Beforemath Reception

The reception was what Ash had been really looking forward to. He had been excited for the ceremony, of course, but Ash was the kind of guy who liked to have fun. The reception was the perfect chance for him to loosen up and spend time with all of his friends and family. After all, the ceremony wasn't exactly the time for socialization.

For the reception, Ash and Misty had chosen the largest ballroom in the Grand Viridian Resort, which was just down the street from the church. The outside of the resort blended in well with the rest of the city; tall and white with hundreds of windows, and numerous flags hanging from the top of the roof. The ballroom, however, was a lovely hidden gem within the hotel.

Designed to look like the inside of a mansion from the Victorian era, the usually pastel striped wallpaper had been draped in pure white linen, with gentle blue lights shining down on the fabric in order to create a soothing, undersea feel. Round tables covered by white table cloths surrounded the marble dance floor, the white silk draped chairs alternating between blue or green bows tied on every seat in an alternating pattern. In the middle of each table stood a magnificent centerpiece: a thin glass candelabra that doubled as a vase. Four white candles surrounded a gorgeous bouquet of white, green, and blue flowers (the same ones that were found in Misty's bouquet and her flower girls' baskets) with strings of clear crystals draped through the candelabra's arms.

At the head of the room was the sweetheart table, where Ash and Misty would sit. Two chairs, one with a blue ribbon and the other with a green ribbon, sat side-by-side beneath a hazy blue spotlight, the table propped up just a bit higher than the rest so the newly married couple could oversee the entire room. Two centerpieces, the same ones seen on the regular tables, were placed on the floor on either side of the table, while bunches of the flowers were collected on the front of the table.

Ash and Misty were the first ones able to enter the room, and when they saw how beautifully it was decorated, they both gasped.

"Oh my gosh," Misty breathed, hurrying over to one of the tables in order to give it a closer examination.

"Wow, you did a great job, Mist!" Ash complimented his newly minted wife. He, in gentlemanly fashion, had allowed his wife to pick out the color scheme and all of the decorations. Not wanting to become a "power hungry control freak", however, Misty had made sure to consult Ash about everything first. She did want him to have some input, even though he had no idea what anything was.

"Do you like these centerpieces, Ash?"

"Sure. Whatever you want, Misty!"

Misty had sighed at this. "But Ash, I want you to be happy, too!"

"I am happy!" Ash had assured her. "As long as you're happy, then I'm happy."

Misty had smiled so sweetly at this Ash was afraid he would go on a sugar high. "That's so sweet, Ash. Thank you. And…you're sure the color scheme is okay?"

"The blue, green, and white?"

"Yeah."

"I think it's perfect."

"Not too girly?"

Ash chuckled at his then-fiancée's obvious concern. "No, Misty! It's great. It reminds me of the ocean, like you said! It's perfect for you. I'm very happy."

While she was busy looking at the first table in the room, Misty was suddenly lifted off the ground, letting out a loud, frightened shriek as she was pulled from her feet. Looking over her shoulder, Misty found that it was Ash lifting her up. And with one arm, no less.

"What are you doing?," Misty asked with a giggle.

"I wanted to see how much this pretty princess dress of yours weighs," Ash commented idly.

"Well?" Misty quipped. "What's the verdict?"

"I don't really know how you're walking around in it," Ash laughed, placing Misty back on the floor.

"I'm super strong," Misty teased, flexing her arms for Ash. Although she had been joking around, Misty did in fact have arm muscle from all of the swimming she did. Not so much where she looked built, but just enough to appear toned and athletic.

"You're also super beautiful," Ash murmured, holding onto the back of his wife's neck as he gave her a kiss on the lips. Because they were now alone, this kiss quickly became more passionate. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's own neck, deepening the kiss by forcing his mouth open with her own and entangling their tongues. Ash smiled at Misty's dominant move, and decided to give her the edge for just that one kiss. Slowly and skillfully, he moved his head along with his lips down her neck until it was pressing against her collar bone. He nibbled a little there. Misty, of course, felt the action, and raised an eyebrow at it. Pulling away from a bewildered Ash, she reached up and gently caressed his cheek, smirking knowingly at him. "What?"

"What are you doing, Ashy?" Misty asked playfully.

"Nothing," Ash replied.

"That's not nothing."

"Hmm?"

Misty reached down and grabbed Ash's hand with her own, her smirk increasing as soon as she had it.

"That's a very specific part of my body, Mr. Ketchum."

"I always have a goal, Mrs. Ketchum."

Misty laughed just once at this. A very hard, humorous laugh. "Now's not the time for that, darling. What if our parents had walked in, hmm?"

"We haven't gotten time for ourselves in these preparations," Ash pressed.

"We'll get plenty of time for ourselves, honey"

"And speaking of our parents, they are too busy playing with the girls," Ash murmured, referring to his and Misty's nieces. "Besides, they…they know what we're up to."

Misty's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. "You're joking, right?"

"No," Ash admitted, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly.

"Oh my gods," Misty groaned, covering her eyes.

"It's fine, it's fine," Ash assured his flustered wife, giving her a hug. "Trust me, it's fine. In fact, I think they might actually…approve of it?"

Once again, Misty arched her eyebrow. "Why?"

"I'll give you a hint," Ash breathed. "First comes love, then comes marriage…"

"Oh," Misty sighed, realization hitting her. "That's why."

"Yep."

"Well, let's not think about that right now," Misty decided, gripping her husband's shoulders. "I know that will be on everyone's mind. It's like post-marriage syndrome for friends and family. But you and I are just going to focus on ourselves for now. Don't let anyone pressure you or stress you out, okay?"

Ash scoffed at the idea. "Come on, Mist. When do I ever let anyone do that?"

"It happens," Misty sighed, patting his chest. Just…don't worry about anything, okay? We still need to get through the reception."

"Which is going to be awesome!" Ash crowed.

"You're right about that!" Misty laughed, her emerald eyes lighting up. "Speaking of which…why don't we go see our special table?"

"Yeah!" Ash agreed, grabbing Misty's hand and pulling her eagerly towards the sweetheart table. "Cool! Look at all the flowers!"