Author's Note: The first of what will hopefully be a satisfying compendium of one-shots about Ash and Misty's relationship. In this piece, Ash is sixteen.
He made me Hot Chocolate, I hid his Hat
It had taken six years for Misty to pluck up the courage to confront him about their badly concealed feelings for each other. Now, as she gazed out of the sitting-room window at Pallet Town from her reclined position on the sofa, she wished that she had asked him sooner.
The mug of hot chocolate was searing to the touch, but she clasped it tightly anyway. He roved about the room in a pair of jeans and socks, rifling through cabinets for his favourite hat. His back was tanned and slightly muscled. He muttered under his breath as he searched fruitlessly. Misty smirked and took a sip from her mug.
'Hey, Ash – do you want to put a shirt on?' she said wryly. 'If your mother arrives home now, she'll probably assume we've been behaving badly.'
Ash jumped as though he had received an electric shock. He whipped around to goggle at Misty, then glanced down at his bare chest, his face filling with colour.
'Er – I – maybe you're right,' he stammered, unsure whether or not Misty was trying to imply something.
She smiled sweetly at him as he dashed from the room and laughed into her mug.