Maeve rubbed her arms as soon as she stepped into the room, trying to warm herself up. After returning from Alola, Circhester felt a lot colder than it used to, at least to her. She was glad to get inside where it was warmer.

"You didn't have to pay so much," Piers said, walking in behind her with their luggage. "I could've paid at least half the fee, you know."

Maeve giggled at him. "I know, but I really don't mind. Besides, you chipped in enough extra for room service." Still shivering, she went over and wrapped him in a hug. "Ahhh, you're nice and warm."

The male chuckled at her, dropping their things to pat her head. "I warned you it was cold. At this rate, you won't want to leave the hotel room, am I right?"

Maeve looked up at him innocently. "Is there a problem with that? I sorta like the idea of just stayin' in where it's warm and cozy."

"If that's what you want, then that works for me. I don't really care what we do."

"Perfect! However, it'd be a waste not to enjoy the sights and whatnot. I'll just have to make myself go out and get used to this chilly weather. I'm tellin' you, Alola really spoiled me with those warm, sunny beaches." Maeve released him with a giggle and grabbed her suitcase, fishing out some pajamas. "I'm gonna get cleaned up. Go ahead and get settled."

She went to the bathroom, wasting no time in relaxing with a hot shower. With a sigh, Piers brought his backpack over to the bed, dropping it on the floor. He froze, his mind wandering while his cyan gaze stayed fixated on the large bed. There was only one. There was plenty of space, sure, but the fact that they'd be sharing it was still enough to get him flustered.

"Chill, Piers," he scolded himself. "This is Maeve here. Just tell her how you feel, you big ol' coward." He took out his Rotom Phone, sitting down and scrolling through the clips of the girl's performances. A smile tugged at his lips, and his gaze softened. "Beautiful..."

He barely realized how long he'd been gawking at her images. Before he knew it, Maeve was stepping out of the bathroom in a purple night shirt and pants with Toxtricity print. She smiled at him, and he was quick to tuck his phone away. He then took his turn in the bathroom. Maeve got comfortable under the covers, tucking herself in for the night. She kept wondering how she was going to tell him how she felt. She didn't know how to say it without sounding cheesy or awkward.

Piers soon returned in his black night shirt and pants with magenta accents. For once, his long hair was down, which caused Maeve to smile. The male nonchalantly turned off the lights and climbed into his side of the bed, masking his embarrassment behind tired eyes.

"Night, Maeve."

"Night, Piers."

They both went right to sleep, though after shifting during their slumber, they ended up nestled against one another. When they awoke in that position, they nervously played it off. After breakfast, Maeve invited Piers to come with her to the Hero's Bath. And there, they soaked their feet in the hot spring like many others were doing.

"I've never really taken the time to soak in the Hero's Bath before," the man admitted, a calm smile on his face. "Now I see why people love it."

Maeve hummed, seated beside him. "Yeah, it feels really nice." She looked at him with her head tilted to the side slightly. "What do you think? Does it inspire you to write a new song for us?"

"Mmm, no," Piers replied with a chuckle. "We'll think of somethin' though. No reason to rush." When he leaned back a bit, his hand fell on top of hers. "My bad."

He was about to retract his hand, but Maeve grasped onto it instead. "No, leave it. Your hand's warm." Despite having her coat on, she was still chilly. But she mainly just wanted to hold his hand.

Piers silently nodded, lacing their fingers together. Come on, spit it out, he chided himself. "Maeve." The girl hummed for him to continue. "I, uh...I wanted to say...I sorta...wanna ask if you'd like to take a walk or go shoppin' after this?" He mentally slapped himself for being such a Wimpod.

"Yeah, of course," the female answered with a smile. "That sounds great!" She got the sneaking suspicion that that wasn't actually what he wanted to say. She wished she could hear the honest truth from him, but she couldn't blame him when she was just as nervous to say how she felt.

After a short while, they dried their feet and got their shoes back on, then began their leisurely walk around Circhester. They took in the sights, window shopped, and Maeve gushed over the adorable Snoms everywhere. That evening, they went to Bob's Your Uncle for a hearty steak supper once the cold got to be too much for the girl to bear.

"This place has the best steak!" Maeve exclaimed, digging in. "Thanks for treatin' me!"

Piers chuckled, calmly eating. "You're welcome. It's a nice change from the food in Spikemuth. So, I don't suppose you've thought of somethin' for our song, have you?"

"Unless you want a song about steak, no," the girl answered, sighing. "At this rate, we won't be able to come up with anythin'."

"Why's this song writin' so important to you anyway? Aren't we supposed to be relaxin' and lettin' the ideas come to us instead of stressin' over it?"

Maeve looked at him, a bit surprised by the question. "Well yeah, but...we've never written a song together, and I really want to. After all, you're the one who inspired me to start singin' and makin' music." She blushed a little. "In a way, you're kinda my hero."

Piers blinked at her. "I am?" He was flattered yet embarrassed by the compliment. "You know, I'm really nothin' special. I was always just tryin' my best for those around me, you and Marnie in particular."

Maeve shook her head. "Don't say that. You really are an incredible person, Piers, and everyone knows it." She took a moment to think of a better way to explain it. "Think of us as the embodiment of rock 'n' roll. I'm the roll, just goin' with the flow and seein' where the music takes me. But you, you're the rock that's strong and sturdy. I can always lean on you when I need to, and you keep me and many others on our feet."

Piers stared at her, completely dumbfounded. "You...can't be serious. That doesn't sound like me at all. I get lost in the music too, no different from you."

