Notes: I write another chapter at last! This features; Card Games, Giant Tentacools and Snotty Ash. :P
Chapter 4
The fanclub was growing to frightening degrees, Ash was already beginning to see.
He crept downstairs, his hair still dripping with the remnants of bathwater, and he entered the lounge to witness Gary and Misty. Laughing. Together. Tracey and Brock were laughing too, but they didn't count anymore. They'd already been looped into Gary's club.
But Misty...
Ash was disappointed. He'd thought she was stronger than that.
Everyone was so busy being entertained by Ash's demonic rival, that they had yet to notice Ash himself, and so he stepped a little more into the room and cleared his throat.
"Oh, Ash!" Misty turned away from Gary, which was good, and her face hovered between amusement and concern.
Then she burst into laughter.
"What?" Ash's arms fell, almost unconsciously around himself, into a hug. Even though he wasn't wearing the Pikachu printed pyjamas anymore, he was still quite aware that he was the only one wearing pyjamas right now. "What's funny?"
"Nothing," Misty said between poorly concealed giggles. And Tracey and Brock had started laughing too.
Ash felt his cheeks heat up even more when he saw Gary was struggling to hide his own grin.
"What?" he repeated.
"Oh nothing," Misty hopped over, and then waved a hand over his head. "You just look a bit like an ice-cream."
Ash stared blankly, and then saw the blob of suds she'd scooped from his hair into her hand. "Oh." he muttered, quite mortified.
He was almost thankful for his second attack of sneezes that night, because it saved him from a particularly embarrassed silence.
"Your mom is going to kill you," Tracey was shaking his head. "You shouldn't have gone out in the rain like that."
Ash shuffled onto the couch, sitting near to Brock. He avoided looking at anyone, but mostly Gary.
"I was angry." Ash felt Misty sit to his side, and he heard her sigh. But she didn't say anything else. He sneezed again, and was handed a box of tissues by Tracey. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. And don't pass your germs onto me either."
"It's your turn," Gary's voice was spiky and almost self-conscious, and Ash blinked up to see he was looking at Misty.
Ash watched, confused for a bare second, before Misty sat on the floor by a bunch of playing cards.
"Oh, but you keep beating me," Misty peered at her cards.
"It's because he's such a good liar,"
Ash stared wide-eyed at Tracey, who for a moment looked like he might be bad-mouthing Gary. Blasphemous.
Ash scratched his head. "What...what do you mean..."
"Cheat, we're playing Cheat." Tracey explained. And then it all made sense. Sadly. "You bluff your way through the game, basically lying about every card you put down to win."
"Oh." Ash sniffled. He watched the card game unfold with a morbid sort of interest. He didn't like to see Misty being entertained like that; her face crinkling with occasional amusement, and all because of Gary.
"See. You beat me again." Misty frowned as she folded her last card. "I give up. It's a stupid game, anyway."
Ash wanted to agree, but bit his lip. And then he sneezed again.
"It's boring," Gary corrected Misty. "Not stupid. 'Cos I keep beating everyone."
"That just proves what a devious liar you are," Misty pointed out, her glare was light. "It's nothing to brag about,"
"I beat you a couple of times," Brock addressed Gary. Although most of his attention seemed to be spared for some health programme for Pokemon on the TV.
Gary began dealing out cards again; "That's because you're the guy with the amazing Onix. And your amazing Onix is going to help me dig for my Areodactyl. Remember."
Ash narrowed his eyes. Gary was a little user, alright. No question there.
"Oh. So you let me win?" Brock grinned.
"Of course," Gary said proudly. But Brock's knowing face destroyed any such pretences.
And Tracey voiced it; "yeah right. You're such a cheat, Gary." he shoved him gently in the side.
Gary's grin was quite understated in response, and he didn't bother shoving Tracey back. Instead, without much warning, he turned an expectant look on Ash.
"Well?"
Ash was confused; "well what?"
"It's your turn,"
Ash stared blankly at the floor, where a hand of cards had been dealt to him. He alternated a look between those cards and Gary's face a couple of times, wondering about where his vocal chords had gotten off to.
"Well?" Gary repeated, needlessly irritated.
Gathering the cards into his hands, Ash studied a jumble of suits and numbers, not really taking them in at all. "I didn't know I was playing," he mumbled.
"I assumed from where you were sitting," Gary's voice was deceptively patient, "that you were pretty eager to play,"
Ash blinked about him, and realised, unconsciously, that he'd somehow weeded himself between Gary and Misty on the floor. His crossed legs so close that his knees almost touched both Gary and Misty's.
He shifted back a bit, embarrassed.
"Well. I just really like card games."
He ignored questioning gazes from both sides; Misty and Gary, and instead tried to look interested in his cards. He was quite aware of the potentially awkward silence looming over him. This, coupled with a smarmy look from Gary, which Ash was almost certain existed in that moment, was unbearable.
He cleared his throat, and looked up from his cards. "I...I haven't really played this game before."
It was probably a different way of saying I am a moron, Ash knew, and he let his eyes fall into little slits of despair, awaiting the spiteful laughter.
Instead, an annoyed sigh; "I thought you liked card games,"
Ash blinked open his eyes properly, the hand which brushed very briefly over his own startled him.
Gary was leaning over, looking at Ash's cards with an irritated face. His hand was hovering over them indecisively, and Ash was aware of the disconcerting touch of fingers on his for the tiniest second, as two cards were plucked from his hand.
"Look," Gary still looked irritated as he moved back, flashing the cards to Ash and no-one else. "You can play these. Two fives," he announced, before pressing them face down on the floor.
"But they're not-"
"Shut up!" Gary snapped, and then rolled his eyes quite dramatically. "God, Ash. You really have no idea, do you?"
