Happy Mother's Day! I wanted to do something light and sweet (although, let's be honest, I usually do) so here we are! I hope you all enjoy!
Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old
Mom-umental
"Daddy, I'm drawing Mommy a picture for Mother's Day!"
"Me too!"
Ash chuckled at the twins' excitement and flashed them a thumbs up. "That's great, guys! I bet she's going to love them!"
"Do you buy her a present, Daddy?" Michelle asked, not taking her eyes off of her masterpiece.
"I do," Ash confirmed, nodding his head. "You know that, silly girl!"
"But she's not your mommy," Michelle calmly argued, tilting her head back and forth as she continued to color.
"No, but she's your guys' mommy," Ash replied. "So of course, I have to get her a present!"
"You have to give Mommy a present cause she's having a baby," Aiden added, looking up from his own picture and grinning.
"I'd give her one even if she wasn't," Ash chuckled.
The sound of the front door opening caused the twins to scramble, grabbing their papers and crayons and running out of the room. Misty walked in just time to see the twins turning the corner in a hurry, leading her to raise an eyebrow.
"Those two sure were in a rush," Misty noted.
"Kids," Ash playfully scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. "Can't ever figure them out!"
"I don't believe that," Misty giggled, "You three practically all think the same!"
"Guilty," Ash chuckled lowly, rubbing the back of his neck. Wanting to change the subject before Misty kept prodding about the twins, Ash continued, "how are things over at the gym?"
"Fine," Misty sighed as she opened the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water. "We haven't had any challengers come by today yet, surprisingly. So, I've been able to get a lot of other stuff done in the meantime."
"That's good!" Ash crowed. "How're you feeling?"
"Fine," Misty repeated after taking a long sip, pressing her free hand against her well-sized baby bump. "Just like every other day you've asked me."
Ash groaned and rolled his eyes. "What, that counts as nagging now?"
"I never said you were nagging," Misty snickered. "You just worry too much! I'm not immobile yet and I'm not tired of being kicked at all day yet either. We're still in the 'feel good' phase right now."
"We?" Ash reiterated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you're basically just an extension of me with how invested you are," Misty teased.
"Well, since you and I are apparently one and the same, I think it'll be easy to plan you out a perfect Mother's Day," Ash mused, waggling his eyebrows.
"Oh, right, that's coming up," Misty sighed, rubbing her temples. "Ash, I know you love going extravagant, but could this be the year I finally get my quiet, peaceful Mother's Day?"
Ash groaned. "You've been asking for that for like…three years now!"
"Gee, maybe it's because I'm exhausted," Misty chuckled weakly.
"Yeah, but you always end up loving whatever the twins and I plan for you," Ash muttered, a frown on his face.
"Of course, I do!" Misty breathed. "They're always wonderful! And I really appreciate all the work you guys put into those plans! But I'd really like to have some downtime before the baby comes, and Arceus knows that my maternity leave from the gym won't be it."
Although Ash still seemed disappointed, he straightened up and smiled at his wife. "I understand. Sure, this year you'll get your peace and quiet!"
Misty was visibly surprised for a brief second, but quickly gathered herself and smiled appreciatively at him. "Aw! Thanks, Ashy!"
Ash rolled his eyes at the playful nickname before replying, "of course. Anything for you, babe!"
Twisting the cap back onto her water bottle, Misty sighed, "alright, back to work."
"Already?!" Ash groaned. "But you just got here!"
"It was only for a little break," Misty giggled. "The flow of challengers might be slow, but there's still lots for me to do."
Misty placed her free hand on Ash's shoulder and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Ash chuckled and wrapped his arm tightly around Misty's shoulders, giving her his own kiss atop her head.
"Alright," Ash breathed, pulling away from her. "I won't keep the best gym leader in all of Kanto away from her post for any longer!"
Scoffing, Misty gently shoved Ash's shoulder. "You're such a pain."
"Yeah, but I'm your pain!" Ash teased, lightly poking Misty's lower back.
"That you are," Misty giggled, playfully swatting Ash's hand away. "I'll be back in a little while. Keep the kids out of trouble, kay?"
"I'll do my best!" Ash chuckled, holding his hands behind his back.
As soon as Misty left the kitchen, Ash too went darting out, running right past the twins who had chosen to emerge from their hiding spot in order to eavesdrop on their parents.
"Daddy, where are you going?" Michelle called.
"To cancel a whole bunch of stuff!" Ash shouted over his shoulder, not slowing down his pace and leaving behind his very confused children.
XXX
Once Mother's Day rolled around, Misty was pleased to be able to sleep in before being presented with breakfast in bed (that Ash and the kids had picked up for her from a local restaurant) and her presents: the drawings from Aiden and Michelle, jewelry from Ash, and a bouquet of flowers from all three of them.
