Title: Dust and Light
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Neorocketshipping (Butch x Cassidy)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #8, Flashlight
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Het

It’s seriously dusty down here. She sneezes as she shines her flashlight over every nook and cranny, seeing cracks, spider webs, and a lot of dust. Cassidy scowls, wondering why on earth she volunteered to clean out one of the old safe houses.

Butch coughs as he peers into a corner. “Did the boss mention anything about weapons?”

“No,” Cassidy snaps stridently. “Honestly! The cellar’s an absolute mess. There’s dust everywhere – I can’t believe…”

She almost screams as the battery goes dead. She thought she had put in new ones, but they’ve been down here for about two hours and its freezing.

How can this possibly benefit the Team?

“Butch…” It doesn’t come out as a scream like she intended it to be, more of a frightened whimper. What is wrong with her?

She’s not afraid of the dark! She isn’t! Besides, she’s a tough Trainer, and she’s much better than that stupid Jessie!

Cassidy scowls, but can’t help shivering.

An arm reaches for her. “Hey, hey, Cassidy, it’s just the dark. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Easy for you to say,” She snaps. She smells smoky cigarette-breath as he holds her, and maybe it’s a teensy bit romantic but they do have a job to do. Still, she can’t see anything in the damn dark, so she fidgets.

Butch fumbles, frowning. “I don’t have my Poke balls. Do you?”

“Yeah, like Raticate will be any good in the dark.” Cassidy scoffs, but considers. Then she releases Zubat.

They bump into things three or four times before they make it to the stairs, and Cassidy’s never been this thankful to see sunlight in her life. She’s so high that she doesn’t register when Butch kisses her – at least not until he sheepishly pulls a pair of blocky size-D batteries out of his pocket.

That’s when she slaps him and storms upstairs.

Butch grins, and thinks she didn’t mind the kiss that much.

Cassidy slams the door to one of the bedrooms shut, and sits on the bed, ignoring the dust. The nerve of him!

How dare he scare her like that!

Okay, he might have thought it was funny, but she is not amused. She huffs, and tries to ignore the fact that Butch is a pretty good kisser.

They’re just partners, nothing more! Certainly not lovers… right?

She nods to herself, and takes a few deep breaths, before getting up. Butch is going to pay.

End Fic

Completed 1/14/08

Minor edits on 9/24/09

Well, this is my first shot at Neorocketshipping… *Fidgets*