Gold had always known that tasers hurt. Even if he hadn't seen the effects they had on Silver, he'd seen Sheriff Jim take down enough criminals to know how quickly they render your entire body useless. But seeing it and feeling it were two very different things. All he could do was hang limp as the Rockets dragged him over to the table and tied him up, and now he and Silver were in probably the worst predicament they could possibly be in.
Gold's head was still spinning from the electricity scrambling his brain, but he managed to hear Silver call out, "Run!"
He knew there was no way Silver was talking to him, so he raised his head as much as he could and saw a flash of blue as Houndour took off into the laundry room and out of the doggy door. No doubt Silver was hoping that the Pokemon might be able to bring back some help, but it was highly unlikely. It was late in the evening, in the dead of winter, which meant the Indigo Plateau was probably empty. No. They were on their own.
From beside him, Gold saw one of the Rockets move, and when the man's face came into focus, Gold recognized him as the blue-eyed Rocket who had shown up every time. Another Rocket moved along with him, and he was another familiar face. Gold had thought the man who hit on him in the coffee shop was a creep, but he never suspected he was a Rocket. Blue-Eyes had done some serious planning this time, that was for sure.
Gold's chest clenched tightly when the brown-haired Rocket drew a pistol from a holster on his hip and pointed it directly at Silver's head. At the same time, another Rocket, who was still standing near Gold, pointed his own pistol at Gold's head.
With everything seemingly set up the way he wanted, Blue-Eyes finally said, "Here's the deal. Either one of you tries anything, we shoot the other one. I told you last time, Silver. I'm done playing games."
Silver's eyes flared, and Gold saw his hands twitch as if he wanted to start pulling at the cuffs. But he held himself, and Gold knew it wasn't because he was afraid for his own life. Blue-Eyes then turned to a Rocket Gold couldn't see and nodded. With how they had him tied, Gold could see nothing that was going on behind him, but when he caught a glimpse of Silver's face, he knew whatever they were preparing was not pleasant.
Blue-Eyes took a step closer to Silver, smirked, and said, "And what's about to happen now, is just so that you know how serious I am. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. I've given you plenty of chances to avoid this."
Gold heard a click followed by a sound he hadn't heard since the night he and Silver met up again. He'd heard it when he kicked down the warehouse door and caught the Rockets torturing Silver. It was the blowtorch that had left the scar in the middle of Silver's chest. Gold's heart pounded in his ears, and, despite not wanting to succumb to the Rocket's threats, he couldn't stop the fear that welled up in those moments. He'd gotten worse from Anthony, he knew that, but he also knew this was going to hurt... a lot.
As the torch drew closer, Gold heard Silver start to desperately shout, "Stop! Don't you fucking touch him!"
But the Rocket didn't stop, as Gold knew he wouldn't. The searing, gut-wrenching pain started at Gold's right shoulder. It was so sudden, and so overwhelming that Gold didn't even have time to think about trying to hold back his screams. Not that he thought he could have even if he tried. The Rocket only focused on that one spot for a second, though, and he started moving the torch down Gold's arm in a straight line. On top of the pain, Gold could smell his flesh cooking, which made his stomach turn. After burning a four-inch line down Gold's arm, the Rocket pulled the torch away, and Gold was able to catch his breath. He couldn't remember ever having screamed that much, not even when Anthony broke his arm. Still, though, that single burn was nothing compared to the months of constant torment his ex had put him through, so he gritted his teeth and refused to let this pain get to him.
He turned his head so that he could look at Silver again, and the expression on the redhead's face nearly made tears well in Gold's eyes. He'd expected to see Silver glaring at Blue-Eyes, cursing him, and acting like the same hot-headed man he'd always known Silver to be. But, in that moment, Silver resembled a beat dog. His hands shook wildly, his eyes were misted over, and his fists were clenched so tightly Gold could see them turning more white than normal.
Blue-Eyes seemed to notice it, too, as he said, "Get the picture now?"
Silver didn't give a response, verbal or otherwise, but just by his body language, Blue-Eyes received his answer. He moved even closer to Silver after that, and bent slightly over him as he said, "Now you're gonna start talking, Silver. I want the code to the vault right now."
He leaned in even closer so that his lips were right next to Silver's ear, and he started whispering something. Gold couldn't hear a single word of it, but all of the color that still remained in Silver's face was drained in an instant. His previously worried expression turned to pure, unfiltered dread, and Gold could swear he saw the redhead gag slightly.
After that, Blue-Eyes pulled back, he looked down at Silver and he asked, "Do you want that to happen?"
Without hesitation, Silver blurted out, "No!"
That desperate tone in Silver's voice, Gold had never heard anything like it from him before. Whatever Blue-Eyes had just said, not only did it seem to have terrified Silver, but Gold quickly found that it completely broke him.
"863-497-632-58," Silver said flatly.
