CHAPTER 1: In which he actually made a friend (and no romantic plot whatsoever was produced)
*Skip to the bottom for notes
Paul doesn't like coffee.
He doesn't like fall too. (But then again he doesn't really like spring, summer or winter either) And when suddenly all the leaves are falling from the sky and cheap plastic Pumpkaboo and Gorgeist decorations are "in the rage". Or when his sister calls him during work to remind him that, hey guess what, they're in college (even if he's in a battle school in Kalos and she's all the way in Johto). "And guess what I just met a person called Gold. Can you believe it? Like Crystal and Silver that's a bit of a stretch, but whatever, sure. But Gold. Like his parents named him that, can you believe this shit? Okay so maybe that isn't actually his name, I mean everybody calls them Jimmy and Marina but still, that's what they were called. As babies. And little children." And Paul winces a little because that's his baby sister cursing about some stupid boy named Gold. Even if it is kind of dumb.
Cher got into every school she applied to. No one was surprised. And when she purposefully announced that she would go to the crappiest school in the whole entire universe everybody was still not surprised.
(She didn't actually want to go there. She just wanted to piss off dad.)
(It worked.)
(Paul managed to convince her not to.)
Her voice is rough and scratchy, sandpaper against his head and bitten nails scraping his ear. Wether it's the static of long distance calls or if he just doesn't remember his sister's voice, Paul doesn't know. Or, he wonders, she could be hungover.
(She better not be hungover.)
"Hey, ever heard of student loans? I heard they're a pain in the ass. You should try it sometimes." There's a jumble of noise on the other side of the line. ("Oh crap, sorry. Sorry"…"Well it's your fault for- !"…)
And then Paul hears the footsteps of a certain 5 foot 2 girl running away from what seems to be an easily angered person.
"For you're information, I did in fact spill some tea all over someone. Oolong. The tea that is, not the person. He's Silver. And he's not easily angered, just really easily really scary. But it's like the 'I'm actually a softie and full of mush' crap thing. Kind of like you. Cuz' you're full of marshmallows and sunshine and stuff."
"Shut up." Paul grumbles. Because his sister can read his mind and it's too early and his face is refusing to co-operate with him. So if he smiled or did something stupid like that, well it was just the morning's fault.
"You just told me to shut up didn't you. Oh well, I think I might've missed it, must've been my imagination. So Silver, he's such a softie, but only around Lyra."
(Paul wonders if he's ever soft around anyone, or if being soft is possible because what does it even mean to be a "soft" person?)
"Who, by the way, is the only other person who has a relatively normal name, I swear. But she turns Silver to pudding, it's hilarious. Plus she's totally oblivious to the whole thing. I mean he blushed so hard once you couldn't distinguish face from hair. Which is red by the way, if you didn't understand. And I mean it's so goddamn red I swear he almost gets as many weird looks as us. Anyways, forget about me and my amazing life, I just hope you did something financially correct for once."
"I screwed up one year."
"And I'll never let you live it down."
"It was one bill."
"Yeah, and it took Leaf almost a month to get you your electricity back."
Leaf could've graduated early from her school, but she got in on a scholarship so as her boyfriend Gary so eloquently put it "Whatever. Screw society. Screw the rules." Nonetheless Leaf's getting her diploma in half a dozen months regardless, and apparently she's bored. So bored she called Paul of all people to rant about electronics and programming and restrictions for about half an hour or so last night.
(Paul didn't really mind actually)
"Anyways, why in the world would she do that for you? As far as I know you guys only stare at each other and grunt in mutual genius every once in a while."
It's not true though. Paul isn't a genius.
"We're united in our combined hate for you."
"Oh hardeeharhar, hilarious Paul. Forget becoming a professional Pokémon battler, they should hire you over at the comedy channel. But seriously, how did you get her to do that? My computers a mess, and I hear she can hack some extra storage into here. Do you think she accepts cookie bribes?"
"Forget about it. Leaf hates you."
Which isn't true, but what Paul will never, ever, ever tell Cher is that that one Christmas, the one at Ash's and before Leaf and Gary started dating he might've, only might've, walked in on them in an extremely compromising situation. And as in compromising, he meant (kissing, tongue, definitely tongue, really lots of kissing, mouth on mouth, okay never going to forget that, oh they see me, okay nope no not gonna deal with this). So like any other normal person, he stepped out of the frame, calmly shut the door, and silently demanded a favor for being quite possible scarred for life.