Maeve giggled. "Maybe, but to those who need you, you're a strong, dependable guy. Have a little more confidence in yourself, will ya?"

With a smile, the male shook his head in defeat. "I'll try my best, just as I always have."

The two finished their meal, then went back to their hotel room for the evening. Maeve was quick to get herself a hot shower to warm up. She ended up scrolling through music on her phone while Piers took his turn in the bathroom. The girl was sighing at herself for not speaking up about her feelings during dinner. It was the perfect opportunity to, but she let it slip past her. Her gaze stopped on a certain song on her playlist, an old song she hadn't heard in a long time. With a sad smile, she pushed play, deciding to sing it.

(This is actually Misty's Song, but I had to use it for this. If you don't know, this song was from the Pokemon 2.B.A. Master album and was based on Ash and Misty from the anime.)

"Out here in the quiet of the night
Beneath the stars, and moon
We both know we've got somethin' on our minds
We won't admit, but it's true"

She stood at the window, gazing out at the night sky with a dreamy look in her eyes, unaware that she could be heard.

"You look at me, I look away

"I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
But I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you, but now
I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh, why should anythin' so easy ever
Be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
And to say that, I love you"

Piers froze with his hand on the doorknob, listening to Maeve's beautiful voice on the other side. In truth, he recognized the song, but it sounded so different to him. Was it because Maeve was singing it from her heart? Were those her true feelings? Piers finally figured out how he could be honest and tell her---through song. Without waiting any longer, he exited the bathroom with a smile. The female jumped a little, startled by his intrusion. But to her surprise, the man began singing the next verse.

"I practice all the things that I could say
Line by line, every word
I tell myself today could be the day
But every time, I lose my nerve

"I look at you, you look away"

Piers took a seat on the edge of the bed, a tender expression on his face the whole time.

"I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
But I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you, but now
I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh, why should anythin' so easy ever
Be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
And to say that, I love you"

Maeve's cheeks were red yet she couldn't stop smiling. Was he seriously confessing through song? It was making her heart melt, that was for sure. Sitting down as well, she joined him in singing the next parts.

"Why? Why do you turn away?
It must be, you're afraid like me
I try, but I can't pretend that I
Don't feel for you the way I do
Can't you see?

"I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
But I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you, but now
I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh, why should anythin' so easy ever
Be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'
And to say that, I love you"

The pair started laughing softly when the song ended. Their eyes were locked, and their smiles were full of joy. If there was one thing they both understood, it was music. That was the only way they knew how to pour out all their feelings and be honest with each other.

"I didn't think you knew a song like that," Maeve spoke up, breaking the short silence. "I'm surprised."

Piers chuckled. "It's not my style really, but it's a classic." He cleared his throat, a more serious look on his face. "I...I don't know if the lyrics mean the same to you as they do to me, but..." He got lost in her purple eyes. "I meant every word of that. I've been wantin' to tell you exactly how I feel, but I never had the nerve. I...love you...and I have for years. I was ecstatic when I heard you were comin' home."

Maeve's mouth hung agape as she stared at him, never expecting those words to leave his lips. With a blush that matched his, she smiled wide and engulfed him in a hug. "Piers...I love you too. Why else do you think I wanted to come back? Tourin' is fun and all, but in Spikemuth, I have you."

The male breathed a sigh of relief, wrapping his arms loosely around her. "Told you Spikemuth's where it's at."

As soon as she looked up at him, he took the plunge and shoved his lips against hers. The kiss was abrupt but Maeve returned it without hesitation. Her lips were so soft, and kissing her made him feel as light as a Cottonee. He wound an arm around her waist, and hers hung loosely around his neck. When they pulled apart, they smiled and simply gazed into each other's eyes, at least until the girl got an idea.

"Hey, Piers, how'd you like to remix that song and make it our duet?"

The man chuckled. "Now that's an idea. We can make it rockin' or turn it into a pure electronic song. But on one condition---we won't ever perform it outside of Spikemuth or for an audience bigger than Team Yell. I want it to just be our song."

Maeve gave a firm nod. "That works for me. It's kinda nice that way. And that means less people get to see your carin' side that's strictly for us closest to you."

She pecked his cheek and grabbed a brush, then moved behind him to fix his long hair a bit. It was still damp from the shower, and it was naturally thick, so it was quite a bit to work with. But it was worth it when her fingers got lost in his black and white locks afterwards.

"Don't ever change, Piers. I love you just the way you are." She leaned over his shoulder, hugging him from behind.

"I won't if you don't," the male retorted with a playful smile.

The pair went to bed that night wrapped up in one another's arms. They still had vacation time left, and they could hardly wait to spend every second of it on their blossoming new relationship.

~~~~~

Marnie welcomed Piers and Maeve back with a smile. "Hope you two had a relaxin' vacation. Did you enjoy Circhester?" They'd only just stepped into Spikemuth when Marnie was at the entrance to greet them.

Maeve smiled brightly. "We did! It was beautiful there! It took me a bit to get reacquainted with the cold, but the snow was so scenic. And Piers was an absolute sweetheart the whole time."

Piers blushed but otherwise showed little emotion. "It was all right. Relaxin' if anythin'. If you'll excuse us, Sis, we need to unpack."

He led Maeve past his sister, his backpack slung over his shoulder while the female carried her suitcase. It was only then that Marnie saw them walking away with Piers' arm around Maeve's waist. She smiled knowingly, glad to see her little plan was a success.

"Good for you, Bro."

The End

(Hope you all enjoyed this sweet little story! Piers is my favorite gym leader so I had to make something for him!)