A Day At The Lake
Gator Tillman x Kirby Rivers (OC)
♤ Summary: Gator met Kirby through his old weed guy when he left town and left Kirby as someone Gator could go to for pot. He started hanging out there more, after the inital shock that is Kirby. Gator can't seem to stay away from them, and doesn't really want too. Kirby suggests a day at the lake so Gator can relax for a bit.
♤ Warnings: canon x oc pairing, nonbinary/trans oc, oc uses he/they pronouns, slight angst, brief mentions of drug use.
♤ a/n: i wrote this for @jozstankovich because they've been single handedly encouraging my writing of OC stories and because they've fallen in love with my little goblin boy and i couldn't be more flattered! Hope you guys enjoy it too! Reblogs and comments are cherished and loved! 💖🍒💖
♤♤♤♤
"Hey do they ever- ooow." Kirby rubs the back of his head, glaring at the open hood they'd smacked it on before moving their eyes to Gator.
"They ever let you have days off? You don't work like... seven days a week or some shit do you?" He asks, watching Gator's feet swing genlty under the tailgate he's sitting on. He scoffs, rolls his eyes, adjusts the backwards cap he's wearing.
"Course I get days off. Why?" His eyes narrow in suspicion. Kirby shrugs, whipes some grease on his overalls.
"Just wonderin. When's your next one? And doooo you have plans?" Kirby draws, points at Gator and waits, stares. Gator snorts, shakes his head, rubs at the back of his neck.
"Tuesday. I'm off Tuesday. Why you wonderin?" He asks, his lip tugged between his teeth.
"I just had an idea. Thought maybe you'd wanna come to the lake with me? Just have a chill day. Away from all'a," he gestures to Gator, their hand motioning to all of him,
"This. Just get away." Kirby shrugs, ducks back under the hood and starts tinkering again, tightening all the bolts he'd loosened.
"You wanna go to the lake? You fish or somethin?" Gator asks, Kirby hears him jump down from his little perch on the tailgate. Kirby snorts.
"Absolutely not. Too slimey. I just swim man. Swimmings nice. Keeps you cool. Sometimes there's turtles. You don't swim?" Kirby asks, talking and talking, rapid fire, like always.
"Sometimes. I guess." Gator's voice sound farther away now, Kirby lowers their head, looking under his arm to see Gator looking through the crowded fridge in the garage.
"Beer's on the left behind the ketchup." Kirby comments, looks back to his work, slips his wrench onto the last bolt and gives it a few tugs til it's nice and snug. He ducks lower than he needs too when he stands, making sure not to smack their head again. He shuts the hood and turns to find Gator holding out a cherry coke.
"Thanks." They nod, pop it open and take a swig as Gator does the same to his beer.
"What time?" Gator asks, not looking at Kirby, his eyes fixed on something over their shoulder. Kirby turns to look, doesn't see anything, shakes his head and turns back.
"I dunno. Let's saaaaayyyy...eight? Eight thirty?" Kirby shrugs, takes anothrr drink.
"That early? It's my day off man." Gator scoffs. Kirby rolls his eyes, wipes their free hand on their overalls again, trying and failing, to get the grease from between his fingers.
"Oh boo hoo. You don't have to come. I just thought I'd offer." He walks to the garage, tucks his tools into their places.
"I will be bringing some choice product with me. If that... influences your decision at all." Kirby looks over their shoulder, eyebrows high on his head as he watches Gator kick at the ground.
"I didn't say I wouldn't come. S'just early." He mutters, his boot twisting in the small divot his kicking had made.
"Oh. Well cool. Let's call it nine then. Let sleeping beauty get his rest huh?" Kirby teases, walks past Gator and kicks at his foot.
"Stop that. I'm trying to run a respectable business here." Kirby admonishes, Gator kicks back, Kirby dodges him, quick on their feet. Gator laughs when he nearly spills his cherry coke, his feet immediately tangling together after the smooth dodge.
"Alright. Nine it is." Gator bites his lip.
"You don't swim while you're high do you?" He asks, rubbing at the back of his neck again, eyes landing on Kirby briefly and then darting away again.
"Awww. You worried about me Deputy?" Kirby tilts their head, bats his eyelashes, his hand on his chest over his heart. Gator flushes a nice shade of pink and snorts, sniffs, wipes at his nose with an eyeroll.
"No. Just seein if I need to be prepared to carry your body out of a lake when you drown is all." Gator says, easy, still doesn't look at Kirby. He hasn't lately. Been looking at him. Won't meet their eye after he'd showed back up.
