Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Notes: I know you all thought I had abandoned you T.T (runs) but fear not! Chapter 9 is here! This is the unedited version, so I'll check for more errors later, when I'm not so busy... Again, thank you SO MUCH to my reviewers!

Summary: -high school setting- They were friends, close friends...just friends. And that's all they ever would be. At least that's what Paul tried to tell himself. But watching Dawn and Gary make out was frustrating him more than it should. Of course, Lyra's matchmaking skills and Drew's flirting tips weren't helping either.

Part I - Chapter IX

9th Grade Snowflakes

It was snowing. Dawn loved the snow.

Autumn brought about the new school year, rain, and the flu. Dawn always looked forward to leaving that all behind in exchange for the winter season. She enjoyed snuggling under the blanket in front of a warm fire…building snowmen…drinking hot chocolate… but most of all, Dawn enjoyed celebrating Christmas.

Every year she and her mom would decorate the tree together. They had collected so many ornaments over the years that she wasn't sure how they all managed to fit on the branches. Even so, Dawn made sure there was room for the popcorn strings (though she ate half the popcorn usually). And after the tree was decorated and done, presents could go underneath.

Today Dawn was going out shopping; she had finally completed her gift shopping list a week before Christmas. She hadn't planned on waiting this late (the shops were going to be packed), but it had taken a long time to finally decide on a gift for Paul. Even after a year, she still didn't know much about him. She had wanted to give him something meaningful, but Dawn also didn't want to just guess and get him something he didn't like. She had finally decided to get him a department store gift card; he could use it to buy something he liked.

She finished buttoning her maroon coat and looked in the mirror to adjust her fluffy hat. Then she skipped downstairs to kiss her mother goodbye and put on her boots.

"If you need anything, just call me," Johanna called after her. Dawn waved goodbye and closed the front door behind her.

As she walked through her neighborhood toward the Veilstone Court Mall, the light layer of snow crunched under her boots. She opened a pink umbrella and used it to shield her from the falling flakes; she didn't want her hair to get wet. She could have stuffed it up into her hat, but then what was the point in straightening it this morning?

Dawn would have preferred to go to one of the malls on Castelia or Goldenrod Boulevard, but Veilstone was the closest. Her mother was busy finishing the January edition of her magazine from their home computer and didn't have time to drive Dawn around. So she had to settle for Veilstone, the smallest mall in the city. Not only was it the smallest, but most of Veilstone Court was lined with old apartment complexes and cheap drugstores; it certainly wasn't in the best part of town. She wasn't afraid of getting mugged, but even so, Dawn quickly walked past the dark buildings. Her eyes shifted about, looking for anything suspicious: two old men sitting on a bench, a cat in an alley, a boy coming out of one of the drugstores—

"Paul!" she cried, surprised to see him.

He jerked and turned; as he recognized her, the initial scowl on his face softened. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm Christmas shopping! Is that what you are doing too?" she replied, pointing to the bag in his hand.

Paul flushed. "This? Uh, no. Reggie needed…something…"

Something seemed off, but Dawn knew better than to pry too much. Instead she asked, "Well would you like to come shopping with me? I'm going to the mall over there."

"What? Why do you want me to come?"

Dawn frowned. Was he really that uncomfortable around her? They'd been eating at the same lunch table for almost a year; Dawn considered him a friend. Friends went shopping together. However, Paul was the loner type; perhaps he didn't have many friends to go shopping with.

"Well, we're friends…we can hang out! Plus…I don't really want to go alone," she admitted, biting her lip. "I know the mall will have a lot of people, but…you can never be too safe, right?" She smiled sheepishly.

.

Paul sighed as he watched Dawn browse through the art supplies, looking for a Christmas present for her mom. He really hadn't wanted to go anywhere today. He'd just run down to the drugstore for some groceries really. But then she showed up. Of all the people to catch him leaving a drugstore, why did it have to be Dawn?

Thankfully she hadn't asked too many questions. However, she had asked him to escort her to the Veilstone Court Mall. She felt unsafe in this area…his area. Paul wasn't sure why he was trying to hide where he lived, but he didn't want Dawn to know that he lived on this street. She was scared of this area; would she be scared of him if she saw the ratty apartment complex he lived in?

