Protective

The Way Things Are Now

Ikarishipping

Hello readers! I've been swamped in assignments so I haven't been able to write nor update... I'm sorry. :(

So, in compensation, I decided to post this~! It's a story I wrote a while back and I've been editing it with the limited de-stressing I'm giving myself. I was really into reading hybrid au stories and wanted to give it a try myself, so as a result - grumpy cat hybrid Paul. Haha, this story is mostly fluff. There'll be about six parts?

Hehe, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

There was a flash of lightning, illuminating the dark room temporarily, before a moment of silence followed in preparation of the next step of the storm. Paul stiffened as the sound of thunder rumbled loudly in the sky. Sitting on the couch with his eyes trained to the rain hitting the glass, he wondered if he should wait somewhere else, like in the comfort in his room.

He hated this weather.

Despite being completely safe from harsh conditions outside, storms like this always triggered his inner instincts of fear and the need to find comfort. It couldn't be helped. He knew others like him would be cowering away, trying to stay small as they shook with distress.

Paul refused to let his instincts take over.

He knew everything was okay. Nothing was going to hurt him. He had to be strong and get over this fear, because if he wasn't able to, how would he protect her?

Thoughts of a certain blue haired girl popped into his mind and worry filled him. Was she going to be okay coming home in this weather? Were there any accidents that were keeping her out so late? She would be able to come home, right? He frowned, these thoughts weren't making things any better.

He blamed this weather for making him this way.

Doing his best to keep up his brave façade, he crossed his arms and closed his dark eyes for moment. The sound of rain pounding against the window seemed to be the only sound he was able to hear in the entire apartment.

His ears twitched when he heard footsteps approaching the front door. Springing up from his seat, he was hurrying towards the door as quickly as he could. Throwing the door open, a surprised looking girl greeted him.

Standing before him, Dawn blinked. One of her hands were in her bag, in search for the apartment keys, as the other was holding onto a dripping umbrella. Seeing how soaked she looked, it appeared to Paul that it wasn't enough to protect her from the relentless rain.

A smile blossomed on the girl's face as she straightened up. Having the door being opened so quickly caused her to draw one conclusion – Paul had been waiting for her. The way he stood in front of her spoke in volumes too.

The way his ears perked up with interest paired with the alertness in his eyes when they first saw hers, all were obvious signs to her.

Taking her bag from her, Paul immediately noticed Dawn's expression. He frowned and turned away as he padded back into the apartment.

"You're late."

His accusatory tone made Dawn's heart flutter. She could spot his tail casually waving after him, meaning Paul was actually happy. As she stepped into her apartment, shutting the door behind her, she hummed in acknowledgement.

"I know. There was a last-minute meeting called, I tried to come home as soon as I could," she explained. Dropping aside her umbrella, she shed her jacket and slipped off her shoes. "I'm sorry, Paul, were you waiting – "

A towel was tossed over her head, causing her to let out a squeak in surprise, before it was moved to wrap around her. Being pulled into the living room and seated onto the couch, Dawn watched as Paul diligently tried to help dry her off.

Catching her cobalt eyes, Paul kept up his stoic expression as continued with his actions.

"You're going to catch a cold if you don't dry off," he chided her. "And you should've taken a taxi if it's so bad out."

That alone was enough to answer her unfinished question from before.

He had been waiting for her to come home.

"But a taxi would've taken me longer," Dawn said, shaking her head. She inwardly giggled when she saw Paul flinch at the cold water droplets from her hair fell onto him. Halting his actions, she gently took his hands into hers. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," he bluntly responded.

As much as Dawn wanted to believe him, his reaction to the thunder that followed his response was enough to show his true answer.

Dawn moved over to the switch on the lights, filling the living room with a comforting glow. Moving right back to her former spot on the couch, she ruffled Paul's hair before gently petting his ears.

"You know, I think you're pretty brave, Paul. Most hybrids are terrified by thunderstorms," she murmured.

There was a quiet rumbling sound, not from the storm, but a closer source. Dawn smiled as she moved closer to the source, recognizing it as the supressed purring that Paul let off when he was being pet. It was a rare noise, seeing Paul wasn't the most intimate person, so being able to hear it, Dawn was delighted. He pulled her in close, letting Dawn melt into the warmth he offered her. His tail wrapped around her waist to make she couldn't leave his side.

"I don't like storms either," he admitted. "I especially don't like it when you're out in one, troublesome."

"Yeah, me too," Dawn whispered. "I can't imagine leaving you out in any storm. I'd rather have you around protecting me with your hugs."

Feeling the vibration of his chest as he grumbled incoherent words, Dawn accepted it wholeheartedly. Being in moments like these, she wouldn't trade them for the world.

"We met during a storm, remember?" she asked, tilting her head to look up at Paul.

His ears twitched as he hummed in agreement.

"It wasn't raining this bad though."

"Speaking of rain, I think I was soaked pretty bad." Wriggling in his hold, Dawn was reluctantly let go. "I'm going to take a shower. We can continue this after, okay?"

Pressing a kiss onto Paul's forehead, Dawn hurried off.

Tail waving back and forth, Paul listened the noise Dawn made as she moved around. Her presence alone seemed to block out the noises of the outside world. The rain, thunder, and lightning... None of it mattered when he had her around.

It made him wonder if his life would have been any better if he had met this energetic girl earlier.

Before encountering the troublesome girl, he had been living on the streets, having run away from his previous home. Either left abandoned or mistreated with several homes already, Paul was sick of it. Being a hybrid living on the streets was rough too. Being discriminated against for the way he was didn't help either.

Hybrids were seen as pets, no matter how human like they were. Most hybrids had the ears, tails and little traits that showed their animal side, but besides that, they were mostly human. There were recent developments involving hybrid rights, making them viewed as equals in society. Although the integration was slow, Paul had never felt comfortable being who he was before being in Dawn's presence.

She treated so kindly, Paul had finally felt like he was being treated properly after all these years. He felt bad about how coldly he had initially treated her when they had met, but Dawn merely brushed it off as a thing of the past.

Despite having a rather cold personality prior to living on the streets, the added experience only made him rough around the edges.

All of it was easy to forget though, especially when Paul looked around at the environment he was in. A safe, loving home had been so foreign to him was now so comfortable. Curling up on the couch, he could hear the sound of the shower running, as he closed his eyes to get in a short nap before Dawn returned.

How did things end up like this?

We'll find out in the next parts! See you all hopefully soon! :)

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

~Skitty13