Notes: I don't know where this came from. I usually don't write predominantly egoshipping stories, but this times different. In this, Gary and Misty are 20 somethings who both have been dumped and are looking for closure through each other's company There is slight pokeshipping and oldrivalshipping, but those are one-sided.

Anyway, enjoy! Also feel free to drop a review if you like. It would make my day :)

"Her teeth marks patched up the lines on my palms
The edge of her spine braided into mine
We were mute in the mouth of the moon
We were mute in the mouth of the currents
Of blood vessels containing the sea
That keep you from coming back to me."

- Bit by a Dead Bee part I, Foxing.

She curls into his side and presses her body against his wordlessly. Her lips are locked shut: a stupid safe that houses secrets too far out of his reach to unravel. They speak of journeys and endless spaces begging to be uncovered. Her heart houses similar terrains, and he wishes he were able to delve deep inside that too, but he isn't worthy - no one is.

That's the thing.

It's okay though, because tonight they're sleeping together. No - not that way. Her body is lying beside him and she's fully clothed. He hasn't even touched her. They're just sleeping, that's all.

Well, she's sleeping. Gary is too hot to sleep, and maybe it has something to do with the body beside him - you know, body heat - but he thinks that's a big fat lie. The truth is, Gary is sleeping next to Misty Waterflower, gym leader of Cerulean City, and it's hard not to be bothered by the fact that she's curled up against his side, all soft skin and gentle breaths and Gary, Gary can't take it. She's his friend, mew damn it! He should not be hot and bothered by her.

Except he is. Arceus, he is. How did it end up like this again?

Oh yeah, they're both each other's pity date, or rather pity friends who sleep together but don't. He never said it was exactly normal. Whatever. They had both been dumped when it happened...well, not dumped per say. They just realized that the people they loved were probably, most likely, never going to love them back. And why go home to an empty bed when you can have someone beside you?

They're both pretty messed up these days.

Gary had opened the door to his apartment pretty shakily. He was...admittedly scared. Misty and he had just returned from some league gala which Gary would remember as

(the night where his heart was ripped in half - where Leaf Greene strutted through the room with some nameless man strapped to her arm. Where he watched as that man's hand wormed its way around her shoulders, her waist, the small of her back, and Gary could only see red red red)

the night he'd realized his own mediocrity. Apparently, Misty's night had reached the same conclusion. Rather than dwell on this punch to the gut, the two of them decided that they would essentially hook up.

They were going to sleep together. At least...that was the plan.

The two of them entered the maw of the room.

"So," Misty said, "this is your place." Her green eyes scanned the perimeter of the room. Gary watched her with caution. Misty was, in all honesty, one hell of a woman. Her personality was sharp and witty, coupled with a dose of utter determination and sheer willpower. She had a short temper, but when that was channelled through battling, she was darn near impossible to beat. She was no pushover. On top of all that, Gary couldn't help but pick up on the fact that she was...well, attractive. Fiery hair, long legs, big green eyes - all of these traits had Gary pinned down. She terrified him; she also excited him. He wanted her in ways he couldn't explain. There's was just one problem.

Misty was his friend.

The two of them had gotten close as of late, blame it on a mutual connection to Ash or whatever, but they certainly had developed some sort of relationship. And yeah, Gary had thought about the possibility of furthering that relationship. He had imagined kissing her more than one occasion, maybe even dreamed about other things, but that didn't mean it wasn't weird actually coming to terms with the fact that it may actually come true. After all, she was stood in his apartment. She was looking at him under her eyelashes. She was willing to skip over the formalities and...and...you know.

Gary's throat tightened.

Misty made her way over to one of his couches. "Its nice here," she told him, sitting down and smoothing out her blue dress. The fabric rode up her leg a little and Gary quickly looked away. He hated how nervous he got around her - how his reputation as a smooth operator was instantly destroyed the moment he glanced her way.

"Its home I suppose," he replied. "I travel a lot so I guess it's nice to have some place to come back to. I mean, don't get me wrong, Gramp's lab is a safe haven but, at the end of the day it's not mine."

Misty face softened. "Sure."

A moment passed.

"Um, do you want some wine?" Gary asked, a nervousness creeping in through his words. "I don't know how much you had at the party but um, I have some Bordeaux I think. Unless you'd prefer like, coffee or something."

"No no, wine is good," she assured him. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I think I could use a drink."

