Author's Note: I haven't written anything in a while, and this is the first story I've managed to finish in years. But this pairing is my absolute favorite thing at the moment, and its all thanks to the recent release of ORAS. I hope you all like it and decide to leave a review! It'd mean a bunch! Enjoy!

He loved her. But when did he begin doubting that? When had the strings of his heart detached from her own, if they had? She didn't know, but she didn't know how to find out either. Especially not from someone who had no idea himself.

Over a year in, and here he was having doubts. Neither of them knew about what, but in her mind, she wasn't the one who should know. He was the one with the issue. But why hadn't she noticed? Had she become so engrossed in herself that she failed to notice the signs?

Either way, she knew that a relationship shouldn't have doubts like this. She had none, or so she thought, but Brendan sure did.

When he had told her that he didn't know why he felt the way he did, she didn't know how to respond. She accepted that maybe he was going through a tough time. She accepted that he needed space, hell, she even accepted a break. But he was the one to walk into her room the next day, claiming that he couldn't be away from her because it hurt.

And then there was the affection. He didn't feel like she gave enough, and she accepted that as well. May was not a person who showed much emotion, and that had been okay with Brendan. But nowadays, it wasn't. So she tried her hardest to be that affectionate girlfriend.

Her hand reached out and clasped his on their walks. He gave the smile that she wanted to see. Her lips stole kisses, ones that he had not been expecting to give away, but ones he happily let her take.

"How could I not love you?" he repeated over and over and over again. "You're everything I want."

But his doubts continued to the point where he was not only hurting himself in trying to convince himself, but hurting her as well.

"You shouldn't have to convince yourself you love someone." The words were unintentional. She had not wanted to let them slip. But she'd already tried being the understanding girlfriend.

But how long was long enough? Months? She had given him that. Years? She couldn't do that. She hadn't wanted to break up with Brendan, but the longer this dragged on, the less hopeful she was of staying with him. And the more she could see the end of their relationship.

"May…But I know in my heart that I do…" It's what he always said. He looked so upset. How could she answer to that?

"Maybe it's not love." Her palms felt sweaty. "Maybe…we should just stop." She felt her face grow hot. But she didn't want to cry. So she put on the stone face she used in interviews.

Brendan's eyes had gone empty. He wanted to fight, but against what? The voice in his head that gave him doubts? How many times would that make it? Would it change anything?

"Brendan…" Her voice. It pulled him out of his trance, but it never dispelled the thoughts that plagued him. He remained silent.

He wasn't going to respond, and she knew it. This was her decision. She averted her gaze.

"Maybe we're not cut out for each other. Maybe there's someone better out there for us. I don't know. But I do know that I can't sit here and watch you convince yourself that your feelings are true. I let you try that, and it didn't work. We tried, and we're exhausted. In the end, it's better if we just stop. We won't have to put in effort towards something that we know won't work." Her thoughts over the past few months spilled out. But it was now or never. She swallowed and faced him again.

He was expressionless, but May knew that she wasn't the only one who could put on a face. Being the professor's kid left him in the spotlight, and it didn't help to be dating a champion.

Nothing. It was what he said. It was how he felt.

She pursed her lips. Her back faced him. And she was gone.

He didn't go after her.

May didn't know what she had been expecting. If she even wanted him to chase her or not. If she wanted some corny scene from a movie when he just grabbed her face and told her that he was wrong; that the second she walked away he realized he never wanted to be away from her.

But she was content with what she got, which was nothing.

Pain stabbed at her chest, though.

She called out her Eon Pokémon, intending to ask to fly home to Mossdeep, but the second Latios emerged from the pokeball and nudged her happily, she forgot her plans. Her arms wrapped around Latios and she cried. It had sensed her pain, and let her cry, it was all he could do.

Eventually, she brought herself on Latios's back and wrapped her arms around him. "Can we please go to the Cave of Origin?" The pokemon let out a cry and took off.

And that is where May found herself now. As champion, she could enter as she pleased. She made her way deeper into the cave, to the place that helped her think. The place she battled the legendary being of the earth, Groudon. The last time she was terrified. The last time she felt invincible.

