Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back again with a new chapter. Like the title suggests, this is another one about Jessie and James' son, Justin, and Ash and Misty's daughter, Katie. This one is an insight to life for them after their special time together post the breakup with their significant others. And as you can see here, they're still pretty attached to one and other and making the most of their company! I hope you enjoy :3

Ages:

Katie: 17

Misty: 37

Justin: 26

James: 44

Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned :P

As the car pulled up onto the drive of the Morgan Mansion, almost as the vehicle's humming came to an end and the engine cut off, Katie longed to lean forward and get out of her seat after clicking the seatbelt off. And because she had longed to do it, she did exactly that. She breathed out in a way that I knew was subtle excitement and after taking her seatbelt off and making sure that I was following her, her hand went to the door handle of her mother's car.

However, before she got out completely, she had to thank Misty for the lift of course! As she prepared to just give her a smile and a nod that was filled with far more gratitude than she could have mustered with words, that beginning of a smile faded when she saw the orange haired woman's expression. And soon enough, Katie shared the same frown.

Misty's frown was not out of annoyance, nor was it out of disappointment. As my gaze lingered on my best friend's wife's face from reflecting back to us in the rear view mirror, I could tell how reservedly motherly and concerned it was. It put a hitch in my throat. I thought about stopping and staying with her for a few seconds. I thought about saying something. In the end, Katie did both of these things.

"Mom…" she began and she stopped so hurriedly reaching for the door handle and slumped back in the back seat before leaning forward again, her hands going to the back of the older orange haired female's seat. Katie let out an exhalation of breath. Misty tried to shake her thoughts and expression away. But needless to say, the younger of the two had caught on. She couldn't help but tell her. "Mom… Just… Just don't, okay?"

"You don't even know what I was thinking, let alone thinking about saying, Katie." Misty responded rather quickly, contrasting to her still lingering thoughtful expression. In spite of that, when her daughter's almost unready expression faded away and became replaced with a head tilt and knowing eyebrow raise, the orange haired woman gave her a similar look back. "I was just going to say-"

"Have fun. Be careful. Be sensible. And most importantly… Be safe." Katie said the words aloud for Misty so she didn't have to. And when the young woman was saying all these things with a continuous eyebrow raise, she then scrunched her nose up and shook her head. Her hands reached to squeeze her mother's shoulders rather than the chair. "Again – just don't, okay? There's really no need."

Misty sighed. And once again, it was not a sigh out of annoyance or disappointment. But the truth was I didn't really know what it was. I had been around her and her family for a very long time and I had been around before she and Ash even had a family! In addition to this, I had been around and witnessed many mothers in my lifetime. But still, I never knew what it was truly like to be a mother.

So for that reason, I didn't understand what that sigh was. Maybe it was for the best that Katie didn't understand. Or maybe even Misty didn't know either. That was a possibility from the way that she shook her head.

The orange haired woman finally spoke once again a couple of moments after her sigh after seeing the way that her eldest daughter had gone back to glancing at the car door handle as well as the house in the distance. Misty sighed again. But she took her own seatbelt off. Katie looked back at her mother's face in the reflection when she heard that familiar click.

"I wasn't even going to say any of those things anyway, you." She told Katie and it was then that she turned around so the eldest Ketchum daughter got a look at her actual face rather than the reflection of it. And after Misty reached out and tried to pinch Katie's cheek while the younger female scrunched her nose up and tried to duck her head, the older female at last had some chuckles. "I don't think… No, I was just going to tell you to tell him hello. From me. Really."

I looked over at Katie as she stopped trying to duck her head from her mother's "patronising" but genuine motherly touch and tried to casually pull her usual sailor coat further around her. She looked down at her lap. But then she couldn't help but look at her, searching for honesty in her mother's eyes. She found it. I was the one who breathed out.

My best friend's wife could have caused a lot of drama when her daughter asked her to drop her off at the deep purple haired male's home after finding out about their special time together not too long ago. But she didn't. Though, naturally, she was a little concerned and wary making sure that the both of them were being sensible – physically and emotionally – she also knew that she had to treat Katie for what exactly she was. And that was very much nearly an adult. She could make her own choices. And with that, she could make her own mistakes too.

