Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Which, as many of you know, is Ash and Misty's canon anniversary in my stories. So, as I do every year, it's a combination Valentine's and anniversary story!
Funny story about this one: I wasn't intending for it to be as long as it became, but I had so much fun writing it and it totally got away from me! Honestly, I probably could've kept going but I knew I had to cut it off somewhere, lol. So, I hope you're all in the mood for a sweet, fluffy, and long Valentine's story!
Aiden and Michelle: 14 months old
Anniversary of Independence
"Oh man. What happened to your hair, you silly little girl?"
Michelle giggled delightfully as her father stepped into the room, amusement evident both on his face and in his voice. She had already pulled herself up in her crib long before he'd arrived, staring expectantly at the door. At least, it felt like a long time to the infant. In reality, Ash had shown up only about two minutes after the fact once he'd seen her get up on the baby monitor. Both of the girl's parents didn't like to leave her waiting for too long, for fear that she'd once again pick up the habit she'd previously had of screaming bloody murder to announce that she was awake.
She hadn't done that in quite a while, fortunately, and now tended to be in very good spirits in the morning, which was a much more pleasant experience for everyone involved. Besides, it sure was hard to resist the bubbly giggles she'd let out as soon as one of them appeared.
On this particular morning, however, Michelle was sporting a rather wild case of bed head; something Ash had never really seen before. It didn't seem to be impacting her sunny disposition, which was good, but it was definitely cause for Ash to start laughing himself.
"Have you been rolling around?" Ash cooed, trying to suppress his glee.
Michelle mumbled incoherently, although it was a clear mixture of joy and grogginess. She further proved this by rubbing at her eyes as she tilted her head back and forth, clearly trying to shake off her remaining sleepiness while goofing around.
"I bet Mommy would like to see this," Ash airily commented, lifting Michelle out of her crib. "What do you think?"
"Mama?" Michelle repeated, reaching up to touch her father's face.
"Yeah, Mama," Ash chuckled. "Come on, let's go see her!"
Misty was already downstairs with Aiden, who had woken up before his sister, and playing with the little boy and Pikachu. When Ash showed up with Michelle, however, Misty looked up at them…and instantly burst out laughing.
"Ash, what did you do?" She asked through her mirth.
He pouted in response and cried out an incredulous, "me?!" Huffing, he continued, "why do you always think it's me?"
"Because I've literally never seen her look like that," Misty snickered. "Why is her hair so messy?"
"This is how I found her!" Ash exclaimed. "I walked into her and Aiden's room and was just as surprised as you are."
"I guess she's started moving around more in her sleep," Misty mused.
"That was my guess too," Ash agreed. Glancing down at Michelle, he tickled her chest and cooed, "That's what Daddy does! And that's why I wake up with messy hair, too! You're gonna sleep like Daddy now, huh? Not like Mommy, who always wakes up with perfect hair!"
"I don't know about that," Misty scoffed, smirking at Michelle's fervent giggles.
"Please, you barely ever have a hair out of place when you wake up!" Ash playfully argued, bending down to place Michelle on her mother's lap. "You do always have cold feet, though. That's not so great."
Letting out a short laugh, Misty grinned down at her daughter, who was beaming back at her. "You are so sweet in the morning!"
"Speaking of sweet…" Ash began, his eyes sparkling. "Our anniversary is coming up!"
Misty's face lit up. "Aw, you remembered!"
"Of course, I did," Ash chuckled. "I'm not that dense! Well…not most of the time."
Pikachu rolled his eyes before nosing a ball towards a giggly Aiden.
"You want to talk plans?" Misty asked knowingly, watching as Aiden crawled up to his sister and offered her the same ball. "Aw, good boy! You're such a nice brother."
"Yeah!" Ash cheerfully confirmed, taking a seat on the floor across from Misty. "I thought it might be nice to…I don't know…start some traditions!"
"Traditions?" Misty repeated, helping Michelle off her lap so the little girl could play with her brother and Pikachu. "Like what?"
"I was thinking maybe dinner," Ash began, his previously jolly tone wavering a bit. "And, possibly, a night alone…"
Misty looked up from the twins and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'alone'?"
