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It’s down by garden after dark — 11:35am | Route 29, Johto
Hanging out with Silver was something Ethan would probably kill for. Not literally, though he felt like that clarification diminished his excitement towards the idea.
Rarer than a Chansey not fleeing in the Safari Zone, it was not an occasion that came often. Silver was elusive, as sneaky as his Sneasel, ensuring that he could only be found when he wanted to be, which was rare–if not, never.
Ethan liked to imagine that he knew his schedule, that he could be found in the Dragon’s Den on some days, at the League on others, and completely MIA on the rest. But truth be told, Ethan still wasn’t able to find him in the places he was meant to be most of the time.
And when he did find him, he was challenged to a battle for the sake of training. That's how all of their encounters ended, and every time, Ethan won.
If anything about him was consistent, it was that he made it explicitly clear that spending time with anyone was worse than being tortured.
Which made it all the more confusing when he caught Ethan by surprise and asked if he wanted to "hang out". He didn't say it like that, it sounded more like a vague threat combined with a ransom video, but the meaning was all the same.
Ethan thought he was joking when he asked. He wasn’t about to push his luck and ask what his ulterior motive was though, this was a once in a lifetime occasion, one he wouldn’t mess up.
If Silver was looking to him for a decent day out, then he would prove that it was the best decision he could make. Though, the redhead already looked like he regretted it, even before Ethan responded.
12:13pm | S.S. Aqua, Johto → Kanto
“Look!” Ethan cried, and dragged Silver by his upper arm to the edge rail of the ship. Silver’s eyes bulged as his stomach bumped against the railing, and he quickly freed his arm from the other's hold.
“What?!” He hissed, glaring at the boy. Though he’d never admitted it, the way the ship rocked and swayed beneath his feet made Silver uneasy. As much as he preferred sailing across the sky with his Crobat, the reminders from the League came swift and often, constantly warning him that travel between the two regions without proper declaration wasn’t allowed.
The mail didn’t stop him, especially considering he didn't have a fixed address, but Lance watching his Crobat drop him off in the middle of Celadon City with his arms crossed sure did.
A few awed gasps around Silver made his scowl deepen, as he waited for Ethan to explain what he was supposed to be looking at. Nothing but the chopping sea surrounded them. He almost considered tossing Ethan overboard.
Especially when he grabbed Silver’s wrist and pointed it at the ocean, though it was quick to be dropped when Silver shook his hand off harshly. The redhead squinted at the water, and eventually the blurry blob melted into something tangible.
“I’ve never seen a Lapras in the wild this close before!” Ethan chirped, and leaned forward on the railing. His feet teetered off the ground as he braced all of his weight onto the metal, but Silver was quick to grab the hood of his jacket and yank it back. Was he always this stupid, or did his IQ half itself when he was nearby?
“Tch! They’re nothing special.” He scoffed, and Ethan rolled his eyes with none of the attitude the action usually held.
“Have you ever actually been impressed by something, or is everything too lame for you?"
"Take a wild guess."
"Well, I'd say Ho-Oh was pretty impressive, right?"
5:23pm | Bell Tower, Johto
Even so much as a glimpse of Ho-Oh was enough to bless the witness to a life of eternal happiness. Which meant Silver was confident he would never see it in his life.
He never looked back towards the Tower as he left Ecruteak City, he never casted a curious glance to the sky when a rainbow stretched across the clouds, and he never looked twice at the stray feathers that he passed on his journey.
That was, until Silver had met an old man in Pewter City. He didn’t even get his name, just a story that brought a twinkle back into the elderly man’s eye as he recalled it, and an object pressed into his palm gently.
He had opened his hand slowly, and brought the feather up to admire it in the setting sun. It sparkled in the light, and felt warm against his skin. Like a rainbow one could hold, full of the hopes and dreams of everyone who’d looked up at it.
He looked back up at the man to question him, to ask him if this was some sort of sick joke, but he glared into empty space. The elderly man was gone.
Silver didn’t know what to do with it. After all, there was no reason someone like him should hold what he could only assume to be a feather from Ho-Oh itself. Perhaps he should hold it to the wind and let it drift away, far from the dirtiness of his soul and to someone who truly deserved it.
