"Triple Trouble"
Author: Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Another so many years, another pokémon fic. Every time I try to find my way, something sidetracks me. And boy have I been sidetracked lately. I've been navigating a really dark era of my life without much success, but I hope it's all behind me now. Those who follow me have seen what I mean on my website. It's a hard road that has led me here, but with luck it will all be for the better.
I know most of my readers will regard this as a "filler" story where very little is actually accomplished. I hope you will believe me when I insist that a lot is going on behind the scenes in the days covered in this fic. True, you won't find out exactly what until the following story, but I hope that this story will at least be entertaining for you. And yes, I know the Cerulean Sisters are supposed to be Valley Girls/bubbleheads, but I could not make myself type the work "like" any more than was strictly necessary. Feel free to add your own in your minds if you wish. Till next time everyone, Happy Reading!
#10
Part 1: "A Forced Wager"
It was a gloomy sky that met Ash and company as they reached the edge of Viridian City. The way the grey clouds roiled across the sky, dark patches standing out sharply against a lighter backdrop, would have made almost any other trainers feel uneasy. Some might have even read ominous portents in the darkness above them. But Ash was after his eighth and final badge; nothing would or could dampen his spirits.
And his enthusiasm was catching. He strolled arm-in-arm-in-arm with both Penny and Misty, all three chatting animatedly about how they had first met each other. Suzie, who was walking a few steps behind with Brock, hadn't heard this story so was listening avidly. From Ash and Penny's first battle against the flock of spearows, through the fall in the river, to when Misty fished them out and stole her bike to get Penny to safety, Ash had her complete attention.
Ash was about to continue on to talk about rushing Penny to the Pokémon Center after the second encounter with the spearows when he felt Misty stop suddenly, her hand pulling sharply from his. He turned around to see why she had stopped only to hear two words that made his heart skip a beat in fear. "My bike."
"Now Misty," Ash said, disengaging his hand from Penny's and quickly backpedalling down the street, "you know it was for a good cause. Haven't you forgiven me for it yet?"
Misty handed Togepi over to Penny and advanced on Ash, each step seeming to shake the landscape. "No," she growled, shaking her head. That was all the cue Ash needed; he spun around and sprinted toward the Pokémon Center like a flock of demons was on his tail. And with Misty closing the gap screaming bloody murder, he would've probably had better luck with the demons.
Penny, Brock, and Suzie just watched as unususpecting pedestrians cleared out of their way or got shoved aside forcefully. "Do you think we should interfere?" Suzie asked, genuinely concerned for Ash's welfare.
Brock and Penny shared a long-suffering glance and sighed. "I guess we should..." Brock began.
"...But only to limit the collateral damage," Penny finished for him as the three hurried after their friends, Togepi laughing as she was bounced in Penny's arms. But by the time they reached the Pokémon Center, the carnage had already begun.
Misty had Ash locked in an Octopus Hold and was trying to bend his elbow the wrong way while screaming nonstop in his ear. Ash, for his part, was still on his feet and trying to escape the painful hold without hurting Misty in the process. Nurse Joy was trying to pry Misty off, but that was only putting more pressure on Ash's neck and arm. Every other trainer and pokémon in the place were hiding under table or pressing against walls, hoping that they would not be noticed by the crazy redhead. "I'll take care of this," Penny, setting Togepi down and preparing to transform.
"No need," Brock said, walking up behind Misty and slipping his arm around her bare waist. The unexpected, and somewhat ticklish, contact broke Misty's concentration and allowed Brock to pull her off with a minimum of fuss. "Brock!" she whined, trying to squirm out of his grip.
"That will be quite enough out of you!" Nurse Joy said, towering over Misty as Brock released her. "This is a place of rest and healing, not fighting! Keep your childish antics outside!"
Misty knew that anything she tried to say in her defense would only make her look more childish. Besides, she had overreacted; now that she was calm she could see that. "I'm sorry," she said, properly contrite. She even threw in a bow for good measure.
"You had better be," Nurse Joy sniffed. "If I catch you doing anything like that again, you're out on your ear. And you'd better apologize to your boyfriend."
"Yes ma'am," Misty said, slinking over toward a still recovering Ash.
Nurse Joy breathed a deep sigh of relief. It had just been a guess that the boy was her boyfriend, but since they were still in each other's company almost a year after she'd first met them, she felt it was a pretty safe guess to make. If only she could remember their names.
"Excuse me," Brock said, tapping her lightly on her shoulder.