"Paul, are you listening to me?" Her voice echoed through his mind, snapping him from his thoughts. He shook his head; what had she been talking about?

"I asked you if you've completed your Christmas shopping," she said exasperatedly, studying the sketchpads. "Which one do you think my mom would like?"

"What? I don't know; she's your mom, not mine," he replied, trying not to sound aggravated. "And I don't really do Christmas shopping…"

Dawn selected a fancy sketchbook from the shelf and flipped through it. "What about Reggie? Don't you get him anything for Christmas?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not hard to shop for him; he likes anything."

That's not true, Paul thought to himself. I hate shopping for Reggie; I hate shopping in general really. Yet here he was, shopping with Dawn. He hadn't wanted to go anywhere and he could have said no…so why was he here? He watched her pay for the sketchbook and a few other things. She dug her wallet out of her coat pocket, and Paul couldn't help but notice how the maroon color suited her. She wore a lot of pink (probably her favorite color), but he really liked how the coat somehow fit with her dark blue hair and light skin.

Why am I noticing this? He blushed and looked away before she caught him staring. He just really liked that maroon color; that was all.

He followed Dawn into several more stores, trailing along as she bought the items on her list. If the stores were too crowded with anxious Christmas shoppers ready to bite each other for the last pair of gloves, Paul waited outside. He didn't like cramped spaces or being shoved around carelessly. He jammed his fists into his pockets as he waited for Dawn outside a chocolate shop.

A loud group of teenagers walked past, and a few of them gave Paul disapproving looks. He recognized Ash Ketchum instantly and knew the entire group thought he was some sort of bully. They stopped a few feet away from him, no doubt to wonder amongst themselves of the possible reasons that Paul was at a mall. A blue-haired girl (Marianne? Maria? Or maybe it was Kristen?) in particular nudged her friend (Paul had no idea this girl's name, though he did recognize her obnoxious marshmallow hat) to point him out, and then gave him a disgusting look. Ash and Tracey were whispering to each other and glancing at Paul. Ash turned to tug on the orange-haired girl's ponytail…Misty was it? Yes, that sounded right. He was pretty sure the other teens' names were Jimmy, Vinny?, Cissy and Ritchie (all whiny-sounding names). He never talked to any of them, so he had never concentrated on learning their names; he was surprised to remember so many. The group gave him one last look and walked away towards the food court, laughing loudly as Marshmallow Hat tripped over a display stand.

"Whatever," he scoffed.

That idiot Ash Ketchum had formed some ridiculous idea that he and Paul were rivals (as if they were even on the same page). As far as he knew, Paul had never done anything to make Ash consider that they were equals. He supposed Ash just didn't like him because he was unsocial. Which was a stupid reason to call him a bully. Paul only talked down to people who deserved it (such as when Drew acted obnoxious). He did his best to ignore Ash and his stupid friends whenever possible.

Dawn emerged from the shop looking satisfied. Her expression dropped, however, when she caught sight of Paul.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"What for?" She hadn't been one of those laughing teens. She treated him like a regular person more than anyone else.

"I dragged you in here and you must be bored to death." She looked down at her feet, clutching her gift bags.

He sighed. "Only an inch from death." At her worried look, he continued, "Just kidding. I'm not that bored; I had nothing better to do anyway."

Dawn still seemed unsure, but he simply asked if she had finished all of her shopping yet. She shook her head, and the two continued on through the mall, stopping in front of some girly store. Dawn mumbled something about May's gift and hurried inside.

She seems uncomfortable now; did I say something mean? Dawn usually wasn't intimidated by him, so Paul must have done something wrong. However, he could think of nothing. Oh wait, hadn't she thought he was bored? Was she still worrying over that? His face grew warm with embarrassment, and a bit of pleasure. He didn't want her fretting over him like a mother or something… yet, it didn't feel so bad knowing that she was concerned for him. In fact, if he thought about it some more—

"Sorry about all of this; I'm almost done, I swear," Dawn apologized as she quickly exited the boutique. "I just need to go into that clothing store over there. I'm getting something for May's little brother, and a gift card for... my friend… and then I'm done."

