Hey, everyone. So far spring's been pretty pleasant so far and I've been hoping to do a primarily spring or vaguely spring-focused One-Shot for a while. Along with that, I've been meaning to pick back up Brendan and Courtney's story after my last one, which I'm pleased got such a positive reception. All that has brought us here; think of this story as a bit of a prequel that eventually turns into a sequel to "By the Bonfire". This one isn't a lemon, but I'm hoping it's got enough fluff to make up for that (I've got more Brendan/Courtney lemony action planned for in the future). It'll include some headcanons and one slightly aged up MC and his family. Enjoy!
I do not own anything.
Fuel for the Body and Soul
Chapter 1
"What is a family dinner like?"
Maxie blinked three times before he realized that his most loyal subordinate had just asked him a rather…interesting sort of question. It wasn't one that he ever thought Courtney would ask, at least not until two months ago. Matter of fact, Maxie realized that exactly two months and four days ago today, a remarkable change had occurred in Courtney. In layman's terms, she'd gotten herself a boyfriend. Now, an ordinary person might not have seen what was so special about that, but Maxie knew that his purple-haired assistant was anything but ordinary.
Human relations didn't come easily to her, and when they did, they tended to involve some…complications.
While he silently contemplated what was happening, the woman in question sat in her seat patiently awaiting a response from him like she always did. On the surface anyway. Inside, she was growing ever more nervous. At some point, it would begin to show on her face and in her body, if it wasn't already. A tiny voice continuously told her that this was a bad idea, and not just her coming to meet her boss and father-figure, but this entire relationship thing. She silently backhanded that voice into silence. Her fingers curled against her knees as she began to lean forward, her eyes shimmering with a familiar determination.
Maxie took notice of her actions and quickly regained himself. "A-A-A family dinner, it can be…many things. There are a number of factors that can either make it an exhilarating experience or an absolute disaster." Declared the bespectacled man. At the very least he had some experience to fall back on, granted even he acknowledged that he might not have been the best to speak on such a topic. Pushing his glasses up, he fixed his daughter-figure with a small smile. "You're going to be meeting Brendan's family for dinner, aren't you?"
A hot blush quickly consumed the woman's face as she nodded her head. "I'm…I'm…I'm nervous, and scared." She whispered.
"Courtney," spoke the former eco-terrorist holding his left arm out. Seeing it, Courtney responded on sheer impulse, she reached out with her right and interlocked their fingers. Immediately, the anxiety that had begun to seize her began to loosen its grip, as if it were being burned away by Maxie's warmth. "That's entirely natural, feeling worried about meeting your boyfriend's family, that's normal." In a way, he was a little happy to hear of his surrogate daughter's unease. He was worried for her, but he was also happy since she was actually acknowledging her feelings; she was getting better at that. "While Professor Birch can be…quite an eccentric man, he is none the less a friendly one. He already gave you his blessings to date his son."
"I know that…and I'm grateful for it." There was a flicker of a smile on her face as she recalled the memory. The truth had been repeated in front of her, Professor Birch was indeed an eccentric man, so much so that Courtney genuinely wondered how such a man could have became the Hoenn Region's regional professor. Interestingly, she could see some similarities to Brendan, who in spite of his normal serious and collected demeanor, had his moments of eccentric behavior. She was forever grateful that the professor had accepted her as his son had, but he was only half of the equation. "His wife though, Mrs. Birch…I've never met her before, this will be my first time."
"Ah, so you'll be meeting Elian." Maxie remarked with an almost whimsical smile.
"You've met her before? You know her?" The flame in Courtney's eyes flickered bright, she laned forward with it burning bright.
"Three times." He responded. What he didn't say was that those three times had been just little over a decade ago; a lot had changed since then. For starters, she'd proven to be right in that tampering with the powers of ancient Pokémon had been a colossal bad idea. If they ever met in person, he knew she'd take the chance to rub it in his face. Maxie could only brace himself for when that day came; he had a hunch that it would be sometime in the next year or so. "Courtney, while I do know of Elian Birch, I don't believe I'm the best source of information about her. You have that source on speed dial I believe." He finished with a bit of a laugh.
The lilac-haired woman blushed at his words. "I-I-I…I'm still so…scared."
Maxie squeezed her hand. "That's fine, I'm sure that Brendan is a little scared too. He was certainly worried when he came to me for permission to date you." It was a memory that the redhead wasn't going to forget any time soon, it was always worth one hell of a chuckle. While Brendan Birch had been able to face him in battle without a hint of fear, when he came to him for permission in courting the woman he vowed as his daughter…well, even the Savior and Champion of Hoenn could still be reduced to a frightened Skitty. "When is the family dinner?" Maxie inquired.
"In five days, at his family's house. His mother will be cooking dinner for us." She responded with her gaze now focused on the desk separating them. This was another common habit of hers-looking everywhere but the person she was speaking to. It was a clear indicator that she was wrestling with her emotions and unsure about how to proceed.
"You'll be in for a treat then." Maxie replied with a thin smile.
Courtney nodded. "Brendan told me his mother is a food chemist, and a good cook."
"That she is, she practices what she studies." Replied the geologist with a warm smile. He could see the next question formulating in her mind and ready to exit through her mouth. "Yes, I've had her cooking before. My most recent experience was…years back, when I met the Birchs after our misguided attempt to rouse Groundon." A rather humorous chuckle echoed from the bespectacled scientist. "She spent almost the entire dinner chewing me out over my attempt to wake Groundon, and for getting her son involved in the whole mess."