Misty, Brock and Tracey laughed, but Misty had the decency to look a bit regretful when she caught Ash's pout.
Ash sulked. "I can't help it. I've never played this stupid game."
"You're right," Misty nodded, her smile still threatening to fall into laughter, "it is a very stupid game. Don't worry about it, Ash."
Gary had folded his arms and was shaking his head. " I guess the concept is a little too hard for poor Ashy to get, huh? Do you have problems grasping the rules of Snap, too?"
"No," Ash glared.
Gary just turned back to his own playing cards, and Ash noticed the small smile fighting to get on his face.
"I'm not playing anymore, anyway," Misty announced.
Ash was glad; "me neither. Because it's stupid." he glared a bit more at Gary; but it was redundant since Gary was looking at Misty.
"Why?" he asked her, looking quite petulant. "Are you a bad loser, Misty?"
"No," Misty snorted. "I've got bigger more important worries, right now. Like where I'm supposed to be sleeping tonight."
"Why is that a worry?" Ash wondered dully.
"Because!" and Misty's eyes widened significantly, although the room was too dim for him to know if she was actually blushing.
Ash was always confused by Misty. Girls in general, really.
Then he caught the playing smirk which had crossed Gary's face, and Misty's scowl in his direction.
Misty. Gary. They both confused Ash.
"Don't worry, Misty," Tracey said, not looking confused at all, "I'm moving out pretty soon. You can take my room."
"Where will you sleep?"
"I'll share with one of the boys, if that's ok?" Tracey's eyes fell equally between Ash, Brock and Gary.
"You can share with me, Tracey," Gary spoke so quickly that Ash had barely the time to contemplate the question himself. He also noticed Gary's attention was still fixed solely on his cards, and his expression had drained into something like embarrassment.
"Then I'll share with Ash," Brock said.
Ash nodded absently, too busy observing Gary's embarrassment.
"Ok, that's great." a kind smile tugged at Tracey's mouth, and Ash watched with unwarranted interest as the elder boy sat at Gary's side, cross legged.
Gary seemed to notice the gesture, and he looked up and gave Tracey a very short, almost curt nod. His smile was brief and appreciative.
Ash still found those expressions odd on his rival. Unnatural, even. These strange, modest and meek exchanges, which mostly came up between Gary and Tracey. Often with his mom; Delia, recently with Brock, and much more recently, to Ash's horror, with Misty as well.
Now, when he gazed between them, he saw Gary hand out some more cards to both Tracey and Misty. Misty took hers with a light sigh.
Ash stared at her. "I thought you didn't want to play anymore?"
"I don't want to play," Misty agreed with a firm nod, then a vague, determined look crossed her face when she looked at Gary, "but I do think I have to prove I'm not a loser. Bad, or otherwise."
Gary grinned at her.
Ash leant back, distancing himself from the card game. He noticed the grins came in almost equal amounts from both sides; and Gary seemed expert at saying an amusing thing at just the right moment. So amusing that it caused Misty to snort laughter in a very undignified manner.
Still, it was a manner which Ash had never seen Misty express with himself.
Ash made a subtle face at Gary. His comment hadn't even been very amusing. Something about battling with the wrong sort of Pokemon. And anyway, he was probably only doing it to distract Misty from the game, so that he could win for the millionth completely unimportant time.
"You're doing this on purpose!" Misty scolded, proving Ash's own suspicions correct.
Misty pressed a couple of cards face down on the floor, and Ash decided to ignore the light smile she offered Gary.
"Am not," he said with insistence. "Just making conversation." and he put his own remaining cards down with a great flourish. "Two 6 of spades, and I believe I win."
Misty gave him a weary look, then; "Cheat! I call cheat on you!"
Gary pretended to be offended; "You're calling me a cheat?"
"Yes, I am."
"Alright," Gary's face was mischievous, and he lifted the cards, and they revealed two 6 of spades.
Misty made a short sound of exasperation.
"See. I don't always lie." Gary looked pleased with himself.
"You..." Misty's face twitched; she was frustrated and angry. Ash could identify with that pretty well. Then she leant forward and poked him with an insistent finger in the chest; "You're still a liar, and that's nothing to feel good about,"
Gary just smirked and stuck his tongue out. "You're still a bad loser, too."
Misty huffed, but it wasn't mean-spirited, Ash could see. It made him feel a bit odd. Planted a strange, dense feeling in the back of his stomach.
He did his best to ignore it, and when Misty moved away from the card game, onto the couch, Ash was mildly comforted.
Tension relaxed inside of him, and for about half a minute he thought that maybe this wasn't so bad. He, and his friends- Brock, Misty and Tracey. All sitting in a room with his rival Gary. Maybe he could learn to cope with that...
"What happened to your Pikachu pyjamas?"
"huh?" Ash turned to Gary.
"What happened to your Pikachu pyjamas? You know, the pyjamas with Pikachu's on them. Pikachu pyjamas." Gary repeated, and though he looked serious, there was something snide in his voice.
Ash knew he was being wound up.
"I'm not wearing them tonight."
"Aw. Why not? They looked so cute on you as well."
"Shut-"
"No arguing!" Tracey interrupted, before anyone could say anything else. "I thought I warned you about that," his gaze fell tellingly on Gary.
Gary shrugged. "I was just saying how cute the pyjamas looked. I wasn't arguing."
"I know what you were doing," Tracey shook his head, but his eyes were shining unmistakable amusement. "C'mon," he suddenly tugged Gary up by the arm. "Why don't you go make some of that cocoa that Ash's mom is always raving on about. Show Misty and Brock how good it is?"
"Uh, ok." Gary's smile was awkward, and his gaze lingered on Tracey. "Are you coming too?"
"Of course, you simpleton." Tracey kept a hold on Gary's arm as they wandered into the kitchen.