Sometimes it was a lot for Misty to let her children go in that way. But in the back of her mind, she was always grateful for the relationship that they had and no matter how far they wandered, they always came back for her for support or advice or a secure hug. Or a lift.

Eventually Katie nodded her head at Misty's words after she stopped searching her gaze for the truth and she couldn't help but smile. Though she didn't say it aloud too often, she was grateful to have a mother that let her take the reins when she felt she was capable of doing so. But even though Katie didn't say it directly and frequently out loud, she showed it with gestures.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you later." She told her and seeing as the older orange haired female was still facing her, Katie's hands went back to her shoulders and she leaned to press a kiss to her cheek. Misty couldn't help but smile. Then, she smiled even more at Katie pretending to stick her tongue out, pretending to feel choked by the seatbelt as she leaned to kiss her mother's cheek!

The older female shook her head at her. Katie grinned sheepishly and playfully back and got out of the car for good. My best friend's wife couldn't help but add when her daughter was out of the car door and in the crisp autumn air of the Kanto late evening.

"Tell him hello. And make sure you talk, yeah? Really talk? Okay?" the orange haired older female tried to catch her daughter's eyes as she resisted rolling them. Katie managed to resist. And she managed to look at her too. I remained on the inside of the car and on the other back seat for a few more seconds while the side plait wearing female gave her mother a close mouthed smile and just a thumbs up. Katie slammed the car door shut and prepared to walk up the drive. Misty stopped her once more, opening her own door a crack. "And Katie?"

"What?" the young adult responded quickly and turned around on her heels, her ankle length navy nautical coat swaying around her ankles. However, it was not said in an abrupt way. And the way that she added length to the vowels of that way made it a bit comical. But Misty resisted softening at this and she resisted smirking in mild amusement too. She pushed open her door of the car a bit more and poked her head out. She told her eldest daughter firmly.

"I'll pick you up at eleven, okay? No later. No negotiating. No later. Okay?" Misty stated and she tilted her head forward a bit further so Katie understood the seriousness of her words. In response, the younger female exhaled loudly out her nose and wrapped her arms around herself from being standing in the cold but she soon nodded her head. Maybe she chose her own path but she respected her parent's right to lay down some guidelines.

So after Katie gave her mother a thumbs up for good measure and to let her know that, despite her sigh and predicting the words that were going to come out of her mouth, she was going to abide by her expectations – she got ready to head into the Morgan household for good. But before she took anymore steps and before Misty could shut her own door or I could get out, Katie couldn't help but spin playfully back around and have more words. Sometimes she always liked to have the last word!

"And no boys back home with me either, I'm guessing? That's okay, I guess, but I'll leave it to you to explain to Grandad Jordan why he can't come back with us. He'll be terribly disappointed. But no boys allowed back with me, right? I don't make these rules."

And with that, Katie was finally off at last making her way in her nautical boots and her favourite coat swishing all around her. Misty shut the door before her daughter could hear her sigh. Though the older orange haired female thought that her words were rather clever and deserving, she couldn't help but rest her elbows on the steering wheel and rub her temples with her fingers.

"God, must she always be so headstrong?" she asked me and only me, looking back in the rear view mirror once more. I had been preparing to open the door on my side and get out of it before Katie went into the house without me but of course, I turned back to answer my best friend's wife. I answered her with a smile. And in that smile, I thought of words that Katie usually said back to her mother when she uttered that question to her.

No, but it's just more fun that way.

The orange haired female groaned. But I knew that it was a groan that she couldn't get mad because her daughter got those traits from her. So like her headstrong daughter before me, I jumped back and took the occasion to press my own kiss to Misty's cheek. And then I was off myself. I was off out of the car myself and to follow Katie visiting the deep purple haired male. I didn't look back. I didn't need to – I knew that the orange haired older woman already knew. I would be there to guide Katie no matter what.