Nurse Joy fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd heard the girl call him Brock, and that name she knew well. He was fairly infamous among all the Joys and Jennys for how crazy he acted around them all. After what just happened, dealing with him was the last thing she needed. She turned to him to give him a piece of her overworked mind only to find that a surprise was waiting for her.
Brock held a number of trays in his hands, each one holding some pokéballs. "You looked a little harried," he explained, "so I gathered all the trainers' pokémon for you and labeled their trays."
"T-thank you," she stammered, taking the trays from him. Here is where it would happen, here is where he'd start bugging her for a date. But no, all he did was smile and walk off toward his friends. "That was rather nice of him," she thought, walking behind the desk in a daze. "And he's pretty cute too!" A wild blush blossomed on her pale cheeks at that stray thought and she quickly squashed it by burying herself in her work.
Meanwhile, Misty was still apologizing to Ash, who of course had already accepted it. "Don't worry about it Misty," he said, rubbing her back gently.
Misty shook her head, holding her finger against Ash's lips. "No Ash, it's not OK," she said. "You didn't deserve that, especially because of that stupid bike. If you hadn't taken my bike, I would've never started traveling with you. That's enough of a reason to never regret it. I hope you never pay me back for that bike. Not that I'd stop following you even if you did."
"Just what I was hoping to hear." That finally put a smile on Misty's face, one that Ash mirrored. They leaned in to seal their makeup with a kiss, but a voice interrupted them.
"I'm sorry, did you say your names were Ash and Misty?" Nurse Joy asked, having brought her thoughts back under control. "I have a message here for a Misty Waterflower that's traveling with Ash Ketchum."
Misty held up her hand toward Nurse Joy. "Just one second," she said, leaning in and catching Ash's lips with her own. After she sat back, she turned and nodded. "Who's the message from?" she asked, walking over
Nurse Joy unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Misty. "It's from your sisters. They said to call as soon as you got the message. They seemed rather intent when they called."
"You have sisters?" Suzie asked, processing this new piece of information. "I don't think I've ever heard you mention them before."
Misty scowled and crushed the message in her hand. "That's because I wish I didn't," she muttered. "They don't exactly treat me like a sister and I've learned to stop caring about it."
"I wonder what they want," Penny said, snagging an apple from Nurse Joy's desk.
"They're probably going on a world cruise or something and want me to mind the gym. Well if they think they're pulling that on me, they've got another thing coming." She marched over to the vidphones with Ash and Penny nearby but not in view of the phone. After dialing the number, she waited impatiently for her call to be answered.
After just two rings, Lily's smiling face and pink hair appeared on the screen. "You've reached the Cerulean Gym," she said in a peppy voice that got on Misty's nerves. "How may I... Oh, it's you Misty," she said, her voice getting suddenly colder. "Hold on."
"Now wait-!" Misty started but was cut off by the hold screen appearing. "They were in such a rush for me to call and then they put me on hold!" she ranted. She was on hold less than a minute, but by then Misty was ready to explode. What she saw, however, stopped her before she could.
All three of her sisters were on the viewscreen now and none of them looked very happy. She had just a second to accept that before all Hell broke loose. The ears of everyone in the Pokémon Center were assaulted by three screeching rants, forcing some trainers to run for their rooms. Misty, having been at least somewhat used to this, was able to keep from covering her ears long enough to make out a few choice words: "disgrace", "embarrassment", and "disappointment".
"Shut up!" Misty screamed over them, bringing blessed silence to the room for a few short seconds. "What are you three going on about? I can't understand a word you're saying! Make some sense for a change!"
Lily and Violet looked absolutely murderous, but Daisy simply sneered at her youngest sister. "You want us to make some sense?" she asked with a cruel laugh. "That's really funny coming from you Misty. From what we've been hearing, it's like you're the one who finally lost her senses."
"What was that?" Misty growled, wishing she could reach through the screen and grab her sister by the throat.
"We've been hearing rumors that you've got yourself into a little relationship. Or actually, not so little. A threesome Misty?" Daisy's smirk widened as she saw Misty pale. "So it is true. What were you thinking? I thought for sure we taught you better than that."
Misty's body trembled as she tried to make some sense of this. How did they find out? She knew she hadn't said anything, and neither would Ash or Penny. She was so blindsided by it all that she couldn't form a coherent thought, much less a defense.
Daisy wasn't about to give Misty a chance to collect herself. "I'm telling you right now Misty, you'd better get your boyfriend and this other little tramp to Cerulean City on the double. Or you're not going to like the consequences."
