A/N So explicit content warning up ahead! I decided to go ahead with the smut/lemon. Hope you all enjoy!

No, It's Not Perfect

Chapter 4 - Perfect

She always felt like Hoenn's mild climate was a bit too warm for her liking. Even now in the dead of winter, sitting on the cold sand of Mossdeep's shores, she felt the need to shed her trench coat. The same could not be said for Steven, however.

Cynthia glanced over at him and could not help, but hold back a giggle at how bundled up he was. He was practically swimming in his thick scarf and black peacoat. Despite the serious nature of the conversation that was about to take place, just the mere sight of him brought a smile to her face.

"...If you're cold, we can move this conversation someplace indoors?"

She waited for Steven to say something and she spent the next few minutes nervously glancing up at him and then towards the vast darkness of the ocean in front of them. The furious beating of her heart calmed slightly when she saw him take a seat on the cold sand next to her, giving her his answer.

They simply sat there in complete silence, just listening to the waves of the ocean crash onto the beach.

Until Steven broke it with the start to their much needed conversation.

"You didn't have to come all this way."

"I wanted to," Cynthia responded without any hesitation. "I wanted to see you."

She heard him draw in a sharp inhale and even in the darkness, she could make out the subtle trembling of his hands.

Steven noticed she was staring at him and he brought his knees up closer to him, chuckling nervously as he clasped his hands together in a vain attempt to stop them from shaking. "I'm sorry...I have so much to say to you, but I can't even say any of it."

"If it's a matter of what to say, you don't have to filter anything around me, Steven," Cynthia reassured him. "You know that."

He laughed dryly. "...Maybe I didn't know that. Maybe that's why I'm so damn nervous."

Steven was never really one to curse verbally, no matter how frustrated he was.

That was why Cynthia waited, pausing. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked, her voice coming out a lot more distraught than she wanted it to. It was hard to hide her own anxieties and fears regarding this conversation. The uncertainties are what was killing her.

The silver haired man turned to her, his eyes slightly wide at what she said. "No, not at all," he affirmed and reaffirmed by repeating it. "Not at all."

Although it eased her mind, just a little bit, Cynthia downcast her gaze to the sand. She drew little idle circles in it with the delicate tip of her index finger. "Then...why won't you talk to me about what's troubling you?"

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and then reopening them.

An uncertain pause. Then -

"I…I'm afraid of losing you," he whispered, the grip he had on his hands tightening.

Cynthia's expression reflected pain and confusion. Her voice cracked. "Why would you think that you'd lose me?" She furrowed her brow at the revelation and leaned slightly forward towards him. In a softer tone, she coaxed him gently. "Tell me, Steven."

He bit down lightly on his lips before releasing them. His eyes avoided hers for a while, but when he spoke, she found herself staring directly into them. Teal against gray, and it was then when she realized just how close they were to each other.

"I'm afraid of showing you my flaws...my weaknesses. Not because I think you'd exploit them. Never that. But...I want you to be impressed by me." Steven's cheeks turned a slight pink that only she could notice with how close she was to his face. He looked away briefly, embarrassed, as she would imagine him to be.

He was so quiet and reserved outside of Pokemon battles or official champion duties, and his openness caused her to blush harder.

Cynthia nervously moved away slightly, finding that the close proximity of their faces was not easing her nerves. She tucked a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear, only to have it fall from its place no matter how many times she did it. "You really…" she mumbled, "don't have to go out of your way to impress me."

By the time she wanted to give up on the frustrating lock of hair that refused to stay on her ear, she was met with a welcomed touch.

Steven reached out to tuck her hair back for her, gently as if she were made of fragile glass. It was then he whispered softly, "I want to be the best man I could be for you, Cynthia."

She stared at him, her cheeks reddening by each passing second. Her head instinctively leaned towards his hand, craving his touch, but was only met with disappointment when he pulled away. The female champion pouted a little and went back to the conversation at hand. "...You're so cheesy sometimes, Steven."

"You're not denying that you like it." He offered up a small smile, shy with his lighthearted jab.

Cynthia felt her ears heat up and she quickly looked away, saying nothing in response.

"It's the truth," he continued. "Everything I said. You mean the world to me and I wish I could give the world to you. But...I suppose I've been feeling like I've been falling short." Steven noticed her confused expression and scoffed at himself. "It probably sounds incredibly stupid, but everything I do doesn't feel like its enough. And...I really didn't want you to see this side of me."

She could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

"It's pathetic...really. Being worried over something so trivial." Steven chuckled wryly and played with the ring on his left hand, twisting the silver band around his ring finger over and over again.

"Is it?" she asked, after a brief pause of silence. Cynthia met his eyes and smiled ardently at him. "And here I was worried that you were avoiding me for a completely different matter."

"Like?"

She laughed. "My sister thought you were cheating on me and I almost believed her because you've never acted like this."

Steven's jaw dropped. "I would never!" he strongly protested, appalled at the mere idea of infidelity.

The blonde laughed harder at his reaction. "That's what I said to her. "No matter what - even if you were threatened with your life, you would never betray me like that or in any way." That's what I thought," Cynthia responded, breaking out into soft giggles again he averted his eyes with an embarrassed blush.

He glanced at her as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees.

She drew in a soft breath. "...I'm glad. So glad." Her voice shook as she spoke and Steven noticed how her gray eyes were becoming glossy. "I thought we wouldn't be able to work it out. I was so worried…" She let out a trembling sigh. "Worried that we wouldn't be able to share moments like this ever again. ...You know?" She turned to face him, crying unashamedly. Even through the tears, she smiled, breaking into a soft laugh. "I really enjoy being with you, Steven. Every time either of us have to leave, I feel like that might be the last time we ever see each other again. I know it sounds really dramatic, but - I just...really end up missing you and I'm not sure if you feel the same way - !"

She was cut off when he pulled her into him.

Cynthia found herself being held against him, her head flush up against his chest. Her eyes widened, but relaxed soon after, welcoming the intimate embrace.

The two remained intertwined in silence on the dark beach until it was finally Cynthia who broke the silence by calling out his name.

"Steven?" she asked, the silence piquing her curiosity.

