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“You look happy to be here.”
“I could say the same to you.”
Misty hasn’t set her eyes on Gary Oak in years, and yet here he sits, a few seats along from her at the bar of the hottest wedding of the year. Lifting his drink, he moves to sit beside her, close enough that she can smell the ridiculous amount of aftershave he’s wearing.
“You look nice,” he tells her. It sounds strange, a genuine compliment falling from his lips. Not something she’s used to, at least. She’s used to petty insults and childish banter, but they’re long past that now.
“Thanks. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Not the first place I thought we would’ve bumped into each other, considering we both live so close.”
“You still in Pallet Town?” Misty asks. This is news to her – she hadn’t heard about him moving back home. They’re a bit old for that now (not that she’s one to talk).
“Nah, Viridian City. Not a huge place, but good enough for me. You’re still Cerulean Gym Leader?”
“Yep! Wouldn’t have it any other way. Can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”
The conversation lulls. Neither of them want to ask why the other is here, alone, at the bar, in a room full of friends and family, people they’ve known for over ten years. The answer is painfully obvious regardless – neither of them have enough friends here.
“How is the gym?” Gary asks.
“Fine, I guess. It’s just me now – my sisters have all moved on. Not that any of them wanted to be Gym Leaders in the first place.”
“I remember beating Daisy back when I was younger,” Gary laughs. “Funny how we both have siblings called Daisy, isn’t it?”
“They’re about the same age, right? Must have been a popular name.”
Misty swivels round in her chair, gazing upon the scene in front of her. The party is in full swing, most people heavily inebriated by this point in the night. Ash and Goh come alive in the middle of the room, surrounded by their friends, both of them enjoying the attention of their wedding reception.
“Ugh, you’re not still in love with him are you?” Gary teases, though it’s hard for Misty to tell from his tone. She turns to glare at him, watching him raise an eyebrow in response.
“No. That was years ago! A-and how did you know that anyway?”
“Please. It was so obvious! I barely even knew you back then and I could see it, plain as day.”
“You barely know me now, so I don’t know why you’re so keen on talking to me like that. You’ve always been so rude.”
“How long for?”
“You’ve been rude since the first time I met you, Gary Oak!” Oh, he makes her blood boil. Every time he opens his stupid mouth something stupid comes out of it and-
“I meant, how long did you like him for?”
“Oh. I don’t know, really. The last time I saw him properly I was maybe… thirteen? And I spent a little while waiting for him to come back into my life. It took me a while to realise he wasn’t going to, and then I could move on.”
“Ah, I have you beat then. I liked him until I was seventeen,” Gary says, so casually that it makes Misty’s mouth fall open.
“Seventeen? But you hated him! You were always so mean to him.”
“I was young, I didn’t know how to act. It’s embarrassing to think about now.”
“Funny how I never noticed that,” Misty muses. “You were always surrounded by all your fangirls, so I just assumed…”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Gary says with a wink, “Gary Oak is available to everyone.”
“Give me a break.” Misty rolls her eyes, elbowing him in the side. “Was that supposed to be a come on? Because if it was, it’s not going to work.”
“A shame, because I think you’re probably the most attractive person here, myself not included.”
“Nice to know that some things never change, then,” she tells him, suppressing a laugh.
“How about I buy you another drink?”
“No, thanks. I don’t want people to think that I enjoy your company.”
“Everyone enjoys my company!”
“You enjoy your company. I merely tolerate you out of politeness.”
“Aw, but you told me about your little crush on Ash!”
“Which you said you already knew about!”
“Fine, no drink. Can I have your number? We live nearby, I have no friends,” he tells her in a stage whisper, “I could do with someone to have coffee with.”
Weirdly, it feels like a betrayal. He was Ash’s rival; she was his best friend. But that was fifteen years ago, and this is now, the two of them cramped into the bar at Ash’s wedding. As she pulls her phone from her bag, she pauses. Is she really giving Gary Oak her number? He better not ever call her.
“Thank you,” he says, typing the digits into his phone and sending her a text to confirm his own number. It’s a winky face emoji, and Misty tries her best not to react to it.
“I guess I’ll see you about then,” she mumbles, draining her drink and sliding off her chair. “I have to get back to the gym.”
“Busy day tomorrow?”
“Weekends always are.”
