Drunken Love

Of all the things Misty could've been doing tonight, or at least wanting to do, having dinner with her husband's manager was at the bottom of her list.

It was usually insufferable regardless, but at the moment, the situation was made even worse by the fact that Misty was pregnant…and she and Ash had neglected to reveal this information to Scott just yet. She was still relatively early on, just over three months, so that played into the decision. But they also hadn't told him yet because they knew Scott would freak, so they had to find a way to do it delicately, and neither of them had come up with a good solution yet.

Sitting in the booth at the pricey, upscale restaurant in downtown Cerulean, Misty was only grateful she hadn't had any bouts of morning sickness that day. The week prior, at the Indigo Conference, she'd been pretty seriously ill, and it was incredibly difficult to hide that fact, especially from her fellow gym leaders and other league executives. If she were to be dealing with it in this small space, right under Scott's nose…it would've been a bonafide disaster.

It was just her and Ash for now, which she was grateful for. He, however, couldn't stop watching her toy with her bright red hair.

"You nervous?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What gave it away?" Misty murmured, staring straight ahead.

Ash smirked and reached out to gently lower her hand, which finally got Misty's attention. "Just chill, okay? He's not gonna know anything is up if we just act normal."

"So sorry I'm late!"

Ash and Misty looked up as Scott rushed up to the table, very red in the face and sounding quite out of breath.

"Geez Scott, did you run here?" Ash questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Scott puffed, squeezing himself into the left-hand side of the semi-circle booth. "It took me forever to find a parking spot, and it's not even near the restaurant. I only started to rush when I realized what time it was."

"You're not even 10 minutes late," Misty reasoned with the man. "It's not a big deal. I would know; I'm married to the king of being late to everything."

Ash adopted a deadpan expression as Misty took a slow sip from her water glass.

"Fair point," Scott conceded. "But I'm very much used to being on time, so for me this is out of character. But don't worry – I'll make it up to the two of you."

Neither Ash nor Misty had any idea what Scott meant by that. It didn't take long for them to get an answer, though, as Scott flagged down the first waiter he happened to see.

"Yes, I'd like a bottle of your finest wine, thank you," he instructed the waiter, who bowed in response.

Misty stiffened at the mention of alcohol. While Ash's reaction wasn't as edged, he was still taken off guard by the request. "Scott, you really didn't have to do that."

"Nonsense, I insist," Scott dismissed, waving a hand at a visibly unsure Ash. "It'll be a nice treat for all of us."

When the bottle arrived, an apparently very pricey sauvignon blanc imported directly from Kalos, three glasses were automatically poured. Not like Misty would have rejected it anyway; if she had, then Scott would've definitely known something was up.

He was the first to take a sip of the wine, grinning afterwards. "That's incredible. There's nothing worse than having an expensive wine that doesn't match in taste."

Ash took a small sip himself and wrinkled his nose as the potent liquid went down. "It's good. I don't think it tastes any different than the liquor store in Viridian, though."

Scott sighed, clearly exasperated that Ash still didn't understand or appreciate the finer things in life. He then turned his attention onto Misty, and twisted his mouth when he realized that her wine glass was still untouched.

"Misty, you haven't tried it yet," Scott pointed out.

"Huh?" Misty babbled, picking her head up. She'd been busy staring down at her hands, zoning out. There was nothing there, but she still spouted out the excuse, "sorry, I was texting my mom-in-law."

Scott still seemed perplexed. "Isn't she watching Vaporeon and Pikachu?"

"Yes," Misty breathed, quickly nodding her head. "I was just checking in."

"Hmm," Scott hummed. He obviously wasn't too interested. "Well, you have to try the wine! You've got a far more refined palette for these things than Ash does."

Once again, Ash looked offended. Misty, however, was too discombobulated to laugh. Knowing she'd have to get Scott off her back somehow, she raised the glass to her lips and tilted it back, causing Ash to grow wide eyed.

"Oh yeah, that's great!" Misty concurred once she put the glass down, beaming at Scott.

"The floral notes really stand out, don't they?" Scott asked. He and Misty butted heads often, but he did enjoy discussing fine foods and alcohol with her, since she had relatively good knowledge of such things. Of course, she wasn't at someone like Cilan's level, but she knew enough to keep Scott appeased.

"Yes, it really gives a unique profile," Misty agreed.

Scott smiled to himself, clearly proud of his choice, before picking up his menu and burying his face in it.

