A Fling Across Time
Chapter 2: Swimming In Memories
"Y'know, when I say I'm looking for you and you tell me where you are, you're supposed to stay there," the honey-colored blonde scolded her friend with her hands on her hips, a slight glare in her eyes. The other woman in the elevator flashed her an unconvincing smile in response.
"Ehehe...Sorry, Serena. I didn't think you would get here that fast and I could beat you out front," the blunette apologized, but her friend didn't seem convinced as she gave a small sigh. While the two girls entered into a small bickering amongst themselves, the air felt heavy for the third person standing present, who seemed to have been forgotten in the moment.
Ash had no idea what to say, after finding himself face-to-face with the blunette. Nothing he could say would do this moment justice: it wasn't even supposed to happen. His racing thoughts continued to replay the last time he had seen her in his mind, and no matter what he thought to say or how to react, it didn't feel right. In the midst of their girl talk, Ash caught the blue eyes in the elevator steal a glance in his direction, but it flickered back towards Serena nearly too fast to see. She must have been thinking the same thing as him, right?
"Yeah, so I was glad I had Ash to save me back there!" the man snapped back to reality at the mention of his name, feeling Serena bump her arm into his a few times. He looked over and caught her giving him a thankful smile, which - in her close proximity - made him feel a little nervous. His eyes drifted cautiously back towards Dawn, suddenly feeling more nervous as he found himself making direct eye contact with her. Her expression was a little hard to read: almost like she wasn't feeling anything at the moment. A few moments passed in silence before it occurred to Ash that Serena might start worrying about what was going on, so his mind raced in trying to find something to say. But in all odds, it seemed that Dawn had had the same thought before he did.
"I guess you're still always jumping in to save others, huh?" Ash blinked, not expecting to see the blunette flash a gentle smile in his direction.
"...uh...Yeah, I...I guess old habits die hard," he chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek. If there was ever a time in Ash's life for him to fade out of a conversation and take his leave, this was that time. He was at a complete loss on what to do: he couldn't be as reminiscent as he was with Serena, that would be weird. But with Serena here, he couldn't exactly pretend like nothing happened, either!
"So, what have you two been up to?" the blunette stepped out of the elevator towards her blonde friend with an expectant look, confusing Serena before she began to recognize the look she was being given.
"N-Nothing, Dawn! We've just been talking and catching up!" both girls cast a brief glance towards Ash, whose eyes seemed a little vacant. Serena breathed a quiet sigh of relief, turning away slightly to hide the blush on her face. Dawn's eyes narrowed on the Kalos native in suspicion, a small smile on her lips. "Honestly...Why do you have to be annoying at the worst of times...?"
"Fine, should we head over to the center then?" Serena blinked as her female friend stepped past her, looking back with a confused expression.
"Wha- Already? But..." the honey-blonde discreetly looked over to the vacant young man standing close to her, feeling her heart sink in her chest. Dawn wanted to go already? But she had only just run into Ash again after so long! "...Do we have to, Dawn? I mean, it's barely the afternoon yet!"
"We should still make sure we get a room for the night, in case they run out. Besides, I'm sure Ash is busy, we can't just bother him," Dawn's blunt words made Serena's shoulders sink a little, a frown on her face as she looked over to Ash. The young man in question noticed Serena's attention on him, but he was a little distracted by Dawn's reaction. The blunette didn't even look his way when she spoke, and she didn't even seem to be acknowledging his existence. A part of him understood why she was doing it: Hell, he should probably be doing it himself, too. Considering their past, being together was now something of a flight risk, so he should be doing whatever it takes to get out of here! But with Serena in the picture, that made it an internal debate. Does he avoid the girl he once had a physical relationship with, even if it disappointed Serena? Or does he suck it up in the awkward atmosphere and keep Serena happy?
"Are you busy, Ash?" the young man tensed up at the disappointed look in her eyes, his eyes averting away as he rubbed the back of his neck. Crap, what was he supposed to say here?!
"...Not really. I could hang around for a while, if you're okay with it," the honey-blonde's eyes lit up as a smile spread across her face. Ash looked back to see the change in her expression, making him feel a little relieved until he noticed the blunette standing behind her, arms crossed with her eyes narrowing on him as if suspecting him of something.
"Really?! Awesome! Hear that, Dawn?" Ash blinked in surprise as he watched Serena begin to turn her head, and almost in an instant, the suspicion on Dawn's face disappeared and was replaced with a supportive smile.
"Cool, sounds fun, then," the blunette turned away and started towards the stairs, beckoning over her shoulder for them to follow. Serena looked back at Ash with a beaming smile, grabbing his hand before pulling him along after her friend as they left the lighthouse. The whole way down the staircase Ash wondered if he had truly made the right choice here, obviously feeling no sense of gratitude for his presence from his former Sinnoh traveling companion.
"So, what should we do, then?" Serena's question hung in the air as the trio stepped out into the daylight. "Say, Ash, weren't you trying to suggest something to do before we came here? Then I think I interrupted you...?"
"That was-...Ah..." Ash couldn't help but cast a curious glance past Serena to the other girl walking on her opposite side, arms still crossed as she looked straight ahead with a solemn expression. As if she felt it, her eyes met his for a brief moment before Ash quickly looked up to the sky, starting to feel awkward. He was going to invite Serena over to his place to hang out for a while, but now that idea seemed a little awkward considering Dawn was tagging along. "...uh...Y'know...I think it slipped my mind. Heh, sorry, Serena."
"Oh, that's okay. I'm just glad we can hang out like this some more after so long," the blonde flashed him a warm smile, earning a curious look from the other girl in the group. Before long, Ash and Serena found themselves arriving at the same bench they had been on earlier, sitting beside one another while Dawn sat on the opposite side of Serena. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before a silence fell over the group. As if Ash didn't feel awkward enough already with Dawn in the picture; what he didn't realize, however, was that the blunette was facing a similar feeling.
She didn't want to say it out loud, since Serena was here with them, but Dawn was feeling really bothered by this. Since the last day she and Ash had seen each other, they made no further attempts to contact each other, essentially becoming strangers for the past four years. And that was no problem for Dawn: she didn't need sex in her life, per se, it was just a physical stress release that proved helpful from time to time. Plus her sex life wasn't entirely non-existent without Ash in the picture, she did meet a few different guys on her travels who she had some fun with. But for reasons, she always remained single in the end, the most obvious reason being her traveling companion.