“Well, good luck. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
As she leaves the hotel, hoping there’s a taxi outside to take her the short distance from Vermillion City back home, she laments that she actually enjoyed that conversation. Gary can be fun, despite all his flirting and flaunting. This was not a fact that she knew before this evening, and she’s really not sure what she’s supposed to do with this information.
Unova is a busy place. Busier than even Celadon City, which Gary still thinks of as the epitome of the world despite having been to many other places over his life. Driftveil City is huge, hiving with people, and it isn’t even the capital of the region. He’s here for research, supposedly, but finds the event that’s on in the south of the city to be much more interesting.
The Pokémon World Tournament is a famous competition, and one that Gary wishes he could compete in. But it’s for proper trainers only, apart from in a friendly competition that he knows isn’t worth his time. Invite only, he’s heard – Gym Leaders and Champions alike. He’s managed to score a ticket to sit in the audience though, a rare feat, but one he’s glad for, as he can cheer on his home country’s finest.
It’s the Kanto Leaders tournament, and the eight participants enter the stadium to loud cheers from the crowd. Most of them have changed from when he took on the Kanto League years ago, but Misty and Sabrina remain, along with Janine, who took over from her father just after Gary was finished with the League. He’s heard that Lt. Surge still sometimes frequents the Vermillion gym, but with a personnel change, the Kanto League is doing better than ever.
From his spot in the stands, Gary can spot Misty, stretching in the middle of the field, ready to go. He can’t help but admit that he’s there to support her – he doesn’t know who most of the rest of the Gym Leaders are for a start. He hasn’t seen her battle in years, and can’t help but wonder if she still has that Psyduck that never knew what it was doing.
As it turns out, she does, but it’s now a Golduck that certainly knows what it’s doing. Between Golduck, Starmie and Gyarados, Misty sails through the first round, but is stopped in her tracks at the second when she faces off against the new Celadon Gym Leader. Starmie’s psychic moves against the dual typed poison Pokémon and Gyarados’s defensive typing does nothing to stave off the older woman’s barrage of attacks.
At least she handles her defeat with grace, Gary notes as Misty shakes hands with her opponents. He remembers, almost fondly, how angry she used to be on the rare occasions that they would have spoken. The Misty of today is a lot more grown up, at least.
When the Tournament is done, with Sabrina crowned the winner for the third year in a row, Gary hangs about outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Misty. It feels like hours before he sees a flash of ginger hair a little ways in front of him, and hurries to catch up with her.
“Hey,” he offers, almost making Misty jump out of her skin as he falls into step with her.
“Following me around the world now, are we?” Misty jokes, laughing as she notices how Gary’s face flushes. “Guess you really are desperate.”
“I am not. I just happened to be in the area.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she snorts. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you came to Unova just to see me in the tournament.”
“Waste of time then, since you didn’t win.”
“Hey! I did my best. Not my fault that I was put up against the Celadon Leader.”
“I’m actually here to research a type of rock in Chargestone Cave which is just to the north of here.”
“Didn’t have you pegged as a geologist.”
“I’m not. It’s to do with evolution of certain Pokémon. And it’s very interesting.”
“I’m sure.”
Gary is not the sort of person that enjoys the judgement of other people. It’s very clear to him that Misty has opinions about his work. Either that, or she doesn’t believe that he’s actually here to work. Of course he’s allowed a little downtime – his expedition doesn’t begin until tomorrow morning, so the PWT was perfectly timed.
Misty walks with her arms folded across her chest, he notices – defensive. It seems clear to him that she’s not comfortable in his presence, and makes a mental note to peel away from her as soon as they get into the main part of town. He was never that nice to her when they first met – something she seems to remember even now.
“Have you got plans for the evening?” She asks, and Gary’s heart soars with anticipation.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I think most of us are going out for dinner. If you don’t want to be a loner, you can come with us. One extra person isn’t going to make a difference to the restaurant.”
“Oh, great, thanks. I am an add on to your gym leader party,” Gary says drily.
“It’s just an invitation; take it or leave it,” Misty tells him. There’s a small silence before she speaks up again. “You know, the Viridian Gym still doesn’t have a permanent Gym Leader.”
“In fifteen years?”
