Chapter 24
"I like you, May."
Before she can register what he just said, the lights in the room are on, making both blushing adults look at the lightswitch near the hallway. There, they spot the boy with white hair curiously looking at them. "Why are you guys standing in the dark?"
May quickly pulls her arm free from Drew and rushes past him towards the hallway. "Our movie just ended." She tells Kai. Pecking his forehead, May leaves down the hall after saying, "Goodnight!"
Her actions just confuse the boy even more, but he's never questioned May's suspicious behavior in the past, so he won't do it now. He had woken up to use the bathroom, but hearing voices in the living room, he came to check and saw the two talking in the dark. Adults are weird. Nodding at Drew, Kai heads back down the hall to the bathroom.
Drew collapses on the couch while bringing a hand to cover his face and hide from his embarrassment. What the Groudon did he just say? Why did he tell her he likes her? They're supposed to be friends, even if Drew hopes for more. Groaning, he leans over with his elbows on his knees.
With his face flushed in embarrassment, Drew thinks about how he will interact with May when he sees her tomorrow. Should he pretend like nothing happened? Should he ask about her feelings? Now is not the time since she's worried about Max, but Drew had to be selfish and invoke his feelings on her, like always. He really doesn't deserve the sweet May Maple.
When Kai walks out of the bathroom, he sees the living room lights are still on. Did Drew leave them on? He enters the living room to notice the hunched over man. Kai has never seen Drew look this distressed. "What's wrong?" He asks the normally cool man, which makes Drew snap his shocked attention up.
Seeing that it's Kai, Drew relaxes. "I said something I shouldn't have."
Sighing, Kai walks over to sit next to Drew. "What was it?" Drew has been helping Kai a lot, so Kai feels obligated to help the man back.
Drew chuckles and ruffles Kai's white hair. "Adult stuff."
This makes Kai frown because he hates being treated like a child. "I'm not a kid. You can tell me."
"I doubt May tells you everything." Drew feels an ache in his chest at that name.
"She tells me most things." Kai knows May doesn't like talking about her past, especially the people in it, so he doesn't pry.
Leaning back in the couch cushions, Drew looks at Kai with amusement. "Do you have a crush?"
Kai has learned about crushes years ago before Drew came into their lives. It was when Shay had her celebrity crush on Drew, and she wouldn't stop talking about him. May and Shane had explained that a crush is liking someone romantically. Does Kai like someone romantically? He likes May, Shane, Shay, and the Enbar parents.
Shaking his head, he tells Drew, "No."
The man gives him a knowing smirk. "What about Shay?"
"She's my friend."
"You can have a crush on your friend."
While Kai appreciates Shay's friendship, he doesn't see her as anything else. He's also not too sure what it means to like someone romantically, though Shay did say it means to find someone attractive. He's only 8, so what does he know about attractiveness? "I don't."
Sighing, Drew replies, "I'm gonna go to sleep." He ruffles Kai's hair again, which makes Kai swat his hand away. "Think of what you wanna do tomorrow."
Once Drew disappears down the hall, Kai turns off the light and enters his own room. He'll have to ask Shay to describe what it means to have a crush on someone again. He didn't really listen too well years ago. But why did Drew ask about it? Does Drew think Kai has a crush on someone? Does Drew have a crush on someone? Shaking his head free of these thoughts, Kai closes his eyes to go to sleep.
May's Room
After leaving Kai and Drew, May rushed to her room where her face is the same color as her shirt. What was that just now? Had she heard correctly? Drew likes her? And they almost kissed too! Groudon, May! This is what Diana warned her about. If May becomes too involved with Drew, it will put her relationship with Kai at risk.
A young May Maple would've loved to hear Drew Hayden likes her since she shared the same feelings as him back then. However, times have changed. May's already gotten rid of those feelings because she accepts that they're friends now. Plus, with Kai and the orphanage, May really shouldn't be doing anything to jeopardize Kai's stay with her.
Groaning, May lays on her bed to look up at the ceiling. Why is Drew constantly troubling her life? Why does she keep letting him in? Why does she find him so irresistible that she's willing to risk everything for him. Everything except Kai's happiness. May will sacrifice everything for that boy she adopted into her family years ago.
