Chapter Text
It had been months since Gladion joined Team Skull.
A 19 year old who no longer had a nice home to go to with frequent food, clean clothes…
Just a dirty abandoned mansion, or, whenever he was absent, whatever old motel he could find.
Null was with him wherever they went. Like fugitives on the run. That’s certainly how it felt.
And, it’s why he joined Team Skull.
If he were to get stronger and train better, where better than a literal gang that nobody liked.
Gladion felt like he fit right in.
Except for the fact that he didn’t. the grunts tended to harass him sometimes. Or seem to lack respect. But. There were always people stepping in the way of it getting too hairy. Gladion never let their moronic nonsense get to him. He was technically a higher up by being an enforcer.
Plumeria. She was…nice. He liked her tough, no nonsense attitude. But deep down….
If he was having a hard day…He knew he could just scream about things to her and she’d just nod in agreement, pat his back, and share a snack some of the grunts stole earlier that day.
And he felt comfortable crying with her.
He could never do it with anyone else. Even thinking of other people perceiving his tears made him want to crawl inside his hollow skin.
Except.
There were days.
When more than just lowly grunts overheard his pain, his suffering…but instead…
The big bad boss.
Gladion had to bite his tongue and play along when he first did his initiation. Guzma and him seemed to be on neutral terms. Gladion normally hated being ordered around but he tolerated it. For the shelter, food, and the fighting experience, maybe some money along the way…
But now…
For all the “why th’ hell does he keep ya around man??” He gets on the daily, the more that question gets answered, when Gladion is alone with the older man.
Granted; he’s only 22, but with the way things started to develop between them..
It felt raunchy. Risky.
Especially when Guzma would whisper the filthiest obscene shit into his ear.
Like how apparently how tight his ass looked in those newly ripped jeans when he was first initiated.
Ugh.
His boss was such a pervert and it didn’t just piss him off. It humiliated him.
So, naturally, fighting came with the territory. For every bone to pick, there was a nerve to touch.
And every bit of touch was met with shouting and biting and scratching. Wrestling was a common occurrence for the members of Team Skull. Whenever they’d fight over something stupid, Guzma would call them as such.
But, whenever it was between these two, it would usually be private. Anytime it was public in the past it would always be met by bets and cheers by fellow grunts. Gladion hated it. He hated feeling weak, and small. But, he was surprised Guzma tended to only really rile him up in private, and they wrestled way more when no one was around to stare.
Gladion was never physically hurt bad. Usually his emotions were. They got especially heated when the two got in a huge argument only a few weeks after he was initiated. Plumeria had to break it up.
Nobody said anything about it for a while. Whispers, sure, but once Guzma made himself clear that nobody would talk to Gladion about it;
No one did.
And Gladion couldn’t help but be a little relieved.
And that stupid fight…it managed to make the two talk things out.
After Plumeria’s hand was forced of course.
It was all an accident.
The memory burns into Gladion’s skull.
That night he was undressing quickly to find something to wear after his usual clothes were drenched in rain. He hated being in tight, soaked clothes that would stink. There weren’t many other options, unfortunately; and he absolutely wouldn’t get rid of a certain item-
Guzma, of course, had barged in without knocking and both stopped dead in their tracks.
The older, sleazier man noticed Gladion taking off an undershirt, but it looked weird. Then he saw his tits.
Then Gladion threw something at him.
A bump on his head and some screaming and more throwing things later, that’s when Plumeria got him a fresh outfit and his binder was being hang dried somewhere privately.
Gladion needed to be isolated that night. He curled up in a fetal position in his rickety, tiny bed, not even Null beside him tonight; laid just like he was born from his mother’s womb.
Guzma didn’t appreciate the head bonk he got after he’d already made contact with a dusty book. He got an earful from Plume. He didn’t see the big deal until she gave him some time to think about it on his own.
That night, looking at the stars.
He got it.
He didn’t, but he did.
