Equanimity, Chapter 6
Starting the moment he became League Champion—everything changed for him. People, who would not have given him the time of day before, flocked around him at every chance. People begged him to battle. Trainers and coordinators alike asked him for advice whenever they got the chance. Ash would be lying if he said he didn't let some of it go to his head, and even more of it out of control.
Two weeks ago when he canceled on Misty, it would mark the first promise that he broke. Less than a month dating, and he already screwed up.
They were supposed to attend the new quarter Kanto Pokemon League announcements party together, but Ash forgot to ask for the time off. He sort of hoped the evening would be empty given the weekday, but he was wrong, and as a result, hadn't negotiated his time well.
Call it his sense of duty or his newly found and inflated ego; but when someone asked Ash to attend a banquet, a tournament, a contest, a showcase and stand in as one of the important figure heads—he had a really, really hard time saying no. Aside from the Kalos league parties, which were twice as frequent than Kanto league—seriously, these guys threw a party about everything! The dinners, the mandatory staff meetings and coaching spots—he barely had time to think for himself, let alone plan a trip to leave and come back all in under forty-eight hours. The plane trip to Kalos was twelve hours one way, so when the Friday before the party came, he...bailed.
Besides being overwhelmed by duties, he really did forget about the showcase he agreed to go to that correlated with the Kanto Party. His biggest fault? Not telling Misty... Sadly, he simply didn't know how to break the news. Not seeing her was hard enough, knowing that it was his fault was another. At least, he thought dreadfully, he saved them from another painful goodbye or scrutiny from the media. That was worth something.
Round two was starting now, right as Misty was arriving in Kalos for a weekend.
Trying to keep away from tabloids, Ash wore a hooded-jacket rather than his usual attire, and he requested that Misty wear something covering up her hair. Since leaving his hotel room, Ash wasn't recognized by anyone. Turns out the basic disguises were the easiest to pull of. He and pikachu blended in without an issue; though pikachu had to hide in his backpack. Not that the mouse complained, he slept the entire way to the airport and was still asleep while they waited for Misty.
Pikachu was as tired as Ash was. Being a champion and a hero was a lot more work than he asked for.
His last interaction with Misty landed him in the hot seat. Even the several different events he attended couldn't overshadow the very-public kiss he made in front of a hundred fans at the Prism tower. Ash was trying, but even his co-workers and manager thought it was a bad idea to be seen out with her again. Initially, it bothered him, as he had nothing to hide, but after they explained that his achievements may continue to be underrated by his relationship, she kindly explained his situation to Misty... and she seemed okay with the idea.
In fact, since he canceled on her, the ongoing text-messages they usually shared, or the occasional email she sent him stopped. She said she wasn't angry, but he imagined that she was.
Therefore, his defenses were up.
Part of him didn't find her temper fair. Everything was changing for Ash, too! He was expected to act and look a certain way now. He had to play the part of League Champion, without overstepping his boundaries into Elite Four territory. Ash was the local hero until his eventual dethroning in the next league, if he lost to the league winner; or until he challenged the Elite Four himself, and took one of their titles. The Regional Champion was still the top-tier of the league, and Diantha was the embodiment of what the Kalos region represented. A clean-cut, optimistic, well organized voice of the region. Having been the official, undefeated champion for years, she had tons of experience over Ash; and therefore helped dictate where and what he was doing most of the time. She, along with the rest of the Kalos committee, or board, or directors—whatever they were—kept Ash busy far earlier and later than any regular 9-5 shift, and found adjusting to that difficult. Sometimes.
Not that Ash would ever tell anyone that. Disappointing Diantha was like disappointing his mother. Both made him feel inferior when he screwed up.
...Which was why he lied to the league for this weekend. Told them he was 'sick', and went incognito to meet Misty. What they didn't know, wouldn't hurt them.
Pikachu thought it was a good idea!
Rubbing his temples, Ash lolled his head back over the back of the bench he was sitting on until a comfortable crack released tension from his upper shoulders and he watched a plane circling above the glass-dome airport.
Positive that Misty's flight already landed, he was waiting for her to clear security, and collect her luggage, whatever she had, and meet him at the exit doors. Other eager families and people waited around him—some of them held signs with balloons attached.
Should he buy balloons? No, that wasn't discreet enough. Ash crossed his arms and hummed bitterly instead, tapping his foot over and over again impatiently.
Nervous to greet her, he worried that their meet up would be tense again. Since she paid her way last time, he covered the air-fare for an over night trip once she suggested coming to visit. Apparently the gym was stressful, and Daisy was driving her right up the wall. Ash was more than happy to suggest her coming to visit... only now that it was happening, he couldn't stop sweating.
Misty made it seem so easy. She managed to organize the gym in time to visit him at the drop of a hat. He certainly hoped she wasn't shirking her duties, but part of him didn't care, as selfish as that was, he simply wanted to touch her again, feel her warmth embrace him. Calm him. Inhaling through his nose, Ash exhaled at the very recent memories.
Man... he had no idea how he got so lucky, especially after being stubborn for so long—and absent from her life. A smile grazed his lips as he sat forward, spotting her red hair as she walked into the lobby. Pikachu's ears perked, and for a moment, he forgot that he requested that she hide her hair. Long enough to be tired into a sloppy bun on her head, she radiated from the sea of grumbling faces around her. The apparently lack of make-up brought out her natural beauty, her skin glowed under the faint gleam from the windows above.
From here, he could see the crinkle in her eye, as well as how puffy they were—probably from sleeping on the plane ride. Given the time difference, she was probably making up for the lack of sleep.
Funny, a few months ago, he would have never thought about recognizing how much make up a woman wore; or how she carried herself. Misty was beautiful as she was strong. Especially beautiful; the way she wore the unzipped, yellow vest she had on during their last visit over a red tank top, and short-shorts reminded him of home.
"If you keep staring, I'll have to call you Brock." Her voice abruptly cut him from his daze and he shook his head to snap out of his stupor; caught staring. His cheeks flushed bright red, how embarrassing. Ash hadn't even realized how close she got until that moment.
"...H..Hey, Mist."
Her eyes crinkled again, welcoming him with a half-smile: "Hey yourself."
