Do You… Like me?
AshxDawn One Shot
"Do you… Like me?"
Dawn's words caught them all off guard. Ash turned, to see the usually bubbly girl facing him, but not staring at him. Her face was to the ground, and a slight blush could be seen creeping up her face. All he could think was what does she mean? Her words were unexpected, and seemed unrelated to anything. Ash knew that his mouth was hanging open in slight shock, but it was the sound of her voice that had confused him. Instead of just asking out loud, the question was whispered, but audible enough for him to hear.
Do you like me?
Ash raised his hat, and stared intently at her. "I don't know how to answer that…" he responded. Beside him, Brock gasped in shock. He had said the wrong thing. What was he supposed to have said? What could he have said to the sudden issue that had been raised?
Not only was the answer wrong, it was obviously something the blue haired girl had not wanted to hear. After a second, she spun on her heel and ran off, leaving behind the two boys and their Pokemon. Her small penguin-like companion squealed out at her sudden departure, unsure whether to follow or not. As he dashed forward, his tiny paws raised, Brock picked up the tiny Piplup and handed him to Ash. Normally a joker, Brock's face was now calm and scarily serious. "Take care of Piplup, you idiot." He muttered.
Standing confoundedly, Ash watched as Brock followed Dawn through the trees. The question still ringing in his ears. Do you like me?
It didn't take long for Brock to catch up with Dawn. She was slowing down in her pace, and seemed to be running out of energy. As Brock approached her, she seemed to give up and collapsed on the ground. Hearing him come closer, Dawn pulled off her hat and buried her face in it. Without a word, Brock sat next to her, and waited.
Time passed quickly, and it was a good ten minutes before Dawn raised her tear stained face to look at a distant tree. "I'm an idiot," she sniffled. Brock silently sat, arms folded, his expression not changing. "I thought… Maybe he would like me, in that way. In the way that he liked those girls, Misty and May." Dawn whispered. "So to find out, I pull a silly stunt like that. How can I ever travel with him now, when he probably thinks I'm an idiot."
This caused Brock to shrug his shoulders. He placed a warm hand on Dawn's arm, and smiled slowly, "Ash has never been one for expressing himself. Sure, he grows attached to people, and develops feelings for them. But he isn't the brightest bulb in the box." Brock sighed, "Then again, neither am I when it comes to woman."
Brock's confession caused Dawn to giggle. "That's true."
Scowling at her in a menacing way, Brock continued, "Your question was a bit out of the blue, and not like you at all. That doesn't mean you acted like an idiot. I know how you feel about things like this; you're a bit confused about love." Dawn nodded, blushing slightly. "And it's okay to be confused, Dawn. Everyone experiences it at some point. But it's not okay to run away and hide from your problems."
This caused Dawn to raise her head, and stare at Brock in shock. Run away? She had run away, as fast as she could. Avoiding the problem seemed like the best thing to do. But what kind of impression did that leave? Was she always going to be a coward when it came to things she did not understand?
"I shouldn't have asked anyway." She muttered, hopelessly under her breath. "It isn't something I make a habit of doing. I just wanted to know… If he liked me like I like him."
"And how do you like him?"
Her face turned bright red, and Dawn looked away. "I like him, a lot. He's someone important to me. Someone I wish I could protect. Someone I get jealous over, when he looks at other girls."
Brock grinned gently, remembering his own previous crushes when he was younger. Dawn was going through an emotional stage, and Ash was the central concern of this state. Brock could understand why Dawn would find herself liking Ash. He was brave, selfless, and slightly attractive. Of course, Brock would never confess this to Ash, but perhaps if he were a girl he would feel more confident in saying so.
"I'm so stupid."
"Why is that?" Brock asked softly, "Is it because you don't know what to do?"
"No," she responded, quickly, "because he'll never like me the way I hoped, and I've probably pushed him away as a friend now."
Raising an eyebrow, Brock shook his head in a negative manner. "You don't know Ash very well then. Maybe he doesn't like you in that way, you don't know yet. But are you going to give up on him so easily? Sure, there are plenty of boys out there for you to pick, but wouldn't you rather try again to gain the love you want from Ash."
"Hey! I never said I loved him!" Dawn snapped - getting over defensive, as she knew what Brock was saying was true. "I just like him!" Quickly she stood up, twirling around, and smiling brightly at Brock. "You're right though! I can't give up!" With this final announcement, she skipped off, back to where she had left her friend, Piplup, and her crush. Smiling merrily to himself, Brock followed slowly behind.
"Pika pika!"
Sighing, Ash adjusted his hat slightly, "Thanks buddy, that really helped." Apparently Pokemon weren't very good at giving advice. Do you like me? Yes, he liked her! She was a nice person to know. Like me? What kind of other like was there? Unless she didn't mean like but like like. Slowly, Ash could feel his eyes start to cross over as he thought deeply on the situation. Before he could get lost in his thoughts, Dawn appeared, staring intently at him. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to throw up."
Blinking, Ash stared back into her eyes and for the first time, realised how beautiful they were. Like. "Oh, I was, thinking." He waved his hand in a foolish manner, before stretching, "We should carry on before it gets dark."
"Yes! Good idea." She smiled, picking up her small friend, Piplup. "I'm sorry about running off."
Unsure of how to reply yet again, Ash just smiled awkwardly and shrugged, "I'm sorry I couldn't answer. I just wasn't sure of… my own feelings."
"Huh?" Dawn stared at him, with her mouth hanging open in surprise. "Own feelings?"
Ash grinned, and turned away, "Yeah, but don't worry about it. Where's Brock?"
"Oh, I think he's coming." Dawn replied, slightly dazed. So you like me?
On the horizon, Dawn turned to face the city that they were travelling to. "He should be here soon, then." Ash muttered, "There he is there."
"Pika."
If he likes me, Dawn's thoughts wondered, does he think I'm cute?
"Hey Ash," Dawn whispered, slowly but audible, "Do you think… I'm cute?"