Closing her eyes, she sighs. Hopefully Drew doesn't bring this up tomorrow. She'll just pretend like nothing happened tonight. Forget almost kissing him and his confession. They'll just go back to being friends, though she needs to be more careful around him. The media is still constantly following them, so May can't risk another story breaking out that will take Kai from her.
She already has Max trying to get her to leave Kai. May frowns while remembering she still has to talk to him again. When did her life get so complicated? After winning the Hoenn Top Coordinator title, she was thrown into a life of stardom that soon ended. Then she had her routine life as a Rustboro teacher. She recalls the mysterious phone call the day before her father told her about Brenden's death. That's when it started. That phone call.
And her life became more chaotic after Drew entered too. May needs to figure out why all of this is happening, and she's also never forgotten her vow to find the truth behind Brenden's death. Closing her eyes, she opts for sleep rather than the many thoughts swirling through her mind.
Drew's Room
The green haired man groans into his pillow. He needs to control himself better, but it proves difficult around May, especially when she says things like how she misses him. He's not some hormonal teenager, so he should be in control of his actions! Tomorrow is going to be a very awkward day indeed. Eventually, Drew falls asleep from the exhausting day, and he's grateful that sleep takes his mind off of his embarrassment.
The Next Day
"He's not even family!"
The angry shout makes Drew jolt out of bed. What's going on? He notices that it's mid morning. Since Drew normally doesn't sleep in this late, he attributes the late wake up due to the long day yesterday. He almost forgets about the rude wake-up call until he hears, "He's my family!"
That voice was definitely May's. What's going on? Before he can go out to check on the noise, his door opens and in walks the timid Kai. "Kai?" Drew curiously asks.
The voices outside continue to yell at each other, but all Drew notices are the boy's silent tears. Sighing, he walks over to hug him. Despite always wanting to be independent, Kai is still a child. Hearing his guardian argue with someone is definitely going to scare and upset him. The boy cries into Drew's shoulder as Drew rubs his back.
"It'll be okay."
After a couple more minutes of the two listening to the arguing outside, Drew realizes it's not going to stop soon. Maybe he and Kai should sneak out somewhere quieter? No. They can't. It's winter outside, and their coats are in the living room where the argument is happening. Drew tries his best to block Kai's ears, though the boy hears the muffled shouts.
"You need to come home, May!"
"This is my home!"
"Stop being selfish! We all know you're doing this to get attention since you stopped competing!"
Hearing enough, Drew reaches over to the nightstand where his belongings are. Releasing a pokeball, a white dog-like pokemon pops out. "Absol will take care of you. He's soft." Drew lifts Kai onto the bed where Absol cuddles up next to the crying boy.
"Don't leave me too." Kai pleads while holding onto Drew's arm.
Sighing, Drew looks into the boy's teary blue eyes. "I'm never gonna leave you, but I need to make sure May is okay." Drew then ruffles Kai's hair with his other hand. "Keep Absol company for me until I get back, okay?"
Reluctantly letting go, Kai nods. He does understand that the shouting won't stop for a while if no one intervenes. Since Kai knows the argument is about him, he's too scared to confront the person yelling at May. He's glad Drew is here.
Once Drew walks down the hall to the sound of the yelling, he spots May and a man with long black hair and glasses. This is definitely Max.
"Think about your own family, May! Mom won't stop crying!"
"This is so stupid, Max! You're never home, but you're trying to make me stay there? You're such a hypocrite!" The two siblings are in each other's faces as they're yelling furiously at each other. May really must be mad if she's forgotten that Drew and Kai are here.
Before Max can retort, Drew speaks up. "Stop it, guys." This makes the siblings turn their attention to Drew. May's eyes open wide in realization that he's here. She had forgotten Drew slept over. A dark blush flushes her cheeks at remembrance of his confession last night.
Max, though, only grows more angry from seeing Drew. The young man storms over to grab Drew's shirt collar. "So the rumors are true!"
"There was a blizzard last night!" May exclaims at her brother.
