disclaimer: i don't own anything.
notes: basically a one-shot where misty and gary are two young 12 year old spitfires that barely have any self-control but at least they're cute
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She only knew his name, his Grandfather, and his inability to contain limits. He only knew she was fun to rile up.
"You put yourself in this situation, just tell me where Ash is and-"
"No!" she hissed through her teeth. "Stop being ridiculous!"
He teases, twirling Staryu's pokeball in front of Misty's livid face as she looked ready to burst with ugly slurs and pummel him into a mushy mess of ego and horrid hair. But Gary sat high on a thick branch of the old Oak tree outside Professor Oak's lab, safe and sound from Misty and her clenching fists. The tree was older than the stars, long branches strong enough to hold Gary Oak comfortably. Though old, the tree was not the tallest, yet elevated enough to escape from an overzealous shrew.
"It's not as if I am going to hurt it," Gary smiled cheekily, "Staryu's safe and sound!"
"I dare you to hurt my baby," Misty's shoulders shook, light dancing all over her as the rays filtered through the tree branches above. "I just dare you to come close enough to even touching Staryu! I'll make it seem like some accident, Oak. I know where you live; and Professor wouldn't like his grandson covered in his own blood. Imagine the stains! He would have a fit. Now, give me the ball or else."
Her empty threats barely worried him. He wasn't Ketchum that would shiver at her every scowl, or Brock that would sigh in defeat at Misty's whim because she was the lady of the clan. There was no way he'd admit that Misty conquered him, gaining back her staryu and earning mild admiration from Ash as she proudly states how she beat him to the ground.
He could just picture Ash and Misty laughing at his expense, hands covering their mouths as they glance towards him. Misty whispering some bratty remark to his rival's ear and Ash's tan cheek falling onto her sharp shoulder blade with giggles. Imagining made Gary's skin crawl. No matter the time spent perched on the edge of a branch on his Grandfather's aging tree, he would savor the view of a fuming Misty alone with Ketchum nowhere in sight. A simple excuse and a quick snatch of her pokeball was all it took to grab some attention. It was child's play.
Gary's neck lifted, his eyes hovering over to see a bright head of red hair nod furiously. A pair of fists at both sides, her hips swaying with harsh force. And her quivering bottom lip, reddish and full of self-inflicted teeth marks.
She was kicking the tree. Hard.
"Ah, the view is beautiful up here! I can see puffs of smoke from your ears mix with the wind. So elegant. Nature is truly remarkable, doncha' think?"
"I'll kill you. After I kill Ash." she decided, hopping on one leg while soothing the other.
"Why kill Ash? I mean, it isn't his fault you're an incompetent trainer unable to keep her own pokemon safe from wandering hands." Gary shook his head, choppy brown locks flicking every which way.
"Will you be serious for a minute?"
Gary was now dangling his feet, brown boots swinging back and forth mockingly. Testing how far he can go before she jumps high enough to reach for his feet.
"Twenty seconds is my limit," he replied with a grin, "But since I'm feeling rather generous, for you, I can last about fifty-eight seconds. Go ahead, friend, shoot."
"Oak, I'm not your friend," Misty sneered, "All I know is you stole my staryu to get me to blab about where Ash is, which by the way, I don't know. He's probably training out in his backyard or picking at his toes-because it's Ash. Look, it's late and hot, and by now Mrs. Ketchum probably made some iced tea. But before I can enjoy a glass and listen to some smooth jazz and cuddle up with Togepi I have to sharpen my nails to slash your face. Now, get down for the last time before I sick Starmie on yo-"
Gary chuckled over her, does she ever quit?
"Smooth jazz? Really? I took you for the type that appreciates death metal."
"ARGH!"
Gary just stared in wonder, juggling her staryu's pokeball back and forth between his two hands. Misty now had a reddish hue plastered on her cheeks. He found it slightly endearing.
"What a way to talk, like, how do you keep so much air in such a scrawny body? Ah, you only think you know me but it seems you locked on the first impressions of me you based by our first encounter which I have to say was barely on at all-on top of the fact you're in cohorts with Ash Ketchum who probably has a twenty page list on why I'm such a 'spikey-haired jerk' in his diary."
"Actually it's twenty-five pages now."
"Anyway, with that preconceived judgement of me you are never going to have the true Oak experience. You might actually like my company, some find it charming."
Misty gave him a look, "So the true Gary Oak experience is having Staryu stolen while said thief hides up in the trees like the deranged attention whore he is?"
