A/N: Thank you very much for all your support so far, I'm really happy to see that so many people are reading this story. Here's the next one!

To Guest: Questions, questions, questions, so many questions :P I'm glad to hear you're excited, I hope you like this one, and thank you very much for your review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover (though I did edit it).

Leave Brocko Alone!

Chapter 2

Okay, that had been quite useless.

With a sigh, I put back the receiver and rubbed my forehead. Well, it was Ash, so I should have expected that he wouldn't be much of a help in the matters of romance. It was just that I was kind of running out of options.

He had tried, though, and I didn't doubt his good intentions. Only his stuttered and flustered advice of "Uh… J-just, just be yourself… I guess?" had not been really what I'd been hoping for.

But like I said, I was running out of options. I had first called Misty, since she happened to be my only female friend who was not prone to squealing and overreacting, like May and Dawn sometimes tended to do. Sadly, her dating experience was limited to Ash, and it quickly became clear that his actions and attempts weren't 'do's', but rather 'don't's.

May had, as expected, mostly squealed, especially in the beginning. Because apparently it was just that cute that I was finally, finally, finally going on a date with Lucy! Yes, that was exactly what she had said, only with a lot more exclamation marks.

Her advice had the same drawback as Misty's – her experience was limited to only her dates with Drew. And while being charming, confident, sweet, gentlemanly and bringing a rose for the lady were of course good things to do on a date, it still wasn't really the advice I was looking for.

I had almost called Drew. Back in Hoenn, on that faithful beach when I had finally swallowed my pride and had asked for advice, his help had been surprisingly, well, helpful. But despite everything, I barely knew the guy, and I wasn't sure if my pride could handle asking a fifteen years old boy for love advice, again. Plus, I reasoned, he probably didn't have anything to say that May hadn't told me yet.

Gary had been easier to call. I knew him better, and he had opened up to me during our rather eventful journey to Hoenn, so I felt more at ease to share my problem as well. And Gary had the rare talent of being able to turn everything in a joke, which could make some conversations upsetting and others much easier. In this case, I had found the lightheartedness a definite plus. And while I did feel more reassured – Lucy had wanted to go out on a date with me, she liked me for being me (even if that me had embarrassingly enough fainted after asking her out, but Mew, I wasn't going to mention that to Gary, in fact, I don't think I will ever mention it again. Ever.) so she would want me to be me – I still didn't feel prepared.

Because, fact was, I might have gotten a date with Lucy, but I still didn't have a clue what to do during said date.

And to be even more frank, despite my many attempts of trying to get a date, I had very little experience with actually going on dates, and now I was finding myself nervous and unprepared – and I didn't like being out of control at all.

Which was the reason I was busying myself with attempting to gather advice and information about dates. It just wasn't going as well as I had hoped.

I sighed, staring at the black screen, my equally morose reflection staring back. Perhaps I should call Drew after all... As if on cue, the screen lightened up again, and the loud "RING, RING, PHONE CALL, PHONE CALL!" filled the room.

And again, I barely managed to keep my balance as I half-fell of my chair- Mew, I needed to stop being so easily startled! Or perhaps I needed another ringtone… A glance at the screen telling me that it was an unknown number and I quickly pressed the accept call button.

"Uh, hello?" Purple filled the screen, and it took me a moment to recognize Iris's big mass of hair. "Hey!" She smiled in relief as she caught sight of me.

I stared at her, my confusion showing on my face, before my good manners took over and I gave her a warm smile. "Hey, Iris." While hopefully no longer obvious on my face, confusion was still a prominent emotion. While Iris and I hadn't necessarily gotten on badly – though there was still that incident with Iris asking if I was in love with her – I wouldn't go as far as calling us friends, and this phone call could definitely be considered strange. Hoping to gain more clarity, I asked, "How have you been?"

Iris blinked, as if not expecting this question. "I've… I'm fine, thanks." She paused, then asked, "And you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, too, just perfectly fine." Silence fell, and I smiled expectantly at her. She pressed her lips together, her eyes shifting, before nodding more to herself than to me.

"I need your advice," she said, her words measured, slow, but determined.

I stared at her, my smile diminishing until I held a serious expression to match hers, and I nodded.

"Well, look..." she faltered, her words suddenly coming out a lot more unsure. "I don't have many female friends, and..." My eyes widened. Oh no, she wasn't going to ask me for the talk, was she? That would be beyond awkward. Not even the 'Are you in love with me?' conversation would measure up in terms of awkwardness. She was fifteen, for Mew's sake, shouldn't she already know? And couldn't I just give her a book? Oh Arceus, why, why, why?!

"Well, I mean," Iris continued, pulling me out of my panicked thoughts. "You usually wear an apron, so…" She made a strange gesture with her hands. "So I guess you count, too, right?" She looked at me with a sheepish smile for a moment, before burying her face in her hands.

