AN: Firstly, thanks to Liv-the-WaddleDee and Maymist for reviewing my first piece, their kind words really did spur me on to write this so quickly. It means a lot to me that you took the time to give me your opinions. I'm in your debt, so if you ever need anything just say the word!

This is just a relatively short one-shot I wrote to take a break from Eldershipping (although it turns out I couldn't escape it entirely… it just slipped in there on its own, I swear!). I had a lot of fun but it was challenging trying to keep Gary & Ash in-character; so I'd love to hear if you thought I managed it. It's a shame I don't own Pokémon, although considering it's a kids show maybe it's a good thing I don't! Either way, until such a time where I take my rightful place as Lord of All (just kidding!) I have to point out that I don't own any of the characters or settings I mentioned, that I'm not going to make any money from this and I don't intend any copyright infringement.

Phew, now that's out of the way, please enjoy my hard work, and please don't forget to Review to help me as I hope to write much more in the near future…

A Little Time

"I don't know what to say." Ash said, looking Gary in the eye. His hands were in his lap and his gaze fell towards them as silence filled the room.

"Well… how do you feel about it?" Gary suggested, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. He was hurt when it was unceremoniously shrugged off. The point had been made clear, Ash didn't need to say how he felt. Actions spoke louder than words. Maybe it was his fault? He couldn't blame Ash for being a bit blind-sighted by his words. It wasn't every day your rival-turned-friend confessed to having feelings of a more intense nature. Since they'd gotten back from the Silver Conference the two had spent a lot more time together, gotten a lot closer. He'd thought maybe Ash felt the same way. His friend had always been a little oblivious, so he had decided if something was going to happen between the two of them then he'd have to make the first move. It had been a risk, and it looked as though it hadn't paid off. His mouth turned down at the corners, only slightly, but it was the result of an event he wasn't used to: not getting what he wanted. Sure, he'd lost a few Pokémon battles, but that wasn't the same.

"I'm sorry, it's just I'm not… not…" Ash hesitated on the last word. Gary wasn't one to mince his speech so he said it for him:

"Gay, Ash? Is that what you're saying? How do you know if you don't try?" he said, leaning in and closing his eyes. He could wait; it would only be a matter of time.

As if on cue, he felt Ash's lips against his. They barely touched, Ash was clearly reluctant. He'd come on too strong. His one shot to make Ash reconsider and he'd blown it. He felt a surge of anger, wondering just what Ash was so afraid of: that he might like it? He was angry with himself too; he knew he should have just kept his big mouth shut, left things as they were. He'd be lucky if Ash ever spoke to him again. Pulling back, he saw a couple of tears had fallen down Ash's face. Why was he the one crying?

"Gary… I don't think… it's not right…" Ash murmured.

His anger flared: "What? I wasn't sure you'd reciprocate my feelings, but I didn't have you pegged as a homophobe. Well, Ash Ketchum, you can just take your opinions and shove it." he said, curling his hands into fists, standing up so as to break the tense atmosphere that had formed around the bed.

"It's not that -- I just don't know his face reminiscent of their last Pokémon match.

"I never said I loved you. If you'd actually listened I said I wanted to know if you had felt something stronger than friendship over the last couple of weeks like I had," Gary replied, frustrated at just how dense Ash was being, "Try pulling your head out of your ass for once and thinking."

"Whatever, Gary. Point is I don't feel the way you do. We're good friends and all; even back when you were my rival we were friends deep down. But just friends." Ash said without looking gary in the eye, managing to put a sense of finality into the last sentence.

"I'd better go then. Talk to me when you've calmed down a bit and want to talk this out." Gary said, trying to sound nonchalant as he walked out of the bedroom door. He never heard Ash's response:

"I don't need to think it out. You're the one with the problem." was the quiet yet defiant reply as Ash fell onto the bed, crossing his arms and looking at the ceiling. He didn't know why, but he felt unclean. It wasn't necessarily because he'd kissed Gary, just all these feelings he had made him want a shower. The kind of shower where the water's so hot it burns and numbs your skin. Feeling numb sounded pretty good about now.

Gary meanwhile was heading back to his Grandpa's lab and feeling sorry for himself. He hadn't meant for it to turn into an argument but now he replayed the scene in his head a fight had been inevitable. They were both too stubborn to talk it out. And now he'd gone too far, really messed things up. Why had he suggested Ash kiss him? He kept hearing his words in his head, suddenly they seemed so contrite, so cliché. Could he really not have come up with something more compelling? A little less over-dramatic? He saw the lab up ahead and inwardly crossed his fingers that he wouldn't bump into Tracey or Gramps on the way to his room. He didn't feel like talking much right now.

