Hello everyone!
It has been far too long since I've posted anything!
So...life got extremely busy as it does, but I won't bore you with the details.
Anyway, I'm back with a little one shot for you all.
The story could be classed as a later follow on from chapter 28; 'Innocent Discovery,' and chapter 30, 'The Art of Teasing,' as events from those chapters' are briefly mentioned in this story.
It is told from Steven's POV.
I'm rating it T, just to be on the safe side. Nothing to extreme, I swear.
Anyway, enjoy!
"Do you think we should start telling people?"
Caught in the void between consciousness and sleep, Steven couldn't help but hum.
"Hmmm…"
He could feel her weight move off his chest. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know she was giving him that look; the one that could make even the strongest of men nervous.
"Steven, are you even listening?"
Of course he was, even if the more insistent part of his brain was demanding he sleep. Honestly, the woman had just spent the last hour having her way with him, and now she expected him to have a serious conversation?
Surely she had to be exhausted right?
"Steven, I'm being serious here," she continued, before giving his shoulder a little shake. "Come on, I know you're not asleep."
Apparently, she was not.
He couldn't help but release a little internal sigh.
Usually after their…well…bedtime activities, it would result in them both immediately falling asleep, which he had been on the verge of doing. However, it seemed that Cynthia didn't agree on this occasion, and he damn well knew that he wasn't going to get any decent rest until he answered her question.
He released a groan, as he finally cracked one eye open. He was right; she was giving him that look.
"Wha…Cynthia…" He cut off, as a little yawn escaped him. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"
He could see her shake her head slightly, before giving a loud sigh at his question.
"It's…I don't know," she began, before giving another little shake of head. "No, that's a lie." Here she paused, before giving another heavy sigh. "It's just the past few weeks, well…ever since Diantha found out about us at the Champions' meeting, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt and shame."
He couldn't help but pull a face at her words. Yeah, he could have done without a reminder of that said incident with Diantha. He could clearly say that that; was not one of his finest hours that was for sure. He couldn't believe he'd been so careless.
However, despite that rather uncomfortable flashback, her words confused him slightly. He was sure there was more to this conversation yet and as much as his body was screaming at him to rest, he knew she wouldn't sleep until she got whatever was bothering her off her chest.
So like the good boyfriend he was, he decided to push her to continue.
"Guilt? Shame? Forgive me dear, but I'm not quite sure I'm following. I thought we'd discussed that incident?"
At his questions, a loud groan escaped her, before she buried her head into his bare chest.
"I know we did," she finally replied, although her words were slightly muffled from the fact; that she was currently face planted on his chest. "But it's not the incident I'm bothered about."
Steven couldn't help the feeling of scepticism that coursed through him at her words. If he recalled rightly, they'd both been mortified by the event; and if memory serves him correctly, if it hadn't been for him calming her down, he was quite sure Cynthia might have set her Garchomp on the actress that day.
She must have sensed his scepticism, because another groan came from her.
"Okay yes, I am still bothered by it greatly, because let's face it, it was embarrassing..."
Well that was an understatement as far as he was concerned. However, he wisely refrained from commenting.
"…and I still dread picking up my poke-gear every-time I see Diantha's name pop up, because nine times out of ten, it'll be some teasing remark about us. I swear, it's almost like she thrives on tormenting the hell out of me…"
He couldn't help but snort at that, because he could sympathize with her greatly on that front. In one sense she was quite lucky, because she didn't have to live in the same region as Wallace. If she thought Diantha was bad, she paled in comparison to what the Sootopolis gym leader could do on a regular basis.
The aforementioned gym leader, lived and thrived on teasing him mercifully, and unfortunately for him, he had had to deal with it since he'd been a young boy.
However, he couldn't deny he had gotten slightly better at avoiding such confrontations lately. Although, Arceus help him when they do go public with their relationship. He could just envision the pandemonium the flamboyant gym leader will bring into his life after that announcement.
He couldn't help but give a little internal shiver at the thought; that was going to be hell on earth.
Thankfully, he was brought out of those unsettling thoughts, by another little groan coming from his partner.
"The issue I have is that, maybe we've been keeping this secret for too long?" She raised her head off of his chest again. "I mean…we're in a relationship; we both love each other; but yet we can't even show it to anyone."
Here she paused, before running a hand through her hair, a habit of hers that only occurred when she was frustrated.
