Archive of Our Own

Dot had woken up to the darkness of the public cabin, the other three of her companions sleeping peacefully. They had decided to stay the night as it became too late to continue. Originally they were supposed to make it farther up Glaseado Mountain, but between all the breaks due to the lower oxygen levels as well as Roy and Nemona getting distracted by the local Pokemon, the group didn't make it as far. She sighed with exasperation at that. Yeah, she was glad a champion-ranked trainer asked to tag along as the Pokemon were far stronger and more dangerous than just the three of them could handle. Dot, however, could've done without the unnecessary battles, though the extra breaks that it sometimes provided were a blessing to the shut-in, she supposed. 

She caught herself smiling. When did she start looking for silver linings in things? She used to get so frustrated when things didn't go as planned, but now... everything has changed. Dot shifted to lay on her side to look at the girl beside her—the one who crashed into her life like a Minior. The programmer rarely was up before the others, so seeing Liko sleep so soundly was seldom seen. Dot was sure that Liko didn't realize just how profound an impact she made in her life, but the moment Dot stepped out of her room to find her, was when her life was flipped upside down. Nothing would ever be the same as it was; that didn't scare her; well, it did a little, but a fondness grew in her chest. A small fracture in the ice leading to falling through, now suddenly drowning in emotions. Dot knew she loved Liko; it was nearly impossible for her not to fall for someone so genuine and caring. 

So there she lay, a small smile stretched across her cheeks, drinking in the blue-haired girl's peaceful face. After a while of no one stirring from slumber and no light peering through the windows, Dot wondered just how early she had woken up. Pulling out her rotom phone to check the time, the bright light from the screen blinded her, blinking away the colorful spots in her vision. She saw it was 4:49 am. Dot groaned knowing she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep—damn insomnia—and decided to just get ready and wait for the others. 

Though as she sat up to the quite frankly chilly room, despite the furnace still burning. She felt a throb of pain slice through her head as all the queasiness that she had apparently been ignoring rushed over her in swirling waves. Dot managed to get on her feet and stumble her way to the bathroom. Steadying herself on the sink and turning on the facet, splashing her face with some water, hoping that'll help a bit. Looking into the mirror as she shivers, "Ugh,” she looked awful and felt even worse as her migraine reared its ugly head, biting into her brain with the force of a crunch. “Why does it have to be so cold in here?” grumbling, her throat felt scratchy while shivering even more, a bit worse this time.

Grabbing her toothbrush and half hazardly squirting some toothpaste, realizing she got too much on it as she gagged a bit at the taste. Dot powered through the rest of her morning routine, wanting to get ready quickly so she could go back to the warmer main room. She honestly wasn't feeling that much better than when she started actually feeling even crummier than before. She was just finishing up, picking up the discarded pajamas off the floor, when an unbearable itch in her throat had her hunched over the sink basin, coughing out a lung. Taking many deep breaths once it was out of her system, she collected her barings and left the bathroom, not being able to stand how cold it was. 

Reentering the main room, she was still shaking due to the cold and sat herself near the furnace to warm up a bit. After getting comfortable, she decided to scroll social media to pass some time. Despite her wearing both a jacket and sitting close to the furnace, she still felt chilly. Grunting at the cracking of her bones as she stood up once more, trudging over to grab her puffy coat and throwing it over herself. Dot carefully retreated back to the furnace, making sure not to wake the others. 

Even with trying to busy herself by watching video essays on random game lore or even doing small amounts of editing for her channel, Dot still felt incredibly bored. She wanted to talk to someone; well, she mainly wanted to talk to Liko. That didn't mean she didn't like talking to Roy; it's just that she found it hard to find topics they both enjoyed at times, and she felt a bit intimidated by Nemona to have a coherent conversation. Furiously rubbing her hair in irritation at not being able to cure her boredom and at the throbbing headache. Clearing her throat was a mistake, as a spike of pain rolled through her esophagus, causing another coughing fit. Sighing, she went to go get a glass of water. 

Around 30 minutes passed before someone stirred awake. Liko sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and was greeted by a gruff “morning Liko." She returned a groggy “good morning...” back before scanning the room to see who was up.

"Dot? You're not usually up this early.”

The streamer was swaddled up in her puffy coat, a glass of water beside her. “Mhm… I couldn't fall back asleep,” her voice was hoarse and scratchy.

 "Are you alright? You don't sound too good.” 

Dot nodded, taking a sip of water. “I'm fine, just a little cough, that's all.”

Liko hummed in acknowledgment; she wasn't super convinced but decided to press her on it later. 

Not too long after Liko woke, the others had gotten up as well, the morning turning into a flurry of activity. Just as they were about to step out the cabin to start moving to their next destination, Nemona informed them that a blizzard was on its way but not to worry as they'd reach Glaseado before the worst of it hit. Dot was only paying half attention as the breakfast she ate started to feel more like she'd eaten a sludge bomb rather than the packaged skillet hash they’d had. “Are you sure you're ok?” Liko whispered in her ear, She found her concern endearing but misplaced.

"Yeah,” reaffirming her previous statement on the matter. She’d be fine; it was only a minor cold, no biggie.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dot was dying; the thin mountain air made it hard to breathe. That was only the beginning of her problems; breaks were scarce due to the looming blizzard, her migraine was trying to split her head open, and she was shaking worse than a rotom wash hopped up on X-speeds. She couldn’t listen to the champion-ranked trainer ramble about battles, too tired to focus on the useful information. She even didn't eat lunch, drawing concerned looks from Liko, Nemona, and Roy; thankfully, she managed to wave them off. Though the repeated worried glances that Liko kept shooting at her made her feel worse than she already felt. Dot hated worrying Liko; she didn't know when this feeling happened, as she usually doesn't care if people are worried for her. However, when it came to Liko, she just wanted to fold in on herself.

She was broken from her thoughts when Liko gave her another glance, giving her a thumbs up between heavy pants trying to suck in what little oxygen was in the air.

“Keep up, Dot!” the champion-ranked trainer's voice rung.

“You can do it!” Roy added encouragement.

“We’re going to have to pick up the pace if we’re gonna get to Glaseado before the blizzard,” Nemona remarked, getting an exhausted groan from Dot. 

Liko held out her hand to help her up the ridge.

"Thanks.” She gave a gentle smile at her, sending Beautifly fluttering in her stomach.

“Mhm! No problem.” She had a thoughtful look cross her face. “Do you need a break? You're awfully red.”

Panic flooded Dot's system. "No need!” she replied, her voice strained from choking back a cough.

The snow was already falling harder, and she just wanted to get to Glaseado already. Liko's face fell into a resigned frown, nodding at her and continuing to trudge forward. Her heart twisted at the blue-haired girl's expression; the ugly feeling it gave her only compounded the ickiness she's felt all day. Staring at Liko for a moment before wading through the snow behind the group. 

As the winds picked up, Dot’s body began to ache more and more, falling even further behind. The fatigue getting to her, she sat on a nearby rock despite Quaxwell's protests for her to keep moving. “Lemme just...” she paused, panting heavily as the swirl of snowflakes nipped and nibbled at her cheeks. “...catch... my breath.”

Quaxwell patted her back to get her moving again to no response. The duck pokemon wanted to go find the group for help but was too loyal to leave her behind, exposed to the elements. So he squacked loudly to the whipping wind, drowning him out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liko looked back to check to see how Dot was holding up, knowing that she had been struggling this whole stretch. Only to find the sparkling white expanse, the programmer was nowhere to be seen. Anxiety gripped her throat.

“DOT!” screaming into the white void for her friend, hoping that she wasn't too far behind them. The artist was met with the response of her own voice echoing back at her. Panic sheared through her chest and started to run back to look for her.

“LIKO, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHAT'S HAPPENING!” Roy's voice boomed, tinged with worry.

“DOT’S NOT WITH US; I NEED TO GO FIND HER!” She called back, not sparing a glance to the others and releasing Floragato from her ball.

“WHAT!? LET US COME WITH YOU!” 

“NO! KEEP GOING, I'LL CATCH UP TO YOU LATER!” She roared back to them, too scared for Dot's safety to think straight. Not letting the others scramble behind her as she disappeared into the icy mist. 

Hurriedly backtracking as best as she could, desperately calling for Dot, Floragato’s own yowls joining the mix with a slightly grumpy edge to them due to the freezing temperatures. The winds were unforgivingly harsh, almost knocking Liko over several times. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hyperventilated, overthinking all the possible things that could've happened to Dot. She was brought out of her spiral by Floragato grabbing her hand and pointing somewhere in the distance. That's when she heard Quaxwell’s screeching. Hope and fear swirled in her chest as she ran with abandon to the source. 

Nearing the sound, she found Dot slumped over on a rock.

