Secrets Told
Thanks to licoricejellybean and Defiant Vixen as always! You guys are awesome!
Sorry for taking so long to update, I've been super busy with work and I've been trying to move along the story line to BtW while dealing with major writer's block. Enjoy and, as always, please review! Next chapter should be up very soon!
Chapter Fourteen: Revelation
It was now mid-August and Pallet Town had reached the hottest point of the summer season – merely stepping outside could make one break into a sweat, but there was something in the breeze that promised cooler weather and more comfortable times. Or maybe it was just that Tracey knew Gary would be returning home soon while Misty and Brock would be arriving as well. Two months had passed since Gary and Ash had gotten into their fight on the beach and, since then, Ash had stayed around Pallet to train for his upcoming competition in the Sinnoh region while Gary had gone to the Orange Islands for three weeks to help Professor Ivy and some other well-known professors tag and track Sharpedo in the tropical waters. With everything going on in the Pewter and Cerulean City gyms, Misty and Brock had been unable to leave for Pallet until only a few days prior, which meant that their arrival would correspond with Gary's.
Despite a definite happiness that arose in Tracey, he was rather nervous as Gary tended to be exhausted after these trips, making him rather unpleasant to be around. Tracey didn't doubt that the presence of his and Ash's close friends would set off Gary in some way and he hoped that everything went well. He only had one opportunity to break the news of his relationship to Misty and Brock and the last thing he wanted was Gary interfering and thus turning the situation even more awkward. The fear that his boyfriend would screw this up was topped by the fear that his friends would be angry with him, or worse, would feel that his relationship with Gary was unhealthy and would try talking him into calling it off.
This was perhaps the worst part about dating the young researcher – the people close to Tracey generally didn't know Gary particularly well and saw only the arrogant, sarcastic side to him. Tracey, as well as several other people close to Gary, knew that there was another side to him but few people really got to see it. He knew that behind that sarcasm was an intelligent, funny, sweet, and even playful person who was both loving and lovable. Explaining that to Misty and Brock could prove to be difficult.
With a small groan, Tracey stopped pacing across the front porch and sat down on the wooden steps, keeping his eyes on the road leading to the house and lab, impatiently waiting for both his guests and his lover. Eagerness to see them had made it nearly impossible for the twenty-year-old to sleep the night before and was now making him anxious, as was rather obvious from the way he had been pacing the floor of any room he had been in all day. Resting his chin in his hand, Tracey pulled out his cell phone and scanned the latest text messages, hoping in vain to find a new one. Finally, as he was skimming the last fifty or so messages from Gary, he heard voices coming from down the road; looking up quickly, he could see Ash, Misty, and Brock cresting the nearby hill that seemed to separate the Oak property from the rest of the town. Tracey's face broke out in a grin as he jumped up, slipped his phone back in his pocket, and headed down the driveway to meet his three friends down the road.
About three hours later, the four young people were sitting in the living room catching up with each other. Brock had just finished up telling Tracey and Ash about the recent renovations at the Pewter City gym when Misty spoke up in a curious voice, her head tilted to the side in inquiry.
"That's a pretty necklace, Tracey, where did you get it?"
Tracey's hand quickly went to his throat where he lightly fingered the smooth surface of the sea glass that hung from the leather cord. A smile curved his lips as he remembered the uncharacteristic shy expression that Gary had worn when he had given it to him; the teen had been particularly worried about whether or not Tracey would like it, and Tracey had spent several minutes reassuring his boyfriend that it was actually a perfect gift. Gary always seemed to smile whenever he saw Tracey wearing the necklace – which was rather often as Tracey only took it off to shower or sleep – and the thought of that smile made his heart ache; he missed his younger lover terribly.
"Actually," he began quietly, realizing that he was going to have explain things sooner than he had anticipated. "My, uh, my boyfriend made it for me." He bit his lip, worrying for a moment about the pending reaction while Misty and Brock took a minute to let the new information sink in. Tracey had intended on actually telling them with Gary there but he had no problem with jumping at the opportunity and he was sure that Gary would appreciate the move.
