H-E-L-L-O! Chii's online again! I can't even with school right now. I've got too many assignments and trying to juggle those with my hobbies is currently not working out for me. I've been drawing more often than I have been writing but darn do I really have to update all my other ongoing fics! TIME TIME I NEED MOAR TIME!

Here's a little Diode oneshot inspired by a doujinshi I read some days ago (credits go to the artist because that story was so adorable). I guess it's super similar to There's A Light, but in this case, Ash is "seme" (which, for those who know me, I don't usually write).

Another thing for those who know me, I am extremely punny when it comes to titles. Is the knot in love or are you not in love? Not even ash-amed. I should be pun-ished for these.

Toodles!

Knot in Love (K)

Summary: Clemont finds himself in a hairy situation.

~o~

The blonde is sad.

He's just finished off drafting a blueprint for a mind reading ray prototype, sulking face-first on his desk as he lazily drags his pen across a stray piece of paper. Pfft. When he does sit up, there's a massive squiggle of failure across the once-clean page, a close representation of his current state of mind.

This is ridiculous. A mind reading ray prototype? It's not like he hasn't turned to science to solve his problems before (cue in his list of "totally amazing" inventions for the silliest situations and their totally not-godawful-names-despite-what-Bonnie-thinks here), but really? This has to be Clemont's first time thinking that science just ain't gonna cut it, bruh.

Before finding himself hopelessly defeated on his desk, creative ideas long gone, the Kalosian teen had been thinking of talking to Ash about something. On the days the ravenette does visit Lumiose from all corners of the world (which is more often than possible, he noticed), Ash has been looking past him during their conversations, never making eye contact. To the blonde, it seems as though there is someone or something behind him that's got Ash's attention, and though it shouldn't really matter, he can't help but feel... insignificant.

Maybe Ash doesn't really like talking to him — that's why he's always so distracted. But they were friends, right? Ash always visits him at least five times a week, from Sinnoh or Johto or the Orange Islands despite how difficult it is to travel those distances. And pfft, it's not like you always have to make eye contact when talking to somebody... It's scientifically proven that most people look directly at the bridge of another person's nose during conversations. Thing is... the Pikachu Trainer doesn't do either with him though! He just stares over him like he's not even there!

Maybe his glasses look dorky on him, or his sapphire eyes are too much to bear. He makes sure to clean them every day though, but there's nothing he can really do about his eyes. Was it his forehead? Does he have acne or something? Pathetic huh, how much Clemont has been mulling over one tiny thing. But you can't really blame a guy for being too self-conscious around a person he loves.

Chespin enters his room minutes later, hauling a bag filled with macarons behind him. They've gone their separate ways, his friends and him, just like they always knew they would after Ash had competed in and won the Kalos League. At least they still keep in touch every now and then. Bonnie's training with Korrina over at the Shalour Gym most of the time, and Serena sends him macarons every so often from Arceus-knows-where she is. As for himself, he's been constantly trying to juggle inventing and running the central gym of Kalos, with much success at that too if he'd like to admit.

…Then there's kicking himself mentally because Ash is supposed to be on his way here in a few hours and he doesn't feel confident enough to just ask him why he won't look at him!

"Ches..." The Spiky Nut Pokemon scales up his bed and his desk edged along his room window, patting the sulking blonde's head. He even gestures to the bag of macarons and encourages his human friend to take one to make him feel better.

"Thanks Chespin. I'm feeling fine. Just a little down about Ash, is all..." Clemont swipes the detailed blueprint from his desk and with a macaron in the other hand, begins to study it thoroughly. "As cool as the Clemind Reader X is going to be, I think it'll be better if I just talked to Ash about it."

"Chespin! Ches-pin-ches!"

"I know. Sometimes I wonder why he even bothers to visit me when you and I both know I'll never be good enough for him." He sighs. "Oh well. You can't help falling anyways. I have to start making lunch for when he does arrive; you want to come with?"