For the past year, Serena became a very close friend of hers, and she honestly adored the girl from Kalos. She reminded Dawn of herself: energetic, cheerful, full of hope, and ready to take on the world. It's not as though Serena became an obstacle to Dawn's romantic life, though in retrospect, Serena had actually provided Dawn a small source of entertainment. Since Dawn was reminded of herself, she always noticed the silly little things that Serena would say or do that could make her laugh, and they never seemed to get old. Maybe that's why Dawn would occasionally get the feeling that Ash and Brock were mocking her on their journey in the past...
"So, Ash! Have you been traveling anywhere cool lately?" the energy in Serena's tone tipped off the other two that she was desperate to avoid silence between the three of them.
"Ah...No, I actually haven't done much traveling in a few years," he said, noticing the blonde giving him a curious look. He wanted to be thankful to his childhood friend for even trying to quell the awkward silence in the air, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. There's no way it was going to work, after all, considering the circumstances.
"Really? Why haven't you been traveling?" she asked, afterwards feeling a hand tap on her leg.
"Hey, I don't think I ever saw any vending machines on the way to the lighthouse. You must've seen one by the pokemon center, right? Could you go get me something?" Serena looked over to Dawn, seeing a hopeful look in her eyes as she flashed a smile. The blonde glanced back to Ash, feeling hesitant. She didn't want to say anything, just in case, but she could tell there was something...off. She and Ash were able to talk so easily before, but after they met up with Dawn at the lighthouse, the air seemed heavier.
"I...um..." Serena knew that Dawn was right: there was a vending machine by the center. But would things be okay if she left? Maybe if they had something to talk about, but that would have to be for them to decide. "...I...ah...Y-Yeah, I think I saw one. I'll go grab something, be right back!" the blonde hopped to her feet, speed-walking away from the bench. She tried not to glance back in worry, but couldn't suppress the feeling in her stomach as she prayed she was just imagining things.
And with that, it was just the two of them. Neither one breathed another word, only listening to the quiet whistle of the distant breeze. Ash started bouncing his knee, feeling anxious in the silence. Should he try to make small talk? Would that appear desperate or something in a situation like this? Maybe it would be better if he just let it remain quiet between the two of them, but at the same time, it was eating at him inside.
"Do you still live north of here?" he nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, glancing over curiously. She wasn't looking his way, instead just looking down as she tapped one palm calmly against her thigh. He swallowed his breath, forcing his eyes away and looking up at the blue sky.
"Yeah, I do."
"...I guess your pokemon must still be comfortable there, with all that space."
"Yeah, they, uh...they like it a lot."
"That's good to hear."
"...Yep..."
Ash could only curse himself in his mind. Really, that's it? He couldn't just keep giving small responses like that, at least Dawn was trying! He had to at least meet her halfway, somehow! He could ask about her contests, but that might sound like he's prying. He could ask about what else she's been up to over the years, but that might sound a little too personal. Jeez, anything he could think of to ask, it sounds too personal from someone like him! There had to be something besides that that the two of them could talk about openly!
"So...Serena mentioned she met you on the road, and you're kinda mentoring her, is that right?" the blunette glanced his way, cracking a small smile.
"That's right. When I first met her, she reminded me of myself when I was first starting out. Nervous, but excited to try something new, y'know? Luckily for her, she had previous experience to work off of from her showcases, so she wasn't a total lost cause," Dawn chuckled, rubbing a thumb across the back of her opposite hand.
"Yeah, she's got spirit like nobody's business," Ash replied with a smile, resting his head back. He noticed in the corner of his eye that the blunette gave a quiet nod of agreement, but the air fell silent between them once more. Ash had hoped that topic would have lasted a little longer...! "Hey, uh...Thank you, for what you've done for her. I'm glad to know there are people out there who are looking out for her-"
"Ash...it's alright," her dejected response made him turn his head, looking at her curiously.
"Huh? Oh, I know I don't have to thank you, but I want to-" the blunette shook her head, making him stop short.
"No, not about Serena. I mean...this, between us," he suddenly went tense. "I thought I could make small talk and make this a little less awkward, but...guess I was wrong there. I guess small talk doesn't overwrite a history like ours, does it?" Ash's body refused to relax again after her words. Of course he had been thinking the same thing since he first saw her in the elevator, but hearing it out loud forced him to accept the gravity of the situation. She was right.
"...Sorry. I never expected you, of all people, would be the friend that Serena introduces me to..." he trailed off, not sure of what else to say. She had just summarized the point, after all. "...When she gets back, I'll tell Serena I have to take off. I at least want to say goodbye."
"You don't have to," his eyes peered curiously to Dawn. "Serena's my friend, but I know you're her friend, too. And an important one, at that. I couldn't ask you to do that just because I'm feeling a little awkward," she stared down at her lap, a sense of hesitation in her tone.
"Well, it's not just you feeling that way," he added, scratching his cheek. There was no way this could continue, after all, so he should take off before things get even worse-
"Hey, sorry I took a while!" the pair nearly flinched at the approaching voice, both looking to see the honey blonde smiling with three drinks in her hands. "I figured iced tea would be fine with both of you?"
"Yeah, thanks, Serena," the blunette accepted the can offered to her, then Ash did the same right after. All three of them opened and took a sip of their own drinks. Serena remained standing while she looked back and forth between her friends, taking another sip.
"So...What were you guys talking about while I was gone?" both Ash and Dawn could tell that she was trying to help ease the tension in the air, which they were thankful for. Despite the fruitlessness of it.
"Oh, y'know, just memories of traveling together," Dawn took another sip, Ash giving a silent nod. Serena's grip on her can grew a little tighter: come on, these two had to help her more than that...!
"...um...Hey, we should find something to do around here together! There has to be something fun for the three of us!" Ash and Dawn had the same thought, accidentally sharing hesitant glances with one another.
"Ah...Like I said earlier, Serena, there's not that much to do around here..." Ash noticed her expression sink a little, making him feel a little bad. What he didn't realize was that Dawn could see this written on his face, bringing about a familiar feeling in herself.
