Chapter 29

"I do." grins the tearful beautiful bluenette at the altar.

Many people are surprised to see the usually stoic purple haired man in an equal state as her. He's too mesmerized by her to even notice they're in front of a crowd of people. All he cares about is her as his glossy eyes gaze into hers, and a bright smile is on his face. Yes, she somewhat got him to propose, but he can't see himself spending his life with anyone else. She's the only one who's ever been able to penetrate his cold heart.

"...til death do you part?" the officiator finishes, though Paul wasn't listening because he's only focused on Dawn.

Without breaking his gaze from her, he replies, "I do."

"You may now kiss the bride!" the officiator announces as everyone erupts into cheer and the two newlyweds share a passionate kiss.

All of the stress related to the wedding is finally worth it for Dawn since she gets to marry the man she loves. She can't wait to see what the rest of their lives has in store for them. Once they pull away for air, Dawn is beaming at her husband. "I love you, Paul."

Resting his forehead on hers, he grins back. "I love you too, Dawn." Seeing her eyes open wide at him saying her name makes him chuckle. "Don't get used to hearing that, troublesome." Before Dawn can berate him for teasing her on their special day, Paul quickly kisses her. He's found that kissing her gets her to forget his teasing. Besides, he loves kissing her. It's a win-win for him.

Later

"Are we done yet?" exasperates the raven haired man who collapses back in his seat.

After the wedding ceremony ended, everyone moved to the ballroom for the reception. Of course, there were many long speeches and traditions. When Dawn threw her bouquet, Zoey caught it. Afterwards, Dawn shared a dance with her mother since she doesn't have a father. Then Paul and Dawn had their first dance as a married couple, and Paul was grateful for the dance lessons so that he doesn't make a fool of himself.

While there are a lot of Dawn's friends, many people at the extravagant wedding are from the Sinnoh League and other top Sinnoh celebrities. With Dawn being the Sinnoh Top Coordinator and Paul being the Sinnoh Champion, their wedding is the one of the century, as the tabloids like to put it. Nevertheless, they have people handling the press while the couple enjoy their wedding with their loved ones.

Now that the wedding party is done with their dance they have been practicing the past two weeks, Ash just wants to eat. He's starving and hasn't had a chance to yet because he had to help out with the dance while food was being served to the guests. While the man is honored to be a part of his friends' wedding, he's exhausted with all the work put into it.

Hitting his head with her mallet, Misty hisses, "It's their day! Stop complaining!"

"I'm hungry!" he whines.

Despite being a part of the wedding party, Ash assumes his responsibilities are through, so he's sitting with Misty now. He had walked down the aisle with May earlier. Astrid was the flower girl, and Alex was the ring boy. The two children got lots of awes for being very adorable. The rest of the wedding party is sitting with the bride and groom at a table up front, but Ash prefers being with Misty and Astrid. Pikachu is currently perched on the table beside the little girl trying to eat her food by herself.

Rolling her eyes, Misty tells Ash, "You're always hungry. Eat so you shut up." He ignores the end of her comment as he gobbles down some food, which instantly makes him feel better.

"I'm surprised you didn't trip out there, Ashy Boy." snickers the man sitting at their table. Ash shoots him a glare, but Ash is too hungry to argue back.

Nevertheless, Leaf smacks Gary's head. "What did I say about teasing Ash during Dawn's wedding?"

Rubbing his head, Gary replies, "You said the same thing about Ash's wedding, and I still teased him."

Leaf shoots her husband a very annoyed glare, but fortunately, their son saves him. Giggling, the boy says, "You're silly daddy."

Gary gives Alex a grateful smile. "That's why your mommy married me."

"That is not why I married you." Leaf crosses her arms over her chest knowingly as the Ketchums stifle their chuckles.

"C'mon, Leafy. We're about to have 2 children together. You have to admit you love me." Gary tells her with his signature grin on his face. Sighing, Leaf decides to help Alex keep his food on his plate. She's not in the mood to argue with her former-playboy turned husband. When she doesn't respond, this just makes Gary smirk as he plants a quick peck on her cheek. "It's okay. You know I love you, babe."

Her face heats up in a light pink tint. "You're annoying."

"You once told me I'm annoyingly cute."

"I think I lost my appetite." Ash pretends to vomit and Misty nods in agreement.

"Let's dance, Ash." she mutters while dragging her husband away, leaving Pikachu on babysitting duty yet again.

The yellow mouse doesn't mind babysitting Astrid. He loves her. What he does mind, though, is having to witness Gary Oak sweet talk Leaf. "Pikaaa…" Pikachu winces and uses his tail to shield his and Astrid's views of the Oaks.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Astrid asks him.

