Here we go; the last chapter to this arc! It took long enough, didn't it? Well, enjoy! :)

~With Drew and May~

(...what was in her bag?)

Drew waited until he was absolutely certain May was asleep before he dared to slide out of bed and tip-toe (that is, stealthily walked; Drew is completely resenting and refusing to admit that he was indeed tip-toe-ing) over to May. He had to stop when he saw her though, because May looked even more like an angel asleep; her soft hair spread out all around her, and her sapphire eyes hiding behind closed lids. Her ruby-lips slightly parted as she breathed in and out deeply; she was just perfect.

Drew bit his lip and silently sighed in relief that the night was there to cover his blush.

Then he took a deep breath himself and leaned over her. May's side of the room was currently blessed with moonlight, it shone over her bed and highlighted her enough for Drew to see. He could see that May was holding something in her arms under the blankets, but he wasn't sure what. It seemed to make her happy, though, because she cuddled up with it closely, even in her sleep.

Drew slowly pulled back the covers, trying to make out the object without waking her up. He saw...green...something. He had no idea what the object was, but there was definitely green on it, a light green that reminded him of emeralds. He lifted up a little more of the blankets, and found that the object was likely really soft, or else she wouldn't be squeezing it in between her neck and shoulder. And that the object was about ten inches long.

But what was it? Drew pulled back another couple inches of the blanket. And May's eyes snapped open.

~Ash and Misty~

It was nearing 2:30 in the morning, and Misty was tossing and turning, occasionally moaning. It was this that woke Ash up. He didn't understand what he was hearing until Misty screamed and shot out of bed that he realized she was having a nightmare. Before he could wake himself up enough, she had taken something out from under her covers and was gazing hard into the objects. Ash squinted his eyes but couldn't make it out. Misty seemed to be calming down, but her breathing was loud and tense.

"Misty? Are you okay?" It was whispered, but she still gasped.

"A-Ash?" She swallowed so loudly he could hear it. And suddenly, she was standing next to him, her arms thrown over his shoulders. "I've missed you so much, Ash!" It was exactly what she'd said when he'd seen her with Dawn and Brock. Ash tilted his head, confused, but then Misty looked up at him. And through the steady moonlight from the window he could see tears running down her face.

What was he supposed to say to that?! "...It's okay, Misty," he settled on.

She looked up at him and her eyes sparkled. "Y-You're not l-leaving me again, r-right?"

"I...I...er, no. No, I won't. I promise," he said, because that seemed like what she wanted to hear.

"O-Okay. Do you...would you mind if I stayed here?" She trembled slightly, and there was no way he could say no - well, he couldn't say no to Misty at all, really.

"Sure, Misty." She sat down on the edge of the bed, and Ash wrapped the sheets around her. She just gazed at him, to the point where Ash was getting rather uncomfortable. After a little while, he sighed softly. "What's wrong?"

"I...I just had a nightmare. That you left me to finish your journey. And you promised you'd come back real soon...but you never came back. I never saw you again, Ash. Ever." Her breath was coming in short gasps now, and she swallowed hard against them.

He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped, changing his mind. "Don't worry, Misty; we're right here. Okay? I'm here, and you're here. Right?" She paused, then nodded. They sat in silence for a while until Ash was sure she'd calmed down.

"It was just a dream, wasn't it?" Misty asked quietly.

"...Well, yes."

Misty groaned to herself. "I'm sorry, Ash. I was just...just being foolish. I'm sorry for doing this to you," she said in an embarrassed voice.

"Nah; it's okay." There was another silence. Then: "What did you have there?"

"Where?"

"Under your covers." Misty froze. Oops.

~With May and Drew~

It took about three seconds. Then May screamed, a high-pitched cry of alarm that shocked them both. Drew stumbled back, tripped over his own feet, and fell forward. She just shot up and screamed again. They just stayed there, frozen, panting for a while, until May gasped out, "What the heck are you doing?!"

"Me?!"

"Yeah, you! Who else am I talking to?!"

"I don't know! How am I supposed to know?!"

"Is there anyone else in the room, knuckle-head?!"

He threw his arms up. "With you it's impossible to know!"

"Me?!"