"I already told you I'm fine; stop apologizing," he snapped, more harshly than he had intended.

Her face changed. "Oh really? In that case, I just remembered I have a much longer list I need to take care of—"

"Let's just go," he interrupted. Dawn smirked and led the way across the mall to the Veilstone Department Store.

Paul had only been in here once. This was the Veilstone Court Mall, and as such, most of the stores reflected the neighborhood. However, there were a few places in the mall that were…over Paul's budget, and this was one of them.

Reggie had come here a few months ago to buy a nice shirt for work (that came home splattered with paint and toddler germs), and Paul had wandered around aimlessly. The department store wasn't that expensive to the average person, but for people like Reggie and Paul, it sucked the wallet dry. Normally he didn't care about economic status. But as Dawn rifled through the Boy's Section, wondering if Max would prefer a Rurouni Kenshin T-shirt or a Gundam Wing hoodie, not caring about the price tags, Paul started to feel a bit self-conscious of his worn sneakers and faded jeans that had once belonged to Reggie. Jamming his fists into his pockets, he meandered over to the Teen Boy's Section. He did it mostly to get away from Dawn, but he was also slightly curious to see what they had.

The shirts and jackets were suited for guys like Ash and Tracey, carefree and loose. Drew probably wouldn't be caught dead near this mall though; Paul was sure he had a personal tailor and seamstress. While most of the garments weren't to Paul's taste (again, these were for the Ash Ketchums), he stopped in front of a rather nice jacket. His fingers trailed over the nice material; something like this was made to last, unlike his current jacket with loose threads. Paul didn't have moth-eaten clothes, but they were mostly hand-me-downs from Reggie, semi-button-less and short-sleeved. This black jacket was fully buttoned and—Paul glanced to make sure no one was looking—just the right size. But the price tag was a few sizes too big.

"Paul? Where'd you go?" he heard Dawn's voice call from nearby. He hurriedly removed the jacket and hung it back up carelessly.

Dawn emerged in front of him with her findings: the Kenshin T-shirt and what looked like the gift card she'd mentioned. She noticed the jacket.

"Wow, that's a nice jacket," she commented, looking it over. "Were you trying it on?" Her tone proved she had seen him, or at least seen him hanging it back up.

"Not really," he replied hastily, suddenly uncomfortable. "I already have a functional jacket anyway. If you're done, go pay; I don't want to be here all day."

She frowned at him. "Yes I'm done. No need to be so moody, geez."

Moody? Him? Only girls were moody; Paul felt insulted. And so it was somewhat unwillingly and sulkily that he followed Dawn to the registers. He suddenly wanted to leave faster, and sighed in annoyed when Dawn claimed she'd grabbed the wrong gift card. He stayed at the register, not bothering to watch her leave, and waited impatiently for her to return. As soon as he heard her footsteps, Paul left and waited outside the store.

It must be something in the air, he reasoned. Why else was he so uncomfortable and hot? He certainly wasn't moody. Boys were not moody, and Paul Shinji wasn't even associated with the word. He might be calm, or he might be annoyed, different moods, yes. But he was never, ever moody. And for Dawn to call him such… well… he didn't like it.

"Hey, I'm all done now. I was only joking about those other stores," Dawn said, poking him on the arm. "Thanks for hanging out with me today though; I was kinda worried about coming in here alone…"

Stupid girl. If Ash and company shopped here, it was probably safe enough. And the fact that Paul was one of the people in this area that Dawn was worried would mug her… ok, so she didn't exactly know he lived here… but Paul knew, and it was a blow to his ego. Would she be scared of him if she knew he lived here? Probably not, but still… It was just all uncomforting.

"Hn, whatever. I suppose you want me to walk you to the corner?" he asked. After thinking on it, Paul didn't know why he was even offering to do that. It's not like I'm walking her home, he told himself.

"Oh would you? Thanks," she said in relief.