“DOT!” a somewhat relieved shout slipped from her lips, closing the gap as if she were boosted by Agility. Scooping the streamer into her arms, shaking her a little, “Liko...” she croaked, trembling in her arms, leaning all of her weight on her. Liko took a closer look at Dot's condition; she was breathing heavily, shivering badly, and seemed to have a hard time staying up right with Liko having to stabilize her. She needed to get Dot someplace safe. Opening the map on her phone, she hurriedly checked how far out they were from Glaseado. They weren't gonna make it before the blizzard, especially not with Dot in poor condition. She started to panic at the stress of the situation with her phone not loading quickly. 

Bringing Dot closer to herself in an attempt to keep her warm while scrolling through the map for anywhere nearby. She was about to give up and search for a cave when her phone finally loaded, displaying a public cabin nearby. It wasn't too far, but she wasn't sure how to get Dot there; Liko wasn't strong enough to carry her on her own, especially not with the added weight of their camping gear. “Dot, I found someplace to stay." The bluenette started to explain, hooking one of the shorter girls arms around her shoulder and wrapping her arm around her waist. “And I know you’re not feeling well right now, but I need you to walk.”

Dot tilted her head to look at Liko.

“Can you do that for me?” Her azure eyes pleaded, and her voice softened desperately, trying to keep out the urgency staining her tone. 

Dot gave her a slow nod, not really having much of a choice in the matter. A bit baffled that Liko would even ask for her consent in an emergency. The artist did her best to support the weight of an incredibly exhausted Dot, speaking words of encouragement. Their partner Pokemon took up the lead and rear to respond to any wild Pokemon that was brave enough to be out in this weather. They didn't have time to take breaks with the snow and winds becoming harsher with each passing second. She felt really bad for Dot as she wheezed and stumbled over her feet. 

She squeezed Dot a little closer to herself as the cabin came into view. “Just a little farther, we’re almost there.”

The shorter of the two nodded at her words, making an effort to pick up the pace despite running on fumes. Liko had to drag her up the stairs as her legs gave out. Quaxwell helped drag his collapsed trainer to the door; the bluenette was having a hard time opening the door, opting to slam her shoulder into it a couple of times to hopefully loosen the frozen latch. She eventually got it open and helped the duck get Dot inside. 

After fighting with the wind to get the door closed, she flicked a light switch. The main room of the cabin didn't seem like it had many visitors; to be fair, it was out of the way of main routes. Liko went over to Dot, who was still lying on the floor, with Quaxwell standing over her, squawking with concern while Floragato explored the rest of the cabin. Taking a much more thorough look at Dot now that they were in a safe place. She put a hand to her forehead; she was burning up, confirming her suspicions of a fever. Pulling her hand away, a thin layer of sweat resided on her palm, wiping it on Dot’s coat before unzipping it. The streamer whined in protest when she was being sat up so Liko could remove her coat.

“Cold,” she gave a grumpy grumble.

“I know it's cold, but I doubt that you want to stew in your own sweat.”
With a slightly more cooperative Dot, the puffy coat was removed. 

Dot flopped back onto the floor, teeth chattering. Liko, feeling bad for her, draped the coat over the programmer and decided it'd be better if she got the furnace going and set up the sleeping bags. Floragato, grabbing her trainer's wrist, let out a 'moaw’ leading her somewhere. Following behind the grass cat, who showed her a nearby room. Inside there was a bed, the mattress stripped of all sheets, which were folded neatly at the foot. She checked over the mattress for dirt or damage before checking the sheets for the same. Determining that everything looked fine, she started making the bed, deciding to move Dot in here. 

Returning to the main area, finding that Dot has turned herself into a pink cocoon. Liko giggled a little at how silly she looked: “Floragato found a bed, so you're gonna have to stand up for a bit.”

Poking the human-sized wurmple, the coat shifted a bit, revealing the exhausted girl.

“Nooo… I don't wanna," she said, curling into herself with a whine, “it hurts."

Liko observed Dots face twist into discomfort, most likely achy and sore; her breathing more stable now but still short. 

“Ok. I'm gonna try to carry you then.”
She wasn't sure if she could even carry her, but she's gonna have to give it a shot.

“Lift your arms up for me.”
The streamer did as she was asked, even doing a grabby hand gesture, which Liko admittedly found adorable. Shaking the thought away, she gently manipulated Dot into a sitting position, causing her to whimper at the movement. Getting down on one knee and coaxing the shorter girl's arms to get a hold around her neck before sliding one arm under her thighs and the other to support her back. With a grunt of effort, she managed to lift Dot up, finding that she was much lighter than she anticipated. 

Carefully moving to the spare room, the sick girl clung to her like a Komala to a log. setting her down on the mattress, making sure that she was sitting on the edge, still needing to take off the second jacket. Dot wasn't super happy at that with her lips pressed in a thin line, but didn't put up a fuss. Unbuttoning the jacket, revealing her usual black tank top, a thin sheen of sweat collected across her skin once the rest of the jacket was removed. Shaking uncontrollably at the temperature of the room, Liko guided her to lay down, pulling the blanket over her.

“Thank you,” the programmer's hoarse voice rang through chattering teeth.

“Mhm! No problem,” Liko replied, giving her a nod and a soft smile, motioning for Quaxwell to watch over her, which he was happy to do. 

Turning on her heel, she needed to look for any spare kindling previous groups might have left behind. The other two rooms she searched were completely empty, and the common room yielded no results. The artist found this public cabin strange since it had multiple rooms and a kitchen connected to the common room; the standard only had a large main room and a bathroom. She figured that it might be an old home that was empty for a while before being opened for public use. Moving into the small kitchen and opening up what seemed to lead to a cellar. The staircase creaked as she traveled down into the gray, musty, and dimly lit basement. The concrete space wasn't very big, with the backup generator and breaker on one wall, some metal shelving clustered on the other, unidentified cans of something that's been there for Dialga knows how long. She's pretty sure that one of the cans looked like it was about to explode.

Looking underneath the staircase, she let out a sigh of relief at the pile of logs neatly stacked together. She handed some to Floragato to take upstairs and grabbed a couple herself, making sure to swipe the matches before following the cat pokemon. Setting down the logs, Liko rummaged through the pockets of Dot’s discarded coat, finding Tinkatink’s ball and releasing her. The fairy type looked at the bluenette, head tilted in confusion, before looking around for Dot, wailing and scuttling around in an effort to find her trainer. Tinkatink was surprisingly slippery, evading Liko with ease.
“Tinkatink wait!” she said, face planting as the gremlin juked her out.

Thankfully, Floragato retrained the panicked Pokemon with her vine.
“Thank you, Floragato!” Liko spoke, and the cat Pokemon let out a proud mmrrp in response. Turning her gaze to the gremlin and gently picking her up, Liko waved to her partner to release her before placing Tinkatink in her lap.

“Hey, it's ok, Dot is here; she's just not feeling well." Liko made sure to keep her tone even and soft so as to not startle the scared Pokemon even more.

“I need your help to make her feel better. Will you help me?”

The fairy type rubbed the top of her beloved hammer, thinking for a moment, and with a determined cry, she lifted the tool in the air.
“I'll take that as a yes,” Liko replied, giving Tinkatink a pat on the head to her delight.

“I need you to break up those logs over there," she said, pointing over to the small pile she collected. Tinkatink, being the cutie she was, let out the squeakiest war cry and ran to the pile of wood, face planting along the way. 

With the help of the pink gremlin and her hammer, Liko was able to get the furnace up and running. It totally didn't take her 45 minutes and half a pack of matches to get the fire started; she had never wished to have Hogator there more in that moment. “Okay, now we just wait until it heats up,” she said, stretching out her arms before turning to the fairy type still beside her, who was smacking the logs into smaller pieces with fervor.

“Thank you for your help, Tinkatink," she said, lightly patting her head and receiving her squeal of delight at the affection. 

Liko grabbed her discarded backpack, looking through it for cold medicine. She didn't think that she would have packed some, but she still searched in hopes that her overthinking might be useful. Even after dumping out her bag, she found nothing. She was about to give up when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Dot's bag. Liko really didn't want to go through her things like that, but this was also a weird situation. She crawled over to the streamers bag, taking a deep breath to ease her anxiety, and started to rummage around. She didn't find any medication to help besides Dot’s Adderall and antidepressants, setting them to the side, figuring she would want them later. The artist was about to close up the bag when she felt a familiar ball of fluff.

The artist extracted Dot's beloved cardigan fondly, smiling at it: “Dot really loves this thing to pieces, doesn't she? Adorable.” Liko muttered to herself, gently folding the comfort item while taking great care to not damage it, as some of the edges were frayed. 

