Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter
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Ash and Misty walked out of the school hall and home, Ash placed his arm around Misty and she felt herself leaning in towards him even more.
"You did well in there." Misty smiled up at him.
"Thanks." Ash laughed.
"No, I'm serious you really had me going in there. For a second I actually believed you cared about the outcome of the game."
"I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would." Ash admitted.
"Excuse me? Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"
"Misty..."
"Ash Ketchum admitting that he enjoyed a school spirit fest?" Misty joked.
"Whoa, I never said I enjoyed it."
"Don't lie, you were loving it."
"Maybe that was just the company Mist." He smiled.
She was caught off guard, he hadn't called her Mist since they started high school, hearing that old name caused her to blush and a strange feeling in her stomach she couldn't explain. She was glad it was dark out, she'd blush even more if Ash could see the red sprinkling on her cheeks.
"Think you can handle more?" Misty asked, finally finding her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"The victory cruise."
"I thought you could only go to that if you had a lettermen jacket." Ash said, giving her a look.
"Only if you want to nail a cheerleader. So that's not a problem for you, tonight you're all mine Ketchum." She said wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
"Fine by me." He laughed giving her shoulders a squeeze.
...
"Bad ass ride Ash." Misty complimented as she nosed around the sports car she was now occupying the passenger seat of.
"Thanks, once every blue moon my dad let's me use it. But I have to leave an internal organ as deposit." Ash joked.
"Well if Dawn sees it she's going to want to jump you." Ash rolled his eyes.
"What's the deal with that chick? Heard she's a total Darkrai."
"Excuse me?" Misty glared at Ash.
"The girl's evil."
"Evil is a bit extreme." She crossed her arms, she knew that Dawn had a dark side but she was still her best friend. "Limited tauros shit tolerance is more like it."
Ash scoffed, that's not how he would put it.
"But you wouldn't understand it, you're a guy."
Ash gave Misty a confused look but he couldn't respond as Brock drove past in his truck with some of the guys from the game.
"Yeah! Raikou victory!" He called out the window as his horn blared. "Come on K-bone, honk your horn."
Still processing what Misty said earlier he barely registered Brock yelling, lucky for him Misty leaned over him and pressed the horn.
"Woo!" She screeched across at them.
"Yeah! Go Raikous!" Brock yelled one more time before speeding off down the road.
Misty smiled and then carried on looking through the Ash's dad's stuff.
"I wouldn't understand what?" He questioned.
"Well when guys compete it's more overt, like ringing the bell with a sledge hammer, or winning a Pokémon battle, or the size of your engine. Some shit like that." Misty explained not looking up from the cd's in her lap.
"Yeah?" Ash urged her to go on.
"But when girls compete it's more subtle, almost like an art. And Dawn, well she's an artist." Misty smiled.
Ash just gave her look but realised Misty was done explaining, he wouldn't be getting any more out of her.
"Your dad has some interesting taste in music. REO Speedwagon?" Misty asked holding up a cd and Ash merely shrugged in response. Misty took the cd out the case and put it in the player.
"Seriously?" Ash questioned.
"Seriously." She nodded, smiling as the music began playing.
Ash groaned as he saw Misty's fingers reach for the volume control turning it up.
"This is the best part." She declared as they pulled up to a set of traffic lights.
Misty began dancing around in her seat while Ash just stared in disbelief.
"Come on, you know you like it." She said grabbing his wrist and holding his hand up in the air and swaying it back and forth with her own. "When I said that I love you I meant that I love you forever." She sang loudly.
As she did this Richie pulled up in his car next to the pair at the traffic lights, although he didn't notice the pair his girlfriend in the passenger seat watched the two. May smiled as she saw Ash complain about Misty's dancing and how she ignored him and just laughed.
"And I'm gonna keep on loving you." Misty sung, pointing at Ash. "Cause it's the only thing I want to do." Admitting defeat Ash began dancing and soon joined in with Misty.
"I don't wanna sleep, I just want to keep on loving you." The pair sung through laughter, all the time being watched by May.
...
"Hey Misty." May called out, rushing down the corridor to catch up with her.
"Oh hey May, what's up?" She slowed down so the brunette could catch her up.
"What's going on with you and Ash?" She questioned bluntly.
"What do you mean?" Misty laughed. "You asking for all the details?"
"Sort of, I mean I've heard that you two hooked up the other night after the party but now I'm not so sure." May explained.
"What do you mean?" Misty asked, stopping in her tracks. Had May really figured out her and Ash's shame of a relationship that quick? They hadn't even made it to prom yet.
"I mean I saw you guys in the car." May stopped too.
"So?"
"So I can tell it's more than just sex." May smiled. "Come on Misty, I'm your friend, you can tell me."
"Yeah I know I can." Misty said looking down at the ground. "But..."
