A/N: Posting this quickly before I go to work. I started working on this and decided to turn it into a sequel to "Stay with me, Please!" I've been busy with my new job, but I'm going to try to get a new chapter of TBOL soon enough. For now, enjoy this fluffy one-shot.
Sarah
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.
She first felt it in the middle of the night. It jarred her out of her sleep, although this was somewhat welcomed because she had been enduring a nightmare where she was about to be eaten by a giant worm. She shuttered at the thought, pulling the sheets closer to her chest, when she felt it again–a nudge.
Her next thought was to wake her husband. She hovered her hand over his shoulder for a moment before her hesitation transformed into a resolve not to wake him. He looked too peaceful…and she knew that he would need sleep for long day ahead of them tomorrow. He had to be up early to get the gym prepped, even with her sisters pitching in for once.
She tossed and turned for the next half an hour, unable to find a comfortable enough spot to fall asleep. Frustrated, she gently pulled the sheets back, fearing that she would wake him up. He did not stir, even when she swung her legs out and placed them against the cool wooden floor.
She grabbed her bathrobe and tied it around her ribcage before exiting their bedroom. She made her way down the hall, feeling another little nudge. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she carefully went down the stairs and entered the kitchen.
She opened and closed cabinets, not sure of what she wanted. The cravings she had been having were weird, almost intangible. It was as if she were searching for flavors that she had yet to discover. Deciding that there was nothing readily available to satiate this particular appetite, she pulled out the mixer and some flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and eggs. She started by measuring the dry ingredients and placed them into a separate bowl. She poured the eggs, oil, and milk into the large drum and turned the mixer on.
She continued to add the dry mixture to the bowl as the paddle turned, combining all of the ingredients. After a couple of minutes, a dark brown batter had formed. The paddle slowed to a stop, and she lifted the top of the mixer. She detached the plastic piece, and tapped it against the side of the bowl before dropping it into the sink.
She struggled as she bent over to grab the muffin tin from the drawer under the stove. It took her a couple of tries. Even squatting seemed to be difficult, and she was barely halfway through all of this. She gave a grumble, wanting to give up on it all. She opened her mouth to call for her husband when she noticed a small set of yellow feet out of the corner of her eye.
"Pikachu!" she cried happily, thankful to see the sight of her husband's oldest Pokemon.
"Pikachupi, pika pi chu?" Pikachu said, tilting his head at her, looking puzzled.
"Pikachu, do you think you could hand me that muffin tin?"
"Cha!"
Pikachu struggled to reach the tin in the drawer, almost falling inside of it. Grabbing it was half the battle. He also had a lot of trouble picking it up. Once she could reach him, Misty grabbed it from Pikachu, almost pulling him up with the tin. He hopped down to the kitchen floor, but only for a brief moment, before jumping up onto the counter. She gave him a quick pat on the head and opened a cabinet to the left of the stove, revealing an unopened bottle of ketchup. She unscrewed the cap and pulled off the aluminum seal before putting it back on and handing it Pikachu. The electric mouse gave an excited squeal and began to lap at the opening.
"Glad that you're content," she commented, leaning against the counter, lamenting at her slight discomfort.
She turned around, placing her hands against the granite, and arching her back in the opposite direction. Stretching it, made it feel a little better, although she couldn't bend like she used to. The stone felt cold against her hand, and she took a moment to admire their new kitchen. They had moved into the house only a few weeks prior, and it was certainly an improvement compared to their tiny apartment.
Even though she was plagued by insomnia, she was exhausted. Misty was still the active gym leader, but the battles were starting to wear on her. Her husband had voiced his concern for her health, to which her reply was suggesting that he take over for her until things were more settled. It didn't make it any easier for her at the moment, for the past week had been spent teaching him everything about being a gym leader. Tomorrow she was going to observe him take on challenges for the first time. It had been a while since he had done any official battling, so she was a bit nervous for him.
She glanced at the oven door as she switched on the light. The muffins had already risen, so she cracked the door open to take a look. The aroma of chocolate wafted in the air in front of her face. Her stomach grumbled. She felt another little nudge. The muffins were done, the tops shiny and dark brown. She pulled the door down all the way, and grabbed a pair of oven mitts from the counter. She picked up the muffin tin and placed it on top of the already-placed trivets that rested on the counter.
"Mist?" a groggy voice chimed behind her.
