Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's been a while. I hope everyone's being safe amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. I have more free time now (as I'm sure many of us do with schools closing down) so I decided to polish this baby and release it for everyone to read. FYI, this is my first time writing ikarishipping. When I first thought of writing ikarishipping I was nervous because I feel like it's so difficult to get this pairing right. This story just came out of me and felt very natural, so I'm happy with how this turned out and wanted to share it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or anything related to Pokemon.

"Olay, olay olay olay, olay, olay, FLIP CUP!"

People cheered and clapped their hands as they watched others tip their heads back and pour drinks into their mouths, before they slammed their cups on the edge of the table, trying to flip them over. Gary and Drew led the cheering as Dawn, Leaf, Misty and Ash, among others, made feeble attempts to successfully flip their cups over.

"Who's gonna take it?" Gary emceed. "Will it be our fiery redheaded Misty? Or will Barry claim the victory?" Gary stood up on a chair at the head of the table with a beer sloshed in his hand. "And it looks like Leaf almost has it- oh, so close!" he said as her cup rolled on its rim before falling over. "Oh! OH! And we have a winner!" he said as Dawn's cup landed soundly on its rim. "Ladies and gentleman, our winner for this round of Flip Cup is Dawn!"

Everyone cheered as Dawn threw her hands in the air and laughed.

"Tonight on PokeNews, we're coming to you live from Castelia City where a trainer suspected of identity theft is being held-"

The T.V. screen suddenly turned black as Paul dropped the remote on the couch. He looked at the clock on the wall. 11:30pm. The news was always crappy this time of night, he noted to himself as he walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water.

"Going to bed?" Reggie asked. He sat at the kitchen table with a novel in his hands and reading glasses on.

"No," Paul muttered.

Reggie set his book on the table. "Leaf told me she invited you to a party tonight."

Paul shrugged. "Didn't feel like going."

Reggie frowned and picked up his book again. The two remained in silence as Paul drank his water. He put the glass in the sink and was about to head out of the kitchen when his phone rang.

Dawn Berlitz, the caller ID read. She was at the party, he remembered. Actually, all of his friends were out. Paul raised an eyebrow. He didn't usually get phone calls from people, and if he did, they were typically from Ash, Gary or Leaf. He hit 'decline,' put the device in his pocket and walked back to the couch in front of the blank TV, where he laid down and picked up a book.

A few minutes later, his ringer went off again. He pulled out his phone.

Dawn Berlitz, the caller ID read again.

"Troublesome," Paul muttered as he hit the decline button and turned his ringer off. He sighed and opened his book, only for his phone to begin vibrating in his pocket. Paul's eye twitched. Why couldn't he just read his damn book in silence?

"What?" he muttered as he held the phone up to his ear. Though his voice was quiet, it was laced with exasperation.

"Paul!" Dawn exclaimed on the other end. "Paul, how are you?"

Paul glared at the wall and ended the call. He didn't bother picking up his book as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Reggie furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"I need a beer," Paul muttered. The faint sounds of vibration could be heard from the other room as Paul ignored it and cracked open his drink.

…

"Are you coming out with us after school? We're just grabbing pizza, nothing crazy," Gary said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Sure," Paul said. They walked down the hallway towards Paul's locker as Gary talked about some hot girl he'd met in his chemistry class. They reached their destination, and Paul unlocked his locker to grab his books for next period.

"By the way," Gary said as he leaned up against the locker, "Leaf told me that she invited the new girl along with us. Her name is Dawn."

"Sounds cool," Paul said.

"Alright. Catch you later." Gary clapped a hand on Paul's back and headed off down the hallway.

As Paul was about to close his locker, his brow furrowed. He could feel someone's eyes on him. Turning a little to the left, his dark eyes locked with cobalt ones not too far down the hall.

