"When you said that it was a beautiful day and that we should go out, I imagined that we would take a walk in the park or something," Drew said slowly, almost in a drawl. His head was rested against the wall behind him, his arms folded, and eyes shut. "I didn't think that I would spend almost half the day following you comb through the racks and watch you change into every single one."

Well, to say half the day had been an exaggeration. But he had been sitting on the chair in front of the changing room for at least an hour now, fiddling with his phone and glancing up every now and then to watch May emerge from the changing room and show off the different dresses, skirts and even swimwear.

"Well, I guess that's where you're wrong!" May chimed back from inside the changing room, a magenta curtain separating the two. She was shuffling around, chucking clothes into the air as she changed. She could hear him groan and couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Maybe after I'm done, we could go shop for you, Mr 'Aqua Pants'!"

"Not this again," Drew replied, his voice almost sound offended. "I've already stopped wearing those trousers."

"You outgrew them. There's a difference," she corrected him, earning another groan from him. "I bet you would still be walking around in them if they still fit you."

He rolled his eyes. "I liked my trousers. They were comfortable, and they served me well throughout my journey. Nothing wrong with that."

"Oh Drew. Even Harley got bored of his Cacturne costume and wore decent clothes after the Johto Grand Festival. You were still strutting about in those aqua pants for another three years after that," she teased him further.

He sat upright, clearly offended this time. "Don't compare me to him," he scoffed."Tell me. Would you rather be seen in my aqua pants or in that silly costume of Harley's?"

She paused, thinking hard about his question. She gave a soft chuckle and shrugged. "Your aqua pants I guess." She could almost hear him smirk – inevitable, as May knew she was obviously feeding into his ego. "So, why don't we shop for you after this?"

"I don't need new clothes."

"Well, there's no harm in looking, right?" She took one last look in the mirror and pulled away the curtain dramatically. "Okay, what do you think of this?"

She pranced slowly out of the changing room and did a little twirl, turning to look at him. She had on a mauve, décolleté sundress that cut nicely around her collarbone in a low, heart neckline, showing her cleavage slightly. Like coruscating diamonds, the exquisite earrings clung to her ear, glistening in the dim, fluorescent lighting, complementing the dress perfectly.

Drew blinked, a blush seared through his cheeks. He couldn't deny that she looked pretty.

He cleared his throat. "It-It's nice…"

"What do you mean nice? Drew, I've gone through several different outfits already. And every single one of them you barely gave an opinion about it!" May blurted out, pursing her lips.

He chuckled. And he couldn't deny that she looked adorable when she sulked like that.

"Buy it."

"Drew…"

He stood up and walked over to her. He cupped her cheeks gently, lifting her head upwards to meet her eyes. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"You look beautiful in it," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers, "buy it. No actually, buy every single one you picked." He kissed her forehead softly. He didn't mind or care what she wore. Whether it was a summer dress, an old sweater or a pink pyjama, she still looked beautiful in his eyes.

The corners of her mouth lift up into a smile that slowly widened into a grin. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. She turned into the changing room and the curtain slid shut again. Minutes later, she stepped out, arms loaded with a mountain of clothes she'd chosen. At one glance, passers-by would've thought that she had wiped out an entire rack. Possibly the whole store.

They walked over to the counter to pay for all the items. As the clerk was scanning them, she kept sending Drew flirtatious winks and looks, which did not go unnoticed by May as she shamelessly watched her flirt with her husband.

"You're Drew Hayden aren't you?" the clerk cooed, "you're such an amazing Pokémon coordinator. I adore you so much!"

His answer was short, but firm.

"Thanks."

But she didn't seem to get the hint.

"Are you back in LaRousse for good? Does that mean I get to see you more often?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see May shooting the nastiest glare she could muster at the clerk. He smirked slightly. He had never seen her so worked up like that for so long, not since the time they first met back in Slateport City when he had made fun of her coordinating skills.

"I'm happy to be close to my hometown…" He flicked his hair to the side and smirked at the clerk behind the register. He wrapped his arm around May's waist and pulled her closer. "with my lovely wife over here. I'm sure you know her. She's a top coordinator too."

There was a look of mild shock on the clerk's face and her cheeks flushed pink. She gave a nervous laughter, handing over the paper bags to them across the counter. "Oh, right! That's wonderful. Well… I hope to see you both again."

May shot her one last glare as they exited the store.

"I don't think I'm ever stepping foot in that store again."

Drew sniggered. "Why? Didn't you like the clothes there?"

She scowled at him, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance. "Don't you see these two huge paper bags I'm carrying? But I'm sure that's nothing compared to what I saw."

Drew stopped walking and promptly held her hand, a faint smile crept on his face. "May, have I told you that jealousy looks good on you?"