She repacked the backpacks, leaving out the Pokemon food, a can of soup, and Dots things that she set aside earlier. Liko filled up bowls for the pokemon, releasing Hattrem as Floragato walked in, holding the squirming Terabagos by the handle. Tinkatink kept glancing worriedly at the room Dot was in, as Quaxwell hadn't come out to eat. 

“I’ll go get him; don't worry." Keeping her word, she went to go collect Quaxwell, bringing a glass of water and the things she collected for her. Setting the water and cardigan on the nightstand, "Quaxwell, why don't you go eat? I'll take over,” urging the duck to go on.
With hesitance, the Pokemon glanced at his trainer and then at the bluenette before taking his exit. Pulling up a chair, Liko watched over a restlessly sleeping Dot, who was grumbling in her sleep. 

Liko brushed some of her bangs out of her face, causing her face to scrunch up for a moment before relaxing. The sound of howling winds biting the walls of the cabin was the only thing heard as Liko was left alone with her thoughts, guilt seeping up, pooling in her gut with burning hot tar of shame weighing on her. She knew something was wrong earlier; she should’ve said something sooner, pressed Dot a little harder, then maybe... “Arg Liko, stop it, you're being dramatic!” she chastised herself, shaking her head to clear it. "Besides, I should probably contact the others so they don't worry," she said, opening her phone to do just that. Giving up trying after a while of not getting a signal and unsent messages, getting up to go put a cold cloth to bring down the programmers temperature and make some soup.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loud. Everything was so loud, blaring static noises from damaged speakers, the conversations of passersby, even the sounds of her sneakers pounding against the concrete with the sound of her own breath grating in her eardrums. It was too much; she wanted to go home and shelter herself in her cardigan like she always had, but she couldn't because someone dear to her is in danger, and she’d rather be damned by Arceus itself than fail her again. Dot had to find Liko if it was the last thing she'd do. 

The city was large and confusing, completely unfamiliar to her, with buildings grazing the dark clouds.

“LIKOOO!” her voice breaking with her scream as she ran through the neon-lit streets. She tried to ask for help from the people who stood still in motion as if paused on getting a loop of useless dialogue. Dot’s breathing became even more erratic as the bright glitching red, green, and yellow billboards taunted her, circling her like a Mandibuzz. “Stop... don't look at me," she said weakly, snapping at them before dashing off with abandon. Eyes darting from street to street searching to hide away from the rotom-controlled billboards. Ducking into an empty but very creepy alleyway, sighing in relief as the rotom passed by without them seeing her. 

Taking a few minutes to catch her breath before continuing to look for Liko, more carefully this time. Traversing the maze like dark alleyways, the walls strangely were devoid of graffiti. She wandered for what felt like hours, an eerie air enveloping her in its suffocating embrace. Faint echoes of pounding footsteps sounded in the distance. Dot ran in the direction of the footsteps, hoping that it was Liko.

“LIKOOO!” 

It was starting to get hard to breathe with the amount of exertion, but she continued desperate to see her friend safe. She paused for a moment, gulping down oxygen, screaming her name with a hammering heart raging in her chest, begging for her to stop. Ignoring every part of her aching body, she sprinted, wanting... no, needing to find the person she... she... Suddenly, everything came crashing down as something slammed into her while making a sharp turn, pain blooming in her spine.

“Oh Arceus! I’m so sorry, are you ok!?” A very familiar panicked voice rang out, causing Dot to forget about the pain as she quickly sat up, almost smashing her noggin into hers. Grabbing the other girl close, wrapping her arms around her in a hug, “Liko! You're ok, I'm glad.” 

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Dot's heart sank at the question, "Yeah, it's me, Dot, your friend!” she replied, pulling away from Liko to look at her in the eyes. 

A confused look crossed the other girl's face.

“We’ve traveled together on the airship,” her voice cracking at the desperation.

Liko completely extracted herself away from the programmer. “I’ve never traveled on an airship, nor do I have a friend named Dot.” The bluenette stood and started to walk off. “I think you’ve confused me for someone else. I hope you find your friend though.”

A black hole-sized pit formed in Dot’s stomach as if placed by Palkia itself.

“LIKO WAIT!” she wailed at the static-filled sky, the empty alleyway walls taunting her with her own voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dot jolted awake a migraine searing through her skull, the wet cloth plopping into her lap as she groggily tried to remember where she was. "Oh, you’re awake, perfect timing,” Liko called, walking in with a bowl of soup, Tinkatink and Quaxwell trailing behind. Taking a seat in a chair, she handed Dot the soup.
“How are you feeling?”

The streamer hummed, the bowl warming her hands.

"Bad."

Between her bluntness and horrible-sounding voice, she got a sympathetic gaze from the bluenette. 

Taking a closer look at Liko, she looked tired, ascertaining that she most likely hadn't taken a break. 

“You're pushing yourself again,” she croaked, setting the bowl on the nightstand. 

The girl shrunk in on herself, “Well, you're sick, and I need to take care of you and our Pokemon.”

Dot let out a deep sigh in a way that caused her to start coughing. Liko handed her some water, muttering out a quick thanks. Taking a sip to soothe her sore throat, “Did you take a break?” she accused raspily. Dot got her answer as Liko shifted in her seat, her gaze not reaching her eyes. Her face stretched into a frown; she wasn't surprised at all. The girl always put others needs before her own, even if it took a toll on her. “You need to take care of yourself too," she said softly, voicing her concern as she started shaking again. 

“But—” The artist tried to rebut.
“But what?!” Dot retorted, raising her voice slightly, earning her another coughing fit.

"Well, it's my fault.”

Dot felt her eyebrows raise as she drank some more water.

“Huh? How is it your fault?” she replied, disbelief staining her tone.

The bluenette grasped the collar of her shirt and said, “I knew something was up with you, and if I had pushed a little harder, then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation."

Ah, so that was it. 

"Liko, you had no control over the fact that I got sick or that a blizzard was coming." Dot paused for a moment to sip on a bit more water. “Besides, if anything, it's my fault for not informing you or the others and thinking nothing of the obvious signs.” Liko opened her mouth, but Dot shut her up. “It's not your fault, ok?” 

She gave her a sheepish nod. Satisfied with that, Dot picked up the soup that had cooled slightly and began to eat slowly. 

Liko placed Tinkatink in her lap after she had banged the leg of the bed with her hammer,  probably wanting to see Dot. The gremlin let a garbled cry for her attention, to which she patted her head.

“I'm sorry for worrying you two so much,” she whispered out loudly enough for them to hear, giving a grateful pointed gaze at Quaxwell.

“Oh! That reminds me; I thought you’d want this,” Liko spoke, setting her cardigan in her lap. “I found it while looking for some cold medicine; sorry for going through your things.” Dot swiftly clutched it close to her chest with one hand; the feeling of soft knitted fabric brought her some much-needed comfort. She felt more gratitude than she could ever convey to Liko, “Thank you." The gentle smile she got from her only made the affection she felt welling up even worse. 

Deciding to stare anywhere else but at Liko before she could explode, happening upon Quaxwells knowing smirk. “So um… You didn't find any medicine.” Dot hoped that the change in topic would distract her. 

"Mhm,” the bluenette affirmed, deflating a bit.

“That's weird; usually they try to keep these cabins stocked with all sorts of basic medical supplies.” Dot mused to herself, getting a frustrated groan from Liko.
“I knew I was forgetting something; I'll go look!”

The programmer stopped her. “Liko! Later. Rest… Please." 

The girl halted in her tracks.

“But…” she tried.
"At least till I fall asleep again.”

Liko plopped back down in the chair. “It would be best if I found some now, but okay.” 

Dot laid back down, planning to stay awake as long as she could so Liko would actually rest, which was easier said than done as she already felt super groggy. In the end, she outlasted Liko; the girl passed out slumped over the edge of the bed. The streamer draped her cardigan over the bluenettes shoulders; satisfied with that, she allowed sleep to claim her, only the tremors giving her a hard time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ugh, why did Roy think it was a good idea to split up, honestly?” Dot groaned, power walking through the shipyard, "Yeah, sure, we can cover more ground, but now I can't find them!” The docks were quiet, the soft waves causing the hulls to creak. A light fog hung in the air, misty seawater stinging Dot's nose, making her even more irritated. The eeriness started to get on her nerves, whispering breathy words of danger down her neck. Pinpricks of her hair stood on end, finding that everything was still, too still… until it wasn't. 

A bright flash of psychic energy followed by a loud, disgusting crunch of metal and a scream that can only be described as the most horrific thing Dot has ever heard. She knew who's scream it was, but everything in her heart begged that it wasn't her—wasn't Liko as she ran with reckless abandon to the ship it came from. Dot's breath became ragged and short, her lungs burning with the same intensity as the flames of a houndoom. Sprinting through the dingy ship, she finally came across something she didn't want to find. 