"...Well, hey, there has to be something, right?" Ash's brow furrowed as he felt a nudge against his arm, looking questioningly to his side and noticing Dawn had slid closer to him on the bench. She had a smile on her face, her eyes looking directly into his before casting the briefest of glances in Serena's direction. "Come on, you've been around Olivine more times than we have. There must be something you can think of, right?"
"...uh..." Ash stared in disbelief, unsure whether or not to trust his intuition. The look on Dawn's face told him that she meant exactly what he thought she meant, but a part of him thought she was messing with him. At the same time, that would contradict what she said earlier about not making him leave, for Serena's sake. Or had she only said that to be nice? Ash couldn't make any sense of this, and he could feel Serena's curious gaze prying into the side of his head. What the hell was he supposed to do here?!
"...Well...I guess there is one place..."
"Wow!" Serena stared in awe at the farmhouse standing ahead of her. "Ash, you...really own this place?"
"That's right, I've called it home for just over four years now," the blonde turned to him with surprised eyes, then looked back at the property.
"Whoa...That's...awesome! I can't believe you've already bought a house for yourself!" the girl exclaimed, making Ash smile.
"Well, the money adds up after entering so many regional leagues and placing. I'm just thankful I was smart enough to leave all of it with my mom while I traveled, she kept it safe for so many years," he chuckled, stepping forward along the small dirt path leading to the front door. "Come on in, I'll give you a tour."
"Awesome! Come on, Dawn!" since the blonde was completely oblivious to it in her excitement, her blue-haired friend squeezed her arm a little with a hesitant expression. As she watched Serena hurry after Ash towards the door, the blunette tried to ignore the sense of nostalgia welling up inside her. She knew Serena was excited to be here, for obvious reasons, but Dawn had to play oblivious. It's not as though she could tell Serena she had already been to this house several times in the past. "Hey, what are you waiting for? Come on!"
"Sorry, coming!" the blunette forced her worried thoughts out of her mind, following after the pair. Ash opened the door and stepped off to the side, gesturing for Serena to go in first, which she did with a smile. Ash continued to hold the door handle for Dawn as she made the final steps towards the doorway. As she stepped past him to move inside, her eyes cast him a knowing look with a brief tap of her finger against her lips before she disappeared inside, the man giving a nod of understanding before following the women inside.
"Wooow...This is so nice!" Ash smiled as he saw Serena had found the living room ahead, slowly spinning circles as she looked around. Ash recalled thinking the same thing when he first viewed the property: the front door led into a simple entranceway with a small closet, continuing into a hallway that led into the rather spacious living room. Off the right side of the hallway was a laundry room, and off the right side of the living room was a connected kitchen with a large island. On the far side of the kitchen was a single door leading into a spare bedroom, consisting simply of a bed and a nightstand. Upon first entering the living room, immediately to the left was the stairway leading up to the second level, which consisted of a master bedroom, a small office space, and a bathroom at the end of the hall. He only used the office space for display purposes of his various trophies and proof of his accomplishments, and the spare bedroom was only the bare necessities of a bed and a dresser, but he sometimes caught some of his smaller pokemon taking undisturbed naps in there. There was also a door across from the laundry room leading into the basement; Ash always figured the basement to be more of a party space, though, so he never spent much time down there. Only a few occasions when he needed a little breather from things. The living room had a three-seat couch facing towards the wall opposite of the kitchen, with a TV mounted on said wall, while a loveseat was against the far wall beneath a window viewing the backyard. The last notable features of the home were the twin sliding doors leading from the living room onto the covered back porch outside, and just past that off to the right was an in-ground pool. "Oh my gosh! Are those all of your pokemon out there?! How much open space is out there?"
"Nearly 10 acres," he chuckled when he noticed the blonde's eyes go wide at his response. "Well, I couldn't just leave them at Professor Oak's lab forever. They're my family, after all, so of course I looked for a lot of space for them to have," Serena smiled, looking again out the back doors as she stared in awe at the field of pokemon.
"That is just like you, Ash..." her quiet compliment went unheard by the man, whose mind was more pre-occupied with something else. Curious, he looked over towards Dawn, who stood by the kitchen island with a hand on the counter, her eyes occasionally looking around the home. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief: at least she was good at acting, even Serena should buy that. The blonde swallowed her breath, gathering her courage. "Say...Would it be okay if we stayed a few nights here?"
"Huh?"
"Wha- Serena?" even Dawn was taken aback by that. Serena continued to stare out the back door, giving a moment for Ash and Dawn to exchanged a hesitant glance, with the man giving a shrug of his shoulders and a questioning look.
"I'm sorry it's kind of sudden, but...it would really help us not having to deal with going back to the center. And it's not like we're strangers who are staying over, right? We're all friends here," Ash hated to think it, but her reasoning made sense. But he couldn't exactly admit to the main reason he would find it uncomfortable. "Come on, don't you think so too, Dawn?"
"Huh? I..." Dawn's hesitant eyes met Ash's once more, then looked to the floor with a lack of confidence. "...I mean, it would be rude to just impose on him so suddenly..." the blonde focused on Dawn's reflection in the window to the side of her view, her fist clenched against the side of her skirt. "But hey, I don't think it would be so bad if it were just one of us, right, Ash?"
"Huh?" Ash blinked, his brow furrowing as he watched the blunette hurry over to her friend before turning her around to face towards him. She held her hands on Serena's shoulders with a big grin on her face while Serena looked over at her, confused.
"You wouldn't mind letting Serena stay over, right? It would be pretty crowded if I stayed, so I can head over to the center for the night," Ash admittedly felt a sense of relief at her suggestion, but couldn't help but be a little curious. Sure, she just saved the both of them from an awkward situation, but...Why would she single Serena out to stay?
"uh...Well, I-"
"No way!" Ash and Dawn both looked at the blonde questioningly. "I...I don't care if it's crowded, or whatever! I wanted the three of us to have fun together, so only me staying while you have to go would be...It would be unfair, and I would feel bad..."
"Hey, come on, Serena, I'm not gonna get lonely or anything...!" the blunette's defense was clearly lacking, especially against the increasingly downcast eyes of her friend beside her. Serena moved her lips closer to Dawn's ears, trying to keep herself out of Ash's view.
"I know what you're doing, but...you don't have to go that far," her whispered words made Dawn blink in surprise, then the blonde pulled her head away again. "Come on, just stay with us. Pretty please?"
