Aftermath

The room was still and heavy with a silence neither of them was quite ready to break. The sheets were tangled around them, and the faint glow of the moon slipped through the curtains, casting soft patterns across Misty's flushed face. She lay sprawled on her back, her chest still rising and falling a little quicker than normal, her fiery red hair fanned out on the pillow.

Next to her, Ash was lying on his side, one hand tucked under his head as he stared at her. His hair was a complete mess, sticking out in all directions, and his face was still painted with that goofy, self-satisfied grin that Misty was trying not to laugh at.

"Well," Misty finally said, her voice dry but carrying a playful edge, "that was… interesting."

"'Interesting?'" Ash repeated, his grin faltering. He pushed himself up on one elbow, looking half-offended. "You're seriously calling it interesting?!"

Misty smirked, finally glancing at him. "What? It's a compliment!"

"It's not, and you know it!" Ash grumbled, flopping back onto the pillow with a dramatic sigh. "I thought I was doing great…"

Misty couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, and the sound made Ash glance at her out of the corner of his eye, pouting. "Relax, Ash," she said, propping herself up on one elbow and leaning closer to him. "I said it was interesting, not bad. Honestly…" Her cheeks turned pink, but she pressed on. "You weren't half bad. For a first-timer."

Ash perked up at that, the grin creeping back onto his face. "Yeah? You mean it?"

"Don't let it go to your head," Misty said quickly, flicking his forehead with her fingers. "You've still got a lot to learn."

Ash rolled his eyes but smiled. "Fine, fine. But at least I didn't elbow you or anything—wait, I didn't, did I?"

"No, no," Misty said, smirking. "You didn't elbow me. But…" She winced, sitting up slightly and pulling the sheet away from her neck. "What is this?" She tilted her head, revealing a red, splotchy mark just above her collarbone. "It looks like a Tentacool tried to suck the life out of me!"

Ash's face went red as a Charmeleon, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh… my bad?"

"'My bad'?!" Misty echoed, giving him a mock glare. "Ash, how am I supposed to hide this? You couldn't aim somewhere less obvious?"

"Hey, it's not like I planned it!" Ash shot back, though his grin was returning. "And besides, look at what you did!" He tugged the sheet down slightly, revealing a faint set of red marks across his shoulder.

Misty's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, did I—"

"Yeah, you did," Ash said, pointing over his shoulder to another set of nail marks running down his back. "You've got claws, Misty!"

Misty winced, leaning closer to inspect the marks. "I didn't mean to!" she said, biting her lip. "You should've told me!"

"What was I supposed to say?" Ash asked, grinning despite the faint wince he let out as he shifted. "'Hey, Misty, maybe don't dig your nails in so hard' in the middle of everything?"

Misty's face went beet red, and she lightly smacked his arm. "Ugh, stop! I already feel bad!"

Ash laughed, the sound warm and unbothered. "Relax, I'm kidding! It's not that bad

"Hey, at least you can hide yours with makeup or stuff like that!" Ash shot back, "What about me?!"

Misty's eyebrows arched as she inspected the faint red marks running down his back and shoulders. She smirked. "Who's gonna see you shirtless anyway?"

Ash blinked and then grinned sheepishly. "Valid point, though."

Misty rolled her eyes but couldn't fight her smile.

"Okay, fine. Maybe the hickey and the scratches are fair. But if anyone asks, we're telling them it was a wild Gyarados attack, got it?"

Ash snorted, lying back down beside her. "Deal. But only if you admit I wasn't totally hopeless."

Misty turned her head to look at him, her lips twitching as she tried to fight a smile. "Fine. You weren't totally hopeless."

Ash grinned triumphantly, and Misty shook her head. "But you're definitely gonna need some more practice," she added, her voice laced with challenge.

Ash's grin faltered, his cheeks heating up again. "P-Practice?! Already?!"

"Oh, relax, Ketchum," Misty said with a laugh, nudging him with her shoulder. "I didn't mean right this second. You're lucky I'm even considering a 'next time.'"

Ash raised an eyebrow, his confidence returning. "Oh, come on. You know you want to."

Misty turned to him, narrowing her eyes, but the smirk tugging at her lips betrayed her amusement. "You're impossible."

"And you love it," Ash shot back, his tone smug.

Misty rolled her eyes but smiled, pulling the sheet up over her shoulders as she settled back down. "Maybe I do. But if you even think about adding another hickey, you're sleeping on the couch."

"Noted," Ash said, grinning as he rested his arms behind his head. After a moment, he turned to her, his voice softer. "For real, though… you're okay, right?"

Misty's teasing smile softened, and she nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. A little sore, but… it was worth it."

Ash's grin widened, but then he glanced at her slyly. "You know, it's funny… I didn't realize 'Mom' was a part of your vocabulary tonight."

Misty's face turned crimson in an instant. "Ash! I told you, I wasn't thinking! I blurted it out because it hurt a bit—it was a natural reaction "

Ash snickered. "Natural reaction, huh? Guess I must've been doing something right to make you shout like that."

Misty groaned, covering her face again. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope," Ash said cheerfully, lacing his fingers behind his head. "You're stuck with me now."

Misty peeked at him from between her fingers, her cheeks still pink but her expression softening. "You're the only guy who's ever touched me like that, Ketchum."

Ash's grin faded into something softer as he reached for her hand again. "And you're the only girl I'd ever want to."

Misty smiled, squeezing his hand. "Then I guess I don't mind being stuck with you."

They lay there in comfortable silence, the teasing fading into something warm and familiar.