Work Text:
Home Sweet Home
If it wasn't for the fact that theirs was the only house on this road, Gary would have thought he'd pulled up to the wrong one. Tucked away on a secluded hillside at the edge of Pallet Town, it was nearly impossible to end up at the wrong house, but it hardly looked like the one he'd left two months earlier. Tracey always kept busy while he was out in the field, but he’d outdone himself this time.
The excitement Gary had been feeling all day finally bubbled over and he jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked, eagerly rushing up the walkway to the person he had been waiting two months to see. A loud bark came from the car and he had to double back to open the door for Umbreon, who gave him an annoyed look before bounding over to Tracey. Shaking his head, Gary took the chance to retrieve his bag from the backseat. Tracey’s gentle laughter drifted across the front yard to him and Gary tried to fight down the heat he could feel rising in his face.
He hadn’t meant to get overexcited.
Oh well. At least it was only his pokemon and husband who saw him make an idiot out of himself.
Speaking of… Tracey was making his way down the walk to him while Umbreon greeted Venomoth and Marill in the garden. Gary couldn’t help but smile, warmth rising in his chest at the mere sight of him. Two months didn’t sound like much compared to years of dating and over a decade of friendship before that, but those two months had felt like the longest of his life.
He already felt better than he had in weeks and they hadn’t even greeted each other yet.
"What do you think?" Tracey called.
It wasn’t a romantic greeting in any way but Gary couldn’t care less. "It doesn't even look like the same house!”
But Gary was far more interested in looking at Tracey than the house. His eyes raked up and down Tracey’s form. All the physical work he'd been doing around the house and lab had built up the muscles in Tracey’s arms and shoulders, and it took a significant amount of effort for Gary to not immediately start tugging that shirt off. He swore his partner got sexier every time he came home from the field.
"Look at you…" Gary pulled him in for a deep, hungry kiss as soon as he was close enough. "You look good, Trace."
Tracey pulled him in for a tight hug and Gary melted into the embrace. "Welcome home,” he murmured in his ear, pressing a kiss to his temple.
Melting further into the embrace, Gary buried his face in the space between Tracey’s neck and shoulder with a content sigh. "It's good to be home," he replied quietly.
Cheeks still pink from the earlier compliment, Tracey pulled back from the hug a moment later and looked back at the house, beaming at his work. "It's a big difference, isn't it?" he asked.
It took a significant amount of effort for Gary to pull his gaze from Tracey and look back at the house. The house itself looked much the same, but the porch… Their old, dilapidated porch that everyone avoided was gone and in its place was a new one - sturdy and nicely painted, with a swing and plethora of potted plants. It looked welcoming and comfortable, and Gary couldn’t wait to sit out here with Tracey in the morning with their coffee.
He had missed their mornings together.
"Did you build a whole new porch?" Gary asked incredulously.
"No," Tracey chuckled. He was grinning widely, his eyes filled with pride as he looked at it. Gary loved to see that expression on his face. "We just repaired the broken spots and cleaned it up. The swing was the hardest part."
"We?"
"Ash helped."
"Uh oh." With Tracey there to supervise, there probably wasn’t much to worry about, but Gary could never resist the urge to pick on his friend - not even when they were both well into their twenties and the other man was likely on the other side of the world.
Tracey smiled. "It's fine."
"Ash helped and it's fine? I don't know if I believe you." Gary had to fight down a grin to maintain the doubtful facade he was trying for. He was glad to hear that his husband and friend had spent some time together. He knew Tracey could take care of himself just fine and that he was far from alone in Pallet while he was gone, but it was always reassuring to hear that he'd spent time with friends.
"Well, if anyone were to fall through the floor, it definitely would have been him, and he didn't do that, so I think we're good," Tracey returned easily.
Gary laughed at that, accepting the answer. "If you say so," he shrugged, walking ahead of Tracey to the wooden steps of the porch. He tentatively stepped on the bottom one - it creaked but held just fine.
"Ash jumped up and down on each one to test it, it's fine," Tracey assured him, laughing as he climbed past him and headed straight towards the swing. He sat down and patted the seat next to him.
