Belated, I Love You

By Trix

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't claim Pokemon! WHY? Because Trix doesn't have the cash, nor' the genius to!

A.N: I've run dry on writing for a while now, but here was just a little something to get the ball rolling.Hope you enjoy it, even a little.

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"Aren't you tired of this dumb old movie already?" Ash Ketchum questioned to his romance driven female friend bound to his second-hand, floral print couch. Sadly, the fact that he'd gotten it from an old run down shop in an alley somewhere in downtown Viridian suddenly declared it his most antique belonging.

Ash's apartment wasn't the most spick and span apartment in all of Viridian, but it was a mile and a half away from the building where he and Misty worked and ten minutes from Brock's breeding center. It wasn't exactly high class employment, but it did involve training rookie Pokemon students, and a minimum amount of paper work, so it was good enough for Ash.

And despite the fact that his whole "Goal to be a Pokemon Master" had been accomplished, he wasn't willing to put down all his hard work to start a job in the fast food business anytime soon.

She looked up at him and scoffed. "You just don't appreciate the fine art of classic romance movies."

"It's not art. It's a bunch of long haired idiots running around singing through people's windows." Ash said sitting down beside Misty as she rolled her eyes in disgust.

"You know. No ones forcing you to watch it. If you want to miss out on one of the all time best romance movies, then that's your choice, but don't ruin it for everyone else." Misty huffed and crossed her arms as her attention drew back to the television screen.

"Who's 'everyone else'? You're the only one watching this junk! I was just dragged along into it because it's MY television." Misty smirked and pointed to Pikachu and Togetic sprawled out along the carpet in front of the television sharing a box of tissue.

"Oh, great! Now you've got them sucked into it too. Aw, and look! They're using up all the tissue! And I ran out of toilet paper too. GREAT. Now what am I gonna use!"

"Shh! This is the good part." Misty hastily said as she gripped her share of tissue and prepared for the final love scene.

"Oh, Come on!"

Ash couldn't take it anymore. He had to get out. But, it was HIS apartment! But he couldn't tell Misty to get out. She WAS one of his best friends after all, and that just wouldn't be right! Plus, she'd probably make SURE he didn't leave his apartment (for good.) if he so much as mentioned that he didn't want her around. But he did want her around! . . . Just not her movies and her snotty tear ridden tissues. . .

****

Ash decided the next best thing, besides scorning his male pride and being driven out of his own apartment, was to call his other best friend and have him drag him out of his apartment. Okay, so it wasn't all that different, but it was better then having to stand another twenty minutes of a sappy romance.

"You're pathetic." Brock uttered as he stood in Ash's doorframe.

"Hey, shut up. I didn't know what else to do. " Ash said grabbing for his jacket and tiptoeing past Brock for a clean get away.

"Well, I dunno. You could've. . . turned off the television?" Brock sardonically stated the obvious option.

"Yea, and suffer a week or two of re-bandaging my wombs after an evening of prizing the role of "Ash the human piñata" Ash stated as obscene images of him tied to a rope, while being bashed to death by Misty played through his mind.

"Does she even know you left the apartment?"

"Uhh. . ." Brock crossed his arms. "You think I shoulda' said something?"

Brock shot Ash a look. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway. She was too wrapped up in her dumb movie."

"What movie was it anyway?" Brock asked as Ash thought for a moment trying to collect the parts of the movie he hadn't fallen asleep to and had to be whacked to consciousness by Misty every few minutes.

"The one about the boat." Ash muttered pathetically.

Brock had to think it through a moment to realize the movie Ash was talking about was "Titanic." And the more he thought about it the more Ash noticed pools of thin drool escaping the corners of his mouth.

"You were dying because of THAT?" Ash nodded. "You do know what they do in that movie don't you. . ." Brock gushed with his eyes glazed over staring off in a direction past Ash.

"No. But I have a feeling you do." Ash smirked. "And I also have a feeling it's something you wish you could do, but can't because every time you get remotely close to it you end up with a red cheek and a free one way ticket to Vermillion."

