(Okay, little plotless oneshot- go! By the by, I'm going to cheat and say Ash and Misty are around 12 in this fic. So Johto-ish time?)

The sun had set, and the sleeping bags had been arranged in the usual order.

Brock, on the left, was already snoozing and muttering something about "two perfect girls", whatever that meant.

Ash, to the right of Brock, sitting up in his sleeping bag against a tree trunk, was browsing through his pokédex, a sleepy Pikachu curled up tightly near the top of Ash's bag.

And finally, Misty, on the right. She had taken her hair tie out and her suspenders had been removed, and she lay in her sleeping bag-of course, only after tucking in her precious Togepi.

Unseen bird Pokémon chirped and trilled, bidding their loved ones goodnight, and the only light left in the little forest clearing was the moon's gentle glow seeping through the spaces between branches overhead.

Oh, and the annoyingly bright light blasting from Ash's pokédex.

"Ash, turn that thing off, would ya? Some of us are trying to sleep," a frustrated Misty mumbled. She'd had her fill of fighting with Ash during today's signature trek through the woods, complete with Ash getting the group lost.

Again.

Ash rolled his eyes-not that she'd been able to see in the darkness of the forest-but shut the pokédex nonetheless.

"G'night, Pikachu. G'night, Brock. G'night, Ash," Misty whispered, knowing that more than half of the group wouldn't have heard her, yet too tired to care.

"Goodnight, Misty," Ash responded, lying down in his sleeping bag, but not removing his hat, as he knew tonight would be one of those nights where his mind would unwillingly avoid the gentle embrace of sleep. Once he thought he was sure no one would hear him, he added, "Sweet dreams."

Let's just say Misty fell asleep with what could be considered either a smile, or a smirk, on her face that night.

Ash tossed and turned in his sleeping bag. No position was comfortable, and his mind seemed to be racing, though he wouldn't have been able to answer if you had asked what he was thinking about. What he had assumed was a sleeping Pikachu let out a small grunt of annoyance and went to find a more comfortable spot somewhere else in the clearing, preferably far from his restless trainer.

Restless indeed, Ash sat up in his sleeping bag, giving up on the concept of rest for now. He squinted at his surroundings, from a still muttering Brock ("Swing it!") with a smile on his face, to a Pikachu-like shape a couple of yards away (apparently he found a spot of grass more comfortable than Ash's sleeping bag), and finally to his red-headed best friend.

Misty's fiery hair fanned around her face and was gently lifted by light breaths from her cherry lips. A small smile formed on her relaxed face, apparently dreaming of something pleasant or perhaps just anything besides bugs, carrots, or peppers.

Beautiful.

As soon as the thought flashed through Ash's mind, he banished it, his wide eyes quickly searching for something, anything, else to look at. She was his best friend, scrawny, hot-headed, compassionate, a hopeless romantic. She was his mentor, assertive when necessary, a know-it-all, but smart nonetheless. She was inspirational, and-no! Ash could not let his eyes, or his mind, trail in that direction again. She was his best friend. No more, no less.

…Right?

That's how it had always been. Well, technically, at first they had just been acquaintances, one in debt, the other wanting repayment. But soon enough, the debt had become an excuse for their friendship, for their sticking together. Or, at least, he thought it had. What if it still was about the bike? Maybe that was all that mattered to Misty. Getting a bike, getting home.

No, it wasn't like that. They were friends. Good friends. Best friends.

…Right?

Misty's eyes fluttered slowly open, and confusedly took in her surroundings. The sun hadn't risen yet. So why was she up, and why was-

"Ash?"

Ash's eyes flew into the direction he had promised himself they wouldn't.

"Misty?"

"You're still up?" Misty's brow creased worriedly, but her concern quickly faded into her default emotion-anger. "It's gotta be past midnight, if you don't sleep, you'll be grumpy tomorrow morning, and then you'll undoubtedly make me grumpy somehow, and our inevitable fighting will annoy Brock, and then no one will be happy! So go to sleep before I knock you out myself!"

Ash, however, seemed as if he hadn't heard a word of Misty's rant, his eyes glazed over but still trained in her direction.

"Ash? Hello, anyone home?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, Mist." Ash mumbled, leaning back against his tree trunk and staring to the treetops, as if looking for answers. Truth be told, he was just looking for something else to gaze at, something that wasn't so utterly and indescribably Misty.

He wasn't sure why tonight it was different. Why tonight, she was different. Something had just clicked, or maybe it had been loosened and fell out, or maybe it had just broken in general, but tonight, Ash saw Misty in a new light. The moonlight.

And the moonlight certainly changed things.

Her fair skin practically glowed, her eyes he usually dismissed as blue looked somehow… deeper. Blue, green, something in between? Ash chuckled at his rhyme despite himself, and Misty sat fully up, turning to face him.

"Okay, Ash. Spill."

"Spill?"

"Well, something's certainly up, even Psyduck would be able to tell ya that! So why aren't you sleeping? What're you thinking about?"

Ash struggled to think of an excuse, but alas, his mind failed him once again that night, and it slipped out before he could stop it.

"You."

"Me?" The question raced through Misty's mind. Thinking of me? Why would he be thinking about me instead of sleeping? Ash loves sleeping! Why am I more important than what's gotta be his favorite pastime? …Well, besides eating… And Pokémon training, she wondered to herself, an unconscious rosy blush spreading across her usually pale cheeks.

Her? Why would I say that? Oh gosh, now she'll definitely be thinking something's up. I just don't understand why tonight she's, well, different! Pretty! Radiant! Even beautiful! At this thought reoccurring in Ash's mind, he pulled his cap down lower over his face, suddenly grateful he hadn't removed it earlier.

"Uh.. Yeah. You. Why're you so annoying, Misty?" he joked, hoping to lighten the mood and the flurry of Butterfree in his stomach.

Misty's expression hardened, a playful glare appearing on her face, but her smile remained. "I'm annoying? At least I can make my way through a forest without getting everyone lost!"

"I did not get us lost!

"If you didn't get us lost, where the heck are we?"

"Um.. The forest."

"Just admit it, Ash! You got us lost and we're gonna have to somehow make our way out of here in the morning!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too, but would you just shut up? You're gonna wake Brock!"

At this point, a small "One, no, two, no, three, four, five, six, so many!" was heard from the direction said trainer was sleeping.

"Oh, I'm gonna wake up Brock? You were just as loud as I was, runt!"

"Pig!"

"Scrawny!"

"Wanna-be!"

The two trainers unconsciously moved closer to each other with each name called, and before they knew it, their faces were inches apart.

"Oh, and Ash?"

"Yeah, twerp?"

"Thanks for thinking about me, and saying I was beautiful," Misty whispered, and with a quick peck on his cheek, she abruptly turned around and flopped down in her sleeping bag, facing away from Ash, a huge, girlish grin spreading across her already blushing cheeks as she cuddled Togepi into her.

Face flushed, eyes wide, Ash stared at the unmoving body. The body that belonged to the best friend who had just kissed him. His cheeks now a bright red to rival Pikachu's, one thought spun repeatedly in his mind.

Crap! I said that out loud?!

(Thanks for reading, and thanks to Carolyn (if she ever gets an account on here, I'll let y'all know) for helping me edit/revise. Also: I'm not sure if I made it super clear, but Brock's little mumblings were actually a reference to the song "Two Perfect Girls" from Pokémon Live (a hilarious song that you should definitely give a listen). If you hated my little story, that's okay, could you please just leave a review and let me know why? I heart constructive criticism even more than I heart Pokémon! Oh! And I don't own Pokémon or any of it's characters, (or "Two Perfect Girls", for that matter) etc!)