Yet, he couldn’t keep his eyes from the way it sparkled in the sun, the alluring warmth that curled in his palm. He slipped it into an inner pocket of his jacket, and tried to ignore the way it sat against his heart, like a lantern fighting the darkness off.
So what if he kept it? It wasn't like Ho-Oh was using it. And, the less legendaries Ethan had a hold of, the better his chance at victory in a battle was. Lugia was already one too many.
Ethan was the one who noticed his new-found possession, and Silver wasn’t sure who else would.
He hadn't meant to let him see it, but they had been thrown into a cave by a violent storm, and his jacket was soaking him to the bone. The zipper for the jacket had been broken for years, and the infuriatingly dry-as-a-bone feather had slipped out and floated to the ground delicately.
Ethan was so excited on his behalf that he dropped everything and dragged him to Ecruteak City the moment the rain let up. Though, let it be known that Silver fought against every step towards that damned tower. He was very much eager to never step foot in it, lest Ho-Oh realise it had misplaced a treasured feather and incinerate him where he stood.
The other boy dragged him through Bell Tower, guiding him over the odd maze the tower was laid out in and taking several years off his life with every careless hop he’d take.
He didn’t even realise Ethan was holding his hand as the Legendary bird descended upon them in its blaze.
12:17pm | S.S. Aqua, Johto → Kanto
“I think it’s nice seeing them around.” Ethan continued, resting his elbows on the metal bars. His eyes, as golden as the sun, darted between the different Lapras, a smile soft on his face. "They were recently removed from the 'endangered' category."
He looked nice. Silver’s cheeks flushed at the sight.
“I suppose.” He mumbled, though his eyes weren’t on the Pokémon.
12:46pm | Vermilion City, Kanto
They arrived at Vermillion City after thirty or so minutes, and Silver was so relieved to get onto solid ground that he barely scowled as Ethan immediately hauled him away towards the bustling coastal city.
“I’m telling you, dude, there’s this killer seafood place nearby! I’ve been here so many times that the owner knows my face!” Ethan rambled on, hand falling from his forearm to his hand without realising.
Silver would've wrenched his hand from the other's in a heartbeat if his legs weren't still wobbling from the boat. He didn't trust himself not to fall flat on his face, nor did he trust himself not to immediately get lost in this dizzying, crowded harbour. He hoped his palms weren’t as sweaty as they felt.
“And if you don’t like seafood, there's other options so you won't miss out! But I think you'll like their calimari rings.”
“If you say so.” He responded, just to say something. Ethan was still holding his hand, and Silver wasn’t sure if he hadn’t noticed, or if he knew but continued anyway.
It didn’t matter though, as Silver snatched it away as soon as they walked into the store and saw Blue sitting at the counter, chatting away with the person at the counter.
He didn't like that he wouldn't have bothered if he didn't see someone he recognised. He didn't like where his thoughts were wandering to today.
Ethan didn't even bat an eye at the other's haste, because he was too focused on Blue, grinning like a madman.
“Well, if it isn't my favourite Johto trainer!” The Gym Leader called when he noticed the pair. Ethan rushed to take a seat next to him, and Silver followed slowly, filling in the spot on Blue's other side. The older boy raised a brow at him with an unreadable expression, something that Silver didn’t like the looks of.
“And Ethan, I guess.” Blue rolled his eyes, and Ethan recoiled with a wounded expression. Silver scoffed, but his gut turned with annoyance.
“So, what brings the two of you here?” The older boy asked, finger tracing the rim of the glass with a coy smile.
“Just hanging out, y’know!” Ethan shrugged loosely, and Blue shot him a look. Ethan tried to brush it off, but Silver noticed it with narrowed eyes.
“Mhm…” He nodded, and looked down at his drink. Quickly, he brought the glass to his lips and sculled the remains of it, before slapping the table, standing up and grinning at the pair.
“Don’t let me interrupt that, I’ve got some gym business to tend to anyway!”
As soon as they spotted Blue, he was gone, leaving the pair in yet another awkward silence.
“He was easy to defeat.” Silver muttered, eyes following him as he walked away. Ethan hopped off his stool to take the one next to him.
