This is the first chapter of Rainy Days. This one is Ikarishipping, the next one will be Pokeshipping, and the last will be Contestshipping (and you'll see why I planned it last).
So enjoy!
Reviews are appreciated. :3
~Rainy Days: Umbrella~
Dawn shifted the chartreuse belt around her sky blue raincoat. She opened her umbrella and stepped out of the office into the pouring rain. She moved quickly to the limousine waiting for her out front. She sat down in the back seat, closed the umbrella, and shut the door. Once inside, Dawn let her Empoleon out of its Poké ball, and it sat on the seat next to her.
Dawn slumped down in the seat. Being a Pokémon Stylist sure made your life busy. Empoleon lay a reassuring flipper on her shoulder, but it was only so much comfort.
"Empoleon, I just wish I weren't so busy these days. We never have any time to do anything anymore…" she sighed. Dawn stared out the window at the drenched world and took in that smell that permeates the air when it rains.
The building where Dawn's next meeting was being held was across town. On a rainy day like this, a forty-minute drive at least.
The driver let her out four blocks from the building Dawn needed to go to. The traffic was too much. If Dawn wanted to make it on time, she'd have to walk.
Returning her cherished friend to its Poké ball, Dawn stepped out of the car. She made her way under awnings until she had to cross the street. It was then she finally realized that she was without an umbrella and had no hood.
"I left my umbrella in the car!" Dawn muttered in shock. Umbrellas were an essential part of her wardrobe. Since it rained in Hearthome City what seemed like once a week, it was important to have a few handy. That, along with raincoats and boots. But in the spirit of high fashion, Dawn's raincoat had no hood.
Dawn knew what she had to do. She waited for the light to turn, covered her head with her hands, and darted across the street. She kept ducking and covering her head until she ran into something-or someone.
Dawn had fallen in a puddle, splashing water all over her. Now she was annoyed, wet, and without an umbrella. Her raincoat only did so much to keep the water out.
"What kind of raincoat is this anyway?" Dawn asked herself.
"What are you doing?" rang a familiar voice. She looked up, finding the voice belonged exactly to whom she thought it did. Paul. He had grown a lot since they were kids.
Dawn began to stand up on her own, but surprisingly found a hand to help her up. She blushed, took the hand, and stood up.
"Thank you, Paul," she said quietly.
"Where are you headed?"
"To a meeting. It's at the big office building about two blocks from here."
"You don't have an umbrella or a hood, do you?" Dawn shook her head. "Come on." He stepped closer to her, moving the umbrella over the both of them.
"W-what are you doing?"
"If I leave you out here, you'll get sick," he said flatly.
"You care?" a surprised Dawn asked as they began to walk in the direction of the office building.
"I can't say I don't." Dawn smiled softly and the two continued on their way without another word.
Once the silence had gotten to her, Dawn looked up at her escort. His face stayed solemn, though there was something relaxed about it. Confused, she simply looked down at the various puddles forming on the ground and all the water running smoothly off the sidewalks into the main road where cars splashed water all over.
Dawn began to drift away in her thoughts. Apparently she drifted pretty far because the next thing she knew she was slipping in a puddle.
A quick and firm hand reached out to catch her. The umbrella fell to the ground, the holder now having his hand around the waist of a young Pokémon Stylist.
He pulled her closer to him, causing her to come to her feet. But as the ground was still slippery, all she did was fall into his chest. Paul, however, would not be caused to fall by his clumsy companion. He held her there for a instant, her eyes mesmerized and caught completely in the moment.
In a split second, Paul placed Dawn back on her feet, picked up the umbrella, and resumed walking, doing his best to conceal the slight smile plastered on his face.
Dawn felt the emotions roll in her head. She wasn't sure what to think - there were just too many of them. She could sense the blood rushing to her cheeks and desperately tried to hide it - as desperately as Paul tried to hide his own.
The rest of the walk was bathed in silence, neither one knowing what they wanted to say.
Once the two finally made it to their destination, Dawn ran out from the umbrella toward cover, and Paul turned to leave.
"Thank you!" Dawn called out as she waved goodbye. Paul, without turning around, gave her a wave. She stared out into the rain quietly, letting it all play through again.
"And so we need seventy shipments of this material by next week," said one of the designers in the conference room. Dawn wasn't listening though. She tapped her pencil repeatedly on the desk and gazed out the window, thinking now that maybe it was a good thing she had forgotten her umbrella.