Work Text:
"How's training coming along?"
Ash turned around to see his boyfriend walk up to him with a bottle of water in his hand, that he offered up to Ash.
With a grateful smile, Ash accepted the water.
"Pretty good", he replied as he was turning the bottle cap. "I think Charcadet is gonna have that move down pretty soon."
"Wait, really?", Gary asked, clearly impressed. "You haven't even been out here for that long."
Ash shrugged as he took a sip of the water. "She's a fast learner. Plus, I'm a fantastic trainer."
Gary snorted. "Careful, there.", he warned. "I know you're the strongest trainer in the world and all, but boasting like this doesn't suit you." He paused. "Well, not anymore, at least.
"It's not boasting if it's true.", Ash argued.
"If you're that good, how about you proof it?", Gary asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ash gasped excitedly. "Yes?!"
Gary grinned. "Alright, let's make this interesting, then."
He walked over to the other end of the battlefield, pointing at Ash. "The winner gets to pick something the loser has to do."
Ash hummed in thought. What could he make Gary do...
"If I win, you make Spaghetti tonight!", he announced.
Gary blinked at him, then laughed. "Really? That's what you're going with?"
"Yep!", Ash confirmed with a nod. "Your Spaghetti are the best."
Gary shook his head, still smiling. "Alright then."
He paused, thinking over his own condition.
Or, well, Ash was pretty sure the other was only pretending to think it over. The way he knew him he must have already known what he wanted from Ash before he even brought up the idea.
It did work pretty well with building up suspense, though, and Ash found himself feeling a bit nervous under his boyfriends analyzing gaze.
"If I win...", Gary finally said, slowly dragging it out. "I get to kiss you."
Ash froze. Or more accurately, it felt like everything around him came to a stop.
He dropped the water bottle, it fell to the ground, the water spilling out.
Neither man paid attention to it.
"I- what?"
"Yes or no?"
"Um... yeah sure. Yes. Let's k- battle. Let's battle."
Ash lost the battle by a mile.
He hadn't lost to Gary by this much in, well, probably ever.
Even Charcadet knew something was up, because she kept throwing her trainer looks, that over time switched from confused to concerned.
Ash hadn't been able to get Garys words out of his mind that entire battle, he had barely been able to focus on it.
He did feel bad for putting Charcadet through this, recalling her into her Pokeball with a quiet apology.
But when he looked up at his boyfriend, those thoughts drifted off yet again.
His and Garys relationship had always been... complicated.
They went from friends, to rivals, back to being friends, or at least that was what Ash had thought, until a few months ago.
When Gary had admitted he had feelings for Ash, that he has had feelings for Ash for a while, Ash had mostly been confused.
Had he really misread their dynamic that much?
But then, he spent some time thinking about it, and realized that no, he hadn't misinterpreted their dynamic, but he sure had misinterpreted his own feelings towards his childhood friend.
Ash remembered the moment well. He had been lying in his bed, in the middle of the night, thinking over his past with Gary.
How he still always thought of him as the person he was closest too, even when they were being petty rivals towards each other, because no competetiveness could erase the fact Gary knew him better than anyone else.
How nice he had felt to finally talk it through, under the moonlight of Johto, at last being honest to each other again after years, enjoying the night together, just the two of them.
How happy Ash had felt whenever he ran into Gary after that, not wanting to let go of his hand after they had battled Moltres, when he had to say goodbye again all too soon.
Those... very much hadn't been platonic thoughts.
Ash told Gary as much, and they'd been together since then.
"We don't... have to do this, if you don't want to.", Gary said, uncharacteristically uncertain, pulling Ash out of his own thoughts and back into the present.
"I do! I want to!", Ash quickly clarified. "I'm just... nervous."
"Being nervous doesn't suit you in the slightest. You've kissed people before."
"Yeah, sure, but... none of them were you."
Gary opened his mouth, then closed it again without saying a word, seeming uncertain of how to respond to that.
Instead, he stepped closer to Ash, putting a hand on his boyfriends cheek and slowly tracing along his jawline.
Ash didn't fail to notice how his hand was slightly shaky. Clearly, he was nervous about this too, just too stubborn to admit it.
It was Ash who finally closed the distance between them.
Gary didn't seem too surprised, as he immediately kissed back.
It was a soft kiss, and it didn't end up lasting long, but it still felt like the most important kiss Ash has ever had.
It wasn't his first kiss, but it was his first kiss with Gary, and that mattered so much more to him.
"I love you.", Ash said softly.
Gary smiled, then turned away, picking up the long forgotten water bottle off the ground.
He didn't return the sentiment, but it wasn't like he had to, Ash already knew. His actions spoke louder than words.
"I'll stop distracting you so you can go back to training.", Gary announced. "Clearly, you need it."
Ash huffed. "You're the worst."
"That is not what you just said."
"Maybe I changed my mind."
Gary made Spaghetti for dinner that night, claiming it had been his plan from the start.