“He gave me a pretty good fight.” He grinned, trying to catch Silver’s eye. The redhead was never one for eye contact though, so he looked down at his hands.
“You were probably too distracted by trying to hold a conversation.” Silver snorted, a smile easing onto his face. A warm feeling blossomed in his heart, and Ethan found himself wanting to see more of his smile.
“I had to be dragged out of the gym by Kris when we’d finished battling because neither of us would shut up.”
“Kris was there?” The other asked, one noticeably colder.
“Yeah! We went around Kanto- Or, well… She went around Kanto while I beelined through all the cities, but we usually met up at each one to check in. She’s actually helping Professor Oak over there right now!”
Noticing the way Silver’s expression furrowed, Ethan continued to ramble.
“I would’ve invited you but I had no idea where you wandered off to and you keep refusing to charge your PokeGear-” “-I never need it-” “-I didn’t really know where to find you.”
“It’s fine.” Silver said curtly. Ethan’s jaw snapped shut with an audible click.
The person working the counter must’ve noticed the awkward lull in their conversation, or was blessed by luck themself when it came to timing, as they sided up with a pen and notepad in hand ready to take their order. Silver hadn’t even glanced at the menu, so he remained silent as Ethan prattled off his order without a second of thought.
“Silver?” His voice drew him from his thoughts, and his eyes darted to the others, even for only a moment.
“Just–... Order for me.” Silver muttered, and Ethan’s expression brightened, like he’d taken that as a personal challenge.
The redhead didn’t listen to the words the other added to the order, instead allowing himself to indulge in the thoughts that dredged at the shore of his mind.
Why did he care so much about Kris and Ethan travelling Kanto? That wasn’t something he should care about. He didn’t hate Kris, even going so far as to say he considered her a friend. Ethan was allowed to travel with whomever he wanted.
Silver didn’t care.
“So, have you been to Kanto before?” Ethan leaned into his peripheral view, head rested on his palm. Silver stiffened.
“No.” He muttered a little too quickly, voice stern. A lie. Ethan knew what that sounded like, especially from Silver, but he knew prying lead to nothing but fingers crushed beneath the additional wall constructed around Silver.
“My aunt and uncle live here." He continued, mostly to keep the silence from driving a stake of awkwardness between them. "In Vermillion City, I mean.” He continued, never once shifting to move from his field of view.
“They used to take me to this place every time I visited, so this city is like a second home to me…”
Ethan’s voice trailed off softly, and he adopted a more gentle expression. “Did you–”
Silver looked away, already prepared for the question everyone around him asked, at one point or another. Maybe Ethan saw his expression. Maybe he was never going to ask it. “Do you have any siblings?"
The redhead shook his head.
"Cousins? ”
“It was just me and my dad.” Silver muttered, eyes cast downward. “Now it’s just me.”
“Oh–” Ethan’s expression lagged, like he forgot he had to react that information. "I'm... sorry about that."
Technically speaking, Ethan already knew all of this. He’d watched the moment the family split happen in real time.
“He's not dead.” Silver barked a laugh, and twirled a finger through his red hair absent-mindedly. His other hand clenched tightly as it rested on the counter. "But I wouldn't care if he was."
"If I ever meet him, I'll make him wish he was." Ethan gave him a fierce smile, so wholly unwarranted that Silver's eyes widened in confusion.
"Flattering." It really wasn't. Ethan's words were incredibly childish. "He'll wipe your team with his first Pokémon, and then he'll go after you."
Ethan's determined gaze melted into something softer, and Silver's skin crawled as the other looked at him.
2:01pm | Celadon City, Kanto
“What about this one?” Ethan pulled out a jacket from the rack of the clothing store they’d entered, located at the Celadon Department Store. Silver barely glanced at it before snorting and looking away.
In turn, he pulled a novelty hat from the shelf and waved it at Ethan, whose expression lit up when he saw it. He snatched it from Silver’s hand to admire the embroidered words on the front.
‘Women want me. Magikarp fear me.’
In his attempt to embarrass the boy with a stupid hat, he failed to realise how stupid Ethan was. There was no way to embarrass someone with no shame.
“Dude, I need it.” He grinned widely, an action that made Silver’s heart flutter. He was ready to empty his entire wallet for the boy, something he’d never do for anyone else. Even himself.