"Misty!" Ash hissed under his breath, making sure Scott couldn't see or hear him.

"I didn't drink it!" Misty growled back just as softly, which caused Ash to relax. "I only made it look like I did."

"Oh, that's smart," Ash whispered, now sounding impressed.

"Thanks, except I've got to find a way to get rid of the rest of it," Misty groaned.

"Just don't drink it," Ash replied as though it were obvious.

"That's not gonna work!" Misty cried, though her voice was still low. "Scott's gonna wonder why it's just sitting there, especially after I just praised it like that."

Ash was troubled. He knew Misty was right, but he wasn't sure how to take care of her glass. After all, it wasn't like they were sitting near a plant that she could just pour the wine into. That thought, however, gave him another idea. It was one he wasn't exactly fond of, but this was a situation where he was willing to do whatever it took to help Misty out…even if it wasn't his preference.

With Scott's face still behind his menu, Ash picked up Misty's wine glass and downed the alcohol in three big gulps. Now it was Misty's turn to gawk, watching with unblinking eyes and a slack jaw as Ash put the glass down and made a disgusted face.

"I think I found exactly what I…oh, wow. You must've really liked the wine, Misty."

The still stunned gym leader took another look at her empty glass. "Oh…yeah! It was so good; I just couldn't help myself!"

"Good thing I got a whole bottle," Scott remarked, lifting it from its perch inside the marble cooler and pouring more for the woman.

Misty offered Scott a weak smile, her anxiety peaking all over again. Ash, on the other hand, was unhappy but also undeterred. He took a long sip from his own glass, knowing Scott would notice if his went untouched as well. Whenever Scott wasn't looking, Ash would take a sip from Misty's glass. This little game continued until both Ash and Misty's glasses were empty, which prompted Scott to pour more for both before either could protest.

"Ash, stop," Misty hissed to her husband when he took another sip of her wine while Scott spoke to the waiter. "You cannot handle all of that wine."

"I've got to, Mist," Ash groaned after swallowing his latest sip. "We can't just let it sit here."

"This is your fourth and fifth glass," Misty sighed. "You know you don't hold your liquor well."

"I'll be…fine," Ash assured her, taking a long pause between the last two words. Misty narrowed her eyes. He was getting tipsy, and fast.

"This is getting out of hand," Misty grumbled. "Let's just be honest with Scott. It'll be easier that way."

Ash quickly shook his head. "Not yet."

"Not yet what?"

Ash blinked hard and turned towards Scott, who had an eyebrow raised.

"I…meant I'm not full yet!" Ash blurted, a bit too loudly. "I'm definitely gonna have room for dessert!"

Scott intoned and went back to his steak. "Not surprising."

Ash sighed and took another sip of Misty's wine, much to her horror. Once he was done, Ash put down the glass and smirked at his disturbed wife.

"You know…I'm actually feeling pretty good!"

Misty just rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hand. She was in for some kind of night.

XXX

Ash was not a big drinker.

He'd developed a bit more of an acceptance for it with age, mostly to fit in with his buddies like Brock or Gary whenever they hung out. But even then, he rarely swallowed an entire bottle or anything.

Misty had a much higher tolerance for alcohol, which was pretty much inevitable being surrounded by three sisters who were borderline alcoholics for so many years. She could easily drink half a bottle of wine on her own before getting a buzz, though it wasn't exactly something Misty was proud of.

But this time, he really didn't have much of a choice. He had only done it to protect Misty. For that, she felt pretty bad, even though she'd tried to convince him repeatedly not to drink her share on top of his own. As soon as he'd hit his tipping point, however, there was no going back. Ash was feeling no pain, and he was really enjoying it.

Driving home hadn't been difficult for Misty. Dragging her husband into the house, on the other hand, was. He weighed twice as much as she did, after all, and him stumbling around didn't make it any easier. Vaporeon was already asleep in the den, and although Ash and Misty's arrival had stirred her, she went right back to sleep once she realized it was just them.

As Misty struggled to get him up the stairs, after kicking her heels off by the door so as to not further burden herself.

As soon as she reached their bedroom, Misty practically threw Ash onto the bed. She let out an exhausted sigh and bent over, grasping at her knees.

"Okay, that would've been too much even if I wasn't pregnant," Misty grumbled, finally standing up to her full height.

Ash suddenly started to laugh wildly as he flung himself back up, grinning at Misty with a smile that looked like it might crack his face in half.