The hamster in his brain finally started running again, because he popped out of his seat and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I...I wasn't staring." He denied flatly. But he so was.
Bold deniability brought a smirk to her lips and she leaned in close, eyes narrowing flirtatiously; Ash froze as her lips neared his, close enough to radiate heat.
"Really?" her breath grazed his flesh, sending shivers down his spine. His eyes felt heavy, licking his lips in anticipation until she slowly dropped a cap onto her head, and wheeled backwards.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, grinning.
Snapped out of his delusion, and a little upset it didn't end with, well—something more than a tease, he shook his head side to side.
"Uh, well. I hadn't really thought that far." Coughing, Ash rubbed the back of his neck while Misty snorted and started to walk. Ash gathered pikachu into his arms, surprised that the mouse didn't even stir upon hearing Misty's voice for once. A testament to his own woes, he supposed. Even so, Ash pushed his exhaustion to the back of his mind, and kept pace with Misty who ventured out into the daylight without looking back.
"How was your flight?"
Shrugging, she tossed him a cross look. "Longest flight I've ever been on, honestly."
"Oh...okay."
Realizing she sounded short, Misty slowed her pace and tucked her hands away into her pockets. Nudging Ash gently, she smacked her lips to elaborate.
"I mean, it was a nice flight. I slept a lot. They were super accommodating." her comment brought a smile to his lips.
"First class seats were okay?"
"First class seats were okay." She echoed, but then grimaced a little. "Didn't really need them though. I'm fine riding coach, and everyone else looked ready to sue someone while I..." she trailed off, looking down at her sporty attire.
"It's the only over-night flight I could find this short notice."
"Sorry about that..."
"No it's completely okay." He smiled, wrapping his hand around hers as they walked through the streets, unrecognized. "Any reason why though?"
Scrunching up her face again, she shrugged slightly. "I'll..uh, tell you later?"
"Sure."
So, this wasn't going exactly as he had planned. Ash had planned to whisk her away romantically—even read a few articles on how to do so. Maybe they could duck away into a quiet forest, or spend the day at the lake—or worse case scenario, they could hang out in his hotel room watching movies. Ash preferred to be out, as he was stuck in the same city for almost a month, but so long as he managed undisturbed time with the youngest Waterflower, he didn't really care what they did.
However, she seemed displaced, callous. Maybe her flight wore her out more than before, or maybe she really was angry with him. Usually, angry people didn't take impromptu flights to see said frustration, but with Misty it was sometimes hard to tell.
When they turned a particular corner, Ash stopped, and dragged her with him around a different bend, and into another alleyway. Misty scoffed behind him.
"Something wrong?"
"Uh, no..." He trailed off. Yes there was something wrong! The Elite Four had a opening event at the new pokemon center today, how could he have forgotten! He was almost seen. Yes, he was 'in disguise' but they would see right through that.
"Dodging more of your fans?"
Seeing a way out, Ash stammered. "Y-yes."
"You could just tell me, not jerk me around." She grumbled, snatching her had away from his while he faced her worriedly.
"...Sorry." he grumbled as she took the lead again, and he decided in that moment that yes, she was mad.
Jogging to catch up with her again, to leave the dark little nook, he offered his hand again, which she took hesitantly.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes." She barked, Ash flinched.
"...really?"
Misty sighed, releasing her grip on him as she faced him, with crossed arms.
"Do you want me to be mad?"
"...No, but you seem kinda mad." Ash argued, and when she bounced on her heels, adjusted the strap of her bag, and looked around; she hummed. He could see that she was debating telling him or not, so before she could lay down any issues, he closed the small distance around them and wrapped his arms around her waist affectionately.
"I missed you." Ash offered as he nuzzled his chin into her neck. Having lost her train of thought, she smiled and returned the gesture by draping her arms around his neck and embracing his woodsy scent.
"I missed you, too."
At the comment, his hands traveled up, intimately tracing the familiar frame of her toned body and exhaling loudly. She smelled like strawberries and chlorine—and a little bit of plane seat, but mostly good. What was most important was that she was here. He missed everything about her when she wasn't around.
For a few moments, Misty let herself fall into his arms, his almost inappropriate touching seemed endearing for the time being. It was so easy to fall back into the motion. Which was supposed to be a good sign, right? Even if they hadn't really talked in two weeks, if they could see each other again and feel like a single day hadn't passed, that counted for something, right?
Then again, more than a day had passed, and Misty wasn't the most forgiving type. Hands racing down to grab his, she kindly put a few inches between the two of them with a smile.
"What's on the agenda today?"
Clearly disappointed, but not one to complain, Ash grinned sheepishly.
"I honestly haven't planned anything."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, curiously as she asked: "Really? Why?"
Ash sucked on air, recalling that lying to Misty was bad, which mean he should be honest with her, right? That including telling her about playing hooky to spend time with her. He shrugged slightly.
"Uhm... Well, I kind of told the league I was really sick."
That comment did it. Misty's entire gentle persona dissolved, and she practically shoved him away from her. Licking her teeth thoughtfully and then smacking her lips angrily she put the chip back on her shoulder, and started away from him.
"You really shouldn't ignore your job for me, Ash." She growled, but he knew that had a double meaning. Ash was dense, but he wasn't stupid. Bracing for the double edged sword, however, he grumbled back.
"Misty's if there's something bothering you, I'd wish you tell me."
"Bothering me?" She squared off with instantaneously, looking down the bridge of his nose, to his confused, chocolate colored eyes. "You can call in sick on such short notice this time, but not two weeks ago when we actually made plans in advance?"
Ah, so it was that. Ash didn't back down from the accusation. Maybe he shouldn't have taken the bait, but if she wanted to act like a child again—he wouldn't back down.
"I screwed up then, so I'm trying to fix it now. What do you want me to say?"
"How about sorry?"
"I already apologized."
She scoffed, turning away from him again. "Whatever."
Ash wasn't done, however. No, no, he always had to have his whole opinion out in the open.
"So wait," He grabbed her arm gently, though she quickly jerked away. "You came all the way to Kalos to berate me about the Kanto League party?"
"Of course not."
Stunned, Ash threw up his arms. "Then what the hell is happening right now?"
