It Takes Two To Tango

By: TheFifthCharmedOne

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Copyright 2011 Shogokukan Production Co Limited.

Summary: "Don't you know it takes two to tango?" Drew teased me playfully, his voice way too close to my ear. And then he twirls me around like an expert. Now I'm dizzy for way too many reasons. Contestshipping.

-X-X-X-

"Are you sure about this?" I asked nervously, tugging at the corsage on my wrist. It was itchy and quite frankly, the smell of the flower made me sneeze. But I couldn't mention that to Dawn, who would most likely freak out on a cosmic level.

"Of course I am May! Anybody who's anybody in coordinating is going to this ball, and you're going!" she said.

I pouted. "But-!"

"But nothing. Come on, you're already in your dress. You could have said before that you didn't want to go!"

"I told you when we were buying the dresses that I didn't want to go!" I pointed out. I had said that at least fifty times while we were shopping. She waved her hand dismissively.

Now, it's not that I don't like dances. I do. They're fun and I get to meet new people and reunite with old friends. But that doesn't mean I like the dressing up part of it. At least to the extent Dawn goes to.

Dawn is finishing with her makeup while we're having this conversation, and I'm sitting on the counter kicking my legs back and forth like a little kid. I haven't put my shoes on yet because they're deadly stilettos. I shivered just thinking about it. Everyone knows I'm a klutz and I will probably end up with a broken ankle by the end of tonight, but the invitation demanded formal wear, and that includes strappy heeled shoes of death.

I looked at her, admiring her natural beauty. She had long dark blue hair with eyes to match. Her dress was a light periwinkle blue with shoes to match. Her hair was pulled up in the same way it had been in her first time at the Sinnoh Grand Festival with a large curly bun and long straight hair hanging along the sides of her face.

"Ready!" she finally declares. I hopped off the counter and went to my room to get the shoes. We were staying in a house that my mom rented out for us. The dance was taking place in Hoenn, Slateport City to be exact.

There was a knock on the door not thirty seconds after Dawn finished her thought. She gracefully came down the steps and I followed, stopping at the bottom to put my shoes on.

Just as I predicted I would, I wobbled as I stood when I got them on. The knock had been a chauffeur that was sent by the Contest Committee to bring us to the hall where the dance was taking place.

"Miss Dawn Berlitz and Miss May Maple?" he asked. We nodded and he took us to the car. It was a black sedan, plain but purposeful.

We started driving and Dawn starting babbling about how much fun this was going to be. I wasn't that convinced.

"May, would you please stop pouting and try to have a good time tonight?" she whined. "If you don't, you'll bring me down!"

"No I won't, I'd have to climb a ladder to bring you down." I said. "Is it wrong that I don't really feel like going to a dance where I'm sure to embarrass myself?"

"You won't embarrass yourself. You look awesome and you're going to have a great time." she said the last part forcefully, almost like a threat.

"I don't look that good," I mumbled.

My dress was a dark red, almost the color of a blood red rose, with a black sleeve under the skirt. The dress was a halter that snugly fit my chest and stomach. My hair was longer than it had been when I was younger and was pulled into a partial bun. The hair that wasn't in the bun was falling in waves over my breasts.

"Stop being modest, you look hot. Guys are going to be drooling over you."

"They aren't!" I insisted, blushing. Though if one guy was there drooling, I wouldn't mind…

Though Drew Hayden doesn't drool. He usually acts like an arrogant jerk and flips his hair. Or at least, he used to. I'm hoping that if he's there tonight he'll have changed at least a little bit.

I mean, we're all about eighteen, nineteen, or twenty now. Except for Dawn, she's sixteen, but could easily be twenty. I would hope that age would have made him at least a little more mature.

-X-X-X-

The hall for the dance was really the biggest hotel in Slateport City. The ballroom had been rented out just for the occasion, and coordinators could take a room for the night after if they so chose.

Dawn left me fairly quickly but not before making me promise to dance at some point during the night.

I went over to the snacks table and munched on some cookies and punch, not really sure what else to do. I saw some people I recognized from contests, but no one I really wanted to talk to.