"Oh Arceus, I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm blabbering about," her muffled voice sounded, and when she looked up I wondered if her skin had always been this dark or if she was actually blushing. "Just… just forget-" She cut herself off and then shook her head. "No, wait, just give me a moment."

I, personally, was too flabbergasted by this strange turn of events to even say something, so I kept silent and waited on further explanation which would hopefully clear this up.

"Ah, anyway..." Iris attempted again, "Cilan and I..." Oh Arceus, I prayed, please let this not be about what I think it's going to be about. "We've been on a few dates..." Please, Mew, no... "And it's been really nice and all, Cilan is the perfect gentleman, always taking me to chic restaurants and paying and holding doors…"

I closed my eyes, sucking in a breath. This was indeed going to be about what I had been fervently praying it wasn't going to be about. Dammit.

"And you want to go further than that," I finished for her, deciding we might as well get it over with.

A look of utter relief appeared on Iris's face. "Yes, yes, exactly." She grinned, her expression relaxing and her shoulders sagging forward. "I'm… I'm really glad you understand it. Don't get me wrong, what we're doing is fun and all, but I'd like to try something more…"

I had always thought that Iris was more of a private, reserved person, blunt and to the point perhaps, but still someone who didn't open up easily to strangers. The fact that we were having this conversation about how Iris 'wanted to go further' and 'would like to try something more' was proving my earlier assessment very, very wrong.

"Ah, alright." I swallowed. I was an adult. I could have this conversation. This was an opportunity, make Iris think about this, she was still so young- And if she continued to… insist, well, I could at least… give her the advice to prevent ah, complications. Safety measures, and all.

"I think…" I started, awkwardly, then cleared my throat and continued more determinedly, "I think you should first give this some more thought. It is a very big step to take, and it will very probably change a lot in your relationship. Have you really considered if you, both of you, are ready for something like this?"

I was actually quite proud at how I had managed to get that out, but Iris's reaction did not align with what I had expected. Her eyes had narrowed, eyebrows squished together, her mouth half-open and her head cocked to the side. "Wha-?" She blinked, her expression straightening out again, though the odd look in her eyes remained. "Do you really think that it will have that much of an impact?"

Hadn't she really thought more about this? Had she just decided this on a whim, called me for advice and then would proceed to pull through with it? I mean, I knew teenagers were impulsive and bad at thinking about the long-term consequences, but I hadn't expected it to be this extreme!

"Well, yes, yes of course!" I looked at her intensely, and when I continued, I had to take a deep breath to keep the disbelief out of my voice – I needed her to listen to me, and making her feel stupid was not the way to it. "How long have you been thinking about this, Iris? How long have you been considering this?"

When Iris didn't respond, but instead just stared at me, a frown on her face and still that odd look in her eyes, as if she didn't quite understand why I was being so serious about this, a horrible thought occurred to me.

Cilan was older than Iris. Surely he hadn't been… I could barely imagine it, something heavy dropping in my stomach, but with Iris's behavior I had to consider it… Surely he hadn't been… pressuring her?

"Iris," I softened my voice, hoping that she didn't hear my anxiousness in it. "Iris, have you and Cilan… talked about this?"

She was still looking at me oddly, but finally answered, a hint of confusion in her voice, "Well, no. That's kinda the point, you know." She shrugged. "I thought it was nice as a surprise, but if you think I should talk about it with Cilan…"

This conversation was just too strange, and I couldn't keep up my façade any longer.

"You thought sex was 'nice as a surprise'?" I asked, my voice several pitches higher than usual.

"Wha-" Her jaw dropped, a definite blush coloring her cheeks, and her eyes widened almost comically. "What- what are- what are you talking about?"

"Uh," was my very intelligent response.

"S-s-sex?!" She had some difficulty getting the word out, but it seemed more borne from anger than anything else. "You thought- I wasn't- Cilan and I aren't- I wasn't talking about having sex!" Iris seemed to have regained control of her tongue again. "I was talking about our dates!"

I stared at her for several moments longer, realization slowly starting through trickle through before the dam broke and it hit me with full force. I almost ducked for cover, as if I could actually physically hide for this situation.

"Oh my Arceus…" Iris whispered, rubbing her face with one hand and staring at me in disbelief.

"I…" I finally managed to stutter out, and then gave in to the reflex of taking cover, hiding my flaming face in my hands. "Arceus… Oh, Arceus…"

This was horrible. This was absolutely a disaster. This was a terrible, incredibly stupid miscommunication, so horrifyingly embarrassing it wasn't even funny anymore-

Then, Iris giggled. It wasn't a nice giggle – it was a high-pitched, slightly hysterical and definitely not sane kind of giggle.

I pulled my face out of my hands, looking up in alarm. Another giggle escaped Iris, even though it seemed she was doing her best to hold them back, her hands in front of her mouth. "I'm- I'm sorry," she managed to get out, before letting out a laugh that sounded a lot more normal than her giggles. "I don't know- I'm sorry, I-" Another laugh, and she looked frustrated now. "How come that conversations with you always end up awkward and embarrassing?!"