"Take the last six weeks for example. With me partaking in the Sinnoh Championships, we haven't been able to see each other at all, because you couldn't set foot in Sinnoh because of the fear that someone would suspect something."
A weary sigh escaped her, as her hand dropped from her hair, in order to rest her palm over his heart.
"I can't even hold your hand in public for Arceus sake. It's just…it's getting a bit ridiculous Steven, and I can't help but think, what's the whole point of keeping it a secret?"
Now that was something, he could agree on.
There was no question that he agreed whole-heartedly with what she was saying, because yes, it was rather difficult to restrain the urge to be affectionate with her in public, and even he had to admit, it was getting harder to resist the urge not to.
Not to mention that the last six weeks had been hell. He'd lost count of the number of times, he'd had to restrain himself from jumping on the back of Metagross and ordering the steel pokemon to fly him to Sinnoh.
However, despite the fact that he was quite in agreement with her, he was beyond curious as to what brought this sudden outburst on, because this certainly wasn't something he had seen coming.
Okay, okay…he knew the subject would eventually come up, because of course they had to go public at some point, but not at this present moment.
When they had first started their relationship, they had discussed the whole issue surrounding keeping it a secret and yes, the reasons for why they had, were pretty justifiable and still were. However, they had made a decision to review their situation on their first anniversary, which ironically, was only a month away.
Okay, so maybe he was over-exaggerating with the surprise a bit, because it was pretty close to decision time, but that wasn't the issue he had here.
Cynthia was pretty traditional when it came to a lot of things, especially, when it came to keeping promises. If they had agreed to assess their situation in a year, then she would stand by that decision on principle alone.
But yet here she was, one month ahead of schedule, bringing up the conversation. A very un-Cynthia like thing that was for sure, and it definitely raised a red flag in his mind.
At the thought, he finally opened both of his eyes, as he took in her frustrated demeanour. Off the top of his head, the only times he could recall seeing her like this, is when something was upsetting her.
His thoughts came to an immediate halt.
That was it.
Something must have upset her. That was the only viable explanation in his books.
Cynthia usually wasn't one to listen to idol gossip or unsavoury remarks. Normally, she'd brush them off as someone being petty. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion Steven," was what she would say. However, it seemed that on this occasion, this wasn't the case.
Now he was wide-awake.
With this thought firmly in mind, his gaze locked onto hers, as he raised a lone eyebrow.
"Whilst I do agree with you, I get the feeling that's not quite it, is it love?"
At his words, a fleeting look of uncertainty crossed her features, before she ducked her head slightly, avoiding eye contact.
However, he was having none of it. Since she'd been so insistent on him staying awake, he was determined to get to the bottom of whatever problem was troubling her.
Then maybe, they could both try and get some sleep.
He reached over with his left arm and placed his hand underneath her chin, in order to raise it upwards, so that their eyes connected once again.
"Now, since I'm fully awake, would you like to tell me what's annoying you? Because believe it or not Cynthia, this is not like you at all; and despite the fact that I would like nothing more than to try and get some sleep, you are my top priority; and I know for a fact, we both won't be able to rest peacefully until you tell me what's wrong."
Here she couldn't help but screw her face up slightly; and was that a look of nervousness? It was almost like she was conflicted on whether to actually tell him.
Definitely a very un-Cynthia like thing.
Now he couldn't help but be concerned by her rather unusual behaviour.
"Cynthia…what's bothering you? Honestly, this is not like you at all, and from my point of view, it's extremely worrying. So please, could you tell me…"
"Alder visited me during the Championships."
At the sound of the Unova Champion's name, Steven could feel his eyes widen, as he instantly shot up into a seated position.
"What?"
It was a good thing she hadn't been resting on his chest at that point, because he was quite sure, she'd have gone flying with the speed he'd moved.
Of all the things he thought she would say; this certainly wasn't one of the things he'd expected. All thoughts of going back to sleep at all, had definitely flown out of the window now.
What the hell had Alder been doing in Sinnoh? And why the hell was it frustrating Cynthia so much? Had he done something? Had someone said something?
She must have been able to sense the questions that were running through his mind, because she answered before he could even ask.
"Believe me Steven, I was as surprised as you are now."
As far as he was concerned, the word 'surprised,' didn't even cover what he was feeling at the present moment.
"However, his arrival wasn't the only issue."
Of course it wasn't.
"Apparently, at some point during our conversation, some asinine reporter took a photo of us and then ran an article in the press, assuming that just because he was in Sinnoh, then it had to be some sort of forbidden tryst."
