Hello! I've been posting this actively on AO3, but I figured I'd share it here, too. Here's a multi-chaptered CS short fic that's perfect for the summertime. Hope you enjoy!
The morning light of his bedroom greeted him as his deep breaths halted abruptly. A scream pierced through the quiet of their apartment as Drew came to grips with his reality.
Whatever he was dreaming about did not actually happen, not that he could remember it now anyway.
It was morning.
And May was screaming about something.
He'd spent enough time with her to learn the difference between the wordless arias of "Drew, come get this bug!" and "Drew, I love this song!"
This was an excited one.
He barely had time to prepare before May's increasingly loud footsteps came bounding towards his room. His door was thrown open and she pounced on the bed, the mattress bouncing underneath her added weight.
"Drew!" May exclaimed, straddling him and shaking him awake.
He groaned. "I'm already up."
He turned to face her, and she was beaming. Brighter than the sun striking through his window. Her blue eyes were shining, and her hair fell past her shoulders as she looked down on him in excitement.
She was breathtaking. Just effortlessly rivaling the beauty of the dawning day. Breaking into his room with just as much daylight.
"Guess what," she said.
All at once, every fiber of his being realized that she was sitting on top of him, completely unfazed by their positioning. Drew was so far into a platonic relationship with May that he couldn't see the entrance. He couldn't see an exit either, for that matter. Just seemingly endless corridors of friendship that never seemed to evolve despite the sparks that sometimes lit the way.
Despite the quickening that would often capture his heartbeat.
He loved her. He'd loved her for so criminally long that it felt impossible to admit to. What was he supposed to say? Good morning, roommate, I've loved you for ten years?
So he stayed in agonizing silence instead as she straddled him, brimming with her exciting morning news.
"What?" he asked.
She was beaming. "I just won a radio contest."
As if hearing the faint cries of his heart, she rolled off of him and into the empty space of his bed. He quickly propped himself up by the elbow to face her.
"What?" he asked again.
"I just won a radio contest!" she confirmed happily.
Her hair was laid against his vacant second pillow in swirling tendrils. She faced him, her cheeks still rounded with joy.
"Right now? Like today?"
"Yes!"
"What'd you win?"
She shook her head, ever the dramatic. "You won't believe it."
He felt a corner of his mouth lift lightly. "I'm sure I won't."
"I won… two—" she lifted her hands to her face to contain her excitement but ended up continuing her sentence through her hands instead. "—all-expense paid trips to the Hoenn Resort!"
He lifted his eyebrows and blinked. "Wow. How?"
She sat up and crossed her legs, excited to explain her victory.
"I heard that one of those radio contests would be happening this morning at 7:30. You had to be caller number ten to win." She shrugged happily. "And I won!"
"So…" Drew began, still propped up by the elbow. "This is what I have to do to get you to wake up early?"
She pushed his shoulder playfully, and he swayed slightly before returning to his position.
"Do I have to bribe you with resort passes?" he asked.
She giggled. "Maybe."
"I guess it can't hurt," he said.
She smiled at that but didn't respond. Drew allowed himself to steep in the sweet moment before breaking the silence.
"Who are you taking with you?" he asked. "Dawn?"
May's smile faltered just slightly, and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was actually thinking about taking you with me."
He'd never had the air knocked out of him while sitting still, but he didn't know how else to explain the heavy weight that crashed into his stomach. The two of them, on vacation together. Bathing in the sun. Staying potentially in one room.
May in a swimsuit.
A sight which he, of course, had seen before and, of course, had openly ignored. But since she could steal his breath in grey sweatpants and oversized t-shirts, he had to actively resist picturing her in something more form-fitting.
"What do you think?" she asked tentatively.
He nodded slightly. "Yeah, May. Of course."
She let out a short, nervous laugh, her gaze falling casually on the blankets between them. "Oh, good. You had me worried for a sec there."
His brow wrinkled. "About what?"
