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Waiting outside of the CEO of Devon Corporation’s office wasn’t exactly how Wallace wanted to spend his afternoon. He promised Lisia that he’d help with her upcoming contest, which he couldn’t do if he was stuck here for too long. He also had to prepare for his next gym challenger, call Juan to let him know about a Prism Scale shipment that he recently came in possession of, and brainstorm his routine for his own contest.
However, Wallace needed to be here. He was here on a mission and needed to talk with Mr. Stone. A mission that they both knew all to well.
The door to Mr. Stone’s flew opened as incoherent chatter passed his ears. Rose, the head of Macro Cosmo, vacated the room. They babbled about some kind if deal and when Rose could expect a shipment of materials as Wallace stood up.
Cleating his throat, Wallace waited for Mr. Stone to acknowledge him. Briefly glancing at Wallace, he nodded, finishing up his conversation with Rose. Once Rose left, Mr. Stone turned his attention to Wallace and approached him.
“Good to see you, Wallace.” Mr. Stone greeted, smiling as they shook hands. “Though I must admit, I’m surprised you’re here. You know today is Steven’s day off.”
“I know.” Wallace chuckled. “Which is why I’m not here for Steven. I needed to speak with you.”
“Oh?”
Wallace glanced around the area, making sure no one was eavesdropping. “It’s about that lovable son of yours.” He tilted his head. “I need advice.”
“I see…”
Nudging towards his office, Mr. Stone invited him in and closed the door behind them. He offered Wallace a seat before sitting at his desk. As Wallace sat down, he glanced around the office. Steel blue walls blended well with pale grey and tan furniture while the floor was polished wood.
Mr. Stone leaned forward, leaning on his desk with loosely crossed arms. “So… what has our sweet little geologist done this time? Upset another one of my clients? Befriend another megalomaniac? Did he decide to try contests?”
“No, no. Though if he did want to give contests a go, I’d love to see him try to pull it off” He softly chuckled. “Lisia already has an outfit picked out and everything.”
“I’m sure it’s magnificent. But that’s a conversation for another day.” Mr. Stone leaned forward. “In the meantime, how can I help?”
Leaning back, he crossed one leg over the other. “How do you tell a certain rock enthusiast that you want to take a relationship further? That you love him and want to be with him?”
The room fell silent as the inquiry set in. Though they never talked about Steven’s dating life, Wallace was hopeful that Mr. Stone would approve of him dating Steven. Especially since they had history together as friends and coworkers. However, the silence, and Mr. Stone’s blank expression worried him.
After a few moments, Mr. Stone snickered, leaning back in his chair. His frame relaxed as Wallace sighed with relief.
“My apologies,” Mr. Stone chuckled, “I wasn’t expecting such a… charismatic inquiry. But I can see why you would come to me with this. My son can be a little love blind sometimes.”
“Yeah.” Wallace agreed, leaning forward. “He can be a bit oblivious sometimes. Especially when he’s deeply invested in his geological work. Initiating the relationship was… easier when I dated Winona. Though, we both did our fair share of flirting, so that probably helped. Steven’s… different.”
“Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed much since he was a teenager.” Mr. Stone nodded as he recalled it. “He never really seemed interested in dating. Or if he was, he was too nervous to do so.” He shrugged. “I will say this though, you’ve definitely got a better chance of dating him than the other people who tried. The last girl gave up on it after two months because he wasn’t as perceptive to her flirting.”
Wallace snickered. “You can say that again. I’ve been trying to and it just seems to go over his head.” He tilted his head. “So if I do have a better chance, how do I initiate the relationship?”
Mr. Stone leaned forward. “Let me ask you this, what other differences would you say he has compared to Winona?”
Leaning back, Wallace paused to consider the question. Though he knew they were different, he never really thought about how they were. A good place to start, would be to consider how they were alike.
“Well… they’re both passionate about their interests and are generally calm and collected.” Wallace paused. “They both will fight for what they believe in and are quite adventurous.” Another pause. “But, Steven is… curious… eccentric even. It’s cute to watch him go on about his most recent find or how much fun he has exploring. But, he needs to be brought back into the moment from time to time. Winona could get distracted, but Steven’s distractions are much more engrossing. You have to be straightforward with him when he gets like that.”
