Hello, everyone! So, I've come up with a little three shot set that I'm going to put into this story: each one revolving around Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth's first words. It's gonna be cute and fluffy, I promise you all ;) They'll go up in order (first Aiden, Michelle in the middle, Elizabeth last) so, first, we'll start with: Aiden!
Aiden and Michelle: 7 Months Old
Aiden's First World
"Ma! Ma!"
"Oooh!" Misty squealed, clasping her hands together. Looking over her shoulder, she chirped, "do you hear that, Ash?"
"Hear what?" Ash, who was kneeling down by Pikachu, raised an eyebrow at his wife's inquiry.
"Your Mom told me that Aiden and Michelle should be saying their first words very soon," Misty smiled. "And Aiden's been saying "ma" nonstop! I think his first word is going to be "Mama", without a doubt!"
Huffing, Ash stood up, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder. "You're dreaming. Aiden's gonna' say "Dada" before he says anything else!"
Aiden tilted his head and blinked his big, chocolate brown eyes, uttering the syllable, "da?"
"Listen to that," Ash smirked, walking over to Aiden and gathering the baby in his arms. "He's getting ready to say it! What a great little guy."
"Ma," Aiden babbled, smiling at his father as he was held in the air.
"Yeah, that sounds like "Dada" alright," Misty rolled her eyes and took the baby away from Ash. Cooing, she held him close and rubbed their noses together. "My handsome little man is going to say "Mama," I know it. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
"Ma!" Aiden giggled.
"Oh please, you heard him say "da" before, and he says it all the time," Ash shook his head. "He's not going to say "Mama," you silly girl."
Growling, Misty retorted, "well you're the one who's dreaming if you think Aiden's first word will be "Dada"! So you'd better be prepared for when his very first word is "Mama," because it's coming!"
"Da?" Aiden squeaked, his eyes shimmering. "Ma?"
Sighing, Ash eyed the baby and muttered, "Now you're just teasing us, champ."
Aiden started to clap his hands together, jabbering, "baba ya! Bababa."
"Hey, did he just say "bottle"?" Ash's eyes widened. "I think he said "bottle"! That's Aiden's first word?"
Ash was visibly saddened by this, but Misty was quick to roll her eyes and gently yank at Ash's ear. "He didn't say "bottle," you dunce. He's saying "baba". Just a bunch of syllables strung together."
Aiden suddenly whimpered, bringing Ash and Misty's attention back to him. He was squirming in Misty's arms and looking fairly unhappy, which was a huge change from the joyful little smile that had just been on his face moments ago.
"Aw, what is it, darling?" Misty asked the baby, stroking his cheek. "Did Mommy and Daddy upset you?"
Aiden continued to frown for a few minutes before relaxing, his big eyes blinking as his lips turned back into a very tiny smile. "Ma!"
"Oh, you are so precious!" Misty hugged the infant. "I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful baby boy."
Ash screwed his mouth and leaned in closer to Aiden, who turned his head to observe his father. Squealing, Aiden reached out and patted Ash's cheek, causing the young father to laugh lovingly.
"Silly boy," Ash chuckled. His eyes flickering, Ash moved his head closer to Aiden and muttered, "wait a minute…"
Peering down, Misty cocked an eyebrow and inquired, "Ash, what in the world are you doing?"
Picking his head up, Ash stared at Misty and informed her, "I know why Aiden was acting all weird and frowny before."
"Why?" Misty tilted her head.
Pointing downwards, Ash stated, "he needs to be changed."
"Huh?" Misty raised Aiden into the air, causing him to giggle and hang his arms down towards her. "What happened, munchkin? You had to go?"
Aiden opened his mouth and stuck one of his hands in, still staring down at Misty with his sparkling eyes.
"I'm not lying to you, Mist," Ash folded his arms across his chest. "Aiden's in need of a fresh diaper."
Misty lowered Aiden and felt the back of his diaper, cringing as she grasped it. Aiden must've found this funny, because he giggled as she did so, resting his head against her shoulder.
"Daddy's right," Misty sighed. "Someone does need to be changed."
"I have to get it every once in awhile," Ash shrugged.
"No problem," Misty stroked Aiden's hair. "I'll fix you right up, yes I will!"
"Can ya' check on Michelle while you're up there?" Ash called as Misty began up the stairs. "I think she's still napping, but she was pretty upset when I put her down a little while ago."
"Of course," Misty nodded, continuing up the steps.
Turning his head to look at Pikachu, Ash showed his partner Pokémon a foolish grin as he prompted, "so, Pikachu, how about we go outside and begin setting up our little surprise for the twins?"
