Series: Pokemon Special (Adventures)
Ship: Preciousmetalshipping (Gold X Silver)
Rating: Mature
Story Summary: When Gold's mother decides to go on vacation, she leaves the house in Gold's care as a way of preparing him for life as a responsible young adult. Quickly bored with the task at hand, he convinces Silver to assist him during his time alone and things take a rather interesting turn.
Another dull afternoon fell upon Gold, who was beyond surprised he had survived the practically endless succession of days that led up to this one. In his room, he glared at the ceiling as he remained motionless on his bed. An unidentified egg sat next to him and silently rested in place as he rambled on about how his life currently lacked excitement.
"You know what I mean, right?" he asked as if expecting to receive a verbal reply from the unhatched pokemon. "It just sucks ass here." He sat up for the first time in two hours and let out an exasperated sigh. "Aaaaaghh! I wish something would happen. Is that too much to ask?"
The egg gave him no response whatsoever and did absolutely nothing.
"You're right. We'll accomplish nothing if we keep sitting here." The dark-haired young man jumped from his spot as if a surge of energy had suddenly bolted through him. "Let's go watch some bad infomercials before mom hogs the TV!" He carefully picked up the egg, which was partially wrapped in an insulated blanket, and left the dimly-lit room that had contained him for an unknown amount of time.
Upon entering the main area of the house, Gold was stopped in his tracks as he noticed his mother completely absorbed in a call she had received on her PokeGear.
"That sounds fantastic, Mitzi!" she exclaimed, not even trying to hide the look on her face that was far more enthusiastic than her son's. "No, no, I can be ready in a flash. Let Olivia and Kiki know that I'll be good to go in half an hour."
Gold instantly felt as though he'd walked straight into the middle of a heated plan-in-action. His mom's friends were weird. What were they trying to do this time? It was a known fact that they could make some pretty out-of-the-blue arrangements, but nothing got his mother this eager to drop her housework and evacuate the premises on such short notice. Something big was going on and it was already decided that he was going to eavesdrop like it was part of his job-description.
"Don't worry a bit, Mitz," the stirred-up woman continued, "Gold's 18, now! He's perfectly capable of taking care of the house while I'm gone. He won't run off, either. He said he'd be helping an egg hatch all through the winter at home."
Alright, why the hell was she talking about the egg? He wasn't in this. His egghood was none of her concern!
"I'm serious. It's fine," assured the overly-confident mother. She paused, letting her friend speak before she completely wrapped up the conversation. "Alrighty! I'll see you soon! Okay. Okay. Bye!"
As soon as she brought her call to a full conclusion, she rose her head and the sight of Gold's suspicious expression startled her.
"So, we couldn't help but overhear something about you going somewhere with your weird, soccer-mom friends…" the young man blurted out like a officer who had plans to interrogate a criminal.
"First of all, don't scare me like that! And who's "we?"
"Me and the egg, mom. Don't change the subject. What's going on?" Gold wasn't having it today. He was ready to solve a full-blown mystery after spending so much time stewing in his room for who-knows-how-long.
Gold's mother paused briefly, thinking about the best way to let the young man in on her newly-developed plans. "Well," she began, Gold's listening ear now hanging on her every word, "I was… kind of invited to spend the next few months in Kalos with the girls…" She spoke in a way that implied she didn't want a negative reaction, even though she was almost certain Gold would completely flip out.
"WHAT!?" Spat the young man, his eyes widening at the news that was presented to him. He sat his egg on the nearest surface and displayed a puzzled expression to his unpredictable mother.
"Gold, it's not that bad, I promise!"
"Not that bad? There's a chance you'll be gone until the beginning of next year! You can't just ditch the entire region without inviting me!"
"Just listen," suggested the mother, motioning for her son to take a seat on the tacky, floral-print sofa that happened to be the room's main attraction. As they both sat down, she laced her fingers together and rested her hands in her lap, hoping she could get through to the young man. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that doesn't benefit just me alone. It benefits you, as well, in more ways than one."
"How the fuck am I gaining anything from staying here?" Complained the disgruntled youth.
