Secrets Kept

Hello again! I got a little sidetracked working on this one. Came out as transmasc a few days after posting the last chapter and posted my first Oakshipping piece on AO3 not long after, and then had a six day stretch at work with only one day off on either side and an endometriosis flare in the middle, so it's been a little busy! I still want to skip ahead to chapters 31 and 36 especially. I guess I don't have to skip ahead to chapter 31 now, considering it's up next. I had to move two scenes from this one to that one but it'll be fine. It's totally not throwing off the rhythm I had planned and adding an extra 3k+ words to that chapter from the start... I might be a little anxious about that, but I'm excited to finally get to write that chapter.

That said, this one has some sweet bits I think you'll enjoy! The boys needed some scenes of just being together : )

Also thank you pokemaster101! Good to see you again! Your comments made my day! Brace yourself, they're gonna keep getting cuter :D

Chapter Thirty

The remainder of Gary's Hoenn trip seemed to fly past in a flurry of sharpedo tagging, diving, and even an unexpected necropsy. Each day was more eventful than the last up until the very end and the last full day had been a bit of a scramble to finish everything up. But this morning was calm and quiet and, for that, Gary was grateful.

"Hard to believe it's already been a month," Professor Birch's voice pulled Gary back to the present.

Gary raised his head from atop his folded arms and nodded tiredly. He had been on the edge of falling asleep at the breakfast table at Birch's lab while Birch and Ivy discussed data analysis over their coffee. After putting so much energy into this trip, he was exhausted and was eagerly anticipating being able to sleep away the next day in his own bed in the privacy of his own bedroom. Ivy gave him a sympathetic smile and pushed the plate of muffins at the center of the table towards him. Gary picked out a blueberry muffin but didn't eat it - he was too tired to eat just yet. They had been wrapping up data collection and cleaning and storing gear well into the night the day before, and they needed to get up early for Ivy and Gary to catch their ferries home. The result was nowhere near enough sleep to make up for the amount of energy spent the day before.

"I'm sure you're looking forward to sleeping in your own bed," Ivy commented, sipping her coffee. She looked nearly as tired as Gary felt.

"And seeing your not-girlfriend, I bet," Birch chimed in.

Gary groaned and put his head back down to hide the blush that he felt spreading across his cheeks, though he nodded in confirmation to both. The professors shared a small laugh and a large hand ruffled his hair. Gary raised his head enough to give Birch a tired glare that only made the professor laugh more.

"You've got all day to sleep on the ferry," he reminded him. "Hang in there a little longer."

"Give him a break - it's been a busy month," Ivy cut in, though her voice was as amused as Birch's.

Gary raised his head again and rested his chin in his hand, trying to stay a little more awake than he had been for the last half hour.

"Oh, I know," Birch replied, shooting Gary a grin. "You've done a great job," he added earnestly, " a really great job."

Gary smiled faintly. "Thanks."

"I mean it," Birch went on, clearly thinking Gary was downplaying it. "You dealt with some heavy stuff. Make sure you give yourself credit."

As much as Gary appreciated it, Birch didn't know half of it. He knew about the shark stuff and the anxiety with the water, but he didn't know about the three difficult and much-needed conversations with Professor Ivy.

"I know," he assured the professor.

Birch still looked unconvinced. "I mean it," he emphasized. "Your not-girlfriend's lucky she's with you and not just some dumb teenage boy." Gary couldn't help but laugh at that. "I'm serious! You're a good kid, any girl would be lucky to have you."

Fortunately Professor Ivy decided to save him at that point. "Alright, Jonathan, enough picking on him," she laughed, "that's May's job." She sent a wink his way and Gary laughed again.

"Thanks," he repeated. He meant it, but all this girlfriend talk had one concern lurking in the back of Gary's mind… "Maybe don't tell my grandfather?" The last thing he felt like dealing with was his grandfather questioning what was going on with some girl. He knew the others in Gary's age group and would figure out that something didn't add up quite quickly.

Birch shook his head, a clearly amused smile curving his lips. "Don't see why you're being so shy," he mused. "If she's anything like Tracey, your grandfather should love her!"

"Now, now," Ivy interrupted again. "He's allowed to keep his love life to himself if he wants."

"It's not like you to be shy, that's all… but Philena's right," Birch relented after a moment. "It's your business, not mine so don't worry, I won't tell your grandfather."

It was almost funny to Gary that Birch thought he was being shy - it was a word that he knew absolutely did not describe him - but he would gladly play along with it if it kept other people from knowing about him and Tracey for now. He was grateful, at least, that Birch was taking this shyness and running with it as though it were perfectly normal and understandable for a teenager to act like this in a young relationship. Maybe the fact that Gary was normally so private about these sorts of things was working in his favor. Either way, he wasn't about to complain.

Grateful as he was for Birch's concern and easy acceptance, Gary was still eagerly looking forward to boarding the ferry that would bring him home to Pallet.

There was always a tiny bit of homesickness whenever he was gone for a few weeks - he missed May's bubbly greetings in the morning and his grandfather's calm, reassuring presence in the lab - but it had felt different this time around. He had missed Tracey so much more than he had on past trips, and that had been compounded the afternoon before when Tracey had reminded him that he would be heading back to Sunburst in a little over a week for the holidays. Once again, they would be reunited for a short period before separating for another two weeks.

He had a feeling there would be a lot of this in their future, especially given how busy he knew the next few months would be once the new year started. He'd already made plans with Dora and Jared at Sayda Island to help out for a few weeks in February, and he was awaiting the final plans for a project he would be helping Professor Rowan with in Sinnoh in April. There was a project near Blackthorn in March that he was especially looking forward to, and then there would be the two projects in the Orange Islands over summer, plus another few weeks at Sayda in the fall. It wasn't as busy as it could be, but he was going to be spending a lot of time away from home over the next few months and he already knew he would be missing Tracey during those periods.

But he couldn't dwell on that now. There was no reason to: he would be home this evening and would be able to spend plenty of time with Tracey before he visited his family. And the best thing about Tracey being home in the Orange Islands was that his family knew about them. Tracey didn't have to keep anything a secret there and they could spend as much time on the phone as they wanted without any worry on Tracey's end. It was a small reassurance, but one nonetheless.

The time to head to the harbor came soon enough and, after sharing a quick goodbye with Birch, Gary found himself alone with Professor Ivy for a few minutes before they had to board their respective ferries home.

She gave him her usual smile but Gary spoke up before she could say anything. "Thank you," he said earnestly, "for everything."