"May? Is that you?" I turned at the voice and saw Joshua and Erica from Pacifidlog Town. Now that brought back memories. Erica was taller than she had been but her hair was still a dark brown/red mix with dark blue eyes. It was still short, just around her shoulders. She wore a purple dress with black Roman sandals. Joshua's dark green hair was shorter than I remembered, but still close to his chin. There was a slight stubble there, but nothing too drastic. He wore a dark blue tuxedo over a dark black shirt with a red carnation in the pocket.

"Yeah, it's me. Wow, I haven't seen you two in a long time!" I greeted, hugging them.

"Yeah you haven't changed much." Joshua smiled.

"You don't think?" I asked.

"Nah, I bet you're still the same." Erica teased haughtily.

"Oh, so I can still beat you in contests then?" I asked with a grin.

"I wouldn't assume that," Erica smirked. "Oh, there's Kevin! Kevin!" she ran off, and I glanced at Joshua.

"You two aren't…together anymore?" I asked. A flash of hurt crossed Joshua's face when he watched Erica run off to the new guy.

"No, Erica broke it off when we were fifteen. She said she'd outgrown me." he coughed awkwardly. I felt a pang of sympathy for him.

"But hey, at least you're still friends!" I said, trying to be cheerful.

"Yeah, at least there's that." Joshua agreed with a sad smile. "Would you like to dance?"

His sudden proposal surprised me. "Oh, uh, sure!" I agreed.

He took my hand and we danced along with the other people. The song was steady but upbeat enough that it wasn't for couples. We were just friends; I wasn't remotely interested in Joshua in the slightest.

"Mind if I cut in?" a new voice said, and I felt my body shiver in recognition. I ignored the shiver and looked to see my body had been right.

Drew.

"Sure." Joshua said, probably feeling either intimidated or embarrassed. He scurried away. I felt bad, but I wasn't going to turn down a chance to dance with Drew.

Drew looked well….hot. His chartreuse green hair was messy as ever, his matching emerald eyes threatening to pull me into a never ending sea of green. He wore a black tux with a white shirt under it. His shoes were polished and he looked absolutely amazing. I felt warmth flooding through me just by being near him.

"It's been a long time May," Drew said, joining into the dance that Joshua and I had been doing fluidly like he had been there from start to finish.

"It has." I said, at a loss for words. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, you?" he answered as we finished the dance.

"Yeah same here."

We got into some meaningless small talk before the deejay made an announcement.

"All right guys and girls, we're going to do the Tango now. Anybody that knows what they're doing, make your way onto the dance floor."

I saw Drew smirk and then turn to me.

"Can you dance the tango May?" he asked. I swallowed hard and shook my head. The tango was a romance dance, very sensual and well…not something I think I could handle with Drew.

"I'll lead you." he offered, taking my hand. When did he get chivalrous?

I saw Dawn wink at me from the other side of the room. I glared at her and she made an 'okay' sign with her hand.

'No need to worry!' she mouthed. I glared harder. She smiled. Why weren't my glares having an effect on her, I wasn't sure.

"Come on May." he led me to the dance floor.

We started to dance and I instantly knew it was a bad idea. He was pulling me way too close to him and being far too romantic for it to be safe.

"Don't you know it takes two to tango?" Drew teased me playfully, his voice way too close to my ear. And then he twirls me around like an expert. Now I'm dizzy for way too many reasons.

"Of course I know that," I said harshly, glaring challengingly at him. I tried to match his steps but realized that these shoes of death were not going to make it easy for me.

I noticed everyone was staring at us. We were the only two people on the dance floor. My face burned in embarrassment.

"You look beautiful tonight," he murmured to me, his voice coarse, deep, and undeniably sexy. I blushed but tried to bounce back from the sudden compliment.

"You don't look too bad yourself." I said. We were still dancing and I felt like my whole world was spinning. Faces in the crowd were blurry and my body was way too hot to be normal body temperatures.

We came to a part of the dance where his face came really close to mine, almost like he was going to kiss me. My eyes widened and he smirked, pleased at the reaction.

We danced some more, and I felt more and more people staring. Either I was making a complete fool of myself and Drew was trying to cover up for it, or we were actually dancing well. Knowing my luck, the first one was probably closer to the truth.