“I don’t know why. I think people think it’s cursed.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I was thinking about how you don’t battle anymore after we met last time. I hadn’t heard your name in a long time, and wondered what happened to you. You… you don’t battle at all, even though you were so good at it?"
“Research runs in my family,” Gary tells her honestly. “And it’s not like I don’t battle at all. It’s just not what I want to do anymore. I was ten when I liked battling. Why, did you think I could be the Viridian Gym Leader?”
“Yes,” Misty answers, turning her head to look at him. “You were a good trainer, back in the day.”
“I don’t do that anymore, Misty.” She looks away. He sighs. “I’ll think about it, though.”
“Applications close soon.”
He has no intention of thinking about it. It’s just something he says to appease her when he’s so desperate for her to like him. Which is odd to think about, because before the wedding last month he hadn’t thought about Misty once in at least twelve years. But even when he returns home, the thought stays at the back of his mind, accompanied by Misty’s bright blue eyes.
Misty does not understand how she is qualified to judge the Grand Festival, but when the Pokémon Activities Committee approach her with an invitation she jumps at the chance. Contests weren’t a big thing in Kanto when she started out, and she wonders sometimes if it was ever a thing she would’ve wanted to have a go at herself. It’s too late now to be thinking like that when she has a thriving career as a Gym Leader.
As she heads towards Indigo Plateau, the thought enters her mind that it’s nice that both the regular battling tournament and the Grand Festival are held here. Both are so distinct in terms of style, but neither are seen as lesser by Kanto. With the rise of Pokémon Showcases in Kalos and Super Contests in Sinnoh, Contests back home have gained a new lease of glittery life.
When she arrives at her destination, she’s ushered to her room, nicer than the likes of what the contestants are put in, Nurse Joy tells her. It’s the biggest Pokémon Centre she’s ever seen in her life, and the nicest room too. All to herself as well – what she’s been used to. A big bed to sprawl out in, and plenty of room to make sure her outfits for the week ahead don’t embarrass her in front of all the fashionable coordinators.
The first day of judging is rather uneventful. Misty had watched a lot of previous Grand Festivals online in advance, so she knew what she was supposed to be looking for. It’ll be easier when they get to the first round of battling – that’s what she’s used to.
Guest judging feels a little silly, but she’s aware she’s not the only one. Solidad, a top coordinator from a while back is on the red stage, while Misty is on the blue. There’s a green stage too, and when the day is done, Misty takes herself around there to see who their judge is. The main stage is the red one, with Solidad having a proper vote in the finals.
Misty is glad she doesn’t have a say, because she would probably vote for the wrong person. And when she sets her eyes on the green stage’s judge, she’s glad he doesn’t have a vote either. Gary Oak still has fans, somehow, even years after his official retirement.
“Of course it’s you,” she grumbles as she approaches him.
“Here for an autograph too, Miss Waterflower?”
“I’d rather die. You’re judging this too?”
“It was supposed to be gramps,” Gary explains. “But he’s busy, so he sent me instead.”
“Didn’t think you’d still be popular,” Misty says, raising an eyebrow. She’s not sure why he still has fans, and she’s not sure she wants to know why.
“They mostly know me through gramps. It’s not as weird as it may seem. Why are you here?”
“I was asked, me personally. Apparently, I know about performance thanks to the underwater ballets.”
“The what?” Gary asks, suppressing a laugh.
“Never mind,” she mumbles. “I just wanted to see who the judge over here was, and now I know, so I’ll be on my way. Have a good evening.”
“Wait!” He calls after her as she turns to leave. He really is everywhere at the minute – like some sort of parasite she can’t quite shake. What’s worse is she’s beginning to enjoy his company – not something that she anticipated at all.
“What?”
“Why don’t we go for that drink? I said at the wedding I’d buy you a drink, and you wouldn’t let me. Why not now?”
“I’m tired,” Misty tells him with a terse smile. “Maybe another time.”
It’s a good way to shake him off for now, and he accepts his loss with a nod of the head, letting her walk away. She knows he’s persistent, and will win eventually – but most importantly, only when she lets him.
The end of the competition comes quickly, as does the after-party. It’s a celebration of the contestant that wins, named Top Coordinator, and this year the poor girl is only thirteen and seems rather overwhelmed by all the attention. She’s the youngest winner in a while, at least in Kanto, and Misty resists the urge to go over and tell her just to go to bed.
