How obvious is it that I never watch the anime anymore?

Anyway, I watched some XY in an attempt to prepare for this prompt, and I think it turned out okay, given the circumstances. A bit more dramatic than intended, though.

Let's get on with it, shall we?

AmourShipping: "Teach me how to play?"

Serena wasn't an especially spiteful person, but even she had her limits. And this? This marked the end of her patience.

Yes, she acknowledged that Ash tended to have a lot going on in his life. Yes, she acknowledged that he could be a bit of an airhead, and he also had chronic forgetfulness. But that didn't excuse him not only missing her performance, but not even showing up afterwards. He'd promised that he would come find her once the judges left, saying he had a surprise for her (her heart had sped up at the time, although she knew that, logically, it wasn't going to be a romantic candlelight dinner). Yet here she was, nearly an hour after everyone else had left, her Fennekin resting quietly in her lap, and Ash was nowhere to be seen.

Catching on to her bad mood, Fennekin didn't try any of her usual antics and instead watched silently as Serena paced for a half hour before eventually settling down. Clearly, Ash had totally forgotten, and she would have loved to leave without him, but, unfortunately, he was her ride. Resolving to give him a call if he didn't arrive soon, she plopped onto the ground with a groan and removed a deck of cards from her bag.

With not much else to do, she began to play Solitaire. Her deck was missing the Nidoqueen of hearts, but she didn't care much. Right now, all she could really concentrate on was the frustration welling up slowly in her mind as she angrily slammed the cards onto the floor. Fennekin watched warily, knowing first-hand that her Master's temper could sometimes get very out-of-control.

Serena couldn't pinpoint exactly when the irritation transitioned into worry. Biting her lip, she began to glance at the door every few seconds, waiting for Ash to come traipsing through, unaware that he was late. Nothing. The backstage was dim, all the lights having been turned off when the judges left, but the last janitor had promised to leave the back door unlocked. Had he lied? She checked to make sure and found it open. If Ash had come by like he'd promised, he would have had no trouble getting in.

Panic began to set in. Swallowing thickly, she pressed herself up against a case of props, pushing aside piles of frilly Pokemon clothing, and tried to control her breathing. Ash was just fine. There was no way he had a legitimate reason for being late; he was just scatterbrained. Sure, he had a criminal organization on his tail 24/7. Sure, Kalos was full of narrow, shady back alleys hung heavy with the stench of crime. But he was fine.

Right?

Her hands were wavering, her vision tunneling. She stopped herself from looking up at the door anymore, instead trying to focus on her game. Shakily, she placed down a card―

With a loud bang, the door flew open and Ash tumbled in. His familiar jacket was singed, frayed, and splattered with mud, and he was sporting an impressive black eye. "Serena!" he yelled, sprinting over to her, only to end up bowling over onto the ground. Her cards scattered.

Blankly, she stared at him, taking in the deep purple bruise and his ruined clothing. "Sorry I'm late," he gasped, panting and wheezing for breath as he scrambled back onto his feet. "Team Rocket showed up at the worst possible time, like they always do―"

He caught sight of her impromptu card game. Immediately, his entire attitude changed. "Oh! I'm glad you weren't just sitting here." He sat down beside her, legs crossed. "I admit, though; I never learned Solitaire."

He turned to her with a grin; not cocky or cheeky, but somewhere in-between.

"Teach me how to play?"

All she could do was throw herself forward and hug the unsuspecting Trainer, relief washing over her so intensely that, in that moment, she didn't know how to play either.

Maybe it was because he was just surprised or maybe it was because he was just as relieved, but Ash didn't hesitate to hug her back.

As always, feel free to send me a pairing and a short prompt in my PM box, or leave it in a review. If you don't want to come up with a prompt, I'll also take just a number 1-100 for my prompt lists.