A/N: Yay, here's another chapter! Thanks so much for continuing to read and support this story, it really warms my heart. Not much else to say here, so let's get started!
To Guest: Yes, so far, everything is going well, but if it'll continue like that… XD Thanks a lot!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover (though I did edit it).
Leave Brocko Alone!
Chapter 5
"Lucy, could you maybe-"
A loud buzzing sound interrupted me for the nth time and I dropped my head on the table. Lucy laughed loudly and I groaned to the tabletop. "How am I ever going to finish cutting up this cucumber if everyone keeps calling me?"
"Your siblings miss you." Lucy smiled indulgently when I looked up. She was already more than halfway with cutting up her part of the cucumber, while my endeavor had been repeatedly interrupted by ridiculous calls from my siblings. I suspected they were bored and killing time by bothering me. It was one of their favorite pastimes, I'd found.
"But why always when I'm with my girlfriend?" I whined, before reaching out to the device. Besides the current barrage of prank calls, the kids indeed did call me frequently – despite that my stay at the Battle Pike was only for a few days, they had gotten so used to my presence that apparently they couldn't miss me for that long. Dad, too, had called multiple times already these past three days, but not with stupid inquiries or nonsensical blabbing, but because he actually seemed interested in how I was doing.
It was… kind of nice, to be honest. Dad had immediately given his approval and blessing to our young relationship – not like we'd needed it, but still – and now he was eagerly awaiting the moment I'd bring Lucy to meet the family. Though his enthusiasm was a bit unnerving, it had the upside that he was more than happy to let me go to the Battle Pike to spend a few full days with Lucy, despite how crazily busy the Gym was at the moment.
I was about to accept the call, but momentarily stopped short when I saw the caller ID, and then took the call anyway.
"Hello?" I said with a slight frown. I stood up and took a few steps away from Lucy, who caught my eyes questioningly.
"Brock, hey, man." Gary's relieved voice came from the other side, and I pursed my lips in confusion.
"Hey, Gary," I clarified for Lucy while sharing a confused glance, before she shrugged lightly and turned back to her cucumber.
"I kind of need your help." Sure, why else would he call? To be fair, though, I had done the same when I'd needed advice about my first date with Lucy.
Still, did he seriously need my help right now?
"Eh, Gary, I'd love to help, but I'm kind of-"
He didn't even let me finish. "Please, Brock-" His voice broke, and the sudden desperation I heard shook me.
"Alright, alright," I quickly agreed, sending an apologetic look to Lucy. She nodded with a strained and concerned smile, and I hurried out of the kitchen to the both more private and cramped hallway.
"Okay, what-"
"I'm losing Leaf." Gary's words were rushed, panicked, and it made me stop short in my tracks. After a moment of frozen shock, I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the visual button, after which Gary's face appeared on the small screen.
He didn't look as bad as he'd sounded, at first glance, his calm expression seeming to bely his words. Upon closer inspection, though, his shoulders were tense, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were subtly widened.
"Explain," I said, getting to the point immediately.
He nodded tersely. "Leaf and I, we- we have been travelling together for a while now, you know, with the season having started and Leaf wanting to participate in the League, and I'm just tagging along, really, but- Anyway, well, I'm not a bad battler-" For a change, it didn't sound like he was bragging, but more like he was honestly trying to explain something. "-and with my research and Granddad, well, I'm not exactly an unknown person around Kanto."
No, no indeed he wasn't. For all the reasons just mentioned, and of course his flirty, charming and cool imago, Gary was quite well-known among especially the teenage female population of Kanto and Johto.
"And well, I'm not... bad-looking," Gary said hesitantly, almost uncertain, and I had to keep myself from outright gaping at him. Who was this and what had he done with the cocky researcher I knew? "And there were... girls, who wanted to battle me. Pretty girls, you know, real nice, not bad battlers either, and well, they were flirting with me. They battled either Leaf or me or both of us, but they always flirted with me- though, actually, there was also one who flirted with Leaf-" He shook his head. "But that's really not the point, they flirted with me and Leaf wasn't reacting at all!"
Okay, now I was gaping at him.
"Don't you see it?" Gary threw his hands up in frustration. "If someone flirts with your partner, you get jealous! That's a normal, human reaction!"