And with that, I scurried up the drive of the Morgan household and joined Katie as she pushed her locks out of her eyes and rang the doorbell. For once, I stayed by her ankles rather than jumping onto her shoulder. And for once also, it felt a bit out of place to be on her shoulder. Maybe it was because it felt like she was growing up. I knew if I lingered on that feeling for too long, I'd have had far more than just a lump in my throat – I would have burst into tears!

Thankfully and expectedly, not very long at all after Katie rang the doorbell and took a step backwards out of politeness, footsteps could be heard inside of the house before they answered it. The door swung open. The person on the other side grinned straight away. And he pushed his own locks out of his eyes.

"Hello, lovely." Justin greeted the younger female in a similar way to I had always seen but the word that he called her was certainly knew. I looked up at him. Luckily I didn't frown because he then looked down at me and had just a wordless nod as a greeting for me. Soon enough, his attention went back to his guest. He moved to the side. His hands gestured for us to come in. "Get in here; it must be cold out there. I saw you arrive a couple of minutes ago but I didn't want to wave. Can't be too keen."

Justin continued talking while Katie and I let ourselves in. Needless to say, at some of the older male's words, the orange haired female tilted her head on one side and pretended to narrow her eyes at him. The eldest Morgan son just continued grinning back in response. And then he made up for his playful words by taking Katie's coat off for her and hanging it on top of his on the family rack. While he was bending down to give me a pat which I felt was a bit out of place but friendly nonetheless, Katie couldn't help but speak words back to him.

"It smells pretty good in here, Justin." She commented, glancing around the hallway of the household before her eyes flickered to where he had especially allowed her to share his coat peg. She wrinkled her nose up. Needless to say, she looked right back at him and moved closer when he stopped petting me and stood up to his full height. She smirked cheekily. "That is surprising me. I expected to be greeted by the stench of burning."

"Hey." Justin tried to warn the younger female for being too cheeky but he was having a hard time telling his face to be cross. He continued smiling at her. Even so, he folded his arms over his slim chest. Katie looked back up to his tall height and just raised an eyebrow back. Soon enough, his demeanour changed and he laughed sheepishly, his arms flopping to his sides before one hand ran through his hair. "You would be correct though. It's just reheating what my lot had earlier. Anyway, come this way."

And with that, I was strangely the one to walk ahead first. I trotted off down the hallways and to the kitchen, treating myself as if I was at home. Well, I almost was. I had been told to make myself comfy plenty of times. I made my way down to where the indeed delightful smell was coming from. But when I glanced back from almost reaching there, I saw that Justin and Katie were lingering.

The eldest Morgan son grabbed hold of Katie's arm and he pretended to play with the material of her white cotton shirt at first, surely proving a point that before she had been wearing her nautical coat. Inwardly, he wondered if it was because he had complimented it a few days prior.

When Katie just smiled back at him, Justin just had to smile in return. And in addition to this, his fingers stopped pretending to pick at her sleeve and while one of his hands remained on the inside of her arm, the other travelled down to interlock with hers. Neither of them made a big deal out of it and especially didn't when Justin tugged Katie off to the kitchen with him. It was obviously very comfortable for them.

The fragrance and the heat of the kitchen hit us as soon we entered. Though I'd have imagined that it would have been natural for Justin's hand to linger on Katie's he oddly dropped it after stepping over the line into the kitchen and rushed over to the over instead. I turned back and watched Katie and I watched her smirk and raise an eyebrow with amusement. But like me before her, she started making herself at home too.

She pushed her side plait over her opposite shoulder and took a seat on the bar stool, staying near Justin still and getting a good view of what he was doing. I was mildly surprised when Katie lifted me onto the one next to her. But then again, I was grateful to be included. The orange haired female scrunched her nose once more while Justin put on oven gloves and got his creation out of the oven.