"Wha...I don't think...I mean, Ash hasn't even agreed to this yet!" Ash was suddenly put on the spot by the blunette's pointing finger, watching both of their gazes trail in his direction. He was caught between the classic rock and a hard place: Serena's eyes were clearly pleading him to say yes, while Dawn's were begging him to make up any excuse possible to refuse. He couldn't exactly blame the latter, since he was in a similar mindset, but seeing Serena's desire to spend more time together hurt him a little. Could he really just deny an old friend's hopeful request so easily? Ash couldn't exactly deny, he also wanted to spend some more time together with Serena, for old time's sake. But doing so with Dawn around...?
"Please, Ash?" the man swallowed his breath, noticing Dawn's eyes darting back and forth between him and the blonde. It was obvious that Serena's words and eyes had struck a weakness in Dawn, and that's why she was relying so heavily on Ash to do the refusing. But she didn't realize that Ash apparently had that same weakness, if not even worse than she did.
"...I do have a spare bedroom upstairs. And this couch isn't half bad for sleeping on..." Serena's eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas, a delighted smile spreading across her lips while Dawn's eyes narrowed on him slightly.
"Really?! Oh, thank you, Ash!" the man grunted and froze up as he was suddenly embraced tightly, just as he had been when Serena first saw him in town. Part of him wanted to hug her back, but at the same time, the suspecting look in Dawn's eyes as she stared at him made it kind of hard to do anything at the moment...
"Y-Yeah, no problem," he replied cautiously, his eyes trying to avoid the blunette's. He heard a quiet sigh from her direction before noticing her turn away and walk to the kitchen, somehow making him feel even more uneasy about all of this. Did he just screw things up entirely? Did Dawn not want to stay here that badly? "S-So, uh...What do you wanna do, Serena?"
"Huh?" the blonde blinked, pulling herself away from him. She could feel herself growing warmer as he looked at her: truth be told, she did not think that far ahead. "...um...well..." a thought then occurred to her, but it brought a warmth to her cheeks. She finally had an opportunity to spend time with Ash, but just how bold was she willing to get?
"It's okay, Serena, there's nothing bad to do or anything," his assurance gave her a little more confidence, but a light blush rose to her cheeks nonetheless as her gaze fell to the floor.
"...I noticed...you have a swimming pool out there..." the blonde was too focused on the floor to notice the other two in the room tense up immediately.
"A-Ah, swimming?" Ash's eyes drifted out the window to look at his pool, a sense of uneasiness welling up inside of him. He couldn't be positive, nor did he feel the need to look and confirm it, but he felt as though he wasn't the only one who felt this way. And sure enough, the blunette in the kitchen pinching her own arm looked just as uneasy.
"Is that...a no?" her disappointed tone brought his eyes back in her direction, making him tense up right away at the sight of her puppy-dog eyes. The Kalos native didn't want to resort to it, but on the other hand, she did really want to swim. And it was such a nice day out, too! Surely he would listen if she used a little feminine charm, right?
"...uh..."
"Kyaa! Ash, I said don't get my hair wet!"
"Sorry, Dawn, couldn't resist," the young man chuckled, grinning at the annoyed glare he was receiving. The blunette had been sitting on the edge of the pool with the lower half of her legs in the water, her hair tied up in a single ponytail behind her head in an effort to keep it dry, but apparently a rambunctious young man wanting to do a cannonball in the pool had other plans.
"Jeez! You are such a boy...!" the blunette began fiddling with her hair, trying to make sure its shape was still intact while Ash watched with an arched eyebrow.
"Man, you girls and your hair. I will never understand that," he chuckled, earning a roll of the blunette's eyes.
"Yeah, well, when you have something that looks this good and you want to flaunt it, I'll be sure to mess that up for you," she flashed him a smile before poking her tongue out, the young man wading towards her in the water. He knew it wasn't the first time they had hung out in his pool together like this; he couldn't help but admire his friend's sense of fashion, either. Her one-piece swimsuit strongly resembled the one she had worn in Michina Town when they were kids, though the color was now a sky blue instead of pink. A short frill dangled from just above the waist of the cloth, with the entirety of her legs and arms left bare. A small patch of white fabric with horizontal blue stripes was sewn into the underside of the collar, covering any hint of cleavage she might have while her collarbone was exposed. A single strap ran over each shoulder to hold the swimsuit up. Sometimes when he saw it, the outfit reminded him of the old days of their travels, but now that they were adults, and certain things had changed...
"Something you wanna flaunt, huh? Is that why you're posing there like that?" the blunette arched an eyebrow, smiling as she glanced down. After he had splashed her, she brought one of her feet up out of the water and kept it close to her butt on the shore, giving a rather exposed view of her lower half for the young man to enjoy. And enjoy the view he did: Dawn could tell with one glance at Ash's expression that he was fully taking it in as his head hovered above the water's surface.
"Hmm...Just your imagination," he arched an eyebrow as he saw a sly smile spread across her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly as she rested her cheek against her knee. "Besides, if I were really trying to show off, there's a hundred other things I would do before this."
"That's true. This is more like teasing, anyway," his head suddenly disappeared beneath the water's surface, making the blonde watch the rippling liquid with curious eyes. Teasing, huh?
The idea made her giggle to herself as she lied down, keeping her right side close to the edge of the pool. She dipped her right arm and foot into the water as she brought her left foot closer to her butt, leaving her knee protruding in the air while she stared up at the clear blue sky. Ever since they had first developed their physical relationship, Dawn quickly realized that it was much easier to tease Ash than it was when they were kids. Obviously she had his late-blooming interest in women to thank for that, but she couldn't give it all the credit. She glanced down at her chest, smiling at the noticeable twin protrusions contained by her swimsuit. She knew she wasn't huge or anything, like May, who would always complain about back and shoulder problems when they talked, but she wasn't carrying mosquito bites, either. Not to mention they weren't even her best asset: Hell, the word even gave it away what Ash's biggest weakness was.
"Oh, now you're just being unfair," her eyes drifted towards the water, noticing a head now hovering beside her stomach as his eyes looked her up and down.
"Just your imagination~" her playful tone was partnered with a well-timed stretch of her arms above her head, her eyes closing while her back arched slightly off the ground. It was as though she could feel Ash's intense gaze growing stronger by the second. "Besides, I'm just here to relax and catch a tan, since it's such a nice day."
