Just another CS one-shot. In case someone wonders: May's piece of heaven is a cake named Pavlova, my favorite :)
I hope you enjoy this. Reviews are always appreciated :)
I don't own Pokemon.
Sweets and Secrets
Another contest done. They were currently celebrating May's fifth Sinnoh ribbon, because 'You took your time, Hon. But now that our Big Happy Family is finally ready to invade the Grand Festival, you can't deny me a small commemoration!' Two sets of green eyes looked back at her from across the table, one pair dancing with mirth, the other with irk.
Harley twirled a lock of purple hair between his fingers, giving Drew those strange looks heavy with some sort of hidden implication. The receiver would appear unfazed for the untrained eye, but the slightly knit brows and downward tug of his mouth betrayed him.
She could see all this, but still, the reason behind it eluded her. It was apparent Harley knew something, but amazingly enough he had kept quiet. Which was confusing, because he was usually incapable of holding anything to himself, spilling the beans faster than he received them. After almost three weeks of observing this uncharacteristic behavior, and when even Solidad would not tell through that sly smile, May concluded that she would have to find out for herself.
Eyeing her friends, she tried to think of any traps with a remote chance to unravel their secret. The problem being, of course, the facts that her targets knew her too well, and clearly was hiding this something from her.
"May!" A strangely familiar yet unknown voice forced her out of her scheming contemplation. She turned to the sound of her name, and her companions turned with her.
A boy her age approached in purposeful strides, with a big grin and excited eyes under a mane of brown hair. This boy clearly knew her. She got up, hiding her confusion behind a welcoming smile. He pulled her into a hug, surprising her again, but the warmth and sincerity of the gesture quickly coaxed her to hug back.
"Wow, May, it's so good to see you again!" The still unidentified boy beamed happily, causing his dark eyes to gleam with excitement.
"It's good to see you to!" It was true, in a sense. Would have been better if the face came with a name, though. "I never expected to see you here!" Also true, and probably an appropriate thing to say.
"Me neither. But you know, I've been traveling ever since we met, and I've been hoping to see you again." Innocent as his words were, his cheerful eyes rooted her for a moment with the sheer intensity he radiated. "How's Wurmple?" he asked, breaking the connection, as if nothing had happened. She had to force her smile into proper proportions, as relief coursed through her. Not too obvious, she prayed, and hopefully not goofy, or worse, creepy. The boy waited in happy anticipation, so she was probably in the clear.
"She's doing great! Want a reunion?" May was back in the game, flashing a coy smile, because she now knew his name. "Come on out!" Her signature spin was followed up with a bright flash, and Beautifly made her entrance.
"Beau-tifly" the pokemon chirped happily, and flapped her wings excitedly upon recognizing the boy. Immediate reaction. May wished she had such good memory, it had taken her minutes.
"That is a great Beautifly! You've done a really good job, May." She felt her face split in a huge grin at the compliment. Behind her she heard a pointed cough from the table. And just like that she stiffened up like a mask, forced to stay in the same position. She would not give him the satisfaction of ticking her of.
"Oh, Gingerbreadcookie, how rude of you to not introduce us to your little friend." Heat came in a rush to her face. If one rival didn't succeed, then the other would of course step in.
"My apologies, Harley. I had no idea you still lived in the 18th century. I should never have greeted an old friend without following etiquette." She did a mock courtesy towards her baffled frenemy. With a smirk of satisfaction, she could turn to her other companions. "Solidad, Drew, this is Forrest, whom I met when I'd just started on my journey. In fact, he helped me catch Beautifly."
"Nice to meet you, Forrest" At least Solidad was civilized, and greeted him with her warm smile, even as Drew only gave a curt nod. May had to restrain herself from sending a scornful frown to her two male rivals. Situations like these were so much more complicated than when she traveled with Ash and Brock. She missed simple.
Forrest was thankfully ignoring the weirdness, although he seemed a bit overwhelmed. "We're celebrating my fifth ribbon, thanks to Beautifly." May put on a cheerful outwards, trying to amend the situation.
"That's impressive, May! You must be a very skilled coordinator." May caught sight of the admiration in Forrest's eyes, and she felt something swell inside her. She recognized this pit trap of blown up confidence, in fact, it had brought trouble upon her on several occasions.
"Um, well, it's not that big of a-" Drew was smirking. At her. But she had won, if anyone deserved some praise today, it was certainly her! "-deal. But thank you, Forrest. I'm actually shooting for the Ribbon Cup at the Grand Festival." One chartreuse eyebrow arched upwards, as if condescension wanted to reach for the skies. She responded by holding her head higher, pointedly ignoring that green eyed monster.