Unfortunately, the Cerulean Gym Leader is stuck in the corner of a room in a table that she feels doesn’t match the status she had as a judge earlier in the week. Not that she’s picky about these sorts of things – but she’s stuck beside Gary, who looks to be enjoying that fact far more than he should be.
“Well, while we’re here… what’s your order? Going to take me up this time?”
“I’ll need something strong if I’m going to put up with another two hours of sitting here with you,” she tells him drily.
Misty doesn’t miss the sparkle of victory in his eye as he leaves her there, suit jacket over the back of his chair to signify that he’ll be back. She does consider running on him, but eventually decides that she’s more mature than that, and really does deserve this drink after the busy week she’s had.
When Gary hands her her drink their fingers brush, just a little, enough for both of them to pull their hands away, luckily with enough of Misty’s fingers wrapped around the glass to avoid disaster. He smiles absently, his gaze far in the distance, leaving Misty to wonder what all that was about.
Gary is terrible at visiting his family. He likes to see his gramps, when he remembers, but rarely even drops in on his mother, despite her being only just around the corner. Even worse is his relationship with Daisy, so when he gets an invitation to see her and her new baby, he jumps at the chance.
Cerulean Cape is a picturesque spot – one of the nicest in all of Kanto. He can see why it’s a popular date spot. There are a few couples milling about from the outskirts of the city, over Nugget Bridge and right up the edge of the cape. But he’s not here for a date, nor to gawp at the couples. Daisy lives up here now, miles away from their childhood home in Pallet Town.
The baby is cute, and Daisy and Bill seem happy. Like all big sisters, Daisy makes a jab at Gary – why is he not settling down and having kids? He’s well of the age now, she reminds him, she’s only three years older than him. He rolls his eyes – he’s busy, she’s well aware of that.
When he finally leaves, the cape has all but emptied, the lights beginning to come on over Cerulean City. The cape is framed with a few lamps of its own, as well as a few benches that are often popular with couples. At the edge of the cape, leaning against the barrier, is a certain redhead that brings a smile to Gary’s face. He saunters over to join her, and is surprised that she doesn’t jump when he leans against the railing beside her.
“Lamenting being single? I can fix that, you know.”
“Shut it, Gary.”
“I’m starting to think that all these coincidental meetings are fate. The universe pushing us together…”
“I will throw you off this cape,” Misty threatens, and when she finally turns around to him, Gary can feel his heart actually skip a beat.
“I don’t doubt that you could and would. But this a popular romantic rendezvous spot, is it not? And we’re up here…”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she grumbles, turning back to look over the city. It’s her city, so to speak, one she’s so familiar with, one that she hardly needs to look over from such a height to know like the back of her hand.
“Is there someone you’re waiting for?” Gary asks quietly, his voice laced with expectation. He desperately wants the answer to be no, which he doesn’t understand because he barely knows Misty, not properly anyway, and yet he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
“No,” she whispers. “There isn’t anyone.”
Her eyes glitter as she looks over the cape, sunset reflected within blue. She really is pretty, Gary thinks, even if he could never tell her that out loud. Misty sighs, and he can’t help but wonder if he should just leave her alone, because there’s clearly something on her mind that she doesn’t want to tell him.
“Why are you here anyway?” She asks, turning fully to settle with her back to the city, a little more open than before.
“Daisy lives just over there,” he tells her, gesturing to the house just visible over the tree line.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot all about that. They had a baby, right?”
“Yeah. She’s cute! Weird to think I have a niece now.”
“If I were Daisy I don’t think I’d trust you with a child,” Misty says drily.
“Yeah, she definitely doesn’t either,” Gary laughs. “Which is why I visit while she’s there, and I’m not a babysitter.”
“My sister Violet has a kid too, must be about… three? They live in Fuchsia City now, so I don’t see them much. She’s not even that much older than me, so…”
“You feel like… well, Daisy was saying that I was getting left behind.”
“Yeah. It’s a weird feeling. I’m not old!’
There’s something unspoken there, between them, on the edge of the cape. That despite their successful careers, both of them are missing something, or someone in their lives. That maybe the universe is pushing them together, or maybe they’re pulling towards each other on purpose. Either way, something is happening, something that neither of them feel brave enough to put a name to.