Her smile softened and she opened her arms, drawing him in for a hug that he gladly returned. "Of course," she replied. "Good luck with Tracey. I'm only a phone call away if you need anything," she said, drawing back from the hug to rest her hands on his shoulders.

"I know," Gary said, smiling.

"I know you do." She paused for a moment, glancing around briefly to ensure no one was within earshot before continuing. Remember to practice saying it, okay? It'll come."

"I will."

"Promise?"

Gary nodded. "I promise."

"Good! I want to hear you say it when I see you in summer."

A tiny swell of nerves fluttered in Gary's stomach but they were easily pushed away. Summer was months off still - he had plenty of time before then. Besides, all she wanted was to hear him tell her something that she already knew… and surely he would be out to a few more people by then. Darren maybe, or his grandfather, hopefully.

Either way, he could manage that.

"You will," he promised, flashing her a grin.

"Good," she stepped back, looking past his shoulder at the ferry behind him. "Time for you to get going. Stay out of trouble, alright?"

"What's the fun in that?"

She laughed and shook her head as he adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. They shared another smile and a quick goodbye before Gary turned to the ferry that would be bringing him home and headed over to the boarding area.

… … …

The ferry ride home was long and quiet. The wind was cold enough out on the ocean that Gary opted to stay inside for most of the trip with Umbreon for company. Though he and Tracey fell into their new routine of texting and drawing, there were long periods between messages from his boyfriend - apparently he and Wyatt were busy fixing a broken pump for one of the ponds back at the lab.

With so much quiet time to himself, Gary found himself thinking about his relationship with Tracey, the conversations he'd had with Professor Ivy, and everything that had happened since the last time he was on a ferry home. He didn't need either professor's comments to know just how different he felt now compared to then. On that ferry trip he had only just started to feel comfortable with everything he had learned about himself and he was only starting to make an effort to handle the stress of it better. But now…

Now he not only felt more like himself, he felt so much more at ease with everything. With the easy acceptance from Professor Ivy and from Tracey's family, it felt as though coming out was actually a possibility… as though it was something he could actually do.

This realization seemed to make everything feel so much more real, and while this did bring him some anxiety, it didn't make him feel as sick as the thought of coming out once had. He opted to soothe the anxiety that had bubbled up at his train of thoughts by drawing, and before long that now-familiar calm had crept over him, distracting him from that little bit of anxiety until it faded. By the time he was done with his page of practice drawings - pictures of Umbreon, Arcanine, and Houndoom this time - Tracey was done with the big task of fixing the pond pump. His texts were still less frequent than usual but Gary noticed his stomach doing a funny little flip every time his text alert went off.

He was reminded of how much he had missed his boyfriend but, more importantly, how much he had missed his friend. Though he already knew how much their friendship meant to him, it occurred to Gary just how important Tracey was to him and how different their relationship was from the ones he saw his friends in. It was so much deeper that - most of the other relationships were borne out of bored and horny teenagers hooking up at parties. There were exceptions to that, of course, Darren's last girlfriend was a girl he'd had a crush on for years, but, even then, they were polar opposites and it didn't end well. Adrian was dating a girl he had been studying with for a few months, but they mostly just studied together and sometimes went to the bakery together after school. They didn't hang out together on a daily basis, they didn't work together all day, and they didn't seem close enough to share secrets and talk through difficult personal problems…

None of his friends had relationships with a solid foundation, but his and Tracey's did: their friendship. And that foundation seemed to make all the difference in the world.

It figured that his first relationship would be a serious one. As much as that thought churned his stomach with nerves, he knew without question that he wouldn't change it.

He had known for months that, no matter what, his friendship with Tracey was the most important aspect of all of this. But in that moment he decided that, even if it didn't work out for them as a couple, he would do whatever he could to keep their friendship as solid as it was - and that he would do everything he could to make this relationship work. He knew that meant he needed to work on being more open about them and about himself. He wasn't there yet, but he had a feeling he could be soon, if he worked on it.

It would take time to get there, but sometime before his next trip to Valencia he would tell someone else. He didn't know who or when or what the circumstances would be, but he would follow Professor Ivy's advice and then follow his gut from there. Between his friends and his sister and his grandfather, he was sure he would manage telling someone before summer.

… … …

It was dark by the time Tracey made it to Pallet's harbor to pick Gary up. It was a chilly and dreary evening but that didn't deter him from eagerly waiting at the dock for his boyfriend's ferry to arrive. It was significantly colder than when he had returned home from Sunburst just over a month earlier and he found himself constantly tugging his sweatshirt tighter and wondering why he hadn't grabbed his jacket instead. It would be fine, he figured - they would be heading back to the car as soon as Gary got off the boat, and he was sure the researcher would be eager to warm him up with kisses.

The thought of seeing Gary again had Tracey just about vibrating with excitement. He couldn't wait to go back to holding hands, sneaking in kisses, and spending their private moments in secluded corners of the reserve - even if it was only for a week and a half. But it didn't matter how short their time together would be, Tracey was determined to make the best of it.

This wasn't difficult to do - especially not with the way Gary's face lit up with a grin when he spotted him as he stepped off the boat. Tracey couldn't help but return it as he moved away from the wall he had been leaning against to greet his boyfriend.

Umbreon bounded forward, swiftly closing the distance between them with an excited little yip and wagging tail. She bounced up to give Tracey's cheek a quick lick before nudging his hand with her snout and covering it in kisses. Tracey laughed at her excitement and knelt down to greet her. She gave his cheek a few more excited licks as he reached out to scratch behind her ears.

"It's good to see you too," he laughed, not minding in the slightest as she nearly knocked him over with her enthusiastic greeting. He heard Gary's soft laugh and approaching footsteps but was too preoccupied with the excited pokemon to greet him just yet.

"Alright, Bre, that's enough." Gary's voice was amused and when Tracey looked up, he was delighted to see the bright smile on his face and the genuine happiness in his eyes. Umbreon calmed immediately and sat at Tracey's side, still wagging happily as she looked up at her trainer and gave Tracey the chance to actually look at his boyfriend.

Tracey doubted he had ever seen Gary so happy to be home. "It's nice to have you back," he said quietly, beaming.

Gary's grin turned a bit mischievous as he laughed and followed Tracey towards the parking lot. "You just missed having someone else take care of the water," he teased.

"True," Tracey laughed. He led Gary towards the far end of the parking lot, close to where Gary had parked when he had picked Tracey up last time. Umbreon bounded ahead, her luminescent rings lighting the way while leaving the couple in darkness. Just like last time, his hand found Gary's in the darkness and their fingers quickly twined together as though no time had passed at all.