The code. Gold had never heard it before, but he knew that was what it was. Silver was giving it up, virtually without a fight. He'd risked his life to keep the vault safe multiple times but now, after Blue-Eyes had whispered in his ear, he was suddenly throwing it all away. Gold knew Silver well, so he knew he was not the type to give up easily. What impossibly cruel, unspeakable thing could Blue-Eyes have threatened Silver with to draw out this kind of reaction?
A disgustingly pleased expression appeared on Blue-Eyes' face, and he turned to one of the unseen followers as he asked, "Did one of you get that?"
Before any of them could answer, Silver went on, "That's not all. After you enter that code, you have to push the green button and then immediately enter another code. If you don't, the security system will activate, and the entire place will go up in flames."
Blue-Eyes scoffed. "Of course Giovanni would put something like that in the vault. Well, spit out the code, then."
Finally, Gold managed to find his voice, and he said, weakly, "Silver, don't."
Silver's eyes met his, and he knew, even though no words were spoken, exactly what Silver was thinking. There was no point in trying to talk him out of this. He'd made his choice.
"#945," Silver mumbled.
Blue-Eyes turned again to look at the Rockets standing behind Gold, and after he seemed satisfied that the information was recorded, he turned back to Silver. The Rocket crossed his arms over his chest and sneered, "Now, was that really so difficult?"
Silver kept his eyes averted and said, "Just let him go."
Finally, after taunting Silver all this time, Blue-Eyes turned to Gold and asked, "Where's the key to the cuffs, Lover Boy?"
The fact that Gold had once asked Blue-Eyes almost that exact same question was not lost on him. It was absolutely stomach-turning how badly the roles had flipped since that night Gold ran Blue-Eyes off with a shotgun.
Gold's voice shook when he said, "In my left pocket."
After Blue-Eyes fished the key out of Gold's pocket, he turned to the other Rockets and said, "Cut him loose."
One of the Rockets drew a box cutter from his pants pocket and cut through the thin strings binding Gold to the table. Still unable to move well, Gold slid off the table and plopped onto his butt on the floor. Gold heard the clicking sounds of the cuffs unlocking and sliding open, and he turned in time to see Silver shove Blue-Eyes to the side and approach. Silver knelt down next to Gold, took him by the sides of his head, and gently pressed their foreheads together.
In a strained mumble, Silver said, "I'm sorry."
Gold felt a knot form in his throat at Silver's pitiful tone. Gold knew, since the moment Silver had stepped between him and that rifle, that Silver had been terrified of this very thing happening. Gold hadn't thought about it in a long time, but he could hear Silver's words as if he were speaking them right now.
"Now they know... that they can get to me through you."
It was one of those moments that Gold hadn't thought much of at the time, but now that he looked back he realized how important it was. That was the first time Silver had inadvertently admitted that he felt something for Gold, something besides just simple friendship. But that moment was forever tainted now that the fears associated with it had come true in the worst possible way. Silver was going to blame himself for this, beat himself up over it, and hate himself because of it. And Gold absolutely couldn't stand it.
The sound of a gun cocking grabbed the attention of both Gold and Silver, and when Gold looked past Silver, he saw Blue-Eyes standing there, pointing a grey 45 magnum at the back of Silver's head.
Blue-Eyes smirked and said, "Isn't that sweet? Now get the fuck up, you two are coming with us."
What? Gold hadn't expected the Rockets to leave without at least taunting them one more time, but what reason could they possibly have for dragging them along to the vault? Gold's chest was starting to boil with anger when he said, "You have the damn code! What more do you want!?"
Blue-Eyes moved the gun slightly forward so that it was pressing directly against Silver's scalp. Like he always did, Silver remained unaffected by the presence of the weapon. Gold, however, was shaking from head to toe. Silver had given them the code, which meant their only reason for not shooting him up until now was null and void.
To Gold's surprise, Silver didn't attempt to argue and gripped Gold's wrist tightly. He draped Gold's arm over his shoulders and hoisted him up. Gold's legs shook, but he was at least able to hold most of his own weight as Silver helped him walk toward the front door. On the way out, Silver snatched Gold's hoodie from the coat rack and clumsily helped him put it on, for which Gold was grateful. Being outside, shirtless, in the middle of winter would not have been pleasant.
Once they were both outside, the Rockets filed out with them and closed the door. Blue-Eyes, at last, lowered his gun, but before Gold had time to be relieved, one of the other Rockets took his place, pointing a black pistol at Silver's head instead. Dammit. Why couldn't these bastards just stop waving those guns around? Silver had already given them what they wanted. Why didn't they just go?
After drawing a pokegear from his pocket, Blue-Eyes pushed some buttons on it and said, "We're gonna head off to the vault now, Silver. And Lover Boy is gonna go inside with me, just to make sure there's no funny business."
At the sound of those words, Gold felt Silver's body stiffen. Curious, Gold turned to look at Silver's face. His expression remained totally stoic, but there had to be a reason his body had wound up like that. What had the Rocket said that frightened him? Gold wasn't sure, but Silver clearly knew something he didn't. Gold watched as Silver looked around at all of the Rockets, scanning the area with a concentration that made Gold's stomach ache with nervousness. Blue-Eyes was talking on his pokegear, and the other Rockets either didn't notice Silver looking around or they didn't care. But Silver was obviously plotting something, and Gold only wished he could see inside of his head to know what it was.