She was used to the path by now and hardly tripped over the rocky path. When she stood in front of the cliff where she battled Groudon, she sat down, her feet dangling off the edge.

What now?

It was quiet here, and no one shared this peace with her. It was her own when she needed it. And my gosh did she need it. She just broke up with Brendan, the man she thought she was in love with. She wasn't extremely upset that it had ended, and that upset her. Perhaps a part of her was expecting it, preparing for it even.

At least for the moment she didn't miss his soft caresses, his arms wrapped around her, how she'd play with the messy hair under that white hat, or his voice as it calmed her into sleep some nights. But she would miss it tomorrow. And the day after that. And maybe for a while.

But that's just it, she'd miss it, but she could live without it.

And that was enough.

May didn't know when she had fallen asleep on the cave floor, but by the time she woke up and made it outside, the sun was beginning to rise. She released her Latios, who gave out a happy cry at seeing his trainer in a better state. May smiled fondly at her friend and gave him a hug. "Thank you."

Latios bumped his head with hers and May chuckled. She jumped on and they made their way back to Mossdeep. She didn't have anything she needed to do, but being a Champion did require some paperwork. She had previously had the privilege of splitting duties with Wallace since she was younger and new, but that had been years ago, right after Steven had disappeared and left her in his hands.

Speaking of the devil, May needed to stop by his house sometime. She made it a mission to stop by at least once a week, but she hadn't had the time nor energy for the past few. Steven had finally finished his soul searching some months ago and had returned to a very angry May and a less than amused Brendan.

The name made her heart ache. But Brendan hadn't been very happy to see Steven for whatever reason. Come to think of it, he returned right when things were starting to get bad. May had talked to Steven about Brendan on countless occasions, always receiving thoughtful responses from the older man. But she couldn't blame him – this was the man who had left for three years to do some soul-searching. But being older, she thought he'd know a thing or two and be able to give her some advice.

Patience. That was all he had said. And look where that had gotten her. But her relationship wasn't his fault.

So after she landed, she made her way over to his front door and knocked. Shuffling of feet was heard with a faint "Coming!" Seconds later, the door opened to Steven wearing a white button down with black slacks. Leave it to him to dress fancy at seven in the morning. Not that it was a bad thing. It was well known that Steven excelled in the looks department.

He looked shocked to see her. "May! What a surprise! Since when are you a morning person?"

"Since never," She grumbled. "But I was up and since you never sleep, I figured I'd stop by. It's been a while!" She smiled and Steven couldn't help but smile back. He stepped aside and motioned her in.

May's eyes wandered around the cozy home lined with empty walls and showcases of rare stones. Everything was always in the same place and hadn't changed in the years she knew him. She plopped down on the loveseat like she always did.

Steven's voice carried out from the kitchen, "Would you like some coffee? I was just about to make some!"

"Sure!" She yelled back. She patiently waited for Steven to return with the coffee. She never drank coffee, but she felt like she needed it this morning. It's not like she woke up feeling like she got hit in the face with a Dragonite's dragon tail everyday, but today was an exception. It felt like two dragon tails.

Steven returned and placed a fresh cup on the table in front of May before sitting down with his own.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "So why are you really awake?"

"I told you - I just woke up early!" Steven was smarter than she'd like to believe, but she didn't come here to spill her life to him, not that he didn't already know she and Brendan were having problems. Besides, she did wake up early.

His looked amused. "Yes, but you never say yes to coffee. So what's going on?"

She cursed at herself. She should have known better than to come here – worse - than to say yes to the coffee. She had just dug herself into a hole. But a part of her wanted Steven to know. Maybe she wanted him to comfort her. Not that it would ever happen. The man was much older than she was – she was twenty and he was bordering twenty-nine. But he was the closest friend she had after Brendan. Zinnia was a bit too crazy and would end up bashing Brendan – maybe even physically, and May didn't want that. There was Winona as well, but she was too far.

But sitting there in front of Steven, she knew she wanted something from him – his company was enough. But she also didn't want him to know. Or better, she didn't want to tell him. So instead, she just took a sip of the bitter drink and turned her attention to a red stone sitting on the table. "Nothing."

