Work Text:
One
Gary could hardly hear the video phone chime over the Pidgey’s chirping up a storm. Molting season had come but there was also a bad snow storm over Pallet Town that meant most of the Pokemon were staying indoors. He had come to Pallet Town to help his grandfather with the Pidgey’s this season and gotten stuck with the snow. His grandfather didn’t look to be anywhere to answer the phone however and with a shrug he answered it, brightening up when Ash’s face came on the screen.
“Ash, long time no hear.” He inched a little closer to the screen, hoping he wasn’t covered in feathers and looking terrible.
“Gary!” Ash waved with Pikachu on his shoulders waving as well, “I was trying to get a hold of my mom but I couldn’t reach anyone in Pallet Town. Is everything okay?”
“The storm might have knocked out the power.” Gary replied, scratching his head and wondering if he had seen Mrs Ketchum lately. “I can get a message to her though.”
“That’s okay, just tell her to expect me and Pikachu soon. And I’ll stop by the lab to visit all my Pokemon of course.”
Gary tried not to frown at that, “You know I’m here too.”
Ash tilted his head, “Well of course you are Gary, you work there.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Gary rolled his eyes, “I mean you could just come here to visit me as well, Ash. Or…maybe we could go out.” He held his breath while waiting for Ash’s answer.
“Gee Gary, I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll have the time…”
It was a put down if he’d ever heard it but Gary tried to just shrug it off like it was no big deal. “I’ll let everyone know you’re coming.” He said and then hit the end button on the screen. He sighed and collapsed in the chair behind him.
Maybe he’d try again face to face with Ash, maybe something didn’t get through during the video call. It was worth a shot anyway.
Two
By the time Ash arrived the bizarre snow storm that had hit Pallet Town had mostly melted and while the town was still a little chilly Ash showed up wearing a t-shirt and his vest as usual, no sweater in sight.
Which of course meant he caught a cold but that didn’t stop him from going down to that lab anyway, greeting all the Pokemon he had there. Gary watched him from the corner of his eye while giving Pikachu a quick examination.
Ash sneezed for the sixteenth time and Gary made a face, slipping off his lab coat and practically throwing it over Ash. “How is it you’ve been travelling all around the world and still can’t dress for the weather?” Gary sighed.
“Hey!” Ash protested, squirming to get the lab coat wrapped around him, “I didn’t know it’d be this cold.” Ash whined and sniffed like he was trying to hold back a sneeze.
“I told you there was a storm.” Gary pointed out, shaking his head, “You need to learn to listen Ash.” But if Ash hadn’t listened to that then maybe he also hadn’t really listened to Gary asking him out. Gary tapped his fingers on the table slightly nervous and turned to Ash who looked terrible with his cold. And yet still the person Gary had fallen in love with all those years ago. He cleared his throat, “Maybe when you’re better we could go to Viridian, they’re having a fair.”
Ash broke into a yawn suddenly, “Sorry Gary, I need to get back to Unova. Professor Juniper said she needs my help.”
It didn’t sound like a lie but given that Ash was just there and had travelled all the way back to Pallet Town for only a few days it sounded suspiciously like an excuse.
“Whatever.” Gary muttered and Ash turned back to his Pokemon, still wearing Gary’s labcoat. He wondered if he was going to get that back but also hoped that maybe Ash would keep it.
Three
His specialty in fossils ended up taking Gary to a lot of regions, specifically he had ended up in Kalos at a lab that had found two old fossils of unknown Pokemon. He wasn’t even paying attention to anyone else until he heard his name uttered in confusion.
He looked up to see Ash staring at him and Pikachu sliding down from Ash’s shoulder to greet Gary with a cheery ‘pika’.
“Gary?” Ash repeated, “What are you doing here?” Gary raised an eyebrow and gestured to the fossil in his hand. Ash looked down at it and then laughed awkwardly. “Oh yeah, I forgot you were interested in those.”
He set down the fossil and slipped off the gloves he was using, walking around the table to properly greet Ash. “If by those you mean unknown fossils then yeah.”
“Hey remember that dig you went on? Back in Pallet, when we were just kids.” Ash looked excited over it, like Gary hadn’t blown him off that day. Gary winced at the memory but then smiled.
“You mean when you found extinct Pokemon, and then didn’t tell me till years later.” Gary teased. Ash at least seemed a little abashed at that and ducked his head.
“Like I could get to you in that crowd of cheerleaders.” Ash joked back finally. Pikachu looked between the two of them and Gary caught the Pokemon’s small sigh.