Ash sighed inwardly. Either Misty was playing dumb with him, or she was having her own moment of density. "I mean without Aiden and Michelle."
He was expecting her to outright reject the idea with her usual furious passion, so he was surprised when she remained quiet instead. He could also tell by the look on her face, however, that she was thinking. And unlike many other situations before this one, he wasn't really sure what was going through her head.
"They've never been away from both of us for an entire night," Misty finally spoke, her hesitance very clear.
"I know," Ash replied. "But we're going to have to do it eventually, right? And the first time is going to be the hardest, so we might as well get it over with. Besides, I already checked with my mom to make sure she'd be free that night in case you agreed to it. When it comes to the first time we're going to do this, I'm not going to leave them with anyone but her."
Misty bit her lower lip. "That makes me feel a little better, but still…"
"You're nervous," Ash finished for her once she'd trailed off.
Misty nodded very slowly. "I wish I wasn't. I probably sound insane. It's just…so weird to think about not being with them."
"You don't sound insane," Ash refuted with a low chuckle. "I totally get it! Trust me, I went back and forth a lot on this too. But it's probably not good if we never separate from them, right?"
"Right," Misty agreed. She was trying very hard to not look at Aiden and Michelle, who were currently playing tug-of-war with a stuffed toy and laughing like crazy while Pikachu watched on like it was a ping pong match. She knew if she did, she'd probably start backing out. "Okay, yeah. This is something we're going to have to do."
"I just thought that maybe our anniversary might make things a little easier," Ash suggested, although he sounded rather wary at this point. "You know, a better distraction."
"It could be," Misty sighed. "Either way, I just have to toughen up and accept the fact that there will be times the twins have to be away from us. I know the first time's not going to be any fun, but once it's over with, hopefully it'll be easier."
Aiden and Michelle, who were oblivious to their parents' dilemma, had yet to stop pulling on their toy. With one good tug, however, Michelle soon had the plaything all to herself, while Aiden fell back on the floor. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all gasped, and the parents quickly leaned over their young son.
"Oh, Aiden, are you okay?" Misty breathed, scooping the boy up.
Much to her and Ash's relief, Aiden must've been perfectly fine, as he had gone right back to giggling like nothing had even happened.
"Thank goodness," Ash sighed, holding a hand against his chest.
"This is why we always play on the rug!" Misty laughed nervously, bouncing Aiden on her lap. "That extra padding sure makes Mommy feel a whole lot better!"
Twisting his mouth, Ash asked, "probably a good suggestion for my mom, huh?"
"With these two?" Misty replied, nodding between both babies. "That's a definite."
XXX
"Thanks so much for watching the twins, Mom."
Delia, who was fawning over the babies in their car seats, hadn't exactly heard what Ash had said, but managed to get the gist of it enough to reply, "of course, dear!"
"We finally got everything out of the car," Ash continued, placing a duffel bag down by his feet. "Is there anything else you think you'll need?"
"Ash, I'm sure Misty did an excellent job packing!" Delia assured her offended son.
"I helped, y'know…" he grumbled.
Delia just giggled in response, which didn't do much to boost Ash's confidence. She had started to lift Aiden out of his seat, however, which then led Ash to do the same with Michelle.
"I've got their playpen all set up," Delia said, placing a cooing Aiden inside of the enclosure. "Misty said they've been taking lots of tumbles lately, so unless I'm able to be right on top of them, it'll be the perfect place for them to play!"
"Yeah, they're a little clumsy," Ash chuckled weakly, dropping Michelle in as well. Pikachu, who had been riding on Ash's shoulder, hopped off himself and joined the twins in their enclosure. "Aiden especially! He's pretty much trying to run already, so he falls down a whole lot. Doesn't seem to bother him though."
Delia beamed, clearly amused by her grandson's determination. Shortly after, however, she cried, "oh, I almost forgot! I invited Professor Oak over tonight for dinner. He's been getting so absorbed in his work lately that sometimes he forgets to eat, and I certainly don't want that happening on Valentine's Day of all days! He knows Aiden and Michelle are going to be here as well and he's quite excited! He absolutely loves them. Misty was perfectly fine with it, but I just wanted to let you know as well."
