warnings: i don't own pokemon. mention of a curse word.

notes: it's short. i love misty with every fiber of my being.

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unrequited love (n.)

it's like drowning but you just won't fucking die.

The engagement party was bustling inside as the future Mrs. Daisy Sketchit showed off her diamond ring. Friends and family all gathered and celebrated the love between her and Tracey.

It was just the two of them outside on the balcony of Professor Oak's Viridian City apartment. They snuck out as Professor Oak tearfully recited a poem for the young couple.

Ash wanted fresh air. Misty wanted to not be Brock's shoulder to cry on. Her love for Brock knows no bounds but to hear him whimper over and over about finding his future in a beautiful woman while crying over Daisy Williams becoming Daisy Sketchit made Misty uneasy. She had enough to worry about with the other thousand wedding projects she would have to be part of. From dresses to flowers to bowties to color schemes. So, she didn't fight against Ash pulling her outside to join him for a breather.

The sun setting left the sky looking like a painter's palette. A chaos of blues and pinks and purples and oranges with the darkness of the night slowly approached. The sounds of the city below and the music from a party on the other side of the sliding glass door collided together. From how high they were, for a fleeting moment, the city lights seemed to dance.

Misty contemplated fetching a third glass of wine before Ash seized her attention with an unexpected, almost out of character question.

"You ever been in love before?" Ash asked her.

Her expression didn't shift so she figured it wasn't noticeable to him how his words constricted her heart in a vice grip. It's a familiar ache.

She took a deep breath. Her heart shakes off his grip and it beats on.

"….Once," Misty answered, leaning her arms against the balcony rail.

Ash looked at Misty. He seemed mildly confused and somewhat amused by her response.

"How did it end?"

His dark amber eyes were curious. His voice quieter but loud enough to be heard over the honking from the streets.

Then a comfortable silence lapsed between them.

The wine would do me some good right now, she mused to herself.

After all this time, he had no clue of the sea that was her feelings and it was okay. And Misty understood early on that it's not his fault that he doesn't see the ebb and flow; that the sea doesn't reach him. He soared towards the sky as she drowned with little regret.

The nights spent curled in a little ball, tears streaming down her blotchy face wishing she could erase it all, ended with her screaming at herself to take it back. She swallowed those tears like she swallowed salt water as she sank towards the bottom.

Years of being out at sea that no land felt familiar. It was a pain (a beautiful, life-long search of a pain) she accepted long ago.

"Mist—" he stated, a tinge of worry leaves his tongue and crosses her ears. Amber eyes burning her.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before turning her attention towards the melted sky, a warm but bittersweet smile split across her illuminated face.

"It hasn't."

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notes: inspiration came from dialogue said in the show the Get Down on Netflix. the actual scene is a lot more uplifting and beautiful then this. watch it! it's amazing! the words really struck me so i imagined a scenario with ash and misty and this very upsetting driven part of my imagination. but think of this as acceptance and love in its own way. that's reality baby xoxoxo thank you for reading please cry, hate me and let me know your thoughts in any review! i love you!