Hey! ConfettiCat aka. Chris is here! I've been working on this weird project-ish thingy for a while now, so GBRO hasn't been updating for a few weeks... sorry. I just wanted to try writing a genderbent SpecialJewel fic, so here it is!
Cover image isn't mine, but it's an edited version of the original.
Warnings: Genderbending (obviously), some OOC, weird writing style, AU-ish, some things (like the characters' thoughts) are really random, I wasn't really at my best state of writing back then... (was supposed to be for Halloween, couldn't finish it in time, got depressed. By the way, happy very belated Halloween). Hinted OldRivalShipping, SpecialShipping and sibling ViridianShipping. Involves some headcanons which will be mentioned at the end. Also some mega mammoth blocks of text.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, what did you think?
Honestly, this is really weird. Ahahaha, no really (TTwTT) I hope you guys will enjoy this, so please go on and read!
"Silver, would you go out with me on a date?"
"...What?"
"No, I mean..."
"...I thought you liked Gold, Crystal."
"Uh, yeah... that's why. I was thinking of asking her out sometime, but I wanted to go on a practice date first. I obviously couldn't ask Gold, Emerald's too young, and I'd feel awkward with our seniors, so... you're the only one I can think of. Can you please help me out? Just as a little favor, would you?"
"...I don't think I'll be very helpful..."
"It's okay, no worries, I just want to know the general feeling of going out on a date."
"...Well, I guess I can try..."
"Really? Thanks! So... meet me in the park, in front of the fountain at 3 PM, okay?"
"...Got it."
"Great! Oh yeah, wait... I don't know how to say this, can you please wear the right attire for a date? Like a skirt and stuff. I mean, you're usually wearing pants, and Gold would be wearing a skirt, so..."
"...I get it. Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"...I don't know how to act on this 'date'... Should I try to imitate Gold or something?"
"Er, no... I don't think I'd like seeing you try and act like Gold, it sounds rather disturbing somehow... Just act like how you normally do, it'll be fine with me. Don't force yourself."
"...Okay."
"Well then, see you later!
"...Bye."
The two momentarily part ways. She arrives at the promised place at 2.45 PM, clad in a black blouse, white frill skirt, stockings and a pair of black flats, carrying a petite shoulder bag, a silver ribbon decorating her red hair. Who knows from where she pulled out those girly looking clothing, they were obviously not a part of her wardrobe. He arrives fifteen minutes later, in a red collared shirt, his white jacket's sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark blue jeans with a pair of sneakers, his yellow skullcap and white cap nowhere to be seen, and his navy blue hair only showing the slightest signs of being gelled. The moment she saw him walking up to her, she tucks her purse and Pokégear into her bag and slings it over her shoulder. He smiles and waves at her, and she gives an unsure wave back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Silver. Did you wait for long? I didn't think you'd come here that early."
"No, I didn't wait for long. I just like to be safe."
"As expected of you, huh?" he laughs. "So, um..."
"..."
"Well, you look nice. That outfit looks great on you."
"...Same goes for you."
"You know, it's kind of weird, but nice too, seeing you wear more girlish clothes. You should wear them more often."
"...You think so?"
"Yep! Now should we head on? I thought it'd be nice for us to go see a movie first, don't you think?" he asked, holding out a hand.
She nodded softly and took the hand he offered.
They walked in silence for a short while, neither knowing what to say to the other. She was still holding his hand in hers, with seemingly no intention of letting go. The atmosphere was tense and awkward, and they proceed to traverse trough the small crowd gathered on the main street.
"...I'm sorry, I'm not really good at small talk."
"Ah, it's okay. No worries! We'll be at the movie theatre soon. I heard there were some movies being shown there... I can't wait!" he says excitedly.
She smiles quietly, and grips his hand softly.
"...How are things between you and Gold?"
"Huh- what?"
"I thought that I'd at least try."
"That's nice of you, thanks. Well, I'd say things are going pretty well between us... She's single, I'm single, and we're already pretty good friends, too."
"...That's good, isn't it?"
He hears her voice falter almost inaudibly, and he's sure that he isn't hallucinating. The grip on his hand felt a bit tighter, although he sees no such signs of discomfort on her face.
"Yeah... I guess so. Though I kind of want to be more than just friends with her..."
He could've sworn he felt her tremble a little.
"Hey look, we're here. After you."
"Um, thanks..."
"So... what movie do you want to watch?"
She swept her eyes around the room, trying to find an answer to his question.