"Sure, that sounds nice!" Ash chirped. "I bet you'll all have a fun time together."
"Maybe not as fun as you and Misty," Delia hummed, winking at her son.
Ash could feel his face turn bright red, and he quickly turned away in the hopes that his mother wouldn't see. "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore!" Hurriedly getting to his feet, he wondered aloud, "maybe I should go check on Misty. She should be done getting ready soon."
"Oh Ash, she'll come back down as soon as she's ready," Delia sighed, gently pushing him back down onto the couch. "Don't go running up there to rush her! She gets so little alone time as it is."
"I wasn't going to rush her!" Ash protested. "It's just taking her a while, that's all. Misty usually gets ready pretty quick."
"That's because she's got two babies to look after when you're at home," Delia playfully reminded her son. "Trust me, dear: when a mother gets some time to herself, she takes advantage of it."
When Ash had informed his mother that he and Misty were going through with their anniversary plans, Delia had so kindly offered for Misty to prepare for the evening at her house. Ash found that to be a weird proposal at first, but Misty had reacted very positively to it, and now he finally understood why.
"Well then, maybe I'll just see what Aiden and Michelle are up to," Ash mused, rising much more slowly this time.
Delia smiled as Ash walked past her. "I'm sure they're doing just fine. Probably playing together if I had to guess! Besides, they have Pikachu to look after them too!"
Ash peered into the playpen, and just as his mother had assumed, the babies were babbling nonsense to one another, intermittently messing with some of the toys that had been left inside for them and handing them off to a delighted Pikachu.
"Aww," Ash chuckled, inclining his head. "They're so cute!" He suddenly frowned, however, and admitted, "I'm kind of worried about tonight. Misty is so nervous to leave them. I don't like it either, but at least I've done it before. She never has, and I'm afraid she's not going to be able to actually enjoy our anniversary because she'll be so busy worrying."
Delia clicked her tongue at the idea. "You have to give her more credit than that. I know Misty is nervous about it, but she's not going to let being away from the babies cloud her evening. I can pretty much guarantee it!"
Ash was ready to argue but held his tongue when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned his head to look that way, and almost instantly, his eyes widened.
Misty had changed into a mid-length emerald green dress with a wrap silhouette, fluttering sleeves, and a waist sash tied into a neat bow. The neck dipped down into a relatively deep V, putting her layered necklaces on full display. She had also managed to curl her hair into loose, beachy waves, and applied just enough makeup that it was noticeable without being over the top.
"Wow," Ash marveled, slowly standing up. "You look beautiful, Mist! I mean, you always look beautiful, but…what I'm trying to say is…uh…this outfit- "
"I got it," Misty interrupted him with a soft giggle. "Thank you, Ashy!"
Ash smiled bashfully before continuing, "so…should we head out?"
"Yeah," Misty replied shakily. "Can I just say goodbye to the twins first?"
"Of course!" Ash chuckled.
Misty skirted over to the playpen, hesitantly leaning over the edge with a weak smile on her face. "Alright, you two. Mommy and Daddy have to go now! You both be good for Grammy and Professor Oak, okay?"
Aiden and Michelle gave her a quick glance but went right back to playing without much other acknowledgement. Misty would be lying if she said she wasn't a little hurt by that, but she was also kind of grateful, since that would probably make it somewhat easier for her to leave.
"Pikachu, you'll keep an eye on them too, won't you?" Misty hopefully pleaded.
"Chu!" Pikachu confirmed, banging on his chest.
"Thanks, you're the best!" Misty giggled. Standing back up straight, she informed Ash and Delia, "Well, those two have no interest in me at the moment." Setting her gaze solely on Ash, she concluded, "Let's get out of here before they change their minds."
Ash laughed weakly. "Sounds good to me!"
He and Misty bid Delia a silent farewell and moved to the front door as quietly as possible. After all, babies were fickle, and just because they hadn't cared to pay their parents any attention before didn't mean they wouldn't flip in an instant.
And indeed, almost as soon as Ash and Misty had managed to sneak out, Michelle began to look around, sorrowfully murmuring, "Mama? Mama?"
