Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. This year I really wanted to write more about JJ Williams, the OC of mine and Shannon's that is technically Ash and Misty's miscarried child from their teenage years but is raised by her parents instead, Jordan and Lynne. I've written a few chapter and hopefully I'll end up uploading them all if they're still relevant. This story came out of the idea that I wanted to write James and Jordan being a dad and a step dad. So I came up with this! I hope you enjoy :3
Ages:
Jordan: 32
James: 43
JJ: 13
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
I smiled to myself as I sat by the window in the sun of Jordan and Lynne's annexe and the yellow haired male as well as the lavender haired one flopped on separate sofas but together were chuckling about the same exact thing. To tell you the truth, I didn't know what was amusing them so. Though I had been there for their conversation, at one point in the middle of it as the sun warmed my back and tickled down my spine, I had shut my eyes. And very quickly and contentedly following that, my mind blurred away from everything that I was hearing.
Despite that, my mind naturally focused in to the two men laughing together and it was this sound that made me feel even better than the April sun of Kanto. I shook my head to myself, smiling fondly. Things hadn't always been that way for them. In fact, when they initially met, Misty's father took quite a disliking to the "younger" male! Jordan was very protective, you see. And James had done some things and acted in ways that displeased him.
A very subtle rivalry was formed. But thankfully and much more fortunately, that seemed to melt away and a mutual feeling of understanding, respect and admiration took the place of defensive protectiveness instead. A wonderful friendship was born. A brotherhood was created. A bond was set in stone. And I knew in my heart, like my one with my own best friend, that lovely connection would never fade away.
Naturally being the more energetic of the two, after they continued laughing together for a few more minutes, Jordan suddenly leapt and bounded off his sofa. James turned his head and looked over at him from lulling in his own arm chair – almost resembling a pirate in a hammock on an exotic beach. However, he didn't move apart from that. The yellow haired male was doing all of the getting around for them both!
Jordan jumped up with quite some enthusiasm and was about to bound over to his best friend and most likely flop right next to him before engaging in the rest of their usual amusing antics. But before any of that could happen and all the yellow haired male could do was move over to James and hold his arm out to him and the lavender haired male instinctively reached his out back and they touched their knuckles against each other in a friendly way, us three boys were suddenly no longer alone. Another one was to join us. It was JJ returning back home from a day out with his friends.
The orange haired teenage boy came bustling in the front door of his parents section of the Morgan mansion and contrasting to his usual soft and thoughtful character, slammed the door behind him rather abruptly. My head quickly turned, the sun still running up and down my back. Jordan glanced too. James leaned over from still lulling, not wanting to get up from a pleasant day with his best friend.
JJ was grinning rather contentedly as he entered and was seemingly in his own youthful world but he saw us all looking as he entered the annexe. His grin changed to an apologetic one. He addressed the fact that he slammed the door with quite some gusto. But even so, following saying sorry for that boisterous antic, he then did another by just ditching his denim shirt and messenger bag on the floor. I got the feeling that he hoped we were to ignore that.
"Hello hello." He greeted and he paused to push his flopping locks out of his eyes before he took his spectacles away from them and cleaned them. I wondered if they had gotten messed up during his time away from home. The lavender haired male smiled and waved at him in response while Jordan moved closer to him instead, his head tilted. JJ still didn't pick his belongings up. He continued smiling instead, scrunching his nose up slightly. "What's going on here? Annual father's meeting?"
"Annual J meeting, if you please." The yellow haired male responded to his son and though his head remained tilted, he couldn't stop himself from giving his son back. Once again, I wondered to myself and that time I was thinking whether his grin was to soften when he wordlessly reached his foot out to lightly nudge the younger male's jacket and bag on the floor. JJ caught on right away and despite doing what his father silently asked of him, rolled his eyes. But thankfully, Jordan didn't see from his floppy fringe shielding him. The older male continued, his head tilting a little more. "I did invite you but you didn't reply to my message. That's okay. Did you have fun out?"