The short-haired woman seemingly squirmed in her seat as her superior recounted the story. It was good for preparing herself for what was to come for her…yet listening to it, she couldn't help but feel scared. When she pictured it in her mind, her surrogate father was replaced by her…by quiet, odd, disconnected-but-connecting her. Courtney could literally see herself shirking underneath the gaze of her boyfriend's mother, who was apparently a fierier person than her husband was. She didn't say not like her son because she knew Brendan could have quite a fire in him; she'd seen it, she'd faced it.
"Um," she muttered lacing her fingers together in a nervous fit. "How…did it end?"
Again, Maxie gave her an assuring smile. "She specifically warmed me to never get her son involved in such affairs again, or else I wouldn't have to worry about being roasted to the bone by glaring sunlight. She'd get to me first and make me suffer pain so great it'd make me wish I'd jumped in lava." Though bleak as always, Maxie could see the genuine fear, if only a flicker of it, in Courtney's eyes. He wished her hands weren't underneath the table so he could reach out and hold them as he always did to reassure her. "After that, she served me desert and asked me how I was doing and if I was treating you and the rest of Team Magma alright, along with my Pokémon. Elian wanted to make sure I'd left my mentality of Pokémon as tools behind."
"You were…never quite as cold as you always seemed to be." His eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise at her statement. Years ago, Maxie never would have thought Courtney capable of doing such a thing. It was another testament to how she'd changed thanks to meeting Brendan Birch.
"I…suppose you may be right." Admitted the redhead. "Professor Birch said something along those same lines, pointing out that I could Mega Evolve my Camerupt, something that wouldn't be possible if I truly believed what I preached. Brendan said much the same, suppose such traits run in the family." He would have lied and said a sip of his coffee was the reason his smile grew brighter and warmer. "Courtney…do you…one day dream of becoming a part of such a family?"
A hot blush consumed scientific girl's face. "I-I-I…I respectfully refuse to answer that question." She declared. "That kind of question is…unlike you, sir."
"You're right, I suppose that I've changed more than I would like to admit." He chuckled, a free and humorous laugh that years ago she never would have expected to hear from him. She also wouldn't have expected to find such comfort in it. "Back to your original question, have I ever had a family dinner…I do believe that I might have told a small lie, Courtney. I have had meals with my birth family, though I haven't had one with them for quite some time. On the other hand, I've had meals with another family, and so too have you."
"I…have?" She whispered. "W-When?"
Crossing his arms, the former eco-terrorist leader leaned back in his seat with a lackadaisical smile on his face, one that Courtney might have at one point thought was uncharacteristic of him. She'd slowly begun to see it more and more and gotten used to it. "Courtney, do you remember the end of the first business week of Team Magma's…no, Magma Expansions and Integrations?" He remembered the headache that he'd had in renaming the organization he'd founded, though he was inwardly happy that he still had an organization and people to look after.
Courtney's candle-like eyes lit up as the flame in them had been lit. Of course she remembered, she'd never forget the celebration. It'd been…it'd been…amazing, simply amazing. Though she didn't show it, like everyone else, she was worried of what their fate would be, their being her coworkers and Leader Maxie's. Actually, in truth, a small part of her had been worried about her own future…she feared it not intersecting with Brendan's. She didn't know it at the time, but the thought of never seeing him again or talking to him filled her with dread. The fact that he'd fought so hard for her and the rest of Team Magma had filled her with confusion, awe, and eventually relief. It was thanks to Brendan they weren't all sitting in the darkest cells Hoenn had to offer.
Her fists tightened against her knees beneath the table as she bowed her head low. "I…could never forget it. It was one of the happiest days of my life." Hidden from Maxie's eyes, but still seen by him, was her smile. The warm tender smile that she wore when she not only registered the joy in her heard, but let it show. Courtney wasn't a person who did a lot of smiling, but that just meant when she did smile, it was more often than not all the better. Slowly, she rose to look him in the eye. "I'm happy that he came to the celebration."
A portion of that evening hung on the left side wall of Maxie's office. Him, Courtney, Tabitha, Blaise, Brendan, and the rest of the team. By all rights, all of them save for Brendan should have been in prison, but thanks to his efforts, they weren't. Not only were they out, albeit on extreme probation, but they had the chance to start over. Helping the urban expansion of Hoenn while at the same time minding Pokémon and aiding in conversation efforts. Balancing those two things weren't easy, especially for an organization that had put humanity's interests above those of Pokémon, but Maxie believed they could do, and so too did several others, including Brendan. It was only natural after the first successful week of "business" that he'd been invited to the celebration. Not inviting him wouldn't have stood with anyone, especially Courtney herself.
As she reflected on the memory, she took note of how Maxie's face continued to soften. Remembering his previous question, she felt her cheeks heat up.
Everyone had been laughing and smiling…including her, albeit Courtney felt she did more of the latter. She did laugh once or twice. "That evening…that was…a family dinner?"
"It was, or at least I consider it one." Responded the redheaded man with a fatherly smile. It was the truth. Though blunt and at times arrogant, Maxie cared for the people under him, seeing every member of his organization as not just a coworker, but in a sense as his children. He certainly saw Courtney that way, and the feeling was mutual. "I believe you once told me you felt the same way, didn't you?"