He poured their glasses and went to sit beside her on the couch - not too close but not too far either. He felt odd being so conscious about the space between them. It had never really crossed his mind before.

Misty broke the ice first by declaring, "Tonight sucked." Well, he couldn't exactly argue.

He let a smirk grace his features. "What? Were the appetizers not appealing enough?" he quipped.

Misty made her voice nasally, turning her face upwards in a pompous manner. "Quite the opposite! Why there weren't enough."

Gary gasped. "Scandalous."

"Not to mention the fact that the bubbly wasn't, well, bubbly." The redhead harrumphed. Gary couldn't help it - he laughed.

"I'll be writing a strongly worded letter with at least ten exclamation marks, maybe more if I'm feeling daring."

"I should hope so! I myself will be sending a very lengthy rant on my blog. Anyone who's anyone reads it you know."

And just like that, his nervousness was washed away.

"You know though," Misty sobered up, As their giggles died down, "all jokes aside I really meant what I said. Tonight was the absolute worst. I'm just," she paused, digesting her words, "glad I was able to get out. I'm happy I can forget about it all with you." She threw him a smile before taking another sip of wine. Gary had already poured himself another glass.

"Me too. If I had to stay another second, I think I would have exploded in rage," Gary said. He didn't want to think about Leaf, not tonight. Misty was the opposite: she wanted to rant.

"It's just, can you believe him? Showing up out of nowhere like he hasn't been gone for years, and thinking nothing has changed. Everything has fucking changed! Except him. He's still that dense ignorant ten year old thinking that people will forgive him just because he's Ash. Well I'm not going to. Not after-" she choked on her words, fell silent as if she were a beedrill who had lost its stinger.

Gary wondered how everything always came back to Ash Ketchum. In the end, he was no different from Misty either. While Gary had long outgrown is silly rivalry with the raven haired boy, he still had in the back of his mind a never ending grudge, and he didn't think that would ever go away. Not now. Not ever. If that was the case, then he couldn't even begin to imagine what Misty's mind must have be going through. He could almost hear it screaming.

Gary pressed, just a little. "Misty," he said, voice soft and earnest, begging for something like trust. "What happened before he left?" (What happened before the party - years ago before there was anything close to Misty and Gary?).

Misty's voice cracked, "He kissed me."

Gary nodded. "And then?"

"He left."

Silence.

"And tonight?" Gary asked.

"Tonight?" Misty voiced. She clutched the fabric of her dress. "He told me that he was sorry but, he couldn't do this with me. He…" Misty shook her head. "There was a time, you know, when I knew everything about Ash Ketchum. When, we would sit by the campfire and talk until the embers died down, and back then Brock used a lot of wood. And there would be days when I could read him like a book, but now...now I don't even know. Now he kisses me like he means it and takes it all back years later, and I can't get a fucking thing from him. It's like I don't even know him anymore. Do you know what a punch in the gut that is?" Misty laughed bitterly. "And yeah, maybe the stupid kiss meant nothing, but I still had let myself think…" Misty stopped talking and downed the rest of her wine, moving her hand toward the bottle shortly after. Gary didn't stop her.

"So where do I fit in?" he asked. A stupid part of him felt jealous, jealous for the boy who was printed on every inch of Misty's soul, who knew her inside out while Gary was only allowed the small sliver of what she wore on the outside. Gary was the one who...appreciated her. Who could love her if she let him (if he let himself). Ash had only promised her something he couldn't keep. That was the difference.

Misty looked at him silently. She took his hand gingerly in her own. "Where do you want to fit in?"

Gary gulped. "I," and faltered. He figured he'd better tell his story too. "Leaf Greene was a childhood friend of mine. I've loved her for the longest time, maybe I still do. The thing is, I never told her. Now she's found another." Gary sighed. "There's something about you, Misty - something about us. We understand each other. What we both want right now is some form of healing. I need you to help me with that, and I...I want you." He locked his eyes with her own, watched as comprehension bloomed beautifully across her face.

Misty nodded. "I want you too."

They were promising something that they'd never tell anyone: a silent agreement that whatever happens happens. They were not looking back.

She cupped his face with her hands. "Help me forget him."

And maybe it was the alcohol that numbed their senses, made them throw away all rational thought and reason, but Gary wanted to believe that they were doing this out of their own free will - that they wanted this as much as they wanted Ash and Leaf to gravitate back toward them. It didn't matter though. They were already making their way to his bedroom.