"...How about that one?" she pointed at a poster with a pair of red Haunter eyes, with the words 'Lavender' written at the bottom.
"W-what? ... T-that one? I-I didn't know you liked t-those kinds of h-horror movies, Silver..."
"What's wrong? Are you scared? Should we watch something else?"
"N-no, it's okay... I'm not scared at all, I can totally watch that movie!"
"...If you say so..."
"Come on, it's my treat, since you're helping me out today."
"...Thanks."
He bought both of their tickets and walked her to the entrance of the theatre room. Walking slowly, she kept a short distance from behind him.
"Silver? What's up?"
He turns around to look at her and she grabs his arm quickly, pulling herself close to him. He looks at her in surprise and embarrassment, both of their faces slightly red. Neither knew what to expect, the situation was entirely foreign to both of them-nothing like their friendly exchanges every other day, and that even with the presence of Gold. Now they were alone, the two of them, without anyone to act as the glue in between them, their wingman-or wingwoman.
Twenty minutes later, they were already seated in the comfortable red velvet seats, both still shuffling rather awkwardly, neither seeming to look forward to the movie. Even though Silver was the one who picked it, she didn't seem to be too excited, and seemed more focused on the distance between her and Crystal. He, on the other hand, as well as flustered, was absolutely terrified of what's to come.
"...Um... I'm sorry for earlier."
"What? N-no, it's okay. There was no harm done."
"I mean, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."
"Uh, it's okay... Apology accepted, I guess...? You did nothing wrong. Truth to be told, it felt kind of... good, actually. It gives me a sense of importance, like I have to protect someone, you know? Even though y-you're not s-scared of t-this movie..."
He was about to add 'I wonder if Gold will cling onto me like that...' , but seeing the slightly relaxed look on her face made him hold back his words, for some odd reason. He himself wasn't sure why, but he thought he felt a sense of melancholy coming from her cool face, as if she already knew what he was about to say. He didn't understand why she was melancholic, still. Why...? Was she...?
His train of thought was interrupted by the theatre lights turning off, darkening the room.
"W-waugh!" he cried, albeit not so loudly, the sudden darkness striking him with surprise.
"...Ssh, the movie is just starting." A gentle voice, which he discerned as Silver's, said from beside him.
To some people, that might have sounded like she was scorning him, but to his ears and with her gentle tone, she sounds much like a mother comforting her child.
The fact that the movie was starting definitely wasn't as comforting or soothing, though.
As the screen began to project the same red Haunter eyes as from the poster, flickering painfully all the while, Crystal grimaced and braced himself for his impending mental death in the movie theatre.
Meanwhile, Silver, as well as watching the flickering screen, has her heart racing because of the boy next to her. She was quite adept at hiding it from the outside, but she wasn't as good at keeping herself calm on the inside. She didn't understand why her body had acted on its own and grabbed his arm, and she contemplated on just running away from this whole thing and pretending that it never happened, but she decided against it. He's her friend, she won't just bail on him. Neither did she understand why her heart was racing inside. She has never felt such feelings of affection and possessiveness with anyone besides Blue, and that even not romantic!
Her curiosity dominated her thoughts, and she began to try and unravel her feelings. Why she chose to be quiet around him was because if her nature (and admittedly shyness), she deduced. But he's one of her closest friends, and usually she isn't afraid to talk around them. It's different in his case, she can't talk to him freely without the unknowing assistance of Gold. She moved on to a different subject. Why she was rigid and awkward around him and blushed a bit more often when they were alone was because she couldn't converse very smoothly with him. But why? She could talk with Red, Green (albeit a bit begrudgingly), Yellow, Gold, and all of the other Dex Holders besides Blue fluently, but why not with him? Why not Crys?
She mulled over it for a bit, and then it struck her like lightning, the horrible realization hitting home; she liked him. Oh Arceus, why, why, why did she have to like him? Why couldn't she just stick to loving Blue, as a sister, and only Blue? Arceus has forsaken her, she was sure of it, and had threaded her unused romantic feelings towards Crys for its own amusement, making a fool out of her, a human, and the thing humans call 'emotions' and 'feelings'. This can't happen, it shouldn't! Crystal likes Gold, and she's pretty sure that Gold likes him back. They'll most likely be going out soon, and the last thing she wants to be to her friends is a relationship breaker, a traitor!
