I was feeling a little Palletshippy today, and this came out. It may or may not become a full-length story, but enjoy it while it's here!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon -- Ken Sugimori-sensei does.

Ash leaned back, stretching out a bit before relaxing onto the couch with a contented sigh. His amber eyes closed, and he allowed himself to drift away with the sounds around him: the hushed snapping and crackling of the fire, the scritch scritch scritch of a broom sweeping away snow on the porch, and the soft carols emitting from the radio.

There was nothing quite like Christmas.

Something moved on his lap, and Ash smiled, opening his eyes to the familiar sight of Pikachu, and rested a hand on his pokemon's head. "Hey, Pikachu. Has Dawn decided that it's time to open presents already?"

"Pika!" Pikachu answered, closing his own eyes and rubbing his head into his trainer's hand before jumping off beside him and tugging on his sleeve.

Ash laughed and stood, picking up Pikachu as he did. "I know, I know, you're glad to be home, and able to see everyone again, right?" he teased the small yellow pokemon, who assumed his regular place on Ash's shoulder.

A sudden gust of cold wind carried a small flurry of snowflakes and a rather enthusiastic-looking Mr. Mime. "Mime, Mime, Mr. Mime!" he called, waving the broom he carried in one comically oversized hand excitedly around.

"Ash, will you please see what Mimey's going on about?" the faint voice of Delia drifted in from the open door to the kitchen down the hall. "Brock and I can't leave the stove!"

"All right, mom!" Ash called back, walking over past the distressed Mr. Mime and peering out into the white shaded landscape that had become Pallet Town. Everything was blanketed in white with the heavy snowfall that had hit the very day Ash, Brock, and Dawn had arrived at his house -- the only indication that anything but white existed outside that door was the faint grey shadows clinging to the edges of blurred shapes.

And yet...there was something else out there. A black smudge amid the pristine white, vaguely upright, and moving -- slowly, methodically, but moving in their direction. Ash squinted, trying to discern a more definite shape, then suddenly broke into a wide grin and bounded back into the house. "He's coming!"

"What?" Dawn exclaimed, entering the room with Delia, the elder of the two wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Oh dear, he's too early!" she fretted, brow creasing worriedly. "I only just put the ham in the oven, and the potatoes aren't anywhere near done, oh, and the vegetables still need to be prepared and we still haven't finished decorating -- "

"Oh, no need to worry, Mrs. Ketchum," Dawn interrupted, "I can finish the decorating! You and Brock can finish the cooking, and Ash can help me with the decorating!" The young coordinator flashed a smile towards Ash. "Or, you can welcome your guest and entertain him while I finish up! Everything will work out fine."

"Oh, Dawn, I hope you're right." Delia muttered before she scurried back into the kitchen. Just as her apron whisked behind the door, a knock came at the front door, and Dawn smiled.

"Wow, he got here fast!" she exclaimed, giving Ash a small push. "Well, don't just leave him out there! Let him in, and then you can both help me decorate!"

Ash chuckled, hurrying for the door and pulling the heavy, ornate wood open. A figure slightly taller than himself, completely sheathed in a brown traveling cloak, stood in the doorframe, and Ash's grin widened as a hand reached up and pulled back the hood of the cloak. "Gary! It's been ages, man - how are you?"

Pitch-black eyes gleamed in the sudden light as Gary shook his chocolate brown spikes free of the heavy material of the cloak. "Cold. Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Dawn squeaked, popping up beside Ash and shoving a box full of ornaments into his arms. "You're just in time to help us decorate the tree!"

Gary's face fell slightly as he entered, shutting the door behind him. "Oh, am I?" he asked, voice becoming noticeably less enthused. Ash raised an eyebrow, curious, but Dawn didn't seem to notice.

"Yup! You boys start on the tree," she continues, shoving a box full of lights into Gary's arms, "while I'll get the room looking a little nicer! Let's get started!"

