What does Lance want?

Disclaimer: If I owned pokemon, Misty would not exist. I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic belongs to me…

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

WARNING: *Shonen-ai championshipping*

Chapter 8

 

            Lance smirked. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing _too_ difficult…”

            Ash blinked.

            “I want you to capture Rayquaza.”

            “WHAT?”

            “You’re a Pokemon Master now, aren’t you?”

            “B-but…”

            “But what? Afraid?”

            “I’m not a scaredy-cat!”

            “Then do it.” Lance taunted. “Or do you want me to ask something else of you?” Ash looked alarmed at this.

            Lance licked his lips as he looked at Ash.

            Ash blushed. * No… it can’t be… can it? *

            Lance purred as he stalked over. “Are you sure you don’t want to go capture Rayquaza? Because…”

            Ash’s teenage hormones kicked in at this display. Lance was… attractive… and… well, why not?
            Lance was surprised when Ash initiated the contact, kissing him. Well, in that case… why not? Surely the boy didn’t mind then…

            He smiled.

            What came after can probably be deduced…

 

            “But why me?”

            “Let’s just say after more than _3 years_ I developed feelings for you.”

            “Oh.’

            “What else would you like me to say?”

            “Um… I don’t know.”

            “I didn’t expect you to.” Lance gave a half-smile. “So what now, Champion?”

            “Eh? Why are you calling me that?”

            “Surely you don’t think I’d stop your training before you were powerful enough to beat all the Elite?”

            “But…”

            “But what?”

            “Then… isn’t that cheating?”

            “No, this is equivalent trade.” Lance grinned. “You’ll have to pay me back for all that time I put in.”

            Ash gulped.

            “So let’s see…’ Lance put down his calculator. “That’s quite a while…”

            “Doesn’t matter.”

            “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing’s wrong…”

            “Ash, tell me.”

            “I…I just don’t know, okay? I feel… I don’t know!” Ash threw up his hands in frustration. * Why did I sleep with him? This confuses everything! Am I in love? *

            Am I in love?

            Lance closed his eyes and got up. “I’ll leave you to your musing then.” * Why didn’t the idiot take Rayquaza then? *

            Foolish child.

            And why did I bother to fall in love with him? Curses…

           

            Ash sat on the bed for a long time, silently.

            What to do?

            What to do? What can I do? What do I want to do? I don’t know! Do I love him? Do I not? Why am I so confused?

            Okay. Let’s start at the beginning.

            Are we friends? Sure, I mean, he quit being mean after the first month or so… but I think that’s because we got used to each other. Check.

            So we’re friends. That’s good.

            Am I in love with someone else? Hmm…

            Misty? Ugh. No! I still need to pay that stupid bike back. Bloody hell. I’ll get to that later. I don’t think I’m in love with her.

            May? No way! She’s nice, but it’d be kind of like incest. She’s like the little sister I never had… oh; I still owe her a bike too, ought to get to that…

            Brock? Merciful Mew, where did that thought come from! I am most certainly _not_ in love with him…

            Don’t even think about Max, otherwise I’ll hurl…

            Gary?

            Are we even friends?

            No, I don’t think I’m in love with Gary either…

 

            Ash absentmindedly petted Pikachu while he kept thinking.

            What’s wrong?

            “I’m not sure if I did the right thing…”

            Hmm?

            The electric mouse looked at him curiously. Tell me.

            “Fine. I made out with Lance. Now I’m not quite sure what to do.” Ash said exasperatedly. * Am I in love? *

            Pikachu’s eyebrows shot up.

            “Well?” Ash asked. “I don’t know what to do…”

            Neither do I…

 

            “What can I do?”

            Pikachu shrugged.

            “You can quit angsting.”

            “Lance?!”

            “It’s not going to do either of us any good if you just sit there for the rest of your life.” The trainer said as he came in.

            Ash’s stomach rumbled as he noticed Lance was carrying a tray of very tasty-looking food. “Point taken.”

            Without further ado, he began devouring, as if his passion from earlier had been transformed into appetite.

            Lance watched impassively as Ash attacked the food.

            “Um… are you mad at me?”

            “You seem to be asking that question an awful lot.”

            “Are you?” Ash pressed.

            “Let me ask you the same question, first.”

            “But I don’t know what to say or what to do, for that matter!”

            “Then don’t say anything at all. It’ll hurt less.”

            Ash looked at Lance. “You’ve been crying…”

            “No. Dragon’s don’t cry.”

            “But…”

            “It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about me until you sort out your own feelings.”

 

End Chapter

Completed 10/1/04

Lance: Tsk

Phantomness: Nobility strikes again!

Ash: Unfortunately. Sometimes I think Lance should be more direct

Phantomness: Hmm…