"How was the trip?" Tracey asked as they walked.

Gary gave another laugh. "I talked to you every day, don't you already know the answer to that?" He gave Tracey's hand a quick squeeze and shot him a playful grin.

"Maybe I was just trying to be nice by asking," Tracey retorted, squeezing Gary's hand harder and pulling yet another small laugh from him.

Gary squeezed his hand again and before Tracey knew it, they were in a little competition to see who could squeeze the other's hand harder.

"Ow!" Tracey pulled his hand out of Gary's after a particularly hard squeeze and playfully shoved his shoulder - resulting in Gary laughing even more. He couldn't bring himself to mind his now-sore hand: seeing his boyfriend grinning and laughing and being playful like this was nothing short of wonderful.

They reached the professor's car and Tracey opened the back door for Umbreon to hop in and gestured wordlessly for Gary's bag, setting it on the seat next to the pokemon.

"We can talk about that later," Gary replied, climbing into the passenger seat. His voice was lower than usual and something about that made Tracey's stomach swoop. Suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss him senseless.

Gary apparently felt similarly: his boyfriend's lips were on his as soon as Tracey settled into the driver's seat and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Gary's impatience. Gary's hand was at the back of his neck, attempting to pull him in even closer, despite the center console between them. Tracey's fingers slid into Gary's hair, his other hand settling along his side, steadying him as he leaned across the car. A soft groan escaped Gary as the hand on his side moved, gently ghosting over his ribs to his back before pulling him closer.

The movement only seemed to spur Gary on, his lips moving all the more feverishly against Tracey's as Tracey's tongue brushed along his lower lip, eagerly deepening the kiss. Immediately lost in the kiss, the rest of the world faded away, reduced only to their little space in the front seats of the car. Behind them, Umbreon huffed and curled up on the back seat with her back to the couple and her face hidden behind Gary's bag. A few raindrops pattered against the windshield but neither boy noticed, distracted as they were.

Minutes bled together and time seemed to stand still as they kept kissing. There was a constant give and take to these sort of kisses that Tracey found he absolutely adored: in one moment Gary was pushing forward, ramping up the intensity until they could barely breathe, and the next he was backing down, letting Tracey take over. It wasn't until the raindrops were coming down hard and constant against the roof of the car that they slowed down, their breath heavy between them as Tracey closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Gary's.

He grinned, a bit amused by how desperate and needy Gary's kisses were this evening. He had a feeling that, were there enough space, Gary would climb over the center console and into his lap just to get closer.

Tracey had to bite back a groan at that mental image - as much as he wanted to have Gary's body against his, to look up into those dark eyes, to hold him tight and to pour all of the desperation and words unsaid into their kisses, this was not the time nor the place. Getting caught wasn't a huge concern in the darkness of the harbor parking lot in December, but Tracey had a feeling that steamy car windows would give them away if they went much further than this.

There would be plenty of opportunities for them to make out with Gary in his lap. This just wasn't the time for that particular little fantasy.

He pulled away, taking a deep breath as he went. "We should probably get going," he said, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Staying here and kissing in this dark, quiet little bubble sounded far more enticing than heading back home for a quiet dinner, but he knew they needed to head home. It was only a matter of minutes before May called to see what was taking them so long.

Gary sat back in his seat, breath still a bit heavier than usual, hair mused and cheeks pink. "Yeah…" he sighed.

He didn't seem entirely thrilled about that but Tracey reached over with a sympathetic smile and rested a hand on Gary's knee. "To be continued?" he offered.

Gary's smile returned quickly at that offer. "Definitely," he agreed easily.

… … …

It was late by the time they retreated upstairs to Tracey's room. Even with Gary's exhaustion, he had been genuinely happy to return home and they had spent a long while in the kitchen with May and the professor, taking some time to catch up and eat dinner together. It was a quiet but enjoyable evening.

They had just settled on Tracey's bed for a few minutes together before Gary headed off to bed when Gary suddenly jumped up from his position against Tracey's side.

"Oh! I got you something for your birthday!" he remembered, his energy seeming to momentarily return. "I'll be right back."

Tracey shook his head fondly as Gary darted out of the room. He could hear him rummaging through his bag in the next room over and waited patiently for him to return.

"You didn't have to get me anything," he said with a small laugh when Gary reappeared in the doorway.

"Told you I didn't want to be a shitty boyfriend," Gary reminded him as he closed the door behind him and returned to his spot on the edge of Tracey's bed. He passed him the paper bag from the art store in Hoenn with a wry smile. "Sorry for being the least creative boyfriend on the planet."

Tracey reached into the bag and pulled out the sketchbook with a grin. "Don't apologize for getting me exactly what I wanted," he chastised Gary lightly. "This is really nice, Gary. Thank you." It really was a very nice sketchbook: large with a hard cover and thick pages. Perfect for drawing large scenes with a lot of details - which very well may have been why Gary picked it, considering the way he tended to pick up on little things like that. Either way, Tracey was looking forward to using it.

He pulled out the set of artist's pencils next, his grin still in place as he looked over them. It was the same brand as his last set, not very expensive, but a nice set nonetheless. He had needed a new one for ages and was a little surprised that Gary had thought to get him one. He tended to go through pencils so fast that he often just used whatever normal pencils were around for his regular sketches. The nice pencils were saved for special pieces - which he had a feeling there would be more of, if he and Gary were going to continue the way they had been drawing for the past month.

That particular thought sent a thrill of excitement through him. He had been so surprised and thrilled when that first texted drawing had come through, caught completely off guard by a talent he'd had absolutely no idea his boyfriend possessed, and now he would be able to see those drawings up close. But that would have to wait - Gary was resting his head against his shoulder again and Tracey could just about feel the sleepiness radiating from him. Going through sketchbooks together and - even better - drawing together would just have to wait for now.

He set the pencils and the sketchbook on his bedside table and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Gary's head. A warm and slightly giddy feeling filled him as Gary cuddled closer. He couldn't help but give him another kiss and run his fingers through Gary's hair.

"Are you always this cuddly when you're tired, or am I just special?" he teased gently.

Gary lifted his head just enough to catch Tracey's eye with a smile and pressed a quick kiss to Tracey's jaw. "You're just special," he murmured, quickly turning his head to bury his face against Tracey's shoulder.

He wasn't quite quick enough to hide the blush creeping over his cheeks. Tracey felt his own face heat and couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face at that reply. He slipped an arm around Gary's waist and gave him a quick squeeze. "You're just saying that so I'll share those coconut patties with you, aren't you?" he teased again, reaching for the bag again.

