Author's Note: Thank you so so much to all you incredibly lovely souls who have commented on my previous chapters, it truly means the world to see that you'd sure som time to let me know what you thought! I've got a new passion for this silly little series and can't wait to continue it.

This episode was requested by SnadWick on Tumblr33 Pleaseeee request me any episode you'd like to see written out for this AU! You can do so through the reviews below, PM, or through my Tumblr inbox CoordinatorPrincess3 Seriously your prompts are what will keep this story going lolXD

"'s just the nerves," Iris explains from where she's perched on the couch, dawn and Misty flocking her sides with twin expressions of sympathy. Drew tries to give her his undivided attention too— be a good friend and listen to her dilemma so to try and come up with a solution— But in all honesty, Drew's focus wavers every few seconds, and his gaze flickers towards where May's perched right beside him on the arm of the couch. Looking Effortlessly beautiful in her fetching new waitress uniform, and long locks swept back into a messy knot atop her head.

Oh Mew, he's beyond lost on her.

"They always eat me up when I have to perform in front of a crowd," Iris continues, her Axew humming sympathetically from where it's lounging on her lap.

"it's just open mike night at the coffee shop we live above…" Gary deadpans, unimpressed. "I mean if people haven't joined together to rampage over Maple getting their orders wrong on the daily, I'm sure they won't be tossing rotten tamato berries at you."

"Oh Arceus you think they'll have Tamato berries ready to toss if i'm awful!" Iris balks with widened eyes.

"I am so not that bad at waitressing! Stop being a meanie!" May in turn pouts with crossed arms and a wrinkled nose.

"Yes to both points," Gary taunts with a leer.

Dawn cocks her brow at Drew, and he complies to her silent plea to cuff his oldest friend on the back of the head.

"Ouch Dawn!" he exclaims knowingly.

"Stop being a weenie," she sniffs before turning her attention back to Iris's nervous form. "And don't you listen to him Iris, you're a fabulous musician. You'll blow them all away!"

"No Dawn, I won't. Not in front of crowds at least. Just imagining them staring at me! Judging if I do one wrong move! Or sing off key! Oh Mew I can't do this!" She starts to hyperventilate, pressing her legs against her chest, and her partner pokemon opts to hop onto her head instead.

"Imma gonna get a bag for her to barf into," Ash announces before jogging to the back of the cafe.

"Look Iris," Drew— the ever voice of reason— hunches forward to look her straight in the eyes. (He really, really tries not getting lost on the scent of coconut that seems to be always clung to May's sunny disposition from next to him.) "Just go up their, shake off the nerves, and give this crowd a show. You're crazy talented and they'll all love you."

"Hate to agree with pretty boy, but when he's right, he's right."

"Love you too Mist."

She winks cheekily at him while excepting the brownbag from Ash, Everyone studiously not mentioning that May probably should've been the one to grab it, on account of her working here. But then again considering that Wally, her employer, has the conflict of interest of being also utterly smitten with her, May more likely than not has nothing to worry about.

"I'll tell you a trick I always do before I've gotta get on stage for a contest," she offers with a too bright grin.

Drew hikes his brow at her, intrigued, but not more so than Iris who practically leaps off her seat to come closer to May.

"Oh please, any help will do!"

"Yeah May. I'm actually shocked, I never thought you of all people would have stage fright." Dawn says incredulously.

"That's cause my technique is full proof," she winks.

"Stop teasing me already!" Iris exclaims.

"Righteo!" May crows with a lilt that Drew can't help but be endeared by. "So I just walk up in front of everyone, close my eyes, take a deep breath," she pauses to demonstrate after each step. Drew finds it absolutely precious. "And then I picture myself naked in front of the crowd. And boom! I win!"

"Ah May darling," Dawn says tentatively with furrowed brows. "I think you've got that backwards."

"What do you mean DeeDee?" She blinks owlishly at her.

"Oh, it's just erm. You're s'pose to imagine the crowd naked, so they're like more vulnerable than you are, and it'll take the pressure off of you."

May wrinkles her nose, totally disgusted looking.

