Author's Note
Here comes Mallow in the second installment of Ash's birthday special! Let me know what you think!
My gratitude to Hashirama 1710, Brightwizard21, FanficFan920, magic135, UltimateCCC, mohidafzal458, crazydude13, Dentro del Infinito, Anoni, and goldenfox444 for reviewing!
Halfway through the special, I want to give credit to UltimateCCC for coming up with the idea. Many requests were put in for the Sun and Moon girls, but I wasn't ready to venture out on them until UltimateCCC suggested this format of bringing them into the mix, including the specific ideas for each surprise. I'm glad for it, because I've really enjoyed writing for them so far. So thanks to everyone who requested these three!
Ash stood at the brown wooden door of Aina's Kitchen, wondering whether he should knock. His mind was still partially on his time with Lana, and he didn't want to shortchange Mallow by bringing that into the restaurant, especially when she probably had something planned to celebrate his birthday.
His thoughts were swept aside by the abrupt opening of the door; Mallow's face peered out, brightening upon seeing him.
"Ash!" Mallow grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the restaurant, shutting the door behind him to keep the heat out. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks, Mallow!"
"Tsa-reena!"
Ash beamed at Mallow's Pokémon, understanding she was also wishing him. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, eager to greet his friend.
"Pika!"
Ash turned to Mallow, only to be met with an explosion of multicolored flakes. He blinked them out of his eyes to see the green-haired girl holding a confetti popper, her grin bursting.
"Happy Birthday again!"
Ash laughed – as always, Mallow's cheerful energy was infectious. She grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen, where ingredients were already laid out on the counter.
"I'm probably not getting any creativity points for this, but my surprise for you is a home-cooked meal right here in the restaurant!"
"Are you kidding? I'm honored. What's on the menu?"
"That's a surprise," Mallow said coyly, winking at him. "But why don't we get started with some Pinap Juice?"
"That sounds great!"
Mallow deftly cut the top off a couple Pinap Berries and began working one over a squeezer. Ash crossed his arms and leaned against a counter, looking around the kitchen curiously.
"I bet this'll hit the spot if you're coming from the water – my guess is that's where Lana took you?"
Ash stood straight, memories from the morning flooding back. How had they been pushed to the back of his mind so quickly?
"Um, yeah, we went to the beachfront and –"
"You don't need to give me details, Ash," Mallow cut in, already pouring the Pinap extract into a juice shaker. She spoke confidently, her right hand finding a honey dipper while her left rolled the open mouth of a juice shaker beneath it. "I hope you had fun, but I actually brought it up just to say that you don't have to be nervous around me because of anything that happened with her. Got it?"
Mallow turned suddenly, a wine glass with fresh Pinap Juice in her hand. She held it out, her clover green eyes earnest. Ash took the glass, nodding dumbly. He wasn't sure he understood completely, but if Mallow was telling him to relax, he could, right?
Ash sipped the Pinap Juice through a wide straw, his uncertain thoughts soothed by the cool, refreshing liquid. It must've reflected on his expression, and Mallow giggled.
"Glad you like it!" She threw her apron on and walked to the cutting board on the opposite counter to continue her lunch preparations.
"Tsa-reena, tsa!" Ash turned to see Tsareena glide into the kitchen, reaching for her apron to help out. Pikachu stood on his hindlegs behind her, looking around. Ash put his juice on the counter.
"Let me help Mallow today, Tsareena – if that's ok with both of you, that is."
Mallow turned, surprised at his offer. "Are you sure, Ash? I didn't realize you liked working in the kitchen."
"It's not my strong suit, but with some instruction I can do it. You're doing all this for me – I want to at least lend a hand."
Mallow shifted her weight, conflicted. "But it's your birthday."
"And being Tsareena for a day can be part of your present to me." Ash winked at the Pokémon, who giggled.