Whether it was a rhetorical question or not, it was still a good one, with an answer that eluded me.

"I'm- I'm sorry," I finally managed to get out proper words again, and Iris seemed to have calmed down enough to accept my answers again. "I'm really sorry, I don't know-" As soon as I realized I couldn't explain how I had come to the conclusion that we were talking about sex, of all things, I cut myself off with a shake of my head. "Never mind. Just-" I cut myself off again, closing my eyes as I rubbed my forehead, before letting out a breath. "Let's just forget about this, okay?" I couldn't help the pleading tone in my voice. "What did you want help with, again?"

She stared at me, and for a moment she seemed to consider pushing the subject, her lips parting already, but fortunately for me – and her, because any continuation of this topic would surely fall into the category awkward – other words came out.

"Well… What I wanted to ask..." She paused, rephrasing her thoughts. "Cilan and I have gone on several dates. It's really great, it's… it's wonderful-" Another pause, but this time it seemed more because Iris got distracted than anything else. "But… I'd like to try something else."

I didn't respond, only cocked my head questioningly, and Iris correctly took this as her cue to explain further. "I mean, I really like it, but… our dates are always kind of the same." She made a helpless gesture and let out a long breath. "We go to a chic restaurant, and we have dinner, and Cilan is the perfect gentleman, and really, honestly, it's sweet and fun, but…" She grinned a bit sheepishly and shrugged. "I'd like to do something more exciting."

"And…" Iris continued after another moment of silence, the grin falling off her face. "I don't know how to tell Cilan without hurting his feelings…" She finished with another sigh, her shoulders sagging, and then looked at me expectantly.

I took a few moments of silence to consider the situation, but the solution already appeared quite clear to me. "Well… then don't." A frown appeared almost instantly, which almost caused me to smile at her confusion as I hurried to explain. "Don't tell him you don't like his dates, but take the initiative and organize a date yourself." Now I grinned. "And when everything is going well and you're both having fun, tell him that you like surprises and trying out new things once in a while – Cilan is no Ash, I think he'll be able to take the hint."

"It's…" Iris started, considering the idea but seeming hesitant. "Didn't you always say that communication is the key, or something like that?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted. "And you are going to tell him that you would like to try something else once in a while, that is why you set up the date in the first place." I nodded to myself. "Yes, you set up the date, and when you two have had fun, you tell him that you like trying new things on your dates and that that's why you organized this date."

Iris nodded, slowly, and I added, "Just don't forget to make clear to Cilan that you don't dislike the previous dates, otherwise he probably will be hurt."

"That's… That's actually not that bad an idea." It almost sounded like she had expected me to come up with a bad idea (but could I blame her, with how the first part of our conversation had gone?). Iris nodded, slowly. "Yes, I think… I think I'll give that a try. And if it doesn't work out, well, there's always just telling him, right?" She laughed a bit uncomfortably.

"There's always that," I conceded, smiling. However, while I was thinking that we were nearing the end of our conversation, Iris didn't appear done yet.

A look of contemplation had appeared on her face before she bluntly asked, "So what do I do?"

"What do you do?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yes." She nodded as if it was obvious. "What do I do for the date?"

"Well, uh..." That particular question had been, and still was, my problem as well. I supposed I could tell her the same things the others had told me, about being confident and charming and gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly, in this case), but I doubted it would help Iris any more than it had helped me – meaning, very little. "Do you have any ideas?" I asked, buying myself time. "What do you want to do?"

After all, that was what it was about, wasn't it? And who knows, if Iris had some good ideas, it might spark my own creativity as well.

"Hmm..." Now it was Iris's turn to scrunch up her face in thought. "Well, obviously, Cilan has to like it as well… I'd like to try something new..."

There was some silence as Iris considered her options, and I myself tried to think of some ideas as well, but my mind came up blank, just as it had been on this subject the past few hours.

"I know!" Iris's exclamation pulled me out of my thoughts. "Dancing!" She grinned at me, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, dancing, dancing lessons. It's old-fashioned enough for Cilan to count as a traditional date, but we could try the salsa or the tango or some other exciting dance."

"That… does sound good," I admitted after some moments of consideration. "Really good, in fact." I grinned encouragingly at her. "Have either of you danced before?"

Iris pulled a face, before shaking her head with a laugh. "No, no," she said, but after a moment of pause, she added, "Well, I sure haven't, at least. Cilan... I don't know. Maybe he has..." she trailed off, a doubting frown appearing on her face, but I was quick to straighten her up.

"It sounds like a great idea. And perhaps Cilan has danced before, but I bet he never tried something like the tango. He will be just as surprised as you, and I'm sure it'll be really fun." I smiled encouragingly.

Her frown lifted, and a satisfied smile took its place. "It does, doesn't it?" She nodded to herself, and her smile widened into a grateful one. "Thanks a lot, Brock."