It didn't collapse under his weight, so Gary took that as a good sign. He dropped his bag next to the door - it had been painted too, he noticed - and sank into the spot next to his husband. It swung gently beneath them and Tracey's arm wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him closer. Gary closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh.
It felt good to be home - not just back in Pallet, but here, in their own house. The little house that Tracey - sweet, smart, hard-working Tracey - had been putting so much work into.
It felt even better to be back with his partner by his side. Better yet: this was the first time coming home to a husband. Not a boyfriend, not a fiance, not just a partner - a husband.
"How was Unova?"
"One of the more boring trips I've been on, to be honest," he admitted.
"Because I wasn't there?"
Tracey’s voice was amused, gently teasing, and Gary smiled, savoring the sound. He’d missed it, and while he'd missed his husband, he couldn't quite say that Tracey’s absence was what made the trip dull.
"I kinda think I'm getting bored with this…"
"Surveying pokemon populations is a lot less exciting than searching for legendary pokemon."
Gary agreed with that whole-heartedly, but that wasn't to say he disliked what he did. He had the freedom to choose the projects he worked on and the schedule he followed, and he got to spend as much time in the wilds with his pokemon as he wanted. But this last trip felt different. "It's just weird to feel so bored in the field," he mused.
"Do you think it's the field or the projects that you're bored with?"
"Dunno… Maybe it's time for something new." He had wondered that in Unova but still didn't have a solid answer.
"Like what?" Tracey asked quietly.
Gary shrugged his shoulders. "I think I just want to stay home for a while," he admitted.
"Tired of traveling?"
Gary smiled at the concern in Tracey’s voice. He really did know him too well. "It's not that bad, don't worry," he assured his husband, resting a hand on his thigh. Tracey immediately took it and gave a gentle squeeze.
Traveling was still his passion, just as much as working with pokemon was, but things were a bit different now. It had been one thing when they were dating and Gary was constantly coming and going, staying in his childhood bedroom at the lab between adventures.
But then Tracey - lovable, romantic, impulsive Tracey - had popped the question, and then they'd moved into the house, and now they were married. It had been a whirlwind of a year and he had been out in the field for weeks at a time throughout it all. They hadn't had near as much time together as either of them had hoped for.
Maybe a break was in order.
"I just want to enjoy being married for a bit," Gary decided. It wasn’t a solid foundation for a plan, but he didn't have any trips for the next few months. Staying home was an easy enough plan for now. He could figure out the rest later.
Tracey relaxed against him with a laugh. "Oh no, you've been domesticated! What will your grandfather think?"
"He’ll be relieved," Gary deadpanned, drawing a small chuckle from Tracey.
"Probably," Tracey agreed. "There's nothing wrong with staying home if that's what you want to do. It'll be nice having you help out in the lab."
"Who said anything about helping in the lab?" He shot Tracey a sly grin and laughed when Tracey rolled his eyes.
Gary couldn’t stay out of his grandfather’s lab if he tried. He was always there when he was home, regardless of how many times Tracey and his grandfather told him to rest or spend time with his pokemon or any number of little things. He wasn't near the workaholic they treated him as, and he appreciated their concern, whether or not he thought it was necessary. It wasn’t his fault he got bored easily and was always looking for something to do.
"I know you, Gary." Tracey’s fingers slid into his hair, musing it a bit rougher than he usually would.
Gary’s eyes slid shut and he leaned into the touch, groaning softly. He’d missed Tracey’s hands: the fingers in his hair, the gentle alerting touch on his shoulder, the trailing fingertips along his spine, and the countless other brushes and caresses that filled their days. Touch-starved wasn't a description he enjoyed, but even he couldn't deny it was accurate after being away from his husband for two months.
He always looked forward to reacquainting himself with Tracey’s casual intimacy, but this time… This time he ached for it down to his very core.
This time he might actually be willing to stay out of the lab if it meant Tracey would spoil him with affection all day.
"You never know, I might actually stay out for once.”
Tracey snorted in amusement. "If I tie you to the bed, maybe."
"Do it," Gary challenged, laughing.
"You would throw such a fit if I actually did."
"Only if you left me there."