She deserved this, and more, she could really need a break from Drew and Harley. "Forrest, we have so much catching up to do! Would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?" It would be like a mini holiday. Forrest was practically lightening up by the suggestion. Simple, relaxing day coming up.
"But Honey, what about us?" A sulking pout adorned Harley's face, as his equally indignant voice interrupted her – again.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive without me for a few hours." She graced them with an indifferent shrug, then sent a happy smile to Forrest.
"Not like a date, is it?" Every ounce of Harley was scorching her with disapproval, and his gaze fled to Drew in would-be-subtle flickers. May felt her cheeks flush with the embarrassment.
"I would like that." Four pairs of eyes widened with surprise, all of them fixated on the source of this statement. Forrest smiled shyly, traces of roses on his cheeks but otherwise calm. "Meet you outside the Pokemon center at ten?"
She managed to nod, still a bit in shock by the turn of events. She. Going on a date. A date. The Date? Forrest flashed a huge grin to the group, then he walked off.
May tried to hide her bright smile behind the cocoa. This would be her very first. It was more of a meeting with a friend, but still. A date with a nice, polite guy.
She let her gaze graze her companions. Harley's tear stained eyes begged her to reconsider. Totodile tears. Saved for only special occasions. Should she be honored? Best to not give him a chance to manipulate her, just in case.
Drew's mood seemed even worse than before. "You should be training," was his only response to her questioning look. She sighed. It was always the same.
Only Solidad was a safe haven in this jungle of judgmental embarrassment.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
May tossed her few clothes around, suddenly everything she owned was either too plain or too fancy. And she had only ten minutes left to decide.
"May, you have to stop fretting!" Solidad was the innocent victim of this panic attack, her amused smile long since replaced by a frown. "Use your normal clothes, that way you'll be most comfortable with yourself. Do something nice with your hair, something different. I'll help."
"Thanks, Sol." May kept every nerve and impulse in check as the older girl fixed her hair into loose, soft curls. "It's just – I have no idea what he expects. What to say, and do, how to act-"
"You should be yourself. That is what he wants, to go out with you. That's enough." The last chocolate coil escaped Solidad's hands, as its creator calmed May with equally capable words.
"I would have freaked out without you, for sure!" She could breath again, the mind almost back to normal levels of activity. "I should probably go."
"Good luck!" Solidad waved her off, with that usual cunning smile.
May ran to the pokemon centers reception, with the unfamiliar feeling of bouncing strands of helices down her shoulders. She barely noticed passing green eyes in a stunned face, but she was late, and kept going to the entrance. Her date was waiting.
"Hey May, you look great!" Forrest greeted her with a warm smile and admiring eyes. He was the kind of person to keep his heart on the outside, apparently, and she could read him so easily. It was a relief, after spending all her time with Solidad, adorning her know-it-all smile, Harley, who always embraced the extremes, and Drew, forever a mystery.
"Thank you. Solidad helped me." She felt herself brighten up and relax. "So, what are we doing today?"
"Well, a cafe is usually a good place to go, unless you've already eaten?" That was a very tempting suggestion indeed.
"I'm always hungry!" She felt her face split in a cheeky grin, as various cakes and sweets came to mind. She grabbed his arm eagerly and set off at a quick pace. "Let's go!"
Faces turned towards them as they walked down the street, people recognizing her. It had happened more often lately, but Forrest didn't seem to notice, at least. When the door to the cafe shut behind them, her eyes searched for and found a secluded table in a corner. After placing their order, she could finally enjoy the quiet privacy and her company.
Forrest sat in a seat opposite from May, looking happy and at ease. Behind him the tree wall was decorated with figures, paintings, and small trinkets, every one of them picturing Hoothoots and Noctowls. He could blend in with this image of nature – he belonged there. He was a ranger once, when they met, after all. Looking at him like this, she got the feeling the forest was claiming it's property. It made him beautiful, somehow. A bit like watching Drew on stage.
"Are you feeling ok? You seem distracted."
Snapped back to the here and now, her cheeks flushed while her mouth went to recovery mode. "Y-yes, of course! I was thinking about.. cake." Half-truth. Cake was never far from her mind.
"You won't have to just think about it much longer, though." She followed his mirth-ridden look, only to let it settle on a piece of heaven.
Once in front of her, there was nothing else. The fork sliced through the meringue sooo easily, every small bite melting in her mouth. Sweetness from the vanilla cream balanced itself perfectly against the fresh strawberries. Fork. Melting. Fork. Melting. Nothing could possibly hope to compare.
"Would you like another one?" In a daze she lifted her gaze from the now empty plate to look at the person sitting across from her. Right. Her date.
"Um... I'm ok, thanks. It was really good though." It would be impolite to agree to another piece, right? Best to get out, before her self-control dissipated. She could easily end up eating the whole thing, revealing the greedy glutton within. "What do you say to a walk in the park?" Good choice for a place to repair this date, after the embarrassing half-an-hour-reverie of a sweet.