-------------------

The room was warm and cozy, with the fire now burning jauntily, the tree glinting and glistening in the firelight, and snowflakes as large as dinner plates drifted silently down against the inky backdrop of the night of Christmas Eve. Dinner had been rich and delicious -- but then, Gary hadn't expected anything less from Ash's mom in terms of cooking.

No...something about tonight just wasn't quite right.

His grandfather and Tracy had come over just before dinner, bringing some of Ash's smaller pokemon along as a surprise so he could see them again -- Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Corphish, and even Bayleef had insisted, rather forcefully, on not being left behind. The decorations were spotless, and the room looked fantastic -- Gary grudgingly had to admit to himself that, while that Dawn girl might be dull as a rusty spoon, she could do well as a designer if she ever gave up contests.

Even the pokemon seemed to be enjoying themselves, spread out in the spacious living room and amusing themselves. Delia had drawn the line at letting his Electivire and Blastoise, Dawn's Mamoswine, and Ash's Gliscor, Grotle, and Staravia out, however; she had stated that if they wanted pokemon running all over the place, they should have gone to his grandfather's and eaten outside in the snow. No one seemed to mind, however.

'It's Christmas Eve,' Gary thought with a sigh as he leaned against the frame leading into the room, watching the interactions of people and pokemon alike. 'I'm getting to spend Christmas Eve at home for one, with grandpa, I just had a great meal...tomorrow's Christmas for Arceus' sake -- Christmas! The holiday I used to love as a kid, the one I have so many great memories of, the one point of the year that I liked best. And now, for some reason...I just don't care. Why don't I care?'

"Gary?"

Gary blinked, startled out of his thoughts by someone calling his name. He blinked again -- it was Ash. "I thought you were reuniting with your pokemon, Ash." he said, smirking slightly. "Bayleef seemed to really have missed you." he added, throwing in a mocking tone much like the one he used to direct towards Ash with every word. 'But those days were long ago,' he reminded himself quickly, 'back when I was young and arrogant.'

Ash laughed slightly, leaning against the other side of the doorframe and turning back into the room, letting his gaze rest upon Pikachu and Umbreon, who appeared to be swapping stories. "Yeah, she did. It was nice of Professor Oak to bring over some of my old Pokemon -- I've missed them a lot."

Gary nodded. "I bet. You always were a sentimental one when it came to your pokemon, Ashy-boy." '"Ashy-boy"? I haven't called him that in years...where did that come from?'

Ash turned his head slightly towards him and gave him a look. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Gary."

Something in Gary's chest lurched at the expression on Ash's face -- an odd mix of irritation, sadness, and hurt. Hesitantly, he reached out and lay a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Hey, Ashy-boy, I was just kidding around with you..."

A sharp squeal emitted from the room, making Gary's face scrunch up in pain. "Eee! Look at you two!" Dawn squealed again, clapping her hands up near her grinning mouth as she bounded up to them. "You-'re under the mi-stletoe, you-'re under the mi-stletoe!" she said in a singsong-like voice, dancing around. "Go on, kiss!"

Gary looked up and groaned -- sure enough, this girl had managed to hang the mistletoe, that most dreaded of plants, right above his and Ash's heads.

"What? No way, Dawn, you've got to be kidding!" Ash sputtered, face turning as red as the nose on Santa's lead Stantler.

Gary quirked an eyebrow at Ash's reaction -- embarrassment was nothing surprising, but a blush? A small smirk worked it's way onto Gary's lips. 'Well...this is an interesting development.' he thought, then slung his arm around Ash's shoulder. "Aw, come on, Ashy-boy. We are under the mistletoe."

Ash's eyes widened and, just as Gary had predicted, his blush deepened. "G-Gary?"

"What's one kiss, huh Ash? Or are you scared?" Gary teased.

"O-of course I'm not scared!" Ash retorted, stammering slightly. "W-what's one kiss?"

Gary smirked. "Then why haven't you kissed me yet?"

"I was...don't rush me!" Ash sputtered.

A small chuckle escaped Gary's lips before he bent in close to Ash's face. "I wasn't trying to rush you." he assured him with a whisper before leaning in a little closer and placing a soft kiss on the lips of his rival.

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