"That's an obvious lie," the blunette's brow furrowed a little as her darkened vision became even darker, forcing her to open her eyes. She blinked in surprise as she noticed Ash's face now hovering inches above hers, hearing the occasional wet droplets of water dripping onto the ground around her. His intense eyes refused to part from hers, making her feel a familiar tingling sensation in her stomach. "We both know that's not why you're here. It's no good to lie, y'know, you should be more honest."
"And what would I get from that...?" his eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze shifted slightly down. She could tell it wasn't very far, so he must have been staring at her lips, no doubt. Too bad she couldn't stop herself from biting her lower lip.
"Maybe...exactly what you ask for," his deep tone sent a chill down her spine, making the tingle in her stomach grow stronger. Dammit, she hated when he used this tone so close! It was her weakness!
"W...Why don't you try that, then...?" her words came out softer than intended, unfortunately showing her obvious hesitance. Unfortunately for the girl, Ash picked up on this immediately: she couldn't hold back a whimper as his lips found the corner of her jaw.
"Because it's more fun to make you do it," his taunting words didn't help, her legs starting to shift together against her will. She knew the tingling would descend from her stomach any second, but she couldn't lose so easily! Not so easily...!
"N...Not to...day...!" Ash smirked as he nudged his nose against the side of her jaw, her head gradually drifting in the opposite direction before his head moved in towards her collar. She shuddered as his lips found the nape of her neck, his tongue grazing her skin before his teeth suddenly pinched her, making her hips jump a little. She couldn't see it, but Ash's eyes curiously looked over at her reaction, his lips smirking more against her as he continued to suckle her neck. He knew she was stubborn, but she always gave in eventually. She could never fight it for long.
"You sure about that?" his deep tone against her skin made her entire body shiver in anticipation. She knew he didn't take long to get impatient. He always got this way when she tried to slow him down. She sucked in a shaky breath, which Ash chose as the perfect sign to stop what he was doing and pull away from her neck. He stared down quietly at the light purple patch of skin on her neck, smirking as he let a few moments pass. He didn't want to look at her because he knew it was what she wanted, and not long after a short silence, he heard a quiet disgruntled groaning.
"You're a jerk...you know that...?" he finally let his eyes drift up to hers, seeing a familiar glow in those cerulean orbs. A knowing smile came across his lips.
"But you're not saying I'm wrong," her pupils trembled slightly as she bit her lip. How much she wanted to refute that remark...!
"...You...know what I want..."
"Hm? I need to hear it directly," she bit her lip a little harder, drawing out a quiet involuntary whimper. Her eyes drifted over towards the water.
"...L...Lick it..."
"Hm? What was that?" his knowing tone made her grumble with a twitch of her eyebrow. She looked back at him, suddenly forcing her fingers into his wet hair.
"God, Ash! Just get down there and eat me out already!"
He smiled more as her hand roughly guided his head away from hers, needing no further indication as his eyes focused on his new target. He couldn't resist from taking a quick nibble of the plump flesh of her thigh, hearing an immediate whimper in response from the girl before he suddenly buried his nose in the fabric of her swimsuit. The blunette's back arched off the ground, sighing loudly as she felt his breath tickling her through her suit. One of his hands found her thigh and started gently caressing it, the tingle in her stomach finally having dropped to where Ash's nose was currently nuzzling. And of course, as always, when she was honest and made a request of him, he obliged.
She felt the fabric over her crotch swiftly pulled aside before she suddenly cried out in delight, feeling something warm and soft pressing against her lower lips. It wasn't long before she felt said lips pried apart by something wet and rough, then it found its way inside of her and began its usual antics. Her hips trembled on the ground as her fingers gripped his head tightly, preventing him from escaping or stopping with the little strength she had left. This was obviously due to the increasing pressure beneath her abdomen, courtesy of his tongue, which she regretted to admit it wouldn't be long before it brought her to euphoria. A part of her was always disappointed she could be pleasured so easily; at the same time, it was only one person who could do this to her.
And that very person wasted no time in driving his tongue further inside, one of his hands trailing up over the fabric covering her stomach before it found one of the mounds on her chest, squeezing tenderly before starting to massage it. She whimpered, glancing down to see her nipples bearing no shame in revealing their shape beneath the swimsuit. After her eyes trailed further down, she couldn't help but smile at the head of wet black hair buried into her crotch before she lifted her left foot, bringing it behind his head.
"That's it...You know the best...spot...!" she rolled her head back as her eyes lit up, feeling his tongue follow her advice as it brushed against a very sensitive spot inside her. She sighed heavily, feeling it graze across once more before something else took her by surprise. Ash smirked confidently at the loud and sudden squeal of delight he heard, continuing to rub small circles with his thumb on the small nub at the peak of her womanhood. Oh yeah, he always enjoyed teasing her, but nothing beat this response. Except for one thing: when he got serious.
It wasn't much longer before Dawn's ankle suddenly threatened to crush his skull, a gush of fluid bathing his tongue as he eagerly drank it. The delighted squealing from the young woman was music to his ears, and a few minutes after her climax, the blunette's ankle finally fell weakly past his head as her chest heaved beneath his palm, her breathing desperate and unsteady. When he finally pulled his head from between her legs, he licked his upper lip in satisfaction before looking up to the woman's eyes with a smile. The glow in her eyes had become much more present, now showing nothing but the one thing on her mind as she stared intently at him. Desire.
"Well? What would you like now?" his words were clearly taunting, but the blunette wasn't fazed this time. Rather, her entire tune seemed to have changed.
"Out of that water. Now," he arched an eyebrow, glancing down as one of her hands snuck beneath his armpit and tried vainly to pull him upward.
"Pushy today, huh?" he chuckled, climbing out of the water and sitting on the edge with his legs in the pool. The blunette sat up, looking down at the easily-noticeable bulge in his shorts before roughly grabbing it. The young man grunted, taken aback before seeing her staring at him with a serious lust in her eyes. "Heh...A snack for a snack...?"
"It's only fair," Ash watched with bated breath as the blunette slumped over the edge, lowering herself into the water before she waded in front of him. With her head hovering between his legs, her palms found his knees before she rose up slightly, her hands trailing up his legs before grabbing the waistband of his shorts. Taking the hint, he lifted his hips slightly before his shorts were quickly yanked downward.