"Ka!" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, his ears bobbing up and down.
It was nearly the middle of July, and the weather was certainly sweltering. Misty had been taking the twins into the pool since they were just 2 months old, holding onto them the whole time, of course. She wanted to get them used to the water and to fall in love with it, just like she was. Misty would tell them how nice the water was, and gently swim around with them in her grasp.
That had always been in the gym pool, however, so now that it was the summer, Ash had the perfect idea that he was sure Misty would just love.
Stepping out into the backyard, with Pikachu still riding on his shoulder, Ash approached the side of the house and pulled down a big round object with a hollow middle.
"Pikapi, pikachu pikachupi?" Pikachu looked at his trainer.
"That's right, a kiddie pool!" Ash chuckled. "See?" Ash kneeled down and stuck his hand in the empty pool. "It's nice and shallow! It's really just for the babies to splash around in. They can't really go swimming in it."
"Ka," Pikachu's ears twitched as he examined the pool. It was cerulean blue in color, made of plastic and not even capable of being filled with a foot of water. There was even a small slide on the inner side of the pool, with two little steps leading up to it. "Kachu?"
"The slide?" Ash asked. "Yeah, I guess they can't really use it by themselves now. But Misty or I could just slide 'em down it. I'm certainly not letting the babies be in here on their own."
Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and into the empty pool, peering over the edge with his bright black eyes. Chuckling, Ash stroked behind Pikachu's ears, causing the little mouse to "cha" in delight.
"That pool is a good size for you, too!" Ash laughed. "I bet the twins would love to go swimming with you."
Hopping out, Pikachu's tail shifted back and forth as he looked up at Ash, questioning, "pikapi, pikachu pika pikachuchu?"
"Oh yeah, good question," Ash closed his eyes. "How am I gonna' fill this thing up? With a hose?"
The two sat there in silence for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter, barely able to contain themselves.
"Yeah, right," Ash muttered sarcastically. Pulling a poke ball off his belt, he tossed it and called, "Squirtle, come on out!"
The blue turtle appeared before his trainer, shaking himself out in the process.
"Squir?" Squirtle looked over his shoulder.
"Squirtle, could ya' use water gun to fill up the kiddie pool?" Ash asked.
"Squir, squirtle!" Squirtle nodded. Puffing out his cheeks, the water type unleashed his signature move, filling up the pool just about halfway. "Squirtle?"
"Yeah, that should be a perfect amount for the twins to swim around in!" Ash grinned. "Thanks, Squirtle!"
"Squirtle!" The Pokémon puffed his chest out proudly.
"Now, you two stay out here while I get Misty and the kids," Ash smiled at his two Pokémon. They both nodded and stood by the pool, staring at their reflections in the water and carrying on a light conversation.
XXX
Back inside the house, Misty was just finishing up changing Aiden's diaper. She had checked on Michelle before going to clean up her brother, and found that she was still asleep. That left her free to change Aiden in peace. Once he had a new diaper on, Misty lifted him up in front of her and once again rubbed their noses together, which always made the baby laugh hysterically.
"Who's my handsome little man?" Misty cooed. "Who is?"
"Ma!" Aiden reached out past her face.
"No, you are!" Misty giggled. "Can you say "Mama," my beautiful darling? Say "Mama," sweetheart!"
"Da!" Aiden giggled.
Groaning, Misty shook her head and responded, "no, Aiden, we don't want you to say "Dada" first. We want you to say "Mama" first! It'll be much cuter."
"Ya?" Aiden himself looked confused by his mother's statement, even though Misty was sure he didn't understand it.
Suddenly, a piercing wail broke through the air, causing Aiden's eyes to widen, and Misty to sigh.
"Well, sounds like your sister is up," Misty showed her little son a delicate smile. "Let's go pick her up, huh?"
She wandered over to the opposite side of the room, where Michelle was laying in her crib and bawling her little eyes out, occasionally thrashing her tiny fists against the mattress in a fit of rage.
"Whoa, someone is cranky!" Misty gathered the little girl into her free arm. Brushing her lips against the baby's cheek, she murmured, "and for someone who just woke up from a nap, too!"
Instantly, Michelle calmed down and began to coo, making throaty baby noises and reaching out towards Aiden. The little boy giggled and reached out his own arm, grabbing onto Michelle's arm and shrieking happily.
"Such friendly babies," Misty giggled. "How wonderful!"
"Hey, Mist!"
The gym leader turned around and found Ash running into the babies' nursery, a big, hopeful smile set on his handsome face.
