This is a secret Santa gift for FlyingEevee on Serebii forums and takes place after the Accelgor episode. Happy holidays to everyone!
TTTTTT
"S-So cold!" It was 8:34pm that time, about 2 days before Christmas.
Through all their travels together, it had never occurred to Dent why Iris hated the cold so much. He himself was fine with low temperatures and whenever the chance grew to go travelling into snowy regions, he would take out some of his Pokémon to play in the mushy whiteness. Yes, he was a grass-type gym leader but it was impolite to let that keep him from admiring the season. Besides, wasn't the story time of plants fighting through the harsh winters just to come back in spring stronger and more graceful immensely romantic?
Anyway, Ash wasn't much different and was surprisingly capable of holding himself back from jumping into the hills like a 5 year old and making snow angels when the time came. A great example was when they were at the cold storage. Dent knew it was inappropriate but every 2 minutes during the whole thing, he couldn't help but be amazed at how distracted Iris was in comparison to Ash who was completely focused on catching those Team Plasma-wannabies. At the time, he supposed it was hard to take them seriously and let it go…until Iris woke up the next morning with a high fever and a cold.
Immediately at hearing the news, Dent stayed near her side with a hot bowl of soup he made himself. She wasn't exactly conscious to drink it, but it calmed his nerves to know that he did have something ready for her when she did.
"Hey, Dento! I'm back with the ingredients you asked me to buy!" A certain ten year old came in from across the room and set most of the groceries on the ground. Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder but stopped midway to stare at something in his arms. "Is Iris getting any better?"
"No, unfortunately." He sighed. The day was tasteless when one of his friends was sick and the other one was out. The soup in his hands felt tasteless when he scooped up a mouthful and tried to encourage her to eat some. Everything was tasteless today. Dent was playing with a tassel on the blanket. This tasteless Pokémon center really had tasteless taste in décor. He supposed that there was a bright side in Ash not questioning why he was sulking in the corner with a bunch of mushrooms when he came in. "She hasn't even woken up since this morning."
Pikachu started sniffing the bottle, only for Ash to raise it away from his little buddy by placing it on the highest shelf he could reach. Which wasn't very high. "Maybe Clay-san has opened his gym up by now, Satoshi." Dent shrugged, "you could battle there while we're waiting for Airisu to get better."
"Nah," Ash pulled a chair from the table a few feet away and placed it under a shelf attached to the wall. It had no items near it which a certain electric rodent could climb. "It's more fun when both of you are watching me. Besides," he stepped up on the chair with a grunt, then stood tip-toe and tried to reach for the ledge; just a few centimeters off. "There's no point …" Ash jumped, "in having a gym match if I'm going to be distracted by Iris' condition the whole time."
Dent calmly took the bottle and put it on the shelf for him. "Well now, that deduction not only makes sense but is very touching. I'm thoroughly impressed."
"Huh?"
"Nothing at all, Satoshi." Dent sent a small smile but it quickly dissipated in confusion. "By the way, why are you hiding the bottle of ketchup on top of this Bunneary shelf?"
"You don't want to know."
TTTTTT
"S-So cold!" 4pm the next day just struck when Iris uttered her first words.
Dent had recently discovered that the room had 194 tiles all of which were disguised to look like wood but were actually 85% laminate, every afternoon at about 12:30 was when the Pokémon Center had its rush hour of Cincinno's while 2pm was more leaning towards Patrat territory, and Pansage had 540 leaves sprouting from its broccoli-like head wherein about 27 of them were beginning to wither since Dent watered them this morning. He was contemplating whether to count the veins too or just copy Ash and go to sleep. So when he heard coherent worlds coming from his sick friend, he bolted out from his seat and ran to her side in desperation.
"…"
"Yes? What's wrong, Airisu?"
