A/N: As always, I can't thank you guys enough for your continuing support! Here's chapter 3, I hope you like it! Also, this chapter contains some teenage stuff in the most theoretical sense of the word, just a heads up for the younger readers.
To Guest (01-01-2016): Thank you for your lovely review, I hope you'll like this chapter just as much :D
To Guest (16-01-2016): I'm very glad you're liking it so far, 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 3
"Brock?" I heard my father call, and at that I stopped before turning back around. I had been on my way back to my room from the kitchen, back to my studying after a short break, but now I retraced my steps.
"Hm?" I poked my head back in the kitchen, where Dad stood in the middle, shifting from one foot to another.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He looked a bit nervous, I realized. It was a look I hadn't seen on him for a while, not since he had come back, really. I nodded, hiding my concerned frown, and instead smiling in an attempt to ease some of his tension as I stepped fully into the kitchen.
"Sure," I said easily, and he tried for a tense smile as he gestured for me to sit down in front of him. He looked unusually serious and it got me a bit uncomfortable, and mentally I went over the sensitive subjects he could possibly want to talk about. Mom? The kids? Or maybe about me?
I frowned as I remembered one instance, when Dad had asked me if I wanted to see a psychologist, because of what I'd had to deal with at such a young age, taking care of my younger siblings and taking over the Gym and my parents leaving and all- That had been a conversation I didn't necessarily feel the need to repeat, though I had admitted to both him and myself that the intention was good. After all, he really was trying. And well, one parent was better than none, right? In most cases anyway.
Feeling bit more wary now, but keeping my smile, I sat down. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Ah, well, Brock, I've been meaning to talk about this with you for a while now..." He put his hands on the table, intertwining his fingers.
Oh yes, this was definitely going to be a serious talk, then. He had chosen the moment perfectly, I admitted, the chance of interruption minimalized with the kids at school.
"Of course." My face grew serious as I tried to curb my nervousness. I needed to keep a cool head for this.
"Right, right." He nodded, looking down at his hands. "Well, I'm sure you remember, a few weeks ago you had a certain lady over..."
I blinked. That sentence sure changed the direction of the conversation, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable for a whole other reason.
"Yes," I said, honestly. "That was Lucy, one of the Frontier Brains, and the Queen of the Battle Pike."
He nodded, looking somewhat relieved that I was cooperating so well, before continuing with what I was now suspecting was a practiced speech. "And you've been meeting up more often with this girl, right?"
"Yes..." Alarm, alarm, awkward parent-child talk coming up, please evacuate as quickly and calmly as possible-
"Brock, I realize your education has been lacking in some aspects, so I would like to talk with you about a certain subject-"
Uh-oh.
"Dad, I'm an adult-"
He had seemed to have expected this response, as he easily replied, "I know you're a grown man, and I'm sure your education on the subject of sex has been adequate from school, but I would still like to add my own lessons to this."
Right, he had definitely practiced this conversation.
"Dad..." I started.
"I know this might be an uncomfortable subject for you, but I believe it will be good for both of us to talk about this," he said, the words coming out more rushed now, though he kept a straight face.
Oh Arceus. He was trying so hard, I knew. He had actually taken up the task of having this conversation with the younger ones, something I had been grateful about as I'd had definitely some difficulty with the girls, but I hadn't expected him to try it with me!
I pressed my lips together, but finally let out a breath of resignation. If he wanted to try it with me, well, go ahead, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop him, anyway. "Okay, talk away."
Dad hesitated for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "I know this is must be a confusing time for you, going through all these changes, all those hormones and feelings-"
Okay, we could skip this part. "Dad, I'm eighteen, I got most of puberty down already, you know."
"Oh yeah, right." He seemed thrown off by this, but quickly regathered himself. "Well, you probably do have some feelings towards this Lucy. And some... desires..."
I couldn't help it anymore, and dropped my head in my hands. Dad continued on mercilessly.
"But you must understand, Brock, that it's fine to experiment and to try new things, but you must be sure that both of you are consenting and willing. It's your job to take care of her, and you must always be mindful of her. Make sure she's comfortable. If she says no, it's no. If she appears not to want to do something, don't push her."
I raised my head from my hands and nodded seriously. "Yes, I know." Better work with him, because if he thought that I wasn't taking this seriously, he would undoubtedly try again at a later time.
"Good, good." Dad seemed relieved, his smile less strained now. "I already expected that." He turned serious again. "Also, the same goes for you, of course. If you don't want to do something, you should let her know, give her a clear message, and make sure she gets it, and if she continues to push you-"
"Lucy wouldn't do that," I said, and Dad didn't argue.