"Red, admit it, you've been closed off to me ever since you guys came to visit Pallet. You pout and act like I'm some pompous sleaze that likes to bother you and your friends because I am actually a raticate in disguise. Really, I think of myself as more of a charizard and eevee mix? Cute and heroic, almost deadly."
Misty wrinkled her nose, "Stop putting words in my mouth, roadkill."
He leaned forward, mirroring her by wrinkling his nose in return. Gary stretched out his body, kicking his feet up to settle his back against the trunk of the tree to lean in a comfortable position.
"Oh, but isn't it true?" he said, flicking a dancing branch away from tickling his ear. "Like, you don't know I am actually pretty fond of iced tea myself."
"Because kidnapping is truly the only way to change a person's opinion?"
"It's working so far." Misty stuck her tongue at him.
"Staryu might be missing me!" she shouted at him, changing the subject. "It needs to be fed with love before it breaks free and blasts you in the face once it realizes it's been kidnapped by an overgrown raticate."
"I can't get off," Gary whimpered jokingly, "I'm scared."
"Come on," she was growing even more impatient, "Can you be any more infuriating? Call out one of your pokemon and get down! Or at least pass me the pokeball so I can abandon you."
His forest green eyes narrowed, struggling to hold back his lips from twitching. With as much drama Gary could handle, he dipped back, waving his hand against his forehead like he would faint. He squeals, changing the pitch of his voice to match that of a shrill woman, "To think I married you, Wilson, I should've listened to my mother! How cruel my dear husband can be! Oh my!"
"GARY!"
"Wilson, don't you take that tone with me-"
Misty stomped her foot, growling as she dug her feet into the dirt making her way to some pebbles that circled around a small patch of wildflowers. Grabbing a heavy handful she came back to face Gary with his eyes glinting with childish glee.
"Wilson, how da-Ow! Misty!"
"Bertha, my dear, can you not take a hit?" She threw another pebble at his chest, avoiding his eyes and staryu's pokeball.
"Ahaa! Bertha, really?" he chuckled, blocking a pebble with the palm of his hand. "I've always thought I was a Veronica-ah!"
Misty flung one towards at his head, causing the pebble latch onto a jungle of gelled spikes. She couldn't help but smile at her good aim and Gary's ruffled image. "Nah," she winked, "Bertha suits you."
"O-ow! Stop it!" Gary cried, springing to his feet, each foot firmly placed on the branch as his hands held onto the tree trunk.
Misty held up a husky one this time, flicking her wrist only to stop mid-way.
"Jump."
"There is no way I am going to-"
"Jump or die." She stepped closer, standing right below him, daring him.
Gary's face paled, "In time, we will laugh about this one day-"
The pebble punched him in his cheek, he gasped loudly enough for Misty to drop every pebble in worry. Without a chance to escape, her blue-green eyes widened with disbelief, chest pressed to chest, her back colliding into rigid ground. A young male body, nimble and healthy, avoided the smaller branches and fell straight onto Misty. How lucky they were. Funny, the pokeball was still in his hand.
Misty struggled beneath his heavy upper half, instantly regretting her choice of throwing itsy rocks at cocky boy dangling from a tree. He always did like grand entrances. Still, she had to find a way to blame this all on him. Medical bills were costly after all.
"G-get off," she moaned into his ear, "Gary!"
She flipped a Gary over, setting them side by side. His body was rigid and there was no sign of any movement. Whispers of 'Oh my god!' and 'Gary, you idiot!' hid under her breath as she shook him. Flicking his nose. The palm of her hands hitting against his chest in frenzy.
Painful groans escaped his thin lips as they scrunched up with the rest of his face in defeat. He regained consciousness.
"Urgh-"
"Is anything broken?"
Gary plopped his elbows up, sitting forward to face Misty. Forcing himself to send her a half-smirk, his body burning with ache. "Just my heart," he replies, jokingly gripping at his long-sleeved purple t-shirt.
They were silent for a moment, the breeze picking up, blowing in their faces.
"So," he says, plucking out fallen leaves from his hair. "I jumped-"
Before Gary had the chance to speak, Misty pounced, her skin itching and her dainty fists striking a clumsy blow at his upper arm. She was overwhelmed, excited. Small tears building up, she ignores how their legs tangle, how his confident smile didn't falter at each hit, causing her to hit till he breaks.