"I'm glad I could help," I said with a smile. "I'm sure everything will work out."

She smiled, and after a moment of hesitation, she asked, "This stays between us, right?"

"Of course," I promised easily, and then winked. "Wouldn't want to ruin your surprise for Cilan, after all." And I really, really didn't want to have anyone else know about my stupid assumption-

"Thanks again, I'll see you around." I waved vaguely in response, and when Iris ended the call, I remained frozen in position for a moment, before my head dropped forward, hitting the table with a thump. And for good measure, I raised my head before letting it hit the table again.

So stupid! Stupid, idiotic, embarrassing, horrifying-

After taking several moments, which evolved into minutes, which evolved into even more minutes, indulging in a pity party (oh my Arceus, sex? Why had I thought we had been talking about sex?! Mew, how can I be so freaking stupid?!) and some moping (still no closer to a solution for my dating dilemma, sigh, what am I supposed to do now, this is going to be horrible-) I finally lifted my head from the table, blinking away spots in my vision.

I took a breath. Time to get back in the game. Iris had just called me, barely more than a stranger, for advice, so surely I had the guts to call yet another person, a friend, for help. Drew? Or… I considered Iris's words, and moments later I was scrolling through my contacts.

My finger hovered over the call button. I didn't doubt that Cilan would be willing to help me, but my pride was turning out to be one last obstacle. With some difficulty, I shook it off – I had helped Cilan, so there was no shame in my request for him to return the favor, and pressed the green button.

"Striaton City Gym and restaurant, how may I help you?" I momentarily frowned at the formal greeting, before realizing that the screen on his side was probably showing an unknown number. At the same time it also hit me that Cilan had two brothers who could have picked up the phone as well, but that concern was short-lived as almost simultaneously Cilan's face appeared on the screen.

A flash of surprise crossed his face, before being expertly hidden behind a genuine smile. "Brock, good afternoon! It is always a pleasure to see you, but I must say this call is an especially surprising delicacy."

"Thanks, Cilan, it's always nice to see you, too." Although his way of talking was sometimes a bit odd, I liked him well enough.

Cilan's smile gained an apologetic touch as he spoke his next words, "Do you have any particular reason to call? Because as much as I would like to chat, I'm afraid that at the moment-"

"Oh, no, don't worry," I quickly assured him. "I won't keep you long, because as you said, I do indeed have a particular reason to call."

Cilan nodded, and then moved to sit down in front of the video, instead of standing half-bent over, which must be especially uncomfortable for someone of his length.

"Well…" I started when Cilan was looking at me with a patient but expectant smile on his face. "I would like to hear your advice on a certain matter…"

Cilan nodded thoughtfully in response, and then, for what felt like the nth time today, I was repeating my speech about my date with Lucy but my lack of a concrete idea of what to do.

"You could take her out for dinner," Cilan offered after a moment of thought, an answer I had expected. He seemed to realize that it wasn't quite what I was looking for, because he quickly added, "Of course that is a quite standard idea, but I suppose you could give it your own twist, add your own spices to make the recipe yours, so to say."

Cilan sure did like his food metaphors, I thought with an inward smile. It was a good thing Iris was so blunt and knew how to put him in place, otherwise he would probably drive someone crazy, the poor sap.

Still, his words so far were the closest to hitting the mark of all the advices, or attempts at advice, I had heard today. "Yes," I said, nodding in relief, "that's indeed more what I was thinking about." I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. "I want… I want it to be special… I want it to be a first date she'll never forget, perfect for her…"

"Quite high expectations, if you don't mind me saying," Cilan said, and I thought there was perhaps a note of amusement in his voice. "It sounds…" He considered his words. "It sounds like you want it to be personal, right?" When I nodded in confirmation, he gave me a small smile. "What is personal for you, then? What do you like to do? What would you like to share with Lucy?"

That was… actually a really intelligent way of looking at it. "About everything related to Pokémon," I started, now talking more to myself than Cilan. "Lucy likes that, too. Being outside, travelling… but that's not really something you can do for a first date." I shook my head. "And a Pokémon battle… isn't all that romantic, either-"

"Now, now," Cilan interrupted, "Don't shoot down all your ideas right away. A Pokémon battle might be the perfect way to break the ice, and a walk to see the sights of Mother Nature might be very enjoyable as well."

I let out a breath, before nodding. Cilan's smile widened, and he pressed, "What else do you like?"

"Uh, I guess I like being inside as well, just cozy on the couch watching TV when the weather's bad. Cooking, of course. Movies, and board games are fun at times as well..."

"Any ideas coming to mind?"

The Pokémon battle and hiking Cilan mentioned sounded tempting, but I didn't want the date to be ruined because of bad weather, and there was always a chance of bad weather here in Kanto.

