Spitfire, EPILOUGE: Won't turn back
Six months ago, Ash would have never seen himself here. Sitting on the same emerald green couch that Misty had submerged her agony in only so few months ago. His feet kicked up, arm propped on the arm rest, and chin cradled between his finger and his thumb. How familiar had these four walls around him became over his increased time spent there. Originally, Misty muscled him for a few days a month; which dissolved his resolve quickly, and he was visiting her as much as she was him. Spending as much time as possible sitting exactly as he was in the middle of her apartment. His eyes turned to the clock as he tapped his finger against his thumb, awaiting Misty's arrival.
Earlier that day, when he burst into the gym, she was in the middle of a battle with some novice trainer, easing her commands to give him an edge to think about strategy, but the moment Ash flew in through the doors; all bets were out. The trainer's pokemon were out cold in a minute flat. After a short apology, she told him to try again next week, and the trainer left with his head drooped.
Ash remembered the first time he was allowed to sit in on one of her matches. She was very hesitant at first, nervous that Ash would judge her and make comments like he used to when they were kids, but he assured her that he would keep his mouth shut through the whole match...and man, he was impressed. Her timing was effortless, her commands and strategies well thought out—and her form was perfect. In the last eight years, if there was one thing that had changed drastically about Misty; it was her battling skills. Sometimes, he even wondered if he would be able to defeat her in a battle, but had never challenged the female.
...They could be doing so much more with their time together other than battling.
"Letting them win, I see?" Ash chortled as he took the position next to her.
"Teaching them." She corrected. "We're not here to win, we're here for trainers to learn." Misty addressed Ash's question professionally, standing shoulder to shoulder from him as pikachu did the standard "duck and roll" right as Misty jumped on Ash. In a gleeful hug, she squeezed him lovingly, and he back to her.
"Jeeze, it's ony been a been a week, Mist." he groaned, feeling her arms go slack around him as she pressed her nose to his, and then captured his lips blissfully. He didn't argue with her, he loved her welcome back kisses the most—mostly because they were the first of many to the start of the day.
She hummed happily, lowering her eyelashes just the right amount to give him chills. Having pulled away just enough for him to see that her hair had grown out to her shoulders, but was almost always tied up in a ponytail, bun, or braid. He raised his hand to flick the hair tie out, and she pursed her lips unhappily as her hair fell into her face. She blew and raised her eyebrows.
"I wasn't expecting you until closer to the wedding. Why are you so early?" she eyed him as they broke apart and she guided him to spare kitchen where she always had coffee on.
"Well, I got a gym badge two days ago, and met with some tournament referees and got the whole week off." He muttered as she moved to the cupboard to fetch him a mug.
With her back turned to him as she stood on her tip toes to reach for a mug, her blue and white jacket lifted up slightly, revealing her backside which was perfectly shaped into the white swimsuit that she wore. As she rambled off to him about how that was great news, his mind had already taken a detour. Pikachu followed its trainer, and perched itself on the table awaiting his treat from Misty as well; but hadn't noticed Ash's gaze. A moment later, her coat fell back around her hips, and his attention was drawn back to the words coming out of her mouth and he blinked.
"You know?" She finished, and looked at him expectantly.
"Yep, I know." He tried, shifting his eyes to pikachu who shook his head. Of course she caught on, and wagged her finger at him.
"You weren't listening, were you?" She grumbled annoyingly. Ash raised his hand to the back of his head to pull on his hat slightly.
"Nope!" he admit sheepishly, only to get a sigh and eye roll from his girlfriend as she poured herself a cup of coffee, and poured Ash a glass of milk instead. The fact that she always remembered that he didn't like coffee made his heart swim inside of his chest as he approached her to take his glass, and touch her. He needed to touch her. And so he did. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into a lopsided hug.
"A whooole week, what ever will we do with our time?" Ash mused happily while she sipped on her coffee mug. Long had the blushes faded, over taken by the familiarity of his touch. She eased into his shoulder while he took a sip of his drink and then set it down.
"I don't know, Ash." She mused sarcastically. "Since your Tracey's best man, maybe you should make sure he's, you know, ready?"
"I meant between us." Ash muttered having deflated. It was no secret that Ash sloshed off his duties as best man; and didn't have a speech ready, and didn't have a fitting for his suit, and wasn't even positive what day the wedding was on...but that's why he had Misty, right? Misty rolled her eyes, thinking for only a moment that Tracey would have had better luck asking Brock. But at the very least Brock as a grooms man; so it worked out.
"We will have lots of snuggle time." she assured him, but he side-glanced at her as she set her mug down, there was a but coming on.