"...I don't want you to leave either," he whispered, tightening his hold around her. "Whenever you have to leave, I want to tell you to stay." Steven buried his face into her soft blond hair. He inhaled placidly, then exhaled with a bitter chuckle. "Is it too selfish of me to ask that you stay here with me tonight? I don't care if either of us have things to do tomorrow, but please...just stay. I don't feel like letting you go just yet."

Cynthia felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, forcing herself to laugh in order to hold back her incoming tears.

"That's rather unfair of you, Steven."

He laughed through his nose. "And why's that?"

"Because...you can't demand something like that from a busy woman like me."

"It's not a demand. More like...a strong suggestion." He laughed when he heard her let out a soft 'hmph'. "You're also not resisting," he pointed out, pulling away from her just enough so that he could see her face.

Cynthia rolled her eyes before letting her lips spread into a warm smile. "Because someone has his arms around me."

"Nope. You're free to go whenever."

"Whenever?"

Steven nodded, even releasing his hold around her. He smirked when he saw her skeptical gaze. "That doesn't mean I'll let you go that easily though."

Realizing what he meant, Cynthia shot up and made a run for it. It was hard running on loose sand of the beach, but she did her best, especially in her heeled boots. She took a look behind her and broke into an adrenaline filled laugh when she saw Steven coming after her.

It was as if she was five again and playing a game of tag with her best friend.

The two ran as fast as they could off the beach and back up onto the main roads of Mossdeep - all the while laughing clamorously.

Cynthia loved the sound of his laugh. It was juvenile, but she enjoyed the baritone sound that accompanied it. It sounded real - genuine, and it almost caused her to slow her pace as she got closer to his house. So much so that he managed to touch the tips of her long blond hair trailing behind her.

It was not long before they did finally reach his front door and almost immediately, Cynthia felt his arms come around her waist and she was captured with a hug from the back. Partly from her being ticklish and from the previous exhilaration of running away from him, she continued laughing breathlessly.

He laughed alongside her, fumbling with his house key as he tried to open up the door with one hand. Once succeeding, he hauled her inside, their laughter soon dying down to soft pants and chuckles.

Steven closed the door behind them and leaned her back up against it. He had her comfortably pinned and he whispered in a low voice, "caught you."

Before she could even react, Cynthia felt him press a soft, loving kiss on her lips. She hummed against him, hearing herself whining a little in disappointment when he pulled away as quickly as he came.

His kisses were always too short for her tastes.

Finding her pouting irresistibly adorable, Steven kissed her again and again. Each kiss growing bolder than the previous one.

"More," she whispered in-between one of the kisses, gasping as she was still trying to catch her breath from all the running they did.

He complied, parting his lips and silently asking her for permission into her mouth. A soft groan rolled out of his throat as he experimentally moved his lips in sync with his tongue. Steven did not think he was a great kisser, for he felt like the entire performance was sloppy and in poor practice, but hearing Cynthia's mewling moans, begging him for more sparked a new level of confidence in him.

When they finally pulled away, Cynthia stared up at him, eyes half-lidded. Even in the darkness, she could see his state of unravel, from his bruised lips to the feral look in his teal colored eyes.

It sent a sweeping warmth throughout her body, enticing her to want to see more of him.

Steven flipped the switch for the lights in the living room and promptly got off of her. He hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you."

She shook her head, blushing at how thoughtful he was despite being overcome by passion. Feeling the awkwardness that followed their makeout session, both Cynthia and Steven stood there, blushing and fidgeting at what they should do next.

"I'm sorry for coming over so unannounced -!"

"Sorry this place is such a mess -!"

They both ended up talking over each other, then stopped when they realized they had cut each other off.

Cynthia held her hand over her mouth and giggled. "Since I came over so unprepared…I wouldn't want to burden you by housing me. I could spend the night at the pokemon center."

Steven made a confused face at what she said and it quickly dawned on the young woman that he wanted her there.

He wanted her to spend the night.

With him.

The Sinnoh champion quickly retracted her statement. "I'm so sorry. I - I didn't want to impose. Plus, it clearly looks like you weren't expecting company."

Steven shook his head as he unraveled his scarf. "I wasn't, but you're an exception. I normally don't even let Wallace crash at my house unannounced."

She snickered, imagining that the reason why is because of how much the Sootopolis gym leader liked to talk and to an introvert like Steven, it meant that he was in for an exhausting night. "I'm honored," she replied, making herself comfortable by taking off her trench coat. A quick apology left her when she heard a bit of loose sand fall from her clothes.

The silver haired man did not seem to mind. "It happens when you live on an island," he reassured her as he took her coat hang it on the nearby coat rack. "Don't worry about it. How about I get you some more comfortable clothes to change into for the night?"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "You have spare womens' clothes lying around?"

He simply laughed. "No. It's just some spare pajamas I have. They might be a bit loose, but it's more comfortable than sleeping in those I figure." Steven motioned to her semi- casual attire.

It was true that her straight black pants were rather constricting and the blouse she wore was not made of the most comfortable material. She nodded, taking him up on his offer.

Cynthia followed him towards his bedroom and waited by the door as he sifted through his closet, which did not take long since everything appeared to be organized with not even a hair out of place. A definite stark contrast to the mess of rocks and documents that lay strewn all over his living room.

"I don't really wear black, but I did find some in your favorite color. I think it's been months since I wore these." Steven handed them to her with a smile.

The black pajama top and pants felt silky smooth in her hands and Cynthia thanked him.

"You can get changed in here. I'll go make us a small dinner. I'm guessing that you haven't had anything to eat, right?"

"No, actually. Some food sounds great."

"Perfect. If you want...you can also take a shower. Feel free to use any of my toiletries."

Cynthia thanked him again and waited until he closed the door behind her to let out a breath she had been holding in. She set the pajamas down on his well-made bed and let her eyes wander all around his room as she got undressed. Her eyes rested on the various glass displays filled with rare gems and rocks. Undoubtedly they were the ones that Steven had collected from his adventures and she made a mental note to ask him the story behind each one someday. She was sure that he could recall all of them perfectly with no details missed.

She smiled, happy just at the thought of being able to hear more stories about him and his life when she was not around.

It would definitely make for a good end to this long evening.

