I feel that this is my longest Palletshipping one-shot I have written! If I'm wrong, then that's embarrassing and please correct me!
...but I'm sure I'm right :)
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon
Confessions at a Wedding
Wedding.
A ceremony between two people who promise to be faithful and love one another through the good and bad.
But to a young raven-haired man, it meant a perfect excuse to make a huge party and have access to an all-you-can-eat buffet for free.
"Ash, we brought you here so you can help us. Stop standing there like an idiot and grab the end of the table."
The tall young brunette lifted the table and glared at Ash to do the same. Rolling his eyes, Ash grabbed his side of the table and they both walked towards Brock.
"Perfect. We need two more rows to go and we'll be done," Brock said as he positioned the chairs.
"Two more rows? I thought that this was the last one!"
"Sorry Ash. But Misty miscalculated the number of guest that were coming. She barely sent me the message right now."
"Did she invite the whole Kanto region?" Ash asked, wondering who was attending the wedding that he knew. "Are May and Dawn coming?"
"I know May is. She's coming with Max. Dawn though…"
"What Brock?"
"Well… since the bride and groom aren't acquainted with her in any way, it would be awkward to invite her out of the blue."
"But we know her!"
"But this isn't your wedding," Gary intervened. "They can invite anyone they want. I know I wouldn't want to invite strangers that none of us know. Now stop complaining and let's set up these tables. I want to be done already."
"Since when did Gary ever think about having a wedding? Especially about marriage," Brock said quietly, watching Gary walk away with a curious expression.
Ash simply shrugged and ran to catch up with Gary, their conversation replaying in his head. His mom kept asking when he was going to settle down, but he figured she was only saying this because of the wedding. He pushed these thoughts of out his head and helped Gary carry the remaining tables.
"Finally! I thought we would never finish!"
"If you weren't such a Slowpoke, we would've finished earlier."
"At least I helped."
"As we were finishing though. All of us have been here since dawn," Gary stated. Ash glared at him and turned away, his Bulbasaur carrying a box of silverware catching his attention. "Here."
Ash refused to turn around, too stubborn to accept anything Gary was offering. The young professor knew this would be his reaction, so he exaggerated drinking his bottled water. He saw Ash slowly turn his head and unconsciously wipe his forehead. His thirst overpowering his persistence, Ash stretched out his hand. Gary shook his head and placed the cold soda can on his hand, the younger man quickly opening his drink.
"Thanks," Ash mumbled. 'It's my favorite flavor too.' He shifted his body towards Gary, just in time to see him about to walk away. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Going to take a shower. I don't think the bride's family will be happy if I show up like this."
'You got that right,' Ash thought, shuddering at the idea of being hounded down by the Sensational Sisters.
"You should take a shower," Gary suggested, receiving a snort from Ash. "How about you join me then?"
"What?!" he spit out, accidentally dropping his soda.
"Don't get too excited Ashy-boy. I'm kidding."
"Whatever Gary," Ash huffed out, flatting his hair in an attempt to cover his blush.
Gary chuckled, ruffling Ash's hair. "It's too hot out here. You can come to my room if you want."
"Thanks, but I need to check up on the Pokémon. Misty told me to make sure they have enough food and water to last the party."
"That annoying red-head," Gary grumbled angrily, keeping his voice low so Ash wouldn't hear. "Alright then. I'll see you in the ceremony. Make sure to keep your eyes on me."
"Like hell I will!" Ash yelled as Gary walked away, only receiving a wave from the brunette.
He sighed but smiled as he got up from his seat, his Pikachu following him in hopes of getting something to eat.
A few hours later
Ash had the honor to have a seat in the front row of the groom's side, along with his mother and Brock. He looked around and was amazed by the transformation of the room. Although he's been in the conference room various times, it surprised him how huge it was and the way it was beautifully decorated. It was a mystery for him how Professor Oak's lab was bigger in the inside than the image it gave from the outside.
The wedding march song began and he turned his attention to the side door. He saw Tracy nervously emerge from there, quickly followed by Gary. The groom and the best man faced the walkway as Lily and Violet made their appearance with their partnered groomsmen by the main door. The two sisters gracefully marched up the aisle, smiling to the people they recognized. Once they reached the front, Misty shyly walked up by herself, keeping her eyes straight ahead. She positioned herself in front of her sisters and everybody stood up together. The bride walked up the aisle in a slow pace, her white dress gently floating with every step she took. Ash noticed that the bride and groom kept their eyes on each other the whole time, as if they were the only ones in the room. She reached Tracy and Professor Oak signaled everyone to sit down.