Everything came to a crashing halt; her mind felt numb, her body in flames, and her heart froze as the most crushing force gripped her throat. Liko was lying in a crumpled heap, her blood seeping out of a slash in her stomach.

"Oh, it looks like someone wanted to join the party~” 

The taunting remark with its sickly sweet tone felt like molten hard candy had been dumped onto her; it made Dot want to take sandpaper to her brain to remove any trace of it ever being said. 

“Too bad that the party’s over already."

Dot finally looked at him, tearing her gaze away from Likos fallen form, the gray-blue-haired man twirling Likos pendant around his finger as he gave the most satisfied smarmy smirk.

“D-ot get... away... please.” weak rasping drew the programmers attention back to Liko, somehow still alive but barely holding on. 

“LIKO!!” She couldn't contain shouting her name as her anxiety let it slip out of her mouth as she rushed over to Liko, ripping off her cardigan and applying pressure to her wound, not caring that the blood was soaking into it.

The artist desperately tried to push Dot away from her, urging her to “please go... It's not— safe here." Liko kept trying to pry away Dot's hands.

“NO!! I can't!” she roared. “I'm not leaving you here!” The streamer desperately held back tears.

"Aww, she cares more for you than her own well-being.” That same mocking tone rang from that man as his footsteps crept closer to them before Dot felt his breath against her ear. “A complete stranger over herself, isn't that just adorable?" Even as his presence dissipated slightly, she felt as though she had been shot with the sudden shift from taunting playfulness to the sheer cold calculation.

She tried to ignore him, but the creeping thoughts that she had shoved into the back of her mind slammed back to the forefront. “I'm sorry that I was late, Liko.” Dot’s voice cracked with her failing to force a calm tone. Likos eyes drooped as she lightly rested her palm on Dot's shoulder. “It's ok, you’re safe; that's all that matters,” she rasped through bloodied lips, a pained smile plastered on her face in an attempt to reassure the programmer.

Dot didn't find it reassuring in the least in her panic-stricken state.

“NO, IT'S NOT OK!!! you're…" the words clogged in her throat, not wanting to admit to it, “Please... Help will come soon.” she whimpered more as a vague comfort to herself than anything. 

A faint cough sounded from behind the streamer, stealing her attention away.

“Oh! No one is coming.”

The sheer amount of smugness wafting of this man had Dot's blood boiling as he sauntered off. She wanted to strangle him, but he was right about one thing: no one was going to make it in time to save Liko. She was so pale as her blood wrapped around Dot's fingers in its twisted embrace. Likos breathing was so choppy as if the air refused to enter her lungs; despite it all, she still needed to say something.

“I'm really… glad I met you, Dot, as short it might've been.”

She knew that this was the last thing she'd ever say, so Liko let a warm smile cross her face as an emphasis on her gratitude towards her.

Liko swept her bangs aside, that hauntingly serene smile plastered across her face. Her hand dropped limp as her last breath departed through bloodstained lips. 

“No… NO! Nononono… no, please stay.” Dot shook her body vigorously, hoping that it was a moment of temporary unconsciousness. Sobs wracked the girls small frame “...I want you to stay," she whispered her wish, hoping that Jirachi would bless her just this once.

She hugged Liko’s lifeless body, clawing at the back of her jacket and wailing into her still warm shoulder, “Please! Don't leave me.” She couldn't lose the one person who wanted to connect with her—be with her. Dot clung to the artist's body as it grew colder with each passing moment.

“I was too late; I failed." Quaxly tugged at his trainer's shirt, honking at her to get away, but she only cried even harder into Liko’s body, whispering, “I'm sorry,” over and over, holding her in an almost crushing embrace. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liko jolted awake as she felt a light smack to the face, feeling fabric slide off her shoulders as she sat up right. She groggily rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness of the room, trying to figure out what was up. Gazing at the bed with a yawn, the blanket was bunched up, draping over the frame, seemingly tossed aside. Dot writhed around, flipping to a different side over and over as she shivered uncontrollably. Liko felt her heart ache at the sound of her whimpering, “I’m so sorry, Liko—I failed." Her voice raspy and waterlogged from her tears. 

She grabbed a squirming Dot shoulders as she curled in further into the pillow, smushing it even more in her crushing embrace. Shaking her gently, receiving a strained whisper of, “I'm sorry” for her efforts. “Dot! Wake up,” jostling her with a little more urgency and Dot shrinking away in reaction. Liko was now hovering over the bed.

“Dot!!!” She was full on whisper-yelling at this point. After she gave her one last good jolt, she awoke from her nightmare. 

Dot’s eyes shot open, startled and confused, not seeing much of anything until she was blinded by the light turning on. Hissing at the sudden change in lighting, she threw her hands to her face. "Sorry,” Dot quickly peeked through her fingers, confused at the familiar voice. Her bafflement increased seeing Liko take a seat next to her. Liko was dead; Dot saw her die, so how was she here in front of her? Did... Did… Did she die too? That had to be it, and the girl in front of her must have taken the form of Liko to comfort her. 

“Are you an angel?”

The angel's face morphed into confusion. “Eh?! No.”

Dot squinted her eyes at the imposter Liko. “I don't believe you."

The false girl tilted her head, brows furrowed, baffled at the disbelieving tone, “Why?”

Dot was perplexed at the amateur afterlife guide’s question. Still, she should answer her. “Because there's no way that someone can be that pretty and not be an angel," was the best reasoning that her muddled sick brain could provide. 

Liko spluttered at the earnest complement, her face hot as she struggled to reply. In the midst of her panic, the mood suddenly shifted when Dot spoke once more, “And besides, I just...” The programmer started to choke up as if she didn't want to admit something. “...I saw you die,” her voice hoarse, cracking at the whisper of admission. Liko’s eyes widened as Dot started to softly cry; it all clicked for her.

Reaching out to Dot’s face, lightly brushing aside a bit of her bangs. “I am very much alive,” Liko responded.

Dot squinted at her in disbelief before completely melting as soon as Liko grabbed her hand, pulling it to her chest.

“See, it was a nightmare.” Liko said, giving Dot a reassuring smile as she felt the streamer grip her hand tightly. Despite the intensity of her hold, the rest of Dot's posture relaxed, feeling Liko’s heart beat. 

Eventually Dot pulled their intertwined hands closer to her and clasped her other hand around it too. Pressing the pads of her thumbs into Liko's palm, kneading it. Liko gently wiped Dot's tears with her unoccupied hand before checking if her fever had gone down. Noting that it was still burning hot, she let the other girl mess with her hand for a while. 

After the freckled girl calmed a bit, Liko started to pry her hand away so she could go look for some medicine. However, just as Dot felt the artist's hand start to slip from her grasp, she tightened her hold in a death grip, pulling it back. She slackened her grip, hearing a slight wince of pain from Liko, but she still held her hand firm.

"Dot, I'm gonna need my hand.” Liko gently tugged her hand to emphasize her point, only to earn a whine of protest.

“I have to find you some medicine, so can I please have my hand back?” she pleaded, trying to reason with the ill girl.

“No.” The blunt rasp combined with a stubborn expression made Liko sigh.

“Dot.” Exasperation stained her tone. “It won't take very long,” she added, determination set upon her face, receiving some sad baby doll eyes in an effort to sway her. 

Unfortunately, it seems Dot’s baby doll eyes had no effect. “I promise that you can have my hand back when I'm done, ok?”

Dot tentatively let go of Liko’s hand, a slight pout on her face.

“Thank you.” Liko stretched; a crackle resounded as her spine realigned itself. She spotted the cardigan discarded at the back of her chair and handed it back to a shivering and moody Dot. Walking out of the room, she looked back and said, “I'll be right back,” as a reassurance to the bedridden programmer. 

Letting the door softly shut behind her, she let out a deep breath; she wasn't expecting Dot to be this needy. Not that she could blame her or be minded for that matter; the nightmare and fever took a toll on her. If she was gonna be honest, if she had a nightmare about losing Dot, she'd probably want to cling to her too. Besides, Liko was screaming on the inside; her heart melted even more as she remembered Dot’s violet eyes bore into her. It took everything in her not to break at that moment, and that pouty face caused her to internally squeal in such a high pitch that it would annoy Floragato if she let it loose. 

Once she collected herself, she quickly walked to the main room to check the furnace, since it had been burning for several hours. Stumbling in, she saw Floragato curled up into Quaxwell’s back on her sleeping bag, with Hattrem, Tinkatink, and Terapagos not too far away from them. The three Pokemon were all bunched up in a pile near the furnace; Hattrem was in the middle, one of her braids wrapped around them. Terapagos’s head rested on Hattrem's chest, it's tail curled around its body, and Tinkatink hugged her hammer close to her small form. Liko silently took ten different photos of their pokemon to show to Dot later, before adding a few more logs to the fire. 