"Hope you're okay with some reheated vegetable soup." Steven slid a small bowl of the tasty looking soup towards the young woman, who was now clad in a full set of his pajamas with his towel draped over her head.

"This looks amazing! Even if it is reheated," she remarked, giggling as she happily helped herself to the soothing meal.

Steven watched her, leaning precariously against his kitchen counter and gracefully fidgeting her bare leg a little bit as she happily ate.

Emphasis on bare legs.

He did not know if she was too trusting to a fault, but this was Cynthia - the revered and feared champion of Sinnoh. The strongest trainer in the region and even in Hoenn since she did technically beat him several times in their private pokemon battles. (She would jokingly ask him to hand over his champion title after each win.)

There was no way this woman was so unguarded around him and unaware of just what effect she was having on him.

"Aren't you eating?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"H - Huh? Oh, right. Sorry. I must be tired," he lied, trying to laugh it off as he brought the hot soup to his lips.

He mentally cursed at himself for thinking about it too deeply. Maybe she really was just 'too hot' and decided to strut out of his room wearing only the top half of his pajamas. Maybe she really wasn't trying to seduce the living daylights out of him.

'Stop acting like a pervert,' he thought as he found himself unable to stomach the soup anymore.

Steven was snapped out of his thoughts again when he heard the clatter of her spoon hitting the bottom of her bowl. He was a bit surprised to see that she had eaten all of it so quickly. "You must have been hungry," he commented, earning him a sour glare from her.

"Of course I was! It took hours to fly over here from Sinnoh. I didn't have a bite to eat since this morning." Cynthia raised an eyebrow at his own completely untouched bowl of soup. "And you don't seem to have much of an appetite."

"Just...tired," he lied. Steven could not bring himself to tell her the real reason why he was so spaced out and lost interest in eating anymore.

She narrowed her gray eyes at him, sensing that something was amiss with him, but decided not to think too deeply on it. "I think you should eat. You honestly look like you haven't been eating well."

"I -" Before Steven could even begin speaking, he felt utterly defeated when she took his bowl of soup and scooped up some of its contents before holding it out for him to eat.

"Here, before it gets cold."

He could have sworn his cheeks were colored in vivid shades of red as he stood there dumbly in front of a gorgeous woman who was willingly trying to feed him. "I - uhm - I can feed myself," was all he could manage.

Cynthia, however, was not going to take no for an answer. She held the spoon stubbornly at him, inching it closer to his lips and close enough to the point where he had no choice, but to eat. "There - was that so hard?" she asked, satisfied when she pulled out the clean spoon from his mouth.

Steven said nothing, not that he could have said something even if he tried.

They spent the next few minutes in silence. Cynthia was simply spoon-feeding Steven as he eventually got somewhat comfortable with the action. It was not until she giggled that he realized just how embarrassing the situation was.

"This reminds me of when I had to spoon-feed Garchomp when she was just a little gible." She tried, but failed miserably to hold in a laugh.

Steven was completely mortified. "So I remind you of your garchomp?" he asked incredulously, his blush only growing more intense.

Cynthia giggled at his expression and quickly set aside the soup. "Maybe I said it wrong," she replied, attempting to quell her boyfriend's embarrassment. "It's just...new to me. All of this. Even though we've been together for three years, I feel like this is the closest I've ever been to you. I mean, this is the first time we're spending the night together."

He noticed the blush on her own cheeks growing brighter as she continued.

"Wearing your clothes too...I don't know what it is, but it's a nice feeling," she admitted with a bashful smile. Cynthia coyly looked up at him and gently placed her hand over his - the simple action causing his heart to skip a beat. "It's like this...and your whole house...it's not a surprise obviously, but everything smells like you - I know it sounds really...weird and I don't mean for it to sound that way, but..." He felt as if he could die a happy death at that moment and what she said next caused him to lose his last bit of self-control.

"...It makes me happy. It feels like we're married tonight."

That was it.

Cynthia cried out in surprise when she was suddenly scooped up into his arms. "St - Steven!" she exclaimed as she was unceremoniously dropped onto the sofa. Her gray eyes were widened in pure surprise as she saw him climb on top of her. The sudden feeling of shyness returned and she felt herself sinking back into the sofa under his gaze. His teal eyes seemed almost predatory as he placed one arm on the backrest and the other against the armrest over her head. She shivered, not out of fear, but anticipation.

"Now who's being the unfair one?" he asked, his voice husky with want.

"H - Huh?" she stammered, completely perplexed, but...sexually intrigued by this new side of Steven she had never seen. She bit her bottom lip slightly in anticipation.

He took hold of a lock of blond hair, still damp from her shower, and brought it up to his nose. He took a whiff, smelling a mixture of her usual lavender scent mixed in with his scent. It enthralled him. "You were expecting this to happen, weren't you?" he asked her as he let go of her hair.

Cynthia drew in a sharp, audible gasp when she felt his hand wantonly run up her bare thigh.

"I might be a gentleman," he whispered into her ear, smirking when he saw her tremble softly at this, "but even I have my limits. You can't have expected me to keep my cool when you're wandering around my house without any pants and talking about how we're a married couple."

She returned his smirk, the shyness retreating from her. "Why do you think I agreed to stay the night? You know very well that I could have gone to sleep by myself at the pokemon center if I wanted to."

He paused, as if giving what she had said some thought.

Now it was her turn to whisper into his ear. "...I wanted you just as much as you wanted me tonight, Steven."

Cynthia was not sure how quickly things between them were going to escalate, but it felt like a blind rush of lust that consumed both her and the man on top of her. She egged him on to unbutton the pajama top she wore by arching her back towards him, all the while letting out a series of feminine groans whenever he would deliver a sloppy kiss.

He hovered over her, keeping himself from crushing her by propping himself up with one hand gripping the armrest above her head.

She could hear his labored breathing and the veins in his forearms popping, becoming defined as he clenched his fist. Cynthia could see his eyes rake all over her body and she had wondered why he stopped. It was clear that he wanted to continue this more than anyone.

Perhaps he was looking for her permission again.

"...Steven…" she murmured, brushing away some loose strands of her blond hair that clung to her face with sweat. His expression relaxed a bit and Cynthia knew that calling out his name worked in the right direction. She reached out to him, further coaxing him by wrapping her thin arms around his neck.

