Misty shifted uneasily as she eyed Ash. For some insane, unfathomable reason he had called her outside, out of the crowd and the clouds of perfume and the lights.
They were alone. It was evening, and it was cold and dark. Somewhere far off glass clinked.
"Okay, Ash. We're alone now. What did you want to say?"
She didn't want to think about the situation at the moment, because the connotations of it were too suggestive. Of course, nothing like that would happen between the two of them. Ever. Ash was just some immature, thickheaded kid who had known her since they were both ten. Yes, they had traveled and slept out in the open together and had journeys, but he was always going to be the same. Somehow it was a comforting thought, that things would always be the same. They were best friends, and not even once had Misty thought of having any kind of romance with him. He might have a kind of puppy-dog obedience for her, but he definitely wasn't infatuated with her, nor would he ever be. It just wasn't conceivable. It was... ridiculous. Absurd. Preposterous. Insane.
"Misty." Ash shifted. Uneasily.
She wondered why he was uneasy.
"You know how we've known each other for a long, long time and we've traveled all around Kanto and Johto?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Well..." he hesitated. "Would you mind doing a favor for me? As in, a really, really big favor for me?"
"What favor?"
"Um. I'd... I want to ask you to..." absently, he scratched the back of his neck, "...well, I don't want you to take this the wrong way."
"Ash, just get on with it," she said with slight annoyance.
"Okay."
She watched as he took a deep breath.
In a rush, it all spilled out. "Misty, I-kind-of-sort-of-like-you."
She felt a silly grin creep up her face. So it was just as she had feared. Oh Arceus. She had known this would eventually come.
"Ash," she began, unable to stop smiling, because that was what you did in these situations.
He cut her off. "I wanted to ask you for a favor because I just want you to listen to what I'm saying. That's the favor. Just listen. Or maybe you can just hear it and later you'll forget it all again, but it doesn't matter as long as you hear it."
She nodded. Of course she wouldn't ever forget it, even if he thought she would.
"I really like you. And I don't know why. I mean, you sometimes act like you're my older sister or something and we have arguments and... stuff." Pause, shift. "And we'll get really mad at each other, but later on it's like it never happened." He laughed nervously. "I don't even remember what we were fighting about earlier--"
"You spilled your drink on me," she said flatly.
"Oh. Right. Sorry."
"No, you're not sorry. You don't look sorry to me."
"I am, all right? It's not like I try to be clumsy!"
"Well, sometimes you act like you do!"
"Ash Ketchum, you are going to apologize to me right now for embarrassing me in front of about a hundred gym leaders and various other distinguished people!"
"I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Apologize!"
"Why should I?" he nearly roared.
"Because... because...!"
They stopped, panting, minds working frantically to make sense of the situation.
"I'm getting nothing," Misty muttered.
"Same here."
"Truce?" Ash stuck out his hand hopefully.
For a moment she watched him suspiciously. Then she shook his hand.
"Truce."
A smile began on her face, slowing spreading to his and eventually turning into a grin, then a laugh.
"You know, Ash," Misty said, "I don't know why we fight so much."
"Don't bring it up," he said quickly, mock-backing away. "Don't start it again."
"I won't," she promised, quirking a smile.
And then there was silence, but it was a good silence - a thinking silence. A silence for resting and just blanking out. In the good way.
Misty looked over at Ash. He was the same as ever - same messy hair, same silly grin, same hotheadedness and dreams and cheerful nature. There was a good kind of assurance in that knowledge that he would be the same. Everything would always be the same between them.
It was a comforting thought.