Ash titled his head in vague intrigue as they disappeared. He just couldn't work it out; why Tracey seemed to be able to put up with Gary, and even more unusually, why Gary seemed so compliant to obey.
"Is the cocoa as nice as the lasagne?" Brock wondered, sounding hopeful.
Ash, being the only one in the room to have tried the cocoa, supposed it was his duty to respond.
"It's not that great." he said.
Well. Nobody had told him it was his duty to respond truthfully.
He sneezed loudly, and the foggy feeling at the back of his head, which had been gradually growing all through the evening, seemed to act as some cruel kind of karma to his little white lies.
He stared at the stack of playing cards, there on the floor. Lying was nothing to feel good about, he remembered.
Misty settled back on the couch, and yawned. "You're going to have the flu tomorrow. I bet you my Psyduck."
"I don't want your Psyduck," Ash said, between a sniffle.
"Why? Psyducks are full of character," Tracey entered the room holding a tray of mugs. He gave one to Ash, and Ash took it with a deliberately weary gait. "That'll help your cold,"
"Why does everyone think I'm going to get a cold?" Ash sneezed again.
Nobody bothered to justify the point.
Gary entered looking subdued and less cocksure than Ash remembered, or perhaps had imagined. He sat on the floor next to Tracey, and looked at him as though he might be seeking reassurance about something.
Ash thought it was weird, but wasn't given the time to ponder on it too long.
"Psyduck's are actually pretty powerful. They just need to be given a lot of time and patience to reach their full potential." Gary said. "Mine evolved into Golduck because I kept it in my squad long enough,"
"Wow, it evolved into Golduck?" Misty looked at Gary, her eyes wide and unashamedly impressed. "I love Golduck's."
"Yes. They are powerful," Gary conceded.
"Not just that, they're cute too."
"Oh. Um. Well. I suppose." Gary raised an eyebrow at her, and his lips did a terrible job of hiding a grin.
Misty saw it; "what? They are cute! Like Tentacool. Tentacool are cute too!"
Gary looked less amused, more confused now, and frowned; "Tentacool? You mean the jellyfish Pokemon? Are you sure?"
"Yes," Misty nodded, defiant.
Ash could recognise, could empathise, with Gary's bewilderment in that moment. Misty's affection for the jellyfish Pokemon had always struck him rather odd anyway.
"It's true," he said to Gary, "she has a weird obsession with them,"
Gary turned to Ash, and for a tiny second their eyes locked and they both seemed to share in that common emotion. It was a small and ultimately meaningless emotion, too. A silly shared acknowledgement that Tentacool were definitely not cute. But it was there, and in the moment Ash rather enjoyed feeling...agreeable with Gary.
"Well. That is weird." Gary said finally. He looked back at Misty, and his smile was amused and a little bit nasty. "Heh. You're weird."
Ash was surprised to find himself snorting his own amusement, but the quick glare Misty fixed him was more than enough to make him catch his breath and settle a sombre look on his face.
"Sorry," he murmured, still feeling the laughter fluttering somewhere at the back of his throat. He chanced a sideways look at Gary, but Gary had turned his attention back to the playing cards, and was shuffling them with a serious face.
"It makes sense though, I guess," he said, adopting a tone which matched his expression. And then Ash remembered that this was Gary; unbearable know-it-all and show-off extrodinaire. "I mean, you're the Cerulean City Gym Leader. I suppose it helps you, having an obsession with Tentacool."
"It's not an obsession!" Misty looked mortified.
"Right. Ok." Gary sounded anything but convinced.
Misty's face began to redden. "It's not!" she leant forwards and shoved Gary in the chest. "Shut up,"
Gary laughed, and it was good humoured, and somehow it fascinated Ash into some sort of mild shock.
He wasn't really used to Gary's laugh. Well, he was. But he was used to a different kind. Spiteful. Prickly. Not very nice.
This laugh was just a laugh. It looked easy and compliant on Gary's face. It made Gary look, much to Ash's reluctance, alright. Alright.
Huh. Ash backtracked on the thought, and tugged a hand through his wet hair. That strange, dense feeling somewhere near the pit of his stomach returned when he saw Gary and Misty share in a friendly smile.
"This cocoa's nice," Brock said conversationally.
"Is it?" Misty tipped her cup to her nose, her eyes narrowed. She took a little sip. "Hm. It's ok. I've had better,"
"So have I," Ash said, inconsequentially.
Gary looked at him; "You still have suds in your hair."
"I just washed it,"
"You don't wash it very well, do you? Poor Ashy, finds it hard to clean himself properly too."
"Shut up!" Ash heard himself snap. God. Why did he have to lose it like that? And again?
"Going to run out into the rain again?" Gary asked, eyes shining with something like malice.
"No," Ash hissed, and after a moment he pulled the deck of cards from Gary's grip. "Just shut up and let's play,"
"Uh. Ok."
Ash cared to notice, and be inexplicably pleased by the fact that Gary sounded a bit taken aback by that. Chancing a sideways glance at his rival, he also saw another interesting expression; like the carpet had been pulled out from beneath him, and suddenly the tables were turned.
Heh. Ash grinned to himself. The game was on now.
He began dealing the cards, and Misty gave him a poke in the shoulder;
"What are we playing?"
"Cheat?" Ash levelled Gary's gaze.
Gary didn't reply but just nodded, a grin on his face. "Ok, Ashy. Look forward to beating you and your soapy hair."
Teeth gritted and almost ignorant of the other three players, Ash focussed all his mind on beating Gary. He wasn't sure why it mattered. He wasn't sure why he cared. Maybe it compensated for that fact that neither of them had yet to battle properly, with their Pokemon. This was the warm-up match, the practise before the big leagues...