That one hit home. Without wanting to, I flashed back to the last few days here at the Battle Pike.
My intention had been to spend more quality time with Lucy. The season had started in Kanto, which meant that both the Gym and the Battle Pike had grown much more busy. Fortunately, I had Dad to help me out, but Lucy didn't have that luxury. Even though the Battle Frontier locations weren't as popular for all those young rookie trainers as Gyms were (Pewter was extremely busy at the moment), there were still more experienced Trainers who wanted to try out the Battle Frontier. Most of those had experience in the League, and now saw this as an opportunity to either train, actually gain an position or just to have a new experience. This meant that Lucy could never spend more than an afternoon away, and between my study, the kids and the Gym, it was progressively becoming more difficult to spend time together.
But Dad had come to the rescue, and after some meticulous planning, we had managed to get me a few days off. Lucy still had to battle a few hours a day, but the rest of the time could be spend together. And whenever Lucy had to defeat- er, battle her challengers, I would spend time with my Pokémon, contacted the home front, or, and admittedly this was how I'd spent most of my time, watched her.
She was elegant in her battling, not wasting any words or actions and commanding her Pokémon with a fierceness I hadn't yet had the pleasure of seeing in our conversations. Besides the challengers, many other trainers were frequent visitors of the Battle Pike, to train, battle each other or, whenever Lucy had extra time, followed her improvised lessons. As soon as I had found out about the latter, I was more than happy to help as well.
All in all, the first day had been more than perfect, but the second day… I'd noticed something. And by the third day, I'd been unable to ignore it anymore. In fact, I'd been planning on talking about it with Lucy this very evening – after all, communication was the key and I'd be a true hypocrite not to follow my own advice – but then Gary had called…
And as fate would have it, he just happened to have the same problem as I had, albeit a bit differently.
Because while Leaf didn't appear to have an interest in Gary's flirtatious challengers, I did notice the males who vied for Lucy's attention. And although I'd done my best to suppress it, I couldn't help the envy I felt whenever she, in a nervous, joking manner, tried to redirect the conversation. It was reassuring that she was at least doing that-
"Brock?" Gary asked, and with a jerk I focused back at his now slightly worried and confused expression. "You okay?"
"Yes, yes." I nodded, forcing the thoughts about my own problems away in favor of Gary's. "Sorry, just zoned out there for a moment."
"I noticed," he said dryly and with a reasonable amount of offense in his tone.
"Anyway," I said, trying to organize my thoughts. "I think you're wrong."
"Wrong?" Gary frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What you said," I started slowly, still figuring out how exactly I wanted to say it. "About that jealousy is normal and logical for humans in a relationship. But… I don't think so. I mean, of course it happens, it happens a lot, but not everyone gets jealous. That doesn't mean they care less about you-"
"But-"
"Maybe Leaf doesn't see those girls as a threat," I hurried my explanation along. "Maybe she trusts you. Maybe she is absolutely certain in her knowledge that, no matter what, you'd stay loyal to her." I paused for a much needed breath. "Maybe she didn't even notice." I attempted to smile understandingly. "That doesn't mean she doesn't care about you or about your relationship."
The confusion and panic were still very apparent on Gary's face, and I let out a long breath.
"Alright," I said, gentling my voice. "Alright, Gary…" My empathic smile came easier now. "Look, I can't tell you what Leaf is feeling right now. I can't tell you why you can't see her jealousy. Maybe she's just really good at hiding it, or maybe she really isn't jealous. And that's not a bad thing, you know."
He nodded reluctantly, and it looked like he was about to protest.
"Yes?" I prompted.
"But… but what if…" His voice cracked, and his expression already told me what 'what if' he was fearing.
"What if she doesn't like you anymore?" I quietly guessed, and Gary nodded sharply, his face relaxing somewhat. "I know that's… I know that's not a nice feeling." Okay, let's not go into the deep, dark emotions subject. "But… It's Leaf. You're friends. Like I said, I can't tell you what she's feeling right now. Maybe you can, but, at the very least, I think that you shouldn't deduce her feelings from just her reactions to some passerby girls."
