Chapter Text
Goh didn't tell anyone about him and Gary at first -- mostly because he still wasn't sure what to make of it. They'd just gone their separate ways that day without really acknowledging what happened, though Gary looked at him with a new fondness as they parted ways.
He called Goh the next day to invite him to the park, "just for a walk." As Goh began to bolt out the door, giddy for whatever this was, Ash called out to him and asked where he was off to.
"To see Gary."
"Oh? ...To work out?" Ash asked, seeming to notice that Goh was wearing his street clothes.
"No, uh..." Goh started, deciding that he might as well tell Ash what was going on. "I think we're dating."
Ash's eyes widened in shock. "You think?"
"Well, we never talked about it or anything, but uh, we held hands, and yeah, uh, we'll see..."
"Whoa..." was all that Ash could muster at first. "Goh, that's awesome. For both of you. Congrats."
Goh was indeed right about them dating, as Gary was all touchy-feely with him in the park, basically treating him like a boyfriend without saying it. They started inviting each other to restaurants and kissing in the backs of movie theaters like they were teens. If this wasn't a relationship, Goh didn't know what the hell it was.
His suspicions were confirmed when Gary invited him over for dinner one night and, get this, Gary introduced Goh to Tracey Sketchit as his boyfriend. Goh had to stop himself from squealing with joy.
"You know, it's funny," Tracey said over dinner. "Gary was never really into all the fitness stuff until he met yo--owh!"
"Huh?!" Goh said, glancing at his boyfriend, who was acting like he hadn't just kicked Tracey under the table. "Is that true?"
"I went sometimes," Gary said, his even tone betrayed by the shade of red staining his cheeks.
"C'mon, we've all done stupid shit to try and impress people we like," Tracey said, grinning.
Gary eventually conceded, and even though Goh should've noticed that they'd kind of abandoned the whole workout regimen since they started dating, he was still a bit surprised at this revelation.
"So even that huge thing of protein powder?" Goh asked. "...You bought that just for me?"
"That's where it was?" Tracey exclaimed, shaking his head and laughing. "He didn't buy it, Goh. That was mine," he said, squinting at Gary as he called him a little bastard.
"You watch what you call my grandson, Tracey," Professor Oak said sternly, though he was suppressing a laugh.
"Oh, uh..." Goh said, glancing apologetically at Tracey. "You want it back?"
Tracey chuckled. "Nah, you're good."
So Gary was just naturally strong, and the rest of it was just a ruse to impress him? Him? Goh couldn't care less about the dishonesty part, because this was the most heartwarming lie he could imagine. Gary was easily forgiven with a passionate kiss as soon as Goh dragged him upstairs after dinner, though it didn't stop him from giving Gary shit for the whole thing later.
"Y'know how insecure you could've made someone with that?" Goh said half-jokingly. "Flirting by telling someone how weak they are? Who does that?"
"Whatever. It worked, didn't it?"
Even though Goh wasn't holding him to it anymore, they went on their promised nighttime Mt. Moon hike, and this time, it was actually a date. It felt like a dream come true, with Goh catching not only a Clefairy that evolved that same night, but a shiny Cleffa. He leapt into Gary's arms in celebration, and they kissed as the shimmering moonstone illuminated their faces and the chorus of Clefairy cheered them on.
"Man, I love you," Goh breathed as Gary put him back down. It didn't hit him that he'd even said that aloud until Gary's smile dropped, replaced by a look of shock.
Fuck. Too soon?
But to Goh's relief, Gary let out an astonished chuckle, and his smile was back within seconds. "Love you too, babe."
Goh's legs were wobbly on the way back down the mountain again... but for much better reasons.
-----
Over time, Goh learned a lot about Gary. He got to meet some of his three-hundred-something Pokémon that were under his and Professor Oak's care (seriously, how had he managed to catch so many before he was thirteen?!), and he got to hear fascinating stories from his teenage years as a researcher in Sinnoh, Kalos, and Hoenn.
The random woman that was scoping out the family's fridge one afternoon? That was Gary's sister, Daisy, who'd heard a bit about him despite Goh not hearing about her at all. She was so nice from the get-go that he had no clue how she and Gary were related, to which Gary chuckled and admitted that they didn't know, either.
Then, Goh told Gary he wanted to introduce him to his parents sometime, but that he'd have to see when they weren't busy. "My question is when am I gonna get to meet your parents?" Goh asked. "I still haven't seen them around."
