(no subject)

Mar 28, 2010 01:27

 Fandom: Pokemon
Title: Octagonal
Pairing: Ash x Misty
Rating: K+
Genre: Humor/Romance
Summary: Ash and Misty come full circle. And then some.
Notes: Um... not great. Written when I was going through another Pokefic phase, and I really just want to know if my characters are okay. I think I write all my girls - including original characters - exactly the same. So yes. Let me know how it is? And, um, don't mock me for my supreme geekiness.

Ash could see Misty sitting on the bank, ponytail bobbing in the breeze. Her eyes were closed, face tipped to the sun, and she hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Quiet, Pikachu,” Ash whispered, rather unnecessarily, since his most faithful companion was absolutely still and silent, crouched beside Ash in the bushes, on the opposite bank from where Misty said, fishing rod grasped in her hands.

“Alright,” Ash said, yanking off his shoes, socks, vest, and cap. Pikachu zipped up to the edge of the shore and dipped a paw in the water.

“Chu!” he chirped, flashing Ash a thumbs-up.

“Ready?” Ash asked with a grin. “Let’s go.”

And he dived.

Or, rather, he slipped into the water as unobtrusively as possible, so as not to alert Misty. She looked oblivious enough, but Misty rarely was.

It was cold, and the water weighed down his clothes. Pikachu had urged him earlier to strip down to his boxers so as not to get all his clothes wet, but Ash had waved him off. “I can handle a little water, Pikachu!” he had said, but the truth was, he just didn’t want to be in his wet boxers in front of Misty. That might be kind of embarrassing.

With these thoughts, Ash ignored his wet clothes and kicked out, propelling himself forwards. At his side, Pikachu did the same, clinging to his shirtsleeve so he wouldn’t be swept away. Ash squinted through the dark waters. He could barely make out Misty’s lure in front of him and he grinned, keeping his lips tightly closed.

Ash swam out further, reached out a hand, closed his fingers around the line - and tugged.

He could hear Misty’s exclamation of surprise at the sudden tug on her line from above, and she began to reel him in. she was struggling. Ash, though, was running out of air, and Pikachu was tugging insistently on his sleeve, so he kicked out and broke the surface.

Misty dropped her rod and stared at him, absolutely dumbfounded.

“Hiya, Mist!”

-x-

“You idiot,” Misty snapped for the third time, “What if you broke my rod?”

“I missed you too,” Ash said sullenly. Misty flicked his ear. “Ow!”

He had thought she would be happy to see him. He thought he was being pretty sweet, and pretty clever, surprising her the way he had when they first met. But no. From the moment Misty had pulled him out of the water, she had been yelling. First about him diving in to the cold water, fully-clothed (“What if you get sick? I’m not taking care of you, you know.”), then about him giving her the fright of her life (“I snagged a body, Ash, how do you think I felt?!”), and now, about her stupid fishing rod.

“Why is a rod more important than me, anyway?” he demanded, trying to hide a sniffle. If he got sick now, Misty would be right, and Ash hated when Misty was right. “I can buy you a new rod, but there’s only one Ash Ketchum.”

“Thank God for that,” she said, dropping down beside him. “And you’d buy me a new rod? Really? Like you bought me a new bike?”

He knew she would bring that up. “You never let anything go,” he said, tipping his face to the sun. The rays were bright and warm on his skin - he would be dry in no time.

“I let you go,” Misty said, knocking her shoulder against his. Her smile, when Ash turned to look at her, was crooked and kind of sad, and Ash didn’t know what to make of it.

“I’m not a thing,” he said. She didn’t reply, and he dropped his gaze to Pikachu, perched on his knee and facing them, for help. “Yeah, so, uh, I bet you’re wondering why we’re here.”

“Being chased by Fearow again, Mr. Pokémon Master?”

“You’re not funny. That was traumatic.” She laughed, and Ash had to grin. Nothing awkward between them. “No, Pikachu missed you.”

She stopped laughing. “Pikachu missed me,” she said, voice flat, glancing at the furball. He shrugged his tiny shoulders in response.

“Yeah,” Ash said, nudging Pikachu towards Misty. “He made me come back to find you.”

“Pikapi…” Pikachu sighed, shaking his head, before tottering over to Misty and hopping into her lap. “Pikachupi, ka pika pikachu,” he said, showering her with compliments, as always, and Misty grinned.

“If Pikachu misses me so much, you should send him over to me sometimes,” she said casually, running her fingers through the fur on his back.

“What? No way!”

“Why not?” Misty asked, batting her lashes. “It would save you a trip.”

“I know what you’re doing,” Ash said. “You’re trying to make me admit I missed you. But it’s not going to work.”