"I win," Gary said, gathering the cards up quickly.
"Wha...no-" Ash stared at his fairly large hand of cards, and then at Gary's, which was empty. "Oh."
He looked round sheepishly, and saw that both Misty and Brock had almost cleaned up too. Only Tracey looked like he might have the potential to lose rather badly.
"I'm rubbish at this game," Tracey muttered, not making Ash feel better in the slightest.
"Poor Tracey. Don't worry. I'm backing you," Gary said, edging a bit closer to Tracey, and leaning over his shoulder to glance at his hand. "Wow. You really are rubbish, aren't you?"
Tracey winced. So did Ash.
He couldn't believe he was losing so horribly. He watched on as Misty came in a proud second, and as predicted Brock came in third.
"Come on, Ash. You can beat him," Misty said, leaning back against the couch. "Just keep a poker face. That's the secret."
Ash had thought, up until now, that his poker faces were pretty good. Evidentially not, at least according to Gary's judgement; who had just so happened to declare Ash "Cheat" at all the right moments. It had been damn near annoying; Ash had never realised his face could be so hopeless at telling a good lie.
And Tracey just happened to be the most Happiest Person In The World. No wonder he was so bad at this terribly misjudged game. Anyone with any sense of conscience would be hopeless at it.
It was Ash's excuse when he finally did lose, and rather spectacularly, too.
"You can't blame a good conscious on totally sucking at a card game," Gary said, voice muffled by the crunching of biscuit. He'd gotten bored part way through the game and had rampaged Ash's kitchen, until he'd found something sweet to eat. He'd made quick work of the cookies.
My favourites, Ash thought mournfully.
"Well. It's a stupid game, anyway. And it just goes to show, you have to be a real mean kinda guy to be any good at it." Ash glared in a very unsubtle way at Gary.
Gary just laughed. "Is that right? I guess Misty's pretty high on the "mean" list, then?"
Misty squirmed near to Ash, and her face blushed furious red. "I'm not mean at all!"
"No? Just temperamental then?"
"Just...no! I'm not mean, I'm not temperamental! Why can't you shut up?"
"I'm sorry," through his grin, Gary looked anything but sorry. "I would offer you a cookie along with my apology, but I'm all out." he offered her the empty cookie packet instead.
Misty chucked it back in his face. "Jerk,"
"Aw, you're mean." Gary's indifferent grin didn't alter, and he gave Tracey a nudge in the elbow. "I always thought you were much too nice for your own good."
"That's what you think?" Tracey regarded him, sceptical.
Gary seemed to think for a second. "No," then he shrugged. "Actually I just think you suck really bad at card games."
Tracey grimaced, and then scuffed Gary's hair up roughly.
"Don't take it to heart," Gary attempted to resist, albeit very feebly in Ash's view, "Least you know you and Ash have something in common. You two can lament on your really bad suckiness together. Won't that be fun?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. And I'd love to join in. You know I'd never pass up a chance to join in conversations that include Ash and his suckiness."
"I've never played before," Ash felt he needed to defend himself at some point. Although right now his head felt fuzzy, and his nose was all blocked.
"Never had beginners luck?" Gary asked, looking at him with terrible mock pity. "Aw, poor snotty Ashy."
Ash wasn't given the frame of time needed to fully process what "snotty" alluded to, before he felt a tissue being shoved in his hand.
"Oh my god, Ash. You're going to have the worst cold." Misty looked scarily like his mother. All disapproving like that.
He wiped his nose with what he hoped was a discreet air. Still, it was a little late now. Gary had probably seen a string of snot hanging out of his nostril, or something disgusting. And oh...he really was beginning to feel a bit...ill.
"Mime!"
Ash shuddered a bit when the odd pink mime Pokemon entered the lounge, with a grin which teetered on the edge of deranged happiness and just plain crazy.
Everyone else turned to face it.
"Aw, he's been sweeping. He's such a good Mr Mime, isn't he?" Misty cooed.
"It's insane, that's what it is." Gary said, looking rather put out. "The other day I left some ultra balls on the floor, I turn my back and the next minute it's trying to hoover them all up."
Ash felt a grimace of empathy peer on his face. He'd lost count of the amount of times Mr Mime had mistook his face for a dirty piece of carpet.
"I think he's cute!" Misty defended.
Gary rolled his eyes, "You think strange jellyfish Pokemon are cute."
"Every Pokemon is cute in it's own way, I think," Brock put in, sounding diplomatic.
"What," Gary snorted, "Even Staryu and Starmie? Who don't have a face?"
Ash was not surprised when Misty's already flushed face turned a deep shade of beetroot.
"Staryu and Starmie are adorable," she said through grinding teeth, "just cos you can't see their expressions, doesn't mean they're not."
Gary blinked. "But, but they're stars. Stars. That's it. Just weird stars with jewels on them. How can you even know if they're happy or not?"
"I can! A really good trainer can tell how they're Pokemon are feeling just by their actions!"
"Actions?" Gary seemed to be struggling to suppress a snigger. "So like, if it's happy it stands up a bit straighter than usual?"
"You're stupid and not funny." Misty snapped.
Ash bit his lip. He'd thought it was funny. Just a little bit. He'd never really understood Misty's strange affinity for Staryu and Starmie, anyway. Even though he could appreciate that they were perfectly capable and good battlers, he'd never got his head round how anyone could be so endeared to them.
They were just weird stars, after all. With jewels on them.
Well, Ash had never much understood how Tentacool managed to be cute, either. Each to their own, he guessed.
"Well, each to their own." Gary shrugged. And Ash was almost visibly startled by it.
"Mime-Mime-Mime!" Mr Mime swept into the middle of the group, waving his broom.
