I built this entire one shot over one line of Ash's that popped into my head while I was trying to formulate some different story ideas. They're so different from one another, and I think that's what makes them such a fun couple! And, of course, parents too ;)
Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old
Seriously Fun Parents
"Mommy, can I eat breakfast in the living room?"
"No, Aiden," Misty sighed, placing a bowl of cereal and milk in front of her young son. "Why do you want to eat in there when we're all in here?"
"Because I want to watch Power Raichus," Aiden replied innocuously.
"No," Misty replied again, shaking her head as she gave Michelle her own bowl. "You can watch it after you eat."
Aiden scowled and picked up his spoon. "Daddy lets me do it…"
"What?" Misty breathed, her eyebrow twitching.
"Morning!"
Misty glared at the doorway as Ash walked in. Before she could ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue, Aiden spun around and hung over the back of his chair, renewed hope in his warm brown eyes. "Daddy, can I watch TV while I eat breakfast?"
Ash chuckled, but stopped when he realized Misty was glowering at him. "Uh…no, not today, champ."
Aiden resumed pouting as he turned back around towards the table. Knowing he was going to catch hell from his irate wife, Ash slunk over to the fridge, hoping to shirk the conversation for as long as possible.
"You let him watch TV while he eats?!"
Ash resisted the urge to throw his head back. He hadn't even gotten the refrigerator door open before Misty ambushed him. When she was mad, her focus was unmatched. Ash would've been impressed if he wasn't the subject of her scorn at the moment.
"Only sometimes," Ash confessed, carefully looking over his shoulder to get a look at her angry face.
"Ash!" Misty whined. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to let them do that!"
"I didn't think every once in a while would hurt," Ash calmly defended himself. "I always tell him not to make a mess when he eats in there."
"That's not the point," Misty grumbled.
Ash retrieved the carton of orange juice from the fridge and closed the door behind him. "Don't worry so much, Mist. It's totally harmless!"
Misty still did not seem impressed. "Did your mother ever let you watch TV when you ate?"
"Well…uh…" Ash stammered foolishly as Misty stared at him, the twins watching curiously from behind her. Finally, he gave up his stuttering and admitted, "No, never."
Aiden and Michelle both giggled, while Misty smiled satisfactorily. "I knew it! That's because she's smart."
"I agree my mom is smart, but I don't think it's because she didn't let me eat in front of the TV," Ash murmured, scratching his head.
"It's smart because she wanted you to be polite," Misty explained. "I want Aiden and Michelle to understand we eat meals at the table, as a family!"
"But then how come when you have a picnic, you eat on the floor?" Michelle asked, tilting her head.
Misty blinked, while Ash started to laugh. "That's a great question, Shelly!"
"That's an exception," Misty sighed, glancing over at her daughter. "But even then, we'd all be sitting together and talking!"
"We can sit in front of the TV together," Aiden tried. "But no talking 'cause I gotta hear Power Raichus!"
Ash groaned, while Misty smirked at her defeated husband. "I rest my case."
"Come on, Mist, don't you think it's okay to let them have a little fun every once in a while?" Ash asked, walking over to sit down at the table.
"I let them have fun!" Misty cried, offended by the idea that she didn't. "I just want them to have some boundaries, that's all."
"I have fun with Mommy!" Michelle squeaked.
"Aw, thank you, my sweet girl!" Misty cooed, clasping her hands together.
"Sorry, Mist," Ash apologized, frowning at his wife. "I didn't mean to make it sound like you never let them have any fun."
Misty smiled sweetly at him. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean it that way. We just have different parenting styles, that's all. As long as we're in agreement on most things, and you understand that when I put my foot down, I'm just doing what I think is best for them, then it's fine."
Ash returned his wife's smile. "Yeah, you're right!"
XXX
"Anyway, Misty found out I let the kids watch TV while they eat sometimes and she was ticked."
Brock, who had met up with Ash for lunch at the Pokémon Master's invitation, didn't look surprised. "You knew she wouldn't be happy about that."
"Yeah, but I can't help it that we do things differently!" Ash cried before tossing a fry in his mouth. He'd assured Misty that he was fine with them doing things differently, but it had still ended up gnawing at him all morning. He really was fine with it, he just didn't understand why it was always him getting scolded for his methods. He understood Misty was a bit more serious, but he couldn't help it that he was more easygoing.
That was part of the reason Ash had reached out to Brock and asked him if he wanted to meet up. Brock was good at talking Ash through this kind of stuff. Plus, it never hurt to get a break from the Indigo Plateau, hence their meeting at a restaurant not too far from the compound.
"I thought she told you before she didn't want them doing that," Brock replied, stabbing at his salad.
"She did," Ash admitted, earning an unimpressed look from Brock. "But I thought it'd be harmless when she wasn't around! I did tell Aiden and Michelle it had to be our little secret, but then Aiden went and let it slip."
"You also know Aiden and Michelle end up telling Misty everything," Brock chuckled, shaking his head. "Whether they intend to or not."
"I know, but it's hard," Ash grumbled.