Stoking the fire to breathe a bit more life into the embers, Liko mused as to why Dot’s cardigan was on her chair. Did… Did Dot drape it over her to keep her warm? She didn't remember much before falling asleep, but she definitely knew that she passed out before Dot did. Liko felt warm, even warmer than the tender blaze that caressed her cheek. Shutting the slide to the furnace, she absentmindedly wandered to the bathroom. She felt as though a sunny spring morning had flooded through her entire frame. Dot covered her with her cardigan. Her cardigan! The one thing she rarely lets anyone touch, let alone part with. Liko fondly smiled to herself. Dot cares about her so much.

“She's such a sweet friend,” she couldn't help but say it out loud. Liko was too in her feelings to notice a twinge pinch in her heart when she called Dot a friend. 

Flicking the switch, the bathroom light flickered for a moment before its stabilizing glow illuminated the room. Liko’s reflection mimicked every one of her movements before sliding into its void of meaningless existence as Liko dropped to her knees. Pulling open the sink cabinet, spotting a white box among the pipes and extra hygiene products. Setting the retrieved medical supplies on the sink counter. The bluenette let a slow exhale at seeing the mess that was the med kit; many items were loose and strewn about. Bandages sticking out of odds and ends, the gauze was mostly unraveled, and several other miscellaneous items cluttered the box. Digging through the unorganized container, she extracted many different boxes and bottles before setting them back as it wasn't what she was looking for. She had already found several different cold medicines, but pretty much all of them were expired; she even saw one that went bad four years ago. 

Liko had pretty much removed all of the kit's contents, making sure every nook and cranny was checked. Picking up the last box of cold medicine that was left, observing it thoroughly, finding that it wasn't expired. She let out a sigh of relief, letting her shoulders sag, setting it aside. She threw away all expired medications and reorganized the container. Satisfied with the state of the kit, she slid it back into its spot before swiping the medicine and headed back to the room. 

As her hand hovered over the handle, she heard a muffled whine of “Likooooooooo” from behind the door. Liko thumbed the handle, feeling guilty that she broke her promise to be back soon. With a click and a creak, she swung the door open, revealing a shivering Dot. Peeking from the comfort of the cardigan, her eyes trailed at the sound and promptly brightened upon spotting the bluenette. Liko couldn't help but find it adorable at the streamers enthusiastic yet subtle reaction to her presence; she swore she saw a little glimmer in Dot's uncovered eye. She clutched the fabric near her chest; it was nice that someone wanted to be around her; it made her feel seen. 

Ignoring the shutter of a staccato that grazed against her ribcage, drumming to a new rhythm. “I'm back, sorry for taking so long,” strolling while lost in thought; she hadn't meant to spend so long reorganizing the kit. As soon as she slipped back into the chair, Dot wasted no time shooting her hand towards her, making a grabby motion. Liko giggled at her silliness before sliding a tube of the medicine into her hand. The face Dot made was disheartened and confused, making her look like a sopping wet skitty. “Open it up and let it dissolve on the tongue,” the bluenette instructed, prodding her to sit up for a moment. The programmer kept shifting glances at Liko’s hand; knowing what she wanted, she slid her hand into Dot’s unoccupied one before jerking her head to the side, prompting her to take the medicine. 

Dot features pulled into a disgusted frown at the taste, sticking her tongue out slightly before reaching for some water. “You should probably get some sleep," the artist murmured, fidgeting with Dot’s fingers. “I'll leave you be now."

The smaller girls head whipped around. “Wait! Could you stay? Please,” she squeezed Liko's hand softly. “I– I don't want to be alone."  Her raspy voice wavered, eyes shining with vulnerability as she scrunched up into a ball. Liko's heart fell, a phantom spike driven through it. She hadn't really seen Dot be this scared before, as she usually is decently collected most of the time. “I'm sorry, I'm being so clingy it's just—” The sick girl rambled, trailing off when she felt Liko tighten her grasp on her palm. “It's okay, Dot,” she reassured, waving her free hand in order to placate the streamers' worries. Dot’s voice rose like the swelling crescendo of shrieking sleet that bombarded the resilient walls of the cabin, “BUT IT’S NOT!” barely choking out her protest as her throat violently disagreed.

Swiftly turning away from Liko, wrenching her hand out of her grip, as coughs spurted up in harsh bursts. The taller girl gently rubbed Dot’s back as she shrunk in on herself, wheezing for air that she kept hacking up. The coughing fit quieted after a little while letting the chance for Liko to respond, “I don't mind it,” receiving a scoff from the purple-haired girl as she glowered at her over her shoulder, “You should."

A chill of a sheer cold seized Liko as an involuntary “why?” tumbled out her mouth.

Dot hardened her gaze as she started to bellow, “Because!” her conviction warbling at the bluenettes wince, the glare softening as she turned away with a huff. Inhaling a shuddering breath, “... because I’m being too much."

Liko experienced a murky swirl of sludge at Dot’s admission, baffled at how she could ever think that of herself. “You’re not too much, Dot," she said, letting her honesty flow out as she reached forward to the streamer, who flinched away from her touch.

Her face drooped at the recoil, hovering her hand over her before pulling it back. Dot didn't believe her, and it stung as if it were a Jolteon’s pin missile sinking deep into her skin.

Liko initially wanted to leave Dot, not wanting to push too far into her boundaries. Yet she couldn't... No, she wouldn't let someone she intensely cares for left thinking like that. Something in her howled resonant with that oh so familiar thrashing thrum of her heart. Its urgency spurred Liko forward, slipping her arms underneath Dot's form and hastily flipping her over to face her. The programmer had no time to react to the sudden change in position, only letting out a surprised squeak. Her eyes were deerling wide, mouth agape, unable to form words at the unyielding compassion that enveloped the rippling tides of Liko's irises. “You are not too much,” that earnest reiteration resounded through the room as proof of her words. Liko let her gaze soften as she traced her finger along her forehead, tucking a piece of Dot's hair behind her ear. There was so much emotion swelling up in Dot that she didn't know what to do.

“But I’m not giving anything back,” Dot tentatively refuted, her voice wavering. 

Liko clutched Dot’s hand once more, gaining the latter's attention. “You couldn't be more wrong.”

Shock etched its way onto the streamers face at Likos sheer bluntness. She continued, not giving Dot any leeway to counter. “Friendship isn't about exchange, and besides, things will hardly be even or fair,” Liko’s azure orbs pierced through her; however, they didn't shine with frustration like she expected, but rather with a tender patience, “so why count.” Dot felt like she was gonna die or explode; she wasn't sure. “I... You...” Her words were failing her as she tried to scrape up a rebuttal only to not find one. “You’re right.” It was overwhelming with the amount of emotion she experienced. She felt the icky sludge from her fever, lingering fear from her nightmares, the unyielding chills that still plagued her, and immeasurable amounts of affection. Never in her life had she wanted to hug someone as much as she did now, so refraining was excruciating as she didn't want Liko to get sick. 

Dot shivered again, and the blanket that covered her got thrown off and forgotten earlier. The artist took notice and, with her unoccupied hand, pulled it back over her frame. A pleasant silence greeted them in a snug embrace. Liko ran her hand through Dot's hair, earning a glance from her. Assuming she wasn't comfortable with it, she retracted her arm. "Sorry.”
Dot’s violet eyes dulled with disappointment “It's fine, it was nice,” she replied, pressing her head into her palm and urging her to continue. Not too long after, Dot let a yawn loose as her eyes drooped before flicking up to the taller girl. With a squeeze of her hand, “I'll be here," the dulcet tone of her voice grounded the programmer. "Thank you,” she croaked before shuffling deeper under the covers, bringing Liko’s hand with her as she slowly drifted off. 

Liko gazed at the shorter's peaceful expression as she slept; the only thing that troubled her was the tremors. Messing with her hair, fondly smiling at the way Dot held her hand with both of her’s. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her phone to check the time and see if she has any signal. 1:27, it read as her face fell at seeing that there's still no signal to contact the others with. Stretching her spine with a sigh, the bones popping and creaking from the motion. Deciding it was time for her to go to sleep, she tried gently removing her hand, earning her a displeased whine. "Stay,” the streamer whimpered as she tugged Liko’s hand to her chest. It seems that Liko wouldn’t be able to get away from Dot without a fight. Letting out a silent chuckle at Dot’s fierce determination to keep her there even while she was asleep, Liko genuinely found it adorable. She pondered on what to do as she didn’t want to wake the programmer up, then it hit her that Floragoto and Quaxwell were sleeping on her sleeping bag. She didn’t want to wake them either, so she deftly climbed into the bed next to the sleeping girl, concluding that this is the best course of action. Thankfully, the shifting of sheets and compression of the mattress with Liko’s added weight didn’t wake Dot. 