After that, things quieted down considerably.
It was nice…at first. Misty was able to just lounge around and watch some television she'd been meaning to catch up on while Ash kept the twins preoccupied. But after a while, that got dull. She was so used to being asked to do things, or for her help, or breaking an argument between the kids up, that quiet time alone suddenly felt very foreign…and even a bit unsettling.
Pushing her bedroom door open, Misty looked down the hall and was a little surprised to find no one playing there. She didn't hear any noise either. Raising an eyebrow, Misty slowly walked down the stairs, once again finding nobody in the living room.
"Where'd they all go?" Misty muttered to herself, folding her arms. She soon heard the sound of muffled laughter, however, cluing her into exactly where the rest of her family was. She walked through the kitchen, sliding open the back door and stepping into the backyard. The first thing she saw was Ash catching a large rubber ball quite close to his face, followed by the shrieking laughter of Aiden and Michelle.
"Are they aiming for your head again?" Misty called, smirking as she folded her arms.
"Of course," Ash sighed, turning around to reveal his own smile. "What're you doing out here? I thought you were resting!"
Misty groaned and gently inclined her head. "Don't kill me."
"Why would I kill you?" Ash asked, obviously confused.
"…I'm bored."
Ash' smirk widened, displeasing Misty. "I knew it! I knew you'd get bored eventually!"
"You don't have to rub it in," Misty grumbled.
"Sorry," Ash chuckled, tucking the ball under his arm as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's just- "
"You were right," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Trust me, I know. It's a tough pill to swallow."
Ash laughed again. "Well…don't worry. I didn't cancel all of my plans for you."
At this, Misty raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?"
Beaming, Ash shook his head. "I told you! I knew you'd get bored!"
"Well…what is it?" Misty prodded, holding her hands behind her back.
Proudly puffing his chest out, Ash declared, "it's a surprise!"
At this, Misty deflated. "Seriously?"
"Yep!" Ash chuckled. "I kept it a secret for this long; I'm not going to give it away now!"
Aiden suddenly scurried over to his father, repeatedly smacking the bright blue rubber ball in his grasp until it bounced free. He started to giggle and chase after the ball, while Michelle quickly followed behind him, trying to beat her brother to it. Misty watched the two, a smile appearing on her face. "Aiden! Michelle!"
The twins turned around to face their mother, temporarily forgetting about the ball they'd been playfully competing for.
"Do you two know what Daddy's surprise for me is?" Misty asked sweetly.
"Mist!" Ash groaned.
"We do!" Aiden chirped, his eyes lighting up.
"But we can't tell you!" Michelle added.
Misty's face fell. "Come on, you guys tell me everything!"
"Not this time, Mommy!" Aiden laughed. "Daddy said we had to keep it a secret."
Misty scowled at Ash, who had gone back to looking quite gratified. "You must've bribed them."
Ash gasped dramatically, as though that were the most blasphemous thing Misty could've ever said to him. "I would never have to bribe them to keep a secret for me!"
Michelle suddenly whipped around to kick at the ball, an individually wrapped piece of candy falling out of her shorts pocket. Misty warily eyed the treat before turning her gaze onto Ash, who chuckled nervously. "Heh…no idea where Michelle got that!"
"I'm sure," Misty purred knowingly, her smirk widening.
"Hey!"
Michelle's squeaky cry regained Misty's attention. She saw Aiden cutting her off from the side, stealing the rubber ball with his feet and kicking it over to his mother.
"Play with us, Mommy!" Aiden beckoned. She instinctually stopped the ball with her foot, eliciting more laughter from her son.
"Sure, I can play!" Misty giggled. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of Daddy's surprise, of course…"
She shot Ash a sideways glance, causing him to sigh noisily. "No, you playing with us won't get in the way of your surprise."
"Great!" Misty crowed. "Then let's play!"
"Wait!" Michelle cried, jumping up and down. "We should be on teams -cause now there's enough of us! I wanna be on Mommy's team!"
Michelle ran up to her mother and hugged the woman's legs, earning a smile from Misty.
"Okay!" Ash chuckled. "So that means Aiden and I can- "
"Nuh uh, I wanna be on Mommy's team!"
The boy scurried over to his mother's other side and, just like his sister, latched onto her legs. Misty looked between the two children, humming, "this hasn't happened in a while…"
"Hey, guys!" Ash cried. "I can't be on a team by myself!"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu squeaked, running up to his trainer. "Pi-ka pikachu pika!"
"Vay!" Vaporeon chimed in, joining the electric mouse.
"There you go, now it's even!" Misty giggled.
"Nuh uh!" Aiden repeated, pulling away from Misty and pointing at her stomach. "We have the baby, so we have more! We're better!"
