For Silver, his work was his life. He worked from eight to five Monday through Friday, and spent the weekend healing from the cuts and ice burns and sore muscles that accompanied the demanding career of an ice skating instructor.
Silver had a reputation for being an avid supporter of ice skating all through grade school, and now his passion for the activity seemed to have been made aware to every soul in the small city of Cherrygrove.
Every day, Silver taught people how to skate. And every day, he got a little closer to being happy.
Or so he told himself. Back when Silver had his father, he'd had nothing to worry about. He would graduate, maybe go to college, work for Team Rocket. Simple. But ever since Team Rocket had disbanded and Giovanni disappeared, his life had been anything but.
He'd saved enough money to buy a tiny house with two stories, a style he'd always been fond of. It'd been tough at first, adjusting to life as a poor unemployed orphan, and Silver found himself shutting down anyone who tried to help. He'd never been one for pity, whether he was giving or receiving it, and now was no exception.
I'm happier now than I was with Giovanni, Silver thought once. He didn't think it were possible that he'd be more content with having less. But he was, and he didn't regret a thing he'd done since.
Silver was fifteen minutes late, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
It was the last day of the school year, and Silver wanted to enjoy his freedom as long as possible. School ending meant a ton more of kids would be coming to receive skating instruction from himself and his boss, and every year Silver felt less and less ready for the endless stream of mild scrapes, crying and phone calls to parents.
With school being in session, Silver had few enough lessons that he knew he his entire schedule by heart. The first customer of the day never arrived before nine, giving him another forty or so minutes before he had to be at the ice rink in the mall. Besides, it was a beautiful day, so why not enjoy it?
The weather was the best it's been in a long time, hot but with the occasional satisfying breeze. Silver had decided to take a detour through a nice neighborhood today instead of traveling the short way through the city like he usually did. The change in routine felt fresh and reviving, and Silver could tell his Sneasel was enjoying it too from the was it was purring on his shoulder.
This neighborhood really is fancy, Silver thought, absently looking at the expensive homes around him. There were apricorn trees of all colors in well-maintained flowerbeds. The mailboxes were all the fancy kind, the ones with brick and multiple colors and the red plasic flags whose color never seemed to fade. Even the sun seemed to shine brighter on this side of town, but that might have just been a trick if the light that reflected off the metallic rooftops popular in the Johnto Region.
Whatever it was, Silver didn't like this side of the city as much as the side he resided in. He liked the way no two houses looked the same, and the creativity and originality that came with every person buying only what they could afford. The cost-cutting lead to new additions being added to houses all the time, and the patchwork roofs and sides made Silver feel like he was permanently living in a cozy old woman's house.
Silver was now approaching a construction site for a new home. Workers were carrying materials to and from the house's framework and a wood pile, glancing over at Silver as he walked on the other side of the street. Eye contact was exchanged. Nobody smiled.
Silver noticed one figure at the top of the house, the only person not working on transferring wood. His hair looked like an explosion of ink had frozen in place, and his Aipom had wrapped itself around shoulders, looking content.
The guy seemed to notice Silver as well, moving his head to follow him as he walked to the end of the road. Silver suddenly felt self-conscious, quickening his pace in a way he hoped wasn't too obvious.
Silver could see the mall over the tops of the trees, and decided to take a shortcut through the thicker ones to get there a bit faster. He still had plenty of time, but the guy had unnerved Silver enough that he just wanted to go ahead and start the day.
As Silver turned, spotting a sidewalk, he ran straight into someone tall and muscular.
"Sorry..." Silver would have said more, but when he looked up, he noticed that it wasn't just some random guy. It was the guy from the construction site, up close and personal. Somewhere in the back of his mind Silver noted the odd golden shade of his eyes as the glinted in the sun.
"It's no problem! If anything, I should apologize for following you," The stranger grinned, and Silver thought it was one of the nicest smiles he'd ever seen. Everything about the guy seemed fun and energetic, from his spiky hair to his one adorable dimple, and the way he always seemed to be bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"I'm Gold." He stuck out his hand.
Silver took it, eyebrows still scrunched together but deep frown residing. "Silver."
Gold's smile grew impossibly wider. "Now we have to be friends, our names match! Besides, I can tell we'll get along great."
Silver couldn't think of anything to say, but he got the impression that with Gold it wouldn't matter.