Who knew if she would feel guilty afterwards? What would Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum say? She didn't care. His teasing laughter only kept her adrenaline running.
"For the last time-"
"GIVE."
She grabbed him by the collar. Bringing their noses close.
"ME."
She shook him hard.
"STARYU."
Her nails digging into his neck, struggling as she huffs wildly, Gary withered under her touch as he held onto Staryu's ball. Staring back into bright eyes, feeling her nose fume on his face. Her pokeball out of reach, behind his back.
He began to tussle back. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists, spun her around and arched her body back. In a counterattack, Misty knocked her backside into him and pushed him into the ground. They kept tackling each other. He pinched her sides and she jabbed at his stomach. Gary could swear he could see her crack a small smile in between her snarling and insults.
Despite not being seriously injured, Gary started to grow sore. Yet here was a firecracker of a girl stubborn enough to still go at it with him. They were having a good fight, whether to win back her pokemon or to release her anger he didn't care-
She was still here, fighting with him.
Gary can't remember the last time he messed around with a girl like this. Most of the women in his life were cheerleaders or other trainers, barely any of them willing to insult his ego. As much as Gary valued his cheerleaders and their fawning it was a different kind of companionship. Unlike Ash, he didn't have a person like Misty to bicker and joke with. In a way, if Gary was mature enough to admit it out loud, he would even say he was slightly jealous of Ash. Gary bets that with Misty at his side Ash's life must be one hell of an adventure.
It was funny to him. If only Misty was aware how close they were, face to face, then she'd scurry away and rush behind her friends in angry embarrassment. But, luckily for him, her friends weren't here. It was only them, two kids that were more strangers than friends, and with that, nervousness rushed to his gut, a feeling he hasn't felt in a long time came over him.
His antics got him into this position by teasing her in the first place. He hasn't treated a girl in such a way since he and Ash were still playing with Elite Four action figures, pretending to battle with sofa cushions, and pulling the hair of pretty girls for kicks and giggles. But Gary would only do it to certain girls, the kind he liked. And Gary Oak doesn't like often.
She was on top of him now, her fist tightly clenching his purple sweatshirt. Her eyes read 'I got you' as her lips twisted in a smirk, "Now, are you ready to give in Oa-"
On impulse, thoughts of the playground leaving his mind, drowning out her nasally threats, he reached and brought her close. He placed a kiss on Misty's warm cheek.
He kissed her. Quickly, barely even leaving a peck.
Gary felt her stiffen, cheeks exploding with a deeper rogue than before. They jumped away from each other, chests heaving and brains buzzing. The boy picked up his feet, tossing the pokeball in her lap, glancing at her surprised face one last time. Small tears barely visible. One hand held Staryu's pokeball as the other clasped her cheek. Misty was still in a state of shock, as if she was trying to piece together what happened. Stealing a kiss may have been a step to far.
Gary felt his own cheeks grow with heat, his heart expanding with mixed emotions.
She lifted her eyes from the ground, "Oak, are you crazy?"
For once he was speechless, unable to come up with a decent reason why he felt the need to kiss her. Gary swallowed, "Crazy is as crazy does?"
"That doesn't even make sense!" Misty stood up and walked towards him, "So you think you can steal my pokemon and a kiss on the cheek, Oak?"
"Misty, I-"
Before he could finish his statement, Misty pressed her lips against his cheek. Gary was speechless, his jaw left agape. Now he was the one holding his cheek, bewildered at the image of Misty leaning so close to him.
"Oh-and Gary?" He blinked, looking up to see Misty backing away from him.
Misty smiled sweetly, "Thanks for the new friend." She lifted up two pokeballs.
In her dirty hand was not only Staryu's pokeball but Wartortle's pokeball as well.
Without him noticing she stolen his pokeball. His wartortle's pokeball.
Before Gary could even react she ran towards the Ketchum household in a fit of giggles as if she won their battle. He cursed to himself for falling for her trick. He collected his thoughts and ran after her, "Red, wait!"
Gary failed to fight back the grin forming on his lips as he watched her run faster than any boy in his neighborhood could.
To himself, he thinks when it comes to her he doesn't mind a chase.
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notes: i hope you enjoyed it! reviews and criticism are valued! egoshipping is perfect and i hate that i love mushy "boy-picks-on-girl-he-likes" cliches especially when the boy is a young cocky Gary Oak that pays for girls to hang out with him (those cheerleaders are escorts, kids)