Alex, who is sitting next to her, also worriedly eyes the mouse. "Are you okay, Pikachu?"

Sighing, Pikachu knows these children won't understand. Instead, he just nuzzles their faces, which makes them giggle. "Cha!"

With the programming now done as everyone enjoys the reception, a member of the wedding party is finally chowing down the wonderful food. Just like Ash, she hasn't had a chance to feed her large appetite. Dawn and Paul are currently still dancing and enjoying themselves.

When someone sits down beside the brunette, she doesn't look up thinking it must be Zoey or Maylene. However, he says, "Don't tell me you're just gonna eat the whole time."

That snarky tone makes her annoyedly eye her green haired friend. "The food is good."

Chuckling, Drew leans back in the seat and flicks his hair. "Did you wanna catch the bouquet?" While there were many unmarried women fighting for Dawn's bouquet, everyone knows Dawn was only aiming for her wedding party. With Maylene already being married to Reggie, then only May and Zoey were targeted for the bouquet, though Drew noticed May didn't really try to get it.

Shrugging, the brunette swallows another gulp of her food. "Shouldn't you be trying to outdrink Gary again or something?"

Drew just smirks at her avoidance of his question. "It's too early for that. We'll do it later when we try to get Paul fucked up." He winks at her. "But I wanna hear about why May Maple didn't wanna catch the bouquet."

May just rolls her eyes at his annoyance. "Zoey has a boyfriend. She's bound to be next. I'm fine having just Kai in my life."

Sighing, Drew knows she's lying. She misses her family back in Hoenn. She's lonely. Even with Kai in her life, Drew can tell May doesn't feel complete. "Stop lying to yourself, May."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"You don't know me, Drew." May now shoots him a sharp look, but Drew's gaze doesn't waver.

"I know you miss Max and your parents. I know you miss having a passion in your life." Drew's emerald orbs meet her irritated sapphire ones. "I know you missed me."

May chooses to focus on her food again as her face heats up in a dark blush. He's just so infuriating! "Did not."

Chuckling, Drew ruffles her hair, adding to her annoyance. "I heard Max say you cried over me after we stopped traveling together." May closes her eyes in an attempt to escape from this embarrassment. While she stuffs her mouth with more food to use as an excuse for not replying, Drew's gaze on her softens. Letting out a breath, he tells her, "I missed you so much too, May."

Her shocked eyes meet his warm ones where he gives her a small smile. Despite her blush getting darker, May is mesmerized with him. Drew continuously says such nice things to her, and she still isn't sure how to respond. It's not like when they would tease each other and banter back and forth. Because May knows about Drew's feelings for her, she fears she may hurt him or give him the wrong idea with her words. She's been trying to just ignore the confessions altogether, but it proves difficult when her own heart beats rapidly in his presence.

Drew has gotten used to May's silence anytime anything relating to his crush on her comes up, so he just extends a hand to the frozen woman. "Wanna dance?" Even though his own face is flushed, he won't hide from his feelings anymore. He's already promised that to himself almost a year ago. Besides, he appreciates how May hasn't pushed him away. It must mean she still wants him in her life, right?

The dazed woman reaches out to take his hand and allow him to lead her to the dancefloor for the slow song. She's missed being in his arms. She's missed dancing with him. She's missed him! To Drew's surprise, May rests her head against his chest while the two dance, which only adds to Drew's blush. "I missed you too, Drew."

She feels him tense up, but he doesn't stop dancing. Instead, he holds her closer to him. Groudon, he knows he said he'd wait for her, though Drew isn't sure if he can wait any longer. The more time they spend together, the harder it is for him to control himself. It's the reason why he spends time with her when Kai is around or the Enbars. The times she and Drew are alone, Drew tries to keep their meeting to daylight with their Pokemon around. He bites his tongue to prevent himself from confessing to her again because he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. He's enjoying her in his arms as they dance right now, so confessing will only make her go back to her table.

Back at the table with the Oaks and Astrid, the newlyweds and Ketchums make their way over. Leaf curiously looks up at her friends who she expects is trying to convince her to dance, but with her being due soon, the pregnant woman just wants to stay off of her swollen ankles. "Hey, guys!" Leaf smiles.

When everyone sits down, and Alex and Astrid head off to dance on the edge of the dancefloor, Dawn excitedly asks, "Are you guys ready?"

"Ready for what?" Ash questions. Is there another dance he's supposed to be doing? He doesn't remember practicing for two dances!

Misty rolls her eyes at her dense husband. "Our plan to lock May and Drew in a room together, dumbass."

