Chapter 4

Hey you all! Sorry if you waited ages for this update, but we had a shitload of projects at varsity, and it was generally just a very busy two, three weeks. But I sat down earlier, and this basically just flowed outta me. Not exactly the cheeriest of chapters, but at least it's progression with the story, eh? hehe. Enjoy.

What exactly is it he feels? Cause I would kill to know. Now, I've never been an expert when it comes to figuring somebody out, especially not someone as cryptic as Gary. But I do get a strange feeling that maybe, just maybe, I could close my eyes and take a leap, and Gary would be fine with it. Maybe it's just false hope and wishful thinking, but my gut would like to believe otherwise.

I have to consider the risks such a leap would present. If my actions backfire, I could just as well consider my friendship with Gary history. Rejection would be complete. And am I willing to sacrifice our friendship? Sure, it could be so much better than it is now, without even getting romantic, but I do consider him a good friend already again.

"Oh my god," Gary said and let out a stifled groan.

I peered at him from where I lay on my bed. Gary was sitting upright with his head clutched in his hands, like he had been for the past ten minutes. I gave a slight chuckle, but Gary didn't react. Instead, he just rubbed his head a bit.

"Hangover much?" I dared to ask.

"What? You don't have one?" Gary asked as he slightly looked up at me.

I smiled and shook my head proudly. Disbelieve was etched all over his beautiful face, and he moaned in disgust. He slowly got up and walked over to the window. He opened the curtain slightly, but as soon as the sunlight hit his face, he winced away and promptly shut the curtains again.

He went into the bathroom, and I heard the tap starting to run. The thought that I'm kind of spying on Gary occurred to me, but then, what else could I do in an empty hotel room? The sound of the cupboard opening came, followed by what sounded like Gary searching for something, and was rounded off by yet another groan.

Gary came shuffling out of the bathroom and looked at me. "Well, since here is no aspirin, and I didn't bring any, you're buying me breakfast."

My eyes widened, "Me? Why?"

"Because," he shot me a look of fury, "for some stupid reason, you dropped your hangover on me. It's the least you could do, Ashy-boy."

He looked at me with squinty eyes, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Gary gave me the finger and slumped face down onto his bed. When I stopped laughing I reached for my wallet, miraculously not lost the night before, and got up.

When I reached Gary's bed, I tapped him lightly on the back, "Okay, then. I'll go down so long. You shower and clean up, and by the time you're done, breakfast will be ready."

Gary gave a slight nod into the bedding, "Hmm."

I took it as a yes, chuckled and left the room. I had awoken about an hour before Gary, and out of pure boredom, I took a shower and stuff. Wearing the same clothes as the day before was quite disgusting, considering we went to drink with them. The smell of alcohol hung heavy on them, and it made me slightly sick. But aside from that, I was feeling perfect and, frankly, quite happy.

The hotel was rather luxurious, though nothing top-class. The dining room was about half-full, and I found a nice table for two. A waiter came over as soon as I sat down and he handed me a menu. As I glanced at the various choices, I realized I hadn't asked Gary what he would like to eat. I beckoned the waiter over again.

"Er, what do people eat when they have a morning after?" I asked the guy.

He laughed, then pointed to a picture of breakfast with bacon, eggs, pork bangers, mushrooms and toast, "Definitely something greasy and filling."

"Great, I'll take two. And two coffees please," I asked.

"Sure," he said and left, not even asking why I'm ordering double.

Some stupid classical music was playing and it bored me to death. I waited and Gary finally came into the dining room, his brow furrowed to the point where it was quite comedic. He stood for a few seconds and searched the room. When he saw where I sat, he came shuffling over.

"You look like shit, Gary," I commented as he sat down.

"Fuck you," he said dryly. "Next time, it's your turn."

I laughed at him and his misery, and he shot me dirty look. Just then, the waiter arrived with our coffee and food, and Gary's face lit up in gratitude. Actually, he looked rather pathetic, but in that cute way. He ate slowly, as if savoring the food, but then again, he looked so tired and wasted, he might just not have the energy to just dig in. I stole some glances at him while he ate, and he luckily didn't seem to notice me.

Instead, he seemed to focus on his plate, and only occasionally looked up, but it was like he was avoiding my face. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. He was drunk last night, so it couldn't have been like he meant it, and even if his song choice wasn't random at all, who was I to say it was directed at me? It could just as well be me and my wishful thinking. Again.

"So, you don't feel sick at all?" Gary finally asked.

"Nope, nothing at all," I said with a huge smile.

Still looking down, he said, "That's so unfair. Hangovers are usually there to remind you how great a time you had."

I blinked for a second. Did I just hear correctly? One way to find out, "You had a great time?"

He looked up and chuckled, "I never thought I would get that drunk with you, but yeah, it was pretty good."