"Well, you certainly look happy," Misty drawled before smirking. "What have you done?"
"Nothing bad," Ash chuckled. "But I have a surprise for you downstairs! Well…you and the twins."
"I'm scared," Misty replied honestly.
"Don't be scared!" Ash laughed. "Why would I ever hurt you or the kids? I love you three more than anything! It's a fun surprise. But we have to put the twins in bathing suits first."
"Bathing suits?" Misty repeated. "I'm still scared."
Without another word, Ash took Aiden from Misty and brought him over to his dresser. Michelle whined softly in her mother's arms, seemingly not pleased about being separated from her brother.
"No more fussing, sweetheart," Misty kissed the top of Michelle's head. "We'll get you into your swimsuit, and then you Aiden will play together!"
It was easy for Ash to change Aiden. He just reached into the drawer and picked the first bathing suit he pulled out, which happened to be a pair of swim trunks that were gray on top with three thicker stripes of color on the legs: orange, navy blue, and red.
For Misty, however, it took a little longer. She adored baby clothes, especially bathing suits (she was a water type specialist, after all) and, even if it would only be seen by her and Ash, Misty was insistent on having the twins look absolutely adorable and well dressed. After much thought (and a little aggravated probing by Ash), Misty selected what she thought was the perfect swimsuit for her mood: a predominantly sky blue one piece with four thick ruffles on the front: sky blue on the top and bottom, with yellow and light green in the middle.
"Great, let's take them outside!" Ash cheered when Misty was finally done dressing Michelle.
The young parents carried their children into the backyard, led of course by Ash. Misty was still concerned; she knew Ash always meant well, but sometimes his efforts were a little less than half baked. As soon as she stepped into the backyard, however, Misty's fears were quelled, and instead a huge grin broke out on her beautiful face.
"Oh, Ashy, you bought the twins a kiddie pool?" Misty beamed at her husband.
"Sure did!" Ash nodded. "I know you usually take the twins into the gym pool with you, but its summer now, so I figured it would be fun for them to go swimming outside! Plus, in here, you don't have to go in and hold onto them. The water isn't deep at all. They can just sit in there and splash around!"
Misty looked completely overjoyed, which was exactly the reaction that Ash had been hoping for. He could do things right every once in awhile, after all.
"Ma!" Aiden squealed, reaching a little hand out towards the pool.
"Yes, Daddy bought that for you and your sister to play in!" Misty giggled. "Should we go try it out?"
"Ma…" Aiden babbled.
Misty skirted over to the pool and kneeled down, sticking Aiden into the water. The boy just sat there for a few moments, confused as to what he was supposed to do.
"Here, Aiden," Misty patted the water, causing it to splash up. "Hit the water! Can you splash around, like Mommy?"
Aiden smacked the water just once, causing it to splatter. Misty gasped, and Aiden let out a delightful, shrieking laugh, clearly amused by what he had done.
"Ba! Ba! Ba!" Aiden yammered as he smashed his hands against the surface of the water, creating a torrent of water around him.
"Good boy!" Misty laughed. "Isn't that fun?"
Aiden looked up and reached his hand out towards Misty, opening and closing his fingers. "Hee…"
"It's funny, isn't it?" Misty giggled, grabbing Aiden's hand and holding onto it.
Chuckling, Ash knelt down beside Misty and kissed Michelle on the nose, informing her, "Why don't you splash around with Aiden, Shelly? It'll be fun for you, too!"
He placed Michelle in the pool next to Aiden, watching intently to see if she would play along with him. Michelle was a healthy, and typically happy, baby, but sometimes she shied away from playing, even if it was with Aiden.
"Hee!" Aiden looked at Michelle, his eyes shining.
Michelle just blinked and stuck her hand underneath the water, lifting it up and watching as the cool liquid slipped between her fingers. Despite being in fine health, Michelle didn't seem to be as developmentally up to speed as Aiden. While he was constantly sounding out syllables and preparing to say his first words, Michelle rarely ever did. Occasionally, she would say "ma" or "da," but not much else. Ash and Misty weren't sure if they should be concerned or not, but Michelle seemed happy enough, so they never really voiced their concern unless it was to each other.
"Hee!" Aiden splashed the water again. Michelle shrieked and began to giggle, joining Aiden in his actions.
"Aw, look at that!" Misty giggled. "They're splashing together! That's so precious."
"Hee! Hee!" Aiden squealed.
"That seems to be Aiden's new favorite thing to say," Ash chuckled. "He's been saying "hee" over and over again!"