"So, where're you headed, Silv?" Gold asked, grabbing Silver's arm and leading him down the sidewalk. Silver heart was beating fast, due to surprise at the sudden absence of personal space. However, he wasn't completely opposed. In fact, he wasn't opposed at all. Physical touch felt nice after going such a long time without it.
"Mall."
"Not much of a talker, huh? That's okay. I can talk enough for both of us if I need to."
Despite Gold's words, the conversation died, and Gold and Silver fell into a comfortable silence for the trip uphill to the mall entrance. Silver was greatly aware of Gold's arm intertwined with his, and the tool belt that tapped against his waist, and wondered how disappointed he'd be when he had to let go.
He found out sooner than he'd have liked, when they reached the door and Gold stopped to hold the door open for Silver. He leaned on it with crossed arms and a smile, somehow making glass and metal seem soft and comfortable.
"So, wanna have lunch? You get off at twelve? Is Chinese good?" Gold's questioning didn't make Silver nervous like other's did. Silver felt calm with Gold, even though they'd just met not fifteen minutes ago.
"Lunch is good, I get off at twelve, and Chinese is fine," Silver replied evenly, making eye contact the whole time and feeling proud of himself after.
Gold's mood shifted obviously, and his already happy smile brightened considerably.
"I knew you'd warm up to me!" He said teasingly. "I'll see you at lunch, bye!"
Gold began jogging back, not waiting for Silver's reply. Silver was left staring at the treeline he'd disappeared into, wondering how he'd just made a friend with two sentences.
"Who's that, hm?"
Silver startled, spinning on his heel, glaring at his boss, the guy everyone just called "the Old Man".
"No one. I just met him this morning."
"He's obviously not no one, oh-ho. You're meeting him again."
"How long were you spying?!"
"I wasn't! You just looked very happy with him. You looked like how I feel when I'm with my wife..." The Old Man trailed off, smiling, and Silver hurried past him, hiding his completely red face.
The rest of the morning had gone by fast, and Silver soon found himself seated with Gold in a small booth at the mall's Chinese restaurant.
They were sat opposite each other, but Gold seemed to have an odd habit of resting his feet and legs on top of Silver's. It felt intimate to Aoover, like something only couples would do. And yet, Gold made it feel like the most friendly thing to do in the entire world.
"So, how was work?" Gold asked around a mouthful of chicken.
Silver swallowed before responding. "Fine. It's Friday, those are always good."
Gold hummed in agreement, and Silver hoped he wasn't being too boring. He could tell he and Gold would get along great, but he also knew that it would take some time for him to feel comfortable enough to open up to Gold. He just hoped he could get to that point before Gold got bored and left him for someone he could actually have a conversation with.
"Y'know, I didn't expect this to be so easy," Gold stated nonchalantly, spearing a price of broccoli and spinning his fork between his fingers. At Silver's questioning glance, he elaborated.
"Hanging out, I mean," he looked up at Silver, still holding his broccoli, and gave a warm smile. "I'll admit, I thought it'd be super awkward and all that , cause you don't say much. But it works! It's like...silent communication or something..."
Gold seemed to have lost track of where his sentence was supposed too go. In the short time Silver had known him, he had managed to pick up on that.
40 minutes passed this way, with light conversation and some smiles and occasional laughter. Silver decided he wanted to keep seeing Gold. The black haired boy made Silver feel like a normal kid with normal friends and a normal life. When Silver had to head back to the ice rink, he had never felt to tempted to ignore his responsibilities.
"I guess you have to leave now, huh...I do too, but I'd rather stay here..." Gold was staring into Silver's eyes again, and Silver tried his hardest not to blush. "Well, I have to go to, so there's no way of that happening. But maybe we can hang out again tomorrow?" He smiled at Silver in what Silver thought might have been a hopeful way. Silver nodded and smiled back.
"See you tomorrow, then."
"Great! Tomorrow it is. See ya, Silv!"
Silver turned and began walking back to the rink before letting himself break into a huge grin. He had no idea why Gold called him Silv, but it made him ridiculously happy.
The weather was just as nice when he left work as it was when he came, and Silver smiled slightly when the warm sunlight hit his face, melting away the coldness in his nose and cheeks.
Silver took the direct way home instead of the shortcut from that morning. he was exhausted but physically and emotionally, from skating and from his lunch with Gold.