"Mmhmm." JJ responded to the yellow haired male but that was all. He did what he said by picking his messenger bag back up and deciding to put his denim shirt back on so he didn't have to carry two things. James smiled at the two males wearing a similar outfit but he didn't say anything, finally sitting up properly in the armchair. The orange haired male turned on his heel, at last adding more words. "I'm about to go out again so I had better go get ready. See you later!"
And with that, just like he had bustled in the door, JJ bustled off to head back to his room. He left Jordan in his wake with a tilted head and arms folded on his chest. The lavender haired male raised a slight eyebrow at his social attitude and hurried one as well but he shook it off. It wasn't up to him to deal with it. It was up to the yellow haired male. And needless to say, he turned around to his best friend and raised his own eyebrow when JJ's bedroom door slammed shut.
But like James and despite being the more outgoing of the two, Jordan didn't say anything then either. His look was enough. And after the lavender haired male just smiled sympathetically and shrugged, Jordan looked over at me for reassurance as well. I wanted to give him an even more supportive look than the fellow male had given him but it couldn't help but end up similar. I was empathetic. But I had seen things like that many a time.
JJ was back from his boarding school for the Easter and though he had spent lots of time with his family at the beginning of it, those days were seemingly a far memory! I for one thought that it was good that he was out with his friends and out in the sun and having a laugh. Of course Jordan agreed with me and Lynne did too; they wanted nothing more than their son to have a normal life. But it was most likely hard that he was growing up so fast and yet not at all.
I believed that the yellow haired male breathed out slightly when he didn't get the looks or words from James and I that he wanted. But after all, the knowledge was inside of him. He knew what to do. And if he didn't, then he had seen other people doing it.
Following a few more seconds of Jordan shaking his head slightly, he soon enough decided to scratch his head but then follow his son around the corner to his bedroom. He looked over his shoulder at his best friend and gave him a look. James caught on right away. He lifted his chin up and smiled, waving his hand too. He completely understood. He was fine with the "older" male cracking on with being a parent. In fact, it was something that he adored seeing. So he decided to get up off his chair and sit by the window and enjoy it with me properly.
The former Cerulean city gym leader didn't hesitate to go over to his son's bedroom door. When he wasn't giving the fellow male a telling glance, his head turned back to face forward and he frowned softly. He was evidently gathering all the things that he wanted to say. However, he soon shook this off and decided to just see what entailed. And so, the older male to his son opened his mouth to get ready to speak before he was even in front of JJ and he lifted his hand to knock on the door. But he was caught off guard when the orange haired male's door suddenly opened!
JJ was about to exit his room. He jumped quite a bit when he saw his father hanging there but he didn't make a noise of fright. Jordan's mouth quickly slammed shut and hurriedly (and amusingly) his arm dropped down to his side. The teenage boy normally would be blinking from behind his glasses but that day, he was raising an eyebrow.
"Can I help you?" he asked him in a tone that was bordering on unimpressed but he tilted his head over at his father and though he was raising an eyebrow, his different coloured eyes twinkled as well. Jordan was forced to take a step back when JJ took a step forward and reached out his room, taking the belt off the door handle which he had left there. Then, he went back into his room. He was silently hoping Jordan wouldn't follow him into his room but even so, he couldn't stop himself from telling him about his day. "The coolest thing happened today, Dad! We were livestreaming our Pokémon battle on the cliffs that overlook the ocean and-"
JJ was stopped right there. Jordan frowned. He looked quite serious for once.
"You were having a Pokémon battle at the top of a cliff? Does that seem wise to you?" he asked but remained on the other side of the door. James and I shared a glance as we sat by the window together, the sun reaching out to us and running down our backs. Our expressions didn't change all that much but I knew that we were thinking the same thing. No, that didn't seem wise at all. But it wasn't as though we didn't do things like that during our own Pokémon shenanigans!
The orange haired male went into the centre of his room to put his belt on and soon enough shared a frown back. He looked quite serious as well. However, his crease between the eyes then changed to almost a scoff. He managed to hold back his audible scoff as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. He shook his head.