She nearly gripped the armrests in frustration, when Lavender Town themed music started to sound from the speakers. She sat back and heaved a sigh of relief, relaxing herself, glad to find something that will potentially distract her from this distressing situation. She looked over to Crystal's direction, and saw his restless horrified expression, his shivering figure barely visible in the dark room. The screen was glowing a dark blackish purple, the signature color of the Gastly family, the form of the Pokémon Tower from a few years ago started to show, signaling the beginning of the movie, not ceasing to cause Crystal's unsteady breathing and trembling. Silver smiled softly, letting out an unheard giggle to herself. She finds his trembling figure endearing, no matter how strange that sounds (motherly instinct much?), it just makes her want to coddle him and hug him and oh dear Arceus she shouldn't be thinking like this!
She tries to distract herself again by looking at the screen, the form of the Pokémon Tower clearly shown now. The hazy screen and the music succeeded in making her drowsy, and her eyes are slowly closing, she's starting to nod off as she thinks. She looked at the absolutely terrified Crystal again with half lidded eyes,. He was sweating cold sweat, and his face was as pale as a Frosslass. She couldn't win against her drowsiness at that point, remembering that she had slept at late midnight, listening to a particularly long rant of Blue's problems with Green from his truly, Blue, of 'that girl needs to be more passionate around me' and 'I want her to hug me more' s, and ignoring the slight tinge of guilt for leaving Crystal to watch the movie alone, gave in to sleepiness and shut her eyes, drifting off into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.
Crystal was so, so, so terrified, absolutely scared of what's to come, he admits his fear of ghosts, and wonders why he's staring into the screen when he expects himself to be looking away. He thinks he's avoiding something, but it still doesn't help with the fact that he's scared! It takes him a while before he notices that something was weighing against his shoulder. He looked around to see that Silver was leaning on his shoulder, fast asleep, an innocent decorating her (he admits) pretty face. That alone replaced his terror with a blush. He coughed awkwardly even though she's not awake, and inspects her sleeping face. The way she manages to look so peaceful and innocent in her sleep intrigues him, and he's starting to grow fonder of the smaller redhead beside him.
How he manages to blush more often around Silver compared to when he's around Gold confuses him, also. He always feels happy and cheerful, yet also somewhat bashful when he's around her, especially without Gold in between them. It confused him to no end. Didn't he like Gold? He wanted to confess to her, did he not? And he asked Silver out on a date just to practice, right? He mulls silently, the movie and its music ignored. Was he just lying to himself? Did he delude himself into believing that he liked Gold? Did he actually like Silver? He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Well, at least something was distracting him from that... horror.
He absentmindedly stroked the sleeping girl's soft hair gently, and was surprised to hear a soft purr coming from her. He chuckled, and started fingering a lock of her red hair, wondering how she was so catlike even in her sleep. He likes the comparison. When awake, her eyes are sharp and she's quite agile, much like a cat. Or a Sneasel. But when asleep, she's got this heartwarming, fuzzy charm, she seems just as cuddly as a cat. Plus, she purrs. Purrs. He smiles fondly at her and decides to join her in her siesta. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he sank back into his seat comfortably, sleepiness starting to seep in. The movie was drowned out by his mind and his eyes were starting to close. In the dark room, not a single soul saw him settling in to cuddle the redhead.
...
When he woke up, he found that his head was laid on something soft (what is it? It feels like someone's lap, and it feels so soft...), facing the ceiling and the face of a certain someone peering into his face curiously.
"...You're awake now? The movie will be finished soon... You can go back to sleep for another few minutes, if you like. I'll wake you up."
He gave a curt nod, his brain not really processing what he had heard.
It took him a bit to actually process what happened. Somehow, over the course of his nap, he had taken the position of being given a lap pillow by Silver. Either he rolled over by himself in his sleep or he had been repositioned by Silver, who was already awake back then. He deemed the former not likely, the armrest wasn't lifted up before, and he didn't move around much in his sleep, so he guessed the latter happened. But he still wonders why she had given him that lap pillow-maybe he had fallen into quite the awkward or uncomfortable position? Maybe he had slid downwards and had been weighing on her? He scrunched and unscrunched his eyes. Unimportant things began to circle his mind instead, like how deep Silver seemed to sleep, when did she wake up, for how long did she give him that lap pillow, how he managed to nap for about an hour even though he usually never takes a nap, how soft Silver's lap feels, how comfortable the fingers running through his hair and cradling his face felt... wait, what...?