A whisper. "…cold…"
Now, that wasn't hard to fix for the great sommelier such as himself! First, he'd get a hot water bottle ready at exactly 105 ͤF, then rid her of that hideous blanket for that one he saw at the market with not only higher density but dancing Axew's on it, and of course prepare the same exact soup he just made again in the kitchen but with an extra tablespoon of mashed burnt berries, then-
And he was already out the door.
"…Dent?"
"Sorry, we just ran out of hot water bottles…"
"Huh?" Dent bent back in shock as Nurse Joy gave him an apologetic smile and continued with her work. "You see, Cincinno's are boundlessly spoiled and demand the highest luxury or else they'll fall ill again. After that epidemic which whipped out many of the trees which grow burnt and oran berries in a 5 mile radius, the market has been shut down due to high demand and a lot of rich folk have been coming and keeping anyone from using the kitchen."
"Huh?" Dent repeated.
"If you're thinking of using a hot water bottle, going to the market, or cooking anything involving burnt berries or oran berries, that's great but you can't. Merry Christmas!" With that, Nurse Joy left the tortured teenager and followed an Audino into the emergency room to tend to another Cincinno. If he wasn't halfway across the region Dent could've sworn Corn was somehow responsible for all of this. What was he going to do now?
"Hey." Someone interrupted his sulking with a giggle. Dent turned just to see a girl about the same height as him with long blonde hair which reached her mid-back. She had blue eyes and seemed tall for her age. He could also talk about what she was wearing but nobody really cares.
"Um, hello." He answered slightly uncomfortably. He knew it was ethically wrong to judge people before you knew them but something about this girl just threw him off. It reminded him well of when he was just becoming a preteen and going through awkward changes.
"Hey," she repeated and giggled again. "I couldn't help but overhear your dilemma. I have my little Silver Blood Sakura Twilight Angel the fourth waiting upstairs with a few burnt berries so I wouldn't mind sparing you one." At that, almost all of Dent's unusual nervousness went away. Oh, he really shouldn't judge people without knowing them and he forever apologizes to Arceus for doing so without thinking! Whatever a Silver Blood Sakura Twilight Angel the fourth was, he shall pray good health to it with no hesitation!
"If…" she continued, "you give me a kiss under the mistletoe."
Then again, maybe Arceus should be praising him for his fabulous instincts.
"Huh?" Dent stepped back surprised but at seeing that she was completely serious, recovered himself and sent her a polite smile. "I'm sorry but is there some other way? A kiss is a very personal matter and I'm sure you have many more wonderful gentlemen who would present your beautiful self with such a thing."
"Nope!" She chirped innocently and did a twirl on her toes so her dress would puff up slightly. "I want one right on the lips and unless you give me a long one, no berry for you!"
Dent inwardly winced. He wasn't going to lie. He'd always managed to avoid kissing those girls back at the Striaton gym. Whenever this sort of situation aroused for him before, his brothers could easily be offered up just as if not better attractive choices. Pod would usually pretend to kiss them, before grabbing what he needed and running away with his arms up and yelling, "This is SPARTA!" Somehow his fan girls found it adorable and would pretend it never happened. Corn on the other hand would somehow brainwash the girl with a committed but underneath blank look on his face and sweet talk his way into a simple kiss on the hand. The frequencies of this happening especially increased during the winter holidays. Oh, the number of tainted hands out there right now.
This time he was rooted to the spot with no Sparta or Mr. Troll to get him out. Normally he wouldn't hesitate if it meant that Iris could get better, but he still didn't…actually, he had no idea why he didn't want to so badly. It almost felt like he was betraying someone, somewhere, for some reason. How unscientific and oh, he can already imagine Iris standing next to him with a triumphant smirk at his new found feeling. Really, he shouldn't waste time! Of course he'll do it! Just as Dent was about to open his mouth to accept the condition, Ash barged into the room yawning and with a large glass of MooMoo milk in his hands.
"Hey, Dent. What'cha doing?" He sure had strange timing.