Ignoring Kirby for weeks. Until Kirby figured it out. Made a peace offering. And it worked. He understood now. He got it. Why Gator had run away. Kirby's beautiful , straight, deputy friend, was having some not so straight feelings about him. Or thoughts. Maybe thoughts and feelings. Kirby didn't mind either way. But he wouldn't push.
He'd just hidden a small stash of his best stuff in Gator's truck. Shot him a text. And hoped for the best. The best was Gator showing up a week later. Needing more weed, and not meeting Kirby's eyes. But he was here. And still joking around like they used too. So Kirby shoved down his own feelings, gave Gator cheap prices on good weed, and invited him to the fucking lake.
Kirby shakes his head, pulling themself from their thoughts.
"Won't be my body in the lake man. I'm a great swimmer." He says, immediately almost tripping over a stray peice of junk on the ground.
"Shit. That came outta nowhere." He huffs, finishes his cherry coke and tosses his can up into the air, aiming for the old, rusty, fifty gallon drum he uses as a trashcan. The can hits the rim and flips off to the side. Kirby huffs. Gator laughs.
"Right." He says, voice flat as he picks the can up, steps back a few feet and tosses it toward the can, it goes directly in, not even close to hitting the sides.
"Show off." Kirby mutters, glaring at him. Gator laughs again, loud and bright. And Kirby missed that. Shakes his head and pushes the thought away.
"So nine. Tuesday." Gator says, pointing at Kirby.
"Nine. Tuesday." Kirby echoes, pointing back. Smiling a goofy smile when Gator actually meets their eyes. Gator smiles back before waving and heading down the drive to his truck. Kirby waves after him, feeling giddy and light. And half not believing that Gator said yes.
They do a little happy spin, nearly tripping again as they do, hands slamming down on the tailgate Gator had been sat on. Kirby shakes his head at himself, rubs his hand over his hair, and rushes inside to take a shower.
They fall into bed that night nearly vibrating, knowing they wouldn't sleep well. Too excited for a silly little trip to the lake.
~°~
The trip goes surprisingly well. Gator shows up at eight thirty despite his previous protests. Kirby drives them down. They grab breakfast on the way and by the time they reach the lake the sun is high and warm.
Both of them run for the lake immediately, tossing their clothes this way that, ending up in just their swim trucks, Gator laughing as Kirby shrieks and jumps of the small dock into the water.
Kirby's not sure how long they swim for. Just knows the sun moves across the sky as they talk and splash and shove each other underwater. They eat lunch. Sit in the back of Kirby's old van, their nest of pillows and blankets warm in the summer heat, but it's shady, and far enough from the water that the bugs leave them alone.
They're sitting on the dock when Gator asks,
"You really don't fish?"
Kirby makes a gagging sound, pretends to puke over the side of the dock.
"No way. Not for me." They shake their head. Gator nods. Seems to think about something.
"You don't hunt either I take it." He asks, one eye srunched against the sun as he looks at Kirby, his softened hair falling into his face. Kirby's scrunched face is all the answer he needs, he laughs, holds his hands up in surrender.
"Alright. Alright. Just askin." He sounds judgmental, but he's smiling soflty, looking into his lap.
"Do you like hunting?" Kirby asks, head tilting.
"I'm good at it." Gator says immediately. Kirby smiles, bumps their shoulder into Gator's, his skin, warm from the sun, still makes Kirby shiver.
"Yeah but do you like it?" Kirby repeats, kicking his feet in the water, he watches Gator's reflection shimmer and then looks at him. He's frowning, like he's thinking, Kirby waits.
"I- I dunno. I just..." he trails off. Huffs. Tries again.
"It makes me feel... accomplished. Cuz I'm good at it. It's something I do well." He says slowly, like he's feeling it out.
"But it's not just that. Hunting deer's the best. Because we use it. As much of it as we can. The meat. The hide. The bones. Ya know? I have this summer sausage recipe that just, fuck, it melts in your mouth." Gator looks at him, face all smooshed up and scrunched, party from the sun, partly like he thinks Kirby's gonna judge him.
"You make the summer sausage yourself?" Is all Kirby says, genuinely curious. And they know it's the right thing to say when Gator perks up, nods excitedly.
"Yeah. And we pair it with this cheese Karen makes and it's like, god, I can't even describe it. You gotta try it though." Gator bumps Kirby's shoulder with his.
"I don't have to like... be there for the hunting? Or the cleaning? Or any other terrifyingly gross animal killing ritual that you get up to before the food is made?" Kirby asks, their face all scrunched up now too, seconds away from adding a gag but Gator laughs again, really laughs, his head thrown back, the sweet sound rolling out over the water like the ripples their feet are making.