He looked up and saw that Silver, obviously, was doing just that; running her fingers through his hair and cradling his face. He liked the feel of it-not that he'd say it out loud at a time like this-but he liked it. It was like he was being coddled, babied. When was the last time someone did this to him? His thoughts flew to his mother, who was out in who knows where doing who knows what. He focused his thoughts back at the redheaded girl. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, and it would appear that she was caressing him subconsciously, her eyes were dully staring into the screen. He shuffled a bit, and she popped back into consciousness.
"...C-Crystal? Uh, um... you're awake? A-am I bothering you? I'm sorry, I should stop, I-"
"No, can you please keep doing that? It feels nice, I like it."
He realized how awkward it could sound and flushed pink, quickly adding a few words;
"Uh, not that I'd force you to... I meant, there's still a bit of time, so if you don't mind..."
"...um, sure, it's fine..." she whispered.
She resumed caressing his features in silence, neither saying a word through the last minutes of the movie.
"Um... the movie's over..."
"Oh, right... Let's head out now, shall we, Silver?"
She nods, and they both get up, proceeding to shuffle their way through the crowd that's bustling through the exit.
"So, do you have anywhere you want to go? We can go there if you do."
"Not really... I'll go anywhere you want to go."
"Hm... Well, how about going to a café? I know a good one, it's called 'Café Sonata'."
"...That sounds like a nice place..."
"Well then, let's go!"
He grins and grabs her hand in an effort to disperse the tense atmosphere in between them. They walked for a short while, each busy with their own thoughts. Then Crystal suddenly broke into a sprint, dragging Silver along her heels.
"Woah! Crys, what was that for?"
"Since we'll be eating a lot of sweets later, I think it's better to burn off some calories now!"
"Do... do you think I'm fat?!"
"No, I didn't mean it like that! You're not, and you probably won't be gaining any weight, but I might, so just to be on the safe side! I kinda can't afford to gain a lot of weight, then my mom would make me run a couple of miles to burn it off..."
"...I, I see..."
Wow, what a scary mother he has. She wonders what it would feel like to have a mother. Or any form of supportive parent figure, to be exact. Giovanni has never been in her life until recently, and he just had to go off somewhere else, to rebuild Team Rocket, perhaps. Despite the fact that during his stay with her, she had been trying to drill into his head somehow that no, he shouldn't be rebuilding that criminal organization, he should shed all those thoughts and ideas about world domination out of his entire being and that if he really wanted to rebuild Team Rocket, at least make it into a business corporation like Silph Co. or Devon Corp. or something! And maybe she had said something about him taking care of her more instead of his beloved Team Rocket, she couldn't remember.
She sighed (or panted, she couldn't tell), and continued running in sync with the navy haired boy. Suddenly, he screeched into a halt and was almost flung into the air in front of them (lucky that she wasn't wearing heels, eh?) and instead stumbled forward before re-discovering her balance. A pair of arms scooped her off her feet. Her first instinct was to slap the one who did it, but after realizing that the person was most likely Crys, she refrained herself from doing so. She looked and saw that it was indeed Crys who was holding her in a bridal style lift. She felt a faint surge of strange bubbly happiness, and her face flushed light pink. She mentally tells herself that she shouldn't be liking Crys, really, she thinks she should be drilling it in her head more. Maybe engrave it in stone. In order to mask her strange blur of feelings, she asked him a question;
"W-what are you doing, Crys?"
Whoops, she didn't mean to stutter.
"Uh, I kinda felt bad for making you run with me, so I'm going to be carrying you over to the café. You know, you're actually kind of light for girls our age, I think you should actually gain a little bit more weight..."
"...Really?"
"Err, yeah... Hold on to me, in case you fall. Adjust your position first if you're uncomfortable."
She looped her arms around his neck obediently, wondering how he'll manage to carry her all the way to the café-her position in his arms wasn't exactly the best to be running with, not to mention it was embarrassing. Now that you mention it, light for girls their age? How did he know? No, that's a silly question, one with a much too obvious answer. He had probably lifted Gold up like this when she wasn't looking. Now that she thinks about it, he hasn't mentioned Gold even once after some point, was he deliberately avoiding the topic...? But why...?
A clear voice snapped her out of her reverie.
"...-ey. Hey, Silver. Don't space out on me like that, are you ready?"
Ah, she hadn't told him to run yet, had she?
"Sure, go on."
