An emerald-eyed boy could be seen still writing down sophisticated jargon for a research paper he was supposed to hand in the two days ago. He was so tired, and he looked like a Slakoth deprived from his sleep as he hadn't slept properly in days. His head was down on his working desk, arms sagging uncomfortably, back slouching and his chocolate hair as messy as a feather duster. Gary looked more like he was being forced to drag his pen into doodling squiggly lines than he was writing.

Ash was gone for a week already. He had left without saying goodbye to him as Gary was too busy, and the Researcher didn't know when the Pikachu Trainer would actually return. Gary had tried calling the ravenette with the new Holo Caster, but the boy wouldn't pick up at all. They had different timezones, and Ash was busy chasing his own dream just as well.

Soft footsteps could be heard making its way to Gary's room, but the seventeen year old couldn't care less. His bedroom door was pushed open with a creaking sound and a head popped in sleepily to check on the moping brunette.

"Gary, it's three thirty in the morning. You should really get your sleep." A deep baritone that could only be Tracey's echoed around the room. Gary let the pen drop from his hand and unwillingly struggled to turn around to glare at his Pokémon Watcher friend.

"I'm fine, Tracey. I'm just doing something here, if you don't mind." He growled unhappily. Even at such an exhausted state the Oak teen didn't falter from being the icy person he was when something was bothering him.

Tracey walked towards the brunette, who glared even more defensively as if it would scare him away.

"Gary, you haven't been sleeping for days. You look terrible; you have bags in your eyes, your hair is a mess, you don't even eat anymore! What happened?"

An exasperated sigh was let out, then Gary began to speak.

"Tracey, I'm still trying to perfect my confession plan for Ash. It's got to be perfect, and it's not exactly easy, you know. I'm exasperated, he won't call me, hell, he didn't even say GOODBYE for that matter, he's too busy, he's been gone for a week and I'm going insane! I just want to straighten things out and tell him he's the one I love, and I have to tell him before HE goes insane! I don't think the thing I've planned for is even enough!"

"Hmph. You worry too much..." Tracey boasted, earning himself the millionth glare he received from Gary.

Tracey took a seat on Gary's bed and shifted his focus on the awful-looking seventeen year old. "You guys are complicated, seriously. I have no idea what is up with the both of you making things harder for yourself than they're supposed to be. You've known Ash for years now. Give him a plush toy, a hug, a card, flowers, whatever. If he loves sappy love stories like you say he does, then do just that. It doesn't have to be perfect. Not too hard to do, now is it?"

"But it has to be perfect! Otherwise it's way too unfair for him who's been waiting all this time for an answer from me even though he never asked."

The Marill Trainer grinned back. "Gary, Gary, Gary. You are such a perfectionist. Fine. Suit yourself. But first, I don't think you'd wait another one and a half years for Ash to finish his Kalos journey till you do this won't you? Catch a flight to Lumiose City ASAP. But for now," the younger boy grabbed Gary's wrists and then pushed him towards the mattress, "Go get your sleep. Ash wouldn't appreciate seeing his boyfriend-to-be looking like a pile of garbage."

"Shut up, Tracey."

Said boy got up and stuck a tongue out before closing the lights and exiting Gary's room. A faint, "you're welcome" was the last thing Gary had heard before he finally succumbed into the slumber he had deserved for the past seven days.

When Tracey got up the next morning to check up on Gary, he expected to see a sleeping figure at his left but was instead greeted by a cleanly-made bed with a note and a long due research paper sitting on top of the pillow. The Marill Trainer walked towards the bed and read the note before walking out with a large smile on his face.

'Went to Lumiose City to tell Ash I love him. Don't expect me to return without a ring on his finger.'

Taking the research paper and note with him, Tracey exited the room with a somewhat mocking smirk, muttering a few words to himself. "Hmph, about time he did something about it. Knowing Gary, extravagance is in Ash's pathway. Lucky him."

Meanwhile, a certain emerald-eyed boy couldn't help but to fidget irately during his whole flight to the Kalos Region. He kept peering out the window, looking for some kind of greenery or maybe a glance of tall skyscrapers that would indicate he was nearing his destination. He had woken up at a glorious hour, booked a flight, phoning here and there for a group of people to remind them in finally initiating his celebratory plan for Ash. He had been thinking about how he'd confess to Ash for the past thirty-one days, and heck, it was difficult to find the perfect way of doing it. It was a good thing that he'd been in touch with people who were willing to give him a hand. Such were advantageous times he had thanked Arceus for being the grandson of a famous Pokémon professor.

Just as he promised, there would be no more advice. Mere actions, with sweet words here and there, but actions all the same. Ash will love it. Oh how he hoped the boy would.

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A.N. OH YEAH

This is where things get good.

PREPARE THY CANDY FLOSS

THE FLUFF IS SOOON