Though home was supposed to be a comforting place, Gary hardly felt any sort of comfort as he stepped through the entrance door and into his home. He still felt incredibly irritated. His thoughts kept going back to the fact that Laureline would be spending the evening with Ash, how she would be telling Ash about her day and about all the exciting things that had happened, how she would be talking and laughing with Ash about how cute and rare Moonie was. Those thoughts were nothing short of infuriating to Gary, and he ended up slamming the house door shut a little harder than he meant to.
The loud noise alerted his sister, May. She glanced up from her place on the couch as she watched TV. « What's with you ? » She asked, raising an eyebrow.
« Nothing ! » Gary muttered, as he sulked by. « Going to my room. »
Though May gave her brother a disbelieving look, she didn't say anything else. They were the only two who lived in the large house, and she didn't want to start a possible argument as soon as Gary got home. So, with a short noise and a shrug : May turned and went back to watching television.
As soon as he got into his room, Gary's gaze immediately went to the window in his room. Outside, he could see the fence that separated his house from Laureline's. And though he couldn't see her, he knew she had sat down to dinner with her family... and Ash. Groaning and roughly combing his fingers through his hair, Gary began pacing back and forth through his room. There was a small hole in the fence he had used many times to spy on Laureline as she had gone about her day. And though he really, really wanted to do so again this night : Gary stopped himself. He knew it would just make him angrier to see Laureline enjoying her evening with Ash. Flopping back onto his bed with a heavy sigh, Gary covered his eyes with his arm. Maybe if he could get some sleep, he'd be able to stop himself from going outside. If he was lucky, he'd be able to sleep the entire night and not have to deal with these things until the next morning.
Though, Gary didn't manage to get any sleep at all. He spent a good hour tossing and turning, muttering to himself and trying to think of anything else. But try as he might, it did no good. His thoughts kept going back to the fact that Laureline was spending her evening with Ash in her own house… So finally, unable to help himself : Gary shoved himself up off the bed and marched over to the window of his room. He slid it open quickly, pausing when it made a rather loud swishing noise. After taking a moment to check and make sure May hadn't heard him, Gary snuck out the window and into the immediately headed for the hole in the fence, knowing its location by heart. Sitting down on the cool grass with a heavy sigh, Gary leaned forward and peeked through. He scanned the area quickly, but didn't see anything of note. He could see a window into Laureline's home, but – at the moment – he couldn't see anybody.
The young man didn't have too long to dwell on his thoughts, though.
Within moments, a familiar ball of brown fur came darting forward. It ran headlong into Gary, before falling onto its back with an audible squeak.
Chuckling, Gary looked down at the Eevee immediately recognizing it as Moonie. « Hey ! You okay, there ? » He asked, gently petting the pokemon to ensure she wasn't hurt. Once he had affirmed that Moonie was okay, Gary gave the Eevee's head another pat. « What are you doing out here so late and all alone ? »
Looking up at him, Moonie gave an inquisitive churr. It was almost as though she was asking him the same question.
Gary just laughed quietly and gave Moonie a playful poke.
It made the pokemon chirp and bounce back, wiggling her tail excitedly before she lunged at Gary's hand.
Laughing, Gary quickly moved his hand around Moonie getting more excited each time.
She batted at Gary's hand, trying to catch it before hopping back. She would then jump forward and try again, though never quite put in the extra effort to catch Gary's hand. Moonie was having too much fun to have the playing stop.
The sound of light footsteps were completely missed by the two, but then...
« Moonie ! »
Laureline's voice made them both stop, though in very different reactions : Moonie perked up, ears pricked and tail wagging. Gary – on the other hand – looked absolutely mortified.
Sure enough, within moments : Laureline passed the hole of the fence, sketchbook in hand. She was looking for Moonie.
Pushing himself up off the ground, Gary scooped up Moonie and began walking towards Laureline. At the very least, he could make sure Moonie got back to her owner safely.
At the sight of Gary carrying Moonie, Laureline's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Of all people, Moonie had gone to Gary. The disbelief lasted for only a moment though, as Laureline recalled she had spent a good portion of the evening talking with Moonie about Gary. The young girl had even told her Eevee about the plans that the two had made for the future when they were younger. Not only that, but she had also shown Moonie the illustrations she had drawn for those plans. So, maybe it wasn't such a mystery after all… Even so, that didn't stop Laureline from standing there with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape.