"A... movie?" I said hesitantly, before shaking my head. The cinema was too cliché, and there wasn't really a way to make a movie personal, except for starring in it or producing it yourself. And no, I was not going to watch my old home videos with Lucy. I wanted to make the date memorable, but not that kind of memorable.

Still… Home videos...

"We could watch a movie, here, at my house." Although I would need a way to get the younger ones out of my hair- but there was probably a way for Dad to help me with that.

Cilan smiled encouragingly. "There you go."

"And, and…" I nodded, the wheels in my head now apparently turning on full power and producing perfect ideas. "I'm going to cook for her, we'll have dinner, here, in my house, I just have to make sure the kids are out, and, and, after dinner, we'll watch a movie."

Yes, yes, this is it, this is exactly what I've been looking for. I nodded to myself, a grin forming on my face. "Yes, I'll cook, and Lucy can pick the movie, that's fair…" I beamed at Cilan.

"Wonderful." Cilan satisfaction was a bit more contained than mine, but he was still smiling. "That is a truly wonderful idea."

"It is, isn't it?" I grinned proudly, before humbling my demeanor. "Thank you very much, Cilan."

"It was my pleasure, I'm very glad I could help." He smiled, before his expression turned serious again. "Was there anything else I could help you with, or…?" he trailed off, and I got the hint that it was time for me to wrap up the conversation. He still had a restaurant and a Gym to run, after all.

And I couldn't help but use this last opportunity to meddle just a tiny little bit.

"Just one more thing," I quickly said. "Purely out of curiosity, really."

"Hm?"

"What do you and Iris usually do on your dates?" I did my best to keep my face straight, but there was a grin tugging at my lips as I saw how a blush started to color Cilan's pale skin.

"Ah, we haven't been on that many dates, yet..." He shifted a bit, and despite the blush, his facial expression was neutral enough.

"Yet, eh?" I wriggled my eyebrows suggestively. "Well, it's always fun to try something new, get out of your comfort zone and all. Dinners, and movies, sure get repetitive after a while." Thank Arceus I caught myself just in time and added the movies bit to prevent suspicion from Cilan.

"A-ah…" For the first time in this conversation, Cilan faltered – gotcha – though he quickly recovered. "So, you would suggest a change if a couple, say, only went out for dinner so far?"

That was obviously not a hypothetical question, but I would not call him out on it. "Well, of course dinner dates are perfectly fine," I assured him, "but like you pointed out, doing something personal or special or just trying something new, well, that could obviously be a lot of fun as well."

My smile changed to sympathetic. "And I think that Iris would definitely be up for trying something new. She's adventurous, I'm sure that she wouldn't mind spicing things up a bit." I mentally congratulated myself on my use of a food metaphor.

If Cilan was surprised at this piece of unasked advice, he hid it well. There was some relief in his smile, though. "I think you're right, thank you, Brock."

"No, thank you," I parroted, bobbing my head with a grin. An answer to my date dilemma and getting the opportunity to help Iris and Cilan, all in just one conversation – that definitely was reason enough for a grin.

We said our goodbyes, and still feeling the energy and determination that Cilan's words had invigorated, I immediately called Lucy. I knew myself, and I knew that if I didn't do it now, my rising nervousness would very probably cause me to procrastinate. Nervousness that I was already feeling now, I realized, wringing my hands together and Butterfree swarming in my stomach, as I waited for Lucy's beautiful face to appear on the screen.

Even though I was prepared for it, I still felt my words getting stuck in my throat as she beamed at me in greeting. "Hey beautiful," I recovered after a moment, rather smoothly if I do say so myself, though I felt my cheeks grow warm.

I was immediately rewarded with a shy smile and a blush. "Hi, Brock, how are you?"

"Especially wonderful right now, if I do say so myself." I winked, and the Butterfree increased their speed in my stomach. "How about you?"

Lucy giggled. "I'm doing well, thank you." After a moment's pause, she added. "I'm excited about our date…"

I beamed, the Butterfree going wild. "Me, too." I remembered Drew's words of not coming on too eager and desperate, but seeing Lucy grinning back at me, I easily dismissed his words. "I was thinking… If you are okay with it, of course, that maybe you could come over to my house, and I'll cook dinner, and if you bring a movie, we can watch that afterwards..."

Lucy's smile had widened as I spoke, effectively quelling my doubts, but I still grinned in relief when she nodded. "Yes, that sounds wonderful!"

We decided on a day and time, and after some blushing and shy smiles – admittedly from my side as well, because come on, cut me some slack, this was the first time I had gotten a real date – we said our goodbyes.

And I was going to make it sure this date would be perfect.

Wiping my hands on the legs of my pants, I forced myself to take a deep breath. Be calm, be cool. Mentally I went through my checklist for the nth time. Spaghetti was in the pan, cooking and almost done. Red sauce nicely bubbling and smelling great. Meat looked good as well, the little meatballs happily baking brown. The table was decked for two, and after some more thought I discarded the single candle anyway. A candle would be romantic, yes, but perhaps overly so.