"But right now. I need you to go home." She added delightedly into his ear. Her fingers crawled up his chest as he inhaled feeling sharp pangs each time her finger touched him. He blushed when her lips pressed into his neck, but when he went to capture her lips, she turned away from him. She was such a tease!
He let out a dissatisfied grunt, or a groan; it was a throaty, disheartened sound that made Misty giggle as she scooped pikachu into her arms to scratch his ears.
"Why?" Ash uttered and she dead panned.
"Last time you stayed at the gym with me I closed three hours early, lost four trainers who are probably scarred for life and had a league official call me about said scarring activities." She grunted, blowing her hair out of her face, "Simply put, you're too distracting."
"Well that's not my fault." He grumbled, looking away from her and crossing his arms in a huff. "You should have more self control."
"I should have more self control?" She echoed aggressively as she approached him, using pikachu as her defense. "You, Ash Ketchum, are the one who can't keep your hands off of me." She grunted, pointing accusingly at him. He stuck his tongue out at her in repertoire.
"Then maybe you shouldn't wear such revealing clothes all the time." He countered and she raised her eyebrows.
"I run a water type gym. If I wore pants all day, I'd be too uncomfortable." She remarked in her defense. Ash raised his eyebrows and then looked to the corner of the room, and then back at her.
"You mean to tell me, that you intentionally wear string bikinis to battle ten year olds, as opposed to this." The bikini in question was what got them into this mess. However, he gestured to her practical, one piece, white swimsuit, as well as traditional blue and white gym leader coat that she wore now, and Misty turned a pleasant shade of red.
"Sometimes if I know you're coming, I get a little dolled up." She shifted her gaze away from his, unable to hold her authoritative position as he breathed out.
"So, really, it's both of our faults." She couldn't disagree with him, especially not when he was only an inch or so away from her face, and preparing to kiss her when she frowned at him and put pikachu in front of his face.
"You still have to leave." she said quickly dropping the yellow mouse. He caught pikachu in his arms, flabbergasted and a lot disappointed.
"What! How come!?" He yelped, blinking at Misty in confusion.
"You're too distracting." she laughed nervously, ruffling her hands through her hair. "I'll admit I'm way worse than you."
"Well at least you're getting better at admitting when you're wrong." He grumbled while squeezing pikachu, who hadn't been given his treat and was pouting in Ash's arms as his trainer stole a quick kiss from Misty and started his sad, depressing trek to her apartment.
"You still have that spare key?" She shouted at him as she leaned against the door frame to watch him leave. He stuck his hand into his pocket, revealing a key with a small chain attached to the fishing lure that she had given him several years ago.
"Of course." He remarked, glancing over his shoulder briefly to see the sweet smile she spared him as she crossed her arms. Yeah, going home was probably his best bet; she was way too pretty today. Even when she wasn't flaunting her curves.
So while he sat with his feet on the coffee table, flipping through channels, he couldn't stop smiling. It was a strange feeling that Misty's apartment, which he hadn't known she owned until they started dating, was more like home to him than his actual house. Over the time span of six months, most of his extra clothes were here, a few of his spare trophies, some of his pokemon even lived with Misty's pokemon at the gym. Plus, it probably didn't help that he saw her much, much more than his own mother. Rest her soul. If his mother knew that he was visiting Cerulean City twice a month but not stopping in occasionally to see her, she would string him up by his toes.
Pikachu was curled up happily at the opposite end of the couch, and while Ash had thought several times to follow suit, he knew that Misty would be back sooner than he would know, and he didn't want to miss her. Not even for a second.
Among the fact that he adored the gym leader, his friend was getting married, and he was dating his best friend and calling her home his, the other largest change in his life was related to news media, and he simply couldn't bar his attention away from the screen. As he flipped along the stations, he pursed his lip and raised his eyebrows. After the first kiss that he and Serena shared on camera, he was having a hard time getting out of the limelight; especially now that he had recently revoked his regional champion title in Kalos to give himself more room to travel freely. Being called back to the performer kingdom every day to visit several different tournaments, contests, and show cases was daunting on his time as a trainer, and his time with Misty. While he still held the title of league champion, which meant he would have to battle who ever won the next league championship; he no longer held regional champion, which meant he had no say in politics, and no reason to appear at every single show they held. The region was simply too far away from home, and he couldn't spare the twenty four hour trip there every time he had to make a public appearance.
People knew who he was. His father had told him once, a very, very long time ago before he disappeared, that battling and winning are like becoming movie stars; one day Ash would be the guy busing people into a premier, and then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Ash would be the one hosting it. This is exactly what had happened to him.
