Note: This chapter has been edited to fit within FFN's standards of acceptability for M-rated fiction. An unedited version is available on my Tumblr blog. You may find a link on my profile.
Part II: Conjunction
May was fighting tears as she stormed back into the safety of the ladies' dressing room—but her efforts were in vain, for the moment she crossed the threshold, they started to drip down her cheeks in protest. She sniffled and collapsed on an open chair before a mirrored wall, burying her face into her arms against the counter.
She couldn't make much sense of what she was feeling, other than she felt bad. She was angry, she was hurt, she was sad, she was frustrated—and all of those emotions, and more, were welling up in her eyes. She just needed to cry. She just needed to get all the negative energy she had stored up all afternoon out of her.
Her thoughts were equally furious and confusing. She hated Drew. She had long disliked him, in a sense, as her rival, but for the first time, she really felt like she hated him. But that was only because her heart was broken, and that made little sense. How could her heart be broken over someone she "hated"?
May eventually did drain herself of her tears and of her grief—at least some of it. She raised her head again and wiped away another few stray tears with the palm of her hand. She needed to pull herself together. Once the appeals round finished, the battles would begin soon after, and May was certain of her advancement. She would not face her first opponent an emotional wreck.
At a glance in the mirror, May shuddered a little. Red and swollen eyes aside, her make-up was a mess. Her mascara had run, some of the foundation she applied had washed off, and her lipstick had faded. She needed to re-do all of it if she was going to be presentable on stage. May slowly stood up again, careful not to send her head spinning—she was probably a little dehydrated—and headed toward her assigned stall.
May threw open the door, pulled her key out of her shirt, and fumbled with it for a moment before opening the locker with her purse inside. She pulled out her make-up bag and, with her compact mirror, began to fix herself up again.
Just as May was in the middle of re-applying her lipstick—a bright red that matched her outfit—there was a knock at her stall door.
"May, are you in there?"
May snapped the cap onto her lipstick tube.
"Go away," she growled.
Drew ignored the order and asked, "Are you decent?"
"This is the ladies' dressing room, Drew."
"Hence, the question: Are you decent?"
May threw her make-up bag back into her locker and purposefully slammed it shut. She wanted him to hear how mad she was, maybe so he would feel deterred and just leave. Still, she answered, "Yes," knowing full well it would, quite literally, open the door to them talking.
Drew undid the latch and slid inside. With only one look at her, he—with softened eyes and a twinge of guilt in his voice—said, "You've been crying."
"I have not," May indignantly replied.
"I was an ass," Drew said. The admission was enough to disarm May from wanting to throw him out. She folded her arms and looked at him expectantly. He continued, "Cards on the table: I haven't earned any ribbons in Kalos. Hearing you already had one, it put me on the defensive."
"Yeah, I eventually figured as much," May mumbled.
"You were right to call me out on the way I've been treating you," Drew went on. "I'm sorry."
The apology dissolved more of May's antagonism, though not all of it. She uncrossed her arms and sucked in her breath before saying, "It's just—this isn't the only time this has happened. We've been playing this game for years now, where one moment we're all into each other and the next we're giving the cold shoulder. Our rivalry wasn't even this bitter when we first met. I'm tired of it."
"I know," Drew said.
"Do you, though?" May questioned. "I mean, it seems we should have figured this out a long time ago."
"I do get it," Drew pushed back. "But our relationship is difficult to navigate. I don't know whether we should be rivals or friends or—" He faltered for a moment. "—or something more."
"I don't see why we can't be all those things," May argued. Drew tightened his lips and didn't reply. May didn't need him to, though, because she saw his response written all over his face. "Well, fine," she snapped. "When you figure out what you want us to be, feel free to let me know, but in the meantime, I've got a contest to—"
The remainder of that sentence was swallowed up by his mouth against hers. While she was in the middle of speaking, he had grabbed her face and tilted it up for him to kiss her—long and hard. May was surprised at first, but when she regained her senses, she laid her hands atop his and deepened their kiss.
