Protective

So Close, Yet So Far

I'm almost at my winter break! Just two more finals to go...

Anyways, here's an update to show I'm alive. ;P

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Late into the first night when Dawn had dragged the cat hybrid into her home, Paul had quietly snuck out of his room to get himself a glass of water. After getting rehydrated, he decided that today had been weird. It wasn't everyday he ran into energetic blue haired girls who offered him food and place to stay. Paul knew that this situation was too good to be true.

The girl probably had ulterior motives. Like selling him off in the underground hybrid market.

It didn't seem likely, but Paul knew things like that happened, he couldn't rule out any possibilities.

Not yet.

On his way back to the room he was staying in, he noticed the light still on in the other bedroom and peeked in. The hunched figure of Dawn at her desk made him pause to watch.

The way she was positioned initially made him think she had fallen asleep at her desk, but his sensitive ears caught onto the quiet noise of pencil scratching paper. She was still working even in the middle of the night.

Despite how busy she was, this girl still made the attempt to help him.

Paul could acknowledge that much.

His tail slowly moved from side to side, his eyes narrowing tiredly as his ears flickered at the sound of her yawn.

He was aware of her kindness.

But, it was too uncharacteristic of him to do anything, so he simply returned to his room, keeping the door slightly open so he could hear what was going on.

He would watch out for her in his own way.

The next morning, Dawn quietly hummed as she started on breakfast. The warm smell of coffee wafted around the kitchen to keep her awake as she continued to pull together the first meal of the day.

The blue haired girl accepted that she probably looked terrible right now. Have worked most of the night, the few hours of sleep she did get were just enough to keep the dark circles from appearing under her eyes. Despite not having to physically appear at the office for the day, Dawn had woken up early because she remembered she had a house guest.

Having barely spent any time with the cat hybrid last night, she wanted the chance to interact with him more.

"Milk should be okay for him, right?" Dawn mused, staring at the carton of milk in her fridge.

Deciding to rid her uncertainty, she pulled out her phone and searched her question. Although Paul wasn't the first hybrid Dawn encountered, she had limited experience around hybrids.

She hoped she was treating him right.

Confirming that milk was okay, Dawn caught sight of a comment about hybrids – they enjoyed companionship. Thinking back to how Paul had been alone in the alleyway, she wondered if that comment was a general thing or if the cat hybrid was just an exception.

Finishing up with meal preparations, Dawn moved towards the room her guest was staying in. Knocking on the door, silence responded.

"Paul? Are you awake?" she called out. Still not getting an answer, Dawn hesitantly placed her hand on the doorknob, planning her next move. "I'm coming in, okay?"

The room was partially lit by the sunlight pouring in from the window. Even though it was still drizzling out, sunshine still peeked into the dreary world. The streams of light just touched the edge of the bed where Paul was curled up, fast asleep.

Dawn smiled, looking at how peaceful Paul appeared. He didn't look like the stoic person from the night before, rather seeming cuter and at ease in his sleep. Unable to resist her urge, Dawn reached out to touch his hair.

The moment her fingers grazed over his hair, Paul immediately woke up and lashed out. Dawn, although startled, managed to jump back just in time. Low hisses escaped from the cat hybrid.

The hissing stopped when Paul seemed to realize the situation. Hackles dropped, he stared at Dawn with enough intensity for her to snap out of her daze as well.

"I'm sorry!" The girl apologized. "I was just going to wake you up..."

Lowering his eyes to the ground, Paul gave her a half shrug as he slowly relaxed from his stiff pose. His ears flickered, almost as if he were acknowledging that he heard her.

The little gesture brought a smile to Dawn's face.

"Breakfast is ready by the way!" She exclaimed, trying to be bubbly and energetic despite how tired she actually was. "Come join me when you're ready."

Leaving the room to give him privacy, Dawn missed the apologetic look that Paul was giving her from lashing out.

The purple haired boy sighed, running a hand through his hair. Dawn didn't deserve that kind of greeting from him. After living on the streets for so long, he was used to being harassed, so his natural instinct was to protect himself.

How was he going to look out for her when all he did was scare her off?

Paul sincerely doubted that his stay here was going to be long. He would try to leave when the rain let out, hopefully soon so he didn't burden the poor girl too long.

After stopping by the bathroom, he quietly padded out towards the kitchen, driven by hunger. Peeking in, he could see Dawn already seated and piling up food onto a plate.

Cautiously stepping in, Paul froze when he made eye contact with the blue eyed girl.

"Sorry for scaring you," she meekly apologized again.

Paul slipped into the empty seat across from her. "It's fine. You're not hurt?"

"I'm perfectly okay!"

Dawn flashed him a bright smile. She could see Paul relax a little at her words. Clearly, he cared enough to ask. That was progress.

She pushed the plate of food she had stockpiled in front of him.

"Eat! I'm sure you're hungry."

The cat hybrid accepted, but paused before picking up his utensils. Watching Dawn fill a plate for herself, his eyes caught onto how astray her hair looked. Compared to how put together she had looked despite the rain last night, he wondered if she was getting enough rest.

Hoping his next action wouldn't appear strange, he reached over.

Dawn felt a hand carefully brushing through her hair. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she didn't dare move, allowing Paul to do as he pleased. Once his hand pulled away, Dawn peeked up to see a pink hue fading fast as Paul busied himself with eating.

Smiling, she ducked her head down and started to eat as well.

When breakfast was finished and taken care of, Dawn wandered into the living room and noticed Paul staring out the window, his tail swishing back and forth. Taking a seat on the couch, she noticed his eyes dart over to her.

"Are you okay, Paul?"

The cat hybrid turned back to the glass. A quiet murmur of a single word filled the room.

"Yeah."

"I want you to know you're welcome to stay as long as you like," Dawn said, getting comfortable. "I don't mind having you around."

Paul's ears twitched at her words. He peeked over his shoulder, tempted to ask the naïve girl what she meant by her words, but stayed quiet when he saw her yawn.

"You remind me of when I first moved out on my own... A little lost in the world. There's nothing wrong with having someone to help you back on your feet."

The urge to protest that he wasn't helpless rose up in his throat, but the words died off when Paul saw that Dawn had drifted off.

He sighed.

What a troublesome girl.

Moving into Dawn's bedroom, he caught sight of designs scattered across her desk – the ones she must have been working on during the night – then moved to grab a blanket off her bed. Returning to the living room, Paul carefully covered her with the blanket, silently staring at her inquiringly.

Knowing his questions wouldn't get answers, he sat down on the other end of the couch. Watching the raindrops splatter against the windowpane, he couldn't help but wonder if the overcast sky was a sign.

More fluff on its way after this! :)

I hope you guys are doing well! I'm back in my usual winter wonderland like every December.

Happy holidays!

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

~Skitty13