They spend Christmas Eve together in Saffron City, spend the whole day exploring and going on rollercoasters and beating each other in arcade games. The city has seen a lot of development and become a major entertainment district. Ash shows Gou around since he’s more familiar with the area.
Gou has gotten Ash a present and wrote him a card about how glad he is to have met him, but he’s worried about giving it to him - Do friends give each other presents? Won’t he feel bad if he didn’t get me anything? What if he doesn’t like it? - so he dilly dallies all day and doesn’t end up giving it to him.
At night they go walking along the beautifully lit streets, by suggestion of Ash…and they’re surrounded by couples, making Gou feel very self conscious…especially wondering if Ash was aware of the meaning of asking someone out on Christmas Eve. But didn’t friends also do that? It wasn’t as if they had a significant other or family around.
In the end as they’re about to wrap up and go home, Ash brings out a present for Gou nonchalently and proclaims “Merry Christmas Gou! Here’s to another year of friendship!”
Gou is just in shock over how easily Ash does it, and feels so full of warmth as he unwrapped the carefully wrapped package, revealing a Scorbunny charm for his bag and a new expensive pair of sneakers he’d been eyeing in the shop. He didn’t even know Ash had noticed, and he never would have bought them for himself.
This is it, if he doesn’t have the courage to give it to him now, he never will.
He says quietly that he got Ash something too. Ash is like “huh?” because he didn’t hear. Gou drops his bag, rummaged for two seconds, and brings out a gold and red wrapped package. He holds it out with both hands outstretched, blushing. “Just take it! Your present, it’s your present okay!”
Ash grins. “Have you been carrying that all day?”
Gou makes a grab for it. “If you don’t want it, I’ll take that back!”
“Hey!” Ash shouts, jumping on and wrestling Gou, grabbing for the present. “I do want it! Please, I won’t tease!”
Gou smirks and holds it above his head (as if Ash couldn’t reach anyway). “Hmph. Well, if you really want my present…”
“Yes, yes, I reeeaaally want it!”
Gou concedes, and Ash sits on a bench and starts opening it right there, taking care not to rip the package.
“Can’t you wait until we get home?” Gou says, feeling embarrassed to have this moment be seen by everyone. But he waits patiently, twiddling his thumbs and trying not to notice the curious stares of passing couples.
“Gou…”
He looks up, and he’s shocked to find Ash with tears streaming down his cheeks. He’s holding the card on top of the package (full of all of Ash’s favorite snacks and a pair of matching scarves for him and Pikachu).
“This is the nicest thing…” Ash says, sniffling quite dramatically. “The nicest! Thing!”
“Ash, what are you crying for…” he says. “People are looking…”
Ash pulls Gou into a hug. “I never knew how much it meant to you,” he says. “You mean a lot to me, too, even if you don’t believe it sometimes.”
Now Gou can feel his own eyes tearing up, and he’s glad his face is hidden in the smooth fabric of Ash’s jacket.
“Hey, you never reacted to your present,” Ash says
“Oh!” Gou startles and pulls back. “I really love it! I was just occupied! I can’t believe you remembered! And how much did that cost?”
“Hehe, I know,” Ash says, and the smile he shoots Gou makes his heart feel like bursting. “I’m amazing, aren’t I? Haha, just kidding! But don’t worry about the cost, I’ve got plenty of money and not enough people to treat! So…Merry Christmas, Gou!”
“Merry Christmas Ash,” he replies, voice muffled because he’s hiding his face again.
Something possesses him, and he finds himself feeling impulsive. He put his hands on Ash’s shoulders and gives him a peck on the cheek, his heart racing out of his chest the whole time.
“Thanks for showing me around today,” Gou says. “And for showing me…lots of other things.”
Ash manages to look both surprised and extremely pleased, like he somehow expected this. He pats Gou’s head. “It’s the most natural thing in the world to spoil you,” he says. “Let’s go home and I can give you a real kiss.”
Gou splutters. Even when he’s feeling bold, he still can’t comprehend the way Ash can say such things so straightforwardly in public.
He’s gotta match him, can’t back down from a challenge. So he says with false bravado, “Of course. In fact, why not just kiss me here?”
He didn’t expect Ash to actually grab his coat and pull, taking him full on the lips in front of the starry street. The sounds of passing people melt into the background, and Gou knows there’s a logical part of his brain that should be protesting this, but it’s melted into mush right now.
He’s learned many important lessons today…the most important of which is definitely not to underestimate Ash.
“Okay, so you’re not embarrassed at all?” he asks, when they pull apart.
Ash grins. “Of course not! Why would I, when my new boyfriend is so gorgeous!”
He picks up Gou in a princess hold, hands sweeping under his legs in one smooth motion, the other supporting his back.
Gou laughs, enjoying the feeling of wind in his hair and Ash’s arms wrapped around him, making him feel safe. He doesn’t hide his face this time. He’s proud and his heart his singing and he wants the whole world to know it.