The cobalt eyes quickly flickered away as the girl turned back to her own locker, busying herself with her bag. Paul didn't look away as he briefly studied this mysterious girl. She was small, just a little over five feet tall, with dark blue hair pulled away from her face.

Sensing his eyes on her this time, she looked back at him and dared a small smile. His face remained stoic, and she closed her locker before turning away from him to walk down the hall. He closed his locker and made his way toward class. On the walk, he couldn't help but notice one small, however somewhat irrelevant question nagging his mind.

Who was she?

…

"Are you going to get that anytime soon?" Reggie said. He nodded towards the living room, where Paul's phone continued to vibrate.

"It's just Dawn," Paul said as he tipped the bottle to his mouth and welcomed the tangy flavor onto his tongue. Reggie sighed and left the kitchen. He came back a moment later with Paul's phone.

"You should answer it," Reggie said. Paul rolled his eyes but held the phone up to his ear nonetheless. Sometimes he wasn't sure why he listened to Reggie so easily.

"It's not very nice to hang up on people," Dawn's slurred voice rang through the line.

"It's also not very nice to bug people at midnight, yet here you are." Paul's voice was gruff and clipped, and his shoulders relaxed as he took another swig of his beer.

"It's not midnight yet, silly!"

Paul put his beer on the table and rubbed his hand over his face. "Is there a reason you're calling?"

"Oh! I just wanted to tell you that-" Paul squinted as he heard multiple voices giggling on the other end- "I think you're hot."

Paul rolled his eyes so hard he could have sworn they were about to roll back into his head. That was all she wanted to tell him? That she found him attractive?

"Okay. Bye Troubleso-"

"Dude!"

Paul took another sip from his beer as Gary's voice came through the phone. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for this nonsense to be done with. Then again, at least Paul was used to getting drunk calls from Gary on Friday nights. He'd never admit it, but sometimes he didn't mind them. They were more entertaining than the news stories on television.

"You've got to come down here! May and Drew are hooking up in a closet, Ashy-boy is falling all over the place and Dawn is absolutely hammered. She won five rounds of flip cup in a row."

"That's nice, but I'm not-"

"Paul, you're hot!" Dawn yelled into the phone. Paul grimaced and hung up. He didn't like dealing with people, much less drunk people. They were sloppy and messy and the fact that it was Dawn, of all people, showing him affection annoyed him. Reading people had never been his strong suit, and drunk people were about a hundred times worse to get a handle on in his opinion. And then there was Dawn, bubbly Dawn, who apparently showed everyone affection when she was drunk. Her phone call was nothing special.

"Who was that?" Reggie asked.

"Dawn."

Reggie furrowed his eyebrows. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"You should go get her," Reggie said as he slid car keys across the table. "Make sure she gets home safely." Paul blinked. "I was sitting here the whole time. I could hear her yelling through the phone, you know."

"She can get a ride home with someone else."

"She sounds very drunk, and everyone else probably is too," Reggie said, his eyebrow raised and arms folded across his chest.

"I've had a bit to drink," Paul said. Reggie looked at him expectantly.

"You've had, what, four sips of beer? You're more than okay to drive," Reggie said. Paul begrudgingly noted that his blood alcohol percentage was definitely below the legal limit. Reggie nodded towards the front door as amusement appeared in his eyes. "Now go."

Paul glared at Reggie for a moment before walking into the hallway with the keys and slipping on his jacket. Fair enough, Reggie had made a point. She did sound very drunk. But why did it have to be Paul's job to be the designated driver? If Dawn got herself into a mess, surely she had a way out. But, Paul couldn't shake the feeling of unease that came with the thought of Dawn getting into a mess in her current state.

Reggie smiled as he heard the door shut. He'd finally gotten Paul out of the house on a Friday night. If he were lucky, Paul might stay and socialize with Leaf or Gary for a few minutes before leaving.

…

"Hey Gary! Hey Paul!" May said as she slid into the booth with Misty right next to her. Gary said hi back, and Paul nodded in acknowledgement.