"It's not a ritual. We're not sacrificing animals." Gator scoffs once he's stopped laughing
"Aren't you though?" Kirby asks, voice low and disbelieving. Gator rolls his eyes.
"Seriously though. I'd love to try it." Kirby says, bumping their shoulders again as he sways side to side.
"Okay. I'll bring you some next time I come over." Gator says, his voice small, he sounds almost shy.
"Looking forward to some of your famous sacrificial sausage." Kirby nods, Gator growls at him playfully and shoves him into the water. Kirby comes up screeching, Gator throws himself in after them, both of them sinking under together, the water cool on their sun kissed skin.
~°~
Gator walks him to his door. He didn't have too, Kirby had parked next to his truck so he could just, head home. But he walks them up the drive, lingers on the doorstep. Kirby's chest is tight as he watches Gator sway from foot to foot, eyes on the ground, hands in his pockets.
"Thanks for comin with me today. I hope- ya know, I hope it was a nice day off for you." Kirby says, shoulders jumping and then settling as they linger by their door.
"It was nice." Gator says, voice quite. Eyes on the ground.
"Good. That's... good." Kirby lickes his lips, he doesn't wanna go inside yet, doesn't want the day to end. Even though the sun has been gone for hours now, the day has ended, but this hasn't, whatever it is. He looks up to the night sky, craning his neck to look for his favorite stars.
"Kirby?" It's barley a whisper.
"Yeah?" Kirby's head snaps back down, eyes on Gator immediately, and finds him looking back. And then he's leaning forward. A soft press of lips to his cheek. Gator's skin is warm against theirs, his lips a little wet, like he'd licked them nervously before making his decision.
He's gone as fast as it happened. Taking a few steps away.
"It was really nice." His voice is strained, Kirby wants to reach out to him. Can see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. But he doesn't, knows it will just scare him away.
"The nicest day I've had in awhile. And I-" his voice catches in his throat. Kirby frowns, watch him swallow with difficulty.
"I want- with you. But I-" Gator frowns now, his hands shaking at his sides, he clocks Kirby eyeing them and shoves them into his pockets roughly.
"I don't think- I mean-" he groans, low, frustrated, tilts his head back, turns away from Kirby and wipes at his face.
"It's okay." Kirby says, wraps their arms around their middle. Gator turns back to them.
"What?" He asks, lip wobbling, he digs his teeth in.
"It's okay. To want that. Ya know. But I understand. I mean I know- I know who your dad is and I get it. I understand." He nods, licks his lips, clears his throat.
"You can't. And that's okay. Ya know? I'll be here. For whatever. Anything you need." He takes a deep breath, looks to the sky again for a moment, lets Gator have a second to himself before looking back to him.
"Weed. A friend. Just a place to fuck around and not be under anyones thumb for awhile. A shoulder to cry manly tears on. I'll be here. For you. Just, whenever." Kirby shrugs, their throat feeling tight, even through the small tease, or maybe because of it.
Gator stares at them, for a long time. And then he's stomping forward, determined. He grabs the front of Kirby's shirt and tugs, pulls them to his chest, their lips pressed together firmly, for just a moment, before he pulls back, forhead resting against Kirby's, his eyes still closed from the kiss.
"I had the best fucking day with you." He whispers, tugs on Kirby's shirt again, desperate, and then he's gone.
"Me too." Kirby breathes, a whisper in the dark. Kirby blinks the tears away, his fingers pressing to his trembling lips as he listens to Gator's footsteps disappear into the dark.
They stand there for a long time, long after Gator's truck has driven away. Kirby stands on his doorstep, fingers pressed to his lips, and looks up at the stars, their eyes finding their favorites with ease. Two stars, directly above them, nestled next to each other, the mirror image of the freckles gracing Gator's cheek. They light the sky above his house as he finally goes inside. His chest trying to fight off the spark of hope threatening to ignite, theatening to set that feral thing in his chest on fire.
Kirby falls into bed, looks out the window and closes his eyes, presses his lips gently to the inside of his arm, and let's it burn.
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for you, i'd watch paint dry
OCxCanon week 2024 Day 7: "so... it's a date, then?"
Pairing type: romantic
Canon Character: Skyla (she/her)
OC: Fern (she/her)
Fandom: Pokemon
Wordcount: 1776
AO3 link
CWS: mentions of hospitals & needles
Synopsis: Skyla finally has a day off from both her jobs. It's sorely needed; she loves her work, but she's wiped out! She's looking forward to a relaxing evening, and then a fun day-long date with her girlfriend, Fern. Though, Skyla has forgotten that Fern has a hospital appointment the same day as her day off.