There was only one other time they had kissed like this. It was two years ago after the Sinnoh Grand Festival. May had won against Harley and become a Top Coordinator. Drew, who had lost to May in the previous round, met her backstage and she swept him into a passion-riddled, celebratory kiss. They were both Top Coordinators then, him having earned his title at the Johto Grand Festival several years earlier.
May moved her hands to the back of Drew's neck and pressed herself fully against him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it was a not-great idea to be making out with her rival backstage, but she was so emotionally wrought after all he had put her through that day that she was willing to ride out whatever this was. Then she felt something hard press against her thigh, and Drew abruptly grabbed her wrists and forced her a couple inches away from him before kissing her—more forcefully—again.
What was that about? Drew was still kissing her, but he was also now keeping her at an arm's length. There was something additionally nervous and fumbling in his demeanor, in the way he was now holding her. It was then that realization struck May, and when they broke apart, she briefly glanced down.
Oh.
Oh.
May quickly kissed Drew again because she now understood, because she didn't know what else to do either. For all the romantic history they shared, this had never been a part of the narrative, and May was inwardly panicking. He was—he was hard? Because of her? She was clueless as to what she should do, so she just kept kissing him until she could figure it out. He was probably doing the same.
The longer this went on, however, the worse the problem became. Drew accidentally bumped against May again, and their kisses grew more frenetic. May wondered if she should break away and act oblivious, making up some excuse about needing to get ready for the battle round while he went and—and took care of himself.
Yes, that was it. That was the solution. She'd pull back and say that it probably wasn't a good idea for them to be doing this here (which was true) and add that they both needed to get ready for their battles. The appeals round would probably end in another fifteen or twenty minutes. May rehearsed her lines several times, convinced that once this was over, she could make herself content to pretend the whole thing never happened.
"Um… Drew…" May breathed shakily. When she looked at him, however, he realized he wasn't looking at her. His face was a bright red color, and his eyes were averted. She had seen him blush before but never quite like that; he was deeply embarrassed. May swallowed. "Drew… I…"
His gaze connected with May's again, and she suddenly forgot everything she was going to say. His eyes had always been stunning, but they seemed especially gorgeous now, here, in this situation, where he felt just as vulnerable and unsure as her, if not moreso. The connection sent an electric thrill through May's system.
Oh no.
May continued to sputter out words, trying to form the coherent excuses she had so perfectly devised in her mind. Eventually, she gave up. It was hopeless. He knew. She knew. He knew that she knew, and so they froze, staring helplessly at each other for the help that neither could provide. Drew sucked in a shaky breath and tried to speak.
"May…" he started.
"Y-Yeah?" she stammered. Drew lifted a hand and, though hesitating, reached out to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. After doing so, his hand rested lightly on her cheek, cupping it.
"You really do… look nice in that dress," he said.
May's breath hitched in her throat, and if there was a question of whether "swooning" ever really happened, she proved it did. There was something in the way he said it, combined with something in the way he looked at her and and something in the way he touched her, that rendered May utterly besotted. She delicately traced a finger down his jawline before kissing him again.
This time, neither she nor Drew made no effort to maintain a space between them—and so the accidental collisions between herself and Drew became more frequent, and at every slight conjunction, May inhaled a sharp, thrilled breath. There was no graceful way to escape the situation any longer; they were in this, whatever it would be, together.
May squeaked when Drew lifted her up—she had no idea he could do that—and placed her on the wooden hand bar attached to the left side of the stall. The new position was initially unstable for May, but then Drew pinned her to the wall, securing her. Her legs naturally spread open as Drew moved closer to her. May couldn't help but gasp. She realized this was his intention: better access.
Drew kissed her again, and it started to dawn on May what was really happening. They were going to do this? Here? Now? In the middle of a contest? A distant, sensible part of her brain kept repeating the words "bad idea" over and over again, even as she kissed him back, but her sensual half—which was, admittedly, more strong than May thought—urged her forward. She didn't want to stop now, and she sensed he didn't either.
Still, while May had made herself okay with the position they were in and was working on feeling the same in terms of where they were going, she had no idea how to advance what they were doing. And even if she did, she might have felt too anxious to do so. She was a bundle of nerves, her mind and her stomach were a jumble of emotions, and for the time being, she was content to act on instinct or under Drew's lead. And in that moment, Drew began to lead his hand up her shirt.