"What?" Drew said. "Do I not get a greeting as well, June?"

May wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I prefer not to talk to people with cabbage-like hair."

"Enough, you two," Misty said as Drew rolled his eyes. "Leaf and Ash are going to be here with Dawn soon, and I don't want the two of you bickering to scare her away. She's really nice, and I think you'll like her."

"Interesting," Gary said as she wiggled his eyebrows. "Is she single?"

"Gary!" Misty scolded.

May giggled. "I heard that Lucas has had his eye on her for the past week."

"Better her than you," Drew muttered under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" May asked as she turned to him haughtily.

"Hey guys," Leaf said with a smile on her face, and two people trailing behind her. She gestured to the girl. "This is Dawn."

Everyone said hello to her, and Dawn smiled at everyone in return. It was only a moment before cobalt locked with onyx, and her mouth formed a small 'o' as she recognized Paul as the guy from earlier. "Hi," she said quietly.

Paul pressed a tight-lipped smile on his face and nodded at her. "Paul," he said. Her cheeks tinged slightly, and she sat down as Ash ushered her into the booth.

"So," May said excitedly as she leaned forward. "Have you found any cute guys at our school yet?"

Dawn laughed, a light, but sure sound. "No," she nodded with a smile on her face. "No one that I can think of off the top of my head." Her eyes flickered between Paul and May so fast that it was almost unnoticeable.

Paul's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her words. He surely wouldn't consider himself cute, but even he knew what a girl was thinking when she had her eyes on someone from a distance.

What a liar.

…

Paul assessed the scene around him as he walked through the dimly lit house. It was busy and there were people everywhere, some dancing, some talking and some drinking. He saw Gary in one corner with his arms around a girl's hips as they danced closely. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Leaf in his arms. On the couch laid Ash, passed out as Misty drew a mustache on his face. Paul smirked. He always knew he'd liked Misty for the right reasons.

He walked by one of the bedrooms and paused in his tracks when he saw a blur of chartreuse hair. True to Gary's word, there was Drew passionately kissing a girl with short chestnut hair.

"Huh," Paul muttered to himself as he raised an eyebrow. He thought he knew his friends decently well, but even he had to admit that he hadn't seen that one coming. He figured it would be ages before Drew grew a pair and made a move on May. Paul stared for another moment and the couple suddenly froze as green eyes met onyx ones. Paul waved at the two while Drew stood there dumbfounded and May turned around, her cheeks burning red.

He proceeded through the house, and there in the centre of a group of people, was Dawn. She was swaying back and forth to the music with her hands in the air and eyes closed as she sang along. Upon second thought, Paul decided that swaying was a generous word to use. It looked more like she was letting her body move a little too freely to the music, swirling her hips and spinning around whenever she could. Most of the people surrounding her were guys, and many of them had their hands on her.

Paul shoved through the guys and grabbed Dawn's wrist. "Troublesome," he called.

She turned around. Once her eyes landed on Paul, she beamed with happiness. "Hi Paul!"

"Come on. I'm taking you home." He tugged on her arm, but she pulled back.

"Why? I'm having so much fun," Dawn said. Paul let go of her wrist for a moment as he debated leaving her there. Everyone else was just as drunk, he concluded as he surveyed his surroundings. They could all act like idiots together and no one would get hurt.

Then a guy grabbed Dawn's waist, and Paul glared daggers into him as he grabbed Dawn's wrist and pulled her out of the circle. She turned back to the guy who'd grabbed her and mouthed 'call me' before Paul tugged on her arm again and lead her out of the house.

…

"Ashy boy, heads up!" Gary said as he tossed a football down the hallway. "Gotta move fast!" Ash ran to catch the ball before it hit something, while Gary hung back with Paul and Drew.

"Speaking of moving fast," Gary said, "when are you going to grow a pair and make a move on a certain brunette?"