He was breathing right into her ear and Cynthia felt her eyelids flutter closed in pleasure.

"I missed you," he muttered.

She shivered at the sensation of him kissing her ear, nibbling at the outer shell lightly before pulling away. "Then show me next time. Just like how you promised you'd show me how much you loved me." Cynthia's half-lidded eyes caught sight of his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Her eyes then fell to the definition of his collarbones and subtly, she licked her lips. How she would love to leave kiss marks all over his neck and clavicle…

"...Show me everything," she ended up whispering to him, effectively sending him over the edge again.

Cynthia was bombarded by kisses from him and she happily accepted each one. She felt a heat build up in her lower abdomen and instinctively, she bucked her hips upwards, desperate to find some sort of relief. As she did so, she felt a foreign hardness grind up against her as well.

Steven promptly groaned at the sensation and fought back the urge to grind against her. No - that would be tragic if he were to stop it just there. They were going to go all the way. The two of them were far too long ahead in their relationship to pass up the most perfect opportunity.

"Cynthia…" he whispered against her lips, his voice slurring from the flood of emotions overtaking his body.

"Take me on your bed," she commanded, hushed and quick. The urgent need in Cynthia's voice was apparent and Steven wasted no time in fulfilling her desires.

He got up off of her and helped her up.

Cynthia took his outstretched hand and hopped up eagerly. Unable to fight off the urge to touch him, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt collar and pulled him forcefully towards her. She kissed him deeply as she guided him to his room, stumbling as both of them tried to navigate their way around without breaking lip contact.

One would have considered it a comical sight. The two Pokemon trainers - Champions, no less - who were normally cool, calm, and collected, were now knocking each other around the house, unable to seperate for even just a second in order to walk like how normal people would.

"Ngh - Cyn…" Steven moaned softly against her as she pushed him up against the door to his bedroom, a bit rougher than she had thought. He let her take control his tongue, swiveling and sliding it around however she pleased with her own. When she began trailing her kisses from his mouth down to his neck, he rolled his head to the side slightly to allow her better access.

Cynthia always thought that Steven had a beautiful complexion for a man. Perhaps it was from all the time he spent away from the sun, but he had pale skin that was practically begging her to mark it up.

"Mm," she hummed in content as she licked and suckled on a pulse, earning her a soft groan from Steven that barely passed his lips. Cynthia gently bit and nibbled at the same spot, all the while using her hands to unbutton the rest of his dress shirt. She moved on from the now reddened, sore spot and went further down.

"Ah!" Steven cried out, flinching when she bit down rather hard at the junction where his neck connected with his shoulder. That was sure to leave a mark.

Cynthia paused, worried for a second that she might have hurt him beyond the threshold of pleasure, but seeing as he was holding onto her tighter than ever, she dismissed her worries. A surge of pride swept through her when she continued leaving bruising kiss marks all over his clavicle and neck areas, all the while extracting the most delicious moans from him.

She eventually pulled away to admire her handiwork. A subconscious flick of her tongue came out to lick her lips at the sight presented before her.

His shirt was halfway off, buttons completely undone, and exposing the smooth muscles of his pale torso. From his heaving chest, her eyes trailed up past the battlefield of angry red kiss marks she left on his neck, and rested on his bruised lips which were parted slightly to allow himself more air to breathe. His eyes appeared dazed, unfocused, even when he rolled them over to look at her.

"...You…" he breathed out, pushing himself off the door slightly just so that he could open it. "You really like my neck, don't you?" he asked as he gave a cheeky smirk.

"Just as much as you seem to like my legs," she replied, matching his smirk with one of her own.

Steven rolled his eyes playfully. "Shall I mark them up just like you did to me then?"

"That's rather unbecoming of a gentleman like yourself to say to a lady, Mr. Stone." Cynthia snickered, enjoying this flirtatious banter that they were sharing.

"Well," he muttered, leaning into bury his face into the side of hers. Steven wrapped his arms around her lithe waist and gently guided her over to his bed as he spoke. "After you came over unannounced, isn't it the least you could let me do to you? Or would you rather let me do other things to you?"

Cynthia gasped as the back of her knees made contact with the edge of the bed. Her legs buckled out from underneath her and she fell back onto the soft mattress, along with Steven on top of her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but found that only a soft mewl could make it out. Her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of him nuzzling her neck and occasionally flicking out his tongue to taste her sweet skin. "J - Just… out of curiosity - ah! What…? What would you...l - like to do to me?" she breathed out, squirming underneath him.

Steven detached himself from her briefly to look at her face to face. He smiled, a mischievous look flickering in his teal colored eyes. "I thought you'd be okay with waiting, Champion Cynthia," he said, addressing her by title just to rouse her. He always found it fun to tease her a little bit. "You always seem so patient on the battlefield."

She shot him a disgruntled glare.

He laughed. "But, if you insist I tell you…" Steven slowly popped open the rest of the buttons on his shirt that she wore.

When the last button was off, he had to bite his lower lip to suppress a groan that threatened to come out. He now fully understood why she always wore black.

She looked devastatingly gorgeous in it.

The black underwear set she wore was a perfect contrast to her porcelain pale skin. The way she was lying on the bed was no joke either. It was as if she was doing her best to seduce him into submission.

Cynthia saw him staring down at her in a dumbfounded daze and she knew that he was completely mesmerized by her. Attempting to hide the urge to smile confidently at her clear victory, she stuck her lip out in a cute pout. "Tell me...you know I don't like being kept waiting," she said, purposely wiggling underneath him just so that she could experimentally nudge her thigh up against the growing tent in his pants.

The reaction she got from him was enticing and far from disappointing.

He hissed, one of his arms buckling so that he was now resting on his elbows. Steven lowered himself down enough so that his mouth was up against her ear. He murmured incoherent words, swallowing harshly, and gasping for air as he tried to recover.

She could tell that he was holding himself back immensely.

"...Shall I tell you want I'd like for you to do to me?" she asked, whispering directly into his ear. Cynthia smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I...don't want you to hold back, Steven."

He stiffened.