Gold saw the expression on Silver's face shift as he seemed to come to a decision. Using his free hand, Silver took Gold by the chin and made him raise his head slightly. Their eyes met for only a second before Silver leaned in and kissed him. But it didn't feel good, not at all. This kiss, Gold couldn't explain it but there was a deep feeling of dread behind it, and when it broke, he immediately went to ask what Silver was doing.
But the redhead cut him off and said, softly, "I love you."
Gold's eyes grew wide as Silver released his hold on him and let him fall to the ground. In an instant, Silver turned, snatched the gun out of the hand of the Rocket standing behind him, and a gunshot echoed through the mountains as Silver fired the gun right into the man's chest. What happened next happened so fast that Gold could scarcely follow it. He saw two more Rockets fall as Silver fired in their direction. He didn't see where Silver hit them or whether or not they were dead, but the three remaining Rockets all scrambled to draw their guns. Silver aimed the pistol directly at Blue-Eyes, and Gold saw him about to squeeze the trigger when a bullet from one of the Rockets came flying right toward Silver's head. Gold's entire body seemed to turn to stone when Silver's head flung backward from the force of the bullet, and he fell, limp, to the ground right next to Gold.
For the next several seconds, Gold was certain the world stopped turning. He couldn't hear, see, or feel anything apart from what felt like a deep, heavy, painful blow to his chest. They shot him. They shot Silver... in the head. There was no mistaking it. That was where the blood was coming from. Only a moment ago Silver had kissed him, told him he loved him, and now he was lying on the ground shot in the head. No. This couldn't be happening. His dad was gone. His mom was gone. He couldn't be losing Silver too. Rapid, heavy breaths started escaping from his nose, and his hands shook more than they ever had in his life.
He reached those shaky hands out and pulled at Silver's shoulder, attempting to roll him over so he could see the wound. Silver flopped onto his back, and Gold thought he might faint at the sight of a bloody but shallow gash right below Silver's temple. The tears that had been welling in Gold's eyes for the past several seconds overflowed in an instant, and the relief nearly knocked him on his back. A graze, not a direct hit. Silver wasn't dead.
Gold had very little time to be relieved, however, as Blue-Eyes marched up to him, took him by his bicep, and started trying to drag him along. This time, though, Gold wasn't going to let them have thier way. Not after they'd just made him think Silver was dead. Gold wiggled as much as he could with his still-sore muscles, and managed to shake free of the Rocket. Blue-Eyes snarled and looked like he was about to point his gun at Gold when a loud, bellowing sound suddenly echoed from all around them.
It took Gold a second to register that what he'd heard was a roar, but the moment it clicked, he also realized it sounded very familiar. The roar was, evidently, enough that it woke the previously unconscious Silver, and the redhead started shakily trying to sit up. Gold heard the roar again, and this time it was closer, so close that Gold was certain whatever was making it was, at most, a mile away.
But he found he'd been overestimating the distance when, to his absolute bafflement, a familiar brown-furred Pokemon leapt out from behind the cabin and landed right between Gold and Silver and the remaining Rockets. Its red and grey faceplates shone under the moonlight as Entei released a third vicious roar. The three Rockets were visibly shaken and afraid of the large creature, so much so that none of them seemed able to raise their weapons. Not that they would have been able to use them anyway as Entei readied a fire ball and launched it right in their direction. All three Rockets scrambled to get out of the way, but Gold wasn't able to see what happened after that.
Before he even realized what was happening, he was being yanked to his feet by Silver, and the redhead was half-carrying him away from the cabin and toward the nearby forest. Gold's immediate thought was that he didn't want to leave Entei to fight the Rockets alone. They had guns, and he didn't want the Pokemon dying for their sake. But when he turned to make that case to Silver, the look on the redhead's face told him it would be pointless. Silver was determined to get as far away from the remaining Rockets as fast as he could, and no amount of pleading from Gold was going to stop him.
Silver carried Gold at least a mile and a half into the forest before the redhead finally seemed to run out of stamina. They reached a small clearing in the forest, and Silver brought Gold over to one of the trees before setting him down gently so that his back was leaning against the bottom of the tree. After that, Silver fell, exhausted, to his knees and started panting like he'd just run a marathon. Blood was also still dripping from the wound on his head, and Gold knew that it had to be making Silver dizzy. Reaching a hand out, Gold brushed it against Silver's cheek, right under the wound. The touch seemed to jolt Silver to attention as the redhead instantly forgot how exhausted he was and threw his arms around Gold's neck.