Gary laughed, turning his face away from Tracey's shoulder and going back to resting his head against him. "I ate so many of those in Hoenn, I swear Birch is never gonna let me live it down."

Laughing a bit in turn, Tracey pulled the two packages from the bag and set one of them with the other gifts before opening the other. He took a brief moment to smile at the package of sweets - they had gotten slightly squished in the bag but Tracey could still easily make out the pokemon they were shaped like. He took the wailmer shaped one for himself and fought down a delighted moan at the first bite. It might have had something to do with growing up in a tropical archipelago, but that sweet, creamy coconut was his absolute favorite taste in the world. He wasn't remotely surprised that Gary had taken a liking to them as well.

His boyfriend made an amused noise at his side, a bit too sleepy to give a proper laugh, but clearly amused either way. Tracey smiled and pulled the sharpedo shaped sweet out, holding it out for Gary to take. He couldn't help but laugh when Gary leaned forward and took it with his mouth instead of his hand - he had been enjoying seeing his boyfriend's silly and playful side peeking through more often in recent months.

Tracey waited for Gary to finish his before leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "You taste like chocolate," he murmured, smiling before kissing him again.

One of his hands moved to Gary's cheek, gently cupping his face, and he felt encouraged when he felt Gary's hand settle on his thigh. He was about to pull back when Gary's tongue brushed softly against his lower lip. Tracey couldn't help his soft sigh as he parted his lips and let his boyfriend take charge of the deepening kiss.

Gary was a little timid with his exploration at first, but that changed quickly. Tracey gave a soft sigh of contentment and his hand moved to Gary's hair, his fingers immediately sinking into the soft strands and pulling a small groan from the researcher. He pushed forward a little more boldly, his tongue sweeping across Tracey's, exploring almost lazily as Tracey's lips moved against his.

They were interrupted a few moments later by an irritable squeak - Marill didn't seem to mind sharing the bed with them while they sat and talked, but he wasn't a fan of their kissing. Tracey reached over with his free hand to give his pokemon a placating pat on the head.

Gary pulled away only to rest his head against Tracey's shoulder once more, yawning into his hand as he went. Though slightly disappointed by the kiss being over so soon, Tracey merely smiled and wrapped an arm around Gary, holding him close and burying his face in his hair.

"I think it's past your bedtime," he teased, earning an amused snort in response. "Are you going to be stubborn and try to stay up, or are you going to go to bed?"

"Neither."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm," Gary hummed sleepily. "I'm gonna stay here while you try out those pencils."

Tracey couldn't see a reason to argue that. He knew Gary would be asleep by the time he decided what to draw, but that was just fine. He pulled away from his boyfriend with one last kiss to the temple. "Get some sleep while I do that, okay?"

Gary nodded. "Don't worry about that." He sank into Tracey's spot as soon as the watcher stood from the bed and snuggled into the pillows, making himself comfortable.

Smiling at the sight, Tracey retrieved his new pencil set and sketchbook from the bedside table and headed over to the desk in front of the window.

Marill crawled from his position on the other side of the bed to his trainer, carefully avoiding stepping on Gary as he went. Knowing exactly what his pokemon was wanting, Tracey held a hand out to him. "C'mere, buddy."

The little water mouse hopped from the bedside table to the desk and hopped down into Tracey's lap, immediately snuggling into the warmth of his baggy sweatshirt and curling up to sleep. Tracey absently patted Marill as he peeled the plastic wrapping off the pencil set and tossed it in the trash can beneath the desk. He took a moment to look over the pencils before selecting one to start his sketch with and opened the sketchbook to the first page, before immediately pausing and turning to the inner back cover. Gary always left a little note in the sketchbooks he gave him - usually just a thank you for covering for him in the lab, but sometimes something a little more heartfelt.

Sure enough, he spotted his boyfriend's handwriting in the lower corner nearest the binding at the spine of the book.

Happy birthday Tracey!

Thank you for always helping me and being there for me. It means so much to me.

- Gary

There was a small drawing of a sharpedo next to the note, and Tracey felt his smile turn fond as he re-read it a few more times. He glanced over at Gary and happened to catch his eye. Gary gave him a tiny smile that Tracey wasn't sure he had ever seen from him: grateful and sweet and completely at ease. Tracey was struck a bit by just how much trust was shown in that one little smile but he returned it easily. He turned back to the first page of the sketchbook as Gary's eyes slid shut and he snuggled further into the pillows on the bed.

Tracey took a moment to consider the blank page before him as he idly rolled the pencil between his fingers, getting a feel for it before putting it to paper. He was excited to have a large sketchbook with wide pages. It wouldn't be an everyday sort of sketchbook - it would be a special one, reserved for larger pieces that he spent a lot of time on. Gary had thought he was being uncreative but Tracey had to disagree. This was a gift that would allow him to be more creative and to explore his craft outside of the way his usual sketchbooks did, and those were his favorite sort of gifts. He was definitely going to enjoy using it.

With another glance over at his boyfriend, Tracey considered what to draw as his first scene. The first page in a new sketchbook from Gary was usually carefully torn out and given to him as a thank you, and this one would be no exception. He had already drawn him an underwater scene the week before, so it had to be something other than that. He looked up at the window and gazed out at the backyard and the ranch beyond it - the moon wasn't much more than a thin crescent, but the dreary weather they'd had all day had cleared and that was enough to illuminate the trees. Lingering raindrops glimmered faintly in the small amount of light and a small group of zubats swooped low over the treetops.

A night time forest scene would be perfect, Tracey decided.

He put his pencil to the paper and smiled immediately at just how smoothly it moved over the paper. Gary really had gotten him a nice sketchbook - the absolute perfect gift. Tracey set about drawing the outlines of a few trees, tucking in a few pokemon here and there, and quickly lost himself in the quiet process of tracing out lines, smoothing them over, adding shading here and there. He swapped out pencils on occasion, always marveling a bit at just how nice it felt to have a new set of artist's pencils to work with.

Time escaped him entirely in his focus as Tracey took his time adding detail after detail, going back to smooth out more lines and adjust the shading in his eagerness to make this drawing the best it could possibly be. Focused as he was, he was hardly aware of Marill's sleeping form in his lap

After a long while, Tracey set down his pencil for the final time and sat back in his seat to peer over his work. The page was absolutely covered, filled to the brim with details - the forest scene had pokemon everywhere, some in the open, and many hidden away here or there. He knew how many were there but wondered how easily Gary would find all of them. Having his boyfriend search for all of the pokemon in his work sounded like fun and he couldn't help but smile as he looked over at his bed.

