Eh, well, ikarishipping was fun, but honestly, contestshipping is more my style. So, here you go! If you like it, remember to leave a review. Thanks!
May groaned, wondering if her feet could actually fall off. She'd been on the road for days, trying to make it over the mountains into Johto. Originally, she had planned to take a ship from Vermillion City, but a sudden freak storm system had stopped all sea traffic to Johto. Unable to wait until the ships got the green flag, May had set out on foot, confident she could cross the mountains easily.
As usual, May's impatience had gotten her in trouble. The mountains had been a lot harder to cross than she'd thought, and her body screamed in protest every time she moved. Even now, with Cherrygrove City appearing in the distance, May just wanted to curl up on the ground and go to sleep.
Keep going, May told herself, gritting her teeth. She'd never given up before, and she certainly wouldn't start now. If there was one thing May had in excess, it was sheer determination. Just keep moving, May chanted to herself, imaging that each step she took was one step closer towards the Johto Ribbon Cup.
By the time May made it to the pokecenter, she was exhausted but triumphant. If she had had any energy left, she probably would have cheered and done a victory dance. Instead, she dragged herself to the front desk and requested a room for the night.
"Sure thing!" Nurse Joy chirped cheerfully. "Here's your key. It's room 114, down the hall on the right. Have a good night!"
"Thanks, you too," May replied listlessly, already trudging towards her room. Sometimes Nurse Joy's unrelenting cheerfulness was a bit much, especially after May had spent two weeks in the mountains. May stopped outside her door and inserted the key, suddenly desperate to collapse onto her bed. Down the hall, she heard another door open, but she didn't bother to look up.
The lock clicked open, and May stumbled into the room. "Finally," she said, throwing herself onto the bed. She groaned into the comforter, unable to even turn her head to breath.
"I didn't think you'd actually come," a snide voice said from behind her. May struggled to sit up, but her arms folded under her weight. She rolled onto her back and peered towards the door. In her haste to collapse, May hadn't bothered to check if the door was shut behind her. A tall, lanky youth with vivid green hair and a smug grin etched across his face lounged in the open doorway.
"Hi, Drew," May said weakly, letting her head fall back onto the bed. She groaned again and closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep.
"You look awful," Drew said unsympathetically, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Why, yes, Drew, of course you may barge into my room uninvited," May said sarcastically, glowering at him. Drew rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh, please? What are you going to do? Hit me?"
May weakly lifted her arm and tried to take a swing, but the limb just flopped uselessly back onto the bed.
"My point exactly," Drew said snidely. "Why're you so messed up anyway?"
"It was a long walk," May replied, managing to prop herself up against the headboard. She pulled her pack towards her and began to sort through the remainder of her supplies, mentally calculating what she'd need to purchase the next day.
Drew stared at her incredulously. "A long walk? Are you kidding me? You walked here from Kanto?"
"Yeah, so?" May asked defensively. Drew just shook his head.
"Apparently, you have a death wish. Those mountains are hard enough to cross with a group, let alone by yourself. That's why most people just take a boat."
"I was looking for a challenge," May said coolly, throwing a pillow at Drew. He ducked, looking at her in annoyance.
"If you're not going to be serious, May, I'll just leave now."
"I'm too tired to be serious," May groaned, massaging her aching legs.
Drew muttered something under his breath, but May didn't quite catch it. He stood up to leave, but not before chucking the pillow back at her. May wasn't ready for it and it slammed into her face.
"Drew! You're such a jerk!"
"I try," Drew smirked. He paused by the door. "Oh, by the way. I'd be careful about leaving your room tonight."
"Why?" May asked curiously, retrieving her pillow from the floor.
"Harley's checked in here too, and I know he's just dying to see you again," Drew said.
May just sat there for a second, and then looked dismally at the bathroom. "You think I could drown myself in the tub before he figures out I'm here?" she asked bleakly.
Drew laughed shortly. "With your luck? He'd probably pull you out and then give you mouth to mouth."
May knew Drew was trying to needle her, and was expecting her to wail and go, "Drew!" Instead, she grinned at him slyly.
"I think we all know who Harley would rather give mouth to mouth to, Drew."
"May!"
The next morning, after she was showered and dressed, May went downstairs to try and find something to eat. Drew was leaning against the wall outside his room, and May wondered if he'd been waiting for her. Drew seemed to read her mind, because he quickly said,
"With Harley around, I'm not taking any chances. I'd rather be seen with you than jumped by Harley."