"No, we filmed the Pokémon battle down on the beach and then climbed up to the cliffs above for better signal." JJ explained and Jordan didn't hesitate to nod with slight relief. Even though I had old but vivid and fond memories of us all behaving like that, I felt a tingle of relief for my best friend and his wife's sake as well. They certainly would have been as concerned as the yellow haired male. The teenage boy remained quiet for a couple of seconds as he looped his belt through but then he couldn't help but add. He muttered. "We're not stupid."
"I didn't say you were." Jordan automatically reassured him and just for a second, his expression changed from a caring yet firm father and switched to the look of a friend. His face softened. He smiled ever so slightly. He held his hands up towards his son. But because JJ wasn't looking at him and was too busy seemingly getting ready for going out on his next venture, the older male just had to make sure his son knew he was being serious. He intended on entering the room to make sure JJ knew he wasn't being insulted but when he saw the state of his son's bedroom, he couldn't stop other words from slipping out. His hands went to his hips. "…You are not leaving this house again today with a room like this. I'm sorry, but you're not."
I glanced over at the lavender haired male as soon as we both heard these words but because neither of us could see around the corner as they both went further into the teenagers bedroom, all I got from James was a raise from both of his eyebrows. He shrugged yet again. He could only imagine.
However, I wasn't content with just imagining. It was true that I was so very comfy at the window by the sun and having the warmth reaching out to me as well as James' fingers occasionally as he stroked me. But I was a curious fellow! And curiosity got the better of me. Though it was maybe the wrong thing to do, I crept forward to peek in the door and see the state the bedroom was in for myself.
At first, though, I listened out for JJ's response to his father's words.
"Come on you can't be serious. They're expecting me." He responded to his father and peeked over his glasses to see a hint of that friendly and fair smile from when he was reassuring him. That had faded away. Jordan was most definitely frowning. JJ openly scoffed. "It's not that bad! And I'll do it when I get back."
Not that bad. According to JJ, the state of his teenage bedroom was not that bad. I had to disagree! And I had to agree with Jordan's wordless eye widening. It was rather bad. There were clothes everywhere. There were books left in piles. He hadn't bothered to put away his belongings from being in his boarding school boxes and they were just left all over the floor. And there was a smell. If I was honest, there was a bit of a food smell. No doubt that it was coming from the dirty and discarded mugs on the window sill.
The yellow haired male repeated the words that were on my own mind.
"Not that bad!" he erupted in that loud but not intimidating tone of his. It was just energetic. Yet JJ knew that it wasn't one to be taken lightly. He resisted letting out another scoff and for his father's sake and perhaps his own sake, he showed off a mock polite smile and started kicking belongings with his foot under the bed. Jordan caught on right away. "You're going to have to do a lot better of a job than that, JJ! Tell your friends you can't go out until you clean this room. I mean it. I'm surprised it hasn't attracted bugs."
The orange haired male's head snapped up upon hearing this and I had a feeling that it wasn't over the bug part. I briefly turned my head back once more towards the lavender haired male and saw that he was trying not to glance over and listen. But even he couldn't help but observe this was a rare interaction for those two.
JJ clenched his jaw. He didn't like to argue back. But he felt as though he had to stand up for himself.
"I said that I would do it when I get back and I mean it. I can't cancel. I can't be late. You don't understand." He began trying to reason with his father and the older male of them took a step back, clenching his own jaw. The reason for this was because he absolutely was known as a fun, easy-going parent. And as soon as he saw a little bit of sincerity in his children, he was certain to back down. He quickly looked away for this reason too. However, I believe that JJ misread it for an eye roll. His own voice started to rise but it wasn't as airily as his fathers. He shook his head in disbelief. "Can't you understand for once? All you've done these past couple of weeks is be on my case for no reason!"
The tall and strong male's face quickly looked back over to his son. I knew Jordan to be a complicated man and while very animated and energetic, he could also be subtle and slow. But in that moment, he didn't react slowly. He reacted without hesitation. His eyes widened yet again and he showed off a bit of a smirk, though he was beginning to lose his patience with his son acting a far cry from his patient and understanding self.
