[A/N]: Hi, everyone. As you can see, I'm Almondae . This is my first time writing for Pokemon, so I hope it turns out okay. ^_^
This is an Ikarishipping story, mainly, although there will be several side pairings. But that's later.
Also, this is semi-AU, where Pokemon exist, but there's not as much importance put on Gyms and badges as in the anime. Oh, and all the characters are quite a bit older than usual. Like, in their early- to mid-twenties old.
And so, without further ado, I present to you the first chapter of Cold Coffee and Whipped Cream~!
Chapter One
A Rather Bitter Introduction
The quiet tinkling sound and the cold draft that suddenly blew around their legs was enough to alert the customers of Pearl Café that the front door was being opened. This meant that someone was either coming in or leaving ; in this case, it was the former - a dark haired young woman in her early twenties stepped into the warmth of the building. A few of the occupants turned curiously to look at the new arrival as she attempted to close the door against the chilly air from outside.
She was certainly quite nice-looking, with black-blue hair spilling over her shoulders and framing her pale face, topped by an adorable white beanie. As she swept off her designer sunglasses with flourish, her eyes were revealed to be large and dark blueish gray. Her clothing looked expensive- a silky light pink scarf that probably did little to keep out the cold, and what seemed to be a custom-made pea coat in a dark crimson shade. Finishing off her look was a pair of white stiletto boots with pointed toes.
Dawn Berlitz sighed dramatically as she stepped into the line that lead up to the counter where you ordered your food. Shaking stray snowflakes out of her hair, she checked her Pokétch for the time. 8:47 a.m., it read.
Hmm. She was probably going to be a little late to work today. Oh well. May would cover for her until she got there.
The blue-haired girl tapped her foot impatiently as the line refused to move forward. Frowning and craning her neck, she noted that the queue was much longer than usual. That's odd. Tapping the shoulder of the guy standing in front of her, she furrowed her eyebrows questioningly as he turned.
"Why are there so many people in line today ?" she asked.
He shrugged, scratching his chin. "Dunno. But some chick in front of me said somethin' about the new barista being 'cute' or whatever."
Dawn could feel her eyes widen. "There's a new barista ?"
"I guess."
"And he's cute ?"
"Uh..."
She barely listened to his mumbling, instead pushing herself up on her tiptoes to peek above his shoulder. Indeed, the line was over 60% flirtatious females, all patting down their hair or checking their makeup in tiny compact mirrors.
Dawn's face deepened into a scowl. I've been coming here for two grueling years. No way a bunch of flirty first-timers are gonna take my first chance ever !
And with that passionate thought in mind, Dawn strode forward, pushing past Mumbling Guy. Driven by rage, curiosity, and a craving for her daily morning latte, she managed to shove, elbow, and kick her way to the front in five minutes.
Panting and glaring territorially at the angrily muttering patrons she had left behind her, she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the granite countertop and cradling her face in her hands.
Hmm.
The supposedly "cute" new barista was nowhere in sight. Maybe he was hiding from his already rabid new fangirls ? Not that she was a fangirl herself or anything! She was just...interested. Yes, that was all. I mean, come on, she wasn't desperate.
As Dawn mulled over her single status in her mind, she felt a chill go down her spine. Like someone was glaring at her. At first she just dismissed it as angry looks from the all the people she had cut in line, but as the seconds ticked on, the ominous presence grew persistent. Finally, scowling in annoyance, she looked up.
Wow.
It was the barista.
Oh. My. God.
"Cute" had been an understatement. Calling this guy "cute" would be like calling a Milotic "sort of pretty".
Forget cute. This guy was breath-stopping gorgeous.
First of all there was his hair. It was longish and sort of messy and a puzzling color ; somewhere between purple and gray. A piece of it kept flopping over his forehead, causing him to huff in annoyance and sweep it back. Dawn found that kind of hot.
And then there were his eyes. They were dark and sort of mysterious, and topped with his thick, furrowed eyebrows, Dawn thought they looked deep and soulful.
And then there was...well, everything else. High cheekbones, slightly chapped lips, broad shoulders... If it wasn't for the fact that he was currently frowning, he would have looked perfect.
"Hey, you. Snap out of it. "
A crass, grumpy voice broke through her reverie. She blinked and looked around for a moment before she realized that the voice had come from him.
He was definitely glaring at her now, his eyebrows set into an intimidating line across his forehead. She stammered and blushed, embarrassed to be caught gawking.
"Uh, I'm, um, s-sorry..."
"What ? Ugh, nevermind. Do you want to order something or not ?"
"Er, a hazelnut vanilla latte with whipped cream. Grande size."
As he repeated her order to another barista stationed in the kitchen, Dawn could feel herself frown. This guy was way too impatient. Not to mention rude. But it was only his first day at this job, so she would give him another chance.
Her eyes scanned the front of his shirt for some sign of identification. Ah, a nametag. How convenient. She assumed her most winning smile and leaned forward, batting her eyelashes girlishly.
"So, Paul ," she began, putting extra emphasis on his name. "I'm guessing this is your first day here ?"
Paul's only response was a cold stare. Dawn winced, but went on anyways.
"Are you, um, new in town ? I don't think I've seen you around before..."
"That's none of your business, you troublesome girl. "
She could feel her hands curl into fists as she restrained the urge to punch him, but forced herself to keep smiling.
"Because, you know, I've lived here a while, and if you'd like, I could show you around or somethi-"
"I can manage to get around without an annoying chatterbox like you tagging along," he interrupted, scowling.
Dawn's smile dropped, along with any pretense of cordiality. What a jerk. She'd known him for all of two minutes, and she disliked him already.
"Well, excuse me for trying to make conversation," she huffed, undoing the clasp on her purse to search for her wallet.
"Tch. How irritating."
Dawn grit her teeth and tried to ignore him.
They waited in a tense silence for several minutes, looking everywhere but at each other. When her order finally arrived, they met each other's eyes for a second, glaring daggers at one another. His gaze seemed cold and calculating ; hers was angry but proud.
Their eye contact broke, she grabbed her coffee, and with a swish of her silky pink scarf, she exited the building.
Paul stared after her for a moment, then scowled ferociously and turned to the next customer. Outside, in the freezing wintry air, Dawn's expression was just as furious. Who does he think he is ?
Growling, she stamped in the direction of the office. She turned to her latte ; her only source of comfort until she got to work. Clutching at the cardboard cover, she brought the cup up to her mouth and tipped it downwards, taking a giant gulp.
Then she gagged loudly and spit it out.
Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, she looked at the caffeine beverage she was holding. Prying off the plastic cover, she noted that they hadn't forgotten the whipped cream before dipping a cautious finger into the brown liquid. It confirmed her suspicions - the stuff was ice cold.
This made Dawn even more pissed off than she already was. In fact, she had half a mind to go right back into that coffee shop and scream her head off. But, really, she was late enough to work already, and she could deal with this tomorrow.
And so, Dawn began to walk (read: stomp ) to the office, chucking her coffee in the first trashcan she came across.
chapter one/end
[A/N]: So what do you think ? Like it ? Hate it ? Feel free to review with your opinion~
If anything Dawn says/thinks seems puzzling, that'll probably be explained in the next chapter. Er, look forward to it? ^.^;
-Almondae