"Hey!" Ash hurtfully replies, but Misty pecks his cheek to get him to stop pouting.

Groaning, Paul holds onto his new wife's hand tightly. "Stop being troublesome!" He warns her.

"No way, Paul! We're doing it!" Leaf grins at her fellow champion while Gary gives Paul a defeated look.

Nodding enthusiastically, Dawn tells them, "Us girls will get May into the storage room on the other side of the building. You guys get Drew!"

"Not fair. Drew is too smart." Gary whines, making Leaf nudge him.

"Fine. You guys get Drew in there first, and we'll have May meet him." Misty replies. The men really don't want to do this, but being married to these women, they all nod.

Smiling victoriously, Dawn exclaims, "Okay! Wait until May leaves, and 10 minutes later, you guys get Drew!" Dawn then grabs Misty and Leaf to drag them off as the women think of their plan.

Gary sighs and looks at the other men. "You know we gotta do it." He then motions to Paul. "Especially you since your honeymoon is on the line if you don't follow your wife's orders."

The Sinnoh champion shoots Gary a glare. "It's not an order."

Seeing Gary's smirk further irks Paul. "Sure, Paul. But I got an idea, and I know you both got nothing." Ash can only nod in defeat while Paul scowls at the auburn haired man.

Later

"Where are we going?" Drew asks Ash and Gary.

Sighing, Ash replies, "Paul wants us to get an extra table from the storage room."

"Why us? Why not one of the workers?" Drew is upset because he was enjoying his time dancing with May before the girls took her away from him. He was then minding his own business as he sat with Gary and the kids, but then Paul tasked them with finding this table in the storage room on the other side of the building. At this rate, Drew won't get much time with May at the wedding, and he was hoping they could enjoy themselves during this beautifully happy romantic event.

Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Gary grins. "C'mon, Drew. The groom asked us for a favor. We might as well do it."

"Alright. Well, let's make this quick." the green haired man mutters. He wants to return as soon as possible so he can find May again. She's all that's ever on his mind nowadays.

Gary winks at him though. "Why? Wanna dance with May again?" He teases Drew, causing the Hoenn man to blush deeply.

Ash, however, curiously looks at the two. "Why do you like dancing, Drew? It's a lot of work." Ash is grateful to be off the dancefloor for once tonight, even if he doesn't approve of Dawn's plan. Gary rolls his eyes at Ash's comment, but they're nearing their destination where they hear knocking.

"What is that?" Drew cautiously inquires about the noise.

Gary and Ash know that the women took a different route back after getting May into the storage closet, which is why the men didn't see them. Shrugging, Gary replies, "Probably a Pokemon or something."

Drew is skeptical of the answer, but since they're nearing the noise anyway, he figures he'll just investigate then. The green haired man gets ready to fight off whatever intruder dare interrupt this wedding. Once they reach the storage closet, the knocking has slowed down, though it is still there.

"Is it coming from inside?" Drew whispers hesitantly to his friends while motioning to the storage closet they're in front of.

"Bro. It's nothing." Gary groans.

Nodding, Ash tries his best to act too. "Yeah. Let's just get this table already." He puts the key into the knob, but as soon as he opens the door, Gary shoves Drew inside. Ash slams the door shut and removes the key while Drew pounds angrily on the door.

"Not funny, guys! Let me out!" he's upset that he left his Pokemon in his jacket hung up in the lobby.

Distant cackling can be heard as Gary shouts, "It's for your own good, Hayden!" Drew hears running footsteps retreating from the closet, so he furiously pounds and kicks on the door.

"They got you too, huh?"

The voice makes him freeze instantly because he forgot he heard noises from inside the closet before being locked in it. While Drew was wary of what was causing the noise, he recognizes this voice. This voice that always calms him down. This voice that brings joy to his life. This voice that he loves. His anger is instantly quelled as he turns to face the voice in the dark storage closet. There is enough space for them to sit down, but they are very close to one another, so he bumps into her.

"May?"

Chuckling, she replies, "Yup. Misty and Leaf got me."

He can't help but feel grateful to his annoying friends now, but he doesn't like their meddling. Drew Hayden doesn't need their help when it comes to his love life. He can feel May's heat radiating off her body directly in front of him, and he's not sure if that's his heart he hears or hers pounding loudly. Groudon, he just wants to see her right now.

Carefully turning to face the wall again, Drew pats around blindly. "There must be a light in here." He tells her.

May nods, even though Drew can't see it. She also now clumsily feels around in the dark for a light switch. How could she not think to look for one while she was locked in here? Drew really does have a lot of the brains between them. She quickly shakes her head of the thought. What does she mean between them? They're not anything but friends.