She nodded. "I did, and I still feel that way." The words seemed to release some piece of shrapnel that had been embedded in her. All across her body, the tension that had been building within her ebbed out; it was the fear and stress finally leaving her. It further showed in how she leaned back in her chair, waves of relaxation rolling across her. "I see," she muttered.
"I know that it may seem scary at first, but Brendan has accepted you, and knowing him, he'll ensure that's all that you need. And knowing Elian, she'll see that her son's set his eyes on you. Once that happens, there's little stopping him, and we both know attempts have been made." This time, the laugh was very much mutual as the two reminisced on all the times they'd attempted to stop Brendan for foiling their plans, only to be meant with failure. Then there were the times they'd tried to stop him from trying to lighten their punishments when the time for judgement came. Granted, in Maxie's case, he was hopefully that Brendan's word would do some good in saving Courtney from spending the rest of her life in a prison cell. It had, and so much more. "When the time comes, just be calm. This isn't a battle to be won or problem to be analyzed and solved, Courtney. This is simply about someone getting to know you, and you them."
"But, you know when it comes to that I'm…always nervous. I'm not the easiest person to get to know, or accept." The iliac-haired woman responded, a bit of the nervousness coming back.
"Perhaps, but just because something's difficult doesn't mean that people are just going to give up on it. I didn't give up on you, and Brendan certainly didn't."
"True." She admitted with a grateful smile, one directed at both him and her absentee boyfriend. After talking so much about Brendan, she felt eager to go out and meet him. She would as they had another date planned in about half an hour. The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. In fact, she held a small spark of optimism that was growing stronger and stronger. Perhaps it was burst into a great flame by the time she went to meet her boyfriend, and perhaps it would continue to burn when she went to go meet the Birchs. "Thank you, Maxie, for helping me get some things in order."
"Oh, I'm happy to help. Truth be told, I had a feeling we'd arrive at this point eventually."
"You did?"
"Courtney, when two people are dating, it's inevitable that one party will be introduced to another's parents provided they're still in the picture." Yes, he was in his late fifties, he was old, but there were some things that Maxie simply knew. In his view, they were common sense things, social common-sense things. "For all intents and purposes, I am your…parental figure; Brendan and I have had several talks where I gave him my blessing to your relationship." To say that afternoon had been surreal would have been a colossal understatement. Even as he talked, Maxie couldn't believe he was having this talk, and neither could Brendan, whose nerves seemed ready to explode. The first time he had the boy scared straight and he was in too confused a state to take advantage of it, talk about strange.
"I suppose that's true. Professor Birch has also…given his blessings so to speak, but I'm aware they can be revoked on his wife's word."
"They won't be." Maxie calmly responded. "Courtney, as…odd as you can be, I'm sure you'll be accepted. After that…well, it'll be up to you and Brendan, of which I have full confidence in both of you."
Yet again, the normally stoic woman smiled. It was a bright smile that shined like flickering flames. In an unexpected but welcome move, she rose from her seat and walked around the desk. Getting her drift, Maxie rose and wrapped his arms around the younger woman. It was the embrace of a parent and a child, the former having just put the latter's fears to ease so she could set off.
"Um, is her cooking really that good?" She questioned as she was about to walk out the door.
Chuckling, Maxie responded, "You've tasted some of Brendan's cooking, as have your Pokémon, right?"
"…Good point."
"Enjoy the dinner, Courtney, and if need be, try to keep Birch from tripping over his own two feet or setting fire to his lab."
By the end of the week, Maxie was expecting his surrogate daughter to be back in his office, ready to make a "report" on how things had gone. Hopefully Brendan would be with her as he would have liked to hear his input on how things went as well.
Three Days later, Littleroot Town…
"Your hometown is nice, especially at night."
Brendan gently rubbed the inside of her finger as they held hands. "It is, isn't it? I always liked staying out at night, especially to look up at the night sky. What do you think of them?"
Light purple eyes looked from the road to the clear night sky above the couple. The stars had always quietly fascinated her, even though she knew they were nothing but balls of gas and light thousands upon millions of miles away. They were inanimate, yet people looked to them and spoke of them as if they'd been placed there by Arceus himself. Maybe they had been. Either scientifically or spiritually, they drew wondering eyes and seemingly held them. When they weren't visible, some said it was a bad omen. When they could be seen, it was up to the individual to read them. Courtney wasn't one of those kinds of people, to her, stars had always been strangely fascinating to examine. On a clear night like tonight and in the presence of the boy who'd captivated her heart…they seemed to be so dazzling.
She inhaled through her nose then exhaled through her mouth. "I'm happy that they're so visible in your town, they're…beautiful. Just like the rest of your town." Almost two weeks after "Meteor-D" almost struck the Earth, she followed him back to Littleroot Town, her continued curiosity nearing its climax. He'd figured out he was following her about half-way through the trip, something he looked back on with a smile and Courtney with embarrassment.
Littleroot Town lived up to its title, it was small, having a population just little over a thousand, and dotted by healthy green trees which reached their peak greenness during the summer. That was still about two months away; Brendan would return in time for that, and so too would Courtney. It was a charming little town that still seemed to bustle, even at night when most folks had turned in for the night. That time was still a little ways off, the sun having only just set about an hour ago. The town's nightlife was in full swing, though neither Brendan nor Courtney had any intention of indulging in it. For the latter, she was heading into something that was likely going to be far more dangerous than anything or anyone she could meet on the streets.
Her boyfriend seemingly picked up on that. "Hey, Courtney?"
