Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter! This is one of the stories that I first came up with when it came to jotting down ideas for my Christmas themed uploads. Despite being pretty developed characters, I have never tackled one that is solely about the relationship between the father in law and son in law that is Ash, and Misty's father, Jordan! But this one is about exactly that. I hope you enjoy :3
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
I smiled and my eyes were filled with curiosity as I watched the yellow haired male working, transferring his little wooden creation between both of his hands before he set it on the table to study the work he had done on it thus far. I always found it fascinating to watch people make things and Jordan with his wooden crafts was no different. I was no good with those kinds of things! All fingers and thumbs, that's what I was. But I didn't mind it. It made me appreciate it more to watch other people doing it effortlessly and it made me enjoy it all the more with contentment in my heart.
In spite of the fact that I could hardly tear my eyes away from what Misty's father was doing as he rooted around for another screw to fit into the little wooden doll's house piece of furniture, something did eventually break my attention away from sitting on the kitchen table top and close to him.
Leaving murmuring sounds behind him on the other side of the door that for once I could not make out, the door swung open and in Ash strolled. With arms casually resting behind his head and cheeks looking a tad flushed from the Christmas festivities that were taking place in his family living room, he smiled to himself. Then, he smiled more when he saw he had his father in law for company!
Making conversation straight away, his smile faded away and in its place a fond eye roll took over as he addressed the murmuring noises from the women that he had left behind, as well as the laughter too.
"Women, huh?" Ash shook his head and his arms were no longer resting behind his head. Instead, his hand altered into a thumbs up shape and he gestured words the door. Even if I hadn't heard any words or phrases in particular, I had a feeling that Misty and Lynne were decorating the Christmas tree and not best pleased with my best friend's suggestions!
Jordan figured this out for himself and although he seemed absorbed in his work, he actually looked up rather immediately towards his son in law when he was addressed. Not letting a moment slip by, his yellow brow became an arch and lines appeared above the bridge of his nose. He shook his own head but for a different reason.
"You mean my wife and my daughter when you say that?" the yellow haired male retorted back and without having to change the level of his voice, he got his point across. Needless to say, it was the expression on his face as he peeled his eyes away from his creation that really let it be known.
Contrary to his often naïve self, Ash's hand quickly balled into a fist from gesturing towards the door and then widened eyes became the shapes of rainbows. He loitered behind his father in law, using his non-balled hand to wave haphazardly.
Jordan's brow continued to rise while the younger male let out loud titters.
"I mean… Yes." Ash started after his rather nervous laughter could be heard. The other male continued looking at him suspiciously but he did also drop his eyes back to the table and where all of his tools to construct his creation were residing. His son in law hurriedly added: "But I didn't mean it like that."
My best friend insisted and then he met my gaze as I sat close to Jordan, his trying-to-appear calm and casual expression switching to a remorseful look in case he had actually brushed Misty's father the wrong way. However, I sensed that it was light-hearted even if Jordan's expression was determined not to give that fact away! And so, I chuckled, much like Misty and Lynne were doing in the other room while mother and daughter decorated the Christmas tree together.
Ash didn't give Jordan the time to let out an 'mmm' sarcastic noise of agreement even though I suspected that that might come from the older male next. Instead, he quickly changed the subject, moving over to the kitchen sink but not pouring himself a glass of water.
"Whatcha makin'?" he questioned as airily as he could, his body leaning further back and his bottom resting against the kitchen cupboards that were below the sink. His hands rested on either side of him and slightly behind, on top of the counter surrounding the sink.
Jordan said nothing at first. He went back to what he was making without actually saying anything. Now that he had found the correct screw that he needed, he held both that and the wooden dolls house furniture in his hands.
As I looked over at Ash, I could see that a similar arched brow expression was beginning to take over his features as he believed that he was being ignored. But before he could open his mouth and let that belief of his be perfectly known, Jordan replied to his son-in-law.
"A chair." He informed the younger male in a tone that spoke volumes of the fact that he thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. Didn't Ash have eyes? All the same, he let a couple of seconds of silence pass before he added, in a bit more of a patient voice too. "A chair for a Christmas themed doll house. It's for Jorgie."
And if the yellow haired male didn't wince privately at the 'ooh' noise that escaped Ash's lips as he continued leaning up against the kitchen sink curiously and casually then he definitely did at the words that came next!
Inviting himself over to stand behind his father-in-law over again, Ash laid a flat palm on the top of my head and then he peered ever closer to Jordan. The dreaded question came out of him and it left the same feeling to Misty's father as when a toddler offered their assistance.
"Can I help?" Ash tried not to ask too eagerly but the lack of space that he gave the older male made it hard not to notice his hope. His hand lingered on my head as long as he stayed near Jordan, watching and waiting for an answer.