The tickle of his warm fingers against her spine caused May to inhale, loud and sharp. The noise must have intimidated Drew because his ascent suddenly stopped, and she felt his hand tremble. It reminded May that he was likely just as nervous as she was. Strangely, the thought gave her a boost in confidence, and she drew away from his lips with a shy smile before she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She discarded it on the ground and kissed him again.
May felt Drew smirk against her lips. Her brief moment of mettle had emboldened him, too. His hand moved to her back, where his apt fingers quickly found the clasps on her bra. His assurance could only carry him so far, however, as he struggled to undo them. His fumbling attempts endured long enough so that when he and May broke another kiss, he leaned his head into her bare shoulder, muttering some kind of cross between a curse and a grunt while he continued to fidget with the undergarment.
May let a breathy giggle slip past her lips before deciding he'd suffered enough. She reached behind her back and undid the clasps herself. The bra immediately began to slide off her shoulders and down her arms—and almost as immediate was the rising embarrassment May felt at suddenly being so exposed in front of her rival. She hunched her shoulders forward in a lackluster attempt to conceal herself and averted her eyes.
Drew must have sensed her oncoming shyness, because he brushed his lips over hers and murmured, "It's fine. You're fine." He pressed his lips more firmly against hers in reassurance then moved to her neck. His hand was on her ribs again, though he still seemed uncertain about actually touching her. Regardless, the change in his attention sucked all the air out of May. That felt nice...
"E-Easy for you to say," she mumbled, regaining her breath. "You're fully clothed."
Drew halted his ministrations and pulled back, looking directly at May with a sort of blank expression. May felt her entire face heat up, realizing what she was suggesting. Still, she made no effort to correct herself.
"I mean… we could change that," Drew offered. May swallowed. She already felt nervous about being topless in front of him, but seeing him bare, too… Her heart was thumping so loudly in her chest she was afraid he would hear it. Although, if they were really going to go through with this—and it increasingly seemed like they were—then he would have to strip down as well. But maybe not right now.
"Later," May decided in a small voice. She then grasped the wrist of his right hand, the one that still lingered barely beneath her chest. "But, um, first…" She started to edge his hand up. "... It's okay if you… you know..."
Drew's face was bright red again, as was May's. His hand was on her, and it was just… there. He didn't know what to do with it, and May didn't exactly know what she wanted him to do with it either. Nevertheless, she trembled to have another person touching her there. Drew then leaned in close, and his breath was warm across her cheek. "Where do you want me to touch you?" It sounded more like genuine question than a seductive provocation, but it had the same effect on May regardless.
"I-I don't know," May answered honestly. This was all so new to her, and she didn't know how to respond. "Anywhere, I guess." She thought for another moment, then added, "I'll just… tell you if I don't like something."
"Okay," Drew agreed with a little nod. He leaned in to kiss her once more. May made a contented noise. If nothing else, she really did like being kissed by him.
After another moment or so, she felt Drew's hand slide down from her chest and rest on her thigh. From there, it began to inch precariously up the skirt of her dress. May's chest tightened as she realized where he was headed. Drew noticed the change and asked, carefully, "Are you fine with this?"
"I…" May stopped, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head near the crook of his neck. She didn't realize until she gave the answer that followed, but she was physically steeling herself for what was coming. "Yes."
Drew didn't hesitate then. He affectionately rested his free hand atop her head while the other hand completed its journey. At his touch, May let out a shuddery breath, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him, her mind descending into a disbelieving daze. She was enjoying this, but she remained nervous. The only reason she knew this was real was because she could never invent such intense sensations in her own mind.
Despite the gathering fog in May's head, it occurred to her that this entire time, Drew had been doing things to make her feel nice, but she had yet to do the same for him. May sucked in her breath. It was time. She unraveled an arm from his shoulder, then moved her hand down.
Drew tensed up, let out a hissing sigh, and leaned his head forward. May quickly pulled her hand back.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"N-No, you're fine," Drew managed. "I just wasn't expecting it."
"Should I… keep going then?" May asked hesitantly. Drew pulled his head back and smirked at her; he had evidently composed himself.