My smile turned to a full on beam. I wondered just how much he could remember from the night before. Maybe this was my chance to push forward and find out how he feels. My gut twisted a bit in anticipation, and I found myself reaching for the coffee to comfort my suddenly dry mouth.

"How much do you remember?" I asked him cautiously.

Gary looked up again, thinking a bit before he said, "Er, not that much. I know I enjoyed it. I remember that stupid girl, I remember there were somehow no obnoxious fans of Ash Ketchum, I don't remember how we got home, and I don't remember getting in bed."

Should I tell him? That I basically held him all the way to our hotel room, I listened how he sung a love a song, and finally, rescued him from the bathroom and put him in bed? I suppose I could tell him, but that might hurt Gary's self-sufficient ego. What I will most definitely not tell him is that I wanted to carry him home, I enjoyed him singing, and I would have preferred snuggling up to him instead of going to my own bed. Why couldn't a cliché have saved us, and let the hotel only have had single bed rooms available?

"Don't worry, what matters are that you did get here and did get in bed, and not in some random people's house or some ditch," I said, feeling rather chuffed with myself for making sure he was alright last night.

"Ash?" Gary asked, his voice having a disbelieving tone.

I answered hesitantly, not knowing what I said wrong, "Yeah?"

He looked at me for a second longer, then shook his head, "Oh, it's nothing."

He shifted awkwardly in his seat, and the remainder of breakfast was spent in silence. My mind wasn't, though, and I kept going over our conversation to try and figure out what I said. But Gary didn't sound angry or anything, so I dunno, maybe it's just his too cryptic stuff for the likes of me.

We decided to head out to the police station as soon as possible, and see if they had made any advances in finding Gary's car. The trip to the station was just as silent as breakfast, but it felt kind of awkward. This surprised me. Gary and I had been friends for years, why would we share an awkward silence? Unless, like always, it's just me, and I misinterpreted Gary and I'm just an idiot. Yeah, that must be it.

We entered the station, and Officer Jenny came over the second we stepped inside, a huge smile playing on her face. She had a set of keys in her hand, and gave them to Gary, who was looking very surprised.

"The guy basically handed himself to us. Camera's caught him speeding, and we got to him quickly," she said proudly.

"Thank you so much!" Gary laughed. "I don't know what I would've done if you didn't find it today."

"It's our pleasure to serve," she said. "But you might want to lock your doors the next time."

"Excuse me?" Gary asked in confusion.

"Yes, we couldn't find any damage on the car, and asked the man how he got in. He told us the passenger side door was unlocked," Officer Jenny explained, and I closed my eyes.

How could I have been so stupid? Maybe it's because I've never gotten used to cars after years of just using my legs, but it's pretty basic to lock a car door. Damn. I didn't dare open my eyes, knowing that Gary would be looking at me. And he would be furious.

I felt two arms grab me by my shoulders, and started shaking me. "This is your fault?" Gary almost yelled. "You didn't even know you left it open, did you? You're such a child, Ash!"

I just stood there as Gary spat out the words. Something about me having to learn responsibility, consider other's people things, get over the simplicity of life. Actually, it was pretty deep, the way he went on. One could have sworn I gave his car away. Okay, maybe I kinda did, but still, his words hurt.

And I couldn't say anything back. I had opened my eyes, and just stared at Gary as he let his anger out. I guess I had a sorry expression on my face.

"It's a simple mistake, anyone could have made it," Officer Jenny said, and I was surprised to see her still standing there.

"Maybe, maybe not. This is Ash Ketchum. You can always expect something like this from him," Gary said, his voice unnaturally cold.

I snapped, "It's not like I meant to leave the door open and have your car stolen! I mean, if I didn't feel anything I could have left you on that sidewalk last night or not have put you in bed when you were too drunk to even walk!"

Gary had frozen, and he stared at me in shock. Yeah, even I didn't expect that from me. What I did next was even more drastic.

I turned around and left. I didn't know why, I just felt hurt by what Gary said. No anger, just hurt. I should have known why, but at that moment, I just wanted to get away. I somehow recall a hand grabbing my arm, but I pulled away and just rushed out of the police station.

"Ash! Wait!" Gary called after me.

"Leave me alone." I said, knowing that I sound like a ten year old again, but not caring.

"What? We have to get home," he said, his voice sounding truly apologetic.

"Just go. I can get home myself," I said. My voice sounded deadly and sharp. I stopped and turned around, I gave him a look that could kill, and he looked away. Just in the knick of time, because my resolve in hurting Gary faltered, and my face softened. I turned around before he could look back and started walking away before he could say or do anything.

Just like always, I was walking away. Walking alone. Walking in the cold. It was familiar, not even Misty, Brock or Pikachu could cheer me up if they were here.

Funny to think I brought this to myself. Over not locking a car's door. I really am a stupid loser. Masochistic, pathetic and stupid.