"Don't you dare say that about Penny," Ash said as he and Penny both strode up to stand behind Misty.
"I had a feeling it was you Ash," Violet said, looking down her nose at him through the viewscreen. "And here I thought you were one of the good ones when I first met you. What was I thinking?"
"He is one of the good ones!" Misty and Penny yelled at the same time.
"Looks like a player if you asked me," Lily chimed in.
"No one asked you? This is not about you. It's my life and I'm going to live it however I see fit! Just butt out!"
Daisy leaned closer to the phone so that her face took up the entire screen. "Now you listen to me Misty," she stated in a dark voice. "Either you come here to us now or we will close the gym and come to find you, no matter how long it takes."
Misty's heart lurched at those words. When she left the gym a year ago, it had already been on shaky ground with the League. If they closed the gym for any length of time that was not related to official business, she had no doubt that their gym license would be revoked. That would be the final nail in the coffin of the Waterflower legacy, which it seemed like only she cared about. "That's blackmail!" she cried.
Daisy sat back with a victorious grin. "Call it what you want, but you know we win." When there was no response from Misty, she continued on. "Now then, as much as I'm sure you want to drag your feet getting here, I'm afraid that's just not acceptable. We're sending an Alakazam that we borrowed from a friend over to you now. You will use him to be here by tomorrow morning, no questions asked. Got it?"
"We'll be there," Ash said in a hard voice, speaking over Misty, "but we're going to be there our way, not yours."
"Don't you dare talk to me like that," Daisy snarled, slamming her hand down. "Don't you dare-" she started again, but was cut off when Ash reached over and hung up on her.
"She's not going to like that," Misty tried to joke, but her fear was evident in her voice.
Penny hugged her friend and Ash hugged them both. "Don't you worry Misty, we're not going to let them do anything," Penny promised. "It's our choice, and they can't take it from us."
Misty hugged their arms as they crisscrossed her body, smiling as Togepi hopped off the table Penny had set her on and waddled over, cuddling her mommy's ankle. "It's not going to be that easy you know," she sighed. "They could make all our lives miserable."
"They can try," Ash said, kissing her cheek. "But they can't succeed as long as we're all together."
Brock and Suzie hung back until the three separated, not wanting to intrude. "So what's the plan Ash?" Brock asked as they all stood up. "We overheard what was going on and we want to help any way we can."
Misty nodded thankfully toward Brock and Suzie for their support as Ash spoke. "You two will take that Alakazam they're sending and wait for us at the Cerulean Pokémon Center. The three of us, on the other hand, are going to make an appearance."
But Brock and Suzie weren't the only ones who overheard that discussion. Most of the trainers were pretending like they didn't know what was going on, but it was sure to be the hot gossip of the city by nightfall. Two of them, plus one very special pokémon, immediately bent their heads together over the table they shared and began speaking in hushed tones. "You know they've got something up their sleeves," the woman said, blue eyes peering out from beneath a mop of dirty blonde hair. "They wouldn't be demanding they all show up otherwise."
"What business is it of ours?" the man she was sitting with asked, reaching back to adjust the ponytail that kept his black hair out of his green eyes. "I mean, it's one thing to help them out when their lives are on the line, but should we really get involved in something like this?"
"And why not?" she hissed through her red-painted lips. "It's not just a matter of life of death you know. There's a thing called respect you know. We've been getting along good with him for a while now, and I kinda like that. Crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to see them as more friends than anything else."
"Do we really have to call them that?" the pokémon whined, though he tried to keep his voice low. "I only got two friends in this world, and that's just how I like it. Any more than that and things get complicated."
"Things are already complicated!" the woman hissed, resting her forehead on her hand. "Look, if we're going to survive all this mess then we'd better make plans. And like it or not, we can't do it all on our own. We've seen the luck that he has. I'd rather have him around to help us when we need it."
"So what?" the man asked, pondering her words carefully. "We help him here so he'll help us when we need it?"
The woman shook her head quickly. "No way, he'd never accept that. But don't worry," she added, her voice gaining a very sneaky tone to it. "I got a plan."
"Why do I worry when she says that?" both the man and the pokémon sighed, shaking their heads in unison.
A half hour later, the residents of Cerulean City were treated to a wondrous sight. The legendary pokémon, Articuno, winged her way through the skies above their town heading for their gym. Those who were able to get to a higher vantage point noticed figures riding atop the majestic bird of ice, and rumors began flying as to who could've caught what was believed to be uncatchable.
