Plot: Ruby's hosting a weekend getaway at his beach house in Hoenn. Among the guests are Gold and Silver, and as Gold watches Silver try to integrate himself with the rest of society, strange feelings start to bubble away inside.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or the manga, or any of this wonderfulness. That makes me sad, but at least I can write about it!
Warnings: Rated M for the next chapter. This one only has some light swearing and sexual suggestions from Green. Seriously, Green, stop being such a perv. Implied Red/Yellow (even though I heavily support Red/Green) and Ruby/Sapphire.
Setting: The beach in Petalburg, Hoenn. Just imagine that it's a lot bigger and there's a strip of houses along there. It'll all make sense.
It was weird. I didn't like seeing him with other people. Yes, I was the one who had pushed him to break out of his shell, to try, just once, to start a conversation with someone and not leave partway through, but I still didn't like it. I was used to my Silver, the one who would only tolerate the few he chose. Luckily, I'd been one of those few. And now he was talking and even laughing at something idiotic that brunette said. Stupid brunette. Since when had Silver liked brunettes?
I threw myself at the ball, snatching it away from Ruby and shooting it into the hoop. It went through the netting with a satisfying swish, falling to the ground. Ruby grumbled softly and ran a hand across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had collected underneath the headband on his hat.
"That makes twenty-five points. Face it, Ruby. I got game, and you don't," I taunted, wrapping an arm around my friend's shoulder and giving him a playful noogie. Honestly, why didn't he take the stupid hat off when we played? He looked really uncomfortable in it. I knew he had some kind of nasty scar on the side of his head from a childhood accident, but honestly, was hiding it really worth overheating?
Frustrated, Ruby threw me off and stormed away. A frantic Sapphire chased after him, offering some kind of yellow beverage with ice cubes. Lemonade, probably, but who really know with Sapphire?
We had gathered, the whole Pokedex Holders gang, at one of Ruby's beach houses in Hoenn. Well, as many of us as could manage. Red and Yellow were off somewhere 'traveling,' but we all knew what that meant. Crys had to opt out at the last minute. Some kind of dilemma had come up with the Professor, and she couldn't get out of it. To make up for it, Green had dragged his whole posse of girls out with him, one of which was currently draped over Silver's arm. She laughed a bit too loudly at whatever he had just said, and he squirmed awkwardly on his beach chair.
"This vacation was supposed to be relaxing," I muttered as I grabbed the ball, dribbled it a few times, and shot again. It went in without a problem, and I had to suppress a scream of frustration. I shouldn't be feeling this angry. I should be glad that Silver was finally putting out his feelers and trying to act like a normal human being. But I wasn't.
Usually, playing some kind of sport calmed me down. And this beach had it all: there were tennis courts a little ways off, a soccer field had been set up, and I'd even seen a few guys tackling each other in a makeshift game of football. But seriously, a basketball court? That was too much. I spotted a vacant volleyball net a little ways off and jumped at the chance.
"Who wants to play some volleyball?" I called, attracting the attention of my friends. Silver's head shot up and his entire expression changed as he pushed out of his chair and darted over to me. Apparently, he had been just as keen on having a scantily-clad woman flirting with him as I had been watching him.
"I'm in," he muttered and looked away. Oh, Silver. Still as shy as ever.
Sapphire dragged Ruby back over, claiming she would help him redeem his manliness in the process. Blue seemed to appear out of nowhere, and Emerald piped up that he'd love to play. Green called over that he was perfectly happy staying with his lady friends who now flocked to him. Turns out they were just looking for some fresh meat.
The teams were divided up: Me, Ruby, and Blue against Sapphire, Emerald, and Silver. We made our way over to the net, and Ruby magically produced a ball out of seemingly nowhere. As we settled onto the court, I seriously hoped that this would provide more of an entertainment than that failure of a basketball game.
Indeed it did. We rallied for a while, bumping the ball over the net to settle into the game. Slowly but surely, the intensity ramped up, until we were slamming the ball towards the opposite side with more force than necessary.
"Set it, Saph, set it!" Silver called, backing up to get a running start. Sapphire nodded and pushed the ball up into the air, and Silver leaped up to hit it.