"Oh, uh... they're dead," Gary said point-blank, explaining that they'd died in a car crash when he was young.
What?! Goh wrapped his arms around Gary and apologized profusely, but Gary wasn't having it and just told him that it wasn't a big deal, since he never knew them anyway.
Goh also realized that the whole "learning more about each other" thing went both ways, and that he'd need to open up, too. He shakily admitted to Gary that he'd never had much luck making friends growing up, and that Ash, Chloe, and Horace were basically his only real friends. And that, yes, this was his first relationship ever.
Gary shrugged and admitted that Goh never struck him as the social type. But apparently it didn't scare him away, which was all that mattered.
He invited Goh over on occasion to help out at his grandfather's lab, and in exchange, he offered to help out with a project at the Cerise Laboratory. There, he finally introduced himself and his Umbreon to Chloe and her Eevee, and he sympathized with her frustrations over people assuming that she'd become a researcher just because of her father. But he assured her that it wasn't half bad, if it was something she ever felt interested in.
He began accompanying Goh on more of his excursions, too. Dawn's Piplup was stolen and taken into a portal by a weird lookalike? Gary was there with his de-evolved Squirtle to stop Team Galactic from opening yet another world-threatening space-time portal. Goh needed to go back to Slowpoke Island with Ash but insisted that Gary should probably stay away from that place? Well, now he had to check it out, but Goh got to hit him with the "told you so" after they were freed from the bizarre mind control of the Slowking.
A few months passed, and Goh and Gary found out they were assigned the same Project Mew trial mission at the Seafoam Islands. There, they met up with Goh's old friend, Horace, and learned that they would need to work together to battle a fierce Articuno. Gary, being the most experienced battler of the three, took the lead in commanding strategy, but despite being in sync with each other, they were no match for the legendary Ice-type Pokémon.
At least they all got a coin for their stellar teamwork. And when Goh found out that Gary got a second coin for his steady leadership? Well, Goh couldn't help but congratulate him with a kiss on the cheek. He deserved it, after all.
-----
Ash was happy for Goh. He'd kinda seen it coming the last week or so, when Goh suddenly seemed to have plans almost every day. Still, he was a bit confused at first, considering Goh had basically wanted to murder Gary a month ago, and now they were acting like they were madly in love. It only took Ash a few times hanging out with the two of them as a couple to realize that they were surprisingly well-suited for each other, though.
Good for Goh. Gary's awesome, and Ash was happy that they were happy together.
Ash thought that was the end of that, but turned out it wasn't quite that simple.
For starters, he had to contend with the fact that his room wasn't totally his anymore, and that he might be temporarily kicked out at any moment. This became apparent maybe a few weeks in, when the three of them were upstairs catching up. Gary had his arm around Goh, who seemed more preoccupied with catching glimpses of his boyfriend than listening to what Ash was telling him.
"Yeah, right," Goh interjected. "Hey, Ash, didn't Professor Cerise have something he wanted you to finish up?" Goh asked.
"Uh, no?" Ash said, trying to remember what they were working on yesterday or if Professor Cerise had said something. "I don't think so..."
"Really? I could've sworn he said something..."
Ash thought about it again, but nope. "I thought we were all set. What are you--"
"Jesus Christ," Gary said, raising his hands in exasperation. "We're gonna make out. So unless you--"
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving," Ash sputtered, fleeing the room.
Yeah... Ash was starting to wonder if it was wrong or weird for him to still be sharing a room with Goh. He was about to ask Goh, but he realized how stupid it would be to start a conversation with "Do you think Gary...?" After all, he still probably knew Gary better than Goh did. So he blurted his question out to Gary one day, who responded with confusion more than anything else.
"What, Goh hasn't said anything yet?" Gary asked.
"No, why?"
Gary stared at Ash open-mouthed for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Keep it. I trust you," he said, brushing Ash's shoulder as he went to find Goh.
Ash left the issue alone after that, even though Gary's answer seemed a bit odd. But he soon realized that the room situation wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. Seeing Goh and Gary together, or even thinking about their relationship... gave him some unfamiliar anxious feeling that he couldn't identify or shake.
Loneliness was the easiest feeling Ash could settle on. Of course he'd feel that way, since he was used to spending basically every waking moment with Goh, but he now had to (understandably) share that time with someone who demanded more of his attention than lone-wolf Chloe.
But it wasn't the same feeling as missing his mom when he was getting attacked by Spearow at the beginning of his journey, or missing his friends every time he arrived in a new region alone...