"Yeah," he said. Drew began to rub her again, and May followed suit. She had no idea whether what she was doing actually felt good or not, but based on his initial reaction, he had to at least be feeling something.
Eventually, May, deciding she needed to help move things along, reached up and tugged at his belt. She was too dizzied from his attentions to actually figure out how to undo it herself, but luckily, Drew got the message. He temporarily stopped what he was doing just to unbuckle himself and pull the belt out. He dropped it on the ground, and his pants began to sag down. They didn't stop there. After another moment, May hooked her fingers into the sides of his boxers. Drew made direct eye contact with her, then rested one of his hands atop hers—his other hand was still responsible for keeping May secure on the hand bar—and together, they slowly pulled his boxers down, never breaking eye contact.
Once the boxers had dropped to his ankles however, May suddenly found herself nervous to look down. She had never seen a guy like this before, aside from maybe some diagrams or pictures, and she was about to see, of all people, Drew. Her rival, her friend, her… clearly something more than just a friend, since they had just spent the past five minutes getting acquainted with the most intimate parts of each other.
Drew pressed his lips against May's collarbone, and May took this as an opportunity for her to look at him without him, well, blatantly watching. May reached out and grasped him, and she felt him gasp against her skin. She inhaled a little sharply herself, though the sensation for her was not quite the same. Almost as if it were in retaliation, Drew kissed her lips hard, then pushed her underwear to the side. The noise May made was audible, more audible than anything they had made in their session.
"H-Hey!" Drew exclaimed, pulling back. May caught her breath again and looked at him. She could see that his index finger was coated in a thin sheen of… herself. The thought made May feel strange.
"Sorry. I should've asked first," Drew added.
"I-It's okay," May assured him with a smile. "I just wasn't expecting it either."
"Uh, right. Well…" Drew coughed. "Let's just… keep it down."
"Yeah," May agreed with a shy nod. She didn't even want to think about getting caught—but even so, the fear of being discovered wasn't enough to deter her from continuing. She timidly looked off to the side before adding, "I liked that, though, so…"
She was embarrassed to say it, partially because she worried Drew would grow arrogant and tease her for it—but she talked herself out of these thoughts. Tease her? He was half-naked too! And he seemed to be liking some of the things she was doing to him, so it had to be in his better interests not to go down the mocking route. Her final decision paid off because, although Drew did smirk again—inevitable, as May knew that she was, on some level, feeding into his ego—this time, he slid two of his digits into her.
May squirmed but managed to stay quiet. She also managed to grasp him again, and Drew reacted with a restrained enthusiasm. He kissed her once, then pulled back, panting. He was too breathless to keep kissing her, for which May was a little disappointed; yet, at the same time, she took a little pride in knowing she had relegated him to that state.
"M-May," he abruptly choked out her name. "If we keep going like this, I'll… if we want to… it has to be now." Despite the winded fragments of his speech, May understood what he meant well. Her heart rate accelerated, and she drew her hand back.
"N-Now?" she stammered.
"Now," Drew affirmed, nodding. "Only if you want to."
May nodded with him, then closed her eyes and sucked in her breath. Drew was giving her the option of walking away from this. They could just finish each other here, or they could take this all the way and—and what? What would happen afterward? What would change? If they went through with this, then there would be no turning back, would there? She couldn't just be a rival or a friend or a "nice girl" to him and vice versa. He—they—would have to own up the consequences of taking their relationship down such an intimate road. They were already responsible for everything that had happened thus far.
On the exhale, May opened her eyes again. "I want to," she said.
"Are you sure?" Drew asked. May wrapped both of her arms around his neck again.
"Yes," she said.
"Okay, let me just…" He gently eased her off the hand bar, then bent down and rifled around in his pants for something. May watched curiously and saw him eventually locate his wallet. From it, he pulled out a single condom.
"O-Oh. Right…" May said, her voice trailing off. She hadn't even been thinking about that, but she sure was glad Drew did.
She continued to watch as he tore the edge of the package, and May blinked when she realized she recognized the label. It had the Association of Pokémon Coordinators' logo printed on it. People handed them outside the dormitories at every Grand Festival. She could tell from the coloring that the one he had was from the recent one in Hoenn, and the thought flustered May. How long had Drew had this very moment on his mind?
