Slowly, I pushed open the door to Petalburg Gym. My hand searched along the dark wall for the light switch. I flicked it on.

A blaze of lights suddenly entered my vision, illuminating the inside of the gym like a stage. Newly waxed floors, fresh paint, and the smell of a new gym greeted my senses. I allowed myself a small smile as I surveyed my surroundings. Silently, I stepped onto the battle floor, trying to imagine all of the Pokemon battles that had been and would be waged here. And now I would be part of them. At least, for the next month.

"Hey, May."

My shoes squeaked on the gym floor as I turned back to the entrance, heart beating wildly. Those green eyes and hair, coupled with that arrogant smile and stance, were a dead giveaway. I noticed with slight annoyance that he'd grown an inch or so above me.

"Drew!" I exclaimed. That arrogant, smirking, and freaking hot voice always did make me go crazy.

"I heard you're the new gym leader. Give up on beating me as a Coordinator?" Drew said wryly.

"Of course not. It's only temporary. Dad's just being lazy. His excuse is that he needs more time with my mom. Yeah, right," I added. "Like they don't flirt with each other enough already... in front of both me and Max. And then I have to step in as the 'substitute gym leader' for a month." I let out a sigh. "Well? What are you doing here?" I returned, suppressing a smile.

"I came to say congrats on becoming a gym leader--"

"You didn't come all the way over here just for that, did you."

"--but it looks like I don't have to now. I should've known," he finished with an exaggerated sigh.

My eyes narrowed as his words registered in my mind. "What. Did you say."

" 'I should've known.' " He stepped closer, smirking faintly. "Is that wrong?"

"You already know the answer."

"Then it's 'no'," he teased. "And you know I'm always right."

I rolled my eyes, leaning against the wall to look at him sideways. "Somehow I highly doubt that."

"Really."

"Yes."

"Why?"

I tilted my head to look at him. "You're human. Humans aren't perfect. And, likely as not, you aren't perfect because you're human."

"I never said I thought I was perfect," he said in a mock-offended tone.

"You said that you're always right."

"No, I said that you know that I'm always right."

I smiled up at the one who was now standing merely inches from me, his expression unfathomable. For some odd reason it sent a shiver down my back. "And how would you know that?" I said sweetly, unwavering. I could feel myself tense as he pressed even closer, caging me in his arms, lowering his face until it was in front of mine. "How would you know what I'm thinking?" I continued breathlessly.

"Well, I'm about to find out, aren't I?" A smile parted his lips. "Why don't you tell me what you're thinking?"

It was so absurdly out-of-place and un-Drewish that I laughed. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"What I'm thinking, of course."

"And...?" he prompted, leaning closer.

"I think. That. You came because you wanted to see me," I finished with a grin.

For a moment I thought he had lost his voice, he was so silent, all he was doing was staring at me.

"How did you know?" he said suddenly, breaking the spell.

"Well, I know now, don't I?" I felt a small smile quirk my mouth, and a similar smile flickered onto his face.

"Why do you just have to be so adorable?" he said helplessly.

I laughed softly, trying to stifle it and not succeeding, of course.

"What?"

"You often say things in front of me that you usually wouldn't in front of other people."

He considered this. "Really."

"At least, that's my impression."

"I never noticed."

"It's something you probably wouldn't."

"True."

Slowly, I felt his arms snake around my waist, and as I looked up, my breath nearly stopped when he brought his face within an inch of mine. I swear I could hear my heart beating.

"May."

"Yeah?"

"You just blushed. Does that happen often?" Drew smiled, making my heart do something odd. "I noticed that you tend to do that around me."

"R-really?"

"That's my impression."

"I never noticed."

"It's something you probably wouldn't," he concluded with another smirk. One hand pressed against the back of my neck while he pressed me to the wall.

"True," I said wryly, my arms sliding around his neck.

"Um," a voice said from behind us. Startled, we pulled apart to see my ever-annoying little brother, Max. As usual he stood there, all five feet of him, with that evil-little-brat glint in his eyes. "What are two you doing?"

"None of your business," both of us said quickly. My heart was still recovering from the sudden adrenaline rush.

"Oh. I see." Light glinted eerily across his giant glasses. "Then I'd like to ask you, Drew, why you're holding my sister's hand."

Ack. I tried to pull away, but Drew held on firmly. "So what if I'm holding her hand?" he said icily, towering over my (stupid) little stunted little brother.

"What?" Max said with an evil grin. "Am I not allowed to defend my sister's honor?"

"What honor?" Drew said slyly. I gasped and wrenched my hand away.

"You traitor!" I exclaimed, not knowing whether to be shocked or amused.

"What? It's not like he shouldn't know," Drew said suggestively. For once, even Max seemed shocked.

"Wait. What are you talking about?" He looked from me to Drew, and then back to me. "What did you two do?"

"Look, we didn't do anything," I began, but was interrupted.