"Don't be embarrassed, I won't laugh or anything."
"It's not that, I just don't want to jinx it. Let's just say I really enjoy being with him, and if it turns into something more serious I'd be okay with that." May squealed with excitement.
"Oh my god Mist! You're so smitten!"
"May!" Misty acted coy. "This is just between us okay?"
"Oh yeah, sure." May smiled before walking off.
Misty smiled to herself, sure a few people had heard they were a couple but most believed it was just physical, nothing more. But with May now thinking they were loves young dream soon the whole school would think the same. Sure she'd told May to keep it between them but Misty knew better than that, once May found something out everyone found out too. And what better than a piece of gossip straight from the horses mouth?
Proud of herself Misty walked into her last class for the day.
...
Iris walked into her class to see Ash's usual seat next to hers empty, he moved himself down the row so that he was now next to Misty.
Of course. She thought bitterly. He needs to be next to the love of his life now.
She glared at the pair as she walked to her seat, but neither one noticed her, they were too wrapped up in each other to even see her.
"So, care to explain why people keep asking me how I won your heart so quickly?" Ash questioned Misty in a whisper. "I wasn't aware up until this point that I had your heart."
"It's just May, she gets a little carried away. I wouldn't worry about it." Misty whispered back. "She'll have us married by the end of the month."
"Great." Ash rolled his eyes and looked back down at his work. Misty continued to watch him and bit her lip.
"Hey Ash?"
"Hm?" He replied, eyes never leaving his work.
"You know the other day in bed? When I was upset?"
"Yeah." Ash looked up and met her gaze.
"Well it was my dad." Misty explained as Ash just nodded.
He'd been there through all of that, her parents' divorce, her dad moving away, him travelling and never seeing her anymore. Ash had been there as she'd sat crying in the tree house, Ash had taken care of her, before she became independent and wouldn't let anyone look after her anymore.
"He wants to meet up with me this weekend and... I get that you have no reason to say yes and don't feel bad if you do say no but..."
Ash watched in confusion as Misty rambled on, it was quite out of character for her.
"Basically will you come with me? I don't think I could handle it on my own." She looked down at her table in embarrassment. She hated to show weakness but she couldn't help it. Ash reached over to her and put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"Course I'll come with you." He smiled. "What are boyfriends for?" Misty laughed slightly.
"Thanks Ash."
Iris watched the pair as they smiled at each other, Ash never taking his hand off her. She wanted Ash to be happy but was she really expected to accept him and Misty as a couple now?
...
Misty and Ash walked through the park, once Misty saw her dad staring out at the lake she froze.
"Come on Misty, you can do this." He took her hand and lead her across the park towards her dad.
"Mr Waterflower?" Misty said, trying to keep her voice strong.
"That hurts baby." Her dad said turning around. His gaze quickly fell on the boy holding his daughters hand, the boy he vaguely recognised. "Ash?"
"Hey." He said, giving a nod of acknowledgement.
"Take a walk with me." He said turning his gaze back to Misty. "Alone."
Ash took the hint and started to back away from them, only for Misty to tighten her grip on his hand.
"I'll just be over there." He said pointing to a bench. "I won't be far."
Reluctantly Misty let go of Ash and allowed him to walk away.
"So you two are seeing each other now?" Misty's dad asked once Ash was out of hearing range.
"That's not really your business." Misty said crossing her arms and walking off. "I have some pretty serious trust issues when it comes to the male sex, I wonder where that comes from?"
Misty's dad sighed at the comment. Following after her, he reached into his bag and pulled out a book.
"Here." He said handing the book to Misty. "This might be able to explain me better than I can."
"Zen and the Art of Pokémon Mastery?" Misty asked reading the cover. "This is supposed to explain why you're never around? Must be one hell of a book." She threw the book into the lake without a second thought.
"First two weeks in June I'm going travelling again. I want you to come with me." He said in an attempt to change the subject. "It will be a once in a lifetime trip. What do you say?"
"Oh there's this little centennial prom that I'm part of, not that you'd know anything about that." Misty said before picking up her pace and walking away from her dad.
Ash saw Misty walking towards him, her head down, with her dad a few paces behind. As she got closer Ash raised out of his seat and once she was close enough she threw herself into his arms and buried her head in his chest. Her breath was ragged from the tears she was trying to stop but were falling anyway, another sign of weakness in her eyes.
Ash looked over her head at her dad who was getting closer to the pair, Ash gave him a hard look causing the man to stop in his tracks. He shook his head at the man and tightened his hold on Misty. Her dad looked down in defeat and walked off.
"It's okay Misty." Ash muttered kissing the top of her head. "I'm here for you."
They stood there in the park holding each other until Misty's breathing finally calmed, until her tears finally stopped falling, until she finally felt ready to go home.
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