Skyla stretched her arms high above her head as she kicked the front door of her apartment closed. She was so glad to be done with work today.
Sure, she loved flying. And she loved doing Gym stuff. But man, it was all tiring. And she was thrilled to finally have a day off from both of them tomorrow.
Not only that. But she could finally spend a whole day with her girlfriend! Fern was currently sitting on the couch in the living room, slippers kicked off onto the floor and legs pulled onto the cushion. She was reading something on a tablet, though she looked completely bored.
Skyla threw her bag and coat into the cubby by the front door, and walked into the lounge- where she then dramatically flopped onto the couch and lay her head on her girlfriend’s legs.
“Hiya, cutie. You come here often?” Skyla grinned, drawling her voice out to exaggerate how tired she was.
“Now and again,” Fern’s reply wasn’t as enthusiastic, or happy, as expected, so Skyla sat up.
“You good?” she asked, “What’s on your mind?”
Fern looked up from her tablet, “Oh. Nothing interesting. Just health stuff.”
Skyla raised her eyebrows.
“I’ve got my infusion appointment tomorrow.” Fern said, frowning, “It’s just… boring.”
It took Skyla a minute to remember what those were. Fern only needed that kind of appointment every two months or so, and they’d only been dating a year… and its infrequency led to it being not something they really discussed much at all. But she did remember, after a minute or two of thinking.
Well, some of it, at least.
“Afterwards, then… how about we go watch a movie or something? Or… go for a run… or a walk- or we could go bowling..? It’s my first day off in ages tomorrow, so I wanna treat you anyway!”
Fern smiled slightly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I forgot about your day off.” She said quietly, “I’m sorry, Sky.”
“Why?”
“It takes like, four hours. And it’s an hour to drive to the hospital, and an hour back… That’s already six hours… four of them I’m spending with a needle in my arm and under fluorescent lights that give me a headache.” She turned off her tablet and looked away, shoulders dropped down in obvious guilt, “I just don’t think I’d be up for anything outside of a nap before or after that.”
Skyla practically felt herself deflate. So much for having a nice, super fun day off adventuring with her girlfriend. She stayed quiet on the couch, and said nothing as Fern walked out of the living room to see what they had in the kitchen for dinner.
And also, evidently, to avoid the fact that both of them were now feeling bad.
With a sigh, Skyla lay down on the sofa, and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn’t move her day off, and even if she could, she’d worked so hard today that the thought of going into work tomorrow was nauseating- no matter how much she enjoyed it.
But it wasn’t like Fern could move her appointment. So… what?
Skyla squeezed her eyes tightly shut to think for a minute.
Did they just accept that this was an irritating and unchangeable situation?
No. There must be some way for them to spend time together tomorrow.
Skyla picked herself up from the couch and resolutely walked into the kitchen, where Fern was reading the expiration date on a jar of pasta sauce.
“Should we just order pizza, d’you think?” Fern asked, “Or maybe Thai food? I don’t know if this is still good to eat…”
“It looks fine to me. Buuuut I could totes eat a Massaman curry… Mm.”
With not even a further glance to the jar of sauce before she shoved it back in the cupboard, Fern nodded. “Let’s do that. I’m craving tom yum soup already. Geez…”
She pulled out her cellphone to order the food- but Skyla quickly stopped her.
“I’ll pay.” She said, impulsively, “Also. Can we talk about tomorrow?”
Fern blinked, not really letting any expression through, which was most unusual, “Sure.”
And then she dialled their favourite Thai restaurant and placed an order for delivery.
Skyla sat down on one of the breakfast bar stools while Fern ordered, giving the occasional thumbs up whenever Fern asked about things like spice level or any appetisers or whatever. They practically always ordered the same things, so it was pretty easy to communicate the order silently as Fern spoke on the phone.
“Forty minutes,” Fern said as she snapped her flip-phone shut, “You should go get something more comfy on before then, hm?”
“Are you thinking… pyjama dinner and a movie?” Skyla asked, eyebrows raised.
“You bet. Go on. Go go go!” Skyla laughed as her girlfriend pushed her down the corridor toward the bedroom.
She took a quick shower, let her hair hang loose- still wet- and changed into her softest pyjamas. And then returned to the lounge with a blanket in hand, where Fern was once again curled up on the couch, looking at her tablet.
