-In Due Time-

"His stubborn side was telling him that she was just blowing things out of proportion, just like she usually did. It wasn't his fault if she couldn't take a bit of teasing. But his logical side was correcting him and pushing him to apologize."

The slowpoke of Azalea Town roamed aimlessly through the tall grasses of the empty plain. It was almost time for the sun to awake the people and pokemon alike with its glimmering golden rays of light. Pidgeys stretched their tiny ruffled wings in their nests, chirping greetings to their neighbors, while the slowpoke below them glanced up to the high pitched noises.

A young woman tossed her hair to the side, as a hint of a smile graced her lips at the sight of the pokemon. She sat on the grass, whistling a familiar catchy tune she had once heard on the radio, with her back pressed up against the trunk of the tree. Witnessing the start of a new day quickly became a habit to her, ever since she began her journey through Kanto years ago. Now, she was of the age that she never imagined she would reach-twenty-four-and after realizing that time was catching up way too quickly, Soledad made it one of her priorities to enjoy everything the world has to offer her while she's still young.

Her breath hitched when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Closing her eyes, she waited until they stopped in front of her, before saying, "Good morning, Harley."

"Mornin', Sol." Harley sat down next to her, and wove a hand through his hair. "What on Earth are you doing up at 6 in the morning?" His tone was slightly sassy, but knowing, since, of course, it was Harley.

Soledad let out a lazy laugh, and opened her eyes to face the purple haired man. Arceus, how he had changed over the years. His hair was slightly shorter, but long enough to keep it in a short ponytail. The cacturne outfit, thank Mew, was ditched for more socially acceptable clothing, including simple blue jeans with an Aztec pattern on the sides, and his signature green top. The hat had been harder to get rid of, but with a bit of persuasion, Soledad coaxed it into the garbage can.

"I could ask you the same," she replied. "Didn't you say that you needed to take a shower?" She glanced at his stringy purple hair. It did not look wet.

"Oh please, sugarcakes!" Harley dramatically said, flipping his hair like an actress. "Harley is always ready for some adventure action, no matter the time!"

Soledad nodded, putting on a straight face. "Of course he is. The world wouldn't be complete with you, wouldn't it?" It was true, at least for her. Soledad couldn't even begin to imagine what her pokemon coordinating career would be like without him. He always made things more enjoyable, even in the worst of situations.

"Anyway," he continued, "Our favorite little grass ass was busy making some moves on May-May, so obviously, I wouldn't dare intrude on their little private moment. The devil even had the nerve to glare at me to go away, so he could romance my gingerbread cookie alone..."

Soledad grinned. "Well, you know teenagers, Harley. Drew probably just wanted to spend some time with her, because after all, every time they talk, you always intrude and make…slightly inappropriate comments." Yes, she decided. Those were the best words to use to describe Harley's sexual innuendos.

He huffed at her response, crossing his arms in protest. "I'm just pushing them together, that's all. Arceus knows when he'll ever confess his undying love for her. Ever since we started traveling through Johto, he's just become so possessive! It's like I need permission from him to talk to her! Not to mention the drool hanging from his mouth every time she bends down. I swear, that girl needs to learn some proper skirt etiquette!"

"Oh come on, I think we both know that Drew would never drool at anything. He's too self-conscious for that..." The boy may be very prideful, but he was certainly the gentleman now that he reached the age of sixteen. Drew was very respectful of May, and Soledad was very proud of him for keeping up his morals. She had personally seen him grow from an overconfident, sensitive child into a kind, helpful gentleman. (Although his sarcasm and romantic getups could use a bit of work, as well as those God awful aqua pants)

"Well, I'm just saying that if those two are ever going to get together, he needs to stop worrying about his stupid man-pride and stop saying those roses are for her pokemon. Can you believe that she actually falls for that? Yesterday she asked me if he has a thing for her Beautifly! Maybe if he would stop picking a fight with her every single time he opens his mouth, that twerp would actually stand a chance at first base!" Harley complained, becoming much more gesticulated than he usually was. He often became ten times more dramatic when dealing with the works of the May and Drew show.

It was funny, that Drew and May had come so far in their relationship as rivals, and yet they are still as stubborn as ever when it came to their feelings. Soledad and Harley both enjoyed watching the two compete as rivals on stage, and spend quality time together off stage as friends.

"Trust me, Harley," Soledad began, grinning at the purple haired man. "We both know that Drew wants to be more than friends, but he's waiting so that he and May can hopefully both accomplish their dreams of being crowned Top Coordinator first. I think he doesn't want to start anything while they're still young, and he's okay with being her best friend for now.