If it was important to Gladion, he’d buzz off.
And he tried. But like a persistent bug, he would always peek around whenever he’d be near Gladion, awkwardly tugging at his own pants sometimes. Gladion would glare, and ignore him. Unless there was an order. He usually didn’t follow those unless they were from Plume or he was in the mood to obey Guzma.
But she was tired of seeing all the tension between them. It was making things messy.
“We’re sposed to be family right?? Can we not like- fight every 2 seconds anymore?? I know we’re aggro n shit, but you two gotta make up even just a little bit or so help me…”
Neither of them wanted to mess with her.
So, that night, they just sat in the room that started it all. Gladion’s binder felt more strained around his diaphragm than usual.
“Yer not a girl if that’s what you think I’m thinkin’.” Guzma just scratches his head, not making eye contact.
Gladion’s piercing green eyes widened for a moment.
“Well. Good. You’re less of an idiot than I thought.” He glowers. Guzma furrows his brows as well.
“Now listen here you lil’ shit. M’ sorry for not given ya yer privacy or whatever. It’s a hard thing to maintain in this shithole, ya hear me?” He feels a heavy weight on his shoulders. It needs to be lifted.
“I won’t do somethin’ dumb like that again. Cause I ain’t stupid. I just…” He begins to shuffle quite a bit. Gladion still doesn’t look.
“Just? You don’t get what it is, do you?”
Awkward silence for a moment.
“Plume said..well..she explained.” He says simply.
Gladion is glad to be spared the details.
“Thank god. I don’t just let any creepy old guy stare at my body Y’know?” He references the little incidents earlier that day, earlier that week.
“If I’m old then yer a fetus!!”
Gladion snorts and faces him.
“You heard what I said! Mind getting a new pair of sunglasses to oh I dunno- block your vision??” He hisses through his teeth.
Guzma growls.
It..
Gives a strange sensation in Gladion’s chest. Makes it…so much tighter.
“I’m lookin at ya for a damn reason ya hear me? And I ain’t no fool, I ain’t feel no shame.” He stares directly into Gladion’s eyes. The younger man tries not to feel intimidated by it. He stares back with a ferocity unmatched.
“What the hell are you talking about?? You can’t-“
“I mean it. I don’t care what yer body is, what ya call yourself, nunna that shit. When I know I got my eyes on someone, I want it.” He seems to wipe a bit of crusting drool from his scruffy chin.
“And I always get what I want.”
Gladion’s entire composure broke. His cheeks were red.
“Y—You’re serious about me-like-like that…?? Th…The hell man you can’t just say that-“
“Well I say what I please in my own damn house.”
He says as if he owned this dilapidated thing.
Gladion hated how much he stuttered when nervous.
Why was his heart racing. Why was he shuffling his legs now too?!
“I-I’m not just gonna submit to you.”
“As hot as that is, I’m gonna make sure ya won’t stab me for tryin.”
He sighs, Gladion growing more flushed.
“C-Can you not say something absolutely ridiculous for two seconds???” He whisper screeches, as it’s late.
“And can you stop lookin cute for a damn minute?” Guzma grits his teeth. God that one was cringey.
He seems to mutter his usual phrase of self deprecation before knuckling himself a little with frustration against his forehead.
Gladion was frozen at that moment. All this time…. All this fighting….
He did notice a little tension, but…
He didn’t think Guzma would genuinely like him like that. Since he’s a dude.
What would the others would think.
He thought Guzma would try to take advantage of him.
Gladion hated that he kinda liked that.
He bit his lip.
“H-How would we-“
Guzma shushes him, which usually would piss him off, but this time, he doesn’t care. He wants an answer from the other man right away.
“We don’t gotta. Just like. If ya ever wanna experiment or some shit.” He slaps his own thigh as though an invitation.
Gladion stares. His body practically moves on its own.
It was quiet outside, save for some bug Pokémon.
It felt like time stopped.
That night was when Gladion had his first kiss.