If anyone knows if there is a name for this ship, please let me know.

Enjoy! 

(P.S. this is an AU where Ash goes to school and lives in Unova and he has really long hair like in a lot of other of my stories, also I change his name a little, I love AUs, you probably notice, hope you don't mind, sorry)

Ash sprinted through the streets of Driftveil City as the rain poured. His skirt and socks were soaking by now, yet the rest of his uniform was protected by the fluffy coat enveloping him. However, that didn't prevent the constant shivering, paling skin and blue lips that had made its way onto Ash after more than 30 minutes of running home from school. He'd had to change his route that day, because there was so much flooding in certain areas. And it was already getting dark, since it was Winter. But he was just going to stay optimistic about the fact that he was still acceptably safe. After all, he wasn't some miserable man who worked a part-time job.

A man with long, green hair, a suit and dull eyes paced himself down the streets of Driftveil City as the rain pricked his umbrella. He'd hated the rain, but then again, he'd hated everything. At least he wasn't cold, due to the amount of thick clothing layering his body, but he'd never really appreciated those things. There was hardly a puddle in sight on his route home, but he was too busy thinking about how dark it was going to get soon, too busy getting annoyed about it. Or his part-time job, which he also hated. After all, he wasn't some cheerful schoolkid who'd just reached his teens.

Thunder started to emerge from the dark clouds, alerting Ash to pick up the pace, although he was already going as fast as he could while trying not to slip, and he was exhausted. He'd probably caught a cold by now.

Thunder started to pound the pavements and roofs, but it didn't really bother the green-haired man, since he knew that the odds of being struck by lighting in an entire lifetime was about 1 in 3,000. Not that good of a chance, but not that bad either.

As Ash's feet carried him through the rain, he caught sight of a man with long, green hair and dull eyes, holding an umbrella. What a miserable man. Then again, you never know people's story.

As the man began to walk even slower, discouraged by the loud thunder, a youthful teen boy with hair reaching his feet grabbed his attention. Why was he so lively? It was such a horrible day.

A street light was struck by a flash of lighting, and immediately began to fall. The man watched, not having a care in the world. Until he saw it land. He gasped and froze, unsure of what to do. Usually, he'd leave people behind in this situation, but this boy seemed like a good person, so he dropped his umbrella, raced over to the boy, and carefully picked him up, examining the wound on his head from the street light.

-Later-

Ash's eyes fluttered open. A small room, with a fireplace, and a man sitting in the corner. The man had long, green hair and dull eyes. He was sure he'd seen that man before.

"You're awake. Finally", the man complained in a low voice. 

Ash weakly sat up and held his head, trying to remember what happened. All he could remember was how worried his parents must have been! He searched himself for his phone, but couldn't manage to find it.

"Looking for this?", the man asked as he pulled a smartphone out of his pocket.

"Ah, yes! Thank you!", Ash thanked as the man threw him his phone.

"Interesting. I was wondering what your voice would sound like"

Ash ignored the man and quickly dialed the number, holding the phone to his ear. No answer. He tried again and again, unaware that the man was watching him, and even starting to feel sorry for him. The poor kid. He's probably worried about his parents, who are probably worried about him.

He began to climb out of the bed, but his legs went numb and he fell to his knees. The man rushed to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You should sit down. Don't worry about your parents right now. You're in no condition to walk"

Ash sighed and sat back against the bed. The man quickly withdrew his hand. What did he just do? Did he just care about...someone else? No. That hadn't happened in years. But could he let it happen again? Absolutely not.

"Thank you...for taking care of me", Ash mumbled as the man went to sit down next to him, "I'd probably be lying in the streets bleeding on my own if it wasn't for you"

Something felt off. Not wrong or bad, just off. Weird. A strange feeling. It was familiar, seeing the young boy smile and thank him ignited something. Was he...no. No. That can't happen.

"It's just the right thing to do", the man mumbled back.

"What's your name?"

"...N"

"N? As in the letter?"

"I know it's weird, okay..."

"No, I was going to say that it's cool! Can we be friends? I'd love to have a friend called N!"

N smiled, bowing his head down.

"Sure...we can be friends. What's your name?"

"Ashari Han Ketchum"

N froze and stared at the young boy in shock, but the good kind. An admirable type of shock.

"But you can call me Ash"

"Okay then, Ash. Nice to meet you"

"You too"

It was quiet for a little while. For the first time in a long time, N was feeling awkward. He wanted to talk, but had no idea what to say. He was hoping Ash would start a conversation. Thank goodness that was the case.

"I must ask...are you alright? You seemed a little sad before, when I saw you outside"

"O-Oh, um...I'm always like that. Ever since my breakup five years ago, I've just always been miserable"

On the inside, N was screaming. Why was he sharing his personal life with this complete stranger? On the outside, he shuffled closer to him. They both needed warmth.

"Oh. Well...I'm really sorry about that. I can't really say much, except, you should try to think happier. Don't think how bad it was that you broke up, think about a fresh start you could have, all the problems that you might've just avoided"

N looked down at the boy, cracking a smile as he carried on.

"It's hard to be positive sometimes. I know. I'm kind of a loner at school, mostly because I don't really know how to make friends, and when people get close to me, I'm awkward, and I think maybe I act in a way that makes them stay away from me, like I am with you now. You're a complete stranger, and I'm sharing my personal life with you! But, oh well, we're here now. Let's just keep going"

N couldn't help but laugh a little at this unique kid. Sure, he was awkward, but he could kinda relate to him. He gave him a feeling, for the first time in a long time, that maybe...it was okay to be like that? Maybe that's just who he was? Maybe. But not quite yet.

"If you need help, no worries! I can think of good things about your life just by looking at you! You have really long hair, like me! Play with it when you get bored. That's what I do. And you're really tall. That means you can reach things on high shelves. I wish I was tall. I'm like, 5 feet. You have a pretty nice house. But you should probably decorate more. Seeing the decoration would make you happy!"

N smiled and laughed more and more as the boy went on. Questions spun around his head as their one-sided conversation proceeded. Maybe it was okay to be happy? He didn't know. Maybe it was alright to appreciate things? Maybe. Was it okay to love? Yes. Definitely.

As that last question concluded in his mind, Ash fell asleep on his shoulder. He didn't have the heart to wake him, so he stretched over and pulled a blanket over the boy, before snuggling with him. He felt obliged to take care of him now. This little boy'd just filled his miserable world with color. He felt that, even as strangers, he needed him now. Surely, that was love.

-A week later-

Ash skipped down the sunny streets of Driftveil City, pushing open a glass door to a cafe. N was sitting there, waiting for him, already with his cup of coffee. He was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and shorts, contrasting the boring suit he'd always wear before he met Ash. The young boy fondled with his uniform as he sat himself down, greeting the other.

"Something great happened today! A customer gave me a tip", N celebrated as he pulled a dollar out from his pocket, "See? Being a barista is actually quite fun. What are you getting up to in school?"

"Oh, nothing...", Ash hummed, slowly revealing a piece of paper from behind his back, "...Except that I got an A on my exam!"

They high-fived, grinning and chuckling with glee as they began to drink their milkshakes.

"Wanna hand out today? I don't have any work to do"

"Hmm, I'm free today, too. Yeah, let's hang out!"

N's heart glowed as Ash took his hand and led him into what he knew as his world, their world. He loved it. He loved Ash. Yeah, that's right. He loved Ash, so much.

And he was sure he loved him back.

I hope you enjoyed! If you have ideas, requests, or suggestions to help me improve my work, feel free to let me know!