When Serena kissed him on camera that first time, Ash's fate was sealed; as was anyone else who got caught up with him. The media loved to make reports about him, to the point that when going outside he needed to sneak out of hotels or restaurants to avoid flaming fan girls and crazy camera waving maniacs. There were also the people who wanted to quiz him about his life: asking him when he would write a book of his own, who he was dating, if he would date his fans, when he planned to reclaim his newly lost title, and when he'll take the test running to become a pokemon master. All of these questions were...good questions, Ash assumed. But nothing, nothing quite surpassed what the media made up by piecing together what ever nonsense they could.
That, specifically, was what irked him the most, and happened to be on the television station he was on.
"The real reason why Ash Ketchum bailed on childhood sweet heart for the Cerulean City Gym leader, up later tonight." headlined by some blonde lady as a picture of Ash and Misty walking out of a stadium hand in hand appeared in the top right corner of the screen. That picture was taken a few months ago when she visited him during Max's league battle at Kalos. It was also photo-shopped, because Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were also in proximity of them; but unless they depicted Serena and Misty as raging lunatics; how else were they supposed to sell magazines?
Most recently, as he started his travel with Dawn through Johto, media liked to take pictures of them standing together and headline magazines as "Ash Ketchum cheating on Misty with Top-coordinator Dawn Matthews"; or some variation of that, usually depicting Misty and Dawn as rivals for Ash's affections, and Ash being depicted as a cheating scum bag. However, that didn't even top the few that came out right after his celebration party. Within a week, the league had called Ash telling him that his "provocative activities" were causing a bunch of negative feedback from older trainers. Ash, of course at the time, had no idea that the media was so crazy, and didn't know what the man was talking about.
Boy, did the harsh reality hit him, Serena, and Misty pretty hard.. Ash grimaced, remembering the first month of his and Misty's relationship. It was hell. Literal hell.
Serena was the one who publicly bit the bullet for the young couple, citing that the kiss she and Ash shared was not one of "love and lust" but of one commitment after being "dared" when they were kids. She was lying, of course, but when the paparazzi started showing up at Misty's apartment, trying to peek in. They all agreed that enough was enough. Ash followed this by publicly announcing that unless it comes from his mouth, it didn't happen.
Still, that didn't stop them. Every week, sometimes more, there was a new speculation about his life that he would read and shake his head at. His personal favorites, were: "How many times will he betray the one he loves?", "Crazy ex-girlfriend threatens to sue over defamation of character", and last but not least, "Pregnant and alone, the details behind Ash and Misty's devastating break up".
They were all very, very creative, and yet so very far away from the truth. Luckily, he and his friends were close enough that they could laugh about the news articles, with Misty promising that they would die down when Ash became uninteresting. Well, six months in, they were just as obsessed with him as day one. Fortunately, Misty could laugh at the headlines so long as they weren't trying to break into her apartment; though Ash was sure after the last time, no one dared to even try; he cringed at the memory. He happened to be in town that week when a sleazy news reporter picked the lock on Misty's door and barged into her home. He hadn't seen her so angry in years.
He noticed that nothing came up in the media about that...it was probably because said photographer was fearful for his life. Recalling the memory in which Misty threw the man outside her window, he scratched his chin. Man, did he have every right to be fearful.
While Misty handled most of the scenarios wonderfully- because –Ash hummed, curling his toes, she was wonderful- some of them still got to her, whether she told him about it or not, he could see her discomfort in the way her shoulders would slump. Even still, she tried to remain positive, because while it was hard to hear about them—she knew that it was harder for Ash who was the leader in all of the articles. In in attempt to make him feel better, Misty turned favorite articles, which were also the pregnancy headlines, into a drinking game to sooth the tension.
"Every time you hear 'Misty's pregnant' take a drink!" she yelled during one of his first visits to her apartment when he was watching the Battle News Network. Completely unaware that there were even such headlines back then, he didn't believe her until he was twelve shots in and passing out over the top of her. Since then, it had become a running joke between the two of them. While he was sure she participated when he wasn't home; he certainly would not. He could not hold his liquor for the life of him. If he hadn't been with Misty the first time he drank, in which she had to gently stroke his back while he heaved into the toilet. Brock and Dawn laughed at him, he was convinced without her, he would have died.
Every so often, his mother would call about alarming headlines—any headlines about pregnancy—and then give Ash 'the talk' over the phone. As well as the 'wait until you're married' and the 'children are a lot of work' talk.
Luckily, Misty beat his mother to all three of those talks. One of which they completely disregarded, and the other entirely positive that they were not ready for kids. Not now, and not any time in the near future. They agreed that they were too young and could not successfully manage a family when they could only see each other a handful of times a month. Plus, they were both still head over heels following their dreams. Kids, of any sort, were completely out of the question.
Ash, on the other hand, always grew jittery at the mention of children. He gnawed on his nail at the thought of any 'accidents' ever happening... which is probably why she started that silly drinking game in the first place. Whether or not Ash showed it, he worried about the little things like that the most. Luckily for him, Misty was able to catch on, and like she always could, managed to break his nerves, and find a way to convince him to laugh at the problem and face it, rather than letting it build up into an eventual explosion.