Gary was still sound asleep - not that this was surprising in any way, given how busy the last month had been for him. It was, however, mildly concerning: what if May or the professor peeked in? But that concern disappeared as he took a peek at his cell phone and saw just how much time had passed while he had been drawing. It was well past midnight and Tracey realized he was most certainly the only person awake in the house. He carefully stowed his new pencils in the tin they came in and closed his sketchbook for the night.

He scooped up Marill and set him on the little mouse's favorite pillow, and couldn't help but smile as he sat next to his sleeping boyfriend on the edge of the bed. He slid his fingers into Gary's hair, musing it gently until Gary gave a sleepy groan and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Tracey said softly, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. Gary gave him the tiniest of smiles before closing his eyes again. Tracey laughed softly and tugged lightly at Gary's hair. "C'mon, stay with me for a sec."

Gary's eyes opened again and he peered up at Tracey sleepily. "How're your gifts?" he mumbled through a yawn.

As much as Tracey would have liked to have gone into detail about just how nice the new sketchbook and artist's pencils were, he knew Gary was going to fall back asleep in seconds. "They're great," he assured Gary. "Do you want to head back to your room?"

Gary shook his head and closed his eyes again, drawing a gentle smile from Tracey.

Tracey loved the thought of Gary spending the night with him, but there was a problem with that. "What if we get caught?" he had to ask.

Gary opened his eyes again and gave Tracey a sleepy smile. "You were drawing and I fell asleep… I thought you said that was believable."

Amused, Tracey returned Gary's smile and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Okay," he relented, seeing no reason to argue that logic. The chances of getting caught were slim at this time of night anyway. "You can stay, but you need to move over."

He moved over just enough to give Tracey some space but immediately began drifting back off to sleep. Tracey's smile grew all the more fond as he absently played with the strands of Gary's hair, watching him sleep for a moment. Another moment passed before Gary opened his eyes long enough to give him the sleepiest and cutest glare Tracey had ever seen. He reached over and tugged at Tracey's wrist, drawing another quiet laugh from him.

"Alright," Tracey gave in.

He leaned over to press a kiss to Gary's forehead before laying down next to him and tugging the blanket over them. He felt his heart flutter as Gary cuddled close to him, resting his head on his chest and draping an arm across his waist. Sighing contentedly, Tracey wrapped his arm around Gary's shoulders and closed his eyes, thinking that this was the best he'd felt in a month.

… … …

Tracey's alarm went off at the same time it did every morning, but this morning it felt far earlier than usual. He awoke with a groan and attempted to roll over to retrieve his phone from the bedside table, but found himself held in place by the warm weight on his chest. Memories of the night before came back to him and he felt a soft warmth bloom within him as he glanced down at his sleeping boyfriend. Running a gentle hand through Gary's hair, Tracey reached over to his nightstand as carefully as possible to hit the snooze button on the alarm.

Gary stirred against his chest. "Lab?" he asked groggily.

Tracey shook his head and ran a hand up and down Gary's back. "Not yet," he whispered back, "go back to sleep."

He knew Gary would be far too tired to be in the lab today and, even though Tracey knew that meant more work for him and that he should get up and get a good start on the day, he was just too comfortable with his boyfriend cuddled against his chest. His eyes slid closed as sleep took him over once more. The alarm went off again after a few minutes and Tracey hit the snooze button once more, desperate to spend just a few more minutes in this warm, comfortable position. He knew he couldn't keep putting the lab off and that Gary needed to head to his own room before they got caught, but was determined to savor these few minutes as long as he could.

Tracey sat up with a groan when the alarm went off for the third time, and chuckled when Gary whined and attempted to stay cuddled against him. Amused by the adorable display, he pressed a kiss to Gary's temple and kept his arms around him for another moment before starting to pull away. "I need to get to the lab," Tracey explained apologetically.

Gary blinked up at him sleepily, yawning into his hand as he slowly sat up. "Guess that means I need to go back to my room."

Tracey pressed another kiss to his sleepy boyfriend's temple. "I mean, I wouldn't mind you sleeping in here all day, but May might get a little suspicious."

"Mmm… just a little."

He still sounded half asleep. Tracey climbed out of bed and offered Gary a hand, gently pulling him out of the bed and walking him to his own room.

"You don't have to…" Gary mumbled sleepily, but Tracey gently shushed him as he led him to his own bed.

"Get some rest," Tracey said, smiling as he placed a palm against Gary's chest and gently pushed him back against the pillows. He pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and gently tugged the blanket over Gary. "I'll bring you something to eat a little later," he promised, "just sleep for now."

" 'kay…"

The sleepiness was so adorable that Tracey had to bite his lip to force away the silly smile that immediately spread across his face. He reluctantly turned to leave and hurried off to get ready for the lab.

The day went by smoothly, just as any other Wednesday would. The pokemon were all cooperative and the weather, while cool and overcast, was fair. It was a quiet enough day that Tracey was able to head upstairs to check in on Gary periodically - not that Gary needed it, but neither of them minded the few minutes alone together, even if Gary was half-asleep during them.

As soon as everything was wrapped up for the day, Tracey headed upstairs to his bedroom to fetch some clean clothes. He could faintly hear May's voice coming from the next room, quieter and more subdued than normal. Curious, he peeked through Gary's open bedroom door and found the two Oak siblings talking quietly on the bed. May was sitting against the pillows, her legs stretched out on the bed with Gary still curled up in the pile of blankets, his head in May's lap as she played with his hair. He couldn't quite make out what they were talking about, but it was a sweet scene - one Tracey hadn't seen in quite some time. He smiled and quietly left the siblings alone as he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower before dinner.

It was so easy to forget how close Gary and May were with their constant bickering and how quickly May's chipper and carefree attitude got on Gary's nerves. Tracey wondered briefly just what Gary's coming out to May would look like. He hoped it would be just like what he had just seen - quiet and comfortable, full of all the love and support that Tracey knew May felt in absolute abundance towards her little brother. It would more likely be full of excited squeals and hugs - which Gary would likely not be overly thrilled about - but either way, he knew it would be positive. The chances of it going poorly were slim.

He wasn't worried about Gary telling her. It would happen sooner or later, ideally when Gary was ready to tell her, but even if it didn't happen that way and May somehow found out before then, he still knew it would be okay. As long as May didn't blurt it out to the professor before Gary had the chance to tell him himself, it would be alright. But this wasn't the time to think about that, and so Tracey forced his mind to other things… like how nice and soothing the warm water felt after being outside with the pokemon for most of the day, and how he wished some of that warmth was his boyfriend's hands moving over his bare skin…

That wasn't helpful.

