Ha, I updated! I have accomplished the goal I set out for myself today. Today is a good day.
This one is longer than the last one, thankfully. I rather like it, personally. It's almost...ambiguous, in a weird way. I'm probably the only one who thinks so, though, considering I am the one who created this one-shot.
Ash and Misty are nineteenish (I think that's what I said) and I imagine Delia is in her early forties/late thirties. Also you can decide if Ash and Misty are romantically involved at this point for I have not made it clear because I couldn't decide. I didn't want to be influenced by it this time.
Please forgive the grammar and writing mistakes I inadvertently overlooked and enjoy this next installment of my alphabet collection! :)
Bleeding
Delia Ketchum hummed happily as she scrubbed the already-clean dishes in her sink. She handed a soap-filled plate to the younger red-headed girl next to her before glancing out the kitchen window at her grown up son pushing a lawn mower around her front lawn while Mimey and Pikachu chatted happily, pulling weeds in the not-visible back garden.
He really is becoming a man.
Delia sighed.
"Is something wrong, Mrs. Ketchum?" Delia glanced at the teenager and smiled swiftly.
"Nothing, dear, nothing. I'm just watching Ash. He really is growing up."
Nineteen-year-old Ash Ketchum, shirtless and sweaty, had stopped the lawn mower, pushing it to the corner of the yard. He left it there, with less than zero intentions to put it away in the shed behind the house where it belonged. Upon relieving himself of his chore, Ash promptly walked to the center of the green grass and sprawled out flat on the ground. His chest visibly rose with tired breaths.
Misty blushed lightly.
"You know, Misty, I remember a time when that boy was just a little baby, lying in his crib, cooing at all the stuffed Pokémon toys I managed to round up for him. I'd pick him up, hold him and hug him, and everything would be right in the world. It didn't matter that I was the only one raising him."
Delia dried her soapy hands on the towel hanging off the oven and took a seat in one of the adjacent chairs. Misty followed suit and when she sat down, she caught a glimpse of what looked like nostalgia in the golden brown gaze she received.
The same colored eyes she saw every night in her dreams.
"I was never alone, Misty, as long as I had Ash." Delia sighed again and rested her chin in her hands as she leaned over the table to look at the greenish sea-colored eyes of the fiery teen. "But he went away, eventually. And one day, he brought you.
"And since Ash has you, I have you." Misty's ears perked up and she tilted her head.
"What do you mean, Mrs. Ketchum?"
Misty was confused, to say the least. Of course Delia had her. Why state the obvious? What with never even getting to know her parents before they died and traveling across the land with Ash, she had never really had a mother figure, save for Delia. Who else would take such a feisty girl under her wing?
Misty glanced through the window at Ash, who had somehow been sucked into having a conversation with a passing Gary Oak on the sidewalk. It looked friendly at first, until Gary said something that had apparently made Ash's back tense.
"You're like a daughter to me, Misty. I love you."
Misty sat up straight, eyes widened. Delia smiled warmly back at her and placed a soft hand over Misty's on the table.
"Mrs. Ketchum-"
"Delia, sweetheart."
"Right, I-"
Misty's response was lost as both women happened to glance out the window at the same time.
Delia jumped up from the table and darted to the front door, Misty hot on her heels.
Before them, in the middle of Delia Ketchum's perfect garden, her "grown up" son and the equally grown up Gary were throwing blows in the dirt.
The two boys were stuck in a tussle with Ash flat on the ground and Gary on top of him. As the females approached the scene, Ash summoned the strength to roll the both of them over and proceeded to deliver a well-aimed fist right into Gary's eye.
"Stop this right now!" Delia shouted sternly.
Both boys looked at the brunette and paused instantly. Ash was hovering over a stunned Gary, nose crimson with blood, left hand gripping the now-researcher's collar, right hand ready to deliver another punch.
"Ash Ketchum, get yourself inside right this instant!" his mother cried, folding her harms over her chest and leaning heavily on her right hip. Misty subconsciously mirrored her position.