The moment his manhood sprung up into the air, the woman's cerulean eyes shone even more as she admired her favorite shaft. She could still remember the first day she had seen it, thinking it wasn't real like a naïve little girl, but it wouldn't be long before she changed her mind. She had thought that nearly nine inches would be way too big for her to take, but after constant exposure to it - considering both of their sex drives - it was only natural that she had come to favor this dick more than almost anything. She could still smell a faint hint of his musk even with the chlorine from the pool, but she didn't want to distract herself. She knew exactly what she wanted right now, and she didn't want to waste any more time.
The man sucked in his breath as her lips passed over the tip, eagerly sucking in half his length before greedily dragging her tongue around the head. She could see his hips starting to shift against the ground, starting to gain her usual confidence as she felt one of his hands find the top of her head. She prodded her tongue into the opening of his urethra, making him jerk away a little against his control. She couldn't help but giggle, despite it being muffled against his shaft before she slowly pulled her lips back along the skin before they popped off his tip.
"Aww, I thought you liked that?" her teasing words matched with her hand carefully stroking his length made his eyes narrow a little.
"You know I can't control that...!" his response made her smile playfully before she glanced down at the tip.
"Well, what else do you like, big boy?" Ash winced, starting to feel annoyed as he watched the blunette's tongue extend from her mouth and start tracing light circles around the head of his dick. The look in her eyes made it obvious she knew it was bothering him, but he also knew she was doing the same thing he had done only minutes ago.
"You know what I like, dammit...!" the blunette's tongue withdrew inside her lips, her fingers remaining motionless around the base of his shaft.
"Mmm...I do. But it's more fun to hear you say it~" Ash tried to remain silent in protest, but it wasn't long before he gave an unhappy groan, which made the blunette's smile grow.
"D...Dammit, Dawn! I wanna feel your throat already!" the girl felt a surge in her confidence as always, briefly licking her upper lip before giving a rest to teasing him.
Ash couldn't help but groan deeply as the blunette's lips quickly wrapped around his tip, pushing down his length until they reached to the base of his dick. A slight splashing of the water to either side of her didn't surprise Dawn: she already knew that her deepthroating was Ash's favorite move of hers, and a little kick of his legs outward wasn't unusual. And it's not as though his good praises didn't help, either.
She let out an intentional gargled noise as she breathed in through her nose, feeling his tip twitching excitedly against the back of her throat. Her tongue could only reach the lower half of his length, grazing circles around it which made Ash's hips start to tremble. She felt his hand on her head apply a little pressure, not that she minded too much. On a planned day, she would actually welcome the notion, but today was supposed to be for relaxing. Since Ash clearly had different ideas for today, the blunette had wanted to be a little more forceful herself to remain in control, since she knew how Ash would usually get.
She let his length begin to slide out of her mouth, hearing a suppressed groaning from the young man. As her lips moved, she drew her tongue back until she felt the head of his dick come within its reach, wrapping her tongue around it and poking at the tip as her lips stopped just short of it emerging from her mouth. Then she slowly sucked it back down, her palms holding his thighs down as they started twitching from her movements.
"F...Fuck, Dawn...! Stop teasing already...please!" the blunette's eyes glanced up at him, not able to hide her genuine surprise. She had done it a few times before, but it wasn't often she heard such humility from him. It was a big accomplishment in her book, so she looked down with a newfound determination. How could she be so rude to deny an honest request?
Ash groaned as his hips suddenly jerked upward, feeling the blunette finally start to get serious. Her lips hugged his skin tighter as they dragged down the shaft, letting another intentional gargle reverberate from her throat. Each time she drew back, she never let the head leave her mouth before sucking the full length back down, growing quicker with each thrust. Ash's free hand gripped the edge of the pool tightly, straining his knuckles as he groaned with almost every bob of her head.
Dawn briefly glanced upward to see Ash watching her with a mixed expression of pleasure and struggling to endure, making her want to smile before she caught sight of her hand on his leg from the corner of her eye. She grazed one palm towards the inside of his leg before it parted and reached beneath her chin, finding the fleshy sac perched barely over the edge of the pool. Ash flinched immediately as her soft fingers grazed over it, clenching his teeth behind his lips as they began to massage the orbs within. She gave an occasional pinch of one of his balls, then would proceed to massage the other afterward, making them start to tingle.
Ash's hands released the poolside before falling behind him, catching himself as he leaned back. His head fell back, his eyes clenching shut as the blunette worked him like a professional. Her head's movements were still growing faster, her throat's gargled responses from his tip driving inside fueling his sex drive more by the second. Each time he reached inside, she perfectly matched her throat muscles to tighten around him, and each time she drew back, her tongue was circled around where his shaft would be, ready and waiting.
"Fuck, Dawn...! A little more...!" the blunette glanced up briefly, her eyes narrowing in amusement to see that he could no longer watch without lasting longer. But it's not as though she could say better about herself. Even before giving some attention to his balls, her other hand had already made its way down into the water and snuck beneath the fabric of her swimsuit, playing along the outside of her womanhood. Her thumb took its usual place massaging her clit, feeling the burning desire inside of her grow stronger while she managed to keep focus on pleasuring the dick in front of her. It wasn't much longer after Ash's usual warning that two of her fingers had pried their way inside of her, thrusting at her favorite pace which made her nose breathing grow a little unstable. She felt one of his hands find the back of her head again, gripping it tighter than before as his hips started to buck a little off the ground. Her eyes glazed over a little, unable to refrain from getting caught up in his retaliation as usual, feeling his length now driving in and out of her mouth at will. She still tried to move her head in accordance with his movements, but this made his tip prod into the back of her throat much more intensely, making her moan and start to lose focus and strength. She always figured that girls didn't usually like aggressive men, and while growing up, she told herself that the same would be the case for herself. But ever since she first discovered that Ash had this side to him, and she experienced it first-hand...nothing ever got her hornier than this.
