A fire crackled behind glass in the middle of the lobby. May sat curled into an armchair, watching the flames lick at logs, trying to decide if said logs were real or not. Not the most interesting line of thought, but it was easier than wondering how long it would be before Drew came downstairs to join her. It had been at least twenty minutes, and part of her was wondering if maybe it would be wisest to go and check on him.

Once again, she smothered the impulse. She had said she would wait for him downstairs. Would it help anything if she bothered him before he was ready to talk to her? With her luck, they'd just fight again.

Luck. She wished that she had her charm on her, but it was in her bag, which was in her room, which was where Drew was. Besides, if he came down and saw her rubbing it for comfort, that would only bring more trouble. He'd already seen the wishmaker, and that was something she kept mostly to remember meeting Jirachi. Drew didn't know about the half-ribbon, her actual lucky charm. Hopefully, he'd never know about it. Given their argument the other day, she couldn't imagine treasuring a half-won contest would go over much better.

May sighed, swinging her legs over the side of the armchair. This was the sort of problem where not having the group around her made a big difference. Sure, Ash wouldn't know his way out of an interpersonal conflict if it bit him, but Brock was a different story. Not for the first time, she glanced at a row of polished video phones. She didn't get up. Drew could be back at any time, could overhear something and get the wrong idea. Well, that, and the fact that she had no idea where her friends might even be at the moment. It had been quite some time since she had been in Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup, and she knew full well that any group Ash was in could be halfway across the region in either direction.

Still, the phones were inviting for other reasons. There was still her mother, but that idea soured quickly. May got enough teasing about lovers' quarrels from Harley; she didn't need it from her mother. Max was, well, same problem as Ash, really; she had lost contact with him after his second badge. Solidad was an idea, but that seemed risky, too. Harley was her partner, so who knew what he might hear? And there was that brother of hers, too. She would have settled for talking it out with her team, maybe even relished it, but, again, they were out of reach, still in her bag upstairs with Drew.

No, May would have to go it alone. Very alone, she thought wryly, glancing at the elevator again. Drew was still nowhere to be seen. She glanced at the clock; thirty minutes had passed. Concern was starting to gnaw at her. Surely it shouldn't have taken him that long to calm down, right? Almost without thinking about it, her legs swung back towards the ground. Now she was worried, not for herself, but for him.

Five more minutes passed. That was enough for May. She stood abruptly and marched to the elevator, shoulders squared. She was almost surprised when the doors slid back to reveal an empty elevator; part of her had been convinced Drew would be there, ready to talk. She hesitated, then stepped inside and punched the button for their floor. No point in running away.

As the elevator rose, she mentally rehearsed what she would say to him. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Partners gotta look out for each other, right? Does that sound stupid? Hm. Where've you been, I'm starving, dude! Well, come to think of it, I am a touch hungry...

The elevator slid open, cutting across May's train of thought. It'd have to do. She strode across the hall to her room, slid the keycard into the door, and pushed it open.

There was Drew, lying perfectly still on the bed. May froze, but he didn't react. Before she could worry that something serious might have happened, a gentle snore told her he was simply asleep. May frowned, nonplussed, but then she remembered how exhausted Drew had looked when he'd dropped by to talk. And he never did say what we needed to talk about, she remembered. And that would be because I picked a fight.

She paused, wondered if she was being too hard on herself. Drew had been pushy too, and she hadn't been wrong, the way he'd made her living arrangements had been presumptuous. She had every right to be upfront about that. Still, they'd fought, and now here he was, asleep on her bed.

May realized she was still standing in the open doorway. Her first impulse was to close the door and retreat back downstairs. Indeed, she was about to do just that, but then her stomach growled. If she left him there, who knew how long he'd sleep? But maybe he needs it. But I'm hungry. May bounced the two questions back and forth as she stood there, the door growing heavy against her arm. At last, she decided on a compromise and carefully closed the door, leaving her alone with her sleeping partner. She stepped quietly over to the bed, meaning to gather her things and retreat back to the lobby. At least that way, I can buy food if he's gone night-night.

As she edged around to the other side of the bed where she had carelessly tossed her pack, her shadow crossed over Drew's face. He shifted, and May froze again. Too late; Drew's eyes slowly opened, focusing vaguely on the wall.

May did her best to busy herself with her pack. Act natural, don't freak him out. I was just in here for my things, no lie about that. She kept her face averted from him, brushing imaginary dust off her pack, but she knew he was moving around, would turn and see-

"I- how long have you been there?"

Blushing, she turned to face him. Drew was still wiping sleep out of his eyes and looking disoriented, not angry. "I just got here. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's... What time is it?" Drew rolled over to check the digital alarm clock. "Okay, not too bad, I guess." His foot touched May's pack, and he flinched. "Sorry."

"You're fine."

"Still."

"Nah, it's..."

"...yeah, I guess."

