A/N. Hah. Betchu though it was never gonna happen. Then again, -I- never though it'd happen either. The triple-update day AND 20th story on fanfiction!!!. Yup. Three whole stinkin' chapters-ettes up. In one day. Well, two chapters and a one-shot, but who cares? I DID THREE FREAKING UPDATES TODAY AND NOW HAVE TWENTY STORIES ARCHIVED!!!

I invented, plotted, and wrote this all in 1 hour. Translation- CRACK. So it just goes to show you, just because I updated three times in one day doesn't mean any of those updates are any good!

And, yes, this is based off my feelings for a certain someone from my dark romantic past of which I will never speak. -turns away and emos-

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Eight Minutes

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Irony. The epitome of a love-hate relationship. It could break your heart one day, and fix it back up again the next.

The 17-year-old sipped distantly on his coffee, brilliant emerald eyes following a slender figure through the packed crowd in the Poke Center. A bitter smile played around his lips as he brushed his thick green bangs out of his face smoothly, a more mature and reserved echo of the 'hair-flick' he had practically trademarked in his younger Coordinator days.

She was older now as well- no longer could he think of her as 'cute'. 'Damn gorgeous' was a better description now. She had grown taller, curvier, sexier-

"Watch it! " The brunette snapped at a careless passerby who had caused her to spill her own hot beverage on her delicate red blouse, sapphire eyes flashing as she sponged at her clothes with a paper towel, lips silently framing 'shit'.

Well, at least some things hadn't changed. Still clumsy and temperamental, as she had been before.

How ironic was this- Hours before midnight, all flights out of Mahogany Town were canceled due to a freak blizzard. Trainers, Fishers, Breeders and Coordinators alike had been sent to the Pokemon Center, the only commercial place in the whole area that was prepared to deal with something like this.

To top it all off, it was New Years Eve, and Drew was trapped in there with his older rival-slash-crush. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn he loved her.

Then again, it HAD been his New Years resolution to kiss her at midnight 6 years running. He hadn't even seen her for five of those- not even in Contests.

Irony.

Leaving his drink on the table, he rose smoothly, snatching a towel from a stack Nurse Joy had left on the counter as he approached the still silently swearing young woman.

"Need some help? "

She looked up quickly, the look of bashful gratitude dissolving faster than it came. May set her jaw stubbornly, and yanked the towel from Drew's relaxed grasp, turning partly away from him to blot at her most-likely-stained shirt.

"Here to mock me for old times sake, Drew? "

"You're using sarcasm against me now, " he chuckled smoothly, mouth quirking up in one corner with a casual air. "My, how you've grown. "

The other epitome of a love-hate relationship- his complex and often borderline hostile 'relationship' with May. He loved her, she evidently hated him. Not that he hadn't deserved it. He had been a jerk, and stupid, and immature. A little boy with a crush he couldn't brush aside.

"You haven't, " she muttered, eyes flicking up to meet his for a split second, then returning to the task of cleaning herself up.

He sighed, and rolled his eyes in mock despair. "Here. " He slipped out of his lightweight black jacket. "Put this over it. "

With a muted sound of disgust, May accepted the jacket, sliding her thin arms into the sleeves and settling it around her shoulders. "Thank you, " she said frostily, turning to leave and brushing roughly against him as she went to go get another cup of coffee; as she did so, her hand just touched Drew's, leaving behind a satisfactory tingle that swept up his arm, intensifying as it sped through his body to escape through his mouth in the faintest sigh.

Green eyes flicked up to the clock. 11: 52. He had 8 minutes.

Damn you, irony.

Following her though the grumbling and decidedly un-festive crowd, Drew leaned on his side against the wall, still keeping his manner politely distant. "How have you been, May? It's been a long time. "

"Fine, " she stated cryptically, her whole demeanor screaming 'Don't you have better things to do than chat up random people from your past? I do'.

He caught her arm gently as she started to leave again, his voice soft. "Why are you running from me? "

"I am not running, " she snapped back, her anger seeming hollow.

"Then what? You have something better to do? "

She was quiet and still for a moment- he released her. She didn't move away.

"Why are you here? " she asked at last, voice teetering on the edge of civility.

"Blizzard, " he replied, fully aware that wasn't really what she meant.

"I know that, " May countered, tone regaining a little of it's edge once more. "I mean... "

"Why here. Why tonight, " he finished, moving a little closer to her and noting her shift her weight uncomfortably. "I don't know. "

Her gaze met his again, lingering for a little longer this time before looking away. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. 5 minutes left. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. He never had been much of a gambler- even riskier were the odds when gambling on the affairs of the heart.

"I have my theories, though. " The statement escaped from his mouth before he had even consciously thought it. May's lips curved up at the corners, playing along with what she thought was a joke. "Oh, really? Let's hear them. "

He leaned in closer to her, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. "Do you believe in fate? " he murmured into her ear, his voice breathless and soft.

Her eyes widened, face flushing scarlet. Touching her hand, he could feel the pulse racing though her almost as fast as his own. Drew moved even closer, his lips just brushing her ear as he continued.

"It's all too perfect isn't it? Is it so hard to believe it was meant to be? " The words were flowing from his mouth, a breathy passionate river, impossible to stop.

"Is it so hard to believe we are meant to be? You have haunted my thoughts for years now. I would have thought that not seeing you for five years would have made those feelings go away, or at least taken the edge off them. " He felt her tremble beside him, the only visible sign of her wavering composure. "They haven't, May. They've gotten worse. They're crippling. And I love them. I love you. Please... end my suffering. "

The room grew quiet, the crowd moving towards the small lonely TV in the far corner of the room. May stayed, expression unreadable. Faintly he could hear the countdown begin.

"10....9....8... "

He'd known it from the start he was doomed. Why had he done it anyways? Why had he pushed so hard, so fast?

"6...5...4... "

Biting his lip, Drew sighed and turned away. He didn't blame her. What right did he have, coming up out of the blue and telling someone he'd not seen for 5 years and tormented for 2 he was in love with her.

"3...2... "

Hands grabbed his shoulders suddenly, and with startling strength, slammed him against the wall he had been leaning against only minutes ago. He didn't even have time to react before her mouth was closed over his with the kind of passion he had only imagined in his wildest midnight dreams.

Drew pulled her body into his, one hand tenderly running up and down her back, the other one the back of her head to ground himself as he kissed her back. Her fingers sifted through his hair, her lips caressing his with burning desire, having the effect on his years of pining for her touch that fire had on gasoline.

He spun around, pinning her against the wall, throwing conscious thought to the wind, losing himself in his carnal need for her. Desperately, his tongue slid across her lips, shuddering when she let him explore her mouth, moaning as his hands slid down the front of her shirt and back up again, tugging at the collar. He wanted it off, wanted to feel her skin against his.

May suddenly pulled away from him, leaving him to pant and shiver. Gritting his teeth and hating himself for losing his head, he started to apologize.

"May, I- "

But she didn't want to hear it. Grabbing him by his belt, she drug him into the hallway, stopping only to unlock a door and shove him inside a room. Her room. Evidently he didn't have to apologize for anything.

Pulling him into her once more, May resumed kissing him, this time slowly, deliberately, slipping her hands under his shirt and tracing the muscles on his stomach.

"Does this help any? " she breathed, trailing kisses up and down his neck. He groaned, tilting her head up and capturing her lips in his again. "I think so. "

Irony. God, he loved irony.

No, he corrected himself as may ran her fingers through his hair, not irony. Fate.

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