"Pin. Chespin-pin!" Lunch sounds like a perfect time to bring up the subject. Clemont's just hoping he'll actually have the confidence to do so.

~o~

On second thought, maybe the sapphire-eyed teen should have finished the Clemind Reader X.

"…and then Cynthia actually sent out her Garchomp first hand, but ohoho! My Mega Glalie was no match for that dragon! Ice Beam, Ice Beam, here we go! Have I told you that it took forever for my Snorunt to learn Ice Beam? But now it's so OP, and everyone cheered because it made a critical one hit KO, ahaha!"

Clemont's eyes are focused on Ash's ecstatic expressions, chin in his hand as he tries to mentally deduce why on earth the guy's staring at the top of his head. The ravenette seems cheerful enough in his presence to be retelling his latest battle with the Sinnoh Champion, so that means Ash doesn't dislike being around him, at least. Clemont knows that there aren't any portraits or appliances behind him for the hazel-eyed teen to be staring at – just a plain old boring white wall in the dining room. His plateful of pork onigiri is long gone, but Ash still has one left with only one or two bites.

The Pikachu Trainer continues to talk to the imaginary person or thing behind him. "Afterwards, Cynthia's Milotic took massive damage from my Sceptile, and all it took was two Leaf Blades! Of course, I should probably teach him Frenzy Plant but that takes too much energy even though it's a really powerful move!"

.

.

.

Halfway through his crush's recount, the sapphire-eyed teen pushes his plate away and stands up, ready to leave. Clemont can't do it. He can't just ask. He doesn't want to know what's wrong, even though he probably should know so he could tackle the problem head-on. That's always been his thing — critical thinking and problem solving. But when it comes to his own life, he just can't apply his own algorithms, test it out and have everything working perfectly.

It's then that Ash finally, but momentarily, looks at him, worry etched deep in his hazel eyes.

"H-Hey, you don't look alright... What's up? Something wrong?"

The moping blonde rearranges his overall sleeves with his head tilted down and is about to head for his room. "M'fine. I'm done eating, so I'm heading back. I've— I've just got a project to finish. Don't mind me at all..."

Clemont's wavering voice fails him enough that Ash doesn't buy his story. His battle with Cynthia forgotten, the ravenette also gets up on his feet, grabs at the blonde's arm and spins him around to face him before he could leave.

"I'm sorry, I just kept blabbing on, I didn't even give you a chance to speak, wow, I'm really terrible, I'm supposed to be the respectful guest here and I'm sorry–" the Kanto teen frowns. Now Ash is really, really looking at him. Concerned hazel on despondent sapphire, Clemont notes how pretty those orbs are before curling into himself.

He's not worth the money and time Ash spends just to visit him. He's not worth Ash's frantic apologies and there is no way Ash will ever feel the same way about him. At least, that's what he thinks before a gentle hand cups his left cheek and slowly cards through his sunshine-coloured hair. The gesture alone really surprises him.

"You gotta tell me what's wrong, Clem. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Clemont nods. It still doesn't make his problem more significant though.

Sighing and fidgeting uncomfortably, the blonde mumbles, "You n-n-never look at me when we t-talk. It's like there's something over my head that's got your eye or… or… something w-wrong with my eyes or my glasses or whatever. And I know I'm ridiculous for worrying about it but I can't help but think that you don't like me anymore. You come all this way to hang out when there could be more important things you could do, and sure we're friends and you're always free to come visit me but I feel like too much of a burden for you to do that and I'm sorry, I know it's a stupid thing…"

Ash doesn't look like he thinks it's stupid, though. "Oh Clem…"

With a compassionate expression on his face, he pulls the blonde into his embrace and just… holds him, letting him know through gestures just how much he means to him. The dark-haired teen is warm and careful as he strokes his hair and cradles his form. You can't blame Clemont for being self-conscious. He's always been this way, and it takes a really patient person to be able to convince him that he's loved.