Removing the mitts from her hands, she dropped them onto the granite, and whirled around. Her husband was standing by the entryway, rubbing his eyes. He stifled a yawn before moving towards her, arms wide open. She emitted a muffed noise in surprise as he grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. He placed her back down almost as soon as her feet had left.
"Ash, what are you doing up?"
"I guess I couldn't sleep without you next to me," he replied with a slight grin, "Which, leads me to this question…why are you awake?"
"I wanted something chocolate," Misty shrugged.
"So your solution was to make muffins?"
"Do you want one?"
"Maybe," he said approaching Pikachu. He plucked the half-empty ketchup bottle from his Pokemon. "Jeeze Pikachu, how about saving some for the rest of us?"
"Chu!" Pikachu pouted, expecting Ash to give the bottle back. Ash gave the electric mouse a stern look, and Pikachu replied with a huff before leaping off the counter and fleeing from the kitchen.
"Misty, must you feed his addiction?" Ash asked once Pikachu was gone.
"Well you happened to start that addiction, years ago," Misty replied as she grabbed a large plate from one of the cabinets. She placed it down next to the muffin tin on the counter and began to transfer the muffins.
"Details, details," Ash chuckled as he stole a muffin from Misty's hand.
"Hey!" she shouted as he took a bite.
He swallowed and said, "Well you're not going to eat all of them by myself, are you."
"It's not just me here eating them you know," she scowled, indicating to her mid-section.
"And how's our little love muffin then?" He asked as he took another bite.
"Love muffin? Is that what we're calling the baby now?"
"Well you know the saying 'bun in the oven' right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well it's our little love muffin!" He said it with such enthusiasm that she completely melted at the grin on his face.
"Love Muffin Ketchum. I don't think our child would forgive us for that name."
"Oh I'm sure he'll be fine with it."
"He? What makes you think it'll be a boy?"
"Well," he said, hugging her from behind, his arms resting between her breasts and stomach. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck, planting a gentle kiss on her clavicle. "I need someone to continue the family name."
"A girl could continue the family name, you know."
"Not when she gets married," he said. "Then she'll have her husband's name, and that will be the end of the Ketchums."
Misty giggled. "She's not even here yet, and you're marrying her off already. Are we into arranged marriages now? If so we can always do that with Michael…"
"Gary's son?" Ash asked, his voice jumping up an octave. " No way. He's too old for her."
"Ash, he's two."
"Still," he said, feigning a shutter. "I would hate for her to become an Oak."
"Well regardless of whom she chooses, she may choose to never get married…or not change her name. You know that right?"
"Yeah I know," he said, running his hand through his already-too-messy black hair. "I guess it would be nice having a girl, too…as long as she's as adorable as you."
Normally, she would have given him a hard time about being so cheesy. However, right after he had said it, she had felt it again—a nudge. Without saying another word, she snatched his hand and placed it on her mid-section. When she felt it again, his eyes grew wide, and she knew that he had felt it too.
"Whoa!"
"So you did feel it."
"Of course I did," he said, his grin becoming more prominent. "Was that…?"
"The baby," she said, smiling as well. "Yeah. That's the actual reason I was having trouble falling asleep. That and this craving for chocolate."
"I can't believe I'm feeling our baby move." His voice held this reverence, and Misty knew that she was falling in love with him all over again.
"You excited for May?"
"Yeah of course," he said. "I'm a little nervous too."
"Me too."
"You are?"
"Of course," she said as she began to unpeel the paper surrounding her muffin. She licked the chocolate off one of her fingers before continuing. "I've never been a mother before. I want to do a good job and not screw up our baby forever."
"You're not going to screw up our child, Mist. I bet you'll be a better mother than I'll be a father."
"No, Ash," she said. "I know you'll be wonderful and the calm, sane one. You always are. I'll be the basket case that worries all the time."
Ash chuckled before wrapping her up in his arms. He took in her scent, cherishing the woman in front of him. With her in his arms, he felt invincible. Nothing could stop him from being the very best, father and husband that is. Even though he was taking over the gym briefly, his break from traveling and training Pokemon was not going to get him closer to being a Pokemon Master. With the baby on the way and his loving wife by his side, he didn't mind though. This was much, much better.
"And I'll be here for my honeybun and our love muffin."
"We are not naming the baby, 'Love Muffin.'"
"Whatever you say, love," he replied, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, his hands resting on her stomach. "Whatever you say."