Driving Force

Leafgreenshipping

Welcome readers! :)

Anyone out there who wants to drive but is terrified at the same time? Haha, I know I am. Practice makes things better, but so does having a driving force. ;)

Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Leaf gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. The sound of the windshield wipers repetitively moving back and forth along with the rain battering down on her car made her question if this had been the right choice.

Although her car was parked, it didn't do anything to stop her nerves that anxiously bounced around inside of her. She could have been at home right now, reading a book while drinking a cup of warm tea. Being here was far from her ideal situation in spending the day. Especially since it was a heavy downpour. Taking a deep breath, Leaf glimpsed at the scenery outside her car, barely able to make out distinctive shapes out in this weather, searching for the person who had called her a frenzy earlier only ten minutes prior to her arriving here.

Deciding to turn off her engine, she unbuckled her seatbelt, feeling her nerves settle down a little bit.

Pulling out her phone from her bag which had been haphazardly tossed into the passenger seat earlier, she checked the details of the message she had received earlier.

Across the street from the Pokémon Center of Viridian City. Just as she had promised to be.

Where was he then?

Leaf's finger hovered over the call button. She could call her boyfriend to check what he was up to, having dragged her out of her comfort zone, to drive – in this weather – him back to Pallet Town. As much as she loved him, she really questioned his thoughts from time to time. Now being a prime example.

Of everyone he knew who could have called to pick him up, he had picked her despite –

The knocking at the window of car jolted Leaf out of her daze, dropping her phone into lap. At the passenger side window, a soaking wet brown haired male waited patiently waited for her to unlock the car door to let him in.

Shoving her phone away in her bag, she grabbed her bag and tossed it into the back of her car. While she was doing so, she made sure to unlock her car in the midst of her actions to prevent the guy from becoming any more cold than he already was.

"Took you long enough," Leaf exclaimed, watching him slip in causally as if he weren't bringing the outdoor world into her smaller, drier one.

"I could say the same to you, Leafy," Gary replied, ruffling his hair. A spray of water droplets sprinkled everywhere. "Sorry I kept you waiting though."

Leaf reached back, pulling out a towel she had anticipated she would need earlier and handed it over to him. He sent her an appreciative look as he attempted to towel off the rain. Turning to watch him, she silently waited, wondering what her next words should be.

Noticing her gaze, Gary paused his actions and smirked. "Like what you see?"

"No," Leaf smoothly declined. "If I happened to only like you, I wouldn't be here for you right now, Gare-bear."

Dramatically placing a hand over his heart, Gary feigned hurt.

"Ouch, Leaf, after all that I've done for you?"

Exchanging bemused looks, the two burst into laughter.

After settling down, Leaf's eyes wandered back to the downpour outside.

"What were you doing in Viridian City today?" she asked absentmindedly, tapping her steering wheel. "I thought you were going to spend the day in the lab with Professor Oak today."

"I had to deliver some papers," Gary replied. "Nurse Joy needed help, so I decide to stick around. Man, to think it was so nice earlier today."

"It's been overcast like this all day," Leaf pointed out. The sound of thunder rumbled overhead. "Let me guess, it never occurred to you that bringing an umbrella would be a smart idea?"

"I forgot to check the weather forecast!"

The brunette felt a warm hand grasp her own cold one. Almost automatically, their fingers intertwined themselves together. When had she gotten so cold?

"Speaking of unprepared," her boyfriend said. "Didn't you remember to grab a sweater at least on your way out?"

Shaking her head, Leaf let out a sigh. There was a flash of lightning in the distance.

"No. I rushed out when I heard your frazzled voice."

Gary placed the towel into the back of her car, then reached over to ruffle her hair, earning an annoyed glare.

"Ah, sorry about that," he apologised. "There was another patient rushed into just when I was about to leave. Will a kiss make you feel better?"

"Definitely," Leaf agreed, freeing her hand from his. "Later though. I think we should head back home before this storm gets worse."

As she turned her keys to start the car, she felt Gary brush aside a strand of her hair. She turned to give him a curious look as he watched her with a sympathizing yet apologetic look.

"Thanks for coming out to drive me," he murmured. "I know you're still not too comfortable driving, let alone driving through this weather..."

"Don't worry about it, Gary," she exclaimed. Adjusting the settings to make her car a little warmer, Leaf then reached over to Gary's hand a reassuring squeeze. Despite all the thoughts she had earlier, she let the truth slip out. "I'd do anything to help you."

Noticing he was wearing a tired expression, she placed both her hands on the steering wheel, looking in her rear-view mirrors on both sides before getting ready to get back on the road.

"Besides, practice helps," Leaf rambled on, feeling her nerves building up once more. Luckily, with Gary nearby, they weren't as bad as they were earlier. He trusted her fully. She could do this. "Take a nap if you need one, seems like you've had a long day."

"Nah, I'll be fine," he responded with yawn. Leaf gave him a knowing look. "I'm serious! I'm fine," he protested.

"If you say so."

Pulling away from the curb, Leaf made sure to turn on her headlights so others could tell she was driving through this weather. Keeping her eyes on both the road and on the speed she was driving at, slow than usual for safety precautions, she could just make out the red light at the intersection as she eased her foot on the brake.

The ride was silent. Just as Leaf had suspected, Gary had fallen sleep.

She wasn't sure how he fell asleep with all the pounding of rain on the roof of her car, but it did seem calming without the sound of the thunder at the moment. Perhaps he was just that tired.

Mentally awing at how cute her boyfriend was, Leaf couldn't help but admire him for a moment. He always put others ahead of himself, which made him rather selfless, a trait that caused Leaf to fall in love with brown haired teen despite their constant bantering.

Although others might not know, Leaf knew how considerate Gary was towards her. She wished she could do the same, it seemed like she owed him so much sometimes.

Driving him home and letting him nap on the way back was the least she could do for him right now.

"Sleep well, Gary," she whispered to her boyfriend.

Watching the streetlight turn green, she stepped on the gas. She had driven on this road more than once, there was nothing unnerving about being some familiar, right? Relaxing her death grip on the steering wheel, she felt determination to keep trying cut through her anxious feelings about driving.

It would take time for her to overcome this but Leaf knew as long as Gary was by her side, these feelings would go away and she'd feel better about it.

After all, he was her driving force to keep moving forward despite her fears.

Hehe, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! I feel like I haven't written for leafgreenshipping for a while... They're so cute together~!

Let me know what you think about by giving this story a review. :)

Thanks for reading and have a glorious day!

~Skitty13