Drew's Apartment
While flying back from the Enbars, Drew couldn't help but grin the whole time. Seeing May mesmerized with a rose he gave her really makes his heart flutter. He forgot what it was like to give her roses. He's missed it. Plus, he's excited to see her tomorrow. Granted, Kai will be there, but he gets to spend more time with May outside of their meetings.
Once Drew gets inside the apartment complex, he makes his way up to his apartment. Opening the door, he's surprised to see the lights on. Did he forget to turn them off? However, when he hears a "Drew!" He knows he definitely did not leave the lights on.
Being tackled in a hug and kiss, Drew closes the front door. "Hey, Brianna." What is she doing here? He had been ignoring her calls, like always, so he's not sure why she is here when Olivine City still needs help.
"I missed you so much, Drew!" The woman remains clinging onto him.
"You're supposed to be in Olivine." He knowingly tells her.
Shaking her head, Brianna replies, "You weren't picking up my calls. I was worried about you."
He pries her off of him as he takes off his boots and jacket. "The city needs you more."
"Drew." Brianna's serious voice makes Drew inwardly groan. She is only serious when asking about their relationship and his commitment. "Are you cheating on me?"
Drew looks to see her crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not a cheater."
"Then what's this!" she throws a paper at him.
Picking it up, Drew sees it is a picture of when he put his coat around May last week. "Are you spying on me?"
"You won't call me. I like knowing what you're doing." She innocently says to the angry man.
"Leave me alone!"
"You're dating me, Drew!"
"Then let's break up!"
She's taken aback by his outburst because Drew has never mentioned breaking up before. Glaring at him, she says, "I won't let you."
"I'm breaking up with you, Brianna." seethes the man again.
"For May Maple? She has a kid!" Brianna remembers the Hoenn coordinator who always seems to have Drew's attention. Why won't Drew look at Brianna though? She's been with him for so long, and he doesn't ever show his affection in private. They're just a show for the world.
"He's not her kid!" Drew had learned that May and Kai are living together, but he doesn't know their relationship nor has he asked about it.
"If you break up with me, I will make sure that kid goes back to the orphanage!" threatens the woman.
"You can't do that!" All of Brianna's money is Drew's anyway. She has no power once he breaks up with her.
"All it takes is a scandal with her involved, and the orphanage will deem her unfit to raise that kid."
Glaring at her, Drew rips up the photo. "Leave May out of this."
Brianna shrugs nonchalantly. "Come back to Olivine with me. The city needs more help than this island, and the contest committee already has May's help. They don't need yours."
Furrowing his brows, Drew knows she's beaten him. Groudon, why did he date her? He should've just let the press talk bad about him years ago because now he's suffering. "I'll meet you there on Sunday." He tells her. "I'll pack up tomorrow."
Smiling gleefully as she pecks his cheek, Brianna says, "I knew you'd make the right choice. I always know what's best for you."
He opens his door. "Leave."
She frowns at him now. "Why? It's late and cold and I miss you."
With his intense glare still on her, Drew tells her, "I want to be alone, Brianna. I'll see you in Olivine City on Sunday."
She throws her hands up in defeat as she grabs her coat. "Fine, Drew! If you're not there, I'll release these photos to the press." The woman then walks out, leaving Drew to angrily slam the door behind her.
The Next Day
"Hey, Drew!" May tries to smile normally at the man at her front door.
Extending a rose to her, Drew smirks. "'Sup, June." With the rose now in her hand, May chooses to ignore his teasing. Once Drew is inside the house, he looks around. "Where's Kai?"
"Skiing with the Enbars." replies the woman who places the rose in a small clear vase on the dining room table.
Drew notices the other rose from last night in it too, which makes his blush. He then realizes they're all alone since Kai is gone. With his blush even more intense, Drew mentally curses himself about his conversation with Brianna last night. He had made sure to check that he wasn't being followed today, but if Drew is going to be tied down to Brianna for the rest of his life, then he at least deserves this day with May. It must be fate that she happens to be alone because Kai is gone.
"So what are we doing today?" He asks while following her to the couch.
May had been questioning this all last night and today. Shifting nervously, she avoids his gaze. "What do you wanna do?"
"You're the one who invited me." His smirk grows as he watches her shift some more. Teasing May is just so much fun.
"But you must have something you wanna do." she insists, which just makes him chuckle.
Standing up, Drew extends a hand to her. "Wanna see some of my contest moves I've been working on?"
Her nervous blue eyes now meet his soft green ones. May hasn't worked on contest moves in a long time. She just uses her usual ones when demonstrating to her classes, but she's never created new ones in years. She's since lost the passion for coordinating, though a spark feels ignited in her now. Is it because Drew reminds her of her youthful dreams?
Taking his hand, May smiles warmly at him. "I miss your Pokemon."
The two walk out the back door, and Drew throws out his pokeballs. "We've missed you too."
Despite blushing from his comment, May happily greets Drew's Pokemon while hers greet him. Beautifly and Masquerain are very happy to see each other again. This week, Drew and May have been allowing their Pokemon to hang out when they're in the meetings. They know their Pokemon have missed each other.