She took notice and chuckled at how adorable his reaction was. "I mean it - I want you to touch me...all over." Cynthia touched his bare shoulder and dragged her nails lightly down the curve of his spine. He shivered.

"I…" he choked out, trying his best to compose himself. "I don't want to hurt you. You mentioned to me that you've never -" Steven stopped when she pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You could never hurt me, Steven," Cynthia replied, reassuring him with a warm smile.

His expression softened, but the worry did not leave him. "Are you sure?" he asked one last time, to which she replied -

"...Weren't you the one that said that you wanted to show me how much you loved me?"

He pushed himself up slightly so that he could look into her eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her physical pain, but the strain he felt just holding back his desires was driving him insane. Steven took hold of her wrist, the one bound by the bracelet he had given her. He brought it up to his lips and he gently kissed it along with the smooth skin on her wrist, all the while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

The way he treated her with the utmost care caused her to blush. Even though they had been together for all these years, she was still seduced by the simple romantic acts that he would do for her as if this was their first courting.

Steven eventually chuckled against her wrist. "Yeah," he breathed out, "I did say that."

"So - show me."

And that was all he needed from her.

Cynthia shuddered when he came crashing down on her with a feverish kiss. She moaned into his mouth, gladly offering him up her tongue as she helped him take off his shirt.

It went off somewhere on the floor, the darkness of the room concealing its exact location as the next article of clothing that followed was Cynthia's borrowed shirt.

"Steven…" she moaned softly, kissing him breathlessly as he unhooked her bra. The front clasp released and the piece of underwear popped open, causing the young woman to bashfully pull away from her boyfriend and hide her breasts from his eager gaze. "S - Sorry," she stammered, suddenly feeling incredibly shy in front of him. Cynthia let out a humorless laugh. "I guess I'm still a bit unprepared."

"You don't want me to see?" he asked, almost too innocently.

She blushed at his response. "...I-It's not that I don't want you to see! I just - I don't know…" Cynthia drew in a sharp gasp when she felt him grab a hold of both her wrists. "Steven -!" Her strength left her and she immediately turned her head away when her arms were pried away from her chest. It was far too embarrassing to see his reaction.

"...Cute," he muttered, staring with half-lidded eyes at her chest and her shy expression. She did not have a large chest by any means, but they were not too small either. Steven could care less really at the end of the day (he never considered himself to be a "breast" guy), but he did find himself overcome with the urge to take one of her pink nipples into his mouth.

An involuntary yelp escaped her as she felt the warm wetness of his mouth capture one of her hardened nipples. She trembled at the new pleasurable sensations that shot through her body. "Steven…" she moaned softly, a series of mewls following afterwards as he continued to tend to her breasts, alternating between the two of them. As he would be licking one, the other was being massaged by his hand. She always appreciated how aesthetically pleasing the rings he wore on his hands were, but now she was appreciating the practicality of them as they provided a welcome contrast from the warmth of his palms.

He tenderly licked the soft pink peaks, occasionally applying his teeth gently to them, causing her to arch into him. At this point, Steven was sure that she was enjoying herself and even though she was not directly touching him, the way she moaned his name in an alluring feminine tone was more than enough for his own pleasure as well.

"Ah!" she exclaimed sharply when he bit down a little bit harder on one of her nipples. "S- Steven…?" she whined, recovering from the sudden pain and silently wishing that he would continue. However, when she saw him get up off of her, she sat up as well, brow furrowing in question.

It was hard to see because of how dark it was and the only source of light coming from the moon outside, but she could make out the noticeable bulge in his pants as he fumbled with his belt. Her eyes widened in both anticipation and apprehension.

"Wait," he panted out as he reached over to his nightstand to yank open the drawer.

Cynthia saw him fishing out a small flat object, which gave off a metallic glint to it. At first, she was not sure what it was, but when he ripped it open, she blushed heavily at the realization. "I - uhm - didn't expect you to have some condoms ready to go," she commented, fidgeting nervously as it dawned on her that they were actually going to go all the way.

He blinked before unbuckling his pants. "Well...we've been together for 3 years. I assumed we'd eventually...need them."

She blushed heavily, averting her eyes when she heard his pants drop to the floor, but then with her morbid curiosity getting the better of her, she shyly looked back at him. It was still dark, but she could see the faint outline of his figure. Her cheeks flared with heat when she saw him give himself a few pumps, groaning as he stroked his hardened member.

"Wa - Wait, Steven…"

Cynthia stopped him just before he rolled the condom onto his. She crawled up to him, her blond hair cascading off of her bare back as she did so.

Before he could even question what she was going to do, he ended up dropping his jaw and letting out a low groan.

It was almost hard for him to believe that Cynthia was inexperienced with sex and that this was probably the first time she had ever given a blowjob to a man, because it all felt so damn good. The sensation of her warm mouth wrapped around his cock was almost too much for him to handle and he desperately tried to control himself. It did feel good, but this was not how he envisioned their time together.

"C - Cynthia," he gasped out her name as she hummed in response. "Don't - I -"

She pulled herself away, releasing him with a soft 'pop' and Steven found himself staring down into her round gray eyes, wide with confusion.

"Was it...not good? I...heard that men really like it when -"

"- No! It's not that," he cut her off, uninterested in her explanation. "I just -" He blew out a wry laugh as he simply ended up kissing her. He was simply at a loss for words with what just happened. It was almost unlike her to service him in such a manner - unexpected.

Steven pulled away, giving her a loving gaze as he cleared away her bangs away from her eyes. "It's your first time...as well as mine. I want both of us to enjoy this, not just myself."

Cynthia thought that her heart would burst out from her chest. She stared at him, wide eyed with a lovestruck blush forming on her face. Miserably, she hid her face, trying to hide the joy she felt from his love for her. "Always the gentleman…" she mumbled, questioning, wondering how she ended up with such a perfect man as her boyfriend.

They both settled themselves comfortably on the bed, with Cynthia laying back so that her head was cozy up against his large plush pillows. She waited for him, an expectant look in her eyes as she watched him roll the condom onto himself and carefully crawl up to her. A single breath escaped past her lips when she felt his cold hand cup her warm cheek. She trembled.