Delia grimaced and made her way over to the playpen, cooing, "oh, Shelly, it's alright! You'll see mama again in the morning! For tonight, we're going to have lots of fun together!"
Michelle didn't seem to care, however, as the little girl quickly began bawling. Pikachu went right to work on licking Michelle's cheek, trying desperately to get the baby to calm down, but it wasn't managing to do any good. Sighing, Delia reached into the enclosure and lifted Michelle out, a bewildered Aiden watching on silently. As soon as she had her granddaughter in her grasp, however, there was a knock at the door, and Delia let out another groan. With the baby still sobbing in her arms, Delia walked over to the front door and opened it, half expecting to see a panicked Ash and Misty who had changed their minds. Instead, it was a beaming Professor Oak, although his expression quickly changed once he heard Michelle's wails.
"Hello Delia," he greeted nervously, wearing a sympathetic smile. "Not off to the best start to the evening, I take it?"
"Not quite," Delia tiredly confirmed. "She did so good for the first…well…30 seconds."
"Now now, I'm sure she'll ease into it!" Professor Oak assured her. "She and Aiden absolutely love their grandmother, after all."
That managed to get a smile out of Delia, although it dissipated once she had a realization. "Oh, I've really been making you stand outside in the cold this whole time just to hear me complain! How rude of me. Please, Professor, come in!"
"Not to worry!" Professor Oak chuckled, stepping inside and gently poking Michelle's nose. "You've just got your hands full, that's all."
Interestingly enough, Michelle quieted down once Professor Oak was at eye level with her, seemingly transfixed with the man.
"They also love you," Delia noted with a giggle. "Would you like to hold Michelle for a little while? I want to check on Aiden before I start making dinner."
"Of course!" Professor Oak replied as he stripped off his winter coat. "I'd be happy to."
"Thank you!" Delia breathed, handing Michelle over to the researcher. "Okay, sweetheart. No fussing for Professor Oak, now!"
That didn't seem to be a problem for Michelle, who resorted to soft cooing instead. Professor Oak chuckled and tickled the girl's chest, causing her to unleash a squeaky laugh that greatly amused the older man.
"But I also don't want Aiden to feel left out," Delia fretted. "I know he's got Pikachu, but still…" Turning back towards Professor Oak, she continued, "I hate to ask, but would you mind too much playing with the twins?"
"Mind?" Professor Oak repeated incredulously. "I would love it!"
Delia's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're just the best!" She picked Aiden up and placed him down by her feet, patting the boy's head before repeating the same with Pikachu. "Don't hesitate to call for me if they start misbehaving."
"These two?" Professor Oak scoffed. "I highly doubt that."
"They have their moments, but generally they're very sweet," Delia giggled. "Oh! And don't be alarmed if they fall over. Apparently that's been happening quite a bit! As long as you can keep them on the rug, they'll be just fine."
"Trying to run, I assume?" Professor Oak inquired.
"For Aiden, at least," Delia laughed.
"Sam was the exact same way," Professor Oak joined her. "The second he learned to walk, he wanted to get right to running! I do find the determination admirable."
"It's hard not to," Delia concurred. Once Professor Oak was settled on the floor and had sat Michelle down beside Aiden, she commented, "perfect, now I can get to work on dinner! After all, it's the least I can do to thank you for your help tonight."
"You definitely don't have to thank me for this!" Professor Oak guffawed. "These two are just precious; any time I get to spend with them is wonderful! Of course, so is your cooking…I could never turn that down!"
"And that's the best compliment a chef could receive!" Delia crowed.
XXX
"Look at you, managing to get us reservations at one of my favorite restaurants on Valentine's Day of all days! I'm quite impressed, Mr. Ketchum."
Ash smirked at his amused wife. "Don't you mean Master Ketchum?"
Misty hummed unsurely before replying, "no, I'm exempt from that. But we'll see how I'm feeling as the night goes on."
"Fair enough," Ash conceded with a chuckle.