Part of me wondered if Misty's father was going to be silent all over again and keep that up for so long that Ash would eventually forget what he had asked entirely. Another part of me wondered if he would ignore him for so long that he would catch on to how little that he wanted his help!
But Jordan was not a mean man. Yes, he could be on the impatient side when it came to his youngest daughter's husband but the last thing he wanted was for people to actually feel bad about themselves. Especially when that person loved his offer of help being taken up.
So, I was stood correct in all of my assumptions. While it was true that Jordan did hesitate, he didn't do this for more than a few seconds at the most. Switching which hand contained the wooden hand-made chair and which hand contained the fingernail sized screw, he waited until he had done this and then he replied.
"Sure. Why not?" Jordan's tone came out in the same way as when he had told Ash what he was making. The first part, when his voice was a little bored. But, it hadn't been a no. it hadn't been a no at all and he was obviously welcome if he really wanted to be there. And needless to say, Ash definitely did.
His touch finally falling away from the top of my head, the raven haired male pulled out another chair from underneath the table which caused Jordan to outwardly wince at the horrendous squeaking noise that it let out. Ash seemed unfazed. He pushed the chair right next to his father in law and he plonked himself down in it.
Then, Ash's hand made its way back to me all over again and instead of just resting there on the top of my head, his fingers started to massage throw my yellow fur. Managing not to squeal as loudly as the chair but not being able to forgo smiling, my best friend made a fuss of me for a few moments but then his attention switched all over.
Seeing Jordan put the wooden doll's house chair back down on the human sized table and begin to attempt to line up the screw with a perfectly round and tiny hole that he had made in it, Ash could not wait for his role to be assigned to him.
"So what will I do?" asked Ash with a curved mouth, his hands not being able to keep still and so his elbows planted on the table and his chin sought refuge against his cupped hand.
It became apparent that that was going to be a regularly occurring thing when Jordan didn't say anything for another few seconds and instead he concentrated on getting the very small and thin screw into the hole of a similar size that he had made into the miniscule piece of wood.
Looking back in hindsight, I know now that he was buying time and thinking up things that Ash could actually do that wouldn't be a hindrance to him! Jordan had perhaps bitten off more than he could chew when he allowed his son in law to remain present, let alone when he was going to be helping him out.
Fortunately, Ash didn't start to drum his fingers on the table or raise a brow of his own at the momentary pause. Instead, light filled his eyes when Jordan finally got an idea and pushed a round tub of easily over a couple of hundred of pinkie finger nail sized screws.
"You'll find me the screw that exactly matches the one I have right here." Jordan told him and he had to pull his own screw back out from the wood to show his son-in-law. But I supposed that that was all part of his plan. It didn't seem to me that he studied the younger male all that much but he must've caught on to his mildly disappointed look because he added. "It's really important that you do so."
Ash's gaze turned to me and I saw his full lips puffing up even more as his disappointed look changed to a bit sceptical. It wouldn't have been the first time that Jordan had told him that what he was helping him with was ultra-important but it turned out now to be the case.
But then my best friend thought some more. What the heck, he mused to himself, it was Christmas. He should have more faith. He should have more merriment. He should get stuck into it.
Finally after looking away from me and peering at the minute screw that was between Jordan's strong and wide fingers, Ash nodded his head. Pressing his lips together, his father in law's wish was his command and he set to performing the task that had been asked of him.
I knew that I wasn't mistaken when I heard Jordan's sigh of relief. He had been successful in distracting my best friend so he could crack on with doing the important parts of creating. Although I shook my head and rolled my eyes for them both to see, I didn't say anything. They both didn't notice my actions either way.
Ash had tipped all of the well over one hundred screws onto the table much to Jordan's silent annoyance and had started searching through each and every one of them. Because I knew him so very well, I gathered that the more that he spied other kinds of screws, the more that he forgot what the original one actually looked at!
I knew that this was the case when I saw him peeking over at Jordan in between searching. But the yellow haired male had since wedged the screw back into the correct hole and he had tightened it up perfectly. There was no way of seeing it then. There was no way of going back at that point.
It was the raven haired male's turn to let out a bit of a sigh. That was the only thing that sounded for a couple of minutes apart from the metal rattling noises as Ash continued his treasure hunt for the correct screw and Jordan's heavier breathing sounds in concentration as he crafted. I used this time to have a think to myself.
The two of them weren't exactly engaging in the traditional type of Christmas festivities but there was still something cosy about what was happening. After all, the holiday season was where you had a touch more patience. It was the time where you offered your help to people even more. And it was the time that you spent even more time together. Even if it was your in-laws!
