A/N: Posting this in parts. I'll try to update every other day at least. :3
Characters/Pairings: Green-centric, various implied (Green/Silver this part)
Disclaimer: Pokemon is property of Nintendo. No copyright infringement intended.
Five Jobs Green Never Had (and One He Did)
1. Police Officer
Sure, he has a reputation for being tough, but Green knows that's not why they called him in. It might be grunt work, but the detectives don't like sharing any more credit than necessary. Still, they know he gets them to talk.
He's young. He's the fastest rising officer in the force and he's young, but that's why the detectives don't like him, don't trust him. (He convinces himself that it has nothing to do with the fact he's prickly and can be a smartass sometimes.)
But he's young and they're young. He knows how to be charming and easy and accessible. He gets them to talk.
"So, why'd you do it?" Green asks smoothly, setting a cup of coffee in front of the boy. His partner, Eevee, is sitting quietly by the foot of the boy's chair. The redhead stares down angrily at the Styrofoam cup before turning that glare up at him. His body language is hostile, arms crossed, the rest of his skinny body stiff with pent-up rage. Green can all but hear the boy grit his teeth.
"Silver," he says, recalling the name on the boy's trainer card. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's up to you. You can tell me, or you can tell them." Green makes a sweeping gesture to the glass window on their right that the detectives are behind. "I can assure you," he adds with smile, "it'll be easier to tell me."
Silver is still glaring at him, but he's not as stiff anymore and has uncrossed his arms.
He tries again. "Why'd you do it?"
There's a long, uncomfortable pause, and Green is about ready to change tactics when Silver mumbles.
"It wasn't about the money."
Green raises an eyebrow. It'd been pretty easy to see that it wasn't about the money. Sure, the Totodile Silver stole had been rare, but there were far more valuable Pokémon he could've targeted if that were the goal. And even an idiot stealing a Pokémon for money would've tried to get rid of it as quickly as possible, but Silver still had the critter on him.
"It wasn't about the money," he states again, more confidently. "So if that's what that damn professor wants -" Silver slams his hand against the table and stands up, "- then he can have all the damn money in the world." Silver starts pulling something out of his pocket, and Green is ready to stand up and subdue him in case it's a weapon, but he finds himself staring at a face full of green paper fluttering down through the air.
So it definitely wasn't about the money.
Green sighs and folds his hands on the table, ignoring the cash scattered around him and the floor. Silver's not looking at him anymore, reverting back to crossed arms and hostile body language.
"Then why did you do it," he prods a little more gently.
Silver's eyes flash at him, and for a moment, Green thinks he's going to burst into another tirade, but instead Silver softly says, "Do you understand what it's like to always get what you want -" Green is about to answer that getting everything you want is probably a stupid reason to steal something. "- but then have it all touched - corrupted - by something you hate?"
Green closes his mouth and listens closely to what Silver is explaining.
"It wasn't about the Pokémon. I don't even care about the weak little thing -" Green almost protests that it wasn't nice to call a Pokémon he'd stolen weak. "- but I just wanted something that was mine. Something that wasn't tainted by him. By them," Silver finishes viciously.
Green doesn't really understand who "him" or "them" are, but a nagging little voice in the back of his head reminds him, isn't that why you decided to become a police officer? because anything to do with Pokémon will always be related to him and you wanted something for yourself? aren't you just as selfish as he is, even though you sneakily went about it the "right" way?
Across the table, Silver is certainly not shaking and most definitely not sobbing quietly, fist tightly clenched.
Before he can stop himself, Green reaches across the table and calmly places a hand over Silver's fist, rubbing it soothingly. Watery eyes look up at him with an ounce of trust. He manages to stop short of pulling the boy into a hug. Eevee, though, has climbed onto the table and is comfortingly nudging Silver's arm with its head.
Maybe it's because Silver's young. Maybe it's because he's still young. But even if the rest of the world will judge him harshly, Green can't help but be sympathetic. And if it comes down to it, he'll fight for the boy because he knows it's right. Because in the end, he and Silver are the same.
"I understand," he says, and means it, even if nobody else ever does.
to follow...