Of course they did.
The media thrived on gossip and scandal, so now doubt they must have thought they'd hit the jackpot with that photograph. Ironic really, considering that was the very reason why he hadn't visited Sinnoh during the Championships.
"Arceus' knows where they got that idea from! I mean, I only spoke to him once and even that wasn't a particularly long conversation. Honestly, the imaginations these journalists' have are just ridiculous."
He couldn't help but give an internal sigh at that. It was a good job he didn't read or listen to gossip, because he was quite sure if he had heard that piece of information, he definitely wouldn't have been able to stop himself from immediately flying over to Sinnoh and deal with the issue himself.
Although in one sense, he was glad he hadn't known, because in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't have done them any good; him flying in unannounced and causing a massive scene, especially, as she'd been in the middle of a major tournament; one he might add, that was broadcasted internationally.
He groaned internally; oh yeah, that would have been a major disaster if he had.
However, back to current matters. Despite informing him of this little detail, he couldn't help but get the feeling that she still, hadn't told him the full story.
He could clearly see why this would annoy her slightly, because he'd feel the same if he was in her shoes, however, she never really cared greatly for what the press had to say before this little incident, so why now, was she frustrated with it?
She was definitely withholding some vital information, and he was damned if he wasn't going to get to the bottom of it.
"Whilst I do agree with the situation being…annoying, I get the sense that you are still not telling me the whole story here."
At his words, she seemed to shuffle awkwardly. If he hadn't been convinced she was withholding information before, he damn well was now.
"So, would you like to tell me what else happened?"
Here she lowered her gaze.
"Well…"
He couldn't help but raise an expectant eyebrow at her, although she couldn't see it, because her gaze seemed to be burning a hole into their quilt cover.
When it seemed like no answer was going to be forthcoming anytime soon, he couldn't help but sigh loudly in annoyance. This was getting ridiculous.
"Cynthia?"
She must have sensed the slight irritation in his tone of voice, because she gave a weary sigh, before raising her eyes back to his again.
"He asked me out again."
Of course he had.
"I just can't believe he came all the way out to Sinnoh, in the middle of our Championships, just to ask me that. I mean honestly, I don't understand why he keeps asking, because surely me declining all of his offers previously; must have given him some sort of inclination that I am not interested?"
She ran a hand through her hair once again.
"He's like an annoying itch, no matter how many times you try and get rid of it, it keeps coming back. It took all of my willpower to not inform him about us. It was frustrating as hell not being allowed to say it."
Steven couldn't help but rub his temples in annoyance at her words. Of course that would frustrate her; hell…it frustrates him and he hadn't even been there.
He couldn't help the little growl that escaped him as he thought of the Unova Champion. He couldn't believe Alder had been at it again. Despite the numerous amounts of times Cynthia had declined the man's advances, he still kept trying his luck. Honestly, the man seriously needed to get over himself.
Now he could clearly see why his girlfriend had been so frustrated, because now that he knew the whole ordeal, he felt the same.
He had a good sense to fly over to Sinnoh tomorrow, in order to give the media a piece of his mind. The journalist might have been only doing his job, but he was someone of considerable influence, and he was quite sure, he could get them to leave them alone if he tried. Not that he liked abusing his status as heir to the Devon Co-operation; but in a situation like this, he wasn't above considering it.
As for the Unova Champion, well…he was quite sure he could think of a creative way to deal with him.
Maybe he should kiss Cynthia right in front of him? Maybe then the message would penetrate through that dense head of his; that she wasn't available in any shape or form.
Or, better yet, he could set Metagross on him.
Despite it being a super-computer, the steel behemoth had a sort of soft spot for the Sinnoh Champion, so he was quite positive, it wouldn't have any qualms over potentially helping him deal with Alder.
He could feel his lips curl into a little smirk at his thoughts. Now that would be worth watching.
"Uh Steven…are you alright?"
It was the sound of her voice that finally brought him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
As his gaze focussed on hers once again, he could see the confusion laced within her eyes. He couldn't help but give a little inward chuckle at it. How adorable.
"Oh, yes…well…not really, but I think I now understand fully, why you brought this subject up this evening."
He reached over to grab one of her hands in his.
"I get why you did it, and I am really glad that you told me."
He couldn't help but release a little chuckle at the sceptical look she was now shooting him.
"Okay, okay, maybe glad is not the right word here, but I think you know what I mean." He raised his other hand, in order to brush away a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her face. "I would be lying if I said I don't feel as frustrated as you do, because I do."