"May…" He didn't like seeing her like this, especially when she wouldn't tell him why. She had enough energy and wit on a regular basis that it drove him mad sometimes, but he enjoyed that about her. It was who he had grown to love spending time with.

A thought popped up, "What were you looking for when you went soul-searching?"

Steven's eyes widened a bit. He wasn't expecting her to ask him anything, especially not that. But May knew that if she asked him something, then he wouldn't ask her anything.

Besides, she never got the chance to ask him, and she felt she had a right to know.

He took a sip. "You're the only one to ask me that. Besides Wallace, of course.

May rolled her eyes. "Wallace doesn't count. He probably knows more about you than you do. And well, I mean, you left me the Beldum and that letter, and…" She didn't know how to continue. She couldn't meet Steven's eyes, but she knew he was waiting for her to finish her thought. "…it was upsetting." A blush rose to her cheeks. It embarrassed her to show any sign of weakness in front of Steven. "I really trusted you, and then you just up and left without even saying anything. You must've left because it was important, I know, but I just want to know what you were looking for." She finally met his eyes with her own.

He frowned at her confession, but it was quickly replaced with a small smile. A sorry smile. "I'm sorry. My intention wasn't to upset you – or anyone for that matter. I just felt like I needed to get out of here for a while." He ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, I left you in the capable hands of Wallace for the Champion duties, and you had Brendan." May twitched at the mention of his name and it didn't go unnoticed by Steven.

He frowned again, but continued. "While I was content with being the Champion, there were things I could not do. For instance, I could never leave this region and explore the caves of another for an extended period of time."

"So you left because you wanted to explore some caves?" May scrunched her brows together when Steven chuckled at her. But she couldn't help but smile.

"No – at least, not entirely. Battling you reminded me why I became a trainer in the first place. Sure, I wanted to be the Champion, and I was overjoyed when I became one, but over time, I became content with it. It didn't give me the same thrill that I experienced when I traveled or found rare stones. I realized I hadn't felt that in a long time, and I wanted to feel it again."

He ran a hand through his silver hair, and it righted itself into its original position. "As you know, being the Champion, you have to think for the region so much that you stop thinking about yourself sometimes. I was guilty of that. I needed to learn more about myself again."

May tilted her head to the side. "I get it, but I don't. I mean, being the Champion isn't the most exciting position in the world, but I love it. I love being with my Pokemon." She understood what he meant about being the champion, but she hadn't really stopped thinking about herself. If anything, she felt like she thought about herself too much. Except when it came to Brendan. She had always thought about him. Maybe this was her time to think about herself for a change? Ending it with him seemed like a good start.

Steven shot her an amused look, "That was how Wallace felt too. You two both find your thrill in battling with your partners. While I enjoy a challenging battle, it doesn't compare to the discovery of a rare stone. "

May sat back, a thoughtful expression on her face. It was true. She lived for the battles, but she loved her Pokemon more than anything. She could count on them more than herself or anyone she knew.

She brought her attention back to Steven and his bright eyes that had been looking at her. She blushed at how silly she probably looked, "So did you learn about yourself then?"

A smirk graced his lips. "I'm back here, aren't I?"

She nodded. "You are." She smiled, happy that he was here and that she could talk to him. He had been there to encourage her through the toughest parts of her life, and now was no exception.

This surprised him. He was expecting a witty response from the normally fiery girl. His eyes wandered to her empty coffee cup that sat on the table and he remembered she'd been off all morning. It bothered him that she was upset but wouldn't tell him why. Though, he could probably make a damned good guess at what it was.

Just before he was going to bring her original mood up again, she stood from the couch and he followed her lead.

"I'd better get going. I have to get some paperwork in to the League by tonight, and Drake won't be too happy if it's late…again. You know, no matter how many times we battle or how long I've worked with that guy, he still scares me! He's terrifying when he's angry." She made her way to the door and stopped in front of it, turning to face Steven.

He had been following her and stopped a few steps away, smirking. "Exactly. Only when he's angry. You must get him angry a lot if he's always scaring you." He chuckled at her.

May felt the blush rising to her cheeks. She crossed her arms and looked away, "W-well, I don't! We just have some small misunderstandings sometimes!"

Steven rose an eyebrow, "Misunderstandings?" He shook his head. Leave it to May to fire up the elder elite four member.