The anger had subsided, and he was left with a feeling of murky regret, like all of his emotions were gradually seeping through to his brain instead of rushing all at once. He was sat at his desk, staring blankly at a piece of paper in front of him. Gramps had mentioned when he needed to think, or get away from his thoughts he found drawing a good distraction (Professor Oak had also added "most of the time", but Gary hadn't taken much notice). Gary started with a circle, quickly adding stick arms and legs to it. He gave it eyes, a nose and a smiling face, a small grin on his own lips at the sight of how pathetic his creation was. Absent-mindedly he gave his stick-man hair, dark and spiky, not unlike his own, only it stuck out more at the sides. Finally, to add the finishing touch he added a couple of small lines under the eyes. Putting the pencil down he studied his master-piece. Then he groaned, screwing up the paper into a ball and throwing it into the bin. He hadn't intended for his Stick-Man to turn into a Stick-Ash.

He lifted his head up to the ceiling, as if that would let him get his mind off of today; which so far was going pretty badly. He was so focused on clearing his mind he never heard his Grandfather slip into the room.

"Everything alright, Gary?"

The boy wondered how the old man always seemed to have a sixth sense about when something was up, answering matter-of-factly: "Yeah, I 'spose. I had bit of an argument with Ash."

"I thought you two were getting along now?" the Professor said as he sat at the end of the bed.

"So did I," he sighed, "But I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Well, I'm heading over to the Ketchums' now; Delia invited me over for lemonade. Tracey's watching something on TV downstairs," he paused, feeling uncomfortable in his Grandson's stony silence, "…so that's where I'll be if you need Me." his Grandpa smiled awkwardly; like he was unsure of what to say, giving the boy a comforting pat before disappearing downstairs. Gary nodded his head once in response, thinking that if that's where Gramps was going to be he wouldn't get a hold of him... even if he did need his help.

He had only just turned thirteen; he didn't think it was possible he really felt that much for Ash. Partly he put it down to hormones, and partly; he decided, was down to the sudden strong bond the two of them had discovered. Still, that didn't quell the desire he felt to get closer to Ash, whatever he had said before. It might just take a little time. If he apologised, if he could apologise for taking things for granted; like the way he'd thrust his feelings on Ash out of the blue and just expected him to be OK with it. He'd been arrogant to have made those assumptions. Perhaps they both needed a little bit more education on how to put their rivalry behind them before their relationship, their friendship could go forward.

Gary blinked, suddenly realising that he was still staring at the spot on the bed where Gramps had been. He checked the clock on his desk; he'd been sat there for a good half-hour. Standing up and stretching he suddenly felt incredibly drained. He slipped off his shoes, and slid under the covers of his bed, hoping to just rest. Unfortunately his mind wasn't going to let him off that easily.

Just what did he see in Ash anyway? His companion was (though part of himself was still loathed to admit it) a pretty incredible, if somewhat foolish, trainer. Gary had learnt a lot from him, and he wondered if Ash had learnt some things from him. He liked to hope so. It was like Ash himself had said: they'd always been good friends really.

The first time he had contemplated something more than friendship had been just after the Silver Conference. He could still remember being stood after the final ceremony, watching Ash from across the large Pokémon Centre's Main Hall. He had started thinking about how much the two of them had grown over the last couple of years; how mature Ash was compared to the immature and annoying boy who'd woken up late on the first day of his journey. He'd changed since them too. He was no longer the stuck-up boy who needed a gang of cheerleaders to validate his worth. And then it had occurred to him that they'd always been friends despite how frustrating they sometimes found one another. Now he'd effectively finished his training career and was going to move into Pokémon research he decided he wanted to get to know Ash better. He had been secretly elated when he discovered Ash had returned to Pallet Town from Johto as well, and Gary had been quick to strike up the promised friendship now their rivalry had been put to rest. What gave him such drive?

Why did Ash seem so eager to do the same if there wasn't something more than just a friendship at stake? Maybe Ash saw him as a replacement for Brock & Misty, or maybe he just wanted another friend…

Gary ran his tongue over his lips, feeling the rough and dry surface. He'd fallen asleep accidentally, and looking out the window he could see that the sky was full of pleasant hues of blue and pink as the sun was setting. Rubbing his eyes he decided a shower would be the best thing. The cold water helped to wake him up, and put things in perspective. It was soothing, like the bandages keeping back his feelings were coming off and allowing him to breathe openly. He felt the drips coming off of his nose, tickling slightly as the water rolled from his hair onto his face. He smiled, amused by the sensation, an odd feeling of contentment sweeping over him, if only for a moment.

A little while later he was sat outside underneath a tree watching all the Trainers' Pokémon that Gramps looked after, enjoying the fresh air. The ones that were too wild or simply didn't like to sleep outside had already been put back into their Pokéballs. He was tempted to release Umbreon as he could use the company, but just as he was reaching into his pocket he heard a voice shout his name. He glanced up to see Ash running up the hill towards him. When he reached the tree he stood there, panting, staring at his shoes the same way he'd looked at his hands that morning.

"Well?" Gary asked. He tried and failed to suppress the bitterness he hadn't completely absolved from earlier.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. Really."

Gary was surprised, he knew how difficult they found it to apologise to one another: he could count the number of times either of them had said it on one hand. When they were little they didn't have to make up, they just let things go, but things never stayed simple, did they?

"S'alright; wasn't fair for me to push that on you."

"Cool." was the only response he got.