"I'm…still nervous, I think I will be until I meet your mother and the night is through." Giving his hand a squeeze, she looked back to him with determination sparking in her eyes. "But I'm not going to run away, especially not with you at my side, Brendan."
His ruby-red eyes practically glowed like hers as he leaned forward and pecked her on the check causing her to blush hot pink. She was the older one by almost ten years, yet more often than not he was the one who left her blushing. Given he was better at social interactions, it wasn't exactly surprising all things considered. As she normally did, she went silent and tightened her hold on his hand, not enough to hurt, but enough to let him know she appreciated his actions. He laughed as he'd gotten used to her many mannerisms. Even if she couldn't always communicate verbally, Courtney had other ways of getting her feelings across, big and small ways.
As he walked, everything in his neighborhood looked to be the same as it was during his last visit. There were a few people out who waved to him, Brendan waved back. Needless to say, his adventure at the start of his Pokémon journey had made him a celebrity to the world at large, and a hero to his hometown. Though everyone had known that he would have some grandiose adventures, what with being Professor Birch's son, very few were expecting those adventures to include saving the world and defeating the regional champion. Even fewer expected him to gain a girlfriend several years his senior, and being an instigator who'd forced him into the job of saving the world, twice. Life was strange like that, but it was a strangeness that Brendan welcomed.
He kind of had to as it ran in the family.
CRA-ASH!
"What the-!" He began, his ears ringing from the sound crashing nose followed by a very human scream. "Dad!"
Without a word, though her expression quite serious, Courtney ran with him to the Birch household. They shared a look, both having recognized the voice; within both there was an internal sigh as they neared their destination.
First off, there was Brendan's dad, the famed Professor Birch, lying on his backside with swirly eyes and a set of Tailows flying in circles over his head. Second, a giant mass of vines had burst up from the ground and guarding it was a goat-like Pokémon that the two trainers recognized to be a Gogoat. It looked…less than pleased.
"Go, tend to your father, I'll handle this." Courtney declared reaching into her purse for a Pokéball. She always traveled with a full team of six, her personal favorites her Camerupt and Ninetails being mainstays that she kept with her. For the slightly peeved Kalos-native goat in front of her, she knew she needed something a little more…discrete. As Brendan tended to his father, she released her Pokémon. "Claydol, Hypnosis."
"This one's a little tough, he's eaten some-"
"You fed him some berries you weren't supposed!" Roared a new feminine voice. Brendan and his father winced, clearing recognizing it. Courtney just blinked in surprise while serving her head to her far right to see where it'd came from. She found its epicenter, as well as the source of her unease for the last nearly two weeks. "Robert, I told you not to feed him those Sitrus Berries!" Boomed the matriarch of the Birch family.
In response to his wife's fury, the professor could only hold up his arms in meager defense. "E-Elian, I-I know, w-w-well, I did. I-It just happened to slip my mind, that's all!"
The brunette sighed, shaking her head at her husband's response. Her hair was a cinnamon brown that must have attracted a fair amount of attention, including from her husband; Courtney recalled Brendan telling her that his father always complimented his mother on her hair. Then there were her eyes. Ruby-red orbs looked down to regional professor in annoyance before softening as they moved to their son. The exchange was short-lived as they moved over to her causing the adult woman to tense up. "Um, hello." It was an awkward introduction on her part, but it was the best she could do at the moment.
"Hello, I take it you're Courtney, my son's boyfriend and one of Maxie's lieutenants who helped him come close to setting the whole damn world on fire?"
Both men of the Birch Family flinched like they'd just been slapped, Brendan in particular. He knew this was coming as when his mother was angry at people, she tended not to mince words. That was a difference between him and her, he would sometimes take the mocking or joking approach. With her? No such thing, she just got straight to the point of her ire.
Not that it bothered Courtney, who barely batted an eye at her words. Instead, she bowed her head, "Yes, ma'am. That would be me."
Brendan couldn't say he was surprised by his girlfriend's ability to…go with the flow. She was adaptability, which you wouldn't expect from someone who acted as robotically as her. One could have also looked at it another way-this was exactly what she'd bee expecting. Courtney knew, much like the rest of Team Magma, her actions were going to follow her for the rest of her life. She wasn't going to run from them, especially when she was trying to move forward with her life. This was one of those occasions she was going to stand strong in spite of what lay ahead of her.
Elian Birch saw that and it gave her reason to smile. "Ah, then come on in. I was about half-way through with preparing dinner." Her husband let out a nervous laugh knowing that he'd been the reason that preparation had been interrupted. She walked over and tapped him on the head then turned her attention to her son. A hug between mother and son followed, one that Courtney watched with slightly wide-eyes and a fast-beating heart. The hug was brief, lasting for half a minute at best, but Courtney could see the love expressed between parent and child. Once it ended, Elian Birch turned and looked at her. "Well, you're a little prettier in person than I thought you'd be, so I guess my Brendan must have inherited some of our charm!"
"Mom." Groaned the black-haired teen. "Come on, do you really have to do that?"
"I'm your mother, Brendan, embarrassing you, especially when you bring a pretty girl home is my job." Responded the brunette with a wink and a grin. "As for you, Robert, go inside with Brendan and pick up where I left off. Sato will help you until I get there, I'm going to stay here and calm Warren." Without a hint of worry, she walked over to the still confused Gogoat and affectionately stroked its head. Shooting Courtney a short nod, the Kalosian Pokémon was released from the grip of confusion. Rather than go on an immediate rampage, it stared into Elian's eyes, its rambunctious nature having seemingly been brought under control.