"The point still stands," he said, and I nodded.
"And, like I said, it's okay to experiment and be curious about things, but..." He fidgeted with his hands, his serious appearance cracking a bit and it made me dread the next part even more. "Do make sure you're being safe. There are several ways to protect yourself against unwanted complications-"
"Yes, yes, Dad, I know!"
He completely ignored me. "I would advise a condom, and if she's on the pill that would make it even better-"
"Dad! We haven't even kissed yet!"
He fell silent. Blood rushed to my face and I wished I could shove the words back into my mouth. I'd definitely not wanted to share that detail with my father.
"Oh, uh, right..." he said, coughing awkwardly. I could almost see his thoughts: But you have been seeing her for several weeks now, why haven't you kissed her yet? Does she not like you enough? Or don't you have enough guts to try? He didn't say any of those things, but instead settled for: "Is there a particular reason-"
"No!" I quickly denied. There wasn't a particular reason, as Dad so aptly put it, that Lucy and I hadn't kissed yet. It was just a series of really bad coincidences and even worse luck and I really, really, didn't want to think about it, but this conversation had triggered my mind to recall some rather horrific events in which I had attempted to lock lips with Lucy.
And there I went, flashbacking to said horrific events. The first one had been after our first date. I had successfully managed to sneak Lucy down without Dad noticing or waking my younger siblings, because that was confrontation I would rather save for another time.
We were outside, as I walking her to her car, all romantic and polite, the atmosphere was just right, it wasn't raining, it wasn't cold, we were staring in each other eyes and smiling slightly and leaning in-
Hot, burning pain shot through my side, and I fell to the ground with a loud cry before the pain subsided, but I already felt the familiar feeling of numbness taking over.
"Croagunk."
My Pokémon stood next to me, stoically and showing no reaction when Lucy cried out in panic and quickly knelt down next to me. "Brock! Are you alright?"
I tried to regain control of my tongue, and muttered against the ground, "Y-yeah-" I felt Lucy's hands gently take hold of my face to turn it to the side, so I was no longer inhaling sand. "Thank- thank you. D-don't worry, I'll- I'll be fine." An unwilling shudder went through me. "Sometimes he does that," I finally managed to croak – no pun intended – a whole sentence without stuttering. I shot Croagunk a look. "I'll have a talk with him later."
"Wha-" Lucy had some difficulty grasping the situation, and shot Croagunk a wary glance. "Should I get someone?" A faint sensation told me that she was putting her hands under my arms in a futile attempt to help me up.
"No, no," I protested quickly. Oh Arceus, how horrible this indignity, what a disastrous ending to this wonderful date. "Just... leave me here. I'll be fine, really."
"Leave?" Lucy echoed, stopping in her attempts to get me up and instead lowered her head so she could properly look in my eyes. "No way I'm leaving you lying on the ground, Brock."
"Really, it's okay, this'll fade away in a moment..." Already I felt some sensations returning, as if I was being pricked by thousands of needles.
"Okay, then I guess I'll just wait," Lucy said, and then actually lied down on the ground so she was face to face with me.
No, there hadn't been any kissing that night, but it was still the best results a Poison Jab had ever yielded.
The next date had already been complicated by my health – in other words, the bad cold that had been going around in my family had finally managed to catch me, and had gifted me with a stuffy nose, red eyes and an almost permanent sniffle. Yet, I had refused to let this ruin my date, and high on painkillers and armed with tissue boxes I had actually managed pretty well, until the very end.
This times our roles had been reversed: the date had been at Lucy's, and she had walked me out. I had talked to Croagunk not to pop out, so this time everything just had had to work out, but-
Anticipation was filling me. Anticipation, and the growing need to sneeze. Keep it in, keep it in...
Lucy was leaning in. Her eyes fluttered closed, her cheeks were beautifully rosy, pink lips inviting mine…
I wanted to lean in, I was about to, my eyes already closing, but-
The Sneeze... It was too strong.
My luck finally made an appearance, and I managed to turn away from Lucy in time, because sneezing in her face was definitely not a situation I wanted to deal with.
Needless to say that any mood for kissing was definitely ruined after that, though Lucy actually did kiss my cheek before she left.
Another date had been at my house, watching a movie again, and this time my siblings hadn't been out of the house, but they had been quiet and nice and had left me alone.
Really, that fact alone should've gotten me so suspicious.
Once again the scene was at my front door, wind whispering through the bushes and the moon shining down upon us.
Perfect, but yet…
But yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Something I wasn't going to like at all.