Gary looked at the ground, and I frowned. Perhaps I'd sounded too judgmental. I tried to soften my statement somewhat. "I understand that it's easier to do that than... well-" Hm, the rest of my sentence 'actually asking her' did sound judgmental as well. "I mean, I understand that it's an easy way to figure out her feelings, but women aren't going to make it easy for you," I attempted to joke, and Gary cracked a small smile when he looked up.
"I have a feeling what your advice is going to be," he said with a sigh, a note of dry amusement in his voice. He looked decidedly unimpressed, and I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh really?"
Pitching his voice, Gary imitated, "If you really want to know Leaf's feelings, for certain, you shouldn't try and guess them, but you should talk with her." He nodded, looking altogether too satisfied with himself.
I frowned in offense. "Exactly," I grudgingly agreed. "Communication is the key."
"Oh yeah, almost forgot that part."
My eyes narrowed and I pursed my lips. "Well, if you know it so well already, why didn't you just fix it yourself-"
"No, no, that's not how I meant it!" Gary tried to backpedal. "I uh... Look, I mean, I know talking is the best way, but I was kind of… hoping that you had a better way..." He trailed off, giving me a vague apologetic expression.
I sighed, my posture softening. Gary truly looked pitiable right now. How easily women could play us…
"An easier way," I said with wry grimace. Some things never changed, I guessed.
"Sort of," he admitted with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "But I guess not..."
"Nope," I said, popping the 'p', and let out a quiet sigh. "Believe me, Gary, if there was an easier way I would have used it myself as well." Erm, oops, I hadn't meant to share that.
"Really? Women trouble as well?" He looked both surprised and a tad amused. Why was I helping him again?
"A little bit, that's all," I tried to scramble back. "Jealousy. I mean, I'm jealous." My face brightened. "And see, I'm not being a hypocrite, because I'm going to follow my own advice and talk to her about it. In fact, I was already planning on it, but your phone call interrupted it." I narrowed my eyes quasi accusing.
"Heh." One corner of his mouth turned up. "I suppose we both should get back to our women, then?" he offered half-heartedly.
I blew out a breath, but then nodded reluctantly. Gary, too, didn't seem too keen on ending this conversation.
"Nervous?" I asked, doing my best to keep my tone light.
"Ah, you know, the usual, not wanting to expose my insecurities, inability to talk about my feelings, not wanting to share any mushy stuff, blah blah blah, everything women always hammer on about." Gary rubbed the side of his face. "Mew, and now I'm supposed to really do that."
"Ah, but you're Gary Oak, the Gary Oak, surely you'll be able to handle a silly thing like an emotional conversation?"
He grinned, but not very convincingly. "Sure thing, Brocko, sure thing…"
I pressed my lips together and let out a breath through my nose. "Gary..." I pushed the pity out of my voice and started over, more strongly now. "Gary, you really can do this. Leaf cares about you. You're friends. She won't laugh at you. She'll appreciate your honesty and the trust you're giving her. And whether it's today or in a few weeks, she'll return the favor and trust you with something. To move further in this relationship, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, even though it's scary. You have to trust her, and talk about your feelings with her."
Gary stared at me, mouth hanging open. After a slow blink of his eyes, he closed his mouth, shook his head a bit and then finally said, "Sometimes I'm really impressed by your ability to repeat the same message over and over again in different words."
The pride I'd felt at my little speech evaporated at Gary's words, and I shot him a look. He smirked in response, and I rolled my eyes.
"It's a talent." I shrugged. "And it's still true. If you truly want this thing with Leaf to go somewhere, you'll have to invest in it. You're young, you'll have time and opportunities enough, but Leaf won't be waiting forever. If you want commitment- And you want that, right?" I checked, and after his nod, I continued, "So, tell her that. If you tell her you won't leave her, and that you're afraid of her leaving you, maybe she'll reassure you. Or..." I trailed off, realizing that this probably wasn't the best way to end this particular speech. Either she'll stay or she'll crush your heart in her hands. Great going, Brocko.
"Or she'll laugh in my face and then leave with another guy," Gary finished for me with a grimace. "But I don't think she'll do that."
Well, at least he could still think rationally instead of blindly panicking. That was probably something Ash would have done had I phrased something so carelessly.
"I guess that's all the wisdom you have to offer?" Gary asked after some silence.