It went down like this:

Gary laid her down on his bed, the queen size mattress sinking down with their weight. He pushed her legs slightly apart, fitting his knees between them and resting his hands on the sheet above her head. She was at his mercy, at least Gary thought she was, right until her hands snaked their way to his suit and pulled him close - until her lips ghosted over his. A breath of air separated the two of them.

"Gary," she breathed, and he was lost in a tsunami of girl and soft hands and red flaming hair. She smelled a little of chlorine, but it was such a Misty thing that he couldn't help but smile. He let himself be carried by her tide, and if the ocean was their destination, he'd gladly drown in her embrace.

His hand smoothed down her hair. He was so nervous that he almost shook with the action. Her hair felt soft, and it framed her face in such a flattering way, softly tickling the bottom of her neck, no lower. Gary narrowly dodged her lips, choosing instead to push back the fringe covering her forehead and place kiss there. He wanted to drag this out. He wanted to make this moment last longer than it should, because he'd been waiting for it for so long. Longer than she could imagine.

Misty was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with each intake of air, and it sent a surge of confidence through Gary. He was doing this to her. His ego cheered. Taking advantage of this momentum, Gary peppered soft kisses along her neck, relishing in the fact that he had come so far. He pushed away his uncertainty. And then, he met her lips. Her hands wrapped around his neck, playing with the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck. He kissed her again. And again.

And it felt good. There was something inside him that wanted to burst. Gary almost felt...complete. Right? This girl who loved with the weight of the ocean, who filled his lungs with both air and water, kept him on the edge between finally being able to breathe and drowning - was giving him something he had been after for years: a chance to be loved.

Her lips melted against his own.

She broke away, hands tentatively grazing his shirt (he had long discarded his suit jacket). She sat herself up, graceful fingers loosening the buttons. Misty looked up at him halfway through, staring at him under her eyelashes and biting her lips. Her gaze seemed to ask of it was okay. He unbuttoned the rest for her in response and a heated blush bloomed across her cheeks.

He let her flip him over until his bare back was flat against his sheets. Her legs straddled his own, and was she even aware of what she was doing to him? Gary groaned. She kissed him hard, letting her hands roam across his skin.

And Gary...Gary could barely take it. His body was on fire.

He went to reach for the straps of her dress, those darn straps and let himself relish at the feeling of her skin. His fingers grazed her shoulders and and…

Something within Gary broke. He couldn't... he wasn't able to…

he really wouldn't bring himself to unravel her like that. Because, because… because here's the thing.

Gary still thought of Leaf. Leaf Greene and her stupid brown hair and her stupid green eyes and her stupid way of worming herself into his life. Part of him felt like he was betraying her by being with Misty, and even though he had every right to, Leaf was so engraved into his mind that he could never cross her - even if he wanted to (arceus he wanted to).

He almost loved Misty, because in a lot of ways she was like Leaf - determined, strong willed, and deadly as poison, the only difference being that Leaf was his first love. Maybe he'd never outgrow her.

Was it possible to love two people?

With every kiss he gave to Misty, a silent sorry followed it. He was so messed up. That was why he broke apart from her, staring into her green (but not that shade of green) eyes and hating himself.

She looked like she was in a daze.

"Misty?" Gary asked, concern edging deep through his voice.

Misty reached for his hand. Slowly and sadly she placed a kiss against his palm, a searing pain shooting through him at the contact. And then he felt something...wet.

Misty was crying.

Gary's heart almost stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly.

"I-I'm sorry."

"What? Why?"

"B-Because…" and Gary already knew the answer, "because I can't stop thinking about him," she admitted - a watery mess.

Gary sighed.

Because he knew Misty, because they both knew each other, Gary could nod in understanding. "Yeah," he said, "I thought so."

They needed someone beside them to last the night; even though they had forgone their original plans, that much wouldn't change. So Misty had borrowed his clothes and crawled in his bed, and they would sleep together with their backs facing one another, curled together in a perfect (un)fit manner.

She curls into his side and presses her body against his wordlessly.

They are silent. Words between them are lost in their hearts and they lock them soundly behind closed bars the same way they do their relationship.

Love blossoms between them, but it doesn't. Too many things (two other people) hold them back.

It doesn't matter though.

Tonight they're sleeping together.

.

.

.