Perched on her back, Misty tried to relax within Ash's embrace as they began their descent toward the gym. As powerful as Articuno was, she didn't have the strength to carry three humans on her back, so Penny had reluctantly agreed to transform back to Pikachu for the duration of the trip. In order to keep the peace, and remembering Suzie's words, Ash had promised her equal snuggling time once this whole affair was over.
A gentle pressure of his knees into her sides made Articuno's cry echo through the overcast sky. As Ash had hoped, Misty's sisters came running out to investigate and stopped short at the sight of him and Misty dismounting from Articuno. Lily and Violet looked stunned, a new appraisal of Ash evident in their stares. But if Daisy was impressed, she took great pains not to show it. "I thought I said for all three of you to come?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Ash.
"But we did," Ash insisted as Pikachu scampered down from his shoulder. Misty, who already had Penny's clothes at the ready, placed them on the ground for Pikachu to climb into. She did so, rustling around in there to try to get herself and anything in position.
The sisters looked on, not knowing what was happening, until Penny emerged from the pile with her outfit mostly in the right place. "Hello ladies," she said, adjust her cap and smirking as all three facefaulted. "For the first time, I was actually looking forward to that," she giggled, getting Misty to do the same.
Daisy was the first to recover, but the other two were not far behind. "That answers one of our questions," she said, striding around Ash and grabbing his shoulders from behind. "But believe me," she stated as she marched him into the gym, "we have a lot more."
Ash tried to squirm away, but Daisy dug her nails into his skin to make him stop. He glanced at his girlfriends as he was pushed through the front door and found them in similar situations. He knew he could get away if he really wanted to, but that threat still hung over Misty's head; he was not going to risk it.
Ash, Misty, and Penny were brought to a waiting area and forced to sit on one of the couches with Ash between the two girls. They each grabbed onto an arm, holding on tightly as Misty's sisters stepped in front of them, staying standing to look down on the three. "Like I was saying," Daisy started, "our first question was going to be how could this happen. Now that we know who the 'other girl' is, we really don't need to ask."
"Anyone who ever met you can see the bond you and Pikachu have," Violet agreed. "Oh wait, what was it you called her on the phone now? Penny I think?"
"It doesn't matter," Lily sighed. "Though I'm sure this is an interesting story we'll all want to hear some day, it does not change one simple fact. A man cannot love two women at the same time in the same way. If he tries, all that you'll find is heartbreak." Both of her older sisters nodded, and the way their faces were shadowed made Ash think they may have had some experience in that department.
"You're wrong," Penny said very quietly, looking at each of the sisters. "Of everyone I've ever met, human and pokémon alike, no one has a heart as big as Ash does. Believe me, if he says he loves the two of us, then he loves the two of us."
"You've never been the focus of it," Misty agreed, cutting Daisy off before she sould say anything. "The best way for me to describe it would be overwhelming. There's just no other word for it."
Daisy clenched and unclenched her fists slowly as Lily and Violet each grabbed a shoulder to help her calm down. "Let's assume for a moment that what you both say is true," she said, controlling her anger as best she could. "What's to stop him from falling in love with a third girl? Or a fourth? Or a fifth?!"
Misty and Penny were on their feet in seconds, which brought the other three Cerulean Sisters to their feet as well. "You're crazy," Misty spat. "Penny and I have known Ash for over a year now. He's not going to just go off and get himself a harem! What kind of guy do you take him for?"
"And just how can you know that?" Lily countered. "With you two around he's probably never even been tempted before. You don't know what's going to happen when he's away from you and there are willing women around. Trust me, if he can't choose now, he won't stay faithful then."
"You're wrong," Misty said, echoing Penny's earlier words loudly. "Ash would never stray from us, no matter the circumstances."
Daisy fixed her youngest sister with a penetrating glare that almost made the redhead back down; almost. "How sure are you of that?"
"If you think I'm wrong than prove it!" Misty screamed before Penny could stop her.
"Deal," the three sisters chorused and Misty immediately knew she'd been had. Even if she hadn't, the smack Penny delivered to the back of her head would have clued her in.
Penny desperately wanted to transform so she could Thunderbolt Misty, but it would've made the situation worse. "You three cannot be serious about this," she said, trasnferring her glare to Misty's sisters.
The sisters shared a look and smiled. "Oh we're very serious," Violet said matter-of-factly. "No man can resist one of us, let alone all three. We'll have Ash be putty in our hands in a couple hours."