At first Dent was disappointed yet relieved that the girl was probably going to run off somewhere and they couldn't finish the deal, until he noticed from the corner of his eyes that she had instantly lightened up at the sight of a ten year old in his pajamas holding a glass of milk. "Is that MooMoo milk?"
"Uh, yeah…"
She squealed. "I LOVE MooMoo milk! You see the market just closed a few hours ago so I couldn't buy any, how disappointing! My little Silver Blood Sakura Twilight Angel the fourth needs at least 12 pitchers a day or else she faints from dehydration."
"Did something happen at the market?" Ash was just getting wind of everything since waking up.
"Yeah. Apparently some rich guys broke into their security and tried to steal half of their supplies so they closed down to try to figure out what went wrong. Something about not trusting any of the foreigners." She seemed okay when she was talking to Ash. Dent obliviously envied Ash for not having any girls attracted to him.
Then, Dent actually processed what was being said and an idea flashed in his head. "Satoshi, just how much milk did you buy yesterday?"
Ash scratched his cheek in somewhat deep thought. "About 8, I think…why?"
Immediately, Dent deflated. 'Not enough…'
"But if you need more I'm sure Charles might get you in there. Everyone seems to trust him, plus he's really cool!" At the mention of Charles, the girl who still hadn't revealed her name squealed yet again. Was she going to bribe him into a kiss too? Dent closed his eyes to rid his mind from the horrendous thought and interrupted their conversation with a raised hand.
"Then how about this, miss. I'll retrieve 12 pitchers of MooMoo milk for you and as a reward, be given those burnt berries in which you have?"
The girl shot him a look but smirked. "Make that 18 and a kiss on the hand, handsome."
Dent nearly choked. He just wanted Iris to get warm again…so kept a calm smile, gently talking her fingers in-between his and pressing his lips to them. "Very well, my fair lady. And with that, the first part of the deal is done." Then, he ran out of the Pokémon center to find Charles.
"…you guys best friends or something?"
TTTTTT
"D-Dent…c-cold-" It was 6pm before he found him; the night of Christmas Eve.
Charles wasn't a hard guy to find, given his choice of clothing and enthusiastic need to stick out in comparison to all the grandpa's and small children. It was more the part where he had to catch up to Accelgor Glider that had taken out all the breath out of Dent. So, when they were both standing in front of the market, the taller of the two calling out to the owner, Dent was holding his back in pain. You'd think he'd have more stamina after running a gym for most his life and walking for over 14 hours a day.
The pain almost went away as a woman walked out to greet them. What surprised him was that she was someone he had never seen before, despite his many visits to buy cookies for Ash and Iris to munch on. She was young and had a lot of make-up on for her age; clearly trying to hide any nonexistent blemishes she probably created by eating pizza and salami every night. It failed to hide the gigantic pulsing mole she had on her forehead though. Her body was curvy and probably not appropriate for small children to see. Still, she regarded Charles with a sly look.
"Ah, Charles! I see you're back for more shopping today. We've had a bit of trouble earlier today so had to shut down, but it's fine for you!"
"I see! Thanks a lot, Berdina. This young man here needs to buy something important for a friend so I was hoping you'd be understanding." Charles stopped and combed his hair to the side. Not that anyone could tell the difference.
It was then she stopped and eyed Dent warily. As she and inevitably her bulging mole leaned closer to observe him, Dent flinched back. "Hey, what's with bringing one of those rich brats along? I know it's rude but it's been stated that there be no rich foreigners visiting for the rest of the day."
"My deepest apologies, but I'm not actually rich, miss." Dent bowed without noticing how Charles simply frowned at him. "I just wear these clothes due to personal preference and…convenience for dry cleaning." Dent winced beneath his bow. He just wanted some milk. Was that too much to ask?
"Sorry, kid." She shrugged before looking back at the other man with a purr. "So, you coming in or what?"
Charles sighed. "No no, it's fine…I'll be back in a bit, alright Berdina?"
"Don't take too long!" She squealed.
