A birthday fic for Amulet Misty. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

*Don't own Pokemon

"Can I brush your hair?"

Misty stared at Ash. Of all the strangest things that could be asked or said, Ash certainly did say the strangest.

"Why?" Confusion was written all over her face.

Ash did something that was half way between a shake of his head and a shrug. "I just, just don't really see you with your hair down so…" his voice trailed off.

"So you wanted to touch it?" Misty finished for him.

She could see a small blush on his cheeks as he silently grumbled something that sounded like a yes.

"Well…" Misty tentatively touched her hair. Her orange hair. A weird color for hair. Her sisters all had bright, vibrant, and…pretty colors. What was so special about….orange? Orange was boring. Orange was plain. It didn't grab your attention nor did it stand out. At least, not compared to her sisters it didn't.

Why would Ash want to brush it?

"I-I guess you can brush it-" Misty began. Ash's face lit up.

"Really? Thanks Misty!"

"But only for five minutes." She crossed her arms. "Deal?"

Ash was grinning at this point. "Deal!" he said.

Misty only shook her head. What caused Ash to think the way that he did she would never understand. She exited the room and came back, brush in her hand. Handing the brush to Ash she said quietly,

"Be gentle." He nodded.

Sitting down, she carefully removed the hair band and let her hair fall from its high side ponytail. The indents from the band created a ripple like effect through her short hair. The small headache she got from her hair always being pulled upward subsided as her hair brushed past her ears.

"Your five minutes starts now." She said, keeping her gaze forward.

She had been initially afraid that Ash, being Ash, would yank and pull at her hair. But the careful brushing that followed surprised her. She relaxed into the steady movement of the brush going through her hair. She hardly ever brushed her hair. Growing up, her sisters would brush her hair, but that had just been growing up. Now, feeling the softness of Ash's fingers and the brush glide through her hair, a sense of calm came over her.

A slight pull in her hair caused her to jump a little. "Sorry," Ash said. "There's a knot in your hair. This might hurt."

"This is where he starts pulling my hair." Misty thought while she braced herself.

"All gone!" Ash said happily, going back to the steady pattern of brushing. No pulling, no pain. If it was Misty who had been brushing her hair, she would've pulled through the knot. But with Ash, there was no pain. Only the pattern of brushing.

Misty smiled. She liked this.

A soft silence fell between the two as Ash continued to brush Misty's hair. It would've lasted longer, but Ash spoke up.

"You have pretty hair Misty." He said. The comment took her by surprise.

"Pretty hair? Me?" she asked incredulous. Pretty? Her boring, simple, plain hair? Pretty?

"Yeah. It's really pretty." Ash said. Misty no longer felt the brush stroking her hair, just Ash's fingers. "Soft and light, and it's the color of the sun! It's really pretty."

Misty blushed a little. Pretty. He said her hair was pretty. Could it mean-?

"Am I pretty?" she asked. She wasn't sure of what he would say to her, but she felt somewhere inside her that it would be good.

"…No Misty," Ash said. He wrapped his arms around Misty's shoulders. "You aren't pretty, you're beautiful."

"R-really?"

Ash planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Really."

Yes, Ash did say some strange things. But then again, wouldn't you do the same if you were in love?

I suppose this is what authors call 'Fluff" correct? Whatever.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DI!