"We are gathered here today for the wedding of Daisy Waterflower and Tracy Sketchit," Professor Oak began, sending a warm smile to the soon-to-be newlyweds.
Ash looked at the bridal party, wondering who were Tracy's groomsmen. Tracy originally asked him and Brock to be his groomsmen, but they were too busy with their own duties. Both of them felt bad that they weren't able to stand next to their friend on his special day. But to make it up to him, they both equally paid the honeymoon Tracy and Daisy wished for. Smiling at this memory, his sight shifted towards the bridesmaids, who were slowly tearing up. However, his eyes kept wandering towards Gary. As if sensing him, Gary turned and winked at Ash, a small smirk on his face. Ash blushed and turned his attention to the couple once more.
'Damn that Gary.'
"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Sketchit. You may now kiss your bride."
Gary gently pushed Tracy to kiss Daisy, who was too nervous to kiss his wife in front of an audience. Giggling, Daisy brought him close and kissed him, receiving cheers and applause from their guests. They walked happily down the aisle, Daisy sending everyone kisses and Tracy waving to those he knew. Ash placed his arm over his mom, who was quietly crying and mumbling about seeing her son getting married soon. He chuckled and shook his head, leading her outside to the reception area.
Although Ash has socialized with the Gym Leaders outside of conference meetings and training camps, he still found their carefree attitudes strange and amusing. However, he admitted to himself that the wedding wouldn't be as fun without the Kanto and Johto Gym Leaders present.
'Good thing this is a private wedding,' he thought, laughing at Lt. Surge and Morty's attempts to flirt with Lily and Violet. The other Gym Leaders were making bets to see who would be reject first. They were also making small bets with one another for the person who will receive and give the most rejections. He refused to take part in it; it wouldn't be pleasant if Misty found out what they were doing.
He stood up and headed to the buffet, glad that the line was shorter now that everyone was able to get their first plate of food. Ash quickly served himself two plates and headed back to his table, which was half-empty as most of the Gym Leaders were enjoying themselves at the open bar. He happily enjoyed his meal, finishing in time to see the newlyweds' first dance. As soon as it was going to start, Misty approached their table and sat next to him.
"She looks happy, doesn't she?" Misty asked, smiling as she watched the newlyweds dance. "I'm happy for her. Out of all the people I met, I'm glad Daisy got married with Tracy. He's a great person."
"Yea," Ash agreed, glad that Misty wholeheartedly approved of their marriage.
They both sat in comfortable silence, Ash not noticing that Misty was getting closer to him. He was surprised to see her up close when he turned to ask her something.
"Misty, Violet's looking for you."
He quickly turned away from her and stared up at Gary with a relieved look in his eyes. However, Gary had his eyes set on Misty and didn't show any trace of emotion on his face.
"What for?"
Gary shrugged, neither looking away from one another. Misty sighed and got up, using Ash's thigh to push herself up. Although neither showed any emotion, Misty's eyes twinkled as she passed Gary, whose emerald's eyes showed anger and repulsion. He sat down next to Ash and shifted his sight to the newlyweds still dancing. Gary didn't want to look at Ash throughout their conversation, as the young Viridian Gym Leaded seemed to found a way to tell when he was lying. He didn't want him to tell Misty that Violet wasn't looking for her at all; it would raise too many questions and he didn't feel the need to explain himself. Luckily for him, Ash didn't ask him about Violet or Misty throughout their conversation.
"How does it feel to be the best man?"
"Shocking. I thought he would've chosen you."
"Well, you two became good friends since you two began to work together. We travelled for a while but we never had the same bond you two have. He asked me and Brock to be his groomsmen but-"
"You two were too busy with Gym Leader duties," Gary finished.
"Yea, well… I'm so-"
"Ash!"
They both turned to see a young brunette rushing towards them. Gary was able to see that she was dragging a young green-haired man with her, who looked relieved that he managed to escape the dancing mob.
"Hey May! Is Max with you?"
"He's dancing with Misty," May replied, noticing the young brunette seating close to Ash. "Hi, I'm May and this is Drew."
"Your boyfriend?" Gary asked as he shook hands with Drew. May awkwardly giggled as she blushed. Drew rolled his eyes in an attempt to avoid answering Gary. "I'll take that as a yes."
"About time," Brock said, suddenly appearing behind the couple. "Take good care of her Drew. And remember to invite us to your wedding."
He left as quickly as he came. They saw him run towards Daisy's friends, asking the girls to dance with him at the same time. They laughed and turned away once they saw him be rejected one by one.
"I'm sorry, but what's your name?"