"What, you think that's funny?" Misty deadpanned.

Without any warning, Ash started to swing his arms around, pulling a determined face as he did so. Misty watched for a few seconds before deciding it was insanely cringey and she needed some answers.

"What're you doing?" She sighed.

"Mega evolving!" Ash announced, his voice several decibels too high. "Go, mega Ash!"

"Arceus, you're so drunk," Misty muttered. "Will you survive for 15 minutes if I go take a quick shower?"

Ash lowered his arms and tried slinking towards Misty, eventually getting too close to the end of the bed and falling right over on his head.

"That's a resounding no," Misty squeaked, wincing at her husband's less than graceful tumble. "Ash, are you alright?"

Staying in the same position, he started laughing all over again. That told Misty he either wasn't hurt, or he was just too far gone to feel it. If she had to guess, it was the latter.

"Come on, get up," she breathed, clutching the stiff material of his dress shirt to try and help him back onto the bed. It worked, but took about all of the energy Misty had left right out of her. Rolling her eyes, she threw herself down on the bed and let out an exhausted huff.

It was when she landed next to him that Ash stopped laughing. Adopting a more curious look, Ash crawled over to her and gently shook her shoulder. Misty slowly turned her head, her eyes flickering with confusion. As soon as she looked at him, Ash let out a relieved sigh and slumped his shoulders. "Good, you're alive."

Misty blinked. "You…thought I wasn't?"

Ash made a bewildered noise and shrugged.

"Well, if I can't shower, the least you can let me do is get into pajamas," Misty sighed, pushing herself back up. "You should do the same. You're gonna need to sleep this off big time."

"-m fine," Ash slurred.

"I might've believed that if you didn't sound totally sloshed," Misty snickered. She just couldn't help herself. It was a little funny. She knew it wouldn't be in the morning, though, hence her insistence that Ash try and go to bed.

"Wait!" Ash cried, leading Misty to raise an eyebrow. It was the most coherent Ash had sounded all night.

"Yes?" She asked patiently.

Ash remained silent for a moment before eliding, "you're so pretty."

It wasn't as though Misty wasn't used to hearing that out of him, but for whatever reason, it brought a blush to her face. Probably because Ash was so out of whack at the moment that she was thrown off that he was even able to string that thought together. Before she could respond, Ash jumped at her, trying to kiss her but instead losing his balance and knocking her back down onto the bed. Misty grimaced, glancing down at her husband, who was now resting directly atop her chest.

"You and alcohol really do not mix, Ash Ketchum," she quipped.

He hiccupped before softly repeating, "you're so pretty."

Misty smirked and shook her head. She managed to wriggle out from beneath her incapacitated husband, leaving him lying there despondently as she sauntered towards the dresser. She pulled open a drawer and retrieved a black t-shirt and pants, tossing them towards Ash. They landed on top of his face, and he just stayed like that for a few long seconds before removing them.

"Put those on," Misty giggled. "It's bed time."

Misty quickly slipped out of her navy blue dress in favor of a pale blue tank top and white shorts. By the time she had changed and turned around, Ash was still lying on the bed, his own pajamas still crumpled up beside him.

"C'mon, Ash!" Misty groaned. "You're making my life really difficult here."

"-m not tired," Ash whined.

Misty dramatically rolled her eyes. Now she really felt like she was dealing with one of their kids. "Could you at least put your pajamas on and lie in bed, then?"

Ash pressed his lips into a thin line and stayed that way for a long moment. Misty narrowed her eyes, but just as she was about to snap at him, Ash replied with a simple, "yep."

He sat up robotically and tried removing his dress shirt without undoing the buttons. Misty watched him struggle for a bit, trying to shrug off the shirt and, eventually, biting at the collar to try and remove it that way.

"Okay, this is just sad," Misty sighed, walking over to Ash. She managed to undo all of his buttons and slide the shirt off, holding it away from him. "Can you get your pants off by yourself, or do you need help with that too?"

"Uuuuuh…no" Ash droned, continuing to do so as he managed to wiggle his way out of his pants.

"Great," Misty grumbled. "Now give me those so you can-"

Before Misty could finish, Ash tossed the pants at her, landing on her head and covering her face. Ash started to laugh wildly, while Misty grabbed the pants and yanked them off of her head, revealing a brilliantly red face.

"Guess, I'm already practising my parenting skills "