"I think May is a little confused and embarrassed by their relationship when it becomes too touchy or romantic for her taste. She's just a fifteen year old girl, and she's not sure how to react to his advances. Their motives towards each other aren't very clear at the moment, but I think that when the time comes, May will realize what she wants and Drew will understand how to handle his feelings."

"Damn it, Soledad. I hate it when you make sense. I wish we could just shove those two in a room full of mistletoe and get this whole courting thing over with!"

As soon as he said it, Harley's eyes brightened and he raised his pointer finger in the air. Soledad cringed, knowing that nothing good was going to come out of this, except blackmail film and black eyes.

"Harley…"

Standing up, he brushed the grass and dirt off of his jeans. Extending a hand to her, Harley grinned, a mischievous glint in his dark blue eyes. "Well? We can't stay here all day and let May rip his face off before she can kiss it, can we?"

Before she could stop it, a chuckle escaped from her parted lips as she took his hand and dusted herself off carefully. "Yep, I'm sure that Drew wouldn't appreciate that either."

Pulling her across the field in the direction of the Pokemon Center, Harley paid no attention to the upset slowpoke sticking their nose up at his loud, slightly obnoxious voice. Soledad smiled at them, apologetically.

"Off we go! The next episode of Harley and the Peasants awaits!"

May was breathless.

Nervousness was also among one of her emotions, due to the fact that Harley and Soledad could be back at any moment, but the arrogant grass ass pushing her against the wall didn't seem to care. Or maybe he did. She could never figure out what that damn jerk was thinking, but at this moment, she supposed it had something to do with her and him together. At least, she hoped it did.

At the rate they were going now, he was going to kiss her. She was sitting with her ankles crossed on the couch of the Pokemon Center lobby, which (thankfully) was almost deserted save for the two of them. Several Chanseys were walking around with trays of coffee and some biscuits, but believe it or not, food was the last thing on her mind.

It started with an argument. Of course, it always did.

May had just finished combing her hair while looking at the mirror. She constantly reminded herself to never become too overconfident, because it had led to her downfall before when it came to contests. But admiring your looks couldn't hinder your performance at all. May had been told she was a pretty girl, but looking in the mirror sometimes, it didn't feel that way. Teenage hormones and puberty, her mother called it. But today was not one of those days.

Her red skirt reached up to just a few inches above her knees, and the gray thigh highs that accompanied her skirt on her smooth pale legs seemed plenty subtle and appropriate to her, but scandalous to Harley. Her white sleeveless top had a blue bow around her peter pan collar, and her signature parted brown hair looked shinier than usual today. So, being the happy girl she was, she twirled around in her skirt, smiling at her reflection, before heading down the velvet carpeted hallway to the set of steel doors that were at the end of it.

And of course, she ran into him in the elevator.

It wasn't that she didn't like Drew, because matter of fact, she was pretty sure she did-in a platonic way, mind you. To like Drew in any way besides as a best friend was embarrassing and confusing, and nerve wracking, just because he was so hard to figure out, yet he seemed to read her like a children's book.

He flicked his neat chartreuse hair to the side and nodded at her, and she did the same(minus the hair flick), knowing him well enough by now that it was his way of greeting people. It seemed obnoxious and condescending, but it was him, nonetheless, and he didn't appear to be changing anytime soon, not that she'd want him too.

Drew had become much kinder to her since the end of their Kanto journey, and she genuinely enjoyed his company at all times. He was supportive and uplifting in times of need, and she always felt welcome and happy with him. Still, he had his sarcastic moments, but despite their small quarrels from time to time, she believed that everything he did for her and her for him made their rivalry truly special. He quickly became her best friend in Johto, and without him she doubted that she would make it this far.

They began to travel with each other after her Wallace Cup loss, and after gaining all of their five ribbons needed to enter the prestigious Grand Festival, they were stopping at the quaint town of Azalea, to meet up with Harley and Soledad before leaving all together for Blackthorn City, where the GF was being held this year.

The countryside of Johto was truly a sight to marvel at, and May felt particularly glad that they had decided to stop there, not only for her two fellow coordinator friends, but also for the famous Slowpoke Well where the famous Red had thwarted Team Rocket's plans. It felt very cool to step in the very footsteps where a hero had years ago.

It was at this very well where it began. The two coordinators were exploring the Slowpoke Well, when Drew just had to make a stupid comment about her intelligence and looks compared to a Slowpoke's. Obviously, May did not find this funny or appreciate it. It hurt even more because it was the first time he had ever made a comment about herself specifically, and not her coordinating abilities. It was so shocking, that May did not even know how to respond. Tons of emotions were raging and she wasn't sure if she wanted to start screaming or quiet. Instead, she remained quiet and stoic the entire evening.