"Any hints on what's for dinner? Brendan called as he and the other two walked toward the house.
"You'll figure out it out at the dinner table!" She called.
Snickering, Brendan looked back to his girlfriend. The purple-haired girl was looking at the relatively simple house almost like it was a palace. He reached forward and took her hand, Courtney looked up to him and smiled.
"Courtney," Called the regional professor. He was happy that he'd looked back just in time to see his son supporting his girlfriend. It put a smile on his face and affirmed his earlier decision to give the couple his support. "You don't ever need to feel scared or worried about going into this house. Consider it another place you can call home! Especially with the food as you're about to find out!"
"You'll love it, dinner and dessert." Brendan added flashing her a wink.
Feeling heat rushing into her cheeks, Courtney nodded, her lips curving into a thin smile. "I'm looking forward to it. She already had been looking forward to dinner at the Birch household, along with quietly dreading it. Now, she was looking forward to it a lot more, practically giddy for it to start.
-o-
As Courtney expected, Elian Birch had her Pokémon helping her in her cooking. It was all-too-common, especially for those who went into the culinary profession. Granted, in the case of the red-eyed brunette, she'd actually chose to study food more so than cook it to be served, though she was just as good at that as she was studying it. According to Brendan and his father, she could have easily became a chef if she wanted to, but found studying the science of food and their nutrients more enjoyable than preparing it. At least for the general public, she apparently loved cooking for her family; case-in-point, she seemed much happier as she prepared dinner in the kitchen, occasionally humming to herself alongside her Pinsir. The scorpion-tailed Pokémon seemed to be enjoying itself helping her out as it had many, many times before according to Brendan. Speaking of which, he and his father were making sure that the Pokémon were tended to as well in the backyard. The Birch Family backward was quite expansive, nothing less of what Courtney would have expected from them. She also fully expected it to have a few ponds for the aquatic Pokémon the family kept, namely Brendan's Swampert. Upon release, the Water/Ground-type affectionately nuzzled not just its trainer and his father, but Courtney as well. It'd take a little while, but her boyfriend's starter had warmed up to her and always seemed to enjoy making a show of affection toward her, and at times even nudging her to be more affection to its trainer.
He also seemed to have taken a liking to her own prized Pokémon, her Ninetails. Upon release, the feminine fox took note of the different surroundings. Her focus zeroed in on Brendan, who stepped forward and gently stroked her snout while explaining the situation to her. She quickly took up for the rest of Courtney's Pokémon whom she released and ordered to be on their best behavior. As she did so, Professor Birch couldn't help but gush over her selection, it being the first time that she'd seen more of her Pokémon besides her Camerupt and Ninetails. In spite of having gotten a little more used to the man, she still felt it a little strange he would get so excited over a Vileplume, a Torkoal a recently caught Fletchinder and Fennekin. Then again, this was a man who was always eager to learn more.
Moments later and Courtney felt a stirring that caused her to look back. A Girafarig was approaching, psychically carrying several bowls of Pokémon food. After placing it down, the quadrupedal-legged Pokémon walked up and affectionately nuzzled Brendan's cheek. It came as a mild shock to her that the Girafrarig was a Shiny one, it's normally pink nose blue as well as the spines running down its back.
"Alright, I'm almost ready to you guys can hand on back in, and remember to wash your hands!" Elian shouted from inside the house.
"She's quite punctual about that." Professor Birch chuckled.
"Can you blame her? You told me that she had to keep on reminding you to wash your hands before eating, even back before you two started dating."
"Yeah, sometimes she even took to washing my hands herself." Remarked the bearded man with a whimsical smile. Brendan made a show of being faux-annoyed at his father's reminiscing. "Courtney, you go first."
Ultimately, she was the first one back at the dinner table, Brendan beside her with his parents due to seat across from them. Elian Birch was going to be sitting directly in front of her, something that had Courtney accepted without much compliment. She was going to face her boyfriend's mother directly. He would be right beside her, literally. Brendan reached over and took hold of her hand, giving her palm one last comforting squeeze.
His nose wrinkled and his face split into a smile. "Ah, one of my favorites!"
"Tonkatsu!" Shouted the short-haired woman beside him.
"Ah, sounds like someone else is a fan as well!" Elian exclaimed, her smile brightening at the small but very noticeable warm smile on the former eco-terrorist's face. Shooting her son a wink, she deduced that this wouldn't be her first time eating the fried dish. She quietly pondered if she'd had them before meeting her son or if he'd been the one to introduce her to them. Either way, Elian looked forward to getting some feedback on her favorite dish.
Courtney had first bite, all eyes of the Birch Family on her. Her eyes lit up like Christmas lights after taking the first bite of her first slap. A second bite followed, then a third, all dipped in the personalized mustard sauce that Elian had served with them. She watched it with an ever-growing smile. Brendan and his father laughed as she paused and looked around the table.
"It…tastes amazing, Mrs. Birch." Courtney finally spoke in her characteristic withdrawn voice, though she did so with a smile, and her words more upbeat than usual.
"Thank you! Now then, boys, dig in!" Shouted the brunette raising her fist to the air. Seconds after she'd spoken, the two did just that, happy grins on their faces. "Tell me, Courtney, have you ever eaten Tonkatsu? I'm assuming you have from the way you reacted."
