Hey! Sorry for the wait; you would not believe how long it took me to write this chapter. And updates are going to be sluggish from now on, because I no longer have any 'buffer' chapter's I've already completed. But don't think I'm forgetting this fic; heck no. I actually know what's happening, so there's no way I'm not finishing it. So, yeah, that's just a heads-up for all you folks out there. Now let's dive right into chapter... oh, man, I can't believe we're at ten already! But now let's actually read it, why don't we?
DISCLAIMER: Nothing has changed in the past few days. That's right, I still don't own Pokemon or the song "The Man Who Can't Be Moved". They still belong to Satoshi Tajiri and The Script. And, yes, Valley-Carp wanted to make a cameo, but I put my foot down. I can only deal with so much today. So read.
Wait, wait, wait! You can't read yet! I forgot to disclaim one other thing: Much as I'd love to, I'm not Stan Lee and therefore I don't own Iron Man. Ah, well, I can dream... 'Kay, now you can read! Ready, set, go.
Chapter Ten: Wednesday: Movies and Major Decisions
May and her mother sat together eating breakfast at the kitchen counter when the phone rang behind them. Neither of them really wanted to get up, so Caroline grabbed a spatula out of a nearby kitchen-utensil and used it to hit the TALK button. The screen flickered to life, displaying her husband and May's father, Norman. He'd been training out in Sinnoh, and was supposed to fly home on his Dodrio that day. He grinned at his family.
"Hey, guys, how's it going?" Norman greeted them. Then he looked a bit puzzled and said, "But, why are you two so far away? Is there something wrong with the camera?"
May shook her head. "No, Dad, we're just eating breakfast and didn't feel like getting up. So, what's up? Did you catch any new Pokemon?"
"Nah, not this time," Norman replied, shrugging. "So, what's new with you?"
Caroline grinned. "Well, I think May has some news-"
"No, I don't! I don't even like the news!" the younger brunette interrupted, blushing heavily. Norman looked confused.
"Oh, honey, don't be shy about it," Caroline continued, smirking evilly. "Norman, our little girl is growing up. She went on a date just yesterday! Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yeah that's gr-" Norman started, but then his brain remembered the word date. "She WHAT???? With who? Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Oh my God, my baby's growing up so fast! Wait until I get my hands on that punk!" He was half snorting in anger, half hyperventilating, neither of which seemed to be beneficial to his health.
May decided to try and calm her dad down. "Okay, Dad? Yeah, I kind of went on a date. Nothing serious, just a McDonald's. With Brendan Birch, who I've known, like, forever. And I would have told you, except this is the first time I've seen you this month!" She finished, then, as an afterthought, "Besides, Daddy, I thought you liked Brendan. You were kind of pushing for me to date him in the first place, remember?"
"Since when have I been trying to get you to date-" Norman started yelling, but then his brain caught up with him again. "Wait, Brendan, honey? That's… great! I mean, I still kind of wish he was a little younger, and if he does anything to you I'll have Slaking rip him limb from limb, but, seriously, sweetheart, that's… oh, God, I think I'm going to cry!" The Gym Leader sniffled a bit, then put on a happy face. "But, you can tell me more when I get home tomorrow morning!"
"Tomorrow morning?" Caroline interjected. "You said you'd be home by tonight!"
Norman shrugged. "Yeah, I know, dear, but Dodrio's gone through a lot during our training, and Nurse Joy said he isn't fit to fly until this evening, but I promise, we're getting up early tomorrow and we'll be home for breakfast!"
Caroline bit her lip. "You'll be okay?"
Her husband raised his eyebrows. "I've been 'okay' so far, why should that change?"
May smiled at her dad. "Okay, Daddy, see you tomorrow!"
"Bye, you two. Love you lots!" With that, the screen went blank.
Caroline smiled brightly at her daughter. "See, that went great, sweetie! Your father's okay with you growing up!"
May returned her smile, though weakly. "Yeah, I was expecting him to go straight to the limb-ripping, but, like I've said, he's kind of wanted this, since he and the Professor are best friends and all." She stretched, then picked up her plate and took it to the sink. She rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher, then turned to face her mother. "Okay, so I'm going to go get myself ready for the day, all right?"
