Speeding Past Summer (ONE/LONG-SHOT)
A/N: So I'm back with another LONG-SHOT (what I'm going to call my longer one-shot stories) that focusses on the SonicXSilver (Sonilver) pairing. I know this pairing isn't that popular, but I thought it would be interesting to explore it anyways. Like Night Shifts, this is a story I've been working on for a couple of weeks while commuting. I finally finished it and wanted to get it out to you guys. As opposed to my Sonadow stories, I found writing Sonilver to be more playful and funny. For context, Silver and Blaze are eighteen and Sonic is a year older. This is more of a comedic story based on some things that have happened to me mixed with an unexpected love interest (still hasn't happened to me in real life, but a writer can dream/hope/pray). Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it! Please review if you want more!
"This summer sucked." Silver moaned as he climbed up the ladder to the treehouse in his backyard. His best friend Blaze, who was only a few steps behind him, rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"We still have a month of summer, Silver! There are a lot of things you can do." She replied, grabbing the hand he offered when he made it to the top.
"Yeah, but I feel like it passed so fast. That could be because I was lounging around though..." He said as he took a seat on one of the beanie cushions that scattered the floor of the treehouse. Blaze nodded in agreement as she picked a beanie to sit on.
Silver's parents had built the treehouse when he was growing up in the hopes that he would use it as a place of solace when he was older and things got tough. It was spacious for a treehouse, with beenie cushions for seats, two windows, and a chalkboard for Silver to write his "thoughts" on. At first, Silver had been scared of heights and had refused to climb up. But as he got older, he grew to enjoy the treehouse a lot more than his own room. Once he'd gotten close with his schoolmate, Blaze, the treehouse had become a spot to hang out.
"Maybe you could go to a theme park or something. I'm sure they hire people our age in the summer." Blaze offered with a shrug.
Silver shook his head.
"Like Eggmanland? Hell no. Remember what happened last year? I went on that one roller coaster and felt sick for days. I think I still have motion sickness because of that stupid ride." He explained, shuddering as he reminisced.
Blaze grimaced.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, that was pretty bad." Silver nodded in response.
"They really need to shut that place down..." He said with a sigh as he looked out the window of the treehouse. He raised an eyebrow as he saw two moving trucks park in front of his neighbour's house.
"I guess my neighbours are moving out..." He thought aloud, not noticing Blaze moving over to see what he was talking about.
"Did you know them well?" She asked, slightly startling Silver as he became aware of her presence beside him.
"W-what? No, not really. I mean they were nice but they were an older couple who were just looking for a temporary place. I'm sure my parents spoke to them, but I didn't."
"Too busy making the most of your summer?" Blaze asked with a teasing grin. Silver rolled his eyes.
"Very funny. But seriously, what am I supposed to do?" He asked as he turned back to the beanie he had just been sitting on.
Blaze sat beside him and placed a finger on her chin.
"What could you do to spice up the summer?" She mused aloud. Silver only shrugged as he looked at the wooden floorboards.
"I've got it!" Blaze said with a snap of her fingers. The action caused a small sparkle of ambers to fly from her hand. Silver recoiled as his eyes widened.
"Watch it, I don't want this thing going up in flames while we're in it." He hissed. Blaze gasped and looked around to make sure the ambers hadn't touched anything wooden.
"I thought you told me this was artificial wood." She stated as she concluded her search.
Silver shrugged.
"I thought it was but my dad took that wood back when he got a deal on some mixed stuff. He's such a cheapskate..."
"Well sorry about that, I got excited...But this idea is pretty good!" Blaze said with a smile. Silver blinked.
"What is it?"
"You should get a job." Blaze said with a triumphant smirk.
Silver stared at her for a second before he sighed and fell back on his beanie.
"I tried that, remember?" He mumbled, staring at the ceiling of the treehouse.
Blaze got up and stood over him.
"No you didn't. You applied for one job and-"
"And I didn't get it!"
"And you never tried again!" Blaze retorted, crossing her arms.
"That's because it was so discouraging!" Silver groaned, covering his face with a pillow. He heard Blaze sit down beside him before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I know it's hard, but look how many times I got rejected before I got a job at Rouge's boutique? I wouldn't have that job if I'd given up after a few rejections." The violet cat explained as she squeezed Silver's shoulder lightly.
"Plus, you'll be making money and getting experience. It's a win win, Silver. Honestly." She continued.
