Title: Love Tips

Rating: T (for some ideological crap, that and I'm paranoid.)

Shippings: IKARISHIPPPING~~~~ and I can't tell you the other, cause it would ruin it!

Summary: While waiting for Dawn, Paul gets some love tips from a stranger

Others: For SurferGurl's Contest!

Disclaimers: I don't own Pokemon, you neenies! XD

The air in the shop reeked of blood, sweat, and perfume and yet Dawn's eyes shone like a little kid's on Christmas morning. "This is going to be great, right, Paul?" Paul looked at the pink and red shop with hearts painting on the windows and a 'forty percent off' banner hanging over the door and woman of all ages diving around piles of clothing with a disgusted look on his face.

"You really want to spend a whole day here, shopping?"Paul watched as two girls started to fight over a pair of shoes. Maybe if one of the girls didn't pull a fast on and hit the other in the face with the heel of the shoe, causing her nose to bleed, Paul might have almost considered going just to see how close this shipping exercise would be the an MMA match. (*) "Really? It's the middle of summer, can't we do something else?" Paul sent a glare that could convert an atheist back to religion at group of girls who entered the store. Each exchanged a terrified look before turning around and exiting, whispering about how they had really shouldn't ditch church anymore.

"You got to pick what we did last weekend," Dawn pointed out. Paul sighed. Why had he agreed to do this? Why? Oh, right, because they were dating. That still shouldn't give her the right to drag him to a dangerous hellhole.

"Last week I didn't fear for my life," Paul grumbled under his breath. Last week they just went to the safari zone in Hoenn. Sure, a seaking and a group of goldeen almost ate him and Dawn, but that was way different. "What a waste of a summer."

"What was that?" Dawn asked, picking up a blue sweater from a sale bin.

"I'm…going to wait outside. Call if you need me," Paul hightailed it, causal as possible, out of the shop. Dawn shrugged, reaching for a pair of jeans as another girl did. It took all of two seconds for the females to get into a tugging match, that Dawn one in twelve seconds flat.

Paul thought about heading towards the open area to train or at least get away form the shop from Hell. At least he could do something eventful today. His hand brushed his torterra's poké ball. Once he stepped outside, though, the rain started pouring in sheets. The air got muggy and humid. He scowled at the sky as a streak of white lighting stormed across the sky, soon accompanied by a roll of thunder.

"Waiting for someone?" Paul's head snapped towards a bench in front of the shop. Sitting on the bench with a bored expression was a man about 25 or so with long, blood red hair that when past his shoulders and grey eyes. He tossed a poké ball with a leaf insignia on it up before letting it land in his palm.

"Yeah, what's it to you." Paul grunted, holding his poké ball up to she he wasn't afraid to fight—even in the mutter of a storm that may have been created by Zapdos.

"Then you might what to sit down." The older male stated, slipping his poké ball into his pocket. Whether because he didn't want to fight Paul or because he knew he would lose, Paul wasn't sure—though he hoped for the latter.

Though Paul wasn't sure he wanted to sit next to this person, he didn't practically want to stand for hours on end. Waiting for a few minutes to show he was going to sit out of his own free will, not because some guy told him to, he sat on the other end of the bench, away from the man.

The purple haired teen rested his elbow on the bench's metal arm and placed his chin in the palm of his hand. The two males sat in silence with only the sound of the rain hitting the roof over their heads and thunder smashing in the clouds, when the door opened. Paul hoped in vein that Dawn would walk out and he could leave this place and never return. No such luck. The shopkeeper pushed out two women, one with a black eye and the other with a spilt lip.

"No fighting in my store," He rumbled, shoving them into the rain. "And stay out."

The women growled at each other, storming off after opening their umbrellas, even though they were already soaked to the bone. The red haired man chuckled once. "Heh, maybe our friends will get into a fight and be thrown out."

"Who said I was here with a friend?" Paul snapped.

The man shrugged, "I somehow doubt you mistake that shop for a battle store." Paul glared. "Like I said, maybe our friend's will get into a fight and get kicked out."

I hope so," Paul agreed, hesitantly; he had to admit, he would have loved for that to happen. And not just because he wanted to see the poor sap Dawn beat the crap out of either. He sighed, saying, more to himself than the other man, "Troublesome probably wouldn't though, knowing her."

"Troublesome?" The man raised an eyebrow while leaning back on the bench. "Odd pet name."

"I called her that went I couldn't recall her name back when we were kids," Paul explained to him. This guy had proved himself someone Paul could at least have some sort of idle conversation with. "It kinda stuck." Paul glanced at the rain; it still was raining down like glamow and houdour.

"Hmm," The man nodded before asking. "So, how long have you two been together?"