"Ta-da." He announced to her but it was said with far less enthusiasm than when he did that sort of thing on stage! It was rather casual – he was concentrating. He kept his oven gloves on his hands and kept holding the baking tray, flashing Katie what had been prepared. He soon smiled back when he saw her absentmindedly smiling. "What do you reckon?"

"I reckon…" Katie began and I believed that she paused for affect but I couldn't be sure. Either way, she pushed her hair from her eyes. Justin tilted his head slightly and continued grinning as he waited, secretly trying not to let the anticipation get to him. While I inhaled, the orange haired female answered, playing with her side plait. "I reckon that shouldn't give me food poisoning. What is it, one of your famous one pot meals? Basic and brilliant?"

My nostrils stopped quivering long enough to observe the way that Justin was holding his finger up while keeping the oven gloves on one hand and still holding the baking tray. He tilted his head, being a bit more theatrical than before.

"For you – it is way more involved than that." He told her and like the orange haired female before him, he had a bit of a pause while he put the sizzling baking tray on the counter top and started spooning it into two bowls. I couldn't believe my luck when I was handed the first of the bowls! I had been willing to chaperone Katie and was left absolutely glad I did after receiving two dinners that evening. While I didn't hesitate to tuck in, the second bowl was pushed towards the younger female. However, unlike me, Katie's attention remained on the older male while he laughed and put his hands on his hips. "You should be fine about the poisoning. My dad made it. I just reheated it. But it's the thought that counts, right?"

And upon hearing this, Katie ducked her head and couldn't help but chuckle. Whether it was at his stance or his words or his sheepishness, I didn't know. But even so, after the bowl was pushed closer towards her and Justin climbed to sit on the opposite bar table and on a chair not too near her, the eldest Ketchum daughter was left just smirking.

"I suppose it is the thought that counts. And it's pretty thoughtful of you not to subject us to your cooking. So thank you." The orange haired female teased him and she glanced over at me to include me in the joke. I might have been around to be a guide but in that moment, I was pretty content with being a consumer! But of course, I glanced between them both and smiled, pasta sauce around my mouth. Katie took hold of the bowl and held it in her hands, it warming her through for a few moments before she started poking it with her fork. I got the impression that talking to Justin was higher on her priority list than eating. But not the talking that Misty meant. She pushed her hair from her eyes. "It smells pretty good in here and its kinda quiet. Have the rest of your family cleared off?"

Justin laughed out loud. He was sitting on the bar table diagonally to Katie's one and while he rested, his long legs draped towards the floor. After he pushed up the sleeves of his blue plaid shirt further up his arms, he waited to answer Katie until she'd had her first mouthful. He didn't want her to choke nor did he want her to have to feel like she had to rush eating to talk back to him. He folded his arms casually over his chest.

"Oh, that lot? Nah, I guess they're behaving tonight." He began and though he couldn't stop himself from enjoying seeing Katie enjoying her food, he added more words as well. Perhaps when he realised that it wasn't truly his cooking – it was his father's. He pushed his locks from his eyes as his growing hair threatened to flop. Following that, he smiled earnestly. "So tell me about your day, Katie."

And upon hearing this, though we were supposed to be a little bit separate as I had my loyalties to Misty's parenting in that instance, Katie and I had the same reaction from the way that we looked up from eating and raised our eyebrows. Needless to say, Justin only caught Katie's look. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his own shoulder. He had forgotten that they had seen each other earlier on that day as well and ended up having a video game war with Rey included.

"Right…" he uttered and Katie just smirked, taking another string of pasta into her mouth and slurping it up as quietly as she could. Justin's eyes didn't fix on her. While he waited for her to finish, he looked down at his lap. However, he started smirking. Katie caught on. While she wiped her mouth clean with a napkin, she raised her eyebrow again and he told her. "You look exactly like those ducks that we fed a few days ago. Remember that?"

I listened. I'd have imagined that it was hard to forget. In that moment I remember still feeling a little bit uneasy at how they were suddenly spending so much time together but looking back now, it wasn't really out of place. Sure, their relationship problems and prior relationships stirred things up a little bit but when I distanced myself, I knew what the truth was. They had always had something there. From the very start it was nothing but utter companionship.