"Gold! Language."
"Ahhhhhhgh." Gold let out a groan, reiterating his inquiry with a slight adjustment. "How the FLIP am I gaining anything from staying here?"
"It's simple," the mother replied with ease, knowing exactly what she was about to say as daydreams of foreign cities danced in her head. "For one, you'll be getting the opportunity to run the house on your own. This will prepare you for life as a responsible adult when you decide to get out there and make a living for yourself!" She tore her hands apart and gave the dark-haired egg-hatcher two solid thumbs up. "Sounds cool, right?"
Gold said nothing.
"Think about the possibilities, will you? Meals will be under your control-"
"They're already under my control," Gold interrupted. "You stopped making things I wouldn't eat when I started staying home more often, remember?"
That was true. "Well, you can go to bed whenever you want!"
"Like I do now?" Gold questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright…. You could, uh…"
"Have a house party and bust open your liquor cabinet?" If anything, Gold sure knew how to get a rise out of the woman.
"No!"
"Just kidding, just kidding!" Gold laughed, surprised his mother even took him seriously. "Red told me alcohol might make me do something I regret."
"You're going to regret opening your big mouth if you keep being profane, you little ass!" Hiding a smile- badly, of course- she gave the young man a light shove. He really was too blunt for his own good!
"He also said it tasted like hot piss on fire," Gold added.
"Gold!"
"Alright, I'm finished. Anyways, what else do I gain from staying here while you have all the fun?"
The mother pondered for a brief moment and, before she knew it, a thought popped into her mind. "Well, you can follow your own rules and do everything at your own pace- within reason, however."
Gold paused, considered her proposal, and spoke with a sudden rise in interest. "So, for example, I don't have to wash dishes every night and I can leave the toilet seat up? How about I eat peanut butter out of the jar on the couch in my underwear?"
Just great. He caught her in a corner. Gold's mother, though she deemed such activities as cringe-worthy, had to grant him the privilege to do so. "As long as you clean up all your messes before I return home, do as you'd like- just as if you were living on your own."
"Can I even invite a friend over?"
That idea didn't seem too great, either, but how else was she to convince the stubborn male? "Only one that can be trusted not to steal anything. No house-parties, though!" She couldn't stress that enough. She was his age once; parties were a set-up for disaster.
"Okay, mom. I guess we have a deal, then."
Gold's mother nearly jumped for joy at this point. Success was evident! She was going to Kalos! "Oh, Gold, thank you!" She brought her son into one of her signature hugs and she could immediately feel the embarrassment radiating off of him.
Gold was too old for this. "Okay, mom. Stop. Not in front of the egg."
"I'm sorry; I'm just so excited."
"I would have never guessed," Gold joked. His mother let him go and he dramatically brushed himself off as if he had been incapacitated for far too long. That earned him a roll of the eyes.
"Now, before I start packing," the woman began, grabbing his attention once again, "I must mention that you do not need to leave the house unattended for too long."
Oh, great. She mentions this AFTER the agreement is set in stone. "Why not!? What if I require more snacks?"
"You can carry out basic errands, Gold, but please don't run all over Johto. I heard about some recent burglaries in Goldenrod City on the news and I don't want our house to become an open target if any criminals wander this way. Get what you need, come back home, and keep your pokemon within reach."
"Mom, I've got this," replied the young man with unwavering confidence. "Plus, that kind of thing is more common there, rather than a small place like New Bark Town." Upon mentioning such, he immediately paused and recalled an incident that took place a few years back. It was when the local pokemon professor was outright robbed by a boy named Silver. Once his rival, Silver was now a close friend of his and it still amazed him to this day how fate brought them together. Silver despised him at the start and refused to let down his gaurd at all costs. However, after a long string of events and shared experiences, Gold managed to get his foot into the doorway of Silver's world. New Bark Town had been free of theft ever since then and the young man believed that he, himself, should be the one to thank for that. His one-of-a-kind friendship with Silver could also take credit.
With that being known, his mother had nothing to worry about! Everything was completely under control.
