67.
chapter sixty-seven:
PoV: would you watch
a me with
movie, girl?

her: what?

me: ... *dies*

"I'm going to kill you now!"

I grimaced and lazily spooned some of the soup. The day started off dripping wet, rain chattering against the glass windows. Part of the downpour got into our dormitory—courtesy of Gary wanting fresh air—and flooded the floor close to the window.

In order to escape the chill of our dormitory, Gary, Clemont, and I headed to the common room, only to find it filled to the brim with students working on their assignments, studying, or simply chilling their weekend away. After finding Misty and giving a hurried greeting to Serena, we made our way to the dining hall.

"The joke's getting old, Misty," I answered, piling stuffed plums onto my plate. They came from the Lumiose Greenhouses, Clemont had informed us, and were plenty juicy.

"Who'd like to watch a movie in a damp room, Ash?!" Misty was fuming over her first date being ruined by her, well, boyfriend.

"Misty, relax!" Gary interrupted, earning a glare from her. "We can watch later."

Misty huffed and poked her mashed potatoes violently. She took one more spoonful, then stood up abruptly. My eyes narrowed when she shot me an angry stare. "You better treat your girlfriend better than your friend does if you wish to save her," she warned, and was off before I could process her sentence. I thought I saw a hint of tears.

"Um, Gary," I started, feeling awkward. I had been the one all in for them to start dating, but now that they were, I was being an awful mediator. "I suppose you should go talk to her—"

Gary clicked his tongue, still scrolling through his phone. "She'll come 'round. Isn't she the one who loves everything water? If she doesn't fancy a damp-cozy date, who am I to stop her from running out?" He then looked up at me with an odd expression. "Ask your girl if she's up for a movie evening today, and I'll give you guys my laptop."

Huh?

"What for?" I asked in disbelief. The glint in his eyes showed he was up to something fishy.

"That way, if she accepts, I'll have a reason to show Misty that a date's a date, regardless of the weather!"

I considered the offer. I didn't want to poke my nose into their business or take sides, but a movie evening with Serena would be fun...

"What if she rejects?"

"Well, I'll agree I ain't the greatest boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes. And what exactly am I supposed to do with that?

"Are you up for it, man? You gotta help your B-F-F! Won't ya?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. He was right, and I ought to be helping him—

"Go! Be bold like Gary Freaking Oak!"

"Hey! When did freaking become my middle name?!"

"Duh, ever since you were born, but this isn't about you. It's about Ash Heckin' Ketchum!"

"You make me sound gruesome, Dawn!" I noted, trying to resist her pushes from behind. The girl was relentlessly throwing her weight on my shoulders, urging me forward. "Geez, give me a second to compose myself!"

Dawn stopped herself, then harshly turned me to her and began fixing my hair. She strapped her smartwatch to my wrist, threw in a clip to keep my bangs from falling over my eyes, and finally tugged my jacket to look hideous. The bluenette gave a satisfied huff and pushed me forward. "Ash Ketchum, spotlight!"

I stumbled a few paces forward and caught myself before I collided with our target. Heat rose to my cheeks when I felt several indignant eyes on me. A soft chuckle broke through my embarrassment. "What's up with your get-up, Ash?"

"I-er—" I stammered, looking at Dawn's smartwatch recording our conversation. Damn that girl! I fiddled awkwardly with it for a while and gave up, instead straightening myself. Serena was smiling brightly, her hands clasped behind her back as she prodded.

"Don't tell me you've got a plan up your sleeve. I know, for a fact, that something's fishy when Dawn has that mischievous look on her face. So?"

I shuffled awkwardly, feeling the pressure rise within me, and took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if – you – would – like – to – watch a me with movie?"

I phrased it badly, with a different pace between each sentence. I could tell by the puzzled look on her face. Slightly glancing over my shoulder, I found Gary and Dawn facepalming. Great way to go! Wait, um, great way to go! Am I forgetting my grammar—?

"Um, you mean watch a movie with you or... watch you?" Serena asked with an imploring smile. I grinned awkwardly and nodded, not finding the right words even though she had just stated them. "Which one, Ash?"

"A movie, of course!" I blurted out. "Why would you want to watch me? I mean, why?"

Serena shrugged but gave no answer. "Who else is in? What's playing?"

"Er—" Seems like she's not catching on... that I'm inviting her to a date, I thought. "Just us, and anything you want to watch since Gary's agreed to lend me his laptop..." I finished.

"Shiver me timbers!" she gasped. I watched her with apt interest as she bit her lip in thought, blushed, and nodded profusely. "Oh, yes! I'd love to!"

I gave her a grin. "Evening it is, then! Make sure you're done with your assignments for the day!"

Serena playfully rolled her eyes and chortled. "We were supposed to work on English, remember?"

"Yeah. English gets all the more enjoyable working with you."

The girl's cheeks tinged pink, and I gaped at her in horror.

Where did that come from?

To avoid further embarrassment, I excused myself and made a beeline to where Gary and Dawn were, sniggering to themselves. Dawn seemed much more elated than Gary when she took off her smartwatch and removed the silly clip from my hair. She considered it, reaching up to put it back, but I grabbed her forearm. "No means no!"

"Aww," Dawn pouted. "This makes you look kawaii, y'know?"

"I don't have to look kawaii!"

Dawn's cheeks inflated, and she put her accessory away. "Fine. Gary Freaking Oak, it's time to lend him your laptop! Make sure you've got the webcam working, yeah?"

"Dawn!"

— 💌 —

Sorry, not sorry for the long title, lol.

Also, since I did an A/N, might as well thank y'all for the amount of reads I'm getting per chapter!! This is like, the highest thing I would get on a chapter published the day before and I'm so in the clouds!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x