It was as if time slowed down. I watched as he launched up, stretching to make good form to hit the ball. I felt my stomach twinge slightly. His hips shifted, making his trunks slide down slightly to reveal the start of a red trail leading downwards.
Well, that answers my nagging question of whether he was dyed his hair or not... I thought to distract myself from the way looking at his body made me feel. A shiver went down my spine, and I instinctively licked my lips. It should've been a crime to have a stomach that smooth, to have hips that enticing, to-
The ball hit me square in the face. I fell backwards, my head slamming back into the sand. Distantly, I heard Blue let out a shout, and was aware that Ruby was huddling over me, holding up some number of fingers and trying to get me to respond.
"Ugh... Three," I muttered at random. That seemed to satisfy him, for he withdrew.
"Good Arceus, Gold, you're bleeding." Indeed I was. I lifted a hand to my nose, and it pulled away red.
"Silver! Apologize! Help him! Do something!" Blue kept yelling, acting less like a sister and more like a mom.
With an unhappy sigh, Silver ducked under the net and crouched next to me. "You okay?" he asked softly, gently pressing a hand under my head and cradling it. "Hey, Gold, can you hear me?"
I groaned softly and shifted my head. He sighed and reached up to plug the bridge of my nose. I winced at the pain, but didn't struggle. He probably knew more about this kind of situation than I did.
Blue was still lecturing over his shoulder. "Silver! How could you hit him in the nose like that? Don't you have any brain at all?" Slowly, he helped me sit up, keeping a hand at my back in case I fell over. Behind Blue, Emerald was cracking up, practically rolling on the sand in pleasure.
"Hey, kid!" I called out, lifting a hand to my head and trying to block out the pain. "Your hair looks stupid." That only made him laugh more. I suppose the statement had made sense in my head, but everything was a bit fuzzy. It probably sounded like "purple elephants fly over the moon" for all I knew.
"Silver, take him back to Ruby's and get an ice pack for his nose. This is all your fault, anyway, it's the least you can do." He glared at Blue for a moment before caving. Blue was pretty much the only person in the world that could beat Silver in a staring contest.
He slipped a hand around my waist and hauled me up. I mumbled my protest weakly and leaned on him, feeling my eyes flutter every time we took a step. He called something out to Ruby on the way and grumbled a complaint.
"I can't believe this... Why can't you just pay attention? Seriously?" He hitched me up a little bit and sighed. The rest of the walk was mercifully quiet. Luckily, Ruby's beach house was a five minute journey, and Silver walked quickly.
I wasn't quite sure how I got up the stairs, or into the bed with a clean face, but the next thing I knew, I was staring up at Silver's face as he hovered nervously over me.
"I'm gonna wake you up in two hours. You might have a concussion, and if you do, you shouldn't sleep for too long. I'll be back soon, okay? Sleep well." His hand brush across my forehead, and I leaned into the soft touch and smiled.
When I woke, I was laying in my bed. I was drenched in sweat, and I could feel the sand from my day at the beach in my trunks. Silver was nowhere to be found. Shakily, I threw off the covers and stood. Cold. It was cold, and I was sweaty. Not a good combination.
A familiar blond head poked into the room, and Emerald caught my eye. "Gold! You're up! Nice to see that. Your hair is what looks funny now." He giggled and pointed to my apparent bedhead.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Did you want something, pipsqueak?" I asked, heading into the bathroom connected to the room and splashing water on my face. My nose still hurt, but it was definitely better now that I'd slept. I stared at my reflection and sighed. A bit bruised, but nothing I couldn't handle.
"Dinner's ready. They wanted to know if you were up to eat. Are you?" He followed me into the bathroom and leaned against the door. Probably following one of the older kids' examples and trying to look cool. He failed.
"Yeah, I'll be down. Just give me a moment, okay?" He huffed- definitely following Silver's example- and left.
I turned on the shower and stepped into the boiling water. Putting my face under the stream hurt, so all I could do was strip off my trunks and clean the sand off.