Drew has been remaining calm during this whole ordeal. He smirks at Max, which irks the Maple man. "Long time no see, Max."
"You're making my family miserable! You should've stayed out of our lives!"
"You don't get to decide what's best for me!" May pulls Max off of Drew. Standing protectively in front of her friend, she tells Max, "So go back to Hoenn and don't come back!"
Max continues to glare at Drew. "When he left, you cried all summer! You started your journey months late that year too! All because of him! And you let him back into your life? Have you gone crazy, May?"
Drew is surprised to see he had that effect on May. When he had suggested they travel separately, she seemed fine with the idea. Was she really moping that badly? Well, he didn't know because he left to train in Kalos, and he was so focused that he didn't contact her. Wow. He really was a terrible person.
"It's my choice, Max! I want Drew back in my life!"
"But not us? You're gonna take this kid and your ex-friend, but drop your whole family who has loved you unconditionally?"
"I want you guys too, Max!" May cries out in frustration. "I miss you and mom and dad every day, but I can't come back knowing you guys want me to get rid of Kai! I can't leave him!"
"He's not even related to us!" Max doesn't see his sister's logic. They have no reason to be involved with the boy. Even the orphanage is keeping a close eye on May.
"Why does that matter?" Drew pipes in calmly.
Glaring at him, Max replies, "Stay out of it."
Drew smirks and shakes his head. "Can't. You already brought me into it."
Max wants to punch Drew, but May is in the way. The younger man really doesn't like Drew for always teasing May and then for leaving her. Max and his parents had to pick up May after everything. Even though she would tell them she's fine, they all knew she wasn't. Not traveling with Drew anymore really affected her poorly, though it did make her return to the contest scene stronger.
"Your parents aren't related by blood, but they consider each other family." Drew knowingly tells the fuming man.
"They're married." Max seethes. Of course married people are family.
"Yeah, and what is marriage? A piece of paper both partners sign. Right?" When Max doesn't respond, Drew's smirk grows. "So since we all agree that your parents consider each other family because a piece of paper binds them together, then we can say May and Kai are family because she has his adoption papers."
"Bullshit!" Max snaps.
"Stop it, Max! Why can't you just support me?" May intervenes. She's grateful for Drew's comments, and they make sense, but Max isn't having any of it.
"Because you fucking abandoned us, May! You abandoned me! I miss my sister!" he exasperates, which takes May by surprise.
Seeing the confused May, Drew whispers in her ear, "He feels replaced." Fortunately, it's quiet enough for Max not to hear, though Max glares at Drew again. May blushes from his breath on her ear.
Looking at Max, she sighs. "You're my little brother, Max. I can never abandon you or mom or dad. I love all of you."
"Then please come home, May." his eyes gaze at her, and May just wants to take her little brother in a tight embrace.
She just wants to comply with his wishes because she's supposed to be the protective older sister. However, May fights this urge due to her having to protect someone else right now. "I can't, but I can visit if you're all okay with Kai."
Despite hating Drew's words, Max knows he has no argument against the man. Drew proves a good point. And Max does love May. She's his sister. They've had each other's backs since they were kids, so they should still support each other now. Sighing defeatedly, he says, "Let me talk to mom and dad."
Hearing this, May's face lights up in a tearful grin and she tackles him in a hug. A hug she hasn't had in years, which makes her cry into his shoulder. "Thanks, Max!" He finds himself doing the same.
Wanting to leave the siblings alone, Drew slips back down the hall to the guest room. When he walks inside, he sees Kai snuggled up with Absol on the bed. The boy worriedly looks up at Drew, so Drew gives him a warm smile before sitting on the side of the bed. "I think they'll be okay now."
"Am I going back to the orphanage?" That man must've won the argument if May and him are done yelling now. It terrifies Kai to know he'll have to leave everyone he loves again.
Seeing the fearful expression on Kai's face, Drew swings an arm around the boy's shoulders. "No way! You're never going back there, Kai!" He exclaims. "Like I told you, May and I will never leave you." Kai sniffles while leaning into Drew's protective side. It makes Drew see the boy in a new light. He must have a lot of abandonment issues, but Drew won't leave him. What kind of person would Drew be if he broke a promise to a troubled child?