"Gee, thanks Drew," May said sarcastically. "You really know how to give a girl a compliment." May rolled her eyes. Drew was the coolest, most confident guy around, until Harley showed his face. Then Drew was reduced to using her as a human shield.
"Which reminds me. Since I'm not up for a dinner date with Harley tonight, you're coming with me," Drew said. May laughed as he proved her point.
"I would have thought a big, tough coordinator like you would know how to handle yourself," May teased as they walked down the stairs.
"Gee, thanks, May," Drew mocked, repeating her previous expression. "You really know how to give a guy a compliment."
May rolled her eyes again. "You're not a guy, you're a rival. There's a difference," she pointed out.
Drew's smile disappeared, his entire face seeming to close off. He didn't respond, but the minute they entered the lobby, he walked off, leaving May staring after him in confusion. May shook her head and walked towards the door. She had a lot of things to do before she'd be ready to head to Violet City, and trying to puzzle out Drew's actions wasn't one of them.
Later, as May carried her shopping bags back to her room, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. Turning around, her face lit up as she caught sight of an old friend.
"Brendan?" May called, waving towards the white haired boy.
"Oh. my God. May Maple?" Brendan laughed, giving her a hug. May realized how much Brendan had grown since the last time she'd seen him. His shoulders were definitely broader, and when he let her go, May couldn't help but notice the muscles rippling on his biceps.
"I never thought I'd see you here. Tell me what you've been doing," Brendan said, motioning towards a table in the corner.
May nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second. I want to take this stuff to my room." Brendan swiftly plucked the paper bags out of her arms, despite May's half-hearted protests. She led the way to her room, shaking her head.
"Well, you haven't changed much," she said. "Still as pigheaded as ever."
Brendan grinned. "As if you'd have it any other way."
May unlocked the door, holding it open for Brendan. He put the bags down on a table and looked around the room.
"I think they give the girls nicer rooms," he grumbled, walking back out into the hallway. May laughed and jabbed him in the side.
"You're ridiculous," she said, yelping as he jabbed her back. "Eek! No, stop," she laughed, doubling over. Which was just when Drew's door opened and he came out into the hall. He froze, staring at May and Brendan, and then turned and walked right back into his room, his door swinging shut with an odd finality.
Brendan looked at May in confusion and asked, "What's his deal?"
"I never know," she said, shaking her head. "Come on, I'm starving."
When May got back to the pokecenter that night, she was still chuckling quietly to herself. Brendan was a great guy, and extremely easy to get along with. They'd gotten dinner and exchanged travel stories. Brendan had already earned all his Johto badges, even though the Silver Conference wasn't for another couple of months. He was heading back to Hoenn to see his family before he entered the tournament.
May hummed softly to herself as she fiddled with the lock, frowning in exasperation when it wouldn't turn. She sighed and turned to go back downstairs. Hopefully Nurse Joy had a spare key. As May tried to withdraw the old key from the lock, the metal snapped, leaving the ridged edge of the key jammed inside the lock.
"No, no, no," May muttered frantically, shaking the door knob. When it was obvious the key wasn't going to budge, May banged her head into the door, hoping it would dislodge it.
"Careful. You don't have many brain cells to spare," Drew said nastily from behind her. May spun around and glared at him. When she saw his expression, however, May paused, wondering what was wrong with him. Drew looked almost like a petulant child, a mixture of anger and hurt battling for dominance across his face. His arms were folded stiffly across his chest, and the cruel tilt to his mouth was not quite convincing.
"What's wrong?" May asked, taking a step towards him.
"Oh, nothing. How was your date?" Drew asked contemptuously.
May felt herself blush. "It wasn't a date. Brendan and I grew up together."
"Right," Drew sneered. "Anyway, I hope you had fun. Harley and I had a wonderful discussion about romance novels while he kept me prisoner in an Italian restaurant for two hours."
May face palmed. "Oh, Drew, I'm sorry. We were supposed to go to dinner."
"It doesn't matter now, does it? Do you know how many Nora Roberts novels there are?" Drew asked angrily. "I do. Harley described each and every one of them in painstaking detail."
"I'm sorry," May said guilty, but Drew scoffed.
"Although I guess I shouldn't really care. After all, I'm just a rival," he spat, turning towards his door.
"What the hell does that mean?" May demanded, going over and grabbing Drew by the shoulder. He shrugged off her grip.