"I'm allowed to be pissed off."
"I never said you weren't, but that was two weeks ago. Let it go!"
"I'll let it go when you learn to prioritize things! Calling in sick because you're too chicken to ask for one weekend off with your girlfriend. That's sad." Once more, she was toe-to-toe with him, earning a few looks of concern from the passersby in the street around them. No one seemed to recognize who they were yet, so they kept walking, but their conversation caught a few curious stares.
"I'm sorry I can't just cancel scheduled meetings with people unless I have a good reason. It's not like I'm my own boss at a gym!"
Misty clucked her tongue, honing in on the phrase 'good reason' and shook her head, raised her finger and poked him in the chest, forcing more space between the two of them.
"So it's easier for me?" She gawked, clenching her teeth.
"That's not what I meant." Ash back peddled while she backed away.
"No, no, it's okay. But if I'm going to play the role of second-fiddle, I'd like to have a shower first."
Turning on her heels, she barreled toward a populated pokemon center that halted Ash. He didn't want to be swarmed by fans, because then the league would find out he was playing hooky, and wasn't really sick. More than anything, he wanted to follow her—but a voice in the back of his head screamed to give her space.
"I can't go there." He tried weakly, but Misty wasn't having it.
"Oh well!" Misty shouted over her shoulder as she threw up her arms and stomped away, eventually entering the building and leaving Ash to rub his face and scratch his head.
"Chuuu pikachu chu pika." The mouse commented, having been awake for the entire ordeal.
"Yeah, I know that went pretty horrible."
Pikachu poked his head out of Ash's backpack long enough to observe the situation, and decide on their next course of action—as his trainer was dense in matters of love.
"I'm not going to text her, because she's the one being ridiculous." he growled, but planted himself on a park bench only a skip away from the pokemon center, but out of the public view.
"But I'll wait right here, until she's finished."
This is what he got when he was being honest. He should have just claimed to clear his schedule—though he was sure that both options would have resulted to same. She wasn't upset by how he made time for her this weekend, but how he refused to do it before. Part of him understood her logic, and another part of him believed it to be entirely unfair. Arms limp at his side, and ankles feeling like weights, Ash groaned.
What on earth was he supposed to do now?
Wait until she wasn't mad anymore? The time limit on their visit was short enough without spending the first half of it arguing. He needed to remedy the situation fast, and that meant calling in an expert.
In the end, Ash did take out his phone, but instead of messaging Misty; he scrolled down a few people until Gary's name became visible. One point in his life, he may have called Brock, but since the doctor-in-training tended to tread on flowers and swoon, Ash needed a more practical approach. Flowers weren't going to cool her temper.
"Misty's mad. Help?" Ash sent the message to Gary.
Ash set his phone aside for less than a few seconds to watch the door, when it buzzed again.
"Messing up already?" Came the quickly reply, causing Ash to seethe. Gary probably enjoyed this. Good thing he didn't have to elaborate on why she was mad.
"I'd love to help, but you need to figure this out by yourself. That's part of being in a relationship. Don't run for help every time one of you overreacts to something." Gary added as an after-text, and Ash set his phone down once more. Gary was right, didn't mean he had to like it.
"Pika pi?" The most asked regarding Gary's messages, though Ash sighed.
"not helpful... man what do I do, pikachu?"
"...Cha..."
"What do you mean just let it pass?" Ash grumbled, the mouse continued to explain, telling Ash that Misty usually got over the small stuff, and this was small. Ash simply had to learn from this, and improve; and that would make everyone happy... only, Ash was equally as stubborn.
"I already did learn. I took time away to spend time with her. I've done nothing wrong."
"...chu..."
The mouse grunted after realizing Ash was a hopeless case, and went back into his bag to avoid stares, but a second later, Misty called him. Her ringer was custom made for her—tidal waves. That way, he always knew when she was calling. See, he could work a phone!
"Hello?" Asked a confused Ash.
"You still outside?"
Ash wasn't sure how to take that, he chewed on his words for a moment, but decided to say: "Of course."
"Meet me around back, just beside the construction zone beside Central Park East? If you can avoid your fans for that long, that is?"
Ash sighed, but she didn't comment. "Yeah, I'll be there shortly."
Ash gathered pikachu onto his back, adjusted his hoodie to better hide his face, and then stuffed his hands into the pockets when he started his short trek behind the pokemon center. She couldn't just come out the front door like a sane person? Then again, she was talking quietly once again, so Ash wasn't about to ruin his chances to have her peaceful. Instead, he followed the short path to the back of the center, then stopped at the fence line. At first, he didn't see her—it wasn't until he realized that she jumped the fence and was staring into a hole near the abandoned construction site that his heart raced.
At this rate, she'd be the death of him!
Ash scaled the fence, then with two leaps, rolled onto the ground. Pikachu groaned behind him, but Ash appreciated she moved this conversation away from prying eyes. Construction had been halted on this project since Team Flare announced war on the Kalos Region, and hadn't yet been re-surveyed and picked up. Making it the perfect location for a fight, if they were going to have one.
Bracing himself by holding his breath as he neared her, she hadn't moved to acknowledge his existence, though he was plenty loud.
"Mis-"
"I'm sorry." She said abruptly when he got close. "I get a little carried away sometimes, especially when something else is bugging me."
His stomach twisted violently, and he could have thrown up his lunch in either joy or surprise by her comment. When she looked at him with bright green eyes, and her damp red hair gleaming under the sun; she robbed him of his frustration and replaced it with adoration. So easy to forgive.
"It's okay." He replied breathlessly, finding room to smile. "I...It wasn't fair of me to decide which events were more important."
Misty shrugged, looking back into the hole. Created when Lysandre tried to summon Xerosic, parts of central park were destroyed—but were the least important structures to fix of the many destroyed. Ash's memory of this place were clouded by fire and desperation. The majority of it felt like a distant dream. Except, he was still living with the results of a fair rematch with Alain landing him here, standing beside Misty.
Often time, he wondered what might have happened if he didn't win. More than likely, he would have returned home. A loser once again, trying to find the next journey to latch onto; for all he knew, he could have ended up on some island somewhere, relapsing into a child-like state to cope with another loss.