Last but definitely, definitely not least, I quickly stalked through the house, checking if there weren't any loose toys around and if the siblings were really, truly gone.

I rubbed my face in an attempt to calm myself down. Of course they were gone, I had personally seen them off. Dad was taking them to a cheap fast-food dinner restaurant, and he had promised that if they were done too soon, he'd keep them busy by bringing them to a playground or something.

I doubted if Dad would actually go to a playground in the evening, but it was a nice gesture. Dad's reaction had been a bit odd when I had asked him to take the kids out for an evening – strangely mentioning something about me now owing him one, or something, but I had agreed too quickly to give it much thought. Besides, I knew it had been a strange request, as I hadn't actually told Dad I had a date, but had went with the excuse that a friend was coming over and I just wanted a kids-free evening. I had never done that before, my other friends were never bothered (much) by my siblings, so I guessed that could explain Dad's reaction.

But anyway, what counted was that Dad was making sure I had a relatively kids-free evening. I knew it would be relative, because they still had a bedtime, but hopefully by the time they came home I would be up in my room with Lucy, cozily watching a movie.

The doorbell rang and I almost jumped out of my skin. Oh Arceus, oh Arceus, she was here, she really was, it was happening, my first date with Lucy- Breathe, Brocko, breathe. I forced myself to slowly and calmly walk to the door, instead of running like my feet wanted to do, and the result was an awkward stride to the door. Fortunately she couldn't see me yet.

Keep your desperation in check, be charming and confident and gentlemanly and-

"Hi."

"Hey, Brock."

She was smiling so beautifully, more beautifully than a screen of a videophone could ever convey, clutching a bag to her chest which had a typical rectangular shape that hinted at the contents. She looked excited. That was good, right? Yes, yes, that was good. She kept staring at me. That was good, too, right? A little bit unnerving, but if she wanted to stare at me I wasn't going to stop her-

"Uh, can I come in?" she asked timidly, and I immediately wanted to bang my head against the door frame. Fortunately I had at least the sense to do something more useful, as I, flustered and apologizing profusely, stepped aside. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Not a good way to start the date. Calm and cool and collected and confident and not, not desperate, so staring at her like an idiot is not the way to go!

"Thanks," she said as she flitted past me, not seeming to notice my strange behavior. I closed the door behind me and scored some gentleman points by taking her light jacket. I showed her to the kitchen and pulled her chair back, a gesture she accepted with a rather surprised but genuine smile and a thanks. Maybe I should've kept that candle on the table anyway, it seemed to fit the atmosphere now.

"Spaghetti, I hope you like it?" As I asked the question, I realized with horror how completely wrong this could go, what if she was allergic of what if she hated spaghetti? What if she was a vegetarian? Or what if it had been horribly burnt or I had accidentally used expired products or the meat wasn't done yet and I ended up poisoning her and-

"Yes, that sounds wonderful, I love spaghetti."

Right. Relax. Breathe. It didn't seem to do much good. My hands were trembling as I took the pan to put the spaghetti in the colander, and I almost dropped the lid in my attempt. I heard a chair scraping over the floor and I looked up in alarm to see Lucy getting up. She gave me a shy smile as she moved over to the stove, taking the pan with sauce to place it on the table.

I almost dropped the lid again. Quietly, as if I wasn't meant to hear it, I heard Lucy say, "Nervous?"

"Eh, yeah, a little," I answered, letting out a definitely nervous laugh.

"Oh!" She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I mean, I'm nervous, too." She wrung her hands together, but she smiled at me nonetheless. "Let's just both relax, okay? It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be..."

"Fun?" I offered, and her smile widened in response.

"Yes," she said relieved, nodding as she sat down. "Yes, let's relax and just have fun."

Right. She was right. Lucy was nervous, too, it was perfectly natural. This was our first date. It didn't have to be perfect. I let out a breath, and moved to sit down as well, before stopping as I remembered something.

"Wait," I said, holding up one hand. "Wait, just one second…" I quickly left the kitchen, and returned with the previously discarded candle.

"Would you like some candlelight, milady?" I offered with a grin.

Lucy looked at the candle for a moment, then back at me, a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Why, good sir, I think that would be lovely."

My grin widened, and I felt the tension flow out of my body as Lucy beamed back at me.

To yawn, or not to yawn? I mentally debated with myself as I shifted on my small couch again. I stole another glance at the beautiful woman who was seated next to me, and she still seemed to be completely focused on the movie.

The date was going just splendid, if I do say so myself. The beginning had perhaps been a bit rocky, and we'd had to resolve a small squabble about the dishes – I had insisted on doing them myself, while Lucy had argued that she would feel useless not doing anything – but other than that the date was going wonderful.

And now my small TV was showing one of the movies Lucy had brought with her – a romantic comedy I had already seen, so I could get away with just half-heartedly paying attention. After all, with Lucy sitting next to me, I had already anticipated that my focus on the movie would not be optimal.