"Yeah, you! Who else am I talking to?!" They panted again, spent and exhausted. Plus, there was the fact that it was, like, 3:00 in the morning and they'd just been nearly scared to death. And, they'd just then noticed that they were about to repeat their argument word-for-word, except from the other person. Then May let out a breath. "Okay. Quietly and calmly. Why were you...erm, over here?"

Drew flushed. "Okay, okay...fine. But I was just wondering about something."

"What? Is it wildly inappropriate? Because it's too late for-"

"What?! No! May! Get a grip, would you? No, I'm not going to be "wildly inappropriate!" Or even mildly inappropriate. Geez."

"You're changing the subject. And it was a legit question!"

"..." He scowled and glowered at her. "ANYWAY," he said pointedly. She stuck her tongue out at him. "I was...um...you know, I don't really know. What are you holding?" The two coordinators looked down and froze once again. May opened her mouth to answer his question, a huge blush on her face.

"Erm...your hand?"

~With Misty and Ash~

"Uh..." She paused, then sighed. "You're going to laugh at me."

"No, I won't!" She wasn't convinved. "I promise, Misty! When have I ever broken a promise?" She opened her mouth to say something, but he quickly corected, "When have I ever broken a promise to you?" She shut her mouth. "See!"

"Okay, whatever."

"So? What is it? I swear, I won't laugh at you." Misty sighed, heavily, before pulling an object out from under her pillow. (It must have gotten rather squished over there.) She brandished it at him, but gently. Ash took it from her carefully, noting her bright red face. It was soft, and less than a foot long. He held it out in both of his hands and tried to figure out what it was, running his hands over two hard but smooth buttons that looked black in color...they sat on a round...part that was connected to the larger part of the object. "A head? Of a doll?" he guessed, confused. Misty blushed brighter (if possible) but didn't contradict him. So then this must be clothes? And a..."Is this a hat?"

"...Yes." Now he knew what it was, and Ash didn't know whether to be stunned, disturbed, flattered, or just confused. He settled for the last option. He glanced up at the girl across from him, and she met his eyes showing that trademark determination. "...I have...that as a...replacement. When I don't have...the real deal with me, I get a lot of nightmares, like what happened earlier. And...that...thing's model makes me feel...better," Misty choked out.

Now he felt flattered. And just happy. Ash suddenly attacked Misty in a huge side-hug. "I'm glad, Mist. But I sure hope that maybe the original is more potent in making you feel safe." She smiled.

Once again, Ash had managed to make her feel...well, loved, without even knowing it.

~With Drew and May~

Drew resisted blushing and also facepalming and sighed instead. "I meant, before. What you got from your bag earlier."

She flushed brightly; he could feel the heat from her embarrassment. "...Nothing...important."

"Is that right?" He spotted it out of the corner of his eyes, and made a quick grab for it. May yelped and grabbed it back.

"No!"

"And why not?"

"B-Because!" she cried back. "You can't!" Drew hesitated. Her voice was a lot more anxious, a lot more concerned than before. And he knew that he respected her enough that he shouldn't pry.

But this isn't a perfect world (because if it was, then Contestshipping - and many others - would be completely cannon) and Drew couldn't resist from his curiosity. "May..." She pouted a little, but it was cute, somehow. "May, please?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"I already do," was his instinctive reply. Then he smirked. "But that's okay. Because I don't mind."

May frowned. "That doesn't make me any more comfortable."

He sighed. "We are friends, aren't we? Not just rivals anymore. Right?"

She paused, then smiled. "Of course. I know that."

"So you can trust me. Can't you?"

"...I suppose?" He waited, and she relented, but it was relunctant. May lifted up her object and handed it carefully to Drew. He inspected it swiftly, and understood what it was even quicker. A blush rose to his face and he looked over at May in a silence. She simply looked back, offering no explanations other than: "I have to make do without my source of comfort somehow, don't I?"

"Why would you need that?"

"Because you're not with me. I just explained that!"

"Well, you don't need it tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because I'll be with you instead."

It's over, finally! There was a fluffy ending for both of them. As you know, the title's changed to False Comforts instead of...whatever it was before. And a huge thank-you to Contestshipper16 for both the prompt and constant reviews!

See you next time, people! :)

Reviews and PMs are appreciated! :)