The music ended the Drew stopped dancing, holding my one arm up and having me bend over on my back while he supported the small of my spine. I had my one hand on his shoulder and my leg in the air. We were both breathing heavily from the exertion, but for me it was more from the lust building inside me like a volcano that was ready to erupt.

Speaking of eruption, the whole crowd went crazy with applause. Standing ovations and everything.

"Well I'll be damned!" the deejay said, sounding totally in shock. "We've got two professional dancers on our hands!"

Wait. What?

"No, no I'm not professional-" I tried to say over the thunderous applause and my thumping heart. But no one could hear me, they were too busy cheering.

Dawn ran over to me as Drew let me up. He went over to the snack table, where he was crowded by fangirls.

"May! I didn't know you could dance like that!" she gushed.

"I can't dance like anything!" I said, looking for someone that might back me up.

"I beg to differ. You two looked like you'd been dancing since the time you could walk! Who is that guy anyway?"

"Drew. He's my first rival from Hoenn." Seeing that Dawn was from Sinnoh and this was her first time in Hoenn, it wasn't surprising that she didn't know him.

"Is he any good? At contests I mean?" Dawn asked curiously.

"He's practically a god. At least, that's what he thinks." I said, headed for another part of the snack table. I took a drink of punch and realized it had been spiked. Great, just what I needed.

"It's not what I think; it's what the public tells me." Drew said, suddenly coming up from behind. He put his hand on my shoulder. I shivered from the contact.

"Yeah, sure, Mr. Rose." I rolled my eyes, taking his hand from my shoulder.

"You haven't called me that since we were ten years old." he said with a laugh.

"It still applies." I said, feeling witty. Dawn looked between us and then her face formed a huge grin.

"You two are such a cute couple!" she squealed. She slapped my shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?"

"Because I don't!" I waved my hands in front of my face frantically. "We're just rivals!"

"I doubt that, by the way you two were dancing." she giggled. I blushed and put my head down, finding my shoes of death very interesting.

Dawn left after a few minutes of awkward silence, and I could feel Drew's presence near my back. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even look at Drew to see his reaction to what Dawn had said.

"I need some air." I said lamely, heading for the door. I grabbed a cup of the spiked punch and brought it with me. Not so much as a drink but as something to hold and keep my shaking hands steady.

The night was cool and breezy with a little humidity to remind you it was summer. I took a deep gulp of air and tried to calm my racing heart. The way the hotel was set up, there was a fountain in the front and in the back. I was at the back door, seeing as it was closer when I had to leave the party hall. I saw some tipsy teenagers sloppily kissing on the balcony above me and I turned away.

I sat on the stairs that led toward the fountain, staring at the crystalline water with no interest.

I took a sip of the punch and regretted it. Whoever had spiked it had put far too much whiskey in it because it burned going down my throat. Disgusted, I poured it on a nearby plant.

"That'll kill the plant you know." I jumped at the voice and turned. There was Drew, looking as handsome as ever as he approached me.

"I'd rather then plant died than I got wasted on it." I said. A giggle from the above teenagers turned into a sigh, and I really wanted them to go into their damn hotel room. If they're going to make love, they should at least have the decency to do it where no one can hear them.

Drew sat beside me, seemingly unfazed by the smooching couple above us. He offered me a biscuit and I took it, nibbling on the side but not really enjoying it.

At some point, the couple finally went into their room and I was grateful for the silence.

"Your friend is a piece of work." Drew said suddenly, and I looked at him.

"You mean Dawn? Yeah, she's a bit immature but she means well."

"I guess so." he replied distantly. A few minutes of silence gave me an excuse to stare at Drew. He was taller than I remembered, his jaw slightly more defined. If I looked hard enough I could see stubble on his face, but he was recently shaven so I had to really stare to see it. The wind ruffled his hair and I had a horrible urge to push it back to its perfectly styled mess. I balled my hand into a fist so I wouldn't give in.

Suddenly Drew turned to look at me. My heart rate picked up to unnatural speeds. "You know, what I said when we were dancing is still true."

"Where did that come from?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous. I saw him shift closer.