"--Ash? He-llooo?" Goh asked, tapping his shoulder.
Ash snapped back into reality and wondered how he could possibly feel lonely when Goh was sitting right next to him on the train, having a conversation with him. Maybe the answer was the anxious feeling setting back in as Goh withdrew his hand and the conversation stalled, and Ash sat there in silence without the familiar feeling of Goh's shoulder leaning on his.
Or maybe it was the fact that Goh, despite being talkative and supportive as ever, seemed a bit distracted whenever he was in a different region with Ash. Like he wanted to get home already.
It was still bothering Ash that night as he tossed and turned in his bunk. He must've accidentally rustled Pikachu, as the mouse Pokémon yelped and began prodding its trainer. And Goh must've heard all that, as he climbed down from the top bunk and saw Ash reassuring Pikachu that everything was alright. "Can't sleep either?"
Ash quickly sat up, startled. "Guess not."
Goh sat down at the foot of the bed where Ash's legs were. "I just can't stop thinking about Gary again."
Ash grunted as Goh rambled about how he never thought in a million years they'd end up together, but that somehow, Gary was cool, handsome, fun, and surprisingly sweet. In short, he -- they -- were perfect. For some reason, Ash found himself feeling a bit irritated as Goh kept talking -- probably because he'd heard this all before and just wanted to go to sleep already, he decided.
"So what's keeping you up?" Goh finally asked, causing Ash to clam up and stutter. He knew vaguely what was on his mind, but it was too much to put into words. Plus, there was no reason to worry or confuse Goh when he had just gotten done saying how happy he was dating Gary.
Goh eventually interrupted him with a chuckle. "Don't tell me you're too excited about battling Leon again to sleep."
Ash nodded enthusiastically, grateful that Goh had given him an out.
"Of course you are." Goh sighed and got up, and he gave Ash a pat on the shoulder as he climbed back into his bunk. "Sweet dreams."
Sweet dreams, Ash repeated to himself as he begged his mind to just think about battling Leon instead of whatever mess of feelings was inside him.
-----
Ash still hadn't figured out what was bothering him so much, but whatever it was, he was sick of it. He tried to distract himself however possible, whether that was through training extra hard for his upcoming PWC matches, playing with his Pokémon, or actually calling his friends and family first for once. A few of his friends made fun of him for finally remembering that he had a phone, and asked if he was calling about something specific, but nope, he just really wanted to hear how they were doing.
Then, he saw Chloe leaving the lab one day, and it dawned on him that they hadn't hung out with each other all that much. Chloe initially refused his invitations, but Ash eventually charmed her (or annoyed her) into grabbing coffee together. She was talking a bit about how her studies were going, and Ash admittedly wasn't being the best listener, when she switched tracks and said something that caught him off guard.
"I still can't believe you just let Goh run off with him."
"Whaddya mean?" Ash asked, his voice trembling slightly as he guessed where she was going with this.
"I just figured you would've at least tried to keep him, you know?"
Keep him...? He knew she was talking about romance, and... holy shit.
Did Goh have feelings for him before? And wait, did he have feelings back but never...?
A hollow anxiety hit Ash as he realized that he couldn't argue with Chloe, who simply hummed as she took another sip of her drink, like she hadn't just sent Ash into a raging spiral.
-----
Ash and Chloe's hangouts had become a more frequent occurrence after that. He wasn't really trying to get romantic advice; after all, the only suggestion Chloe had to offer besides "just let it go" was to stop rooming with him and spending so much time together. But he couldn't -- Goh was his best friend, and he didn't want him to feel like he'd done something wrong, and besides, Gary had said it was fine. In any case, it felt good to vent and be understood by someone.
Goh and Gary were affectionate as ever, and there were days where Ash felt like he could cry, or puke, or both, when he saw how they acted with each other. At least he kind of knew why he felt that way now, but didn't make it any easier. He saw Gary wipe something off Goh's cheek, and he couldn't help but think that Goh had it so good with...
Wait. Other way around, right?
A few days after that random thought, Ash was on the phone with Misty, who reminded him that he could just come visit her in Cerulean City instead of calling. That sounded like a great idea to him. They reunited with a hug, and she flaunted the renovations she'd had done for the Gym. They even had a battle for old-time's sake, and as usual, Ash won.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring Goh" Misty said as she and Ash dipped their feet in the Gym's pool. "I thought for sure I was gonna get to meet him today."