She shrugged again, then began climbing off of his bed. "I wasn't sure if you'd think that was weird."
"May, we live together." He watched as she made her way through the open door of his bedroom. He slowly began to follow her. "How would going on vacation be weird?"
"Okay, maybe not weird," May said, grabbing a leppa berry and biting into it. She sat on a barstool and spun to face him. "But definitely interesting."
He leaned on the counter with his forearms and watched her. "Why's that?"
"Because," she said confidently. "You don't know how to relax."
He hung his head and stifled a laugh. She had him there.
And she wasn't done. "Asking you to vacation with me is like asking Max to go to… whatever the opposite of a library is."
Drew rolled his eyes. "Good one."
She took another bite of her berry. "You know what I'm trying to say."
"I'll relax," he surrendered. "I promise. You won't hear from me or Roserade."
May chewed on her lip but didn't respond.
Drew raised an eyebrow. "She can come, right?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'd have to check the website."
Drew resigned from the counter and opened their cupboard for a drinking glass. "Alright. But if she can't, you're breaking the news to her."
"No thanks," May said.
Drew closed the cupboard and opened the fridge, grabbing their water pitcher. He poured himself a glass and lifted it to his lips, imagining a carefree time away from the neverending draw of their professions. The constant betterment, the endless experimentation.
Having Pokémon was what he imagined it would be like to have children. He was always considering their needs— who would fit where, which ones were hungry, which ones couldn't sit out in the sun for too long. Then there was the periodic running of his fingers along his belt to make sure every pokéball was accounted for.
"It would be kind of nice, though," he said.
"What?" May asked, distractedly examining the ends of her hair.
"To vacation with just the two of us."
She froze, her head lifting slightly as her eyes connected with his. He bravely held her gaze as he sipped, trying to gauge her reaction. Her lips held the slightest frown, probably from his silence more than anything else.
"It's not too late, though," he continued, setting his glass down. "You can still ask Dawn."
Her facial features relaxed as she laughed.
"I always ask Dawn. It's your turn." She pulled up her leg so that her foot rested beneath her on the barstool. "Besides, I think it would be a good way to thank you for being such a great friend to me for all these years."
He nodded and averted his eyes, gazing down at the counter between them as he clenched his jaw. He was sure she didn't mean to jab at him intentionally, but the sting of that six-letter word was enough to subdue any other hints he'd scheduled to drop.
"So, when is it?" he asked, changing the subject and leaning against the counter again. "When do we set sail or hit the road or whatever."
The slightly worried look had returned to her brow, but she pulled out her phone to check on the answer to his question. "I think it's next week?"
"I'm free next week."
"Yeah, it's next week." She looked up at him. "What are you doing today?"
Drew shrugged.
"Wanna go down to the radio station with me?"
He nodded. "Sure."
The radio station was a building he'd passed by many times as he'd walked through downtown LaRousse over the years. He'd never once had a reason to go inside, but of course May would make even something as familiar as his hometown seem brand new.
Their destination was on the other side of the city, but with LaRousse's moving sidewalks, it didn't take long to get from one end of the metropolis to the other. He stood with his hands in his pockets as the ground moved beneath them, stealing a sidelong glance at his roommate. His friend.
She stood slightly in front of him, wearing jeans that rose past her waist and a shirt just long enough to brush against the top of her jeans. Her stance was confident as the sidewalk carried them along, and he smirked to himself as he remembered what it was like for her when she'd first moved to the city. She was uncoordinated in every arena outside of the stage, and she'd instantly met her match with LaRousse's public transportation system. Looking at her now, she was no longer the girl that needed to hold his arm to maintain her balance. She'd grown to blend in with the locals.
"Remember when you hated these things?" Drew recalled.
May huffed, her fists immediately clenching at the memory. She turned her head to the side just enough for her words to reach him. "Don't remind me."
"I'd love to remind you," Drew said. "That's why I brought it up."