She nodded, "With Brendan. He…cooked some himself after I was released from prison. It was the first home-cooked meal that I'd…had in years." The aforenamed boy paused in his eating to look at her with a blush. Surprisingly, Courtney giggled causing his blush to deepen. To the two parents, it was quite a cute little show. "He told me that he learned to cook from you." There was another brief fit of giggles. "He still has a little ways to go before he's at your level."
Brendan took the comment in strides, having long-since acknowledged it. Amongst all the Dex Holders he was friends with, his cooking ability ranked within the top five, but his friend from Sinnoh still had him beat. Odds were Lucas always would since he was looking to make cooking his chosen profession. The Sinnoh-native had asked him if he could arrange a meeting between him and his mother so he could learn from her.
"Naturally," Elian laughed. "He's still got another few years to go before he's on my level. Of course, that would mean he'd have to devote more time to the kitchen than to rocks and dirt. No offense."
"None taken, I'm ware that geology is something of a messy field of research, but it is one I take pride in, just as you take pride in your chosen field." Not a beat was missed in her response, nor was their any malice of condescension in Courtney's voice, nor was there in Elian's. "If I may be so bold, ma'am, what caused you to go into food studies?"
She recognized that tranquil yet quietly excited look on Elian's face. Brendan got that same look from time to time, when he wasn't grinning like a fool; when he was, he looked more like his father. "As with many things, it started with my childhood. As you surely know, I was born in Johto, on a berry farm a couple of miles outside of Ecruteak City. Once every mouth, my family would head into town to sell our latest crops, as they'd done for the last seventy-years. I was practically the first one to actually question what it was we were selling, as it question it in a scientific sense." There was a brief giggle echoed by Brendan and her husband. "My parents thought I was a little weird, but everything they learned to go with it. We always created such amazing berries and I was fascinated with them along with the plants the grew around our town and the rest of Johto, and how they could be made into food. From time to time, I would go out and buy ingredients, though not always to eat them but to study them, it got on my father's nerves from time to time since he thought I was wasting food. He was…kind of right as sometimes I would let the food rot just to see the chemical process play out."
Though she didn't exactly hold any strong views for food, Courtney could actually understand the sentiment. There was something inherently distasteful about intentionally letting food spoil, especially if it was good food. She seemed to remember that from time to time even Brendan would get a little peeved at it. All that said, she could understand wanting to see the scientific process of decay play out in real time.
That's what she chose to focus on in her response. "I can understand the latter part."
Her response was enough to get a small smile from the adult woman. "Yes, well, it's a habit I've tried to curb over the past couple of years. Even Robert gets on me about it from time to time. Anyways, I would sometimes keep track of the trainers who bought our products. For the record, I got called a stalker more than once…and hit on." It was hard to keep a straight face at how her son blushed and his girlfriend remained seemingly unaware of the comparison she was implying. Elian supposed if it flew over her head then there was no harm done, not to mention her son seemed more than happy to let it. "Anyways, I recorded the data that I saw, that becoming my passion which I realized I could make a career out of. That's how I ended up meeting this big, work-obsessed lug here." A cheery smile adorned the brunette's face as she reached over and pinched said husband's cheek. In spite of the slight pain, he laughed; Courtney had a feeling that he was used to this.
"Brendan often tells me that you have to go and collect your husband, sometimes so he can be reminded to eat dinner." She spoke.
"Oh, so true. I always admired his work ethic, even if it could get in the way of the relationship. But we learned to get past that, didn't we, darling?" The last bit was delivered with such sugary malice it would have been enough to send a pack of Ghost-types including a Dusknoir, fleeing for the hills. It certainly seemed to work on Professor Birch.
"Y-Y-Yes, we have, dear." Responded the bearded man with tears of pain forming in his eyes. Through those tears, he looked to Brendan and Courtney, a forced smile on his face. "K-Kids, if there's one surefire piece of advice I can give any of you, it's this-don't neglect each other! One another's presence is the best thing you'll ever have in your lives! Cherish each other and all the time you can spend together!"
"Maxie said something similar to that." The older of the pair remarked with a thoughtful expression.
"It was probably one of the few pieces of wisdom that old four-eyed know-it-all ever spat out." Elian mused releasing her husband's cheek. "Speaking of which, how's he doing? He's not causing any more trouble, is he?"
"No, he is retired from…any criminal enterprises, as is the rest of Team Magma, myself included." Courtney declared shaking her head. She could feel the mood in the room shift as Elian focused her attention entirely on her, most of the jovial cheer from her face replaced by an acute seriousness. Placing her knife and fork down, she once again bowed her head to the older woman. "Mrs. Birch, though I am…aware that my apology might mean little, I do mean it from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry for…trying to kill your son, multiple times."
There it was, the invisible barrier that Brendan and Courtney knew they would have to cross, and the unseen bomb waiting to go out off above their heads. In some ways, it was fitting that it had been Courtney herself that had detonated it. She'd been ready for the blast, as had Brendan once he realized what his girlfriend had done. They sat frozen still in their seats, ready for what was about to come next.
Elian's gaze was sharper than ever. Her husband sat beside her, his eyes somewhat lowered in worry as he braced for what was about to come next. "Multiple times…I was told that after Brendan stopped the newly awakened Groundon, which your group awoke, you tried to bring down a meteor to strike the Earth. The finer details of that mess I'm still in the dark about."