Gary shuffled a little closer, Moonie still in his arms. « Looks like you lost somebody. Here… » He said softly, offering the Eevee back to her owner. « No need to worry. She's not hurt or anything. »
Stuttering over her words, Laureline rushed forward to grab up Moonie. In her hurry, she let her sketchbook fall to the ground. It was momentarily forgotten in the concern for her pokemon that had overtaken her. Scooping up her Eevee as quickly and as carefully as she could, Laureline hugged Moonie tightly. She whispered her about how worried she had been for the fluffy Eevee when she had disappeared.
Softly churring an apology : Moonie nuzzled her soft face against Laureline's neck, purring reassuringly.
Not wanting to interrupt the rebonding between trainer and pokemon, Gary tried to keep his gaze averted. It eventually drifted to the sketchbook on the ground. The drawings within it had fallen out and were now scattered across the ground. Curiosity got the best of Gary and he knelt down for a closer look. The sight of illustrations that detailed all the adventures he and Laureline had planned to go on brought up a bitter taste of regret. It made Gary's throat feel tight and was soon followed by a dull, gnawing sadness. Not wanting to betray his emotions, the young man hurriedly gathered up the sketches and returned them to their rightful place in the sketchbook. Taking a quick moment to clear his throat, Gary stood up and offered the sketchbook back to Laureline.
« Here… You dropped this. » He murmured.
Despite truly wanting to know, Gary didn't have the strength to ask Laureline if she still wanted to make such dreams of travels come true. The lack of courage to do so brought on a new wave of shame mixed with disappointment. But Gary worked to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He didn't want Laureline to see him looking morose.
Realizing that she had indeed dropped her sketchbook in her concerned hurry over Moonie, Laureline briefly ducked her head, as an attempt to hide the blush that just rose to her face. She reached out with one hand to snatch the sketchbook out of Gary's grasp.
« Thank you. » She mumbled.
« Mmhm. »
Noticing that Gary's tone sounded a little off, Laureline cautiously lifted her gaze. She was confused to see that his expression appeared to be distant and a little sad. Now concerned, Laureline leaned forward a little closer and tilted her head inquisitively.
But, before Laureline could say anything : One of the windows of Gary's house suddenly flew open and May poked her head out. At the sight of Gary and Laureline standing close to each other : A smirk crossed her features. « Having a midnight meeting to rekindle the old flame, you two ? » She teased.
The light-hearted taunt made Laureline blush anew and she quickly ducked her head again.
Gary turned bright red as well. He sputtered over his words as he tried – and failed – to come up with a good comeback.
Rolling her eyes and laughing : May waved dismissively at the two, before disappearing back into the house.
Realizing just how much of his feelings had crept back up on him, Gary cleared his throat and shook his head. He forced himself to take on his neutral, dismissive nature once again. Combing his fingers through his hair, Gary gave Laureline a mildly disapproving look : « You should really pay more attention to your pokemon. It is your responsibility after all. » Gary shrugged off-handedly. « Or keep it in its pokeball, if you can't take proper care of it. »
Making a fuming, frustrated growl : Laureline swept out her foot and tripped Gary.
However, it didn't quite work out as she had planned as Gary grabbed onto her to try and keep his balance. The sudden motion threw Laureline off balance, and she soon found herself pinned between the fence and Gary. They were now incredibly close, with their faces a mere breath apart. It was a closeness they hadn't shared in a long time. It made both blushed bright red.
Laureline made a move to try and slide out from between Gary and the fence. But he stopped her when he gently leaned his forehead on hers, unable to resist the temptation. The tips of their noses briefly brushed together and for a moment, Gary could have sworn he had been taken back to a year earlier. It was at that moment that Gary realized just how dearly he had missed Laureline. The warmth of her skin, the sweet taste of her lips and simply being near her. All of that and so much more he longed for. When he was with Laureline, he felt happy and complete. Now though, away from her : Gary felt miserable and as though he was only half a person. Their first kiss had been perfect in its own awkward way, several years ago. Yet, Gary knew another one would never compare to the first.