'Verbose as ever, Ashy-boy.' he thought to himself.

"Are you going to sit down then, or was that it?" Gary asked, looking up at Ash. He attempted to look him in the eye, but his friend's gaze was still focused firmly on his shoes. He sat down without a word, the brow of his cap low over his face. Gary couldn't be certain, but he thought it might be because Ash was trying to hide a blush. They sat there like that for a while, looking in opposite directions, neither one wanting to say something to spoil the reconciliation. Finally Ash spoke up:

"You know what you said before, about trying it?" he said, his voice cracking a little.

"Mm?" Gary nodded.

"What if… it ruins our friendship? Like if we found out we didn't work?" Ash continued.

Gary smiled, "I dunno. It's more of a question of if you're willing to take that chance."

He flinched slightly when he felt Ash suddenly grab his hand, gently and first, interlacing their fingers and then squeezing. Actions spoke louder than words. Gary grinned. He turned to face Ash, and saw that he was finally looking him in the face again.

"Is Gramps back from your place yet?" he asked, hoping to make small talk in case Ash felt uncomfortable.

Ash pulled a face, "No. He and my Mom were having a glass of wine when I left --"

"Wine? He told me he was going over for lemonade. The sly old dog." Gary laughed.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Ash asked, looking genuinely confused.

"You may have finally beaten me in a Pokémon match but you're still as slow as ever." Gary said, leaning in and whispering something in his ear.

"Wait, you mean my Mom -- and Professor Oak -- are…" Ash faltered.

Gary just nodded, grimacing as he watched Ash's eyes grow very large. He thought it was funny, in a way: Gramps and Ash's Mom most likely getting together, whilst he and Ash were doing the same thing…

The rolling hills around the lab were bathed in a pale light as the moon rose amongst the stars. Gary and Ash had spent the last couple of hours talking, their hands not once separating. It was going to be harder for Ash; Gary knew, to adjust to this change in relationship, and for about the third time in his life he felt genuine empathy for his friend.

"So, does this mean you want to give us a shot?" Gary asked; wanting to make certain he wasn't making a fool of himself again.

Ash nodded, thinking before adding: "I don't really get it -- it's like… I've never really thought about anyone the way you said… but now I think about it… I can't think about thinking about anyone else the way I'm starting to think about you. Or something," he grinned, embarrassed, "That sounded better in my head."

"I know what you meant, you big dope." Gary said, returning the smile, punching his friend's shoulder lightly with his free hand.

"Mind if we try that kiss again?" Ash asked, suddenly blushing, not grinning, from embarrassment.

Gary didn't respond, but as he'd done earlier in the day he leant in and closed his eyes.

As if on cue he felt Ash's lips against his, but this time he really felt them. He put an arm around Ash, pulling his whole body closer. He felt Ash's hair tickling his face, which made him think of the shower he'd had earlier, and that same feeling of contentment washed over him, but this time it didn't receed, but got stronger. Now that this was truly happening he wasn't entirely sure how long he was supposed to kiss him for. If it was this nice all the time then he'd happily do it for hours, but he became aware of the time and took his arm away, Ash doing the same until they were just sat side by side.

"Do we tell anyone?" Ash asked with a slight pink still visible in his cheeks.

"Hm, good question," Gary considered, "I know Gramps would be fine with it, what about your Mom?"

"Yeah, she'd probably be OK with it." he replied.

"So we'll tell them at some point, but maybe it would better if we take a little time and see if this is really going to go anywhere," Gary started laughing, "You can still really be a pain in the ass."

"Yeah… well so can you!" Ash laughed, pushing Gary onto his back and sitting atop him.

Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum were walking arm in arm up the hill towards his lab, enjoying the night breeze. Now that they'd decided to make their relationship official, they were debating how they should go about things. They stopped when they saw Ash and Gary rolling around underneath a tree, and at first Delia was worried, but Professor Oak just smiled.

"Those two must be good friends, play-fighting even at their age." he said, laughing under his breath.

"They sure are," Delia replied, "Do you think we should tell them, about us?"

"I know Gary would be fine with it, what about Ash?"

"He'd probably be OK with it." she said, smiling at her paramour.

"To think: one day they'll be having relationships of their own." Oak said, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her in for a kiss.

As the pair pulled apart they began laughing at the thought that their children were growing up. Their voices were carried out by the evening breeze over the Oak estate; mixing with the laughter of the two exuberant young boys on the hill, the sounds of joy gradually fading into the night sky…

THE END

AN: Flo, oh Flo. BetaReader and in essence first reviewer of my work. What can I say? Thank you forever and always! Hopefully this was a little bit more your thing than my last story! But don't fret; lots more real Eldershipping for you to plough through soon!

Full steam ahead with the writing I think, so be sure to check back soon as I'm brimming with ideas! Many thanks to everyone who reads; it means a lot to me that people take time out of their lives to read my lowly work, and an extra special thank you to anyone who reviews... I wish you could see the smile they bring to my face. Which, funnily enough, is exactly what I hope this story did for you.

Until next time,

-Solent