It wasn't a secret to anyone that May struggled with her confidence, and since she started her journey through Johto, she expected Drew to be the last person to comment about her appearance or brain. Although he seemed to be very critical and nit-picky about small details when it came to coordinating, he was mainly focused on crowd appeal and natural beauty. Drew was surprisingly not a superficial person. Especially with all of the support she had received from him in the new region, his words stung like a Beedrill pierced her heart with its stinger.

"Good morning."

May was snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up at the voice that had just spoken. It was deeper that usual today, she noted.

His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his back was against the metal railing of the elevator. The lights suddenly seemed so bright in the tiny elevator, and May felt a bit nauseous and claustrophobic. Since when was an elevator ride this long?

"M-morning…"

May felt a blush creeping up on her neck, so she turned away to face the elevator buttons. The glowing number 1 suddenly seemed extremely fascinating. Anything to avoid facing him.

The elevator doors finally opened, and May stepped out, releasing the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Drew followed suit, and May went to sit down on one of the couches after bidding a Chansey good morning.

The morning was still fresh and a cool breeze flew in from one of the open windows, swaying her hair to the side. The entire atmosphere was eerily quiet, and she was not used to it being so awkward around Drew. He sat across from her, crossing his legs and his arms, staring at the outside meadows of slowpoke basking in the fading dawn's morning rays.

"Well, what's this? My two favorite dweebs!"

For once, she was grateful for Harley's appearance. He broke the silence with his obnoxious laughter and embarrassing jokes, and May couldn't help but hug him back tightly for a few seconds before she felt her air supply being cut off.

His bright teal eyes were always dancing with mischief and it was a pleasure seeing him again after all this time. He was traveling with Soledad, her older Top Coordinator friend, and now that they were going to be reunited once again, May was very happy.

Harley turned his body to face Drew. An impatient, expectant look crossed his face as he held his arms open to the younger coordinator. Drew turned his head to the door, reaching up to flick his hair once more.

"Don't even think about it."

Harley pouted. "Oh come on, grasshead. You're suddenly denying me a hug after we haven't seen each other for weeks? I'm going to have to teach you a lesson at the Grand Festival, so watch your aqua pants covered booty!"

Ignoring his last comment, Drew replied smoothly, "I wouldn't exactly call this sudden."

"Why you little-"

"Harley!" May interjected, before threats started pouring out of Harley's mouth. "Where's Soledad?"

The purple haired man blinked. "Oh, she's probably at the slowpoke field. She's usually outside every morning."

"So why don't you get her so we can start moving?" Drew's words seemed a bit harsh and forceful, as he glared up at Harley. Those two never did get along.

Harley huffed in annoyance. "Well fine, grass ass. Don't do anything too naughty to my gingerbread cookie while I'm gone! I'll let you have your alone time before you're chaperoned 24/7!"

May breathed nervously as she watched him turn on his heel and saunter off to find Soledad. Now that he was gone, the tension between her and Drew was even more apparent.

She wondered if she should start a conversation. 'No!' Her conscience reminded her. 'You're mad at him, not the other way around! You deserve an apology and he deserves silence!'

The brunette settled for sifting through a magazine to fill the silence, until that deep voice broke it again. "You know, today's the day we met."

Confusion etched onto her face as she lifted her eyes to stare into his viridian orbs. "W-what?" she stuttered, momentarily forgetting that she was angry at him.

He sighed, running a hand through his loose locks. "July 10th. We met on July 10th, and that's today's date."

"Oh…you remember the day we met?"

Drew wanted to slap himself. Out of all the conversation starters, he chose the one that showed exactly how much he thought about her. Not that he was against the idea of being nice to her, he just didn't want it to be that obvious that he liked her. His subtle flirting and the roses seemed to be enough, and he didn't need her to find him obsessive before the right time came and he wanted to share his feelings with her. Now was not that time.

"It just came to mind. I'm just saying that today's our rivalry's anniversary."

"Oh. Okay."

'That's it?' Drew wondered. '"Oh. Okay."?' She was more upset than he had originally thought. After making those obnoxious-and untrue, might he add-comments last night, Drew took her hurt expression as just something that would wear off with time. Apparently it hadn't, and it was making Drew slightly nervous.

Honestly, he just wanted to get a reaction out of her. Being in that dark and wet cave alone with her made him want to fill the silence, and pulling her strings was usually something he was skilled at, but insulting her looks and intelligence was the wrong way to go about it. Obviously, he had figured that out much too late, after she turned away from him, upset and quietly asked to go back to the Center.