Without saying anything, the boy began dashing down the street. The soft spring breeze swept her face, and she wishes she could just stay like this forever. A young maiden rescued by a prince, only he wasn't meant for her. He and Gold (his princess, right?) suited each other almost much too well (as they say, opposites attract, and Gold was attractive, unlike her, who was rather dull in appearance). The sad side of the story for the young lady rescued by a prince on his way to save his princess, her hopes were crushed and oh, how ironic it is that they're going out on a practice date in spring, when her spring was so far away from coming, it has always been winter, and she hasn't gotten a chance to bloom. But well, it's only ironic in her case, as the flower buds in his spring trees are merely minutes away from blooming, so she lets all go with the wind.
She felt him stop and she looked around, what she found intriguing her so. A small café with an icy blue hue to it, making it look almost like a winter wonderland. The walls had small musical score like patterns on it, and it intrigued her so. She felt Crystal's breath tickle her neck, and she blushed, just a little bit.
"Well, here it is. What do you think?"
"It looks... so cool..." she muttered, awe slightly noticeable in her tone of voice.
"Glad you like it. It's my favorite place to wind down after studying. Let's go in, shall we?
She nodded and he slowly put her down, bringing her to the entrance of the café. He opened the door and a small bell at the top of the doorway jingled.
"Welcome to Café Sonata! Also known as 'The Melody of Winter'!" a waitress greeted them cheerfully, "Oh, Crystal? How rare of you to bring a friend along, and a girl to boot! I won't pry, don't worry. So a table for two, I'm guessing?"
"Urgh... Yeah, hi to you too, Elaine."
"Crystal, what is this girl's name? Introduce us, why don't you?"
"Oh, right. Silver, this is Elaine. Elaine, this is my friend, Silver."
"Nice to meet you, Silver!"
"Nice to meet you, too."
"Well, over here, you two. Please wait for a moment, I'll bring the menu..."
They sat at the table that the waitress led them to.
"She's your friend?"
"Uh-huh. I met her when I first went to this café. She's a real friendly person."
"Hmm..."
A few seconds later, Elaine came back with a menu book, and placed it on the table.
"Go on, I still have something to do at the back, almost all the others are on holiday today..."
She walked to the back of the café and disappeared around the corner.
"So... what do you want to eat, Silver?"
"...I've already eaten earlier, actually, um... what about that?"
She pointed at a delicious looking chocolate sundae in the menu.
"Oh, sure. I think I'll just buy a drink, so I'll get whatever you're getting. What drink do you want?"
"Umm..." she mumbled, flipping the pages.
Crystal patiently waited for her to finish fumbling and darting her eyes around the page.
"Can I get this...?"
She points at something else, and he nods.
"Hot chocolate? Sounds like a good idea. You like chocolate, do you, Silver?"
The questioned girl just turned away and gave a small nod, embarrassed that her sweet tooth was being discovered faster than it usually is.
"I'm back~! Are you ready to order?"
Crystal immediately listed off their orders. And Elaine whipped her way into the kitchen, returning only moments later.
"Here you go, enjoy! I'll be giving you two some privacy now~" Elaine hummed.
Silence ensues.
"...You know, I feel a little guilty if I'm eating this alone... and I don't think I'll be able to finish this on my own, so ... can you please eat it with me?"
More silence.
"...Uhhh... oh, alright, I guess I can help."
Crystal sighed. His plan of taking a break from ice cream has been ruined unintentionally by the redhead in front of him, so he might as well help her finish it. Wait, there are two spoons there-did Elaine put them there? How convenient, now he didn't need to share the spoon with Silver... Oh dear, he shouldn't have thought of that...
"...Crystal?" Silver tilted her head questioningly, as this time it was the boy's turn to space out.
"O-oh, sorry. Let's eat now."
"Mm-hm."
And he noticed that she had already dug a little into the chocolate sundae. He held back a chuckle. She sure seems like she loves sweets. He decides to start eating too-otherwise the girl in front of him might eat a little more than she should.
He dug his spoon into the sundae, and stuck it in his mouth, the smooth ice cream melting on his tongue. He looked in front of him and saw Silver with a silent blissful expression on her face, tranquil and joyful at the same time. He suppressed a little laugh with another spoonful of ice cream, and soon enough, they finished the sweet treat (Silver ate more than he did, by the way).
After that, they began sipping their beverages, and Crystal couldn't help but notice that Silver was looking more and more cheerful (albeit silently cheerful) through all that she had consumed. He's glad, because she was quieter than usual-he thinks.
