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(Plan to go back and make some minor edits later - check back?)

"There must be something going on between them."

Harley watched Soledad trail her eyes to the window, where a couple was arguing outside of—May and Drew. He wondered how she came to such an apparent observation; people who have witnessed those dweebs interact for two seconds figured out that they've got something going on between them. Soledad never brought something obvious up unless she planned to make some kind of intervention, which the two of them needed if they were toconfess their undying love to each other.

Look at them, he thought in disgust. He wanted to gag.

Harley decided to go along with whatever she planned for them. The plans she conducted worked. Ninety-nine percent of the time.

"Whaddya mean by that, Sol?"

"I've had speculations before, as I'm sure anyone who has met them or has at least seen them interact with each other has," she went on, tapping her finger against her chin. "There's…something different about this argument they're having. Have you taken a closer look at their posture?"

Harley made a quick glance at them, then back at Soledad.

"No, what's up?"

"Do you see how…close they are to each other?"

Harley looked at them through the window again. Now that she pointed it out, they did look too close to each other for comfort, and Drew must have been the one to close the distance between them. May also looked taken aback by his actions, but tried to remain calm. Drew was critiquing her on her performance at the contest that afternoon-she did not make it past the appeal round-or something rather.

"It looks like he's making advances toward our little gingerbread cookie!"

"Yes. I think they've established some form of a relationship without telling us, so it's either one-sided, not official, or…" Soledad trailed off before continuing. "Something I don't want to consider as an option."

The cacturne-cosplayer peered over to her with a peculiar stare.

"I can't imagine May doing something like that with anyone."

"It's always the ones we perceive as innocent."

He shook his head. "I don't believe it."

They both turned their attention back to May and Drew. May now had her hands against her hips. It reminded Harley of Wonder Woman's signature stance. He only saw May ever use that stance as a way of showing she expected no nonsense.

May turned on her heel and began to saunter off until Drew held her back, pulling her back to face him. What Harley saw next took him by surprise: Drew appeared…sincere. He remembered seeing that same look Drew gave to May back in Kanto before they parted to Johto.

"That escalated quickly," he mumbled, eliciting a chuckle out of Soledad, who Drew had also surprised by his action.

"Don't you think we should leave them alone, give them privacy…?" Harley started. "Or should I get the popcorn?"

"Neither is necessary. I think they're leaving."

She was right as usual.

"Great, just when it was starting to get good! I wanted to see them finally make out or something! Yeesh! I can't stand those two hooligans!"

"And yet you want them to get married?"

"Yes, because those two dweebs clearly belong to each other. They're right up each other's alley! Don't say you disagree, I know you want them to get married, too, Sol."

"I never disagreed with you on that end, but…I want them to get married for a completely different reason."

"And what reason is that?"

"It's quite simple, really: because whatever they're doing to each other right now is unhealthy. They want to be together, I know Drew especially wants to be with her," she explained. "But they're both too stubborn to admit it, but when they do, they'll probably marry each other on the spot regardless of whether or not they're old enough. By then they'll probably be neck-deep in quicksand anyway."

"So basically, they'll tie the knot because they'll be in too deep by the time they've realized they can't live without each other?" Harley tried to reword the sentence so he could understand it. "Can't you say it like it is every once in a while, Sol? I can't stand your metaphors, sometimes."

"You interpret them just fine," she said. "That was an excellent and a much simpler way to put it. And you speak in metaphors, too."

"Whatever." He waved her off dismissively.

"Not everybody can be as brilliant as you, sweetie," he continued, smiling. "Now how 'bout that café down the street? I'm still up for going, but if we see Grass Hair and Sugarplum over there sexing it up on one of the tables, we're leaving. Immediately."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're going to stay there to watch, maybe snap a few photos to send over to the editors of Coordinator's Weekly, and I'll be the one to leave."

Harley held back a snort.

"Oh, Sol, you know me too well!"

He wrapped his arm around hers. "Now let's go, cupcake, after that we're going on a shopping spree—maybe we can get our little gingerbread cookie a new bandana for her boy toy to marvel at."

"Maybe we can do something about his aqua pants."

"That too."

"Look at them," Drew stopped the two of them from walking as soon as they reached the corner of the street and gestured to the couple sauntering out of the Pokémon Center. "Gag me."

"Oh, come on, Drew, I think it's cute!" May admonished, exasperated by how distasteful he was to the idea of Soledad and Harley being together in that way. She knew it probably killed him inside that his mentor would choose someone so…detestable. Not that she agreed with his view toward Harley. She may have had a few years ago.

"How come? How would she look past how detestable he can really be, especially with the way he treated you in the Hoenn Grand Festival, and in the Kanto Grand Festival?"

"Drew…things change. It's been years since then. He's changed. And Soledad clearly likes him a lot. Don'tcha want what's best for Soledad?"

"Yes, and Harley's not it."

"How would you feel if Soledad said that to you about me?"

"She wouldn't dare, and she wouldn't anyway," he intertwined his fingers with hers. "No one can deny that we're meant for each other."

"True." May nodded. "And no one can deny that we're probably married, but they probably won't guess that given how old we are. I don't understand why we have to keep it a secret, though."

"Soledad figured it out."

May tilted her head to the side and smiled. "You think?"

"I know," he said, nodding.

"Do we have to keep a secret from them, too?"

"It's no secret since she knows, but the real question is how are we going to handle it when Harley finds out? Soledad tells him everything."

"Let's worry about that when the time comes, Drew," she gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. "You know, I'm really glad that you added gloves to your wardrobe a couple of years ago, so you could hide the ring. I would hate for you to have to take it off while we're in public."

"Me too—I guess I thought ahead."

May rolled her eyes. "You did not!"

He smirked. "Did too."

"Did not."

Drew frowned. "May."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, okay. So where are we off to?"

He pressed his lips to her forehead and looked her in the eyes before answering.

"You'll see."

I hope this is an unusual spin I took on Soledad's character, who is usually on point on what turn Drew's and May's relationship will take next, but this time what's she's predicted has already happened a long time ago. And Drew thinks with Soledad being Soledad, she must have had it figured out. Gasp! Anyway, nice dose of Contest and KantoContest for you, particularly for Ariel aka Glory for Sleep, because she's overall an amazing person and friend.

Feedback welcome!