The door to the bedroom banged open, and I inwardly groaned. Of course I'd forgotten to close the bathroom door. Silver poked his head around the corner, freezing when he saw my current state.
"What's up?" I asked, turning away from him to protect what little modesty I had left. A deep red blush covered his cheeks, and he stammered out an answer.
"A-ah, y-you, um, you were taking a long time, s-so they sent me up to check on you. They're all waiting to eat."
I sighed. Ah, yes, dinner. Under the marvelous heat of the shower, I'd forgotten about dinner completely. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get out now. Pass me a towel, would ya? I forgot to bring one in with me." When I got no response, I glanced over my shoulder at him. He was still standing completely still. Looks like he wasn't going to be much help. "Or, you could put a towel in the bathroom and close the door. That would work, too." He snapped to it, chucking a towel onto the floor and slamming the door behind him.
Huh. I'd never known Silver to get embarrassed over nudity. That was weird. I turned off the water and dried off as quickly as possible, wrapping the towel around my waist and going out into the bedroom. To my surprise, Silver was still there, perched on the edge of his bed nervously.
"I'd've thought you'd gone to dinner," I muttered, going over to my suitcase and crouching. He looked away and sighed.
"They said that if I came down without you, they wouldn't feed me," he said angrily. I laughed and looked back at him.
"They were probably joking, you know."
He ducked his head. "Yeah, well, I've waited this long. What's another minute?" I shrugged and pulled out the necessary clothes, accidentally dropping my towel in the process.
"Oops. Ah, well. It doesn't really matter, does it?" He still wouldn't look at me, but I didn't consider it strange. It wasn't normal for guys to ogle each other. I would've felt more weirded-out if he had sneaked a peak at my junk.
I got dressed as quickly as I could and threw the towel on the rack to dry. I hung my suit on the rack as well and sighed. "Come on, Sil. Dinner awaits."
Dinner was long. Very, very long. The constant throbbing in my nose made it painful to laugh, and with the jokes Sapphire was cracking, I had to bite back the impulse often. Green's girls had already departed, going to stay in a hotel. After all, Ruby's hospitality only extended so far, and there were only two bedrooms. We were already spilling out as it was. Sapphire and Blue got one room, of course, and Silver, Emerald and I shared the other. Green and Ruby were sleeping on the couches in the living room, but it seemed that Emerald had other plans.
"I'm sleeping down here tonight," he announced as he took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and dropped them onto his plate.
I gaped at him. "What? Why?" I met Silver's eyes from across the table and, once again, he dropped his gaze.
"Well, Silver said he's gonna be waking you up every two hours, right? I don't wanna get woken up with you, so I'm gonna stay down here, and that's final." Green pulled a face.
"Does that mean you're taking the couch?"
"Nah, I'll just bring my futon down here. I was gonna sleep on the floor anyway. What's one room over another?" I shrugged and went back to my food, decidedly not letting it bother me.
That night, among many giggles, Sapphire and Blue instigated a round of Truth or Dare. Normally, I would've jumped on the dares, but I wasn't feeling 100% at the moment, so I stuck to the truths. Lucky for me, my friends were unimaginative.
"So, Gold," Sapphire said as she picked up a piece of popcorn from the bowl and examined it like it was a clue into my life. "When was your first kiss?"
I groaned from my position on the couch. "Are we really going with these middle-school questions?" She shot me a glare, and I sighed. "All right, fine. Suzie Pierce. Third grade."
"You kissed Suzie?" Green asked, his jaw dropping. I shrugged.
"It was a dare. It was either that, or kiss some dude's bare foot. I chose Suzie."
"No, stupid!" She cried, picking up the pillows she was leaning on and throwing it at me. I dodged and gave her a questioning look. "I mean your first real kiss. You know, the one where you get swept up in the moment. Your eyes flutter closed, and it's like the whole world consists of just you and one other person..." She rolled around, squealing.
"Is that really how girls see it?" I muttered to Silver, who sat next to me. He snickered and shrugged. "All right, all right. I guess that kind of thing hasn't happened yet."
"Whoa, Gold. For real?" Ruby's eyes were practically bugging out of his head. "You're, like, sixteen, dude. Didn't most people experience their first kiss their freshman year of high school, at the latest?"