Mallow relented. "Alright, if you're gonna twist my arm, I guess you can help out. Ok guys, leave this to us – Tsareena, when you two get hungry, can you handle the Pokémon food?"
"Ree-na!"
The two Pokémon ran back out to the dining area to hang out. Mallow grabbed another cutting board and knife and placed them next to hers before snapping her fingers.
"Almost forgot." She scurried to the corner of the kitchen and produced a blue apron, tossing it to him. "Don't want to get anything on your clothes."
Ash slipped the garment over his head, fumbling with the tie behind his back clumsily. In his defense, it was a lot harder when he couldn't see it. Mallow had already chopped a whole onion before she noticed his quandary.
"Need help?" Her eyes were full of mirth.
"No, no, I got it." Ash flushed, embarrassed. Though he'd acknowledged the kitchen wasn't his strong suit, he hadn't expected to be stymied this early.
"Here," Mallow overruled, walking behind him and slapping his hands away. Ash sighed as the girl tightened the string against his back and tied it off. "You look good in that."
Ash snorted. "At this rate, that's the only contribution I'm going to make to this kitchen."
Mallow laughed and handed him a Poni radish to cut, demonstrating on her own board what size to cut the pieces. Ash followed along, able to replicate the general technique at least. Speed was a different issue though, and he barely finished cutting half his pile of vegetables by the time Mallow finished hers.
"Wow, you're fast," Ash commented, scrunching his brow as he continued cutting.
"Well, years dealing with the lunch and dinner rushes has got to be worth something, right?" Mallow quipped, taking half his vegetables onto her board. "I'm not the best teacher – I use muscle memory in the kitchen, mostly – but one really good tip Dad gave me is to let the weight of the knife do the work."
Ash nodded, adjusting his grip on the knife so the weight of the handle facilitated a clean slice through the radish on his cutting board. "Hey, it works! Your dad knows what he's doing."
"When it comes to the kitchen at least, yeah, no doubt about it."
"Where is he now, by the way?"
Mallow's cutting slowed a bit as she thought about her answer. "He's back in the house. I asked him if we could have the restaurant to ourselves."
"Ahh."
They finished cutting the remainders of their vegetables at the same time, and the budding chef gave him an impressed look as she moved the bowls of ingredients to the stove.
"If nothing else, I'm a fast learner," Ash offered, rinsing the cutting boards and knives in the sink.
"You can say that again. We should get you to help out around here more often."
"If I can get some of your food in return, it's a deal." Mallow laughed, and Ash picked his Pinap Juice back up from where he'd left it, wiping condensation from the outside of the glass. He leaned back against the counter, sipping the drink and watching Mallow work.
In stark contrast to his choppy workflow, Mallow moved around the kitchen gracefully, no movement wasted. She didn't hesitate as she added oil, spices, or vegetables, and she always seemed to understand how long she could spend on one burner before turning to another. The heat wafting off the stove didn't seem to bother her; even as sweat beaded under her headband, her eyes flitted between her pots and pans with a fierce, uninterrupted focus.
Ash realized he was staring, and he looked around, wondering how he could help. The ice in his glass clinked, and it registered that Mallow hadn't helped herself to any of the juice. He maneuvered to her side, holding the glass out.
Mallow's hands continued to work ladles and pan handles as she turned, looking down at the drink. She smiled appreciatively, leaning down. Her head paused for a brief second as her eyes settled on the straw, still wet near the top from where Ash had sucked it.
"Oh, let me get you another –"
Mallow ignored him and sucked from his straw, her puckered mouth close to a smirk. Ash swallowed. After a long draw from the glass, Mallow stood back up and exhaled deeply.
"Cool and refreshing, if I do say so myself."
Ash laughed weakly, retreating to the opposite counter as Mallow resumed her work. This time, his eyes wandered from her face and hands, appreciating the rest of her for what felt like the first time. Her lustrous twintails jostled against her back with every turn of her head, and movements of her body caused her glowing caramel skin to chafe against her gray overalls. Between the spiky white frills of her quarter thigh shorts and the low tops of her green slip-ons, her tan legs ran a gently curving, seemingly endless course.