But time had changed that. No, it had developed that. Time had passed and life had happened and confusing situations had altered their thinking. No wonder they found solace in each other. No wonder they grew so close.

"I remember that, Justin." The eldest Ketchum female replied and for the time being, she pushed her bowl away from her. The deep purple haired male tilted his head towards her and listened. At first, he hesitated, getting a flutter of insight that she might share a memory with him of her own. But then, he knew better and caught on straight away when she grinned, her own dimple showing. She pretended to reach out to him. "I remember them chewing as loudly as you do. Are you not hungry?"

The eldest Morgan male managed to recover enough from pretending to fold his arms over his chest once more and crossing a leg over the other to realise that Katie asked him something. He instinctively smiled. He shook his head. Katie laughed at the way that his demeanours could melt away so easily. That was a far cry from other stubborn areas of his personality. He shook his head.

"I ate with my lot earlier." He told the orange haired female and after that, he uncrossed his legs and jumped down from his bar stool, taking my bowl from me when he saw I was done. The sauce around my mouth and smile on my face showed him my gratitude. He smiled and wordlessly offered to give me more. I shook my head. I knew my best friend would have encouraged me too but I couldn't be too greedy. After all, I was there for a reason. While I shook my head and Justin put the bowl in the sink to wash up, Katie tilted her head. Her nose scrunched.

"Really? It's not cereal time?" the orange haired female prompted and even I couldn't help but laugh at the way that Justin stopped in his tracks, paused, and his eyes twinkled a little bit. What was it with orange haired females and their closeness with hungry boys? However, for a rare occasion, though he kept that sparkle in his eye and a grin on his face, Justin shook his head. Katie finished her food off for good and teased him all the more. "That's surprising. But a relief, I guess. It was the most unromantic thing to happen to me ever when I woke in the middle of the night in the hotel to you crunching your secret stash."

And upon hearing that, I couldn't stop myself from raising my eyebrow in the past and I still did a little bit recalling this. From the ups and downs of their companionship and the weeks that followed their special time together, it was easy to think that their relations were just platonic. They were not. Evidently. At that point, it was the first time that I'd heard that word used in the context of them, even if it was to hint the opposite. But I managed to remain neutral. I remained listening. Justin had a bit of a neutral expression as well.

"Well then that's your fault. That's your fault for thinking that there's anything remotely romantic about me." He told the younger female and after she missed the twinkle in his eyes and frowned, not catching on; Justin soon went back to showing that easy-going smile of his.

In fact, he did far more than just that. He didn't bother to wash the bowl up in the sink nor did he collect Katie's to place there. I thought he might have been doing that when he came towards her but I was very wrong.

The eldest Morgan son moved forwards the eldest Ketchum daughter and before she knew what was going on, he climbed up onto the same bar stool next to her and sat with her. He didn't say anything but he smiled at her. And as well as that, he reached for both of her hands before settling for one and using both of his hands to hold the same one of hers.

And it was then that Katie saw that sparkle in his teal orbs with a green hue and more than that as well. His gaze was flickering. It was darting side to side as he glanced at her face but it was focused on her all the same. Katie resisted ducking her head. She smiled back and though she saw some mischief in his expression, she saw the Justin that she always knew was underneath there. So for this reason, though she playfully bashed her shoulder against his, she then rested her head on his shoulder.

Justin moved both of his hands away from her one hand and just held it with his hand. With the other, it itched and it prepared to poke the side of her face, like she had often done to him. However before he could do that or before Katie could catch on to what he was doing and prepare to do the same, something stopped them. They were no longer alone. And it wasn't me in the kitchen with them, still trying to keep level-headed in the midst of it all and observe. Justin's lavender haired father came in through the door.