Dot’s nose only crinkled and lightly grumbled as the bluenette got comfortable. The sick girl trembled a bit from the cold and let go of Liko’s hand before scooching forward, shooting her arms forward, and collecting Liko in an embrace. Entrapped by the slumbering girl, her cheeks burned, scorching hot like molten steel. Her chest ached with the frantic buzzing of beedrill rattling in her lungs as Dot snuggled into her sternum, her fever tremors melting away. Liko was in a state of panic as the tips of her ears seared with a raging flame. Thoughts of the girl clinging to her devouring every sense of her being as her mind grinded to a halt. Liko became aware—intensely aware—of Dot, noting all the little details. The frizziness of her bedhead, how small she was, and how she perfectly slotted in her arms—she was practically enveloping Dot. Liko slowly returned the embrace, receiving a pleased huff from Dot as she cuddled closer to her. 

It took a while for Liko's all-consuming adrenaline to peeter out, leaving her completely drained afterwards. She tucked her chin over Dot's head as she allowed herself to be dragged into dreamland. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Roy paced around in the Glaseado Gym, checking his phone every few minutes for any update from Liko. The lashing of icy winds roared throughout the building, only adding to his worry over his friends even more as the blizzard worsened with every passing minute. Glancing at his phone that was practically glued to his hand once more, still seeing nothing. Roy couldn't take it anymore; he had to find them. They could've gotten lost or, worse, hurt. “Fuecoco! Let's go!” he called for his partner to join him as he bolted towards the door.

Well, he would have if a hand hadn’t clutched his shoulder and pulled him back.

“Roy, stop! What do you think you're doing? It's dangerous,” Nemona exclaimed, her honey orange eyes filled with worry.

“Let go! I have to find them!” he snapped back at her, trying to wiggle his way out of her hold. 

“Roy! I understand you're worried about them; I really do," the champion-ranked trainer insisted. "I'm worried too, but the blizzard is too strong for anyone to handle,” she said, placing her other hand on his shoulder, quieting his potential protest with a sincere gaze. "Those two are capable and smart; they would've found someplace safe to stay,” she reasoned, gesturing at the fire boy, “so hold out hope that they're safe.”

Roy considered Nemona’s words, stealing glances out the glass doors that were halfway covered with snow. Releasing a resigned sigh, he nodded at her, still antsy with worry. Even so, Roy still felt the need to do something, and so he pulled out his phone to call the one person who would know what to do. After a bit of struggling to get through, “Roy?” the familiar voice finally came through. “Friede! Help!” Roy blubbered, his voice becoming unintelligible from his frantic explanation. “Woah, buddy, slow down; I can't understand you. What's happening?" Friede’s voice was steady and calm despite his obvious worry. Trying again, Roy took a deep breath and explained once more, "Liko and Dot are stuck in the blizzard, and...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Five more minutes, Floragato.” Liko grumbled groggily, hearing a displeased meow ring in her ear. The yowling got louder as Liko snuggled into a warm body. Finally holding awake as Floragatos yo-yo smacked the back of her head, "oww,” she whined, rubbing her head as she craned her neck to look at her partner, “that wasn't nice.” Floragato meowed at her with crossed paws, looking at her expectantly. “Right, you must be hungry, sorry. I'll be out soon.”

The grass cat chirped approvingly before strolling out the door. 

Turning her head back around, she finally noticed the messy purple hair buried under her neck. Liko's flushed at her predicament as her and Dot’s limbs ensnared around each other. Checking her forehead, Liko was pleased to see that the streamer’s fever had gone down a bit. Liko carefully started to extract herself from Dot. Which was proving to be a bit more difficult than she expected as the programmer kept moving closer every time she moved back. Liko paused just as she was almost free, hearing some grumbling from Dot. Staying as still as she could, waiting for the smaller girl to settle. Holding her breath, she heard Dot mumble something that she wasn't prepared for. “I love you, Liko,” the sleepy girl slurred, a soft smile gracing her features. Her heart twisted, almost squirming, as Liko felt like turning into dust. 

Removing herself completely from the room, she bolted out. Liko rested against the door, taking deep breaths to calm the creature clawing at her ribcage. Shaking her head, she shouldn't dwell on something that didn't mean anything... probably. A loud, grumpy growl from Floragato urged Liko to hurry up. "Sorry, I’m coming.” 

The soft patter of pokemon food sounded as the bowls were filled one by one; the last one was held by Tinkatink, who smacked the bowl with her hammer impatiently. Holding her hand out for the gremlin, who placed the bowl in her palm.
“Thank you, Tinkatink.” She handed the filled bowl back to the pink creature as she scuttled off to Quaxwell's side. 

Liko looked out the window, watching the snowfall while lost in her thoughts. Dot is a lot like a blizzard, being cold and harsh at first, but as Liko got to know her better, she saw it's temper slow as it was out the window right now. Soon it’s bitterness will dissipate, leaving gentle trails of beauty that sweetly kiss the skin. Liko warmly smiled to herself, wondering what Dot would be like when her blizzard turns to soft snowfall. Responding to her daydreaming, Liko's mind supplied her with an image of Dot with the sweetest crooked grin aimed right at her. She kind of wanted to kiss her... The artist slapped her blazing face at the thought. Hattrem perked up, feeling her emotion, and lightly smacked her leg, grabbing her attention. “Huh? Oh, sorry, I'll calm down since its bothering you.” Liko spluttered, thinking that the serene pokemon was annoyed with her emotions, but Hattrem gave her trainer a baffled look at that. However, Liko didn't notice as Floragato’s snickering mewl drew her attention as her face flushed at the knowing look her partner gave her. 

Liko scurried to the kitchen with steam practically coming out of her ears in order to fix breakfast for herself and Dot. She forgot to bring her bag with the food supplies and had to make a walk of shame into the main room before hiding in the kitchen again. Pulling out some basic berry-flavored oatmeal from her bag, she started to heat some water. She checked her phone once more for a signal while she was waiting but to no avail. Liko's mind wandered once more to how adorable Dot’s freckles are and how unbelievably fluffy her hair was. She could run her hands through for hours and never tire of it. Honestly, she wouldn't get tired of Dot at all, finding her presence grounding, safe even. Liko really lov— She's ripped from her thoughts at the hissing steam as the pot of water boiled over. Quickly and carefully moving it off the heat, she sighed as she had to wait for the water to cool for a bit. 

Liko finally poured water in the instant oatmeal after waiting a few minutes, not getting trapped in her mind this time. Walking into the room with bowls in hand, letting out an amused exhale, seeing Dot’s bedhead of all bedheads.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Liko chimed, seeing that Dot was awake.

“I’m alright,” the short girl yawned in response.

Liko nodded. “Alright enough to eat something?” she asked, raising the bowls of oatmeal slightly as she inquired further, to which Dot gave her a hum of confirmation.
“Which flavor do you want? I've got Oran and Pecha,” queried Liko, gesturing to the bowls when she listed them.

"Pecha,” the sick girl answered, her raspy voice cracking slightly. 

Dot let the oatmeal warm her hands for a minute as she stole glances at Liko when she wasn't looking. At first she found Liko to be a collection of cinders, passive with almost no heat to them. The programmer had no interest in her, finding her passivity annoying... yet she heard a strike of steel from her. There was this spark to Liko that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from as the cinders ignited into a tempered flame. Dot couldn’t help but be mesmerized by Liko’s fiery passion, which used to be hidden by the smoke of fading embers. As irrational as it seemed, she was a bit afraid that if Liko’s flame got any brighter, it would turn into suffocating wildfire scorching her from the inside out. Dot knew Liko wasn't like that, but she was still scared, unused to her patient warmth. The bluenette was already so tender to her—she gave so much of herself to Dot. That unconditional compassion of hers was gonna kill Dot one day; to be honest, she felt so indebted to Liko as she let her lean on her for help, but she wanted Liko to be able to lean on her too. Dot wanted to change and become better; she wanted to be a person who can stand on her own—someone who could stand next to Liko. More than anything else, Dot wanted to give Liko everything she deserves and more. 

Empty bowls were set aside, and positions changed with Liko sitting off the side of the bed showing Dot the pictures she took last night. "Aww, they look super comfy,” the streamer remarked at the photos of her and Liko's pokemon cuddled up together.

Liko hummed a “Mhm!” with a curt nod at that, a bit embarrassed by the close proximity between them. She kept telling herself that it was normal to be flustered at Dot's closeness, as all people feel like that around good friends... Right? Oh, who was she kidding? Liko is broken from her thoughts by a light pat on her leg. Craning her head down to see Tinkatink raising her arms to be picked up. “Hi Tinkatink,” Liko greeted, lifting the gremlin up with little effort and setting her in her lap. Though it seemed that the pokemon had other ideas, squirming out of Liko's hold and jumping onto the bed.