I walked for a while, not really taking my surroundings in, but when I did look up, I was back at the Pokemon Center. Somehow, it was just the place I needed, and went inside. I found a place to sit, and watched all the trainers with their various Pokemon. On other days, the nostalgia would make me sick, but now I just longed to my younger days. Missing the age where emotions were limited, and gotten over quickly.

My eyes shifted over every tiny corner of the place, but not really processing what I was seeing. My eyes came to rest on the computer terminal, and a thought popped into my head. I got up and started to make my way over to it.

"I can't believe it! It's Ash Ketchum!" a girl squealed from somewhere. Hers was followed by a whole volley of shrieks and yells.

Great, just what I needed – fangirls.

In seconds, there was a group of jumping, screaming and very excited teenage girls surrounding me. Normal guys would have been elated to be able to get this attention. But I wasn't normal. No, I just wanted one thing, and I think I just threw it away.

"Please! Will you give us your autograph? We're such big fans of you!" one of them asked. No, begged.

"And, you can have our phone numbers," another one added.

Fucking fangirls. Ugh.

"No thanks. Just give me something to sign with," I said, my voice void of emotion.

"Of course! How could we be so stupid?" the telephone number girl said. Well, you see, that's quite an easy thing to do. I mean, look at me and how stupid I am!

I was handed paper and a pen, and after routinely asking every girl her name, and writing my rehearsed personal messages for each of them, they finally left.

I could still hear them as I continued to walk to the computer, and I was afraid this might just turn to a full blown autographing session if the other people in the Center wanted one too. Luckily, everyone just seemed excited to see me, and I was left alone while I stood at the computer.

I called my mom, and her face appeared on the screen, happy as usual.

"Oh, hello, Ash!" she greeted me.

"Hey, mom," I said.

Her face turned concerning, "What's wrong, dear? Were they unable to find Gary's car?"

Damn, trust a mother to see through you like thin air.

"No, no. They found his car," I said.

"Then what's wrong? You look awfully pale," she said.

"Gary and I," I began sheepishly. "Mom, we had a fight."

"Oh no, dear. Should I come get you?"

Typical. She's so good. Why couldn't I be as observant as my mom? Then I would have been alert enough to lock the door, and more importantly, I wouldn't have this much trouble at figuring out Gary. I got so much genes from my father, and I've always been grateful for that, but now it was just a pain.

"No, you don't need to go through that much trouble. Can you just call a cab? I spent the money I had with me last night and this morning, and I forgot my cards," I told my mom.

"Okay, will do. Just stay at the Pokemon Center. I'll call right away," she said, her face soft.

"Thanks, mom."

I could feel the redness on my face. Eighteen, Pokemon Master, but still in his need of his mother. I chuckled to myself. Mom would be the last person on earth complaining about that.

I went over to where I sat before and resumed in my empty watching. Nurse Joy approached me, and I quickly sat upright. "You're Ash Ketchum, right?"

Great. Another one.

"Yeah."

"Great, can you please tell your friend Gary that we have his vaccines ready? I think he expected us to start working on them today, but we started yesterday, and now we're done," she told me.

I sat there, and contemplated it for a minute. On one side, it would sound really rude if I told her to tell him herself, but on the other, it meant that I would have to speak with Gary. And that wasn't really on my agenda in the immediate future. So what I said came as a complete surprise, "Give them to me, I'll take them to him."

Nurse Joy nodded and walked off to storeroom. I didn't follow her, and just stood waiting in the lobby. She returned with the box, and handed them to me. She said thanks and was off again. I eyed the box, and ignored the voice yelling at me from inside my head. I was retarded, not crazy. Not yet, anyway.

I saw the cab pull up and made my way outside and got in. I sat in the back, and placed the vaccines on the seat beside me. On our way out of Viridian, we passed both the police station and the hotel where we stayed. I did my best to try and imagine that they were just as insignificant like the other buildings, and I told myself they didn't remind of anyone.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, luckily, and I got home in no time. When I got out, my mom was already waiting outside, as if I had been gone for ages. Turned out she just wanted to pay the driver. Hah. As I watched her count the money, I became more and more depressed. I just couldn't shake the feeling that I'm the most stupid guy ever, and I just accepted to take the vaccines to Gary.

Like that would make things worse, I worked with him at Professor Oak's, so I would have seen him anyway. But that was left for tomorrow. There's no way in hell that I'm going over right now. No, like I said, I'm a masochist, and this cold is okay. For now.

A/N: Poor Ash... He's so clueless. Anyhow, I did promise a dramatic chapter, and completing this, I was thinking maybe it's too dramatic too early on. Then I reread it, and decided, nah. Since I'm very much like Gary, I know I would have reacted the same. :D Next week I'm off, so maybe you can expect an early update! Just maybe, though.

Oh, and, there was a part in there, Lanie. Just for you! ;) It has to do with what you said in the review. :P

Heh. Peace out everyone. Luv ya .v..