Out side of their relationship, which was the real fan draw and headline news; the real information was all backed into battle magazines, battles stations, and battle radio. When news broke out that Ash Ketchum's girlfriend, the Cerulean City Gym leader, Misty Waterflower was pining for the opening Elite-four position in Kanto, news reporters became ecstatic. Most of them asked questions about his impending battle, when he would challenge the Kanto region again, would it be before or after she joined the Elite-Four, and the questions kept coming. Honestly, he was very happy for Misty, though he had to laugh at most of the media.
If they knew her the real reason for applying for the position, they might not have been so excited. If she became an elite-four member, her schedule would be on point with Ash's. She would need to appear quarterly to battle the league champion challenging the position of the regional champion. Which begged the question if Ash would ever challenge the Kanto regional champion, because that would mean that Misty was technically his boss...or was it the other way around? Regardless, her reason was because she was sick of working herself to the bone everyday at the gym, only to be underpaid what is necessary to keep it afloat and treated like crap by league supervisors. She was ready to move up on the ladder, and was taking all means to do so.
He inhaled breathlessly at that as he flipped the station to a re-run of the 'best league matches of all time', which he gladly held number two on for a number of years, thanks to that battle with Ritchie when charizard wouldn't listen to him. He cracked his neck, feeling old. Unable to believe that was already almost eight years ago now, and he was dating. And his mother was asking about kids, and his friends were getting married.
Oh good mew, he felt old. Relationships made him old. He grinned, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
On cue, Misty blew open the door to her apartment with one swift kick. Ash, startled out of his thoughts, turned his head around to view the girl as she stumbled in wearing her normal black sneakers and a pair of baggy sweatpants over her gym leader uniform. In her arms, she carried two large, expensive looking bags, stuffed with colored fabric, and he grimaced. Oh boy, so he didn't get out of suit try-outs; Misty brought them to him. What a wonderful, wonderful girlfriend.
He suddenly felt like bolting.
Having caught the shifty gaze, she tossed the two objects over the back of the couch before shutting her apartment door and locking the chain at the top, wagging her finger at Ash.
"Nuh huh." She warned him as he turned red and shuddered back into his seat; realizing that at least one of those get-ups were not his own, because it was in a fancy sea blue, with a lot of sparkles, he felt slightly relieved.
"Is that your dress?" He asked while Misty stripped off her gym coat, as well as shoes and socks, and then jumped over the back of the couch, startling pikachu, who only quickly raised his ears and then put them back down.
"Yeah, that's my dress." She tossed while taking the remote from him and switching the station to Pokemon Soul, a silly drama that she watched religiously. As she licked her lips, Ash wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her in for a hug.
"Do I get to see you in that tonight?" He asked, whispering into her ear, only to get a firm head shake and glare.
"No. I've already tried my dress on, you're the one that needs to make sure your measurements fit." She scolded him as she watched the television screen. That simply wouldn't do, Ash thought as he touched her earlobe with his teeth and then pressed heated kisses down her neck. She rolled her eyes gently at him, and pursed her lips: unaffected.
"Did you order dinner yet?" she muttered, annoyed.
Still, he kissed her collarbone, tugging her swimsuit off one shoulder to make way for his lips. The smell of chlorine and wild flowers penetrated his senses and he smiled as he mumbled; "I wasn't sure if you were going to try your hand at supper again..."
Misty shuddered as his lips nipped at her collarbone, her favorite place. Stiff as a board, it took her a moment to collect her wits. She flicked the television off and put her hand up to his lips to control the boy. In return, he pouted.
"I'm sure we both don't want to die from poisoning before the wedding, so, take out it is." She stammered nervously while reaching for her phone in her back pocket. He watched her carefully as she took short labored breaths, and then leaned in close to her.
"Why are you so nervous, Misty?" He asked her flatly, getting the appropriate reaction from her. She blushed.
"I'm not nervous." She answered calmly, though Ash raised his eyebrows and touched her hands, lowering them to her thighs.
"You're shaking... what's wrong?" He asked, his worried tone making her cheeks go more red, she ducked her head near him.
"Isn't Dawn with you?" She whispered suddenly. Ash stared at her blankly for a moment, and then sucked in his lips, and then started to crack up. Misty glared at him, crossing her arms while she awaited an appropriate reply.
"No." Ash managed, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Weren't you two traveling together?" She eyed him skeptically and he pouts his lips in return.
"Yeah, but I told you I got a week off, that doesn't mean she got a week off." He paused, snaking his arm around her waist. "Has she come with my any time before this?"