"You make it sound as if my wisdom so far has been useless," I said, quasi offended.
"Well, some things were more questionable, but I admit…" Gary sighed theatrically. "You were right. And I can only pray that you're right in this case as well."
"Well, yeah, same here," I muttered under my breath. Lucy… "Let me know how it went, okay?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "Good luck. And thanks, Brocko. I can always count on you." He winked, trying to downplay it, but I could hear the sincerity behind the words.
"Of course." I grinned, his words reminding me why I'd liked helping everyone so much. "Good luck to you as well."
With some more goodbyes, the conversation ended, and though I slipped my phone back into my pocket, I continued standing in the hallway. I wetted my lips and took a breath, attempting to calm myself. I could this. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of. Like I'd told Gary, if you wanted a relationship to go somewhere, you'd have to invest in it. The fact that I was here, staying at her house, that I was going to meet her parents tomorrow, everything was already pointing at a more serious relationship and I wanted to keep that trend.
Communication was the key. I could do this.
When I walked back to the kitchen, Lucy was idly moving the cutlery around and looked up with a smile when I entered. The weight on my shoulders immediately seemed to lighten. I could do this. Of course I could do this.
"Sorry," I said, walking over to the stove. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No, it's alright. I finished up the cucumber for the salad, and the beans weren't quite done yet anyway."
I lifted the lid of a pan and glanced inside, before taking a fork to pick one of the beans out of the cooking water.
"Hm…" I smacked my lips. "I think they're done now."
"Alright then, let's eat!" Lucy beamed and joined me at the stove to take another pan, as I already took the one with the beans to the sink.
I loved cooking with Lucy, I mused as the steam rose. We hadn't had many opportunities yet, as Lucy was busy with her challengers, but tomorrow she had a day off. Of course, we were going to visit her parents, but afterwards we should have enough time left to prepare a lavish meal.
"Brock?" Lucy looked at me inquisitively, and I pulled myself back to reality. I put the pan on the table, just as Lucy had done already.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
"Just if you were thinking about something? And from your response, I'd say so." She smiled a bit mischievously, before looking serious again. "Is everything alright with Gary?"
I blinked. "Ah, yeah... Yes, yes, everything with Gary… well, it's fixed now." I smiled distractedly, and Lucy continued to look worried. "Really, Gary will be fine, I was actually thinking about…" I hesitated. Should I bring it up now already?
Another moment of cowardly hesitation, and then, "About how much I love cooking with you, and how we'll have enough time for that tomorrow, after we've met your parents," I finished my sentence with a smile. Lucy frowned, and I inwardly sighed. I gestured to the chairs – and mentally, I promised myself that when the next opportunity presented itself I would take it and tell her about my jealousy.
"Don't worry, they'll love you, I'm sure of it." Lucy sounded distracted, but she followed my lead and sat down.
To be honest, I actually wasn't that worried about 'meeting the parents.' Maybe I should be, but as long as I behaved myself appropriately during the visit, I wasn't foreseeing any problems. After all, I was a former Gym Leader, still quite a prominent figure in Pewter City, I was studying to be a Pokémon doctor, I had travelled, I had a lot of experience as a Pokémon Breeder, I could take care of kids, I could cook, clean, even liked to do it, I was a gentleman- Really, as long they hadn't heard of my reputation as a ladies' man, I should be okay. And considering this ladies' man hadn't had a lot of success with the ladies…
Anyway, I should be okay-
"Brock?"
With a sheepish smile I looked back to Lucy, as I was for the second time this minute called back to reality by her. There was a crease between her eyebrows.
"Sorry, did it again, eh?" I rubbed the back of my neck in an Ash-like manner. "I'll pay attention now, promise."
I swallowed when Lucy seemed only partially reassured. This was the perfect moment to mention my jealousy...
"So, uh, Gary, right? He's the Pokémon researcher, not?" Lucy's question provided me with an easy excuse to procrastinate, which I – to my shame – gladly took.
And so the rest of the dinner progressed peacefully. From Gary to Pokémon research to my studies to the Battle Pike – another opportunity for me, which I, too, allowed to slip through my fingers – to the Gym and to my siblings; but despite the various interesting topics, there was still a certain tension in the air. Something needed to be said, and we both could feel it.