"Sure thing, dear," the older woman replied, already immersed in her newspaper. May glanced at the headline, and was unsurprised to see that is was nothing good. Something about earthquakes leaving thousands homeless. She sighed. Like I needed more proof.
Waving to her mother, she traipsed up the stairs to her bedroom and dressed in her 'winter look'. Then she peered out her window. First, she checked the skies, which were cloud-free. Good. Then, she looked towards the house next door at a specific window. Though there were no lights on, she could make out what looked like a wig sitting on a desk. Therefore, Brendan's not awake, seeing as he never goes anywhere without his hat. It was true; Brendan rarely even took off his hat, he was that fond of it.
May glanced at her clock. It was a quarter past ten. She raised her eyebrows. Huh, Brendan's not really a sleeping-in guy- Her thoughts were interrupted when his door suddenly opened, light flowing into his room. Brendan hurried in, dressed but with wet hair. He grabbed his hat, glanced out the window, and noticed May. He grinned and waved at her, then ran out of his room again.
Okay, so he was in the shower, not being lazy, May reflected. She wondered, briefly, why that fact didn't spark a thousand dirty thoughts in her brain, but then dismissed it. Why should it? I'm not that kind of girl. She instead wondered whether he'd put his hat on his wet hair, and if so, whether he did that every day. Ew, mildew! I'll have to ask him about that… She nodded to herself, grabbed a scarf, and meandered downstairs.
She found the kitchen deserted; presumably, her mother was also getting ready for the day. She scribbled a quick note to her mom, saying that she'd be hanging out with Brendan at least until lunch, then grabbed her scarf and left the house.
May shivered as she stepped outside; the temperature had dropped quite a bit. Rubbing her hands together to increase circulation, she hurried over the frost-coated lawn to Brendan's house. As she speed-walked, May reflected sadly that normally there would be snow on her lawn, not frost. Reaching her friend's door, she jabbed at the doorbell, hoping Brendan wouldn't take too long coming to the door.
Luckily, she didn't have that long to wait. The tall boy opened the door and grinned when he saw May. "What, did you miss me that much?" he teased, adjusting his hat to what he clearly thought was a jaunty angle.
May rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself and let me in. It's freezing out here!"
Brendan looked confused. "I thought we were going to go outside today, look, no clouds!" He pointed at the clear blue heavens.
The brunette shook her head. "Yeah, so? That just means it'll be even colder." Brendan gave up and moved aside, allowing May into his home.
She was familiar with his house, seeing as they had been friends for practically all their lives. As usual, she yanked off her boots and placed them on the edge of the doormat. (This had been one of Mrs. Birch's rules ever since her son at age six had run through the house with mud-encrusted tennis shoes on. After that little incident, Brendan had developed a slight phobia of muddy clothing…) Brendan glanced at her feet and raised his eyebrows. "Nice socks."
"Huh?" May looked at her feet and understood. "Oh, yeah, these. Well, they're warm!" The socks in question were fuzzy and black with lime-green stripes, not really May's style.
Brendan shrugged. "Good point, but aren't you supposed to mock my choice in footwear?"
"Huh?" May repeated, looking at his feet. Then, "What? Where do you even FIND Grumpig slippers?" She couldn't help it, she started laughing.
Brendan grinned. "See, I'm funny!" He wiggled his toes, and May grinned back at him. He's so… easy to be around. It's refreshing.
Brendan straightened his hat to a more normal perch, then looked awkward. "Soooooo, um… what do you want to do, seeing as the great outdoors are a 'no'?"
May put her hands over her mouth in mock horror. "What, you mean you've forgotten what we always do whenever we're stuck inside?"
Brendan grinned. "Just checking. Movies and popcorn it is." He wandered off in the direction of the kitchen, then paused, pivoting on one slippered foot to look back at the brunette. This did not work perfectly, as Grumpig slippers do not offer much traction, so he wound up having to grab the door frame to regain his balance. May just chuckled. And he says I'm a klutz!