She turned around at that, her arms immediately crossed. He raised an eyebrow, surprised that she felt comfortable enough on the moving pathway to traverse it backwards. Granted, the sidewalks didn't turn, but you still had to pay enough attention to step off when it ended.
May looked up at him, annoyance slightly reddening her cheeks. He had to actively fight the smile that was threatening his lips. She'd catch on that he was teasing her and surely turn back around.
"It's only easy for you because you grew up here."
He could feel the smile break through in the form of a smirk. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she answered pointedly. "You wouldn't last a minute in Petalburg."
He scoffed. "May, I've seen normal sidewalks before."
"Yeah, but have you used dirt roads to walk across town? It's a very different experience."
Drew's eyes flicked to the path ahead of them, trying to find where the sidewalk would end. "I'm sure I could manage–"
"Maybe we should go there next," May said, turning back around. "For our next vacation–"
"Watch out," Drew said softly.
As he said it, he heard a soft yelp fall from May's lips as her feet were suddenly met with solid, unmoving ground. Her balance wavered enough for Drew to instinctively wrap an arm around her torso to steady her. He stepped onto the solid earth and released his hold on her.
May adjusted her top, which had risen slightly in her sudden attempt to maintain her balance. Her cheeks were red from what Drew assumed to be embarrassment, and he figured there was no use teasing her about it.
"Thanks," she said under her breath.
"Of course," he said back, his hands in his pockets. He looked to his right, anticipating the radio building before he could see it. "It should be over there."
May walked in step with him as they made their way over, and he couldn't help but bask in her company. Clumsy as she was, May had become an anchor to him over the years, especially since they'd moved to his hometown a few years ago. She was someone to go grocery shopping with. Someone whose footsteps sounded in sync with his.
This is what it felt like any time they went anywhere together in LaRousse, and Drew was grateful for it. Despite how crowded it was, this city sure had the loneliest avenues.
They approached the building, and Drew removed a hand from his pocket to open the door. May moved inside ahead of him and approached the front desk for directions. After explaining that she was a contest winner, the receptionist buzzed them to the thirty-first floor.
They stepped inside the glass elevator together and watched the city streets shrink in size as they rose. This high up, they could see far beyond many of the skyscrapers, though there were a few that still blocked their view. He'd grown used to seeing this view on the back of his Flygon as he traveled to and from home, but it was nice to see the awed expression in May's blue eyes as she took in the cityscape as if it were the first time.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she said.
"No?" Drew asked.
She shook her head.
"I wish I didn't," he said. "I wish I could see it the way you see it."
May turned to face him, a soft smile written in her eyes. "Are you the type to just get used to things over time?"
He shook his head slightly, rereading that smile, again and again. "Not always."
"Hmmm," she hummed in amusement.
The elevator bell announced their arrival to the thirty-first floor, and she turned to exit, her hair swaying past her shoulders.
Arceus.
This was a dangerous way to live. He knew that. He didn't know why he even agreed to living with her in the first place. When she'd asked, he thought maybe something would finally flourish between the two of them. Maybe it'd be easier to spell out what he felt somehow.
It wasn't. The more he spent time with her, the harder he fell. And the longer they lived together, the harder it was to admit what he'd been hiding beneath the surface of his heart. It was a terrible idea. One he couldn't entirely regret, but one that didn't entirely help him either.
He caught up with her, matching her pace as they'd followed signs to a specific office to claim their prize.
The hallway was lined with old-school doors– brown wood and frosted windows. Most doors were closed, but one was slightly ajar with a sign that said "Contest Winners Enter Here." May rapped her knuckles lightly against the wood, getting the attention of an older man sitting behind a desk.
He rolled away from his computer and dusted his hands against each other to clear any lingering crumbs from his snack.
"Come in," he said through crunches.
They entered the small space, leaving the door open. The man wiped his hands against his pants before gripping at a sheet of white paper filled with written names.
"Name?" he asked.
"May Maple?" she said.
"May Maple," the man muttered to himself as he scanned the list of names. "Why does that sound familiar?"
