A/N: Here's a new chapter! Thank you all very much! As for what battle Drew was watching last chapter, it was indeed the battle between Trip and Burgundy in the Jostling for the Junior Cup episode in the Best Wishes series, well done, anjumstar, kudos to you ;)

Anyway, onto this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover (though I did edit it).

Days

The day when Misty oversleeps

Misty

Sunday, December 1st

It had been ages since Misty slept so well. That in itself should have alarmed her, but Misty's brain hadn't completely caught up with time yet. With a content sigh, she languidly stretched out in bed, and then opened one eye to check the time-

And shot up in bed.

Ten twenty five? Panicked, Misty looked around, but the light shining from under the curtains and the hungry feeling in her stomach all affirmed that the clock was indeed right.

"Arceus damn it!"

She had set her alarm for seven! Leaf would kill her and it wasn't as if they didn't have enough dead people yet! Without changing out of her pajamas, Misty shot down the stairs and into the living room. The TV was turned on, but only Pikachu appeared to be watching.

"What-"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, pointing towards the hallway.

Confusion about the odd situation took over the anger and panic at her late awakening. Misty hurried towards the hallway, and here she could smell a light smoky smell.

Ash popped out of the kitchen. "Surprise!"

"What…" Misty repeated, but her husband didn't pay attention to her confusion and instead guided her into the kitchen. The smoky smell undoubtedly originated from here, Misty noted, and more surprisingly, a complete and obviously home-made breakfast was carefully laid out on the table.

"Don't worry, the burnt smell was just my second attempt, this one should be fine!" He grinned sheepishly and shifted from one foot to another, while Misty did her best to process the situation.

"Ash, I-"

"Have to work, I know," he interrupted her, then gently attempted to push her in a chair, but Misty remained firmly standing. "But I talked with Gary and he talked with Leaf and then I talked with Leaf and well, she didn't want to listen, so now she's angry, but that's okay, you needed a morning off."

Ash looked at her with that wide-eyed, innocent look of love of his. "You've been working yourself to death, Misty, and I know it's League stuff so I can't help with that, but well, look! I made you breakfast." He grinned hopefully.

Misty still wasn't quite sure what he had done with Leaf – from the sounds of it, Leaf hadn't liked it.

"What did you do, Ash?" There was a warning tone in her voice, but it was mostly drowned out by amused exasperation. She crossed her arms for a higher intimidation factor, but that movement made her realize that she was still wearing her thin Luvdisc pajamas, which were obvious penalties on the intimidation scale.

"I made you breakfast!" Ash repeated, smiling brightly. He gestured towards the table, and Misty noticed that there was a batch of croissants, a jug filled with orange juice and several pieces of toast, among other things. The vase with flowers that hadn't been there the day before was the finishing touch.

Misty opened her mouth to say something, but found herself at a loss, and Ash gently pushed her in the chair. Finally she allowed herself to plop down in the chair, giving up any pretense of resistance. She just had had the best night's sleep in forever, Ash had made an incredibly romantic breakfast, and well, Leaf would be angry, but that was something for later. Besides, she could never say no to his hopeful puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, fine, you win." Her eyes softened and before he could move away, she grasped his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks, Ash."

Ash visibly relaxed and he beamed at her. "Anytime, Mist. Now, do you want toast? Do you want an egg? Look, I made you orange juice!"

Not really realizing how hungry she had been until Ash mentioned the food, she gladly took several of Ash's offerings. Ash hadn't had breakfast himself yet, though he had taken care of the Pokémon, but not even his own food could distract him from watching her with pleased but watchful eyes. She was reminded of Delia, who could sometimes have just the same look when she had made food and was convinced that her guest hadn't been taking enough care of themselves.

Hm. That brought up thoughts she'd rather not face yet, and she filed them away for later. Now, she hadn't felt this relaxed in ages, and she took her time enjoying the breakfast (which Ash had actually done pretty well, though he admitted that Snorlax had eaten the first four failed attempts).

However, when her stomach had been filled she did wonder what exactly he had done with Leaf. It had gotten her a morning of extra sleep and a relaxed breakfast, which she did appreciate, but still...

"Really, Ash, what did you do with Leaf?" Misty asked, and Ash looked down at the table, scratching the back of his head.

"Uhm... You probably should go to work when you're done, but if she's angry, you can blame it all on me, okay?" He raised his eyes to meet hers and he looked confident and determined. "I can take her. You've been much too busy for it to be healthy and even if you can't tell me what's going on, I can at least support you this way!"

