✨𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕪 (𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘)✨

Chapter 7

The moment Ash walked into the room, he collapsed onto his bed and landed with his back facing up. "Ash what are you doing??" Serena laughed as she walked over to the latter's bed and put her hand on his back.

"I'm so tired," Ash said, in an exhausted tone. "And my body hurts." "How much damage did Lysandre do to you?!?!?!" Serena exclaimed in disturbance. She hated the feeling of Ash getting hurt, especially when there was a permanent scar in his heart. "Ahhh this bed is comfy," Ash sighed. It was more like a relaxed sigh. He wasn't feeling tension inside him.

"Ash I'm going to shower first," Serena whispered into his ear as he flipped himself so his face faced Serena. "So cute," Serena thought. "He...fell asleep, again..." She caressed his cheeks with an intense blush written on her face.

~ Half An Hour Later~

The two finished their respective showers and sat onto their beds; one watching TV, and the other one dozing off for the second time. There was nothing to watch on TV but Serena didn't want to turn it off, so she opted for the channel regarding the Kalos League, but with people talking about it.

The latter glanced at the tiny screen inside the TV. "That was...the recent one, the one this year!!" Serena thought, as her eyes widened in shock. Seeing Ash on TV was simply amazing and the finals were too. "Why did he get so upset when he lost?"

She ignored the thought and stared at the latter. A frown was plastered on his face. He looked terrified. Serena felt a ton of bricks hit her, and stayed there. She stared at Ash for a few minutes, searching her brain for any possible solutions to help him get his old self back.

All that searching made her even more depressed, hence she felt like a million daggers stabbed her heart. There was only one word to describe that. And that word was heartache.

Luckily, there was a balcony in the room and Serena knew what she had to do. To get out there and breathe in some fresh air. When the gang used to go camping, Serena would walk out of her tent in the middle of the night and inhale some of the crispy, yet raw breeze that always helped her focus and stop her from going astray.

The balcony was huge, and the breeze made her hair billow out. "I wish...Ash would be back...to his old self," she said to herself, as she leaned onto the wall behind her. "Will he ever be back?" Serena thought as a bead of tear rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them off with her hand and stared at the moon.

After a while of plain staring, Serena knew there was no point in staying in the balcony for the rest of the night, so she went back to bed. However, she realised that Ash was staring at her the whole time. The lights next to his bed were switched on as he stared at Serena's countenance. "What's...wrong?" Ash nervously interrogated. There was a blush on Serena's face, but Ash did not notice. His density still made him oblivious to the world of romance.

"Ash? Why aren't...you asleep?" Serena questioned back, ignoring the fact that the latter asked him something. She felt the need to prioritise him before herself. "I'm...freezing, and I...uhhh...can't fall asleep," Ash replied, as he yawned and sat up straight. Those cerulean blue eyes were the key point to keeping him conscious.

"Is there something bugging you?" Serena queried. It was obvious. She have known Ash since she was 5 and he never acted like that. It was clear that he didn't disguise himself. Well, except for his eyes, yes.

Ash anxiously looked away. "No, it's...nothing," he timidly said. He curled himself into a ball with his chin resting on his knees. Serena watched in slight despair. She wasn't giving up that easily. In fact, she decided she will find out what was bugging Ash in tomorrow and there will be no bouncing back.

Serena couldn't sleep, nor force herself to turn off the lights next to her bed. The sight of seeing the raven haired boy sitting at the end of his bed looking like he was frozen was absolutely excruciating. "Ash...there's no point in sitting there, doing nothing and stare at stuff while you freeze. Why don't you come sleep here?" Serena asked. Her cheeks began to heat up as a blush appeared. It looked like an artificial blush but it was not. Her blush was bright red, just like blood but a little lighter.

"Uhh...I don't want to invade your privacy though," Ash stammered, as he glanced at Serena, as he fiddled with his fingers. "It's fine, I'm not lying," Serena said, with a warm smile.

Ash was still hesitant to get to Serena's bed. The feeling of sleeping with a girl was weird because they are not a couple. "I guess I'll do it myself then, shall I?" Serena sighed as she picked him up and placed him on her bed as she got in. "Why...did you do...that?" Ash questioned, as he narrowed his eyes in embarrassment. "I don't want to invade your privacy."

"I gave you permission so stop worrying!!!" Serena assured him with a warm, yet beautiful smile. A smile that could light up one's day. Ash only nodded as he turned away to the other side of the bed and dozed off. Serena couldn't help but slip her arm around his waist and hug him tight. "So adorable," Serena thought as she blushed. A smile crept onto her face as she fell asleep.

~Morning~

"Huh? What happened?!" Ash moaned as he woke up to the view of Serena hugging him tight. He tried to sit up but couldn't. "Hmm... I can't wake her up," he thought. He tried moving but Serena's grip tightened and he was stuck. "What's the time?" Ash mumbled. The clock read '10:38' and they were supposed to meet Clemont and Bonnie at 11.

"There's only one way," Ash thought. He slowly, yet reluctantly leaned in. They were 3 inches away from each other. Ash could feel Serena's warm breath. Ash's lips made contact with Serena's cheeks and both of them blushed. "Do it again," Serena thought as a smile plastered onto her face. "Serena wake up," Ash said.

He was still blushing hard which Serena thought was cute. "Hi Ashy," she whispered. "Uhh........I uh....." Ash stuttered. He shivered and backed off to the corner of the bed.

"What's wrong? You have a fever again?" Serena kindly said, as she scooted towards him, laying her hand onto his forehead. Ash let out a squeal and blushed as he fell off the bed with a loud thud.

"Ash I'm so sorry, I didn't break a bone, did I?" Serena cried. Ash groaned and stared up at the ceiling, with blank eyes. "I'm fine," he yawned.

The sun would always invigorate the gang when they were travelling, but for some reason, it didn't today. Perhaps because something happened?