As he slid the key into the door, he thought about how shabby the flowerbed looked. Everything had died last winter, and Silver hadn't bothered to replace the plants.
Now that the weather's nice, maybe I should try to put in some daffodils or something..." Silver's garden thoughts didn't get far. He opened his door to reveal a spotlessly clean apartment, where the rug had been smoothed, sticky notes had been aligned, and the dead leaves picked off the potted plant in his living room.
"Blue! I know you're still here," Silver looked around, sure she'd still be around. It'd be pointless for her to leave before he got there.
"Oh, hi, Yellow..." The blonde was lounged comfortably on his armchair, sketching quietly.
"Hey, Silver! Blue's over there." She didn't say where, but Silver wasn't left wondering for long.
"Hey, Silvy, I'm in the kitchen!" Blue popped her head around the corner, and Silver smiled as he walked over to the bar.
"Don't call me Silvy," He said. It was meant to sound angry, but he was so happy to see her that he couldn't contain his smile.
"Get over here," She said, setting down the knife she'd been cutting up berries with.
Silver slid down from his stool and jogged over to give blue a hug. Blue hugs were the best because she genuinely cares for people. Silver would never hug anyone else like this, wouldn't hang on to them like a lifeline, wouldn't really mean it. But Blue was special to him, and he knew he was special to her, and that's why their relationship worked.
"I missed you a lot," She said, and Silver didn't look but he thought maybe she was crying. "You're all grown up now."
"No, I'm definitely not," Silver said, breaking the hug. "At least I hope not, because this height is pitiful." He smiled when she laughed.
"No, I think you're done," Blue said, turning back to her cooking. Silver leaned onto the counter with crossed arms, and it crossed his mind what a good day it'd been. Blue was his favorite person, and Gold was quickly climbing the ladder of people he actually liked.
"I'm sure you noticed, but I cleaned the house a little bit," Blue said, turning the knob on the stove.
"Yeah, I saw. The house wasn't even messy though! I take good care of it," Silver replied, and suddenly felt a little deja vu in the way he felt like a little kid again, with Blue as his mom.
Blue hummed in agreement.
"You're good at keeping things clean, but not so much at keeping them tidy. Your organizational skills are seriously lacking," She teased.
Silver huffed. "Whatever," He said with an eye roll. He didn't mean it, though. He never got mad at Blue.
Blue set the pot onto the stove and set the timer before gesturing to the living room. Silver sat on the floor, leaning his head back onto the tiny couch and closing his eyes. Blue sat cross-legged on the couch, as if it were hers and not his. Silver didn't really care, because he would gladly share anything he owned with Blue. But it still felt odd.
"So, how's work? I saw the skates, I'm guessing you don't do that for fun." Blue started running her fingers through Silver's hair, like he imagined she'd done to Yellow at a sleepover at some point.
"It's fine, I guess. I don't love it, but I love skating and it pays the bills, so I'm good with it." Silver could hear the scratching of Yellow's pencil and kind of wanted to see what she was drawing, but didn't feel like opening his eyes. He could feel that Blue had started braiding his hair, and he didn't stop her. Her gentleness felt nice, and he didn't care about gender stereotypes.
"You're so thin," Blue commented, and Silver could tell from her tone that if he lied to her about the next subject she'd be majorly pissed.
"Have you been eating enough?"
Silver internally groaned. Blue's mother-like protectiveness always ended in her getting her way. "I mean...I eat," he said in what he hoped was a confident way. no such luck.
"Uh huh. I know you. That means you barely eat at all. I thought so when I looked in your fridge, it's practically empty."
"That's not true, I know for sure there was half an apple in there!" Silver said indignantly.
"Half an apple is not a meal! What did you even eat today?" She said angrily.
"Um...no breakfast...Chinese for lunch," He responded, hoping she'd drop it.
"You liar, you never go to restaurants alone, you get too scared," Blue finished the braid and tied it off, throwing it over Silver's shoulder and pulling him up to sit with her on the couch.
Silver growled quietly as Yellow giggled. He had no idea why Blue even brought her. They weren't even friends.
"I wasn't alone," Silver said. He didn't want to bring up Gold yet, but he had to prove to his sister that she could trust him to take care of himself.