"Sure." Forrest appeared unaffected by her antics, thankfully. His appearance could even pass as amused.
Forrest looked even more right in his element with bushes and small trees around him, as they sat in the grass. Emerald everywhere – just the shade of green which would match Drew perfectly. Speaking of which; a too familiar figure was leaning casually against a tree some distance off. May let her gaze wander around, occasionally humming a yes or no. A rustling bush caught her attention. The end of a green, pointy hat, purple gleaming from behind a hiding place... Yup, this was her wanna-be-sneaky, spying companion. She forced her attention away from the cactus and the self-proclaimed protector both. This was her day off, no humiliations, no sarcasm.
Forrest was still in oblivion, the bliss of ignorance she would now have to fake. "I've seen you sometimes, you know, on TV. You were in the finale of that big Sinnoh Contest last year, right?"
"The Wallace Cup. I lost, though." A slight frown worked its way across her face.
"Even so, you were great, May! You're very accomplished, as far as I can see." As if regarding a piece of art, with star-struck eyes and a serene smile, big dark orbs never wavered from her. It would have been slightly unnerving, if he didn't seem so genuine and sweet.
"Thank you Forrest." May laughed coyly, deciding to enjoy the attention. She definitely deserved this. The bush rattled in dismay, whilst a pair of rival eyes bore into her. Ignore-mode was working full time now, to not let her smile morph into a grimace. Day off.
"I started my journey because I met you, May. I've meant to ask you, if we ever ran into each other again, if you would travel with me?" It was a question. To a friend. He might like her, he even remembered her after all this time, but this was nothing more than an innocent request, to a fellow trainer. Wedged between a fiercely shaking thicket, a tense shadow and a hopeful smile, she had to come up with a reply.
"I would like that. But, you see, well, you met my companions yesterday. We're going to the Grand Festival together. It's in two months, and we'll all train hard in the meantime." She hated to have created such disappointment. Forrest was nice, companionable and safe, but now also sad, because of her. "We could meet up after the Grand Festival, if you want." Perhaps traveling with him would be a bit like her time with Ash and Brock.
Two hands gripped her tightly, purple blocking her view and a crying "No no no! Don't leave us May!" flooding her otic senses.
"Harley, please get off me!" May tried to push the Cacturne away, with little success.
"Sweety dear, how can you do this to us?" Arms were engulfing and possessively crushing her.
"Let her go, Harley. She will do as she wants." Drew. Always her savior. She gave him a thankful glance, willing to rise above the fact that he had hovered over her all day. Something was different about him, though. He seemed far away, even cold. No smirk or kind smile, nothing detected through a mask of lifeless. Maybe he was tired. In any case he was intruding on her date.
"But Drew, you're losing this!" Harley directed his pleading eyes at their stony companion. A headache was marching on mercilessly, growing stronger by every Cactus-panic-attack.
They were ruining her holiday. "Don't worry. I couldn't get rid of you two even if I wanted to. I'll still be around. Now go."
Drew turned to leave, dragging a protesting drama queen with him. Silence was left in their wake. May had no idea how to excuse or explain such behavior, where did one even start?
"Your companions are of the... unique kind, hm?" Poor Forrest, he deserved better than this, and still he managed to be the considerate one.
"I'm so sorry for all that." The apology felt empty, falling to the ground much in the same way her energy had drained away.
"It's ok, really. They care about you. I understand that. I think we should go back. You look like you could need a rest anyway." So caring. She could nod. Smile weakly. Surely she was the worst date ever.
They got up, and started snaking a path past couples enjoying picnics, fellow coordinators staring, fan boys grumbling and whizzes of whispers in the wind. He held his arm around her, steadying and protecting her undeserving self, all the way back to the pokemon center. Back in her room she let herself collapse on the bed, venting all frustration to the pillow.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"'The Princess of Hoenn – Dumping Drew for Mystery New!' Coordinators Weekly stooped too low this time." Solidad threw the magazine on the table, rare anger flaring in her eyes.
"Best not to show May. Some of it is quite... expressive." Drew sighed and buried a tired face in his hands. "We've managed to protect her from it so far, we'll be able to handle this too."
"Show me the stupid magazine. I don't need your protection." May would have laughed from the way her three companions were caught off guard, with expressions of staggering shock, if the situation had allowed it. Solidad was the first to recover, handing over the offending object wordlessly.
May read the first sentences, then quickly skimmed through the rest, lingering longer on a picture of Forrest and herself, his arm wrapped intimately around her. They could laugh this off, right? When finished she lifted her gaze to those of her concerned friends, freezing upon meeting a pair of emerald ones.
