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"Zorua says that it's going to rain," N said, gazing up at the sky. A slowly strengthening breeze kicked up his tea green hair. You stared at him for a moment, only until your cheeks got warm and you followed his gaze to the sky instead. "He said he can smell it in the air."
You nodded. "We better find somewhere to wait it out then," You stated. "Lillipup doesn't like storms, I'm sure he's mentioned..."
Lillipup barked in confirmation and trotted in a circle around your legs. You lifted him up into your arms and held him.
"He has mentioned," N confirmed. "If I recall correctly, there should be a Pokémon Center at the end of this route we can take refuge in. If my predictions are correct, we should make it just as the rain begins."
You nodded once and began walking at a bit of a brisker pace than before. N scooped up Zorua and matched your pace as a light rainfall began to sprinkle over you. You shuddered as the first droplets landed on your skin. The Pokémon Center wasn't that far now.
Finally, the Pokémon Center was in sight. The rain began to pick up, the wind tugging at your clothes and tussling your hair. It grew strong enough to where the drops of rain stung your face a bit on impact. You instinctively shielded Lillipup with your jacket as he curled up closer to you in an attempt to stay dry and unruffled.
Around 200 meters away from the Pokémon Center, rain began to pelt down on you. The large drops soaked through your clothes and made it difficult to see, but you and N managed to shield your eyes with your hands and run the rest of the way to the Pokémon Center through the rain. As the two of you walked through the doors, you discover the rain had chilled you to the bone. The warmth of the Pokémon Center was extremely welcome.
Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center!" A bubbly Nurse Joy said with a smile as the two of you walked further inside. "Would you like to rest your Pokémon? Or were you perhaps looking for a place to stay for the night in this storm?"
"We're looking for a place to stay," N stated, his tone even and calm. He didn't appear to be the slightest bit uncomfortable, even as drops of water fell from the ends of his hair and dripped down his face.
"Come with me," Nurse Joy said. "Allow me to see what rooms we have available."
You and N followed Nurse Joy to the front desk, where she opened a book and began scanning the pages. N exchanged a glance with you, still holding Zorua close to his chest. You took a slight step closer to him. This wasn't his usual environment, after all. N was much more used to the soft sounds of the woods rather than the populated space of the Pokémon Center. Crowded areas were certainly not his element.
"It seems that due to the stormy conditions, our rooms are more occupied than usual," Nurse Joy explained. "We only have one left, would you two be alright with sharing?"
I smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course," You said. "We'll take whatever is available."
Nurse Joy smiled back at the two of you and nodded. "Right this way," She said, leading you and N down a few hallways and into a room.
Nurse Joy swiped a keycard over the rectangular censor lock and unlocked the door, handing the card to N. N, who was not at all used to this sort of gesture, held his hand out awkwardly, letting Nurse Joy drop the card into his hand. She smiled at him despite his clueless, nervous expression. "Here is your room," She stated simply. "When you've completed your stay, please return your key at the front desk."
With that, Nurse Joy left. You and N entered the room, N trailing close behind you as though there may be something he should be wary of inside. You looked around, and N closed the door behind the two of you, tensing slightly at the sound of the door's automatic lock.
"Seems normal to me," You stated simply. "Just your average hotel room."
And that, it was. The room was complete with a full bath and a large bed. In front of the bed was a wooden surface with a television resting on it, the remote sitting close by it. Next to the stand was a wooden desk and a stationary chair. You set Lillipup down on the floor, allowing him to wander the room and smell anything of remote interest. N watched him closely, Zorua still held tightly in his arms.
"(Y/N)," N said softly. He seemed a bit unsettled, but you figured he might be. After all, interacting with other people was certainly not his preferred environment.
"What is it?" You asked, meeting him back int he doorway. He had barely stepped into the room.
"There's not enough beds for the both of us," N pointed out. "There's two of us, and one bed."
"That's alright, we can share," You said with a sweet smile. "We've shared spaces before, how much different can it be?"
N looked uneasy. He set Zorua down on the floor, finally allowing him to explore the room. "That was completely different," N insisted, furrowing his brow a bit.
"It'll be fine," You insisted. "You can handle sharing for one night, can't you?"
N's shoulders slumped.
"I promise, it'll be fine," You said, gently taking his hand and bringing him further into the room. "How about you get in the shower and warm up? your hands are freezing."
N nodded. "I am a bit cold," He said quietly. He turned his attention back to you. "What about yourself? You are much less used to harsh conditions than I am. Maybe you should go first, you're beginning to shiver."
N was right. You held your arms tight against your body in an attempt to fight off the chill entering your bones. You let our a soft chuckle. "Maybe I should," You agreed.
You took your bag into the bathroom and showered, welcoming the water's warmth onto your skin. Once you were finished, you changed into your dry spare set of clothes and exited the bathroom. "Your turn," you called to N as you draped your wet clothes over the back of the desk chair.
You settled into the bed as N went into the bathroom. Lillipup spun in a few small circles before finally settling down on the floor next to the bed. You sighed fondly. "Lillipup, Zorua is up here. You can sleep in the bed if you'd like."
Lillipup looked as though he had just been offered a tasty treat. He hopped up onto the bed, repeating the process of spinning in a small circle before settling down again. You gazed out the window. The storm was still raging outside. Luckily, it seemed you and N got inside before the worst of it.
N exited the bathroom in a dry set of clothes just as you had, then cautiously sat down on the very edge of the bed. He looked extremely nervous.
You rolled your eyes and smiled. "N, come on now, I don't bite," you said, turning toward him. "It's been a long day, you must be exhausted. We don't even have to face each other, you'll be fine."
N's cheeks flushed. "I- I know," He said. He finally got into bed, leaving a decently sized gap between the two of you.
"See? You're fine," You said, laughing. "Get some rest, okay?"
N nodded. He seemed to relish in the comfort of using a real bed rather than the hard surfaces of the wilderness. It was quite warm too. He sighed softly.
As the hour grew late, you began to drift off to sleep, comfortable, dry, and warm in bed. The sound of the rain outside faded into the calmness of the nighttime forest sounds you had grown accustomed to.
Suddenly, you heard a shift in the blankets. You remained still, attempting to relax back into sleep, when you felt arms wrap around your middle. N shifted in the night, hugging you from behind and pressing himself tightly to you. His head rested right near your neck, his soft breath grazing your skin. His embrace was warm and comforting, allowing you to relax further. You could feel his heartbeat, slow and steady as he drifted off to sleep. Eventually, you allowed his embrace to lull you into a comfortable sleep.