December
Ash shut the door behind him as quickly as he could with one hand, letting a small flurry of snow inside the cabin. Pikachu sprinted to a small bed made of bundled towels near the fireplace. His baby pichu was comfortably sleeping. Since becoming a father, Pikachu was always checking on his kid.
Ash smiled at his partner pokemon and set down his tray of drinks. The faint smell of cookies swirled around him, and his brown eyes noticed where the trail of crumbs ended.
She was still sprawled across the couch. Her red hair with an orange tint pooled around her neck like a scarf. Long black eyelashes laid thickly against her cheeks, and her mouth was pulled into a frown. A blanket was halfway across her waist, covering her jeans. Her sweater had cookie crumbs stuck in the wool. He hadn't been gone that long, had he?
Ash couldn't resist moving a stubborn bang to the side of her head. Somehow, that caused an unconscious movement from the frown to a smile. It wasn't often the dragon... ahem, Misty was so serene.
"Ash?" came the sleepy gurgle. Misty made a stretch toward him.
He gently pushed her shoulder back toward the couch.
"Yeah, I'm back with the hot cocoa and your coffee," he started. "Mist, you put so much sugar and milk in it that you might as well got cocoa—"
She waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, gimme my coffee, Ketchum!"
"I'm not your maid, Misty." He rolled his eyes before giving her the coffee he had patiently waited in line for at StanterlerBucks. On the coffee cup, was a terribly scribbled Musty in black marker.
Taking in a sip, a spark of color came back into her cheeks. He hoped he had left her enough blankets. Even with the fireplace, the cabin wasn't the warmest.
"Thanks, Ash!" The blue of her eyes thanked him in a sea of gratitude. "I know it was really cold outside." She touched his hand.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Ketchum. No problem" he said, and he meant it. He wrapped an arm around her, sitting next to her.
It had already been a month, but she blushed a beautiful red all the same. The little smile she gifted him with was all the thanks he needed.
Worth it.