Tracey shook his head, forcing away that train of thought as he reached to turn the water warmer. As enticing as that unexpected fantasy was, warming up and getting something to eat were far more important. He quickly finished up and dried off, changing into a fresh pair of jeans and a clean sweatshirt before taking a peek in Gary's room again. This time it was empty, but Tracey was sure he knew where they had disappeared off to.

Sure enough, as he headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen, he could hear May puttering about and talking. It sounded as though she was talking about the lab, likely filling Gary in on what had happened in his absence. When Tracey entered the kitchen, he found May at the counter and Gary at the table, his chin resting in his hand. Umbreon was curled up on the floor next to his seat, looking even more exhausted than her trainer - granted she had been running around with Arcanine and Houndoom all day. Despite her exhaustion, she flicked her ears at the sound of Tracey's footsteps.

Tracey smiled at the pokemon and alerted Gary to his presence by briefly resting a hand between his shoulder blades.

Gary tilted his head back and met Tracey's eyes with a smile. "Hey, Trace."

"Hey," he returned the smile and briefly mused Gary's hair. "Feeling any better?" Gary nodded but Tracey could see the sleepiness in his eyes still. He gave Gary a sympathetic smile before joining May at the counter to help with dinner.

"He'll be tired another few days, I'm sure," May said without turning from her current task of chopping vegetables.

"I'll be in the lab tomorrow," Gary replied, though his voice was still heavy with exhaustion. May and Tracey exchanged amused glances.

"Grampy's going to make you take tomorrow off," she pointed out, turning to fix him with a stern look that Gary only grinned at.

"I didn't say I'd be in there all day."

"He'll still make you take the day off," May pointed out just as Tracey spoke.

"You should take tomorrow off."

Gary snorted in amusement at the simultaneous responses. "Fine, I'll stay out of the lab," he relented, rolling his eyes. He still fully intended on being in the lab for a little bit, if only to check in on his pokemon and to sneak in a makeout session with Tracey somewhere secluded on the reserve.

"Good," a voice spoke up from behind him. Gary jumped as a hand lightly squeezed his shoulder. "You need more rest before you jump back into all of your chores."

He groaned at his grandfather's words - if he said he wasn't allowed to help out, then May and Tracey would certainly not allow him in the lab.

His grandfather only chuckled at the groan, shaking his head amusedly. "It's nice to have you back home," he said quietly. He pulled out a chair at the table and sat next to Gary. "Professor Ivy says you've been drawing again."

Across the room, Tracey turned away from the counter with a grin. "I've seen some of it, it looks great!"

"That's wonderful!" The professor smiled, turning his attention back to Gary. "You should show Tracey some of your old sketchbooks. I'm sure you still have them upstairs."

Gary hadn't thought about that. He squirmed a bit at the thought of showing his boyfriend his childhood work. He knew it wasn't bad - but still… It was a little nerve-wracking to consider showing it to someone who was as talented an artist as Tracey.

Tracey shot him another grin and Gary gave him a smile of his own, his nerves somewhat soothed by the sight of that grin.

"Maybe later." If the idea of going through old sketchbooks made Tracey that excited then he was willing to put aside those nerves to show him.

That evening found them upstairs in Gary's bedroom, sitting on his bed while the stereo played in the background. Gary sat close against Tracey's side, his head resting on Tracey's shoulder, quiet and comfortable. Tracey knew they wouldn't have much time together like this before Gary would fall asleep, and he was also feeling the effects of staying up too late the night before. That didn't stop him from savoring the moment - especially considering the book Gary had pulled from the bottom shelf of his bookshelf when they retreated upstairs.

Tracey eagerly opened the sketchbook Gary handed him and began turning through the pages. He was a bit surprised by the amount of color he found even on the first page, which held a drawing of squirtle, wartortle, and blastoise - all neatly and realistically shaded with colored pencils.

It certainly was a change from the way he drew now, but changing and evolving was part of life: of course it would be different. The childhood work was good and Gary had an eye for shading that took Tracey by surprise. The linework was clean and precise, though some pages bore far more erase marks than others. It undoubtedly took up a lot of young Gary's time.

"How old were you when you were doing this?" he asked curiously.

"Nine for that one, I think." Gary reached over and flipped towards the end of the book to the pages left blank. "Yeah, that's the one I never finished. I was studying for my training license," he explained.

"I think you were better than I was at that age," Tracey admitted. He felt Gary's lips press against his shoulder, and he turned his head to press a quick kiss to his cheek. Gary was blushing again and that sent another one of those giddy little thrills through Tracey. It was absolutely adorable to see, but knowing that he was the one who could pull that response from Gary just felt… special.

But he hadn't said that just to get to see that cute blush - he said it because it was true. He had still struggled with shading and perspective at that age, but Gary had worked out both of those by then. The erase marks on a drawing of an onix showed that he'd still had some troubles with perspective on occasion, but it was impressive nonetheless.

Tracey paused on a picture of a pod of lapras where the background felt familiar. There was a folded page from a magazine stuck between the pages of the sketchbook and Tracey carefully unfolded it to find a photograph of the lapras in front of a familiar shoreline, with a familiar lighthouse rising up in the background. Sure enough, the caption listed Sunburst Island as the location. Apparently the photo came from an article about Professor Ivy's research on lapras pod movement through the Orange Islands.

"I thought that looked familiar," he commented, amused. "Although you cut out the lighthouse."

Gary looked over and smiled when he saw the picture. "Ran out of space," he explained. "That picture took me almost a week to do. I remember being excited to show Professor Ivy."

"I never realized how close you two are," Tracey admitted.

"I never really thought about it until this trip, to be honest. She's almost family, it's been that way forever." Gary paused, looking thoughtful as Tracey carefully folded the page and tucked it back into its spot. "It's funny, in a way… I was so miserable and needed someone to talk to so badly, but it never even occurred to me that I had someone other than you that I could talk to."

"I'm surprised I didn't think of it either; she works with my dad a lot."

"She told me about that gyarados rescue they did."

Tracey winced at the mention of that. "Dad said it was a really hard rescue. It sounded like they didn't expect her to make it."

"Really?"

Tracey nodded. "She had been tangled for a long time and was really stressed, but he said she's been improving. She'll probably get released in the spring."

"These rescues are nothing new to you, huh?" Gary asked curiously, noting how casually yet confidently Tracey was speaking about it.