"May, I think it's time we told him," Drew said with a too-serious look. I saw his own evil glint from those emerald eyes, and I nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Tell me about what?" Max nearly shrieked.

"Max," I said with a sigh, "Drew and I..."

"Insulted you."

The two of us stood there, grinning, while Max let our words register in his (puny) little brain.

"You idiots! Mom!"

And of course he ran off, wailing like the stunted fifteen-year-old he was.

"He's the idiot," I muttered. Drew simply watched me amusedly.

"Well?" he said.

" 'Well' what?"

"What do you think he'd do if the two of us really did something?" Drew asked with a slow smile.

I blinked. "You... do know what you're suggesting, right?"

"Oh, I know perfectly well," he growled, drawing me closer. The pace of my heartbeat suddenly quickened for no apparent reason whatsoever, because Drew was just holding me like he had so many times before. Right? Right?

"I thought you said you weren't perfect. How would know something 'perfectly well'?" I said desperately, buying for time.

"Mm. Well, in this case, I do." He pinned my wrists to the wall and kissed me. The blush that immediately followed made my face very, very warm. "You see?"

"Drew," I said.

"What?" He was in the middle of nibbling at my neck.

"I really hope you know that anyone could come in here at any given time. Especially my family members. Close family members," I added, in a desperate ploy to escape. "Like my mom. And my dad. And Max."

"Right," he mused. "Well, then. I'll just have to finish this later, won't I?"

I immediately relaxed as his grip on me did. "Er. Yes."

"Of course, that doesn't mean I can't just take what I want now," he murmured, his breath hot on my ear.

"Drew!"

"All right." He moved away, that arrogant, conceited smile on his face. "I was just kidding all along."

"It gets hard to tell," I muttered.

"It's more fun that way."

"Well, yes..." I admitted. "It's one of the ways you're... different. Though that's not always a good thing," I said wryly.

"And you're different because you're so adorable," he said affectionately.

"You make me sound like some kind of puppy," I grumbled.

"Well, you're cuter than one."

"Can't you say something like 'pretty'? Why 'cute' and 'adorable'?"

"Because that's what you are," he said, the look on his face undecipherable. "Of course, I could admit that you're beautiful."

I blinked. Again.

"You should see the look on your face," he teased. "And yes, I meant that."

"So. You meant that you could admit that I'm... I'm..."

"Beautiful."

"Um. But that just means that you could admit it. Not that I actually am--"

"Just be quiet, May. If that's what I think, that's the only thing that matters, isn't it?" That smile curved his mouth again.

"Y-yes... but... do you really...?"

"How many times do I have to say it, May?" he nearly groaned. "I love you. You're possibly the most beautiful creature on Earth."

"Possibly?" I echoed.

"Alright. You're the most beautiful human on Earth. That's excluding Pokemon, which include Milotics."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "It'd be so much more cheesy and romantic if you said I am the most beautiful creature on Earth."

"But that would be a lie, wouldn't it."

"Well, seeing as you don't have any scruples--" I poked him, "--it shouldn't be hard for you to lie, right?"

"Who said that I don't have any scruples?" He looked offended.

"It's kind of implied when you pretend to seduce me in the Petalburg Gym, isn't it?"

"May," he sighed, "having no scruples is different from wanting you so badly that I can barely keep my hands off of you."

I blushed again. "You say that like it's nothing."

"But of course it's everything."

I watched him warily.

"Drew."

"Yes?"

"What are we doing here?"

"Hm. Talking?"

"Right. Why did you come here all the way from the Johto region?"

"I already told you, didn't I? I came to say congrats."

"That's not all you came for, did you?"

"No. It's not." He leaned over me again.

"Oh gawd. Drew!"

"Stop thinking dirty thoughts, May," he said with a chuckle.

My heartbeat quickened. "You're the one--"

"Shh." He flicked off the lights, and the entire gym suddenly went dark. The only source of light was the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" I protested as he bodily dragged me into the darkest corner of the room.

"Wait. Be quiet."

And then he left me.

Approximately five seconds later, a figure appeared at the door. With giant glasses. And a height of five feet.

"May?"

Max ventured in, trying to see in the darkness. The outline of his figure was lit by the doorway.

"May, Mom says--"

Slam!

And then the gym was in total darkness.

Drew, I thought. Definitely Drew.

"M-m-may?"

Max screamed as someone grabbed him.

"Oh, you loser, it was just Drew!" I flicked the lights on again to reveal the traumatized Max in Drew's clutches. "Drew, stop raping my little brother."

"Oh, all right." He let him go with a smirk. Max glared, adjusting his glasses.

"You two..." snivel, "you're the worst!" He stumbled out the gym door. "Mom!"

"I think he might have been trying to tell me something important," I mused. There was no answer. Then I looked around. Drew was gone.

"Oh. Great."

I walked through the open doorway, turned off the lights, and closed the door.