The Only Exception

46.

I LIVE!!!!!! I did not abandon this story if that's what you were thinking. I've just been staying away from social media because of my mental health. Thank you for understanding and for always reading my stories, it means a lot to me :)

Enjoy!

"So where are we headed off to next, Ash?" Clemont asked as he ate his ice cream.

"I don't know, where's the closest gym?" He asked the group.

They were all sitting on a bench outside of an ice cream parlor. Ash had sat between Dawn and Serena to keep the both of them from arguing which... sorta did help. Once in awhile, he'd give Dawn a small glance and nudge her shoulder a little then look away. Dawn let out a small chuckle as she did the same trying to keep it subtle.

But of course, it wasn't unnoticed by the group. While Clemont and Bonnie smiled at the two, Serena simply glared at them as she grabbed onto Ash's arm and pulled her towards him. Ash looked over at Dawn with furrowed brows and mouthed an apology to her. She simply smiled at him as she got up from the bench and got ready to go.

"According to my map, the next gym is in Laverre city." Serena said as she got up with Ash, their arms still linked with each other. He tried to push her arm off gently but of course, she was not letting go so easily.

Dawn, Clemont and Bonnie exchanged looks with each other then sighed.

"Let's start heading out then. Knowing Ash, he'd want to get to the gym as soon as possible." Clemont said as he began to make his way out of Lumiose City.

"You know it, Clemont!" He shouted as he broke free from Serena and ran past them. "Hey, Dawn. Bet I can beat you out of Lumiose first." He winked at her as he began running out.

Dawn let out a small smile as she shook her head at him. "We'll see about that!" She shouted back as she ran after the boy.

Before Serena could interrupt their "little race," both Clemont and Bonnie stepped in front of her to block her way.

"Excuse me, guys. But... you're in my way." She told them as she tried to move past them.

"Sorry, Serena. We were just wondering if you could show us the route to Laverre City?" Clemont asked her with a smile.

"But I thought-"

"I actually wanna know the route to Laverre City, too!" Bonnie shouted excitedly.

"Well, okay, but we need to hurry up if we wanna catch up with Ash." She said, her patience nearly running thin.

"No worries, Serena." Clemont smiled as he gave a thumbs up to Bonnie from behind his back which his sister noticed and smiled.

.-.-.-.

"Ha, told you I'd win, Dawn." Ash smiled.

"You were lucky enough to get a headstart." She told him as she sat down on a small bench outside of Lumiose city.

"Where's the others?" Ash asked as he sat down with her.

"They're probably still in the city. I'll go get them-"

Before she could get up to leave, Ash had grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Or we could just wait for them here."

Dawn gave him a small smile. "Ash Ketchum, please don't tell me this was another plan to get me alone."

He chuckled as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Maybe it was."

Dawn rolled her eyes at him as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Have you figured it out?"

He knew what she meant. He sighed as he laid his head down on top of hers and placed his arm around her shoulder. "No, I haven't. Serena is persistent. I feel bad for her honestly..."

"I do, too. I really want to be friends with her but... it seems impossible when we both like the same person." Dawn sighed.

Ash smiled down at her, "you know, Dawn. Sometimes, you're too nice for your own good."

Dawn raised a brow at him with a small pout. "What are you trying to say?"

"It's not really bad or anything, it's just that I don't want you getting hurt or taking advantage of." He said.

Dawn smiled at him, "thank you, Ash. But if I'm being honest and I'm not doing this to hurt you or anything, okay?"

Ash simply nodded his head at her waiting for what she had to say to him.

Dawn sighed, "please refrain from doing anything more than just a kiss on the cheek or a simple hug. It's not that I don't like you doing all those romantic things with me, it's just... you're kinda still in a relationship with Serena and it makes me feel... guilty in some way."

"How about falling asleep together?" Ash asked with furrowed brows.

"We can't, Ash. Not until you and Serena have settled things."

Ash sighed as he picked her hand up and placed a small kiss on it. "Okay, I promise."

Dawn smiled at him, "thank you, Ash."

"Could I ask just one thing though?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Ash smiled softly at her, "would it be okay to hold your hand whenever I feel upset?"

Dawn simply chuckled at him, "yes, it's okay."

"Oh, good. Because I'm feeling pretty upset right now." He said jokingly as he took Dawn's hand in his and intertwined their fingers causing the bluenette to laugh. He smiled at her as he placed a small kiss on her cheek. The interaction didn't last long when they heard Serena shouting for them. They quickly let go of each others hand; Ash already missing the feeling of Dawn's hands in his.

"There you are!" Serena shouted as she ran towards Ash and pulled him up to her. "Shall we get going to Laverre City now?"

"Uh, yeah... Okay." He said as the two began walking with the other behind them.

Once Ash and Serena were out of hearing range, Bonnie began bombarding Dawn with questions about what happened with Ash. Dawn simply chuckled and patted the little girl on the head. "Maybe next time, Bonnie."

"Aw, but I wanna know now!" The little girl pouted.

"Bonnie, it's not nice to pester people about their privacy." Clemont said, even if he was curious just like her to know what happened between the two.

Dawn simply shook her head at them and looked at the two people in front of her. Serena was busy talking about her upcoming showcases while Ash simply looked bored to death. The bluenette let out a small chuckle as she kept on walking. Ash then looked behind to see her there and gave her a small smile as he mouthed an 'I love you' to her.

She smiled at him and mouthed 'I love you too.'

The moments they shared and the words they exchanged would be between them and only them. They were both in a bad place right now and maybe they wouldn't be happy just yet, but hey, you can't have a rainbow without a little rain, right?

So they're on their way to Laverre City for Ash's next gym battle.

Next chapter preview: Serena and Dawn get separated from the group and will have to work together to reunite with them.

Decided I'll do chapter previews so you can get a feel of what would happen in the next chapter :D

Again, I won't update as much but I am determined to finish the story no matter what. Thank you for your understanding :) See you guys soon!