"Well, sorry to break it to you, Ruby, but not all of us have such... convenient means." I flicked my eyes over to Sapphire, and he blushed. Their relationship was no secret, but they liked to pretend that it was.
"Since that answer was a cop-out, you have to answer another question, Gold." That was Blue from the other couch. Sapphire squealed again and nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay! The real question is this: Who do you want your first real kiss to be with?"
I blinked. What kind of question was that? "Uh... I guess I haven't really thought of that."
"Now that's bullshit, and you know it," Green said, tossing popcorn into his mouth. "You're a teenage guy. I'm sure you've jacked off at least once. Who was it to? You can tell us."
"That wasn't the question. Therefore, I don't have to tell you."
"What do you mean, jacked off?" Emerald piped up, watching the whole exchange with wide eyes.
"Too soon, Em. Too soon." Green pat him on the shoulder and shook his head.
"Anyway, this is all crazy. What's with you guys and invading my lovelife? Let's ask some real questions! Ruby! What's the downright most dangerous thing you've ever done?"
"Besides saving the world?"
"Yeah, but we've all done that." He shrugged, and the night dissolved into laughter and happiness.
As we made our way back to the room, I slung an arm around Silver's shoulder. "Are you really gonna wake me up every two hours?"
He nodded. "I have to, until twenty-four hours have passed. Then any danger of a lasting effect will go away, and you should be safe."
"Should be?"
"Hey, it's not foolproof, but then again, what home-administered medical procedure is?" I thought for a moment, came up with no answer, and pushed the door open.
"Well, it's just you and me tonight, baby~" I sang out as I waltzed over to my suitcase to get my pajamas.
"Please don't call me baby," Silver muttered, doing the same.
"Why not? It's just a joke," I asked. I started to change. I usually slept without a shirt on, but for some reason, Silver was totally against that, even though our chests had been totally bare today. Whatever. I'd humor him by wearing a shirt.
"Just don't, okay?" And no matter how much I poked and prodded, his lips were sealed on the matter. Eventually, I gave up, just switching off the light and climbing into bed.
"'Night, Sil," I said with a yawn. "See you in two hours." I got a soft response from him, and gently drifted off.
I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. Why else would Blue have purple hair and Green be making out with her? And Sapphire was a man, and Ruby a woman. And what was Emerald wearing? Certainly not something an eleven-year-old should have. And yet he strolled down the catwalk, striking poses for the hoards of screaming girls in his skimpy speedo. It seemed like I was just a presence, watching over it all and trying to contain the damage. Where was Silver? He should be next to me and helping me out. I became aware of a light pressure on my cheek, and I brushed it away. It came back, more insistent, and I fought back. Something like an exasperated sigh sounded above me, and my only thought was That's so Silver before something pressed against my lips.
My eyes snapped open, and I sat up quicker than I'd intended to. "Oh, headrush," I muttered, clutching my forehead and waiting for the room to stop spinning so I could take everything in. Silver sat on the edge of the bed, his chest heaving as if his heart was racing at a mile a minute. I just stared at him for a moment, working up the courage to speak.
"Did you just kiss me?" I asked softly, staring at him. He jolted back as if I'd shocked him.
"What? No. You just... you had something on your lips, so I was brushing it away. That must've woken you up." He briskly changed the topic. "How are you feeling? Any dizziness?"
"None at all. I'm fine. Do we have to keep doing this for the rest of the night?" Even before I finished asking the question, he was nodding. I sighed and flopped back onto my pillows.
"Well, then, let's get back to sleep," I said, turning my back on him and facing the wall. He hesitated, then got up. I felt the bed move under me. His hand suddenly brushed past my ear, sweeping back some of my hair, and I shivered.
"Sleep well, Gold," Silver breathed, retreating to his bed. His sheets rustled, and soon, all I could hear was his slow breaths.