"It must be trouble in paradise." the shrill voice of a woman shook both of their attention, and Ash and Misty faced the entrance of the closed off park, where a large machine was placed, and strategically posed on top was Jessie, James, and meowth.
"Oh... you've got to be kidding me." Misty growled, still a little bitter about their last meeting—provided they kidnapped her and all.
"Why Jessie, they do look rather dull today, don't they?"
"A lovers' quarrel." Meowth chimed in turning their motto into a mocking of their relationship; and Misty was having none of it.
"Okay, you're both too old for this. It was funny when we were kids, but you have to stop."
Her abrasiveness even startled Ash and pikachu who watched her with a questionable gaze.
"Last time I saw the two of you, you had just helped kidnap me, which means I'm tired of your shit. Ash has at least six pokemon that could eat all of your pokemon, and I have gyarados with me today—so why don't you run along and terrorize someone else for once, before I get testy!"
"Misty..." Ash mumbled, but Jessie snapped at Misty.
"Well aren't you rude!"
"You've been following Ash since he was ten! Get a life—better yet, go get a job!"
Silence followed, and neither the Team Rocket trio, or the young couple moved. Misty stubbornly watched them with narrowed eyes, prepared to command her strongest pokemon in the flash of an eye, while Ash watched them both, helplessly.
He knew that the trio were inherently good, after all, they gave pikachu back to him...but. Shifting his gaze to Misty's wrist, he decided to stand at her side. They also had a lot of bad ideas that ended by increasing the difficulty of some of his simpler tasks. Evidently, they were always around, and constantly in the way.
"You guys should leave. You've already proved to me you won't take pikachu; so... move on." Ash suggested quieter, with the mouse chiming in a kind agreement.
Leaving the trio stunned, and stubborn; they refused. Pokeballs drawn, they prepared to fight, which was met with immediate haste by pikachu who jumped from Ash's shoulder and spun a web of lightning in their direction. Misty covered her eyes as the electricity sparked the machine's motor, and ignited.
"Al'ight, we get it!" Meowth cried, jumping off of the machine, and running away, the oposite direction of the fire. Pikachu landed on the ground just as Misty called gyarados to put out the fire the mouse created, and stared curiously at Ash as smoke rose behind her.
"I can't believe they would show up again after last time."
"I didn't even know they followed me here." Ash shrugged offering her a kind smile. "Old habits die hard?"
"They're almost thirty. They need a new habit."
Laughter started in his gut, and erupted through his entire chest until he rolled into a fit of giggles, followed acutely by Misty's own laughter.
"It's alright, I think you scared them away, at least for a little while."
"Hopefully for good. They're like beedril. They don't go away."
Ash smiled but shook his head, then calmly wrapped his around around her shoulders, running one hand down her arm until grazing the scarring injury on her wrist. An ugly, red scar carved along the top of her wrist, remnants of an injury that nearly cut to the bone from when she wiggled out of her handcuffs. Without thinking, he brought the scar to his lips, and pressed firmly against her warm flesh, feeling her shiver beneath his touch.
"It's almost healed all the way. Doctor said the scar would be red for while."
"S'allright." Ash smiled, bringing his lips to hers abruptly, without thinking. Knee-jerk response to their proximity.
Misty blinked a dozen times before Ash found his words again, and separated from her mouth with an embarrassed grin over his lips, and a bright red hue over his cheeks.
"We...uh, should really leave this area before people come to check out the smoke."
"Wouldn't want you to be seen."
"I really don't want to be." He sighed dreamily, and Misty took that as a good answer, because she hooked her arm around his; returned and thanked gyarados, and then dragged him further into the small forest.
XOX
They hadn't eaten in nearly two hours while Misty played with Ash's hair, using the last hour of silence they shared to make amends. The trek to privacy was a stilted one, but once they reached a small clearing a way out of town, they sat and.. talked.
"I don't know what on earth I'm going to do with you." Misty grumbled, brushing the small braids out of his hair that she made and sat on her feet across from him.
"Nothing? I can take care of myself." he groaned shaking out his hair in retaliation.
"Not what I meant..." She muttered, brushing her hands against the long strands of forest grass. Earlier, she released maril to explore the forest with pikachu, and to give them some very much needed alone time, away from prying ears and eyes.
Tired, Ash sighed and looked around the clearing. Birds chirped, trees hugged them around every corner, and aside from the distant frolic of pikachu and maril, it was quiet. Here they sat, in turmoil, though neither of them would confess.
"You're upset and that's fine."
"I'm not.."
"It's okay." Ash nodded, offering a cute smile. "...but honestly. I really just want to kiss you. So if you want to be upset, maybe you could take it out on me in other ways than silence."
Misty's jaw cocked to one side, apparently the only person sitting in the clearing that had any idea how bad what he said sounded. She could have reiterated again that she wasn't upset with him—but she was partially lying. At least he wasn't trying to weasel himself out of it.
"You know how that sounded, right?"
"I don't care." he retorted, eyebrows furrowing. He clearly did not, the innocent boy that he was, but to his character; he was always honest.
"Then kiss me." She taunted back, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes dangerously at him.
It was stupid that he was still nervous about this. They had kissed several times now, some not so chaste, and a few his mom would raise an eyebrow at, but when she was so glaringly abrupt, it made his nostrils flare and his stomach tie into knots. Giddy, or terrified. He couldn't be certain. His cheeks were clearly the same color as her, bright red, and light headed, and he found himself trying to pay attention to her rather than her lips getting closer to his own.
Then, her lips curled up, taunting him in the same fashion as a sly grin, and he swallowed hard against the knot in his throat.
"Do you have any idea how much-" But it was so hard to listen when she dangled her mouth so close to his. It was almost like she was begging for him to kiss her—and so he did. Roughly. Grabbing the back of her head to bring her forward so fast, her head spun and her eyes remained wide open in shock as he squeezed his own shut.
The soft traces of her lips, the pressure of his fingers wiggling through her damp hair. She had no words left when he separated from her. While her lips still partially split at the surprise, he licked his own with a mocking pop. That would be two initiated kisses for him; zero for Misty. He was really winning at this boyfriend thing.
