Good evening everyone! Didn't mean to take so long uploading my next one shot...I've been a little preoccupied trying to keep up with my New Year's resolutions! I've been doing pretty well so far, I'm excited to say.
But, here I am with the next installment! This is just a little fun one that I'd started writing after I finished the XY portion of my Pokémon rewatch.
Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old
Macarons for Misty
As soon as Ash opened the package that had just arrived at their house, he knew a monster was about to be created.
Serena had called him up a few days before to let him know she had shipped out a special surprise. Having known Serena long enough, and having gotten used to her gifts, Ash pretty much knew what was coming. After all, Serena frequently sent him and Misty her delicious homemade poke puffs to give to their Pokémon, and it was always a greatly appreciated gesture by both the trainers and their benefitting creatures.
This particular shipment, however, was a little different.
The poke puffs were there in their usual container, just as Ash had expected, but what he wasn't expecting was a smaller box nestled beside the Pokémon treats; pink in color and neatly wrapped up with a silky white bow. He pulled the box out and gave it a closer look before glancing around the kitchen. He was alone, and it didn't sound like anyone else was coming in. With a sneaky little smile, Ash untied the ribbon and pulled the lid off of the box, his eyes widening when he saw what was inside.
"What's that?"
Ash yelped and spun around, finding that his daughter had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was now standing behind him.
"Michelle!" Ash gasped, doubling over as he tried to regain his composure. "You move so quietly…"
"Thanks!" Michelle chirped, having taken it as a compliment. Pointing at the small box in her father's hands, she repeated, "what's that?"
"Oh, it's just something Serena sent," Ash replied.
"What's in it?"
"Nothing special," Ash nonchalantly answered, slipping the top back on and placing the box on the counter.
This answer, however, did not placate Michelle. Folding her arms, she demanded, "if it's not special, how come I can't know?"
"I didn't say you couldn't know!" Ash cried, holding his hands out in front of him. "I just didn't think you'd care."
Michelle's eyes widened. "Daddy, I always want to know what's inside of boxes! It's like a fun surprise! Besides, what if I think it's special?"
"I highly doubt that," Ash chuckled, shaking his head. "You're my little girl! I know what kind of things you like."
His little girl, however, didn't seem so impressed by such insistence, as evidenced by the unamused look that had taken over her young face.
"Daddy, I can't find my…ooh, what's that?"
Ash groaned inwardly as Aiden came running into the room, now standing beside his sister and pointing at the pink box.
"Serena sent it," Michelle helpfully informed him before their father could. "But Daddy says whatever's inside isn't special, so he won't show me."
Now it was time for Aiden to widen his eyes, which caused Ash to grimace. At first glance, his children might not have looked very much alike, but when they pulled nearly identical facial expressions like that, they suddenly seemed like copies of one another. And that only served to increase Ash's guilt.
"What?!" Aiden exclaimed. "It has to be good! Serena always sends the best stuff!"
"Yeah, but not this time…" Ash unsurely muttered.
Michelle unfurled her arms, her expression becoming more serious. "Daddy, I really love you, but I think you're lying."
"Yeah, and you and Mommy tell us all the time that lying is bad!" Aiden shouted.
Now Ash groaned outwardly. They'd caught him red handed. Granted, he was and always had been a terrible liar, so it wasn't a total shock that he'd been figured out by a pair of five-year-olds.
"Okay, fine," Ash sighed. No use in trying to hide it from them now. He picked the box back up and removed its top, kneeling down to show the twins. They both rushed forward, eager to see what was inside. As soon as they caught their first glimpse, the children instantly turned their gaze up onto their father, their eyes lighting up.
"Macarons!" Michelle squealed.
Indeed, the box was full of the tasty, colorful treats that Serena was very well known for, each one carefully crafted with precision and obvious attention to detail.
Aiden looked up from the treats and scowled at his father. "You were lying! These are super special!"
"I know, I'm sorry," Ash quickly apologized.
"You wanted them all to yourself, didn't you?" Michelle deadpanned.
"No! Of course not!" Ash refuted. He was actually telling the truth this time but didn't want to go into the whole story with the twins. He doubted they'd really understand it, or possibly even care, and judging by the looks on their faces, they didn't really believe him anyway. "Here, I'll make it up to you guys. I know we're not supposed to eat sweets this close to dinner, but I'll let you each have one macaron right now. How's that?"
Aiden and Michelle's expressions instantly softened, much to Ash's relief. It was clear that with that little provision, all was forgiven.
"Okay!" Both children cheered. They each reached into the box and took one: raspberry for Michelle and chocolate for Aiden.
"But don't tell Mommy, okay?" Ash warned them. "Not even that these macarons are in the house. Understood?"
"Yep!" They chirped.
"Ash?"
Panicking, Ash slammed the lid back on the box of macarons and, without a moment of hesitation, tossed it into the sink. Aiden and Michelle watched him in bewilderment, while Misty suddenly appeared in the doorway and glanced between her husband and children.
"What's going on in here…?" She asked hesitantly.
"Nothing!" Ash quickly cried, laughing (albeit nervously) for good measure.