Drew perked up after realizing that Gary was talking about him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Paul smirked. "Please. Tell us that you don't have a hard-on for her."

"Well-" Drew stuttered "I'll have you know that-"

"Relax," Gary said as he put a hand on Drew's shoulder. "Your time for love will come eventually." Drew grimaced and swatted Gary's hand away from his shoulder. "However, I will say that-" Gary stopped and stared ahead of him. "Damn."

Paul and Drew looked the same way as Gary, and there Dawn was, smiling up at a guy as he leaned against the lockers.

"Huh," Drew said. "May wasn't kidding when she said that Lucas has his eye on Dawn."

Lucas and Dawn held eye contact for a few last seconds, until he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered something in her ear, and she bit back a giggle as he winked at her and walked away.

Paul felt himself clenching his jaw. Only a little.

"Wow," Gary said. "She's only been here for a few weeks, and she's already got a guy. Even I find this impressive. Take notes, Drew." Drew rolled his eyes but smirked nonetheless, and the three of them walked down the hallway towards a certain bluenette.

"Hey, Dawn" Drew said, and nodded in Lucas's direction. "So? What's up with that?"

"Oh!" Dawn's cheeks flushed pink, and Paul noticed her eyes flicker to him. Again. "I- uh, I actually don't know. We've been on a few dates."

Paul made an effort to look at the locker behind her.

"He seems like a cool guy," Drew said. "But if he ever tries to do something stupid, just text us." Gary nodded in agreement. "That goes for any guy. We've got your back."

Dawn smiled and looked at Paul once more. He allowed himself to make eye contact with her, and he also tried to ignore the weird sensation he got in his stomach when he did.

He hoped she wouldn't have to text them about anything like that.

…

The car ride home had been silent on Paul's end, and full of chatting on Dawn's. She mostly went on about how she rocked at flip cup and that even though she'd been mixing drinks, she was perfectly fine. Paul rolled his eyes every time she said this. She was probably the lightest lightweight he knew.

"Paul," Dawn started, her expression serious. "I meant what I said. I know that I'm very drunk right now, and I know that I only called you because I was dared to, but I meant it." She looked at him from the passenger seat and touched his wrist gently. Paul could have sworn he felt a spark where she touched him. "I do think you're very attractive." Paul glanced at her hand suspiciously, and then shifted his wrist so she would remove her hand.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she said.

"I believe actions speaks louder than words," he said. "Do you usually call guys when you're drunk to tell them they're hot?"

"No." Her voice was quiet this time, and Paul almost wanted to believe that she sounded sincere. He looked at her for a split second from the corner of his eye. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't find Dawn attractive, but he didn't think that gave him the grounds to go saying that to her randomly. Then again, he and Dawn were very different people. Being attracted to someone was one thing, but Dawn had almost made it sound like it meant something more.

She's just drunk, he reminded himself.

"Why can't you ever listen to people who say good things about you?" Dawn's voice was pleading with him. She hiccupped, and he shook his head and continued focusing on the road. "This isn't the alcohol talking, you know," Dawn said. "This is me talking, and I'm saying this now because it's easier to say it with alcohol in my system."

"That means it's the alcohol talking," Paul said.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying? Drunk words are sober thoughts?" Dawn asked. Paul had heard the saying before, but he always conveniently forgot it around drunk people. Alcohol or not, words were words, and some words couldn't be trusted.

"Seriously," Dawn continued. "You're good friends with Leaf. You actually talk to her at school sometimes, and you seem to get along well with Misty."

Paul pulled into her driveway and shut off the ignition. "What's your point," he said, his voice thick with exasperation.

"Would it kill you to talk to me sometimes?" Dawn pleaded. "I know we're polar opposites and all, but I like you, Paul."

She "liked" him. Interesting. Paul couldn't deny that somewhere in the back of his mind, he was the one who dared to like those words. But he suppressed it, just like everything else.

She's just drunk.