Laureline could feel tears brimming up at her eyes. It felt like it had been forever since she had been this close to Gary. Every bit of her ached for this feeling of closeness to the boy that she loved. Reaching up slowly, she set her hand on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and even his heartbeat through his clothes. All Laureline wanted to do was lean in and press her lips against Gary's.
Sunlight streamed down through the leaves of the forest outside of Pallet Town, providing a little light through the thick foliage.
Gary and Laureline – respectively aged of 9 and 8 – stood very close, facing each other. Both were giving the other expectant, nervous looks.
Though, Gary was making a point to try and appear as calm about the situation as he could. « So… Did you want to try this or not ? » He finally asked, quickly combing his fingers through his hair.
« I... I think so. » Laureline quietly stammered, with a shy smile.
Both had heard about kissing. Both knew it was something that couples did, that it was something boyfriend and girlfriend did. It seemed to be a very important part of the relationship. And Gary was very important to Laureline, and she to him. So, they at least wanted to try and see if it really was as good as it seemed to be.
« You have to be sure. » Gary countered, crossing his arms. He knew he was stalling because he was nervous. Though, he knew he wanted to try this kissing with Laureline. But, more importantly : He wanted to make sure she was okay with it. « Otherwise, it won't work. »
« Kissing can not work ? » Laureline asked, blinking inquisitively.
« I... guess so. » Sighing, Gary tilted his head. « But are you sure you want to do this ? I don't want you doing something you don't want to. »
« I'm sure ! » Laureline chirped suddenly.
Standing up straight and drawing in a long breath, Laureline squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward. She pursed her lips and stood slightly on her tiptoes, doing her best to meet Gary halfway.
Finding the entire scene undeniably and irresistibly cute, Gary pursed his own lips and leaned forward.
There was a brief moment of hesitation and then... Their lips touched.
Instantly, Laureline's heart leaped into her throat.
Gary felt breath catch in his throat.
The realization that they were actually kissing as a couple struck them both, and they were momentarily frozen in place. And then, the two youngsters realized their lips were touching and they both made frowning and slightly confused smiles. Neither were entirely sure what to think of the whole kissing thing but they both quickly decided that it was gross.
Before either of them could react, though : Ash suddenly popped out from behind a tree. His eyes widened at the sight of Gary and Laureline kissing. For a moment, he seemed to be dumbfounded. Then, a big grin spread across his fingers. He then loudly laughed and pointed at the two. « Haha ! Gross ! » He exclaimed, laughing at the two. « You're kissing ! You two are gross ! »
« We-We are not ! » Gary yelled back, his face turning bright red.
Laureline was so embarrassed that she couldn't say anything. All she could do was hide her brightly blushing face in her hands. Yet, she could still very clearly hear Ash laughing and teasing them relentlessly.
« Gary and Laureline, sitting in a tree… » Ash jeered in a sing-song manner. « K-I-S-S-I-N-G ! »
« Stop it ! » Gary demanded, turning even redder.
It only seemed to encourage Ash, as he laughed and spun around. He then sprinted back towards Pallet Town, still singing his taunting song.
Gary and Laureline could only watch him run off with helpless expressions, both still blushing profusely. They knew that they were going to be the talk of all the Pallet Town kids for days.
Then reality caught up with Gary and his eyes snapped open. He pulled back and tilted his head down, averting his gaze from Laureline. Composing himself, Gary made sure not to look at Laureline as he did so.
Laureline could only watch him with a sad look. As he stepped away, she shuffled forward a step. She didn't want him to go. « Gar– »
Still refusing to look at Laureline, Gary shook his head and turned away from her. He gave her a dismissive way of his hand, cutting off anything else she may have had to say. With that, Gary walked back to his house, climbed through the window and returned to his room. He made sure to close it securely behind him but mostly, he made sure not to look at Laureline.
Watching Gary go, Laureline felt frozen in place until the window closed behind Gary. After a moment, and still cuddling Moonie : She approached the window. She gave it a few timid knocks, trying to get Gary to return to the window. Yet, he didn't. Sighing heavily, Laureline hugged her pokemon for comfort. Heading back to her house, she held Moonie close. As she did so, she whispered words of thanks to her Eevee. thanking her for being there and for trying to bring Gary back to her.