"There's just one thing missing." he took the rose from his tux and slid it behind my ear, his fingers brushing my cheek as he leaned his head closer to me. "Perfect."

His eyes locked with mine and I felt myself become breathless as I stared into his jewel like emerald orbs. "What would you say if I kissed you May?" his voice is raspy with lust and another emotion I can't quite place.

"Kiss me and find out." I said softly. He smiled and our lips brushed. My whole body jolted with the contact, and I deepened the kiss. Our lips molded together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces that had just found their matches.

His tongue brushed my lower lip, shyly asking for entrance. I opened my mouth and allowed his tongue to explore around my cheeks and teeth. Soon enough our tongues were battling for dominance, just like we had so many years ago in our contest battles. He ran his hand through my hair, holding me closer by the small of my back. I ran my hands through his hair, feeling the silky smooth green locks under my fingers.

When the need for oxygen became far too apparent for my liking, we pulled away, our foreheads still touching.

"You've changed a lot since we first met on the beach," he whispered, his eyes not leaving mine.

"Well I would hope so," I laughed, still feeling a little breathless. "Where does this leave us?"

"Depends." he answered with a sly smile. "Where do you want us to be?"

"Okay, answering my question with a question is so unfair." I pouted, turning away from him. He laughed and tugged on my chin with his thumb and pointer finger. I pulled away, pretending to be mad. He laughed again and I glared at him playfully.

I suddenly had a daring idea. I pulled off my shoes of death and ran for the fountain.

"What are you doing?" Drew asked. I jumped into the fountain, not caring about my dress.

"I know it's a foreign thing for you, but it's called having fun." I teased.

"I have fun, just not when you're around." he said defensively.

"Oh yeah? Then how am I supposed to know that you do something other than train your Pokemon?" I splashed the water, grinning at him like an idiot.

"I'll show you." he said, and before I knew what he was doing, he'd jumped into the fountain beside me. I laughed and splashed him. I knew we were probably breaking like ten hotel rules and could possibly get in trouble for this, but I didn't really care.

-X-X-X-

After playing around in the fountain for a while, I realized it was well past midnight. Dawn had probably left without me, which meant I was stuck at the hotel for the night.

I was also still confused about where Drew and I stood. Were we a couple? Were we still rivals? Friends? I didn't know, and I wasn't sure if I had the courage to ask.

We made our way back to the front of the hotel and got there just as the guard was going to lock it for the night. We slipped inside, barely avoiding questions about our damp clothes.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Drew asked.

"Dawn probably left without me, so, yeah." I said, feeling only slightly foolish and embarrassed.

"I have a room here." he offered.

"Oh, I couldn't impose like that. I could call a taxi to get back to our place," he shook his head.

"May, you're soaking wet and the doors are locked for the night. Spending it here won't kill you."

"All right fine, Mr. Chivalrous." He rolled his eyes at the nickname and went to the front desk to get a room key.

-X-X-X-

"There's only one bed," he said as he slid the card into the slot to get into the room.

"I'll sleep in the chair or something." I said, not willing to share a bed with him, at least, not until I knew if we were together or not.

The door clicked open and Drew flicked on the light. There was a small hallway and then a large main room with a king size bed, a flat-screen TV, and a chair off to the side.

"I'm going to get a shower." I told Drew.

"Do you have any extra clothes?" he wanted to know. I shook my head, embarrassed at the realization that all I had was my wet, ruined dress and the underwear I had on. He walked over to his bed and took his suitcase from the floor. He opened it and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. "Will these work?"

"Aren't they your pajamas?" I asked, embarrassed even more at the thought of wearing Drew's clothes.

"No." he answered and threw them at me. I caught them sloppily. "Nice catch." he grinned.

"Oh shut up." I snapped, and he laughed. "Thanks for the extra clothes." he stretched out on his bed and said nothing. I went to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

Sliding my dress off and regulating the water, I thought about Drew and me. I'd told Dawn that we were just rivals, but after that kiss and all the fun we'd had and now sharing a room, I wondered if I'd been lying to her. Rivals didn't kiss, splash in hotel fountains, and share hotel rooms. They just didn't. I got into the shower and let the warm water run over my body. The hotel soap was a far cry from Dawn's pampering products, but I wasn't complaining.

