Could I request a Drayton fic where he and reader dance whilst it's snowing,?
[You're given a bad grade, one you might not have even earned. Drayton is there in the ensuing aftermath.]
You've emailed your professor, but nothing can be done. For some reason, your professor has decided that your performance in their class was not up to snuff, and you received some point reductions off your final average. It was devastating. If you couldn't even get a perfect grade at your best, what was the point of even trying? Your grades were directly responsible for your enrollment at the academy, and if they started to slip...
Worse was that the standards were already high for you, but no one seemed to see your efforts as hard work. They were just expectations, and when you failed to deliver, well, people looked at you as if it were the start to the end... As if it were finally time you were knocked off your high Mudsdale horse. And of course, here was Drayton, snickering at you as your mind spiraled out of control. Lacey smacked his arm, clearly the most concerned person in the room. Of course from the outside it looks a little ridiculous, but they aren't in your shoes. But your semi-meltdown at the Elite Four bi-weekly conference was coincidentally horrible timing.
Amarys failed to see the larger issue, thinking that the grades were directly proportional to one's own efforts and your own must have slipped. Thus you earned it, and should simply be careful not to let it happen again.
And Crispin? Well, Crispin looked around the room with clear confusion. Who'd be upset over an almost-perfect grade? He'd be ecstatic to receive your marks.
And you're so embarrassed at the email you sent, but you're second-guessing everything. Were you really just horrible? Couldn't your professor see how well you did in everything? How much effort you put into making sure you performed excellently? Is it because you're operating off a different region's idea of perfect academic performance? What happened? Why wasn't your best good enough? What... do you do now?
....
And of course, as the League Club meeting came to an end, Lacey reluctantly departed, Amarys and Crispin following suit. Lacey especially worried about what might happen once it was just Drayton and yourself left in the room.
You all had class in a few minutes, but something told you that you weren't going to be able to pretend it was all okay this time. You were going to tough it out, but she talked you out of it. Just for today. It's just for one class. Not the most reassuring after you just practically signed off your future, but fine. Might as well throw in the towel now.
And Drayton? Why he never showed up to class, and if he did it was always very late into the lecture. Must be nice being a native student who literally couldn't flunk out of school.
"The professor's gonna hate me." You whisper to yourself, groaning at the thought of your panic-induced email. You never wanted to see them in person again, but you'd have to. They must think you're nuts or something. You did write a panic attack in the form of an email after all.
You were already starting to hyperventilate again when Drayton's unhelpful snort caught your attention. "No they're not." He sounded like he was holding back a smile. "You really need to chill. So what if you got a bad grade?" You wanted to agree with him, but every involuntary emotion in your body was sapping your ability to just rationally say yeah, this is nothing. You know that people wish they had your grades, but you still hated it. You hated everything. "Whoa whoa there-" He waved his hands, knowing what you were thinking. "Haven't you learned why overworking yourself is bad? You're supposed to be enjoying the process and not... resenting it like that." "-But hey, that applies to everyone but you, right? Champion world-saver?" He elbowed you, his words obviously sarcastic though he kept an innocent enough tone. "I..." You began to reply. He looked on, a hopeful twinkle in his eye.
"I... haven't been enjoying it for a while now." You paused. "I don't know if I'll ever enjoy this, I mean should I even be here?"
His lips parted for a moment as he blinked a few times. You... what? "You mean... At Blueberry Academy?" He struggled to find words. "Are you..." Are you going to go back to Paldea? You look away, not responding to him. He stands there, eyes wide, realizing just how serious this actually is. "Hey, hey now-" His hands flew up, the fastest you've literally ever seen him move. "You can't- Leave!" Wide, frantic slitted eyes look more frantic than yours probably did writing that email. "That's it! You're-" He's literally barrreling at you now and before you can process how terrifying this actually is he's hoisted you up and tossed you over his shoulder. You're half bleat-screaming and he's rushing out the door. "We're going outside! You need to cool down! Then you can come to your senses and-" You're waiting outside an elevator when the door opens, revealing a student who, for a moment, looked like they were having a normal day before they freeze at the sight of you both and step aside to give him a plentiful amount of room.
[He's still death-gripping you and despite your attempts to wriggle free, he's fighting you on this one!] Now he's frantically pressing the close door button with his elbow, and the poor unfortunate student stuck in the elevator with the two of you scoots back until they're pressed into the corner. The ride is filled with grunts, growls, fighting, and screams and that poor, poor soul is mortified in the corner almost the whole time down--
--Until the door opens to reveal another student on another floor waiting for the elevator. They stop mid-press of the button to take one good look before getting pushed out of the way by the one that was next to you who took their first chance to escape. You and Drayton are too preoccupied to pay attention but the door closes without them stepping on.
