#He's annoying but he will run and tattle and nag playfully at his younger siblings

[kelpiemomma]

That post about kayaking got me thinking about something. About Akari living in the Highlands with Ingo close to/during winter where snow is slowly starting to cover the area. About Akari being upset about something but she won't talk to Ingo about it. She insists that she's fine but as her dad, he knows better than that. If he can't help her by getting her to talk about it, then he can help by getting her mind off of it for a little while. By engaging in a snowball fight. She's fairly annoyed at first. Until one of their Pokemon throws one at Ingo in her defense. It quickly turns into chaos and they even manage to drag an unsuspecting Melli into it. Eventually the father daughter duo settle down by the fire to warm up and she's finally able to tell him about what's bothering her.

THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE THO???

Akari is so used to the adults just giving her things to do, putting yet ANOTHER responsibility on her shoulders, that while she doesn't expect Ingo to do the same she's like... "well obv i am an adult now and I must keep my problems To Myself" and Ingo is like "darling child, you are a baby" bc Akari is still... idk. 13-15? That melodramatic age all teenagers go through where they think they're alone made worse by people going "also do this or die :)"

And Ingo is so Irritated by it but he doesn't have the power to tell ANYONE putting all these things on her shoulders to knock that shit off, that she's a kid, because she was doing it all before she met hm and he has no "legal" control over her. He tries to put her at ease as best he can but he's unwilling to confide in him bc she's an Adult doing Adult Things and he can't change her mind to ask for help or express her frustration.

So winter hits and she's been spending time with him, Melli over to visit and bug them both (he'd never admit he's been a little lonely, that he sees the warden and his adopted daughter as something like his closest companions in the highlands), and one night a blizzard blows in and covers EVERYTHING nearby in snow. Traveling too far is impossible by foot, and her pokemon are so blasted tired that she can't bear to ask them to take her anywhere. The snow is deep enough that even lord wyrdeer and lady sneasler and lord braviary are like "darling child, fuck no" so Ingo takes Akari with him to clear out the worst of the snow just from where he lives. And Melli is bitching about the cold and Akari is pouting and frustrated and snaps at him that she has too much to do, too much to handle, she can't be WASTING TIME here...

And Ingo throws a snowball at her.

It catches Akari in the face, gentle, but catches her off guard. She's standing still, confused and angered about what just happened, and Ingo does it again. Because he has very few memories, but he DOES remember someone important to him spiraling, and that he needed to help distract them, and so he did something they'd never expect. So he does it to akari. And she starts yelling (not as loud as Ingo can get) and he just throws another snowball and says if she wants him to stop, shes going to have to make him.

And the snowball fight starts off angry on Akari's side because she's stressed and scared and frustrated, so she starts yelling at Ingo except Melli joins in and also throws a snowball at her. She has no choice but to throw snowballs back (the idea of goin back into Ingo's home never occured to her) and at first she's mad, but then Ingo makes a move to dodge one of her throws except he slips, goes pinwheeling into Melli, and they both land in a snowbank. Melli immediately gets up, complaining about being cold, and goes inside to warm up but Ingo and Akari stay out a little while longer until theyre just chasing each other through the snow and laughing. Akari manages to shove a handful of snow down the back of Ingo's tunic, and he retaliates by filling his hat full of snow and slamming it onto her head.

And when they go back inside, the fire already lit with Melli snoozing in front of it, Akari's eyes start to water and then dribble with tears. And as they dry off and change clothes, pulling blankets around them as they sit in front of the fire, she curls up into her dad's side and quietly, fighting back tears, tells him about how scared she is of what she's doing, how she knows she can't say no. Ingo holds her close and promises that if she wants to stop, he'll help her, and if she wants his help, it's always ready to be given. Whatever she needs, if he can provide it he will. And for the first time in what feels like forever she relaxes, takes a deep breath, and lets herself be helped.