"Well, it's Tracey's wedding...so I wasn't sure." Misty admit embarrassingly as Ash grinned at her.
"Nope. It's just you and me all week." he said while leaning his head against hers. Red-faced, she hugged him, enjoying the embrace twice as much since she didn't have to worry about third wheeling her friend. But then she stopped.
Suddenly, her face was skeptical, and Ash felt a sweat on his head. What now? He thought.
"How did you convince your mom to let you stay here all week?"She asked with quirked eyebrows. Ash smiled boldly.
"What she doesn't know, won't hurt her." Ash replied cheekily, causing Misty to glare at him.
"When did you tell her you were getting into town?"
"The day before Tracey's wedding." he said confidently, proudly. Misty raised her eyebrows at this and pat him on the shoulder, positive he didn't even know when the date of the wedding was.
"Now who's rubbing off on who?" she joked while pinching the bridge of her nose. Ash leaned in close to her, trailing a hot kiss, playfully along her jaw line until reaching her lips.
"I could if you really wanted me too." he whispered, pressing his lips just close enough to hers that she could feel the heat, but not enough to kiss her. In turn, she turned several shades of red, and smacked him hard on the chest. A spontaneous roar of laughter shot out of Ash as he reared his head backwards while she crossed her arms, upset.
"I'm going to go have a shower." She grimaced, hopping up from her seat while throwing her phone at him, only increasing his chuckles, though his face was pink as well. It wasn't often that Ash was bold, but when he was; it always made her feel so giddy and warm inside.
"I was just kidding!" he shouted at her as he watched her leave, and he did love to watch her leave.
"I'm still showering!" She yelled back in retort, leaving him alone for a couple of seconds while he looked at where she had been standing, only to jump when she whipped her head around.
"Put on that suit before I get out, Ash Ketchum." She warned him before slipping back down her short hallway. He raised his eyebrows, tempted to ignore her demands just to see what she had in store for him. Since they developed their relationship, she had a much more colorful pallet of punishments than previously, and some of them were... he swallowed hard. Well, needless to say, Misty liked to keep him on his toes.
He stood up, gently patting the sleeping pikachu on the head, before shuffling the dress suit into his arms, and removing the plastic protective coat. Misty was in a much better mood this time than she was last weekend. He exhaled calefacient. While everything was peachy right now, this didn't ring true for the first couple of months. The separation was insanely difficult to manage at first, even now Ash found himself aching for the woman—and he knew it couldn't be different for her. For awhile, at least in the first two months, he walked around in a depressed stupor; went to all of the appropriate meetings, trained when he absolutely had to, and mostly counted down the seconds to when he would see her again.
On most occasions, even now, things were strained a lot of the time. When Misty was supposed to visit, she would have something come up, usually something to do with the gym or her new position she was edging for, and the same would happen to him. They tried to be as flexible as possible, but the truth was as simple as it always had been—Long distance relationships were hard. Muttering at the thought, he yanked out the black and silver suit and raised his eyebrows quizzically.
Sometimes they spent their entire time fighting, only to make up ten minutes before either one of them had to leave again. She missed him. He missed her. Their emotions got mixed up, jealousy, anger—so they fought about a lot of things. They fought about the media reports, even though they tried not to. Mostly it wasn't about what they were about, but the fact that Ash didn't seem to care to fix the problem. In return, he fought about her devotion to her sisters; always cleaning up after them. Sometimes they would fight about lack of touching, or pokemon, or battles, or, well, everything and anything if they were both in the moment.
Not even bothering to change rooms, he stripped down in the living room. While this was like home he never went into Misty's bedroom without permission. She was never upset the few times that he had stumbled in there, but it was more of courtesy, than it was of worry.
Ash was waiting, bidding his time while he waited for Misty's membership to go through; once it had, she promised, or at least promised to try, to travel with him again. Sometimes, on the worst days, there was even talk about relinquishing control of the gym back to her sisters. He grunted while he slipped on the black slacks, thinking that would never happen. Daisy was getting married and would probably move with Tracey back to Pallet Town. Ash had no idea what Violet and Lily were doing with their lives, but he was sure that running the gym had no part in it. The only downfall of changing positions, was that Misty would have to give the gym to another trainer. The gym she worked so hard on for the last five years.
...and that was something they fought about a lot more than he would care to think about right now. They weren't talking about it, and they weren't fighting, and so he would let it go. He knew how hard she worked at the gym. Most of the time he visited her she was exhausted; to a frustrating point. He wasn't proud to say that he ended a few of their visits early fighting over her lack of energy. Couldn't she see that running the gym was sapping her?
