. He looked right into her eyes. There was something in his gaze that stirred the very depths of her heart, and her lips parted with a silent, broken gasp. His eyes flicked down to follow the movement. 

 Bede looked away, clearing his throat. "A-Anyway, I wouldn't worry about your makeup," he said quickly. His voice hitched and he stammered, the sound of which sent a spear of heat through Gloria's body. "We should be able to it clean up enough that-" 

 Bede jolted when her fingers cupped his cheek, eyes widening in shock, and the handkerchief fell from his hand. He was beautiful. Stunned into silence, Bede's violet eyes searched hers, and her heart stirred again. Her heart, her soul, reached for him. She swept her thumb across his cheek. Her mind was fuzzy. Clouded. She wondered what she was doing, leaning towards him like this. Drawn to him like never before. Nothing else in the world mattered- not her fear, not her pain, not the Gala taking place in the hotel just metres away. 

 Nothing else mattered to her than Bede. 

 His mouth opened with words he couldn't voice. Concern, then wonder, filled his eyes as he slowly rested a hand over hers on his cheek. 

 He's beautiful, she thought again.

 Bede stole his hand away, his eyes flicking from hers. "Gloria, what are you-?" He fumbled over his words, a blush blazing across his cheeks that made her heart swell. "You- you're drunk." 

 "Mm…" She didn't care. It was Bede. 

 This was what she wanted. Her hand trailed across his cheek and into his hair, her fingers weaving through those platinum blond strands. 

 Bede startled at her touch. "I think we should-" 

 Silence. And warmth. A soft warmth that spread from her lips, through her body, her chest, her heart. It felt right. 

 This was it. 

 This was what she'd wanted all along. 

 - 

Bede couldn't breathe. His mind screeched to a halt when Gloria pressed her lips against his. She stole the words from his mouth, silencing him mid-sentence, and kissed him.  

And he let her. The delightful sensation of her lips gliding across his addled his brain, his senses. Bede had wanted to kiss her for so long, he'd fought the desire within him to do so for months, that he couldn't stop himself from reciprocating instinctively. A gasp died in his throat. Without thinking, he followed the movement of her lips in a nervous dance that left him dizzy. It was slow and tender, and her lips were soft, so soft and warm, carrying the slightest hint of something sweet- 

 The wine. 

 "Holy shit biscuits!" 

 A gasp from the balcony doors jolted Bede back to reality, and he snapped away from Gloria, slamming the back of his hand against his mouth, and turned towards Hop.  

"This- This isn't what it looks like!" Bede protested, his voice cracking, body blazing with heat. He burned from head to toe, his cheeks searing hotly with a dark blush he knew was obvious for all to see. He jumped as Gloria's head dropped to his shoulder.  His lips still tingled from their kiss. 

 "Sure, mate." Hop held up his hands, taking a slow and stiff step backwards. "Whatever you say. I'll just… leave you two alone now…" 

 "Wait!" Bede glanced down at Gloria, realising how limp and boneless she felt against him. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "I need your help." 

 Hop frowned, then saw what Bede had- Gloria's pained expression, her grip tight on Bede's tailcoat. He rushed over, his eyes widening.

 "What happened? Did you kiss her so hard she fainted?" 

 "N-No!" Bede snapped, heat shooting down his spine at the memory of what had just happened.  

Gloria had kissed him. 

 "She's drunk," he explained to both Hop and himself. Reminding himself that Gloria hadn't been thinking clearly. 

 "What?! How?" Hop gaped.  

A low groan came from Gloria. "I don't… feel right…" 

 Bede's heart squeezed tight in his chest. He gently rubbed her back, wishing he could do more. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in the fact that she'd kissed him, not when she was suffering like this. Not when someone had done this to her.

 "Elliott Murdoch," he said through clenched teeth. "Know the name?" 

 Hop nodded. "That's the guy who gave Gloria a drink earlier-" he stopped and blanched. "No… Was that…?" 

 "It was." Bede nodded grimly. "Elliott has been giving her alcohol under the pretense that it was non-alcoholic sparkling wine." 

 "That douchebag!" Hop huffed, sending a searing glare towards the doors leading to the Gala. "What's his problem?!" 