This time, there was no Croagunk, and I was very healthy, so once again Butterfree were filling my stomach as Lucy put her arms around me and I gently took her waist. Something was off… No, no, focus on the moment. I closed my eyes, leaning in, trying to commit everything about this moment to memory, the smells, the feelings, the sounds-
A gasp, and it definitely hadn't come from Lucy.
As one, Lucy and I turned away from each other and to the direction the gasp had come from. A smack was heard, followed by a hissed "Ow!"
Oh good Arceus above-
Slightly unwillingly, but knowing it had to be done, I let go of Lucy and fully turned to the bushes where the suspicious sounds had come from. Crossing my arms, I stared intently and without wavering at the greenery.
I could almost feel Lucy's confused look, and it edged me on to authoritatively clear my throat when nothing happened for a moment too long,
The bush shuddered.
Yet, other than that, no reaction. They were stubborn this time. Probably afraid they had gotten me really angry this time. And they had. Sort of. Okay, I was more exasperated and frustrated than angry, but they had just interrupted my would-be first kiss with Lucy, they were allowed to be a bit afraid for a while.
"Okay, come on out, we know you're there," I spoke in my best serious voice. Lucy's eyebrows raised when the bushes started to move more violently now, and four squinty-eyed, spikey-haired children stumbled out of the bushes. The oldest three gave us – and my very serious face – a quick glance before redirecting their eyes to the ground, and only Tilly continued to stare at me, her eyes growing wide and her lower lip trembling.
"Suzie, Timmy, Billy and Tilly, tell me, please, what were you doing in those bushes?" I continued giving them the stern look. Just for your information, the stern look wasn't just a stern look, oh no- It had an extra sternness and it was saved just for special occasions as this one.
Tilly finally averted her eyes, and all of them shuffled nervously. Then Suzie, the oldest and probably the instigator of this mess, looked up, and the glint in her eyes told me that whatever she was going to do, I wasn't going to like it.
A shy smile appeared on her face when she turned her sparkling gaze to Lucy. "We're sorry, Brock," she said, sounding sincere enough. "We just wanted to see the pretty lady."
Ooooh, well played, well played. I pressed my lips together when the desired effect was achieved; Lucy let out a cooing sound at Suzie's antics. Right. I knew when a battle was lost. But that didn't mean I wouldn't get in one last hit.
"Hm," I said. "That may be so, but you were still invading mine and this pretty lady's privacy. Don't you think you owe us an apology?"
Triumph flashed very quickly over Suzie's face – an apology was no real punishment – before quickly mirroring her siblings' expression with appropriate guilt. "We're sorry," they said as one. Then, in either a continuation of her little stunt but more probably in genuine excitement, Suzie ran towards Lucy and ambushed her with such a forceful hug that Lucy almost fell over.
The other three quickly joined their older sister as well, and soon the waterfall of questions started.
The one upside was that at the end of the evening I had managed to score another kiss on my cheek – but then again, so had my siblings.
Our last attempt had been during a friendly bowling match, during, not after, when Lucy had finally to get in that strike she had been almost getting the whole time. In true movie fashion, she had ran towards me, and fortunately it wasn't a comedy because I had managed to catch her without any trouble. We'd kept our hold on each other after the victory spin and hug, and then I had found myself captivated by her beautiful gaze.
The dim light created sparkles in Lucy's eyes, and the sounds of rolling balls and the talking of people was reduced to a buzz in my ears as I expectantly closed my eyes. I was just mentally checking everything (no stuffy nose, no siblings, no Croagunk) when-
RING RING, RING RING!
"Mew!" Lucy groaned – it was nice to see she was just as frustrated with our almost kissing as I was – and let go of me, before pulling out her phone. She frowned at the caller ID, and gesturing apologetically to me, she took the call. Her face changed from confused to shocked and upset, and even from my position I could hear the loud female crying patching through.
I paused our game as Lucy went off to a more private location, and when she returned a few minutes later, she looked even more apologetic than before. I felt something sink in my stomach and tried to joke, "Our date is going to be cut short, isn't it?"
And that it had been. With many apologies, Lucy had explained about her friend had caught her long-term boyfriend cheating on her, and Lucy-
"But you haven't kissed her yet?" My father's question cut through my flashbacks.
"Ah-" I started out of my thoughts and back in a conversation I didn't want to have. In the distance, I heard a door open and shut again – one of the kids had gotten home from school.
"Maybe your old man can give you some good advice-"
"Now, Dad, that really isn't needed, I'm fine-" I tried to scramble out as soon as my mind had caught up. After all, running away screaming wasn't really an option, so this was the next best thing – that is, really, really insisting that it was fine and pray to the deities that Dad would get the message.
"Are you sure?" He looked almost eager to help me, and Mew, shouldn't he find this a completely awkward conversation as well?