"Oh gross, no way. Can you imagine Mr Contesta in the nude! He's like old an greying! At least I know I have a killer body so even if I mess up, I'll still look fantastic and they'll applaud that at least."

"Right," Misty snorts, and May smiles back agreeably. "That's some sound reasoning barbie."

"Thanks Mist!"

"I'm very confused on what to do," Iris says with a dejected frown.

"No time to think bout it babe," May stands up. "I've gotta call you up now since you're starting off the whole night. So shut your eyes, breathe in, and imagine your pretty little self is totally naked."

May skips off to the makeshift stage, leaving more questions than when she came.

"She is something else…"

"I think the word you're looking for lover boy is flighty as all get out," Gary interjects, and Drew doesn't bother to argue.

"Okay folks let's welcome on a totally rad, sweetie pie named Iris, who's gonna play us a little diddle.!"

The group give Iris mutterings of good luck amidst the light rumbling of applause, watching as she follows May's instructions to a tee, leaning closer to the mike to begin her song while her eyes are still shut. What Drew doesn't expect is for all the lights to suddenly flicker off completely before she has a chance to sing a singular note.

"May!" Iris shrieks from her tiny pedestal. "Something went wrong! Now I can't see anything!"

"I can't believe it's a full city black out," Dawn laments, swatting Misty's legs off their coffee table to get through to the kitchen from the balcony.

"Yuh, I'm so pissed! I was gonna take this chick out to the contest tonight, but they rescheduled it."

Iris side eyesGary so hard, Drew's afraid she's gonna strain something.

"In all seriousness Gare, do you ever think of anyone besides yourself?"

"Occasionally," he offers with a one armed shrug.

"Well if it makes you feel better, I wanted to ring up Marina to check up on her and my unborn child, but my phone's just died. So I guess we're both screwed… I mean me more so since i'm not a completely selfish prick, but ya know… We're both screwed."

"Ooo," May perks, jumping right off her seat. "My dork of a brother just bought me this portable charger that'll charge your phone like ten times over before it dies! I'll grab it for you!"

Dawn follows suit under the guise of changing into some comfortable yoga pants and jumper, but Drew reckons she's going to make sure May doesn't accidentally get lost in Narnia while rummaging through her pile of suitcases she still has yet to sort out in her newly acquired room.

"Alright it's been like fifteen minutes, Ash and Misty better not be making out while we freeze here in the dark," Iris harrumphs, slamming the door behind her, but drew gives it little mind. He's still smiling like a lune towards where May disappeared off too in search of the charger.

"It's never gonna happen," Gary shutters Drew's daydreams with a singsong tone of voice, eyes teeming with unadulterated amusement. Drew jolts back, flickering his gaze to the auburn haired researcher obliviously.

"What's never gonna happen?" He huffs out in a pathetic excuse of a laugh— it feels like some sort of cold hand has just gripped his heart he's so nervous.

"You know exactly what I mean Hayden," Drew just continues on staring blankly at him— challengingly. But Drew's known this boy since primary school, of course Gary's not gonna just back down that easily. "Look, Maple's hot and all and I totally get your endeavors on trying to tap that, but you my friend are securely in the friend zone."

"The friend zone," Drew repeats flatly, giving a rote flip to his hair.

"Oh for sure man. She looks at you and thinks of you as her surrogate brother. You're the guy she'll talk to about what the guy she actually likes means from a text he'll send her. Or the guy she asks for an opinion on her outfit. Definitely not the guy she wants to help her take it off if you know what I mean."

"Of course I know what you mean," Drew grouses with a scowl. "That was incredibly forward."

"Forward but accurate."

"No, you are just wrong! I am not equivalent to Max in May's eyes," Drew scoffs, tacitly owning up to the feelings Gary can seemingly easily read as plastered all over his face. But Drew can't help it. May simply does not seem him like that— she can not see him like that. Just no! Sure they've known each other since tots, and he's her best friend's older brother, and yeah he's had some sort of crush on her since for ever and she in turn hasn't given him the time of day in that sort of light… But still— she does not see him like that.