Well, glad that it's now over with, he smiles slightly at the delighting sight in front of him, before remembering something and almost gasping out loud in shock. There he goes again, why was he thinking more about Silver than Gold? No matter how many times he thinks this, nothing is making sense. He thought he was rather devoted to Gold than compared to Silver, or so he thought, he guesses. He thinks that even if he tries to solve this again, he won't find an answer anyways, so following his usual logical, efficient, long-term based thinking pattern, he decides on what he would do if it turns out that he really did like Silver-as in romantically-like her. Wait, maybe figuring out what made him suspect that he liked Silver first might be a better idea...
He begins with a simple thought. Seeing a small smile (an indication of a happy Silver) made him feel at peace, and seeing her with the slightest bit of unhappy feelings (like the look on her face when she stated that she ends up being evil no matter what) made his heart clench. Had he ever felt something like this towards Gold? Yes, he thinks, but not as strong as with Silver, instead more as a friend and a brother. Sure, the rumors that Gold was going out with Whitney nearly shocked him, but the very same thing happened when Emerald said that there was a boy in her class that interests her, he feels protectiveness, like a brother, not jealousy.
...
This is probably what it feels like to be in love... Heh, how cliché that sounds... he thinks to himself. The more he thinks about it, the more evident it seems to become. Like how his heart had actually been racing when he carried Silver all the way to the café (he actually had been afraid, what if her skirt got lifted up by the wind?) and how he had amazingly succeeded in hiding the fact. And looking at her dig into their sundae made him almost laugh joyfully (he's glad he managed to suppress it, or else he wouldn't know what to do) and increased his appetite. To think that she actually had such a large effect on him, did he not notice all this time...?
Now he's almost 99.9% sure (Crystal has always been a very precise person) that he likes her, and moved on to the original topic; what he will do about it. Will he ask her out at the end of the day? No, their already at a practice date, doesn't that mean they'll go out on another date tomorrow? Then, will he ask her out some other day? No, she probably still thinks that he likes Gold... she might question him later on if he wasn't going out with Gold after this... wait, what if she already has someone she likes? The worst case scenario, pretty much? She'd reject him. His minds wanders instead to who Silver might like. Blue? Most eligible answer, he's been around Silver for as long as ever, but he already has Green... Silver's hopes are probably already crushed by then. Yellow? No, Silver and Yellow have always been more of acquaintances, siblings at best, more than anything. Both of them were born in the same city, after all. Anyways, Yellow was obviously smitten with Red, anyone can tell.
What if Silver swings the other way? Maybe that's why she seemed hesitant most of the time around Gold. Maybe she liked Gold, and was worried that he, Crystal, would be stealing her away? He considered it, then quickly deemed it not likely. If she swung the other way, she would have been repulsed at his idea of going out on a practice date with him. She would have outright rejected his proposal, no doubt about it. He mulled a little bit more, mind swirling around the things that happened today. Then, he remembers an important happening again, something that he kind of overlooked slightly.
When she had asked him about his relationship with Gold, and when he had replied, didn't she look ever so slightly hurt?
He just remembered, oh how silly of him, why would she have looked hurt when she asked about that? There was an obvious chance maybe, just maybe...
She liked him?
How he would like to leap from sheer happiness, her actions overall made really convincing evidence. How she looked hurt and how her voice faltered, was because she was afraid, afraid that he would be dating Gold. Oh Arceus, oh sweet, sweet Arceus, Crystal thanks it (him?) for the wonderful gift that it (he?) has given him, the girl (that he just realized that) he liked, likes him back! He gives a cool mental nod to himself.
Now he's 100% sure that he would confess.
Ah... but the problem is, can he do it today? After just concluding both parties' feelings? Would such a brash action be a good idea? Would it be the right choice to make? He worries, it might be so sure that she'll accept him, no matter what, he can't be that confident about it... although he see no reason why she would reject him... maybe Gold's overconfidence had gotten to him as well.
He decides, that he will gather all his courage and confess, a completely unexpected confession, yes, but a confession it is. He has to be able to do it. If not, he's not a man, he decides.
And just at that moment he decided to snap out of his train of thought willingly, to find a pair of once again curious silver eyes peering into his face.
"Uh... Silver? How long have you been staring at me like that?"
"...About a few minutes... I didn't wake you up, because... you looked... cute, staring off like that..."
She turned her head away, trying to hide a blush that Crystal inevitably saw.
