Some time later, Misty reappeared at the Ketchum residence, Pikachu in tow.
"Misty! Pikachu!" Ash ran through the house to greet them. "You're almost late for dinner!" He then ran back into the kitchen laughing. Misty looked at Pikachu.
"Is that really still all he ever thinks about?" Misty asked it.
"Pikachu..." The mouse confirmed, exasperated. They walked into the house to be hit by a delicious smell - Delia's cooking, of course. As they walked into the kitchen, the aroma of the meal hit them.
"Just in time!" Delia said cheerfully, "Dinner's ready!" They all tucked in - And even Pikachu had some between mouthfuls of it's Pokemon food. Delia really knew how to make a fantastic meal. The only sounds were Misty's compliments of the meal and Ash wolfing the food down. After they had finished, they all sat back in their chairs, delightfully full.
"That was so delicious, Mrs Ketchum, thank you. And thank you for letting me stay, aswell. I've missed this house. It's just like old times." She stifled a yawn and looked at her watch. "And look at the time! I think I'm gonna go to bed, I'm exhausted; I haven't slept properly since I left Cerulean. Shall I just set myself up on the sofa?"
"Don't be ridiculous, you can sleep in Ash's room! He still has those old bunks in there, there's plenty of room for the both of you." Delia smiled warmly at them. "And speaking of, I'm going to clean up and go to bed myself. Ash, why don't you go help Misty set up? Goodnight, kids." This was their cue. They all bid Delia goodnight, Pikachu curled up on Ash's hat, and walked up to Ash's bedroom rubbing their full tummies and yawning. Ash helped Misty with her things and without warning, hugged her.
"What's this for?" she laughed, hugging him back.
"Just to thank you for coming back. I've missed you. I was going to come and see you while I was back anyway, but honestly, I can't thank you enough for coming here." He murmured into her shoulder. They broke apart, smiling. Misty's face had the slightest of blushes on it.
"I think I'm gonna go get in the shower before I go to sleep." she smiled as she grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room and into the bathroom.
"I've really missed her, Pikachu." Ash said to his friend.
"Pika..." Pikachu mumbled sleepily, followed by a soft snore that indicated the mouse was already asleep. Ash decided to follow suit, changing into an old T-shirt and some flannel pants and getting into bed next to it.
"Goodnight Pikachu." He whispered, and fell asleep instantly.
When Misty returned from her shower, more than ready for bed, Ash and Pikachu were already fast asleep. She smiled fondly at them. "At least Ash doesn't snore anymore..." she thought, remembering the many sleepless nights she had due to the insufferable amount of noise he made when he was asleep. "Goodnight." she said softly to them both, and climbed into her bunk and fell asleep.
Ash woke up in the middle of the night to hear sobbing from above him. He climbed out of bed. "Misty?" he whispered.
"Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep." Misty sniffled from out of the dark.
"No chance, you're upset. What's the matter?" Ash rubbed his eyes in an attempt to keep them open. Misty was silent for a few moments.
"I had a nightmare." Without a word, Ash climbed up into the bed next to her. "Ash, what are you doing?"
"Clearly, you need comforting. So that's what I'm going to do." He moved her so that she was laying on his chest and encircled her waist with his arms.
"Thank you." Misty whispered, glad for the darkness so that he could not see the redness of her face - Although, it occured to her, he could probably feel the heat coming from it. If he did, he said nothing.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, holding her tightly as if to let her know that nightmares weren't going to get her while he was there.
"Not right now. Can we just go back to sleep?" Misty closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted again. The last thing she heard before she dropped off was Ash's voice, a gentle whisper in her ear.
"Of course. Goodnight, Misty."
This chapter was probably the most difficult to write for some reason, but I did enjoy writing that end bit there :p Please R&R :3