Misty laughed sheepishly at Aiden's assertion and cradled her stomach with a hand. "Sweetie, the only thing the baby's going to kick is me."
"That still counts," Aiden replied matter-of-factly.
Growling, Ash looked down at Pikachu and Vaporeon and avowed, "alright, we have to win! And fortunately for us, we have the advantage! We're all super strong…Aiden and Michelle are both little, and Misty is pregnant! There's no way we can lose!"
Pikachu and Vaporeon both let out a cheer, and Ash quickly joined in on the enthusiastic chant.
XXX
"I can't believe we lost."
"I can. You're a big softie."
Ash looked down at Misty in disbelief. The two had sprawled out on some of their outdoor furniture, snuggled together. "I am not! I had no problem with beating Aiden or Michelle! You heard me say that to Pikachu and Vaporeon!"
"Yeah, until the kids batted their eyelashes at you," Misty scoffed. "Then you started falling all over yourself like a baby Ponyta."
"That was just a coincidence," Ash muttered, burying his face between Misty's neck and shoulder. She giggled softly and tilted her head up, kissing his jawline. That got him to look back up right away, with a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry you didn't get the peace and quiet you wanted," Ash murmured, shifting his eyes to glance over at Aiden and Michelle. They had yet to run out of energy, unlike their parents, and were still chasing the ball around the yard with Pikachu and Vaporeon.
"Why are you sorry?" Misty asked with a snicker. "I'm the one who was about to lose her mind in all that peace and quiet and broke it off. I thought I'd enjoy it. But honestly…I just really missed all of the chaos."
Ash chuckled at her description. "It's surprisingly easy to get used to!"
The rubber ball suddenly sailed over Ash and Misty's heads, colliding with the side of the house and bouncing back wildly. They both whipped their heads around, staring at their equally stunned children.
"Hey, it was funny when you were trying to take off Daddy's head, not mine!" Misty teased.
"Ha ha," Ash muttered, earning a genuinely amused laugh from his wife.
"Mommy, it was an accident!" Michelle yelped, running over to her parents and climbing up on the couch, trying to squeeze herself in. "And it was Aiden who did it."
"Hey!" Aiden cried, looking quite betrayed.
"It was!" Michelle shouted back.
Aiden stormed up to the couch and grabbed Michelle, trying to pull her off.
"Uh, no," Ash scolded, moving his son's hands away. "That isn't nice, and one of you is going to end up getting hurt."
"Michelle told on me!" Aiden whined.
"I told the truth!" Michelle bit.
Ash sighed and glanced down at Misty. "You sure you don't want to go back to your peace and quiet?"
She smiled and placed Ash's hand on her belly, where he was met with a surprisingly solid set of kicks. "I wouldn't get much of it anyway at this point."
"I shouldn't be surprised that such a strong mom has such a strong baby," Ash quipped, brushing his lips against Misty's ear. Aiden and Michelle looked up at him in interest, earning a laugh from Ash. "You two should feel your little sister go!"
The twins' faces lit up as they reached for their mother's stomach, happily clamoring when they felt the baby kicking up a storm.
"I can't believe all three of you can fit your hands on my tummy," Misty partly groaned. "I'm getting big, huh?"
"Only cause the baby is," Michelle smartly replied. "And me and Aiden have little hands!"
Misty giggled and gently stroked the back of Michelle's hand before repeating the same action with Aiden's. "You do! You both have very sweet little hands. They used to be even smaller!"
"When we were babies?" Michelle chirped.
"Mmhm," Misty confirmed, lifting her hand up to brush through her daughter's hair. "Me and Daddy could fit your guys' hands right in the middle of ours! And you both used to really love holding onto our fingers. You two would just hold onto one with your entire hand. And we would stay like that for the longest time."
"You think the baby will do that too?" Aiden murmured, tilting his head.
"She might!" Misty answered. "We'll just have to wait and see!"
Ash laughed and nudged his nose against Misty's temple, bewildering her. "How did I get so lucky?" He asked whimsically, bringing an adoring smile to her face. "The best gym leader, the best wife, the best mom…I must've done something really right to deserve you!"
"Yeah, you were you," Misty giggled, leaning back against Ash's chest. Her stomach suddenly growled, causing everyone to look at her. Misty blushed lightly before giggling, "not for nothing, I kind of hope your little surprise has to do with food!"
Ash grinned and patted Misty's belly. "Can't get anything past you!"
"Wait, really?" Misty breathed, titling her head back and gazing up at Ash with glowing eyes as he nodded his head. "Yes! I'm so excited!"
"You sound more excited about that than the peace and quiet we gave you!" Ash exclaimed.
"Because at this point, I am," Misty replied. "Food is something I couldn't possibly get tired of!"
This one definitely has parallels to the last Christmas one shot...that was intentional!