And Ethan would put out the sun if Silver wanted him to. He held the hat tight in his fingers and instantly turned back to the clothing racks he was looking through, a new-found energy in his movements.
He had to find something for the other. He couldn't let Silver feel like he won this silly little game they'd unknowingly started to play.
His fingers caught on a piece of clothing, and he pulled it from the rack with a loud ‘ah-ha!’. Silver craned his neck to see what he’d found, but Ethan clutched it to his chest and made his way to the checkout, motioning for Silver to stand outside.
Silver shook his head, snatched the hat from Ethan's hand and strode towards the checkout. Ethan chased after him with a loud bout of protest that only stopped when he saw the receipt being printed.
Part of him wished that Ethan had caught up to him sooner, because his wallet was getting lighter by the week. But he was not about to let someone like Ethan know that.
“It matches you perfectly.” He grinned, and shoved the bundle of cloth into the other’s hands. Silver unfurled it, revealing a printed sweater, with the decal of a bright red Magikarp, with text in a striking font that read ‘Magikarp, with the soul of a Gyarados’. Silver’s face curled with disgust.
“No.” He said flatly, but Ethan pulled his own cap on with a cheesy grin.
“We’ll match! Please!” The raven-haired boy leaned closer, and Silver naturally leaned back.
"You are the worst person I have ever had tue misfortune of meeting."
A beat of silence. Ethan was still grinning at him. Silver missed the days where he could spew the longest string of insults he could think of and genuinely mean it, because at least then he wouldn't have to do things like this.
“Hold this.” He hissed, and unzipped his jacket. Ethan’s never seen him without his jacket, now that he thought of it. He didn’t get a good look, in the flutter of movement as the boy shoved the sweater over his head, but he swore he could make out freckles that peppered his shoulders, and scars that striped his arms.
A jacket was shoved into his face, but that didn’t stop his staring. Silver’s cheeks were tinged with red, growing as dark as his hair when Ethan didn’t look away.
“C’mere.” He laughed, and threw an arm over his shoulder. Silver barely had time to react before a click sounded, and Ethan was looking at his PokeGear with a wide smile.
“Delete that.” Silver hissed, looking over his shoulder with a curled lip.
“I think you look dashing!” Ethan said in a grandeur tone that amused no one but himself.
“And I think you should've quit trying to be a trainer years ago.”
“Relax, dude! I’m not posting it anywhere.” He grinned as he pocketed his PokeGear, which soothed Silver the way a Tauros would be soothed by a bright red flag being waved in its face.
“Can I take this off now?” The redhead muttered, face blisteringly hot.
“Nope! If I have to wear this hat, you have to wear the sweater!”
Silver made a garbled noise from the back of his throat and rubbed the bridge of his nose frustratedly. “The only thing I'll make you wear is a black eye.”
“It doesn't look bad on you.” Ethan muttered, far too genuinely. "You look fine!"
The compliment caught him off guard, and he ducked his head so Ethan wouldn’t see the blush crawling across his face. Of course, that action alone told the story.
“No wonder you wear shit like this, I've never felt more like a loser before.”
“I’m serious!” Ethan grinned. Perhaps he took the flustered expression for embarrassment. “You look good.” He added, as if it was an afterthought meant only for himself. He looked almost surprised when the last word left his mouth, but Silver didn’t see his expression as he fought desperately with his eyes to stop staring at the ground.
6:01pm | ???, Kanto
Silver had never liked someone the way he liked Ethan, and he hoped with every fibre of his being that it wasn't as obvious as he felt it was.
Ethan looked at him from the corner of his eye, the gentle gold hues of his eyes glittering in the waning sun. It was like the boy was made of the sun itself, as its light brushed his face gently and sculpted it to perfection.
Silver has known his feelings towards Ethan for quite a while. Planted like the seedling of a weed in his heart, digging its roots into his veins and forcing his chest wide open, feeding off the brightness that the other blessed it with. He felt exposed around the boy, read like a picture book. All the other had to do was smile at him to make him feel like he was melting.
He was staring at Ethan, something he only realised when the boy turned his head, resting his chin on his crossed arms, knees tucked beneath them. He shot him a smile, small but genuine. Silver’s lungs felt like they were being crushed.