He pulled Gold into a tight hug and, at the same time, smothered his lips in a desperate, deep kiss that told the tale of how relieved he was. Gold pressed back against the kiss and gripped onto Silver just as tightly. They were okay. They were both okay. Despite how hopeless the situation had seemed, both of them came out of it alive. He knew he had Entei to thank for that, but, at that moment, all Gold could think about was the fact that he and Silver were alive and together, just like it was supposed to be.
Their lips came apart, but Silver didn't seem ready to leave the embrace. Instead, he leaned his own back against the tree and dragged Gold into his lap so he could keep holding him. Gold's back was pressed into Silver's chest as the redhead's arms hooked around his waist. With his body still rather limp, Gold slumped down slightly until the back of his head was resting on Silver's left shoulder.
Silver's lips came down on Gold's temple, and, now that things were calmed down, Gold was finally able to ask, "Silver, why'd you tell them? Whatever they were gonna do, I could have taken it. I-"
"I couldn't," Silver interrupted.
Shocked by the anguish in Silver's voice, Gold was stunned to silence. Silver's grip on him tightened, and the redhead said, "I couldn't take it, Gold. You don't know... You don't know what they were gonna do."
Gold knew that Silver was referring to whatever it was that Blue-Eyes had whispered to him. It was true that Gold didn't know what was said, but Silver's immediate capitulation after hearing that threat had made it obvious how much it had scared him.
"What did he say to you?" Gold asked. "The Rocket."
Silver shook his head, seemingly unwilling to answer properly. "It was just more threats."
Gold's eyebrows ran together slightly and he said, "It wasn't just any threat because you gave in immediately."
He could hear Silver becoming frustrated when he said, "Gold, don't make me say it."
"No, Silver," Gold scolded. "I have to know what suddenly made you so willing to give up the vault."
Silver raised one of his hands up to his face to cover his eyes, and Gold could feel the tension that had instantly wound up in Silver's entire body. It was obviously painful for Silver to even think about much less say, but Gold couldn't let this go. After putting himself in danger to protect that vault time and time again, Gold had to know why Silver would so quickly throw it away.
Silver's voice came out weaker than Gold had ever heard it when he said, "He told me, if I didn't give up the vault, that they were gonna pass you around like a 2-dollar whore."
Gold's stomach turned at the sound of those words, and he immediately understood why Silver had been so reluctant to tell him. Of all the things they could have threatened Silver with, making him watch as Gold was gang raped was definitely among the worst. It seemed every time Gold thought he'd seen the depths of the depravity Blue-Eyes and his crew were capable of, they would find a way to outdo themselves.
The redhead dropped his hand back down, and Gold felt a few tears drip onto his shoulder when Silver said, "Now you tell me. If the roles had been reversed, could you have just laid there and watched that?"
Could he lay there and watch a bunch of other men have their way with Silver? Hell no. He'd sooner take an acid bath. But, even so, they had another big problem to deal with now. If any of the Rockets managed to escape from Entei, they would have everything they needed to get into the vault. Gold remembered Silver telling him that there were things in that vault that, if found by the Rockets, would spell a lot of trouble for Johto and Kanto.
"But, Silver," Gold said. "Shouldn't we be doing something? You said that it would be bad if Team Rocket got their hands on the stuff in the vault. We should at least try to stop them, right?"
Silver shook his head. "They're not getting their hands on anything."
Okay, now Gold was confused. He'd heard Silver tell them the code and how to disable the security system. He turned his head to look up at Silver and asked, "What do you mean?"
Silver leaned his head back against the tree and stared up at the sky. His teeth ground together for a few seconds before he said, "I told them that 4-digit code disabled the security system, but it doesn't. It activates it."
Activates it? That meant... Gold's chest stung with guilt, his eyes fell to the dirt and his hands clenched into fists as he said, "That's why you went for the gun."
Silver offered no verbal response and simply nodded. Blue-Eyes had planned on making Gold go down into the vault with him, so Silver had inadvertently backed himself into a corner. He couldn't tell Blue-Eyes the truth and risk him getting a hold of whatever was in the vault, but he couldn't let him activate the security system either, lest he risk Gold being harmed by the fire. Now, Silver had blood on his hands and, if any of the Rockets managed to escape Entei, the vault was going to be destroyed, all because Silver had been trying to protect Gold. This was wrong, so wrong. Silver had already lost so much in his life. He shouldn't have had to sacrifice anything more.
Gold exhaled heavily and said, "Your father's legacy, everything he left for you. Silver, I'm-"
The redhead instantly cut him off, as if knowing what he was going to say, "Don't say it, Gold! I don't care about that!"
Gold shook his head and answered, "You obviously do. How many times did you risk your life trying to protect it?"
Silver scoffed. "Yeah, well that was before I had to make a literal gun-to-my-head choice!"
Silver then hugged Gold tighter with one arm while bringing the other up to press Gold's head against his chest. Gold felt Silver's cheekbone dig into the top of his head as the redhead went on, "I don't want his legacy, Gold! I don't need his damn legacy!"
Like he'd done countless times in the past, Silver turned Gold's entire body into butter when he breathed, "I need you."