 "A lack of entertainment, apparently." Bede swallowed the putrid taste of bile that crawled up his throat. 

 Gloria's grip on Bede tightened. She pulled off him enough so that she was no longer sinking into him, and groaned deep in her throat.

 "I feel sick…" 

 "I don't doubt that," Bede said softly. He let her stand on her own, but kept close enough to her that he could catch her if she fell. Her gaze was unfocused, brown eyes glassy and distant. "You've had three glasses of wine on an empty stomach."  

"Not to mention that you're not exactly the tallest person around," Hop pointed out.  

Gloria made a disgruntled sound in her throat, leveling a pained glare at him. "Fuck off, Hop," she huffed. 

 Bede blinked at her, and she frowned. 

 "What?" Gloria asked, before realising what she'd said. "Oh, shit. Wait- I mean- fuck." She closed her eyes and huffed as Hop stifled a laugh. "Shut up, Hop! You're not helping!" 

She grumbled, and held onto Bede's arm for a moment as her expression grew pained. 

 "Yeah, I… really don't feel well," Gloria said weakly. 

 "Shit, Glo. You don't look well," Hop said, gently rubbing her back in circles as her eyes squeezed shut. 

 Bede couldn't begin to imagine how she was feeling, from the effects of the alcohol and the knowledge that this had been done to her deliberately. Her small frame seemed even tinier than usual as she clung to him. He dropped his hand from her shoulder, trailing his fingers down her arm to take hers, and stopped as he brushed a familiar bracelet. The one he'd given her on White Day. A silver bracelet adjourned with diamond stars that glistened a soft pink in the light. She'd worn it. His gift. It made his heart ache for her, more determined than ever to do what he could to help her. He couldn't ease her suffering, he couldn't take that from her, but there was something else he could do. 

 He could get her to safety. 

 "We need to get her home," Bede said. His mind worked ahead of him, already churning through their options.  

"She's drunk, can barely stand on her own, and if you haven't noticed, the ballroom is full of people!" Hop raised an incredulous eyebrow at Bede. "How on earth do you expect us to get her home without anyone seeing her like this?"

 "That was part of Elliott's scheme," Bede sighed. "However, we're not completely out of options just yet. Marnie came with her brother, Piers, correct?" 

 Hop nodded. "Yeah, I spoke with them earlier." 

 "Good." That could work. "From what I've heard, Piers is an expert at drawing a crowd. Do you believe he'd be willing to cause a distraction for us? Marnie and I can alert the staff to our predicament, and you should be able to leave through the back of the hotel, out through the staff entrance. It wouldn't be the first time that incidents similar to this have occured, and staff at the Rose of the Rondelands are trained to be discreet. We shouldn't need to worry about one of them leaking this to the press." 

 "Piers will definitely be on board once he hears what happened to Glo," Hop agreed. "Although you might have to restrain Marnie from going after Elliott herself. Even I don't want to walk away knowing he's still in there, getting away with this scot-free." 

 "Oh, I have a thought for how to deal with him," Bede said. He looked towards the ballroom, spying Marnie in a crimson dress next to Piers in a matching suit. He eased Gloria off him gently so that she could lean on Hop instead. "Wait until everyone's attention is on Piers. The staff should prepare a way out for you- head for it as quick as you can." 

Bede gave Gloria's arm a final, gentle squeeze. Her eyes were shut, her head resting against Hop's shoulder, and she gave no indication that she'd felt his touch at all. Shallow breaths sounded between her parted lips. He turned towards the ballroom, steeling himself. 

 "Wait, before you go-" Hop began, looking sheepishly away. "You've, uh, got some lipstick on your mouth." 

 Bede stiffened with a shot of heat. He furiously wiped at his mouth, his hand coming away with a slash of pink that matched the colour of Gloria's lipstick. He cleared his throat roughly. The blush on his cheeks sizzled in the cold air, and his body filled with warmth. The memory of her kissing him returned with force. He felt a ghost of her touch, a whisper of her lips, against his. 

 "Thank you," Bede said awkwardly. He fixed gaze on the ballroom beyond the glass in front of him as his nerves crackled alight at the reminder that Gloria had kissed him. The smudge of lipstick on the back of his hand. 