I tried to keep my mouth quirking upwards to myself but I didn't fully manage this. I think that my best friend had the dreaded in laws thing towards the yellow haired male rather than it being the other way around. Nevertheless, they did have some sort of fun moments. I believed that that was going to be one of them. Or it would go horribly wrong! And that in itself would be fun.
Feeling impressed when Ash continued rooting through all of the screws even though I could sense when his foot was itching to tap underneath the table, I watched him sorting through the same few. I knew that he was going to break the silence before his lips even parted. I knew that he was going to speak to Jordan again even before his fingers cupped his own chin a second time at that table.
"Why are you making Jorgie a doll's house?" Ash questioned and I couldn't stop my chuckles from filling the kitchen when Jordan had obviously grown carried away with his creating because he dropped one of the pencil eraser sized rubber caps that he was fitting at the bottom of the doll's chair legs! Immediately, he looked over at his son-in-law with quite a bit of disdain but luckily he didn't notice because he was too busy adding. "She's barely even two months old."
An exhale came through Jordan's nostrils. He waited until he had picked out the black tiny rubber cap from Ash's pile of screws with no assistance from him and put it properly on the doll's house chair leg that time before he answered. Jerking his head in a motion to push his curtain-like bangs from his eyes, he responded.
"A keepsake." He kept his reply short initially but then when Ash resumed sorting through all of the screws for him rather than the same few to simply appear busy, he added, that time using his actual hand to push his hair away from his face. "Okay, she might not fully appreciate it right now but she hopefully will in the upcoming years."
Ash nodded his head. Ash nodded his head but at first, he did not smile. Then because a thought dashed across his mind, the corners of his eyes did start to crease and his pressed together lips widened. He appeared to become much quicker at rooting through all the screws.
"Misty had a dolls house." He informed Jordan and the yellow haired male merely uttered a 'yup' in response but didn't seem too swayed by these words in spite of the fact that it had been he who made it for his daughter way back when she was younger. This caused Ash to add, or rather, this caused Ash to question. "Is it going to be similar to her one?"
A different kind of light filled my best friend's eyes. He tilted his head after he asked this. For the time being, he pulled his hands completely away from sorting through the pile of screws and kept them to himself rather than touching anything else.
Jordan's chest moved like he was sighing all over again but no sound came out. However, I don't believe that that time it was due to feeling all the more impatient with Ash's questions. That time it was something else, something different.
Whatever it was and whatever occupied his mind, it potentially caused him to answer a little quicker than previous times. Jordan's head swayed from side to side.
"Different. Definitely different." He replied and Ash believed that that was all he was going to be getting so he nodded his head. But Ash was wrong. More words came. That time, it was Jordan's turn to cup his chin with his fingers and the palm of his hands. "A lot more pink stuff! I don't know if that will be Jorgie's thing. It never was Misty's. But I can always change it for her as she grows."
Ash's smiled appeared all over again as another nod came. While Jordan didn't appear too reflective as his hand let go of his face and he resumed putting black minute rubber caps on the bottom of all four doll's house chair legs, the younger male showed that he was thinking and he showed it from his face.
He was never able to hide much at all. And he was definitely never to hide much when he was thinking of things of fondness. I know that part of him wished that he had been around to know his wife as a child even earlier in her life. Granted, he was lucky to cross paths with her at the age of ten which was pretty young.
But still, there was part of him that wished he had always been there. He knew that she felt rather alone at times. He kind of wished that he had been able to help her through that. Though he very much gathered that she probably would have dismissed his company! Maybe he simply offering would have been enough to deter her isolation as a child.
I hoped that Jordan wasn't thinking these kinds of things. While I believed it sweet that Ash was, I knew that if Misty's father thought too long of her loneliness as a child when he would realise that it was partially down to the choices that he made. I didn't want that for him. Not then. Not there. Not at Christmas. Not ever.
"You think that Jorgie and Misty will be pretty similar then?" It was Jordan's turn to question but my best friend didn't know what he was being spoken to from the way that his father-in-laws tone came out rather flat and unmoving.
However, he was soon shown that he was being engaged with from the way that the yellow haired male's eyebrow started to lift upwards when he got no response straight away and I looked over to him too. Once again, Ash's motions to sort through the screws sped up! A somewhat goofy smile decorated his features.
If I wasn't mistaken, his tanned cheeks took on the colour scheme of baby Jorgie's doll house.
"Maybe!" he bellowed in a bit of a similar way to which Jordan often did but of course, it caused the older male to raise his eyebrows furthermore. Ash was encouraged to put a finger to his own lips before he quietened down and tried again. But Ash being Ash, Jordan's expression didn't seem anymore pleased with the words that came next! "Better that than taking after her parents." He told him and then even he knew that he had to correct this upon feeling his father in law's stare. He tried not to sweat too much. "I mean her dad, of course!"