He looked away with a 'tch!'.
“What’s your favourite colour?” The raven-haired boy asked, casting his gaze back to the sprawling land of Kanto. He had led the redhead to the mountain outcrop they were sitting on, refusing to explain where they were going until the pair stumbled from the thick forest that hid the view. It felt like they had entered a realm of their own, away from the life they both lived.
Silver scoffed, a natural reaction that he had quickly realised meant that he didn’t have an answer. He didn’t have a favourite colour. That was childish, he didn't have time for childish things.
He didn’t follow up, instead looking down at the dusty ground. The pair sit in silence for a few minutes.
And a few more minutes.
“Gold.” Silver said suddenly. Ethan raised a brow slightly. “That’s...My favourite colour.”
“Oh? Why?” Ethan sounds genuinely curious, and Silver wonders if he’s ever met someone who liked that colour.
Because it’s the same colour as your eyes. He doesn’t say.
“It’s the winners colour.” He responds smoothly, adding his signature smirk to the end of his sentence as he looked over at him. Ethan rolls his eyes and shoves him playfully.
“Of course that’s why.” Was Silver delusional for hearing a twinge of sadness in that?
“It’s funny…” His voice trailed off softly. A blush dusted his face, hidden by the warm hue of the sunset. “My favourite colour is silver.”
The redhead’s face felt like it had been set on fire, as he turned away quickly. He was going insane, every second spent in the other’s presence was eating away at his brain, removing all his logic and ability to control his emotions.
“It’s a very boring colour.” He mumbled, eyes locked on the foliage below the cliff edge.
“No it’s not!” Ethan protested like he’d just insulted his mother. “It’s nice! Even if it looks boring, it can be really cool still! Some of the coolest things I know are silver. Cars, coins, and you.” He grinned, poking the boys side.
Ethan hesitated for a second after he pulled his hand back, eyes flickering up to meet Silver’s gaze shyly.
“Your eyes too.” He muttered, looking away. “They’re really nice.”
Silver’s heart lodged in his chest, and he found he couldn’t breathe for a few seconds.
“You don’t mean that.” He whispered, eyebrows creasing to a frown. Ethan exhaled and turned to face him.
“Of course I do.”
Silver merely scoffed.
“Why do you do that?” Ethan tilted his head.
“Do what?”
“You always deny things…” He shrugged, sounding unsure of himself.
“No I don’t.”
“See! That’s what I mean! I always say something about you and you’re like-” He brushed the hair that stuck from his cap over his eye. “I don’t do that- Or, I don’t look like that-”
“I don’t sound like that-”
Ethan cracked a grin, and Silver couldn’t help but smile too.
“But, yeah, you gotta start taking compliments instead of brushing them off!” He continued. “Your eyes are nice. I mean it.”
Silver turned away, but he couldn’t hide the blush that spread across his whole face.
“And your hair too-” He reached up and patted the top of his head, though Silver soon batted his hand away.
“Stop!” He protested weakly.
“But it’s so soft!” Ethan leaned towards him, as Silver leaned back. “C’mon, let me braid it!”
“You're making it weird, you freak!” He tried to sound annoyed, but he couldn’t stop the chuckle from escaping. “Do you even know how to braid hair?”
“...Yeah- Maybe!” He leaned even closer, yet Silver remained at the angle he’d stopped at, unable to lean back further. The raven-haired boy’s centre of gravity tipped, and he fell forward directly into Silver’s chest.
They laid in an awkward position, one that neither of them moved from for a moment as they sat in surprise. Ethan propped himself up, staring directly into the other's eyes. Silver had given up trying to hide his blush at this point, and had made a mental vow to leap off the nearest cliff as soon as possible.
“Have I ever told you that I like your eyes?” He grinned, and Silver groaned.
“Yeah, sure, can you get off me now?”
Ethan stuck his tongue out but pushed himself back into a sitting position, though he didn’t stay in that for long. He quickly scooted to Silver’s side once more and copied his position, laying on his back lazily.
They sat in silence for a little longer, as the sun began to dip behind the clouds dusted across the sky. Warm colors washed the pair in its glow. Staining them in orange and pink, like statues touched by Midas himself.