"No, they're not," Tracey replied, shaking his head as he turned to the next page. "My dad responds to most of the Orange Island strandings and my mom helps out at the rehabilitation center a lot of the rescues end up at."

"So you've pretty much grown up around them," Gary observed.

"Definitely." Tracey didn't need to think about that response - he had grown up helping with rescues and helping at Sunburst's rehabilitation center, just as he knew Gary had grown up helping around the lab and reserve.

Gary was quiet for a moment and when Tracey glanced up at him, he found him watching him with a small smile.

"What?" Tracey asked, squirming slightly under Gary's gaze.

Caught, Gary blushed a bit but kept that little smile. "Nothing… I just didn't realize your family was so involved with pokemon down there. It's cool."

"Honestly, your grandfather knows so much about it that I keep forgetting you don't."

"Do your brother and sisters help out too?"

Tracey nodded. "Tara's planning on taking over Dad's practice one day, so she does a lot," he explained, returning his focus to the sketchbook in his hands. "Josh too, but Marie prefers the rehab center."

It was fascinating in a way, to hear Tracey talk about his family and everything they did. From the holidays to everything with the pokemon rescues, there always seemed to be something new to learn about them, and the more he learned about his boyfriend's family, the more Tracey seemed to make sense. How kind and patient he was, how good he was with pokemon, how he valued those close to him…

Everything Gary learned about them only made him more curious. Professor Ivy seemed to know them well and his grandfather seemed to know more than he had ever let on. If Gary were entirely honest with himself, he wanted to meet them, but that felt far too daunting to even think about right now. Realistically, he knew that it wouldn't be that bad meeting his boyfriend's parents - they had raised Tracey after all, so it was reasonable to assume that they would be just as kind as him.

"This one is really good," Tracey observed, pausing at a drawing of a ponyta.

Gary smiled at the picture. He remembered it well, if only for the events that followed only a few days after he had drawn it. "Guess who it is," he prompted.

Tracey examined the picture for a long moment. "Definitely not Pele, she's too young… Are they still a ponyta?"

Unable to stop the grin that spread across his face, Gary shook his head.

Tracey laughed softly at that grin. "There's a story behind that, isn't there?" he asked, examining the picture a little bit closer.

"Mmhmm," Gary hummed, nodding. "Guess and I'll tell you."

"Apollo?"

"You sure?"

Tracey looked closer once again before nodding. "Definitely," he said more confidently. "Apollo's got that notch in his ear."

"Yep." Gary stifled a yawn and snuggled a little bit closer to Tracey.

"I saw that." Tracey wrapped one of his arms around Gary's shoulders, letting him rest even closer. "I'm gonna make you go to bed soon."

Gary rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that -"

"I don't need luck when you're falling asleep on me," Tracey pointed out with a small laugh. "What's the story with Apollo evolving?"

Gary grinned again and Tracey couldn't help but smile in turn. "I was training him behind Grandpa's back. He evolved a week after I drew that," he explained, nodding towards the sketchbook page.

This wasn't much of a surprise but Tracey couldn't stop from bursting into laughter. "Of course you were," he gasped out between laughs. "How much trouble did you get in for that?"

"I didn't."

"No?"

"No." Gary shook his head. "Gramps was so impressed that he let me work with the pokemon more…. He still made me clean the stable for a month after that though."

Something else occurred to Tracey and he looked up at his boyfriend quizzically. "Don't ponyta usually evolve around level forty? How did you manage that when you were nine?" He knew Gary was great with pokemon, but even growing up around a lab, getting a pokemon to that level was impressive for a nine-year-old who was only studying to be a trainer.

"Older pokemon evolve with less training," Gary explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Apollo was already seven."

That made a little more sense. "So he wasn't too far from evolving just by age, huh?"

"Only a few levels away. It's not as impressive as it sounds."

"Maybe not to you, but it's still impressive," Tracey chided gently. Gary only yawned in response, but that was enough for Tracey to close the sketchbook. "You need to get some sleep."

"I know," Gary groaned, burying his face against Tracey's shoulder again.

"How about we finish this tomorrow?" Tracey offered, holding up the sketchbook. Gary nodded and Tracey couldn't help but smile as he stood to place the book on Gary's desk. When he returned to the bed, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Gary's cheek. "It's a date," he promised.

"I wouldn't call it that…" But Gary was already sinking into the pile of pillows on his bed, his eyes sliding shut.

Tracey rolled his eyes and shook his head, though his smile remained. "It's a plan then," he corrected. "Get some sleep, Gary."

… … …

The next day Gary awoke to the late morning sunlight filtering through the gap between the curtains. After sleeping away the majority of the day before, he finally felt well-enough rested to actually be able to get out of bed and do something more than change or eat or have a short conversation. He took his time getting out of bed and took even longer to go through his bag and sort out his gear and belongings. He had already started the day before, if dumping the contents out on the floor to find his cell phone charger counted.

It was afternoon by the time he finished putting everything away, doing his laundry, and taking a shower - and he was already itching to get down to the lab to see his pokemon, regardless of what his grandfather and sister said. Fortunately for him, the only person in the lab was Tracey.

"Why am I not surprised?" he called across the lab, shaking his head fondly.

"You know me."

"Your pokemon are fine," Tracey assured him, smiling as Gary crossed the room to join him at the lab bench. "I was about to do the fire type physicals, want to come with me?"

Gary agreed easily and just like that, everything fell back into place in the lab. He and Tracey fell right back into their routine working together as if no time had passed.

A few things changed as winter approached and they adapted to the season: the stolen moments outside migrated indoors as the temperature dropped and the holding hands and kissing between chores became time spent drawing together. This quickly became one of Gary's favorite parts of the relationship, even if he did catch Tracey watching him with that particular smile of his embarrassingly often. It was nice having something else in common between them other than pokemon and the lab, and it was especially nice that it happened to be the thing that Tracey spent so much of his time on.

It all felt strangely normal, the way they naturally fell into sync with each other… which made it all the harder when time flew by and it was suddenly time for Tracey to leave Pallet again.

Gary found himself leaning in the doorway of Tracey's bedroom as the realization struck him. "You're leaving tomorrow," he said quietly.

Tracey looked up from the bag he was packing with a small smile. "Only for a week and a half," he reminded him. He glanced over at his desk, where there was a paper bag sitting next to his sketchbook, and then nodded towards the bed in a quiet invitation.

Gary took it without hesitation and quickly joined Marill and Venonat on the bed. The two pokemon stopped their playing just long enough to give Gary a few squeaks in greeting before going right back to bouncing around on top of the pillows. "They're happy to be going back," Gary observed.