Back then, it seemed harmless. So what? He called her ugly and dumb, but that didn't mean that he actually believed it. In fact, he would never say it aloud, but he thought that she looked absolutely stunning in that skirt and those tights. She had certainly matured since they first met in Hoenn, and he couldn't help but notice it in the way most teenage boys would. Her curves filled out nicely, and her legs seemed to go on forever. Traveling with her was a test to his self-control, not that he would ever try anything inappropriate. He was a gentleman, after all.

But apparently not gentle enough to say the right things. His stubborn side was telling him that she was just blowing things out of proportion, just like she usually did. It wasn't his fault if she couldn't take a bit of teasing. But his logical side was correcting him and pushing him to apologize.

"We've been rivals for a long time now…" Drew began hesitantly. He wasn't sure where he was going with this. "And I know that we have this thing of arguing and being competitive…and I think that's okay. I think it's healthy and essential to our growth as individual coordinators, and I really respect you as a coordinator…" he trailed off, wracking his brain for something else to say. "And also," he continued, "I honestly think that you're uh…prettyandsmartsoyeah."

May blinked, not really comprehending what he just said. After letting it sink in, May stared at Drew's slightly pink face, a grin spreading on her face. "Aww… !"

He flushed even more at that horrid nickname, turning his head to the side, and mumbled, "You're welcome, you know."

"Thank you!"

Drew felt a pair of thin arms wrap around his frame. The corners of his lips turned up slightly and he shook his head a bit. Typical May. He hugged her back lightly and ruffled her hair in a friendly way, teasing, "I know you like hugging me May, but this is a little too forward, don't you think?"

May pulled away, a bright red blush adorning her pale skin. She put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out childishly. "Whatever, Drew! You still owe me a real apology for yesterday!"

"Would this suffice as one?" he asked, a smirk coming across his features. He leaned closer to her, and her mind completely blanked.

Drew had never been this forward before. Over the years, she sort of got the notion that he maybe liked her in the romantic sense, but she couldn't figure him out. With Harley's incessant teasing, it seemed too obvious that it was just another overdramatic antic of his. But with every rose and smile he gave her, she couldn't help but wonder what if…but then it became too confusing to think about and she pushed it away from her thoughts as quickly as possible.

"Umm…"

Suddenly, Drew's eyes closed and his smirk widened, as he whipped out a perfectly unscathed rose from Arceus knows where. May gaped at him, probably looking like a Magikarp out of water as he waited expectantly.

"Happy Anniversary, May."

Taking it from his fingertips, May blushed, feeling silly. "But Beautifly isn't here…"

"Another one is, though."

If this had been any other day, Drew would've never said that. It sounded corny and too forward, but after deciding to suck up his pride for once, he locked up his shame and embarrassment and threw away the key as he opened his mouth. Her reaction was typical, he thought. Nothing he wasn't expecting. Maybe the air was clear from last night, but the atmosphere was ten times more awkward, not that moments like these didn't happen often while they traveled together.

"Ooh la la, the lovebirds were just getting started!"

Drew felt a long spider like arm wrap around his shoulders, as he tensed up at the sight of Harley grinning at the rose in May's hands, and Soledad stood next to him with a knowing smile stamped on her face.

"It's dangerous! Two kids alone like this!" Harley sang obnoxiously.

May's blush deepened as she waved her hands in defense. "Oh come-come on! We were just talking?"

Drew frowned. "Didn't we have this conversation before?" He flicked his bangs for the millionth time that morning, and May marveled at how silky it looked for a moment, before turning her head to the side in embarrassment.

Soledad sighed, knowing that this was a routine that was likely to occur on a timely basis on their journey to Blackthorn City. She shook her head at Harley, as the man waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the two kids. As dysfunctional as the four of them would be, she wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Soledad linked her arm through Harley as he did the same through May's, pulling her up from the couch. Drew reluctantly linked his arm through May's after much visual harassment on Harley's part, as the purple haired man dragged them out the Pokemon Center's door to their next adventure.

"We're off to lose to Harley! The wonderful Harley of Slateport!"

"Harley, please."

A/N: Happy CS day! I may have rushed this a bit, and I apologize if there are glaring errors. It's difficult to believe that these two have been shipped for 12 years now, and thinking about it makes me sad/happy...keep the CS train moving! I haven't written in a while partly because it's just so hard to get Drew in character, you know? He probably was OOC in this, but after rewatching all of the CS episodes, it's clear that he evolves from grass ass to helpful gentleman with cute smile, you know? So at the end of AG, would how would he act in Johto? The little snapshot of him in Ekteruk was not enough for me! I assume that he'll be nice and supportive most of the time, but protective and slightly teasy too...a spinoff series would make so much sense but Ash is having fun with some Kalos Queen girl, so I guess that's never going to happen...:'I Anyway, I'm not really sure if I'll keep this up but let me know what you think! Reviews are always welcome:)