"Oh, right. I'm-"
"Gary," Misty interrupted, sending a quick smile to May. "They want to do the toast right now. Let's go."
"Sorry but duty calls. It was nice meeting you."
As he stood up, Gary gently brushing his hand over Ash's thigh. He smirked as he walked by Misty, who was able to catch Ash's small blush from Gary's action.
"I heard you became the Viridian Gym Leader," Drew said. "Congrats."
"Thanks. May, are you ok?" he asked as he stood up with his champagne glass in his hand.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" May asked quietly, shifting her gaze between Ash and Gary.
"Like what?"
May sighed and shook her head. It amazed her that after six years of knowing one another, he was still not able to understand her subtle hints.
"Gary was the one who planned the surprise birthday party for you, wasn't he?
Ash's champagne glass slipped from his fingers, but he managed to grasp it in time. His gaze landed on Gary and he unconsciously smiled. No one knew who planned the party and they didn't bother to find out who it was, leaving Ash to discover who his mystery planner was.
"Why didn't you tell me that there was something between you and Gary?"
"I can say the same thing about you."
"That's because me and Drew have been dating for almost five months. We also never have a chance to talk to one another."
"I'm sorry," Ash mumbled, receiving an apology-accepted smile from May. "But I thought you and Drew hated each other."
"Sometimes actions are stronger than words. It's like you and Gary, right?"
Ash took a long sip from his champagne to avoid answering. It always made him feel shy when he thought about his relationship with Gary. He didn't know how to explain their relationship, especially to those that didn't know them from the very beginning. As he stood drinking the remaining champagne from his glass, he didn't notice Misty standing next to him until he heard her speak loudly in his ear.
"Let's dance!"
"Uh, yea. Sure, let's go."
They dance through five songs until Ash decided to get something to drink. He saw Max approach Misty to dance and he slowed down his pace, glad that he had an excuse as to why he took long getting something to drink. However, he saw Gary walk towards his Tauros stables and decided to follow him.
"Gary," Ash called out. He found it strange when the older boy didn't turn around. Instead, Gary leaned over the fence and didn't say a word. "What's wrong?"
"You're a real idiot."
Surprised and angry from his answer, Ash yelled out, "There you go again Gary! If I'm such an idiot, than why are you with me?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"I won't if you don't tell me."
"I asked you for help so we could spend some time together. This damn wedding has taken over the time we had for ourselves. I knew you were tired so I let you sleep for a few hours before waking you up. I also asked you to come over to my room, didn't I?"
"I didn't think about it that way…"
Gary opened his mouth to reply back but closed it instead. He was too tired to argue, especially over something Ash wouldn't understand. "I'm going home."
"You can't leave. You're the best man."
"So what? They're about to leave anyways. Once they're gone, I have no reason to stay."
"What about me?"
"You have Misty, don't you?"
"...You don't mean that."
"I overheard your conversation," Gary replied angrily. Ash looked surprised and confused, wondering why he sounded so mad. "Is it that surprising we actually lasted this long? Do you think that I'm using you or this is some sort of joke?"
Ash thought about the conversation he had with Misty while they were dancing, thinking if he said something out of line.
"How long?"
"What?"
"You and Gary."
"Misty, I'm sure you know. We've been friends since we were kids, except when we turned into rivals. But we made up in the Silver Conference, remember?"
"I meant dating," Misty responded. She saw the surprised look on his face and smiled. 'Still dense as always.' "You kept looking at him the whole time at the ceremony. I also wondered why Gary kept trying to speed up our meetings. I thought he wanted me to do everything, but I was wrong. He wanted to spend time with you."
"Oh, really?" Ash asked, amazed that Gary acted this way. He saw the impatient look from Misty and decided to answer her question. "Almost two years."
''And you two kept it a secret for that long?!"
"I thought Gary wouldn't take it seriously, so I never told anyone other than my mom. I'm amazed we lasted this long," Ash told her truthfully.
"Well… I'm here for you if anything happens. I won't leave your side."
"Then why are you still with me?" Gary asked angrily.
"Gary," Ash started, but he didn't know how to answer him.
"My grandpa and Tracy know. They knew since the beginning. I'm sure Daisy knows by now as well," Gary said quietly. "This isn't a joke and I'm serious about this too."
Ash didn't reply and instead looked down, as if his shoes were the most interesting thing in the world. He heard Gary sigh and looked up to see him walk past him. He felt his throat go dry and fought to speak up what he had in mind.
"If you're serious about me, then you wouldn't walk away!"
"How could I walk away if you were never by my side?"