"Clemont, you are the most amazing gym leader and inventor and individual I know!" Ash tells him confidently, the light in his eyes enough to convince him that Ash isn't lying. "I visit you because I want to. I always want to see you, you know that. Heck, if I could do anything about it I'd whisk you away right now and take you with me, gym leader responsibilities or not. You're never a burden so don't you ever think of yourself that way. Your eyes are fine, and so are your glasses, and anything else about you that you're self-conscious about. There is nothing wrong with you."

These are words that everyone wants to hear, and though he knows it deep down, sometimes it's just more reassuring to hear it from someone else's lips. The two exchange shy glances, blinking every now and then. A slow smile makes its way on Clemont's face before he leans into the caressing hand of this kind, perfect and brilliant individual in front of him.

Ash is even more beautiful when he's beaming at him like that, that is, until he gets distracted again.

"AHA! HAH! I knew it I KNEW IT! I knew I wasn't dreaming, it's totally legit!" He blurts out, instantaneously ruining the moment as he pulls away from Clemont to inspect... the top of his head. The bespectacled blonde's lightning-bolt-shaped lock of hair seems to be the object of Ash's attention because he's circling him now, totally captivated.

"Is there something wrong with my cowlick?"

Ash grins. "I've been staring at it all this time, waiting for something to happen. Shit, that's probably why you think I'm not looking at you, right?" He stops his circling and grimaces. "I'm sorry Clemont, I didn't even think of how you'd feel about it... But some weeks ago I was looking at you and your cowlick just... it does this thing. Sometimes it sinks to form a heart shape and I thought it was really cute but I've only seen it do that a few times. Almost thought it was just my imagination but it's clearly not, AHAHA!"

Heart shape? His cowlick sinks into a heart shape?

.

.

And that's why Ash hasn't been making eye contact? Because he's looking at his cowlick?

A cowlick that can apparently form a heart shape?!

"Awww, it went back to normal." Ash tells him, eventually backing away to give the blonde some space. "There's got to be some science linked to it, right? Something about gravity or whatever? Did you know about this before? How does it even work?"

Heck, Clemont wasn't aware of it at all! How long has it been doing that? He tugs on the lock of hair himself and fixes it a little, feeling puzzled.

"I have no idea." He says.

~o~

Some minutes later, the boys clean up the table and place all their used dishes in the kitchen sink. All their Pokémon are in the training room at the other end of the house, something the blonde has designed to help train his Pokémon away from the gym. They drop by just to see things are fine before walking back towards the corridor that leads to the blonde's room.

"I guess I have a new project to do now. Although I can't say for sure that I know where to start... Initial online research might have to do..." Clemont scrunches his nose, his technical brain already brainstorming for possibilities. Could gravity really be a factor? Wind resistance? Air pressure? The Cowlick-Has-A-Shape-o-Matic could be a possible invention to make, right? It shouldn't really be a big deal, but then again, this is Clemont. Every tiny detail and curious thing has a scientific explanation.

"Sounds like a plan, Clem." Ash encourages him. "I'm sure that whatever you do will produce successful results. You are Kalos' boy genius, after all. And from now on I promise I'll make more eye contact as long as you promise to tell me the second you have a problem so I can do something about it, alright?"

The blonde is surprised when Ash leans in too closely from his left, grasping for his hand in the process. It's that one squeeze and the rubbing of a thumb against the back of his hand that makes Clemont blink rapidly and keel in his cherry-faced state.

"Aye! The heart-shape's back! Clemont, come and see! Where's the bathroom mirror uhhh... Come on! We gotta hurry before it disappears!"

The blue-eyed teen just lets Ash pull him along since he already has a valid hypothesis for why his hair knots in the shape of love.

Chii: I've doodled Clemont with said heart-shaped "cowlick" before, but I might have to do it more often now XD I hope I described it well enough, because if not I'll link an art for visualization.

Oh Clem... my current muse... o(≧∇≦o)