Work Text:
Puppy Cuddles (Make Everything Better)
The house was remarkably quiet when Samuel Oak entered it from the lab. He thought nothing of it at first - it was mid-afternoon and the pokemon who were frequently in the house were still outside, as were his assistant and (most likely) his grandson. But as he made his way to the kitchen, a few details caught his attention. The first was the water bottle still sitting on the dish drain from the night before. It wouldn't be the first time Gary had forgotten it, but this wasn’t how that usually happened. It was almost always forgotten in the front hall, and was almost always quickly retrieved - but a peek down the hall showed that wasn't the case. Gary’s shoes were still in their spot and his keys were still on the hook by the door.
He was definitely still home, but why was it so quiet? No tapping of a laptop keyboard from the living room, no tinkering on the piano in the study, no music drifting down the stairs, no laughter and accompanying scampering paws echoing across the house.
That left few options: either Gary had chosen to take a lazy day off and slept in, or he was working in his room and had been too focused to notice that the music he always played had turned off. Or he was sick, which Sam hoped wasn't the case. Gary had seemed perfectly fine the night before in any case, laughing and joking with Tracey and playing with his favorite pokemon, just as he always did when he was home.
The professor took his time preparing the cup of tea he had come in for and fixed a second one to bring upstairs. Regardless of the cause of Gary’s unusual quiet, their time spent talking over tea was some of Sam’s most cherished time with his boy. He hadn’t planned on that being part of this afternoon, but he could never complain about spending more time with his grandson.
Gary’s bedroom door was closed when Sam reached the room - odd for this time of day. Carefully holding both tea mugs, Sam knocked softly. "Gary?"
He thought he heard a muffled mumble of a response, but it was hard to tell. Sam hated to barge in without permission - privacy was to be respected after all - but he couldn’t tell whether or not the permission had been given. He cracked the door open and tried again.
"Gary?"
"I said it's open," came a mumble from the direction of the bed.
Samuel opened the door further and stepped into the room. The curtains were pulled closed, leaving the room in utter darkness, but Sam heard the distinct thump thump of a wagging tail hitting the floor. A soft light came from the bed, illuminating the large fire dog sprawled across the floor next to it - the source of the thumping. Umbreon was curled up on the bed next to a pile of blankets that Gary was presumably cocooned within.
He closed the door gently behind him and approached the bed. As he made it further into the room, he could see that Gary was curled up beneath the blankets, facing away from the door, his face buried in a pillow.
So it was one of those days… Poor child. Sam's heart went out to him.
Umbreon lifted her head and rested it on the bundle of blankets. The luminescence from her rings faded and she fixed Sam with a level stare that told him most of what he needed to know: what was ailing Gary wasn't anything to be overly worried about. It was just the usual problem that came up once a month.
He gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the electric cord that snaked out from beneath the blanket, and rested a hand on his grandson's back. "Cramps?"
The affirmative hum was muffled by the pillow Gary’s face was still buried in.
"Can I get you anything?"
Gary shook his head. "Medicine’s helping,” he mumbled.
That was a good sign, at least - it often didn't help much in these instances. Maybe this particular issue would improve with the new hormones. Samuel could only hope so.
The blanket wriggled next to Gary and a furry white face peeked out from beneath it a moment later. Sam smiled and gestured for the little ice type to come closer. Vulpix crawled out from beneath the blanket, only to curl up atop it next to Gary, though still close enough to accept a few pats from Sam.
"At least you have good company," he offered.
"She likes the heating pad for some reason," Gary explained. He rolled over to face his grandfather, immediately curling once more beneath the blanket. His hair was messy and face a bit paler than usual, but seemed to be holding up alright this time around. At least his cheeks didn't have tear tracks down them this time.
That brought another smile to Sam's face. "I think she just likes being close to her trainer."
Gary gave a tiny smile in response and reached out of his nest of blankets to pet his most recent addition. "She’s making it easier this time." The little fox leaned her head into his hand and he took the opportunity to pull her closer to him. She went happily and snuggled against his chest, giving his hand a quick lick.