She giggled and took a sip of her wine just as their food was dropped off, much to both of their delight. It had been a while since they'd eaten, and the two of them were totally famished. Ash, of course, was quick to dive right into his meal without a second thought, and before Misty had even taken more than two bites of her own dinner, he had tomato sauce all over his face.
"Are you kidding me?" Misty asked, her twinkling laugh foiling any semblance of real embarrassment she'd had.
"Wha-?" Ash muttered, barely audible thanks to his full mouth.
"You've got a little something," Misty replied, grabbing her napkin and leaning over the table to wipe at her husband's face.
"Okay, okay, I got it," Ash laughed, taking Misty's napkin and finishing up the job himself.
"Sorry, force of habit," Misty sighed, sitting back down. "I can't help it! You looked so much like Aiden with all that…stuff on your face."
She trailed off, the last part of her sentence having come out rather wistful. Ash frowned, and cautiously inquired, "you okay?"
Misty quickly shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry, I got lost in my own head there for a minute."
"That's okay," Ash assured her with a smile. "I miss them too."
Nodding, Misty added, "but I also want to make sure I'm enjoying our evening! So, I'm not going to dwell on it."
Unable to help himself, Ash playfully quipped, "does that mean you like being with me just as much as you like being with them?"
Smirking, Misty teasingly sighed, "I mean, you're not quite as interesting, or fun, or cute…but I guess it's fine."
"Man," Ash groaned, just as mischievously as his wife. "Should I put some tomato sauce back on my face? Would that help?"
"No," Misty hastily refuted. "Honestly, I would've kept the act going, if I wasn't so sure that you'd actually do it."
"See? You know me too well!" Ash laughed. "I'm definitely fun to hang out with."
"Yeah, a real riot," Misty chirped with sparkling eyes.
XXX
"Ooh, you two liked your dinner, I see!"
Although both she and Professor Oak had been keeping a watchful eye over the babies while they ate, Delia was still pleasantly surprised to see both of their plates totally empty. She had decided to go with a dinner that she'd hoped the twins would find palatable enough and that she and Professor Oak could enjoy as well: pasta and tomato sauce she'd made from scratch, and clearly it had gone over very well. Pikachu, who had been gifted with the same meal as well, had been just as happy and was still lapping at his plate.
"Yum yum," Michelle chirped, waving her arms up and down.
Aiden, meanwhile, picked up his plate and smashed it against his face, mumbling against it.
"My goodness," Professor Oak chuckled. "He really liked it, I think!"
"Yes, trying to lick his plate clean," Delia sighed with a laugh, getting to her feet and gently removing the plate from her grandson's hands. That wasn't too difficult to do; but cleaning off his now messy face would be another story, considering how squirmy he got when you took a napkin to it. "Oh, dear. What am I going to do with you, my crazy boy?"
Aiden giggled, but quickly reverted to whining as soon as his grandmother began wiping at his face.
"I know, you hate this," Delia crooned. "It's no big deal, sweetheart! Look, see? All done!"
As soon as she pulled away, Aiden quit fussing and instead began reaching for his sister. "Mishy! Mishy, pway!"
"Ah, looks like they're ready for some after dinner playtime!" Professor Oak noted. "Delia, I could take care of the dishes for you while you spend some time with the twins, if you'd like?"
"Absolutely not!" Delia scolded. "What kind of a host would I be if I had my guests cleaning my dishes?"
"I don't mind!" Professor Oak assured her. "It's the least I could do in return for that delicious meal."
"No, no, you are not going to be doing any dishes tonight," Delia refuted once again. "Honestly, the twins had such a fun time playing with you before, I think you should be the one to do that while I clean up! I'm sure they'll enjoy it all over again."
"You're sure?" Professor Oak pressed.
"Yes, I insist!" Delia giggled. "I'll be done in a flash and join you in the living room before you know it!"
XXX
"A hotel room too? You don't think this is overkill?"
Ash looked at Misty like she was insane. "No way! It's our anniversary! Besides, I was kind of afraid that if we went back home and saw the babies' stuff everywhere, it'd ruin the mood."
"Ruin the mood by sending me into hysterics?" Misty asked knowingly.
"You said it, not me," Ash quipped, sidling past his wife.