"I'll try to make it hurt less," he whispered, kissing her gently. Steven could see that her shoulders were more relaxed now at his reassuring words. He let his hands trail down the curve of her waist and rest at her hips for a brief second before hooking his thumbs underneath the soft lace of her black panties.

She helped him take them off by lifting her legs slightly. Her breath hitched in her throat when he let his eyes rake over her body as she was in a vulnerable position with her legs spread open before him and one of her ankles resting on his shoulder.

"You're really wet," he murmured, his voice husky as he discarded her underwear on the floor. "...That's good. It'll make it a little easier."

"Mm," Cynthia hummed in response, her lips slightly pursed at the building tension. The anticipation was nearly driving her mad.

Sensing that she was still nervous, Steven silently guided her hands up to his neck. "Hold onto me. You can bite down again if it distracts you from the pain."

Cynthia could make out the love bites she had left on his neck earlier, even in the dark. She nodded against him, holding him tightly as she felt him prod at her wet entrance. They had been engaging in foreplay for a majority of the evening, so she was hoping that she would be prepared enough for him.

How wrong she was.

Her entire body tensed as soon as she felt him pushing in. "Wa - Wait, St...even! It -!" Cynthia was afraid she was going to smother him with how tightly she had her arms around him. She attempted to muffle herself by burying her face into his shoulder, but found it futile. "It's too...big! It's not going to fit -!" She was panicking. Despite her tough demeanor, Cynthia admittingly was weak to pain. She had a low tolerance for anything that physically hurt.

"- Relax, Cyn. I need you to relax for me - ngh!" Steven grit his teeth, finding it hard to push further into her when she was attempting to close up her legs. She was so tight and he was sure that if he tried to go any further, he would actually end up hurting her greatly.

The blonde shook, sniffling into his neck as she muffled her cries. "I'm sorry...I - I don't know what's wrong. I think I've been prepared, but -" It was embarrassing. She knew he wanted to be fully inside of her and she knew he was holding back immensely just from how ragged his breathing was, but it was hurting far too much.

"Why...are you sorry?" he asked, holding himself up in place so that he did not end up spearing into her any further.

"Because!" she exclaimed, finding it hard to look him in the eyes when he got up slightly. "I know how much we were both looking forward to doing this - and you! You're holding yourself back so much and I know you want to do it, b - but then this happens...I just - ugh."

Steven racked his brain, trying to figure out what else he could do to help her relax. He decided that the best course of action would be to just ask her what she liked. Gently, he slid himself out, which elicited a breathy sigh of relief from her. "What do you like the most?" he asked.

"H - Huh?" she stammered, wondering what he meant.

He took her hand, gently placing a kiss on the knuckles and letting her fingertips run across his soft lips. "Do you like it when I play with your hands?" he whispered, never breaking eye contact as he spoke to her.

Cynthia felt her heart skip a beat at the romantic action.

"Or…" he continued, guiding her hand down from his mouth to his jawline and then down to his neck. "...Did you want to mark me up again?"

She drew in a sharp breath when he let her fingers ghost over the passionate bite marks she left on his otherwise flawless skin. These gestures, coupled with how he was speaking to her right now was sending delightful shivers down her spine. She always found his voice attractive, but when it was just a dull whisper like this, it was just downright sensual and caused her inner walls to ache.

Steven noticed how awe-struck she looked, staring at him with a dazed half-lidded look that made her appear more relaxed than earlier, but he did not stop. He knew that she was thoroughly enjoying this. Aside from the passionate kisses, he knew she fell head-over-heels for him whenever he treated her as if she was a princess. He alluded that it was probably because she was viewed as a strong, confident pokemon trainer and capable champion in the public eye. Cynthia just needed a contrast from that for her private life. She wanted to be pampered and treated gently.

And that was just what he was going to do for her right now.

"No?" he asked, in reference to his previous question. Steven smiled as he went down to kiss her neck, causing her to flinch just slightly. "Or did you want me to mark you?"

Cynthia let out a whine when he felt him sink his teeth into her skin. It was gentle enough so that he did not draw blood, but hard enough so that it drew pleasure. She could feel his prominent canines drag against her skin, followed by the velvety smoothness of his tongue, tenderly licking at the wound he gave her. She whimpered when he pulled away, immediately missing his touch.

"Did you like that?" he whispered, chuckling when he earned a shy nod from her.

She held her hands against her chest, feeling just how hard her heart was beating against it. Cynthia stared up at him, pleadingly. "Steven...c - can you kiss me?" Her voice was soft when she asked it and it would have been an outright crime if he were to refuse such an innocent request from his gorgeous girlfriend.

He leaned down, parting his lips slightly to French her.

Although passionate, it was brief again, far too short for Cynthia's liking.

"One more," she asked, whispering.

Steven complied and kissed her again, deeper and longer than earlier.

"...One more," she requested again when he pulled away. Cynthia wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck. She moaned into the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair and murmuring his name every time they parted slightly for air.

He knew that she loved kissing him and being kissed by him, so he decided that it would be what he could do to get her to relax. Steven pulled away just slightly and stared directly into her eyes. He did not have to say anything to her for her to understand what he was about to do next. She simply nodded before leaning up to kiss him in preparation.

"Mm!" she yelped, muffled by his mouth as he pushed himself inside her again.

"Focus on your mouth, focus on kissing me," he murmured as he slid further inside.

Cynthia moaned in response, shivering and shaking against him as she dug her blunt nails into the flesh of his back.

Steven paused, waiting for her to relax more before fully sheathing himself in her pulsating cavern.

She involuntarily ended up biting a portion of his lower lip, drawing some blood. Cynthia finally separated her lips from his and cried, "I'm sorry, Steven. I -!"

" - Don't apologize," he interjected, licking his wound tenderly before kissing her softly. "Does it hurt? I'm all the way in."

"I - I don't know," she stuttered, feeling a mixture of happiness that they were finally connected in the deepest way possible, but also confused as to whether or not she was in pain or just discomfort.

Steven kissed away her loose tears and brushed her blond bangs from her face. "I can wait," he whispered, smiling at her in reassurance. "Just tell me when you want me to move."

Cynthia's chest heaved as she breathed heavily through her mouth. Despite this, he continued to kiss her, knowing that the goal right now was to relax her enough so that he could move.