At the open and vulnerable look in Ash's eyes, guilt rose up in her throat. It was true, she had been working a lot, and it wasn't even work with Pokémon, but research, problem solving, finances, safety measures – mostly the latter, because Agatha-

Misty quickly pushed those thoughts away, trying to stay optimistic on this beautiful morning. The guilt was not so easily pushed away, though, and her stomach suddenly felt heavy. "I'm sorry, Ash. You're right, we haven't exactly been spending much time together, eh?"

"That's not what I meant- I mean, we haven't, and I would like to, but you're working too hard, you barely even have time for your Pokémon anymore!" he blurted, though he did seem apologetic as soon as he had spoken. "Sorry, I didn't mean, I mean, it's not like you don't care for your Pokémon or anything, but you're always working for the League..."

Ash's very own personal brand of bluntness cut like a knife, and Misty winced. She couldn't even muster any anger, because it was the truth, point blank.

"Yes, I know." She swallowed, her throat feeling tight. The relaxed atmosphere of before had gone, and the air between them felt heavy. "I can't tell you. I really want to, but I can't tell you. I'm sorry, Ash."

Ash had calmed himself again and took her hand, squeezing it. "I'm sorry, too. We'll get through this together, alright? If I can do anything for you, you don't have to tell me why, I'll just do my absolute best to help you, okay?"

Misty felt a smile pull at her lips. Ash's brown eyes were full of hope and determination and love and she nodded, lost for words. Her breath came in a short gasp, and to her utter surprise Misty felt her eyes burn. Ash's eyes widened almost comically.

"Don't cry! I didn't meant to make you cry, Mew, Misty, I'm sorry-" Ash started blabbering, completely panicked at her tears which confused Misty herself. She was never one to cry easily and they didn't have a problem, they had just solved it, so why did she feel a sob in the back of her throat?

"I'm not crying," she snapped, wiping her eyes furiously. "I'm fine, I- I don't- I don't know why-" She cut herself off and took a sharp breath, before letting out a slightly hysterical laugh. "I don't why I'm crying!"

This didn't appear to calm down Ash any.

This was absolutely ridiculous. There was no need to cry! Misty took a few more breaths and she was very relieved to feel control over her emotional functions returning.

"Uh, are you okay, Misty?" Ash had gotten up and now stood next to her, frowning in worry.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I have no idea what happened just now…" she said.

"Neither do I," he said, sounding the slightest bit amused.

"Shut up," Misty said with a laugh, wiping away the last tears. "I suppose this means your theory about me being stressed is true."

Ash's grin didn't seem as convincing as before, and Misty felt her own smile slipping off her face as well. She took a breath. "I'm sorry, Ash, but I really can't tell you. But I'm... I'm very grateful that you did this for me. I really appreciate it. Thank you."

"You're not alone, Misty. I'll help you with the Pokémon and the house and the Gym... Whatever you want me to do."

And once again Misty felt her eyes grow wet. "Damn it, it's your fault I keep having to cry!"

Ash let out an uncertain laugh, before pulling her out of the chair and in an embrace. Misty gladly accepted it, trying to keep herself under control, but not succeeding much.

"I love you, Ash."

He held her tighter. "I love you, too, Misty."

A/N: Awww! Ash is adorable, if I do say so myself XD And can we say mood swings much? :P I hope you guys liked this chapter, thank you for reading! Onto the next one! Please let me know your thoughts!

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Bleeding Memories by Snoaz. FFN. An one-shot exploring the relationship between game-verse Red and Green. I'm not sure if it can be classified as romantic, but it gives a haunting view of their relationship and is awesomely written. Thank you, inklaced, for recommending this to me!

Pokémon: Spitfire and its sequel Equanimity (rated M!) by N-I-N-T. FFN. Recommended by PokeshipperByHeart, thank you! Spitfire (which can be read as a standalone) is a hilarious mix of relationship drama with PokeShipping and ContestShipping as endgame, but it gets progressively more serious and Equanimity is in-progress story which deals with relationship drama in a less humorous but still enjoyable way, once again featuring PokeShipping and ContestShipping, now also with RocketShipping. Really good series, pretty much focusing on the relationships, goals and growing up of our dear characters, also featuring Dawn, Serena, Bonnie, Max and Gary.

Star Wars: Mission Report by ruth baulding. FFN. A very funny one-shot about how Obi-Wan and Anakin have to do some paperwork, and how Obi-Wan tries to keep Anakin in line. Very amusing and it shows the beautiful friendship these two have.

If you have any stories you want me to recommend, don't hesitate to let me know!