It was Brendan's turn to look away, nervousness eating away at him. He didn't like keeping secrets from his parents, even if he was ordered to by the Hoenn Region Pokémon Association and the regional government. The public was already on edge after the awakening of the Creator of the Earth, a crisis that had not just nearly destroyed Hoenn but the rest of the world. It took all he had to avert that crisis, and not even a full month later there was a six-mile-wide asteroid hurdling toward the planet; its impact would have been the end of all life on Earth. As far as the general public was aware, the crisis had been averted thanks to the actions of a brave few including one courageous trainer-him. While Team Magma was widely known for being the ones who woke up Groundon, instigator of the second crisis had been kept under wraps. Hell, as far as most people knew, the asteroid had been a freak accident of nature. Only a select handful knew the truth, the whole truth. His mother hadn't been one of them.
Now though, she was about to learn those details.
"I…even though the idea was taken advantage of by Zinnia, it was ultimately still me that nearly brought about Earth's destruction." Declared the former eco-terrorist. "It was my…lashing out in anger after Team Magma…after Maxie's defeat."
"From what Brendan and Robert have told me, he's the closest thing to a father that you have, correct?" Elian sniped.
Nodding her head, she sucked in a breath, using it to fortify herself for the confession that was to come next. She'd been bracing herself for it, and the moment of truth ahd arrived. "He is. In fact, I would go as far as to say he's…the first true father that I've ever had. My biological father and I were…never as close as I would have liked to admit. As for my biological mother, she…died not too long after I was born." She could feel Brendan's gaze on her, his worried gaze. There were only a handful of people who knew the truth of her familial history. Namely, her birth family hadn't exactly been much of a family in that sense, Team Magma had filled that void. "I suppose you could say that I was a…drifter, looking for purpose. I found that under Maxie's tutelage. I know what you must be thinking, that he took me and used me for his own purposes…but it wasn't like that. In him I found a father figure whom I placed on a pedestal, something that was…unwise. I believed whole-heartedly in Maxie's vision of a new world, so much so that when that vision was crushed…so too was I."
"Then why didn't you just come after Brendan? Why involve the rest of Hoenn?" Her voice cut like a razor.
Courtney stood strong as they cut into her. "I was…not in my right mind. In fact, I'm sure many would say that I was never in my right mind." It's likely a reason why my father chose to abandon me. He could see that I would never be…right in the head, not in the way he wished I was. She momentarily pondered. Shaking her head, she pushed out those dreadful thoughts knowing that they'd only bog her down. "Ever since I was born, I've always felt a sort of…disconnect from the rest of the world. Perhaps that's just how my autism has manifested; I give those who suffer from it a bad name, I know." Came her slightly shaky voice. Calling forth all her inner strength, she kept her head raised so she could continue to look directly into the eyes of the mother of the boy she loved, and whom she'd at one point wanted to kill no matter what. "When I met Maxie…I felt my first true connection to the world, or at least a part of it. His ideals…his ambitions, they meant everything to me. I would do anything to see them fulfilled-that was my life's purpose."
The Birch Family gave something of a collective unwanted shuffling, especially Brendan who sat beside her. He knew better than his parents what Courtney was speaking of, he'd been the one to challenge those notions. Brendan had never met anyone like her before, and she'd certainly made an impression on him just as he'd made an impression on her. From that meeting had came destruction and rebirth in a sense.
Getting past the former had been difficult for everyone. "I believed with all of my heart that nothing could stop Maxie and Team Magma's ambitions, but then…Brendan happened." It was actually refreshing to turn her head to her right to find her boyfriend looking back at her. He was giving her a small but encouraging smile. That gave her the extra boost she needed to get through the rest of her speech. "Your son was the…he was the most incredible trainer that I'd ever met. He fascinated me, all without meaning to. Brendan…he did what I thought was impossible, on several levels-he defeated Maxie and managed to not only stop Groundon, but even tame him."
"Our little Brendan managing to befriend the Ruby Giant, who'd have thought." Elian whispered while her husband laughed. "That part of the story I'd say that is unbelievable save for the fact that there's proof, including right up in your bedroom, Brendan."
While he nervously scratched the back of his head, Courtney chose to continue her tale. "Brendan…shattered all of my expectations, everything that I thought I'd known, he made me question them. Yet, at the same time…a part of me couldn't help but…but…" Her right hand rose to her chest, clenching at it as if she were in pain. Concern manifested on the faces of her boyfriend, his father, and even his mother. In a way though, she was grateful for the invisible but very real pain clawing at her. Its manifestation that the words she was attempting to speak were proof that she'd changed, that what she was feeling for Brendan was genuine. "For defeating Maxie and crushing his dreams…I hated him. It felt like the only link that I had to the world was gone…there just…nothing, nothing left for me but confusion and anger, all of which I directed at the world at large."
"With some…help from Zinnia." The savior of Hoenn whispered underneath his breath.
Looking to her boyfriend, the former Magma Admin shook her head. "Zinnia may have helped set things in motion, but it was ultimately my actions as well as those of Team Magma's that brought total destruction down upon Hoenn and the world. What I did was…particularly foolish. It was practically…a child's temper tantrum gone horribly one."
"Yes, one that my son had to clean up after, again." Elian drily remarked. She'd been readying herself to hear the full story, and having heard it she felt like she could use a drink, not of soda, but perhaps of a little liquor. The wine cabinet was just a short walk away, but she figured that could be save until later tonight. "So, in effect, you-a woman who wasn't always mentally sound-suffered what amounted to a psychotic break in which you attempted to destroy the Earth and every human and Pokémon on it in revenge for your shattered dreams, or rather, your father's shattered dreams." Her red eyes swerved to Brendan, who stood still and held her gaze. "And you, after all of that, stood up for this woman, Brendan?"