"Oh, no," Ash said, explaining to Misty that he was doing a mission for this thing called Project Mew with Gary today. "...They're dating, actually."
"Holy shit," Misty said. "Small world." She asked how exactly that had happened, and whether Gary was still a snot-nosed brat like he was a decade ago.
"Well, no," Ash said, "but he laid it on pretty thick for Goh at first."
Misty threw her head back and laughed. "Imagine if the whole time you were rivals, he was just flirting with you?"
Like Ash hadn't thought about that from time to time when he was traveling in Unova. He'd realized his own feelings too late back then, when he knocked on the door of Professor Oak's lab after returning from Sinnoh and Gary was nowhere to be found. He had no idea that fighting against Team Galactic would be the last time he saw Gary for five whole years, and that they'd lose contact soon after that. It sucked, but he knew that there would be more adventures and people to look forward to.
Misty was staring at him funny, and Ash was worried that she'd read his mind, but then she started about how she was pretty sure she'd seen Goh and Gary at Mt. Moon recently.
"Well, Lana, actually -- she saw someone who looked like Goh, but he was dressed different and he wasn't with you. I must've missed it."
"Yeah, probably them. What were you and Lana doing there?" he asked, trailing off when he realized what a redundant question that was. After all, Misty had literally just told him how Lana had finally asked her out.
His listening skills were failing him these days.
-----
Over time, Ash had gotten good at third-wheeling Goh and Gary. Besides Goh inviting Gary to travel with them whenever he didn't have work, Gary had taken more of an interest in helping Ash train for his PWC matches, telling him teasingly that he didn't have to go all the way to Cerulean City to train. It was a huge help, but Gary kept making fun of him for being too "distracted" and not in-sync with his Pokémon. Shit.
They had started inviting him to go more places with them, too, which Ash was helpless to refuse. Perhaps their initial obsession with each other had faded, but whatever the reason, he was thankful to spend time with them. At first, he had taken to inviting Chloe to make things less awkward, but the way she kept glancing at him and chuckling the one time they all got lunch together was making Ash paranoid. After all, she knew entirely too much.
So he pushed down his feelings and convinced himself that Goh drunkenly hugging him after winning a team minigame in Mario Party, or Gary resting his foot on his as they watched the new Galvantula-Man movie, was just close friendship. Nothing more. And he definitely didn't care either way if anything along those lines happened again.
It was an absolute joy to see Clemont and Bonnie again at the Lumiose Gym -- he'd forgotten how much fun they were to be around, and he was immensely grateful to Clemont for helping him train Sirfetch'd. And seeing how confident Serena was in herself and her goals made him reflect on the heart-to-heart they'd had over the phone, when his Alolan friends had told him that he should probably stop dodging Serena's calls and be honest with her. If Serena could get over a hopeless crush and come out the other side okay, why couldn't he?
Ash's finally had his secret inner turmoil exposed... by Brock, and all on the basis that Ash's face through a video call screen looked like that of a heartbroken man, no less. Ash was thankful that Brock was more than happy to listen to him, but he shuddered at his "never give up" advice. It just wasn't worth it. He couldn't risk losing either of his best friends.
Be like Serena, not Brock. That was Ash's new motto. But it was easier said than done as he beat Raihan and advanced to the Master's Class, and he still felt like something was missing even as he heard Goh, Gary, and Chloe cheering for him loud and clear.
He might've been ascending through the ranks of the PWC, but he wasn't sure everything else in his life felt like that.
-----
All these thoughts and get-togethers led to one sunny day in which Ash and Goh both wanted to train -- Ash because he was about to have his first Masters Eight match, and Goh because he had just failed a trial mission by losing to Horace in battle, and he was not going to let that happen again. Gary, of course, gladly agreed to help them both. They trained for awhile, but now they were giving their Pokémon and themselves a rest and sitting on the grass.
"Yanno, I'm still confused why you went for the fitness angle instead of just helping me battle better," Goh said, looking at Gary as he passed him a bag of chips.
"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you got nervous battling a Moltres. That's pretty normal," Gary said. "Besides, I thought Ashy here was giving you enough battle experience to last you a lifetime," he said, now glancing at Ash. "You really did him a disservice here, y'know that?"
"Whatever you say, Kiawe," Ash said, earning him a laugh from Goh and a confused look from Gary.
"I just remember a certain someone saying that the only thing they cared about was my skill as a Pokémon Trainer," Goh said sarcastically.