…

"Hey there." Cobalt eyes met onyx as Dawn walked up to Paul's locker with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey." Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but closed it after a moment. The two of them stood in an awkward silence for about a minute until Paul decided to break it. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Dawn's eyes filled with surprise, but Paul was surprised when he didn't see any trace of sadness in them. "We broke up," she said.

So the rumors were true, Paul thought. After a few months of fun and games, the new girl and the "it-boy" had called it quits.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," she said. She was looking up at him with an intrigued look on her face, and Paul met her eyes with a wary look of his own. "I don't really know how to say this, but-" she looked around quickly, seemingly searching for the words on her tongue. "Ever since we met, I've-"

"Um," Paul coughed. "Stop." Dawn looked taken aback, and Paul closed his locker, slightly surprised by himself. "I'm not trying to be a buzzkill, but I don't do the whole talking thing."

Dawn narrowed her eyes in confusion. "The talking thing? What talking thing?" Paul refused to look her in the eyes, and Dawn let out a sigh. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Yes, and for both of our sakes, let's keep it that way." He turned and walked away from her. Dawn bit her tongue and watched his receding figure as he disappeared into a classroom. So much for that, she thought.

…

Dawn looked into his eyes, deep cobalt gazing into an endless ocean of onyx. Paul didn't look away. He found himself searching her eyes, searching for purpose and any indication that she was just talking nonsense. One moment turned into another, and then another, and then another, until Paul found himself too entranced by cobalt to break their gaze even if he wanted to. Dawn rested her hand on his cheek, and slowly but surely, she leaned in towards him and caught his lips with her own.

For a moment, it completely slipped Paul's mind that she'd had anything to drink earlier that night.

Paul inhaled sharply as their lips met and his heart burst out of his ribcage against his will. Her kiss sent electricity through his body and sparks flew everywhere they touched. He felt breathless, even a little angry. He'd spent so much time building a wall around all the things Dawn made him feel, and now he was done after one kiss. Since when had he become so soft?

She pulled away from him slowly and left her lips a mere inch from his. Their eyes remained closed, and Paul, still cast under her spell, allowed their foreheads to rest against each other. She smelled like vodka. He could taste the remnants of it on her lips. "You're drunk," Paul whispered.

"So?" Dawn said as a smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "It's not illegal to kiss someone after having a few drinks."

"More like a few too many," Paul said. "You're not in your right state of mind." Dawn pulled back from him and grabbed his face with both of her hands.

"Just let me want you. Let me want you for once."

She's just drunk.

Her pleading eyes searched his face, and it was only a moment before Paul gave up and was leaning across the passenger seat, his hands on her waist as he reclaimed her lips. She responded eagerly, parting her lips and threading her fingers through his hair. His lips grazed her neck, and then her collarbone, and gosh it felt good, it felt so good to just be with someone again.

Dawn giggled as he kissed her neck. "I can't believe you're actually kissing me," she said quietly.

"Me neither," he muttered into her neck, sparks flying everywhere in his body. Her fingers ran up and down his back, and it almost made him shudder. Almost.

"You know, Paul," Dawn whispered against his ear as she grinned. "You should come inside with me."

This made Paul freeze, and suddenly all he could smell was the alcohol that lingered in her breath.

She's drunk. She is very drunk.

"This is wrong," he said as he pushed himself off of her.

"What?" she said as she reached towards him, but he avoided her grasp and didn't look at her again. "I wasn't implying that we had to do anything, I just wanted to-"

"Dawn." The sound of her real name leaving his lips startled her into silence. Paul sighed and looked out the window. "You should go, troublesome."

Dawn opened her mouth, but closed it before anymore words came tumbling out. She silently got out of the car, and Paul only allowed himself to look at her as she was walking away from him and to the front door. She fumbled in her bag for a moment before pulling out what Paul presumed was a key, and once he saw that she safely inside, he took off.

...