He frowned, why couldn't she see that the gym, which had two indoor pools, several different tanks for pokemon, as well as a large observation area that needed to be cleaned daily—not even including battles and tending to the pokemon-was a four person job easily, and not a one person job. She was running herself ragged...and he hated seeing her like that. A part of him wanted to help, and he tried when he could, but she was too stubborn. She had to do it on her own, she would tell him. Tucking in the white button up shirt, he slipped on the silver vest, buttoned it, and then tugged on the black suit coat—which he thought fit a little snug around his shoulders. Flopping back onto the couch, he collected Misty's forgotten phone to prepare to order their dinner, deciding to think about something else. Thinking about her habits at the gym only caused for unnecessary tension; and he was not ruining this week by fighting with her.
Someday he hoped Misty would bite the bullet for the both of them, and just take cooking lessons from his mother. Hell, at this point, he was ready to take lessons from his mother—it wasn't like Brock could cook for them forever. They couldn't live off take-out for the rest of their lives, and Misty, who was a constant swimmer and athlete, could not live off pizza, burgers and Chinese food for the rest of her life. Ash caught himself frowning, with his eyebrows knit together, and had to shake his head. What was he even thinking about that for? Misty could take care of herself.
….most of the time.
Flicking the light of her gear-phone on, he nervously twitched open her messages. Viewing only the last one that she had sent to him. A picture; nothing dirty-as they tried that once and things were-he blushed at the memory—very awkward, Ash wasn't sure what to do with himself. No, the picture was taken in a dress boutique and she was standing in the middle of a circle platform with a "please don't take this picture" expression and her hands placed effortlessly on her hips. She was, however, wearing said blue dress that was tossed over the couch now. A crinkle of a smile tugged at his lips as he read the message at the bottom.
"While you're out traveling, having fun, collecting badges and pokemon... look at what I had to do for the last six hours!"
Followed shortly after by:
"Seriously, though. I can't wait to see you. Fix your phone. Xoxoxo"
He snickered glancing over the picture once more. She looked absolutely stunning, though the blurry image did nothing but impede her natural beauty; he could see her hair tied up lopsidedly on her head and the sight snarl of her lips made him grin. He would definitely have to fix his phone before leaving again. Not getting her daily text messages what weighing on him, as he had grown accustomed to hearing from her. How strange was that... Having not spoken with her much at all in four years, and now if he had to go a week without hearing her voice, he lost his mind. How pathetic was that? He laughed in disbelief.
With that, he returned to her contacts, scrolled down to the one labeled "Ash's favorite place", skipping past it to "My favorite place" and selected the latter. The asian food restaurant answered quickly, he ordered what they ordered every time, and then hung up the phone. As usual, it would take them twenty minutes to prepare, and then five minutes to deliver. So he had time to spare while he flipped the strands of the tie around his neck. He hadn't even bothered to tie it. That was Misty's job, and Ash was all thumbs when it came to knots.
Thumbing through her phone applications, spying on her photos, and other wise being nosy, he was too distracted to notice that she had emerged from the shower, dressed in one of his discarded black shirts, and a pair of short red spandex shorts. Her hair was let down in a pile of wet strands on her shoulders as she smacked her lips and then raced over to Ash without a warning; pouncing on him.
"What'cha looking at?!" She sarcastically sang while he fumbled and dropped the phone nervously onto the ground, beaming red.
"Nothing!" he squeaked, but without hesitation she leaned over to scoop up the phone into her own fingers and examined the nature of his business. Her chest pressed against his lap as she did this and she flipped back up with a satisfied expression.
"Why would you want to look at pictures of me when the real me is right here?" she teased while poking him in the side. He rolled his eyes, a furious red.
Through pouted lips, he mumbled: "Because I don't get to see those moments of you. I was just curious."
Misty's heart fluttered as she leaned her head against his shoulder while tossing her phone onto the coffee table in front of them. She hummed happily beside him before crawling into his lap, straddling his waist.
"That's soo cute." She beamed, humiliating him further, he snapped at her.
"This is why I don't give you compliments!" he grunted, pulling on his hair as Misty slipped her hands around his neck to straighten the collar of his shirt and jacket, and then started to knot his tie. He blushed in proximity and she licked her lips, watching her hands move.
"I love you." she said subtly, the words still catching in her throat as if they were a strange thing to utter, even now.
His heart missed a beat as he took her right hand into his and intertwined their fingers. He sees the jagged scar on her wrist, a faint reminder of the first time their emotions fluttered honestly. He exhaled. Regardless of what ever persistent nature tried to wedge between them, they always managed. He smoothed his thumb over the healed injury, and then kissed her wrist tenderly, catching Misty with a wide spread blush.
"I love you, too." He added, feeling her hands press lovingly onto his chest as she leaned down to kiss him.
"I love you more."