"Yeah, misunderstandings! Anyway, I really should go. And I'm sorry for stopping by so early and unannounced."

He opened his mouth to respond but found he couldn't. He was much too focused on something else.

She had stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He never really noticed how short she was compared to him, but when her head rested on his chest, he liked the feeling. His arms wrapped around her tiny frame and he lightly held her to him. The sweet aroma of berries reached his nose, his new favorite scent.

"Thank you." The warmth of her body left his too soon. And then she turned and walked out the door.

Brendan was an idiot. But Steven was alright with that.

May began to frequent Steven's company from then on. Whether she had more time or for another reason, she seemed to see him multiple times a week. Sometimes at his house, sometimes at hers, but sometimes she also ventured into caves with him. They had even had that doomed conversation May had tried so hard to avoid that day. It was short and sweet, much to her pleasure. Steven had brought up her relationship with Brendan one day, and she had briefly told Steven that she had broken up with him. He was already aware of the issues, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. He again told her to be patient and assured her with "You'll be back to yourself in no time," speeches, and he had been right.

Weeks later, she hadn't even heard from Brendan and she was happier than she'd ever been. She no longer had the burden of making sure he was happy and in love with her.

That was another thing Steven had said one day she was feeling particularly crappy. He had placed his hands on her shoulders so she was looking curiously at his hardened expression. "You shouldn't have to convince someone that their feelings are genuine. It should come naturally." She had to stop herself from squirming under his gaze. He was right. But she hadn't really noticed when his gaze began to make her so nervous. Or when she preferred to spend her free time with him than with anyone else.

On this particular day, she and Steven were to attend Wallace's birthday party. The ex-champion deserved to be celebrated in style, so it took place in one of the celebration halls in Ever Grande City.

She and Steven had flew over on their respectful Eon Pokémon late morning, so they had the afternoon to get settled in their hotel rooms and get ready.

Looking herself over in the mirror, May was satisfied with herself. She had chosen a strapless red cocktail dress that stopped mid-thigh. It flew freely as she spun around in front of the mirror. The dress was accented with silver crystals around her waistline, so she paired the dress with silver strappy heels and light jewelry. Her make-up actually looked decent too. She grabbed her clutch and made sure she had her Pokémon with her before heading out of the room.

She and Steven had agreed to meet up before the party started at 7 and walk over together. Her PokéNav read 6:40. More than enough time to walk over together.

Reaching his room, she knocked, but didn't receive an answer. She knocked again, but nothing. Scrunching her face, she turned the nob, and it opened. Just as she stepped in and was about to call for Steven, he stepped out of the bathroom. Without a shirt on, May noticed. Though it wasn't that hard to miss.

"Gah! Sorry!" She turned and flew out of the room, slamming the door shut in the process. She leaned her back against it and heard Steven laughing on the other side. Her hands covered her blushing face. Well at least one of them found it funny. It was one thing to be shirtless, but it was another to look so damned good. The red on her face deepened and she shook her head. She was probably as bright as her dress.

The door opened behind her and she would've fallen if Steven hadn't been there. His arms flew to her shoulders and he steadied her before she turned. She sheepishly looked down, "Ah…Sorry. I'm a mess."

Steven raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "That's a given, but today it's exceptionally worse."

She swatted his shoulder with her hand and smiled. No matter how much she embarrassed herself in front of Steven, he always laughed it off. It was one of the things she liked about him. "Ha-ha you're hilarious. Are you ready?" She let her eyes wander over his attire. His hair was in its usual place: everywhere, but instead of the white button down, he was sporting a maroon one paired with a grayish-silver tie.

"You look handsome." The words left her mouth before she could process she was thinking them, and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

Steven smiled at her, "And you look beautiful. Shall we go?" He extended his arm and May hesitantly tangled her arm with his. This felt weird. She and Steven were more than comfortable enough around each other, but this made it feel like they were more of a couple.

They made their way out of the hotel and to the Grande Hall. It was only a few minutes away, and the weather was more than pleasant, so the walk was a good idea.

"How long has it been since you've seen Wallace?" May saw the water trainer quite frequently, but that was because she was the Champion. She couldn't recall the last time Steven had seen him, though.

