disclaimer: i don't own nothing. just silliness.
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Childhood, crushes, and cheeseballs.
"So, there's this person, right?"
There was nothing but silence coming from the other end of Delia Ketchum's twenty-year-old olive-colored couch.
"Ash," Misty called his name, "are you even listening?"
"Totally, totally." The trainer flicked his fingers over color keypads, playing on an old Silph Co. modeled handheld game device that was in production over five years ago.
"Like I was saying," she drawled. "There's this person that I've liked for uh, long time now and I think I've been dropping hints since forever yet no response."
Misty listened to the 8-bit music blast from the tiny speakers. It sounds like something in the game blew up and exploded which pretty much summed up the story of her crush.
"Since when did you start liking boys? Wait—is it a boy?" Ash asked, finally looking up from his cracked screen. He wasn't even that good at games, but pretty graphics can keep him occupied and not totally drowning in Misty's infamous spouts. Usually, Misty would just play along on her own device (a newer device) or pinch his sides if he was being an unresponsive friend but she was too busy clinging to his mother's decorative pillows.
"He is the most babyish boy I have ever met," Misty mumbled into Mrs. Ketchum's pillow. She scraped her nails against its embroidered roses with nervous hands, trying her best to avoid Ash's cautious gaze. The tiny dust of crimson on her skin visible to everyone and everything, from the carpet to the moon, but were luckily nothing but sunburns in his eyes.
"….It's not Rudy, is it?" Ash's faced turned sour.
"No!"
"Danny then? I hate his stupid flip-flops and short-shorts. I mean, who wears that on a tropical island?!"
She had to roll her eyes at that one.
"No, it's not Danny or Rudy. And crushes are natural! I'm mature enough to like people, Ash."
"Mature? The other day you cried snot out your nose because they ran out of your favorite ice cream flavor."
"You know I have a soft spot for chocolate and vanilla swirl peanut butter cup, Ash. Please be sensitive—that was a hard day. I had to settle for pistachio!"
"Hey now, I won't stand for pistachio slander."
"You have the taste of a senile grandpa if you think pistachio is better than peanut butter."
"Well, I hope this boy you have a crush has as bad taste as you do when it comes to ice cream!"
"Ugh! Ash, I'm serious," Misty exclaimed, poking out her bottom lip. "I—I don't get to talk about this sort of stuff often. Every time I try to talk to Brock or Tracey, they make me feel like I need to set up fireworks and propose or something."
He swallowed at her puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine, fine. Continue on."
"—Well, I don't think he realizes that I have feelings for him. Or that um, I'm worried that it might ruin our friendship or that…he might not like me back."
Ash quickly huffed and brought attention back on the bright screen. A bright game centering around a knight and his damsel in-front of him yet Ash couldn't focus on that now because all he could think about how they were all on a quick vacation at his house and Misty is fretting over boys when really they should be plotting out the latest prank to pull on Brock at midnight. Why? Because they're relaxing and nothing is more relaxing than hearing Brock's high-pitched screams. "He's stupid," he said, grimacing at the idea of Misty kissing some boy. "Crushes are stupid. Pass the cheeseballs."
"I wouldn't call him stupid!" Misty grabbed the bowl of cheeseballs and kept them at her side, denying Ash of his heavenly balls. She was offended. In return, Ash tickled her side and snatched the bowl, shoving a handful into his mouth. Misty doesn't fight back much to Ash's dismay. Realization hit her gut. She let out a deep sigh, shoving her face into the patch of roses and vines. "He may be dense but stupid? Only some days. He—he has a good heart. And loves pokémon! And is going to be an elite trainer."
Ash could barely hear her with her face smashed into the pillow, but he heard enough to make him want to beat whoever the hell she was talking about in a battle.
"…These balls are stale," he belched, making a disgusted face. "Misty, he'd be stupid if he didn't like you back."
She fought hard to hold back a cheesy grin from taking over her flushed face at his words. The pillow was a good protective layer.
"Anyway," he continued, "just be obvious if he is that dense."
She looked up at him from the pillow with a curious gaze. "Obvious how?"
"Say, 'Hey! I like you!' or something like that. I mean, if you're that into him or whatever."
His annoyance with the discussion was becoming more and more evident. From his pout to his angry eyebrows. He never handled anything involving Misty and her liking boys well.
"That wouldn't work." She grabbed a few orange cheeseballs and popped one into her mouth before tossing the rest at Ash's direction. "Stick to battling, Ketchum."
"Hey, you're the one that mentioned all this romantic stuff in the first place! It might not work but what do you have to lose? You always got me and Brock! Who needs a stupid crush!"
Misty hesitated at his words, her shoulders stiff and her expression embarrassed. Shocked that her friend humored her at the start, sort of willing to reply to her romantic sorrows yet remaining so oblivious to whom she was talking about. His innocence was one of the little things she found endearing, but also a trait that reminded her that this crush shouldn't last. Hopefully, it will be nothing but a crush. She turned to face him completely, chubby cheeks covered in artificial cheese crumbs.
Even when he was the color of orange residue, her heart did that little pitter patter it does when she thinks about how much he matters to her. Not only as her crush, but as her best friend.
"Ash?" Misty called, nervous twitching at the mouth visible. Her ocean eyes were boring into him as she whispered, "I like you."
He stared. Misty felt a new wave of blood rush to her cheeks as her organs formed knots in her stomach. And he just stared at Misty as her lips curled. Part of her desperately wanted to run away into a field as the other part of her told her to listen to what he had to say.
"I...Ash, you better say something right now. "
"—Exactly like that! So, practice and confess or whatever than dump him because you don't deserve someone that clueless, Mist. He is an idiot whoever he is."
Misty's mouth was agape as Ash lifted a snack to her face.
"Cheeseball?"
She found herself looking between Ash and the cheeseballs, disbelief towards the situation, anger towards herself and Ash's dumb boyish routine, all freakishly apparent based on her expression. Misty flung the bowl of cheeseballs on his head and snatched the game from his grip, quickly rushing up the stairs to hide away in his room.
A confused Ash was left on the couch as Pikachu woke up from his nap, staring at his trainer in judgment. "What's her problem?!"
Pikachu shook his head at the ridiculous of the two children before eating the rest of the stale mess.
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notes: they are both eleven and silly and dense in their own ways. but i love them so so much. this was king of stupid but i miss that feeling i use to get when watching the original series and ash and misty had the best interactions. enjoy! please review! xoxo