The silence sat heavily. May was trying to figure out how to tactfully leave the room. Drew was still sitting on her bed, looking a bit dazed. The left side of his hair, she noticed absently, was all flattened from sleeping on it, with bits standing out due to static electricity. He needed a comb. Not that she was going to tell him that.

Drew cleared his throat, and May's eyes snapped to his face. He seemed calmer than before. "Hey, May."

"Yeah?"

"I need to..." He swallowed. "I need to apologize."

"You already did." May regretted saying it almost instantly; she hadn't noticed Drew's face reddening, but it darkened a shade at her words.

"That doesn't count, and you know it."

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, don't you go apologizing," Drew interrupted. "You were right. You were right, and I messed up, I should have asked you. And, May?"

"Yeah?"

He was making steady eye contact with her. "I am sorry. You deserve better from your partner."

May couldn't help but smile. "It's water under the bridge, Drew." She could see the tension melt from his shoulders. "Did your nap help?" she asked, hoping to sound sincere rather than teasing.

It worked. "It did, actually," Drew said with a laugh. "I haven't been sleeping well lately. Probably just the contest stress. Which reminds me." He stood up and stretched, rolling his neck until it cracked. "I came in here to talk to you."

"That sounds good, but-" May was cut off by the sound of her own stomach gurgling.

Drew raised an eyebrow, but he was smiling. "But maybe we should eat first," he finished, turning towards the door. "My treat, come on."

"Oh, no you don't."

Drew paused, turning back to her and looking puzzled. "Why not?"

May sighed. "Look, I mean, maybe, but I guess I'd just..." She trailed off, wanting to phrase it just right. Drew waited, still looking confused. "Well, it's just that, I feel like you're making all the decisions here."

"Is this about the room again? If you really want to stay in the Pokemon Center, we can still check out-"

"No, Drew, it's not that," May interrupted, frowning slightly. "It's the part where you don't ask me first."

Drew frowned too. "But if you're fine with this, then why does it matter?"

May shook her head. "Like, it's more that you think you're always right."

"But I wasn't wrong here!" Drew's voice was getting louder, though he still looked more confused than angry.

May's frown deepened. "Please, I don't want another fight."

"Me either," Drew said frankly. "Look, how about we sit down and talk this out?"

May paused, then nodded. "Yeah, okay." Drew promptly sat down at the edge of the bed nearest the door. May snorted-she was on the other side of the mattress-but she swept her legs across and joined him, sitting closer than acquaintances, perhaps with the closeness of partners. Drew smiled, the first real smile she'd seen on his face in some time. She couldn't help but smile back.

"I think I'm getting it," he said, startling her.

"Are you?"

"Well, look. I asked if we should talk it out and didn't do anything until you said yes, right?"

"Right."

Drew leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "So, you're not upset that I suggest things. You just want me to ask you before doing them."

"I mean, kind of." Something still felt as though it was missing. Drew was watching her face as she spoke, and his smile faded a little.

"So there's something else going on with it," Drew concluded, sitting forward and steepling his fingers.

"Observant."

"I do try."

May gave it some thought. "Well, I mean, it's more than just that you don't ask. You never seem to ask anyone for anything."

"Untrue!"

"Okay, I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean. You're just very, well, sure of yourself. Which isn't always a bad thing," she added, seeing his smile slip closer to a frown. "But you just trust your own opinion a lot, which works for you, and that's great, but..." She could see the answer now, the reason for this stupidly protracted spat. "But if we're going to really be partners, you need to care what I think, too," she finished, feeling oddly triumphant.

Drew looked startled. "I do care what you think. And I meant it when I said we can go somewhere else, there's still time-"

"Yeah, but it's tied to you asking," May said, cutting across his words. "You don't ask me what I think, so it's like what I think isn't important."

Drew mulled this over, staring intently at the ceiling. May watched him. His body language didn't suggest he was upset, but she couldn't read much beyond that. So she waited. At last, Drew came back down to earth and looked at her. "You know, I didn't consider that," he said frankly, "but when you put it that way, it's, I dunno, super obvious. Wow." He paused, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I think better of you than that. I'll do better."

"I'm sure you will," May replied, unsure what more could be said.

"I'm serious!" Drew certainly looked it; there was an unfamiliar fire burning in his eyes. "If you feel like I'm not taking you into consideration, please, by all means, tell me. This needs to be an equal partnership." With that, he held out his hand. "Deal?"

Impulsively, May bypassed the handshake and grabbed him in a hug. "Yeah, deal," she said over his shoulder before letting go.

Drew was smiling again, this time in a way that made him look, well, almost goofy. "So, if that's settled..." He paused, but May nodded, grinning. "In that case, will you let me buy you dinner? I feel like it's the least I can do."

"Sure," May said, then, feeling a little daring, added, "but you may want to comb your hair first."

So, do you suppose these two crazy kids can go a chapter without bickering? Give us a follow and find out next post! And as always, reviews are sincerely appreciated, so please drop a line with what you think of our story so far.