Once everyone has been greeted, Drew shows off a few contest moves to May. "This one, I'm not satisfied with." He tells the brunette as Butterfree and Roserade show a move.
With her finger on her chin, May replies, "You're missing something."
"Duh. That's why I'm not satisfied." He knowingly replies, but she ignores his snide comment.
"How about you have Butterfree fly in a circle above Roserade? Then his Stun Spore will look like a curtain around her rather than a small spot falling on top of her." Suggests the woman.
Nodding at her idea, Drew has his Pokemon practice again, and he likes May's critique. Drew never trains around Brianna, but sometimes she'll find him. She doesn't ever give him advice because she's too in love with him to critique him. He knows he's not perfect, so he appreciates any constructive criticism. When he'd travel with May, the two were constantly critiquing each other's tactics.
"I like it!" grins the man as he extends a hand up towards May.
High fiving it, she exclaims, "Me too!"
"I'm gonna give my Pokemon a break now." Drew says and sits down beside May. "Can you show me something you haven't used before?"
The two have been outside for over an hour now, but it's not time for lunch yet. May looks away to the snow by her feet. "I haven't made anything new." She admits quietly.
Curiously looking at her, he asks, "Well, I haven't seen anything in 7 years since you were last on TV. You can show me something you made 6 years ago. It doesn't have to be new as in this year."
She shakes her head while replying in an even weaker voice than before, "I quit contests, Drew."
"Why?"
Closing her eyes, May has dreaded this question. Solidad and Harley had asked her the same thing years ago too, though they are still hopeful she'll return to the scene some day. Nevertheless, the one person she feared telling this to is right beside her. Drew was there when she first started doing contests. He helped her become successful, and she loved competing against him as his rival. How can she tell him that she just quit? How can she explain it to him?
"It wasn't fun anymore." is all she manages to say. Her eyes are still closed because she fears what he's going to say next. Will he ask why? Will he try to persuade her to go back like Harley and Solidad do? Will he judge her for giving up?
Instead, he sighs and leans back on the bench while looking up at the sky. "I feel the same way." This causes her to snap her attention to him where she sees his sad face from the side. "Being a Top Coordinator is cool and all, but I have so much to do. It's not all about contests and Pokemon anymore." She nods because she was once a Top Coordinator too, so she understands what he's saying. "I miss the fun I used to have when traveling." Drew turns his gaze to May where green meets blue. "Traveling with you." He softly says. "Everything was more fun with you, May."
With a deep blush on her cheeks, May feels herself inching towards this man she's missed. She's glad her heart let him back in her life because Drew Hayden is a good friend. He's missed her as much as she's missed him. She's grateful for his persistence. "Same, Drew." she whispers as they're mere millimeters apart. "I always have fun with you."
May closes her eyes while preparing for the kiss she's dreamed of as a kid. Her heart beats more rapidly with each passing second, but the kiss never comes. Instead, she feels something hit her coat. Opening her eyes, May looks down to see falling snow, like someone had thrown snow at her. She lifts her head to spot the green haired man with a snowball in his hand a few feet away from her.
"Got ya!" he laughs.
Despite being disappointed and embarrassed from not being kissed by him, May glares at him. If he wants to have a snowball fight, she won't lose. Picking up snow by her feet, she starts throwing it at Drew. Soon, the two are running around in the small yard as their Pokemon watch them. Eventually, Drew tackles May to the ground, so the two are wrestling in the snow.
"Okay! You win!" exclaims the tired brunette who throws her hands up in defeat.
Smiling victoriously, Drew lays down on the ground beside her where the two start trying to make snow angels in the snow they already trampled all over. When he realized he was going to kiss May, Drew quickly backed away. He's currently in a relationship, so he can't compromise anything right now. Even though he's sure he wasn't followed, he isn't a cheater. Yes, May Maple is his childhood crush who he's missed, but Drew can't risk anything right now. Therefore, he opted for a snowball fight.
Once the two catch their breath, May stands up to extend a hand to him. With a blush tinting his cheeks, Drew takes the hand. "I'll think of something and show you next time." She tells him while referring to the new contest move he asked about earlier.
"I look forward to it." He smiles, and the two walk inside from the cold with their Pokemon back in their pokeballs. Drew and May let Masquerain and Beautifly roam around the small house though.
"Make yourself at home. I'll prepare lunch." offers the woman.
Hanging up his coat, Drew walks over to the kitchen with her. "Nope. I'm helping."
"You're the guest."
"We've had this conversation before." he smirks and washes his hands before her. Grabbing the cutting board and knife, Drew says, "So what are we making?"
The rest of the day involves them eating and watching a movie. They had chosen an action movie, which May really got into. Drew couldn't help but smile at the carefree woman who gets really invested into everything she does. It's also why he likes hanging out with her. May's character is unique and she's always treated him like an equal.
