Title: A Small Gift

Prompt: "I got you a present."

Summary: As Steven lets the fact that he's now Champion of Hoenn sink in, Cynthia arrives with a meaningful gift. LoliShotaShipping; autistic! Steven Stone. Post-HGSS, pre ORAS.

Note: I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing, so I decided to make a fic based off of a Tumblr prompt. The fact that I'm writing about a rare pair and an autistic headcanon is a bonus. XD But seriously, Pokémon fandom: LoliShotaShipping?

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The windows are high, but shaded, regulating the amount of light that enters the chamber. The black walls and beige flooring is aesthetically pleasing without being blinding. As he breathes, he takes in the aroma of new paint and polish, which eases his nerves slightly.

Only Wallace knows that he's as fond of the smell of fresh paint as he is of the stench of damp cave walls and that he seeks both scents regularly.

If someone had told Steven Stone back when he'd first started his journey that he would ultimately become Champion of Hoenn, he would've laughed. Back then, he'd just been a rock-obsessed teen whose 'freaky movements' and 'complete disregard for tact and manners' had only been 'tolerated' because he was the son of the Devon Corp head. In fact, his only reason for leaving on a journey was to escape the sensory and emotional hell that was school.

He hadn't believed he would amount to anything. But now…here he is.

The creak of the large double doors opening makes Steven turn around. Cynthia walks in, carrying a small box, eyes widening as she takes in his new room.

"Cynthia! I thought you wouldn't arrive in Hoenn for another day."

"Turns out that the ship captain made a slight miscalculation," she replies, smiling wryly as she approaches him. "So, surprise! I'm here early." Cynthia holds out the box. "And I got you a present. Welcome to the 'League of Champions'."

Steven chuckles. During one of their run-ins on his journey, he'd asked her whether all the Champions formed a 'League of Champions' and held fancy luncheons and meetups. Gingerly, he takes the box and removes the lid, revealing four silver rings with rotating middles.

"Spinner rings…" Steven murmurs before looking back at Cynthia. "You…you saw the interview?"

'The interview' had occurred shortly after he'd been declared Champion, during which he'd accidentally revealed his neurotype to all of Hoenn. Steven had been a nervous wreck afterwards, but figured that maybe it wouldn't make much noise outside of his home region; after all, reporters were still covering the aftermath of the 'Siege of Goldenrod'. However, it had blown up internationally, and while the reception had been (mostly) positive, Steven couldn't help but hope that Cynthia hadn't seen it.

He may be past the point of where he feels the need to apologize for his neurotype—for himself—but he still struggles with full acceptance.

Cynthia answers, "Riley showed it to me. You remember him, right?"

Steven nods. The quiet aura user had come to Slateport to see Cynthia off the day the two of them first met.

"Well, he's on the spectrum, too, and thought that you might like these." Cynthia shakes the box slightly.

"R-right." Steven slips on the rings onto two of his fingers on each hand, then holds one hand up to the light to inspect them. "You're taking this well. Weren't you…?"

"Surprised? A little. But then Riley and I started talking about you and the things I'd seen you do sometimes started making sense. The point is, I promised to be there for you, no matter what, and I mean it. You're…" At this, she blushed slightly, "You're very important to me, Steven."

She leans towards him, eyes closing as she does so. Hesitantly, Steven does the same, hoping she's signaling for a kiss.

The smile against his lips confirms his suspicions.

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A/N: A bit of context may be needed here: Cynthia became the Champion of Sinnoh before Steven became Champion of Hoenn. She periodically traveled into/around Hoenn to learn about its history/mythology and ran into Steven as he was going through his journey multiple times.

The autistic! Steven headcanon is based off of a Tumblr post I found a couple of months back, but the idea of autistic! Riley I came up with on my own. As someone on the spectrum, such headcanons make me very happy, and I'm always glad to write about them! (I hope I handled this well!)

I hope you enjoyed reading!

japaneserockergirl

2/6/2016