The thoughtful expression that Brock had taken on was replaced with a teasing grin as he nudged Tracey, who was sitting next to him on the couch, in the ribs. "Finally got a boyfriend, huh?" he asked good naturedly. "How long has this been going on then?"
Tracey glanced over at Misty and Ash to see that the boy looked a bit uncomfortable while Misty's confused expression had turned to a playful smile that matched Brock's. "Aw, Tracey! Why didn't you tell us?"
"It's been… awhile," Tracey admitted with a small laugh. A grin broke out across his face – this was going better than he had hoped. "And I didn't tell you guys because he wasn't 'out' yet."
Brock gave a small nod as if to say, "That makes sense."
"Does Professor Oak know about this?" Misty asked casually, taking a sip of her soda while Ash remained quiet.
"Um, yeah… Yep, he knows. He was one of the first to find out about it, actually." He wondered if either Brock or Misty would assume the reason behind that particular fact.
"Was he okay with it? I mean, his reaction must have been pretty important to you, right? He's kind of like an adoptive father to you," Brock pointed out.
"You have no idea," Tracey agreed with a small, slightly uncomfortable laugh. "He was really good with it… Which, I guess, he kind of had to be, all things considered," he mused softly. Ash glanced at with an uncomfortable expression that the other two seemed to be oblivious to.
"So, who's this mystery guy? Come on, Trace, we need details!" Tracey laughed again; Misty had become a bit more girly over the years, despite the way she maintained her tomboyish personality. "What's he like – is he cute, is he nice?"
"Does he treat you well?" Brock interjected with a very pointed look that made Tracey smile. He wasn't surprised that it had been the older male to ask this question.
"He's the sweetest guy I know," Tracey replied honestly. Ash's startled expression didn't escape his notice; Tracey had been quick to notice that the boy was still uncomfortable with his relationship with the trainer's former rival. Ash really hadn't said anything about it but there was something in the way he shifted his weight whenever Tracey mentioned Gary or the way he averted his eyes whenever the two kissed or hugged. "He treats me very well and, yes, Misty, he's very cute," he added while blushing furiously at his own comment.
Brock and Misty both laughed good naturedly before pressing on. "What does he do?"
"Is he a trainer, is he a watcher?"
"Does he work in a lab?"
"He used to be a trainer," Tracey replied, tugging at the cord of his necklace slightly. "He's actually taking classes at Saffron University to become a researcher and, yeah, he works in a lab."
"How did you two meet?"
Tracey hesitated before answering, unsure of how to reply; he was saved from responding when Brock cut off Misty's question.
"Wait – does he live in Pallet or Saffron?"
"Um… Pallet," Tracey said, shifting in his seat. Even with the small amount of information he had let on, it wouldn't be too difficult for his friends to guess the identity of his boyfriend.
A suspicious gleam crept into Misty's eyes as she pondered Tracey's replies to her and Brock's questions. "Is he younger than you?" Tracey nodded mutely. "How much younger?"
"About a year and a half."
"Which means, he's not much older than Ash," she observed, her eyes narrowing a bit. Tracey shifted his weight again under her gaze; he noticed that Brock had taken on a thoughtful expression as he seemed to be putting bits of information together.
As she opened her mouth to ask her next question, Tracey noticed her eyes suddenly flick to something behind him just before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly to see who was behind him, Tracey's mind went blank as a pair of achingly familiar lips sealed over his own in a kiss he had desperately longed for the past three weeks. It was over before he was ready and a soft sigh escaped him as Gary brought his mouth to Tracey's ear.
"Now they know," he muttered, pressing a small kiss against Tracey's cheek as he pulled away.
Without even thinking to look at his friends to judge their reaction, Tracey jumped up and flung his arms around his boyfriend, eliciting a soft laugh as Gary returned the embrace. "I missed you," he sighed.