Once the door finally opens to the terrarium he's calling out Archaludon who's strong enough to four-legged carry both of you on its back. "YOU'RE-- ffu- oww- HAVING FUN!!!" He's screaming and you're still fighting, all the while Archaludon underneath you turtle walks through the Savanna Biome at a painfully slow pace, passing by several random students who can do nothing but look on with mild horror. "And you're-" You try to think of things to spit back. "-In- insane!" Archaludon squeaks a tiny roar and both of you take it as an agreeance, and thankfully the Pokemon is so sturdy that your thrashing doesn't send it wobbling. At some point he managed to wrangle you into a headlock, but you're still punching and kicking and of course, screaming! "And YOU take things too seriously! Are you really gonna give up over ONE bad grade?! Are YOU insane?!" "Way to broadcast it Drayton!" "What?! I'm right! If anything- I'm, I'm always right! And you know I'm right!" "And--" He's once again picking you up and with one final roar he's tossed you off the side of Archaludon, right into a huge snow bank. Seems you've arrived at the Polar Biome! You fall back first into the crunchy artificial powdered snow and can only see the projection of the blue sky before his hoodie smacks you in the face. Bare arms out, he's given you the oversized thing to wear since you weren't properly dressed for the cold. Despite being mid-argument. He could have thought of that before he threw you into the snow!
"Of course I don't want to leave!" You finally bark at him, making a show of putting on his admittedly very warm hoodie. "I need these grades or else I lose my scholarships and can no longer attend the academy!"
You can see his brain literally buffering as he processes what you've said. Then he's making a fist and slapping it into his open palm. "I'll fight your professor-" "No-" "Cyrano then- or that weird big-haired lady, La Provolone or somethin-" "No!-" "But they're literally overworking you to the point that one bad grade and you think you're gonna be booted out the school!" He scoffs, arms wide as he gestures around to the terrarium. "I watched you have a panic attack over it! Obviously, that's not healthy!" You freeze, not because anything he's said was wrong. He must notice the anguish on your face because he suddenly springs into action, scooping up snow with his bare hands before tossing it up like glitter. "I'll figure it out. There's no way we can't fix this." He says, somehow dead serious while snow awkwardly bundles over both your heads. Somehow, for no good reason, your heart jumps a little in your chest.
He then breaks into a smirk, and then snickers. "But you and I-" he flicks the melting droplets at your face. "Are..." "Dancing! Dance with me!" He does a weird little shimmy with his bare shoulders out, and by Arceus above you never thought he could get even get more loony. "Ch-ch-ah, ch-ch- c'mon!" He's tango-ing, albeit very poorly, before he grabs your hands with his very clammy wet ones and pulls you forward. "What are you-" "Haven't you ever heard of the move Dragon Dance? C'mon now!" He laughs, and you laugh, not forgetting the absurdity of this whole situation. And by some miracle, it starts to snow.
The time of day in the terrarium is changing, and the lights above dim while clouds block out some of the lighter blues from the screens. Long shadows cast on the uninterrupted field of snow, save for what few footprints you've left in it already which you notice once you finally look down. His shadow draws close to yours, and he pulls you along to the sound of small snowflakes scattering in the slight breeze. They rattle almost like leaves, but so, so much softer while each step you both take crunches beneath you. "They'd never let you get kicked out the school." He murmurs, voice low with only a slight edge to it. "You should just talk to them, honestly. There's no way they wouldn't listen to you." "But the professor-" "Professors can be wrong. They're people too. And if I know anything it's that you've done your absolute best. Even if they don't change that one grade, heck, even if you started to flunk-- the people here care about you. They'd try to help before just up and booting you out." You look back up at him, no longer watching your feet make imprints in the snow. He's calm again, a small, concerned smile on his face. Your heart starts hammering in your chest. You're still anxious to high heaven, but not for the same reason as before. He looks absolutely silly in his sleeveless shirt out in the middle of gentle snowfall, but the sparkles in his hair catching the low light are... maybe it's the bitter chill that sweeps in as the breeze hits your face, but you're seeing him so clearly. You close your eyes, the image of him still burned into your mind. "I didn't know you could get so riled up." You whisper. He snorts. "Yeah, I usually don't lose my cool. I've noticed." You open your eyes again, and his eyebrows are only slightly furrowed. The eye contact the two of you are suddenly sharing is, well, the shine of his eyes picks up every golden fleck in his unusual irises. They're so close you can see all the star patterns, the deeper tones and the faceted flecks that sparkle with the reflecting snow.
Though he said it sarcastically, it was true. You've never seen him so animated before, you think, as his smooth annoying face tilted a little to the side. "You really freaked me out there." He's thinking long and hard about something. It's usually subtle, but it's written all over his face this time.
...
Your noses are brushing, and though you'd expect his breath to be hot, his lips hit yours and feel like soft velvet and the cold.