May began offering a canned explanation. "I used to–"
The man snapped his fingers and pointed at her in recognition. "The contests. That's where I know you from." His gaze landed on Drew for the first time since they'd entered the space. "And you, too! I remember you." He shook his head. "Wow, you both are all grown up now."
May was always happy to engage in situations like this one, so Drew happily let her take the lead. "Were you a coordinator?"
The man laughed. "No, but my daughter was. My wife and I used to watch her contests on TV, and you two would always get screen time."
Drew smirked at that. It was funny to think that out of the many rounds that took place during the contest circuits, his and May's appeals always seemed to reach the airwaves.
"That was so long ago," he continued. "I'm surprised you two still know each other."
"Yeah," May answered. "We go way back. Basically grew up together."
The man nodded and quickly cast his gaze downwards, first looking at May's… jeans? And then Drew's pocket? He met Drew's eyes, and then glanced back at his paper. It suddenly occurred to him that the man was looking at their left hands. Their empty ring fingers.
"Let's see here," he said, scratching at his chin. "Two tickets to the Hoenn Resort, right?"
"Yep!" May confirmed.
"How many rooms is it?" Drew asked.
"One," he was told definitively.
Drew nodded rhythmically, meeting eyes with May for a second before watching the man scribble information on a sheet. That wouldn't be a big deal. They'd shared plenty of rooms before.
"Alright," he said, shuffling papers on his desk before tapping them against the wood to align them. "I've just got some papers for you to sign. Basically some forms authorizing the release of these tickets and confirming that you stopped by to pick them up."
May nodded and grabbed the pen from his grasp. Drew watched as she skimmed the document before signing on the dotted line.
"Beautiful," the man said. "Thank you, Miss Maple." He gathered a few documents and two official tickets into an envelope before handing them over. "These are yours."
May grabbed the envelope delicately, briefly sliding the tickets out of place as she beamed at them.
"Thanks!" she said.
"No problem. You guys are lucky. We've only got one more set of tickets left."
"Another contest?" Drew guessed.
"Yeah. Last one's at 7:30 tonight."
"Great," Drew said, turning towards the door. "Well, thanks for your time."
"Don't mention it."
The two ventured back into the hallway, May enamored with the two glossy passes in the envelope.
Drew looked at her briefly before pressing the button to call the elevator. "Be careful with those."
"What," May said casually, tucking them back in place. "You think I'm gonna lose them?"
Drew stared at her blankly. She should already know the answer to this one.
"I'm responsible," May said, as if one word could negate the ten years of evidence he had against her.
"Sure," he said, watching the elevator rise to their floor. "But just in case, do you want me to hold onto them?"
She took a few moments to respond, prompting Drew to cast one final glance in her direction. She was chewing her lip, and her bright blue eyes bounced back and forth between his.
"Okay," she gave in. "Just in case."
"Sure," he said, taking the envelope from her grasp.
May sat cross-legged on her bed, draped in a large t-shirt and scrolling through photos on her laptop. Her darkened room was brightened with the help of her bedside lamp. Glaceon and Roserade sat curled up next to her, the floral pokémon cooing every so often at the pictures of the Hoenn Resort.
Upon further inspection of the website, May'd found out that the resort encouraged trainers to leave their Pokémon at daycare during their stay. Apparently, on-site battles had caused a good amount of property damage in the past, so they'd altered their policy to be a trainers-only getaway. Though she originally didn't want to break the news to Roserade, she took it fairly well (after May and Drew had promised their pokémon a resort stay of their own, of course).
A faint smile touched May's lips as she reflected on how that conversation went. May and Drew tag-teaming, addressing Roserade's concerns and reaching a solution together. Over the years, their pokémon had become just that– theirs. There was hardly a separation between who was hers and who belonged to Drew. They were all under one roof, and their pokémon seemed to prefer it that way. A joint little family of sorts.
