Hey everyone! I just want to thank everyone who reviewed, faved, followed, and read the last chapter. Knowing that someone enjoyed my writing really makes me happy.
So here's chapter two. Enjoy!
The thoughts flew from his lips as words, escaping before he could consider them. His mind was draining itself like a water tank with an open valve, his mouth the spout. Some inexorable gravity compelled his mental debris to sink and settle, and each wait their turn. He spun incredible tales of far off regions, of legendary pokemon, and of his own heroics. He related the most mundane of details of his day to day life. He spoke of friends and rivals, of adventures and happenstances he didn't think he remembered. But he held the most important things back.
Misty oohed and aahed, she smiled and she grimaced, and she laughed. A warm tingle permeated his gut and a confidence welled up from within his psyche when he made her laugh. The sound triggered a satisfaction deep within the most basic parts of his mind. He sat for a moment in a reverie of self-satisfaction, broken by Misty's voice.
"Wow, Ash, you've been through so much without me. I feel like I could stay out here all night listening to you."
His heart leaped from his chest into his throat. His pulse pounded against his skin. "I feel that way too." His jaw locked up at the thought of saying anything more.
"It makes me feel like I can share your experiences with you." Her eyes darted down toward her lap. "I hope that doesn't sound stupid."
The midnight air had cooled to a chill that stung his fingers, which he had buried underneath his legs. The moon, blanketing the nearby forest in its pale light, had risen above the roof of the Pokemon Center's porch. A smattering of dead leaves covered the road that streaked across their view. The gentle hum of forest pokemon had settled into the background. But the beauty of Misty's face shone bright enough to wash out all the trivialities behind her, like a sun in a night sky.
"Misty, that doesn't sound stupid at all. I would love to share all of my adventures with you." His tongue froze. His brain shut down. All of his muscles clenched. He felt nothing but his own body tightening like a spring with a massive weight bearing down on it.
Misty smiled. "That's sweet, Ash."
The weight released, and the spring within him flew into the air. Heat spilled out from every pore in his body. Warm blood flooded over his cheeks, and he was thankful for the darkness.
Their eyes locked. The old thoughts rose from the ground. And they began to dance around him. Slowly, they closed in. He focused on Misty's face.
"There's something I want to tell you, Misty. I-I've been waiting a long time to say this." The thoughts bobbed up and down, up and down, up and down. "It's been keeping me awake all night." They cackled at him, an insidious laughter. They thought him a fool.
"Ash, what are you trying to say?" A crinkle formed in her brow. The echo of a smile on her lips reverberated through his heart.
The thoughts began to swirl once more. Around and around, up and down, they rattled, vibrating his mind. "It's been so long since we traveled together, and it's never quite been the same since you left." They yelled and they screamed. They begged him to say anything else. "Misty I've missed you so much." The momentum of his words knocked the thoughts aside. They ricocheted of the walls in their furor. "I'm not sure I can keep going much longer without you there."
The thoughts fell silent and still, waiting as he was for her reply.
Misty stammered, her face going though waves of expression. "Ash, I'm flattered, really, but you can't just put that kind of burden on me like that."
"Sorry, Misty, I didn't mean to -"
Misty stood and loomed over him. "No Ash, you can't just tell me that you're depending on me to give up my life, my family's gym." Her arms flew about in wild gesticulations. "You can't just tell me I'm the reason you're gonna give up on your dreams."
Ash rose to meet Misty's stare. "Geez, I was just trying to open up to you a little."
"Well a little was a little too much." She sighed heavily, letting her arms fall to her sides.
"I'm not saying I'm giving up or anything."
"Well then why did you say almost exactly that?"
"You don't understand, Misty."
"Oh, I think I do."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, I think I know exactly what this is about."
"Yeah, what?"
"You're in love with me."
A bolt of lightning shot though Ash's body, shutting down every process that occurred within its machinery. The thunderclap sent the thoughts scurrying. All was blank. he felt nothing but being suspended as time flowed around him, washing away the flotsam of his past and his thought. It was a sickening stillness. He stared at Misty. Her expression softened into one of wonder.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Her mouth hung open. His mouth as well. He could say nothing. He swallowed on air.
Misty took a step toward him, closing the gap between them to mere inches. She raised her hand to Ash's cheek. A surge of adrenaline struck him in the chest as her fingers brushed down his skin. She traced her touch to the back of his neck. Goosebumps cascaded their way down his back and arms. Blood rushed to his face. Heat welled up from his core. The smell of flowers wafted up through his nose, his breath shortening, hoping to preserve the memory of it against corruption. They gazed into each other's eyes, until Misty closed hers and pulled his head forward.
The soft, supple flesh of her lips brushed against his like a drifting feather alighting on a fateful patch of ground. Tingling bristled at every surface of his skin. The pull on the back of his neck intensified. Misty laced her lips, caressing, feeling their way though this uncharted territory of pleasure, into his. His heart banged against his throat, begging to leap out of him in rapture.
The miasma that clouded his joints began to subside. Eyelids descended over his vision. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Her hands flowed down his neck, leaving a trail of tingling ecstasy, and came to rest on his chest.
The world melted around Ash as their tongues grazed each other. Their souls fused in a brilliant flash of light that radiated throughout his entire body. Excited shouts and giddy laughter expanded within him, inflating his insides, threatening to burst.
And then she pulled away, grins stretching both of their faces.
"It's a lot to ask of me, Ash. But I'll see what I can do. I'd love to join you someday. But I won't promise anything. The one thing I can promise is that you'll always be with me in my heart. And I hope I'll always be in yours. And, Ash." She looked up, the blue of her irises sparkling in the moonlight.
"Yeah?" The sound stumbled out of his mouth, barely making it past his dazed lips.
"I love you too." The words, like an inevitable bullet though silent air, struck him, and his soul lurched forward. He could feel the focus and drive begin to leak from his being, slowly, as he leaned in to kiss her again. And he found he did not care.
As they came together once more, the universe faded away. All that was left was Misty, and the old thoughts, as they began to rise from their graves. She was his world now, just as he had feared.
A bit of a twist on the classic confession fic. I guess Ash can't live with her, can't live without her, know what I mean?
As always, favs, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Praise makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and criticism helps me get better, so both are welcome!
And once again, Happy Pokeshipping Week!