I didn't. Sleep well, that is. I kept thinking about it, and no matter how I went about it, Silver had definitely kissed me. He'd tried to wake me up by touching my cheek, but I'd just pushed that away. So, thinking that I was lost in dream land, he took it one step farther. Only I hadn't been so far gone that I wouldn't recognize that. I laid in bed awake, wondering if he would try again and feigning sleep whenever his alarm clock went off. He didn't. He just shook me by the shoulders and asked a few basic questions. And every time, satisfied that I was okay, he would go back to his bed, leaving me strangely unsatisfied.
So when he 'woke me up' for the final time in the morning, it isn't hard to imagine how tired I was feeling. I grumbled my way through breakfast, despite Emerald's taunts of how purple my nose was turning. Blue came to my rescue, announcing that it was nothing a little makeup couldn't fix and whisking me off. Only while I was there, she raided Ruby's makeup from when he was a coordinator and went all-out. Not enough to be noticeable to a stranger, but everyone in the house definitely knew. Especially Silver. His face turned bright red again, and he dashed off with the excuse that he needed to change. I followed after him, frowning. Today, we were hitting the town. We wouldn't need our suits. And yet, when I reached our room to check in on him, he was clutching his trunks with white knuckles and rocking back and forth on his heels.
"You okay, man?" I questioned as I knocked on the door. He jumped slightly and stared at me.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a little out of it, I guess. Getting up every two hours really does a number on a person." He laughed nervously, and I smiled. Guess I wasn't the only one who'd slept badly.
"I can imagine. Come on, what's wrong? You can tell me." I sat on my bed and tipped my head to the side.
"Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. Everything's fine. What made you think something was wrong?" He took in a deep breath to calm his ramblings and moved on. "You look really good, you know. With makeup. Not that you don't look good normally! But it really brings out the color of your eyes, and, um... Shit." He lowered his forehead into his palms. He looked so torn-up that I couldn't let him continue down that path. I decided to turn it into a joke.
"How do you know about bringing out the color of someone's eyes? Wait, don't tell me. Did Blue use you as a practice doll when you were young?" He nodded slowly, and I cracked up. "No way, man, no way! What colors do you look best in? Tell me!"
Grateful for the distraction, he sat on his own bed and responded. "She thought green, although I was particularly fond of the peachy color she put on me once. She put white on first, then pink, so it was really faint and stuff."
"And what about me? Use your expertise to determine what color would look best on me."
He gestured to my face. "What you already have on, honestly. Browns. Dark greens. Earth tones. They compliment your hair and make your eyes really shine and oh Arceus what am I saying." He buried his face again, and I laughed. That was how Green found us: me amused, Silver mortified.
"Are you two girls coming or not? Jeez. We're leaving." I stood. I needed to buy some souvenirs for my mom, and may as well spend some more time with the gang. But Silver made no sign of getting up. I frowned down at him, then sighed.
"Nah, we're gonna stay in. My head kinda hurts, and Silver's too much of a gentleman to leave me alone." He shot me a glare, and I promptly ignored it. "Can you ask Blue to pick something out for my mom? She knows her the best. Let her know I'll pay her back." Green shrugged and left, closing the door behind him.
I went over to Silver's bed and settled next to him. "So. Now that we're going to have the place to ourselves pretty soon, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"
His shoulders tensed, and he hunched over. "Nothing's wrong. I told you that already."
"You're lying, Silver, and we both know it. So let's stop lying. How about this? We'll play a game. It'll be like Truth or Dare, but only truths, okay? I ask a question, you ask a question, and so on and so forth. Does that sound okay to you?"
He shrugged. I took that as a yes.
"First question! When's your birthday?"
He shot me a confused glare, but a question was a question. "December 24th."
"Oh, Christmas Eve, huh? No wonder you always look so upset at Christmas parties." I scratched my chin and sighed. "I'll keep that in mind for next year. Your turn!"
"When's your birthday?"
"Unimaginative, are we? Ah, well. July 21st. I was a summer baby~"
"So it just passed?" I could tell that he was getting more comfortable. He leaned back onto the wall, and I did the same. A little smile played on his lips. I liked it when he smiled. It made him look years younger.
"Uh huh. I got my permit then and my mom let me take the car out for a spin. It was nice. Now, my turn. Hm... What's your favorite Pokemon?"