"Right, we've been over this. I might've embellished a bit."
"Embellished?" Goh howled. "More like flat-out lied!"
"That's right," Ash chuckled, remembering when he had first introduced the couple. "Goh, please promise me you'll never let him live that down."
"Gladly," Goh said, speaking up again after everyone's laughter died down. "It's like, you were all focused on Project Fitness, when really you should've been focused on... Project Battle," Goh was trying to sound casual, though Ash remembered him saying that first nickname in a disgruntled tone shortly after Gary had proposed the whole workout thing.
Gary's eyes widened as he stifled a chuckle. "Project Fit-n-ess dick in your mouth."
"Gary!" Goh shrieked, his face turning crimson.
"What? Don't act like you haven't--"
"Bet that's easy," Ash blurted, not processing the implication of what he had just said until he saw Gary looking at him, eyebrows raised.
"Wanna bet?" Gary quickly countered.
"What?" Ash and Goh said in unison, looking at each other and then at Gary for some kind of "just kidding" or an explanation.
All he had to offer was a smirk and an "Aw, Ashy, you're blushing."
Was he? Shit. "Well, I--"
Goh cleared his throat. "Maybe we should change the subject."
They found other things to talk about, but the conversation still felt stilted as no one dared acknowledge the weird energy around them. Eventually, they decided to pack it up, and Goh told him he'd meet Ash back home later that night. But as Ash headed back to Vermillion City, he wished he could "Project Fit" that stupid joke back into his mouth.
-----
"What was all that about?" Goh demanded once Ash was out of sight.
"Hey, I didn't start it," Gary said, letting out an easy chuckle. "I just took the opportunity to gauge where we're at with him. Seems like it would've been a home run if you didn't panic on me."
"What?" Surely Gary couldn't mean...
"Goh, do you need me to spell it out for you? Ash likes us. We're doing good."
"Wha-- slow down. You want Ash to like us?"
"What, you don't?"
"I-- why? We're dating each other, Gary. Are you just trying to make him miserable?"
Gary's eyes widened. "Shit."
"What?"
"I-I thought we were on the same page. That we wanted Ash to... eventually..."
"No?! What made you think that?" Now that he thought about it, he could remember them talking about Ash and romance in the abstract, and how hopelessly oblivious he was. And, right, Gary had called him "cute" once, which Goh had naively passed off as a joke. But no way did any of that qualify as a real conversation, right?
"You keeping the room... and going everywhere with him, for starters. The fact that--"
"I-- he's my best friend! Why would I--"
"You flirted with him, Goh. In front of me. Used him as a pillow more times than I can count. No way it was just you being drunk."
"I wasn't..." Was he? Yeah, he could recall a few late nights that seemed a bit flirtatious in hindsight. But he didn't mean it like that; he was just enjoying a fun night with a great friend...
Gary let out a nervous chuckle. "It's okay, I'm not mad. Obviously."
"Fuck you," Goh spat, hurt by the implication that Gary was somehow being gracious here. "This whole time, you were trying to... Did you even want me?" He looked up and instantly regretted his words when he saw that Gary was actually... teary-eyed.
"Of course," Gary said emphatically, wiping his eye before taking Goh's hands in his. "But I know how happy he makes you, it was stupid of me to try and compete, and, well, maybe this could work for all of us..."
"Gary..." Goh said, stunned by this explanation. Was his boyfriend jealous of Ash the whole time and Goh didn't realize? Time to own up to his not-so-secret, totally-past-tense crush, he supposed. "Okay, fine. I liked him. But... I was ready for this to just be us. I was ready. ...Why didn't you just tell me what you were thinking?"
"I told you, I thought you already knew," Gary said. "I mean, we didn't need to have a whole conversation to know we were dating, right?"
"That's different, Gary!"
"...Okay, I suppose it is. Look, I- I'm sorry," he said, for probably the first time in this whole relationship, which stunned Goh into asking him to repeat himself. "I didn't know it'd make you so upset. If I'd just... Look, forget I said anything and I promise, it can just be us. I'll --"
"Really? So letting go of Ash, that's not gonna be a problem?" Goh said dubiously. "That was all just to make me happy?"
Gary sighed. "I know how to do that. I've been doing that. But you..." Gary said, starting to speak again but just shaking his head when he kept tripping over his words.
"What?" Goh was pretty sure he knew what Gary was getting at, but he needed to hear him say it. Out loud.