How he wished he could move. It took almost every ounce of his self-control to keep himself steady, unmoving, as she got used to his size and the sensation of something foreign wedged in between her legs. Steven was also using her kisses as a distraction from releasing his primal desires to pound into her wildly. Perhaps for another time in the future, he thought, but for now, the situation requires patience and care.

He noticed how her arms were slackening and the hold she had around him was not as tight as before.

"St - Steven…" she spoke softly. "I think...it's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Without another second's delay, he pulled out slightly and thrusted back in.

She cried out again, causing him to grow alarmed.

"Cynthia -!"

"- No!" she asserted strongly. "Keep going. I can take it." Cynthia panted heavily as she propped herself up with her elbows to meet him properly. She locked gazes with him and he noticed that the look in her eyes was different than before. It was stronger with a sense of resolve behind them.

He sighed through his nose, clenching his jaw as he acknowledged her request.

The pace was slow at first and he saw her gritting her teeth, trying to meet his thrusts. When her cries slowly began sounding like moans of pleasure, he went faster, matching the tempo that he wanted.

"Ah! Steven! Steven!" Each utterance of his name was punctuated by a thrust. Cynthia felt the pain melt away and replaced by delirious enjoyment. She moaned, her voice going up a pitch or two as she did so.

He bit down on his lower lip slightly, careful not to agitated the area where she had bitten him earlier. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried not to go too rough with her, but that was easier said than done.

His cock ached as he heard the melodic sound of her feminine voice moaning out his name with each thrust. He licked his lips at the visual feast before him, finding her soft breasts mesmerizing as they moved in accordance to each rough movement. Then, her face - which was the best part of her.

Her normally composed, elegant face was a red and pink mess from the glowing blush present on her face. Those piercing gray eyes that could kill a man with just a glare were half-lidded and hazed over with lust. Then those plump pink lips of hers that he had kissed over a dozen times this evening were parted slightly, eliciting the most beautiful and sensual of moans coupled with his name.

His name and only his name.

Steven felt a sense of pride fill him knowing that what he was seeing now was something most men probably have fantasized about, but could never experience first-hand. He knew that she only had eyes for him and this thought alone caused him to thrust even more passionately into her.

Cynthia turned her head off to the side and screamed, arching her back as he grew more desperate with his thrusts. "Steven...I - I'm close," she whined cutely.

He kissed her suddenly, finding her absolutely irresistible as she squirmed underneath him. "Me too," he growled. Steven saw her hand trail down the smooth plain of her taut stomach and shyly play with her clit. "Let me," he grunted, gently chiding her hand away so that it could be replaced by his.

Her mouth tore open with a loud series of cries out of pure ecstasy. "Oh -! Right there!" she gasped, closing her eyes as she turned her head to the side to bite down on the soft cotton of the pillows, trying to muffle herself.

"I want to hear you," he breathed out, grunting as he was reaching his edge. "Don't silence yourself."

Cynthia panted, releasing the pillow from her mouth and submitting to his request. She faced him, watching him rub circles into her engorged clit as he thrusted deeply inside of her. His face and body was slick with sweat, glistening in the soft moonlight. The tips of his silvery-teal hair clung to his face, which he then slicked back with a smooth motion of his hand. That simple action alone caused her heart to throb. As if he could not become any more handsome, he quickly proved her wrong.

She squeaked as he suddenly picked her up so that she was now sitting in his lap. The new angle caused her to slide down onto his cock even deeper and she arched her back with a beautiful moan.

"Together," he breathed out, feverishly kissing her on the lips. "Let's come together."

Cynthia looked down at him, awe-struck at how attractive he appeared right now. She cupped his face, nodding as she dropped her hands down so that she could hold him against her.

Her body bounced up and down as he thrusted up into her. The lewd sounds of their skin slapping against each other followed by the wet, squelching sounds of his cock pushing into her eager entrance was only topped in her mind by the sound of him in manic lust.

He groaned, grunted, and muttered her name in between his frantic thrusts. Cynthia bit her lip as she saw his face buried in her chest, eagerly lapping and biting at her breasts. "Steven," she whispered, drawing his attention up towards her.

His half-lidded, unfocused gaze was her favorite. He was Hoenn's most dateable, desirable man (according to rumors, at least) and Cynthia knew that any woman would have given anything to be in her position right now. He was rich, handsome, kind, and a league champion. So how lucky was she to be sitting in his lap, with his hard cock buried deep inside her, and with a lustful gaze meant only for her?

Very lucky, she thought as she lovingly ran her fingers through his damp hair. "All mine," she muttered, capturing his lips with a searing kiss.

He leaned up to accept her kiss and when they pulled away, he murmured back, "all yours."

With the two of them nearing their climax, they kept their lips locked onto each other's, only parting for oxygen, but even then their tongues danced with each other.

"I'm," Steven grunted, breaking the kiss. "Going to come!"

Cynthia nodded. "M- Me too - ! S - Steven...I'm - Ah!" she exclaimed, lunging forward so that she buried her face in his neck as she was sent over the edge. She could have sworn she saw stars as her orgasm spasmed throughout her body.

The silver haired man, encouraged by her climax, only now sought to find his own release. He thrusted into her roughly, grunting her name huskily into her ear. Her inner walls were clenching down on him deliciously and after a few more thrusts, he came.

The two of them remained in the position for a few minutes, with Steven occasionally thrusting into her shallowly as he rode out his release. When he finally stopped, Cynthia caught her breath and looked down at him, smiling sweetly.

"That was fun," she giggled, nervously tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear.

"That should be my line," he responded, chuckling as he felt her brush away his hair from his face. "Are you okay?"

Cynthia nodded. "How I'll feel tomorrow is uncertain, but we'll see." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "But...it felt good...really good," she reassured him. "...Thank you."

He quirked an eyebrow up at her.

"For all this, for tonight in general," she explained. "Even though it hurt in the beginning, I'm really happy we finally got to do this. We're...really connected, aren't we?" she said, hugging him tightly.

"In more than one sense, yes," he replied, smiling as the statement earned him a little playful slap on the shoulder.