A chill started from the top of Gold's head and moved down to his toes at the sound of those words. He thought he'd reached the depths of how much he could love the man currently holding him, but it seemed Silver was determined to prove him wrong. Though his muscles still ached and he wasn't able to move much, Gold forced himself to turn around so he could face Silver. His intention had been to kiss Silver, but he was halted when he caught a glimpse of the still-bleeding wound below the redhead's temple. He'd been so distracted by Entei suddenly appearing and Silver dragging him away that the moments before that had been pushed to the back of his mind.
But now they were front and center again. He remembered that harsh, stabbing feeling in his chest when he'd thought Silver was dead. He remembered how utterly and totally hopeless he'd felt, like the world had ceased to turn. He remembered how terrified he'd been in those few agonizing seconds, terrified of being left alone. And that particular memory brought with it another one: he'd almost done that very thing to Silver when he'd tried to walk off that cliff. He knew he had hurt Silver by doing that, but only now did he understand just how much. If what Silver had felt in those few seconds was anything like what he had felt when he saw Silver get shot, then Gold knew he owed Silver far more apologies than the ones he'd given him.
He raised one of his hands to try to clean some of the blood off of Silver's face, and his lips trembled when he started to say, "Silver, I'm-"
Gold was unable to finish his statement as he was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from behind him. He shakily turned around to see not only Entei approaching, but also Houndour, who bounded out from behind the large creature and lept into Silver's lap. It began enthusiastically licking his face and whining, as if it were relieved to see him unharmed.
Silver smiled at it and stroked its head as he said, "Hey. I figured you'd try to bring back help, but this... isn't exactly what I had in mind."
Houndour barked twice and jumped off of Silver's lap before spinning in a circle and smiling brightly. Silver then stood and Gold watched as he approached Entei. The legendary made no movements whatsoever, a stark contrast to their first meeting when Entei had roared in Silver's face twice.
To Gold's surprise, the first thing Silver said was, "Are you all right?"
Gold had to hold back from laughing when he saw the Entei's expression shift to one that seemed to say, "Really? Do you know who I am?"
He heard Silver chuckle lightly and the redhead answered, "Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question."
Silver then glanced over his shoulder to look at Gold. It was only for a fleeting second, but Gold could see anger come over Silver's face. He turned back to Entei and asked, "Did any of them get away?"
Entei, looking mildly disappointed, nodded.
Silver sighed heavily. "Let me guess. The one with the blue eyes?"
Entei nodded again, and Gold saw Silver cross his arms in obvious frustration. And Gold understood why. Blue-Eyes had been a constant thorn in Silver's side ever since Team Rocket found out about the vault. And after the threat Blue-Eyes had made, there was no doubt in Gold's mind that Silver wanted that Rocket dealt with more than any of the others. Entei seemed to be able to sense Silver's disappointment as well as it released a low growl and Gold saw a sympathetic expression on its face.
Silver shook his head and told Entei, "No, it's fine. You already did way more than you had to."
There was a brief pause wherein Entei shook its head before lowering it down to the grey ring on its left, front paw. Gold saw its head shift slightly to the side before it rose again and, in between its teeth, was a berry Gold recognized. It was the same kind of berry he'd left for Entei after they'd fixed its leg. Gold couldn't help but smile as the realization came over him. Entei was repaying them for helping it. He'd always heard that Pokemon remember those who help them, but he'd never imagined this would happen.
Silver seemed to recognize it too, and Gold was utterly shocked to see Silver take a step closer to Entei. The Pokemon didn't move, and Gold thought his chest might melt when he saw Silver lean his forehead against the yellow face plate on Entei's forehead, while placing his hand on Entei's neck.
Gold couldn't see Silver's face, but he could hear the deep, tear-jerking joy in his voice when he said, "Thank you."
It was a small, simple gesture, but Gold could feel how much emotion was behind it. And, evidently, Entei could too, as a low rumble came from its throat before it nuzzled Silver's head gently. After a few seconds, Silver pulled back and Entei purred happily. Silver stroked Entei's head one more time, took a step back, and said, "Take care of yourself."
Entei nodded and Gold was shocked when Entei looked past Silver and nodded again. Unsure of what else to do, Gold smiled at Entei in response. Then, after looking back at Silver one more time, Entei turned and lept back into the trees.
After Entei was out of sight, Silver turned back to Gold and Gold was pleased to see that much of the pain that had been polluting Silver's expressions had vanished. The redhead approached Gold and asked, "Can you walk yet?"
Gold had to admit that he had almost forgotten about his own injuries in light of everything that had just occurred. But now that he was remembering, he already knew the answer to Silver's question. It had taken almost all of his strength just to turn around a few moments ago, so he knew he wouldn't be walking anywhere on his own.
Slightly annoyed by this, Gold grumbled, "No. Sorry."
Silver rolled his eyes, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault."
Silver then took Gold by his left wrist and pulled him up again before heading back in the direction of the cabin. Gold's eyes were affixed to the ground the entire trip as he was still aggravated by the fact that Silver was having to carry him. On the way back, Silver drew out his pokegear and searched through his contacts.
