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A gentle tapping on his shoulder pulled Wallace from his sleep. He blinked his eyes open to meet Steven’s. The blue-haired individual smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to Wallace's mouth.
“Good morning,” Steven said, brushing a strand of hair from Wallace’s face. Wallace hummed quietly, tilting his head into the touch.
“What time is it?” He asked. “I must’ve dozed off.”
Steven chuckled, rubbing Wallace’s cheek with his thumb. “About seven. I’m sorry for coming home late.”
Wallace shook his head softly, turning to press a kiss to Steven’s palm. “Don’t be, my dear. I know you’ve been busy.” He inhaled deeply, leaning away momentarily to stretch his limbs. Once he had finished, Steven offered his hand, and helped him to his feet. Wallace murmured his appreciations.
The sun was just beginning to set as Wallace laid his arms around Steven’s neck. It sat above the horizon, pinks and orange barely starting to paint the sky. Steven glanced out the living room window, before turning back to meet Wallace’s gaze.
“Can I convince you to go to dinner?”
Wallace hummed, tilting his head. “What’s the occasion, my dear?”
“Just making progress on a proposal,” Steven said, reaching up to pull Wallace down into another kiss. “And we haven’t had a chance to go out on a fancy date in a while. I know you enjoy them.”
This was true, Wallace had to admit. He smiled, considering it. “I think that sounds lovely. Am I allowed to know what this proposal of yours is about?”
Steven huffed a quiet laugh. “I’ll tell you about it once it’s gone through, alright?”
Wallace grinned and leaned into Steven. The other man’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him close. “Well, who am I to deny the spoiled heir? I’m sure it’ll go well.”
Steven snorted, pressing a quick kiss to Wallace’s nose. “That’s the hope. I’ll let you go get changed while I make reservations. Pick me out something?”
“Always, dearest,” was Wallace’s cheeky response as he untangled himself. He drifted away, towards their bedroom. Steven watched as he walked, a small grin pulling at his lips.
One thing about Sootopolis, as any of the locals would tell you, is how nice it is to have the beaches as a walkway. Not only that, but the variety of the beaches themselves. The small round pebbles that made up many of the crater’s shores were underappreciated by the many tourists who came to Hoenn seeking a tropical paradise, full of sand and sun and warm waters. The beaches were something you couldn’t take away from the people of Sootopolis. They were integral to those that had lived there for generations. Steven was always reminded of this any time he walked upon one. He was reminded of this any time he saw Wallace. They were more than just a thoroughfare, or a pretty place to lay in the sun. They were life to these people.
Wallace sighed happily as they stepped over the sand. It was going to be a beautiful night, if the sunset were any indication. The sky had been brushed with great swaths of orange and pink and purple, vibrant colors setting the clouds alight. The waters of the crater reflected it beautifully, gentle waves rolling up towards the two.
Steven, for the most part, was quiet. Wallace did not question it, happy to simply bask in his presence. The man was tired, of course. Meanwhile, he’d gotten a nap before they’d gone out. He smiled, stepping closer to the water, allowing it to run over his ankles. While Steven’s dress shoes managed fine on the wet, packed sand, the heels Wallace had chosen were less practical. They hung from his hands, removed. He didn’t mind the excuse to step into the small waves, however.
He'd slowed to a stop, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the gentle lapping of the water, when Steven’s voice broke him from his trance. Wallace looked up. The man had in his hand a small blue stone. It almost seemed to bubble, mimicking the waves that pulled softly at Wallace’s feet.
“Water stone,” Steven said, smiling warmly. He stepped closer to Wallace, careful to avoid the water.
Wallace laughed lightly, brushing his hair from his face. “It’s beautiful, my dear.”
Steven nodded sagely, turning the stone in his hand. “You know, I saw one the first time I came here.” He paused, lifting his gaze to stare out over the water. There was something gentle in his face. Nostalgic, perhaps. “This was where we met.”
Wallace froze, glancing at the beach, his eye suddenly critical. It really was. He looked at Steven with a breathless laugh. “It’s been such a long time since I’d thought about that.”
Steven grinned, chuckling quietly. “I bet it’s been longer since you’ve thought about how we met.”
Wallace groaned, stepping forward to wrap his arms around Steven’s neck again. The man’s hands immediately came to wrest on his hips, water stone tucked carefully into his fist. “Don’t remind me. What a dreadful experience,” he said, but there was no mirth in his voice. Steven laughed, leaning in to draw Wallace into a gentle kiss, slow and sweet.
“If anyone should be embarrassed by that story, it’s me,” Steven said when they’d broken apart.
Wallace rose an eyebrow. “I tackled you, Steven.”
“You had a good reason,” was his counter.
“I really didn’t, my dearest,” Wallace said, laughing quietly. “I had no proof, for one. I’m quite lucky I didn’t traumatize you.”
Steven rolled his eyes, pulling Wallace down into another kiss. “I was fine once I’d calmed down. It was just a little too much for me at the time.”
Wallace sighed, running a hand through short blue hair. Steven leaned into the touch. “I still feel bad about that. If I’d known, I would never have done such a thing.”