Roserade tapped May with one of her bouquets to bring her back to reality. She'd stopped scrolling through the photos.
"Sorry, Roserade."
May continued down the page to see pictures of the pool area– a lazy river, rows and rows of beach chairs. Roserade exclaimed at the sight, and May agreed distractedly with her as her mind traveled elsewhere.
Despite journeying across the world, following her dreams, and living a life that a younger May would be proud of, she could confidently say that living with Drew was the greatest adventure she'd embarked on to date.
He taught her that she could find adventure even in the littlest of things. In grocery shopping. In figuring out how to spend their holidays. In baking cookies. In crashing on the couch. Their lives were so entwined at this point that it'd be nothing less than surgical to separate them.
Though she hated to admit it, May had grown to accept that Drew was deeply embedded within the linings of her heart. Despite her greatest attempts against it, even she had fallen victim to his alluring charm.
It was foolish. May knew he wasn't flirting with her. That's just how he spoke. That's just who he was. He was charming. He was dashing. Over the years, she'd seen countless women swoon even slightly from just a brief conversation with him. Sure, Drew didn't show interest in pursuing them, but there was something about his nonchalant confidence that was spell-binding. And over time, she too had become spellbound.
"Rose," Roserade said, again tapping May in slight annoyance.
"Sorry!" May apologized again, continuing to scroll through photos.
Two faint knocks sounded against her open door, and May glanced up to see Drew leaning against the doorframe. He wore sweatpants and a t-shirt, and his hair was damp. Her heart jumped at the sight of him, but she casually glanced back at her computer screen.
"Hey," she said lightly.
"I thought I'd find you all in here," he said, approaching her bed. "I'm a little offended I wasn't invited."
May rolled her eyes, a smile breaking across her cheeks against her wishes.
"What are we up to?" Drew said.
He leaned over the edge of May's bed to get a better view of the laptop screen.
May looked up at him, heating slightly from how close he was. "Roserade's helping me check out the Hoenn Resort."
Drew nodded, then glanced down to meet her eyes. "Is there space for me?"
"Yeah," May said brightly, adjusting to move over. Glaceon and Roserade acquiesced, adjusting to allow for the four of them to coexist on the queen-sized bed.
Drew sat, one leg dangling over the side of the bed, the other resting slightly against May's.
"How's it looking?" he asked.
"It's nice!" May responded. "I think I can relax about eight different ways."
Drew laughed at that. "You're going to have to teach me how to do that."
May grinned at him, peeking at him playfully from over her shoulder. "Does that mean I get to plan the itinerary?"
Drew met her stare, a soft smile reaching his eyes. His gaze fell on her lips. "Not a chance."
"It's three days, Drew," she argued. "If we want to get that much relaxation in, we need to schedule it."
"Why does that sound counter-intuitive."
She stood her ground. "You've gotta trust me on this."
He looked into her eyes and pondered for a few moments. "Alright. But if you're not up by eight, I'm doing what I want."
May shook her head. "No can do. Part of relaxing is sleeping."
He challenged her stare before countering with a different offer. "Nine."
"Deal."
His eyes shifted back to the laptop screen. "Have you checked out the pokémon resort yet?"
"Yep," she said. "It's Roserade-approved."
"Nice. Can I see?"
May clicked on her mousepad to switch tabs on her web browser.
"Oof," Drew admired, shifting next to her slightly to get a better look. "That's really nice."
"Right?" May agreed excitedly.
Just then, a banner popped up on her laptop screen indicating an incoming phone call from Dawn. May contemplated answering on her cell instead, but between herself, Drew, and their pokémon, she wasn't quite sure where it was.
She picked up on her laptop.
"Hello?"
"May!" Dawn said, her voice heightened with frenzy. "Guess what!"
May met eyes with Drew, who was taken slightly aback by the immediate excitement.
"What?" she answered.
Dawn squealed on the other line. "I just won two all-expense paid trips to the Hoenn Resort!"
And the shenanigans began. Let me know what you think! xx