Tinkatink set her hammer next to Dot's leg before lunging into her arms and burying her face into her chest. “Hey, baby.”

The artist perked at the sheer amount of softness in Dot’s tone, as said girl wrapped her arms around the gremlin and patted the back of her head. Liko saw the fondest smile on her face and a gentle gaze peeking through her bangs. This is the first time she's seen Dot so thawed—her soft snowfall. Gripping the hem of her shirt so tight that her knuckles were white, Liko wanted to stare at Dot some more but she didn't think her heart would last if she did. Still, a part of her wished that Dot's gaze was directed at her, even if she died because her heart decided to freeze. Liko already thought that Dot was pretty before but she found this side of her gorgeous. 

The streamer poked Liko, trying to grab her attention as her previous calls went unanswered. The taller girl jumped at the touch as she whipped around to face her, which Dot found strange. Shaking off Liko's current weirdness, Dot felt a little bad for startling her while she was disassociated, but she needed to discuss something important with her.

Clearing some phlegm from her throat, “Liko, do you know when we’re gonna be able to leave?” Dot’s voice rang clear, despite the crackling hoarseness still stubbornly clinging to her throat.

Liko’s frame deflated, her eyes downcast. “I don't know; I tried getting in contact with Roy or Friede, but I can't get a good signal,” the artist wallowed, holding up her phone and showing her the unsent messages.

“Damn,” Dot cursed before sighing in resignation. “We’ll probably get a better signal when the blizzard lets up.”

Liko lifted her head in Dot's direction and said, “Mhm, it's already starting to slow, so maybe soon.”

With a nod in reply from the streamer, a weighty, awkward silence fell over them as they continued to stare at each other. After a few beats of getting lost in another's eyes, they quickly turned away from each other with furious blushes blooming across their cheeks. Dot cleared her throat to ease some of the tension. “Um, I guess we have some time to kill.” Dot’s internal screaming at her awkwardness had Arceus cringing.

Liko, on the other hand, wasn't that much better. “Uhuh, yeah...” she stuttered, fiddling with her bangs. 

“So, uh, we should do something?” Dot stammered, running her hand through her hair as the tremors returned slightly.

Sheepishly glancing over at the sick girl, Liko squeaked out a suggestion: “We could, I don't know, draw together!?” She turned her head away, waiting for the rejection, sure that Dot wouldn't be interested. 

“Sounds good to me."

The artist's demeanor brightened at Dot’s affirmation, expanding her phone to tablet mode. She shifted herself closer to the programmer so they could see each other's tablets better.

The difference in skill between them was clear, with Liko’s simplistic lineless style to Dot's sketchy and a bit messy doodles.

“Ugh! Your Hattrem turned out so nice,” Dot complimented in a slightly whiny tone as she complained further, “Why is drawing with your finger so hard!"

Liko giggled at the streamers antics. “Thank you! What did you draw?” she asked, curious as to what Dot was hiding on her tablet.

The shorter girl clutched it tight to her chest at the question, mumbling something indecipherable.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that?” Liko asked with a slight tilt to her head, which Dot definitely didn't repeat herself solely because of how cute Liko was.

"It's not as good as yours,” she admitted, fidgeting with her cardigan sleeve.

"I'm sure it's great! Please,” Liko coaxed practically begging for Dot to show her.

Tinkatink patted her trainer's hands, garbling for her to show Liko.

“Ok! Ok! I'll show her,” Dot squealed in an over-the-top fake annoyance. Patting the gremlin’s head before flipping around her tablet. The doodle was a bit messy but it clearly showed Liko battling Rika. The bluenette looked to be in the middle of calling out a move while floragato was in the air, preparing to strike.

“This is great, Dot! I love it!” Liko's bright smile caused Dot's brain to turn into mush.

“You don't have to spare my feelings,” she replied, waving Liko off.

“Huh? I don't need to; it's really cute!” The taller girl's earnest remark, followed by a tilting of the head and joyful flapping of her hand, overloaded Dot's mind to the point of it crashing. She could almost see the text ‘Dot.exe has stopped working’ over the blue screen of death in her mind. The streamer was brought out of her thoughts by Tinkatink warbling and pointing to the corner of the screen.

"Oh, what's this?” Liko chimed, looking at the blob of scribbles.

“Tinkatink drew that.” Dot stated nonchalantly, not really making an effort to hide the delight nesling in the dark corners of her tone.

“It's beautiful, Tinkatink!” Liko patted the gremlin's head as she chirped out praise. Dot felt a pleasant weight settle in her chest as she gazed at Liko; she had always adored the way Liko completely changes when she's with pokemon, being far more caring and understanding—not that she wasn’t that way with people too; Dot herself could attest to that; it just took her a few moments longer. She seemed to almost relax as soon as she was with a pokemon, while with people she holds herself differently, as if Liko was smothering her flame under layers of smog. Dot hated that she did that, or felt like she had to; thankfully she doesn’t do it around her or Roy anymore. Liko caught her watchful eyes and flashed her with a lopsided grin with a beaming Tinkatink sitting on her lap—yeah, she was glad that Liko didn’t hide her radiance around her anymore.

The cabin walls were filled with infectious glee as they continued to draw with each other. Dot was in surprisingly high spirits despite her cold still making her feel awful as more of their pokemon joined them; Tinkatink fell asleep on Liko’s lap, Floragato passed out at the edge of the bed, Quaxwell was practicing his footwork with Terapagos utterly fascinated by it, and Hattrem is long gone; she had popped in for a few moments before leaving. It was probably because her feelings for a certain someone were particularly strong; Dot was just glad that Hattrem didn’t beat the crap out of her. As the streamer was hyperaware of Liko’s proximity to her. Liko was so close to Dot that she could lean on her. Arceus, she was close enough that she could kiss her, and by Rayquaza above, she wanted to, but she held back, reasoning that she didn’t want to give Liko her cold—well, that was only part of it; it was mainly because she was too afraid to ruin a good thing. Either way, she was happy with how things are now. 

Both girls paused so that Liko could make a quick lunch of chicken and rice soup. After finishing up, Liko returned to her original position on the bed, opting to just sit and chat about whatever popped into their minds instead of going back to drawing. Liko noticed that Dot shivers worsened and scooted closer under the guise of that it was so she could see a video of Sprigatito getting tangled up in a sweater. She could see the smaller girl’s shivers lessen as she let out a breathy snort at Sprigatito's silliness. Dot yawned as she leaned into Liko, resting her head on her shoulder with a sleepy smirk plastered across her face. The creature that had taken up residence in her chest started to rattle the bars of its cage; Liko desperately hoped that Dot couldn't hear its thrashing. It took everything in the artist not to stiffen up at Dot's touch. The little Orthworms in her brain screamed in panic and dug their way further into her graymatter, shutting every other function down to play the same thoughts on loop. Every variation under the sun of 'she's so pretty’ rattled around as she tried to make the debilitating decision of whether or not to wrap her arm around Dot. Liko really wanted to, craving to be even closer to her ‘friend’. She almost did—she was in the process of doing so when she was interrupted by the ring of her phone. 

Startled, the girls sprung apart as Liko hastily answered the call.

“LIKO! DOT! YOU’RE ALIVE!!” screamed Roy, his relief tangible as he allowed his shoulders to relax. “What happened?! Are you okay?! Where are you?!”

Liko was a bit overwhelmed by Roy’s rapid-fire questions. “We're okay!” she managed to choke out, feeling horrible that she worried him so much. It was then she noticed that the call had two others in it, Friede and Murdock.

“I’m glad you two are alright,” Friede breathed, his tone relieved yet having stern spurs to it. He was about to continue when he was cut off by a frantic-sounding Murdock.

“You still haven't told us what's GOING ON!” the chef fretted, with Roy fervently nodding along wanting answers. Out of the corner of her eye, Liko saw Dot curl into herself, empathizing with her, feeling horrible about scaring the streamer’s uncle too.

“Well…” Liko starts to mumble, but another voice drowns out hers before she could get very far.

“I ended up falling behind the group because of a cold,” Dot squeaks, her voice cracking painfully. The streamer paused, shoulders tensed as she cleared her throat. “Liko noticed my missing presence—” pushing through her coughing fit to continue explaining through the spurts, “—and went to go find me, taking me to a cabin she found to get away from the blizzard.” Dot wheezed, fervently gasping for air as she gave Liko a thankful look when she patted her back.

Liko shifted anxiously, guilt bubbling up in her throat. “I knew something was wrong because Dot had been off the entire time,” the bluenette blurted, her nails digging into her palm, “and I didn't say anything!” 