"Who said I was jealous?"

He chuckled. "You look cute when you're all mad like this. Come on. You hungry?"

"Do you seriously have to ask me that, Drew?"

He shook his head and laughed. He had been holding it in since they were paying for her clothes. He should have known. It still surprises him that the girl's appetite is probably thrice of his. And that the mention of food had changed her mood completely.

"So," the brunette continued, tightening her grip on the paper bags, "what is good to eat here in LaRousse?"

"Well, there's this restaurant up ahead that's famous for its ramen. I used to always dine there."

Her eyes lit up instantly at the sound of that. She pulled his hand harder. "Really? So, what are we waiting for?"

Just as she was about to drag him towards the restaurant, a tall man with messy, green hair and sharp, piercing eyes appeared in front of them, a blonde woman tucked under his arm.

"Andrew," the man spoke, smiling a little.

Drew flinched as he heard the name. He instantly narrowed his eyes at the sight of them, pressing his lips firmly together.

"Dad. Mom," he said through gritted teeth.

The man shifted his eyes on May. "May. So lovely to see you," he greeted, extending his hand forward.

May forced a smile, bowing her head a little. "Mr and Mrs Hayden. Nice to see you too." Her eyes fixated at his hand in front of her and gulped. Her stomach knotted up, a small sigh of anxiety leaped out of her mouth. With hands clasped tightly behind her back, she constantly fiddled with her knuckles, weaving her fingers in and out of each other. She was clearly not prepared to face his parents again.

He extended his hand further. "Please. Call me Tobias. You're practically my daughter now. And you know my wife, Diana."

May nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek. She stared at his hand one more time. She was about to bring her hand forward and shake his hand when Drew pushed it down gently, but abruptly.

"What do you two want?" Drew snapped, standing in front of May and folded his arms across his chest. She glanced over at his face, fires of fury and hatred still smouldering underneath his stony expression. Fear found her. It spoke to her in its cackling voice. It told her legs to go weak, her stomach to lurch and her heart to ache.

Tobias let out a soft laugh, lowering his hand back to his side. "Andrew, can't we all be civil for once?"

"You? Civil? Please," Drew scoffed. The way his eyes squinted when he glared at his father was like a pit viper's slit-like pupils – a burning animosity was developing in his emerald orbs. "What do you want?"

"Andrew, don't take that tone with your father," Diana chastised.

"It's alright, dear," Tobias said, giving his wife a faint smile. He turned to face his son again. "Your mother and I just came back from a business lunch and we just happened to bump into you two. Can't we steal a few minutes of your time to just say hello and see how things are with the two of you?"

"Business lunch, huh? What's new?" Drew retorted. He ran his hand through his hair in quick succession and fixed his father in a stare that could have frozen the Pacific. "It's been nothing but business, business and more business with you two. Not once have you ever cared about me." Drew's voice was loud now.

"What are you talking about? Of course we care about you. You're our son!" Tobias protested, appalled.

"Oh really?" Drew scoffed. "When I was five, you two were hardly around at home. I would wake up everyday in our mansion, only to find that I'm all by myself. I would run up to Lucas, our butler, and ask where you two were, only to find that you two were away on yet another business trip."

At this point, his knuckles were white from clenching his fists too hard. His face was red with suppressed rage.

"I felt so abandoned. You two never cared about me at all. Not even a phone call to ask how I was," he continued, his voice was shaky. "And then, you came back after years, only to force me into taking over your beloved company. You forbid me to associate with any Pokémon, telling me that they were nothing but a distraction and completely worthless."

There was something in the way he spoke, a pain behind it. May watched closely, biting the inside of her cheek anxiously. She watched Drew's eyes. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered soldier randomly throwing out grenades, scared for his life – lonely and desperate. She breathed in real slow. Drew needed to calm down. Wouldn't the shield clatter to the ground and let the pain tumble out?

Blood was bound to be spilled. Feelings will get hurt.

"Drew…" She placed her hand on his shoulder gently. He winced at her touch.

"Andrew, we were only doing what's best for you. You know that," Diana interjected. "The family business is important to your father and I. We had no choice but to leave you at home and go on those business trips. But we never forgot about you. We still thought about you every single day."

"What's best for me? You're only doing it for yourselves." Drew laughed coldly. "You have a funny way of showing that you cared about me. I spent a lot of time playing by myself at our rose garden. I didn't want to be alone in that huge, empty house. I had no one. I spent so much time in the garden that I befriended a Budew, only to have you threaten to take her away from me. That Budew was my only friend. I didn't feel so lonely and abandoned after I met her. Yet, you still decided to rip apart that last shred of happiness from me. I couldn't let that happen, and that's why I ran away."