“Well it’s just us two now.” Gary said and debated on if he should try to ask Ash out again. It had been a few months and it wouldn’t hurt, except his pride and possible dignity. “And since it is…” He glanced away when Ash looked at him and mumbled, “Did you want to get dinner tonight?”
“I’m actually not alone,” Ash replied, “I’m here with some friends and was just about to meet back up with them. You could come with me if you wanted.”
“Uh, no thanks. Another time.” Gary shrugged and looked down to see Pikachu petting his leg with a sense of camaraderie.
“Okay.” Ash grinned at him, “Bye Gary.”
He decided that it would least be another few months before he tried that again.
Four
He ran into Ash again the next week however, still in Kalos. Once more Ash was alone except for the ever faithful Pikachu at his side.
“Gary.” Ash ran up to him once he’d spotted him, stopping right before Gary and spraying him with sand. “Taking a break?”
Gary nodded, his beach towel thrown over his shoulder, “I heard I should check out the beach, I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Pikachu and I just wanted to hit the water, we were trying surfing again.” Ash glanced back at the crashed board on the beach, “It wasn’t going well.” He said, making a face.
Gary’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh but he couldn’t hold it in, snickering at Ash’s face. As usual Ash seemed to take that as a challenge, puffing up a little and straightening his back. Before Ash could take too much offense and hurt himself while surfing by accident Gary waved it off, “I couldn’t do it either.”
Ash’s shoulder fell as he relaxed and grinned at Gary, that bright smile that Gary would have liked to see more of.
Before he could stop himself he was opening his mouth again, “You free tonight?” Gary nearly bit his tongue he shut it so fast after he spoke. His heart sunk as Ash shook his head.
“Nope, not tonight.” Ash said and didn’t add on anything. Gary hadn’t even warranted an explanation this time apparently.
“Oh,” Gary glanced back behind him where the lab was, “I should uh, I should get back.”
He ignored Ash’s calls that he hadn’t even gone swimming.
+One
Ash burst into the lab with his usual grace, which meant that he tripped over his shoes and windmilled his arms for balance but couldn’t find it, crashing into Gary and they both hit the floor.
Gary groaned and reached up to rub his head, “Ash?” He looked down at the mop of black hair that wasn’t covered up with his usual hat as it had toppled off and was lying near them.
“Sorry Gary.” Ash huffed and grabbed his hat, shoving it on his head and standing up before offering Gary his hand. Pikachu skidded into the lab a second later and exclaimed at the both of them, when the Pokemon saw they were fine it shook its head. “I just wanted to tell you that I found another fossil.”
“You did?” Gary blinked but wasn’t sure he why he was surprised given that Ash always seemed to stumble onto the most unusual things.
“Yeah come on,” Ash grabbed his hand and started dragging him out the door and into the cool night air. He lead them down a rocky beach front to a cave that Gary hadn’t noticed before. “Hey Pikachu, a little light?” Ash asked, looking down at Pikachu who nodded and let sparks fly a little, just lighting up the cave.
Gary inched closer to the rocks but couldn’t see anything that looked like a fossil, “Ash, are you sure?” He looked back, realizing he was still holding Ash’s hand as Ash was staring at it. Ash caught him looking and let go of Gary’s hand with a yelp.
“Are you sure?” Ash asked, pretending like that hadn’t happened, “I could have sworn…” His mouth turned down in a sulk that the wall had proven him wrong.
“It’s okay Ash, let’s just check again in the morning. We can get breakfast before we do.” He nearly slapped himself in the face, realizing it sounded like he was asking Ash out yet again when he’d clearly been turned down often enough.
Ash scratched his cheek and looked away, his face mostly shadows and only lit up by Pikachu’s sparks. “Uh Gary, that sounds like a date.”
Gary stopped for a second and stared at Ash, “Well…it was. But it’s fine,” Gary sighed, “I know you don’t want to.”
“What?” Ash blinked, “I do. No I do.” Ash rambled, taking a step towards Gary, “I was going to ask you to dinner tonight…”
“You were?” Gary ran a hand through his hair, “Then why’d you turn me down yesterday?”
“I didn’t turn you down.”
“Yes you did Ashy-boy.” Gary drawled with his old nickname for Ash that made Ash twitch for a second.
“Didn’t.” Ash replied, just as stubborn and yet sincere.
Gary groaned, “You didn’t realize did you? Or those times before…?”
“There were other times?”
“You’re hopeless.” Gary said, shaking his head. “But I could do dinner.” He reached over tentatively to take Ash’s hand again, “If Team Rocket interrupts you’ll owe me another one.” He teased and was pleased when Ash just stuck his tongue out at Gary but curled his fingers around Gary’s own.
Now hopefully that didn’t actually happen on their date.