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I came to a decision. Cool and confident, right? So, with a perfectly acted yawn, I stretched my arms above my head, and while one of them neatly dropped back at my side, the other one had a more important mission. Very, very carefully I placed it down on the backrest behind Lucy, and then even more slowly allowed it drop down, onto Lucy's bare shoulders.

While inwardly I wanted nothing more than to look at her and gauge her reaction, I forced myself to continue staring at the screen. I hadn't felt Lucy react at all, was that a good thing or not? Had she even noticed? What if-

Then I felt Lucy move, shifting closer to me, until her warm figure was completely leaning against me. I couldn't help but sigh happily and despite my previous resolve, looked back at Lucy again. She caught my eye and smiled, then snuggled even closer before turning her attention back to the screen. I kept looking at her for several more moments, a grin growing on my face and the Butterfree in my stomach going wild, before looking back to the TV as well.

My attention had almost been completely on the screen – we were at the end of a buildup to a big confrontation – when my leg was suddenly vibrating from an incoming call. Lucy almost jumped away from me, looking startled, and I quickly fumbled to get out my phone. With an apologizing smile I quickly pulled out my phone and held it up in an explaining gesture, before glancing at the caller ID and frowning.

Cilan? Why would Cilan be calling me? Why would he call me now, of all the possible moments he could have picked, exactly during my first date-

"Hello?" I picked up. Only one way to find out.

"Good evening, Brock," Cilan's very cheery, more so than usual, voice patched through.

"Hello, Cilan," I greeted him, giving Lucy a look. "What are you calling for?"

He must have heard something in my voice, because he asked, "My apologies for calling at such a time, I hope I'm not interrupting anything…?"

"Well, actually…"

"Oh, I am so sorry." He immediately caught the hint. "I'll make it very quick, it's of no importance, I was merely calling to let you know that Iris and I have just enjoyed our first salsa lesson, and to extend my gratefulness to you for your previous call."

I blinked, before finally processing what Cilan was saying. "O-oh, oh, wow, that's great, I'm glad to hear that." A genuine smile spread over my face.

"Yes, yes, indeed." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Anyway, if you are busy, then I'll just…"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'd love to chat, but I am kinda busy…" I shot Lucy another look, and though she made a dismissive gesture, I wasn't about to neglect her on our very first date.

"That's quite alright, we'll keep in touch," Cilan graciously replied. "Have a great evening!"

"Thank you, you as well, and congratulations, by the way." After Cilan's reply, I ended the conversation, and then turned back to Lucy.

"I'm sorry," I said, falling back on my small couch and now noticing that she had paused the movie. "To be honest, hardly anyone ever calls me on my cellphone, and I really hadn't expected any calls tonight."

"That's okay, it's not a problem," Lucy said, waving away my apology. "It happens-"

My phone, still in my hand, started vibrating again, interrupting whatever Lucy was going to say.

Iris, my caller ID showed and I stared at it for several moments.

"That's, ah, that's a continuation of the previous conversation, I better pick up, just give me a minute," I quickly explained with another apologizing smile.

"Hey, Iris," I said, getting up from the couch again.

"Brock? Hey, Brock!" I didn't have much difficulty in hearing the obvious happiness in her voice, and it confirmed my previous assumption.

"Hey, Iris," I repeated, trying to sound a bit more relaxed. It was just going to be short call, I would make sure of that if Iris herself didn't do that herself already.

There were several beats of silence, and then I heard a nervous laugh from Iris's side.

"Er, you're probably wondering why I'm calling you now…" she trailed off, and I could feel an amused smile creeping up my face.

"A little bit, yeah," I said.

"Well, Cilan and I went out on our date, salsa dancing…"

"So my advice paid off?" I hurried the conversation along, and perhaps I wasn't such a good actor as I had thought, because it appeared that Iris noticed something was off.

"Yeah…" Her hesitant reply came, and then, "Is everything alright, Brock?"

"Er…" I considered my words. "Not to be rude or anything, but I'm kinda in the middle of something, so…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called at a time like this," Iris hurried to apologize.

"It's alright, you couldn't have known." And now I felt bad for not having time for her. "I'm glad the salsa thing between you and Cilan worked out," I said, and I hoped she could her the genuineness in my voice.

"Yes, yes." The cheerful notes were back in her voice, and I smiled. "Anyway, I just called to let you know, and to thank you, I guess."

"It was not a problem, I'm happy it worked out," I said, glancing at Lucy.

"Yeah… Anyway, that's all, you can just go back to whatever you were doing before…"

"We'll talk more later, okay?" I offered, and then added a bit more teasing, "I'll call you back later and then we can talk about your date with Cilan, with all the details."

"Uh, no, no, that's really not needed," Iris said, letting out a nervous laugh. "Anyway, I'll be off. Have a good evening!"