"All I've done for the last few weeks is be on your case? Oh that's a funny remark because I think you would actually have to be in this house for me to act like that towards you!" Jordan's voice rose a little himself but what he was doing couldn't be classed as yelling. He was just proving his own point. Even so, James was beginning to think about standing up. The yellow haired male retorted to his son. "I've hardly seen you, JJ! So please just clean up this room of yours so the time that we actually do see each other is me not being a nagging parent. I probably like it less than you."
To me, this was rather fair. From my point of view, this was a point that couldn't cause much retaliation. JJ certainly didn't see things that way. He looked down at the floor. He was really trying – you had to give him credit for trying – he was trying so hard not to explode back at his father. But the truth was they had never really gotten into an interaction like that before. The orange haired male didn't know how to navigate his way through it.
Jordan breathed out and furrowed his brow and went quiet himself when he saw his son doing the same thing. He took another breath and a step forward too and got ready to reach his hands out to him. He was going to try again and show calmness and gratitude yet authority as well. But he didn't get a chance to do any of these things.
The thirteen year old boy suddenly snapped his head towards the older male and his words snapped too. As he ranted, his eyes filled with frustrated tears.
"Stop bossing me around! Stop telling me what to do! You say you want to give me a normal life and for me to feel normal but as soon as I do something that is quite common for a teenage boy, you can't handle it! Stop taking it out on me! Stop getting annoyed at me for the fact that I'm like you – I don't bloody age! But unlike you, I actually act my age!"
And with that, the orange haired male got frustrated with the belt that he had left discarded around his waist and grew irritated with feeling it flapping around his stomach. He suddenly yanked it off and threw it on the floor to make a point.
I didn't know what to do. When I almost shakily turned my head to look back at James, he didn't know what to do either. And of course, Jordan didn't know what to do at all. He didn't know what to say.
It was painfully obvious when his jaw clenched but his chin began to tremble as well. It was a lot to hear. From his son, it was a lot to hear. He breathed out shakily and then his expression went vacant. His hand went to his forehead and rubbed it achingly while JJ just furrowed his brow stubbornly and panted following his outburst. It was then that Jordan snapped into action.
But all he did was turn on his heel. Like his son had done to head on into his room, the yellow haired male turned on his heel. He shook his head – at himself or at JJ, I didn't know. Jordan shook his head and didn't stop himself from leaving his son alone in his room. He slammed the door behind him himself. And it left quite the harrowing silence following the rattling noises.
I felt as though I could still hear JJ from panting inside his room even after the door was slammed shut but that couldn't possibly have been the case. I still thought I might've been right about it though, even when Jordan pushed past me as well. I swallowed. I thought that he was going to blank his best friend as well. But I should've known better.
He shakily pushed his yellow and floppy locks out of his own eyes that had grown a little damp in the intensity of it all. He really hated intense emotions. He really hated conflict. He really hated feeling as though he had let his son down, like he had done with all of his daughters.
He might have reacted with numbness and not talking and avoidance in the past but Jordan was different. Thanks to the unconditional and continuous love from Lynne "up there" and back down on earth, he was better. And thanks to the support from people like Misty, James, Morgan, Ash and I, he had healed a great amount.
Jordan wearily looked over at his best friend and when he saw that he had stood up, ready to help him whenever, he looked at him helplessly. He rubbed his eyes. It came across rather dismissive. But he just didn't know what to do.
"Make him understand, will you? I can't figure this out." He told him and after he ran his hand through the back of his hair, he glanced over at the door. I didn't have time to overthink it. James didn't either. But that was because he was secretly wondering what exactly he was going to do. But he silently swallowed. His best friend had asked him to do something. So of course, he was going to do it.
"Of course." He simply uttered and he didn't smile but he nodded his head. His chin compressed slightly with sincerity as he reached his hand out to lightly pat Jordan's upper arm also. The bigger male's hand instinctively went to pat James' hand back but following that, he couldn't do much else. He was no longer just looking at the door leading back to the Morgan mansion. He was walking towards it. He explained breathlessly as he went.