Silver slowly removed the pillow from his face and smiled at Blaze.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll give it another shot. Thanks, Blaze." He said, grabbing hold of the hand she still had on his shoulder.
Blaze smiled and pulled away.
"Great, but you should start looking now. It might be hard to find someone hiring in the middle of summer." She explained, dusting herself off before heading toward the ladder.
"Hey, I'm sure I'll find something!" Silver said with a confident smile. Blaze nodded as she headed down the ladder.
"That's the spirit. I have a shift now, but let me know if you need help with that. I know you'll find something great if you hang in there." She responded as she waved goodbye. Silver returned the gesture before going to the chalkboard his mother had hung on the wall.
Grabbing a piece of chalk, he placed the word "Job" in the middle inside a speech bubble style circle and tapped the chalk against his chin.
"Now where do I see myself working..."
/
Silver stayed in the treehouse for the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening, only leaving to grab his laptop. As he sent resumes and cover letters to different companies, he wondered why he'd ever given up. It was almost exhilarating, the way he was finding job opportunities that he knew he could do and do well. There was still the anxiety of not getting picked, but he was hopeful and sure that at least one company would pick him.
He probably would have stayed there all night had his mother not come to the base of the treehouse in her apron and oven mitts.
"Silver honey! The new neighbours are here and their son is around your age! Do you want to come to the door and meet them?" She yelled, oven mitts held around her mouth.
Silver peeked his head out of the treehouse window and shook his head.
"Job hunting, Mom. Maybe next time."
"Okay dear, but dinner will be ready in ten minutes and you better be inside by then." His mother said as she turned back to go inside. Silver barely heard her as he went back to emailing his resume to another company.
/
Two days in and Silver hadn't received any replies to his emails. However, the hedgehog was still in good spirits. The thought of working toward something had kept a powerful battery in his back even when it felt like he making any progress. His perseverance eventually paid off, and when he invited Blaze over a week later, he had good news.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so charged up." Blaze said with a smile as she entered the treehouse.
"I just feel like something great's coming, Blaze." Silver explained, taking a deep breathe before falling back on a beanie.
"Did you get any offers?" Blaze inquired, sitting down beside him while passing him one of the cookies his mother had given her. Silver thought for a moment before replying.
"I did for this one place but it was way too far. And I got an offer for Eggmanland too." He explained, taking a bite of the cookie she offered.
"Silver! I thought you'd sworn off that place." Blaze replied, crossing her arms.
"Maybe the rides yeah, but working there would be great! Free carnival food and I could watch other people get motion sickness." Silver said with a smirk. Blaze slapped her forehead with her palm.
"So I'm guessing you didn't hear about all the layoffs there last year? Or the fact that the people who were employed were getting bounced checks? I swear, I don't know how that place is still running..." Blaze explained, shaking her head as she munched on a cookie.
"I-it wasn't that bad was it?" Silver asked slowly, rising from his seat. Blaze shrugged.
"It was probably worse."
"Well, then I really only got one offer." Silver replied, his ears flattening slightly.
"Hey! Don't feel too bad! I'm sure there's a great job waiting for you. Is there a job you applied for that you're really excited for?" Blaze said quickly, changing the topic.
"Actually there is. It's this part time job in a psychology building. I'll be doing administrative work. That's the one I got the offer for." Silver explained, regaining his smile.
"That sounds great! Did you accept it?" Blaze asked, returning the grin.
"I did actually, I have my interview on Friday." Silver said with a thumbs up.
"I'm really happy for you, Silver." Blaze said, pulling him into a tight hug. "This is what hard work and dedication gets you. I know you'll ace the interview." She finished, pulling back.
"Ugh, I hope so! It was hard enough finding that job, if I don't get this one I don't know if I'll have the heart to search again." He replied honestly, staring at the ceiling of the treehouse. Blaze shook her head.
"Don't think like that. You'll be fine." She said with a reassuring smile.
She got up from her seat and walked to the window facing the surrounding houses.
"By the way, did you get a chance to meet your new neighbours yet?" She said slowly, turning back to look at him. Silver raised an eyebrow, noticing a faint blush on his feline friend's cheek.
"Ugh Blaze?"
"I-I think you'd like their son, that's all." Blaze muttered, turning back to look out the window.
Silver got up and walked over to her. Looking out the window, he could see the moving van outside his neighbour's house.