He dialed a number Gold didn't recognize and after it rang twice, Silver said, "Hey, Dad."
After filling his father in on what happened, Silver insisted that the two of them return home rather than staying in the cabin. He couldn't bear the thought of being there, not after what had occured only a short time ago. So, after gathering a few of their things, Silver helped Gold onto Altaria's back and they flew back to Olivine. Once they arrived, Gold seemed to have regained some of his strength as he was able to shakily walk inside without needing Silver's aid. He didn't make it far, though, and plopped onto the couch, which was fine. Silver wanted to treat the burn on Gold's arm anyway.
Silver retrieved the first aid kit from the cabinet in the kitchen and when he returned to the living room, he found Gold was already stripping out of the hoodie. The burn was just as bad as the one Silver had received all those months ago, so he knew the awful pain Gold was feeling in those moments, especially with the burn being in such an inconvenient place. Every movement of his arm had to be sending waves of pain through it. Silver drew out a burn heal and a small bottle of aloe and placed the first aid kit on the end table next to the couch.
He sat down next to Gold and was opening the burn heal when Gold said, "Silver, we should get you to the hospital so they can stitch up that wound."
Silver sprayed the burn with the ointment and shook his head before asking, "You can do it, right?"
The discomfort was heavy on Gold's face when he answered, "Well, yeah, but I don't have any anesthetic or anything, so it'll hurt."
Silver shrugged his shoulders. "I've had worse."
To Silver's bafflement, Gold's voice devolved straight into intense anger when he said, "You don't think I know that!? Fucking christ, you're just as nonchalant as you always were!"
Before Silver could register the shock of being snapped at so suddenly, he saw tears welling up in Gold's eyes. As soon as they started leaking down his face, however, Gold swiped them away and Silver saw him trying desperately to hold more of them back. At first, Silver wanted to chalk it up to the situation they'd just been through with the Rockets, but Gold had seemed mostly fine on the flight home. So why would he suddenly be breaking down now? It wasn't as if being snapped at bothered Silver all that much, but if there was something else going on, he wanted to know.
While dabbing the burn with aloe, Silver asked, "What's this about, Gold?"
Gold didn't answer right away, so Silver finished what he'd been doing and returned both the burn heal and the aloe to the first aid kit before scooting closer to Gold. The shifting of the cushion beneath him seemed to grab Gold's attention, and he turned his head to look at Silver. Silver saw Gold's eyes glance in the direction of the gash beneath his temple before they averted again and Gold raised his hand to cover them.
After exhaling a heavy breath, Gold finally said, "I thought you were dead."
Silver was so surprised by Gold's words that he was unable to come up with any of his own. He'd gotten back up so quickly after passing out, that Gold being worried for him hadn't even crossed his mind. But he knew what it felt like to worry like that, so he was painfully aware of what Gold had experienced in those few moments before he woke up. Hoping to offer some comfort, Silver wrapped an arm around Gold's waist.
However, just as he had when he was in the hospital, Gold tried to squirm out of Silver's grip and said, "No! You don't get it!"
But, after hearing such a response, Silver wasn't about to let Gold go anywhere and he tightened his hold, preventing Gold from scooting away. Silver didn't know what was going through Gold's head in that moment, but he was clearly far more distressed than he had realized.
Seemingly giving up on escaping, Gold finally went on, "You hit the ground and I... Jesus fucking Christ I've never been so scared in my life. It was like everything ended in a second."
Silver knew exactly what Gold was saying. He'd felt a similar feeling when he'd thought about the possibility of Gold falling off that cliff. That was why he was the perfect person to comfort Gold in those moments, so why wasn't Gold letting him?
Gold answered the question for him when he said, "And I put you through that when I tried to walk off that cliff."
Silver's eyes grew wider and his heart beat just a little bit faster. Gold was feeling guilty? Of all the things he should have been feeling in those moments, guilt was not one of them. They'd just been through something awful, and Miranda's death was still fresh as well. Fear. Sadness. Anger. Any of those things Silver would have understood, but guilt? No. He wasn't going to let Gold feel that on top of everything else.
Before he could say anything, though, Gold said, "I knew... I knew I'd hurt you, but I didn't understand just how much. Silver, I'm-"
No. He knew what Gold was going to say and he didn't want to hear it. Gold had apologized more than enough for what happened after the Pokemon League. He didn't need to focus on it anymore. So, to stop him, Silver took his chin, made him turn his head, and closed their lips together quickly. At first, Gold tried to pull back, but Silver pressed his hand against the back of Gold's head, holding him in place. After that, Gold seemed to settle down, and Silver felt the anxiety that had been pouring out of the younger man start to dissipate. And with the loss of that anxiety, Gold seemed to default to the next, easiest feeling.