"Nothing, May, it doesn't mean anything," he muttered, jamming his key in the lock. May clamped a hand down over his, keeping him from unlocking the door.
"What is this really about?" she asked quietly. Drew wouldn't look at her and tried to pry her hand off.
"It doesn't matter," he snapped.
"Obviously, it does," May exclaimed. "I've never seen you this upset. I'm sorry I forgot about dinner, but if that's what's really bothering you—"
"You don't get it, do you?" Drew shook his head. "You really are oblivious."
"Oh, I'm the oblivious one?" May shouted furiously.
"Yes, you are." Drew pulled a rose out of his jacket pocket and flung it at her. May barely managed to catch it and winced as the thorns bit into her hand.
"Take it," Drew said harshly. "It's not like they mean anything to you anyway."
Drew went into his room and slammed the door. The echo sent an unpleasant jolt through May, and she stared sadly at the rose in her hand.
"Oh, Drew," she whispered.
It was much later that May went outside to sit in the garden. A locksmith was working on her door, but until he got the key unjammed, May was stuck with nowhere to do. It was a warm night, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle comforted May as she sat on a bench, her brow furrowed. She twirled the rose in her hand as she felt anger bubbling inside her.
"Argh!" May yelled, throwing the rose away. It sailed through the air before disappearing behind a clump of bushes. Drew was so aggravating. May had never known anyone who could get under her skin the way he could.
For a second, she felt a surge of selfish pleasure that she'd thrown his gift the rose, however, May's anger quickly drained away, just leaving her feeling empty.
"Dammit," she muttered, getting up to look for the rose. She knelt on the ground, squinting through the darkness, cursing herself for throwing it away in the first place.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit," she swore, pricking her finger on a vine. No, wait, that was the rose, nestled in between two clumps of ivy. May extracted it delicately, cradling it in her hands. She stayed there for a long time, feeling hot tears slide down her face.
"What are you doing?" She would know that voice anywhere, but this time, May didn't even turn to look at Drew.
"Nothing. Go away," she replied, wiping her eyes furiously. She hated the fact that she was crying in front of him. Drew knelt down beside her, dead leaves crushing under his weight. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"I'm sorry," Drew said finally. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. I had no business to behave the way I did."
"No, I shouldn't have forgotten our dinner plans," May admitted, turning to look at Drew. He smiled feebly at her.
"Yeah, well, it was probably for the best. Harley's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy."
"Is that what I am?" May asked quietly. "Your worst enemy?"
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Drew said, running a hand through his hair. "We're rivals, remember? That's what you said earlier."
"Just rivals?" May asked softly, raising an eyebrow. Drew blushed.
"Yeah, well, according to you, I'm not even a guy."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Drew said getting to his feet. He extended a hand to May to help her up, and as she rose to her feet, May did perhaps the riskiest thing in her entire life. She kissed Drew.
For a second, he froze, as if he wasn't sure what to do. But then he relaxed into the kiss, and May felt him slip an arm around her waist. His other hand came up and lightly cradled her face, while May curled her fingers into his hair.
Drew pulled away, staring at May intently. She blushed and asked, "What?"
"You're absolutely infuriating. You know that, right?" May giggled.
"Yeah, well . . ." she broke off as Drew kissed her again, this time more forcefully. She wound her arms around his neck, pushing herself against him. She shivered, little jolts of energy traveling up and down her spine.
"Oh, sorry!" A boy exclaimed from behind them. May and Drew jerked apart, blood rushing to both of their faces. Brendan was standing there, looking extremely embarrassed.
"Uh, Nurse Joy sent me to tell you that your room is open, May," Brendan said. May laughed shrilly.
"Okay," she said, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Okay," Brendan said. They all stood there awkwardly for a moment before Drew said, "Maybe you should go back inside? Unless you'd like to stay and watch?"
"No! Sorry! Uh . . ." Brendan spluttered, turning practically springing back into the pokecenter. May giggled and slapped Drew on the shoulder.
"That was mean."
"Yeah, well, he interrupted me," Drew said haughtily.
"Oh, really? I didn't even notice," May said coyly. She started to walk away, but Drew grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back into his embrace.
"Ha, ha, very funny. Keep it up and we will be only rivals."
May snorted as she rested her head on Drew's shoulder. She started giggling again, suddenely unable to control her laughter.
"What?" Drew said, looking at May curiously.
"His face," she said in between gasps of laughter. Drew cracked up, and they laughed as they held each other, the soft summer breeze rustling the garden around them.