It took Paul a few seconds to recall when exactly Dawn and he went on their first date. "On and off since we were 13 or so, so about 5 years," Paul responded. "You?"

"Who said I was here with my special someone?" The man remarked. Before Paul could response, the man said, "I'm kidding. We've known each other since we were ten, but never started date until we were 15." The man paused a second before adding, more to himself than to Paul, "Never thought I'd date some who smiles so much."

"Me too," Paul replied. "She's just so chirper, I guess."

"They say love is blind." the man rolled his eyes. That ended the conversation. In the quiet, Paul turned around and looking in the shop window. To his shock, another male was in the shop, by the shoes. His arms were loaded with shirts, jeans and other such items. A girl with light blue hair threw another shirt on top of the cloth pile. The other male winced, his knees buckling.

Paul let out a sadistic laughed before saying, "I feel bad for the other male in there."

"I don't." The man smirked, glancing over his shoulder. "It was either him or me, and I was not going in there." Paul was really starting to like this guy. He was cruel and sadist, just like him. "But we all have to make sacrifices." The purple haired teen nodded in agreement. Just before the moment where speaking would have been embarrassing, the man spoke again.

"You know something kid," The man's grey eyes started out into the rain.

"What?" Paul asked.

The man held up a finger before speaking, "If there is one thing I've learned over our 10 years together, it's that you always find someone that offsets you in the perfect way." Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?" Paul really hoped this guy didn't start talking crazy crap. He was starting liked his guy.

"When I was a kid—and even now at times—I was emo, cold, didn't talk much, scowled—a lot—and could be abusive to both Pokemon and people around me." The man explained. "Then, when I started dating, I found my lover was everything I wasn't—warm, loving, kind, a stupid smile on their lips. I think that why we've been together for so long…damn, this is going to sound corny and lame, but it a way we complete each other. That sounded so trite." The man sighed, rubbing his eyes. "But, you get it, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I got it," Paul said, mulling over this as they lapsed into silence.

"Hmm? The rain stopped," the man mumbled. Paul looked up from staring at his shoes at the sun peeking out of the clouds. It must have been a good omen, because as he looked up, Dawn walked out.

"Hey, Paul!" She chirped, holding up two large pink bags. "You should have been in there!" Paul stood, shuddering inwardly from the very thought.

"I doubt I would have been of any help," Paul grumbled as Dawn shoved her pink bags into his hands with a smile. Paul groaned slipping the two bags into his left hands. He heard the other man snort to himself. Paul looked over his shoulder and sent him the atheist to region glare. To Paul's surprise the man sent him the same glare, just to show he could, clearly, before smirking and looking away.

"There was another guy in there, and he was helping—I think," Dawn started to lead him away but then paused suddenly, halfway across the parking lot. "Oh! Yes! Soda!" She giggled and dragged him over.

Paul turned back to the bench as Dawn dug around her purse for some change. The door was opening. The girl with light blue hair came out with pink bags like Dawn's in her hand, behind her was a man with black hair holding another four bags. It was clear by the look of emotional distress on his face he was scared for life.

The red-haired man stood. The girl waved at him cheerfully. He looked at the other man with a sigh and held out his hand. The black haired man smiled brightly and handed him two of the four bags. Then, as the bags were exchange, the black haired man kissed the other on the cheek. The red haired man rolled his eyes as the girl called them and, holding both bags in his right hand, he turned his gaze to Paul and waved once before following.

Before Paul could react, Dawn slipped her hand into his and grinned at him. "Soda, Paul?" She offered him a blue can, still cold with water droplets slidding down the metal.

Paul shook his head, smiling to himself. "Dawn." Ignoring the group of girls who squealed as they walked out of the Bible book store, he gripped the can in her hand and leaned down, kissing her. "Promise not to ever start acting like me."

Dawn, eyebrow riased, blinked twice before smiling again. "Only if i get to pick way we do next weekend."

Paul sighed as he opened the can. "Don't push your luck, Troublesome."

~~!~!~!~!~IKARISHIPPING~~~!~!~!~!~!~~

Tee-hee, Huntershipping, too! *shot* Also…that little speech…Was. So. CORNY! But I couldn't think of anything better. Oh well…HUNTERSHIPPING!

And, this will be the 20th published work on FF. So yeah for that!

As I said, this is for SurferGurl's Ikarishipping Contest. Hey, that reminds me, isn't IkarishippingDAY coming up? It's the 28th of June, right?

Also, SUPER COOOOOOKIE! if you can guess were I got the aethism thing from. If you don't know, I'll explain it too you.

(*) For those of you who don't know, MMA is an aberration of Mixed Martial Arts. My sister's boyfriend loves it—as does my niece and my sister and one of my brothers and I don't get it.