That wasn't exactly any better, was it? Jordan felt as strongly for James almost as much as he did for his wife, Lynne! The yellow haired male's continually knotted and watchful expression only proved this. And his words that came next did as well.
Completing yet another of his tasks of fitting all of the caps successfully on the legs of the doll's house chair, he looked over at Ash and he jutted his chin upwards just once. That gesture was very clear.
"You not done yet?" Jordan asked and whether he intended this or not, his words came out competitively. At first, my best friend's own brows drew together and causing me to inwardly chuckle, his hands then appeared to move very fast – as if someone had pressed the forward button on the television remote controlling the life of Ash Ketchum.
However, he had to be given credit for the fact that he was not always as dense as people believed. A few seconds into frantically looking through the screws to please his father in law, he caught on to the real reason why he had been asked to do this task. Or maybe he even caught on initially but wanted to see it through nonetheless.
"No." Ash tried to respond as curtly as Jordan would often speak to him and then showing that he was no idiot, he started to push all of the screws away from him. This spoke volumes long before he even added his next words. His arms crossing and resting behind his head, he puckered his lips. He tried not to whine but failed. "I'm not an idiot you know." Jordan raised an eyebrow to disagree after he was informed of this but maybe it was the whine that indeed escaped Ash's lips. He tried to correct it. He insisted. "Let me do something to actually help you. I know this was to keep me out of your hair!"
I was surprised when Jordan's often jolly expression brightened more. His dimples appeared on either side of his lips and then his smiled widened. He laughed! Whether it was him preparing to tell Ash that he would never let him properly help him or it was amusement had his words, I didn't know for certain.
But I started to have a clue from the way in which Jordan responded. He shook his head and that told me that it was both of these things. Nevertheless, before Ash could be told that there was nothing that he could do to help; he locked his eyes on his father in law, looking at him as seriously as he did towards an opponent across the battlefield.
"Let me do this. I want to do this for Jorgie too." Ash began and I started to feel a little bad for my best friend when Jordan continued chuckling and he had an expression on his face that could be read as 'never in a million years'. But this look of Jordan's was encouraged to die down and fade for good when the younger male added. "If you'll let me."
I supposed that there was a part of Ash that understood if his father in law didn't want his help. It was a gift from him towards the baby that he had waited for almost as much as her parents had and was someone that he felt so much protection towards. Maybe he wanted it to be only laced with his tender touch and only his love was conveyed through his careful craftsmanship.
Ash understood that. When Ash really thought about it, he understood. That was why the last part of his words slipped out. It wasn't him trying to get his own way. It wasn't him trying to win over Jordan. It was him understanding.
I knew that even Misty's father couldn't deny himself of this when he quietened down. His very white teeth sunk down into his lower lip for just a second. Then, he furrowed his brow. Although his reply was quick, it was compliant.
"Fine." Jordan began and he took a moment to reach his hand out to the pile of screws that Ash had tipped onto the table. Almost immediately he found one that matched his initial one. Perhaps he hadn't been entirely wily after all. My best friend rose a bit of an eyebrow when that one was rolled towards him. "You can help me with the screws. It's one of the final parts. Before the paint of course."
Ash listened, his eyebrow continually the shape of an arch with scepticism that he wouldn't actually ever be allowed to offer his help. It certainly seemed to be that way to him and he felt that he was right when Jordan took the screw out from being in front of his son in law all over again and took it for himself, pressing it into another of the holes.
With swift and skilful motions for having such large and occasionally clumsy hands, the yellow haired male used his fingers to screw it up. It was this that caused Ash to scowl. He didn't bother to stop his whining tones that time.
"I can help you, my ass! You're doing it yourself!" sulked Ash and though I couldn't be certain, I felt that Misty and Lynne from the other room – probably the Ketchum children in their various rooms, too – had most likely heard his outburst.
Despite me privately tittering to myself, Jordan was unfazed. I tried to convince myself it was because he was used to Ash rather than being used to his young son!
"I was showing you how to do it." replied Jordan prosaically and showing that his words were true, he unscrewed the screw from the hole all over again and rolled it back over to Ash. He even pushed the doll's house chair in his direction as well.
I had never seen my best friend recover from a scowling fit so quickly. His lips found each other but for a different reason than the previous times. He remained silent for a few seconds as his cheeks became decorated in a more intense version of the colour scheme of Jorgie's doll's house. But then Ash took the screw and the doll's chair in a hand each.