Drew rolled the latex over himself, then turned to May, gently lifting her back onto hand bar. Her legs spread apart for him again as he leaned in close to her, asking in a low rumble, "Are you really sure about this?"
May leaned her forehead against his and wrapped her arms around him once more. "Yeah," she said. "Just… go slow at first, okay?"
"Okay," Drew agreed. He hiked up her skirt, slid her underwear down past her legs, and leaned forward. May twitched with anticipation and buried her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply. With the assistance of his hand, he lined himself up with her and began to push his way inside.
May squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tighter around him, whining a little as she felt herself stretch to accommodate him. He held to his word and went at an agonizingly slow pace, and in retrospect, May wondered if she actually should have told him to do it fast, like someone would do when ripping off a band-aid.
Drew stopped moving. May opened her eyes and looked down. She then drew in a shaky breath, her heart thrumming. Here they were. They were doing this. They were together now, closer than they ever had been with each other before, closer than either had ever been with anyone before. May took a moment to gather her bearings. Having him inside her, it felt a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't especially painful. It actually felt kind of nice, in a weird way. She could be okay with this.
She looked at Drew next and perked up when she saw his eyes closed and teeth gritted. "A-Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he managed. "It just feels… you feel…" He couldn't supply the end of that sentence with an appropriate adjective, so he just left it hanging there. "I should be asking you the same question."
"I'm fine," May replied. "Just… uhm…"
"Just what?" Drew asked.
"Just… waiting, I guess," May answered, her face pinking a little.
Drew managed a small, breathy laugh. "Right. Okay," he said.
The slow, grinding friction that followed rendered May breathless. It was still uncomfortable, but the overall sensation felt pretty good. He repeated the motion unevenly several times over; some strokes felt better than others, some hurt more than others, but May voiced no complaints as she pulled Drew in for a deep kiss.
"You… You can start to go faster," May panted after releasing him. He nodded against her—words weren't coming well to him at the moment—and started to increase his pace, eliciting a moan from May.
"Shh, shhh," Drew gently hushed her, brushing his lips over her jawline. His movements had indeed become faster but also more erratic. There was a greater range between what felt good and what, well, didn't feel as good—but then Drew landed a stroke that felt really good, and May inhaled sharply in response.
"Just—! Just like that," she gasped out, willing him to do nothing different.
"O-Okay," Drew agreed, attempting to focus. His thrusts became more uniform, more purposeful, and finally, he established the semblance of a rhythm. May stifled another moan, leaning into Drew's shoulder. What had started out as mildly uncomfortable and only sort of nice had evolved into something that felt very, very good, and May sensed a heat, a pressure, pooling in her lower abdomen.
"May, I'm—I'm close," Drew said.
"I-I think I am too," May said. "Keep going, just for a little longer." She heard Drew swallow and saw him nod, still trying to keep their rhythm going—but the closer he inched toward climax, the more erratic his movements became once again. It didn't matter much to May at that point, however; he had her heated, and every stroke, no matter how inconsistent, steadily moved her toward a climax as well. Come on, come on. She had to be close. She had never felt a pressure this intense before, and she ached for a resolution.
Finally, relief. With a strangled gasp, the pressure inside her buckled, and May's entire body trembled before she practically collapsed against Drew. With a few more jagged thrusts, Drew finished as well.
May hung over him limply, and Drew wrapped an arm around her waist to prevent her from falling off the bar as they both tried to catch their breath. Regathering herself, May pulled her head back to look at Drew. His face was flushed, and he had perspired a little. May gently brushed some of his long, slightly damp bangs out of his eyes before lightly pecking him on the lips.
"That was…" Drew started, though words once again failed him.
"Yeah," May agreed, understanding his sentiment regardless.
They were still connected. Drew carefully pulled out of her then helped ease her to the ground. May couldn't help but look at him with some degree of fascination. He had been inside her. They'd been…
Marion's announcement rang clear over the PA: "And that brings the appeals round to a close, ladies and gentlemen! Stay tuned, for in a couple minutes, the matchups for the first battle round will be on screen!"