Dent winced once more. How many fan girls was he going to encounter today? He wasn't given any time to wallow in his misery because he soon found himself in a deserted street with Charles staring at him thoughtfully.
"…Hm, yes?"
"The suit," he pointed a finger in the air. "We definitely need to get rid of the suit!"
"Pardon?"
"No 'pardon', Dent-kun!" Charles shot back triumphantly. "When people tell you what to do, you say 'whatever', got it?"
"Pardon?" Dent had no idea what he was on about.
"…"
"W-Whatever?"
"Now you've got it, my boy!" The man slapped Dent on the back and erupted in laughter, causing the teen to fall onto the floor from the strength.
Ten minutes later found Dent dressed in a crinkled black leather jacket with 15 pockets zipped halfway, baggy ripped jeans which were clearly a size too big and dragged on the floor in the rain, cleated boots and wrist bands which resembled gear for war more so than going to buy milk, and dark shady sunglasses hiding the horrified look the wearer had on his face. Anyone walking by and happening to be under the female category would've swooned at the super hardcore-looking teen out on the street. Dent shivered at the thought. Maybe it was a good thing he went with the pretty boy look. But still, Charles frowned.
"The hair…"
Dent shot him a blank look. "The hair stays."
"Are you su-"
"Yes." His face hardened.
"Okay okay, the hair stays." Charles held his hands up in defense. "Gee…but at least you're more believable now."
Despite his disgust with everything, he couldn't help but be curious. "Believable for what occasion?"
Charles gently grabbed him by the shoulders wordlessly and walked them both back to the market. Despite his constant protests, Dent found himself face to face with busty mole woman Berdina much sooner than he would have preferred. She took one good look at him, fixated her eyes to Charles, then back at him with an expectant look.
Charles elbowed him, nearly knocking the wind out of the poor boy. Luckily the sunglasses concealed everything. With that thought in mind, Dent composed himself, leaned casually against the wall with a slouch, and swung Charles' motorcycle keys between his fingers effortlessly.
"Whatever."
He swore he heard someone scream and die not too far from him. He hoped that person was alright…
The brightest smile the town ever saw shone on Berdina's face just then, as she erupted in laughter and slapped her knee as if the whole thing amused her greatly. Was it just him or was other people's amusement starting to dishearten him lately?
"Well, I guess if this lassy over here looks up to you so much, Charles, we could let him in to buy a thing or two."
"Right, right. He's always following me around, you see. I remember when I first met him he was still in his superman costume and told me how cool and totally amazing I was, even joining that Accelgor club I started a while ago! Kids these days, huh?" Charles ruffled Dent's hair. Dent flinched and Berdina giggled.
"He even went as far as to adopt this look to be just like me! Those drabs he was in before were just his pajamas, right Dent?"
"Whatever." He wanted to strangle yet hug Charles so badly right now.
Berdina laughed and waved off with an 'I know, right' before ushering the two inside. Dent let out a huge breath of air he didn't know he was holding. Seriously, how did people act or wear this kind of stuff? He could already feel sweat forming around his eyebrows from the sunglasses, the wrist band was giving him a major indentation in his side unless he lifted his arm in the air which he couldn't since the band was as heavy as a Crustle, and he was pretty sure his jacket zippers poked him a good 17 times in the past five minutes. It wasn't like this was a new time for him or anything so Dent was pretty sure it would end up badly if anyone he knew saw him like this.
Across the street, a frightened figure emerged itself from the shadows with a horrified look on his face.
"Uhh…I think I'll wait and surprise little bro' tomorrow! Yeah, that sounds like a plan." (*)
"I don't think I brought any money…" Dent concluded when he rattled through his wallet. Well, he had been spending a lot lately, what with all the limited edition subway merchandise Nobori and Kudari offered him in the last town coupled with the Christmas presents he bought for Ash and Iris. He knew MooMoo Milk was expensive, but it had been a while since he battled anyone and felt the prize money for winning in his hands. Most of his finance he had left at the Pokémon Center which he couldn't waste as that was to be used to buy ingredients for the next few weeks. In all the mix up, he had forgotten.