"I wanna build a fort." Kai eventually says, making Drew laugh.
"I was just teasing when I said that."
Shaking his head, Kai speaks with more confidence. "I wanna build a fort to sleep in tonight."
Drew smiles at him and pulls him closer to Drew's side. "Okay, Kai. We'll build a huge fort."
"I want the Pokemon to help too."
"Not all the Pokemon. There's not enough space. And the bug Pokemon won't have room to fly." Drew tells him. "But we can use Munchlax, Blaziken, Glaceon, Absol, and Roserade."
"And you, me, and May?" Kai hopefully asks.
Blushing while he thinks about the brunette, Drew replies, "Yeah. Everyone. We're a tea-no-family, afterall." He had just spent the past couple minutes out in the living room proving to Max that Kai is May's family. While Drew doesn't have an official paper tying him to Kai, the man knows he will never leave May and Kai; thus, Kai is now his family.
This comment makes the boy's glossy blue eyes look up at Drew's warm emerald ones. Maybe Drew isn't so bad? Maybe Kai can let one more person into his life? Nodding shyly, the boy repeats, "We're a family."
"Am I interrupting?" the voice makes both males jolt and look in the direction of the door where they spot the brunette woman with a flushed face.
"Actually, you are." snides Drew, but Kai runs over to hug her tightly.
"Are you okay, May?"
She hugs the boy back as a warm smile appears on her lips. "Yup. I'm feeling so much better. Thank you for the hug." After Max said he'd talk to their parents, May and her brother caught up briefly. He just left saying he's going back to Hoenn, but he plans to visit again.
Returning Absol, Drew walks past the pair. He'll let them bond while he brushes his teeth and makes brunch. Plus, he's not sure how to interact with May, so he's prolonging the inevitable.
Hoenn - Petalburg City (1 Week Later)
When the purple haired teen walks through the front doors of the familiar gym, he's surprised to see the gym leader and the gym leader's wife in the lobby along with another man. The three turn their attention to the arrival, and the older couple frown. "Uh. I'm here for my badge." The boy mutters. He already got two badges, and he hopes it's enough to beat Norman this time.
While Norman wants to kick out Shane, his gym leader obligations prevent him from doing so. "We're closed today. Come back tomorrow." The man says.
Shane looks at all three adults before turning his attention to the ceiling and heaving a loud sigh. Norman is annoyed by the rude boy, but Caroline speaks. "Shane, now is not a good time."
"It seems like there's never a good time with you two." Shane mutters as he recalls Norman's and Caroline's words about Kai last time.
"Hey! Watch what you're saying!" the young man exclaims defensively. While he understands that there are arrogant trainers who can talk their mouth off about beating his father, this boy is being uncalled for by saying things about the Maple family.
Shane shakes his head in disappointment. "As a gym leader, you're supposed to be a leader to your community. How can you be a good leader when even your own daughter doesn't respect you?"
"Get. Out." Norman glares angrily at the boy.
Shane doesn't even care if Norman will never accept a challenge from him again. Shane doesn't care that it will automatically disqualify him from the Hoenn League. What Shane does care about, though, are Kai and May. Taking a few steps back towards the door, Shane scoffs at Norman. "It's a good thing May left. Now, Kai doesn't have to grow up in this toxic environment."
Before Shane can leave, the young man speaks up, "Wait." This makes the boy stop, but he doesn't turn to face them. "How do you know May?"
"Let him go, Max." Norman seethes.
"Honey, stop!" Caroline scolds her husband. Their family is already broken, so they shouldn't make it any worse. "Listen to them!" Max just came back from Johto, and he was telling his parents about May when Shane walked in.
With his intense glare still on Shane, Norman nods. He misses his daughter, and despite hating hearing that he's wrong, he's a family man. "It's late." Norman huffs out at Shane. "Stay the night." Norman then turns to walk off, leaving Caroline and the young man in the lobby.
Sighing, the young man gives Shane a thin smile. "I'm Max. May's brother. How do you know her and Kai?"