Work Text:
Migraine Cuddles
The migraines weren't an issue when they were kids.
Ash hadn't known about any lasting effects from the Mewtwo incident – Gary had never said anything afterwards. In hindsight, why would he have? So when Tracey said something about Gary having one of his migraines, as though this were a regular occurrence, Ash was confused.
Thinking nothing of it, he waltzed right upstairs to Gary’s room in Pallet that day and flicked on the light switch when he found the room dark.
It made Gary throw up and threaten to break up with him. They had only just started dating and Ash panicked, certain that he had just messed absolutely everything up.
It only took the one migraine-related mishap for Ash to learn the lesson: migraines were no ordinary headache and if Gary had one then the surroundings had to be quiet and dark or else. Fair enough. If Ash frequently got headaches bad enough that turning on a light in the same room made him throw up, he’d get mean about it too.
So he took it seriously. Too seriously, Gary had told him, but Ash felt very firmly that something that fully incapacitated his partner on a fairly regular basis was absolutely something to take seriously.
He learned every detail he could about Gary’s migraines and took careful mental notes every time he had one. He bugged Tracey and the professor for details on dealing with them and how to tell when Gary had one. He enlisted his mother’s help in finding teas and herb blends that could help ease the nausea that came with the pain. Several of his female friends lended their help with general comfort and pain relief. He asked anyone and everyone he possibly could ask for advice.
By the time they were engaged, Ash had it all down to a science. He could tell one was coming on, sometimes even before Gary could. He could gauge the severity of one and act accordingly – admittedly sometimes better than others. He knew exactly which lights could be handled, which smells and tastes and textures could be tolerated, which furniture made it easiest to wait it out.
And when Ash came home to their little house in Pallet from a morning of training to find Arcanine sitting at the base of the stairs like a sentry, he knew exactly what to do. He looked at Pikachu and held a finger to his lips.
“Pipichu?” his starter cooed in his tiniest voice, his concern evident in his large round eyes.
“Yeah, bud, it looks like Gary’s not feeling well,” Ash whispered.
He kicked his shoes off and quietly placed his bag on the floor before gesturing for Pikachu to follow him into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of ice water and passed Pikachu a little glass of his own. After downing his glass, he poured a third and passed it to Pikachu once his starter was done with his own water.
“Can you bring this to Gary, buddy?”
“Pika!” Ash held a finger to his lips again. “Pi,” he replied apologetically, quickly lowering his voice. Ash smiled and gave him a quick pat on the head.
Once Pikachu had toddled away towards the stairs with the glass, Ash fetched some clean clothes fresh from the dryer and headed into the spare bathroom for a quick shower. He didn’t know how bad it was this time, but scent was usually one of the first things to get overwhelming. Better to rinse off the sweat downstairs before checking on Gary than possibly exacerbating it this time. Being the reason Gary ended up sick on the bathroom floor was never a fun time.
Clean and dressed, he took a detour into the kitchen, turned on the electric kettle, and set about fixing a cup of tea. A selection of ingredients sat in a bowl on the counter near the kettle, carefully curated over the years. A little fresh-grated ginger, a slice of lemon, a drizzle of honey, and a scoop of dried herbs in a pokeball-shaped infuser all went in a mug. Ash topped it off with the boiling water and started towards the stairs, careful to stay as quiet as he could.
He paused outside the bedroom door – it was left open, which Ash took as a good sign. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn but the little projector that cast tiny stars on the ceiling was on. One of the candles on the dresser was lit, filling the room with the faint smell of lavender. That was promising. Sometimes the candles were okay, but he’d learned the hard way not to try guessing with that.
Umbreon was curled at the foot of the bed and lifted her head in a silent greeting when Ash entered the room. Pikachu was curled up next to the Gary-shaped lump beneath the covers, the water glass he’d brought up sat half-full on the bedside table. He didn’t look up from his silent watch over Gary as Ash crossed the room and Ash couldn’t help but smile.
The only ones that took the migraines more seriously than Ash were the pokemon. He set the mug of tea next to the glass of water and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a light hand on Gary’s back.
“Hey,” he murmured. Gary gave a soft groan in response: uncomfortable, not miserable. Another good sign. Ash smiled and dipped his head to press a gentle kiss to Gary’s shoulder. “I made tea,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” Gary mumbled into the pillow that his face was buried in, though he made no effort to move.
Ash didn’t blame him. He carefully laid on the bed next to him, gingerly resting his head against Gary’s shoulder. “This okay?” he murmured, fully prepared to move if not.
Gary gave a tiny nod, barely moving as Ash let himself relax against him. He draped an arm over Gary’s waist and closed his eyes, his hand seeking out Gary’s and twining their fingers together against the blanket. He scattered a few more soft, barely-there kisses along his shoulder and reached his other hand to gently stroke his hair. Gary tilted his head slightly, leaning into the touch as much as he could while still keeping his face buried in the pillow.
Another good sign.
“Need anything?” Ash asked softly, threading his fingers through Gary’s hair.
“Meds are kicking in,” Gary mumbled.
Even better. The medication only worked when it wasn't bad and when Gary caught the signs of a migraine coming on early enough. It meant he would likely sleep the rest of the day, but he probably needed the sleep anyway, so Ash couldn't complain. A post-training session nap sounded just right, especially with Gary wrapped up in his arms.
He pressed one more kiss to Gary's shoulder and nestled further against him. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? Just rest now.”
Another tiny nod and another gentle kiss. Ash rested his head against Gary and closed his eyes, listening to his partner’s steady breathing until he felt himself starting to drift off.
Sometimes these quiet moments were nice. They forced Ash to slow down and be calm for a bit, and he surprisingly enough liked that. It had taken a while for him to reach that point, but he’d learned how to use the time to meditate and reflect, which only helped him become a better trainer. He hated that Gary was miserable during these times, but at least they were able to steal some time together during them.