Berdina looked at his forsaken face with a frown. "Well, you know we can't just give you what you want if you don't have any cash."
"I know."
"Say, why don't you work for it, Dent?" Charles piped up suddenly. "Berdina, didn't you say that the store was short on Foongus powder? Maybe we can search for some and sell it to you." The woman looked shocked for a moment, but seemed to consider this idea as a good one. After all, everyone else around here was either too busy or didn't care to look for any. All of them claimed that it wasn't worth the effort to endanger their Pokémon by getting near those spores. Yet those same spores were vital ingredients to make medicine at the same time.
Finally, Berdina complied. "9,000G, that's how much you need. The amount you make depends on how much you get, boy." Boy…? Instead of saying anything, Dent nodded determined. A Foongus wasn't hard to find. He saw hundreds of them on his way to Driftveil city with Ash and Iris. As for catching one? That was practically his specialty.
"Whoa, 9000G is a lot!" Charles exclaimed surprised. "Are you sure about this, Dent-kun?" But when he turned, the green-haired Sommelier was already out the door.
TTTTTT
"Are you still cold? 10:30pm and no sign of him."
"…I don't have enough."
Berdina counted up the glittering change before her with a frown. It seemed the boy already knew just by looking at her reaction. "Sorry but no bargaining, kid. I'd say you have enough to buy maybe nine at most anyway. If you want twelve or so maybe I can bend the rules a tad for Christmas."
"No, I need eighteen." Dent replied with a sigh. He just wanted Iris to get better. Why was everything keeping it from happening? He played with the once shiny but now worn out zipper on his jacket. He had used it to store the small vials of powder each time he finished collecting one. As a result, the plentiful amounts of dirt he came in contact with soiled it. Charles told him it was alright just as long as he got the work done.
"Hey now, you must have a lot of drive to work so hard on Christmas Eve…" Berdina trailed with a frown.
"You know, we can just try again tomorrow!" Charles quipped.
"Whatever."
"…"
"Say," Berdina slammed her fist on the table causing Dent to shriek and jump out of his seat. "One of our executives yesterday left her Purrloin behind for us to look after. How about we make a deal? You take care of it for the next three days and I'll sell those 18 pitchers at half price!"
Oh, no.
"Oh, okay."
Which was how Dent found himself dragging eighteen heavy bottles of MooMoo milk on his back, a bag of evil cat food in one hand, and a collar holding that said evil little cat in the other as he walked home in a gangster outfit at 11pm in the evening. So far other than his aching behind and the manual labor, nothing else bad had happened on his way to the Pokémon Center. The Purrloin would once in a while stop to lick its paw or play with a leaf, but other than that pretended he didn't even exist. Was that girl with no name and wanted to make out with Charles even awake now?
But all of his worries and fatigue which had been building up dissipated as the lights of the Pokémon Center came into view. Finally, his efforts for the day would be worth it once he receives those Burnt berries and watches Iris quickly get better before him! In his excitement, Dent made a last run towards the building, ignoring how Purrloin quietly hissed at him in his attempt to keep up with the tortured Sommelier. He would have a mad evil cat to tend to for the next 3 nights, but that was a minimal price to pay. So what if he had to wear this embarrassing outfit so he could take care of a Purrloin for three days so the price of the MooMoo milk would go down so he wouldn't waste his efforts of collecting spores all day so he could make extra money so he could trade them with a girl for burnt berries so he could cook a special soup so Iris could get better? That was all in the past now.
Dent rounded the corner and almost made it home free when the automatic doors slid open, but stopped when the sound of crying reached his ears. He turned curiously, only for the sight of a ragged little boy sleeping against a tree nearby to hit him. His legs moved on their own, and before he knew what was going on he was next to the figure in a heartbeat and asking him what was wrong.
