So...It's Eggplantdance's birthday today...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EGGPLANTDANCE!!! (and I promise this is the last time I'll say that :)

I really wanted to write you an AAML story, but I tried and it came out.....ehhhhhhhrrrggggg....So I dragged this out and finished it up :) DAML isn't the same, but it's still pretty good, no?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIN! (...opps...)

Pokemon doesn't belong to me....*sigh*

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Drew stared open mouthed at the girl across from him, more than slightly repulsed by her actions. Which was ironic, really. Here they were, sharing one of the most romanticfruits covered in one of the most sensual substances, and he was getting turned off. Drew's eye twitched as more of the brown, sticky goo was inadvertently spread along her chin. His companion was oblivious to the mess she was making and continued to gobble the treat, eyes alternatively closed in bliss or staring hungrily at her next victim.

"This was such a good idea Drew!" May said, delight oozing from every word. "I love chocolate dipped strawberries!" She speared another succulent berry enthusiastically with her fork and promptly dropped it into the pot of chocolate that sat between them. The two coordinators were seated at one of the tables in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. They had unexpectedly met up at the Center in Goldenrod that afternoon, and after affirming that both were staying to compete in the contest that was to be held a few days from now, decided to spend the rest of the day catching up.

Drew asking her if she wanted to hang out was even more surprising to May than actually meeting him here. She had chatted with him once in a while at the different contests, and seeing how Goldenrod was one of the largest cities in Johto, it could be expected that Drew would show up to compete in this one as well.

After they had exchanged the usual pleasantries and snide remarks about skills and number of ribbons, Drew had casually offered to show her around the city. He had explained that he had been to Goldenrod before, and it was very easy for country folkwho didn't frequent the city to get lost. May was ready to set him straight by pointing out that her father was a gym leader and she was no country bumpkin when they walked into the middle of the bustling town. She then realized that Goldenrod really was big. Instead of giving Drew a taste of the great ranting skills Misty had so recently taught her, May swallowed her scathing remarks and took him up on his offer.

It hadn't been that bad in the end. They had gone by the train station, said hello to the sweet elderly couple who ran the pokemon day-care, and Drew even allowed her a whole hour and a half in the exclusive pokemart with only a minimal amount of grumbling. All throughout their walk, Drew managed to rein in his haughty remarks, and May responded warmly to his civility. She had noticed at other contests that Drew's ego seemed to have deflated, and his snobbish nature had decreased somewhat. He was, however, still a bit of prat who loved to tease her, but that was hardly surprising. Drew was Drew, and May had grown almost fond of his snooty ways. Almost.

Right now, she could care less if he insulted her or reflected upon her rather gluttonous behavior. She was in heaven eating these chocolate dipped strawberries. The fruit was bright red and had just the right combination of tart and sweet, going perfectly with the warm chocolate that was used to coat its outside in a layer of melted goodness. May hummed her content as she popped, or rather shoved, another sauce covered piece into her mouth. In a case such as this, manners were forgotten in place of getting that little piece of joy onto her tongue as fast as she could. Besides, Drew and she were the only ones in the cafeteria right now. It wasn't like she was embarrassing herself in front of anyone...right?

May suddenly became conscious of the look Drew was giving her. His fork was frozen half way to the chocolate pot, the intention of dipping his strawberry forgotten. His expression was half way between open mouth horror and a grimace. One eye appeared to be twitching. His whole countenance was radiating revulsion and nausea. May instantly became hyper aware of the fact that she had just shoved a whole strawberry into her mouth, and it was probably making her look like she had huge chipmunk cheeks.

"What?" she asked, or tried to ask as well as she could around the fruity obstruction in her mouth. Her cheeks flushed with warmth, and she could tell she was blushing. Great. Now she probably looked even stupider.

"Don't you know how to eat your food?" Drew asked in a slightly appalled tone. "Properly," he added with a roll of his eyes when her eyes narrowed and mouth opened to make a retort. "And please, chew your food and swallow before you even consider opening your mouth to respond."

May scowled as best she could before chewing quickly and swallowing the strawberry. "How else am I supposed to eat chocolate dipped strawberries?" She demanded. "As far as I can see, there is no 'proper' way I have to do it."

"No matter what you are eating, simply shoveling food into your mouth isn't appropriate," Drew stated, giving her a suffering look. "Now, watch me and try to pick up some manners, okay? First off, this isn't chocolate sauce, so don't treat it like it is."

"Are you serious? What have I been eating then?" May scrunched up her nose and eyed the brown liquid dubiously.

"It's fine you idiot. It's still chocolate, but it's called chocolate fondue," Drew sighed, flicking his hair away from his eyes with the hand not currently occupied with holding his fork.

"I don't see how that makes a difference," May pointed out. "Potato potahto; tomato tomahto. It's still chocolate sauce no matter what you call it."

"Well it does make a difference. Since you're eating chocolate fondue and not just regular sauce, it means you're in good company and must be delicate in your actions. Like so," Drew adjusted his fork and began to lower it into the chocolate. "You lightly dip your strawberry into the chocolate," he let the top half of the fruit submerge in the rich, brown concoction before slowly pulling it out, "and make sure any excess chocolate is removed." He twirled the utensil in his fingers to get rid of any drips of chocolate coming off of the strawberry. "Then you take a small bite." The tip of the red fruit disappeared into his mouth before the rest of it came away on the fork.