"Yes she does lover boy, simple science. You plus May equals friend zone."

Drew can begin to feel his stomach tumble into knots, and his face going ashen as Gary's words slowly piece together into reality. He sits down while his world teeters off orbit.

"Oh man, I think you're actually right."

Gary just rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"Well duh."

"How can I fix this! Can I fix this! What is there to fix!" Drew suddenly knows how Iris was feeling before her performance. Panicked, and terrified… Hell, he wants Ash to bring'm a bag to vomit into.

"Hey, man it's fine. You're ace, you just need to put it all out there with her."

Drew gives him a one eyed squint, skeptical.

"Put what out there?"

"Alright, so let's just stop fronting right here if you want any of my help. You're hot for Maple and she's probably the most dense person on this entire planet— and that's including Ashy-boy— so you're gonna have to just suck it up and admit to her that you think she's your everything, and it'd be totally awesome if—"

Gary's words stutter to a stop the moment one of the bedroom doors swing open and Dawn struts in with a curious gleam to her gaze.

"What'd be awesome?" She asks, grabbing a bag of pita chips from one of the coverts behind them.

"Oh ah, um… We can't tell you…"

"Nice save Sherlock," Drew gripes at him before meeting Dawn's praising stare head on. It's kind of ridiculous that he's so afraid of his baby sister, even when she's standing in front of him with frumpy sweats, and her hair tied into a messy topknot, and feet clad in fuzzy Buneary slippers.

"Drew, what does Gary mean you can't tell me? Since when do we keep secrets?"

"Oh ah—" His mind goes completely blank. "'S just we're planning out a surprise party for your birthday next month!"

A split second goes by where Drew's terrified she won't take the bate, but then her face brightens ten fold and her grin threatens to split her face right in half.

"Oh My Mew! For reals?"

"Yeah, yeah of course, but shhh. May's really excited about this and she doesn't wanna ruin the surprise, so don't tell her you know, okay?"

"Oh totally!" She practically squeals with a giddy little hop. "My surprised face is perfected! "S the same one I use for my fake orgasms!"

"Oh… wow… So things your brother doesn't need to know for a thousand Alex."

"Hmm, I wonder if a chick ever did that with me?"

"More likely than not Gare."

"Okay, so this is so not the important part of this conversation. Dawn, you'll keep this on the DL?"

She nods gleefully.

"Great."

"Hey guys we found some more candles across the hall!"

"I found them Ash," Iris huffs, taking one f the Pikachu shaped sticks from his grasp and marching to find a lighter. "You and Misty were otherwise occupied till I got in there and finally did some work."

"'S fine, me and Drewy over here had a really important conversation while you guys were gone."

"Yeah, you guys did," Dawn winks, not even slightly subtle.

"Yo DeeDee, why you doing that to your face," Drew elbows Gary to shut it. "Oh— ah right. Never mind I get it now."

Drew can't even believe the web he's gotten himself into.

"I'm sorry I took so long," May bounds down to Drew. "I had to call'm to figure out how it works, and then he was complaining to me about his studies and junk."

"It's fine," Drew says with a tepid grin, looking at her earnest. "Thank you so much for letting me borrow it."

"OH don't sweat it Drew," she waves him off with a giggle. "You should just keep it. Mew knows I'll never use it, and if you're gonna be a daddy you need to be mega prepared."

Drew realizes he's been staring at her for a tad too long without speaking when Gary coughs abrasively to get his attention.

"Yo, isn't it a beautiful night."

"It's pitch black out there," Misty snorts.

"Yuh whateva Mist. Just bring a couple candles out there with you and it'd totally be the perfect canvas to I dunno, have a really important conversation? Don't you agree Andrew?"

He says it with an extremely obvious wink.

"Gary have I ever told you just how much I despise you?"

"Sure tuns of times! But you know you've never said that about Maple over here, so maybe you should take her out there that have a talking with, huh?"

"OH don't worry Gary he use to say he hates me all the time," May titters, sitting besides Dawn crossed legged on the couch.

"What?" Drew balks. "May I have never said that to you!"