Can you come over this morning? – D

Paul blinked tiredly at his phone. Shouldn't Dawn have been hungover, or sleeping, or both hungover and sleeping at ten in the morning? He couldn't say he blamed her, though. The events of the previous night left him unable to sleep until the early hours of the morning. And if Dawn hadn't been lying about being into him, then maybe she'd been kept awake as well.

Paul sighed as he got out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans. He hadn't expected to see her so soon after last night, but seeing as they'd kissed each other senselessly, he figured a conversation would be warranted at some point.

See you in fifteen – Paul

Paul didn't really know what good was going to come of this. He'd half expected her to forget about what happened altogether, or rather, he was hoping she would, because he frankly didn't know what to do about it. This was why he didn't kiss girls who made him feel like his veins were coursing with electricity. Physical chemistry was easier to deal with in his opinion, because both people satisfied their cravings without any emotional burdens to deal with afterwards. Kissing Dawn had been very, very satisfying, except for the fact that he was now left craving her even without her presence. What was he supposed to do with that?

By the front door he threw on his jacket, grabbed his keys and slipped on his shoes.

"Where are you off to so early in the morning?" Paul heard Reggie call from the kitchen.

"Nowhere," Paul said.

"Uh huh." Reggie's voice was laced with amusement and Paul resisted the urge to make a witty remark as he shut the door behind him.

...

"Thanks for coming over," Dawn said as she held a mug full of hot chocolate to her lips. She was laying on the couch in her living room, dressed in her pajamas with her hair up in a messy ponytail. She took a sip from her mug and groaned. Her head was pounding and it felt like ocean rapids were running through her head. Next to her on the couch sat Paul, who looked at her with a stoic expression. She did notice, however, that his shoulders were tense and he was tapping his foot incessantly.

"Why did you ask me to come over?" Paul said. His eyes were drawn to a faint bruise on the side of Dawn's neck, and he couldn't help the little nudge of satisfaction he got from seeing it.

"I just wanted to thank you for getting me home safely," Dawn said. "I could have easily ended up passed out in the back of some random guy's truck," she chuckled humorlessly. "I drank way too much last night."

"You should have been more careful, Troublesome. Guys had their hands all over you when I came."

Dawn nodded as she looked at him expectantly. "I know," she said. "That's why I'm so grateful you were there."

"Reggie told me to come."

"Yeah," Dawn said. Though her expression was serious, Paul could see amusement dancing in her cobalt eyes. "You could have easily said no." A knowing smirk threatened to pull at the corners of her lips, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I know," he said. That was all. Nothing more needed to be said for both of them to understand that Paul had willingly gotten in his car at nearly midnight to come get her. "Is that all?" he asked her.

Dawn's eyes clouded over with disappointment as she sighed and put down her mug. She opened her mouth to say something, but Paul saw her eyes calculating him and she paused. "I guess," she said. He said nothing as he got up and walked over to her front door. Dawn bit her lip in contemplation as she watched him.

After a moment, her voice sounded through the quiet room. "We kissed last night, Paul." He turned around and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "It's blurry in my head, but we were in your car and we kissed." She emphasized the word 'kiss.' "A lot," she finished.

Paul bit the inside of his cheek and mentally urged Dawn to stop looking at him like that. Like what had transpired between them mattered to her. "You were drunk."

"So?"

"That was the alcohol talking."

Dawn stood up and walked over to him. Once they were close, only a few inches away from each other, Paul noticed things he hadn't seen before. He noticed the way wisps of her midnight blue hair framed her face perfectly, the way her porcelain skin seemed to compliment her darker features. He noticed the way faded freckles splayed over her nose, and how she nervously licked her lips under his intense gaze. But, above all, he noticed the way her eyes were pleading with him, begging him to somehow comprehend what she was trying to tell him.

She reached for his hand and placed it over her heart. He raised his eyebrows at the gesture, not understanding the message she was trying to relay. And then he felt it.