Scowling, Misty put her bag down and followed after him. "I was kidding! Do you really think it's so easy to send me spiraling?"
"No!" Ash chuckled, hopping onto the bed. "I know you a lot better than that. I just don't want you to be sad, even it's only a little."
Misty sighed. It had been an awful lot easier to stay mad at Ash when they were kids. Sitting down beside him, she breathed, "well…I have to admit that I am a little sad. But I can't help it! I'm with the twins every single day, practically all day. And I've never been away from them for a whole night; not like you have. But, I can be a bit sad and still enjoy our evening alone. Besides, I'm sure you miss the twins too, even if you have more experience being away from them than I do."
"Yeah, of course," Ash confirmed. "I miss them every time I'm away from home. And you, too. I love you guys a whole lot! So I know what it's like. But I'm glad you're still happy to be alone with me tonight!"
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!" Misty assured him with a wide smile. "Even if I teased you about it at dinner."
Returning her grin, Ash continued, "well, I'm glad, especially since I've already got the whole night planned out!"
"Really?" Misty snickered, raising an eyebrow. "The whole night?"
"Yep!"
Misty folded her arms, watching as Ash hopped off the bed and walked towards his bag. "You barely plan your meals out in advance, and eating is like…your lifeblood. I'm supposed to believe you meticulously mapped out an entire evening?"
"Yep!" Ash repeated.
Although she still didn't fully believe him, Misty chose to close her mouth and simply watch Ash in intrigue. He was busy digging through his overnight duffel, clearly trying to find something. Misty was about to offer her help, even though she knew Ash would more than likely reject it, but never had a chance before he victoriously cheered, "got it!"
He jumped right back up, looking quite smug. Thrusting his arm out, Ash showed off a bottle in his hands and asked, "how does a massage from yours truly sound?"
"Nice," Misty replied slowly. "Although the baby oil is an interesting choice."
"Huh?" Ash muttered. He pulled the bottle back closer to him, and his face fell into panic almost instantly. "No way! I thought I packed massage oil! Ugh, I must've mixed the bottles up!"
"So, you're telling me your mother is now in possession of that particular item?" Misty inquired, trying to hold back a laugh.
Ash threw his head back with a groan. "I really don't want to think about that right now."
"I don't blame you," Misty giggled. "But look: there's no reason to beat yourself up! Baby oil will work just fine."
Still unhappy with himself, Ash grumbled, "great, so now you can smell like the twins."
Misty shrugged. "I like the way they smell."
"Well yeah, they smell great!" Ash cried, throwing his arms down. "But I literally went out of my way to try and get our minds off of missing them for the night, and now our noses will be doing the remembering!"
Sliding off the bed, Misty approached Ash and grabbed onto his shoulders. "Relax. It's fine!" Stopping to think for a moment, she continued, "Actually, I kind of like the idea of it. Whenever you're away from home, I like to sleep on your pillow instead of mine because it smells like you."
Ash blinked. "Seriously?"
Misty intoned and nodded her head. "Sometimes, a little reminder isn't a bad thing."
Her soft smile managed to calm Ash down, and before he knew it, the smile had returned to his face. "You're right, Mist. Then again, you usually are."
Beaming, she moved her hands down his arms and purred, "let's not waste any more time. Otherwise I might fall asleep before we actually get to do anything!"
XXX
"Looks like someone is getting sleepy!"
True to her grandmother's observation, Michelle mumbled, trying desperately to keep her head up. Professor Oak chuckled and tickled under the girl's chin, earning a drowsy giggle from her.
"Although she is trying quite valiantly to keep those beautiful eyes of hers open," he chuckled himself. "As stubborn as her parents as ever!"
"And Aiden is no different," Delia commented. "The poor boy keeps near falling asleep and waking himself up!"
They both looked over at Aiden, who had rested his head on his grandmother's lap. Every few seconds, however, he would open his eyes and push himself back up, only able to stay that way for a short while before sinking back down onto Delia's legs.
"I seem to recall Ash doing the exact same thing as a boy," Professor Oak mused. "Looks like the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree!"