The boy kept crying and only shrieked louder at the sight of a gangster teen walking a Purrloin in the late hours of the night. It quickly subsided when Dent quietly petted his head in a soothing manner. "Now, do you mind telling me what's wrong?"
"I-I, my aunt gave me money to buy something really important," he sniffled. "It's something my mommy adores and wanted to have one last time before she goes away."
Dent looked slightly confused. "Goes away?"
"Yeah. She said forever."
"O-Oh…! Excuse me, I'm sorry for making you tell me all of this."
"No, i-it's okay." The much smaller boy smiled weakly at him but then broke into sobs again. "B-B-But we're not very rich. I was supposed to buy a pitcher of MooMoo milk for her with my aunt's money or I can't go back home."
"And why's that?"
"She told me…and this gang of bikers stole it from me." He cried louder. "It's all my fault!"
"Oh…" Dent was perplexed. What kind of family told such a young boy that he couldn't come home if something bad happened? It was Christmas Eve! Bad things happened all the time and no one could help it. Take it from him, Dent knew all about that after today. But telling a boy not to come home, they really must have a hard life. The choice was nearly second nature to him. Without hesitation, he unstrapped the box from his back and carefully lifted the lid, handing the small boy a bottle. "Here, you can have it."
He looked back at him shocked. "R-Really?"
"Yes, please take it. I have a lot more, see?" To emphasize the comment Dent pointed to the crate with a cheerful smile, though it was hard to see behind the glasses.
"A-Are you…wow…" In an instant, the boy's eyes brightened ten shades before gently taking the milk with a look on his face, as if reaching an epiphany. "No one's ever been that nice to me before."
Dent chuckled. "Not at all. Please tell your mother Merry Christmas for me. Just, don't think you're at fault because a few bad things happen, okay?"
"O-Okay! Thank you, mister!" He laughed sincerely and ran off down the streets, a slight hop and skip in his step as he disappeared into the shadows. Dent smiled at the sight, and it never left his face even after no one was around him anymore. He was sure Iris would've wanted this anyway and…wait, no one around him anymore?
"E-Evil ca-I mean, Purrloin! Where are you, Purrloin?" Panicked, Dent stood up from his spot and looked around frantically. He knew they were evil and this is proof! The little Pokémon was trying to get him into trouble by suddenly disappearing! Alright, he just had to calm down and remember what Berdina told him. Apparently that Purrloin didn't like the wilderness or cold that much, so he couldn't have ran off into the night. And, there was only one place around here that always had open doors and provided warmth and comfort at this time.
Dent ran off in the direction of the Pokémon Center, did a one-eighty to retrieve the crate, and then ran back as fast as he could. Of course he had to drop off the heavy box back at their dorm or it would just slow him down. Ignoring the swoons and attempts of some teenage girls by the lobby to get his attention, was it just him or did he get even more fan girls with this look? He took out his key and hastily unlocked the door, only to find that it was already unlocked. Ash must have left it open to get some midnight snack of some sort. It wasn't unusual for him to anyway.
The crate was gently placed on the dining table, and Dent dared to spare one glance at the sleeping yet shivering figure still lying in bed across the room. Ash was fast asleep in the other bed with Pikachu hugging a bottle of ketchup with a bow wrapped around it in his arms. Dent hadn't been there for half the day and only just returned. Despite Ash's appearance he had a lot of practice tending to his Pokémon when they were sick, so Dent wasn't worried about Iris not being looked after or anything. But still…he felt guilty.
His guilt trip was interrupted by a quiet 'meow' emerging from atop the bed. Dent gasped when he saw the materialization of all evil pouncing on Iris' hair like it was a toy, jumping from her left to right side playfully before crawling its way around her pillow. Her blanket fell to the ground as a result. Dent could only twitch when he saw Iris shiver harder. "Oh no no, don't do that Purrloin!" Evil!