May and Drew froze, staring at each other wide-eyed as reality struck them. They were in the middle of a contest. They were about to be called to the stage for battles. There was no time to waste anymore.
Drew hastily pulled off his used condom and discarded it in a small pink trash can in the corner before pulling back up his boxers and pants. May searched after and located her bra and the top half to her dress to quickly reassemble her outfit.
"Don't forget this." May looked up and saw her underwear hanging precariously off one of Drew's fingers.
"T-Thanks." May snatched it from him and clumsily slid it back over her thighs. She shuddered a little when she snapped it back into place, though. She was all sticky right there, and it was an unpleasant feeling. May sorely wished she had a fresh pair she could use instead because she was not going on stage with nothing at all down under.
May looked up at Drew again, and her breath hitched in her throat. "Oh!" she exclaimed. Drew blinked as May turned and opened up her locker again to rummage through her purse. She pulled out a pack of wipes and turned back to him. "Sorry. I sort of got my lipstick all over you."
Drew blinked again, pressed his hand against his lips and pulled it back in front of him to confirm that, indeed, there were faint stains of red on his fingertips. He smirked at her just as she lifted a wipe to clean some of it off.
"Probably be suspicious if I went out like this, huh?" he said.
"P-Probably," May nervously laughed. She was glad he was joking at least. It broke some of the tension. When finished, May discarded the wipe as well.
Drew's expression grew more serious then. "We shouldn't leave at the same time," he said.
"Right," May agreed.
"I'll go first," Drew went on. "In a couple minutes, you can go out, too."
May nodded at him but said nothing. Drew ran his fingers through his hair a few times to make himself look presentable then glanced at May one last time. She smiled crookedly and leaned forward expectantly, but he left in a hurry.
May blinked. Did he miss her cue? After all that, not even a kiss? A simple peck on the lips or even the cheek would have been nice. Then again, May inwardly conceded, she had never been in a situation like this one before, and she wasn't sure what the… protocol was. Still, his sudden departure left her feeling empty in lieu of the intimacy they had just shared.
May sank to the bench on the right side of the stall. Maybe it was a good thing he left first. She needed some time to think, some time process what had just happened. Were it not for the stickiness between her thighs, she would have been tempted to believe the whole encounter was a water-starved delusion she had invented in her own grief.
Water.
Arceus, she was thirsty. Not only that, a full pain was throbbing behind her eyes. Her crying from earlier was catching up to her. May staggered to her feet again and finally headed out of her stall. She found a nearby drinking fountain and pulled the lever. The water was so cold that her teeth stung, but it provided much-needed relief to her burning throat.
May stopped and leaned against the fountain. She needed to pull herself together. The battles were about to begin. She needed to go back to the main backstage area to learn who her opponent was. The thought of going out there, surrounded by dozens of other trainers, when she'd just… when she and Drew had just… and to make matters worse, Drew would be out there, too, and they'd have to pretend nothing between them had happened at all. Would she even be able to look at him without feeling like melting into a puddle of goopy, anxious feelings? He'd seen her naked! He'd seen her—
May took in a shaky breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Pull yourself together," she told herself repeatedly. She went into this contest wanting to start a winning streak for herself. She just needed to find that resolve again.
May finally headed back out into the main backstage area. She walked stiffly, paranoid that others would be watching—that they would see right through her, that they would know what she had done.
No one gave her a second glance—except one. She saw Drew standing several feet away, his gaze locked onto her. He was still a little flushed but had mostly put himself back together. They made eye contact, and May wanted to smile, but she felt too nervous to do so—which was okay, because Drew flicked his gaze back toward the television screen, awaiting the matchups.
May let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. It was fine. Everything was fine. She could do this. She just needed to get her head back in the game.
"Okay ladies and gentlemen, the sixteen coordinators moving onto the first round of battles are on screen!"
With a small smile, May turned toward her own nearby television screen—and promptly felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach.
Oh no.
Her gaze immediately darted back across the room toward Drew. He was staring back at her with equally wide eyes. May felt her knees start to weaken. She and Drew would be the first pair to face off in battle.