"They're looking forward to all the treats my mom makes for them," Tracey explained. He paused after setting a few shirts in his bag and turned towards Gary. "Actually… about this trip…" he started slowly, seeming a bit anxious for some reason.

That was odd.

"C,mon, Trace," Gary teased after a moment, "it's not like you're going diving with sharks."

That drew a laugh from Tracey. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. He walked over to the door, closing it before joining Gary on the bed. "My family celebrates Yule," he explained after a moment.

This didn't faze Gary in the slightest. "I figured. It's a solstice holiday," he added at Tracey's surprised expression.

Tracey gave a small, relieved laugh. "I should've known you'd figure that out." Gary only shrugged his shoulders carelessly and Tracey took that as an invitation to continue. "We celebrate Christmas too but Yule's the special one."

Curious, Gary gestured for him to continue. Tracey gave another little laugh, still relieved but also self-conscious and a bit awkward. He was definitely nervous - not that he needed to be. Gary reached for his hand and gently took it, giving it a gentle squeeze as he offered his boyfriend a smile that he hoped was reassuring. "It's just me, Tracey."

Tracey nodded, returning the smile and the hand squeeze. His cheeks were growing pink and his gaze dropped down to the blanket between them.

Gary found himself wondering what in the world was making his boyfriend so nervous. It was just a winter holiday that he celebrated with his family, what could possibly be so nerve-wracking after all of the conversations they'd had these last few nights? They had spent just about every night that Gary had been back home going through old sketchbooks and sharing stories with every few pages. He knew more about Tracey than ever before and with every new bit of information came a stronger feeling that what they were doing was a good idea.

Even with that in mind, Gary wasn't entirely prepared for what Tracey said next.

"For Yule we give a special gift to someone that we want to recognize for something… so I got you something."

"Me?"

Tracey looked up with a smile and nodded, his cheeks still pink. "Yes, you," he replied, amusement clear in his voice. "You dealt with a lot this year and you kept going even when it was really hard. Now you're doing better, you're happier and you're starting to do what you love again… I think that's important to recognize."

For a moment Gary didn't know how to respond. The professors had each said something similar but hearing it from Tracey was different - the professors only knew what he and his grandfather or sister had told them. Tracey lived the next room over and knew more than anyone else. He heard the arguments with his grandfather and sister, he saw the hangovers and the general unwellness. He'd understood the root of many of the problems even before Gary had.

Unable to form a verbal reply, Gary instead closed the distance between them with a hug that Tracey automatically returned.

Tracey pressed a kiss to Gary's temple and threaded his fingers through his hair. "I hope you know how much we care about you, Gary," he murmured.

Gary's grip tightened and he nodded before pulling away a moment later. "Thanks, Trace."

Tracey's smile turned a bit mischievous as he stood to retrieve the bag from atop his desk. "Don't get too excited," he said, passing it over to Gary. "Because apparently I'm not a very creative boyfriend either."

Gary peeked into the bag and laughed as he pulled out a sketchbook. It had a hard cover like the one he had gotten Tracey, but this one was smaller: a much better size to fit in his bag than the cheap one he had grabbed in Hoenn. "Well, creativity's overrated," he declared. "This will be so much better for traveling."

"That was the idea," Tracey confirmed, smiling. "My mom said these watercolor books are good for ink," he added, tapping the label affixed to the front cover.

He hadn't thought of that when picking out the first sketchbook. Gary couldn't help but smile, honestly touched by the thought Tracey had put into the gift. But he had seen more in the bag and he reached in to retrieve the two thin plastic cases he had seen in there. They were two sets of artist's pens - one was a set of black inks, all in different sizes, and the other was a small collection of different colored fine-line pens. His smile morphed into a grin as he looked back up at Tracey. He had forgotten how exciting it always felt to get new supplies.

"These are awesome, Trace, really. Thank you."

Tracey's smile turned shy once more, his cheeks again taking on a bit of pink. "I wanted to do something special for you because, as your friend, and as someone who cares about you… I'm proud of you. You've come a long way in a year and I'm really happy we decided to date."

Gary reached out, placing a hand at the back of Tracey's neck and gently pulled him in for a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you," he whispered against Tracey's lips, pulling away only slightly after the brief kiss. He didn't have the words to say just how much it meant to him to hear that.

Of course, Tracey seemed to know this. "You're welcome," he replied, giving him that sweet smile that he had seen outside the bakery before heading to Hoenn - that smile that made Gary's stomach flutter every time he saw it. "Want to try out your gifts?"

Gary laughed, nodding. "Yes… But I have no idea what to draw," he admitted.

"I think I have an idea for that."

"Yeah?"

Tracey nodded his head. "You should open up your old sketchbook to a random page and draw whatever's there. I'll do the same with one of my old books too."

That sounded like an interesting idea to Gary. His drawing style had changed a lot over the years since he had stopped and recreating something with the new style and pens would be a fun little challenge. "Sounds good to me," he agreed, jumping up to dart over to his room. The old sketchbook was still sitting on his desk and he quickly grabbed it before heading back to Tracey's room.

His boyfriend was holding an old, battered sketchbook and a box of colored pencils that Gary hadn't known he even owned when he returned to the room. "Since you're drawing with a different medium, it's only fair that I do too, right?"

"Considering how much faster you are, that's fair." Gary sat down next to Tracey and absently ran his thumb along the edge of the pages before stopping at a random spot and opening the book to that page. It was a picture of Apollo after he had evolved and Gary couldn't help but grin. The set of colored pens Tracey had given him had a red, orange, and yellow, so it was a perfect pick for this challenge.

Next to him, Tracey did the same thing but froze when the sketchbook fell open in his lap, a surprised sound escaping him.

Gary glanced over at Tracey's sketchbook and immediately did a double take. "Is that a lugia?"

Tracey grinned but his laugh was a little nervous. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, start talking," Gary prompted, opening his new sketchbook to the first page and picking up a pen.

"Alright, but I warned you…"

That night they stayed up late, drawing several pictures each as they shared stories of their travels and encounters with amazing pokemon. Conversation flowed as naturally as it ever had between them, even through the darker details of some of the stories they shared. Gary found himself so often getting lost in the sound of Tracey's voice as he smiled that serene smile that he always had when he was focused on drawing. The times that they could spend like this, drawing and talking and laughing and just being together, were without a doubt, his favorite part of dating Tracey.

When he finally headed off to bed - far later than he should have - Gary did so with a smile after one last good night kiss and quickly fell asleep with a feeling deep inside that everything was going to be just fine.