Before I could reply, a savior came to me in the form of a loud RING RING, PHONE CALL, PHONE CALL!
"I'll get that-" I started to say, but my escape route was cut off by a loud yell from Timmy: "I'll get it!"
The ringing stopped and I was forced to face Dad once again. He looked at me questioningly, still expecting an answer.
"Brock! It's for you!" A loud yell came from the other room, and I bit back my sigh of relief. I shrugged apologetically at my father, and then quickly fled before he could say something.
It appeared that my savior was a frowning redhead, but her expression turned much more pleasant when I appeared, a sweet smile curving her lips-
Hold on a second, Misty smiling sweetly? Uh-oh-
But before my alarms could go off completely, Misty's unusual sweet smile morphed back to her normal smile, and it left me with an unsettling feeling.
"Hey, Brock!" She was definitely being more enthusiastic than usual...
"Hi, Misty." I smiled, trying to suppress my unease. "How are you?"
"Good, good, I'm good. And how are you doing?"
I blinked. Usually Misty never passed up on an opportunity to complain (even though ninety percent of her complaints were not genuine and just roundabout ways of telling me how she had been), but now she skipped that step entirely and immediately went to asking how I was. Strange, strange, definitely strange, but I bit back my suspicion – she was still being friendly, and I couldn't very well start to question her about being friendly.
"I'm doing great, thank you." Well, minus the fact that Dad still waiting in the kitchen for me to continue our little talk.
"Good, good, that's good." She nodded, smiling brightly. "How are things with Lucy?" Misty sounded cheerful – too cheerful – and her obvious interest in my life only raised my suspicions further.
It wasn't that Misty was usually uninterested in me, or that she was self-centered, but she rarely posed outright questions and instead let the conversation progress naturally. I didn't mind either way, though I had to admit that this question about Lucy threw me off – where Misty was going with this?
Going with the flow and answering her question would be a good start, I decided. Whatever was bothering Misty would reveal itself soon enough, otherwise she wouldn't have called. And so I told her about our dates, about the cooking, the movies and the snuggling up together, and also about my mischievous siblings and the interrupted bowling date. I was happy to conclude that everything was going wonderful (with the exception of the lack of kissing, but I wasn't planning on sharing that with Misty).
"Snuggling up, hm? That's nice, but a bit tame, don't you think?" Her eyes glistered mischievously, and I shifted in my chair. Just what was that girl planning?
"Who says that's all we have been doing?" I shot back, even though that was indeed pretty much what we had been doing. I added, perhaps a tad more defensive than needed, "And, well, you know, everyone moves at their own pace."
"Yeah, some just go like a Slugma," Misty muttered under her breath. And just like that I knew we weren't talking about me and Lucy anymore.
I let out a breath – knowing that a rant was surely going to follow – before asking, "What did Ash do?"
The rant never came.
Misty just sighed, a faraway look in her eyes. "If only he did something..."
My eyebrows furrowed together at the lack of fire in her answer. "How do you mean?"
"It's Ash. I mean, it's Ash." Misty looked at me as if that should explain everything, and when I continued to look at her blankly, she sighed and gestured hopelessly. "He... He's a teenage guy, right? But he never does any... teenage guy things."
Teenage guy things. Right. I would not make the same mistake as I had made with Iris, and I would not, I repeat I would not, jump to conclusions.
"Is Ash not giving you enough attention...?" I prompted carefully.
"Attention, yes. But..." Misty bit her lip, looking helpless at me. "It's like we're still friends, just friends, and not boyfriend and girlfriend. And that's not a bad thing, because I like spending time with Ash, but-" Aha, there was the rant, though I was still missing her usual fire. "But I like doing boyfriend and girlfriend things, too! I mean, he does try, sometimes he holds my hand and he even brought me flowers once, but it's all so..." She faltered, shrugging her shoulders and looking at me for help.
"Platonic?" I offered.
"Yes," Misty said after a beat of silence, nodding slowly. "Yes, yes, it's platonic..."
"And you don't want it to be?" I couldn't help but tease her tiny bit.
Misty didn't bite, and instead sounded completely serious when she replied, "Of course I don't want it to be. I'm his girlfriend, I should get more than just his friendship."
At noticing how genuinely upset she was about it, I felt bad about teasing her. I felt even worse when I realized that they had been together for quite some time and that she probably had been walking around with these feelings for a while now.
I fell back on one of my old pieces of advice. "Then tell him," I said. Communication was the key, after all, though I could imagine this was no easy topic to talk about.
"Tell him?" Misty repeated, incredulously. The unspoken 'Are you crazy?' was heard and dully noted anyway.
