Ash and Gary were at Slateport City, having fun in the sun as they splashed around and swam in the deep blue waters. While Ash tried to chase the Pokémon Researcher out in the blue open, Gary dived and pulled the Pikachu Trainer into the freezing underworld. Both boys resurfaced and Gary made an escape from the annoyed predator that was his best friend.

"That was so not funny!" Ash spat out, wiping his face with a hand before opening his eyes. Said eyes settled on a laughing brunette who was clutching at his stomach as if there was no tomorrow.

"Oh Ash, your-pffft!-your expression is p-priceless! Hahahahaha!" Gary laughed out in between breaths. When Ash started to chase him again, he turned around and swam to get away from the ranting younger boy.

"Gary! You jerk! You know I was trying not to get my hair wet! It took forever to style it, you know!"

Ash's hair appeared to be more spiked up than usual, Gary noticed, and a hard hold gel made the raven strands stay in their place. Ash's hair was never gelled up, and, Gary had to admit, the ravenette's straight and free hair looked better than some unnatural hairstyle that he himself usually pulled off in success.

The two friends walked out of the water, grabbing their towels and drying off to rest up for a bit.

Gary smirked at the hazel-eyed boy. "Heh, you should have thought about that before greeting the sea with open arms."

"Shut up." A friendly punch landing on a shoulder was followed by a flick on the ear and a stiffled groan. Soon both boys were engaged in a poke fight, besting each other without a care who was there to watch.

"Geez Ash, you're starting to sound like me."

"Well I'm sorry that you don't want anyone to copy you and your hair complex."

"Hey! That was mean, Ash! Oww!"

"Serves you right, dear Gary, king of all beautiful hair."

"Drink saltwater, Ash."

As they were nearby the shore, Ash and Gary got soaked by a gigantic wave that came crashing down within seconds. Soon they were both dripping with water, all because they were too busy bickering than paying attention to what was happening.

Ash got up and held a hand out to his best friend. Gary took it, stood up, and shook away the excess water from his ear.

"You got your wish, Gary. Thanks a lot. Uggh, great, now our towels are wet!" Ash coughed, unamused.

"Haha. You're welcome. We have spare ones somewhere... but what's with the hair anyway? You're not trying to impress anybody around, are you?"

Ash retaliated almost too quickly. "No! What do call me for?"

"Oh really? Is she around? Oh, the girl you like must be from Slateport City, or Hoenn for that matter... Tell me, is it that Pokémon coordinator, May?"

The ravenette stomped around like a little child. Gary was just pretending not to know Ash loved him to see how defensive a boy in denial could be.

"Stop mocking me! I do not like May!"

Gary rose an eyebrow and smirked his signature I-am-so-much-better-than-you smirk. "Oh, am I mocking you? I didn't know. From the way I see it, you are just being too stubborn to admit it."

This was too good. Ash looked so adorable when angry. Gary noted the pink flare on his cheeks; those z-shaped birthmarks almost appearing to spark similarly to Pikachu's when the thunder mouse was ready to attack. The sixteen year old also had a priceless pout of annoyance that made him look so utterly adorable - heh, he'd bet even a Steelix would melt down at his cuteness.

Ash was just so loveable; it made Gary wonder if it was a crime to be soooo... sooo like Ash was. Amazing in Gary's eyes. The boy was easy to rile up, but when it got too out of hand, Ash would snap, start crying and stay angry for days. For now, Gary was still halfway Ash's annoy-meter. It wasn't as if Gary was really trying to anger Ash, though. It just amused him to see Ash pout and whine like he always did as a child.

"Can you just shush? I wanna swim!" The ravenette countered, making his way towards the beach once more. The brunette followed suit, ready for another round of the 'Let's see how angry I make Ash' game.

"Relax, love. I'm just teasing. You know I am." The Pokémon Researcher jested. He wrapped cold arms around the ravenette's skinny body, snuggling into his shoulder and purring a little too disturbingly.

The tomato that was Ash sizzled up like he always did when Gary touched him. He tried to squirm away, but Gary wouldn't let go.

"Gary! What are you doing~! Heyy! Don't do that or people will jump to conclusions!"

"Let them think. We're best friends, are we not? Besides, I want that May to see who exactly is whose here."

Ash stomped on Gary's vulnerable foot, picked up a handful of wet sand from underwater and threw it on the emerald-eyed boy. Gary just didn't get it! He was not interested in May! She was dating Drew! Why was Gary being so annoying, especially now when they were enjoying themselves during a beautiful, sunny day?