"But-!"
"No buts, mister!" This time, the scold came from the younger girl. "Get inside!" Misty unfolded her arms and pointed to the front door. The bloodied boy stood up, avoiding Gary's eyes as he made his way inside. Red trails of blood dripped swiftly from his nose to his chin.
Gary rose as well, and Delia hurried over to him.
"It looks like the worst of it is a black eye, Gary, and you'll have some nasty bruises for a little while," Delia commented, lightly examining his angular face with her thin fingers. "Head home to your grandfather and put some ice on your eye. Now why were you fighting? I thought you were friends now!" Gary scoffed.
"Please, Mrs. K., Ashy-boy and I will never be friends, really. Just...acquaintances." Gary thanked Delia for looking at his eye and promptly stepped off the Ketchum property, returning down the path he came, hands shoved casually in his pockets.
Misty was already inside with Ash by the time Delia had finished with Gary.
"Ash?"
"Yeah?" he replied quietly. Misty noted a nasally edge to his voice.
"I think you broke your nose."
"Gary broke my nose," Ash corrected, wiping the blood off his face. "Think you could fix it? I can never do it myself."
Ash, Misty, and Brock had had to deal with several minor injuries in their adventures abroad. This wasn't Ash's first broken nose.
"So Gary started that fight?" she asked skeptically, walking over to where he was standing, bleeding over the empty side of the kitchen sink.
"Well, what he said started it. I guess I threw the first punch. Just put my nose back into place already, please?" Ash sighed tiredly.
"Fine."
Misty firmly grabbed the taller boy's nose. She ignored his apprehensive wince.
"One."
"Two."
They made heavy eye contact.
"Three."
A sickening crunch echoed in the kitchen, along with Ash's grunt. He stepped away from Misty and rubbed his nose painfully. He'd never get used to that one.
"Ash, what happened?" Misty retrieved a rag from under the sink and dampened it under the faucet. Ash made to reach for it but she swatted his hand away and gingerly pushed him into kitchen chair and began to dab at the dried blood on his face.
"Gary said something." Misty rolled her eyes.
"I'm intelligent enough to gather that much on my own!"
"Well if you're so smart, maybe you should just know what happened!" Ash snapped back. Misty rubbed his face a little harder.
"Obviously you know that's not what I mea-"
"He said I don't treat you right," Ash cut her off. Misty, who was still leaning over him stopped rubbing the cloth on his face immediately.
"What?"
"He said I'm not good enough for you. But I am good enough. No one else is better! I never want to see you with anyone else! So... I decked him," Ash reasoned. Misty had to admit Ash was right. There was no one better.
There was a silence in which Misty's teal eyes met Ash's brown for a lengthy moment.
Once Misty had finished cleaning the blood off Ash's face, she discarded the soiled rag in the table and helped him up from the chair. Not letting go of his hand, she enveloped him in a tight hug.
Ash turned his head and set his cheek on the top of her hair while she buried her face in his warm neck, forgetting to remember that he was shirtless.
Misty pulled back first, smiling sweetly at Ash.
"Go get dressed. Let's get something to eat."
Ash smiled at her and took off into the living room and up the stairs.
Misty walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to a smirking Delia. Pikachu and Mr. Mime had also come inside during all the commotion and the electricity-ridden Pokemon sat comfortably on Delia's shoulder.
"Pikachupi?"
Misty smiled at the creature and opened her arms, inviting him to her. He jumped off Delia and hopped into Misty's arms. She scratched his forehead.
"Pika-chuuu," he sighed happily.
"That feels good, doesn't it?" Misty giggled. Delia watched her and giggled in return.
The giggles stopped and the atmosphere around the women was suddenly less bubbly.
"Delia?" Misty queried, still scratching Pikachu as his purrs vibrated her lap. That name felt awfully foreign on her lips.
"Hm?"
I'm in love with a bleeding boy and his mother stole my bleeding heart.
"I love you too."