Lying out in the open, completely exposed and vulnerable, it seemed to be beckoning him. Certainly, if its contents were supposed to be secret, then higher security would be present. Could anyone truly be upset with him if he swiped it really swiftly, did his business, and returned it in the blink of an eye?
"Ash, you can't lick that!"
Startled, the boy from Pallet Town dropped the spoon immediately. It fell with a clatter onto the countertop, and cookie dough splattered around the nearby area. As footsteps came closer and closer to him, he braced himself to face his ultimate weakness. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment, but opened them again once he felt a soft, warm hand rest on top of his. A soft, warm, sticky hand. When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking straight into Serena's eyes. She seemed surprised by his direct gaze, however, and shades of pink and red blossomed onto her blushing face. The amount of effort required to continue staring right at her was daunting, but he persevered; female emotions always caused him trouble.
He spoke first. "I thought it was okay for me to lick the spoon."
She chuckled softly, raising her other hand to brush her golden bangs out of her face. That hand looked pretty sticky, too. "Normally, yes. When it's just us two, you can always lick the spoon. I don't mind your germs." A fuzzy feeling welled up in his stomach when she said this, because he could feel her body heat rising. Why was this so embarrassing? Her flustered feelings were almost contagious; he felt himself blushing, too, as she grew redder.
"Wait… are you saying that these cookies are for someone else?" Disappointment washed over him, and his eyes lowered to the abandoned spoon. "Is your mom coming to visit? Does she mind when I taste-test your cookies?"
Serena rapidly shook her head, and she grabbed his hand with both of hers. "No, that's not the case at all! I mean, she is coming over for Christmas tomorrow, but that's not the point." She seemed desperate to reassure him that Grace wasn't an issue; the Rhyhorn racer hadn't been thrilled at the news of their engagement, so Serena was always working hard to maintain the peace. "It's just that… these cookies are for Santa."
Ash's eyes grew wide, and he leaped away from the kitchen. Serena let go of his hands in a panic, completely caught off-guard by his sudden movements. "Oh no! I had no idea!" He raised his hands to the side of his head, grabbing his hair in terror. "Honestly, Santa! I had no clue!" The young man clasped his hands together as he began to beg. "Please don't give me coal! I've been so good this year!" He then began to whisper "please" repeatedly, gripping his hands tighter with every repetition of the word.
Serena hurried to his side and rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to soothe her troubled fiancée. He noticed once again that her hand was sticky with cookie dough. "I wouldn't worry. Santa knows you wouldn't deliberately contaminate his cookies. If anyone knows how great you are, it's him. He's always watching, after all."
The dark-haired boy seemed to be more at ease after hearing her comforting words. If his lovely fiancée, the sweet-as-sugar Serena, said that he was a good person, then those words had to be true. "If you say so," he murmured. "By the way… the batter is really good."
She smiled at him, laughing softly. "Don't worry. I promise that we will have extra cookies just for you, dear."