"Hello you two." He greeted in an easy-going way and though he took the path towards the fridge and headed there for some juice, he knew that his deep purple haired son was there with Misty's orange haired daughter. Of course he did. And because of this, Katie actually tried to let go of Justin's hand. But the older male was holding onto her too firmly yet casually at the same time. She had to learn to not feel uneasy about it. Especially with what James did next. After reaching into the fridge for his grape juice, he made a point of looking at the orange haired female. "Hello, Katie."

I glanced between the lavender haired male and the deep purple haired one and the orange haired female after having a smile of the greeting from James myself. As I saw her fingers twitch in Justin's hold, I knew they longed to slide out. Though they wanted to be there, she couldn't help but worry what James was thinking. Admirably, he wasn't thinking anything other than it was just his son and Misty's daughter. He came over to greet her properly.

"Have you demolished my son's cooking? He's not too bad at it, huh?" he asked her and Katie was finally granted her wish of letting go of Justin's hand momentarily while the lavender haired male reached to hug his god-daughter. Katie instinctively hugged him back, her face pressed up against him and her hands on his back but even so, she was inwardly worried what on earth he was thinking. But then somehow those rapid thoughts slowed down a little when she saw Justin smiling almost secretively. Then, Katie couldn't help but laugh and look at her uncle's face as they pulled away from their hug.

"I know it's your cooking, Uncle James. And it was very good. Thank you for letting me come over." She smirked at Justin as his face fell after she said the first part of her words and then she made sure to tell the older of the two males. And in addition to this, even I was surprised when it was her to reach for Justin's hand all over again while they stayed on the same bar stool together.

I saw the lavender haired male's eyes silently flicker as they observed this but he didn't say anything else of the matter. He didn't make a big deal of it. He didn't look at me. I knew that he knew that I was on the fence in the matter and had to guide Katie. If anything, he seemed to care a little more of that. But he was fine as long as I was fair. James smiled at the orange haired female while going over to the window to do the dishes that Justin had abandoned.

"Not a problem at all. It's a pleasure to have you here as always, Katie." He told her and from licking my paws free of any extra pasta sauce, I got the impression that that left another pang in Katie's stomach. She still couldn't help but feel like it should be weird for James. And it made her feel almost weird that it seemingly was not! Her lavender haired uncle pushed his hair from his eyes while Justin pushed Katie's out of her eyes for her. I think he'd have done it even if his father's back was not turned and glancing out the window. He smiled. "It's lovely out there. Cold, but that porch should get some use before winter comes. The sky is so clear."

And with that, the deep purple haired male was the one to let go of Katie's hand and jump down from the bar stool, not until after he had squeezed it. I titled my head. I couldn't help but feel as though James' words weren't a hint. He was never that obvious with his subtlety. But even so, Justin had evidently absorbed his words far more than Katie. Of course he had; she was secretly wondering if her Uncle James had had the same chat with Justin before she came over like Misty had done with her in the car.

Justin tried to break her away from her thoughts by reaching behind him for her hand all over again and smiling at her too. He tilted his head. He said his words to his father but they were said for the younger female as well.

"Maybe we will do exactly that. Maybe Katie and I will head out there. After all, at least we will be there and waiting in case Misty come early." He uttered and with that, he gave Katie's hand a light pull, encouraging her. James just smiled. Katie trickled away from her thoughts. At first, she blinked. Then even that overthinking part of her brain couldn't deny company with Justin while seeing some sights that were rather enjoyable.

So with that, the deep purple haired male gave Katie's hand another tug and another squeeze and he lead her back down the hall where we had all came. But that time, I was not with them. Though I was on duty to guide Katie and be responsible if she stopped being so, I felt like I could almost do that better with a bit more distance. I stayed with the lavender haired male. While he washed dishes properly, I hopped on the window and looked outside it. And much like him I'm certain, I was fixated on watching Justin and Katie rather than the view of the stars.

As they arrived on the porch and the deep purple haired male had let go of Katie's hand to hold her coat for her, after he held it behind her back as she prepared to stick her arms in the holes, Justin finally couldn't help but squint and comment. His face scrunched as he did so.