"Perverted thoughts aside," Cynthia began, "I'm glad I came over tonight to see you. Maybe it's because you're my first real relationship, but I can't bear the thought of losing you, Steven. I don't want to be in a situation again where we end up drifting apart and being uncertain with each other's feelings."

Steven stared up at her and after a brief pause, he leaned up to kiss her. "...I love you."

She looked back at him, eyes wide at the sudden confession. As if it was the first time hearing this from him, she blushed heavily and stammered. "W- What's with that all of a sudden?"

"Hm? I just don't think I say it enough to you." Steven laughed sheepishly.

He moved so that they could both clean themselves up and get ready for bed. They both reacted slightly when he finally slid out of her. Cynthia ended up sitting on the bed, watching him as he disposed of the used condom. Lost in her thoughts of what he had just said to her, she sat there before then realizing that she stained his bed sheets with her fluids. Steven assured her it was fine.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, standing off to the side of the bed awkwardly as if she was afraid to get on it. "I was just…"

She trailed off, earning Steven's curiosity.

He stood before her. "You look like you have something to say."

Cynthia dropped her gaze and then looked back at him to lock eyes with him. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. With a little scoff, she dropped the subject with a wistful smile. "It's okay. It's nothing."

Steven appeared unconvinced, but he let her be. Being astute as he was, he knew exactly what she wanted to ask of him. However, he remained silent, not bringing it up even as they showered together.

Even as he gave her an extensive room tour, talking about the rock displays he had up (on her request).

Not even when they were back in bed, engaging in pillow talk and cuddling each other.

It was not until early the next morning that he addressed the subject.

"You wanted me to say 'I love you' again, right?" he asked Cynthia's sleeping form. Steven sat on the edge of the bed, already dressed in his usual suit, minus the coat. He had always been an early-riser and even though he would have liked to stay in bed with her for a while longer, he did have to attend a board meeting at Devon in a few hours.

He brushed back her soft blond hair away from her face, smiling when she stirred softly with a disgruntled murmur passing her lips.

"I don't want it to lose its meaning if I say it too often, but I suppose...I could stand to say it more especially to the woman I would like to marry." Steven took hold of her left hand and pulled out a ring from his breast pocket. He gently slid the piece of jewelry onto her ring finger. The black diamond on the ring glimmered beautifully and he ran his thumb across the precious gem as he watched her sleeping face.

It was classified as an impure mineral. A diamond with not enough of the carbon filtered out. Wallace was against the idea of Steven giving her a black diamond, questioning why he did not go with a traditional diamond. However, he had his reasons.

"It's not perfect," he said softly, holding her hand as if she were awake and listening to him. "It's far from perfect, but you would find some way to make it beautiful. To make it feel loved. No matter what."

Steven squeezed her hand gently, hoping to not wake her.

"...I love you, Cynthia. With my entire heart - I love you."

He kissed her hand softly and placed it back on the bed, allowing her to continue her restful sleep. Steven smiled at her one last time before getting up to leave the room. He shut the bedroom door behind him gently and stared at the small plate of breakfast he cooked for her on the kitchen counter. He was sure that the small portion would not satisfy her big appetite, but he figured that by the time he was back from the board meeting, they could go out for lunch together.

A perplexed expression overtook his placid one as he thoughtfully looked off to the side, and then back to his bedroom. He furrowed his brow at the now closed bedroom door for a moment before he shook his head.

"No...she's definitely asleep," he muttered as he shook his head at the ridiculous notion that crossed his mind.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, the house was silent. Only the sound of the wingulls chirping and cawing outside were present until there a soft, audible sniffle from inside Steven's bedroom.

Another sniffle.

Followed by another.

"Idiot," the mass of sheets on his bed whispered. From underneath the mass, a bit of blond hair peeked out and eventually, the young woman who was supposedly asleep in his bed was actually awake.

Had been awake - to hear everything that he had said earlier.

Cynthia let the tears flow freely from her eyes as she frustratedly buried her face into his pillows. "You're such an idiot, Steven. Weirdo," she commented through the overjoyed tears that would not stop. "Why can't you propose to your girlfriend normally like every other guy?"

She cried, hiccuping, as she buried her face into the pillow again in an attempt to wipe her tears away. Everything smelled like him and even though he was not there with her, she felt content for once.

The young woman brought her hand up so that she could get a look at the ring that now adorned her left ring finger. She smiled, sniffling once more as she noticed how it matched the bracelet he had given her a long time ago.

It truly was a beautiful ring, with it being in her favorite color nonetheless.

She held it close to her chest and giggled. "No, it's not perfect, but that just means there's more to love about it."

A/N Smut came out a lot longer than I thought it would, but hope you all enjoyed it! There really needs to be more DarkSteel smut (especially since both of them are adults unlike some of the other Pokemon pairings -coughs-)

So like I said earlier, I do have another DarkSteel fic in the works! This one will be multi-chaptered (longer than this one) with an actual story that's not so focused on romance. Don't get me wrong, it is still centered around Cynthia and Steven's relationship, but there is a side plot for this story. I'm really inspired to write fanfics when I listen to songs. Heck, even this fic was written after I listened to "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" by Maroon 5. (Could you spot it from this fic's title?)

So my next DarkSteel fic was inspired after I listened to the OST from the anime, Violet Evergarden. Just a little hint as to how the next story will be. (If you guessed angst and drama, then you're right.) Hope it'll tug at your heartstrings more than this fic did :)

I expect to have the first chapter up very soon!

Finally, thank you so, so much to those that have reviewed so far! Here are some responses to the recent reviews!

Guest - Thank you so much for defending me! I personally just ignore reviews begging me to update faster because those people tend to just ignore me in turn when I actually do update haha.

IronSandSasori - Thanks so much! I thought there would be more fics about these two, but apparently not.

anonymous101 - I hope the smut was detailed enough to sanctification xD Thank you !

squirtleism - Thank you so much for all the reviews on this story! Your support was so flattering :)

1oreo1 - Thank you for all the support you've given this fic! I hope to see you in the next one!

Even though the story's done, please let me know what you think! I will still be reading reviews left on this fic and those that do leave a review will receive a shoutout on the newest DarkSteel story of mine! Just a little thank you for all the support!

-ZERO