When she hears Drew sigh in defeat, May asks, "What's wrong?"

"I got nothing. What about you?"

"What about me?"

Drew gives her a confused look though she can't see it. "Did you find a switch?"

May is grateful for the darkness because it's hiding her deep blush. "Uh. No." She was too lost in thought about her relationship with Drew to even continue looking for the switch.

The man groans and slides down to sit on the ground where May joins him. The closet is too small for them both to cross their legs or for them to fully stretch out their legs. Therefore, May feels Drew's legs bent beside her while Drew feels hers beside him. The two are touching, which further deepens their blushes.

"They're always meddling." Drew mutters in annoyance.

"Who?" May curiously asks in her obliviousness.

"Nevermind." Drew leans against his part of the wall. The closet is getting stuffy, so Drew takes off his blazer and loosens his tie before rolling up his sleeves. "Well, we're stuck here."

May giggles, and she doesn't mind being in this closet anymore. She enjoys Drew's company, even if the conditions aren't ideal. "I wonder how Kai's doing." This is the longest she's ever been apart from the boy. Although May videochats him every day, she still misses him a lot. It helps that Drew is here, but May doesn't like being away from Kai for too long.

Drew can sense the concern in her tone, so he replies, "You call him everyday, May. You know he's fine. And we'll be back tomorrow night."

"I know, but I just hate leaving him for a long time. I don't want him to feel abandoned again." May fears her absence might give the boy other ideas. She never wants Kai to suffer again.

Sighing, Drew nods. "I miss him too." The man chuckles because he didn't see himself ever being in this situation. "What should we do for his birthday?"

May can't help but feel warm inside from hearing how much Drew cares about Kai. The two have really gotten to know each other better since they first met, and May is grateful for that. They're both very important to her, so she was worried when Kai didn't take kindly to Drew. "We always have a Pokemon tournament in the backyard."

"And a cake." Drew adds.

May giggles at her friend. "Kai likes a routine, Drew. I know he'll enjoy anything as long as us and the Enbars are there." Kai prefers quality time with those he cares about rather than the luxurious party or gifts.

"He got that from you." Drew smiles.

May pauses to give him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You always put your loved ones first. You put their happiness before your own, May. That's just who you are. That's why you like spending time with them more than anything else." He knowingly replies. It's the reason he likes her so much too. May treats him like a normal person, and she values his friendship. In this famous life, there aren't many people who genuinely care about him like her.

May blushes from the compliment. "Uh. Thanks, Drew. That's nice of you to say."

Although blushing himself, Drew flicks his hair to smirk at her. "Of course I'm nice. I'm always nice, June."

She rolls her eyes at his remark. Typical Drew Hayden to tease her whenever he wants. "You're such a grasshead."

He chuckles at her because he can picture her angry face. When May feels something soft and a sweet aroma hits her nose, Drew says, "Peace offering."

May reaches out in the dark to grab what she assumes is a rose, but her fingers brush his, causing Drew to tense up. It's not the first time their hands have touched, though this time feels different. Yes, they touched hands while dancing earlier, but this spark is very enticing. Groudon, he wishes he could look into those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

The woman's fingers also stop on his because she feels the same spark. That same curiosity and energy. That same sense of comfort from him. Drew lets go of the rose so that he can grab her hand on his. He doesn't want to let her go. Never again. "I'm sorry I left, May." He takes in a deep shaky breath. "I'm sorry I left you all alone."

She quickly shakes her head as her hand tightens its hold on his. "No way, Drew! I'm sorry I didn't reach out! I should've been a better friend!"

"I didn't reach out either!" Drew insists. He feels terrible for everything he's put her through, especially after hearing about it. He never knew he had that impact on her. "I was selfish, but I won't be anymore. You mean too much to me, May."

May swallows the lump in her throat to prevent her from asking that one question she's been too scared to ask for years now, even with his confessions. Nevertheless, she isn't sure if it's from her one glass of champagne tonight or the fact that this stuffy closet is getting hot, but she whispers, "How much do I mean to you?"

"Everything." he breathes out without hesitation. "You mean everything to me." Drew's known this for years now, especially when he was in denial of his feelings. She's all he ever wants. She's all he cares about. She's all he needs.

When he had quit traveling with her, he was a better coordinator, but he was less happy. Life was boring without her. Once he won the Johto Grand Festival, he didn't feel completely satisfied. He had finally reached the position he spent his whole youth aiming for, but he wasn't happy. Meeting her again, he realized it's because of her. She makes him the happiest. She makes him willing to lose everything for her. She means the most to him.

"Drew."

