'You don't think I'm too overdressed, do you?' May frowned at Iris as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a simple black dress which went a little above the knee, its sleeves were loose and went halfway down her upper arm, drawing attention to the sweetheart cut that Dawn had tailored just for her.
It had been so long since she'd last worn anything like it that she felt thoroughly out of her element.
'No, you're fine. But, May… are you sure this isn't a date between you two? I mean, you're worrying enough about how you look that it might as well be, and with your history together,' Iris frowned as she handed May the hair curler, her maroon eyes mirroring the concern she voiced.
Deftly shaping some curls in her hair, May gave Iris a stern glance from the mirror before responding, 'no, he wouldn't demand I date him. When it comes to courting, Steven is very courteous, and it's one of the many things I love about him.'
'You still love him?' Iris blinked at the brunette, who flushed at the question, obviously floundering slightly at their conversation.
'Come on, Iris, of course I do. He means so much to me, and I can't thank him enough for everything he's done for me over the years. Sure, some of the things he's done in the past have been questionable and downright inconsiderate, but I forgive him, even if it means I question how much I can trust him now. Besides, he was doing what he thought was best at the time, and he's always been someone I can rely on, even back then,' May explained, continuing to curl her hair.
'Looking back, I should have known how bad my feelings for him would be the moment he dropped everything to rescue me and Charizard. No, Steven has always been someone I really care about, and he's one of the few I'd trust with my life if I needed it. The level of trust and affection I have for him aren't going to disappear so easily,' May whispered as she placed the iron on the table nearby.
'But he's not Drew,' Iris said, surprising the woman by the response. She hadn't thought that her friend would understand her concerns, and felt troubled that she did.
'No, he's not Drew, no matter how much I sometimes wish I'd met him first,' May muttered as she cautiously put on the jewellery Dawn had given her.
If she'd met Steven first, maybe none of this would have been an issue. But, with how young she'd been, she doubted Steven would have had the time for her that Drew had.
'Are you sure Drew doesn't know about your feelings for him?' Iris questioned as someone knocked on the door.
The question alone made May falter. She'd always been very obvious with her emotions, Brendan and Max had always reminded her of that growing up. But Drew had never shown any indication that he was aware of her interest in him. Otherwise he would have told her those roses were for her from the get go. Besides, she could still remember that other woman crying for him.
'Drew couldn't possibly know, and I don't want him to know. He has someone else, and I'd want both of them to be happy without me ruining anything for either of them,' May mumbled in an embarrassed tone.
'May, don't be daft, I'm sure he doesn't have anyone! And, even if he did, I doubt anyone would compare to you. Have you seen the way he looks at you? I don't even know the guy and I've noticed… and so has Ash. You know it's bad when even Ash, of all people, notices!' Iris scoffed before opening the door for Solidad.
The woman with long hair walked into the room, her blue eyes hovering on May's attire and carefully styled hair, though May couldn't even smile at the woman.
She'd heard a similar case over the years about Steven. With her breakup with the man, her friends' affection for him had definitely soured, not that May thought he warranted that reaction. During her time as his partner, she'd only ever had one grip with him, and that was due to his role as the champion and how he'd set her up.
'Are you going somewhere?' The Kanto woman questioned May, her expression serious. She arched a shaped eyebrow at May and Iris, her light eyes focusing on May as she sprayed her hair to keep it in place.
'Yes, I'm going out for dinner with Steven,' May shrugged at the woman, leaning into the mirror to inspect her reflection. From over her shoulder, she could see Solidad's unusually sharp gaze, and struggled to fight the flush upon recognising Solidad's disapproval.
'Is it a date?' Solidad frowned at the woman, taking in the seemingly simple makeup she was wearing as well as her curled hairstyle—an unusual effort for May, who was usually more laid back and natural.
The woman, with the years she had known May, would have known better than to assume that May had left her attempt at elegance simple, especially with the contouring evident by her accentuated cheekbones or the mascara wand she was holding in her hand.
'What? No, of course not! I'm not looking to date anyone or do anything right now. No, I've got enough on my plate without adding romance into it,' May flushed as she nearly dropped her mascara.
'Then why are you putting so much effort into this?' Iris frowned at her friend, crossing her arms in disbelief as she inspected May's hair and makeup.
'Because… If Steven says it's official, it means that there's a chance of paparazzi being there. From experience, I'd rather they see me looking my best than anything less. It's not like Steven can cover me in his jacket to hide my identity anymore, especially out here. Besides, it's fun to get dressed up for no reason,' May shrugged at the woman slightly, the foundation covering her flush.
'And if there are no paparazzi there?' Solidad mused, crossing her arms as she leaned against the scaffolding.
'Then I look my best and can be happy about it. Sol, I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I'm not interested in being with Steven, not right now,' May muttered before she put on a soft pink lipstick.