"No you don't," Gary scooped up his cards, and offered the Pokemon a glare. "Go clean up something else. Something that needs cleaning." he paused for a moment, "Ash would be a good start."
"I had a bath-"
"I'll sort him out. I think he just needs a taste of my Pokemon food to settle him down," Brock scooped Mr Mime up, who struggled a little, but then seemed quelled by Brock's disturbingly maternal tones of voice. He headed out the room, upstairs.
Gary titled his head, interested.
"He's pining for his brothers and sisters, I think," Tracey said in explanation. "Needs something to mollycoddle in the meantime."
"Oh,"
"You'd think he'd be relieved. Not having a load of kids hanging around to look out for all day," Misty said. "I know I'm always glad to get away from my sisters."
"But you don't get on," Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. But, I-"
"I can understand him missing them," Gary said, in a cold voice. He wasn't looking at anyone, only at some loose cards he'd begun shuffling. "Even if you don't get on you'd still miss them."
"Well, of course I miss them," Misty said hastily. "I mean, they're my sisters,"
"Well then," Gary sounded nothing if not a bit colder.
Ash was intrigued and puzzled by it all, and he was also acutely aware of the awkward tension that seemed to have drifted about them.
Tracey cleared his throat and said softly; "I'm going to bed now. I'm tired and if we're going to Mount Moon tomorrow we'll need an early night."
Gary looked up at him; "you're sleeping in my room?"
Tracey nodded. "You coming?"
Gary hesitated; "In a bit. Night Tracey."
"Night," Tracey waved round to the rest of them, and Ash felt mildly alarmed when Misty gripped his shoulder and announced she was going to bed too.
"Now?" he asked dumbly. He also wanted to add that he thought she was being rather inconsiderate, leaving him alone with Gary of all people. And also adding a mix of awkwardness to the atmosphere. No good could come of it, for certain.
"Well you should come too." Misty said casually. "And please wipe your nose. You're like a disgusting dripping tap."
Near to him, Ash heard Gary snigger softly.
He shot him a glare, which was lost on Gary since his head was bent and he was glancing over Ash's cards.
"I'll be up in a minute. Got to finish this," he indicated the cup of cocoa, and instantly wondered if his reasoning for staying up a little later could get any more ridiculous. "And, um, I have to wait up for mom. She's not back yet."
"I can wait up." Gary said. "I'm not sleepy,"
"I'm not either,"
"But you're snotty,"
"She's my mom," Ash folded his arms.
"She's my host,"
Misty sighed; "ok, guys. I'm going to bed. Someone tell your mom...whoever's up...we've sorted out whose sleeping where."
"Fine." Ash kept a glare fixed on Gary.
"Misty," Gary said to her back as she neared the door, "You should know that Tracey has strange and unusual sleeping habits. His bed might be full of questionable stuff. Just letting you know. So you're prepared." he beamed in what he probably thought was a helpful, reassuring manner.
"Er, ok, Gary. Thanks." Misty looked slightly terrified as she descended the staircase.
Ash blinked at Gary. "Questionable stuff?"
"I don't know. Tracey is weird. You probably knew that." Gary said offhandedly. His attention still seemed only to be spared for the cards littered on the floor between them. "Wow, Ashy. You really do suck," he picked up Ash's remaining cards, a thin smirk was prickling his lips. "Really, badly, amazingly suck. That's over half the pack you had there."
Ash's scowl was half-hearted. It was hard to scowl when you had such a terrible thumping in the back of your head and just wanted to go to sleep. "Do you have to rub it in,"
"Definitely." Gary nodded, annoyingly bright. Shuffling the cards back into a neat pack, he looked up at Ash finally. "Misty's right,"
Ash blinked. "Huh?"
"You really are gonna have a cold tomorrow."
"Won't," Ash had snapped, rather childishly, before he could stop himself. As he said it, he could feel a sneeze tickling at his nose. He staved it off; not very well.
"Hah. Will."
Ash grunted, not wanting to concede that he might be right.
"Well, look on the bright side,"
"What?"
"You won't be getting Misty's Psyduck anytime soon."
Despite himself, Ash grinned. Startlingly, Gary grinned back, and Ash was reminded of a little earlier, when they'd shared a brief smile.
"That's true," Ash felt himself nod. Seeing Gary grinning, it was almost disorienting to his senses. But then maybe that was the flu.
No. He definitely wasn't getting the flu!
Then Gary's amused expression collapsed into a familiar offhand iciness. As though he'd caught himself doing something indecent and wrong. Ash was almost, he was, disappointed by it. He'd liked the grin. A bit.
Before he could think any more on it, Gary spoke, his voice soft and slightly murmured;
"Did you mean what you said before?" it was almost like it might have pained him to say it. He wasn't looking at Ash.
Ash was taken aback, he'd not expected such a sharp turnabout of conversation. As if such a complicated thing as conversation had ever occurred between them.
"What I said before?" Ash spoke slowly. He caught the embarrassed annoyance flash on Gary's face when he looked up at him.
"Yeah. What you said, you said you thought I use them. Use your friends."
"Oh," Ash swallowed, and shifted uncomfortably. He'd been angry, he'd not liked the pasta as much as everyone else, he'd had a rotten day, he'd been annoyed at Gary It wasn't anything new. But what he'd said?
Loathe to admit, he wasn't sure if it was true at all. Probably...it wasn't true.
What the hell did he know about Gary Oak, anyway?
As these past couple of days seemed to have proven, not a lot, really.
He glanced at Gary, and at the same time Gary raised his head to look at him, and their eyes were locked. Then a flash of something other than what Ash was used to seeing in his rivals eyes. There was no glare, no cocky self-assurance there. It was just a look, and in it Ash saw an unmistakable trace of vulnerability.