With a final aggressive thrust upward, Ash groaned deeply as his other hand found Dawn's head and pulled her down. The blunette's eyes fully glossed over in lust, her eyelashes flickering as a powerful geyser of semen erupted into her throat. The overwhelming volume of his load forced her to quickly swallow it down, but the muscles of her throat made it start to back up past his shaft and fill into her mouth as well, her lips keeping close to his skin to prevent any from escaping. His hips trembled on the ground beneath her, her lips not moving as she swallowed multiple portions of his male essence. Each time she swallowed, she felt more of the fresh hot substance eject from the tip, her constricting throat muscles eagerly squeezing it out of him. He wasn't even aware that his climax had brought her own orgasm to light at the same time, her fingers being coated in her warm juices underwater. It was nearly two minutes before either of their climaxes finally started to subside. Afterwards, she slowly pulled her lips back along his length until they reached his tip, popping off with a heavy sigh and deep breath in as she stared down at the small dribble of jizz leaking from the tip.
"Haah...Haah...Fuck, that...You are the best at that..." his praising words - even through his exhausted panting - made the blunette smile and look up with lustful eyes.
"Well, thank you. I doubt any other girls could handle a load that big, anyway," her playful words made him arch an eyebrow, watching her wade past his side and cross her arms beneath her chin on the edge of the pool.
"Oh, really? I seem to recall you having some trouble yourself the first few times," one of Dawn's cheeks puffed out as she glared a little.
"Shut up, you didn't warn me back then!" she closed her eyes and turned her head slightly away from him, making him smile.
"Acting cute won't change the truth, y'know," an idea came to his mind, watching her eyes remain closed before he quietly lowered himself into the water.
"S-Shut up!" a few moments passed quietly before the blunette suddenly opened her eyes, looking back questioningly before feeling her chest pressed to the wall of the pool. "Wha- Hey! What are you-?!"
"Oh, you know what I'm doing," the blunette tensed up, his breath tickling the nape of her neck as his dick grinded along the crack of her swimsuit. She felt his nose nudge its way into her collar like earlier, her head instinctively tilting away as he began suckling her skin again.
"H-Hey...Are you...not done...?" Ash glanced over at her jaw with an arched eyebrow, despite her not being able to see his response. He released her skin, bringing his lips up close to her ear.
"Are you?" it took all of the blunette's willpower to not do anything after those words. Even so, Ash knew exactly what was going through her mind: Don't turn around and start kissing him. Don't start begging for his dick. Don't start grinding back against him. Too bad she was so stubborn at times, and part of him was convinced she learned that from him on their journey across Sinnoh. But they both knew she was also quick to succumb to great temptation.
"...H...Hurry up...!"
"That's more like it," his deep tone against her ear made her whole body tremble in anticipation, her loins burning as she felt a hand pull the crotch of her swimsuit to the side. In the next moment, she moaned happily as his full length found its way inside of her, pressing her stomach to the wall. Her head fell back and landed on his shoulder, her eyelashes flickering at the sensation before his hands found hers and pulled them out to either side of them, holding them against the pool's edge. His whole body prevented her from moving, she had no strength to struggle, and her sex drive was in full swing thanks to their earlier foreplay.
She couldn't help but smile gleefully up at the sky: looks like she wasn't going to be relaxing anytime soon.
"Come on, Dawn! Get out here already!"
"Alright, alright..." the blunette sighed quietly as she closed the sliding door behind her, stepping out onto the back porch. She continued onto the patio, shielding her eyes when the sunlight shone upon her before looking over to the side where her friend was. She watched the blonde dipping her toe in the pool, clad in a simple white bikini with black polka dots, a delighted smile on her face as she waved her over. Dawn walked over to the edge of the pool, copying her friend before dropping her towel onto one of the lounge chairs.
"What took you so long, anyway? You're usually so quick to change into your swimsuit," Serena's words made Dawn give a hesitant smile.
"Ehehe...I'm not really sure..." the blunette glanced down, admiring her favorite sky blue one-piece before her eyes drifted to the ground. She knew exactly why she took so long: obviously because of the only man in the house. Since Serena had quickly rushed upstairs to the bathroom to change, Dawn took the chance of privacy to discuss with Ash what they were going to do. After a short back-and-forth, and the impending chance of Serena bounding down the stairs in excitement, Ash had agreed to remain inside the house while Dawn goes out and joins Serena in the pool. At first, Ash sounded like he wanted to go with Serena while Dawn remained inside, but it wasn't long before Ash gave up on making that happen. The blunette still couldn't help but feel curious about why he was so adamant on that, wondering whether or not Serena's crush was still as one-sided as she thought, but a tugging on her arm broke her from her thoughts. "H-Hey-!"
"Come on, Dawn, let's swim already!" the blonde smiled eagerly before releasing her friend's arm, sitting at the edge of the pool, then lowering herself into the water. After watching her, Dawn was about to do the same until her eyes became fixated intently on the water, her body suddenly refusing to move. The young woman bit her lip, the sight of the water suddenly bringing a series of memories to mind. Memories that were...not something she wanted to think about with Serena around.
"uh...Y'know, I might just dip my legs today. I don't really feel like swimming all that much," the blonde looked back with a perplexed expression, pushing her wet hair towards the back of her head.
"You don't want to swim? Are you feeling okay?" the blunette frowned a little as she sat down and dipped her legs into the water, looking at the ground beside her.
"Shut up, I'm fine. I just...don't feel like it," Serena stared at her friend curiously, watching one of her fingers poke against the ground for no particular reason. Serena glanced down at the front of her swimsuit, rubbing one of her arms underwater. While Dawn struggled to keep particular memories involving Ash and this pool at bay, Serena started to grip the side of her thigh as she took a deep breath.
"...Hey...Are things okay between you and Ash?"
"Guess this is as good of an excuse as any to clean this place..." Ash flicked the light switch of the basement, the ceiling lights flickering on and illuminating the area. As he looked around, he realized he really didn't come down here much, mostly when he was looking for some of his smaller playful pokemon who liked to play hide-and-seek. But it was kind of a waste of a great space.
Facing the left wall was a recliner chair and twin-seat couch aimed at the wall-mounted TV, further down the wall being a single door for the bathroom. Between the TV and the bathroom was a single cabinet that held a portable FM radio, though Ash had only ever used it for playing the collection of musical CDs held on the shelves beneath it. In the center of the room along the right wall was a bar area, with an opening on each end for people to freely move behind. The bar was made of solid mahogany, standing nearly four feet tall with a lower shelf in behind the counter and three wooden bar stools in front of it. Beneath the counter was nearly all open space, intended for storage of extra liquor bottles and glassware if needed. Ash wasn't a heavy drinker, only drinking a little on social occasions or bad days, but he did always admire this addition to the property. It even came with a couple glassware sets already when he first moved in, so all he had to do was buy a couple bottles of alcohol just in case he ever had guests.