"I can't lose you."
The words sunk in, and Goh slowly nodded, unsure what to say or think. As shitty as Gary's logic was, Goh didn't find himself rushing to break up with him or telling him what a piece of shit he was.
Gary couldn't lose him. He didn't want to lose Gary. But Ash...? What were they gonna tell him? That Gary couldn't control himself so he needed to stay away?
Nope. That couldnt happen. He couldn't stand to imagine Ash's face in that scenario. Goh felt like he could cry as he thought about Ash, and how maybe he never forgot about his feelings for him after all.
And if Gary was so sure that Ash was in love with him...
"Fucking seriously?" Gary said when Goh asked him just that, proceeding to explain that Ash sounded scared shitless when he asked Gary about changing rooms, and how everyone -- hell, even Goh's parents -- assumed he and Ash were already dating and were kind of wondering what the hell Gary was doing in the picture. "You're really not feeling smart today, are you?"
"...Okay. This could work," Goh finally said, as it hit him how oblivious he'd been and how really, Gary was handing him everything he'd ever wanted on a silver platter.
"Are you sure?" Gary asked hopefully.
"Yeah. But this is the last time you assume things without telling me, got it?"
Gary promised as such and thanked Goh profusely as he pulled him into a tight hug.
"So what do we do now?" Goh finally asked.
"How about we head back to your place?"
They spent the walk back hatching a plan to confess to Ash, but they hadn't come up with anything solid by the time they reached Vermillion City, especially not with Goh continually interrupting to make it clear that had Gary pulled this stunt with anyone but Ash, they would've been over.
"Yeah, duh," Gary said. "No way I'd go around hitting on people you don't like."
When Gary phrased it like that, Goh couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was.
-----
They finally made it back, and Goh could barely hold the house key straight as he thought about what they were about to do. He shushed Gary as they went up the stairs, and he hesitated outside the slightly-open doorway a few moments before Ash noticed him and Gary groaned in impatience and pushed him in.
"Hiya Go-- oh, Gary... I thought you were going home."
Gary shrugged. "Yeah. Plans changed."
"O-okay. Well I can get outta here then, if you guys--"
Goh grabbed his arm. "Stay."
"Okay." A silence befell the room as Goh looked frantically at Gary, trying to gesture at him to do something already. No way was he going to be the only one to embarrass himself if Ash wasn't interested after all.
"Hey, I'm staying, you can let go--"
After what felt like an eternity, Gary approached Ash and kissed him. "Just making sure."
"W-what?" Ash stuttered, eyes wide and face red as a tomato. "But Goh--"
"Shh, it's okay," Goh said, leaning in for his kiss. "We both want you."
"What? Is that allowed?"
"Course it is."
"I-I don't..." Ash stuttered before smiling uncontrollably and pulling them both in for a hug. "Yes. Please, oh my gosh, yes." He took turns kissing them both before pulling away from Goh and asking how the hell this all happened, how long they'd both felt this way about him...
"Shh, we'll get to that later," Gary said, leaning in to kiss Ash again.
"Nope, fuck off, Gary," Goh said humorously yet firm as he pushed Gary aside. "We're talking this one through."
"...Yeah, I'm with Goh on this one," Ash said, looking apologetically at Gary. "I'm kinda dying to know how this all happened."
"Fine," Gary sighed, dramatically rolling his eyes. "I guess we can have our little heart-to-heart or whatever."
So that's what they did -- they sat on the floor holding hands as if they were performing a weird Gastly-summoning ritual, and they went back in time to figure out when exactly everyone liked each other.
"Wait, so the whole time, Ash, you--"
Ash nodded. "I can't remember not."
"Hold on, define 'whole time,'" Gary cut in, looking at Goh. "You know this whole thing goes back way before we met you, right?" Goh rolled his eyes and said that yes, he was very much aware, to which Gary chuckled and kissed his cheek.
It ended with the lights off and with them in the bottom bunk, Goh lying on top of Ash and Gary lying by their side, calling each other dumbasses for not saying anything sooner.
"This doesn't feel real," Ash whispered as everyone was drifting off to sleep. "I feel like I'm being carried through the sky by a dozen Altaria right now."
Wasn't that the truth, Goh thought as he snuggled into Ash's chest and felt Gary's arm drape across his back. It was messy, and more painful than probably needed, but finally, Goh had the man of his dreams... and Gary.
Ah, who was he kidding? He loved 'em both.