"He's not outside." Blaze said, following his stare. Silver looked at her incredulously.
"Um, how do you know that?" He asked slowly. The blush returned to Blaze's cheeks and she raised a hand to cover them.
"I saw him when I was walking over!" She replied indignantly. "He waved and everything, so he seems like a cool guy..." She turned away in order to avoid Silver's confused stare.
"Silver, would you stop looking at me like that?"
"Sorry! I just don't see why you're making a big deal out of this." Silver replied, waving his hands in front of his face.
Blaze took a deep breath and turned back to him.
"W-well you said you wanted to spice up your summer so..." She said bashfully, barely making eye contact.
Silver rubbed the back of his neck as he felt a hint of red fall on his own cheeks.
"So you think I should er- ask him out?" He said with a cough.
"Well I don't think it would hurt to get to know him."
"O-kay, I'll see what I can do." Silver replied, unsure where his love life came into the picture when it came to acing a job interview.
"I gotta go though, summer school homework is killing me." Blaze said, recovering from the awkward moment faster than Silver. Silver barely nodded as the cat left the treehouse.
"Good luck, Silver! You'll nail it!" She shouted from the bottom before heading down the path that lead back to the Main Street.
"Thanks Blaze!" Silver replied, cupping his hands around his mouth. He turned back to the neighbour's house as he watched her disappear along the path.
"I wonder what he's like..." He mused before shaking his head and turning back to his computer.
"Get your head in the game, Silver. You didn't do all this work to not follow through." He told himself.
Looking towards the window from where he was sitting, he smiled.
"That can wait, I need this to go seamlessly."
/
But Silver's alarm clock failed to ring the morning of his interview which set him back half an hour. He had been forced to conduct his morning ritual in half the time he usually took and that had made him more than a little stressed.
He took a second before leaving to stare at his reflection in the mirror and put on his most business savvy smile.
"You got this, Silver, you got this." He told himself.
The bus stop was across the street from his house, so he usually waited till the scheduled time to head out. Looking down at his watch, he realized he would have to wait five minutes before the next one came.
"Wow! Late and still ahead of time," he said to himself. "Looks like I'll have time to-"
His thought was interrupted by the rumble of a large vehicle passing his house.
"N-no, no that's not possible..." He muttered, turning to look out his window.
Racing outside proved fruitless as the bus was well on its way down the street.
"Are you serious?!" The grey hedgehog yelled, ignoring the fact that it was early and people were still sleeping. (A/N: It's no use!)
"Uh, you okay?" A voice behind him said. Silver, not thinking anyone would be out at this time, almost jumped a foot in the air but stopped himself. Turning around, he met the green eyes of a blue hedgehog with a water bottle in his hand and a towel on his shoulder.
"Um..." He didn't really know how to respond, especially since the hedgehog was pretty hot.
"Cause I don't usually see hedgehog screaming this early in the morning." The blue hedgehog continued, taking a sip from his water bottle.
"H-hey! I wasn't screaming! I missed my bus!" Silver spat back. The hedgehog shrugged in response.
"You can catch the next one." He replied nonchalantly.
Silver rolled his eyes.
"You must be the new neighbour my friend was raving about." There was a bit of venom in his voice that he couldn't seem to swallow fast enough. "If you actually lived here, you'd know the bus comes every twenty to twenty five minutes in the morning."
The hedgehog smirked in response.
"Then you should have woken up earlier." He stated, shaking his head.
Silver turned on his heel. A screaming match with his new jerk of a neighbour wasn't going to get him where he needed to be. He'd have to find another bus in the area to take, but to do that he'd have to go on his laptop.
"H-hey, where are you going?" The neighbour asked.
"To find another way out of here." Silver shot back, walking back towards his house.
"Let me drive you!" The neighbour blurted out. Silver turned around slowly and raised an eyebrow. Had this guy really just gone from making fun of him to offering him a ride?
"What?" He asked slowly.
"I can catch up with that bus." The neighbour said confidently, pointing towards a blue car parked in his driveway.
"Really?" Silver asked skeptically. The stranger nodded.
"Yeah, but we have to leave now." He stated.
"I don't know..." Silver mused. His neighbour had just made fun of him after all. He didn't really have a choice but that didn't mean his neighbour's car was a choice he wanted to take.