Like a shocked shiver up Ash's back, it was a disconcerting sight. And he watched as Gary tipped his head back down, and though it was dark in the room, he knew Gary's face had flushed pink.
Ash cleared his throat; "No. I...I don't think you're using them." he paused, as Gary looked back at him, his expression blank, "I think I was just really angry. Just saying stuff I didn't mean. You know?"
There was another pause between them, a silence which wasn't half so uncomfortable as before, and then Gary nodded his head slightly. His lips curved up a tiny bit. His eyes still looked a bit unsure.
"Yeah, I know."
Ash felt himself smiling too. And it was probably the best either of them were going to get to an apology.
Well. It was something, at least.
Something...Ash hesitated. Gary was still looking at him, and for once, his expression wasn't that of guarded hostility, or twisted into a unpleasant smirk. Maybe...maybe Ash could ask him now. Why he was staying here?
He didn't have to demand to know, not when they were sitting here like this, and were both smiling. At each other. He could ask...Gary would tell him, and then Ash's mind would be at rest at last...
"Gary, why-"
Gary leant back, and stretched his arms, and the small moment of understanding between them was lifted. Jerkily, Ash leant back too. He'd been unaware of the small gap between them, and now he was, and with it he was suddenly very embarrassed.
Maybe Gary was too, because he took a moment to collect himself, his eyes wandering all about the room, but never on Ash.
"Well, Ashy," he finally spoke through a poorly disguised yawn. "I'm going to bed now,"
"I thought you weren't sleepy?"
"Wasn't. Am now." Gary shrugged, and stood up with a stretch. He walked to the door, and faltered for a moment, before looked over his shoulder at Ash. "Um. Don't get your snotty tissues all over the place. It's pretty disgusting."
"Haha. Funny." Ash called after him, and didn't feel half so annoyed as he probably should have been.
He looked at the floor, where the playing cards had been tidily stacked. And nearby, was his cup of cocoa. It was almost empty. He downed the rest in one and it was as annoyingly nice as the last time he'd tried it.
Well. At least it wasn't choking him anymore.
888
"Ash, when you wake up saying- 'but by bant boo bow boo bount boon,', do you seriously think I'm not going to tell you that you are most definitely not going to Mount Moon today?"
Misty had been right about her bet, anyway.
At least Ash wasn't owed her Psyduck., though the thought was barely comforting.
Ash flopped back against his pillow, feeling like a corpse that had been indecently removed from it's coffin. He was so cold. And tired. And his head hurt so much. and his nose was all blocked...
"Honestly. I can't believe you managed to catch cold like that! What were you thinking, going out in the rain? I'll make you a hot drink. You liked Gary's cocoa, didn't you? I must get the recipe for that off him."
And his mom was still raving on about his arch rival Gary Oak. And so what if his cocoa was alright, it didn't mean Gary was alright, even though he'd been kind of alright last night, and his eyes had looked scared.
"Cocoa, Ash, dear? And don't get out of bed!"
"By bon't bant boboa!"
"Sorry, dear. I don't understand what you mean."
Ash had a feeling she understood perfectly well. But he was left to protest feebly in the tangle of his covers as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Ash didn't really give time for his conscience to catch up with him. To think about how disappointed everyone else might be that they'd cancelled the trip to Mount Moon due to his terrible cold. And anyway, he was much too feverish for a good part of the morning; having weird dreams, or perhaps hallucinations, about giant Tentacools. And Misty was there, and she was telling him to hug one, only he didn't want to. Then Gary came and teased him, and said it was easy, and he was hugging all the Tentacools and Misty was cheering for him.
Urgh. It was some kind of messed up nightmare.
At some point during the morning his mom must have left him the godforsaken cup of cocoa, because he'd drank it up all too eagerly, and had also decided it was the most perfect drink in the world. An ideal gift for those giant Tentacools, which were still bothering him for that hug.
Only Pikachu, faithful Pikachu, seemed inclined to stick by an hallucinating Ash Ketchum. Although it didn't seem to be lost on the electric mouse that flu might be contagious, and it was hesitant about sitting anywhere too near to it's owner.
It was quite insulting, actually. And somewhere in Ash's dreams, he made a petty, mental note never to visit any of his friends when they were on their fluey death bed ever again.
A little later, when Ash's brain seemed to be clearing up a bit, there was a short rap on the door.
"Are you awake?" Brock's voice.
Ash peeked from under the covers, squinting against the light of the room. "Yes,"
"Ok to come in?"
"Yes. Wait-, you're not a giant Tentacool, are you?"
"Erm. No?"
"And you don't want a hug?"
"Definitely not, Ash,"
"Oh good. Come in then."
Brock edged into the room, looking a little wary. "Giant Tentacles? Hugs?"
Ash shook his head, and felt a little dizzy for it. "Never mind. Look, I'm sorry about Mount Moon. If I didn't have a cold-"
"Don't worry about it," Brock said easily, "we've got all the holidays to go there."
"Is everyone mad?"
"No," Brock said with an assurance Ash couldn't really convince himself of. Brock seemed to gather that; "well, um. Tracey was a little disappointed, and Gary was sulking a bit. They'll be fine, though."
Ash gathered the duvet round himself, and bits of shredded tissue fluttered to the ground. He felt pathetic, and his conscience was stinging into being. He remembered Gary's excited face. He'd never seen that look on him before.
"Everyone was really looking forward to it, weren't they?" he muttered quietly. "Then I was stupid and went running into the rain."
"Hey," Brock extended a hand and patted Ash on the shoulder. "Don't go feeling bad about it all. And anyway, I thought you did great last night. Putting up with Gary. Is that some kind of record for you two?"
"For what?" Ash was confused.
"For staying in a room together and having a halfway civil conversation."
"I-we weren't-," Ash wrapped the duvet around him more, "We were just playing cards. And anyway, he's still mean."
