"Steven, I can't accept this."
Steven and May were in his home in Mossdeep. She had managed to catch him trying to leave her another letter and gift in place of actually meeting up with her, of which she had had enough.
"But why? Beldum is such a great Pokémon to raise, and on top of that-"
May cut him off, "I know that Steven, I raised the first one you gave to me, while you've been off who knows where."
A pinkish hue tinted Steven's cheeks, and he tried his best to not let her remark ruin his composure. It was true, he kept disappearing, not telling anyone where he was headed or for how long he'd be gone. "I want to give you its mega stone, as well," he responded, having a hard time not choking on his breath, and hoping to push the conversation forward, as he was not ready to have the discussion with May that he knew she wanted to have. "Please say you'll take them."
"Why? Why should I?" May practically spat, unable to lift her face to look at him. "Why do you think it's okay to suddenly avoid me and make it okay by leaving gifts for me?"
Steven found himself also casting his eyes downward, and mumbled, "It's shiny, too-" but he was cut off by May once more.
"Oh, great, you're giving me your favorite Pokémon, one of your favorite stones, and to top it off, it's shiny. Why?"
"Because…" Steven tried to answer. He had to say something to recover, if that was even possible. How was he supposed to say that he had a hard time facing her now? That he wanted to train and explore freely like she had, to emulate the journey she had, but that he kept finding himself wanting to come back to her, to lavish her with gifts, but was too embarrassed to share any of these feelings with her.
"…You're worth it," he finally managed to mutter out, hoping he didn't let too much time slip as he was stuck in thought.
They were silent for a moment, and May decided to pull a chair out from his dining table, slinking down into it with a groan. "If I'm worth it, then I need you to prove that with you, not with leaving things for me," May said in an exasperated voice.
Wasn't that how he showed her the value that he saw in her? Steven could feel his stomach twisting into knots, and he chose to sit at the table with her, hoping that would help calm down his insides. It didn't.
"I get that what you're trying to give me is a big deal, I really do," May said, sounding a lot calmer now, but still solemn, "but that's why your gifts are so difficult to accept. I don't completely understand why you insist on me having something, having a Pokémon that you should really be raising."
It was then that Steven was able to make eye contact with May, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of her facial expression, but it somehow seemed pleading. "Yes, I love Beldum, but that's why I want you to have it. Why is that so hard to understand?" he asked quietly, uncertain of how to get her to realize his intentions.
"It's not hard to understand at all," May replied, shifting her gaze to the table, "but that's what makes it so difficult. I'm still uncomfortable with it. It feels like you're trying to push this commitment onto me, without committing yourself."
Commitment? Just what did she mean by that? Steven furrowed his eyebrows at her, to which May interpreted and continued.
"Which is why I have a proposition, some terms under which I'll agree to raise your Beldum."
"Certainly, of course, May," Steven found himself answering immediately, almost reflexively. May didn't ask for things from him often, and he really wanted May to raise this Beldum. He couldn't place it, but for some reason, he felt so dedicated to putting the Pokémon in her care.
"Steven, I want you to raise this Beldum with me."
Steven felt his face and neck instantly get hot. That was not the response he expected. He involuntarily reached for his collar and loosened his ascot with his index finger. There were too many implications with that request. That required them spending most of their time together. That was the opposite of what Steven's plans were. He was trying to distance himself from her, to not impose on her anymore, to let her live her life…
After pushing aside some of the thoughts flooding his brain, he finally croaked out, "May, two individuals raising one Pokémon together is fairly unheard of, except for the case of a…" Steven tried to not let the idea fluster him too much, "a couple, or family."
"So what?" May shrugged, and crossed her arms. "You said I'm worth it. Do you not want to raise a Pokémon with me? Do you not want to raise a shiny Beldum with me?"
Steven could not have imagined his day going this way, not at all. He planned on leaving the letter and Pokéball on his desk, and then heading back out to Meteor Falls to continue exploring and training. He hadn't dreamed that he was going to run into his biggest weakness, and that she was going to trap him even further than he had imagined, only additionally proving that she never ceased to amaze him.
"No, that's not it at all," he replied, his thoughts buzzing like a Combee hive. What did May think of him? It wasn't like he could upright ask her, or could he?
"Then what's the problem?" she asked, now smirking at him with an eyebrow raised. She had completely taken control of the situation, and Steven was at a loss, like he always was with her. He had always done his best to guide her, of course, but she never failed to take charge and ultimately, created a destiny for herself larger than anyone could have predicted.
"Well…" Steven shut his eyes for a moment, preparing himself to ask his next question, and also attempting to prepare himself for whatever potential answer he received, "Are you ready for that? To become…a…family…with me?"
When Steven returned to look back at May, he realized that he possibly turned the tables again, based on her expression. Her eyes were wide, lips slightly parted in surprise. "That's not…I mean…I…" she stuttered, and then it hit Steven. She truly hadn't realized the implications of what she had asked of him.
It was also in that moment, even though he was able to flip the atmosphere in his favor, he still had lost. He had lost his original intentions. Watching May, and sitting there together with her again, pushed him into remembering why he always sought her out, why he always longed to be by her side. This was his chance. He didn't have to run. After all, May was simply too cute sitting there completely flustered. He leaned onto the table with his elbows, and took her hands into his own.
"May, what should we name it?"
"Eh?" was all she could utter, her eyes only growing wider had that been possible, with the most intense blush across her cheeks. Seeing her like this and holding her hands in his own only made Steven's own heartbeat rapidly increase, but he was trying his best to remain level-headed, despite what his feelings were demanding of him.
Letting go of her hands, Steven decided that releasing the Beldum from its Pokéball might help. In a flash of red, there it was, the white iron Pokémon, who began to happily float about the room.
"I was thinking of Metrofanes. It is of Sootopolitan origin, but it means one who resembles their mother," Steven said, now admiring the iron ball Pokémon exploring the room. It was true; the Beldum was one of a kind, just like May.
"Are you serious?" was all May could muster in response. She watched as Steven stood up to approach the Beldum, reaching his arms toward it, smiling happily.
"As serious as a water stone is beautiful," he replied.
As he was enjoying interacting with the baby Beldum, he suddenly felt arms wrap tightly around his torso, hands on his chest, and his back embraced. He felt his chest tighten and heat flush his face at the unexpected contact.
"M-may?" he managed to say after a moment, trying to turn his neck to look back at her. She didn't respond, just her arms tightening around him and her hands gripping at his jacket.
"So…you're not going to leave again?" she finally voiced, her tone soft and partially muffled into his back.
"I imagine it would be pretty terrible if I went anywhere without you now," Steven said, taking care in his articulation, and not to let his thoughts numb his ability to say what he managed to say next, "After all, we're a family now, right?"