AN: Hello, everyone! Did you miss me? :) I know it's been many years since I've been active on here, and I don't really know what to say about it. Life has been in the way of my writing for quite some time, and I won't deny that life will continue to hamper me here and there. But I recently got a new laptop for Christmas, and I've been itching to get back to the writing that I used to love. This story here was one I already posted on my Tumblr account a short while ago, so if you follow me there, you may have already read it. But if not, here you go! I hope you all enjoy this little soft fluff. And I hope that I can continue to write and give you all stories you can enjoy. 3
-EVAN AAML
The Road in Winter
The road they traveled on cut across a snowy hill, encompassed by woods beyond it, Most of the trees were bare, save for the snow that clutched to the branches. The evergreens that fought against the cold weighed heavy from the frost attached to their limbs, but still held strong. As they walked, the crunch of the snow beneath their feet echoed; the rest of the world fell silent.
Misty looked around, the scenery drawing her in. She thought herself in a snow globe; the flakes falling in large clusters that clung to whatever it touched. There was no wind, and the air was cold but bearable with the garments she was wearing. She looked up, letting the snow fall on her bare skin. She smiled as she opened her mouth, catching some flakes on her tongue. Cold, refreshing, and wanting for more.
"Enjoying ourselves, are we?"
Misty looked over to Ash on her right, then smiled and looked back up.
"I am", she replied.
"Well, at least you're honest", Ash responded.
"We don't get to see snow a lot traveling, I wanna soak it all in while I can", Misty explained. Ash couldn't fault her for that.
Kanto didn't get much snow, and Johto was no different. That they got this much snow while home, before Christmas, was, well, a miracle.
Perhaps it was this reason, and this reason alone, Ash thought, that Misty didn't mind the cold weather.
Misty stopped walking, prompting Ash to do the same. He looked at her, expecting a response. Instead, he was met with silence. Thinking something was wrong, he looked around, wondering if they might have gone the wrong way. Misty raised a finger in the air, knowing Ash would say something, and stopping him before he did.
"Listen...", Misty said quietly.
And so he did.
The crunching ceased when they stopped walking, and a new noise replaced it; it was that of the falling snow. The landscape before them was untouched, clean, fresh. Ash breathed in, and even the air felt different. There was a purity in the world around them, Ash couldn't put it into words, but knew what it felt like. As if his body and soul were cleansed of impurities just by being there.
What a feeling it was, he thought, to just feel the surroundings. Through his travels, he was very often focused on the destination, and not the journey. He rarely stopped to appreciate the world around him. Not that he didn't love it when he did; and he loved the outdoors to be sure. But with his mind always on his next badge, his next battle, his next shot at realizing his dream, it wasn't rare for the scenery to be a backdrop and nothing more.
This was when having her with him, to remind him to stop and listen, was a blessing.
He looked at Misty, who kept her eyes on the woods around them. Her coat, hat, and boots were speckled with flakes of white. She held her mitted hands out, allowing the snow to cling to them. Misty inspected each flake, seeing the intricate designs in each before they could melt away.
He thought to himself that he should take her down this way another time, perhaps with friends, or their Pokémon. But as way led on to way, he doubted that they would return here again. He closed his eyes and looked up, just feeling the snow cling to his face. The cold didn't sting, but was instead rather welcoming.
"It's like a painting. There are no trails in the snow, no imperfections, nothing is disturbed. It's almost too perfect", Misty said, keeping her eyes on the scenery before her.
"It is", Ash replied, not looking down from the sky. Misty turned to him and saw what he was doing.
Like herself, the snow was scattered about on Ash's garments. His hands were in his pockets, and he just seemed to soak everything in. Misty couldn't help but smile. He seemed so serene, a rare sight for someone who was always active and busy.
Misty loved to see it.
She felt a heat on her face, which caused it to sting slightly from the snow that melted immediately on contact. She shook her head.
"S-So, should we be going?", Misty asked. Ash took one deep breath in, looked over to her, and nodded.
"Yeah", he replied. The snow stuck to his eyebrows and lashes, prompting a giggle from Misty.
Now that burn was felt on Ash's face.
The two continued on their way, the crunching commencing once again. Ash kept mind to look for ice on the path, knowing that the weather could make it likely. But as they walked, he found that the road beneath the snow was solid and devoid of anything slick.
Before long, the hill made way to a fork. The two stopped as they looked down both paths.
"I forgot about this part. The map said that the woods here are protected for the Pokémon, so they made the path go around it. Both ways lead back to town, it doesn't matter which way we go", Misty explained.
"Well, I wouldn't say that", Ash said. Misty looked to the raven-haired boy.
"What do you mean?", Misty asked. She wondered if he knew something she didn't, which would be a welcome surprise, she'd admit.