"Oh sure you did!" She contends, the moonlight from the open balcony touching the tops of her jutting cheekbones, and playing with the juncture where her pale hair meets her porcelain neck. She looks like a beautiful portrait.

"You remember right Dawn? The time he got Lisa Bradshaw to come into his treehouse where he'd snogg all his little girlfriends, and we came in with water balloons to ruin all there fun."

The pair of best friends dissolve into peals of laughter over the memory.

"OH right! You would snipe at us for the whole next week over how much you hate us and how bothersome we were."

"May, I have never hated you a day in my life," Drew says with way to intense of inflection, but he doesn't even care. He needs her to know that at the very least… Even if Drew'll never muster up enough courage to tell her the extent of his emotions regarding her.

Theres a bit of a gap in conversation, until Gary levels his gaze with Drew and nudges his head towards the balcony. With a deep inhale, Drew just throws all caution to the wind.

"May can you help me with something real quick on the balcony?"

She blinks up at him owlishly, obviously confused, but also being the saint that she was would never begrudge anyone anything.

"Sure hun, no problem."

Surprisingly, Gary's right, it is a beautiful night.

The late summer air tickles there faces with a light breeze, and the black out makes it so the stars can squint through the pollution and glimmer in the midnight cloak. It's really something beautiful, but still doesn't even compare to May. May and all her bright affability and ingenuous compassion. She's dimpling up at Drew now, eyes shimmering a thousand splendid colors of blue, and grey, and green once the moonlight sparkles in the deep depths of them. She's the closest thing to a Disney Princess come to life that Drew has ever witnessed, and it makes his heart thud pleasantly thinking that she's actually here with him— He privately thinks a daft mistake that she ever grew to care for him as a friend, but thanks all his lucky angels that she never changed her mind.

Oh Mew, is he actually doing this… Is he actually risking all they have for the chance of something more.

"Drew," she steps closer, he can still smell coconuts when she does. "Is everything okay? You look like you're gonna be sick."

He feels himself flush, and can only offer her a timid, little smile.

"Yeah, yeah I'm great May… I just, erm I wanted to talk to you about something?"

"Oh? What's up?" She asks with her open face tilted curiously, and her hand squeezing his for silent support.

Oh Mew, he's so lost on her, he really and truly is.

"May we've known on eanother for a long time— ah, for years really," she nods, nudging him along. "Well, I think of you in high regard May, you must know that, right?"

She quirks a brow at him, answering with little more than a noncommittal shrug with one of her bare shoulders— She'd slipped on a frilly, black night gown the second they all clambered to her and Dawn's apartment after Iris's abysmal performance (the poor thing). But hoenstly, Drew'd be more than willing to switch places with her if it meant he didn't have to be staring into May's expectant gaze with his chest dragging heavy with all the secrets he wants to disclose.

"Well May, you're great in my eyes— a great performer, and a great person. And I think that I'm great too, you know," her eyes hike up right then, gaze focussed on something above his shoulder. "Oh, no not in like a cocky sort of way, just erm, I really like you… I mean obviously as a friend and—"

"Oh Drew!"

"Oh May!" He yells back excitedly, because maybe she was able to understand without him saying any words at all.

"Watch out!"

"Wha?" Suddenly, there's a pink, fluffy ball leaping on his head and Drew's scrambling around in a strange dance.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

"Okay, okay, okay!" May squawks gleefully, putting her hands on his forearms to settle him down, and somehow effortlessly getting the Skitty to trust her and nestle into her embrace.

The fucking Skitty stole his thunder, and Drew has no idea how to react to that.

So instead of spending the night trading cotton candy kisses in May's bed, with promises of something more, he's instead begrudgingly agreed to walk around their apartment building with her in search of the Skitty's owner.

"Poor baby, all alone in the dark. You must've been so scared," she croons, carding a hand through it's fur. The Skitty just hums in responce, and Drew swears to Mew that it smirks at him, like it knows he wishes the roles were reversed.

The bastard.

"She's beautiful, you think it's owner is a coordinator too?" May asks absentmindedly.