The thing was, showers were bizarrely good for thinking up ideas. And Skyla had one, now.
“Are people allowed to come with you to your appointment tomorrow?” she asked, as she sat down, and covered both of them with the blanket, “Like… a friend or a family member?”
“Oh. Yeah. One person, I think.” Fern nodded, and put the tablet away again, and reached to pet her patrat who was curled up on the armrest.
“Do you… normally bring anyone with you?” Skyla prompted after a moment.
“No. I’ve… always just gone alone.” Fern sighed, and pulled her patrat into her lap, “Why? Are you offering to come?”
“Yeah! I know you said it’s super boring and stuff, and the lights are gross, buuuuut…” she leaned onto her girlfriend’s shoulder, “Maybe I can help make that less boring! I can bring you an eye mask to shield you from the lights… and snacks… and I can give you massages…”
Fern snorted, “You’re not a masseuse.”
“Just an idea!” Skyla insisted, “I dunno, maybe it’d be a bit less boring if you had some company?”
She waited nervously as Fern thought in silence for a minute.
“Well… I mean… If you’d like to come…” Fern said quietly, with a tiny smile on her face, “It would be quite nice. It is really boring though.”
“That’s okay! I have plenty of gossip from work I can tell you… and play-by-plays of Gym battles… and you can tell me how it’s all going in Pinwheel Forest…” Skyla sighed happily and let herself fully lie down on Fern’s lap, biting back a laugh when Fern yelped in reaction to her hair being cold and damp, “Y’know. Hanging out. Moral support. And I can drive us home, so you can nap on the way back!”
“Sure. Okay.” Fern rolled her eyes, and pushed Skyla off her lap, “I appreciate it.”
“Yes!” Skyla exclaimed, as the doorbell rang, “So… it’s a date?!”
“The world’s most boring date ever, sure.” Fern said, getting to her feet.
“Still a date!” Skyla asserted, racing after her to the door.
“True.”
They paid for and received their food from the usual friendly delivery driver, and tipped him generously, as always, and then returned once more to the lounge- where they channel flicked until they found some trashy soap drama to watch, curled up together on the couch under a blanket, their pokemon lounging around the room as well, and eating some of their favourite foods.
Eventually, Fern fell asleep on Skyla’s shoulder, and she took the opportunity to quickly read up on the process of the infusion tomorrow. Where they’d have to go, what they were allowed to bring (Skyla made a list on the back of her hand of snacks and other stuff to pack before they set off), as well as the type of medicine Fern was getting (infliximab) and what sort of side effects it could have (the most common seemed to be nausea and headaches, so she also made a note to bring a heat pad and some painkillers. Not ibuprofen, since Fern couldn’t take those…) and also, she debated the possibility of sneaking off at some point to run to a store and buy Fern a gift… Would that be necessary? Would she think it was patronising? Maybe… It’d still be a nice gesture though, right?
It was already a lot to think through, and she wasn’t even the one needing the medicine. No wonder the whole process exhausted Fern so much, who was already more prone to fatigue due to the very condition she needed the medication for.
Still. Fern would be back to her normal, vibrant self in a couple of days. And if she wasn’t, well… Skyla wasn’t a quitter. She loved her girlfriend. That was that. If Fern was tired and sad for longer than usual, then Skyla would be there no matter what. And she’d do everything she could to make her feel even just a little better.
A date didn’t have to be a fancy meal or an eight-mile hike. It didn’t have to be bowling, or sports, or a walk on the beach. A date could be a nice evening in watching trashy TV, eating your favourite takeaway; a date could be an afternoon spent in a hospital room, braiding your girlfriend’s hair, and shielding her eyes from the harsh lights as she tried to nap away the hours with a needle in her arm.
For Fern, Skyla would spend a whole day doing the dullest paperwork ever if she had to. Fern, who would run a bath with floral bubbles for whenever Skyla said she’d had a rough day at work. Fern, who would personally beat the daylights out of anyone who was cruel toward pokemon. Fern, who felt her emotions at a hundred-and-twenty percent capacity all the time, and who listened intently whenever Skyla or someone else spoke, even if she didn’t care. Fern, who’s body was rebelling against her constantly and had to explain it to everyone she interacted with, and was so clearly exhausted by it all, but still kept going because she had no choice. Fern, who was asleep on Skyla’s shoulder, a tiny bit of sauce from her Pad Thai staining her cheek.
Skyla put her arm around her girlfriend and squeezed her with a hug.
She had always hated sitting still. But it wasn’t so bad with the woman she loved at her side.
Not at all, actually.
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