His arms hugged Silver's neck and he leaned into the kiss with a good portion of his body weight, which forced Silver to use the arm he'd had wrapped around Gold to brace himself. This wasn't exactly what Silver had planned, but if it made Gold stop thinking about his guilt, Silver decided he would take it. After going through what they'd just been through, kissing Gold like this felt better than it otherwise might have. So Silver let himself indulge, but he kept his head. They'd tried making love right after a tragic event before and it hadn't worked out well for them, so Silver knew now wasn't the time to be getting hot and bothered, no matter how good it might feel.
Once the kiss broke, Silver pulled back slightly and took a proper look at Gold's face. Of course, his cheeks were red and his eyes misty, but Silver was pleased to see that he hadn't burst into full blown tears. Hoping to make sure he wouldn't, Silver said, "Let it go, Gold. I have, so you should too."
Gold met his eyes and said, "But Silver, I-"
"No," Silver interrupted. "You've got more than enough to deal with right now without adding guilt into the mix."
Silver could sense that Gold hadn't entirely let it go, but Gold said nothing more and placed a hand right in the middle of Silver's chest. He pressed slightly, as if asking Silver to lie down. Silver followed his lead and, once he was lying back, Gold turned on his side and snuggled up next to Silver, draping his arm over Silver's waist and burying his face in Silver's chest.
Silver brought his arm down to hold onto Gold as well, and the younger man said, "I love you."
Gold had said those words to him many times already, but even now, even after getting used to hearing them, they still brought that ridiculous flutter to Silver's chest. He looked past Gold and at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was coming up on midnight.
After placing a kiss on the top of Gold's head, Silver asked, "You want to head to bed?"
Gold shook his head and gripped onto Silver tighter. "Can we just stay like this for a little while?"
Silver had to admit that he didn't particularly feel like moving either, so he understood Gold's position. While the couch wasn't huge, it was big enough that, even if they both fell asleep here, they would be able to sleep relatively comfortably.
So Silver nodded and said, "If that's what you want."
Gold didn't answer him after that, though, because he seemed to have already dozed off. After they day they'd had, Silver couldn't say he was surprised. He reached for the throw blanket they always kept draped across the back of the couch and dragged it down to cover the two of them. It was only after the blanket warmed him that Silver realized he was equally as tired, and his eyelids drifted closed.
Silver awoke later that morning to a knock on the front door. It was only after his vision cleared that he remembered that he and Gold had fallen asleep on the couch. That left him in the position of not wanting to disturb Gold, so he remained where he was and called out, "Come in!"
He was surprised to see his father walk inside. Under one of his arms was a box Silver recognized as one of the many he'd seen inside of the vault and hanging from Giovanni's shoulder was a duffle bag. The old man approached and placed both things on the coffee table before sitting down on the nearby recliner.
Giovanni's eyes focused on Gold for a few seconds before he asked, "Is he all right?"
Silver looked down at Gold as well and saw that he was still very much asleep. For that, Silver was grateful. Gold had hardly slept at all since the day of the Pokemon League, so he really needed the rest.
"As much as can be expected," Silver answered.
Giovanni leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "And what about you, Son?"
He'd known his father was probably going to ask that question, and he also knew lying to him would be pointless. So he truthfully said, "I've been better."
Giovanni sighed. "I can imagine."
The both of them fell silent after that, and Silver glanced over at the two things Giovanni had brought in. The cardboard box had a lid on it, so he couldn't see what was inside and the duffle bag was completely zipped.
His curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "So what's that stuff?"
Giovanni looked at the box as he said, "The duffle bag is full of money, but the box contains some of the most important things that I wanted to leave for you. There were many more boxes I wanted to bring you, but I only had time to grab the one."
Silver's eyes went wide as he asked, "Does that mean...?"
Giovanni nodded. "The vault has been destroyed."
Despite trying so hard to keep that vault safe for so long, it was strangely easy to hear that it had been burned. It was obviously due to the fact that he'd been forced to weigh the vault against Gold's life, but he'd still expected to be at least a little bit upset by this revelation. He felt nothing of the sort, however. In fact, he found himself relieved, which was the last thing he expected to feel.
Driven by that feeling, Silver said, "I'm not exactly sorry."
Giovanni half-smiled and answered, "I don't expect you to be. I told you to destroy the vault if protecting it stopped being worth it."
Silver remembered that conversation well, and the look on his father's face was exactly the same as it had been that day. It was a mix of both disappointment and understanding. Giovanni knew destroying the vault was necessary, but it was also obvious that he was deeply upset by it. Not surprising. Much of what was in that vault held sentimental value for Giovanni. So while Silver wasn't sorry the vault was destroyed, he did feel sympathy for his father. It couldn't be easy for the old man to know so much of his legacy was now in ashes.
"So what now, Dad?" Silver asked. "Team Rocket probably won't be after you anymore, right?"
Giovanni exhaled heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. "They certainly will be. That vault was only one of several I have hidden throughout Johto and Kanto. I just didn't tell you about any of the others because none of them contain things I wanted you to inherit."