"Yep." He responded without batting an eye at his mother's gaze. "I…know how serious all of this is mom, really, I do, but…I knew Courtney wasn't an evil person. Horribly misguided and dangerous, yeah, pretty much."
"At least you're not denying that part." She noted.
"Who'd have thought that's what our boy would go for." Professor Birch added.
"Well, he is your son, Robert." Elian coyly remarked. "Flirting with danger is a trait he seems to have inherited from you."
"H-H-Hey, Elian!"
"Brendan." The Birch Family matriarch called silencing the previous conversation. Her focus was squarely on her son, who met her ruby-red gaze with his own. "Knowing all of that…you still want to pursue a relationship with this woman?"
"Yes, I do." He again responded without hesitation.
With his response, Elian turned to Courtney. "And what of you? Why should I trust son to be around you? If anything, I believe I have every right to keep him as far away from you as possible."
"You do, Mrs. Birch. I am…far, far from one would call a suitable girlfriend." Courtney responded. She too held Elian's gaze. "I am…I am damaged, I am an unstable, damaged woman who'd probably be better off locked away either in a cell or in a padded room. I would have been in either one if it weren't for your son."
"On the topic of that, I have to ask, that devotion that you gave to Maxie…has it been transferred to my son?" Elian's face was probably the darkest, and rightfully so. This question was one that came with multitude of implications, as would the answer.
Brendan and Robert already knew what the former criminal's answer would be. Seconds later it was vocalized.
"Yes, it has, but…I would like to say I've learned…moderation. Brendan would never ask me to do something so extreme if anything were to happen to him, though if anything were…I…I…"
"Courtney," Brendan gently warned.
"Let me follow that up with another question, Courtney." The silent maternal aura surrounding the brunette suddenly intensified as she stared hard at the autistic woman. "Would you allow anything to happen to my son?"
"No!" Emotion burst forth from within her, like a Sharpedo having caught the scent of blood. "I would sooner lay down my life before allowing any harm to come to him! Even though I have been responsible for much of the danger he faced on his journey, I've vowed to never let anything or anyone hurt him!" Only at the end of her speech was she faintly aware that she'd jumped to her feet, and slammed her hands against the table. Even after realizing that, she didn't move to sit back down, instead, she simply continued to stare intently at the brunette across from her.
Elian stared back at him with great intensity.
Brendan and Robert looked between each other and at the women they'd given their hearts to. To say they were nervous would have been like saying lava was hot. Neither of them knew exactly what to say, that was if there was anything to say at all. Something in their respective guts told them not to say anything at all, though that might have also included a lesson that thousands of men had learned in one way or another-don't get between a showdown involving two women. For Brendan though, that impulse was strong as his fingers curled into fists while his heart pounded from anxiety.
"Courtney Aetna," Declared the cinnamon-haired woman catching the attention of all at the dinner table. "You've done some questionable and awful things…and you haven't denied them. You've admitted to putting my son's life in danger…and you've declared your intention to protect him against anything and everything that could do his harm." The men blinked in surprise at the sudden tone shift, they knew it. As for Courtney, she simply continued to stare at her with the same intensity. Elian smiled at her in admiration. "That doesn't erase what you've done…but for me, that's enough to put my heart at ease."
Now Courtney blinked in surprise. "W-W-What?"
"I have a lot of standards for any girl who'd want to date my boy…but the number one standard, the most important one is that whoever that girl is, she'll fight for him." Reached forward, she took hold of the younger woman's hand. Courtney stared at it like it was starlight that had descended from the sky into her hand. Her hand was turned over allowing her to see the culinary scientist's fingers gently digging into her palm. "You're a fighter, Courtney, not always for the right things…but I can see that your heart is always in the fight, and whoever you fight for, you give you're all for them. That kind of woman is one that I'd feel comfortable letting date my Brendan."
The aforenamed boy moved like the wind. He caught his purple-haired girlfriend as she threatened to topple to the floor, the hold on her morphed into a half hug that she was too stunned to returned. She was clearly more than a little stunned by the approval she'd just been granted by the female Birch. As for the older male Birch, he pumped his fists into the air, mirroring his wife's earlier actions, then he wrapped his arms around and began praising her. Elian's face turned almost as red as her eyes as she affectionately patted her husband, she also locked eyes with her son, who seemed on the verge of tears while thanking her.
"Alright, alright," she called. "Now that that's settled…who wants seconds! And if you do, you better have room for dessert!"
So, that's part one of, "Introducing my Former Eco-Terrorist Girlfriend to My Parents", what do you all think? Originally, it was supposed to be just a One-shot, but as I wrote I decided I could break it up into two chapters, especially since I want to show Courtney learning how to cook. Yep, you read that right, the other center of this idea is Courtney taking a crack at learning how to cook, for Brendan of course. I tossed around what kind of jobs his mother could have (and what kind of persons she'd be). Deciding to make her a food scientist came about after I realized that in this line of stories, Brendan's studying to one day succeed his father and Courtney herself is a scientist so why not make the Birchs a full on scientific family. Mixing that with food and one arrives at the field of food chemistry.
The family talk isn't over yet, there's still dessert and what lies beyond it. Stay tuned for the next chapter, hopefully in a few weeks. Until then, stay safe and healthy, everyone!