Steven shook his head slightly, a soft smile playing at his lips again. “Of course you wouldn’t have. But you didn’t know, so it doesn’t matter. I turned out the better for it. I met you. And, some years later, I got the love of my life. All because you decided to tackle the little rich boy.”
Wallace chuckled, a quiet sound. “The love of your life? Whoever are they?”
A grin spread across Steven’s face once more. “Have you not met? I’ll have to introduce you to them someday. Truly, they are the best fiancé a man could ask for.”
Wallace laughed, leaning in to kiss Steven again.
But wait. No, there was something off there. He slowed to a halt, eyes searching Steven’s face. He pulled back.
“..Fiancé?”
Steven smiled. His hands dropped from Wallace’s waist as he stepped away.
“Wallace. Mikuri,” he started. Wallace covered his mouth carefully, eyes darting across the other man. “I have known and loved you for a very long time.
“You have made me a better person. Taught me countless things. I have never loved anyone else the way I love you. Whenever I was overwhelmed, or scared, or just didn’t know what to do, I knew where to go. You have been by my side since we were young. You were the world, and you showed me that I didn’t have to be afraid of it. Little by little, you helped me grow.
“When we first met, I never could’ve done this. I never would’ve been able to stand here, on this beach, prepared to kneel in the sand and the wet. Couldn’t have come up with a speech, and not just because we were ten. You did this. You pushed me in the way I needed. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that.
“Wallace, you know me,” Steven laughed, reaching into his pocket, “and above all I am a man of habit. Of all the precious stones I’ve collected, of everything I’ve ever found, you are the most precious to me. I cannot compare you to a stone. Your beauty far exceeds anything like that. But I am a man of habit, and so I’ve tried my best to find a stone that compliments you. I hope that you find it worthy enough.
“And, I hope,” Steven started again, lowering himself to his knee as he pulled a small box out of his suit. “That you will find me worthy as well. Worthy enough to ask you this question; Wallace, will you marry me?”
Wallace stared at Steven, at the small box he had opened. He stepped forward, reaching out towards the man who wanted to give him his everything. Wallace could not recall a single time in his life he had been rendered truly speechless. What could he say? How could he answer this? It deserved so much more than he could offer.
“Yes,” he managed to whisper. There were tears pricking at his eyes. He wasn’t someone who cried easily. A grin was spreading across his face, and it was all happening so quickly. “Yes, Steven, of course I will—”
And then he was being swept up, Steven’s arms around him. The ring box, snapped shut in haste, lay forgotten in the sand as Wallace was crashed into by his fiancé. The two went cascading to the ground together, and they laughed, and Steven was kissing him, and everything was perfect. Wallace wrapped his arms around the smaller man, laughing into the kiss. Small waves brushed against his side, and his clothes were getting wet and covered with sand, but he couldn’t find it within him to case. He was engaged now, to someone whom he loved so dearly.
Eventually, their lips parted, and Steven grinned at him. His hands were tangling in Wallace’s hair, messed from their fall. “I love you. I love you more than anything you’ve ever known,” he said, and Wallace believed him. One more kiss, short and sweet, and Steven scrambled off him. He retrieved the ring box, returning to Wallace’s side, opening it, and removing the two rings carefully.
They were beautiful, Wallace thought as Steven slid one of the rings onto his hand. Bringing it to his lips, Steven placed a tender kiss to the newly decorated finger, before turning his hand over and delicately placing the second ring into his palm. Wallace brought it closer, to admire it, before reaching for Steven’s hand. The steel band he usually wore on his ring finger, Wallace noticed, had been left off. His whole hand, in fact, was bare. Wallace glanced at his other. Only one of his rings remained, moved to his middle finger. He turned his eyes back to the small ring as he slid it onto Steven’s hand. His own caught the dying light of the day. They were beautiful.
“Our colors,” Steven said, and his smile was audible in his voice. “Paraiba tourmaline and aquamarine. See, they match.” He laid his hand over Wallace’s, so the rings were close to each other. One, Wallace’s, had an oval stone, his bright shade of sea-green, with two small round gems, Steven’s light icy blue. They were set carefully in a beautiful rose gold. Steven’s ring had the same shape and size, but the gems had switched, and been set in silver. Wallace couldn’t believe the attention to detail.
“You’re incredible,” Wallace said, and pressed a kiss to Steven’s lips. The other man laughed; grin plastered across his face. “I can’t believe you’ve done this. I never imagined... Not like this. It’s perfect.”
Steven got to his feet, extending a hand to pull Wallace up with him. He caught him by the waist, bringing him close. “I’m glad. And now our dinner-date really is about a proposal!”
Wallace gasped, jabbing an accusing finger into Steven’s chest. “Oh, you cheeky thing! That’s what you meant—” he laughed, tipping forward slightly. His arms wrapped around Steven, who lifted his own to link his hands behind Wallace’s head. “You had me fooled, you. I can’t believe it.”
Steven’s grin got all the wider, and he tugged at Wallace gently. “You had no idea.”
“No, I didn’t,” Wallace agreed. He shook his head, laughing breathlessly. “But, Steven— We’re hardly in a state to be going to dinner now.”
It really didn’t take much convincing before Steven was dragging Wallace into the restaurant, their faces bright with laughter and joy as Steven announced for all to hear that he had done it, he’d done it, they were engaged!