"I'm going to see if Morgan and Jorgie will have me along to their tea party." he told the lavender haired one as he glanced over his shoulder and despite it all, the ex-rocketeer couldn't stop his eyes from twinkling ever so slightly. His mouth quirked up just a fraction. However, it fell once again when Jordan groaned and muttered before slamming that door shut too. "And I used to think that girls were the tricky ones…"
The long haired male didn't usually do that much but upon hearing these words from his best male friend, he glanced down at me with a slight sadness in his eyes. I shared it back. I had sympathy in my gaze also, a far different kind than my previous one.
It was a shame that their lovely boy's day had changed ever so abruptly after an interaction between the other two males but that's how it was with parenthood. It was all navigational; no day was ever the same. Parenting bought the highest highs and the lowest lows.
James couldn't stop himself from worrying seeing Jordan experiencing that.
"He's done such a great job with them all, I wish he could see that…" James mumbled and as I looked up at him and nodded my head, the way that he reacted made it obvious that he hadn't intended those words to slip out for me to hear. He blinked his own meadow green eyes and then he shook his head. He sighed. He dismissed his thoughts. As he ran a hand through his hair, he too set one foot forward and headed towards JJ's bedroom. And James set out to fulfil Jordan's expectation. Though I knew that he didn't have a clue how he was to begin doing that.
I was closer to the teenager's bedroom door, however I still took a little extra time to reflect while James paused outside it before knocking and heading on in when JJ just grunted in response.
Jordan and Lynne had done their level best to raise JJ in the most normal way despite their inconsistent lives and moving "up there" and down here, and that's not even including the truth of his real parents.
And JJ was very normal. He was a normal boy. He loved Pokémon and Pokémon battles and he made videos with his friends and he went to school and he liked to dance and he liked to have fun. He was one of the most positive people that I knew. But he was one of the most intelligent as well.
It was rather difficult that he and Jordan had had a sudden falling out. But that in itself was normal. It was part of being a teenager. But it was clear from his words that he was sick of being a teenager for so long.
The lavender haired male knew that his best friend and his girlfriend's son's response wasn't the most welcoming but even so, he went on ahead and went in. Like the male from above who could put on a front and appear more confident than he was, James could do this too. But in his own way.
He took a quiet breath and lifted his chin up. He mustered up a smile. He went on into the room as airily as he could. JJ was sat stubbornly on the end of the bed but his head was resting in both of his hands. Subtle regret was definitely there. James sat down next to him.
It took him a couple of seconds but the orange haired teenager finally looked over at the older male. His glance didn't give too much away at all. And then when he looked away again, as his hair flopped over his face, he sighed so heavily that his locks move slightly. It was after this that he decided to speak.
"Come to tell me off as per my dad's orders? Let's get this over with then." JJ muttered and like the curtain haired male before him also, James' own eyes widened slightly at the younger male's attitude. He had never acted that way towards him before. He had to push that aside and push past the hurt and relate it to his own children. And it was after he did that that he began to take it in his stride.
"Yes. Yes, he did ask me to speak with you." The long haired male answered honestly and following JJ looking right at him with a slight raise of the eyebrow, not being able to believe one of the older males, James rested his arms behind him and leaned back slightly on the bed. He shrugged. He finally smiled a bit for real. "But there's hardly any point, is there? You've said what you needed to say, I think. And Jordan will feel better after having his tea party with the girls. So it'll probably sort itself."
I finally decided to enter the room and I made myself comfy on the top of the teenagers (empty) laundry bin. I couldn't stop myself from raising an eyebrow. It was strange that the lavender haired male was going against my best friend's father in law's request. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder if that was a tactic on James' part.
However, that speculation came and went. He wasn't the type of parent to play mind games. And though he wasn't a parent to JJ, he couldn't stop himself from understanding himself just a little bit. And maybe it was this that got the younger male to find it easier to talk to him.
JJ sighed yet again, his hands still cupping his face and his hair flopping over his forehead with secret regret. He questioned, turning his head back towards his mother's boyfriend.