When Ash didn't respond back, Gary shook his head and walked back to the party. He wanted to say something but it was useless if he didn't have an answer to his questions.
"Sometimes actions are stronger than words. It's like you and Gary, right?"
Ash thought back to the first day they got together. He never seen Gary lose his cool composure and blush as much as he did that day. Although he never stated it out loud, Gary did show him that he truly cared about him. The homemade dinners, the gentle kisses, the unexpected flowers and gifts, and taking time off from the lab to have some alone time. Gary even planned a surprised birthday party for him, something that only his mom has ever done for him. Although Gary teased him various times, he didn't mean any of the bad things he said and apologized in his own way if he ever crossed the line.
'How could I've been so stupid?'
He quickly ran back to the reception and searched around for Gary. With each step he took, his anxiety rose when he wasn't able to see any sign of emerald eyes or brown hair. May quickly approached him to ask him what was wrong. Seeing the frantic look on his face, May pointed to Gary's direction in hopes of calming him down. Ash smiled in thanks and ran towards her pointed direction. There, he saw Gary and Misty saying their goodbyes to Tracy and Daisy.
"Ah, Ash. Came to say goodbye?" Tracy asked, a knowing smile on his face.
"Y-yeah, Congratulations."
Tracy hugged him and said, "Thanks for helping and for the honeymoon. We'll pay you back when it's your wedding."
"If I ever get married," Ash mumbled sadly.
"I'm sure you will."
"You have someone that loves you very much," Daisy added quietly as she hugged him.
They hugged Gary and Misty one more time before leaving. As soon as they were out of sight, Gary quickly followed them without a glance towards Ash and Misty.
"Gary, wait. Are you leaving already?"
"I'm tired. You can handle everything else. I'm not needed here anymore."
Before she could say anything else, Gary quickly turned around and walked away. They both watched him walk away without saying a word, knowing they wouldn't be able to convince him to stay.
"At least I have you, right Ash?" Misty asked, turning her attention to him. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry Misty. I have to go."
"Wait Ash, you don't-"
"I'll make it up to you later, I promise!"
Ash ignored Misty's calls and quickly ran towards Gary's direction, hoping to catch up to him. He avoided those who were in his path, almost slipping on the rocks that were on his way.
"Gary!" Ash yelled once he saw the brunette. "Stop!"
Gary turned his head to look at Ash but didn't stop. Instead, he slowed down his pace and nudged his head, signaling to Ash that he was listening.
"I'm sorry," Ash breathed out. "And you're right, I am an idiot."
"Is that it?"
"I love you." Gary stopped but didn't turn around. "I was just too scared to tell you because I thought you wouldn't feel the same way. But I was too blind to see that you… that you love me too."
They stayed silent for a few minutes, Ash waiting for Gary's response. Feeling embarrassed about his sudden confession, Ash turned around and stared at the direction he came from, debating whether he should wait for Gary to speak up or leave to avoid any harsh remarks from the older boy.
"When we get married, you're going to be the bride."
Ash was too shocked to speak and only nodded, surprised that he didn't hear Gary walking towards him. Gary chuckled and turned him around, placing his arms over Ash's waist.
"It's hard to stay mad at an idiot like you," Gary said gently. Ash glared at him, but didn't push Gary away when he kissed him. "I love you too."
Ash smiled and hugged him, glad that Gary wasn't mad at him anymore.
"Come on, let's go home. It's about time we get to sleep together."
"Yea, I'm tired," Ash replied, grabbing Gary's hand and leading them to the direction of their house.
"After tonight, you will be."
Ash blushed and pushed Gary, the young professor pushing him back as he chuckled. They continued walking in comfortable silence under the stars, glad that they were able to confess their feelings and make progress in their relationship. Once they got home, Ash noticed Gary getting flustered. He silently laughed and hugged him from behind, closing his eyes as he heard Gary's fast heart beat. Throughout the night, they showed their love to one another and they felt their hearts connect, promising to love each other endlessly.
Months later
"Tracy, this came for us."
"What is it?"
"Look," Daisy said, handing him a vanilla envelope.
You are invited to our wedding! It will be an honor to have you there and celebrate our special day with us.
Make your reservations as soon as possible.
-Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum-
Gary has a spare room at the Oak's lab, so that's where he took his shower and where he asked Ash to go to. They have a house for themselves somewhere in Pallet Town. Hope that clears any confusion!
Hopefully I have another Palletshipping uploaded in a month or two but for now I'm focusing on the two stories that I'm writing: Chose thy love, love thy choice (contest/advance) and Ace of Hearts (kingdom hearts).
Hope you enjoyed and until next time!
Thanks for reading!