"Ash?"
Ash almost jumped, his eyes snapping up to meet Mallow's, which were probing him with surprise. He opened his mouth and closed it, not sure how to explain his behavior.
"Um, your first course is a Poni radish-patty burger, with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, some lettuce and tomato, and just a dash of honey."
Mallow didn't seem to linger on his stare, so Ash decided to go with the flow.
"That looks delicious, Mallow! My mouth is watering already."
"From the burger?"
Ash's smile froze, his suspicion that she'd caught his wandering eyes confirmed.
"Um..."
"I'm just teasing, Ash," Mallow said, tapping his stomach with the back of her hand playfully. Despite her words, Ash noticed some redness in her cheeks. "I actually made a variant of this for Tapu Koko, who seemed to like it, so let's hope I go two for two."
"I'm sure you will," Ash said absently, composing himself and taking the plate. The moment the food was in his hand, the aroma and aesthetic gripped him: the burger sat neatly in the center of the plate, a tower of colors and textures that asserted freshness. If his mouth wasn't watering for the burger before, it certainly was now.
"Aaaand... here are your fries," Mallow sang, bringing a strainer across and garnishing the burger with sizzling potato wedges. "Ketchup should be on the tables. Do you take any other condiments?"
"Nah, ketchup is good for me," Ash replied, walking his plate into the dining area and pulling off his apron. At first, he wondered whether Mallow had been mistaken about the ketchup being on the tables, but while scanning the room he found the somehow more sensible answer. "Pikachu, mind if I have one of those?"
Pikachu and Tsareena stopped whatever game Ash was sure Pikachu had concocted to make use of the ketchup bottles. Tsareena made a sound of acquiescence, but the Mouse Pokémon paused, looking between the bottles and Ash.
"I just need one." Pikachu continued to look unsure. "Oh come on, Pikachu, it's my birthday."
Pikachu finally relented, batting a red bottle over to Ash with his tail before resuming his game with Tsareena and the rest of the bottles.
Ash shook his head as he caught the ketchup, chuckling sarcastically. "Thank you, Your Highness."
A melodic giggle came from behind him as Mallow approached the table, her apron off and her plate in her hands. "You two are so funny."
They sat themselves across from one another, and Mallow put her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers and looking at him.
Ash adjusted his plate, almost scared to stare back; he was suddenly acutely aware of how bewitching Mallow's pretty skin and big eyes could be.
"Ash?"
"Huh?"
"You have to taste it first. 'Cuz it's your birthday."
"Oh, oh, yeah, of course."
Glad for the distraction, Ash picked up his burger, gulping at the sight of the juices that squeezed out. The buns depressed slightly under his fingers, but didn't crack or crumble, and the contents of the burger slid in their juices without slipping out. His eyes closed involuntarily as he bit into it, oily, cheesy, salty, sweet, sour flavors exploding through his mouth, cut with just the right amount of acid, all working together to elevate the savory radish patty. The dish vibrated with the potential of its ingredients, each one threatening to pull away and overwhelm the rest, and yet they'd been bridled in, convinced to work together and become something more than the sum of their parts.
Ash opened his eyes and simply stared at Mallow. "You're so talented."
The caramel-skinned Alolan blushed, clearly surprised at the clarity in his praise. "I'm so glad you like it."
Ash didn't put on any airs, instead choosing to show how much he liked the burger by turning his attention back to it. Mallow followed suit with her own dish, humming in appreciation as she tasted it.
"I am good."
"Mhm."
They both worked on their plates, exchanging light banter as they ate. As Ash finished his portion, Mallow dropped some of her fries onto his plate.
"Can't have the guest of honor going hungry."
"Oh, you're in no trouble of that, I assure you."