He paused, deliberately breathing slowly. He shook his head and stared at the ground, eyes dripping with tears. Tears of anger. Tears of pain.

The shield was broken.

"Drew, maybe we should go…" May muttered under her breath.

He looked up instantly at the sound of her voice, shooting his parents an icy stare again.

"And I thought that after all the years I left home, things might actually be different. I thought that you two would have changed. I was wrong," he snarled more than he spoke now. His eyes were holding total anger. The argument was getting colder by the minute. Every word over pronounced, slicing rather than tumbling through the dry air. "I never regretted my decision to leave home. I finally could do something I wanted and surround myself with people who actually cared about me. And if you're still mad at me for refusing to take over the business, take it out on me. Don't blame it on May. If anything, she has been my rock. She always has."

"Look, Andrew…"

"Enough. I don't want to hear anymore of your excuses. Stay out of my life. Our life," Drew said curtly. He sent them a warning glare and stormed away, hands balled into fists. May and his parents watched him go in a slightly fearful silence.

May let out an understated sigh, turning to leave and follow after him.

"May," Tobias called out to her, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I apologise for everything. I know that Diana and I have said some hurtful things to you the last time we met."

May peered at them over her shoulders. "I appreciate it. But, it's not me you should be apologising to. I have to go. I'm sure he needs me right now."

"Could we just have a few minutes? It won't take long. I promise, it'll be a civil. Please."

Drew was overlooking a dark blue lake when May approached and stood beside him. The lake mirrored the sky above, both of them a shimmering blue. Drew closed his eyes. The breeze that ran unchecked over the rippled surface blew his bangs from his eyes and brought colour to his usually pale cheeks. He hurled a rock into the water, ruining the placid surface and sent ripples to subside in the deeper water.

She slowly sat down beside him, legs outstretched on the warm and sun-scorched grass. The silence gnawed at her insides. It stretched thinner and thinner, like a balloon blown big, until the temptation to rupture it was too great to resist.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't something you should've seen," he finally spoke. His voice carried no warmth and gentleness that May was used to hearing from him. Stiffening, she slowly turned to face him. His gaze was still focused beyond the lake, his face was like a blank sheet of paper. There was no anger, no sadness, no joy or resentment.

"Are you okay?" she asked him softly.

He shut his eyes again, taking a deep breath. "I will be."

She smiled faintly. With her newly regained confidence, she rested her hand on top of his, allowing her fingers to bury deep into his. The silence continued, this time however, it was comfortable. It was peaceful in a way where you could feel right at home.

"May?"

"Yeah?"

"May, I…" He shook his head, as if to forget what he originally wanted to say. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I spent years trying to forget about it, trying to avoid it. That was the first time I completely lost it. They just… they never once cared about me."

"Drew," she whispered, bringing her other hand to his chin and lifted it. His eyes slowly opened, and they finally met hers. A myriad of emotions was seen in those emerald orbs, but the one that stood out the most was pain.

Emotional pain.

He was trying hard to hide it but failed.

"We don't have to talk about it," she smiled at him. "But, just know that you've become the person you are today because of what happened. A bold and strong person. And that's the same person who I fell in love with."

His eyes grew soft, a small smile crossed his lips. He slowly brought his hand to her face and cupped her cheeks. He pulled her closer and kissed her, lips moulding to fit hers. The kiss obliterated every thought. His mind was locked into the present. The worries of the day evaporated like a summer shower onto a hot car. They pulled away moments later, their breaths mingling. "May" he whispered slowly, "you have always been my rock."

At that, she smiled, her heart fluttering at his voice as she clasped her hands on either side of his face. She brushed a finger along his face. His cheek. His lips. His jawline.

"May?"

"Yeah?"

"When we finally have our own family, I promise I won't be anything like my parents," he told her.

"About that…" she said, holding back a grin.

As if on cue, there was a sound of a beep from inside his pocket. He arched his eyebrows at her, fishing out his phone and looked at the screen.

Drew's face washed blank with confusion, like his brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information. Every muscle of his body just froze, and he blinked. A grin crept onto her face as she watched him, that soon stretched from one side to the other showing every single tooth.

It was a push notification.

'You're 5 weeks pregnant today! Your baby is the size of a sweet pea!'

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I had originally planned on revealing the pregnancy in a different way, but I think this was cute too. Oh, and just to put it out there, Drew's backstory and childhood is completely not real and was never mentioned in the anime, as well as his parents' name. Also, I'm planning to write a prequel to this story. Basically, from when Drew and May confessed their feelings for each other to the proposal. So, let me know if you guys want me to write that!

With that, stay tuned for the next chapter. And as always, reviews are appreciated!