Work Text:
Just Trust Me
The forest was alive around them. Pidgeys called back and forth across the canopy, rattata scampered through the undergrowth, and the occasional butterfree fluttered past. The sun was warm where it filtered through the trees, letting in just enough light to let wildflowers grow in pockets here and there.
Gary ducked under a low branch, following his boyfriend’s lead. Today’s was a narrow dirt path winding through a beautiful and serene - though clearly unfrequented - section of the forests west of Pallet. “Where are we going?” he asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
“Just trust me,” Ash called back, turning to flash a grin over his shoulder.
Gary’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the sound of that. “Last time you said that, we got lost,” he reminded the trainer.
“We were lost for five minutes before you figured out how to get back on trail.”
That wasn’t quite how it had happened. Gary shook his head and exchanged an incredulous glance with the pokemon at his side. "It took us four hours to get back on a trail."
Umbreon huffed, clearly remembering the incident and the argument that had followed.
Ash, however, wasn't deterred. "You’re the one that decided to go ahead and climb the mountain instead of backtracking," he retorted.
It was true, but only because they weren’t prepared to camp and had to get to a Pokemon Center before nightfall. "We were six miles off the correct trail.” He still didn’t understand how it happened, but getting lost was just a fact of life when traveling with Ash, no matter how good your own navigation skills were.
"Five and a quarter," Ash argued. He climbed over a fallen log and turned back, offering Gary a hand.
He didn’t need it but took it anyway. "Five-point-eight," he corrected.
"That was after you wandered another half mile!"
Gary sighed, his eyes narrowing once more at the amused snort that came from Ash at the irritated sound. "I headed east, to where the trail was supposed to be."
"Admit it,” Ash retorted, voice full of mirth. “You got us more lost."
That wasn’t exactly accurate. Gary rolled his eyes, ducking beneath another low branch. "You’re the one that pointed out how I got us un-lost in five minutes."
"Hey, at least we got to hike Mount Moon!"
Ever the optimist. Gary shook his head again. "We were trying to get to Viridian."
"Shouldn't you have known the way?"
Now he was just being a brat. Gary resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. "Your exact words were: trust me, Gary, it’s a short cut. "
"Chuu, pikapi." Pikachu turned and waved a paw at Gary from his spot on Ash’s shoulder.
Gary laughed, shooting Pikachu a grin. He could always count on that little guy to have his back. "See? Pikachu remembers."
"He's agreeing with you because you gave him ketchup last night."
"He's agreeing with me because I'm right."
“Pika!”
Gary quickened his pace enough to catch up, not that he was any more than a few feet behind the trainer, but Pikachu needed some love after siding with him. He reached out and scratched the pokemon behind the ears, earning a pleased squeak in return.
"Yeah, yeah, we know. You're always right." Ash’s smile was closer to a smirk - perhaps a sign that they really did spend too much time together these days. Gary didn’t mind in the slightest, regardless of the bickering.
"And yet somehow you always manage to forget it." Gary pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before letting him go ahead again. The path was too narrow to walk side by side without one of them walking into a tree… and the temptation to push Ash into one was a little too strong.
"As if you'd let me forget. Oh -!” Ash stopped so abruptly that Gary nearly crashed into him. “Here we are!"
They had rounded a curve in the path and were suddenly on the other side of the tree line, the forest giving way to a meadow. Wildflowers bloomed in a spectacle of colors, a rainbow spreading across the vast space between them and the next patch of forest. It was quite pretty.
“Where are we?”
“A meadow,” Ash stated the obvious with a broad grin.
“I can see that."
"And it's your birthday."
"I'm aware." As if the breakfast in bed and the constant stream of text messages hadn’t been enough to inform him of this fact.
Ash dropped his bag on the ground and knelt down, opening it and pulling out its contents. A blanket, blue and white with a pokeball pattern was tossed to one side. Gary watched as Pikachu and Umbreon each grabbed a corner of the blanket and dragged until it was spread out. A few plastic containers of food were set on the ground and the pokemon returned to Ash, gathered them up, and brought them over to the blanket.
What was Ash up to this time?
The trainer in question looked up at him with a grin and reached over to pat the blanket. "Sit down, genius."
"Smart ass." Gary set down his bag and joined their pokemon on the blanket. This was not something they normally did in the middle of a hike. “What are we doing?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”
“Smart, not psychic.”
“Obviously.”
Ash pulled out a final few items and brought them over to the blanket. He tossed a bag of chips next to the containers and passed Gary a can of soda before lounging on the blanket next to him with his own. Releasing a contented sigh, Ash cracked his soda open and took a long drink.
Their pokemon bounded off to play and Gary watched them go, still not entirely sure what to think. Was this a picnic? For him ?
Ash glanced over at his boyfriend sitting somewhat stiffly next to him, his expression surprised. He really wasn’t used to this, was he?
The trainer offered a smile and reached over to rest a hand on Gary’s knee. “C’mon, it’s just a picnic. Stop looking so wary.”
“The only thing I’m wary about is your navigation skills,” Gary retorted calmly, finally opening his soda and taking a sip. It was still ice cold and perfectly refreshing after a four mile hike.
Ash had planned this all out. All the snark and bickering, and Ash still went through all this planning and preparing? Now he felt a little guilty.
Was this a normal relationship thing? He didn’t exactly have any experience to go by…
“Stop overthinking it,” Ash’s voice cut through his thoughts before they could continue. “I like hiking with you and we needed to bring food with us anyway.”
He always had a way of making big things seem like no big deal. Maybe it was nothing to Ash, who was so used to wearing his heart on his sleeve, but it was definitely something to Gary. “Thanks, Ash.”
Ash’s gentle smile morphed into a grin. “Happy birthday, you dork,” he teased. He reached over to lightly flick Gary on the nose and laughed when his hand was swatted away.
For Ash, this was his favorite part of anything with Gary. Sure, they got on each other's nerves. Sure, they sometimes crossed the line and ended up in an argument. Usually, though, the bickering was like this: playful and teasing. It was as much a cornerstone of their friendship as their mutual love for pokemon.
If Ash was honest, he wouldn't change it for the world.