Misty grinned lazily at him, leaning back to lie in the grass with a yawn. Pikachu crawled onto her stomach and she pulled her fingers through his fur, looking very relaxed. “I think it just did.”

Ash lay back beside her with a muffled groan. There was never any winning with Misty.

“Maybe a little. A little,” he said. “Don’t go getting a big head now.”

“I’m not you.”

“Pika chu ka pi pika.”

“He’s right. What’s so great about being missed by you?”

“Pikachu, you’re my Pokémon. Quit siding with her.”

Pikachu snickered and scampered over to pat Ash’s head affectionately. “Pikapi pikachu.” Then he turned with a swish of his tail to disappear into the surrounding forest.

“Watch out for anything that flies!” Ash called after him.

“Pika!”

“I thought that was traumatizing for you guys?” Misty said. “You’re so insensitive.”

Ash stuck his tongue out at her in response.

“So immature, too,” she sighed. “You know who came by the other day? Gary Oak. He’s doing some thesis on Corsola, or something, and he wanted to see mine. We got to talking.”

“Ew, Gary.”

“I thought you’d say that. We talked about you. He actually had some good stories to tell.”

“Don’t believe anything he says. He lies. He poured water on my bed that one time.”

“And what about the other times?” Misty asked, rolling over onto her stomach and propping her head in one hand, elbow sinking into the soft grass underneath them.

“I don’t like you,” Ash said, sitting up. The grass was uncomfortably prickly and dry against his still-wet clothes. His pants squelched as he moved, and he made a face.

“Just take your clothes off, stupid,” Misty said with a roll of her eyes.

“Easy there, Mist. Don’t you think that’s moving a little fast? I mean, not fast, it’s been years, but-”

“Funny,” Misty said dryly, hoping he didn’t notice her blush. “I meant to get them to dry faster.”

“Yeah.” He shifted awkwardly. “Um. I’m okay.” Then he sneezed. Dammit.

“Clearly, you’re not. I told you you’d get sick. Just do it. Unless you’re embarrassed,” she added with a sly smile. “What’s wrong, Ashy? No muscle?”

Ash scowled at her. “It’s not that. But you’re a girl.”

“Wow, you finally got it right. So?”

“So, think of what my mom would say!” Ash said, then immediately wished he hadn’t when Misty erupted into peals of laughter. He knew she was gearing up to say something insulting (but true), so he said quickly, gesturing to the fishing rod lying, abandoned, at her side, “So, do you ever actually catch anything?”

She looked disgruntled. “No,” she admitted. “I mean, I catch a lot of Magikarp, but I let most of them go. I catch Goldeen and Seaking sometimes.” She blinked, then her lips turned up in a grin that kind of scared him, now that Ash would admit it. “I’ve caught you.”

“What?”

She beamed, scrabbling up onto her knees and turning to face him. “You, Ash Ketchum. I’ve caught you - twice now. You’re mine.”

Ash didn’t like the look on her face. “Yeah, but I’m not a Pokémon.”

“Don’t argue.”

Ash rolled his eyes. “I bet you’d treat me better if I was your Pokémon.”

“Of course I would. I love my Pokémon. You’d be another Psyduck, though,” she said, poking him in the cheek. “Always popping up when I don’t want you, hiding behind me whenever you get scared.”

Ash swatted her hand away. “I wouldn’t hide. I never hide. You hide. I’d always have to protect you.”

“What!”

“I’d be something tough. Maybe a Gyrados.” He paused thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers. “No, you know what I’d be?”

“A Caterpie.”

“A Ho-oh.”

“Wow. How modest.”

“And no one would ever catch me. I would never follow some dinky trainer.” Ash tugged at his shirt, still clinging uncomfortably to his skin, though finally starting to dry. He looked ridiculously pleased with himself.

“You’d be a nice dinky trainer,” Misty said. Her eyes flashed with something open, something honest. Ash couldn’t figure it out. “I’d follow you.”

“You?” Ash snorted, finally fishing out his vest, shoes, and cap from his bag. The sun was slowly starting to set, and there was a soft breeze in the air that was chilling him in his wet clothes. “You’d be like my Charizard. You’d never listen to me.”

“Sure I would,” Misty said. “Just not when you told me to do something stupid.”

“I never tell you to do something stupid!”

“Since when can you tell me to do anything?”

Ash ran a hand over his face. “See what I mean? Charizard-y. I don’t know if I’d want to catch you.”

Misty laughed once, then fell silent as she watched Ash tug on his socks, then his shoes, and tie his laces. He reached for his hat next, but she snatched it away first.

“Hey!”