'Yeah, for one thing, he's got Cynthia chasing him. She's insane when she finally makes her mind up, that one, and I'm trying to keep my language clean. There's a reason she's champion of Sinnoh and why other challengers haven't been able to bring her down,' Iris chuckled as Axew voiced his agreement, poking his head out of her hair.
The mere mention of Cynthia would have once sent May into a frazzled panic attack. However, now, she wasn't nearly as intimidated as she used to be, maybe because she had matured, or maybe because Cynthia knew she was unofficial champion.
'I can handle Cynthia,' May pouted at her friend as her Xtransceiver buzzed, though Iris sent her a flat, disbelieving stare.
'Does Gary know about your not-date?' Solidad questioned, arching an eyebrow at May.
Blinking at her friend's question, May paused.
Whilst her words were cool, May knew that her coordinating family were all worried about her, and Solidad was the worst of them. After all, she probably knew enough about Gary Blue Oak to know that he was a notorious womaniser. From the accounts May had heard, Gary was worse than any other man she'd encountered, and she knew Brawly. Maybe there was something in the Kanto waters, though whatever it was hadn't seemed to affect Ash Ketchum or Red.
Even then, May couldn't bring herself to say anything about her ties to Gary, uncertain as to what she should say. It wasn't right to be telling people when her own parents didn't know.
Hearing her device ring, May distractedly responded, 'what's me having dinner with Steven Stone of all people got to do with Gary? I don't care who he spends his time with, and he shouldn't be too concerned about what I do with my free time either.'
Solidad blinked at this information before questioning, 'what about Drew?'
Hearing this, May hesitated slightly. There was no lying to Solidad of all people about Drew. She knew them both too well for May to get away with it, and May was a hopeless liar, at best.
Glancing at Solidad's face, she muttered, 'Drew has someone else, and I'll accept that reality as long as she makes him happy. Kyogre knows that I'm not very good at making him happy the way I am.'
With that, May turned her attention to her device, not seeing the stunned expressions which both her friends wore.
'Steven, am I meeting you outside?' May asked as soon as she answered the call, hoping the man took the hint.
'Yes, don't keep me waiting too long,' the man responded, causing May to giggle once before terminating the call, grateful that he agreed to her not at all subtle hint.
'Have fun on your not-date date,' Iris winked at May as she rolled her eyes, not appreciating the Unovan woman's teasing.
'Be back before midnight and don't do anything I wouldn't do,' Solidad frowned at the younger woman, who poked her tongue out childishly at the woman's instruction.
'You'll spoil your make up if you keep doing that. Go have fun,' Solidad smiled at May before ushering her out of the door.
As soon as she door was shut behind her, the Kanto woman sent the Unovan woman an expectant glance, apparently not wanting to wait for May to leave a safe distance before interrogating her companion.
'I can't tell you everything. I've promised May I'll keep things secret and I won't break that vow,' Iris muttered, watching the woman apprehensively.
'That's fine, what can you tell me?' Solidad frowned as she glanced at the door through which May had disappeared, appearing to want confirmation that May wasn't going to come back.
'There is no danger of her and Gary being together. They won't go there, ever,' Iris frowned at the woman as she pulled Axew out of her hair and began to pet his head softly.
'What about Steven?' Solidad questioned, glancing back at the maroon eyes of Iris.
'If you want her to be with Drew, then he's a problem. But, with Cynthia's help, we might be able to remove him from the equation altogether. She's after him, as I'm sure you're aware,' Iris spoke, petting the small dragon type's head.
'You're willing to involve the Sinnoh champion?' Solidad blinked at the woman as she took a seat on May's bed.
'Of course I am, besides, the champion from Hoenn's already involved. Sure, May and Steven obviously still have feelings for each other, but I think Drew will always be the number one in her heart and Steven will only get in the way. We need to eliminate the competition so she'll be happy, and if we make Steven and Cynthia happy in the process, it'll just be an added bonus.' Iris shrugged at the woman, a devious smile appearing on her face.
Rather than shirk away, Solidad responded, 'I'm listening.'
A/N:
Poor Steven is possibly getting pushed out by Iris and Solidad!
Also, for anyone interested, I've started my pat r eon account, under LSS Russell (though searching LS2L should bring up my account too!) I'd be super grateful if anyone wanted to support me on there and will updating regularly on there too. Of course, if you think it's too pricey or I should be offering more, let me know. I don't have any experience with Patty so I've asked my friends to help with pricing etc
I'm also considering the third arc of this story and was considering a poll with characters that could be possible love/friend/rival interests, as well as where it could be (any of the in game locations, Orange Islands, let me know if you're after anything in particular), let me know if that's something you're interested in. Of course, if you're interested in me writing a story with a particular pairing, please let me know otherwise with a review or by private messaging.
For any supporters of May, Gym Leader, if you're interested in a character visiting May for this series, please let me know too :)
Thank you again for all of your support, sorry for droning on about Patty like I have been, I promise I won't get fixated on it!