"I missed you too but I need to go put my stuff away." Gary glanced at the other three people in the room before turning his gaze back to his boyfriend. "I'll let you handle them; let me know if you need me, okay?"
Tracey nodded as Gary pulled away with a sad smile and left the room as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving Tracey feeling a bit baffled as he turned back to his friends. Misty looked shocked, though Tracey had to admit that he couldn't blame her; Brock seemed surprised but a bit more amused by the expression on Misty's face than anything else; Ash was glancing back and forth between the three other people in the room.
"So," Tracey began in a cheerful but awkward voice as he sat back down with a dark blush spreading across his face. "I think that about covers it."
Brock laughed at that and even Ash grinned while Misty maintained her stoic, startled expression. It was Brock that snapped her out of her stupor by holding his hand in front of her face, palm up. "Come on, Mist, cough it up," he said with a grin that caused Tracey to frown in confusion.
"What?" Tracey asked as Misty seemed to come back to herself and focused on Brock.
"Sorry, Tracey, but we bet on your boyfriend's sexuality awhile back," he explained with a small shrug. "I win; you owe me twenty bucks, Mist."
Misty scowled at him and slapped his hand away. "I bet that he wasn't gay – I never specified if I was betting on him being bi or straight," she argued.
"He's gay, trust me," Tracey interjected with an amused laugh. At least no one was berating him for his choice of lovers.
An exasperated sigh escaped Misty as she reached for her bag that was lying on the floor near her feet. "You're supposed to side with me, Tracey," she said with a playful glare as she fished out the money and handed it to the older male. "And Gary's honestly the sweetest guy you know? Come on, Trace!" Her voice had taken on a sharper edge that made Tracey flinch slightly.
"He's sweet to me, I never said anything about the way he is to everyone else," he replied defensively.
"Let's not start attacking Tracey for dating Gary," Brock jumped in, holding up his hands as Misty and Ash both opened their mouths to reply to Tracey's words. "Tracey obviously knows Gary better than we do, Mist; I'm sure there's a side to him that we haven't seen." He glanced over at Tracey before speaking again, apparently mulling over this new bit of information. "Actually, I think you two complement each other pretty well. Gary could use someone to mellow him out a bit and, no offense, but you could use a bit of an edge on occasion."
"Gee, thanks," Tracey muttered with a slight roll of his eyes, making the other three laugh in surprise.
"See what I mean?" Brock asked loudly, still laughing. He sobered up and returned to his serious tone once more after a moment. "You two do have a bit in common and I'm sure there's another side to this that we don't know about. If you say Gary treats you well, then I say good for you guys." He gave Tracey a warm smile before turning his attention to Misty and Ash as though asking for their opinion. Misty didn't seemed especially thrilled with her good friend dating the young researcher and it was obvious that she wasn't entirely convinced by Brock's words.
"I'm still not really used to it," Ash spoke up quietly for perhaps the first time since this particular conversation had come up. "But Gary does treat him really well, Misty. I've known Gary since we were kids and I've never seen him act like that with anyone else… That's how you can tell he really loves Tracey… I'm all for their relationship."
Tracey smiled gratefully at Ash's comments and cast an imploring look Misty's way. "Come on, Misty; you've seen me and Gary as friends, you know he's good to me, you know we get along. At least give us a chance?"
Misty met Tracey's eyes stubbornly, still seeming rather unmoved. Gradually, her expression softened slightly and she nodded in resignation. "One chance," she agreed. "If he hurts you, he's dead.
Tracey nodded in mute understanding; he would take what he could get with his redhead friend. A few short moments passed and the tenseness in the room began to dissipate as Ash and Brock began talking about the upcoming competition in Sinnoh that the trainer would be competing in. After awhile, Tracey breathed a soft sigh of relief; finally, everyone close to him now knew about his relationship with Gary and they had all accepted it, even if Misty had been reluctant. Now he and Gary could finally bring the relationship to the next level and he couldn't be happier.