He gave the hand that was entwined with his a slight squeeze in reassurance.
"There's no denying that it has been extremely difficult keeping our relationship a secret, and incidents such as the one you've just told me about, only seem to question our reasoning for why we have. Even though we have very strong reasons as to why we have, it seems we may have to re-evaluate our agreement on this matter earlier than we anticipated."
As he finished, he could see her eyes soften slightly.
"Thank Arceus," she muttered, before a sigh escaped her lips. "I still don't understand why it bothered me so much this time, because like you said, I never used to be." A little smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "But I guess, I've just grown tired of having to hide my happiness from everyone."
Steven could feel the corner of his lips curl up at her response.
"Don't get me wrong, I know we had very good reasons for keeping it secret, and I am well aware of the response we are probably going to get, but I think…no…I know, I'm ready."
At her words, he couldn't stop his smile from widening, before leaning over to place a chaste kiss on her lips.
"If you are ready, then I'm ready," he murmured, immediately after separating from her lips. "To be fair, I think I've been ready for quite a while, probably ever since Diantha caught us actually."
He couldn't help but chuckle at the flush that overcame her cheeks at the mention of that incident.
"But I guess I wasn't sure how you felt about it and besides, we had agreed to speak about it on our anniversary anyway, so I thought I'd wait until then. However, it looks like we are stepping up the timetable a little."
He could clearly see the relief flood through her at his words, before a wide smile appeared across her lips.
"I'm so glad we're on the same page."
As soon as the words had left her lips, she leant forward to capture his in a deep kiss.
Now this is the sort of appreciation he loved. Call him whipped, but he didn't mind being kept awake, if it meant he'd be rewarded this way.
After a blissful period of time, she pulled away, much to his disappointment. If he hadn't have gotten lucky already this evening, he might have tried his luck again, but then again, his body was still currently protesting about the appalling lack of rest, so maybe now wasn't such a good idea after all.
There is always the morning though. His lips curled slightly at the thought.
Before his mind could delve more into that fantasy, he refocused his gaze onto hers once again.
"So, feeling better now?"
The wide smile she shot him, had to be one of the most beautiful signs of appreciation he had ever received.
"Much, thank-you." A little sigh escaped her. "Although, I'm sorry for keeping you awake."
He couldn't help but shake his head at her apology, as a little chuckle escaped him.
"Nonsense, you have no need to apologize." He lowered himself back onto the mattress. "But I do think that this is enough talking for now." He tugged on the hand that was still entwined with his. "We can sort the logistics of what we are going to do tomorrow. So, for now, come to bed love, and let's try and get some sleep shall we?"
He could see her lips curl up slightly in amusement at his words.
"Well, how can I refuse such a tempting offer?"
With those teasing words, she scooted closer, before lowering her head to his bare chest. Once settled, his arm snaked around her; a content sigh escaping him as he felt her snuggle closer.
"Goodnight Steven. I love you."
At her words, he bent his head slightly, in order to place a little kiss atop of her head.
"Goodnight Cynthia. I love you too."
As he settled his head once again on the pillow, he finally closed his eyes.
Finally.
Despite not wanting to initial answer her question at the start of this conversation, he was quite glad that he had now.
Although, he couldn't help but feel slightly bemused by the whole conversation. How she thought he'd be against going public was absurd to him.
Okay yes, there was no doubt over the fact that when they did announce it, they were going to be bombarded with questions, not just from the press, but from their acquaintances as well, but as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter in the long run what they said or did, because he loved her and she loved him, and to him; that's all that mattered.
Although, he did make a mental note, to enjoy some of this peace and solitude that they were having now, because he was quite sure, he…or rather, they, wouldn't be getting anything of the sort soon.
He gave an internal sigh, before mentally pushing those thoughts away, that was tomorrow's problem. For now, he focussed on finally getting some sleep.
However, despite longing for it around twenty minutes ago, it seemed now…
"Cynthia?"
"Hmm…"
"I can't sleep."
He could hear her give a little groan in displeasure.
Well…damn.
And there we have it.
I hope the wait was worth it.
I mean, I feel that at some point they would have had had to have this conversation, so this is what I imagined.
Again, I am bashing Alder, but ever since that anime episode and the 'burn heal' meme I've seen about it, it's just too hilarious to pass up. (Well, I think so.)
Anyway, until next time!
Hopefully, I won't disappear for that length of time again!