"And if you back out now, we'll all know that you don't believe in Ash as much as you say you do," Lily added as the final nail in the coffin. "Which means we'll keep Misty here no matter what we have to do."
Now Penny wanted to Thunderbolt all of them, but she kept her composure, if just barely. "You might have us backed into a corner, but you're crazy if you think we're just going to let you have free shots at Ash," she growled and she could swear she felt her hair starting to frizz. "There are going to be some ground rules that you are going to have to follow."
As the five ladies started to put their heads together, Ash finally found his voice. He could not believe it had gotten this far and had just sat there like he was watching an inevitable train wreck. But that stopped now. "Hey, don't I get any say in the matter?" he demanded, starting to stand up.
In an instant, five faces were in front of his, each one yelling, "No!"
Ash sat back down, sweat running down the back of his head. "Just checking," he grumbled, not happy that his fate was out of his hands. It took a few hours during which Ash had fallen asleep because he had no input in the decisions at all. But eventually the Fiendish Five, as he had come to refer to them in his mind, had settled on ten rules that they were all satisfied with.
1. Ash must stay in the gym tonight and for 3 full days. Each sister gets only one day to seduce him.
2. No sister may receive help in any way on her assigned day.
3. For his first night, Ash will have a chaperone with him that is not Misty or Penny to prevent the girls from jumping the gun.
4. Each day begins and ends at sunrise.
5. Ash may use his assigned bedroom as a safe haven between 8:45 PM and 7:30 AM. No one may enter his room at any time without his permission.
6. Misty and Penny will only be allowed in the gym during normal business hours. They cannot actively impede any of the sisters' efforts by showing Ash more affection than normal.
7. The sisters must dress in an appropriate fashion for being outdoors between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM.
8. The sisters cannot be physically affectionate toward Ash unless he clearly initiates such contact.
9. If such contact happens, they cannot pursue him if he manages to break it off and walk away.
10. No pokémon may be used by either side during these three days with the exception of a sanctioned battle or gym business.
Once the rules were written down, all five of them signed it as if it were a contract. Only then was Ash able to see it, and he really didn't like what he saw. "This is crazy! I'm not going to agree to this!"
"Then you admit we win," Violet taunted him. "And that you lose. Especially since Misty's future doesn't seem to mean that much to you."
Both Misty and Penny smacked their foreheads at the challenge. If there was one thing that Ash did not like to do, it was lose. At anything. And that was proven yet again as Ash snatched up a pen and signed his name to the rules as well. "I'll be back tonight," he said, slamming the paper to the table and storming out, leaving Penny and Misty to catch up to him.
"I've never seen him this intense," Penny whispered, having to run to catch up to him.
Misty flashed her a secret smile. "I have," she said, remembering when Ash had braved one of Team Rocket's headquarters to save Penny, then just Pikachu. If Ash was half as determined now as he was then, her sisters wouldn't know what hit them.
Ash didn't slow down until he reached the Pokémon Center, and even then storming over to the booth where Brock and Suzie were waiting. He explained the situation in short, angry sentences with Misty and Penny supplementing the story as needed. When he was finished, he just sat there and stared at his hands, trying not to lash out at his friends.
"This is bad," Brock said, leaning back and covering his eyes with his hand. "No offense Ash, but I don't envy you at all. One of those sisters would be hard to resist. But all three? You don't have a prayer."
"Shows what you know," came the voice of Ash's defender. Surprisingly, it was not Misty or Penny that spoke up, but Suzie. "Those three won't even be able to turn Ash's head.
Both Misty and Penny seconded that idea with a smack to the back of Brock's head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Brock," Ash muttered. "I guess that means you won't be the chaperone."
Brock frowned, thinking about the changes in himself that he was trying to make. Truthfully he did not trust himself that much at this point, but he didn't want to admit it either. It was safer for him to let them disqualify him because of what he believed or what they thought he believed. "Guess not," he agreed. "But if not me then who?"
"I'll do it," Suzie said, to everyone's surprise. "It's not like we have much of a choice anyway; we can't exactly get Ash's mom or anyone else here in time. At least they won't try anything with another girl around." While it wasn't exactly an ideal situation, she was right in that it was the best they could do.
The rest of the day passed quickly, as days often do that you don't want to. Either Penny and Misty always stayed in contact with Ash as if trying to reassure themselves that it would all turn out right. For his part, Ash went along with anything they said or wanted but never initiated the contact himself.