After the movie, the two spent the time before dinner catching up. They share their journeys the years after they parted ways. They share their Top Coordinator experiences as well as winning those grand festivals. Drew tells her about his life after winning, but he doesn't bring up Brianna. May tells Drew about how she was a teacher in Rustboro before coming to Johto.
"Why'd you move here?" he asks. It was the middle of the school year when she moved, and he knows teachers have contracts to stay year round.
Sighing, May looks at her mug of hot chocolate between her hands. The two are currently drinking hot chocolate at the kitchen table. "Kai needed a fresh start."
Drew had forgotten about Kai because he rarely speaks to the boy. Kai is always so quiet, that Drew doesn't notice him. With him gone today, Drew totally forgot the boy existed and is living with May. "Why are you and Kai together?" It's a question he's been curious about since finding out the boy lives with her.
"He needs someone to raise him." Before Drew can ask more questions, May quickly adds, "I don't like talking about it." It's still too painful for her to talk about Brenden and his death, although she does talk to Kai occasionally about his father.
Despite his curiosity, Drew bites his tongue. He doesn't want to make May uncomfortable, and he's already on her good side. She's already letting him into her life, which he's fought so hard to be a part of. "Sorry, May."
She smiles warmly at him though. "It's okay, Drew." May takes a sip from her mug. "So tell me why Brianna?" She knows he's in a long relationship, but Drew hasn't brought up his girlfriend even once today.
Groaning, the man rests his forehead on the table because Brianna is the reason all of this is ending today. She's the reason he's so unhappy right now. "I messed up one night." he mutters.
"How?"
Drew doesn't want to think about his girlfriend, so he says, "I don't wanna talk about her, okay, May?"
Nodding because she just said the same thing to Drew about Kai, May agrees. "Okay, Drew."
He raises his head to look at her apologetic blue eyes. "I don't like her."
Although May wants to ask him why he's with her then, she won't. She already said she wouldn't question him about her anymore. However, he does keep telling her that he doesn't like Brianna. Why won't he just break up with Brianna then? May bites her bottom lip to prevent it from opening and asking one of her many questions.
Nevertheless, Drew can read her curiosity through her eyes. It's like when they were traveling together and were so in sync that they knew what the other was thinking without saying much. "I can't break up with her right now, but I'll find a way."
Letting out a breath, May opts to change the topic. "Should we call Solidad and Harley?" She suggests with a nervous smile. "They can finally stop bothering us about seeing each other."
Chuckling, Drew walks over to the videophone. This is his last meeting with May if he can't escape Brianna, so he may as well cross off a lot of things from his long list of neglected friends. "Let's surprise them." He holds the phone towards May who sits down at the seat in front of the screen.
"I like that idea." giggles the girl. She dials Solidad's number, which she rarely ever does. It's usually people who contact May because she's been too sad to call anyone. They just remind her of her fun past, which pains her. Even though having Kai has brought some light into her life, May still feels like she's missing a lot.
When Solidad picks up, she curiously looks at May. "What's up?" May never calls, so the older woman is worried.
Smiling, May says, "Just wanted to call you. Where's Harley?"
"He took Jada out for a stroll. Harley loves walking around with the baby in the stroller, which Solidad welcomes because it gives her time to relax alone.
"Aw. Well, tell him he missed his friends."
"Friends?" Solidad asks in confusion. "Where's Kai?"
"He's skiing with his friend and her family." May informs the woman. "But I have someone else here instead."
Solidad is even more confused because she doesn't know anyone else who May would be with. Why is May calling? "Who?" When the green haired man pops up, Solidad's jaw drops. "What?"
"Hey, Solidad!" he grins at her.
Her eyes shift between the two as her mouth remains open in shock. "What? How?"
"We're working on the Cianwood contest hall together." May answers the flustered woman.
"We wanted to give you a call, so you know we're okay." Drew smirks at the woman who has managed to close her mouth again.
Last she heard, Drew is in a relationship with Brianna. The jealous woman drove her and Drew apart, so Solidad is confused as to why May and Drew are home alone. May did say Kai isn't there. "How?"
"We're friends again." Drew tells her. "I'll be your friend again soon too." He has missed Solidad because she was a great mentor to him. He views her as an older sister.
Letting out a breath, Solidad now smiles at them. "I'm glad you two are having fun. I miss seeing you together."
The young adults blush slightly from this, though they do agree with her. "Tell Harley and Jada we say hi!" May excitedly says.
Chuckling, Solidad nods. "I will. He's gonna be so mad he missed this call. He might not believe me."
"It's okay! We'll call again next time." May reassures the woman, which makes Drew fight the urge to frown. There won't be a next time anytime soon.
Once they bid farewell to Solidad and hang up the phone, Drew sits back at the kitchen table. He's missed his friends. He's missed everyone, but he's been stuck with the one person who makes his life miserable. Talking with Solidad just now reminds Drew of his old traveling and contest days. He's missed it.
"I'll let you know the next time they visit." May smiles and sits across from him.
Looking over at her to give her a warm smile, Drew replies, "I'd like that."