Song- Look This Way, Baby
Characters-Maxie, Courtney
Interactions- Authorityshipping
Warnings-None
It's been quite a while since I updated.
I've been working on this one for months and it was pretty hard getting a feel for the song itself and what direction I wanted to take with it, so it was slow going for a long time. Add to that, I've been much busier with uni this year so far, and things more or less ground to a halt writing wise. But, I'm back!
After a large amount of turmoil, and with considerable effort invested, Team Magma had finally managed to reform.
The lives of most of the members of the group were improving as well. Peace had settled over Hoenn, and those (like Team Magma and Team Aqua) who had previously been separated from society were gradually finding themselves reintegrated into the community. She herself had managed to settle into a relationship, after what felt like a lifetime of pining.
Courtney was still frustrated.
Maxie, as ever, was oblivious. He'd remained oblivious to their attraction for months until they had finally gotten together, and now he was oblivious to her feelings once again.
It was clear that he wanted more out of their relationship. It was obvious in the way he clearly held himself back when they kissed, and in the proximity they allowed between the two of them whenever they were alone together.
Despite this, he seemed to go to great lengths to slow them down. He kept their kisses deliberately short and chaste, pulled away whenever she tried to get more affectionate, and stopped her hands from wandering whenever they embraced.
He spoke at great length of long, drawn out courtship and 'perfect' romance; of upholding Courtney's honour, and her dignity.
Courtney couldn't care less about her honour, or her dignity. She was a grown woman and she knew what she wanted. It was patronising of Maxie to act otherwise.
But he didn't seem willing to take the hint.
It was a situation that left her stuck. As much as she wanted him to pay more attention to her and to what she actually had to say instead of what he thought she felt, the fact remained that he was as dense as ever. As hopelessly, frustratingly dense as ever.
Eventually, the woman felt as though she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. The next time she was alone with her boyfriend, on the way back from one of their dates, she began an earnest attempt at seduction.
"Maxie." She sang, winding her arms around her lover. "Let's not part… Just yet."
"Oh?" Maxie asked, raising an eyebrow. "What would you have us do then?"
"Well, we could always spend some time together. In bed. Alone." Courtney suggested, looking down at the ground.
"Is that so? Tell me then, of the dark secrets within your heart. What do you want from me? Would you have me show you the deepest aspects of my own desires?" Maxie spoke, tilting Courtney's head up so that she looked him in the eyes.
"Uh… I." Courtney hesitated. Maxie's demeanour had taken a sudden about-face, and the way he looked at her now made her slightly nervous. She hadn't expected such an abrupt change, and wasn't sure how to react to it.
Maxie sighed deeply, closing his eyes and stepping backwards. "Alright then. Goodnight Courtney." He kissed her once before walking further into the base, leaving Courtney entirely confused.
"Wait… A minute." She sighed. She really wished he wouldn't jump to conclusions so much…
The next morning, Courtney was still in a bad mood. Maxie's density was getting beyond frustrating, and she had no idea what to do about it. Worse, she had managed to completely mess up her attempts to move things along. It was infuriating.
Courtney's sour mood caught the attention of the rest of the team, and the rumours of her apparent irritability reached Maxie's ears as well. It wasn't long before he was pulling her aside, no doubt trying to figure out the cause of her apparent distress.
"Did something happen?" He asked, cutting straight to the point. "You seem to be having… Some trouble with something."
"Yes," she answered. "You."
"I… Wasn't aware there were any issues with our relationship." He answered, looking more than a little surprised.
"Not like that." Courtney sighed. "Just… Take more responsibility."
"I didn't think you wanted to get married." Maxie replied almost instantly.
"Uh, well." Courtney almost chocked. This was proving impossible. "Not… Right now… Exactly."
Maxie stared at her for a moment before seeming to realise what she was driving at. "Is it perhaps… You feel I am not taking this relationship seriously enough? Because I can assure you, I am fully committed to this."
"Then act like it." She answered. "Stop… Pulling away from me without even asking about it. Stop speaking for me instead of listening to me."
"You always seem uncomfortable with more extended displays of affection, or any escalation thereof." Maxie explained. "I don't want to hurt you."
"I know. I'm not… Always. But I'd rather you talk to me. And we cannot just go from zero to a hundred. Just because I sometimes hesitate… Doesn't mean you should barely touch me." She tried to elaborate.
"I suppose not. Well, if you would rather we get just slightly more adventurous, a little at a time… I can oblige to that." Maxie finally agreed, and Courtney felt a weight lift off her shoulders. It seemed she was finally getting through to him.
"Regardless. We have work we should probably be doing. We've likely… Spent enough time away. It wouldn't do for anyone else to assume we were slacking off." Maxie continued.
"Of course." Courtney agreed, smiling a little. He could be such a dork sometimes.
…She wouldn't swap him for anything.