"It's still good to be cautious," stated the mother, putting Gold's thoughts on hold. "Anyways, I'm about to go pack until my suitcase looks like it ate nothing but doughnuts for the past decade." She stood up and smoothed the long skirt she was sporting. "Let me know if anyone knocks on the door, alright?"
Gold nodded. "Righty-o, Momster." Then, she was gone.
Silence was introduced to the room and, without warning, his mind drifted back to Silver, whom he had not seen in a grand total of one week and three days.
What was he up to?
Where was he?
Although it was safe to say that Silver was most likely his closest friend in comparison to the others, Gold still couldn't help but wonder about him sometimes. He knew he had come a long way getting to know the young man over time, but he also knew there was far more to him than he was able to see.
Would there ever come a time where they could fill in the missing gaps?
Gold made it a future goal to know all he could about Silver and, though he wasn't sure why he wanted to do such a thing, he had long accepted that fact, as well as his growing interest in him. Was it Silver's naturally intriguing nature that caught his attention most or was it much more? Gold asked himself that a lot, but never really could pinpoint what drew him to Silver specifically.
Maybe he had to be patient and figure it out later. Everything was sure to make sense eventually; there was no doubt about it. Until then, Gold figured he'd just have to pass the time and take what he could get as it comes. It would do no good to dwell on unanswered questions when there was a perfect good, unoccupied television in front of him.
"Say, Eggy, you didn't think I had forgotten about those infomercials I was talking about, did you?" Gold asked out loud to the incoherent egg that was sitting on the coffee table. "Let's see what kind of crap those idiotic people are advertising today."
Snatching the universal controller up from where it sat on the cushion beside him, Gold quickly turned on the TV and began browsing through various channels. He was about to settle on one when a knocking sound could be heard over anything else in the room. Oh, great. Was he going to have to get up and open the door for someone?
"We're not home!" yelled the hatcher without an ounce of shame. Not even a minute after that, his mother appeared, pulling a bulky, rolling suitcase behind her as she scurried to the sound's source.
Gold remembered her request from earlier and decided to quickly fulfill it. "Oh, hey, mom. Someone's knocking on the door."
"Yeah. Too late to tell me, now, smartass," the mother joked, taking no time to open said door and reveal the face of her childhood friend- the one she was speaking with previously on her communication device. "Mitzi! It's so nice to see you!"
The woman smiled and gave Gold's mother a friendly embrace. "Oh, you, too! Are you ready?"
"I sure am!"
"Great," replied Mitzi, presenting an empty hand. "I'll handle your bag for you. The van we're traveling in is a little cramped, but I know just where to fit it so we can hurry up and get on that ship!" She took hold of the luggage and quickly glanced into the house. "Hi there, kiddo!"
Surely she wasn't talking to Gold. "I don't know who you're addressing. There aren't any kids here, as you can tell by my manly features."
"Gold! Be nice!" Snapped his mother, looking back at him with a frown.
Gold sighed. "Hi, Mrs. Mitzi," he mumbled with a blatant lack of interest. He received a giggle from her in return, which was to be expected because that woman was always ridiculously jovial.
"That's a little better... I guess." Gold's mother narrowed her eyes at him, only to have him stick his tongue out at her as Mitzi stepped away to carry out her promise. "Now, you have my number in your PokeGear. Call me if you need anything at all. If things get really bad, you know where your grandparents are."
"Mom. I'm pretty much an adult. I'm good." It was true; he could handle anything. Seriously!
"You know me; I have to make sure of everything."
Gold snorted. "I know. It's annoying."
"Oh, shut up." The mother stepped over to her son and brought him into yet another one of her lung-crushing hugs. "Be safe, okay? I'll keep in touch until I'm on my way back."
"Yeah, yeah," Gold managed to say, being freed right before he could feel his face turning blue. "You be safe, too, mom. I'll be here." He gave her a crooked smile- an oddly sincere one, at that- as she ambled toward the door in an almost nervous fashion.
"Well, I guess this is it. Bye, honey. I love you!"
"Bye, mom." The hatcher waved, a nonchalant look on his face suggesting that nothing out of the ordinary would occur in her absence. "Right back at 'ya."