Work Text:
One single eyebrow raised Steven Stone, the Champion couldn’t help but stare at his friend, Wallace in disbelief. It was as if he hadn’t really understood the question. Or rather, what Wallace had told him. And while Steven did his best to try and listen to every single thing that Wallace told him, even if to be honest, all the fashion talk tended to almost switch his brain off, he didn’t really get it.
“Pardon me?”, maybe Steven could be forgiven for bringing the language of Kalos in the mix, for he truly was surprised. To his defense he didn’t stammer the lines, nor did he step back into the walls of the water type Gym. He just heard what Wallace said, and tried to make sense out of it. Even if, and he had to admit it, it truly was hard.
“Yes, it is true, Steven, when a trainer achieves a certain renown, a certain sense of achieveability, by becoming champion, or perhaps even a master contestant or Gym Leader, and he’s adored by the crowds, it starts popping up”, Wallace had faced it with the same charm and apparent calm he faced everything that came with his position. Being careful to tell Steven to mind the gap, please, in the ice of his puzzle, he continued his inquiring and replying to the questions.
“But, but, stories? About me and Aggron, and Metagross?”, Steven found it hard to believe, but Wallace had dealt with what he called “Fandom life” much more often, so it was likely true. Even if he hated to admit it to himself.
“I have no doubt Skarmory too! And what’s to say about the fossils?”, Wallace knew the team of his friend out of the top of his head, or hadn’t they battled for fun so many times. Often after a game of SoulCalibur or what have it. When Steven seemed to lose his sense of tracking and end up in Sootopolis when he should be somewhere else.
“I see”, that was a lie. Steven didn’t see it at all, but maybe it was better if he didn't. For his own sanity. He had known all about the fan groups of course, they even filtered through the letters, delivered by dodrio and wingull, by package to Ever Grande, but to think they wrote this kind of stuff!
“You are better than some others I know of,” - the enigmatic look in Wallace’s face made Steven step in just a step closer, edging it in. On his hands Wallace held what appeared to be a Pokenav, a recently upgraded one at that. And, loaded in what appeared to be the web browser was a page, a shipping page between the elite. Only it wasn’t the ship that Steven knew to be happening inside her own headquarters, near the victory road but rath -
“They don’t know about this, do they?”, Despite everything Steven couldn’t hide a smirk as he saw the old sea master drake and a choppy two framed animation of him cuddling with a heart of Lance. Or rather a Heart with a chibi version of Lance, Steven figured. If the Cape wasn’t clue enough, then nothing would be.
“I don’t know about Lance, and I didn’t want to subject my team to Drake’s rage”, Wallace said as he pressed a button to a subpage of that website. Colored a deep red, presumably to indicate passion, the website listed a list of reasons why the author - deluded as they might be - thought those two were in a relationship.
Number 1 through six were all a variation of the same basic idea, “Dragons, duh!”, and there were comments about how people who thought him in a relationship with Glacia just didn’t understand typing. It was all very amusing. But a creeping thought came to his mind.
“I am not - I’m not placed with anyone romantically, I mean, am I?”, Steven had never been one for relationships, and various nightmare like scenarios where he was paired with Roxanne, or Brock, or whomever ran through his mind. It only took a look to Wallace’s solemn face to see that his fears had come true.
“Tell me, c’mon, who is it?”, Steven would rather know. He’d rather know what theories people came with than be left wondering.
“Oh just one shining, dashing, super well dressed master contestant, also random trainers like to insert themselves with you in their fantasies, not to forget roark, he’s got a large gay following, and the amount of puns about rock hard, they could do with you --- You even have a designation within the fandom, the Silver Haired Dreamboat!”
“My hair’s not silver! It’s light blue - wait”, something else came to Steven’s mind, “Rock Hard? You wouldn’t be the one spreading those ones, would you now, mr Bagon are the rock hard pokemon?”, Wallace was stoic, and a blush came to his head, a blush that didn’t prove anything.
“I indulge, but I do not share, I know you better than anyone, and I can guarantee you we’re not in any relationship. Or you with Roark, I presume.”, it was true. Wallace respected his boundaries. For the most part. He still enjoyed reading fanfic.
“And you wouldn’t believe what people have made up, for you, the silver haired dreamboat, yeah I know, I know your hair is not silver.” , Wallace quickly replied before Steven could point it out, yet again.
“Like, read this one.”
Wallace grabbed the device and started reading quickly blushing as he did so, reading what people hada written about him, things like.
His heart beat quick, as quick as rollout. Steven couldn’t wait but see his promised, his little Roark.
“He’s taller than me!”, Steven protested, only to keep on reading.
What Roak lacked in raw style, his big, burly strong hands certainly made up in touches. Used to touching coal, and to dig it out, there was nothing that Steven enjoyed quite as much as the sudden urgency when they meet, and his hands were held as he planted kisses, down, up, and all over. Safety features were discarded, mining helmets forgotten, when they met, Roark left security in the front door, and brought his all to Steven,
“Now that’s ridiculous, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Roark without a helmet”, Steven handed the device back, at his side Wallace struggled to breath, and Steven wondered if that was intencional. Tears ran from Wallace’s eyes, and he quite clearly had laughed himself silly. Honestly!
Those fandom people were crazier than the ones who used grass knot on fire-types, but he could quite see how Wallace, and maybe he himself later, could be caught in their craziness, and emotions. At least it was clear that, no matter how fictitious their views on his relations, they had good intents.
Now he wondered if someone had landed on the truth of his asexuality.