"Ash..." She growled but a grinning Ash put a finger to her lips, and then brought her in close by guiding her chin forward and wrapping his other arm around her back.
He purred. "Shut up, Mist."
While he always favored their talks, their banter, their weird way of flirting; there was no denying that sometimes she got carried away and needed a prompt push in the right direction. Besides, he was yearning to kiss her again.
A furious blush covered her cheeks in retort as he brought his moist lips down onto hers again in a sweet kiss, unlike the last. Dampening on tingly, maybe even breathtaking. Ahh, he loved kissing her probably about as much as he loved battling—if not more. His lips parted hers again, skipping the routine innocent kisses in favor of ones that would acquire those sounds from her throat.
Damn him she swore, though she couldn't let him have full control over this moment. His lips parted her with a gentle brush of his tongue against her bottom lip... so of course she clamped her mouth closed and racked her fingers into his dark hair.
Tugging away, Ash blinked down at her, their position was now him towering over her, with her back flush against the forest floor and grass up to his back. Glazed eyes watched her lips as she grinned.
Not fair! He wanted to complain, but instead decided her would find another way to open her mouth. Dipping into the crook of her neck, he planted a few kisses, and then bit down playfully as the rest of his body covered hers.
"Ow!" She snipped, but her giggles indicated some level of enjoyment, so before she could refuse his access again, he quickly went back to her lips, and devoured her mouth with his own, letting his tongue slip inside and explore. Eliciting a moan, she propped her legs up around his waist, and tangled her arms around his neck to bring him down closer. Bravely, he lapsed his fingers around her slim waist, which seemed so much smaller when they were so close; his body overwhelmed hers. Misty didn't seem to mind how his fingers pawed at the flesh below her clothing, gently slipping around her back.
Again, she gasped as their mouths moved so familiarly against one another and he stopped to grin at her once more. Smacking his lips satisfyingly; a red hue over his own cheeks. Kissing her always worked him up. It wasn't even 10:00am yet, and he was already knee deep into a wonderfully wonderful petting with his beautiful red head. She caught whiff of this, and exhaled.
"I'm still mad at you." She wagered, but it was an empty threat. Ash grinned in turn.
"If that's how you kiss me when you're mad at me, I wonder what pissed off feels like." He offered, his toothy smile forcing her to pinch the back of his neck playfully in repercussion.
"Ow." he winced, nudging her as he dipped his lips down to the nape of her neck, and unzipped her vest to allow access. Ash's hot kisses brought her mind back to him in one motion as he ran his hand up the back of her shirt.
"I'm sorry I canceled on you." He said naturally, kissing below her earlobe. Misty rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to claw her nails into his back.
She scowled, or at least tried to. Her entire face was so hot, she was lucky words were forming at all. "That doesn't sound sincere at all."
Then he stopped, and looked her in the eye. "If I had to pick between kissing you and battling. I would kiss you every time." he paused, watching her throw her head back in hopelessness.
Ugh! She thought angrily, she hated his horrible analogies and how sweet they were. They did things to her that weren't proper, things Ash was not ready for. With butterfree swelling in her stomach, she met his eyes and huffed expecting to see sincerity; only, she saw a seductive, wild, mischievousness instead. A side of him that was only hers during times like this. Her mouth twitched.
"Unless it was something major... like a legendary or something." He paused. "Or a league match. Or, well, the chance to eat a decent meal rather than suffer at your cooking." He wagged an eyebrow at her, and she could feel a vein forming over her cheek.
"There you go again." She hissed "Stop while you're ahead!" Bumping him on the head playfully as he stuck his tongue out at her and then wrapped his arms protectively around the full of her back and snuggled in close at her side.
He mused into her neck, "I love you, crazy."
"That nickname is not allowed to happen!" She yelped, turning red as he could only smile at her.
XOX
They were cuddled under a tree picking at grass and flowers around them, talking about what was going on with the both of them.
"So...You're planning Daisy's wedding?"
"Yeah, and she doesn't seem to want to help at all."
Misty ripped out a handful of grass and let it go. "Plus, some league officials have been coming around a lot more lately, checking the gym out and constantly scrutinizing my behavior. That league party was kind of a big step for me, since I usually ditch them."
"Which is why you were so mad?"
"No, I would have been as angry if it was any other event. I felt like you didn't try to make the time."
Ash stopped himself before he admitted to the fact that he didn't try to make time, but that was one of those comments better left unsaid.
"I'll make it up to you."
"You already have in some ways." She winked, her hair brushing over her shoulder to reveal the marks he left on her neck. Instinctively, he brushed her hair back over her neck and she chuckled.
"I freaked out the other day when Daisy bailed on a venue we were going to look at, and decided to come here instead. She always has a ton of advice to hand out until it's about her own life."
Ash narrowed his eyes curiously. "She bailed?"
"Yeah, I originally booked this weekend off to look at a venue in Celadon City with Daisy—what'cha gonna do about it?" She pursed her lips and raised her brows while Ash chuckled and brought his other arm around her to hug.
"Nothing. I was just glad you made it."
Misty closed her eyes at the embrace, and exhaled happily.
"I haven't battled someone since I became champion." Ash grumbled against her arm.
"Brutal, you must be dying."
"Sometimes I feel that way." he chuckled into her hair, "I don't start taking on trainers for a few more weeks, everything thus far has been Diantha introducing me to the rest of the region, and plastering my face on every poster."
"And meetings you don't get a say in?"
"Exactly." Ash sighed, trying not to complain about how he missed traveling, and going wherever his heart desired.
"I do have a nice room in the Richissime hotel though. That kind of makes up for all the bad stuff."
Misty pushed herself away from Ash, staring wide-eyed. "You have a room in the Richissime hotel and you didn't immediately take me there?"
A surprised Ash blinked a hundred times. "...I... I guess I didn't think you'd want to go?"
"To the grandest, most luxurious hotel in all of the pokemon league? You must be nuts!" She shoved him slightly. "You were holding out on me! Brought me into the middle of the forest to hide from people when we could have just hid in the spa area of the hotel!"
Ash's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. He imagined he looked a lot like a magikarp, but shook away the shock.
"I mean, we can still go."