Mr. Stone nodded along, mentally noting the details. “I think your answers right there.” Wallace’s head tilted curiously. “While my son is smart, he’s not always relationship smart. As you stated, he isn’t exactly susceptible to flirting like it may be with Winona. Sometimes, you’ve got to be straightforward and to the point. May I suggest surprising him with a small, thoughtful gesture and tell him that you want to take things to the next step?”
Teal hair twitched as Wallace wilted his head. It sounded reasonable, if not down right simple. And while he knew that he could be straightforward with Steven, he hadn’t considered it in this case. He wanted to be extravagant and elusive. To surprise Steven with a whimsical ploy to sweep him off his feet. But perhaps blunt surprises were better in this case.
Wallace stood up. “Thank you.” He turned around to excuse himself. “I think I know what to do now.”
Mr. Stone nodded. “Of course. Although, as his father, I have one thing I’d like to add. I’m happy my son’s found someone like you. Thank you.”
Wallace paused at the door. “No, thank you. Thank you for raising such a wonderful son.”
~
The Cave of Origins was always a nice place to do some research. In front of Steven were a few rubies and sapphires as well as a few fossils. Several Aron huddled around him, distracting him. One Aron sat on his lap, lightly nipping at his fingers whenever he tried to grab one of his discoveries.
“Okay, okay.” Steven pulled out a few berries from his bag. “You’ve got my undivided attention.”
The Aron let out a soft cry as it began crawling around. Getting a good grip in his jacket, the Aron climbed up to his shoulder, grabbing the Oran Berry as it did. Steven chuckled as the Aron plopped on his shoulder like a pirate’s Chattot.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here.”
Before Steven could reply, arms wrapped around him. In turn, the Aron to crawl off of Steven, annoyed that its perch was disturbed. A light weight was placed on the top of his head as the vibration of a hum emerged behind him.
“Well, hello to you too.” Steven greeted.
Wallace hummed, moving his arms around Steven’s shoulders. “Can I ask you sometbing?”
Steven blinked. “Oh? …Sure. ”
“I have a friend who likes an oblivious geologist and wants to ask him out. What kind of gesture would you suggest?”
“Hm… well, I’m a bit of a romantic who loves surprises. So what about a gift?”
“Well getting a gift is hard for a guy who loves rocks. What about a kiss?”
“That could work. If his crush wouldn’t mind anyways.”
“Would you?”
Steven paused, tilting his head slightly. “I mean, it’s unconventional, but I think I’d get it. Why do you ask?”
Wallace shuffled around until he was in front of Steven. His hands clasping the sides of Steven’s face. He sat up on his knees just enough to tower over Steven slightly. Pale blue eyes studied Wallace, curiously confused.
“Let’s just say you’re the cutest little oblivious geologist I’ve ever seen. It’d be a shame if I didn’t steal a little kiss.”
“What do you-”
A warm sensation erupted as Wallace kissed Steven, stunning the champion. One hand slid to the back of Steven’s head as the other snaked down to Steven’s waist. A red hue rolled in as Steven’s eyes widened.
Arms wrapped around Steven’s shoulders as Wallace broke the kiss. Hugging Steven, Wallace contemplated his next move. Regardless of the outcome, he needed to get it out.
“I love you, Steven,” Wallace gently kissed his forehead, “and I want to be with you. What do you say?”
There was a moment of silence as Steven rested his head on Wallace’s shoulder. The scent of vanilla, sea salt, and jasmine welcomed him as he processed Wallace’s inquiry. When he didn’t respond for several moments, Wallace started to wonder if he did something wrong. If he was too forward.
Steven chuckled. “You know, you could have just said you wanted us to be official.”
Wallace scoffed, annoyed by the statement. “Well, you didn’t pick up on it when I was flirting.”
Snickering, Steven hugged Wallace. “Touché. But to answer your question,” he quickly stole a kiss, “yes, I want to be with you.” He hugged Wallace. “And I love you too.”