"Or show him," I amended. "Whenever he does do something non-platonic, make sure, really sure, he knows that you like and appreciate it. Or, of course, do something non-platonic yourself."
"I don't want to make him uncomfortable," she said, and yes, there was that indeed.
Had she already tried something? What had been Ash's reaction? Was Ash really so dense that he hadn't noticed, or he had scooted away, laughing nervously? Did he have any reason to be uncomfortable? I swallowed at that thought, and something heavy dropped in my stomach, something Misty must've been feeling this whole time.
What if this whole thing had been a mistake?
What if Ash had thought it all fun and games, what if he had honestly believed he was in love with Misty, because otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such great lengths as Hoenn, but now that the dust was settling he realized that perhaps this wasn't as he had imagined, that being in a relationship with Misty wasn't as he had expected-
No, no, that wasn't true. I physically shook my head as if that would help me get rid of the thoughts. I was panicking, I wasn't thinking clearly, I wasn't considering all the information I had. Misty had just said that he had brought her flowers and that he had held her hand, and that they were still doing and enjoying platonic, friends things.
Not to mention that Ash was a terrible liar, and I'd had more than enough conversations with Ash about Misty to know that he was still genuinely enjoying their time together.
"He does still like you," I said, absolute certainty in my voice. Misty's mask cracked a little, but she nodded anyway. "And you need to talk to him." Even if it did turn out that Ash didn't have any non-platonic feelings for Misty, well, they would still need to talk about it.
"Can't- Can't you just give him some hints, about being interested in me? Can't you talk to him?" It almost sounded as if she was pleading.
That alone made me almost agree, and I wanted to know the truth as well, but… it was their relationship. Their relationship, their troubles and their conversation they needed to have.
"Misty," I started carefully, "Because we're all friends, I will talk to him, but-" I quickly continued before Misty could thank me. "-this is your relationship, and you two will need to solve this yourself. I can't help you with that."
Misty pulled a face.
"I know that's difficult," I continued to argue my point. "But communication is important and I'm not sure if you remember, but the last time I meddled in your relationship, we ended up in a plane crash, several emotional breakdowns, and really sucky quicksand." Yes, yes, that pun was intended.
Misty cracked a light smile at that, before averting her eyes. "I guess you're right." She let out a sigh and rubbed the side of her face.
"It doesn't have to be a bad conversation," I tried to reassure her. "It doesn't have to be dead serious and depressing. You could start with saying how much you have been enjoying your time together, gauge his reaction, see if Ash agrees, but that you perhaps would like to do more boyfriend and girlfriend things." I paused, then added after a moment of thought, "Remember, Misty, this is Ash we're talking about. He doesn't catch hints and subtlety, so you need to make things obvious and spell it out for him."
Misty didn't seem too happy with my tips, but she nodded anyway. I tried for an encouraging smile, hoping that the weight in my stomach didn't show in my expression. Misty responded in kind.
"That's the Misty I know," I said, overly cheerful. "Now go fight for your guy, Arceus knows you've gone through more than enough trouble to get him!"
Now finally a spark appeared back in Misty's eyes. "Most trouble was your fault, remember?"
"Er..." I coughed, not needing to be reminded of that. Misty's fire dimmed again, but this time her smile seemed more genuine.
"Thanks, Brock."
I smiled back. "Anytime."
Misty's half-smiling visage disappeared from the screen after one last wave, and I sagged in my chair. Maybe that awkward talk with my father would've been better than this. Mew, what a mess... For several moments I sat like that, staring off into space and contemplating the situation, before deciding that yes, it was indeed a mess, but instead of being depressed about it, I might as well get to work and do something about it.
Besides... I got up, cracked the door open, and glanced into the hall and the kitchen. Dammit, Dad was still sitting at the table, talking to Timmy. As if he could feel my stare, Timmy looked up and enthusiastically waved.
"Hey Brock!" my brother called out, and now Dad also noticed me looking. I quickly straightened up and opened the door more fully, as not to look idiotic and suspicious. "Guess what," Timmy continued excitedly, "Because I finished my test already I got to leave early, cool, eh?"
Well, that explained that, at least. I smiled distractedly at Timmy as I walked into the kitchen. Dad looked at my questioningly, and I gave him a tense smile. "I still got a call to make, Dad, and Timmy's now home…" I trailed off, and I saw understanding – and disappointment – dawning in his eyes. At that, I smiled more genuinely. "I do appreciate your help, Dad, but I'll be fine."
"Huh? Brock, what are you talking about?" Timmy butted in.