"I like this on you; it's really cool. I guess blue must be our new thing." He told her and after she was wearing her jacket comfortably, he gestured down to the blue that he was wearing – of course his blue plaid shirt.

Lingering uneasiness still remained in Katie's stance after being joined by Justin's lavender haired father but when it was just the two of them again, she knew that she could go back to feeling the way that she had always been feeling. Or rather, how she had felt over the last good few days.

Katie couldn't help but turn around to face Justin, standing in front of him. Though the cold made her want to put her hands in her pockets, she saw the way that the deep purple haired male wasn't wearing a jacket other than his plaid shirt. So she didn't refrain from reaching to pull his sleeves further down for him while she spoke to him.

"You'll end up blue in a minute if you don't watch it." she told him but before he could laugh or even smile, her hands remained out of her pockets even longer and reached for both of his hands. She rubbed them in between hers. Then she smiled. She gestured with a flick of her head before looking up. "Shall we go over there? It's much clearer on the other side."

And of course, Justin didn't hesitate to comply. But since she was the one to suggest it and since she was the one warming his bones from the touch of her hands, he allowed her to tug him over to an area in his own garden. She pulled him over to the wall. Soon, the two of them sat down. As they sat, they remained as close together as when they had shared the bar stool. But unlike that time, both of their necks craned upwards. They looked at the sky. They looked at the stars. They looked at the moon. I did too from still being in the window.

"It's kind of mad, isn't it…?" Katie began but I got the impression that even she didn't know what she was going to end up saying. With Justin by her side and with his hands in hers and his company that she had adored for many years, anything was possible. But most of all, speaking from the heart was possible. So she did that. She shook her head. And briefly looked at his face between looking at the sky. "Even when I've been travelling or you've been travelling, we've always looked up at the same sky. No matter where you were. Or no matter where I was. It's the same."

I breathed out. That reminded me of something that I had overheard a long time ago. But even though that started to whizz around my brain, I knew to focus on what was actually happening. And not because Misty asked me to. But because I felt as though there was something to learn.

The deep purple haired male didn't hesitate to nod his head. He edged closer to Katie and his fingers warmed up enough to be the ones on the outside, holding hers. I didn't know that they had arranged to be doing that before even Misty dropped her off. Justin breathed out.

"It's so mad…" he agreed and I felt in my heart that he was similar to Katie – he didn't know where he was going to go with his words either. And like her as well and thanks to her, it was usually from the heart in recent days. She had given him the realisation that it was completely welcomed. He showed off a small smile. "That whole thing looks down on everything. It's always the same. But we're always different. We're always changing. The world. Life. People. Us…"

And upon hearing this, as expected, Katie's gaze stopped focusing so heavily on looking up above. And instead, it turned to the side and looked at Justin. Her expression showed confusion. But her head tilt was far more than that. It was quiet intrigue. Perhaps flattery.

"Us…?" she questioned and right away, Justin nodded his head. I knew that surprised him. But in the same breath, it didn't. He could be self-aware and one thing he was aware of was how quickly and easily it was for him to be upfront. Most of the time.

He continued holding Katie's hands. He did one more than that, in fact, and gestured to the fact that they were doing so. He edged closer to her still. His legs were touching against hers.

"Yeah…" was all he said at first but there was certainly more to come. The orange haired female listened, pushing her own hair from her eyes when it blew in the wind of the early night time of Kanto. She and Justin's fingers continued dancing together. The pads touched one and other. Their touch lingered. Justin finally uttered. "I mean… This is new. That's a change. I know we've always been close. But now it's… what it is."

Katie exhaled. Now, if I'd have been Justin, I think that I would have overthought that. But not him. As I continued observing them both, I saw nothing but overthinking on either of their part. And looking back, I understood why. It was natural for them. It was natural to talk. It was natural to be vulnerable. It was natural to be intimate. It was when other people got involved and wounded that it became filled with some of the uneasiness that they both faced.

My beliefs were evident from the way that the eldest Ketchum daughter soon nodded her head. Though she looked back up at the sky – the very entity that watched down on everything and observed the new sides to her and Justin's companionship – she found herself saying more words straight from a place of truth. She scrunched her nose. She hardly blinked. And she uttered.

