Work Text:
Group: The Family
Jericho: By any chance, would it be alright if I stop by sometime soon?
Amber: Bro, why the hell are you even asking?
Amber: You have your own room here
Tesla: Now Amber, Jericho here is just showing some proper manners.
Tesla: Something you could stand to practice more.
Amber: Alright alright, my bad…
Tesla: Although, she does have a point. Jericho, dear, this house will always be a home for you, and you're free to come and go, as you please.
Jericho: Thank you
Tesla: Besides, I’m sure Amber would love nothing more than a visit from her “Big Brother.”
Amber: Mom!!!!!!!
Amber: vfdsgfesgfgvshgfvghsevhw
Tesla: I would like to ask however - what is the nature of this visit, is everything alright?
Jericho: Everything’s good, I was going to ask if you could teach me how to cook?
Amber: Wasn’t expecting that
Tesla: And neither was I
Tesla: But, I would be delighted to teach you, dear.
Amber: Not to diss on mom here or anything, but doesn’t your buddy Ren know how to cook?
Amber: Wouldn’t asking him be more convenient for you?
Jericho: Yeah he does, and his cooking is good
Jericho: But I just love Tesla’s more. It’s too good <3
Amber: Shit, you right
Tesla: Aww, dear!
Tesla: You’re too kind <3
Tesla: You just let me know when you want to stop on by, and I’ll be sure to have everything ready to go.
Jericho: Would tomorrow work?
Tesla: Absolutely!
Amber: Guess we’ll be seeing you tomorrow
"Jericho... could you stop hugging me like this...!" Amber says flustered, as she is being held in Jericho's arms, right outside their house in Teila Resort.
"But you're the one that jumped into my arms first." Jericho responds, letting the redhead go.
“I-It’s good to see you…” Amber mumbles out, bashfully.
The two then make their way inside, heading straight for the kitchen. Once there, Jericho is then greeted by Tesla herself, who of which, pulls Jericho into a hug of her own. Jericho returns the hug, finding great comfort in the embrace.
“It’s so good to see you looking well, dear~” Tesla coos, “As you can see behind me, I have everything prepared for our lesson.”
Taking a look, Jericho can see that the kitchen is fully prepared to begin a full on crash course. Pots are set out, as are a full set of knives, cutting boards, and other utensils. The countertop is covered with bowls and plates, ingredients and seasonings, and a mixer on standby.
“Wow.” Is all that Jericho could say at the sight.
“Yeah, mom kinda outdid herself with getting everything prepared. She’s really excited about this.” Amber claimed.
“I know I’m not the only one who was excited, after all, you were the one that picked out the aprons that we’ll be wearing.” Tesla says, holding up three aprons. One, a white apron with the words “ I Cook As Good As I Look ”, picked out for her by Amber. The second, a forest green apron with writing saying, “ Having A Mental Bakedown ”, picked for Jericho to match his color scheme. Finally the third, an apron with a fiery design, boasting the statement “ This Shit IS Gonna Be Delicious ”, picked out by Amber for herself.
“H-Hey! I just felt like contributing and just chose some silly aprons. You two don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to.” Amber says, turning away, flustered.
“Now Amber, no need to get so embarrassed. It was very thoughtful of you to do that, and it seems that Jericho likes his.” Tesla comforts, while also pointing towards the Interceptor.
Turning back round, Amber sees Jericho already putting his apron on. Finishing with tying it around himself, he looks up and meets Amber gaze.
“Well, how do I look?” He asks.
“Pfft, haha, like a stud.” Amber compliments.
“You look like a very handsome young man.” Tesla throws in her two cents. “Now then, how about we get started. I’ll start by teaching about the appliances we will use, then we can decide on a recipe and go from there. Sounds good?”
“Yes ma’am!” The two young trainers say in unison.
With that, Tesla begins instructing about all the simple kitchen appliances, such as the stove and oven, and how to use them. She also goes into detail about proper usage and safety when working with such things.
“Alright, now with all that out of the way, what should we make? Seeing as it was Jericho who wanted to learn, how about they decide.” Tesla offers.
“You know, now that mom said that, why did you want to learn in the first place? Inquires Amber.
Jericho only looks down, before a small blush begins to form on his face. Taking a deep breath, he looks back up at the two in front of him, and gives his response.
“W-Well.. y-you see, not too long ago, Aelita and I have started… d-dating…” Jericho confesses.
Tesla lets out a surprised gasp, covering her mouth, but a smile could still be seen. Amber on the other hand, let out a squeal of excitement, before grabbing Jericho and starts to shake him.
“Oh. My. Arceus! Do you know how fucking long, I’ve been waiting for this! You two are always together, smiling and laughing with each other! The fact that you two weren’t together sooner is fucking crazy!”
“Settle down, Amber. Let’s not overwhelm Jericho, but still…” Tesla then pulls Jericho into yet another hug, “I'm so happy for you two! Back when the two of you and your friends first came to the resort, you and her already seemed really close. Then, when she and Melia help set up the trial for you to receive the Earth Relic, the way she talked about you just screamed young love."
“Seriously, you two are fucking perfect for each other! Although, with you being my brother, and her my cousin..."
“Don’t make this weird” Jericho interrupts.
“Please Amber, and it's not like they're related in any way." Tesla adds. "We might consider Jericho to be a part of our family, but they don't even share our name.”
“Hmph, not yet anyway..." Amber accidentally mumbles out loud, causing Jericho to shoot her a serious look, and for her to quickly cover her mouth. Luckily, it would seem that Tesla didn't happen to hear that final comment.
