Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 13

a couple of notes beforehand:

1. this chapter has a lot of battling in it. I've never been any good at writing Pokémon battles so if there's anything wrong or seems silly in those scenes, that's why ;-;

2. i wanted to say thank you to everyone supporting this fic and coming back to read it every chapter, I was a little hesitant to post it at first because I've seen a lot of unnecessary hate for this ship, but as a bi female that's mostly attracted to women the support is rly heartwarming so thank you all <3 <3 <3

It's hard to keep my revelation to myself. It's even harder to think about anything else at all. It follows me into my dreams when I finally manage to fall asleep in the dark, Goh already sleeping on the other side of the bed, as far from me as he can get. In my dream, I see Malamar again, but this time I'm too far away. This time, when I try to move, it's like I'm frozen to the ground. I'm forced to watch as Goh steps off the edge, this time disappearing from view, and I call out his name as he does. I shoot up in bed, jerked out of the dream, terrified.

"Ash?" Goh says groggily, stirring. He's moved closer to me in his sleep, and his face had been just inches from mine, our noses practically touching. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a nightmare," I say, standing and heading to the bathroom, where I stand and stare in the mirror for a moment, before splashing cold water on my face, willing myself to stop being so stupid.

When I get back, Goh is sleeping again, his face buried in the pillow, still too close to my side. I slide back in, trying not to disturb him, but I can feel the heat of his body on my back. I close my eyes and suck in a breath through my nose, trying to clear my head. It takes a while to fall back asleep.

— — — —

I wake to the sound of Dawn knocking on our door, and calling in that we need to get dressed if we want to make it in time for the contest. I jerk away from Goh, because we were lying very, very close, and he's still waking up, rubbing his eyes groggily. The night before comes crashing back, playing over in my mind like a drunken memory I'd almost forgotten. I cringe inwardly, wanting to curl in on myself and die. Why the fuck did I think it was a good idea to admit that I think I'm gay?

"Good morning," he groans beside me, arm draped over his eyes.

"Morning," I groan back, sitting up. "Can we agree not to talk about last night ever again?"

He raises his arm, looking up at me, eyebrow raised. "Why?"

"I don't know. I'm just absolutely mortified by it." I actually shiver, and rub my hand up my arm to quell the goosebumps. "I think I was just having a moment."

He shakes his head, frowning. "It's not embarrassing to be gay, you know."

I go white, horrified. "I know, I just-"

"I'm joking." He's grinning. He's winding me up. I roll my eyes and throw the covers off me and onto him, covering him as I stand up. He laughs from under them, and the sound makes my whole body burn up. I breathe in through my nose, bracing myself for the day ahead, and convincing myself that I won't get stuck on my realisation from last night.

I get dressed in the bathroom, in a crew neck sweater and jeans, then wait for Goh to do the same. I mess around with my hair in the mirror, pushing it back and forth, trying to find a position I like it in, but ultimately giving up. When we emerge from the room Dawn is waiting in the hallway, tapping her foot on the carpet impatiently.

The drive is a lot calmer than last night's attempt. There's no traffic, and I manage to get there in an hour and a half. Only when we get closer does the traffic get a little thicker, and I have to wind in and out of it, driving straight to the stadium.