Misty stood overlooking the massive aquarium in the Cerulean City gym. She'd come back home from her travels for a few weeks to see her sisters and her hometown. Sighing she sat down and dangled her legs into the water remembering the day Ash had saved the day so long ago, when Team Rocket were bent on stealing the pokemon from the Gym and he'd earned the Cascade Badge for his heroism.

She slung her bag off her shoulder and down to the wet edge of the pool. She removed her pokeballs and one at a time released Staryu, Starmie, Horsea, Goldeen, and Psyduck into the water to enjoy themselves for the afternoon. Togepi stood at the edge looking at it's tiny reflection in the rippling water.

She thought back to the last time she'd seen Ash. He and Gary and some of the other Trainers who had grown up together had been at a large reception at Professor Oak's estate in Pallet Town. That had only been a few weeks ago. She'd watched Gary and Ash look sideways at each other all night across crowds of other important people in the pokemon community. On the off chance they found the party had brought them together the two boys, no young men she corrected herself, fumbled over their words and awkwardly hurried in the opposite direction. It was certainly a change from their relationship when she first met them.

Misty shook her head to clear her thoughts. She'd often wondered if the two didn't have feelings for one another. After all when boys are little they often pick on their crushes. Granted their rivalry at times seemed to go way past that, but still it made her wonder if there wasn't something that had caused it. Since Gary and Ash had grown up...she stopped to think...hell Gary was nineteen now, and Ash only a few months behind him. Since they'd grown up their rivalry had practically died away. Gary sometimes teased Ash and predictably Ash rose to the bait but research had calmed the youngest Oak, and now that Ash had proven himself as a trainer and a Pokemon Master he wasn't nearly as irritating as he'd been years ago.

Slipping into the pool for a swim she wondered if she shouldn't try her hand at matchmaking...

Ash Ketchum was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. His friend and first pokemon, Pikachu, was already curled up in his own plush bed asleep. Ash couldn't sleep though. For the goodness knows how many nights in a row he lie awake thinking about things he didn't know how to feel about. Namely his childhood friend and then rival and nemesis, Gary Oak.

He had begun to realize his feelings for Gary had changed some years back. He didn't see him often anymore. Or really ever since they'd both left Pallet Town to become Pokemon Trainers. But now that they were both back in town and he saw Gary nearly every day, feelings he'd pushed aside so many years ago were all coming back to him.

The years had done Gary well. He was taller, with a lean muscular body. His demeanor had softened somewhat, but he could still be a cocky ass. There was something about him in that white lab coat that just made Ash weak in the knees. And the thought of running his hands through Gary's brunette locks and kissing his soft lips made him feel butterflies in his stomach. And stirrings elsewhere in his body.

Annoyed at his present train of thought and what it was doing to his body he rolled over onto his side. His last thought as he was falling asleep was what it would feel like to have Gary behind him holding him as he slept.

Gary Oak had finally finished the evening feeding at his grandfather's. Exhausted but in a good way he climbed up stairs to his room and flopped down in front of his computer. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before slowly typing out Ash Ketchum. The search engine populated the screen with images of his childhood rival and stories about his training career thus far. He scrolled through the images until he found a favorite. It showed Ash holding his Pikachu smiling for the camera after beating the Elite Four in the Indigo League. He brushed one finger against the screen smiling.

With a sigh and a shake of his head he powered the computer down and threw himself onto the bed with a heavy sigh. He had known for years now that he was in love with Ash. He just didn't know how to tell him. He didn't even know where to begin. It had always been easy with the girls when he was younger. He didn't even have to try. And there had been that one boy in Jhoto, but it hadn't lasted very long. He hadn't even been able to go all the way with him because he kept thinking about Ash Ketchum. It was enough to drive him crazy. He stripped down to a pair of his designer underwear and climbed under the covers. He punched his pillow a few times and collapsed with another wistful sigh. He lay awake for a long time thinking about Ash, while his Eevee searched for a comfortable place on the foot of the bed to sleep. Finally the gentle sound of Eevee's steady breathing, his own exhaustion, and thoughts of holding Ash like his spare pillow, tight and warm, he fell asleep.

Ash was standing at the edge of a lake watching the water as it ebbed against the shore. He turned to watch Pikachu bounding through the tall reeds farther along the shoreline startling a flock of Far'fetched who burst out of the thick cover farther out to the deeper water. A little farther out a Goldeen leaped out of the water, the sunlight sparkling off her scales and her splash as she disappeared below the surface.

He felt someone behind him and turned his head as delicate, strong hands came around his torso and traveled up his chest. Lips were beside his ear, brushing it softly as he heard a whispered voice.

"Oh Ashy boy."

"Gary?", Ash questioned, turning around looking surprised. It felt so right, but he had to be sure.

"Of course. You wouldn't let any other guy take you out for a romantic evening and hold you this close would you?" he asked his blue/grey eyes glittering in the sun while the warm breeze softly played through his hair. He leaned forward and their lips met.

"No. No one but you Gary," Ash answered pulling back from the kiss, his own eyes gleaming like amber. Gary reached up gently placing a hand under Ash's chin tilting his head up.

"Good," he said smiling while running both of his soft hands gently around his face pulling him in for a longer more passionate kiss.

Slowly he lowered Ash to the warm shore along the lake his hands running under his lover's shirt, tracing the muscles years of pokemon training had cultivated. Gary kissed along Ash's jaw and neck stopping to pull off first Ash's and then his own shirt. Lightly tanned, Ash's skin paled against Gary's richer bronzed torso. The sun-warmed grass and Gary's smooth body felt delicious against his.

Gary bent to kiss him again as his hands traced their way down Ash's body, sliding down his slender hips to the button of his pants. Growling through a kiss he fumbled with the button, smiling through another when he felt the pants loosen. Gripping them he pulled them down, bracing himself with one arm while another explored the part of Ash's body he'd just discovered.

Ash was practically writhing in pleasure when he felt Gary's hand sliding under the elastic waistband of his underwear and firmly gripping his manhood and break their kiss. Confused he looked up as Gary began kissing his way down Ash's body. And then his lips were sliding over Ash and taking him completely into his mouth.

Ash jerked awake breathing heavily into the dark of his room. He could still here the sound of Pikachu softly snoring across the room. It was only a dream. Sighing he reached down to re-arrange himself. It had felt so good, no it felt right to be with Gary. He just needed to figure out how to work this all out. What if Gary didn't feel the same way? What if he freaked out and never wanted to see Ash again? Troubled the young man tried to drift off to sleep.