"Thank you, you as well," I said, before ending the call and immediately turning back to Lucy. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Mew, Lucy," I sighed, "I'm so sorry, I really don't know- I mean-" I didn't even know what I wanted to say.

"It's okay, Brock, really." She let out a light laugh, plucking at the hem of her shirt.

"No, no, it's not okay," I muttered, shaking my head as I sat back down on the seat. "It's not okay, I shouldn't have picked up, I'm ruining this date, I'm-"

"Brock," Lucy interrupted me, this time more forcefully. She placed a hand on mine, effectively redirecting my attention to her. "It's okay," she insisted gently, smiling.

"Right." I nodded and let out a breath of relief. "Right. Thank you." I smiled, and when I went to put my hand over hers, I realized I was still holding my phone. An idea struck. "You know what?" I held up my phone, then pushed a button. "So, I'm turning it off now, so no more stupid interruptions."

Lucy smiled. "Let's get back to the movie, right?"

I nodded, and in a show of confidence while inwardly praying that she wouldn't reject me, I held up my arm in a clear invitation. Her eyes sparkled and though she was blushing, her smile was mischievously as she snuggled up against me.

Grinning, I pressed play and settled to enjoy the rest of the movie, without further interruptions.

However, it wasn't long after that, that I could hear voices outside. Children's voices, and it took my distracted mind several moment to realize that Dad and the kids were home. I tensed up when I heard several pairs of feet run up the stairs – which caused Lucy to give me a look – but none of them got close to my room and I relaxed again.

They were getting ready for bed, I knew, and when one of them started to cry (fortunately quickly quieted by Dad) I could no longer avoid Lucy's questioning look.

"My siblings, I'm the eldest of ten." I explained, hoping that it wouldn't scare her off and quickly adding, "The older ones are on their journey, but the younger ones are still at home."

"That must be nice, having such a big family," she remarked, and I had to bite my tongue not to ask if she wanted kids – talk about being forward and desperate – and instead asked if she had any siblings.

"A younger brother," she reminded me, and I felt my cheeks warm at the memory of my stupid conclusion of her brother being her boyfriend. "We used to fight quite a lot when we were younger, so perhaps it's a good thing there weren't any more siblings," she added with a light laugh, and I hid my embarrassment behind a responding grin.

As the kids quieted down I realized that the movie was nearing its climax. Lucy was completely enthralled by the story, and I tried to be as well, but habitually I was still listening to any noises that would alert me to a not-sleeping child.

Footsteps, but I frowned when I couldn't pinpoint their owner. My door creaked very quietly, and I slowly turned my head to glance inconspicuously at the intruder, hoping to send whoever it was quickly back to bed with just mouthing words-

But to my surprise, there was no short figure in the door opening, but rather my father's taller stature.

He glanced at me, then at Lucy – who fortunately still hadn't noticed anything – my arm around her and the movie playing on the screen, and then back at me. I couldn't read his expression in the meager light, but I stared back with what I hoped was a neutral expression to conceal the embarrassment I was feeling.

This is it, I thought, this is the moment the date is going to be ruined. Dad is going to step in, he's going to embarrass me, he's going to embarrass Lucy-

Dad smiled, not mischievously but somehow strangely... emotional, and then quietly disappeared as he closed the door.

I blinked in surprise at this fortunate turn of events, but I wasn't going to complain. I looked back at Lucy, and though she had seemed completely focused on the movie, she seemed to feel my stare and looked up to shoot me a quick smile. I smiled back, tightening my hold on her as I looked back to the movie.

Relaxing further into the couch, I allowed a quiet breath to escape. All obstacles were dodged, nothing was in ruins, everyone was still alive and in one piece – this date was actually going well beyond any of my expectations.

Rather perfect, actually.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it, it got way longer than I intended haha. On that note, I'm afraid that two weeks are a bit too short for me to manage a chapter – it worked now, because I'm on break, but with school and all, I think three weeks would be better. The chapters are longer, so I hope that compensates for the longer waits. Also, a happy New Year to all of you! :D Anyway, reviews are very much loved, so please don't hesitate ;)

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Twisted Victory by Illusion of Insanity. FFN. A dark and angsty but still very good one-shot about Lyra and Silver. It explores an AU, with Silver having accepted his fate in Team Rocket, and now coming face to face with the new Champion, whom he remembers from his past… SoulsilverShipping, and it's really a shame it's so short.

Pokémon: Pop the Question by rocketsandwaterfalls. FFN. Definitely lighter than the above story, this is a funny and romantic story about Jessie and James, in which accidentally a certain question is posed (see title :P) which has far-reaching and hilarious consequences. RocketShippy!

Harry Potter: A seventh year, in which things might change by Everybody-knows55. FFN. A sadly unfinished multi-chaptered story that I still enjoyed very much. It's a romance about Rose and Scorpius, who start out with the typical hate-love relationship in their seventh year, until, of course, things start to change :P

Of course, I always love to get recommendations from you!