As we reached dessert – a strawberry pudding that Lucy had made herself – I was running out of excuses. The lull in the conversation provided by our first bites was another opportunity, and this time, this time, I was going to take it.
"Lucy."
Perhaps it was something in my tone, but Lucy startled and strangely enough, looked almost scared when her wide eyes locked onto mine. I couldn't ponder it, though, as my next words were already on my lips. "I need to talk to you. About something."
She swallowed and pressed her lips together, before nodding earnestly. "Okay."
I licked my lips, swallowed again, took another deep breath – then, there were no more ways for me to avoid speaking, and I started, "These past few days... They've been great, really. It's been better than all our previous dates and I love being able to spend so much time with you." Lucy nodded, a small smile on her lips, but still looking tense. "But..."
The words got stuck in my throat, causing me to make a rather strange sound that sounded like a cross between a groan and an awkward cough. Lucy didn't seem to have noticed it, though.
"Brock..." she said quietly, "I think I know what you're going to say."
Wait, what? Really?
"Wh- Really?" I voiced my thoughts, trying to keep the relief and surprise out of my voice, but failing miserably. "That's... that's good."
"Yes, yes, I do." She nodded, her posture relaxing somewhat. "And I understand completely. It's not that strange to be scared, you know."
My eyebrows furrowed together. That... wasn't something I'd expected to hear from Lucy. Yes, she was a great girl and I was afraid to lose her, but for her to understand that… that was almost arrogant.
"I mean, it's a bit overwhelming for me as well," she said, attempting to smile. Overwhelming? Did she mean the attention from the other guys? I was definitely frowning when her smile turned more confident and she continued, "But I'm sure we can find a way to balance everything."
Okay, something was definitely not adding up. Balance everything? Was she thinking she would get to balance me and the other men?
I stared at her in open confusion.
Confusion flashed across Lucy's face as well, before it was replaced with a understanding smile. "If you ever need space, you just need to tell me, okay? I'll understand."
Now this definitely wasn't making sense anymore. At all.
"What?" I finally managed to utter something, though sadly not something very intelligent.
"What?" Lucy echoed, the smile slipping off her face in favor of mirroring my confusion.
"W-what..." I tried again, but everything in my mind was jumbled together and I had difficulty forming a comprehensive string of words. "What... what are you... what are you talking about?" Ah, finally a somewhat normal sentence.
"What are you talking about?" Lucy repeated again, sounding equally lost as a blush crept up her cheeks.
When I just continued staring at her unintelligently, no reply coming forth, Lucy fortunately took it upon herself to explain. "I thought... I thought you were going to say that you thought we were moving too fast."
Once again we were graced with a masterful reply from me. "What?"
"Uh..." Lucy was full on blushing now. "You didn't mean that? Oh Mew..." She hid her face in her hands. "I thought... You were distracted... And you said you were thinking about tomorrow, about meeting my parents, and I thought you were nervous, that… that you were having doubts, because this relationship was moving too fast for you."
Well, that was a logical conclusion. And that made her previous words a lot more logical as well.
"I..." Right, focus, Brock. Normal words, normal sentences. "I don't think that. That's not what I was going to say. I was going to say..." Er, skip this part for now. "I mean, I don't think we're moving too fast. I like this pace. I'm looking forward to meeting your parents." Right, right, that's it, Brock, you can do this.
I smiled, looking in her beautiful eyes. "I'm perfectly happy like this. I couldn't be happier. I really love... being together with you like this." Okay, Romeo, maybe now you're moving too fast. Calm down, don't scare her away.
"That's... good. That's really good." Lucy was still holding my stare, her mouth half-open and her cheeks red as she tried to gather herself. "I mean, I love spending time with you as well, heh." A hesitant but beautiful smile grew on her face, the blush only making her look all the more attractive.
After a few blissful moments of looking in each other's eyes, Lucy seemed to pull herself back into reality.
"But..." Realization flitted across her features. "What were you going to say, then?"
Oh, Mew.
I took a deep breath. "I... I really like spending time with you. I really being here with you. I really like you. And- And it was really great to see you work like this, and... Mew, this is stupid, but I can't help it..." I rested my face in hand. "Please don't think I'm possessive or anything, I'm not, you need your freedom and I trust you completely, but..." Now, fast. "When I see you with some of those challengers, I can't help but get jealous."
