AN: Hey, guys! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on this account. I've been working on another Palletshipping fanfic, but I decided to whip this up real quick, since I'm having major writer's block for the other one. Enjoy, my fellow palletshippers! :'D
Under the Harvest Moon
Ash couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. He glanced at the time: 11:50 PM. He had been in bed for almost two hours and still could not get to sleep.
The fight with Gary had been too much for him to handle. He hated having to fall asleep mad, but at the same time, he knew he had to. Tomorrow he had to leave the hotel early to arrive at the nearby gym.
The minutes passed slowly. He glanced over at Pikachu, who was curled up in a little ball, sleeping peacefully on the boy's pillow. He glanced over to the other bunk just across from his. Brock appeared to be dreaming.
'Probably about Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny...' he thought, chuckling to himself.
He could hear Misty's heavy breathing coming from the bottom bunk. He looked down and noticed that the covers were completely wrapped around her. She looked like a Metapod about to evolve.
Ash closed his eyes yet again. He tried counting Mareep, an old trick that his mother taught him when he was just a young boy, but the only thoughts that filled his mind were thoughts of the fight.
He glanced at the time yet again. This time, the clock read '11:52.'
He groaned.
Ever so stubborn, Ash got out of bed, climbed carefully down the latter, so as not to wake the others up, and slipped off his pajamas. What he really needed was a nice long walk to clear his head.
The stars looked like rhinestones that had been sown onto a lacy black blanket. Ash felt a sudden sense of peace and contentment as a frigid gust of wind blew through his ebony hair, nearly blowing his hat off. He closed his eyes, holding the hat close to his chest. He could feel the wind whipping through his blue jacket, which swished behind him like a cape. He opened his eyes as the wind died down suddenly. His gaze shifted upward toward the moon.
It was a harvest moon.
Ash gasped. He had forgotten all about the harvest moon! His jaw dropped as he smiled, staring intently. The comely moon gave Ash a feeling of such elation. No one really knew of this, but Ash had always been fascinated with nature, from the sky to the ground. He loved it, and was always looking for new places to travel, all while obtaining his eight badges.
He sat underneath a tall oak tree that gave him the perfect view of the big, beautiful moon. It was possibly the most luminous thing he had ever seen in his life.
At least, aside from Gary's eyes.
Ash paused for a moment. No. He would not think about Gary.
He folded his arms behind his forehead and closed his eyes, feeling the wind tickling his stomach through his shirt. He then sensed something brush up against his leg. The boy opened his eyes and gasped.
His hat was flying away!
He sprang to his feet and chased after it, cursing under his breath as the hat flew farther and farther away. He ran with a great amount of agility and speed, but alas, was no match for the wind as it carried the hat up a grassy hill.
The harvest moon gave Gary such a feeling of exuberance that he felt as though it was the only cure for his blues at this point. The fight with Ash had started off as a bicker, but ended up as a boisterous quarrel that seemed to go on for hours on end. However, he had to put the thought out of his mind. Tonight, he was just going to sit back and admire the beauty of the moon.
A strong gust of wind blew through his spiky brown hair. His yellow and green yin-yang necklace fluttered towards the moon. The wind could have pushed him forward if his feet weren't so firmly placed on the ground.
He turned around, feeling the wind from a different angle. Something in the distance caught his eye. He noticed a strange, hat-like object floating around like a kite. His ears soon detected heavy panting coming from somewhere even farther away.
The object landed next to Gary, who then realized that it was, in fact, a hat.
But not just any hat.
He'd recognize that hat anywhere.
Before he could move a muscle, an ebony haired figure had leaped on top of the hat, screaming "GOTCHA!" in a loud, raspy voice.
It was Ash.
Gary turned towards the moon, hoping Ash would go away if he saw that he was totally uninterested. He wasn't in the mood to see Ash as of right now.
As Ash placed the hat back on his head, wondering why he had even bothered to wear it as he knew it was going to be this windy out, he noticed the figure standing next to him.
He blushed.
"Oh...sorry, Gary. I didn't...see you there," Ash stuttered, a sad look painted on his face as he gazed toward the ground.
It took every muscle in Gary's body for him to resist looking down at the other boy.
"Hey, Gary...um, do you mind if I, maybe, stayed here?" Ash whispered.
"What?" The brunette turned and looked down, not exactly hearing what Ash had said.