“So tell me, Jericho, I assume now you were wanting to learn to cook for her, so was there anything in mind you wanted to prepare for her?”
“O-Oh… um… y-yeah! Whenever we have our training sessions, Aelita is usually the one that trains more vigorously, so I was wanting to be able to prepare a meal for her that would be good for after a workout, and satisfy the appetite she works up.”
“How thoughtful! Let's see… I think I might have the right recipe for something like that. Give me one moment, and I’ll try to go see if I can find it.” Tesla says, before exiting the kitchen.
“Phew, that was close.” The music enthusiast sighs.
“Amber…” Jericho calls out, glaring.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It just slipped out!”
The Interceptor sighs, "It's ok, luckily she didn't seem to catch what you said. You still have the papers, right?”
“Yep, the adoption papers are safe and ready to go, whenever it is you plan on asking. Honestly though dude, when do you plan on asking? It better not be as long as it took you to confess to Aelita.”
“Heh, you sound like Melia. But no, it won't be that long. After we take care of this Team Xen issue, and we all make it back, hopefully all in one piece, we can give her those papers, and I'll ask if she would be willing to fully adopt me into your guy's family.”
“Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on her face! She already considers you as a son, so you know she'll agree. 'Jericho von Brandt,' it's got a ring to it.”
“And how lucky I’ll be, to have a cool, new, little sister.”
“Hell yeah you will! And a new, kick ass, mom!”
“A new mom…”
“Oh wait, shit! I-I’m sorry, I forgot, um… Nancy, right? That was your real mom’s name? I don’t want you to think that you’re replacing her.”
“You’re alright, it’s not that. I just got a little sentimental thinking about her. And technically, she’s not even my real mom, but I still love her like she is. She cared for me, and protected me like how I imagine a real mother would. Although, I did get to thinking... Am I being selfish for wanting to be adopted?”
“Wha- Of course not, you dumbass! With all the shit you have to deal with, you deserve a family more than anyone! Even if it would seem selfish, you still deserve it, so cut it out with your humble, selfless bullshit, and allow yourself to be happy!” Amber proclaims boldly, then follows up by wrapping her arms around her self proclaimed brother.
Jericho is taken aback a little by Amber’s ferocity, but at the same time, he feels incredibly touched by her words. He then returns the embrace, giving himself up to the familial affection.
“Heh, thanks… sis.”
“Pfft, yeah, you’re welcome, bro.”
Breaking away from the hug, the two of them look at each other, then suddenly, both burst into a hysterical laugh.
“Oh, and just what are you two laughing about now?" Tesla asks, returning with a small cook book in hand.
“Oh, um… just teasing Jericho on how much of a hopeless romantic he is.” Amber spits out quickly.
“Amber, be kind! I’m sure Jericho is quite the prince charming.” Tesla dotes. “Don’t let your ‘baby’ sister get to you too much, dear.”
“Mom!”
“Hahaha, we were just joking with each other, but thank you... mom." Jericho states, giving a warm smile.
Tesla melts as she hears that. "Aww, you're just too pure~" she coos, pinching the brown haired boy's cheek. "Well, I finally found that recipe I mentioned, so how about we whip something up for ourselves, and your girlfriend as well. And as we do, I want to hear the story of how you two confessed to each other. How do you kids say it, ‘spill the tea?’”
“A-Alright, but don’t laugh too much, okay?”
“No promises.” Amber says, not giving Jericho any confidence.
Getting together the proper ingredients, the three of them then get started on cooking. Tesla continued to instruct the both of them throughout the recipe, teaching them cutting techniques, and how to properly mix together ingredients. After some spills, cuts, and even a small stove fire, the food was done. In the end, the three ended up with quite a hardy meal, to which they all enjoyed, but not nearly as much as they enjoyed each other's company.
“Remember, dear, if you ever need a place to come back to, you will always have a home here." Tesla proclaimed, hugging Jericho goodbye.
“You better come back!," Amber shouts, joining in on the farewell hug, "And you better kick Team Xen's ass!”
“I will, and... thank you both for today." Jericho, showing his appreciation.
With Aelita’s portion of their cooking in hand, and the recipe in the other, Jericho hops onto his Aevium Volcarona, and begins to take off.
“Be sure to let me know what Aelita thinks of the food, as well as, be safe with whatever operations you and your friends have planned!" Tesla calls out, right before Jericho is fully gone. “I do hope that boy and his friends will be okay. They all seem to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.”
“They'll be fine, mom." Amber reassures. "They're all stupidly strong, Jericho especially, and they'll be sure to have each other's backs.”
“You're right, but a mother still can't help but worry. Oh, and I should have told him to bring along Aelita the next time he stops by.”
“I'm sure he will regardless, but now that he's gone, I wanted to ask you something. Did he seem a bit more open to you?”
“He did, and I assume we have Aelita to thank for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Jericho loves her, and now that those two are dating, he openly shows his feelings for her. The thing about love is, it can change people, for better or for worse. In Jericho's case, he's allowing himself to be more open with his emotions.”
“Uh-huh... love is weird, but whatever, as long as he's happy, that's all that matters. He deserves it after all.”
“That he does, all you kids do. Say… how about we watch a movie later tonight?”
“Hell yeah, movie night! I'll go pick one out now!”
Amber rushes back inside, leaving Tesla alone, still looking out in the direction where Jericho took off.
“Please be safe, dear.”