And at that moment he decides to do it.
He took his wallet out, counted the approximate price of their finished treats, and pulled out a bill which he abruptly placed on the table.
"Elaine?! I left the money on the table, keep the change!"
He shouted those words and grabbed Silver wrist as quickly but as gently as he can, and dragged her out to another short sprint of the day, not caring about the fact that they had just ingested food.
"W-wait, Crystal... what are you-?!"
"You'll see when we get there!"
They rushed over to the edge of the city, a place rarely visited by people. He led her to a small cliff by the edge of a beach, just in time to see the brilliant sunset. The shades of bright oranges, pinks, reds, and faint indigos could be seen swirling around in the sky, accenting the fluffy clouds.
"Heh, this is really cliché... but I really can't have it any other way..." he turned to the girl who was panting beside him, also panting, but with a smile of relief on his face.
"Wh... w-what do you mean...?"
"Hey, Silver..."
"...Yes?"
"Would you hear me out for a bit?"
"...? Sure..."
"You know, I think I won't be asking Gold out in the end. I think that I deluded myself into thinking that I liked Gold. I have someone else in mind, actually. Can you guess who that is? I just reached a revelation back there, and I want you to know, so bad."
"...?! Y-you, you don't mean...! I, um, it can't be...!"
"You seem to be on the right track. I like you, Silver, and only you."
"...No, no way... do you really?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought you here, Silver."
He gave a light chuckle.
"...I, I... I guess I just have to believe it..."
"You betcha."
"...Well, um... I... like you too, actually."
"...Haaah~" he sank on his knees and sighed loudly.
"W-what?" she stuttered, slightly panicking.
"No, I'm just...glad. Will you actually be my... girlfriend?"
"..."
"...Silver?"
"..."
It struck him that she was covering her face with her hands. He got up, and touched her cheek slightly.
"Silver? What's wrong?"
He heard faint muffling sounds from her, and gently pried her hands off her face. He was surprised, to say the least, to find her eyes being glossed over by unshed tears, and some of it were already beading at the corners of her eyes.
"S-silver?! W-w-why are you crying?"
"...No, I... I'm so glad...! I've just been worried the whole time, that you would...! My hopes were almost crushed, you know how Gold can well be twice as attractive and friendly as I am! To think that you would actually like me back, it's... it's like a blessing..."
And she sunk her face into his shoulder, blotting out the beads of tears that were flowing gently out of her eyes.
He smiled, and rubbed her back as gently as he could, her crying reduced to sniffs after just a few seconds. They pulled back a few minutes later, taking one or two careful steps of distance between each other. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, while she fidgeted and fingered the hem of her blouse.
"...So, ready to answer my question now?"
"...My answer is... yes, I'd love to...!" she sprang and hugged him as tightly as she could manage, showing a rare instance of her caring self. While he was overwhelmed by the sudden action, she surprisingly snuck a kiss on his cheek, and it made the both of them flush as red as Tamato berries.
"...Uh...! I, I didn't know you'd make the first move..."
"I... just felt like it, see. I don't think you can expect that often, though."
She lets slip a giggle, and Crystal found it to be the cutest thing ever in the whole world.
"I'll be well prepared for that."
He chuckled, and kissed her back on her cheek, succeeding in making her blush redder.
"...!"
"Hey, come on. It's getting a bit late. How about I piggy-back you home? You must be tired after all that running."
"...And you're not, is that what you're saying?" she managed to not lose her words at the mention of piggy-back rides.
Witty, indeed. How is he supposed to win against that? Darn.
"...Err... I'm just used to it...?"
"Not buying it, I can still walk, you know? I'm not that fragile, if that's what you're saying. Don't feel obligated to do this, you don't have to."
She once again put on her cool front and rubbed her cheeks,
"Let's go home, why don't we?"
She walked a little bit ahead of him, while he just stood there staring at her figure.
"What if I said I want to give you a piggy-back ride?"
...Well that made her stop in her tracks.
"What? No! You've been carrying me all day, I'll feel like a burden then!"
Independent and straight forward as she usually is (?), she refused and shook her head.
"Ehh?! No, you weren't heavy in the slightest!" he protested and grabbed her shoulder.
...Just let me have my heart's desire, Silver my dear~... I ask of you no more than that~...
He was at the verge of singing those words pathetically in front of her. Ahh, she's so stubborn...
"...W-well, I suppose you don't mean anything bad by that, but is it really okay?"