"I understand," he said with a nod, a look in his eyes I couldn't really place. It almost seemed sad, but I couldn't really understand why. My rejection of his advice was really not that bad – we had gone through much worse – and his reaction was exaggerated.
"What? Dad, what's going on? What are you two talking about?" Timmy wouldn't be ignored, and before I could give an answer, Dad had turned to my brother.
With a sad smile patted his head. "Adult things, Timmy. Now, what were you saying?" A teasing smile wiped away his previous expression as if it was never there. "Something about a girl you were in love with, hm?"
As Timmy fiercely protested and was successfully distracted, I stayed rooted in place until Dad caught my eye and made a small movement with his head towards the door. Bemusedly, I followed his lead and walked back into the phone room. I had never quite realized how well of an actor Dad was, and something squirmed in my stomach as the implications of that slowly dawned on me.
I swallowed, pushing away my thoughts about Dad for now. Misty's worries were probably making me more paranoid than needed. And Misty's worries were at least something I could attempt to fix.
Sitting down in front of the videophone again, I took one deep breath before dialing the familiar number of the Ketchum residence.
"Mime?" Mrs. Ketchum's Pokémon picked up with its usual greeting.
"Hello, Mimey," I said. "Is Ash perhaps at home?"
"Mime, mime!" The Pokémon nodded after a moment of thought, and before I could thank it, it was already gone. I felt some relief at its confirmative answer. Though I knew that Ash was now in Pallet to enjoy his break from travelling and competitive battling, there had been quite a chance he wouldn't have been at home. Despite that it hadn't even been that long, he was already itching to get out of the house.
A minute or so later, Ash appeared. His cap and Pikachu were noticeably missing from his person. The absence of his cap was reasonable, as I knew that Delia tended to prefer that inside the house, but I could not explain his empty shoulder.
"Brock!" Ash beamed, seeming even more cheerful than usual. Probably glad for a distraction. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much, just calling to chat," I said, feeling a grin creep up my face. Ash's cheerfulness was, as always, contagious, though the churning in my stomach was a constant reminder of my mission. At least Ash didn't look like he was in an internal conflict with himself about his best friend and girlfriend.
"Great, because to be honest, this staying at home is kind of starting to bore me. But don't tell Mom, she really loves having me here." He glanced worriedly around, before continuing, "Pikachu loves having a break as well, he's at Professor Oak's catching up with the other Pokémon. And I like it, too, of course, but..."
"You can't sit still, I know," I said, smiling. "I understand."
And I actually did understand him, I knew that restless feeling, had experienced it myself as well for several years. But with having to raise and take care of nine kids, there wasn't really an opportunity to leave. Until Dad came back, of course.
"Brock?"
I was pulled back to reality with a start, momentarily confused as Ash looked at me with concern.
"Sorry." I shook my head, forcing my thoughts on track again. "What were we talking… oh yeah, you can't sit still." I smiled, and Ash relaxed again.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "I can't help it."
Nodding in agreement, I easily moved the conversation in the right direction, "But when you're travelling again, you won't see Misty as much." His shoulders sagged and his smile diminished, a wistful look in his eyes. With the knowledge that Ash was a horrible actor, the knot in my gut loosened at that reaction.
"Yeah, I know." His voice had gotten softer, and he sighed. "It, well… I really don't like it. It… it sucks. She's one of my best friends and we're finally seeing each other a lot again- And I really did try to get her to travel with me again, but with the Gym and all… And I understand that," he quickly added. "It just, you know, sucks."
It wasn't often that Ash expressed himself about what he didn't like – he complained about trivial things, absolutely, but with all other things he was all like keep quiet, put on a smile and go on. It wasn't a pretense, but Ash just always managed to look at the bright side of things. Already an excited smile was back on his face. "But she said she'll come visit me at some point, and we managed for five years, so I'm sure we can do it again."
I nodded, smiling sympathetically at him. While unhappy about life separating them, Ash otherwise didn't appear to feel that way about his and Misty's relationship. "How are things with Misty, anyway?"
Confusion made him frown for a moment, before he answered, "Oh, Misty is doing well, a bit busy with the Gym, but that's going well, too, so she can't complain, I guess." He shrugged, a grin appearing on his face. "Of course she still complains, but that's nothing new."
I laughed distractedly at his joke. That hadn't been the information I was looking for, though. I tried again, this time waggling my eyebrows suggestively. "Of course... But what I meant is, how are things with Misty?"
Ash raised his eyebrows. "You just said the exact same thing, only now your eyebrows did this weird thing," he pointed out, before trying to imitate my 'weird eyebrow thing' in an exaggerated matter. I would like to point out that I had not looked that idiotic.