"I think this way is the scenic route", Ash explained, pointing to their left. Misty looked down the path. A sheet of snow covered the road entirely. The trees on either side of them remained undisturbed; no Pokémon resting in them from protection from the cold or snow. The path went up a small hill before bending from sight.
Misty then looked to their right. The path appeared the same, except that there was no hill to cross. The trees were equally blanketed as the ground around it in the fallen snow. She knew that both paths were about the same distance, and the other way looked just as wanted for wear.
"What makes you say that? Have you been here before?", Misty asked.
"Nope, never", Ash answered. He took a few steps towards the path to the left. He looked down it, as if imagining what was to come. "...just a gut feeling I have".
"And your gut has never led us astray before, has it?", Misty asked with a smirk.
"Hehe", Ash chuckled, putting his hand behind his head in embarrassment. Misty stared at the boy before her, and felt that burning sensation on her face once more. However, this time she recognized the feeling, and made no attempts to hide it. The woods around them were lovely, dark, and deep; she doubted Ash would see the shades of red across her cheeks.
"So, you think this way will be more fun?", Misty asked, motioning her head towards the path. Ash shrugged.
"Depends on what you think fun is, I just feel like it's the road less taken, and I like the idea of being different", Ash explained. Misty shook her head with a knowing smile.
Ash liked to do things his own way. He felt that following exactly what many other trainers did wouldn't allow him to learn anything on his own. While this made for some...difficult times, Misty knew that it was also for the best. Not just in the care and compassion he put into his training, his Pokémon, and his family. But it also let him find a new way to do things, and more times than not, those new things led to amazing adventures.
"That's an...interesting logic to have. And we all know you're nothing if not different", Misty said with an innocent giggle. Regardless, she stepped ahead of Ash. "But, I'm fine with that. I trust you. Either way, we should get going; we don't want to miss our gift exchange with everyone".
She began walking down the path, only hearing the crunching of the snow. But noticing that the crunch seemed lonely, she stopped and turned around, seeing that Ash was not following her. Instead, he was rummaging through his traveler's sack. She stood there quizzically, until Ash pulled something out, swung his bag back to where it was, and ran towards her.
"Well, I guess now is the best time for this, all things considered", Ash said upon reaching her. He held in his hands a long cloth. He looked Misty in the eyes, then slowly wrapped the cloth gently over her shoulders and around her neck.
Misty held up one end of the cloth when he was finished. It was a scarf, and felt warm to the touch. Hidden from the elements in Ash's bag, it was dry, soft, and smelled of something like pine and earth that made her heart flutter. Although dark, she could still make out faint patterns in the stitch work. They seemed familiar to her, but her mind was elsewhere, and she couldn't place it.
"I know this isn't the most practical gift for you, but once I saw the design, I couldn't turn it down", Ash explained. The darkness that Misty was thankful for but moments before, was now helping Ash for the same reasons.
Now knowing that the patterns were important, Misty took herself away from the scents and focused on the sight of the gift. The scarf was pink, with streaks of yellow and red dots in symmetry. She knew she had seen the design before, it was there in her mind's eye, but she couldn't quite place-
wait...
"...Ash...is this?", Misty asked. Ash smiled.
"It's made from the same person that made your handkerchief. I didn't know that it was unique craftsmanship. I saw that they had a shop online, and I ordered it for you. Now...well, we both have something to match", Ash said sheepishly.
The added warmth of the scarf made her face feel like it was being beaten by the sun's rays. The Butterfrees in her stomach wanted to take flight, and she could hardly contain them, nor did she really want to.
"I know it's cheesy, I honestly thought of a million other things to give you, and a lot of them were lavish. But...I don't know, something about this just sorta felt right. Not sure how to explain it really...Anyway, I hope that, i-it's a good Christmas gift for y-"
"It's perfect".
Misty found herself cutting him off before he could finish, or even before she knew what she was saying. How unlike her to let her mouth move before her brain could think.
Ash took a moment to register her quick response, before smiling. There was silence between them for a bit. Snow speckled the landscape further, and themselves as well. The two of them, in the middle of the woods, did not feel the cold that engulfed them. Rather, they felt warm; the type of warmth one would feel in an embrace with another.
Ash stepped just passed Misty, further down the road, before turning back and grabbing her hand. Perhaps it was the peace and quiet of the world around them that made him feel this confidence, or perhaps it was her and nothing else, but he was glad to have spent this time with her and just her. The road before them begged to be taken, and there was no one else he'd rather take this journey with than her.
"Let's go soak all of this in...together", Ash said, softer than even he expected. Misty found it hard to breath, if but for a moment, before finding inside of her a feeling of desire. A desire to step forward.
With him.
She smiled, taking his hand in hers and nodded.
"Yes", she replied. The two moved forward, walking almost in unison as they looked at the path before them. The road was untouched for now, but soon would be marked with two pairs of footprints, bound for a single destination.
Whether by chance or by choice, they stayed hand-in-hand.