“Have you ever gone cloud watching?”
Silver knew their silence wouldn’t last, and he was sure Ethan had been thinking of questions to ask the entire time they sat quietly. He didn’t mind it, of course, especially when the questions were softer than his usual brashness. It felt like he was asking less out of the desire to know, but to simply talk to him more.
“No. It was a waste of time.”
“Is everything a waste of time for you?”
Silver blew a strand of hair from his eyes, stone grey eyes darting around the dusty sky above them.
“Hanging out with you isn’t.” He muttered, never once glancing to the other. Ethan didn’t make it any easier, as he turned on his side and propped his head on his hand.
“We should do this more often.”
Silver smiled softly, but the smile looked clouded with sadness. He sat up gently, and wrapped his arms around his knees.
“I need to tell you something.”
“Hm?”
“It’s… about my dad.”
Ethan’s brows hitched in surprise, but soon flattened down. “Oh? That he’s Team Rocket’s boss? Yeah, I already know.”
Silver’s jaw dropped, and his face drained of all colour.
“No one told me!” Ethan was quick to add, sitting up and waving his hands desperately. “I learnt it myself! Or- Well, technically Celebi showed me but-”
“Celebi?!”
“It’s really complicated but I promise I haven’t told anyone-” He doesn’t mention the fact that Lyra had been transported with him, because he feared Silver would turn to ash right there. “And I really don’t care who your dad is- – You’re still Silver to me, no matter what you-”
A hand clamped around his mouth, trembling slightly. “Stop. Just… stop”
Ethan snapped his jaw shut, and Silver pulled his hand back. “You went back in time-” He began, and the other boy sheepishly nodded. “And you saw that my dad is… well, him?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” He repeated, twisting his figures between themselves in what Silver came to realise was nervousness. Which struck his heart with a weird feeling, because Ethan was rarely nervous. “I saw the day that… Well, you were there...”
“The day he left.” Silver finished softly, turning back to the vast space they overlooked on the cliff. “I’m glad it was that day and not one of the others…”
“One of the others days?”
“Surprisingly, having the leader of a criminal organisation as your father isn’t fun.” He smiled in that self-loathing way that Ethan hated. He smiled like he thought he deserved whatever Herculean trial he had been given.
Delicately, Silver brushed the waterfall of red hair that covered one side of his face aside, fingers dancing over a split on his eyebrow, one that Ethan had noticed but never mentioned.
He thought it was a fashion statement, something done on purpose, but when he leaned closer, he saw the raised skin that ran jagged across the eyebrow.
“Did he-...” Ethan drew in a breath quickly, already knowing the answer. “I should’ve pushed him off that waterfall when given the chance.”
Silver’s hand that held his hair up fell to his side, and he adopted a look of confusion. “Huh?”
“After Celebi showed me...that. It took me to when Team Rocket took over the radio tower, and he was in this cave in Tohjo Falls listening to the radio and brooding and-”
He stopped when he noticed Silver’s annoyed expression. Right, he was getting carried away.
“I battled him and he left again.”
“Sounds like him.” He responded, looking almost amused. “Considering Team Rocket and him was beat by another kid, I don’t think he’ll show his face for a while.”
“And if he does, I’ll pummel him into the ground!”
Silver laughed, but his voice trailed off. “You did mean what you said before, though?”
“Which part?”
“That you didn’t care who my dad was…”
“Dude, of course I meant it! I don’t think anything in the world would change how I see you!”
Oh, if only you knew. Then, you’d never look at me the same.
“Sorry for bringing the mood down.” He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He’d never been good at this emotional stuff. If reading the room was a test, he’d get a negative score. Silver’s never needed social skills, until he met the other three Johto trainers.
“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all this.”
“Thank you for being annoying enough to stick by my side.”
“Silver, I would follow you to the end of the world.”
“A horrible decision, really.”
Silver smiled, and stared out at the setting sun softly.
At the end of the day, Silver accepted the fact that approaching Ethan to hang out wasn’t the mistake his mind had convinced him it would be. Now, he just had to squash any hopes of Ethan liking him back. Something that Ethan didn’t make easy.