"What is wrong with you Gary? Don't you see? I DO NOT LIKE MAY!"

"Is that so? So who do you like, then?" Gary challenged, wiping off some of the sand thrown at him.

Ash fumed at the boy, telling him off with something so unexpected that he didn't even know what he had said until he said it.

"Uughh! You don't understand and you never will, so fine, I'll tell you, Mister 'I-Get-On-Ash-Ketchum's-Nerves-All-The-Time!' The person I like is from Pallet Town! He's smart, cool, beautiful, talented, my best friend, someone I can't live without, an amazing Pokémon Trainer, an annoying, sadistic, vain bastard, better than everyone else in the whole entire multiverse of multiverses and so much better than May would ever be!"

Gary stared at Ash dumbfoundedly. He blushed instantly, even though Gary was never known to ever "blush" like that in public. Looking around he saw nosy spectators pretending they did not just hear the ravenette shout nonsense for the whole world to hear, intensifying the red tint on his face more. Thankfully some sand was still on his face despite how disgusting it felt so Ash never noticed how flustered he looked as of the moment.

It was then that Ash suddenly regretted what he had just said, hoping to Arceus that he could turn back time to take those words back. Unfortunately for him, that was not easy at all.

"Gary, um, I mean... Uhh, forget what I said, I was just, uhh, thinking out loud and I didn't know-"

The sound of splashing interrupted the still blushing hazel-eyed boy and his struggle to take back a not-so-direct confession of his love. It was not supposed to go that way! Oh how wrong everything was...

The Eevee Trainer wiped away the remaining sand and reached out for the Pikachu Trainer, putting a hand on his shoulder. Said hand made its way up to the younger boy's face, caressing it with comfort and reassurance.

Emerald eyes locked onto chocolate ones, both searching for some kind of emotion hidden beneath the usual air of competition. Gary moved closer towards Ash, their faces mere centimetres from each other, and if only they were a little closer, their lips would be touching already.

It was too much of an expectation for Ash. Gary kept coming closer, and closer, and closer, until the brunette had lips near Ash's ear, feeling the other boy's warm breath which gave him goosebumps and another one of those fuzzy feelings.

"Geez, Ash. I never knew you were so conceited that you needed to prove to me how much you like yourself. I already know Ashy. You are awesome and better than May, okay? And no, I don't think you're narcissistic so don't you dare worry." Gary muttered silently, which earned him a violent push into the water.

"You jerk! I hate you Gary!"

The Pikachu Trainer left the brunette to drown as he ran to the shore, picking up his clothes and getting ready to change. Gary, after finally resurfacing, did the same and soon they were both changed and ready to have their lunch.

"Seriously. A piece of advice, okay Ashy? I don't think you'd need to change your hairstyle for anyone. I love your hair the way it is. This special person of yours should too. Just the way you are, Ashy. That's all you need to be."

'Hmph, says the boy who wears an excessive amount of gel everyday,' Ash thought inwardly. But he was right. Gary never cared about his hairstyle. The sixteen year old figured that being more like the Pokémon Researcher would finally get his attention, even though he knew he'd never be loved back the way he loved Gary. 'I wished he kissed me. I still shouldn't have said those words mindlessly. Now I have my hopes up high in the air again. Tch, stupid Gary. Stupid, annoying, conceited, loveable best friend of mine.'

He loved him anyway, and he had no idea why, but he did. Gary being a smart and talented and handsome looking boy was only a bonus. Ash loved him because he was Gary. Not anyone else, just him. He was awesome, and he loved him all the same. Just the way he was, as the brunette had said.

Gary on the other hand, knew that Ash was still feeling flustered from his abrupt confession. What he had said was a thankful fail-safe to his best friend's ego. 'Soon...', Gary thought, '...soon I'd let him know I feel the same way. Darn, I should have kissed him, then he'd finally know I love him too. Life isn't fair.'

Why couldn't a piece of advice be enough to let Ash know? Gary would never know. He didn't want to know. For now, it was just him, Ash and their half-empty stomachs. For now, they had to wait it out a bit longer, wait for the right time when they could finally tell each other how much they mean to one another, not with advice, but with endless kisses, and hugs, and the feeling of contentment surrounding them both like a comfortable blanket. With actions, not advice, because they were not enough. Advice was never enough.

********************************************************************************************A.N. Ash is such a cutie. *shakes head and waves arms in the air randomly*