“Sometime, if you’re free, you should come by the gym,” Misty says suddenly. “I… most people I know are far from Cerulean, and I know you’re not exactly close, but I have no other friends in the area, and I thought that maybe, you’d… I don’t know. Like to hang out sometime?”
“Yeah. I’ll try to find time. Evenings, right, when the gym is closed?”
“That’d probably be best,” Misty agrees, a smile appearing on her face for the first time today. “And now that’s arranged, I’d better get back. There’s a lot of bug Pokémon around here at night-time, and I don’t want to see them.”
“You’re scared of bugs?”
“Oh, don’t start.”
“I’ll walk you back, is what I was going to offer. To protect you from the bugs.”
“I don’t need protection,” Misty says, rolling her eyes. “One of us is a successful Gym Leader, and the other did badly in both League Conferences they entered. I don’t think I need to remind you who’s who.”
“You wound me,” Gary says.
Despite her words, Misty allows Gary to fall in step beside her, and he can’t help but notice that she keeps her eyes firmly on the road ahead of them. He does consider reaching out to take her hand, but thinks better of the action and stuffs his hands into his pockets instead. Hopefully, that’ll come in time, but for now, he’s content to just be beside her.
In front of the gym the two of them stop. While Misty unlocks the side door to her apartment, Gary waits a respectable few meters away, looking out for her safety more than anything else.
“I’ll see you soon, no doubt, whether that be planned or unplanned,” she says, a soft smile pulling at her mouth.
“Yeah. Have a good night.”
“You too, Gary.”
And then Misty disappears, closing the door softly behind her, leaving Gary on the streets of Cerulean City wondering what the hell he’s doing.
Gary’s application for the position of Viridian City Gym Leader is turned down. Misty hears this through the grapevine at first, and then through more official sources. Lance, still holding strong as Champion, turns up on her doorstep with the new gym leader in tow, and introduces the two. He’s an older man, not far off Blaine’s age when he retired.
But he seems nice, and the three of them take tea together. Misty had half expected that she would be made to battle the newcomer, but is relieved that it seems to be off the table. He’s a Ghost Type trainer, unlike his predecessor. It’ll probably be good for the League, Lance tells her, shake things up a little.
Misty doesn’t point out that this means there are two Ghost Type gyms in the Indigo League. While Johto’s gyms are under their own conference, they’re still technically under Lance’s jurisdiction, and trainers who partake in one League typically go on to the other right after. It’s not her place to say, especially not when the Viridian Leader seems like such a nice man.
It’s just one more stress on her plate though. She had planned to take the evening to herself – head down to Vermillion City, swim in the sea, and have a nice warm shower and an early night when she made it back home. Instead, she had to entertain house guests, and now she still has to shower with no sign of an early night. With the Gym open tomorrow too, she’s got a busy day ahead of her.
At the weekend, Misty decides to escape. Just for the day, not too long that it’d be considered abandoning her duties. A nice long walk will stretch her legs as she heads in the direction of Saffron City. Brock has been living there the past few years, working as a top Pokémon Doctor in Kanto’s Pokémon Centre HQ. It’s a huge building in the middle of town, and Misty keeps her eye on it as she heads towards it.
She’s so deep into her own thoughts that she walks straight into someone else, stumbling back a few steps. As she lifts her head to apologise, her words disappear in her own mouth as she sees who else was paying so little attention that they’d walk into another person.
“Gary Oak,” she breathes with a laugh, not quite believing her own eyes. It’s not been that long since their last accidental meeting and here they are again, on the streets of a city neither of them belong in.
“Misty Waterflower! Looking as radiant as always.”
“I feel like I haven’t slept properly in a month, so now I know you’re just flattering me.”
“Would you prefer that I greet you with “wow you look at least twenty years older than you actually are, you old hag”?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Well then, there you are. What are you doing in Saffron City?”
“I’m supposed to be visiting Brock. He gets off work in an hour or so, so I was going to get a coffee while I wait.”
Her invitation is unspoken, but Gary steps aside to let her lead the way, following alongside her. There’s a tiny café just opposite the Pokémon Centre, filled mostly with doctors and nurses and worried trainers. Gary and Misty situate themselves in the back corner, away from the usual clientele, two coffees in hand.
“Is this a date, then?” Gary asks nonchalantly. Despite how relaxed he sounds, Misty flushes bright red, staring at the foam on top of her coffee.