Her heart was racing, pounding fast and hard like it was galloping inside her chest.

"Can you feel that?" Dawn said as she lifted his chin. "This isn't anything but me." Paul's breathing became uneven as he felt her heart pounding, and suddenly he couldn't seem to focus on anything but her lips and the way she kept licking them. "Tell me you get it," Dawn whispered as she slowly drew him in towards her. "Tell me you know that you're the one who's making me want you."

He knew. Damnit, he'd always known, from the moment he first caught her staring at him down the hall. And here they were in this moment, months later, with her heart literally in his hands. Everything in Paul's head was telling him to step back and leave it. He didn't do this kind of stuff. He just didn't do emotions. At least, that was what he thought until Dawn came along.

The thoughts were swirling in his mind and clouding his head, but through it all, he couldn't help the feeling in his chest that made him want to stay. He couldn't shake the memory of her lips on his, and what it would be like to feel that again. He couldn't even begin to understand the desire that was welling in his chest; all he knew was that it existed, and there was a small part of him that wanted to explore it. She was open, inviting him into her, and all he had to do was say yes.

Paul's eyes lidded over with desire for her as he leaned in towards her. "I know," he whispered as he haughtily caught her lips with his. He let his hand trail to her waist and removed the other from her chest to the back of her head. Dawn pulled back after a moment and her eyes flickered across his face.

"What?" Paul asked, his breathing heavy. She placed her hand over his heart and gave him a knowing smile.

"I make you feel the same way," she said. Paul looked at her hand and back up at her face. There was no hiding it now. She could feel his heart racing in his chest, a heart that hadn't raced like that in such a long time. Dawn's smile grew wider. "You're not even denying it."

Paul shook his head. "You're very troublesome."

A giggle escaped Dawn's lips as she pressed her lips to his and he responded with just as much intention. Dawn sighed as she leaned into him, and Paul felt her teeth against his lips. She was smiling, he realized, and he allowed himself a small smirk against her lips as he gently pushed her back towards the couch.

A couple hours later they were still on Dawn's couch. They sat next to one another watching television as they enjoyed each other's company, drifting in and out of conversation. Dawn figured Paul wasn't one for many words, but she'd cracked a few sentences from him here and there, even managing to put a smirk on his face once or twice.

Paul sat a little stiffly, trying to relax into Dawn's presence and not feel out of place. This was new to him, sitting with someone for a while just because he could, and he was still trying to figure out how this whole 'flirting-with-someone' thing worked. But she was patient as she talked with him, and he saw it in her smile. They kissed a few more times on her couch. Paul had liked that the best, he decided. Not just because it was physical, but because it felt natural and it was the best way he knew how to show her any type of affection.

"So," Dawn said as she clapped her hands. "Our friends." Paul's head snapped up, his eyebrows furring.

"What about them?" he asked, his shoulders tensing. Did she want to tell them? The thought filled Paul with dread – they'd only kissed for the first time last night. He didn't want anyone thinking they were in a relationship, or expect them to act any differently around each other.

Dawn must have understood the grimace on his face, because she started waving her hands frantically. "Oh, no! I was just going to say that I don't think we should tell them about what happened."

Paul let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as his shoulders relaxed. He was grateful Dawn didn't add anything along the lines of calling them an item. She seemed to understand he'd need time before anything about a relationship came about, and he appreciated that. Her outgoing nature had, quite frankly, intimidated him. He thought that she might try to pressure him to be more upfront about his feelings, but even if he wanted to, he just didn't function that way.

She grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze, to which he squeezed her hand back. Paul thought maybe he was wrong about her. She seemed to get him more than he realized. Something just clicked with him and Dawn.

A ringtone sounded, and Dawn pulled out her phone. As her eyes scanned the screen, they nearly bulged out of her head and her mouth dropped open.

"What?" she yelped. Paul raised his eyebrows and Dawn held her phone out for him to read.