"That's good to hear." He’d had a feeling, back when Gary had first caught her, that she would be good for him. It wasn’t that Gary was struggling and needed a new companion to help out, but the usual difficulties of the late teen years had a few extra complications for him. An adorable and loving little ball of fluff was the perfect helper on days like this. He had Umbreon and Arcanine, of course, and each helped in their own way, but no one could deny that the cute factor of a young vulpix kit was beneficial on difficult days.
In any case, Sam was pleased to see this interaction between trainer and pokemon.
Soothed by the knowledge that his grandson was doing well enough for comfort, Sam relaxed a bit and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. He reached for the cups of tea on the bed side table and offered Gary his cup first, waiting patiently as the boy slowly sat up. Sam rested a steadying hand on his shoulder when he saw him wince and waited until Gary had sunk back against the headboard with a sigh to hand him his tea.
Gary took the cup with a grateful smile and took a sip. "She helps, but this still sucks," he admitted.
Sam gave him a sympathetic smile. "We'll get you there," he promised, "and I'll be right here the whole time, however long it takes."
Gary made a small, choked noise and the little vulpix immediately climbed into his lap, nosing his hand until he scratched behind her ears. Umbreon moved from her spot at the foot of the bed to curl up on Gary’s other side, her head resting on his thigh. Were there enough space, Sam was sure Arcanine would be crawling up on the bed as well.
Though Sam hated to see the tears, he knew these ones were relieved and grateful and full of too many emotions for a seventeen-year-old to put into words. He gave Gary's shoulder a gentle squeeze, his smile turning fond. Hormones. It was amazing how the fluctuation of a single chemical could have such an effect. Amazing as the biology was, the chemical that was making his grandson more emotional was the very same one that brought extra complications and made his life more difficult than was necessary.
"We'll get you there," Sam promised again.
"Thanks," Gary whispered, sniffling a little. At least the tears never lasted long.
He knew it would probably bring some more tears, but Sam spoke anyway. "Anything for you, my boy."
Sure enough, a few more tears fell but they were gone with a few more puppy kisses from Vulpix and an affectionate nuzzle from Umbreon. A moment later Gary was wiping the tear tracks from his face and tilting his head back against the headboard with a soft groan.
"I can't wait to start the injections. Maybe then I’ll stop crying over everything when… this happens.” He gestured to his lower half and readjusted the heating pad against his lower abdomen.
Vulpix crawled further into his lap, curling up against the heating pad and holding it in place with her little body. It was a little strange to see an ice-type so willingly staying warm but, as far as Sam understood, the pressure helped the pain. She - and Gary - both seemed comfortable with it and she wasn’t showing any signs of overheating, so it didn’t seem to be anything to worry over.
"Just a few more months," Sam reminded him gently, squeezing his shoulder once more. "You're almost there." They would make it there. It would all happen in due time, no matter how eager and impatient his grandson was to take the next step in his life. Sam couldn’t speed up the process even if he wanted to - not for lack of trying. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that. He removed his hand and reached for his own tea. “Tell me about this little one,” he prompted, gesturing towards Vulpix.
The grin that lit up Gary’s face warmed Sam’s heart - there was his grandson. Sometimes all that was needed was a little bit of a distraction and some puppy love to help someone feel more like themselves. As Gary launched into describing all of the growth the little pup had gone through in the last week or so - the gained levels, the learned attacks, the way she tried so hard to keep up with Arcanine and Umbreon - Sam couldn’t help but smile contentedly as he sipped his tea, hanging on to Gary’s every word.
He couldn’t take the pain away, and he couldn’t prevent it from coming back the next month, but he could provide his love and support and empathy. Sam would spend every afternoon just like this, providing tea and comfort and a sympathetic ear, if it meant his grandson could grow into the man he was meant to be. Listening to the boy next to him, however, Samuel was confident that his grandson was well on his way to exactly that.
He was certain that - no matter what pain the future held, whether brought on by surgery or heartache or just his biology - Gary would be fine. His boy was in good hands - er, paws - after all.