"Oh no, we're not going to be that couple, are we?" He muttered into her kiss, eliciting a throaty laugh from her as she pushed away from him and pulled him up to his feet; observing the way his suit fit.
Changing the subject, she straightened the folds of his jacket and smiled; "I think you look nice. Actually, I think it's a perfect fit."
"Not as nice as you." he retorted with a quirked eyebrow, much to her dismay. A trick Brock had 'mentioned' to him to get her flustered...only, this time it didn't work.
She smiled, pulling him closer. "Ash..."
The devilish look in her eye made him weary. He licked his lips, as did Misty.
"You're so..." she paused, and he could feel her leg playfully wrap around the back of his, and her fingers, which had been looped around his belt loops tug him forward. "Sweet." She finished, as their hips thrust together, thanks to her pull.
He blushed at the automatic tightening of his black slacks. Anyone who had eyes would have reacted that way to her body naturally, but to actually touch... Steam roared from his scalp and he shot away from his girlfriend. Fanning himself and crossing his legs uncomfortably, he tripped and fell over her couch and landed on the floor between the couch and coffee table, flustered. Holding her stomach, she laughed loudly.
"So jumpy,Ash." She mocked him with her hands on her hips, "So nervous, Ash." She giggled uncontrollably while she strolled into the kitchen. He looked back at her with a face of pure frustration.
"That's not funny, Misty!" he shouted, knowing damn well her restrictions. "You're a friggin' tease!"
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo
When he sees her for the first time, it's a bit frightening. She's beautiful. Not warm in the pants beautiful, but the kind that made Ash want to stare at her for hours. Her hair is done up into a french twist, with her bangs side swept across her forehead, cracked on the left side where a strand of her hair framed her face. Her lips were the faintest color of pink, and he could see only a tinge of eye make-up, enough that her eyes gleamed, but not enough to hide her natural beauty. Along with the same dress he had saw her wearing in the picture; a sea-blue dress with a halter top, no straps, hung effortless over her torso, breaking at the waist into an elegant flowing dress that exposed her legs in the front, but had a short train in the back.
As Daisy's maid of honor—because she, like, couldn't choose favorites between Lily and Violet—Misty's dress was the only one that touched the floor. Her other sisters, who had already taken their place on the altar, wore variations of the same dress, in the same deep-blue color. Wrapped between her slender fingers was a bouquet of rainbow colored flowers, matching the theme of wedding and allowing the vibrant colors to bring out the deep, shimmery hues of Misty's gown, as well as her red hair. Her light pink lips were curled into the faintest of smiles, but her cheeks were flushed a bright pink, only hidden by the light application of cover-up over her cheeks. Still, Ash could see it.
Ash had stopped breathing, lost in the trance of her gait toward the altar, she hadn't made eye contact with him, not yet. Instead, she smiled at old friends, family, and guests, before her gentle gaze fell on him.
Ba-dump. His heart beat slowed when her sea-green eyes sucked him into the void of her eminent beauty. The music, short chatter, and even the sound of his own labored breathing came to a halting stop at the center stage. Everything else fell away besides her and the gentle swish of her steps as she climbed the altar. He licked his lips, trying to force down the lump that had started in his throat; she seemed to glow radiant beyond her years, and she was no stranger to the gaze that they shared. Ash's chest tightened, and her lips curled wider, forming an unmistakable, toothy smile that was only for him. When her foot touched the step leading to the altar, where she would turn left to walk away from him, not towards him, he almost extended his hand to grab her.
Luckily, Gary was there to elbow him out of his daze, reeling Ash back down to reality where the soft music of cannon had faded into the bellowing sounds of the organ playing the wedding march. Ash looked briefly at Gary, having wanted to mutter a thank you, but decided against it as he tore his gaze away from the red head, to look onward at Daisy who walked with her face hidden by a veil. Her bouquet was much larger than Misty's, and her dress much bigger and whiter, but he couldn't help but think that Misty had already stolen the show—at least his. All eyes were on the bride, not a single person bothered to glance at him, so when he craned his neck to look at Tracey and then at Misty.
She watched her sister with a dutiful expression, a small smile pulling on her lips, and yet she somehow managed to look so tired. Had they really been fighting right before this? What even the hell about? He couldn't remember, but when she felt his eyes on her, she blinked at him briefly; a bashful expression across her face before she darted her eyes to the floor with a blush returning to her cheeks having realized that Ash didn't look away from her. Her gaze stolen from him, he chanced a glance at Tracey, who was awestruck from his bride; breathless, wordless, maybe even a little anxious. Still, the unwavering adoration in his dark eyes made Ash inhale as he, too, returned his attention to the crowd and the bride who was only nearing the altar.