"May, I think we should talk. Alone." So serious. Sad. She had never seen those sides of him. Exposed and vulnerable. Drew broke the contact as he glanced over to Solidad and Harley. She felt so heavy. A lurking anticipation was coiling inside, present for the first time. Dread. Perhaps it had always been there, hiding and waiting, patient as a predator laying in ambush.
She managed a nod. A shaky smile. He got up.
"Let's go outside. The pokemon center might not be the best place."
"We'll wait for you here." Solidad shared one of those looks with Harley, heavy with knowledge.
May followed Drew outside, quickly leaving the city in favor of a place without spying eyes. They walked in silence, up between trees to a clearing, a hill with a spectacular view. Her fingers fiddled and played with the grass, gripping and pulling a straw, small movements done with a blank mind.
Drew exhaled softly, just enough to get her attention. "I don't even know where to begin. It's hard to explain. We tried to shield you from the media, after all. I suppose it could only be done for a short time, anyway" She knew he was looking at her, but her eyes was stubbornly tracing the earth.
"I've seen some of it. It's been speculations... about us?" Her voice was surprisingly calm, not leaking the chaos inside. She dared herself to glance at him.
"Yes... I need to ask, May. Are you and Forrest... together now?" He was tensing up like a bow string, readying himself.
"Of course not. He's a friend. And I hardly know him. He followed me back because I felt sick, that's what they caught in the picture." She heard him let out a breath, relaxing beside her. She wished she could escape the somersaulting something inside just as easily too.
"But you went on a date with him, nonetheless." Whatever he tried to accomplish by this interrogation, she hardly felt bad about it. She didn't need to explain herself.
"Because I like him. He's nice." A shrug of the shoulder was perhaps enough to get the message through.
"On this date, if this nice person asked for a kiss, would you give it to him?" He still watched her, intently but calm. She shot him a look, hoping it would communicate her indignation.
"Depends." Her words were dragged forth anyway.
"On?" Arched chartreuse brow, inquisitorial stance. Which girl could ever hope to keep anything from him, ever?
"The situation. My feelings." She made a proud, stubborn throw of her head, signaling 'this is not for you to know'.
He pursed his lips slightly, and crooked his head, as if calculating how to solve a math problem. "Would you give it to me?"
"NO!" Her reply was too fast and fierce. His last question left her composure crumbling, and there was no way he could overlook her flustered state. She refused to see his face, avoiding whatever emotion might be there to trap her yet again. The burning sensation of a blush was quickly invading her skin.
"Relax, May." Sneaky Drew. As if she had been the one pushing boundaries, as if she had overreacted. "We can talk about something else. What are your thoughts about the rumors, for instance? Before today." Drew was suddenly very close, she had to fight for air. What happened to looking the other way? Like an addiction, putting her in peril every single time, those stupid eyes just wandered back to him.
She directed her gaze elsewhere, there was this speck of a shimmer in the distance. A lake, perhaps? Deep breath. Lake. Normal question. Pretend it's about a contest. When certain her voice would not waver, she gave her answer. "Well, I think they're the reason Harley's been bothering you. He would just love to exploit such a thing. Even Solidad's been all secretive lately."
"That's part of it," he agreed. She arched a brow, urging him to explain it all. "Harley could never be satisfied without some sort of scheme or plot. He also seems to think it's urgent, somehow. I believe, however, in the natural flow of events. It should come as easy as breathing. If I need to force it, I'm probably better off without."
"I think I like that. Easy going." She felt as if tiny Butterfrees were dancing in her stomach, sending out waves of heat. Butterfrees of fire. Drew smiled slightly, tracing his fingers lightly over her hand.
"And where do you think this is going?" Her fingers were entrapped with his, no longer able to escape. Lowering herself down in the grass, she claimed some control of the rest of her body. Even if her right hand had betrayed her.
"You ought to tell me. You asked for this conversation." Deflecting. A skill much needed.
He would not let her escape. He followed her down, leaning over and capturing her other hand in his. She could feel his breath, warm against her ear. A shiver ran down her spine, followed by Drew's smug smirk. Teasing her vulnerability. "What do you want, May?"
He was so close, she could almost taste the heat. Sparkling amusement and emerald eyes. There was nothing else. "You." The Butterfrees were ravaging through her, mercilessly.
"Come again?" His lips were only inches from hers. She could not reach for him, pinned down to earth as she was.
"Drew. I want you." She should have been a voice in the wind. Her secret. Apprehension mixed with the flapping of tiny wings inside her, for she had given him everything. It now belonged to Drew, and she could never take it back. Because he knew.
Even so, Drew had such warm and beautiful eyes. Affectionate. He closed the distance. The kiss that followed was sweet and caring. Quite naturally.