That did it. Blue squealed in happiness and began the questioning. "Who?! A friend? A boyfriend? A girlfriend?" She was grinning and bouncing and Silver regretted saying anything.
"Gold, just a friend," Silver said, deciding it best to keep it simple. It seemed Blue didn't see it the same way.
"Tell me more!" Her giddiness was catching, and Silver smiled.
"He's a construction worker, for building like, houses and stuff," Silver started. Now that he was talking about Gold, he felt like he might as well get it over with and spill. "He talks a lot, and he doesn't care when I don't, which is good. He's got a lot of spiky black hair, and gold eyes, and's way taller than me." Silver had never felt so exposed, and he didn't eve know why. He chalked it up to Yellow's presence and tried to ignore it.
"That is so cute," Blue exclaimed, and Silver got the feeling that she wasn't thinking of him and Gold as friends. "Now, the important questions. Are you into him?"
Silver felt his face explode. "No! Are you crazy, I just met him! I'm not into him!"
Blue smirked and Silver knew he'd never hear the end of this.
"That blush says otherwise, Silver! Do you think he likes you back?"
"No! I don't like him, he doesn't like me. End of story!" Silver huffed.
"That's so not true! Just you wait, you'll be together by Christmas!"
Blue's timer went off, and she went to take the soup off the stove.
"Will not!" Silver called after her.
"Will too," stated Yellow in finality, not looking up from the book. Silver slumped against the couch and sighed.
There's just no way to win with these people! He thought in defeat.
It was a Monday, and Silver knew as soon as he woke up that it'd be a bad one.
After his alarm had gone off twice and he'd dragged himself out of bed, Silver looked out the window and groaned.
The weather was dreadful, rainy and freezing cold, polar opposite of the warm sunny weather typically expected of a city like Cherrygrove.
Silver trudged around his room, picking up his skates and the red and black jacket he'd discarded yesterday.
His jacket was warm from the heater he'd left it on the day before, and Silver pulled it on gratefully, thanking Arceus for foresight. On a miserable morning like this, the last thing anyone wants is to wake up to cold clothes. Silver placed into the pocket the mint chapstick Blue had left him yesterday. "You have the flakiest lips I've ever seen," She tsked.
As Silver walked down the stairs (in a considerably brighter mood), he discovered the atrocity that was his bed hair.
Can I even fix this mess? he wondered as he tried to come up with a way to brush his hair out and still be left with most of it attached to his head. The hair was so tangled that Silver wasn't sure. He ran his fingers though it carefully, finally deciding that the brush would do too much damage.
After most of the big clumps were sorted out, Silver was free to put his hair up into a bun atop his head and finally leave for the Cherrygrove Mall.
Stepping outside, Silver tsked at the way the rain on the cement steps in front of his house had begun to frost over. He had nothing against ice, but broken bones were a bit of a problem in his line of work. He clamped his hand onto the rail as he walked down, turning his mind to other matters in an attempt to block out the feeling of sleet that was attempting to embed itself in his eyes.
Silver wondered what Gold would be doing today. He would have the day off, probably, since you can't exactly build houses in the rain. Silver felt the smallest pang of jealously, wishing that he could have the day off, too. He'd spend it with Gold of course, with the golden-eyed boy being his only friend and all.
On an ordinary day, Silver could walk to the mall with minimal effort. Today, however, was anything but ordinary, and the abnormal weather was a huge setback to Silver's day. Silver couldn't see much thought the rain and his own umbrella, and soon he was relying purely on memory to get him to his job.
"That's an shitty idea, y'know."
Silver halted immediately, ready to fight someone. He looked into the window of a barely-running pickup trick.
Gold.
Silver felt his heart speed up against his will, and for a split-second he remembered Green and Yellow's reasoning behind it. He frowned. He didn't like Gold. They were friends, and besides, it would be nothing short of impossible to believe Gold might feel that way.
Silver blinked. He'd been staring.
"Are you getting in or what? Don't you worry about being late?" Gold was nagging, but grinning all the same.
Silver walked around to the passenger side door, closing his umbrella and sitting down on the patched leather seats.
"I didn't know you had a truck," Silver stated, painfully aware of what a lame conversation stater it was.
Gold didn't seem to mind, and if he did he must have decided to humor Silver's attempt at socializing.