When I was done, I dried off and cleared a spot on the steam covered mirror. I ran my hands through my hair in a failing attempt to fix it. Without a brush, I was doomed to have air dried frizzy hair until I got back to the rental place. Oh well.

I put Drew's clothes on and felt a thrill surge through me. The clothes smelled like him. Spicy, but sweet at the same time. Kind of like his personality. I opened the door of the bathroom to immediately see a shirtless Drew on the bed.

I felt my breath leave me as I looked at his chiseled figure. Trying not to stare, I busied myself with making a bed on the chair on the other side of the room.

"About time you finished," he said. "Do all girls take long showers?"

"Just girls that care about how they look." I answered, still not looking at him.

"So why the half hour shower then?" he teased.

"Funny." I said dryly with a roll of my eyes. He went into the bathroom and I grabbed one of the spare pillows from the closet, managing to make some sort of bed on the chair.

He was in and out in fifteen minutes. The late night shows were on, and I realized just how tired I was.

"You're really going to sleep there?" he eyed my creation with both disgust and humor.

"Since there's only one bed, yeah." I replied.

"You could sleep in my bed." he said. I felt my face heat up at the thought. I started meaninglessly fluffing my pillows in a sad attempt at distracting myself.

"N-No, this is fine." He came up behind me and leaned over, grabbing my wrists. More warmth spread through me.

"Does sleeping with me make you nervous?" he said in my ear. I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse racing under my skin. He stood up straight, taking me with him. He put his chin on my shoulder, his lips inches from my neck. "Answer me."

"W-Why should I-I have to sleep in y-your bed if I have the c-chair?" I stammered, feeling all too pathetic. His lips brushed along the base of my neck. I could feel his naked chest through my shirt.

"Because you'll sleep better next to me." he answered. "You're cute when you stammer like that." I blushed even harder, my whole body lighting on fire. As much as I hated to admit it, he made a good point. About the sleeping better part. If I slept on the chair, I probably wouldn't go into a sound sleep and wake up with cramps. And the idea of sleeping next to Drew was very, very appealing…

No! I admonished myself. Bad May! You shouldn't be thinking those things!

"Come on May, you know you want too." he ran his fingers over my arms and shoulders, going down the curves of my body until he stopped at my waist.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I bit back a moan when he started to run his lips up and down my neck, kissing me like a lover.

"Not gonna answer that until you admit you'd love to sleep with me."

"Way to be arrogant about it." he laughed, his chest rumbling against my back. "All right fine." He pulled away from my back and took hold of my hand, bringing me to his bed.

I got comfortable quickly and felt sleep coming to take me. But before I sleep, I have to know. I have to know where we stand. "Drew?"

"Hm?"

"Are we together now? You know, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?" I felt him shift closer to me and his hand touched my face. How he saw that in the dark, I didn't know.

"Do you want us to be?" I swallowed hard and smiled.

"More than I've ever wanted anything else."

"Then we are." he kissed me, as if to confirm it.

"Good to know." I smiled.

"Do you always have to have the last word?" he asked, yawning.

"Maybe. Now be quiet and go to sleep." I replied, shifting my weight and laying on my side.

"That's my line." he said.

"Shut up." I told him.

"And kiss you?" he ad-libbed. Though I wouldn't mind that, I just want to sleep as of right now.

"Don't put words in my mouth." I told him, not giving him a straight answer.

"But you want me to kiss you." he decided.

"I didn't say that."

He kissed me, and I forgot everything for a while.

I guess it really does take two to tango.

-X-X-X-X-

A/N: Not too proud of that ending, but I wanted to tie the title into the end of the story. I've been working on this since about 10:30 last night. It's now 9:10 PM. I did have sleep and food breaks in between, as well as an afternoon in the pool, but still, that's the longest amount I've time I've EVER spent on one single story. Be happy. xD

On another note, today is Contestshipping Day! On July 10th, 2003, May and Drew first met in the original Japanese RAW version. I worked super hard to make this in character and by midnight tonight because July 10th is an epic day. :3

Okay, I'm done ranting. Please review!

~Charmy