"Heck yes we can." Misty urged, trying to get up, but then decided against it when that mean temporarily removing herself from Ash, to which she fell back down, and decided to flop back on top of him instead.
"Or, you know, this is fine too." she muttered, kissing his lower lip, and then his chin, until she straddled him, and marked light trails down his neck. He groaned affectionately and bumped his head on the tree behind him, accidentally.
"Yeah, this is fine." he said breathlessly, grabbing at her ruffled clothing and extending his neck to make room for her lips as her fingers tugged his shirt collar away from his collarbone and sucked on the flesh there. This was fine, a little teasing—at least until her her hips ground against his unintentionally.
With a jolt, he holstered her up using his legs and hands, immediately detaching her from his body. Wide-eyed, he looked up at her, and wished to fall into the floor.
"Uhm?" She asked, blinking several times, nearly hovering over him. He was like a meowth trying to claw his way out of water. Ash swallowed hard and shook his head.
"I, uh..." The red blush on his face told Misty everything that she needed to know, so she quickly rolled over onto the grass. With her knees pulled up to her chest, and a cherry-tint over her cheeks, she rubbed the back of her neck.
"You know... it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Reassuring him was fruitless because he hid his face away in his hands, and made no attempt to reconcile her opinion.
Misty waited a few beats until Ash had completely shut down, to remove his hoodie from the forest floor, and drop it over her head, and then over her knees. It was a tight fit, but the fabric pulled far enough to encase her in the Ash-scented fabric. She would never understand his reaction to intimacy. He was totally fine with kissing, until there was a physical reaction. As soon as his body indicated any sense of enjoyment, he shut down her advances—though, she couldn't blame him. Ash was far less experienced... not that she had any experience, either!
Misty had no personal experience, but she was far more desensitized to sexual activity than Ash was. She read more romance novels, occasionally caught the steamy episode of a soap opera; and of course, she heard a million and one tales from her sisters about their conquests and rejects. While it never really mattered to her back then, she wished that she could recall a time when a guy was anxious. The comforting words might have really helped Ash right now.
Then, while she spaced out, staring at her red sneakers that covered her wiggling toes, Ash pried a finger under his hoodie that rose against her thigh and mumbled incoherently.
"You'll stretch it out." He reiterated, popping the hoodie off around her knees with her approval. She kicked out her legs, and let the garment flatten out as she watched him apprehensively.
"Since when do you care?"
Ash snidely replied: "Since it's my only one."
"Well I guess you'll just have to get a new one with all that champion money." She stuck out her tongue, and tucked her legs back under the fabric much to his display.
"Misty!" He screeched, wheeling over to pull it back over. "Take it off." He demanded secondly, lifting the fabric over her head without a second though.
Misty's giggles erupted in the quiet area, swallowing up the chirping birds. Eventually his own laughter joined hers as he struggled to remove the hoodie until the fleeting, awkward moment passed, and they were two young adults laughing once again.
"No, I'm not giving it back!" Heaving from her laughter, Misty retaliated by falling onto her side, which Ash followed in a jerking motion to wrangle the shirt away from her.
"You already have a vest!"
"It's revenge for the time you didn't give me your original Indigo League hat!" When his fingers grazed her bare skin then tightened into balls around the blue hoodie, he leaned in close to her blushing face, smiling. Struggling with half the hoodie over one arm, and the other still stubbornly wrapped around her left arm; she stuck out her tongue again, and Ash whipped his hands up, then under her own arms, successfully taking away the hoodie and curling it into a ball under his arm.
"Mine." he retorted blandly, sitting on her hips though she laughed giddily beneath him.
Silently and with a grin, Ash watched the young woman turn several shades of pink laughing at how funny she was acting. The way her hair sprayed around her head, flush against the grass, and the fading sun brought out the best hues of her green eyes. Ash leaned in close, waiting for her eyes to open. When they did, he chastely pecked her lips.
As he pulled away, she exhaled, muttering: "I love you." as a rosy tinge covered her cheeks.
Those three words from her mouth were an electroshock that made his heart skip like a scratched record. She didn't say it as often as he did—whether she realized it or not. But when she did; she always had that same look of infinite bliss and adoration; eyes only for him. For a moment, he wondered how he missed it for so long, and then secondly, how oddly comforting and terrifying it felt hearing her say it.
In an instant, the playful banter was gone. He found himself kissing her again. This time with a sense of urgency lost on his other kisses as his hands trailed up her shirt, revealing her stomach as she gasped. He broke for air, darting his mouth down to the soft spots of her neck as he pressed against her, hearing a pleasant moan when his hands grabbed lower...and lower...
And then Misty's phone rang.
Lost in a trance, she panted as her eyes opened worriedly, but with a grunt from Ash followed by a sting against her neck, she was his again.
"Ignore it." he groaned, pawing at her inner thighs. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but that's what his body told him to do; so he went with it especially because of the way she moved beneath him when he did. Misty didn't need to be told twice at this rate, and when the vibrates ended only a few seconds after they started, she let out a pleasant noise, as he sucked on her revealed collarbone.
Her phone rang again; this time more persistent than last, and drawing Misty's attention once more. She reached for it, but Ash stopped her. Promptly snatching her escaped hand and brought it back to his body, pressing the palm of it against his racing heart as he kissed down her arm awkwardly and found foundation on her lips.
"A-Ash." She moaned, face heating up and legs wrapping around his thighs again. How many times were they going to go back and forth like this? Her mind was in a fog, and for once she didn't resist the idea.
Of course, in the middle of an open forest wasn't her ideal place to lose her v-card, and this early in her relationship, after making up was a bit...
Once more, the familiar tune of her ringtone grazed their ears, though Ash's lips smacking against hers provided the appropriate distraction.
"They'll leave a message if it's important." Misty reassured him, to which Ash nodded in agreement and traced his fingers up her backside once more, until his fingers traced over the back of her sports bra, then to the front, where the grazed just beneath the band. Her back arched, pushing against him harder as her hands ran up his shirt to mimic his own movements. Only, she didn't hesitate when her fingers crawled over his toned chest; reminding her she hadn't seen him without a shirt on in a very long time.