With the additional fries to work through, Ash slowed his pace, eventually finishing at the same time as Mallow.
"You're doing to do it, you know," Ash said earnestly, sucking the last of his meal off his fingers.
"Do what?" Mallow asked, her eyes watching his fingers as she dabbed her own on a napkin.
"Make Aina's Kitchen the best in the world."
Mallow rested her chin on her fist, grinning. "And why do you say that?"
"Because you've got the talent, the creativity, and the heart. I feel like I could taste it on this plate."
"Tell me more," Mallow said perkily, her cheeks flushed.
Ash fidgeted as he felt the girl's magnetism taking hold of him again. "I mean, you can pinpoint the tastes of humans and Pokémon, and you have an endless stream of ideas to feed those tastes with... I mean, bottom line, delicious food. And come on, you're the poster girl, aren't you? It's just gonna be irresistible."
"Which? The food, or me?"
Ash held Mallow's eyes confidently. "Both."
Mallow's cheeks reddened further before she eventually cast her eyes down, leaning back in her chair and playing with her twintails with uncharacteristic shyness.
"Thank you, Ash. That means a lot to me."
Ash sat back as well, putting his hands up. "Hey, I'm just telling it like I see it. I should be thanking you for the birthday lunch."
"That's just it, Ash. It's your birthday lunch, but you're more interested in putting wind in my sails."
Ash shifted awkwardly, not sure what to say.
"I love your positive energy, Ash. And I love how you share it with everyone around you. It's just so much fun to be around. It makes me feel like anything could happen – including my dreams."
Ash looked down, embarrassed by her words. "It almost sounds like you're talking about yourself, Mallow. You're always giving off such great vibes."
"Well, I guess we're two peas in a pod then."
"Yeah."
Ash and Mallow met eyes again, their gaze acknowledging the intimacy of their conversation. But before Ash could really immerse himself in the moment, the events of the morning rushed into his mind, guilt soon following. He turned his eyes down.
"Ash...?" He could feel Mallow's eyes boring into him, and he knew he'd spoiled their moment. He owed her an explanation.
Ash took a deep breath, knowing how awkward this was about to become.
"Lana and I, we really connected this morning."
"Uh-huh," Mallow said, nodding. She seemed unfazed.
"We kissed," Ash blurted out, feeling his guilt lighten at the confession. He met Mallow's eyes slowly, not sure what to expect.
"Oh? Good for her," Mallow commented, looking impressed. "That's my Lana."
"Um..." Ash had not expected that. He decided to just come out with his thoughts. "I didn't really talk it through with Lana, it just happened. All the same, the worst thing in the world would be if either of you felt like I was breaking your trust. So, I just wanted to be up front. I probably need to talk to Lana before, um, well... letting things get away from me."
Ash searched Mallow's suddenly stoic face for a reaction.
"So... You're choosing Lana over me?"
Ash's heart constricted at the hurt in Mallow's voice. "It's not –"
He stopped, confused, as Mallow's mouth quivered at the edges, eventually giving way to a snicker.
"You should've seen your face," she teased, standing up and pulling her chair closer to Ash's. He blinked, bewildered, until Mallow rested her hands on one of his, taking a deep breath.
"I should've expected that you wouldn't really understand what I said earlier," she started, her eyes cast down thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm sorta happy you brought it up. That's so... you. But I don't want you to worry because there really is no reason to. None of us are going to feel like you're breaking our trust, no matter what happens today. I mean, within reason."
Mallow blushed at the last bit, but Ash was more focused on the other details. None of them? Did that mean she was including Lillie in her statement? But more importantly...
"How do you know?"
Mallow's head swayed as she seemed to ponder how much to say. "We made a pact."
"A pact?"
"Yeah. Today, each of the three of us would get to present you with a surprise – two hours we can run however we want. The idea is that each of us gets to show you what you mean to us, without worrying about how the others feel."
"I... see," Ash said, though he wasn't sure he did.