The two left the mall at a comfortable pace. It was still snowing, so Dawn opened her umbrella and motioned for Paul to get under it. Walking with a girl under an umbrella (a pink umbrella at that) in the snow… Paul was very conscious that to passersby, they probably looked like a couple on a date. Although, Dawn was carrying the umbrella in one hand and all of her bags in the other; Paul supposed he looked like a rude jerk. But how was he supposed to remember to offer to carry her bags? It wasn't like he went shopping with people on regular occasions. And they were almost at the corner; to offer now would be pointless.

"I can go from here by myself; I'm sure you have stuff to do," Dawn said, shifting her bags around. "But thanks again for hanging out with me; I had fun."

"Ok," was all he could think to say. Say something else, say something else! "Umm…" But Paul was spared from thinking of anything.

"Ewwwwww!"

Paul and Dawn both blinked. They looked down to see a little blonde girl pointing at them with a disgusted look that couldn't hide the fact that she was slightly intrigued.

"Ewww," she repeated again. "Are you two going to kiss?"

Paul felt his heart jump a beat and he choked. Dawn's face flared up in embarrassment, but she was quicker to recover. Paul was still trying to calm himself when Dawn bent down to the girl with a sweet smile.

"Of course not," she said. "I'd get cooties if I did that."

The little girl shrieked in disgust (or was it amusement?) before she ran off to her mother who was looking at a jewelry store display window. Dawn chuckled at the girl's behavior; her face was still pink, but she seemed to have recovered for the most part. Paul's face, of course, was devoid of any emotion, though he was taking deep breaths.

"Isn't she adorable? I probably ruined her love life," Dawn mused, smirking.

"Did you ever believe in such ridiculous things?" he asked, trying to steer away from the situation.

She shrugged. "I don't think so. I more just knew that boys were disgusting; I don't think I actually believed in cootie bugs."

"Still think they're disgusting?" Paul asked carelessly, trying not to think about her kiss with Drew.

Dawn smirked. "Why? Did you want to find out?" she asked deviously, pointing up to what the little girl had seen and they had previously missed.

Mistletoe. Why the hell was that hanging from a streetlight above this corner? Paul jumped, backing away from the spot immediately. Dawn laughed at him.

"I was joking…mostly."

"Mostly?" he asked suspiciously. He'd sooner be friends with Ash Ketchum than kiss a girl; that was not happening.

"Well rules are rules… but I know you don't like that sort of thing, so I'll let you settle for a lesser consequence."

"What?" he asked, confused by her statement.

"I know you aren't interested in that kind of thing, Paul," Dawn exclaimed not unkindly. "And I know I'm kinda boy-crazy…heh. But you don't have to worry; we're just friends and I'm not going to make you kiss me. You don't have to worry about that with me, k?" She smiled softly.

He was trying to process everything she'd said, but his brain didn't want to work. "Ok…?" he replied, unsure of what he was agreeing to.

"So I'll just take a hug instead," she said.

And not waiting for his approval, she flung her arms around him, the shopping bags and umbrella hitting his back. It suddenly felt much warmer outside, and Dawn's hair was tickling his face. He realized he wasn't breathing and relaxed, inhaling the scent of something fruity…strawberries? Whatever it was, his stomach didn't seem to like it, as his insides were lurching.

Dawn pulled away after a moment (had it really just been a moment?) and fixed her bags, checking to make sure nothing had fallen out. With the umbrella aside, the snow had clung to the strands of hair sticking out from under her hat. Paul realized it was the same hat he had teased her about before; it really didn't look that bad at all.

Dawn raised the umbrella. "Are you ok getting home? It is snowing…"

"My hair will survive."

She laughed. "Ok. Well, I'll be going then. Oh wait!" she exclaimed, digging through her bags. "I may not see you again before Christmas, so I'd better give this to you now."

She handed him a one of the bags.

"What's this for?" he asked, staring at it as if it were an alien.

"It's your Christmas present! I wasn't sure what to get you, and I changed my mind several times," she explained sheepishly.

Paul looked up to see Dawn waving goodbye. He wanted to call out and stop her, as if she owed him a better explanation, but he couldn't move his lips. He was too stunned.

"If you don't like it, you can always take it back and exchange it," she reassured him, waving again. "Merry Christmas!" And she dashed across the street and became lost in the crowd of afternoon shoppers.