Then, the ring echoed back, and Ash finally growled. Hastily, he patted around for her backpack to officially silence the silly jingle. Leaving her lips parted temptingly, he pulled away long enough to check the number, and groan.
"It's Daisy." He muttered, his voice raw as Misty pulled off her vest beneath him.
"Just silence it." Misty grabbed at her pokegear phone, flicked a few switches, then dropped it back into the grass before returning to their business. Ash wasn't acting at all the shy-boy from before. Stuck in a lusty haze, he nipped and grazed along her body as if he had gone numb to the fire he lit inside of them with each touch. Every time she moaned, he squeezed her harder, when she squeaked he kissed her deeper—when she wiggled he...
"I'm gonna break your phone." He reached for the alarming technology when she swat his hand away, then reached into his back pocket and removed his own ringing phone.
"Not mine this time."
"Do they have sonar?" Ash grumbled unironically, but before he could disregard several messages from Dawn, who was currently trying to call him, Misty stopped him by putting her finger against his lips and sucking in air.
For whatever reason, maybe it was because he was currently in a daze, but with her shirt pulled up to the underneath of her breasts and her hair a ratted mess, with swollen lips; she didn't look too convincing when she told him to stop. He imagined that he didn't look very different; and their bodies were definitely not saying now.
"Maybe it's a sign."
"For what?" he asked, clearly confused, which made Misty grimace—wondering how far this really would have gone. With Ash, petting, groaning and groping was all she could expect, but that didn't stop the disappointment plastered momentarily on her face as she propped herself up on her elbows.
"Too fast." She gestured with her hands. "Us." Mouth dry from the sudden attention she was getting, she had to lick her lips to keep from screaming.
Ash sat back on his calves, watching her intently, phone still carelessly between his fingers when it started to ring again. Perhaps he was finally mulling over what was about to happen—as not even the great, dense Ketchum could have this moment fly over his head. Surprisingly enough, he didn't jump at the first chance to escape, he did, however, nod solemnly, and flick his thumb over the answer button.
"Hello?"
Misty's head hit the ground again, relieved to have had the moment pass. What on earth was she thinking? They weren't ready for this! As the thought raced into her mind; she wondered what Daisy could have been calling for. With her brain function returning, slow realization crept in that she had removed her vest, and that she felt naked with only short-shorts on and her tank-top rolled up below her breasts. Being a professional swimmer, Misty spent most of her time dressed in less, but something about the sudden escalation and the abrupt stop left her exposed. Also, probably because they were in the middle of a forest, which didn't bother her a few minutes ago, but now that oxygen was supplied properly to the proper nerves.
She was freaking out! Immediately, she flung her hands to cover her cleavage and tug down her shirt to keep herself decent.
Ash noticed the panic with a raise eyebrow, despite Dawn rambling on the other side of the phone, and then surprisingly dropped the hoodie they fought over a minute ago over her chest, and leaned in to drop a kiss on her forehead before slipping off of the girl.
"Dawn, slow down. I can't understand anything you've said." He offered as Misty closed her eyes, honing in on the gentle kiss. His mouth had been everywhere—well, at least everywhere above her chest in the last few hours, and yet it was the affectionate last kiss that made her swoon entirely; and a little dizzy.
Clutching the hoodie for life, she exhaled, and quickly pulled it on over her head; her cheeks stained red as she plucked her phone off the ground.
Sixteen text messages from Daisy, and five missed called. Two voice mails. Fuck. Misty wrestled with the internal butterfree in her stomach and sat cross legged in the grass, swiping through the messages with growing resentment. The messages were littered with short versions and long versions of frustration, venting, and scolding.
Where are you?
We were supposed to check out a Venue.
I showed up where are you!?
Lots of incoherent, angry smashing of the touch screen, and then the calls started. This was just like Daisy. To cancel plans only to later change her mind, and then blame Misty when she rescheduled. Misty didn't run on Daisy's agenda, and with her older sisters constant flaking and bailing, the youngest Waterflower thought she was in the clear. Apparently not! Daisy, of course, had to have a change of heart at the last minute. Misty nearly clicked the voicemail icon when Ash jerked to her feet, shouting over the phone at Dawn.
"Did he hurt you!?"
Alarms went off in Misty's head, forgetting about Daisy momentarily as Ash started the pace.
"C..calm down Ash." Misty heard Dawn croak from the way that Ash quickly gathered his bag from the ground.
"To hell I'll calm down! I'll kick his ass, Dawn!"
At this, Misty head tilted, standing up only to realize how wobbly her legs still were. Embarrassment passed, and she reached out to grab Ash to get a handle on the situation, before he flew off of it.
"It wasn't his fault—I just-" More crying and Misty raked her nails across Ash's collar to set him still in the forest. At the distressing tone of his voice, pikachu and maril poked their heads out from a shrubbery a few feet away curiously while Misty made a face urging Ash to relax. When he was upset, his brows furrowed, darkening his brown eyes, and his jaw cocked to one side.
"I just had to tell someone, please don't let this change your view of Paul."
"What's there to change?" Ash growled, glaring at Misty who successfully managed to calm him down. She then lifted her hands from the grip she had on his collar and up to the phone he was carrying, urging him to hand it over. When it came to problems, Ash acted before he thought. More than likely, whatever happened, he was making it worse, just by being so angry.
"Dawn? Hey... It's Misty."
"Oh no, you're there, too?"
"Yes. I was visiting Ash." Misty's matter-of-fact tone was quicker to relax the wheezing that Dawn was producing through the phone, but Ash stayed close so he could hear the conversation; with his jaw clenched shut. Dawn had muttered some kind of apology, but she had to have been covering her face, because she sounded hoarse and muffled.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?"
Then, the sobbing again. Dawn sounded like she was in a diner—probably. Some place public, anyways. Misty glanced down at her watch, noting the time in Sinnoh to more than likely be around 4:00AM by comparison, an odd time to call. Though the sun hadn't set in Kalos, it was fading slowly, and so was Misty's patience.
"I...uh..." Dawn sniffled, "I...Paul..."
"Spit it out, Dawn." Misty grumbled, and Ash nudged her for being so forward, but she held up her hand to silence him.
"We had sex."
Misty's brows rose beyond her bangs, and she had to cock her head to look at Ash who was unimpressed—Dawn had managed to spit that out already, but why was she crying.