(It was kind of funny seeing Leaf's face the next day and hear her mutter "I owe you," to him)
But still, even if Leaf being red in the face was a rather new and interesting development, he would never tell his younger sibling. Even if some occasional offhand comment made her confused and Leaf's whole entire face even brighter and then Cher even more confused. So instead he just shifts his weight to his left foot and re-arranges the strap of the messenger bag pulling down his broad shoulders.
"For your information Leaf finds me to be an amazing, animated and wonderful person, unlike you mister I have no soul. And anyways back to the main point. Have you, for the first time in your sad little life, taken correct financial-"
"Are you ever going to stop about this?"
"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me. Will you take correct financial precautions and realize that one: Learning how to pay bills correctly is a very essential piece of knowledge. And two: Your little sister is the best-est person in the whole wide world to have gotten you this job."
It's a horrible job. Being a barista is much too over-romanticized and besides, he's not even that. He just started a couple weeks ago and he's the "Baby-boo" as his co-workers so eloquently put it. So he spends his mornings scribbling names on cups, his hands cramp up and he learns that he's never hated the smell of sharpie so much until now. The machines are too loud, and even if he isn't the ones operating them they still give him headaches. Plus it's fall and that makes it even worse, because every single day they arrive. They, as in them, as in it's those people. And also the wave upon wave upon wave of college girls (and boys, you'd be surprised) demanding the next sugar-high not-really-actually-coffee-coffee frappuchino-ventisomething ice-choco-latte.
(It's also too early but that means that he can call Cher or Cher can call him and the long-distance timing works.)
"I hate you."
"Luv ya too. Anyways toodles, I have to go get Lyra before Silver murders me."
"…"
"What? Are you really that worried about me dying because of spilled tea? Please Paul, when did your opinion of me get so low? When I die there will be Arceus there himself to say the sermon."
Paul doesn't respond and Cher lets out a breathy pent up raspy sigh that he can feel blow through the receiver of his phone.
"I promise not to do drugs."
*click*
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It's not until the blonde barista accidentally drops a nickel into one of the coffee machines that Paul's headache really kicks in.
One of Paul's coworkers already has the mechanic on speed-dial and the manager just shakes his head and assigns the culprit (who seems to be a college student too) to the cashier when the tiny oval of metal somehow manages to cause the machine to turn into a squealing clanging mess of metal. Most of the customers move outside or just shake their head and hurry out of the store once they get their order. Paul's monotone "have a good day," trailing behind them, forgotten.
So now he's here. His blonde head bobbing next to Paul's like some buoy in the water and he's smiling so hard for no good reason.
"You just broke a coffee maker."
"Yup."
"With a nickel."
"Actually I think it might've been a penny."
"You might lose your job."
"Yup."
"Are you retarded."
"Yup."
Paul downs two Tylenol pills.
.
...
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...
.
What ticks him off is the smile.
The curve of it is mirroring the swoosh of his hair and pushing up his pinched cheeks and Paul wants to tell him:
"You look like a toddler."
It's a stupid smile, and he feels like he remembers it from somewhere. Not an identical copy, just something absolutely idiotically happy about it that kind of made him stop and stare for one second too long. But it's confusing because now he's also remembering this boy's smile at the same time, but there's something more important than that. More vital than this blonde's smile that's hiding somewhere in there and what is it?
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Are you okay?"
(He's been looking too long)
"Shut up."
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...
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Paul writes the next name on the next cup and hands it to the man behind him with a command of "Black, decaf." Barry is ringing up the woman, his smile still beaming contagiously over everyone, and he drops the change into the lady's hand with just a slight twitch of impatience in his hand.
There's a lull in the customers and Paul drops down to his haunches, squatting and resting his head against the cool surface of the bar's cabinets. He sighs and fishes his phone out of his pocket.
Only fifteen or so more minutes.
"What is it?" He snaps.