We're sitting May and Drew down in twenty. APPARENTLY they've been sneaking around together for a while. - Leaf

"When on earth did this happen?" Dawn questioned as she leaned back against the couch, confusion crossing her porcelain features.

"Ah. That," Paul said, making her look at him.

"You knew about this?" Her cobalt eyes were wide with surprise. Paul shrugged as a smirk tugged at his lips.

"I saw them hooking up yesterday."

"Jeez." Dawn ran a hand over her face. "I swear, you play flip cup for twenty minutes and you miss everything."

"More like you drink everything in sight, and then you miss everything." Dawn narrowed her eyes at him.

"Thanks, Paul."

"Anytime."

"I just can't believe it," Dawn said. "I mean, the sexual tension between them is so thick you could cut it with a knife, but I didn't think they'd ever do anything about it," she said. "Don't get me wrong - I like Drew and all, but at the rate he was going, it seemed like he and May would be rolling down the aisle when they were old and in wheelchairs."

Laughter sounded the room, and Dawn's gaze snapped to Paul, surprise etched all over her features. She saw his full out grin, teeth and all, and she realized with a start that Paul was the one who'd laughed. The sight made her heart skip a beat, and though his smiles were rare, seeing him look like that made it all worth it.

"My thoughts exactly," he said. His smile began to fade, but Dawn beamed when she noticed that amusement remained in his eyes. She couldn't help herself as she leaned in towards him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You should smile more often," she whispered as they broke apart. He raised an eyebrow and said nothing. To others, this could have come off as insensitive or unromantic, but to Dawn it was a sign of hope. He was letting her say nice things about him, to him, and that was a first for them both.

Dawn pulled away and stood up, tugging his arm. "Let's get going," she said. "I want to hear all about how two of our friends ended up necking in a bedroom last night." Paul stood up and followed her lead. "I'm going to go change. Be back in a few," she said as she retreated upstairs.

Paul looked around the deserted hallway. It was very Dawn-like, he decided, simple and elegant. The mahogany-stained tables were laden with lilac coloured flowers, and on the white painted walls photos were hung. Upon closer inspection, he realized one of them was of Dawn when she must have been around ten years old. She was smiling bright as day, her midnight blue hair blown across parts of her face.

Maybe he could do this, he realized. Dawn was being patient with him, and he deeply respected that. She didn't have any expectations of him and he didn't have any of her. They could start out as friends who kissed and spent time together. There was no rush to add labels. They could just be with each other and learn to accept that before trying for anything more.

"All ready!" Dawn chimed as she came down the stairs. Paul smirked at her, and she knotted her eyebrows. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay," Dawn said suspiciously. She slipped on her coat and pulled her hair out of its ponytail. She looked in the mirror on the wall and combed her fingers through her hair. "So," Dawn started, "aside from May and Drew, did I miss anything else last night?"

Paul shrugged as he looked at her and leaned against the wall. "I saw Leaf dancing closely with Gary."

"Now that is something I can believe."

"I also saw Misty drawing a mustache on a passed-out Ash."

Dawn pouted. "Maybe I should just sit back sometime and watch everything unfold. That seems like more fun than drinking until I can barely stand straight."

"It is."

Dawn smiled at him and opened the door as Paul fished out his keys. "Come on," she said. "Let's get going." Paul nodded.

"Right behind you."

...

Fini.

Author's Note: And that's that. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Personally, I think I have a lot of room to grow when it comes to writing this pairing, so hopefully I did the ikari fans justice this time around.

In terms of my writing consistency, it seems that I publish once a year (lol) so I promise to release stories as they come available. I can honestly say that most stories sit on my hard drive for months simply so that I can edit them as best I can before I post them. With that being said, I do in fact have some stories on my laptop that have yet to be released. As to whether I'm doing a multi chapter anytime soon, I have some ideas but can't say for sure just yet.

And that's the tea. Stay happy and stay healthy!