 In that moment, he hadn't noticed the glaze over her eyes. Bede knew very well that she had to be drunk, he'd told her himself, but when she'd reached for him, he hadn't been able to react in time. He'd been too speechless, too shocked, to stop her. 

 And she'd kissed him. Gloria, the one who denied herself love, who feared and despised the very thought of it, who swore she'd only kiss someone she was in a relationship with, had kissed him. He looked back at her now, standing only with the support of Hop, and his heart clenched with regret.

 He should have stopped her. How could he be happy about this when she'd kissed him under the influence of alcohol? Bede sighed and forced those thoughts away. He'd apologize to her later. When they could sit down and talk about this, when she was home safe and recovered, he'd ask for her forgiveness in letting his feelings get the better of him. It wasn't just that Gloria had kissed him- he had let her. He swallowed his guilt and met Hop's eyes. Hop nodded. 

 "Alright. Let's hope this works," Bede said and made for the ballroom, leaving Hop and Gloria, his feelings of regret, behind. 

 -

 It was like Hop had said- the instant Bede told Piers what had happened, he'd agreed to his part in the plan without another word. Marnie had glared something fierce, her dark eyes growing cold and sharp, and it was only the gentle hand Piers placed on her shoulder, the infinitesimal shake of his head, that stopped her from tearing after Elliott. Begrudgingly, Marnie played her part, waving over a waiter as Piers made for the band. Whispers spread through the crowd, heads turning, guests shuffling closer to the dancefloor and the band to get a better look. Bede swept his gaze around the room, and soon enough, everyone's attention was on Piers and the band as he began an impromptu live performance. The staff Marnie had spoken to waited by the staff entrance, and once all backs were turned to the balcony, Hop came through with Gloria staggering on his arm. Her bare feet were silent on the floor, Hop carrying her heels in his right hand, his left arm around her back. Marnie rushed over to help them usher Gloria out, and Bede turned from them. With the band playing, he needn't worry about his conversion being overheard. 

 As Hop and Marnie disappeared with Gloria through the staff entrance, Bede stepped up to Ms Opal. He offered her his arm, and she took it, meeting the intention in his gaze with a smile. 

 "What is it, dear?" Ms Opal asked. "What has that rascal Elliott done to poor Gloria?" 

 Bede's eyebrows lifted. He recalled Gloria's comment that Ms Opal was psychic, and wondered if she knew how astute that observation was. 

 "I'll get to that in a moment," Bede said, and Ms Opal nodded in understanding. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're well acquainted with his father, Richard Murdoch? If so, then there's a favour I'd like to ask of you."

 Ms Opal smiled. Her eyes, keen as ever, sharpened with an intensity that made Bede stiffen slightly. "Ask away, my dear. I'll assist you in any way if it will help Gloria." 

 A weight eased off Bede's chest, and he nodded. Masked by the sound of the band, he told Ms Opal everything; from what Elliott did to Gloria, to his plan for retribution that would fall upon the scum who had dared harm the Champion. All the while, Ms Opal maintained her smile. 

 A smile that reminded Bede that she had once been the most powerful trainer in Galar. 

 "That can be done," Ms Opal said after Bede laid out his plan. "Since Elliott wished for entertainment so badly, I suppose we have no choice but to give it to him."  

The venom in her voice sent a cold shiver through Bede. 

 "Thank you," he said, grateful. 

 Ms Opal patted his arm. "No need to thank me. You've done your part in getting Gloria out of here safely. That's commendable in itself. Leave the rest to me." 

 Bede nodded to her, before sending a glance to the door Gloria had left through. The night wasn't over yet. Not for Gloria. He doubted she was experiencing the worst of it yet, and wished he could have left with her, wished he could be the one at her side. 

 He wished he could have done more. Perhaps, if he had gathered the courage to speak with her earlier, this wouldn't have happened in the first place, and Gloria needn't have suffered. Bede brushed that thought aside. There was no point in dwelling in the past. His regret and guilt had no place here, not anymore, not tonight. 

 Not when there was still hell to pay.