DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon.

Hey, this is The Missing Fangirl!

Alas, this is chapter two! It took a long time to write, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Chapter 2: Frozen Hands

The next memory was when Clemont was nine-years-old. It was the middle of a harsh winter. The leaves had all gone, leaving the trees bare. A young inventor and a Pokémon fanatic were walking in the pure, white snow. Small snowflakes were flurrying through the cold, dry air. School had just recently ended, and small backpacks were strapped to the students' little backs.

Ash sighed, "I can't wait until the summertime..." He adjusted his red scarf and cap. "It's freezing out here! I'm gonna be an ice cube by the time we get to my house!"

Clemont nodded in agreement. To be honest, his left hand felt like it was going to freeze. The cold bit at his fingertips. Why did I pick my only glove that has holes in it?! He shivered. I should've thought of a situation like this beforehand so I could've made some sort of cool Clemonted Gear!

"Hey, Clemy?"

"Yeah?" The blonde turned his head.

"Is your hand cold? 'Cause it looks cold." The two locked eyes. Brown to blue.

The future gym leader's cheeks flushed, but not because of the cold. "Yeah, it is. I accidently used the glove with holes in it for my left hand." He sighed, scolding himself in his mind. The hot air from his breath was visible.

The raven haired boy smiled. "Lemme help you with that." He gently took the other boy's left hand in his own. He laced their fingers together.

Clemont's breath hitched, and he stammered. "T-thanks." He tried to hide the growing blush on his face. "Now let's get going to your house."

They continued to walk, hand in hand, down the sidewalk. The blonde would sometimes sneak glances at the boy holding his hand. He looked straight ahead at the path that laid before them. What the inventor didn't know, however, was that Ash was doing the same, and stealing looks at him. A smile secretly played on his lips.

The silence was comforting between them, and the both of them felt completely at ease. They were just enjoying each other's company.

Then Clemont had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, that he didn't understand. He felt like a swarm of Vivillon were flapping around in his stomach. And his heart felt like it was swelling, or aching for some odd reason. He searched the contents of his mind for a scientific solution, but found none. He thought, This feels weird, but I like it for some reason. Why do I like it?

Ash sensed a bit of uneasiness from the other boy. "Hey, Clemy? Are you alright?" He started to become nervous. "I can stop, if you want." He loosened his grip the slightest bit.

Clemont panicked. "No! It's okay!" He exclaimed. "I like it! A lot!" After that statement, he felt like duct taping his mouth shut. Me and my big mouth! His ears burned, and he quickly turned away.

"Okay, if you say so." The Pokémon fanatic replied casually. He turned away from the boy with glasses and secretly smiled. Another thing Clemont didn't know: Ash wasn't going to let go of his hand, anyway.

Even after ten minutes, Ash never let go. He was determined to hold his hand to the point of it becoming burning hot, and he would still hold it even after that.

On the other hand, Clemont was really nervous. He was afraid of other people (specifically other fellow students) seeing the two of them hold hands. What would they say about us? About me? Oh, I hope no one sees! But he didn't have the heart to let go.

In truth, he loved every moment of it. He liked the feeling of his and Ash's hands pressing together perfectly. He liked the warmth he was supplying his left hand. He basked in the heat. His hand was extremely cold, and the future trainer's hand was pretty warm. He loved the contrast in temperatures.

It was until they had reached their destination, was when they released each other from their grasp. This was because Ash had to open the door with his keys, and he needed to use both hands to fiddle through his backpack.

Once they were in and settled, Clemont finally had the courage to ask. "Hey, Ash? Why did you hold my hand before?"

The spiky haired boy turned around and grinned. "'Cause that's what friends are for!" Shining in his eyes, though, was a completely different reason that he just wasn't ready to say out loud.

Clemont smiled, but weaker than usual.

Just friends.

The seventeen-year old sighed as he felt the tips of his fingers. He relished in the thought of it. Originally, he had been drawing diagrams of future projects, as to distract him from reality. When he looked down at his rough draft, he realized that he had been sketching his face all along.

The teen looked at the panorama in disbelief. Every margin, every space, was filled with his face and his plethora of expressions. He had gotten down every detail of his face, and he wasn't surprised. He would see his face every moment, whether it was from hanging out, passing by, or simply by thinking of him. Either way, he had memorized every curve and line of him.

Clemont threw down the pencil in frustration and buried his head in his hands.

Why can't I stop this?

So what do you think? I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you like it! I actually had to revise it and change a whole bunch of the parts until I was satisfied, so I hope it was all worth it!

I'm sorry for friend-zoning Clemont in this chapter! And for not saying why he's so sad...I have something planned—I promise! So please bear with me. I hope you stay with this fanfic until the end!

Until the next chapter, everyone! I'll hopefully be able to update this next week, if I can keep up! I can't say the exact date of when I'll update, but it'll most likely be next week. Oh, and Happy early Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading! Please review!

The Missing Fangirl