“There’s something wrong with you,” she tells him. On the defensive as always, she thinks to herself with a sigh. Gary seems interested in her – she seriously doubts that this is all just her imagination at this point. And she is interested in him, but just refuses to let herself take that step.
“Aw, Misty, I thought we’d left that behind!” He teases, again with that smile that makes her weak at the knees.
“What are you doing in Saffron, then?” She asks, deflecting deflecting deflecting. Steering the conversation as far away from herself as she can manage.
“Working. I was in Johto yesterday, and just got off the train. Looking into an odd case of Hoppip migration where they just were… staying still. No migration from any of the evolution line.”
“Did you figure out why?”
“An elder Jumppluff was ill. The rest of the group didn’t want to leave it on its own. They are at risk of doing that unfortunately. If they’re still there when the Hoothoot begin to evolve they’re easy pickings for newly evolved Noctowl to test their skills.”
“Oh wow,” Misty says, somewhat impressed. She knew he was a researcher, and that he knew a lot about Pokémon, specifically those closest to home. But this seems like another level of knowledge that extends far beyond just battling and what comes from that. “Did you… help them?”
“Sort of. Research rules prevent us from interfering, so we just left them some food for the ill Jumpluff in places we knew they’d find it. It was back on its feet a few days later, so the migration was only a week or so out from its usual pattern.”
“That’s really interesting, actually. I had never really thought about migrating Pokémon before. I’m sure they face a lot of problems.”
“Next month the Psyduck will travel up the river to the back of Cerulean City. You should check it out, if you’re… if that’s something that you’d like.”
“Yeah. Maybe you can show me a good spot?”
“Sounds good.”
That’s a date, Misty thinks. She tries to keep her exterior calm as she processes what she’s just done – asked Gary to wait a whole month before he comes over to show her where to watch the Psyduck migration. She does love Psyduck though, so it’ll be a properly fun experience for her at least.
Over Gary’s shoulder, she spots a familiar Pokémon doctor, who seems to clock her at the same time. She hadn’t mentioned to Brock anything about her meetings with Gary, but he seems to notice who she’s with and raise an eyebrow. Even if Brock hasn’t seen Gary in years, he looks the same – still spiking his hair, still that laid back attitude. He turns around to see Brock, and offers him a wave.
“Suppose I’ll let you go now,” he says, nodding his head in the direction of Misty’s other friend.
“Yeah. I’ll see you soon!”
As she leaves, Misty decides to be brave, and sets her hand on top of Gary’s for just a moment, making sure to smile brightly at him. She dreads what Brock will say if he’s noticed, but it’s worth it for the absolute look of shock on Gary Oak’s face.
A knock on the door wakes Misty from her beauty sleep on a Saturday morning, much earlier than she would like to be awake. She likes to think of herself as a morning person, and yet something is disturbing her before the clock even reads eight.
She drags herself to the window, where she can see out into the street. Gary Oak stands on her porch, waiting patiently for her to open the door. Instead of indulging him, she throws the window open and sticks her head out the gap.
“Hey!” She calls, getting his attention. He takes a few steps back and waves up at her. “What are you doing here?”
“I want a battle!”
“Then wait outside for the gym to open! You’d be able to read the opening hours if you went over there!”
“I brought stuff for breakfast,” Gary says, holding up a cloth bag full of groceries. “Thought it might be fun, before you start the day.”
“I hate you,” Misty grumbles, pulling herself back in through the window. She grabs a hoodie from her chair, throwing it on over her pyjamas and heading downstairs.
Her living space is nice, thanks to her own decoration skills. She rarely has guests over though, and those guests never include Gary. Even through the haze of sleep, she has enough sense to be worried about what he might think of her living space. Other Gym Leaders have separate houses, but she just lives above the Gym, and she’s well aware the whole place just smells like chlorine.
Gary is grinning, somehow, when she opens the door to him. For Misty, it’s far too early to be displaying such levels of emotion, and instead she just lazily points him towards the kitchen. He sets down his stuff on the counter, and turns to face her, that grin still glowing at her,
“Not a morning person, huh?”
“The Gym doesn’t open for another three hours,” Misty tells him, trying to rub the last of the sleep from her eyes. “You’re very keen.”