Paul stared down at the bag clutched in his hands.

It was a Christmas present, for him. No one, aside from family, had ever given him a Christmas present. Reggie always got him a few gifts, but this was the first present Paul had received from someone else.

She had thought to get him something; part of her shopping today had been for him. Paul started to worry. What did she get him? How much had it cost her? He was going to be angry if she'd spent a lot; she needn't waste her money on him. Especially as he hadn't gotten her anything it return—

Damn it, he thought. I didn't think to get her anything! She spent money on this, and I gave her nothing! Paul wasn't the type to buy people gifts, nor was he the type to be polite and have a gift in exchange. However, he didn't want to feel indebted to her. And right now, he owed her. He'd have to get her something in return…sometime…

He peeked into the bag.

The black jacket from the store. So she had seen him trying it on. And she bought it for him? Paul was slightly annoyed she'd bought it without checking to see if he really liked it (he did) or if it fit (it did), and also…did she even look at the price? Well, the tag was missing, so she must have… Which meant she'd bought it, knowing how much it cost and choosing to spend that much anyway. He had to pay her back even more now.

Yet, he was pleased she had noticed he liked it, and had thought of him.

"But why would she buy me a gift?" he asked, suddenly bitter as he recalled her words from earlier.

But you don't have to worry; we're just friends and I'm not going to make you kiss me. You don't have to worry about that with me, k?

They were "just friends" to her. And indeed they were.

So why was he disappointed?

I'm really sorry I haven't updated sooner! I have just been incredibly stressed with real life these past few weeks, and it impairs my writing. I had to force myself to finish this chapter; I listened to my playlist (of songs that inspire the mood of this story) for about an hour before feeling I could write seriously. I could have finished this chapter quickly, but it would have been messy and short. I'd rather give you the better version :)

So, we switched back to a bit of Dawn's POV here! I will try to write her as much as Paul, though it's easier to show him changing when it's his perspective. However, I will try to write for Dawn just as much.

And, squee! Paul is showing feelings? I feel so proud as his parent...lol. No, really, I'm excited to start writing the later chapters :D I hope this chapter didn't rush into anything. But the story has to move forward, and it's already pretty slow eheh... I know I'm not being completely clear on what Paul is feeling, but he doesn't really know either. I know what he's feeling, but I'm trying to write through his perspective (albeit 3rd person) so sometimes it will be a bit vague.

Next chapter is for Valentine's Day! And for those of you who like May and Drew, they will have bigger parts in this next chapter. I can't promise an update date...but I will when I can. Between running orientations and getting a second job...not sure how much free time I'll have. I have 3 restaurant interviews next week, hopefully I get an offer!

Interesting Facts:

-I previously explained the towns from the games have become street names in this story. Some are in planned neighborhoods, like Pallet Rd; others, such as Veilstone Court, have both housing and stores. Veilstone Court has a small shopping mall... I know in the games it isn't a shabby city, but it does have the warehouses and game corner (so obsessive gambling? lol)... Anyway, Paul lives in a small apartment here, and buys his groceries from a drugstore (like Walgreens or CVS, if you know what those are). So he's not poor, but living with an older brother who teaches elementary children, the income isn't very high. Therefore Veilstone Court is a bit shabby. Dawn, coming from a nice neighborhood, is worried about shady characters XD

-Dawn was buying her mom sketchbooks for her designing/editing job. And she bought May...something cute from the boutique. Haha I can't think of anything specific.

-There's a reference to the holiday movie Serendipity, can you find it? :D

-Many other characters appeared in this chapter! Paul didn't get all of their names right, but I'm sure you know who they are. (wink)

-In the end, Dawn selected the Kenshin T-shirt. I am a Kenshin fan XD also, Max apparently likes Kenshin and Gundam Wing. lol. And Dawn changed her mind about the gift card. After seeing Paul with the jacket, she figured it would be more meaningful.

-Paul was spared the mistletoe. I'm sure you are all disappointed (sweatdrop)... but I feel it's too early for that. but they hugged...that's good right? eheh.

-Dawn uses strawberry-scented shampoo, probably because it's red/pink.