“Your hair’s wet,” she said. “Your hat will feel weird.” And she put it on her own head instead. At Ash’s look, she turned defensive. “What? Let me own it for an hour.”

“You won’t give it back!”

“Come on, Ash. I’m no thief. Also, I’d like to be a Tentacruel.”

Ash shook his head. “Sure, why not,” he said with a condescending grin. “You’re slimy enough.”

She reached out to pinch him in the arm. Ash yelped and she withdrew, making a face.

“We’re still such kids. Both of us. Some things don’t change, huh?”

“That’s okay. I like us the way we are. I like you the way you are. Don’t change.”

“Never?” And there was that look again, the one Ash knew meant something, but he couldn’t figure out what that something was. “Everyone changes. Togepi - Togetic - left, Pikachu’s gonna evolve, you’re going to keep traveling, and I’m going to rot away in my Gym unless I marry Gary Oak.”

“What!” Ash straightened, snapping around to face her, eyes very wide. “Why would you stoop so low, Misty?” He paused. “Oh, and Pikachu’s not gonna evolve!”

Misty tucked a lock of hair behind one ear and eyed her reflection in the water. “You never know. I mean, he could want to one day, and I know you’re not going to stop him.” She cocked her head at her reflection. Ash had to admit, she looked kind of cute. Kind of like she was a fangirl. He really liked the idea of that. “I like this hat, Ash. Can I keep it?”

But she wasn’t that cute. “No way!” Ash leaned over to snatch the hat off Misty’s head before she could move away, and jammed it back on his own head. His hair was about dry now. He knew it wouldn’t take long. “We don’t have to change. We’re back where we first met. You’re still annoying and I’m still awesome. Things are supposed to stay the same, see. That’s how things are best.”

“I’m still annoying, you’re still awesome,” Misty echoed sarcastically, “But what about all the Pokémon we’ve caught and left? Pikachu likes you now, my bike’s intact, and hey, we don’t hate each other anymore.”

“I never hated you. You just bugged me. Did you hate me?”

Misty leaned back, suddenly flustered by how close they had gotten. “No, I never hated you. But I didn’t like you as much as I do now.” She swallowed, darting him a quick look to gauge his reaction.

Ash didn’t seem to have noticed. He was nodding, a small, thoughtful frown on his face. “Okay, well, you don’t have to marry Gary. Please don’t. You can do better.”

Misty laughed. “Better than a famed, attractive, rich Researcher? Like, maybe, a Gym Leader? A member of the Elite Four? A Pokémon Master?”

Ash shot her a strange look. Then he reddened. “Uh…”

Misty looked away, cheeks very red in the dying light. “I mean, you know. I-um, was kidding. I mean, I didn’t mean you…”

And suddenly, all her measured looks, all her slips made sense. All the carefully concealed smiles and calculated touches of their childhood, and the way his pulse was hammering now. He got it. Misty still looked scrawny, and she still insulted him, and she still had to fish him out when he was in any kind of trouble, but that was okay, because he liked being caught by her. He liked her, a lot, and that had never had to change.

But even if his feelings were nothing new, his awareness of them was, and maybe some things had to change now. Maybe Misty was right, not that he’d ever tell her that.

“Spear!”

“Pikapi!”

Ash whirled around. Pikachu was hurtling out of the surrounding wood towards them, an all-too-familiar bird flying behind him. It was only one, and not the one who had attacked them before, but Ash couldn’t resist.

“Oh man,” he said, leaping to his feet and scanning the area. Sure enough, there was Misty’s bike, propped against a tree. She looked up at him and turned to follow his gaze.

“Oh no,” she said, “No, Ash. Don’t-”

“Sorry, Mist. I’ll return it someday!”

“Someday?” she echoed shrilly, getting to her feet and taking a step toward him. “No no no, don’t even try it, Ash Ketchum-”

Ash took a step away from her, towards the bike. Then he stopped and doubled back before he could chicken out, until he was standing toe-to-toe with her. They were roughly the same height after years of him being shorter than her. Maybe one day he’d even be taller. He was looking forward to that kind of change.

He leaned forward, took her hands in his, and kissed her on the cheek, jamming his hat on her head. Then he pulled back, grinning at her dumbfounded expression, turned on his heel, and ran back to the bike. Pikachu had already jumped on to his handlebars and was chittering with excitement over what he had just seen.

“Call me when I make Pokémon Master!” he called over his shoulder as he clambered onto the bike. When he looked back, Misty was just getting over her shock, cheeks flaming as red as her hair.

“Ash, you idiot!”

Some things never changed.

fandom: pokemon, fic: oneshot, pairing: ashmisty

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