"Pi!"
Ash looked over at Pikachu, who was now standing on his back legs with his ears twitching.
"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika…" The yellow mouse scampered towards the front of the house, not even responding to Ash's inquiry.
"Uh…okay…" Ash blinked.
"Pikachu probably senses something, you know he's like a little guard Pokémon," Misty assured her husband with a small giggle. "I'm sure he'll be back in a minute!"
"Gah…"
Misty turned her attention back to the pool, where Michelle had turned around and was now crawling towards the tiny slide that was built into the side of the pool.
"Oh, how cute, there's even a little slide in there!" Misty beamed at Ash. "I didn't notice that before."
"Ma!" Michelle made her way over to the slide, sitting on her knees as she patted her hands against the slide.
Misty's face lit up as soon as she'd heard Michelle utter that simple syllable. She felt better every time Michelle said it.
"Do you want to go down the slide, little princess?" Misty crawled over to the other side of the pool. Michelle looked up at her and smiled, instantly melting the gym leader's heart. Leaning over, Misty gathered the baby girl in her arms and carried the child over to the slide, sitting her atop it and gently sliding her down, holding onto the baby's sides the entire time. "Whee!"
Michelle giggled wildly as Misty slid her down, clearly enjoying the ride. When she reached the bottom, landing back in the water, Michelle continued to laugh and once again looked up at her mother, babbling a simple, "ma!"
"Do you want to go again?" Misty's eyes were bright.
"Ma!"
"Okay, sweetie, let's go again!" Misty pulled Michelle out of the water and once again placed her at the top of the slide.
"Pikapi!"
Ash, who had been gently splashing Aiden, looked over his shoulder and found Pikachu darting back to him, a smile on his furry yellow face.
"Hey there, buddy," Ash smirked. "Everything alright out there?"
"Hello there, Ash!"
The Pokémon Master's head shot up, finding his mother to be walking into the backyard beaming at him.
Shaking off his surprise, Ash grinned at his mother and greeted, "hi, Mom!"
"Hee…" Aiden cooed.
"Oh, look at those two in their little pool," Delia gasped, covering her heart with her hand. "What little darlings!"
"Hi, Delia!" Misty welcomed, bringing Michelle down the slide and back into the water. "What're you doing here?"
"Well, I had something to do in the city, so I figured I would drop by and pay you all a visit!" Delia giggled. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Ash shook his head. Looking down, he cooed to Aiden, "Look, champ, it's Grammy! She came to visit you!"
Delia kneeled down next to Ash, stroking the baby's hair and murmuring, "well, hello there little sweetheart!"
"Hi!" Aiden chirped.
And then, silence set in amongst everyone in the backyard. Ash and Misty both stared at one another with wide eyes, while Delia kept her gaze transfixed on the baby boy in front of her.
Unaffected by the adults' shock, Aiden giggled and held his arm out, trying to touch Ash with his fingers. "Hi!"
"Ash…" Delia finally broke the silence, turning her focus onto Ash, "was that…Aiden's first word?"
"Yeah…it was…" Ash blinked. He was trying to hide the fact that tears were filling his eyes. Not tears of sadness, mind you. Aiden's first word not being "Dada" didn't hurt Ash in the way he thought it would. Not at all. Instead, Ash's eyes were swelling with tears of happiness. His little son, who was just a tiny thing, half of him and half of Misty created by their love, and he had just said his first word. He was beginning to talk. "Aiden…"
"Hi!" Aiden repeated, laughing after he said it. He was clearly having fun saying this strange new word over and over again.
Misty herself was experiencing the same reaction that Ash had. Her joy was unspeakable; she had never felt so proud in all of her life. Her baby boy had just talked, and it was more beautiful than Misty could have ever imagined.
"Oh, Aiden!" Misty gathered Michelle into her arms, not caring that her shirt was getting soaked as she scurried over to the other side of the pool. She kneeled down and hugged Aiden with her free arm, wildly kissing the top of his head. "My little boy, so smart and wonderful! Your first word…it's so perfect!"
"Hi?" Aiden squeaked.
"Yes, hi, baby," Misty sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "You can say "hi"! That's so good…"
"Ma…" Aiden turned around and began to crawl around the pool, occasionally lifting his hands out to hit the water and make a splash.
"He's completely unaffected," Ash chuckled, still trying to make it appear that he hadn't been on the verge of tears.
"Aiden doesn't understand what it means," Misty smiled shakily at her husband, jubilation still rushing through her veins. "But we do."
Like it? Leave a review! Michelle's up next :)