"Hmm, it's been about a month I think. It was when he invited me to this. He suggested that you be my date, so-"

"Date?" It's funny how she was just thinking that this seemed more like a date than anything else.

Stevens free arm rose and he ran a hand through his hair. "It's a semi-formal event, so I suppose it's natural to have a date, right?"

If she didn't know him better, she would have said Steven was nervous. But it made sense. And it was Wallace's event. But the prospect of being Steven's date made her somewhat giddy. She couldn't control the smile on her face. "I guess so."

They were near the hall now, and the pair could make out Wallace standing out front. His gaze landed on them and he waved them over. And of course he was wearing a white tuxedo with a tealish-green tie. Leave it to Wallace to stand out among the rest. "Good to see you two!" May could've sworn his smile grew when he saw her arms still linked with Steven's. "How have you been? Cozy, from what I can tell!" He winked.

Steven and May blushed and she detached herself from him. She immediately regretted the empty feeling that followed.

"Don't be silly, Wallace. Today should focus on you, happy birthday!" Steven attempted to cover up and turn Wallace's attention elsewhere.

"Happy Birthday," May smiled and reached out to hug him. Wallace returned the embrace and shook Steven's outstretched hand.

"You're too sweet. It just makes my heart melt!" May rolled her eyes and Steven looked amused. Typical dramatic Wallace. Maybe he was already drunk. "But do go inside and enjoy yourselves. Maybe even dance a bit, hm? Steven, maybe you can get May to teach you a thing or two." He winked and left the pair to greet another couple that had arrived.

They made their way inside and May raised an eyebrow at Steven, who merely looked away. He was embarrassed. "You can't dance?" The thought almost made her laugh. The graceful Steven couldn't dance? She hardly had grace, but she had to learn when she became the Champion.

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I didn't learn. I was always too busy. Being the son of the Devon Corp's. President and all. It's one of the things I can't do. Wallace loves pointing it out." Steven signed.

May smiled. "It's not terrible, ya know. If I can do it, then you definitely can." She nudged his side with her elbow, and he looked up.

"Given that I'd be willing to learn." A smirk played at his lips.

"Is that a challenge, Stone?" May grinned. She wasn't foreign to flirting, but coming from Steven it was new. She quite enjoyed it.

"Maybe." He grinned back.

She threw her head back slightly and laughed. He loved the sound, and it was only better since he was the cause of it.

"May!" The couple turned and saw Winona in an elegant baby blue dress. She and May hugged and Steven exchanged polite greetings with the woman. "Come with me for a bit! It's been forever since I've seen you!"

May looked to Steven and he smiled and nudged her forward. "Go ahead, I'll see you later." She smiled and waved before Winona grabbed her arm and began talking about the latest gossip - something about Brawly and Flannery.

"So how's everything going for the Champion?" The bird trainer winked and nudged May's side. "I heard you and Brendan split up, but I didn't know you were dating Steven!"

May blushed. "We-we're not dating! We just came here together!" She crossed her arms. She hadn't felt anything at the mention of Brendan. It had been a while since she had.

Winona looked at her, confused. "But Wallace told me you were together…"

May rolled her eyes. "Wallace is Wallace, and he's an idiot."

Winona giggled, "Sometimes, but it's part of his charm."

May raised an eyebrow. "You find him charming?" The bird trainer's blush answered her question and May smiled fondly at her. "Awh, that's adorable!" This further made Winona blush.

She waved a hand to brush it off and headed towards the drinks table. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But don't change the topic. Back to you and Steven, what's up?" She reached out and grabbed two glasses of wine, handing one to May.

Winona watched as her companion took a large sip of the drink. "Nothing, honestly. He's just a really good friend." Winona was great, but May didn't want to explain her feelings about Steven when she wasn't even sure about them. She liked being with him, she knew that, and the thought of being more had begun to creep up on her. But she knocked it down whenever it did.

Winona frowned, "Yeah, yeah, I know that. Everyone knows that. But that's not what I'm asking you. Steven doesn't have very many close friends. Especially ones that are girls."

Another sip. "Yeah, but none of them have been the Champion."