"Like...did he hurt you?" Misty asked, not trying to repeat Ash's short interrogation, but the question brought more tears.
"...No." Dawn more than likely placed her head onto a surface, along with her phone because the couple heard a drop as Dawn sighed.
"Then what's wrong?"
"I...I sort of persuaded him. I've been... you know, with him... a lot." Hiccuping, she paused. "We had a fight and...made up and...you know how I am... I jump into things."
Misty actually didn't know how Dawn was, a comment directed to Ash, probably.
"...he said he loved me." For the first time in the conversation, Ash's gaze softened, glancing briefly at Misty who missed the look because she sighed—already knowing what was coming next.
"I don't love him though...so... Fuck. I ran away." And then the tears again. Anger left Ash's body and was replaced by sorrow and empathy for his long-time friend. Misty, however, didn't echo his feelings.
"So, what?" She asked in a voice colder than he had ever heard. This stunned Dawn as much as Ash, because there was a moment of silence.
"So, you regret sleeping with him?"
"...I...Maybe..."
"Or do you regret leading him on, and realizing it just wasn't good for you, too?"
Apparently, Misty hit the nail on the head, because Dawn clammed up while Ash whispered what are you doing?
"I thought it would be different. That...he would be." Dawn answered after the lapse in conversation.
"Yeah, sometimes it's the wake-up call you need. You can't blame yourself; but you can learn from this."
"You think so?"
"I hope so." Misty echoed, "Are you okay?"
"...I think so." Dawn added, though Ash was clearly not okay with how the brief conversation unwrapped, because he swung confused hand gestures around his head.
"Thank you, Misty—and Ash, too."
"Any time." Misty hummed, "Do you need to talk anymore?"
"...Nah... I'm actually pretty tired now. I think I'll head back to the pokemon center and crash."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah—thank you."
"Do you want to talk to Ash again?" Misty questioned, but Dawn chuckled.
"No... but tell him I'm sorry for breaking up your date to listen to my problems."
"That's what we're here for." Ash said with a nod.
"Uhm... one last thing..." Dawn stifled her cough. "...Does this empty feeling go away soon?"
"I honestly wouldn't know... but I could give you Violet's number if you need to ask someone else."
Dawn thought about it for a minute, then sighed. "No, it's alright. Thank you again."
"Good night." Misty added just before the phone call ended.
A quiet settled between them. Ash crossed his hands over his chest and looked horrified at Misty; face scrunched up and a bit disgusted.
"Why would you handle it like that?"
"Because she's over reacting." Misty growled in her defense, still holding Ash's phone. She then held up her fingers to list of what they knew. "Regret doesn't make Paul a bad person."
"Further more, my sisters deal with this shit all the time. Intentionally or not, it's all a game; they find someone that isn't really into them, they make them like them, they pretend like they could love them—then when it actually gets serious. They run away. They back out. They cry, they complain. They get over it."
"Yeah...but Dawn isn't.. she's not like that."
"Really?" Misty blinked. "And you know this because you've spent any moderate amount of time around her lately?"
Misty held up her hands to diffuse his anger. Commenting on his lack of contact skills was a cheap blow, but then she continued by adding.
"Maybe she isn't like that, but today's events will decide on how she continues. She'll either keep doing this, or she'll stop and find something else. Daisy eventually did, she found Tracey. Violet found out she's into girls. It's a bunch of nonsense, that frankly, is very personal. Something she has to work out on her own time."
"But that's something that we-"
"Nothing that we can do unless she asks." With that, Misty handed Ash back his phone and collected her vest off of the ground.
"Dawn is an amazing young woman. She'll figure it out, and when she's ready to talk you can be there. Or we can be there. It doesn't really matter."
"I guess... she just seemed really shaken up."
As they walked, Misty used that moment to wrap and arm around his shoulders.
"Yeah, but you were there when she needed you. That's all we can do now."
"...Did you have you to be so harsh?" When the question escaped his lips, he thought that he may have made a mistake, because Misty dropped the arm she had placed around him, and tucked her hands into her pocket.
"Tough love is the best medicine sometimes." When Ash reached out for her, she kept one step ahead of him upon seeing the city lights.
"I'm pretty tired; and it's been a long day. Maybe we should just call it for the night."
Night? The sun wasn't even fully down yet. Feeling a little disconnected, Ash touched her arm, but suddenly his touch felt like daggers, rather than sunshine. Quietly she removed his hoodie, and handed it back to him. Reinforcing the idea.
"Maril, pikachu. C'mon." Misty called out, and then turned on her heels, grateful for a warm spring night as she tugged her vest back over her shoulders and walked ahead. Eventually, Ash trudged along.
Right now, Dawn wasn't the only one with questions.
Author's Note: edited 2018-12-01
OH GOD THE CRINGE.
I cleaned up some text errors and added more dialogue. I changed a lot.
Biggest changes:
I edited the moment between Ash and Misty and Team Rocket to include more foreshadowing and not just a 'random encounter'! I edited out Misty's irrationality because it went back on 90 percent of her development provided in Spitfire, and replaced her problems with more coherent reasons, as well. The majority of their scenes are the same, but I really edited the interaction, mostly so they felt more real. More like stupid 18 year olds.
Rather than call Misty, (which made no sense) Dawn calls Ash instead. Dawn never developed a full 'friendship' with Misty, and the correlating plot that follows this scene affects the story not at all; or at least, in a way that can't have Misty replaced by Ash in this scene. Plus, Ash and Dawn are supposed to be like brother and sister, so why would she have tried to keep the information from Ash to begin with? I also add the conversation that originally took place in chapter 10 here, right now, because it proves a moderate amount of foreshadowing, and honestly. IT MAKES MORE SENSE. Why would Dawn be all cryptic and weird like she was in the first version?
I TWEAKED the huge make-out session that is literally half this damn chapter (Ffs, a classic fanfic, no?) to make it feel like they both knew they were rushing into it (but couldn't care because hormones) so that later on in the story; when they have tense moments, it doesn't feel as abrupt. Consistency.
I also didn't send Misty home right away this time; and their story will continue in what will be chapter 8
