Secrets Told
Chapter Two: History
Tracey wandered back towards the lab, truly in no hurry to return to his work on updating the Pokedex files for the Kanto Region. He wasn't worried in the slightest about May catching him and Gary in a… compromising position. It was no secret that he was gay; he wasn't in-your-face about it, he just didn't hide it and Professor Oak and most other people seemed to accept it with no problem. Gary on the other hand; well, he was a different story entirely. He had come home after spending about two years working at the research institute on Sayda Island and Tracey was certain that the then-sixteen year old was just not into girls.
There was something in the way he laughed off the flirty advances of May's promiscuous friends or the way the scanty clothing of the young women had no effect on the young Oak that told Tracey he wasn't the only one in Pallet who was unfazed by the girls. There was also something in the depths of Gary's eyes that told him the boy had yet to come to terms with his sexuality. May and the professor hadn't understood the depressed phase Gary had gone through at seventeen but Tracey had figured out the reasoning quickly. It wasn't difficult, not with the way Gary would flat out ignore the females around him or the way his eyes would narrow whenever May tried to hook him up with a friend. They had hit it off early as friends and Gary had eventually come to him for support that was gladly given and Tracey soon found himself falling for the brunette. Months later the younger of the two teens had come to terms with it and Tracey had managed to say the right thing at the right time. Their lips had hesitantly met and the first kiss had turned to one where he could practically taste Gary's desperation; they'd stopped before they could do anything either boy would regret but the 'damage' had been done. They had both gotten a taste of something they wanted more of – each other.
After a few days of awkward avoidance, they had sat down and talked. Most people would think that this conversation was the one that had led to the start of their relationship but that wasn't the case. In fact, the two had verbally and vehemently denied romantic feelings towards each other and had decided aloud that the reason behind the kiss was simply hormonal. They'd even said it wouldn't happen again but that obviously wasn't the case. They somehow managed nearly two months without anymore experiences but push eventually came to shove – meaning they both got drunk at May's twenty-first birthday party and ended up making out and groping behind locked doors in Gary's bedroom.
They couldn't deny it anymore after that. After some hefty doses of aspirin and some hours of recovery the next day, Gary had confronted Tracey about what was going on between them, stating simply that there were strong feelings between the two. Emboldened by Gary's straightforward approach, Tracey had been the one to bring up the aspect of a relationship. That had been over a year prior and, despite the strong, loving, and supportive relationship the two shared, Gary had shown no signs of being ready to be open about it. Tracey knew that nothing bad could happen family-wise but he couldn't speak for Gary's friends in Pallet – Pallet was a small and fairly conservative town and 'alternative lifestyles' weren't exactly highly welcomed. Granted it stung deeply to know that his boyfriend could whisper sweet words in his ear behind closed doors while pretending to have nothing more than a friendly relationship when around others, but Tracey understood and supported him no matter what. After all, isn't that what love was?
Tracey sighed as he reached the lab door. He knew May would tell Professor Oak at some point today, perhaps even within the hour – the girl couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it. He pushed his worries out of his head as he turned the door handle and entered the vast laboratory, crossing the white tiles towards the desk that was his. He sat down and began typing up the files he had been working on; he wasn't sure how long he had been working when the door opened again and May entered, still wearing her bikini and matching sarong from earlier with her expensive sunglasses resting atop her head. Tracey felt a sinking feeling in his gut as the young woman crossed the lab to her grandfather with a wide grin on her face.
He certainly hoped that May wasn't too fond of that pale blue bathing suit she was wearing because it was going to be covered in blood stains when Gary got his hands on his elder sister.
He listened as May excitedly spilled the beans to the professor and was so busy trying to figure out how to keep this from getting to his boyfriend that he didn't even notice the fourth person in the lab until he heard the door slam closed. Tracey looked up to see his boss staring at that door where his grandson had obviously just left.
"I'm assuming that's all the clarification I need," the professor sighed wearily. May smiled sheepishly at her grandfather. "I take it he made you promise not to tell?" May nodded slowly, her smile fading from her face as her grandfather sighed once more. "May, I think we need to have a bit of a talk on keeping your promises."
Tracey couldn't help but smile a bit as he watched the professor and the young woman disappeared into his office to have a serious chat. May had been in dire need of someone telling her to stay out of her little brother's business.
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