"None of us told the others what we were going to do, so that none of us felt pressured to do things a certain way. It was like we were each getting a clean slate with you. I guess what we didn't really consider was that you would be carrying emotions between each meeting. Now that I think about it, that was sorta inconsiderate of us."
Ash was starting to understand the situation better. He shrugged. "I suppose being spoiled by three beautiful women is worth it."
"You think we're beautiful?" Mallow prodded playfully. Ash just chuckled, and she quickly turned thoughtful again. "Lana's my best friend. I would never do anything to hurt her. So trust me when I say nothing each of us is doing is about... laying claim to you or anything. We genuinely wanted today to be about you. Though that may not be showing through at the moment."
Ash shook his head. "No, I'm really honored. You guys clearly thought about this and wanted to do something special for me, and that makes me really happy."
Mallow smiled widely, standing up and placing her palms on the table. "That's all I wanted. All any of us wanted, honestly."
Ash twiddled his thumbs, still thinking, and Mallow put a hand on his shoulder, speaking gently.
"If you're emotionally up to it, I want to finish my surprise. But I would never ask you to do anything that feels wrong or icky. Just feel it out – I'm here either way."
Ash nodded, and Mallow picked up their plates, making her way to the kitchen. Ash remained seated, his mind bouncing between thoughts.
He'd had a real moment with Lana. He didn't know what that meant for them, but was it right to be flirting with Mallow considering that? Ash scratched his head, trying to find clarity. There were really two different things he was worried about.
First, he needed to take responsibility for his actions. What did he owe to Lana considering their kiss? Ash remembered how vague she'd been when the topic came up of him being her boyfriend. At the time, Lana's unwillingness to give a clear answer seemed to be out of playfulness or shyness, but what if she'd been thinking of Mallow and Lillie? What if it was her way of allowing him to interact with them freely, without feeling like their moment tied him down?
But the second thing he was concerned with was what he wanted. At the end of the day, he decided how to act just as Mallow had said – by feeling it out – and he needed to pin down where his heart was. He'd been genuinely happy to know how Lana felt and what it could mean for them. But what he wanted most in this moment was to receive the gifts that all the girls had resolved to give him, with his full attention and an open mind. By doing that, he could both understand their feelings and honor the pact they'd made with each other. Maybe he would have to make a tough decision afterward, but he'd cross that bridge then.
For now, it felt right.
Ash stood up abruptly, his mind at ease. Mallow's head snapped up from the kitchen, where she had apparently just finished rinsing dishes.
"So, I've got your cake for the party tonight in the fridge. I just need to top it with come chocolate-covered strawberries. Want to help make them? We can have some as our dessert, too."
"Count me in." He knew Mallow wasn't the type to need detailed explanations from him. She'd do what felt right, too.
Ash rounded the corner into the kitchen as Mallow pulled a long, flat dish off a piece of equipment on the stove.
"What's that?" Ash asked curiously, seeing the apparatus for the first time.
Mallow glanced back at the stove. "Oh, that's a bain-marie. It's like a... hot bath, I guess, that you can use to heat things, or in our case melt them."
As she finished her explanation, Mallow placed the long dish on the counter in front of her and Ash, and he could see it was full of melted chocolate.
"So we're just going to dip the strawberries in the chocolate, and then place them on some parchment paper for them to set," she instructed, lining up a colander full of washed and dried strawberries to the left of the chocolate and some wax paper on a sheet pan to the right.
Ash washed his hands, eager to help. As challenging as some culinary tasks could be, this he could handle. Mallow was working with both hands, four strawberries already coated by the time he joined her.
"The dipping should be self-explanatory, just give it a little spin as you lift it out so excess chocolate can drip off before you put it on the parchment paper."
"Got it." Ash scrunched his brow as he held a strawberry by the stem, twirling it in the pool of chocolate and pulling it out, letting the excess liquid drizzle off, and then placing it on the sheet pan.