"Maybe," Drew knocks on another door with no answer. "She's definitely got the spunk for it."

May giggles, and Drew relishes in the dulcet sound.

"You know Dawn use to say that's why I should join her and become one too. That I've got enough spunk and charm and beauty to be a coordinator, that it makes up for the fact I didn't grow up practicing like she had with you guys's mom. That we'd be on equal footing because of that."

"She's not wrong Maple, you are quite the charmer." Drew says without falter, knowing how eyes always seem to linger on her whenever she's in a room, how she can dole out sparkling words of sincerity that would warm the coldest of folks.

A Disney princess, truly.

Drew's kinda surprised when he sees the small, sad smile that curves her lips.

"I didn't believe her, I just wanted to follow my mommy's footsteps. You know she was on her way to becoming a Pokemon doctor before she married daddy."

Drew remembers Mrs Maple, a open faced, beautiful woman with striking eyes that almost look violet in some lights and long auburn hair that always smelled like daisies. She was always kind to Drew, and he remembers how much Norman seemed to be smitten by her— but even so, he never suspected that the matriarch of the Maple household was quite so… well smart.

"Yuh I know," May chortles knowingly. "I only found out recently, but then she got married and then pregnant with me and just dropped out of school to take up society life. And I always thought I wanted that, to bring up a girl and twin boys by day, and host tea parties and charity galas by night. All the while looking polished and perfect for my doctor husband," her voice tappers off right then while stepping through the door to the stairway that Drew holds open for her.

"But then?" He presses, amazed that she's even speaking so honestly to him, void of the glimmer and buoyancy that usually codes her words.

She turns to him once they reach the next floor, still looking defeated, and Drew hates that she's ever felt such a way.

"Then I married Brendan who I thought was the most perfect boy in the world, and I realized how unhappy I was, how there was no passion— no meaning in my life." She swipes a hand across her eye, discretely sweeping away a few tears that threaten to fall.

"OH May," Drew's voice breaks off right then, seriously incapable of watching her in any sort of pain.

"I'm fine, really," she gives him a wobbly smile and half hearted thumbs up. "'s just, I've already been here for like three months, and yeah I love coordinating and performing with my beautiful pokemon, but— but." He takes her hand, squeezes it with the reassurance she so obviously needs.

"What if I never find that great love Drew? What if I never have a great passion in my life? And I'm actually meant to end up alone."

"Nonsense," he scolds with no heat.

"I've never really felt that sort of way with any of my Exs either," May contends. "Maybe I'm just meant for a life of contentment and interesting conversation… Probably nothing more."

"May stop it," Drew continues to argue.

"Drew, it's okay, I should just except it—"

"May, believe me," he pleads, boring his eyes into her's, green piercing blue. "I know that your future holds a great passion, a great love that you're just on the cusp of realizing. I promise."

May gives him a crooked smile, obviously touched.

"Thanks Drew."

"Always Maple," he swears, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and studiously not mentioning the fact that he hopes to be that great love, if he ever has the guts to tell her so. "Now c'mon, let's find this Skitty's trainer, huh?"

"Oh hey, you're finally back," Dawn greets when Drew walks into the apartment. "So you found that Skitty's home?"

"More like we gained a tick," Drew replies derisively.

"What do you mean?" Ash asks with knitted brows, completely oblivious to Iris switching the pieces around in their chess game behind his back.

Drew doesn't bother to expound on his comment, considering that they're right behind him.

"Hey everyone!" May crows with a wide grin that brightens her lovely face tenfold. "This's Calam," she gestures to the fit looking guy next to her holding Skitty.

"Bonjour!" He says with a wave, stupidly handsome face never straying from May's direction. "Et merci ma belle." he kisses the back of May's hand with far too much intimacy.

"heeHee," she chortles with a gush. "He's from Kalos."

"Oh this's great!" Gary squawks with a cackle.

Drew hates everything. "

Author's Note: Thank you so so much for reading! And again, pretty please LMK if there's a particular episode or storyline you'd like to see written out in this Au33

All My Love

~Len