"Yes?" she queried.
"Uh, what movie are we watching?" Brendan asked, scratching the back of his neck. "And, please, not a chick flick, okay?"
May pouted. "Aw, you're no fun. But, anyways, I had Iron Man in mind, sound good?"
Brendan grinned. "Hm, is it good. Let's see. Um, YES!" He slipped off to get the popcorn. May hoped he wouldn't injure himself. That's another great thing; being able to agree on things. Hm, maybe… Lost in thought, May wandered into the Birch's living room, slotting the appropriate disc into the video player. In no time at all, Brendan was back with a giant bowl of popcorn, flicked off the lights (because it's weird watching movies with the lights on) and began the movie.
Though her friend didn't know it, May's thoughts were far from the adventures of Tony Stark. Instead, she spent the time trying to make up her mind about the boy seated next to her on the couch. He's one of my oldest friends, I don't want to mess that up, one part of her mind objected.
Yeah, but come on, you can totally tell he likes you, admit it, another part of her mind argued. May glanced next to her at Brendan, who was reaching into the popcorn bowl. His hand grazed hers, and he yanked it back.
"Uh, sorry," he muttered. It was difficult to tell by the light coming from the television, but May could all the same make out a blush on her friend's face. See? He likes you, but he's terrified you'll reject him.
But, oh, I don't know, I mean, I kind of like him, but, I've never had a boyfriend, and-
There's no law that says you have to marry the first guy you ever date. So what's holding you back, huh? You like him, he likes you. Simple, right? Unless, maybe there's someone else, maybe with green hair-
NO! May thought, horrified as an image of a certain rival of hers came to mind. No, there's no one else, no reason for me to say no. Okay, I-I'll see. Maybe I'll give this a try…
"Hey, May?" A hand entered her line of sight, and May looked over at Brendan, who seemed really concerned, concerned enough to pause his favorite movie in the whole wide world. Would he do that for someone else? "Are you… okay? You seem all zoned out and stuff, is something wrong?"
May shook her head slightly. "No, I'm okay. Just… thinking about stuff. But, please, go back to the movie, Brendan. This is one of my favorite parts."
He grinned at her. "I know, mine too! I mean, he's all 'yeah, let's start at ten percent, let's see if we can get off the ground', and then WHAM!" They laughed together, then laughed even more watching the actual scene. May smiled as she began to actually watch the movie. Yes, this is nice. This could work.
When the movie had ended, May rose, stretched, and flicked the lights back on. She followed Brendan into his kitchen and sat at the counter, watching him rinse out the popcorn bowl. There was silence, but it was a much more comfortable one than before. Brendan finally spoke.
"So, um, I noticed you're wearing a new bandana," he observed, speaking over the noise of the water as he scrubbed off the salt.
May had forgotten about the green bandana. "Oh, yeah, well, it was time for a new look, you know?"
"Yeah." Brendan paused, then asked hesitantly, "Is that the one I got you, by any chance?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Oh." He hesitated again. "Are you wearing it for me? Because you really don't have to, I mean, I know that red's really more your color, and-"
"No, no, I actually did want a change, Brendan," May interrupted. "Really."
"Oh."
They were quiet for a time. Brendan finished cleaning out the popcorn bowl and set it on the counter, then sat down next to May. Say something, May.
"Um, so, Brendan, can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure, anything." Brendan paused, then added, "Okay, maybe not anything, like Girl Stuff or whatever, but outside of that, yeah."
May rolled her eyes. "As if I would talk to you about stuff like that. But, anyways…" she trailed off, searching for the right words.
"Yes?"
May took a deep breath. "Um, Brendan, was yesterday… a date?"
She saw him stiffen. Oh no. Evidently struggling to keep his voice even, Brendan replied, "Why?"
May bit her lip, unsure what to do. She honestly had no clue what to say. They were silent for a time, but then:
"It was if you wanted it to be."
This was mumbled by Brendan to his pig Pokemon slippers. May straightened, turning to face him. "What?"