It's not like he hasn't felt the gaze of two orange eyes following his back ever since the idiot just had to drop a ("nickel, I'm pretty sure it's a nickel now. I thought it was a penny but now I'm not that sure") into a coffee making machine and now he's stuck with him at the same shop, same counter, same cashier.
The owlish stare just rotates slightly and blurts out "You're going to the Battle School right? I mean I'm kind of just guessing, but I think I've seen you before. I think, I mean I haven't seen you at the school for freshman year at all but I recognize you. Yeah, I've seen you before. And not just from work, like I remember you from somewhere. And I mean maybe you just don't go out that much but what I'm saying is that I'm taking courses there too. Battle courses. And I just thought wow, that's some big coincidence. And yeah."
Well, that was something. Paul rocks bank on his ankles and pulls himself up from his crouching position.
"My name is Paul. Paul Shinji. I spent my freshman year studying abroad-"
"Where?" He cuts in and Paul wants to snap again, but what the hell, so he deepens his glare and cracks a couple fingers in his left hand but continues:
"Orange Islands. So yes, I am going to the Battle School here. And no, I don't recognize you."
(He's not lying. He doesn't recognize the boy.)
(Maybe the smile though.)
His reflected grin flips and now it's opposing his hair like a fat and thin hyperbole.
"Oh, that's too bad, it was because your name is Paul. I read your name tag a while ago and you just introduced yourself too. But I swear I heard your name before, well that doesn't mean much. But he was talking about a really strong trainer and Ash is alrea-"
Paul cracks to attention, he's already snapping towards Barry (whose name tag he also read) with this look of utter shock slapped into his face.
"Stop."
Barry stumbles a bit over his own feet.
(What. Why How Where When did you. Did you actually? Am I lying or imagining? Are you kidding me this isn't true Cher it's your fault if it's true. How did this. Is this just a coincidence? I know your smile. But not really your smile it's someone else's but sort of yours too. Separately. Nononononono, please don't.)
"What did you just say?"
Of course a customer walk in right then, and Paul's not stupid. So he turns to the businessman with a polite "good-morning," and "my name's Paul and I'll be taking your order today." He scribbles the name passes the cup and is surprised to see Barry professionally ringing up the tab.
The second the man leaves the two employees circle of sound Barry exclaims:
"I swear I heard your name before, well that doesn't mean much. But he was talking about a really strong trainer and Ash is alrea- And that's where you cut me off."
"The last part."
"But he was-"
"No later, very end, the name that you said."
"Ash? What about him?"
"Who is he."
"What kind of weird question is that?"
"Just answer the question already."
"Okaay. Okaay. Arceus you're scary. Well he has dark hair and he wears this hat a lot. He's a trainer just like us and he's really good, has this crazy strong little Pikachu. Plus he's dating the Cerulean gym leader, Misty, red-head. They're both graduating from college soon though. Oh yeah and he's from Kanto, Pallet town you know. Too bad because I can never make it to his Christmas parties, if he was closer maybe, but my Dad and I always celebrate it together in Sinnoh. But actually, what kind of question is that. I promised myself I wouldn't but I just might need to fine you for that it was so strange. Anyways, do you know him or something?"
Barry jumps while he talks, arm windmilling around him like he's some flightless bird or something.
So Paul groans because the headache is back and he's pretty sure that it's never going to leave.
A/N Ahh! Notes, notes, notes.
So the first chapter is done and Dawn hasn't even been mentioned! (Meaning every single Ikarishipper has already left the building whilst throwing insults at me behind them and the much smaller minority of ColdCoffeeShippers cheer ridiculously loudly) Sorry ColdCoffeeShippers, Ikarishipping will come next chapter in full force! (A promise that will not be fulfilled! Because writing this stuff is some hardcore shit!)
And in case anyone was wondering Cher (short for Cherie) is Paul's younger sister (French name by the way). You pronounce it like "Share", as in sharing is caring and "Shaerie" like faerie but with a "Shh" at the beginning.
Also this isn't an alternate universe or anything, there's still Pokémon and stuff. Only people get an actual education and go to college and school because no you cannot backpack your whole entire life (so wait. Is that considered an alternate universe or not?).
So um. uh. Thanks?
Favs and Follows very much appreciated! I try to check out other people's profiles and show support as much as I can, so um yeah.
-HeyHeyDoIKnowYou