Because of his own outburst, he didn't dream of admitting to Jordan that he hadn't caught on to his demonstration. That moment was certainly not the best to be winging it but Ash did exactly that. It wasn't rocket science, he told himself. Just use your common sense.
The raven haired male pushed the tiny screw into the hole of a similar size and directly opposite to the one that Jordan had filled earlier. When he could sense his father in law not wincing in his peripheral vision, he continued pushing it into the hole. And then, he started screwing it up with his fingers.
Because I knew that he had never really done that sort of thing before but also it seemed understandable, I didn't think anything of it when Ash's fingers were far clumsier than Jordan's. Regardless of their similar size, he couldn't seem to grip it and flick it like the older male had done.
I was quite impressed when the yellow haired male managed not to sigh and make a comment. Instead, he picked up a dainty screwdriver from his tool pile and offered it out to his son in law, his other elbow resting on the table. He did then sigh as he spoke, though.
"You can use your fingers or you can use this." Jordan informed Ash to which the younger male didn't say anything. But he looked up and took the screwdriver before resuming honing his craft. The older male nodded his head – maybe in approval.
Both Jordan and I watched as Ash touched the tip of the screwdriver against the head of the screw before he made twisting motions with his hand. With one, single word; the yellow haired male informed him that he needed to do it clock-wise. Ash managed not to roll his eyes and take it personally. He was being guided. So he complied with Jordan's guidance.
Rather focused, I watched as my best friend did a bit of DIY on some woodwork that was smaller than he had ever done before and he swivelled the screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to tighten the tiny screw into the hole. Both of Jordan's elbows were pressed against the table at that point and both of his hands were cupping his face too.
Much to Ash's possible testing of patience; Jordan mumbled some more instructions while simply watching.
"You need to do it pretty firmly. But gently too. It's precise work." The younger male was told and the lines that decorated between Ash's brows indicated that he didn't have the slightest clue how to be both of those things at once! Still, he didn't verbally let on. And after a good ten seconds more or so of twisting with the screwdriver, the screw slotted nicely into the hole. Ash held his breath, waiting for something to go wrong or maybe waiting to be criticised. Instead, Jordan added in another mumble. "Nice."
My best friend's chest moved and I knew that he was exhaling in relief. In addition to this, his expression brightened considerably though he tried to hide it. The expression on his face composed to being even when Jordan took the doll's house chair off him to inspect and it started to decorate on my face when Ash shared a look with me and his hand reached back to my head.
I didn't hesitate to edge closer to him for the first time and loosely but affectionately all the same press my red cheek against his sleeve adorned arm. It was while I did this and possibly because I did this – or maybe it was the apprehension finally settling in as Jordan continued studiously looking at their creation – that Ash started to fill the silence.
It could have been words that he thought of earlier, though.
"I'm surprised that you're making a chair out of all things. I thought it would have been a boat or something." Ash began and while Jordan's sea green orbs had been locked onto the wooden creation, he looked over at his son in law when he heard his voice. His expression as always did all the talking! The younger male hurriedly clarified; his eyes crescent moon shapes. "I know that wouldn't fit in a house. But you do love the sea."
There was something rather child-like and innocent in the way that Ash concluded his words and there was a chance that it was this that caused Jordan's horizon shaped eye expression to disappear again. As well as this, he went back to studying the little wooden doll's house creation all over again.
I know that my best friend believed that his words were not going to be answered from the way that he patted my head nonchalantly some more. But he looked back over to Jordan from me when he did reply.
"That is true." He began in a thoughtful voice, not tearing his eyes away from the creation in his hold. It became apparent what he had been noticing when he reached for the tiniest square of sandpaper that you had ever seen and started rubbing down the sphere shaped tops on the back of the wooden chair to make them even more even. When Jordan's hands were occupied, more words than normal tumbled out from his parted lips. "I love everything about it. I especially like how it's ever changing. Ever consistent. The creatures in it often adapt." A momentary pause. Sandpaper scraped before words continued. "It's helped me do the same during my hardest moments."
Ash's eyes glossed over and they widened when he heard this. That was the most that he had been spoken to by Jordan that day when he hadn't been given instructions about what to do regarding the woodwork. As well as this, he did not expect those kinds of words to come out of him. They were obviously true and he clearly found them appropriate from the way that they had easily been dropped.
I guessed that it was true that Jordan felt it easy to talk the most when his hands were busy. After all, that was why he and Lynne had first felt a kinship with each other when he was a young lad working on the docks in Johto.
Ash had not been anticipating anything of the sort from his father in law and because of that, he did not know what to say. Jordan didn't appear to want to swallow his own words. He merely continued sanding down the spheres on the chair, concentrating to himself all the more. The younger male did not know what to say. He didn't want to say anything phony.