"You're right about that," Delia agreed. "And they clearly wore Pikachu out…that sweet little Pokémon fell fast asleep ages ago! I suppose I should start getting these two sleepyheads ready for bed."
"I'd be more than happy to help you out," Professor Oak offered.
Delia groaned. "Professor, honestly! You have done more than enough tonight. I think you deserve a well-earned seat on the couch."
"Ah, sitting is boring," Professor Oak scoffed with a wave of his hand. "It's a lot more fun to assist with the twins! Besides, it'll go much faster if you have a second set of hands."
Before Delia could protest again, the man lifted Michelle into his arms, getting to his feet and grinning at her.
"Oh, fine," Delia sighed, doing the same with Aiden. "You're so persistent! Although I shouldn't be surprised by now."
"What can I say?" Professor Oak chuckled. "I've learned a thing or two over the years!"
"And so have I," Delia calmly returned. "I know I already cooked you dinner, but I still feel bad you keep helping me out so much with the twins. So how about a little compromise? You help me put these two to sleep, and we can have a lovely glass of wine afterwards!"
Smirking, the researcher conceded, "The compromise certainly isn't necessary, but it's too good to pass up!"
XXX
"I think that was probably the best night of sleep I've gotten in a while."
"Don't worry; I won't tell Aiden and Michelle!"
Misty scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Thank goodness. I sure was worried about offending a couple of 14-month olds."
"As you should be," Ash teased, winking at an amused Misty before knocking on his mother's front door. She opened it within a matter of seconds, her face just as bright as it had been the day before. "Wow! You must've gotten a good night's sleep too, Mom!"
"The twins have gotten a lot better when it comes to bedtime," Delia marveled. "Neither one woke up once last night!"
"Really? That's impressive!" Misty exclaimed. "Usually there's still at least one or two disruptions. I'm glad they were so good for you!"
Giggling, Delia waved Ash and Misty into the house. "Well, I'm sure they'll be excited to see you two! We did have a lovely time, but I know they love their mommy and daddy more than anything."
The young couple stepped in, and as soon as they did, they saw Aiden and Michelle running around in their playpen.
"I just put them in there while I was getting the door," Delia explained. "You weren't kidding when you said they've become rambunctious!"
Delia's voice caused Aiden and Michelle to halt their playtime, and as soon as they saw Ash and Misty, both squealed excitedly and began clamoring for their parents.
"Mama! Dada!"
"Mama! Dada!"
Misty's eyes lit up as she strode up to the playpen. "Oh, my sweet babies! I missed you two so much!" She picked them both up, kissing both of their heads before snuggling with them. "I heard you were very good for Grammy! I'm so proud!"
Ash grinned as he turned towards his mother. "Thanks so much for all your help, Mom! Hopefully having Aiden and Michelle here didn't bother you and Professor Oak too much."
"Oh no, not at all!" Delia gasped. "He loves those two and was such a big help! Even when I told him he didn't have to, he insisted. And the twins love him right back, so it all worked out! Everyone had a great time."
"Glad to hear it!" Ash chuckled.
"And what about you and Misty?" Delia asked, arching an eyebrow. "Did you two have a great time by yourselves?"
Ash's face quickly began to turn red. "Y-yeah! It was nice."
"Hmm," Delia hummed, bewildering Ash. He knew his mother, and he knew something was up with her. "Don't give me that look! I'm glad! I was just curious, considering it seems that you made a little mix up while you were packing."
"Mix up…?" Ash muttered before his eyes went wide. "Ah! H-how did you know?!"
Delia shot him a deadpan look. "Well, I assume you don't use coconut massage oil from a questionably named company on your children."
"No, no, I don't!" Ash rushed out. "Yes, there was a mix up, but everything was fine! And I don't want to talk about it anymore!"
"Talk about what?" Misty questioned, having moved back closer to Ash and Delia.
"Nothing!" Ash cried, reaching over and taking the twins. "I just haven't had a chance to say hi to these little cuties!"
Misty looked over at Delia, who smirked and shook her head. "Eh, I know better than to keep asking."
Misty actually doesn't know better than to keep asking; she was just too zen at that point to care.
Don't let her fool you otherwise ;)