As soon as the words were out, I almost cringed in preparation for her onslaught. However, Lucy was still looking at me blankly, and desperation clawed at me as I prayed that she had please gotten my message.
"You're jealous..." Lucy said, slowly.
"I'm sorry," I said, hanging my head a little. Dammit, everything had been going so great… But surely speaking the truth would turn out for the better?
"I..." Lucy started. "I don't know what to say. I mean, I... I hadn't expected this." She sounded more surprised than anything else, and when she gave me a small smile I felt my spirits lifting again. After a moment, seriousness took over her expression, but before I could fall back into despair, Lucy took my hands in hers.
She continued, looking in my eyes, "Thank you for telling me, Brock, I appreciate it. I'm glad you trust me and that you realize I need my space." She took a deep breath, and her serious mask loosened somewhat. "And uh, being truthful and all, it's also kind of flattering to hear... I mean, sometimes I do notice that they're flirting with me, but well, I promise you, Brock-" And the seriousness was back. "-that I have no interest in returning their flirtations."
I grinned widely, which Lucy hesitantly returned. I'd expected – or rather, very strongly hoped – that she would say something along these lines, but still, to actually hear it felt really nice.
"Thank you, Lucy," I breathed, and without any conscious decision I leaned further over the table. The strawberry dessert sat forgotten between us as Lucy too leaned in. "I will try not to be jealous."
Her shy smile widened. "I'm really happy you told me." She hesitated, her cheeks darkening again – she was really prone to blushing, I realized with some fondness. "I don't know if I'm being too forward..." Lucy weighed her words before continuing, "But I really think we can make this work." Her blush intensified. "L-long term, I mean."
My heart leapt out of my chest, and in my enthusiasm I fumbled to respond as fast as possible. "I- I think so, as well, too. I- I mean, yeah- Yeah, I'd like that. I really hope so."
We leaned in further, Lucy's eyes closed and I allowed my own eyelids to droop as well-
I jumped up, my leg violently vibrating with the buzzing of my phone. "Freaking Mew!" I cursed, almost dropping my phone in my panic to pull it out of my pocket. Lucy looked on with wide eyes, all the previous signs of blushing completely gone.
"Yes?" I said anxiously, without even looking at the caller ID. If someone interrupted a moment like this, surely it had to be important, right?
"Brocko!" Gary's jovial voice came through, and I fell back in my chair. The now useless adrenaline was still racing through my body.
"Hey, Gary."
Gary didn't seem to notice my tone, but happily chattered on, "Just called to let you know that everything worked out. Leaf and I are now in an officially established exclusive relationship."
"That's great," I said with as much cheerfulness as I could muster, pushing away my irritation.
"Thanks!" Gary's obvious excitement and obliviousness to my situation showed that he was more like Ash than the boy himself thought. "Well, anyway, I gotta go again, got a date planned with the lady in ten minutes. And good luck with Lucy!" He added the last part quickly, and after some rushed goodbyes, the line went dead.
With a sigh, I put my phone away. "Well, that was a mood killer," I said in an attempt at a joke.
"Bad news?" Lucy seemed confused, worried and something else I couldn't place, and I shook my head.
"Nah, Gary just wanted to let me know everything was going great, in fact." I smiled apologetically. I just wished he had picked another moment to let me know. Or had sent me a text or something.
"Ah." Lucy's smile seemed a bit off, but I smiled back anyway. An awkward silence descended upon us, and I wondered if it was inappropriate to suggest that we'd continue where we'd left off.
Too many moments passed, and Lucy turned her attention back to the dessert. I swallowed and resisted the urge to wring my hands together.
"It tastes good, right?" I said just to say something, a hesitant touch to my voice.
Lucy looked up at me from her bowl, and for a long moment it seemed like she was hesitating, before answering, "Yes, yes, it's good."
Something heavy dropped in my stomach for a reason I couldn't discern – her answer was perfectly normal, and her smile… The weight increased, but I smiled back at her anyway.
A/N: And that's another chapter done! Thanks a lot for reading, I hope you guys liked this one. Please leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you in three weeks!
Thank you!
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