"Sneasel. Duh."
"Ohh, wouldn't your Feraligatr be a little put-out if he heard that?"
"He knows I play favorites. He doesn't mind." His head came to a rest on my shoulder, and I instinctively moved my arm around him. He sighed softly, and for that moment, I could feel just how tired he was.
"Feel better now?" I murmured. All I got in response was a low hum. I tried again. "Want to talk?"
He pushed away from me, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out. And just when I'd gotten him to relax, too... He pulled his knees to his chest and rocked there for a moment. Not wanting to push my luck, I stayed completely still and quiet.
"It's just..." His voice came out as a croak, and he cleared his throat to calm it. "It's just you're not... you. I mean, you are, but you aren't. Ever since we got here. You look at me, but it's not me you're looking at. You're looking through me. Or at least, I wish you were. It's like you're angry with me all the time. Every time I meet your eyes, you're always glaring at me, as if you want me dead. And I don't know what brought this on! You're different, Gold. Maybe that's why I hit you with the volleyball. It wasn't completely an accident. I thought that if I hit you, it would snap you out of it, but I couldn't just walk up to you and slap you, that would be weird. So when you suggested volleyball, it came to me. Did you even notice how I made sure we were on opposite teams? Then I waited, and waited, and waited until I couldn't bear it anymore and smacked you in the face. And there! You were back. Just for a few minutes, you were back to me. The walk back here was the happiest I've been this whole vacation." A sob caught in his throat, and it was only then that I realized how upset he was about this. I reached out and rubbed his back gently, making soothing noises and creeping closer.
He continued to babble. It was like I wasn't there anymore, and he was just talking to an unresponsive wall. "I miss you, Gold. You're my best friend. We're supposed to stick with each other through thick and thin, but now things seem to be getting thicker than ever and you're disappearing. And I don't even know why! You were there one day, gone the next. Stupid Hoenn region! Why did we even have to come here?" I'd gradually coaxed him into my arms, holding him in a firm hug. His face was pressed against the hem of my shirt, and every time he let out another shuddering breath, a shiver went down my spine.
"Silver," I murmured, cutting him off mid-rant. "Do you know how upset I was yesterday when I saw you talking to that girl? I felt like you were being taken away from me." He shook slightly, and I started to rock back and forth to calm him down. "That's why I got upset. That's why I suggested volleyball. Basketball wasn't good for me. I couldn't get my anger out through it. When you hit me, it was like a door was opened. I finally got it. And only now am I really understanding where that door leads." I pulled back and stared down at him. He gazed up at me, and his innocence was so bright, so pure, that I had to close my eyes momentarily. "Silver. Do you love me?"
He gazed at me, his jaw slowly dropping. I could see the gears in his head turning, the answers falling into place one by one. Perhaps he hadn't even realized it himself. Perhaps he'd been just as clueless as I. But either way, it all made sense to both of us. Slowly, hesitantly, he nodded, and it was like a supernova had exploded in my chest.
I kept my reaction down to a mild squirm and grinned. "Well, then, you're in luck!" I sang, lifting a hand to grab his chin. He flicked his gaze down to my grip, and I took the opportunity to seize his lips with my own. Instantly, the world around me melted, and it was like it was only the two of us existed. So maybe this was what Sapphire had been talking about... Here's hoping we didn't play Truth or Dare again tonight, and they didn't ask me that question. I wouldn't be able to answer.
Eventually, I pulled back, stroking his cheek with a softness I didn't even know I possessed. "You're in luck, 'cuz I think I love you, too."
I actually really enjoyed writing some of the secondary characters' dialogue. Especially Green and Emerald. They were both a lot of fun, Green because I got to be bitingly sarcastic, and Emerald because he's just so darn cute!
Whoo! This was my first attempt at writing in first person. I think it went rather well! But really, it's up to you guys. I dunno. I'm definitely gonna write another chapter, which will make up for the lack of funfunfun stuff in this one, but not right now since I'm getting really sleepy. Guys! Review! Favorite this! Send me funny messages! I get lonely over her!
Tata for now, darlings~ 3