May's soft voice causes Drew to pay attention to her rather than the sweat building up on him or the pounding of his heart in his chest. He's sure she can hear him. "Hm?"

"I liked you when we were kids." She admits, causing his blush to deepen.

Groudon, he liked her too! Well, he still likes her. If he wasn't such a wuss and confessed, then they'd have been together happily. They wouldn't have gone through all of this pain and betrayal. "May-"

"I still like you, Drew." she cuts him off as she grips his soft warm and slightly sweaty hand. It really is getting hot in this closet.

When Drew squeezes her hand back, May raises her head to where she assumes his is. He has the biggest grin on his face, but she doesn't see it. "You know I like you too, May." He reminds her and intertwines their fingers. "I've always liked you."

May smiles warmly at him with her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Despite being in denial about her emotions this past year, May knows they're caused by this man. They're only ever caused by him, which must mean she still likes him, right? It's the reason she was so hurt whenever he'd be brought up, even though she also lost contact with other people who she still watched on TV. It's the reason she relies on him. It's the reason she enjoys his company the most.

"Uh. So what do we do now?" Drew awkwardly asks because he wants them to be on the same page about everything.

May looks at their intertwined hands unsure of how to respond. They could date, but that wouldn't work too well with the tabloids, especially the orphanage. They could secretly date, though how will that affect Kai? Will he feel replaced? "What about Kai?"

Sighing, Drew leans his head back against the wall. He totally forgot about Kai, and he feels terrible about it. "You're right, May. I've been selfish again. I'm sorry."

"No, Drew! You're a very selfless person!"

He shakes his head. "No. I've been imposing my feelings on you knowing how it can affect Kai."

"Drew!" May insists as she moves closer to him. Due to the darkness, she doesn't know how close she is until she feels his breath on her face, which causes her to panic and lose her balance. "Ah!"

Drew reaches out to grab her. Once the two stop moving in their fumbling, Drew realizes May's hands are on his chest and her face is directly in front of his. His hands are on her waist and shoulder. All he can focus on is the quickened nervous breathing in front of him, so he brings his hand that is on her shoulder up. He traces from her shoulder to her collar to her neck and eventually, he rests his large hand on her cheek. When Drew doesn't feel May flinch from his touch, it only makes his heart beat faster.

To his surprise, he feels something soft touch his nose as her breathing gets closer. Is May inching her face towards him? With his hand on her face moving, he knows she is, and he also finds himself getting closer to her. "I love you, May." He whispers once their lips brush.

"Shut up, Drew." May mutters because she doesn't want his words interfering with this moment a young May dreamed about. She closes the gap between them, allowing their lips to finally fully touch. Drew's lips are as soft as she always expected them to be.

The moment May's lips met his, Drew lost control of himself. He's missed her and he's always wanted her. He's always wanted this. Therefore, he pushes her lips apart with his tongue, which gets it to explore her mouth. Hearing her moan softly just makes him deepen the kiss, especially when May starts tugging off his tie.

Their hands start exploring each other in the cramped closet, and eventually, the two are standing so that they're more comfortable. Drew is leaning his back against the wall while May is pressing herself firmly against him. Her hands are busy unbuttoning his shirt while his hands are running down her sides. She really has been suppressing these desires for too long.

Once Drew finds the zipper on her dress, he starts unzipping it. Before he can fully unzip it, loud ringing makes both adults instantly jump apart as they are woken up from their lust. Drew mentally curses whatever caused the noise because he really wanted this with May. However, he is thankful too since this isn't how he sees himself with May. She doesn't deserve to have sex in a storage closet. She deserves better.

The ringing continues while the adults' blushes intensify. Thus, May opts to feel around on the floor in search of the ringing rather than standing awkwardly close to the man she was just making out with. Moreover, she recognizes the ringing as her pokenav, which she now finds. While May also left her Pokemon in her jacket in the lobby, she did keep her pokenav on her. Of course, the dense woman didn't think to call for help, especially after being locked inside with Drew.

Looking at the device, May sees Pam is calling. She'll need to thank the woman later for saving her from a risky moment with Drew. The small light on the nav illuminates enough of the storage closet for May to see Drew's anxious emerald orbs, causing her to quickly pick up the call. "Hey, Pam!"

"May…" the woman's nervous voice makes May instantly worried, and Drew now curiously looks at her. "It's Kai...His mother took him."

Honestly, we've been chilling for a while after the Brianna drama. I did that on purpose so that we can get some sole contestshipping, but now we're back with some drama! It's only gonna get worse before it gets better! I'm excited!

I've been busy with life, so I figured I'd give y'all a longer chapter this time. You all deserve it. Tune in for the drama!