Brock just smiled, and Ash felt a little patronised.
"What?"
"Nothing," Brock shook his head, but his smile remained. "I have to go now. I said I'd help out at the lab. You know, with the fete and everything. Feel better soon, okay?"
"Yeah,"
Ash slumped back into his sheets. His cold was still raw, and his head was still thumping like some strange muffled disco, but other than that he was feeling better. At least he'd not mistaken Brock for some giant Tentacool.
It was a good start. And Brock hadn't been angry. Not that he'd ever expected him to be. He was Brock, and Brock was nice. No, he needn't worry about Brock. It was Gary he needed to watch out for.
Gary was the only thing that made Ash apprehensive as he placed his bare feet on the carpet, testing his flued up sense of balance as he gathered the duvet about himself.
He's going to be a jerk about it, Ash thought with doomed resignation. He's going to say stuff. Stuff that won't be very nice.
And since when had it ever been any different?
Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, Ash was comforted by that fact. It was true, Gary was never nice to Ash usually, so it wasn't like he had anything to lose.
Or was it more the fact that he wanted something to gain?
And still. There was last night. Last night when Gary had smiled, and Ash had smiled too. And if it was just a snapshot of a moment, anyone could have been forgiven for thinking they were best friends.
And Gary didn't look half so cocky when he just smiled.
Ash shuffled forwards in his duvet, somehow encouraged to keep moving.
He spared himself a short glance in the mirror, and then wished he hadn't. He looked like a milk bottle with a mop of black hair. Bits of tissue clung to his shirt and hair, and his nose was bright and brazen against his peaky skin.
He groaned. Oh, for the fun Gary was going to have when he saw him like this.
8
"Well. Hello there, Ash. What's all this talk of 'Bout Boon'? I don't believe I've heard of this strange place you speak of."
"Hello, Tracey," Ash smiled weakly, not sure whether or not to be relieved at the sight of Tracey, alone in the lounge, sketching Gary's Eevee. "Listen, I'm sorry it got cancelled-"
"It's ok. Don't worry about it." Tracey waved it off with his pencil.
Feeling a little more confident, Ash scanned around curiously; "er, where's Gary? And Misty?"
Tracey didn't look up from his frantic sketching; "in there," he jerked his head to the kitchen.
"In there?" Ash repeated, feeling quite worried.
It was a horrible thought. Why were Misty and Gary in there? All alone and together?
"Yep. In there. That place. The kitchen." Tracey seemed to be quite ignorant of any mild panic attacks he might be burdening Ash with. Oblivious happy sketcher that he was.
Ash attempted to arrange his duvet around himself a little better, but gave up when he almost stumbled backwards. Tossing it off, he took a deep, bracing breath and strode into the kitchen.
He was greeted with the terrible and unnatural sight of Gary and Misty standing together and talking.
"You're some kind of retarded Rattata," Gary was saying, a nasty look on his face.
Ash was horrified.
He stormed across the kitchen and placed himself dutifully between Misty and Gary, his hand twitching into a fist which was only too eager to connect with Gary's face;
"What did you say to her?"
"No, it's ok, Ash," Misty said between giggles, "we're playing a game."
"Game?" Ash stared between them.
"Yeah. Pokemon impressions. He's trying to guess what Pokemon I am." then Misty pulled a strange face. To be fair to Gary, she did look a bit like some sort of retarded Pokemon. But perhaps not a Rattata.
"You look more like a Nidoran gone wrong," he suggested.
Misty's face fell, and her hands went on her hips. "I was trying to be a Dewgong. It wasn't that hard."
"Oh." Ash felt his shoulders slump a bit. It didn't have much to do with his flu, he realised. He turned to see Gary staring at him. "Erm. Morning."
"Or afternoon. Hello, Death. Did you have a safe journey from the Underworld?"
"Gary. Stop it," Misty shoved Gary's shoulder, in an amiable way. Ash thought she might as well not have shoved him at all, for how feeble it was.
Gary laughed.
And it didn't seem to have the desired effect either. Ash decided Misty wasn't very good with her shoving techniques.
"Aw, and you're not wearing the Pikachu Pyjamas. Didn't I say they look adorable on you?"
Ash thought, if only he didn't feel so weak and flu-like, he might thump Gary. Last nights smiling and such be damned.
"Ash," Misty quickly spoke up, and her hands almost rested on his shoulders, but at the last moment moved away. Then there was clear embarrassment on her face, and Gary sniggered next to her. She stamped briefly on his foot, and he cursed and hopped away.
Misty cleared her throat, as if nothing had happened, "Ash," she repeated. "You really do look like death. I think you should go back to bed. Your mom said that if you-"
"I'm feeling better," Ash batted away her concern, watching with incredulity as Gary pulled a pack of cookies from the cupboard and began munching on them. "Why are you eating them?" Ash demanded.
"I'm hungry," Gary shrugged. "Hey, what was all that talk about giant Tentacools?"
"Huh...what?" Ash hoped his peaky skin didn't give away the terrible blush which was burning his face.
"Giant Tentacools. You were talking about some. I've never seen any before." Gary was looking at Ash with something like suspicion. "You said you hugged one too. I think you made it up. You couldn't hug one. It'd probably sting you-"
"How do you know about it?" Ash asked in a rush, not bothering to mention that it had all been a bizarre hallucination. As if he needed to feel anymore foolish.
Gary turned his attention back to the cookies, seeming bored. "When I gave you the cocoa drink. That's what you were saying."
"Mom gave me the cocoa drink." Ash corrected.
"No, I did."
"No you didn't!"
"Yes I did. Unless I wandered into a room which looked amazingly similar to yours and there was a stupid kid in there who looked incredibly like you. A snotty, very stupid kid."