"Because you both do things so differently?" Brock asked.
"Misty is the parent who makes them take vitamins and freaks out if they stay up past their bedtime," Ash elucidated. "But I'm the parent who'll let 'em eat ice cream for breakfast and watch TV while they're doing it!"
Brock thought for a moment before stating, "Well, the good news is they need a little bit of both. So you two actually balance each other out pretty nicely."
"Maybe, but I think my way is more fun," Ash grumbled. Pikachu sighed at his trainer's indignant response and kept nibbling on a piece of his lunch.
"Right, but you can't be having fun all the time," Brock reminded his best friend, smirking at Pikachu's reaction. "Misty's correct in the fact that kids need boundaries. Otherwise they'll be walking all over you and wreaking havoc. But you can't be that strict with them all the time either. It's good to give kids a little bit of freedom and let them have fun. Finding a fine line between the two is the key!"
Ash groaned and sank back in his seat. "Being a parent isn't easy."
"No, not at all," Brock agreed. "It's good you acknowledge that, though!"
Ash raised an eyebrow at the implication. "Are there people out there who don't?"
"Oh, for sure."
Ash scoffed and sat back up straight. "If you asked me to choose between battling three legendary Pokémon at once with only one of my own Pokémon or getting the twins to bed, I'd choose the first one any day."
Brock chortled before asking, "and Misty?"
"Misty would tell you she'd fight the legendary Pokémon with her bare hands before trying to get the kids to do something they don't want to do."
XXX
By the time he made it back home that evening, Ash was pretty much over that morning's incident. His conversation with Brock had help him be more at peace with his and Misty's different parenting styles, and that it was okay for them to do things a little differently. He supposed it couldn't be all bad if Misty was more serious and he was more fun. After all, Brock was right; the kids did need both.
As soon as he opened the front door, however, Ash was greeted by a high pitched shriek. Pikachu's ears bent at the painful sound, while Ash unintentionally recoiled.
"What was that?" He gasped.
Looking back inside, it appeared that Aiden and Michelle were both completely hyper and out of control. They were running circles around each other, tossing toys and laughing loudly and wildly. Misty was in the middle of it all, sitting on the floor and trying desperately to get the two to settle down while stuffed Pokémon flew over her head. She was using her stern, motherly voice (Ash knew it well…she used it on him quite a bit, too) but she also appeared very overwhelmed. Scowling, Ash stepped inside and closed the door loudly behind him. That got the twins to stop and turn their attention onto their father. The slam, which had alarmed Misty, caused her to look towards him as well.
"Daddy!" Both children cheered, running over to him. Ash, while he was happy to see the two, kept the stern look on his face.
"Why aren't you two listening to Mommy?" Ash asked, skipping the pleasantries.
Aiden and Michelle's mouths opened at the inquiry, but nothing came out.
"I don't want to come home and see you two causing her trouble," Ash continued. He wasn't yelling, nor did he sound overly angry, but his tone was strict. "Understood?"
The twins silently nodded their heads.
"Good," Ash sighed, finally allowing a smile to appear on his face.
Feeling that things were back under control, Misty got to her feet and piped up, "Now that Daddy's home, I'm going to start working on dinner. You two can stay in here and play together while I get it ready. Nicely. Alright?"
"Yeah!" The twins giggled, running back over to their mother. Pikachu followed, intending to keep an eye on the children just in case they became unruly again. Fortunately, they had settled on the floor and were now playing much more quietly and calmly than they'd been before, just as Misty had requested.
Satisfied with that, Misty gently brushed past Ash and made her way into the kitchen. Ash followed after her, simply expecting to start a normal, end-of-day conversation with his wife.
"How did you do that?!"
Instead, he quickly learned that Misty was still stuck on what had just transpired in the living room.
"What, get the twins to calm down?" Ash asked, earning a nod from Misty. "Oh…I just got a little sterner with them. I do that when they won't listen or they're getting too crazy. It works great!"
Misty frowned as she touched the side of her face. "I don't get it. I tried the same thing, but it did nothing! And then I wasn't sure what to do…but you came in and stopped them right away."
"To be honest, I think it's because I goof around with them so much that when I get serious, they know to listen," Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not."
Misty smiled, which bewildered Ash. "How come you're smiling?"
"Because you're cute," Misty stated bluntly. "It was a good thing today, and right now that's all I care about! Thanks for the assist."
Ash chuckled. "No prob! Anything to help you out, babe. Why were they so hyper, anyway? They're not normally that crazy."
Misty looked sheepish as she confessed, "I let them have some cookies as a snack. I usually go for something healthier, but after you talked about letting them have more fun, I figured giving them a bit of a treat couldn't hurt. But I was wrong. Really wrong."
Ash laughed. "They are a couple of sugar fiends! That would explain all of the bouncing off the walls."
"Well, at least you managed to calm them down," Misty sighed in relief.
A crashing sound suddenly came from the next room. Misty raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Ash, who couldn't help but to smirk at her.
"I'll go in there and do it again."
"Thanks, Ashy."