"I mean..." I repeated, wiping the vaguely offended look from my face. "How are things progressing in your relationship with Misty? You know…" I did my weird eyebrow thing again. "Romantically."
"Uh…" A blush crept up his face, and his eyes shifted. He swallowed, before echoing in a much higher voice, "Romantically?"
Huh, I had not expected him to be this embarrassed. "Yes, romantically," I repeated, smiling slyly. "Like kissing…"
Ash continued to shift in his chair, wringing his hands together and constantly wetting his lips. "Well, uh…" He swallowed again, and was he starting to sweat? "We've been on dates, you know... Those were fun!" He picked up speed as he started to rattle off his tale about their dates. "We went swimming, and we've battled several times, Misty is good, you know-"
"Hold on," I said, holding up one hand. Ash immediately stopped.
Something was off. I felt it, and I narrowed my eyes at Ash. His eyes were wide in his red face, but when I caught his eye he quickly looked away.
I pressed my lips together in thought, watching him wriggle and sweat for a moment. This wasn't just embarrassment. My eyes momentarily widened in realization, before looking back at the boy in suspicion.
Ash was lying.
Or rather, I thought as I considered that everything he had told me rang true, he was hiding something.
"Ash…" His head snapped back to me so fast that it must have hurt. A note of amusement crept in my voice at that, though the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach had only intensified. "What are you not telling me?"
"Not- not telling you?" he spluttered, almost squeaked. "I'm not- I mean, uh…"
"Ash," I said, gentling my voice. "If you tell me, maybe I can help you, hm?"
He shook his head, indirectly confirming that he was indeed hiding something – as if that hadn't been obvious enough.
His discomfort was obvious enough as well, and I felt compelled to leave the conversation at this. But that wouldn't help him. In almost everything, Ash would face his problems head on, and only with matters like these he seemed to prefer sticking his head in the sand.
"It's about Misty," I stated, still quietly. When Ash didn't say anything, I pressed, "Right?"
He looked back up at me, and nodded quickly. I pressed my lips together when he averted his eyes again. How far could I go?
Not much further, I realized. He might not draw the conclusion right now, but if I mentioned kissing, then Ash would eventually figure out that Misty had told me something. I didn't want to do that to either of them.
Ash would have to tell me himself.
"Ash," I said, completely serious, and he raised his eyes to meet mine again. "Ash," I repeated, "You're one my best friends, you know." I almost smiled at his surprise that I was choosing this very moment to go mushy. "And I hate seeing you like this. I want to help you. And maybe I can't," I quickly added when he opened his mouth to protest, "but I want to try. And even if it doesn't work out, you might even feel better just by talking about it."
He swallowed, and I waited anxiously for his reaction, my insides twisting themselves up. He looked away from me, and I felt my heart drop, but then Ash spoke up.
"I… Misty and I…" he started falteringly, before blurting out, "We don't kiss a lot."
I waited for him to continue, but he appeared not to know how and I gave him a push in the right direction. "Do you not like kissing her?"
"No, no, that's not it!" he quickly said, and I felt relief course through me. That was already something. "It's just..." Ash gestured helplessly. "I just… I mean... I don't really..." The last bit was nothing but a mere whisper and I had to strain my ears to hear the quick murmur. "...know how."
Laughter bubbled up – not at Ash, but at the simplicity of the situation – but I held it in. Don't ruin it now, this is resolvable, this could be helped, but keep your head in the game, Brocko.
Because, really, I could actually help him here. Ash would take advice from me, and that was all he needed, some advice and some confidence.
The heavy pressure of the situation had lifted with that knowledge, and it was easy to fall back on my teasing. "You seemed pretty good back in Hoenn, though," I remarked, and Ash looked away, pinching his lips and his eyes narrowing.
Alright, maybe teasing wasn't a smart move. I didn't need to make it harder for him. "Sorry, I just mean… You didn't seem to have a problem with it before."
"That was different," he said, turning back to me, and perhaps it was.
And perhaps it wasn't.
"Ash, kissing isn't something you can learn from books, you learn from experience, and no one is the perfect kisser at the first try." I actually wasn't sure about that last part, but this would reassure Ash at least.
"But what if she thinks I'm terrible?" he blurted.
Yeah, confidence was all he needed. Good thing he had me.
"It's Misty. You're best friends. She can be rude and say stupid things, but she won't tease you about something like this." I could have said that with absolutely certainty even if I hadn't had a conversation with Misty before.
When Ash nodded tersely, I added, "Besides, she's just as inexperienced and unsure about this as you are. Relax, be yourself-" Wow, real useful advice, Brocko. "-and breathe through your nose."