"Look, you have to hurry right? Let me help you." The neighbour said with an honest smile.
And with that, the grey hedgehog went on autopilot. Silver grabbed the bag he had dropped on his porch and ran back to the neighbour's car. The blue hedgehog opened the passenger door for him as he ran over.
"T-thanks." Silver said with a small smile. The neighbour gave him a toothy grin.
"No prob, let's go."
/
"I don't think it got too far...you know the route right?" the neighbour asked as they drove out of their sub division.
"I do, it should be around here somewhere."
"Good, I don't know the buses around here but I'll keep my eyes peeled." The blue hedgehog admitted, switching gears as they passed a main intersection.
"Thanks...um..." It was at that moment that Silver realized he still didn't know the name of the neighbour who was helping him out. The blue hedgehog seemed to realize this as well because he turned to Silver mid-turn and winked.
"Sonic, I'm Sonic. I don't usually drive cute strangers around though, just so you know." The blue hedgehog teased. Silver laughed in response, trying his best to ignore the cute comment.
"I'm Silver." He finally replied, smiling genuinely.
"Should have guessed that one, huh?" Sonic asked. Silver rolled his eyes and resumed his search for the bus.
Sonic cleared his throat and slowed down as they reached a stop light.
"By the way..." He started. Silver nodded but continued looking for the bus. It was only at the following red light that the blue hedgehog decided to continue.
"I hope you don't take my teasing seriously," Silver could feel his eyes on him and it didn't help that they were stuck at a light. Turning back to Sonic slowly, the hedgehog was surprised to see his cocky neighbour looking extremely uncomfortable. Almost bashful.
"Before I moved here I didn't have a lot of friends. Now that I'm here, I'm starting over. My way to fill awkward conversations is to poke fun." He said honestly.
"When my parents met yours the other day, I was so excited to meet someone my age. they said you were busy though, and I could see you with your friend in your treehouse - which looked really cool by the way."
"Sorry about that, I have the tendency to block everything else out when I put my mind to something." Silver replied with an embarrassed chuckle.
"That's okay. I'm glad we got to meet now but I wanted you to know I don't mean anything by my jokes." Sonic said, giving the hedgehog a thumbs up as the light turned green.
"Thanks. They weren't that bad though. Well, maybe the "cute" one..." Silver mused, resuming his search. Had he been paying attention, he would have seen Sonic's gloved fingers tighten around the steering wheel.
"That one wasn't a joke." He muttered. Silver's jaw dropped as he turned back to his driver.
"Wait, what?" He asked. But Sonic was focussed on something else.
"There it is!"
"Huh?"
Sonic pointed ahead of them.
"Your bus!"
Silver looked ahead and watched a large grey bus turn the corner and drive down the street in front of them.
"After it!" He yelled.
"Don't worry, I'm on it." Sonic replied confidently.
Silver almost wished he hadn't said anything as the pressure of the car speeding up pushed him back into his seat.
Sonic sped in and out of lanes, ignoring the car horns that followed as he just managed to get through two yellow lights. As worried as Silver was with the hedgehog's driving, it was reassuring seeing them close in on the bus as they sped down the street.
"The bus driver has a break at the next stop, I think we can catch him there." He said, turning to Sonic to make sure the hedgehog heard him. Sonic nodded, but his eyes were focussed on the bus in front of them.
"He's pretty attractive when he's in the zone" Silver thought to himself. He would have revelled in the thought if it hadn't lead to other, more provocative ones.
"S-stop there, I can catch it!" He stuttered, shaking his head and pointing at the space just behind the bus.
That seemed to shake Sonic out of his own thoughts as he pushed on the breaks and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry about that, I kind of get lost in the moment when it comes to this kind of thing." He explained, pulling up behind the bus.
"Thanks Sonic," Silver replied, pulling off his seatbelt and grabbing his bag. "I would have missed my interview if it wasn't for you."
"No sweat, I'm sure you'll nail it." Sonic said with a smile, putting the car into park.
They stared at each other for what felt like forever before the sound of the bus engine in front of them pulled them out of the moment.
"Y-you better get going." Sonic said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at his rear view mirror.
"Y-yeah, thanks again." Silver replied as he slipped out. Running to the bus, he stepped in with a red glow over his cheeks. The bus driver watched him placed his ticket in and waved him off. That almost set Silver off for the second time that morning.