Silver's chest ached at his father's words. More vaults? Several more? He'd known his father always thought ahead, but him creating multiple vaults had never once crossed Silver's mind. Although it did explain why his father always seemed to have access to money and other resources despite him constantly being on the run.
Giovanni's eyebrows ran together and he went on. "No. I will most likely be on the run for the rest of my life, Son. But now, you and Gold no longer have to worry. You don't know the locations of the other vaults, so Team Rocket won't waste what few resources they have going after you, especially now that their new leader is in jail."
Silver's lips curled into a smile. "You put Blue-Eyes in jail?"
Giovanni gave him a quizzical look. "Blue-Eyes? Never heard him called that before, but yes. He is safely locked away. He won't be bothering anyone anymore."
Yet another wave of relief swept over Silver. After learning he'd managed to escape from Entei, Silver had been worried Blue-Eyes might come after him and Gold, if only to get revenge. And after the threats the psychopath had made, the last thing Silver wanted was for Blue-Eyes to be anywhere near Gold.
Giovanni, evidently having delivered the message he wanted, stood and said, "I should go. I'm sure you and Gold have things to discuss."
Silver nodded and said, "All right. Bye, Dad."
Giovanni waved and headed for the door. Before he made it there, however, he stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "By the way, you may want to make sure Gold isn't watching when you open up that box. It will ruin the surprise."
Silver raised an eyebrow. "What surprise?"
Giovanni winked and answered, "You'll see."
He said no more after that and left the house, leaving Silver and Gold alone once again. Silver had no idea what his father was talking about, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about it. He needed to wake Gold up and give him the first bit of good news they'd had in a while.
He placed a hand on Gold's shoulder and shook him gently as he said, "Gold, wake up."
Gold, evidently, hadn't been sleeping very heavily because he woke very quickly. His eyes darted about the room before landing on Silver. After blinking a few times, his eyes went wide and he said, "Shit. Silver, I'm sorry. I totally forgot to stitch up that wound."
Silver had completely forgotten about the wound as well, and he was about to tell Gold not to worry about it when the younger man climbed off of the couch and started digging through the first aid kit Silver had left on the end table the night before. He drew out peroxide, gauze, tape, a needle and thread.
He sat on the couch next to Silver, and the redhead said, "Hang on. I have something to tell you."
Gold poured some of the peroxide on some gauze and said, "Good, then you can tell me while I'm doing this. It'll distract you from how badly this is gonna hurt."
Without further warning, Gold pressed the peroxide-covered gauze against the wound. It stung far more than Silver expected it to, but he kept it from his features and said, "My dad came by while you were still asleep."
Gold set the gauze and peroxide to the side and readied the needle and thread. Just before he stuck Silver he asked, "Why didn't you wake me?"
Before Silver could answer, Gold pushed the needle through the open skin, and Silver was unable to stop himself from wincing. Gold was right. It hurt like hell. But he swallowed the pain and answered, "You needed the sleep."
Gold was clearly annoyed by Silver letting him sleep through Giovanni's visit, but he said no more about it and asked, "Well, what did he say?"
Silver allowed a smile to form on his face when he said, "The vault... it's gone, Gold. We don't have to worry about it anymore."
He expected Gold to breathe a sigh of relief. He expected to see a giant smile on Gold's face followed by one of his sarcastic quips. But he heard neither of those things. Instead, Gold temporarily stopped what he'd been doing and a grave look fell over his face.
His eyes became downcast and he said, "And that's supposed to make me happy?"
Silver raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't? Thought you'd appreciate not having to deal with Team Rocket anymore."
Gold sighed heavily and went right back to stitching up Silver's face. His voice was stern when he said, "The vault was important to you, otherwise you wouldn't have tried so hard to protect it. Team Rocket forced you to destroy it. So no, I'm not happy it's gone. That's not a sacrifice you should've had to make."
Okay, now Silver was beyond confused. How was it that Gold was more upset by the vault being destroyed than he was? Compared to Gold's wellbeing, the vault meant absolutely nothing. Hoping to remind Gold of that fact, Silver looked in Gold's direction and said, "Did you not hear what I said when we were in the woods?"
Gold paused the stitching again and the look in his eyes softened. He leaned in closer and kissed Silver's temple, right above the wound before saying, "Of course I did, and I love you for it. But that doesn't make losing the vault okay, and I'm not gonna be happy about it."
Silver shouldn't have been surprised by Gold's words. Gold had always been selfless. In fact, his attempted suicide was the first time Silver had ever seen Gold exhibit even a shred of selfishness. It made sense that Gold would be upset by Silver sacrificing the vault for his sake. Still, he didn't want Gold worrying about it, so he reached out and placed his hand on the side of Gold's neck.
He stared Gold in the eyes when he said, "I guess you're right, but the vault being gone means you're safe. To me, at least, that's worth it."
Gold's cheeks beamed red, and Silver saw him tear his eyes away and start focusing on the stitches again. Silver half-smiled and couldn't help but hope that he would never lose his ability to make Gold blush. It was just too damn adorable.