"Yeah! People seem to think I'm a motorcycle person. I have no idea where they get that from, but whatever... It was my cousin's, by the way, he got a new one two years ago..." Gold trailed off, turning onto the street adjacent to the one he'd pick up Silver on.
"The rain's letting up..." Silver said. He wondered Why Gold had even bothered helping him out. He didn't seem like the kind of person to go around randomly helping people out, but then again, Silver had only met the guy a month ago. Besides, he didn't not seem like that kind of guy either...
"Where do you work in the mall? I mean, so I know which entry to drop you at," Gold blushed ever so slightly, redness creeping up his neck. Silver wasn't sure why he felt embarrassed, but he was willing to ignore it for him.
"You can drop me off anywhere, the ice rink's in the middle."
"You...Wait, hold up. You're an ice skater?" Gold grinned teasingly, and Silver narrowed his eyes.
"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that, I guess," Gold's eyes were back on the road, a convenient excuse not to look the pissed-off redhead in the eyes.
"I guess I don't exactly seem like the skating type..." Silver replied, letting Gold's minor insult slide. He pulled at his bangs in what he hoped was a discreet way. No such luck.
"Oh, I like your hair today! It actually suits you really well, wow! People might think you're a girl now, though, you pull it off so well..." Gold was now staring Silver in the face, grinning and completely ignoring the road, and making Silver both flustered and even more nervous than he already was.
Gold pulled into the lot, parking his truck and hopping out.
"What are you doing?" Silver asked, despite already knowing the answer. He slammed the door behind him. "I thought you were just dropping me off..?"
"I wanna go with you!" Gold exclaimed. "I've never ice skated before, you can teach me!"
Silver's eyes widened, and he backed up. "Hold on, what? When did you decide that, the last two seconds? Ice skating isn't that simple, and it hurts when you fall! How do you know you even want this?"
"First off, I think that's the most you've ever said to me," Gold listed. "And second, This'll be fun! I've roller-skated before, I'm sure it's pretty much the same thing." he began walking to the doors.
"Pretty sure it's not," Silver muttered, but he swung his skates over his shoulder and followed all the same.
"Fuck, how did you do that?" Gold said, grabbing Silver's hand and pulling himself up. He had fallen so many times that he was sure he'd have permanent bruising. His butt was wetter than a rain puddle, and he was sure he'd never be warm again.
It didn't help that Silver was so good, gliding faster than him and moving perfectly in time with his sorry moves, no matter how awful. Silver made it seem so easy, zipping around with his hair flying behind him in a pretty red wave. Gold didn't think he'd ever seen a girl with hair as nice as Silver's, but then again, he didn't pay attention to girls much.
"Look, maybe skating just isn't for you," Silver said in a consoling tone. Gold knew Silver thought he sucked, but that was okay. Gold wasn't there for the skating, he was just there for Silver. Now fully on his feet, Gold grabbed Silver's hands for balance.
"Okay..." Silver said slowly. He stood still, looking into Gold's face. "Are you balanced now?"
"Maybe?" Gold had no idea how to tell if he was balanced or not. He felt balanced...
"Good. I'm going to let go now."
Silver began to let go of Gold's hands, drawing back ever so slightly. Gold clamped back down on his fingers, not ready to fall again.
"No! Please, don't let go!"
"Um..."
Silver was about to refuse. How else would he learn? But Gold's eyes looked so pathetic that he decided it'd be cruel. He readjusted his grip, his small hands sliding comfortably into Gold's.
"Let's move this way first." Silver moved right, pulling Gold along behind him.
Gold wasn't contributing much, but to his credit, he did try. However, Gold and Silver ended up on the ground more times than Silver would've cared to admit.
"I've literally taught 5-year-olds to skate better than you," Silver said in exasperation, sitting down on the locker room bench and pulling of his skates.
"I'm sorry! I underestimated how hard it would be," Gold admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah, no kidding," Silver said, smiling at Gold, who was sat next to him, tying his tennis shoes.
"You know, I didn't actually want to learn to skate today," Gold said, scooting closer to Silver.
Silver frowned. "Then why'd you come?"
Gold shrugged. "You, mostly."
And then Gold's lips were on Silver's, rugged and gentle, and Silver couldn't think about anything but the way Gold's hair felt in his hands. And when Gold pulled away, he thought that Silver was the best thing he'd every tasted.
Silver tasted like strawberries and mint.