"Hey! Why didn't you arrive on schedule? We aren't all expecting you to show up early."
The driver shrugged and turned back to the road.
"Come earlier then." He said nonchalantly.
Holding back a handful of insults, Silver stomped to the back of the bus and took a seat. He had been through too much to get mad now. Looking out the dusty window, he watched Sonic's car drive beside the bus until the next light. He saw the blue hedgehog wave before turning off the main road.
Smiling as he returned the gesture, he thought about the morning he'd had with his new neighbour.
"He's not so bad...and he's cute too." He muttered, turning back to pull his resume out of his bag.
"I hope his efforts don't go to waste." He said with a sigh, looking everything over to make sure it made sense.
/
"I got the job, Blaze!" Silver yelled into his house phone as he made himself a sandwich.
"I knew you would! I'm really proud of you." Blaze replied.
"You were right, I'm really glad I took your advice." Silver admitted. He could hear Blaze chuckling on the other line.
"I'm glad you did too. Do you know when you start?" The violet cat asked.
"Next week," Silver replied as he spread mustard on his ham and cheese sandwich. "But I'll have training before I actually start working."
"I see, that should be exciting." Blaze mused.
"Well, I think I've had enough excitement this summer." Silver admitted, taking a bite out of the sandwich he'd made.
"What do you mean? I thought you wanted this job to-"
The sound of his friend speaking was cut off by his doorbell going off twice in rapid concession.
"One sec, Blaze." Silver said, leaving the phone beside his sandwich as he headed to the front of his house.
"I've got it, Ma." He yelled as he heard his mother's footsteps upstairs.
It was a Saturday afternoon, so Silver had no idea who had stopped by.
"It better not be those Babylon birds again. Seriously, I'm not joining their little group." He muttered to himself as he looked out.
"Hey, neighbour." The visitor said as he opened the door. Silver could practically hear the hedgehog smirking.
"Hey, neighbour..." he replied slowly, giving the individual a once over with half lidded eyes.
"Woah, I just came to ask for a cup of sugar." Sonic replied, his eyes widening as he took a step back.
A scarlet blush erupted on Silver's cheeks.
"S-sorry! I was just trying to-"
"Haha! Got you again! You make it too easy, I swear." Sonic said with a laugh. Silver groaned.
"Seriously? You came by just to tease me again? I kinda thought we were past that stage." The grey hedgehog admitted. His neighbour shook his head.
"I told you not to take it so seriously. I only tease people I really like."
"So you really like me?" Silver asked, trying to hide any hope in his voice.
Sonic seemed to pick up on it though, as he began to blush and look away.
"Y-yeah, I guess." He said bashfully. Silver only responded with a wide smile. Before the silence could get awkward, Sonic cleared his throat.
"B-but anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a ride and maybe a drive-in movie. I have the rest of the day off and my parents let me borrow the car so..."
Silver's eyes widened.
"Sure!" He said quickly. "Let me just get myself together..."
"Please, come in." He added as he ran to the kitchen. Sonic stepped in and smiled.
"Gotta go Blaze, I have a date." Silver whispered into the phone before hanging up.
"Wait, what?" The violet cat barely got out before the line was cut.
Taking another bite of his sandwich before grabbing his bag from the kitchen table, Silver ran back to the front door and followed Sonic out.
"No reckless driving today, okay?" Silver teased, opening the passenger side door. Sonic rolled his eyes.
"Oh please, you were loving it."
"Was not!"
"You totally were. Don't think I didn't see you staring at me." Sonic replied, turning the key in the ignition.
"Really? Well I don't think you saw this coming." Silver replied with a shrug. Sonic turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"Saw what com-" he was halfway through his question when the grey hedgehog lifted his chin and kissed him on the lips. It lasted about a second, but it was long enough to make Sonic forget all about teasing Silver.
"That coming." Silver said with a smirk, leaning back in his seat as Sonic fiddled with his car keys (which in itself was a spectacle to watch).
A comfortable silence fell over the two of them as they drove off. Silver tried to ignore the buzzing noise his phone was making which he could only attribute to his feline friend trying to make sense of what he'd told her.
"She was right though..." He thought to himself. "I guess I do go after what I want."
Turning to Sonic, he couldn't help by smile at the blush that had overtaken his neighbour's peach coloured cheeks.
"And I guess I tend to get it too..."
/
Hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you thought of it!
-GeminiMercedes-