Ash set a feather duster and a cleaning cloth on the bar, putting his hands to his hips as he looked around the basement. This was likely going to take a while.
"Well, at least the girls get to have fun out there..."
"W-What?" Dawn blinked, staring at the blonde in surprise. Serena was still looking down at the water in front of her, her gaze drifting to her side as she continued rubbing her arm.
"I'm not sure why...but I get the feeling you and Ash are being kinda...distant," the blunette swallowed her breath. Serena was usually such a carefree girl, but she had did have incredibly sharp intuition at times. "Didn't you say that you used to travel with him? That you guys were really good friends?"
"I...Yeah, we did. And were..." the blunette thought back: what she said was true, but not at first. When Dawn and Serena first met, neither of them knew the other was friends with Ash, and their friendship was based entirely off mutual interests and having fun together. Then when Serena mentioned an interest in wanting to try contests, Dawn couldn't help but offer a helping hand in being her mentor. After all, it was thanks to Ash doing the same thing that Dawn was able to succeed at anything on her journey. It was actually a few months of traveling together before Serena made a subtle comment about wanting to get better with pokemon for the sake of a dear friend, which Dawn agreed that it was the same for her before their discussion led to the revelation that they were talking about the same person.
They were both clearly shocked that they both knew Ash, especially for Dawn. By this point, it had been a few years since she and Ash broke off their physical relations, so hearing Serena saying such good things about him was bringing up mixed feelings. All the while, she had an increasing suspicion that Serena's feelings were a little stronger than friendship with him, until a few weeks later where Serena fully confided in her and admitted her love for him. It was a clear shock for Dawn, and she wasn't sure how to process it: her new best friend was in love with the same guy that she used to regularly have sex with. How was she supposed to react to that? Part of her felt a little guilty, but she decided to remain quiet and show support for Serena's plight, despite the awkwardness. As long as Serena never found out, then she did hope that her friend's happiness would eventually come to light. The hard part was convincing Serena to gather the courage to just tell him already, and the more they traveled together, the more Dawn realized that was going to take a lot of work.
On the other side of the situation, Serena's thoughts on the matter were much more innocent. Ever since she first met Dawn, the blonde had been so envious of the blunette. She had gotten used to being on her own since parting ways with Ash, Clemont and Bonnie, but having someone beside her and helping again reminded her of how nice it was. The day Dawn suggested she could show her some of the ropes around contests, Serena was ecstatic in gaining a new teacher and friend, so of course she accepted. Then later down the line, the Kalos native never could have predicted that this very same girl had actually traveled with Ash of all people in the past.
It wasn't long before she had come to fully trust Dawn, and decided to finally gather the courage in telling someone about her feelings for him. The blunette seemed surprised, but wasn't outwardly weirded out or anything, which was a plus. Rather, she seemed pretty supportive, offering Serena a smile and kind words in her bravery for saying something. Serena didn't think she was brave at all, though: Hell, she barely had the courage to tell Dawn, and had so many opportunities on her journey with Ash to confess! But she could never do it, so here she was, years later and too afraid to go visit him in Pallet Town. If he was even there, and not traveling in another region somewhere...
After that day, Serena felt even more comfortable around Dawn, and couldn't help but think she now had another reason to stay with her. The blonde didn't want to be a bother with her unrequited love for Ash, so she didn't bring it up a lot, but every now and again she hoped that Dawn could provide a little more insight on how to get closer to him. Since Dawn had traveled with him before she had, there must've been things she knew that Serena didn't, and Serena wanted to learn as much as she could.
"So, is something wrong? From all the stories we've shared, I never got the impression that you guys were on bad terms..." Serena's words made Dawn begin to feel tense. For so long she had kept the truth from Serena, and she didn't want to tell her now, since they were at Ash's actual house!
"Look, Serena..." the blonde's eyes finally drifted towards her friend out of the water, noticing her thumbs twiddling on her lap. Serena felt a sense of unease in her stomach, but couldn't explain why. She was unaware that the blunette's thoughts were reminiscing her last sexual encounter with Ash, recalling what they said to each other before it happened. "...There's nothing to worry about, okay? Things are fine between us."
"Huh? Really?" the blunette gave a nod, flashing a reassuring smile.
"Yeah. Things are just...Well, things change, with time. And it's been so long since we've seen each other, we're not quite the best of friends anymore. We've both been through so much since parting ways, so it's just a little more difficult to connect than it used to be. I mean, it's been years, we both have so much new stuff going on that it would take so long to go over it, don't you think?" her friend's explanation made Serena's shoulders sink a little. The unease in her stomach had finally started to subside, but Dawn's words still felt...unsatisfying.
"Oh...I guess that makes sense. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound paranoid or anything, I just...want you both to get along, y'know? You two are my best friends, so if I had to...choose...I don't think I..." the blonde's tone grew quieter until she couldn't find her voice anymore, her thoughts becoming too painful to continue. Dawn frowned a bit, smacking her palms on her thighs before hopping into the water.
"Hey, what's with that face?" Serena watched as Dawn pushed her wet hair to the back of her head, beaming with a smile as she waded closer. "Come on, turn that frown upside down! We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves, aren't we?" Serena stared at her for a bit, unsure of how to respond before she finally broke into a smile.
"I guess you're right...Yeah, you are right!" Dawn smiled as she watched her friend slap her cheeks gently, then shook her head. "Sorry, Dawn, I guess that was kinda stupid to worry about, huh?"
"No need to worry, you know I'm always here for you!" the blunette's beaming smile became infectious to the blonde, the two girls finally setting aside the conversation. While Serena began floating on her back and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, Dawn waded towards the side of the pool and crossed her arms, resting her chin. Her eyes drifted to her side, focusing on the edge of the pool which brought back provocative memories once more, making her pull her legs closer together. She still wasn't sure if coming here was a good idea or not, but if Serena could enjoy herself, and maybe even find a chance to finally confess, hopefully it would be worth it. All she had to do was keep to herself, and not focus on the memories. Do that, and things will be just fine.
Dawn closed her eyes, letting out a content sigh. Just relax and keep to herself...that's all this trip was for. And that's all she was gonna do.
END