Dot huffed sharply, the rapidly moving air bit into Liko’s ears. “But you did! It was my fault for not being honest.” The former reminded her, taking deep breaths to prevent herself from lashing out due to frustration. Dot hated that Liko took so much on herself, especially stuff that she wasn't at fault for. The streamer watched her crush open her mouth before shutting it at her glare. Dot felt the bitter frost slither back into the shadows of her mind, whispering its cruel thoughts. All of her energy drained from her, leaving her to wallow in the numbing sensations. The programmer barely registered the rest of the call, only picking up a few bits and pieces of Friede’s firm yet understanding tone as he reprimanded them for something. Dot was only replaying the sight of Liko’s eyes dulling as the ice bit down harder, scolding her for being so cold. Yeah, she was right, but she shouldn't have lashed out like that to Liko.

“Dot!” Said girl jolted, snapping back to reality. Murdock's eyebrows furrowed, recognizing the state his niece was in, before sighing, letting his features relax in a patient expression. Dot's uncle softened his voice. “Dot, we’ll need to have a chat about communicating with your team later, okay?” Dot hid the tears welling up at the tone Murdock used; he only used it to coax her out of a spiral. She nodded, grateful that he is giving her space right now, even though she knows that he’ll ask about it later. 

Friede cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. “Okay, since the blizzard lightened up a bit, I'm gonna pick you two up,” he addressed the girls, “since Charizard needs to rest from flying double time,” The professor proceeding to explain further in a serious manner, “it'll take me at least two hours to come get you, so please hang tight.” He received smiling and the hums of affirmation from the purple-blue pair. 

A soft click of the call ending was followed by a swish of air as Liko’s phone zipped back into her pocket. Dot slumped over, drained, the sludge and ice mixing into a nasty combo. Liko grasped Dot’s hand, pulling her from swimming in her mind and shining her a silent, forgiving smile. Dot’s thoughts bulldozed right through her as her throat closed, choking up at her kindness. Liko noticed; of course she noticed she's Liko; she loves her observant nature, yet she hated that Liko saw her in such a vulnerable place. She couldn't even reject her forgiveness, as Reshiram itself would burn her for her lies. All Liko did was rub circles into her knuckles, not saying a thing or asking for an apology, just her lantern light guiding her out of the hail. The streamer let out a small, crooked grin at the image; that was such a Liko thing to do. Dot finally reciprocated, intertwining their fingers with a squeeze, resolving once more to guide Liko out of her dark moments when she needed it. Sometimes she wondered if she truly deserved Liko, but she selfishly wanted to be next to her, to cherish her... to love her, regardless. 

Dot attempted to apologize for lashing out but it came out a loud yawn instead.

“You should probably get some rest.” Liko hummed. The smaller girl attempted to apologize again, but all words were stolen from her breath. Completely enthralled by the shine in Liko’s eyes, she already knew what was gonna come out of Dot's mouth. The silent exchange ended with Dot lying down and pulling the artist's hand close to her face. The programmer couldn't bring herself to let go yet. “Could we stay like this for a while?" she asked, gesturing to their hands, a fond smile split across her features. Liko's face reddened slightly as she gave her a shy nod. That was a new sight for Dot; unfortunately, she was too tired to tease the girl or squeal at her cuteness.

“Sorry, I'm being such a burden. I'm very selfish.” Dot slurred, her eyes drooping, feeling the intense need to apologize vocally even if it was resolved earlier. There was a soft rusle of fabric and a soft touch pressed against her forehead.

“You are no such thing." Liko’s tender conviction warmed every nook and cranny of her body as she pulled back. Dot was never more glad to be wrong about her fears, as Liko’s flame didn't become a smothering wildfire, but rather a hearth filled with a compassionate blaze of dancing embers. The bluenette’s serene expression bathed Dot in its gentle glow. 

Liko smiled at the girl of her affections as lilac eyes widened and freckles disappeared under a flush of pink. Panic welled up in Liko at the realization that she kissed Dot. “Hahahaha! Sorry! I made things weird, so just forget about it!” the artist stuttered, hand flapping as her face exploded into an inferno. She wasn't even looking at her friend; that word now painfully stabbed her like a hot poking iron. When she heard a groggy rasp.

“I don't think I want to,” Dot yawned, her voice the sweetest Liko’s ever heard from her. “I’ll treasure it forever.” She pressed a tender kiss on the knuckle of her ring finger before allowing herself to sleep.

It takes everything in Liko to clamp down on the urge to squeal, taking great care not to wake Dot with her aggressive kicking. She felt like she was gonna melt into goo with how hard she was blushing.  Liko wasn't even able to feel her heart beating so fast; she felt like she was gonna die. The artist flapped her hand furiously, trying to stave off the amount of affection she held for Dot. Liko loved Dot a lot, and... the line of Falinks crashed to a halt, the kicking and fapping following suit. She was eerily still, realizing what she just thought. “I love Dot.” Liko’s whisper echoed as she tasted the admission falling from her lips. The stillness stretched through Palkia's domain until a snap of a rubber band slammed everything back into place. When… When did she fall in love with Dot? When did her feelings change from friendship? Did she always feel this way towards Dot? Liko had so many questions that she didn't have the answers for, but in the end she felt relieved that she could admit it to herself. Don't get her wrong, though; Liko was absolutely terrified of what it meant, but she was exhilarated by it too. Especially since it seems that Dot might feel the same too, not that Liko was gonna bring it up anytime soon as she was content with how things stood at the moment, she was in no rush to change anything. Liko let a tender smile form as she brushed her hand through the smaller’s hair. Dot unconsciously leaned into her touch, causing Liko to internally squeal. Unbeknownst to her trainer, Hattrem cracked open the door, shooting a relieved look at Quaxwell at the new developments before scuttling off. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liko woke up Dot when Friede sent a text saying he was about thirty minutes out, instructing them to pack. The programmer was still half awake as she slipped on her jacket and coat while Liko got everything else ready. With her and Dot’s pokemon working together, they managed to get their bags by the door, while Liko extinguished the furnace flames. When she was finishing up, she was about to collect Dot, being stopped by a pair of puffy pink arms wrapping around her from behind.

“Dot!?” Liko squeaked, thankful that Dot couldn't see her blush.

"Cold,” the shorter plainly retorted, sleepiness creeping its way into her voice as she leaned into Liko.

“Yeah, stay awake, please. Friede’s gonna be here soon.” the taller requested, trying very hard to not pass out. Dot groaned but hummed in acknowledgement. 

It didn't take long after the exchange for Friede to show up at the door. “Stand back; I'm melting the snow blocking the door." Freide called, his yells muffled.

Soon enough, the door swung open, free from it's frozen prison, revealing Cap and Freide. "Alrighty then, let's get you two outta here!” the professor declared striking a goofy pose, earning him a small giggle from Liko and an unamused look from Dot that could only be described as a Purrloin with its muzzle drenched in milk. “Charizard, could you grab the bags in your hand?" He instructed the lizard Pokemon as he helped Liko and Dot onto his back before climbing on taking the rear behind the girls once the bags were secured. Cap took his place at Charizard's head as Friede signaled for takeoff. 

The mountain wind bit at Liko’s cheeks as the altitude made it feel colder than usual. Though she wouldn't be cold for long as she felt a gloved hand slip into hers and a weight on her shoulder. A soft snore tickled Likos ear, squeezing their intertwined hands as they flew through the clouds taking in the horizon of a setting sun dipping in between the peaks. Liko had found many treasures on her journey, like her bond with Floragato, meeting Roy, and finding a home in the Rising Volt Tacklers, but the greatest one is the new found pulse taking residence in her chest. 

Oh, you thought I was done! Nope! have a bonus scene: 

In the days after the incident, Dot found it increasingly harder to fall asleep without holding Liko’s hand. She chastised herself for developing that habit as she stared at the sleeping bag beside her. It got worse after the cave incident, as Dot now needed to know that she was still close to her. Although she still held back, not wanting to bother Liko with it since she was so pushy a few days ago. Dot almost screamed when she noticed the taller’s eye peering at her through the darkness. Liko looked resigned as she shifted under Dot's gaze. The programmer huffed with no bite to it, slipping her hand into hers at the silent request; she knew that Liko rarely asks for things of this nature. So when she does, Dot is more than happy to indulge her. Liko's face softened as she pulled the shorter’s hand close to her face, placing a small peck on her knuckle. Dot face burned at the act, her heart pounding like never before. Was Liko attempting to kill her?! Probably not. Dot could see it now. Here lies the dumbass who couldn't handle basic affection from her crush. She was definitely not getting any sleep tonight, but she didn't really mind as Liko was peacefully asleep, their hands resting close to her heart.