“Just wanting to help you out,” Gary says, and Misty doesn’t fail to miss the falter in his grin.
“Right, okay. Well anyway… I’m going to change. You’re a smart guy, I’m sure you’ll be able to find everything on your own.”
“Your breakfast will be waiting, fair maiden.”
She can’t help but roll her eyes as she walks away, heading back into her bedroom and closing the door behind her with a sigh. She may enjoy Gary’s company, but him turning up on her doorstep before it’s even properly light is not on Misty’s list of enjoyable experiences with him.
It doesn’t take her long to get ready – she wears the same sorts of outfits to the Gym every day. While brushing her teeth, she ponders if putting makeup on is a good idea – she does want to look her best while Gary is over after all. Is she trying to impress him? Yes, she reckons she is, but she’s not huge on the idea as a whole. It’s kind of embarrassing to have a crush on someone you met when you were ten when you’re now in your mid-twenties.
Gary is still working on the breakfast when she emerges. It’s interesting to watch the way his facial expressions change with sheer concentration, so Misty settles in the doorway and just watches him work. Eventually, he notices her there, and turns to her with that grin once again.
“What are you looking at?”
“Not you, that’s for sure. I’m looking at my food.”
“And here I thought I was putting on a good show for you.”
“You’re concentrating too much on the cooking to be thinking about anything else.”
“Ah, so you were looking at me.”
“Shut it,” Misty says, but this time, there’s no malice in her voice, and instead she smiles.
She leans against the counter beside where Gary stands, allowing him to lean a little sideways so they’re closer. The breakfast is nearly done, and Misty watches on as Gary finds two plates from the cupboards and dishes up. He makes coffee too, and it begins to strike Misty as odd that he is so at home in her kitchen.
“Breakfast is served,” Gary says, shooing her towards the small table she has in the middle of the room. There are four chairs around it, but Misty can’t think of a time that she’s had three guests over.
It’s a whole spread – pancakes, fruit, toast, and of course coffee. No one has ever gone to this much effort for her before, and Misty shows her appreciation in the best way possible – by digging straight in. She’s got a long day ahead of her, with back to back gym battles all day. This will keep her going, and she’s not complaining at all about the taste.
When she’s done, Misty sets her fork down, drains her mug, and looks across the table to Gary with a fond smile on her face. He avoids her gaze, but she spots the flush on his cheeks – is she getting to him?
“Why did you go to all this effort?” She asks.
“Well,” Gary begins, but drifts off, his gaze turning instead to his empty plate.
“It was nice. Appreciated, though I would maybe like some warning next time.”
“Next time?”
“I mean… the next time you want to hang out without us just randomly bumping into each other.”
“I’m glad you think there’ll be a next time,” he says, his usual smirk replaced with a softer, kinder smile. It’s an unusual sight, but not one that Misty minds at all.
Gary collects the plates and cups, and sets them rather unceremoniously in the sink. Misty smiles to herself – of course he was going to come over and make a mess and not tidy up after himself. That’s a problem for her after work though – she’s got to go to the gym soon. She is running out of time if she wants to make a move today, and so Misty decides to be bold.
As Gary turns back to her, she leans in, gently pressing a kiss to his lips. It’s not unexpected that he returns her kiss, though it’s nice anyway. He tilts her chin up with one hand to get a better angle, the other resting against her hip. Their kiss is soft and sweet, the opposite of their personalities.
“What was all that about?” Gary asks after he pulls away, resting his forehead against hers.
“Just something I’ve been thinking about recently.”
“Oh, you think about me when I’m not around?” Gary says, which earns him a shove away by Misty.
“Keep talking like that and you’ll not get another one!”
“Aw no, that’s not very nice. Come on,” Gary says, holding his arms out to her. She just raises an eyebrow, lifting her jacket from the back of her chair.
“You can get a kiss if you beat me in the Gym.”
“Oh you’re on, Misty Waterflower. You won’t stand a chance against me!”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“Hey!”
Misty pauses in the door, watching Gary gather his own things in a hurry before following her out. On the porch he stops again, waiting for her to lock up. His hand finds hers, twining their fingers together.
“Want to go out sometime?” He asks. The question itself is so casual, and yet when Misty meets his eye he looks nervous, as if she’ll say no.
“Sure,” she answers. “We could do with more planned meetings.”