"When did my Dad get so boring? He's not that way with you. All he's been like these last few weeks is nag nag nag. Surely he would be glad to have me home? Apparently not. He likes to spend our time together being completely boring."
James couldn't stop himself from smirking slightly despite it all. It really was a new thing to see him acting so teenager-y and against his father and no doubt was it something that would pass! He understood it. He had dealt with it within his own children. But even so, he was on Jordan's side as well. He reminded him.
"No matter how parental or firm your dad gets, that man will always be the furthest thing from boring, JJ." James pointed out and JJ tried to listen but he ended up subtly rolling his eyes and looking away once again. His fingers remained clasping his own face. The older male didn't care. He didn't care that he got shot down. In fact, his silence gave him a good chance to express. He had probably been thinking about all of these things while wordlessly witnessing their dispute. "However, maybe he should cut you some slack. But maybe you should cut him some slack as well. After all, this is his first time doing all of this with a boy."
JJ tried to keep up his stubborn and distant façade – he was sure that his father was doing the same thing after he slammed the door on him and left the annexe as well. But after a couple of seconds, he found himself looking down. He knew that was plausible. On some level, even he knew that was true. But he couldn't stop himself from looking over at the older male. And he didn't bother stopping himself from frowning.
"Even so, how come you're so fair and he's so firm and relentless? I don't think I've ever seen you having a go at your kids for something like a messy bedroom." He shrugged and then he looked away again. He almost whispered his last words. "They're lucky."
I watched as the ex-rocketeer male softened upon hearing this and I couldn't tell if it was acceptance of the slight compliment or sympathy for Jordan that he was being pitted against him at that moment in time. I believed as though it was the latter. James didn't like anyone putting his best friend down no matter what.
James took his time in responding. His ran his hand through his long locks and thought to himself. In the process, JJ took his glasses off once again and cleaned them. After he did this and after he looked over at his mom's long-term boyfriend, I wondered if he was going to look with clean and fresh eyes also. I hoped so a little bit for Jordan's sake. The lavender haired male finally replied. He couldn't help but be honest.
"Oh, I did most of my telling off for messy rooms before you came along. And I do it when nobody is around. I wouldn't do it in front of you. We wouldn't want you wanting to join the messy room gang now, would we? You're close enough to qualifying." He joked with him with a straight expression and despite it all; even JJ couldn't stop himself letting out an exhalation breath of amusement. And after James reached out and patted the front of his hair, he smiled at him. He took the chance to be serious while his amusement died down. "Don't be too hard on your dad though, buddy. I know he can come across as protective and maybe a little judgmental but he cares more than anyone I've met. And he understands you a lot more than you think. Even though he sometimes doesn't act his age."
And upon hearing this, the orange haired male breathed out. Although his hands slipped away from his face and his elbows stopped balancing on his legs, he looked down at the floor. His shoulders slumped a fraction. His hand reached out and rubbed his own forehead before tangling in his hair. I had to do an inward double take. It was amazing how he and Jordan technically weren't father and son, but they certainly had the same mannerisms. JJ softly groaned.
"I really did say that then?" the orange haired teenage boy muttered and after James softly nodded and sympathetically smiled, JJ shook his head at himself. He breathed out instead of groaning a second time. He admitted. "I was hoping that that was in my own mind and I hadn't actually said that to him. That was kind of uncalled for."
I nodded. James just shrugged. He paused and then he took a chance by asking. He reached his hand out to gently pat JJ's knee before his hand ran through his own locks. He tilted his head at him.
"Did you mean it, though?" he asked carefully and one of the things that I had learnt about the lavender haired male that I didn't acknowledge in his Team Rocket days was how laidback he was. It goes without saying that he was sensitive and cared deeply and worried a little bit as well, but on top of that, he allowed and encouraged people to feel however exactly they felt. Even if JJ didn't appreciate or acknowledge that in that moment, I knew he would in the future.
He breathed out. He thought about it. But then he couldn't stop himself from nodding his head. He picked at his empty belt loop for couple of seconds but then he answered. James was all ears. And I was as well.