"Hmmm," Tracey hummed thoughtfully. "What would I do with you tied to the bed?" His smile took on a mischievous edge and the hand that wasn't in Gary’s hair slid slowly up his thigh. "I guess I could always…" He leaned in and pressed his lips to Gary's throat, trailing hot kisses until he came to that one sensitive spot.
Gary brought a hand up to Tracey’s hair as his head tilted back and a moan poured from his throat before he could stop it. Tracey’s kisses turned into gentle nips alternated with sucking at that spot that always made Gary lose all his senses. "That's definitely an option," he managed to gasp out.
He tried not to focus too much on the hand inching further up his thigh but he was quickly melting under Tracey’s affection. A particularly hard nip had his back arching off the wooden slats of the swing and the resulting chuckle next to his ear dragged an embarrassingly loud moan out of him. He hadn’t even been home for ten minutes and he was already a panting, desperate mess. Being touch-starved and Tracey-starved apparently did that now. He wouldn't even be able to think about heading into the lab if Tracey kept this up.
Tracey pulled away enough to give Gary an amused smile - which was met with a brief, half-hearted glare before Gary pulled him in for a deep kiss. This time it was Tracey melting against the swing as Gary poured all of the frustration of two months apart into the heat between them, the hurried movement of their lips, the wandering of their hands. Tracey sighed into the kiss, a sound of pure relief and contentment over being together again.
Apparently Gary wasn't the only one feeling starved of affection.
Breathless, Gary pulled back and rested his forehead against Tracey’s, shooting him a quick grin. "I think I like this swing."
Tracey smiled fondly and huffed out a small laugh. "I'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with making out on it." He was breathless too, and it took all of Gary’s willpower to not immediately pounce on him with more breath-stealing kisses.
"I mean, we could do more on it," Gary replied impishly. "I'm just not sure I trust Ash’s handiwork to hold up."
"He tested the swing too. Trust me, it's not gonna fall."
"Did he fall?" Gary asked curiously, unable to resist. Tracey’s lips twitched as he clearly held back a laugh - Gary couldn’t help but grin. He knew it.
"Off of it, yes,” Tracey confirmed, unable to hold back his amused grin any longer.
Gary tried - and failed - not to laugh. That wasn’t the slightest bit surprising. He leaned in to press another kiss to Tracey’s lips, only to frown when his husband pulled away and stood suddenly. “Hey…” he whined.
But Tracey only smiled and offered him his hand. “C’mon, I want to show you what else I did.”
Gary took his hand and tugged, pouting childishly and glancing pointedly at the spot Tracey had vacated. His husband shook his head amusedly and tilted his head towards the front door.
“C’mon,” Tracey repeated. “I want to show you the new bed.”
That caught Gary’s attention. “You got a new bed?” Their old one had been just fine… Was Tracey fucking with him?
Tracey’s lips twitched. “One I can tie you to.”
So he was just fucking with him. Gary laughed and reluctantly let Tracey pull him from the swing. “You spend too much time with me.”
“You know, Ash said the same thing while you were gone.” Tracey stooped to retrieve Gary’s bag from next to the door before opening it and holding it for Gary to enter ahead of him.
“Really now?” Gary stepped into the front hall and took a deep breath. There was a faint whiff of paint beneath the warm, rich scent of dinner wafting from the kitchen. Soup and fresh bread, it smelled like. A simple and frequent go-to for them, but it made Gary all the more happy to be home.
“Apparently I’ve become more sarcastic,” Tracey replied, his voice full of amusement. He set Gary’s bag down on the bench next to the door - that was new, Gary noted, though Tracey steered him towards the kitchen before he could comment on it.
He snorted amusedly. “Imagine that,” he replied, entering the kitchen behind Tracey. The door to the side yard was wide open, allowing in the cool autumn air. Umbreon, Marill, and Venomoth could be seen playing in the garden from the door and Gary quickly released the rest of his team into the yard to join them.
A soft smile curved his lips as he watched Arcanine bound over to the others, eager to play. Tracey’s arms wrapped around him from behind and Gary closed his eyes, savoring the warmth as a gentle voice whispered in his ear, “Welcome home.”
It was good to be home.