Brock, who was now out of his daze frowned and tried to ignore Ash's comment.

"Well, what do you want to do then. I got at least a half hour before I have to get back to the shop." Brock asked getting seated in the drivers side of his car.

"I dunno. Manly stuff." Ash said deepening his voice in attempt to carry across his point.

Brock chuckled. "Manly as in cheering over the crowd in an all out battle between two really tough Pokemon, or Manly as in, you and me, I'm two seconds from turning the car around manly?"

Ash sweat dropped. "Uh. . . The first one. Definitely."

There were a few moments of silent driving until Brock decided to bring up something that he'd been considering pointing out since Ash mentioned it.

"You know Ash, if you ask me. You're pretty lucky Misty wants to watch any type of movie with you."

Ash quirked a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, wouldn't you rather it be you instead of some other guy barely staying alive to watch a movie with her? Last time I checked, Misty was very much single, and still as attractive as any other girl in Kanto, maybe more. But, of course she doesn't hold a candle to Jenny, or Joy. Both so beautiful, and yet, so different in many wonderful ways. . ." Brock began to carry on, veering slightly off the road until Ash took notice that fire hydrants, dogs, and an old woman weren't usually seen standing out in the middle of the street, and yelled out, gaining Brock's attention, before any damage was done.

Brock was right. He hadn't thought about it before. Misty was single, and still very attractive, and even though Ash was single, he hadn't really thought much over the fact that even though they were best friends, he still couldn't control the chance that some other guy might start to see what he'd already noticed a long time ago.

But those damned movies! And did he really want to start thinking about this again? Him and Misty were in a good place. They hung out almost every weekend and saw a good amount of eatchother at work. But how long would that last? His mind kept telling him. Now that he thought about it, he sometimes caught other guys glancing at Misty but looked away when they saw Ash. And although he didn't exactly want to admit it, even though he liked the comfort and security of just being Misty's "friend", inside he was still that damned fifteen year old who caught himself looking at her when she laughed. (Despite the fact that most of the time she was laughing at him, for being a dumbass when he accidentally tripped over a twig or something he failed to notice on the ground.)

Arghh! This was all Brock's fault. He had to go and make Ash think. Dammit!

"Ok!" Ash suddenly burst out, shocking Brock over the silence Ash failed to notice after his hard thinking.

Brock raised a brow. "Uh. Ok, what?"

"Ok, your right. I know what you're trying to say, and I know your right, but what I don't know is, how to do it. How do I show her, that I can be. . . you know."

Brock grinned. He knew he could break him. . . Eventually. It took about ten years for him to do so, but what the heck. Better late then never!

"First, If you want to show her you care about her, at least learn how to sit through a damn movie for cripes sakes. You can't take her out for a romantic movie of "Night of the Living Dead" now can you?"

"Well-

"On the other hand. Don't talk." Ash frowned "Just leave it up to me, ah buddy. But, I'm not really good with the whole confrontation thing," Ash smirked " so we might need some re-enforcements."

Brock made a stop at the light and instead of going strait, he turned left. "Hey! That's not the way to the Viridian Battle Arena."

"Yea. I know. That's not where we're going." Brock said as he turned the corner over the indicating green light and stepped on the gas.

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I don't really know where I'm going with this one.It's sort of something I just wrote to get me back into the swing of things, and warm up my brain for chapter six of Fathomless Favor, but if it looks interesting enough for you guys, I'll probably continue it. Other then that, hoped you liked it!! And..uh. as they say in France.

AU REVIOUR! (I'm not so sure that's right.OH WELL!! ^_^)

By the way.Ash is somewhere along twenty in this story. So that ought' a clear a few things up.

Hopefully.

Next Chapter: Ash and Brock call on a few re-enforcements, mainly being a certain bandana bearing friend. . . and what's this? Oh, no "Chick Flick training!" Nooo!!