"Yeah… Yeah, I did." he began and his brow started to furrow all the more. But it was thoughtfully. I was glad to see that he had thoroughly calmed down now that he was no longer locking horns with his father. He exhaled quietly. He shrugged. "Sometimes I do feel as though he doesn't act his age. But that's probably inconsistent of me. Complaining that he's being boring while pointing out that he's energetic and fun too."
James found himself chuckling softly upon hearing this and at JJ's intelligence too which he believed he got from his mother. But after getting them out, he looked over at JJ seriously. He hinted. He began himself.
"I… I meant the other thing though, JJ." He explained and for once, I was left slightly confused for a couple of seconds. But after the orange haired teenager breathed out and shut his eyes, I soon caught on. I soon caught on when he slowly nodded to that as well. And I most definitely understood when he explained. He somewhat vulnerably picked at the material on his jeans.
"I… Yeah… Of course it bugs me that I've been stuck at thirteen since before Jorgie was born." He started with a frown. And needless to say, it was a lot different one compared to his stubborn and frustrated one that he had had with his father. He breathed out. His eyes got slightly misty. "I went from a baby to a teenager to quick and then have been stuck at the same age since. Isn't that a nuisance? Why can't it be one or the other? Even Morgan has grown up consistently. It's so… frustrating."
I breathed out myself. Of course. I only really thought about it at that point but maybe the reason that JJ had spent so much time away from home when he was supposed to be at home was because of that whole situation.
Perhaps it frustrated to see his young parents and know they had aging problems as well. But when he was away and with his friends and with people "his own age", he forgot all of that. He was just a kid. He was just a teenager. He was just JJ. And his frustration towards his father was just a reflection of his own conflicts.
I always had empathy for the child who was actually Ash and Misty's but upon figuring that out, I had even more of it in my heart for him. And so, I clambered off his washing bin and went to sit next to him on the bed instead. It felt nice when his hand automatically went out to pat my head. He knew I was there for him. James was too, of course.
"You know…" the long haired male started and he gave himself time, his eyes softly flickering as he quietly thought about everything that the younger male had said. He had a great deal of patience for him. He edged slightly closer to him on the bed. "It's going to drive you absolutely insane when I say this because I know your dad has told you this as well… But age is all in your mind. I know you're frustrated. I very well understand that and I'm here for you. But your mind is wondrous, JJ. You have the intelligence of a person who has seen everything. You have the innocence of a new-born. You need to start thinking yourself as lucky if you can. You're lucky to be so many things. You're lucky to be loved by so many people. And maybe this means you'll be around longer with all of these people."
The orange haired male looked away upon hearing this and the lavender haired male mistook it for being put off by the fact that he had said words very similar to ones that Jordan would often explain to him. But despite this, James wasn't put off by it. He communicated that with a slight turn of his head.
However, JJ responded with a shake of the head. And he looked over at his mother's boyfriend. He looked right at him. And he spoke truthfully back.
"No… No, hearing you say almost the same thing as my dad makes me think that he's sort of true." He admitted and ducked his head a fraction. And following that, he looked once more and took his glasses off to somehow be all the more sincere. He took a while meeting James' eyes once again but after he did, he glanced between us both. He swallowed. "I know you're right. I'm lucky. And I shouldn't take it out on my dad. I know he thinks he's failed my sisters so I shouldn't make him think he's failed me too."
It takes me no pride to admit that I teared up upon hearing this. JJ was so intelligent. He was so painfully intelligent. He sussed that out all by himself. He felt bad; you could tell he felt bad because his eyes clouded up even more from behind no spectacles. He swallowed. He looked over at me rather than the lavender haired male.
It was never James' intention to make the younger male feel bad but even so, he reached out and stroked his head, reminding him. He added.
"Your dad is my very best friend. He is far from boring. And if he acts that way then it's just him being a good parent. So next time that you feel frustrated with him or anything, you should probably take a step back and remember how much you do mean to him. And you should take note of how much he means to you as well."
JJ gulped as he listened to this but it wasn't a negative one. It was a home truth but it was a necessary one. And perhaps it was necessary that he heard it from someone who was not a parent. Maybe it would make him absorb it even stronger and even quicker.