"Well. Maybe." Ash didn't like to think Gary had been in his room. Besides the fact that Ash was all flued up and had been talking nonsense, he just didn't like the idea anyway.
Gary hadn't been in his room since they were little kids. Very little. And then they had got on alright, and had been friends.
Now was different, and they weren't friends. And Ash didn't think Gary should have any reason, or any right to go in that room anymore.
Even to bring him wonderfully perfect cups of cocoa.
Ash cringed, remembering that part of his hallucination a little more clearly. He hoped, and then guessed, that Gary had not heard that part. Thank god.
"Giant Tentacools," Gary was shaking his head, amused. "The lengths you go to, just to impress me, Ashy."
"What! I wasn't trying to impress you!"
"Sure,"
"It sounds like a lovely hallucination." Misty said, though she was looking at Ash as though he might be a little disturbed. She hesitated, then grabbed him by the elbow. "If you won't go to bed, you could at least sit down." she smiled at him, and the smile looked like one of the many she'd shared with Gary last night.
Ash grimaced. It was downright rude that Gary insisted on plaguing his thoughts, even when he wasn't actively speaking, or even there.
Misty didn't catch his disdain, as she led him into the lounge. "It's kind of worked out well that we aren't going to Mount Moon today. I think we're going to go help Professor Oak on the ranch. Mrs Ketchum was saying how busy it is right now."
Ash sat at the edge of the couch and looked at Misty. Past her shoulder he saw Gary still loitering in the kitchen, probably flushing out another stash of cookies. Ash blinked back to Misty. "Can I be of help?" he asked, feeling uselessly cold-filled.
"Probably not." Tracey grinned, and chucked a box of tissues on his lap. "You can just sit there and think about what you did."
He knew Tracey was joking, but Ash stared down at his lap anyway, feeling a little redundant.
"I'm sorry, guys. Really I am."
"And so you should be," Gary entered the room, and Eevee sprang up from it's pose in front of Tracey, to greet it's master. Tracy made a weak noise of annoyance.
"Don't be sad. You can draw me instead." Gary stood in front of Tracey, looking ridiculously proud. "C'mon. I can strike a pose."
"You're not a Pokemon." Tracey pointed out.
"But I'm nice to look at," Gary said, as though it was all the validation he needed.
Tracey half heartedly flung his sketchpad at Gary, catching the side of his shoulder. "You're horrible to look at. Your hair would probably take up most of the paper."
"If not that, his big head," Misty put in slyly.
"I'm upset," Gary didn't sound upset at all as he sat, cross legged on the floor and began flicking through the sketchpad.
Ash absently stared at the sketchpad, and found himself considering Gary's hair. It wasn't that big. Well, maybe it was. But Ash thought it was kind of alright on him anyway. It suited him.
Ash brushed a hand through his own hair, feeling a little self-conscious.
"Ash, sure you're alright?" Misty sounded concerned. "I think maybe you should go to bed. I could make you something hot to eat if you like?"
"It's ok, Misty," Ash smiled his gratitude, but secretly he was finding Misty's concern a little grating now. "I think I'll be fine for Mount Moon, tomorrow. If everyone's up for that?" his gaze rested, somewhat expectant on Gary.
Gary didn't look up from the sketchpad. Maybe he was too deeply engrossed.
"Well will you, indeed?"
Ash turned, and Delia was standing behind him, a light frown on her face. Behind her was Brock and Professor Oak.
"Didn't hear you come in, mom."
"Well here we are. And you should be in bed."
"I told him," Misty said, sounding alarmingly like a student desperate to please her teacher.
"Well, we're off to round up Ponyta. We could use a little help." Professor Oak said. "They're a bit frisky."
"Ponyta?" Misty's eyes lit up. "Oh, they're so beautiful,"
"Can I come?" Ash looked at his mother, knowing it was a hopeless case. Gary had stood up, and was handing Tracey back his sketchpad. Tracey's face was a creased smile. It was an expression Tracey seemed to share with Gary a lot, Ash noticed.
Another of those infuriating things Ash couldn't fathom.
Ash was briefly reminded of last night. He'd been so close. Almost asked Gary why...
"You're staying here, Ash. And no arguments."
Ash pouted, but even as he did, found himself sneezing.
"Here," as he passed, Gary threw a loose tissue in Ash's direction. "And don't start going on about giant Tentacools,"
Delia raised an eyebrow at Ash, and he looked away quickly.
With everyone gone, Ash was alone in the house; save Pikachu and Gary's Eevee, who were both small and agreeable Pokemon and seemed to get along very well. Ash watched them for a little bit; until his attention was drawn to the window where brilliant sun was glaring through the netted curtains, scattering tiny little dots all across the couch like golden beetles. Ash leant back, the permanent dull thumping cold in the back of his head easing up a little bit.
Through the glare of the window, he could make out the little dots which were his mother, Professor Oak, Tracey, Misty and Gary, all headed to the lab. It was hard to determine who some of them were, but Professor Oak was relatively easy, with his white coat flapping out against the wind. Gary was even easier; Ash could recognise the cocky stance, even without the added definition which was the older boys spiky brown hair.
The sun was lulling and warm on Ash's skin, and his cold was tugging at his senses, pulling them away. He was tired, and needed to sleep. Even though he wanted to be at the lab, and the ranch, with the Ponyta, where everyone else was.
But still. He was so tired.
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More Notes: This chapter was going to be longer, but I figure it was long enough as it was. Stuff I intended to put in this chapter will be in the next. If anyone doesn't mind added length, please let me know! Also, please, please, please leave a review! Even if it's just one word, it's at least an acknowledgement that people are reading this, and I can gather it you're enjoying it or not. So Review! Tis good karma! -shiny puppy eyes-