At the last bit, he perked up. "Breathe through my nose, right." He nodded quickly, then looked at me eagerly.
Maybe I should have taken Dad on that advice anyway. How was I supposed to help Ash if I hardly knew anything myself? Well, hardly… The only things I knew I had either seen in movies or had read in my sisters' girly magazines – not that I enjoyed reading them or anything, it was just good to know as much about the fairer sex as possible.
And anyway, Ash didn't need to know that I didn't have any actual experience.
"Well, you should turn your head a little, to prevent a nose-collision. Turn the opposite direction Misty is turning. Believe me, you'll see," I clarified when Ash continued to look confused. He nodded, then, and I went on, "Don't drool too much. Make sure you don't have a smelly breath – use peppermint or something like that beforehand and avoid garlic. Don't go in to hard, or you'll knock your teeth together. Don't bite, unless she wants you to-"
"What?" Ash squeaked, and perhaps I was moving too fast for this poor boy.
"Forget I said that. Just relax. Remember, it's Misty. You can talk to her about this. Communication is-"
"-the key, yes, I know." Hm, perhaps I had mentioned that particular piece of wisdom more often.
"You'd do well to remember it." I playfully narrowed my eyes at him, before smiling encouragingly. "You can do this, Ash."
In response, Ash pushed his shoulders backward and jutted his chin out, a determined smile on his face. "You're right. I can." The remaining doubt in his eyes was fiercely pushed away. "I can do this. I totally can."
"Good luck." I smiled, and he beamed at me.
"Thanks, Brock."
There was light coming from the window, and I frowned. Dad usually never waited for me to return from my outings – in this case, my most recent date with Lucy at a fancy restaurant. Admittedly, I didn't remember much of the food, as Lucy had easily been much more interesting.
Much, much more interesting.
That thought distracted me enough to pause in front of the door, momentarily losing my head in the clouds, before the buzzing of my phone pulled me back.
My eyebrows creased in confusion as I pulled my phone out – who would text me at a time like this – when a second buzz indicated another text message.
The first one was from Misty, and the second came from Ash. My confusion melted away – either something had gone really bad or really good on their date – and after quickly scanning their short but grateful messages, a grin crept on my face.
It appeared that tonight was a good night for dates.
Still smiling, I slipped my phone back in my pocket and walked inside.
"Was it fun?" Dad's voice rang through the house and almost startled me. I let out a shaky breath, put my jacket away and walked into the lit living room before answering.
"Yes," I said slowly, unable to stop the grin from spreading on my face. "Yes, it was a lot of fun."
"Good, good…" Dad nodded. It looked like he was hesitating – and remembering our conversation two days early with a panicked rush of adrenaline – I blurted out, "Dad, no need for your advice anymore."
He stared at me for a long moment, flabbergasted – either because he had thought I wouldn't do, or because he hadn't expected me to actually tell him (and believe me, I hadn't been planning on it). He got up from his chair, a strange sort of grin on his face when he slapped me on my shoulder with a bit more force than needed.
He almost looked… proud. It was easy to smile back at him, and we stayed like that for several moments, his hand on my shoulder and both smiling at each other.
Then awkwardness started to set in, and with a cough I interrupted our father-son moment. "Well, it was a long night, I'm going to bed," I announced.
"Y-yeah, of course." He squeezed my shoulder before letting go. "Goodnight, Brock."
I stared at his retreating back and watched how he closed the door behind him. "Goodnight, Dad."
A/N: Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear from you if you enjoyed it, and if you didn't enjoy it, well, I wouldn't say I'd love to hear from you, but I would appreciate hearing your comments, too :D Anyway, thank you very much for reading, and see you guys in three weeks!
Thank you!
Recommendations:
Pokémon: Rainbow's End by The Light's Refrain. FFN. A one-shot that's very appropriately labeled as a tragedy. It paints the games in a darker light, and it was a bit disconcerting to read, but still a great piece. Check it out!
Pokémon: 100 Themes, 100 Shippings by Midori12. FFN. What the title says :P It's a collection of short stories and one-shots, each with a theme and a Shipping. It's sweet and it's sad and it actually has a little bit of everything. It isn't finished yet, so you can go ahead and request things, that's fun as well :D
Harry Potter: Help Me, Please by Sarcastic-Bones. FFN. Another multi-chaptered story for all the Rose and Scorpius lovers out there. Sorry guys, hope this doesn't get repetitive, I just really like them :P Anyway, Rose enters her last year at Hogwarts and everything is going wonderful until Scorpius becomes Head Boy. And that just complicates everything :P
Anyway, my list of recommendations is getting shorter and shorter, so if you want to recommend anything, I'd love to hear from you!