The floppy haired teenage boy breathed out and his eyes dropped to the floor. But following that and after James gently reached his hand out to pat the younger male's knee, JJ took this as a bit of an invitation and without hesitation, he turned around and threw his arms around James' neck. He hugged him. I breathed out, even more emotion filling my eyes.
It was true that JJ didn't really belong to Jordan and Lynne but even so, he most definitely had his mother's intelligence. He absolutely had her blue eye. And though sometimes he struggled emotionally like his father and said the wrong thing, he was deeply affectionate and loving like him too. And he gave the loveliest bear hugs!
James should have been used to that if he was used to Jordan's but he wasn't expecting that at that moment whatsoever. But of course, he didn't hesitate to accept it. Heart-warmingly, his eyes lit up as he hugged the younger male back. He patted his back, pulling him closer. JJ pressed his face up against the older male's neck. He breathed out. He whispered. I wondered if he knew his words had slipped out as well.
"I am lucky…" he agreed and while he continued hugging the lavender haired male, one of his hands slipped away from him to pat my head and include me in it all as well. And that proved to me that he was the sweetest boy ever. And that was a trait from everybody that loved him. He continued, finally smiling himself. "I have lots of parents…"
James nodded. He knew not to pull away from the hug in times such as those until JJ decided it was over so he continued holding him close to him. In fact, he squeezed him all the more, still patting his back. He agreed as well. He nodded his head against his. But before he could verbally agree or show off a quiet gaze, JJ shut his eyes and had slightly vulnerable and unexpected words for him. He couldn't help but add.
"And I don't mean just Misty and Ash…" he told the older male as he hugged him. His eyes fluttered open momentarily to show sincerity. But then they shut all over again. To show honesty. He swallowed. His mouth quirked upwards in a small smile. He truly did mean it. "I mean you as well…"
And needless to say, upon hearing this, the lavender haired male didn't know what to say at all. He almost froze. Really, he truly almost froze. From hugging his best friend and his girlfriend's son, he didn't know what to say.
The truth of that boy had bought joy and pain and confusion and gain and loss for him as well. He never tried to muscle in and took a step back for my best friend's sake. But when he heard JJ accept him as almost a step-dad, it was the sweetest sound in the world.
He didn't know what to say. At all. He didn't know what to say. But he knew what to do. James just hugged JJ all the more and after momentarily pulling away from their hug, he planted a kiss to the side of his head. And this caused the orange haired male to shyly grin but hug him even tighter and even more of a loving bear way.
Jordan and JJ were very similar indeed. Without encouragement and without expectation, they had bestowed a familial title on James. He was Jordan's honorary brother. He was JJ's honorary step dad. But most important of all, he was a friend to all. And he was friend to JJ.
But above and beyond all that, no matter the frustrations and differences and similarities and distances that they went through, JJ and Jordan were very best friends as well. They were father and son. They were two of a kind. They were two of the same kind. They were both Jordan's. And they were wonderful.
Maybe they aged in different ways. Maybe they didn't age at all. Maybe that didn't matter. No, it really didn't. Because the truth was, as they remained youthful, they kept every member of our group spritely as well. And that's perhaps the very reason that I feel especially alive telling all of these stories!
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 So yeah, this was written purely because I wanted to write about two of my favourite characters being dads and I ended up tackling some important stuff. Obviously JJ is an angel as well and he is stuck at the age of thirteen because he first comes down to earth thirteen years after Ash and Misty lose him. It's been explained that Jordan and Lynne raise him because all three of them don't know when they'll all be going back "up there". And the reason that James isn't explicitly known as JJ's step dad is because he agrees that it would be unfair to have a paternal role while Ash - JJ's real father - has to be more like a brother. But naturally, JJ seeks him out in times of need. This story takes place when most of the adults know the truth of JJ and he does as well. However, the Ketchum children don't. I wrote about them finding out last year I believe. I will definitely write a lot more :3 Thanks again for reading and I will be back next Wednesday with another chapter so see you then :P
AmyBieberKetchum signing out!