Capturing the Heart [a pokemon fanfiction] (boyxboy)

18) Visitor Rights

   Delia found them two hours later with Ash laying on the floor and his pillow over his face and Giovanni looking like the most smug bastard ever. The board had two hotels at each square but one, the one that had a card matching the card Ash had in his hand. Pikachu was trying to console Ash and also trying not to laugh. Persian had woken up and scooted closer to the side of the bed, Giovanni scratched its head and kept watching Ash in smug amusement.

   Delia giggled when she saw them "what happened here".

   Ash looked at her, pain in his face "he has every. Single. Place. Except. For. Fucking. Vine. Street".

   Giovanni's smirk grew bigger "well maybe you shouldn't play monopoly with someone who does this for a living".

   Ash shot him a glare "you're the one who suggested it".

   Giovanni grinned at him "of course I did, I like winning".

   Giovanni and Delia laughed at Ash's outraged look. His mother reached down to pat his head "maybe you'll get him next time dear".

   Ash just pulled his blanket around him as Pikachu jumped onto the bed and glared harder at Giovanni, totally not using it as an excuse to watch him be so openly joyous. Giovanni had leaned against the bed to support himself, chest heaving from laughing and trying to gasp for air. His blanket had been dropped around his waist and one arm was up on the bed and next to Persian while the other was half covering his mouth. It didn't block the view of his dazzlingly huge smile though, eyes closed and watering slightly.

   By the time Giovanni was reduced to quietly trying to get his breath back, smile still fixed on his face, Delia had left them with a giggled "behave".

   Ash reached a foot out to kick Giovanni, making him open his eyes to look up "if you're done wheezing yourself to death let's clean up, you still need to sleep".

   Giovanni rolled his eyes but started gathering the property cards "I already slept, you sound like your mom".

   Ash gathered the dice and pieces before starting to collect the money "well my mom's awesome so that's a compliment, and you didn't sleep nearly enough, I know you well enough to see that you are still tired".

   Giovanni paused in the cleanup to look at him "... really".

   Ash barely glanced up "yeah, my mom's great, I thought you had noticed".

   Giovanni waved a hand "no not that, I mean... knowing me well enough to see that".

   Ash stopped what he was doing to look at Giovanni. The man seemed confused and just a tad disbelieving. Ash raised an eyebrow "of course I know you well enough by now, we've been seeing each other face to face every day for almost a month now... does this mean that you're admitting you are tired".

   Giovanni's confusion dropped into a half-hearted scowl "that was hypothetical, I'm not tired".

   Ash finished putting the money up as Giovanni folded the board and put everything in the box "yeah sure it was, why don't you trust me enough to just tell me you're tired and take a nap".

   Giovanni looked up at him again "... I do trust you".

   Ash frowned and really looked at him, studying his face "you do".

   Giovanni looked one-hundred percent serious but he also looked a bit wary, meeting Ash's eyes "yeah".

   Ash kept looking at him for a minute before smiling at him "good... but why do you keep pretending you're fine then, you need sleep".