Ash stared up into Gary's big, green eyes. Those effulgent eyes made the stars, and even the harvest moon, look dim in the night sky.
"I said...um...could I, maybe...stay here? I mean...th-the view of the moon is way better than where I was," he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a habit of Ash's that Gary had always found absolutely adorable.
Gary turned back towards the moon. He nodded.
Ash smiled. "Th-thanks," he said, standing up, realizing he'd been on the ground almost the entire time. "I'll, uh...go back to my other spot in a little while," he added.
He realized that Gary was giving him the cold shoulder, and almost felt uneasy standing next to the brunette boy, who hadn't taken his eyes off the moon.
The view was a lot better here than it had been from where Ash was, probably because they were up on a hill. Ash felt as though he could reach out and grab the harvest moon, and hold it in his hand as if he were receiving communion.
If Gary asked, he'd grab the moon for him right then and there.
Ash managed to quickly glance at his boyfriend, admiring how his features looked underneath the moonlight. They were outlined by a bright, blue silhouette. Ash smiled, blushing slightly. Gary felt someones' eyes on him and turned his head.
Ash quickly looked back at the moon, trying to hold back a giggle. 'Oops,' he thought, smiling shyly, 'he saw me!'.
The ebony haired trainer's legs soon started to grow tired. He sat down underneath a nearby tree and closed his eyes, holding his hat like a stuffed bear.
Gary immediately felt awful for giving Ash the cold shoulder. Deep down in his heart, he knew that he had to put the fight behind him. He couldn't even remember what it was about or who had even started it. It was the past. His grandpa had always said, "leave the past in the past, but keep it in the back of your mind as well. You could learn something from it."
Gary didn't know how he was going to learn something from the fight because he had already forgotten the entire thing. All he knew was that he needed to apologize as soon as possible, and now seemed like the perfect time.
He walked over to the boy, slowly, stepping on a twig in the process, causing Ash to stir slightly. His eyes shifted toward the spiky haired brunette, who appeared to be walking towards him.
It was Ash's turn for the cold shoulder. It almost hurt him to do this, but he felt he had to. It was time Gary got a taste of his own medicine.
Ash straitened himself up, and focused on the moon, fighting the desire to get lost in Gary's eyes.
"Ash?" Gary said, a slight quiver in his voice.
The ebony haired trainer simply cleared his throat quietly and kept his gaze towards the moon, resisting the urge to look into those green eyes he adored so.
Gary sat down next to Ash, and stared at the moon as well.
"Look, Ash...I'm really sorry about giving you the cold shoulder back there...and for whatever happened earlier today. I can't even remember what caused us to get into such a bad argument. In fact, I don't even remember who started it."
Ash looked over towards his boyfriend, who was still staring into the sky. His eyes seemed to stick out more than the moon did.
"But if it was me," he continued, "I'm really sorry. And if it was you...well, then, I'll forgive you." He glanced over at Ash, who quickly turned his head back towards the sky, refusing to succumb to Gary's sweet talk.
"Ash," Gary said again, "I know you're mad at me...but if you could just find it in your heart to forgive me for whatever I've done...I'd really appreciate it. You...mean the world to me, and I don't want to lose you."
Gary stroked Ash's cheek with his fingers. Ash's face turned toward the brunette.
Before either of them could say a word, Gary pressed his lips to Ash's, gently and lovingly.
The kiss filled Ash with such a strong warmth; a feeling of bliss and serenity. At first he refused to give in, but eventually, he found he couldn't resist any longer, and kissed back.
Ash was the first to pull away, blushing uncontrollably and looking fixedly into Gary's eyes. He then snuggled into the other boy's chest, hearing Gary's heart beat pound softly against his ear. It was a slow and comforting noise.
"So, Ash," Gary said, teasingly smirking, "are you still planning on going back to where you were before you came here?"
Ash had forgotten that he had mentioned that before.
"Oh, I, uh...I don't remember the way back, exactly..." he trailed off.
Gary smiled. He knew the real reason why Ash wanted to stay.
"I love you, Ash," he said, kissing the trainer's head.
Ash smiled.
"I love you too, Gary," he added, snuggling deeper into the boy's chest.
And in that moment, Ash realized that there was no place in the world that he'd rather be than under the harvest moon, with the love of his life.
THE END.