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“You're kidding, right?!” Came the demanding voice of Hop’s friend, Bede. Bede’s hands were set on his hips. His pale face flushed with annoyance- a common habit when he was upset or confused.
“Being totally serious here, mate!” Hop responded brightly, resting his hands on the back of his neck. He grinned, a light, genuine grin that Bede had to admit was kinda cute.
Wait, I mean no, it's not cute! He's not cute! Bede furiously thought, bringing his fisted hands into the pockets of his pink sweater.
Their other friend, Marnie wore a neutral expression, as usual. “Y'know, my big Bro never had any time to make cookies, so I reckon this'll be fun.” She added, her teal eyes brightening slightly at the idea. The biggest show of expression from her since they had arrived at Hop’s house via his invite.
With an annoyed groan, Bede hesitantly agreed. “Fine.” He grumbled, looking away from Hop. His eyes darted to the floor and the ceiling. He was determined not to risk laying his eyes on Hop’s.
It was nearly impossible though, as Bede found his eyes constantly going back to focus on Hop’s every move. Stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets, Bede rolled his eyes, listening to Hop’s words intently.
“Alrighty! Now, we just needa read these instructions!” Said Hop. “Budge over, won't you? I needa get the instructions,” he added, pushing past Marnie and Bede to get to the counter.
Bede gladly obliged, eager to get away from Hop. His mind went blank as Hop began to read the instructions aloud. He found his thoughts drifting towards Chairman Rose. He didn't know why, but after Rose had disqualified him from the Gym Challenge… he felt like a failure. Like a worthless twit. But now was no time to dwell on the past, right?
Marnie went to the fridge and grabbed a small egg. She waved it playfully in front of Bede’s face.
“Eww!” Bede gagged, backing away from Marnie. Marnie laughed quietly at this, teasing the egg closer to Bede. He squirmed away in disgust.
Hop chuckled, too. “Alright, alright! That's enough!” He joked, shoving the paper at Bede. “Tell us what all we need, ‘k?” He asked, tilting his head. Bede felt his face go warm with a furious blush.
He hated when Hop did that. The way Hop’s purple hair fell into his amber eyes.. dammit! Stop thinking about this! Bede mentally reprimanded himself.
Chairman Rose would've never let these distracting thoughts go unpunished, mused Bede bitterly.
Bede’s eyes scanned the paper, his mind taking in the instructions. They needed eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda- all of which Hop already had. Pretty predictable from a cookie recipe.
Bede lazily glanced at the paper, reading the instructions absentmindedly. “Okay, Hop, melt the butter,” he instructed, pointing at Hop. His gaze turned to Marnie. “Preheat the oven or whatever,” he demanded, his tone growing more impatient by the second.
Marinie nodded and came to the oven, preheating it to 350. Easy enough. “Man, it's kinda sad that I never baked with Piers,” Marnie observed.
Bede knew she had complicated feelings towards her brother, Piers. He wanted her to follow in his footsteps and become the next Dark Type gym leader, but she didn't want that. No time to think about her issues, though. They were nowhere near as important as Bede's own issues.
As usual, Hop gave a smile and quickly turned to the bright side. “Well, at least your good friends can teach you how to bake cookies!” He cheered, prompting an annoyed grunt from Bede.
Bede raised his eyebrow, his expression of distaste melting into one of surprise. Good friends?
Hop cast Bede a playful glare which Bede shot back with more hostility. They soon began to bake, with Bede reading the instructions and Marnie and Hop fighting over who got to pour the ingredients into the bowls
The cooking experience was admittedly enjoyable. Including an argument over spilled sugar, fighting over chocolate chips, and throwing flour in each other's faces, the friends found themselves growing closer. Bonding.
Now Bede sat on a chair, his legs propped on the table as if he owned it. He carelessly munched on some chips as Marnie and Hop chatted back and forth. Bede, as usual, blocked out their conversation, busied with his thoughts.
After a few minutes, the oven beeped. Hop jumped from his seat, slipping on a pair of oven mitts and eagerly grabbing the tray of cookies. He set them atop the counter, admiring their handiwork.
Hop excitedly clapped his hands together, whirling around with a large smile. “we did it!” He rejoiced.
Bede let a small smile tug at his mouth, feeling like for once he didn't have to hide his grin. As of late, Hop had been depressed. Seeing him like this now.. excited, happy, smiling. It made Bede feel a weird swelling in his heart. He couldn't find a way to describe it- it made his heart happy.
Hop grabbed three cookies, handing one to Marnie and Bede.
Bede hesitantly took the cookie from Hop’s hand, blushing as their fingers touched.
“Cheers, mate!” said Hop before stuffing the cookie into his mouth. With a look of anticipation, his face lit up at Marnie and Bede's surprised expressions.
“This is actually.. really good,” admitted Bede, pushing aside a strand of his white curls sheepishly.
Nodding enthusiastically, Marnie spoke in a rush, still chewing the cookie. “This is the best thing I've tasted in my life,”
A proud look came over Hop’s face. He grinned. “Thanks for doing this with me, guys.” He said gratefully, his expression softening. His honey-colored eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Let's do this again next year, ok?” Said Hop confidently. This took both Marnie and Bede by surprise. They both had assumed this friendship wouldn't last too long. Hop's words were a pleasant surprise far from Bede’s pessimistic expectations.
Marnie’s lips curved into a small smile. A rare sight, especially from her. She gently Hop and Bede's hands in her own. She squeezed them and brought them up. “Ya know, I’d really like that.” She replied earnestly.
Hop grinned in return. He looked to Bede for an answer. Bede stayed quiet, his mind already filled with scenarios where everything went terribly wrong. Maybe he could prove Rose wrong. Rose had always told him: “To be a good trainer, you make no friends, only enemies.”. Bullshit! Bede was paving his own path now, whether Rose would've accepted it or not.
“I'd like that, too,” Bede answered, shyly looking up at Hop. He quickly added, “but don't expect me to always be around you two. I'm a Gym Leader who has more important things to do than hang out with friends.” He scoffed.
To his surprise, Hop smiled. “We're your friends?” He asked hopefully.
Bede's face turned beet red. “No, that's not what I-” before he could finish, Hop had already wrapped him in a hug, his hands tickling Bede’s waist. Hop swung his arm around Marnie, pulling her into the hug. Bede couldn't shake off the feeling of comfort he felt.
He had friends now. The Chairman was wrong all along. Screw Rose. Bede was gonna follow his own heart now.