Author's Note/Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Pokémon or any of its rights, trademarks, or related properties. This fanfic will be a chaptered series based on snipped of May and Steven's relationship, based on my own in-game experiences and interpretations. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1: The Real Talk
When she sees him standing at the end of the hall, she almost forgets to breathe. She whispers his name almost reverently, and he loves the sound of it.
"Welcome, May. I was hoping - "
"Why didn't you tell me?" her voice cracks with exhaustion and hurt. "Why hide this from me?"
This is not the reaction Steven was expecting. Realizing that he's taken the wrong approach, he tries to recover. "I… Wanted to surprise you. I thought you'd be excited to see me."
She blushes. "I am excited to see you Steven, don't get me wrong… But I am also dead tired and worn out. I've just faced the other four toughest Trainers throughout all of Hoenn, and I didn't think the toughest of them all would be…" she blushes more, mumbling the rest of her sentence.
"Would be what?" Steven asks. He suspects, but he'll be damned if he tells her that, especially right now. "What did you say?"
"…I didn't think the toughest Trainer of them all would be someone I've grown so close to. Someone who I've spent so much time with. Steven, I don't think I can battle you - not like this. Not right now."
The tears in her eyes cause him immediate concern. "May. You don't have to face me right now - you can — "
She wails, collapsing to the floor. "If I don't face you now, then I'll have to go all the way back to the beginning of Victory Road and then face the Elite Four again and on top of that I'm still recovering from having to catch Kyogre…"
"Oh… oh Arceus," Steven kneels down to rub her back. "I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry, May. I'm sorry."
"I… I wish I hadn't had to be there alone…" she sniffles. "I was so scared."
"May, do you want to know why I wasn't there?" he asks, gently.
Her eyes widen as she realizes that she had never been able to ask. She rubs her head against his chest. "Please tell me."
"It's stupid really," he starts, restraining himself from fully embracing her. "But I didn't have a suit. Had I had one, I would have been there. I might have let you fight the battle, but I would have been there if you needed help… But I didn't have a suit."
May hiccups. "Oh."
"Yeah. Listen… I know you're not looking forward to having to battle all of us again, but for your health, it might be best. We can postpone. Would that help?"
She nods. "But then the schedule - "
"The battling schedule can be rearranged. Most Trainers don't make it this far anyway. Here, let me help you up."
As they stand, she wipes her eyes and embraces him. "Thank you, Steven."
All he can do is hold her, vowing make sure she never faces her fears alone again.