So although he answered simply, he answered truthfully too.
"I hadn't ever thought about that." Ash admitted and because Jordan didn't nod nor did he acknowledge that he had been replied back to at all, he felt inclined to add more words after a few more seconds. His fingers massaging the cheek of mine that wasn't pressed against my arm, he gave it another go. "To me it's just… the sea."
Jordan looked over at Ash that time. With a watchful eye, he studied him. Then, he shook his head. The younger male swallowed the tiny amount of dryness in his throat when he felt like he had come across as lame and uninterested. That of course wasn't the case. He just really hadn't expected his father in law to say that sort of thing.
But Jordan was a man of many things. He was a man full of surprises. And he proved this furthermore by replying pretty much immediately to Ash. Though his eyebrows lifted upwards on his face, his expression and his tone was not put off – or threatening.
"Well…" Jordan began and it prompted Ash to look back over at him. After the older male pushed his sunshine coloured looks out of his eyes, he pursed his lips together and added, still sandpapering though there was nearly not enough left to do this too. "Battling is pretty simple to some people, right? But surely you think about it differently."
Following a moment of consideration, my best friend's nose crinkled and the sides of his eyes creased. The last thing he thought was that battling was simply! I was inclined to agree. There seemed to be nothing simple about your heart racing and your palms sweating and your mind studying all the conditions and using them to your advantage.
But then again, Ash had believed the sea to be a place of simplicity and that was of course filled with its own complexities. The younger male continued considering. And then after he pulled me even closer, it was like the words tumbled effortlessly out of his mouth with me close to his side like it had been for Jordan when he was working.
"Weirdly I think it's one of the only times where my mind isn't racing." confessed Ash and while he tried to hide it, I could tell that this piqued Jordan's interest. The way that the miniscule piece of sandpaper fluttered out of his hold only proved this. But he played it off by reaching for another piece of the same size and simply listening. "I know that I have to think a lot and concentrate a lot and make sure I call out the correct things at the same time. But it's also when my mind is clearer than it ever is. Most of the time."
A moment of pause happened. While I smiled to myself, glad at the unasked for reassurance that Ash felt so passionately about battling side by side with me as I did with him, Jordan listened. And after he did this, he surprised us by replying promptly again.
But he surprised us most by smiling as he did so.
"That's like me with being in the sea. Swimming especially. When my head is under the water and my ears are filled with that eeriness, there is no breaking my focused un-focus!" Jordan told Ash and the younger male breathed out more than he smiled to show his fondness but he still did this as well.
I shouldn't have leaned back over fact that the yellow haired male's smile died down soon after Ash's became apparent. But I felt that his son in law was not offended. He was grateful for the little moment that they had had. There was nothing really to add. And so, showing his attentiveness towards his father in law whether the older male appreciated it or not, he switched the conversation back to the task at hand.
His hand finally left me and attempted to reach for the doll's house chair all over. After he had asked what they had to do next and Jordan explained it to him after a moment of pause – and it seemed simple enough – the yellow haired male allowed it to be up to the younger male. But under his watchful eye of course.
Ash must've been nervous at the flattery of his position helping his father out. But then he just focused on doing a good job of it. There were just two more screws to fit and they were tucked a little bit underneath the last two and at a slanted angle.
The raven haired male dropped the two screws into the slots and reached for the screwdriver all over again. However, before he could fully do it all by himself, Jordan and his guidance were right there. I witnessed it all at the same time that I moved from Misty's husband's side to Misty's father's.
"You're going to want to do it firmly but gently again." He advised and Ash managed not to roll his eyes. Getting rather confident – too confident – with his woodwork skills, he nodded his head but didn't take too much notice and touched the tip of the screwdriver against the head of the screw. Jordan noticed all of this and remained insistent. "Firmly but gently. Trust me. That's what you need to do."
Ash finally rolled his eyes then and he sighed too. Taking a chance, he very nearly mocked his father in law!
"Firmly and gently! Firmly and gently. It can only be one or the other." retorted Ash and before Jordan could snatch the tools away from him lest he ruined anything, and before he had a chance to add anything else, the younger male started screwing the screw into the hole. And as Jordan must've predicted, because Ash decided to just go at it gently, he didn't get anywhere at all!
He was forced to look at Jordan with a bead of sweat along his hairline when the screw kept moving against the hole but not actually going into it, merely spinning around.
It was the older of the two's turn to let out a breathy noise. He reached across and snatched the black and red screw driver off his son in law. All the same, it was not done unkindly. He would just have to make sure that he believed him next time and didn't choose one or the other.
Jordan demonstrated.