Brendan's eyes were fixed on his feet. "It was only a date if you wanted it to be. I'd never force you to do anything like that. You're my friend, I value our friendship more than…" And silence fell once more.
Finally, May spoke up. "Well, it's just that, I don't know. I-I don't want to ruin our friendship either, but… you seem to understand."
Brendan nodded. "But I don't want to push you, if you don't know-"
"Yeah, I know, that's what makes you… who you are." May hesitated, then added, "But, you see, I know I'm not sure, but m-maybe we could find out."
Brendan finally looked at her. "What, like a 'trial date'?"
May shook her head. "We've kind of already done that. No, like, something just a bit more… serious. But only if you-"
"I do want to."
May met his gaze and saw that he did, he truly did. And yet, something felt… well, never mind that. "Um, so what do you have in mind?"
Brendan looked blank. "Huh?"
She sighed. "If we went on a more 'serious' date, what would we do?"
"Oh. Um. Dinner? Somewhere nice?"
May nodded. "Yeah, sounds nice. When?"
Brendan raised his eyebrows. "Hey, why do I have to decide everything?"
May shrugged, smiling. "Well, seeing as you're the one who's asking me out, you're supposed to have the plan."
"Hmph. Fair point. How's Friday?"
"Mmm. I think it's good. Well, we'll find out soon enough."
Brendan suddenly looked apprehensive. "What do you mean, 'we'?"
May raised her eyebrows. "We're still hanging out today, and that includes you coming over for lunch."
"Wh-what?" Brendan stuttered, looking horrified. "I have to meet your mom?"
May lightly punched his arm. "Oh, please. You've known her since you've known me, chill. Besides, she already thinks we're dating."
"She does???"
"Yeah, and when Dad called this morning, she was all 'oh, honey, May went on her first date with a boy', and-"
"Oh my God, your dad thinks we're going out?!?! He's going to kill me!" Brendan hopped off his chair and made a mad dash for the nearest exit. Of course, he forgot his slippers, lost his balance, and fell.
May hurried over to him, trying not to slide around in her fuzzy socks. She held out a hand to help him up, concern showing in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Ow," Brendan mumbled, taking her hand and getting to his feet. "Is Norman going to rip me to pieces though?"
May shook her head, laughing. "Actually, he was planning on it until he heard it was you."
"Oh."
"Yeah, you're special that way. Unless, of course, you 'do something to me', in which case you automatically die." She then noticed he hadn't let go of her hand. Gently, she slipped her hand out. A look of disappointment crossed his face, but then she slipped her other hand into his. "Sorry, more comfortable this way. Now c'mon, I'm starved for lunch!"
Brendan smiled as together they left his house. May smiled too. She was happy. I want this.
Don't I?
I'm so glad it's over! I AGONIZED over this whole chapter. I had no clue what I was doing, and yet, reading back on it, I'm reasonably satisfied. And I hope you are too!
Okay, for all of you who are unfamiliar with all that is Iron Man, first let me give you my condolences, you have to see the movie before you die. Secondly, Iron Man and Tony Stark are the same person. It's kind of like Marvel's version of Batman, except, well, different of course! Tony is a playboy billionaire genius type of guy, he has a weapons company, gets kidnapped and almost dies. This near-death-experience makes him a better person, and he becomes Iron Man to help save the world.
Now, as to the scene I referenced, Stark's working on his flying shoes. He's doing all these tests, being methodical and stuff. So he decides he'll start at ten percent power and see if he can achieve liftoff. Heh. He kind of didn't know his own 'strength' and gets blasted into the ceiling. It's all around a great movie, no matter who you are (okay, if you're not allowed to watch PG-13, then it's not for you, but other than that...)
So now the plot thickens... some more. And now, once again, I request some reviews from y'all. Reviews equal me knowing how you feel. So g'head and do that, please.
See you,
CDE
P.S. This was dedicated to NotSoSlightlyCrazy, who correctly identified my references to 'Phineas and Ferb' last chapter. Bye for now.