Ah, here comes here comes.
"Of course not!" he went and crouched down in front of her, "Climb on!"
"...Erghh..."
She climbed on rather hesitantly, letting a silent grunt of reluctance as she did so.
"Okay, position secured?"
"...Mm-hm."
"I'll start running then! ...for the third time today..."
Crystal dashed into-indeed, his third sprint today, unleashing the truth of his leg strength without breaking a sweat.
...Err, maybe he did sweat a little, but...
"Hey, hold on, okay? Is your house in sight?"
"...Yeah, we're almost there. Just turn around at that corner over there."
She laid her head on his back. My, she really can't resist the urge to sleep, can she?
She started to doze off, bit by bit, until she felt him screech to a halt. They've arrived already?
"...Say, which one is your house...?"
Oh. Oh.
"It's that one over there, with the black gates."
She pointed at a house in the corner.
"Okay, I get it. You're sleepy already?"
"I can't really help it, I stayed up late..."
"Oh, is that so?"
His only answer was a yawn and a nod on his back. He sighed and smiled to himself as he trudged towards her house.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked as he let her climb off.
"I guess so... are you going to tell anyone?" she asked back, letting out another small yawn.
"About what?"
"Status."
"Ohh, that... Will you mind if I do?"
"...Not really..."
"Then I will. So see you. And... make sure you get into bed properly...?"
"...I will." Another yawn.
"I hope so. Bye!"
He waved, and she managed to lift up a hand in response. Sure, she was happy and all, but...
She unlocked her front door and entered her house. When will her father heed her advice and come back? She hopes it will be soon. She forgot the fact that she just managed to get herself a boyfriend. Uncharacteristically absentminded when sleepy, you see.
She climbs the stairs and enters her bedroom, and starts to take off her clothes. A bath? No, too sleepy. Well, guess it wouldn't hurt...
Fifteen minutes later...
She steps out of her bathroom. Faster than usual, she thinks. She gets into bed and pulls up the covers. Why was her mind being so random...? It's not like her at all. She's usually so organized in thinking... She begins to wonder why today has been so weird, compared to other days...
Her eyes start to close once again. Why, she thinks. Why...
Her mind was almost dominated by drowsiness. She'll think again tomorrow, she decides...
She closes her eyes. Little did she know, she and Crystal would be the center of attention among their friends, after confessing their new-found relationship.
Her mind wavered a little before she surrendered to sleep.
Crys... I love you...
Somewhere in the city, a certain navy haired boy sneezed.
...
Lawl, so many seemingly misplaced line breaks... Someone review and tell me how to line break properly... I really didn't know if I did it properly or not...
... oh Arceus what is air.
Okay, list of used headcanons here (mainly for the genderbend AU thingy)
1. Crystal is deathly scared of ghosts. And creepy Lavender Town music. And horror movies. On the other hand, Silver isn't.
2. Giovanni actually stayed behind with Silver for a while.
3. They (Crystal and Silver) both live alone. Crystal because his mom is traveling, Silver because Giovanni went somewhere.
4. Blue still rants like a lady #shot
5. The HGSS arc sorta kinda maybe happened (I'll-always-end-up-being-evil emo sequence).
6. Silver absolutely loves chocolate. You little sweet tooth you, Silver.
7. Having AB blood type, she can't resist the urge to sleep.
8. When listening to Blue ranting, she drank like 5 cups of coffee or something maybe...?
9. Gold wears skirts because I don't know, Silver prefers pants because they're practical. And shorts because they're comfy and easy to we- Joey, don't hack into my computer!
10. Silver is apparently very, very thoughtful, and tends to space out a lot. Same goes for Crystal.
11. Crystal has Mommy Problems and Silver has Daddy Problems. Simple enough. #slap# What I actually meant is that the adults don't get genderbent.
12. Silver has a pretty big house. Present from her beloved father maybe?
13. Silver and emotions. Bleh.
14. There might be a little something-something going on between Gold and Whitney... I dunno.
15. Silver is obviously master of the great poker face. A trait of the AB blood type, or at least that's what i read in a book (it's the same as headcanon number 7).
Well, that's about it. I hope you enjoyed, leave a review or anything, I might make a continuation if this thing gets enough reviews. If you want to see a sequel or new chapter or something, then review! ...IF anyone actually likes this thing *cries* this fic is soooo weeeeiiiiirrrrrddddd...
Well, R&R, and thanks for looking at this! Until next time!
Chris out!