As the sun was going down, he kissed Misty and Penny each once before trudging off in the direction of the gym. "Don't forget me," Suzie called, slinging a small bag over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up with him.
"Oh, sorry," he said, watching his feet as he walked. "Guess I forgot you were coming."
Suzie placed her hand on Ash's elbow, gently tugging on it to make him stop. "You've been acting weird since you got back from the gym. And not in a way I'd expect," she tacked on before Ash could say anything. "I figured you'd be all over your girlfriends just like they were with you. But it almost seemed like you didn't want anything to do with them."
"Nothing almost about it," Ash grumped. "Why should I have to prove anything to them?"
"Them being...?" Suzie prompted
"All of them! Misty and Penny should know better and they're the ones that matter here! I couldn't care less about what Misty's sisters think."
She let him rant on and on about the unfairness of it all and only spoke when he paused for breath. "I'm the wrong person to talk to about trust issues," she pointed out. "Remember how I feel about Brock being girl- crazy? One day of controlling it does not make him trustworthy."
"At least you have the right to feel that way. Brock's actually done that; I've done nothing."
"So kissing me counts as nothing?" she asked, her expression falling as a sniffle making its way into her voice.
Ash's heart sank at the not-so-gentle reminder and the way she was saddened by his thoughtlessness. "I didn't mean it like that!" he protested. "Of course it wasn't nothing, but didn't we both agree it was a spur of the moment thing? And as far as I know, neither Penny nor Misty know about it so they can't exactly hold it against me."
"And you need to remember that, no matter what happens in there."
Ash stumbled a second, caught off guard by Suzie's sudden change in demeanor. "What do you mean?"
Suzie stopped and turned to look at Ash with a cool, calm gaze. "I have faith that you'll pass this Ash, just like I said before. But it's going to be very hard to control yourself completely around all three of them if the stories I've heard are correct. If you falter for just a second, even to where you kiss them, that does not mean you have failed. Don't give up, no matter what."
He let that all sink in before grabbing a surprised Suzie in a tight hug. "Thank you," was the only thing he said, but it was enough.
Suzie hugged him back after a second, letting him stay within her embrace until he had recovered himself. She was becoming very fond of the young man in her arms, almost to where she could see him as the younger brother she always wanted. That wasn't completely accurate however, as there were seeds of a deeper emotion planted within her. But as long as Misty and Penny treated him right and Brock didn't mess up again, she would not allow them to grow.
The sisters were waiting for them at the gym and they were rather unhappy to see Suzie, as she had predicted. "So, where are we staying for the night?" she asked with a smile just to needle them a bit for putting Ash through this.
Lily's and Violet's lips curled up in distaste but Daisy maintained a neutral expression. "You will be leaving at sunrise," she reminded Suzie before leading them to what would be Ash's room for the next four days. "Get a good night's rest Ash. You'll need it."
No sooner had Daisy opened the door than Ash realized there would be a problem: there was only one bed. A large bed sure, more than big enough for two people to lay down on comfortably, but a single bed nonetheless. "Umm, Suzie?" he began.
"Don't even think about sleeping on the floor," Suzie said, taking her bag behind the room's changing screen. "I know you Ash and I know you're trying to offer the bed to me. Not happening. Either we both sleep on the bed or we both sleep on the floor."
There had to be a good reason to refuse her, something he could use to convince her that this was a terrible idea. But anything he came up with he just as quickly shot down. Before his brain could find anything even remotely believable, Suzie stepped out from behind the screen dressed in a pair of conservative, if bright red, silk pajamas. "Red?" he asked dubiously.
"They were a gift," she insisted, though the blush of her cheeks betrayed her. She peeled back the top cover of the bed to show a second sheet underneath it. "One of us sleeps under both, the other sleeps between them. Will that satisfy your honor?"
That was when his brain just gave up. "Fine," he said, defeated, taking his pajamas behind the screen. "I'll be out in a minute." The sun was supposed to rise at 6:30, so Suzie made sure to set the alarm for 6:00. The room was a little chill, to be expected in a water Gym, so Ash offered to let Suzie sleep under both the sheets.
Despite the oddness of the situation, both Ash and Suzie found that they were able to settle down easily and fell asleep fairly quickly with a minimum of fuss. Though he had fallen asleep quickly, the sensation of sharing a bed with someone kept waking him up. Whether it would Suzie's arm smacking him in the face or the mattress moving as she turned on her side, he found it impossible to stay asleep. As he closed his eyes for the fifth and hopefully final time, he wondered if he'd even be able to function come morning.