"Okay," Misty quipped. She was sure Ash was hiding something, but she wasn't really in the mood to interrogate him at the moment. Besides, he'd crack sooner or later on his own; he always did.
Taking notice of the package on the counter, Misty strode deeper into the kitchen and leaned over to look into it. "Oh, Serena's poke puffs finally came!"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "You knew about these?"
"Yeah!" Misty giggled. "She was telling me she sent them a couple of days ago."
Now Ash appeared even more bewildered. "You talked to her?!"
Misty just stared at him before deadpanning, "yeah, we're friends."
"No, I know that," Ash groaned, throwing his head back. Trying to calm himself, he asked, "that's all she said she sent, right?"
"That's all she mentioned to me," Misty confirmed with a shrug of her shoulders. "Why? Did she send something else with them?"
"Nope!" Ash replied a bit too quickly. "I was just…asking."
Misty stared at him for a little while longer before repeating, "okay," and taking out the box of poke puffs. "Maybe we should give one to Pikachu and Vaporeon!"
"S-sure!" Ash stammered, nodding his head.
Glancing down at the twins, Misty noticed they were still gawking at Ash. Smirking, she asked the two, "Aiden, Michelle, would you like to be the ones to give Pikachu and Vaporeon their special treats?"
"Oh, yeah!" Aiden cheered, spinning around and throwing his arm up.
"I wanna!" Michelle agreed.
Misty opened up the box and pulled out two poke puffs: a sweet one for Pikachu and a citrus one for Vaporeon. She gave the twins one each and informed them that she had last seen the Pokémon playing in the living room, which got them running out.
Once Aiden and Michelle were gone, Misty giggled and placed the poke puff box on the counter. "It's always so nice of Serena to send these!"
"It is," Ash agreed, having relaxed to some extent.
She turned her head slightly and caught something out of the corner of her eye, arousing her interest. Misty took a small step to the side, so slight that Ash failed to notice it, and reached into the sink.
"Hey, what's this?"
Ash looked over at Misty, and immediately, a violent shiver went up his spine. "Wh-what's what?!"
"This," Misty stated plainly, giving the box a little shake. "I found it in the sink? Which is a very strange place for such a pretty, non-washable box…"
She pulled the top off, much to Ash's chagrin, and her face lit up just like the twins' before her. "Oh, macarons!"
Ash winced. "Yeah…Serena sent those too. Must've been a little surprise for us."
"How sweet!" Misty giggled. She plucked out a lemon one and threw it in her mouth, much to Ash's horror. Misty groaned blissfully and closed her eyes, muttering, "oh, this is so good."
"Okay, that's enough for now!"
Her eyes snapped back open as soon as Ash ripped the box out of her hands. "Hey!"
Ash hastily put the lid back on. "Sorry, Mist. But remember: no sweets before dinner! That's what you always say, right?"
Misty's eyes soon settled into a narrowed state. "No sweets for everyone, or just no sweets for me?"
"Well…"
"Ash!" Misty bit. "Are you seriously still on this?!"
"Yeah, I'm still on this!" Ash barked. "You remember what the doctor said, Mist. You've gotta cut back on the sweets."
"And I have been!" Misty cried defensively. "I don't think one little macaron is going to kill me or the baby."
"You're right, it won't," Ash agreed. "But you and I both know it never stops at just one." Misty opened her mouth to argue, but Ash was quick to cut her off. "And don't get mad at me for saying it! I know it's a cravings thing and you don't have total control over it. That's why I'm trying to help you."
"By tossing the macarons Serena worked so hard to make into the sink?" Misty droned.
"I was just trying to hide them from you," Ash defended himself, not caring how bad that alone sounded. "You came in here way too quick for me to try and put them in a more appropriate place!"
And Misty, despite the annoyance that was still lingering, couldn't help but to smirk. Partly because Ash was so cute, and partly because she was right and he had cracked on his own accord.
"Honestly, Ash, it's sweet that you're trying to protect me and the baby," Misty sighed, placing a hand on her belly. "But trust me, we're just fine! I've gotten a lot better at monitoring my sugar intake. I can promise you I won't eat that entire box of macarons in one sitting."
He shot her a warning look. "Mist…"
"Or at all!" She corrected herself. "I won't eat the whole box. I won't. Promise."
Ash huffed and placed the box on the counter; a much more suitable spot than in the sink. "Alright. I'll take your word for it."
Misty smiled and strode forward to give Ash a quick kiss. As soon as she pulled away, she took her cell phone out of her pocket and began to walk away, causing Ash's suspicion to peak.
"Who are you texting?" He called warily.
"No one," Misty assured him.
"Is it Serena?!"
"No!"
Ash pouted. So…maybe he didn't trust Misty quite as much as he'd said he did. But it was for her own good! Retrieving his own cell phone, Ash opened up his texts and began typing out his own string of messages to Serena.
Hey, I don't know if Misty texted you, but if she did, don't send her any more macarons! Even if she asks!
Not that we don't like them. We do! A lot! Which is the problem.
Especially for Misty!
I'm just worried that our baby is going to be born made out of sugar.
Serena either texted Misty before texting Ash back, or she just sent a message reading "?" to Ash like...five hours later. Whichever you think is funnier!