He ran his fingers against the side of his black suit, wondering if Tracey and Daisy ever fought like Ash and Misty did. If they could be on the verge of ripping each other limb from limb, and still manage to make it work? Come to think of it, Ash had never really asked anyone about their relationships. He always figured that he would wing it when the time came to make a commitment; but he was really doing a bang up job with Misty.
His stomach twisted and he chanced a glance at her, only to see that she had been staring at him; probably wondering the same thing herself. She looked away immediately, as Daisy took the altar beside her. Misty took the large bouquet of flowers so that her sister could grasp her grooms hands as the preacher called for silence in the wedding chapel.
Ash's eyes darted once again, though his posture remained absolutely perfect. After yesterday's rehearsal, how in the world would he forget? Still, he managed to catch Misty's eyes without much effort, only able to see her because their arrangement had them not beside the bride and groom, but at an angle towards the crowd of people. She looked away again, trying to keep her eyes anywhere but on him, though, she could not. Ash was determined to look at her, and she was, as she usual, was helpless to his gaze.
As the minister began the ceremony, he could only vaguely hear them as he mouthed the words: "I'm sorry" to the red-haired beauty, to which she smiled in response accepting his words—well, attempt at words. Heat rushed into Ash's chest, and he was sure if he had been anywhere else besides one of his best friend's weddings, he would have pounced on top of her gleefully, but the urge was taken from his chest when the vows began between Daisy and Tracey.
Promise to love her, comfort her, honor her and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Well, at least Ash had that part down. He fought the urge to grimace as he looked once more over at her, to which she shrugged her shoulders gently, as if catching his train of thought. He grinned happily, shuffling his feet side to side as his hands were tucked away behind him.
At least Ash could do that properly, if nothing else at all.
Author's Note:
Alright, you guys. Alright. You win.
You win.
I'll write the damn sequel. -laughs-
I can't tell you how many PMs I've gotten in the last few days/nights since the last chapter for Spitfire was posted -laughs a lot- I really hadn't expected that kind of feedback to this story considering the start of it was really rough; but I guess it all worked out, no? Thanks for sticking it out this far, you guys are really, really, super amazing.
I just have to say. Thank you guys so much for all the love this story received and I hope you enjoyed this Epilogue! A little peek into Ash and Misty's future. (I kept it up in the air if they're 'doing anything' because I'm not so sure they wouldn't both chicken out this early in their relationship; so, as the reader, you can decide if that's something you're into or not. Personally, I think there would be a lot of teasing with no cigar. -shrugs-) Sorry for not elaborating more on the wedding. Since I've decided to do a sequel I sort of removed quite a bit from this chapter and added other details instead; leaving just enough to give you a gist of everything going on... at least, for these two.
Furthermore, I already picked out a name: Equanimity will be the title of the sequel and surprisingly, ideas for what the sequel could consist of are endless in my brain and a lot of that came out in back story for the epilogue. Braah, so much outline writing ahead. What do you guys think? I also want to focus on the idea of growing up/maturing/other characters and their relationships more as well.
SO! The first chapter may not be up for a week or two or so... but I'll get there. I'll be focusing on Locked Away as my primary story, so Equanimity will be a secondary story until Locked Awaywraps up. Being out of a writers block is always a nice kick for releasing a bunch of content. I wonder when I'll burn myself out...
A reflection on writing
Sometimes I look back at my writing and I have to face slam my head into the table and scream because I didn't proof-read any of this. I write chapter by chapter outline with only a few scenes fleshed out and then I go back later and add (my version of editing) the rest of the dialogue/details/information. Before I submit the chapter, I'll read over it quickly for any super outstanding errors (sometimes to determine if the chapter just flat out sucks, in which case, I start over completely), if I see none, I submit it as is.
...So what I'm trying to say is...I hate editing/proof reading my own work. The moment I start to proof-read like mad and spend hours trying to describe perfectly every. Single. Emotion/scene/character/etc. This starts to feel too much like a job/school work, and it's not enjoyable anymore. So I apologize for the errors and mistakes in this story. I am not fortunate enough to be a skilled enough writer to create a perfect composition in one shot. Nope, I'm one of those writers who needs to extensively proof-read before I can hash out something that is considered 'perfect'... but for something that's a hobby, and I'm not getting paid for, and I'm not a professional at/have no chance of publishing, I'm not going to spend an extra two hours on a chapter that is good enough as it is.
Sure, it's wonderful practice, but Fanfiction is a way for me to get away from the constant malicious pretenses forced onto me by my English professors, and I'm sorry that you, as the viewers of my story, have only the "good enough" material. I'm sorry, I did my best! -cries-
ANYWAYS, See you all another time, either at another story that's currently up, or at the sequel (if you're still interested when it comes out)-hearts-. Thanks again for all the lovely reviews/favs/follows/PMs.