Display over, he noticed that May was looking at him in a bemused fashion and knew that his lesson had not gotten through to her. "Can you at least try to absorb some of what I'm teaching you May?" He asked with a sigh. "When I said I was looking forward to seeing your new style, I wasn't expecting this. Though I always knew you were sloppier than your pokemon."

"Hey! What happened to what you said before about good manners?" May accused heatedly, that stupid blush coming back to her face. "I hardly think insulting a lady is acceptable behavior."

"That would be an issue," Drew conceded. "However, as no lady is present, I am not broaching any rules of etiquette."

"What!" It came out as a shriek. "Drew! You little...prat!" May spit out furiously.

Drew raised a brow and lightly dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "A real lady would have noticed the chocolate that has been smeared around the corners of her mouth for the past fifteen minutes," he said delicately.

Crap! May thought, face taking on an even deeper hue. Stupid Drew! Why couldn't he have told me that earlier? . May huffed and grabbed her napkin, repairing the damage as quickly as possible. "Meanie face," she mumbled under her breath. Without a mirror, May couldn't be sure if all the chocolate was off, but judging by the large amount of stains on the napkin, she had gotten it all.

A small laugh brought her attention back to her table partner. "What?" May demanded, a little curious. Drew didn't do laughter; he snickered. Or smirked. Drew was without a doubt the King of Smirks.

"Did you just call me a 'meanie face?'" He asked her, traces of a laugh still in his voice.

May was slightly put off by the distracting sparkle of his eyes, but managed keep her head enough to be able to reply with, "Yeah, because you are one! Why couldn't you have told me about the chocolate sooner?"

Drew shook his head and leaned back against his chair. "You," he said whimsically, "and your naivety never cease to amuse me. How old are you May, five or fifteen?"

May scowled at the green haired teen and threw her napkin at his smirking (see? smirking) face. "Meanie face is a perfectly acceptable insult!" She contested hotly.

"Acceptable for a preschooler maybe," Drew shrugged elegantly.

May's scowled deepened. How was it even possible to shrugelegantly? She didn't know, but Drew apparently could do it. The boy was one huge oxymoron. He looked and acted so refined, but every other word that came out of his mouth was rude and cutting. Why do I even try to have a normal relationship with him? She thought with much exasperation.

"If you're just going to point out all the things I'm doing wrong, then I'm going to retire to my room," May said with all the snootiness she could summon as she stood up. Not even chocolate dipped strawberries could make her sit with the jerk for another minute. Although...if he insisted...there was quite a bit of chocolate left in the pot, and it wasn't good to be wasteful...

"It is getting rather late," Drew acknowledged, rising from the table. "I suppose I might as well turn in too."

Drew began to gather up their dishes and May hastened to help him. The coordinators carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher. May sighed internally as she watched the remaining chocolate get washed down the sink.

Drew and May walked in silence to the sleeping section of the Center. May was debating with herself whether she should ignore Drew for the rest of the short walk to their rooms, or if she should ask if he wanted to go visit the park just north of town tomorrow. She didn't want to "reward" Drew by asking if he wanted to spend time together so soon after their little squabble, but May also knew that by tomorrow she wouldn't care what he had said the night before. Drew was rather fun to hang out with, his sharp wit and common interests a nice change after traveling around with the exuberant 'pokemon master in training' for so long.

May had just resolved to ask him to accompany her tomorrow when Drew spoke.

"Here we are," he said with a gesture to the door they had come to.

May stared at the door, surprised that they had arrived so quickly. "This is my room," she said aloud, even more astonished.

"Brilliant deduction," Drew said smoothly. "This is, indeed, your room."

May rolled her eyes but refrained from making a comeback. "But your room is way back there," she reminded him.

Drew sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yes," he responded in a tone one would use when trying to patiently explain something simple to a child, "but a gentleman is supposed to walk a lady to her door. It's another one of those 'good manners'."

"Oh stuff you and your good--Hey wait!" May perked up. "You just indirectly called me a lady!"

The customary smirk was back on his face. "Almost," he said. "But you're still not a true lady."

May frowned and put her hand on the door knob, ready to be done with Drew and his high and mighty attitude. Perhaps she wouldn't invite him on that picnic after all! "I don't see why I am not a 'true' lady," she informed him, "but I really don't-"

"You still have chocolate on your face." A hand was curling around her chin before May could say anything else, the feel of his soft skin against hers silencing the girl immediately.

May was paralyzed, able only to stare up at the green eyes that were somehow smirking at her. This time, though, the smug expression didn't both her. Her brain had stopped processing everything except the light pressure of his fingers and the sweet smell of his breath. Wait, she could smell his breath? He must be pretty close-

"Urg." Was the first thing that came out her mouth. All higher functions like forming actual words was rendered useless as something rough and wet touched her cheek in a light caress.

"Mmm, now you're fine." Drew's smug face once more filled her field of vision. "Meet me tomorrow in the cafeteria, I want to pack a lunch to take to the park tomorrow." His fingers twirled a lock of her hair and then he was gone, sauntering back down the corridor.

"Buh--wah? I'm...uhh...Gah! That was not gentleman-like behavior Drew!" May finally yelled after him, weakly shaking a fist at his retreating back.

"Good night May." She saw him raise a hand in farewell before the darkness swallowed his form.

"Jeez!" May mumbled harshly, briskly opening and entering her room. Too bad we didn't save the chocolate, we could have brought it along tomorrow...

May threw herself onto her bed, a pillow muffling her scream.

That boy was infuriating.