"It can handle some force. But not too much. You need to be careful. But not weak wristed." He taught him and it was all the years of experience that made him perform this sort of task so effortlessly. I remained impressed as I was close by him as he used a screwdriver for the first time that day in front of me rather than his fingers.
True to his guidance, he got the screw nicely into the hole and it twisted in well, drawing together a bit of a gap that in turn stablished the frame where the pink velvet miniature cushion would end up. Surprising me because of Ash's previous blunder, Jordan actually held the tool out to him all over again and the doll's house chair.
For maybe one more time, it was Ash's time. He didn't feel the twitching in his stomach though. He didn't feel any of this. He had been taught. He had been guided. He had rolled his eyes! But he listened. And it was his turn. If anyone was going to live up to his father in law's expectations then it was going to be him.
Regardless, showing a touch of inward oncoming nerves, he made a point of repeating to himself.
"Not weak wristed." Ash reminded himself and I sucked in my cheeks due to the fact that it was this of all things that Ash uttered. But I didn't have time to focus too heavily on that. He had begun twisting the screw driver all over again. He might have remembered to keep strong wrists and bring a bit of elbow grease into the situation but he forgot about something else.
This did not go unnoticed by Jordan. It was his turn to bellow. The yellow haired male did so as he instructed.
"Clockwise!" warned Jordan. And then because Ash didn't comply nearly as quickly as he would have liked and for a few seconds continued screwing in the wrong direction, Jordan decided that he could not be trusted after all. He did not snatch anything away from him. But his point became clear as he bellowed some more. "Let me show you again. You're doing it all wrong!"
Ash dropped the screwdriver. It was lucky that although it landed right on top of Jorgie's new doll's house chair, it didn't seem to dent it. But naturally, Ash's ego was dented. But more importantly, his heart was.
This was clear from the way that although he tried to allow his expression to be stroppy as he rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, he pushed everything away from him and his cheeks grew hot. And although Jordan had been previously bellowing, he actually quietened down a few seconds after Ash pushed everything away from him, even the few hundred screws that were not needed.
I chewed my lip. Jordan hadn't meant to come across that way. He hadn't meant to at all. He was guiding. That's what he believed he was doing – he was guiding. But in that moment, he realised that he had been a lot louder than he intended and a lot more unfair too.
But what was he going to do about it? That was the question. What was he going to do? I hoped that he wouldn't simply ignore it and not try to rectify it but I knew that that could also be the case. Out of regret, he could have stubbornly ignored it all.
I had to have more faith. I had to have more faith in Jordan. During the Christmas season. And every other day too.
The yellow haired male allowed his previous bellow to ring out for a few more moments. But then he looked down at everything that Ash had pushed towards him. He didn't look at Ash but he bit his own lip. Instead, he looked down at everything. He looked down at the human sized table. He looked down at the doll sized chair. He looked down at the tools. He looked down at the screws.
Forgoing a swallow, he allowed his voice to sound strong, but not so strong that it was another yell.
"Let me show you." Jordan made another go of it and before Ash's stubborn streak could take over at the embarrassment of it all, and he could tell his father in law to forget the whole thing, the older male reached for his hand so they could hold the screwdriver together. And before the younger male could protest, he started showing him. "One thing at a time."
And so Jordan guided Ash one step at a time. He showed him the right amount of pressure. He showed him the right twisting angle. He showed him the right screwing motion. The younger of the two had wide eyes at first as the older male's hand was on his and they were doing something together. But then he knew that he had to focus.
That time, it wasn't out of fear of doing it wrong and being yelled at! He wanted to treasure the moment of doing something with his father in law.
I watched with a smile and my heart thudding with happiness as a few moments later, all of the screws were in place. Although the two guys' hands stopped being so close and on top of one and other, during them working together they leaned closer together and so that remained.
They remained with their heads rather near as they inspected the creation. Jordan didn't breathe out that they had done work. But the way that he took his time in inspecting it and the light of the kitchen bounced off his eyes spoke volumes.
Maybe it was the silence that caused this. Maybe it was the relief that Jordan had quietened down. Or maybe it was the private joy for the moments that they shared. Whatever it was, it was Ash who broke the silence. I knew not to fear his words causing a change of mood! I had more belief than that at that point. And that made me smile even more.
"I've never done this kind of thing with my father." Ash let Jordan know and seeing as the older male was really focused on inspecting everything that they had done – and probably imagining the other touches that he would add – he took a minute to come back to reality and hear him, let alone reply to him.
Even so, that moment eventually did some. And when it did, I tilted my head when I saw his own puzzled expression. Jordan's lips pursed long before words of uncertainty tumbled out. But when they did, I realised that they were genuine.
It was his turn not to suspect a sweet moment of honesty.