He picked up the kitten and hooked it under his arm so it couldn't do more damage as he gathered the blanket back up. Oh, the stories he could tell about the night he had a Purrloin in his arms would be horrifying. Dent peered down at Iris worriedly and gingerly tucked it back over her cold form. "Sleep tight, Airisu…"
"…Dent?"
"Yes?" Was she talking in her sleep?
"It's cold."
Dent frowned. "I know," then a sigh. "I'm sorry."
"…"
"Airisu?" Dent briefly wondered if she heard him or went back to sleep, and leaned closer to make sure she was alright. Just as he was sure her breathing was even again, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him and forced his body down onto the bed in a half-sitting position. Dent squeaked and the Purrloin in his arms hissed once more in surprise. Then, a silence which felt like a race of confusion and loud noises in his brain.
He finally had the sense to look down, and saw that her arms were secured tightly around him with her face buried in his back. Her head still lay on the pillow yet his own was forced up against the wall while his legs were dangling off the edge of the bed. Red adorned his pale face and he never felt so glad to be wearing such ugly dark glasses in such a dark room at such an hour. "A-Airisu?" Was she feeling alright?
"W-W…"
"Hm?"
"So…warm…" Which only succeeded in making the green haired sommelier blush harder.
He waited a few more moments but she said nothing more, noticing that Purrloin was beginning to nod away into a deep sleep itself. W-Wasn't this kind of thing really inappropriate until you became of age? Or unless you're married? It was alright back at the cold storage when she simply buried her head into him; she was scared! But now was just completely improper. What if he woke up and got arrested for harassing a young innocent maiden? Then he would have to spend the rest of his life in a completely unsanitary juvy cell! No, what if he woke up and Iris saw him not only in this ridiculous getup but with the devil cat in his arms? He would've broken two of the most important rules in his book in one swoop by sleeping with not only her but the cat as well!
But, she said she was warm.
It was only then that he noticed she was no longer shivering, only taking long contented breaths into the realm of sleep. What about the burnt berries? And the water bottle? And the blanket? Did he do all of that for nothing when all she wanted was…he gulped, this the whole time? He suddenly felt the urge to lean in closer and play with her hair, that same silky hair which was now mixed into his. That urge turned into burying his face in her neck when her arms tightened around him and he could feel her breath down his back. Soon the feeling rocketed so high that he had to face the wall and begin recounting the tiles to keep from doing it.
What was it…199 tiles? No, 72? 2974 sounded about right.
Somehow it felt like the world was being cruel to him. It was like he was being punished for something, or was it? Was it some kind of reward instead? Dent did a metaphorical face palm. No! He would never take advantage of a lady like that, especially Iris! For a moment, he contemplated wiggling out from the grasp and giving her a stuffed Pidove to shower with love instead. F-Friendship love, of course! Dent began his work in silently crawling away. But that thought was instantly destroyed when he froze at the sound of his name being whispered again.
That did it. Despite the feeling of being cheated, he found that he didn't care anymore. All the work was realistically for nothing but somehow he felt he accomplished a lot. So instead of feeling bad or making a desperate run for it, he sighed and made himself comfortable on the bed beside her. "Oh well…I'll do this if it makes you happy, Airisu." And ignored the deepening blush and growing smile on his own features.
He drifted to sleep, but not before setting the alarm early so he could sneak away the next morning. He didn't want her to get embarrassed when she woke up and realized what she did after all.
It wasn't until he lost consciousness when the girl beside him shifted slightly with a giggle.
"Thank you, Dent…"
TTTTTT
(*) Pod appeared in the episode following the one this story is based on.
You see what happens when I try to write a cruel humor story? It ends up being emotional anyway. Sorry about that but I hope everyone enjoyed it. It wasn't very Christmas-like either but it wasn't really meant to be. Christmas was more of a side-theme here, other than the spirit of giving. This one-shot was obviously inspired by Iris hiding behind Dent whenever an ice-type Pokémon shows up. She seems to do that a lot. Of course it's adorable.
See you guys next chapter! And giving is better than receiving!