Winona rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

May shot her friend a smile, "But you love me."

She laughed, "That I do!" She downed her glass and encouraged May to do the same before they wandered the hall to exchange greetings with the other guests.

It was nice to see the other gym leaders again, and May found herself laughing quite a bit. Until Winona nudged May's side and motioned for her attention. May followed her gesture and her eyes settled on a woman in a black dress. She would have been fine by herself, but it was what she was doing, or actually, who she was doing it to that bothered her.

May grimaced as the woman rubbed her hand up and down Steven's arm. "She makes me feel violated."

Winona shivered next to her in agreement, but started laughing when Steven politely excused himself and began to walk away. Except, he couldn't really get away. She had grabbed his hand, and Steven, being the polite gentleman that he was, had to continue talking to her.

"Poor guy. He needs some help. Go put him out of his misery, will you?" Winona grinned at May.

"Your idea, you do it!" May couldn't go up there. She wanted to be anything but nice to that woman.

"Oh come on, you and Steven flirt on a regular basis. Besides, I think I hear Wallace calling me, see ya!" Before May could even say anything, Winona was gone.

May grumbled and slapped her forehead. She could just leave Steven alone with the woman. After all, she wasn't dangerous or anything. She turned her attention back to the pair and felt guilty when she saw the look on Steven's face. He had a good poker face, one that could fool almost anyone, but it was the one that Champions wore for events they were to be present at. It didn't get past her.

The part of her that felt bad for him decided she should probably help him. The other part of her felt anxious at the prospect of what she was going to do. He might hate me for this.

May approached them and Steven smiled in relief when he saw her. "May! There you are!" She could feel the woman's glare, and only smiled wider. May wrapped her arm around Steven's – the one the woman had been touching – and leaned up to peck his cheek.

May was pleased at the slight blush he sported. "Sorry I lost you, Winona wanted to talk for a bit." She turned her attention to the woman who was ready to kill her and gave a sweet smile. "I'm sorry, but Wallace requested to speak to Steven and I immediately. We need to get back to him, but do have a fun night!" She tightened her grip on his arm and led the poor sucker away from the woman and out onto the large balcony.

She released him and placed her hands on her hips. "Whoever started the headlines that labeled you as Hoenn's most eligible bachelor was right. You're too single for your own good."

Steven chuckled, "Regardless of what I am, thanks for the help." He smiled at her, and the mere sight of it made May want to latch onto him again. She blushed at her thoughts and looked away.

"I-It's about time I paid you back for helping me all those years ago, anyway. Besides, she was pissing me off." May really needed to plan out her words before she said them. More around Steven than any other person.

He raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his lips. "Oh? And why's that?"

May gulped. She waved her hand, trying to dismiss it casually. "No reason. She just was."

Steven stepped closer and May stepped back into the railing. "Why can't you look at me, then?"

She could just hear the smile in his words. May was pretty sure her face was getting brighter, and it sure felt warmer outside than it had earlier. He was having fun, that brat.

But she refused to look in his direction. If he didn't make her so nervous, she would have punched him in the gut.

"Well if you won't answer me, there's one more thing you can help me with – if you're willing."

"And that is…?" She still didn't turn to look at him, so Steven continued.

"You said I'm too single for my own good."

This got her. She raised an eyebrow, not knowing where he was going with this. "Yes, I did. And?" May turned to look at him for a brief second, and Steven took his chance. He leaned in and answered her with a light kiss, a hand gingerly lifting her chin.

She swore her heart almost leapt out of her chest. Steven Stone was kissing her. Her arms reached up around his neck and she returned it, letting the feelings she had suppressed take over. He wrapped his own around her back and moved the other to her head. He pulled her to him, neither wanting to let go.

Steven finally released her and May met his eyes. She wasn't expecting that to happen tonight. He smiled. "Help me change that?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her happiness. "Steven Stone, is that your way of asking me out?"

"Asking you to be my girlfriend, actually." He grinned down at the girl in his arms.

May sighed exasperatedly but grinned back. "In that case…I guess I can help you." She reached up and pecked his lips. "Let's go back in. I still need to teach you how to dance!" Steven groaned but even the idea of dancing couldn't change his mood.