"You mean… argue?" Jordan wondered and the way that his expression contorted and grew decorated with lines showed just how much that he was not messing around. He genuinely believed that this was what Ash was getting at!
Following a moment of his own bewilderment, Ash knew that Jordan was being equally as honest as he was. And it caused the younger male to cry out.
"No!" he replied a good few seconds before he shook his head. When Jordan's lips continued to purse but he eventually nodded his head, Ash knew that he had to be very frank. His fingers waggled as he was so. He forwent pushing any hair out of his eyes and shrugged instead. "I meant build stuff. It's a father and son kind of thing, wouldn't you say? And something I've never done."
A silence rung out. Nevertheless, it was not an unpleasant one. I almost got the inclination to hop off the table and leave them too it. This grew more and more as the two of them simply looked at one and other, their eyes not flickering. But I still didn't act on this feeling. I stayed put. And I was glad that I stayed put.
I watched as their eye contact at last started to grow more flickering and it was anyone's guess who was going to speak next. Maybe it would be Ash and it would be him adding more words to fill the silence. Or maybe it would be Jordan. After all, it was his turn to speak.
Yes, it was Jordan's turn to speak and because of this it was him who won the right to fill the quiet. And as he did this, he pushed his hair out of his eyes. His head swayed as he considered, thinking about what he wanted to say. That was rare for him. I appreciated that he did this. I appreciated it more so as time went on.
Rolling the doll's house chair between the fingers of his one hand, Jordan told Ash and he told him in a mundane voice that somehow said everything.
"I did a lot of things like this with my dad." He confessed and immediately, Ash nodded his head and his eyes steadied on Jordan. For a moment, I think that my best friend believed that that was all that was going to be said. I felt that there would be more to come. I was the one who was correct. But it didn't matter. At that moment, I was glad to be sitting between them both. "Trust me, it's isn't the mark of a good one. But you can help me again if you want. Whatever."
Whatever. Surprisingly, that wasn't the word that rung out. It was all of what Jordan said. Ash listened. Ash listened and then he thought and he pondered as Jordan stopped rolling Jorgie's doll house furniture piece in his hand and he planted it on the table below them both.
The yellow haired male placed it so it was the right way up. And even though he wouldn't be ready to properly sew it into the chair until after he had added a lick of varnish as well, Jordan reached for the fuchsia coloured sofa and intended to place it there to double check that it was the right fit.
It was as he held the berry coloured pad in between thumb and forefinger that he looked over at Ash in the process. His son in law hadn't said anything in response to his words. Though he had listened and was of course flattered by the casual invitation to do something like that with him again, it was another thing that made its way through his mind the most.
And because it journeyed along the twists of his brain, it could be seen on his face. He didn't say anything. But maybe Jordan caught on to what he was thinking. I knew whether Ash did or not – probably not – that the yellow haired male's next actions were a response to his son in law and his eyes telling him that he was a good father too.
Even though Jordan most definitely needed both hands to rest the fiddly bit of material onto the rest of the hand-crafted chair to see that it was a good fit, he still reached out his hand nonchalantly and rested it on Ash's shoulder while he placed the tiny seat cushion on there.
And yes, this made my best friend's eyes shine all the more. Far more than the Christmas tree that Misty and Lynne were decorating in the Ketchum living room. Far more than the varnish that Jordan would go on to add to Jorgie's furniture creation. In fact, more than anything.
Not that he ever told his father in law let alone on that day, that was one of his favourite Christmas memories on that year. And it would be one of his favourite memories beyond that as well. Every time he saw Jorgie playing with that little house, he was reminded of that time. Every time he entered the kitchen, he was reminded of that time.
And not that Jordan ever expressed it either, but he felt the same way. While he told it and thought about it differently, teasingly bragging to Misty that he had been patience with her husband even though he had been a nightmare, he still told it!
He obviously kept it dear as well. As much as I keep all of these stories dear. Not just during Christmas Time. But always. They are my light. They guide my way as much as they fill me with joy. I have enough happiness about them all to light up a thousand Christmas trees! And enough warmth in my heart to provide for a house. Jorgie's dollhouse too.
But that was kept cosy enough with memories of father and son in law.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 So yeah, while it's true that this was one of the first Christmassy ideas that I came up with, I also procrastinated doing it because I knew that I wanted Jordan to be doing some form of woodwork and that Ash would end up helping it. I know nothing about that sort of thing! But thankfully, the day before I got the urge to write it, I helped my dad with building some chairs so that made the description of it all easier rather than taking to Google! I made good memories, and Ash and Jordan do here too :) Thanks again for reading and I will be back again next Wednesday with more festive fics! See you then :P
Amy signing out!