"It… It is what it is. And I'm glad that it is right now." Katie began and more than anything, Justin wanted to look at her while she looked at the sky. But out of vulnerability – for he had come a long way but still hadn't seized it to his advantage entirely, he glanced down at his legs instead. But that didn't mean he wasn't listening. In fact, he listened harder when he wasn't distracted by the new possibilities he felt when he looked at her first. The eldest Ketchum female's mouth twitched into a smile. I could see the light in her eyes. "I've always felt the same about you. I hope the sky looks down and thinks that this is a good thing right now. Because… I do."

And from the way that Justin's head finally lifted up and glanced at the Katie and I saw that the way that he got almost tongue tied – far differently from when he was on stage or he was creating – I knew that he was deeply touched by her words. No, it was far more than just that.

He finally felt like someone was feeling the exact same way. He finally felt like someone looked at him and not only knew the real him, but was glad that he was exactly that way. And whether it was friendship or companionship or something else entirely, he was just glad it was what it was. He was just glad that he found Katie. He was glad that he was the one to help her navigate her way through everything. And in the process, she had navigated her way to him. And he was fine with that.

So for once in his lifetime or perhaps once when it came to the eldest Ketchum female, Justin didn't know what to say in return. He did not know what to say at all. Despite the lyricist in him, he knew that nothing he could say could top or articulate how he felt when he looked at his greatest champion.

While Katie's head started to duck at the no response, the deep purple haired male knew that he had to respond in his own way. So he did. In his own way. And it was the most natural way too.

His hands broke away from Katie and with one of his hands and one of his fingers; he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair from her ears. That's what got her attention. That's what turned her head just a fraction towards him. And before she looked at him properly, his hands soon found their way to her face. And his lips found his way to hers.

While Justin's fingers moved through her hair as he kissed her, Katie's hands slid up to touch either side of his face. They kissed in the garden. They kissed in the moonlight. They kissed and felt companionship. They kissed and felt far more than that.

James and I watched while they kissed and then following that just embraced and remained in one and other's company, glad of the direction in which their bond had turned and filled with the butterflies of not knowing the answers in that moment in time.

And while I glanced over at the lavender haired male, I knew that in my heart - like I had no desire to stop what was unfolding - he didn't either. James watched on and he understood it perfectly. He understood from being there himself. He understood from watching. And there was only one thing that he could do.

He just had to sit back and let it unfold. There was no stopping what was meant to happen. Like me and like Misty, we could guide and be honest and be careful. But ultimately, it was Justin and Katie's decision.

James knew that he had learnt a lot from his diversion so it was certainly going to be the same for his son and Misty's daughter as well. It was up to them to make their own decisions and their own mistakes. But it could never be a mistake. Not really. Not when it lead everyone to where they were truly meant to be. Not when it lead everyone to be truly honest with the things that they had long stopped speaking about. And not when it led everyone to a place of understanding as well.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 So it's pretty obvious what is happening between Justin and Katie and the fact that they've fallen closer together and finding solace in one and other after their break ups. Not to deny them of what's going on but like they say themselves - it just is what it is. An interesting thing in this chapter is I think that after this scenario is said and done, I feel like Misty may feel a little wounded by the fact that at first, Katie didn't open up to her about all this. I imagine that they have the relationship where they are very open about feelings and decisions so I'm sure Misty feels lots of different things about Katie not coming to her straight away. While she respects her daughter's privacy, I'm sure there is that almost vulnerability there for her too. As well as this, though both Misty and James and Pikachu too are just seeing how things go, they know themselves that soon they will break it to both Justin and Katie that they probably should discuss what is going on, with Jayden and Sammy respectively before things go any further/if they want things to go further. I know how all that pans out. Maybe I'll write it one day :P Thanks again for reading and I will be back on the 28th with Dear Daddy so see you then :3

AmyBieberKetchum signing out!