"Just like that, very nice."
Despite Mallow's praise, there was somehow a world of difference between her workflow and his, even in what seemed like such a simple task. As far as he knew, she wasn't ambidextrous; and yet, she continued to coat and twirl strawberries two at a time, transferring the finished products to the sheet pan neatly. Meanwhile, he was taking great effort to do one strawberry at a time, making sure not to dunk the top of the berry while also trying to time the transfer of the chocolate-coated fruit to the parchment paper so the chocolate didn't drip everywhere.
"I'm making a mess," Ash grumbled as his hands tangled with Mallow's, chocolate dripping onto her skinny forearms.
Mallow laughed. "It's fine, Ash, things get messy in the kitchen sometimes. Here, we might get less tangled like this."
Mallow hoisted herself onto the counter, her toned caramel thighs squeezing against the countertop and flattening such that they grazed one another. Her feet dangled over the edge, swinging loosely. From her new position, she dunked the strawberries into the chocolate at the back of the dish before moving them to the sheet pan in fluid motions that didn't interfere with Ash's slower ones near the front of the counter.
"And... all done!" Mallow proclaimed as Ash moved the final chocolate-covered strawberry to the parchment paper, exhaling happily. "Good work!"
"Yeah, I think I only managed to waste about a gallon of chocolate," Ash said sarcastically, motioning toward her with hands covered in the sweet, gooey substance. In contrast, Mallow's own hands were sparkling clean.
"Well, you never waste chocolate," Mallow declared, licking at the chocolate that'd dropped onto her forearms earlier.
"Huh? Oh, right." Ash smirked and began sucking the chocolate off the fingers of his left hand.
"Need help?" Mallow asked, gripping the counter and leaning forward slightly.
Ash paused while sucking on the pinky of his left hand, not sure what Mallow was offering. Her angled head, clover-green eyes, and impish smirk seemed to tell the story, though, and his right hand gravitated to her mouth.
Mallow took his hand by the wrist, and Ash watched in a trance as she licked each of his fingers spotless.
When she finished, she sat back and licked her lips happily. Ash blinked owlishly, trying to process what'd just happened. Mallow leaned over and dipped her index finger in the dish of molten chocolate, streaking it across her right cheek. She leaned forward, turning the cheek to him.
Ash didn't need any more prompting. He leaned in and closed his lips over the chocolate, sucking audibly to clear the substance from Mallow's cheek. Her skin was soft and supple, and as his nose tickled her cheek he caught the scent of a meadow. The fresh aroma combined tantalizingly with the sweetness of the chocolate, arresting his senses.
Ash leaned back, licking his lips. Mallow gazed at him approvingly. She plucked a still unset chocolate-covered strawberry from the parchment paper, biting its coated flesh with a clean crunch and discarding the leafy stem to her side. She leaned forward, presenting it in her mouth before closing her lips over his.
Ash braced his hands on Mallow's hips; her long legs wrapped around him and pulled him into the counter, deepening the kiss. Ash felt her mouth open and push the berry against his lips. He let her sweat for a second, refusing to open his mouth, before relenting and sucking the strawberry in, momentarily catching her tongue as well. Mallow laughed against him, continuing to kiss him until he sucked the strawberry clean of chocolate and bit it in half; then, she pushed her tongue back into his mouth and stole one half of the berry, at which point she finally pulled away.
They leaned back, breathing heavily, their lips wet as they each chewed half the strawberry, the slight sourness evening out the sweetness of the chocolate – and the kiss.
"Um... wow," Mallow said breathlessly.
Ash just nodded.
"I was afraid for a second there that you wouldn't take the strawberry."
"I considered it," Ash confessed, a smirk on his lips. "But in the end, it was irresistible."
"Which? The strawberry, or me?" Mallow teased, already leaning forward again.
Ash didn't hesitate, his answer slipping out just before he met her lips.
"You."