One Week

Brock heard the front door open and close unexpectedly. Grabbing a frying pan from the rack nearby, he quietly tiptoed toward the front door. Rounding the corner, he raised the frying pan in preparation to strike, but came to a sudden halt when he spotted a familiar head of black hair.

"Hey Brock!" Ash greeted him. Knitting his eyebrows in confusion he nervously glanced at the frying pan still held high in Brock's hands. "Uh…what's with the frying pan?"

"Arceus, Ash! You scared the crap out of me," he scolded his friend. "I thought you were a burglar or something. You can't just walk in someone's house without them knowing!"

"Sorry, I thought you knew," he apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Didn't you get my text?"

"Obviously not."

"Oh, well, is it okay if I crash here for a few days?"

That's when Brock noticed the blue duffle bag sitting by Ash's feet. Without any explanation, Brock knew why Ash was here. "What did you do this time?" he asked, exasperation evident in his voice.

Ash rolled his eyes, no sense of shame on his face. Grabbing his duffle bag, Ash escorted himself to Brock's couch where he dropped his bag. Brock followed, not too eager to hear about Ash and Misty's latest fight, but still willing to lend an ear. "Well, it all started because I got the wrong colored tie. How was I supposed to know there was a difference between navy blue and royal blue? They're both dark blue!"

"Well, actually, royal blue is a little…" When Brock saw the weird look Ash was giving him, he quickly backtracked. "You know what? Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Without even having to tell him, Ash helped himself to the linen closet where Brock kept extra blankets and pillows. As he made his bed, Ash continued to rant about his latest fight with Misty. "Anyways, she started yelling at me about not caring enough about this wedding and how she's putting much more thought and care into it than I am."

"Uh-huh," Brock nodded from his seat on the living room chair.

"I told her she wasn't wrong. I don't want a huge wedding. It's a complete waste of time. Why can't we just get married on the beach or something? Besides, this wedding planning has turned her into a huge bitch."

"Ash…" Brock groaned, letting his head fall into his hands. "Please tell me you didn't actually say that, did you?"

"Well, yeah," he replied, seeing nothing wrong with what he'd said. Then again, Brock often had to remind himself that Ash had no qualms about saying what was on his mind. His mind was not unlike the heart he wore on his sleeve. "Anyways, she got really mad and kicked me out, so, yeah, that's how I got here."

Sometimes Brock truly wondered how Ash and Misty were still together, and why they were even getting married. As consistently as the phases of the moon, Ash and Misty seemed to always be fighting about something. At least once or twice a month-three if Ash was being particularly dense-Ash would show up at Brock's house needing a place to stay for a few nights. Brock had tried on several occasions to try and help Ash and Misty to mediate their arguments more maturely, but even he knew what a lost cause looked like.

"It's fine," he replied, brushing it off as if nothing happened. "It'll all blow over in a few days and we'll make up." For a few seconds, Ash paused, a cocky grin on his face. "Making up's the best part…if you know what I mean."

Brock shook his head, having no desire to know how Ash and Misty "made up" after their numerous arguments. In his mind, they were still young, naïve ten-year-olds with nothing much but Pokémon on their brains.

"Are you sure this is…you know, a healthy relationship?" Brock asked. He loved Ash and Misty both equally, but he was genuinely concerned about the well-being of his friends. Sometimes he felt like he was the adult and they were the kids in this weird relationship they all shared with each other. "Like, are you sure you two should be getting married?"

"What?" Ash gasped, completely alarmed by Brock's question. "Are you serious? Of course we should! I love her! And who wouldn't be lucky to marry the Pokémon Master?" he boasted, puffing his chest out a little. Brock was also pretty sure he could hear the air inflating his friend's head.

"I think the title may be going to your head."

Ash didn't hear him as he continued on his rant. "It's not my fault she looks so funny when she's angry. I mean, have you ever noticed that when she's mad, her cheeks puff out like Jigglypuff" To emphasize his point, he puffed out his cheeks to imitate to the Pokémon that had once plagued their travels.

"Ash…" Brock would never admit Ash was right-Misty would kill him if she ever found out. But even he knew better than to keep nothing but a poker face when Misty was mad. "Don't you think that just makes things worse?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But like I said, in few days it'll all blow over just like it always does. She's probably already forgiven me, but she'll be all prideful and stubborn for a few days before she's willing to apologize."

"You seem very confident of that," Brock remarked.

"Well yeah! I just need to sit back and wait until she comes to me," he explained. She'll come around, don't worry. "I'll just chill here for now."

I'll never understand their relationship Brock sighed.

OoO

Sure enough, by the end of the week, Misty had called to apologize, claiming that the stress of wedding planning was getting to her and that she hadn't meant the things she'd said. Probably so he wasn't accused of being heartless, Ash made sure to apologize for what he too had said, assuring her that he couldn't wait for their big, white wedding. And then, much to Brock's dismay, he'd packed up and left out the door, a big grin on his face and muttering something about making up.

When two months had gone by without any unexpected visits from Ash, Brock began to wonder if Ash and Misty had finally learned how to handle their arguments as mature adults. He still saw the couple occasionally when they came to visit, but Brock should have known that the second he thought everything was fine, the world would prove him wrong. And it was late on a Friday night when Brock heard his front door open and close.

Sure enough, within a few seconds of the door closing, Ash walked into the family room, a familiar duffel bag in his hands. "Hey," he greeted Brock with a weak wave. "Can I stay here for a few days?"

"Sure," Brock replied. Standing up, he opened the linen closet and pulled out blankets and a pillow for Ash. "What happened this time? I thought things were getting better since you hadn't been here in months."

"Yeah, well, me too. And if you ask me, it's no big deal," Ash grumbled as he fell onto the couch, jumping right into his rant. "So she has to get a bigger wedding dress. So what? She'll still look beautiful."

While Brock was happy to hear that Ash loved Misty no matter how she looked, his words were still concerning. Making sure to tread lightly in case Ash repeated what he was about to say to Misty, Brock asked, "Does she think she gained some weight?" Misty was definitely a stress eater, but she was also an avid swimmer, so she probably wouldn't have much trouble losing any extra weight she gained.

"Not really. At least, not yet," Ash replied. "But she will eventually, and if you ask her, it's all 'my fault.'" He added air quotes around his words. "She's smart. She should know that it takes two to tango, or whatever that dumb expression is."

He can't be saying that…What the hell?

"Ash…" Brock called the man's name to make sure he had his full attention.

"Yeah?"

"Is Misty pregnant?"

Time seemed to stand still as Brock waited for Ash to process his question.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Ash's face lit up, the smile on his face reaching from ear to ear. "Isn't it great, Brock? We're going to parents! I'm going to be a dad and you're going to be an uncle!"

"That's great, Ash…" he sighed, but if Ash noticed Brock's lack of excitement he didn't say anything. "I can't wait. I'm happy for the two of you."

Brock was going to need a strong drink.