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Something Better Than in the Middle (G, Silver/mtf!N (Julie)) for axolotl
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axolotl
Title: Something Better Than in the Middle
Author:outstretched
Rating: G
Verse: Games, HGSS/BW
Characters: Silver/mtf!N (Julie), various cameos
Summary: Silver shows Julie (N) a new way to look at her hands.
Author's Notes: Title is from “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers, which just reminds me of these two, idk. Obviously heavily influenced by comaverse but not actually in that universe at all. I hit 1k yessss
“Julie,” Silver said quietly, cutting through her chatter. She looked up, met his gaze and swallowed, her eyes drifting down to the half-solved cube in her hands.
“...Sorry.”
Silver shook his head and gave a tiny sigh that made Julie's hands twitch. “Lyra got you a present. I was wondering when to give it to you, but...” He got to his feet slowly, lifting the empty mug that was on the glass table beside him. “Hold on.”
By the time Silver had placed his cup in the sink and had come out of the bedroom with Crobat on his head and a small bag, Julie had asked Silver's alakazam to scramble her Rubix Cube five times. She was rapidly working through a sixth when he dragged his chair around the table to sit beside her. Crobat soared awkwardly to the floor and made its way over to stand between the two of them. It headbutted Julie's leg with a soft chirring sound, and she chirred back without thinking, reaching a hand down to stroke between its ears.
Silver set the bag on the table with care, but it still landed with a clacking sound. Julie stopped at the noise, glancing at the bag before looking at Silver. He gave her a slight smile.
Inside the cloth bag was nail polish—two clear bottles and one colored an orange-yellow, like a faded egg yolk. He reached for her hands and slowly pried the left one free from the puzzle, holding it up to examine her chewed nails.
She half-expected him to say something, but he didn't, only stroking a thumb along the back of one large hand before setting it on the table. He gently shook the first clear bottle before uncapping it, and the chemical smell filled the room. Crobat made a sound of annoyance and shuffled away from the two of them, wandering over to Alakazam, who picked it up and took it back into the bedroom.
“I thought I'd do it for you the first time,” Silver said, as if that wasn't obvious from the way he wiped the excess polish off the brush. Picking her hand up again, he started with her thumb, applying the coat with slow, light strokes. It left glistening trails on her nails, but Julie was instead watching Silver's calm, yet focused expression. There was a rhythm to how Silver applied the base coat, one careful finger at a time. She breathed out and smelled acetate on the inhale; the air changed from something tense to something structured, safe.
Julie's hands rested flat against the cold tabletop, drying, as Silver put the base coat away and gently shook the colored polish. “Lyra thought this color would look good on you,” he said, but she knew that he was the one who knew to pick orange, one of her favorite colors. The polish went on smoothly, and Silver took his time: stroking down the middle of each nail, outlining each edge, and then going once down the middle again to pick up the excess. By the time he was done with her dominant hand, it had stopped shaking, receding to its normal latent trembling. She knew Silver noticed it, and her mouth tugged into an expression that tried to be an apology, or a smile, and ended up as neither. “I don't know if I can do this myself,” she said.
His eyes flicked to hers, never stopping in his work. “You can,” he replied. “It doesn't matter if you color outside of the lines.” He finished her second hand and turned away slightly to recap the bottle.
Julie tapped her fingers carefully against the table, feeling the soft pad of each fingertip sink against the cold glass, leaving fingerprints behind. Silver hummed something to her right, his voice gently hoarse. The sound was as familiar as the sensation of phantom weight on her nails was foreign, and she relaxed, one muscle at a time. Together, they waited.
The second coat went on much more quickly, and the color deepened; it was a pale and sunny sort of orange, a kind of color that Lyra would choose. Julie smiled a little as Silver bent over her hands, filling in the bare spots and smoothing out the finish with tiny, fastidious strokes around the nails' edges.
The top coat gave the polish a slick, gleaming finish. She lifted her hands up, half-examining, half-admiring; there was something pleasurable about having prettiness at the end of each finger. Silver looked down, putting the bottles back into the cloth bag. “She says that's a quick top coat, so your nails should be done drying in a minute or two.” He slid the bag towards her. “It's all for you to keep.”
“Thank you,” she breathed.
Silver ducked between her newly gilded hands and kissed her on the lips, serious and chaste.
“Everything will be fine,” he told her.
–
True to his word, their small party the next day did go well. Lyra brought Green, and Cynthia brought Fennel, and Fennel brought Amanita and Juniper, and the unlikely group gathered from three continents laughed and chattered like the old friends they were.
Silver had vanished into their bedroom about an hour before their friends were to arrive and had emerged with painted nails of his own. Julie blinked at them, but he didn't say anything, so she didn't either. When she had passed through the room to fuss with her hair in the mirror, she'd been greeted by the sharp smell of polish and smiled.
Later at the party, Green grinned when he caught sight of Silver's nails. “Nice choice,” he said. “I like your taste.”
Silver shrugged. “It's a good color,” was all he said, but Julie saw the flash of faded mint green, the exact same shade as her hair. Their eyes met, and when Silver's hand slipped into her own, she squeezed and didn't let go.
axolotlTitle: Something Better Than in the Middle
Author:
outstretched Rating: G
Verse: Games, HGSS/BW
Characters: Silver/mtf!N (Julie), various cameos
Summary: Silver shows Julie (N) a new way to look at her hands.
Author's Notes: Title is from “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers, which just reminds me of these two, idk. Obviously heavily influenced by comaverse but not actually in that universe at all. I hit 1k yessss
“Julie,” Silver said quietly, cutting through her chatter. She looked up, met his gaze and swallowed, her eyes drifting down to the half-solved cube in her hands.
“...Sorry.”
Silver shook his head and gave a tiny sigh that made Julie's hands twitch. “Lyra got you a present. I was wondering when to give it to you, but...” He got to his feet slowly, lifting the empty mug that was on the glass table beside him. “Hold on.”
By the time Silver had placed his cup in the sink and had come out of the bedroom with Crobat on his head and a small bag, Julie had asked Silver's alakazam to scramble her Rubix Cube five times. She was rapidly working through a sixth when he dragged his chair around the table to sit beside her. Crobat soared awkwardly to the floor and made its way over to stand between the two of them. It headbutted Julie's leg with a soft chirring sound, and she chirred back without thinking, reaching a hand down to stroke between its ears.
Silver set the bag on the table with care, but it still landed with a clacking sound. Julie stopped at the noise, glancing at the bag before looking at Silver. He gave her a slight smile.
Inside the cloth bag was nail polish—two clear bottles and one colored an orange-yellow, like a faded egg yolk. He reached for her hands and slowly pried the left one free from the puzzle, holding it up to examine her chewed nails.
She half-expected him to say something, but he didn't, only stroking a thumb along the back of one large hand before setting it on the table. He gently shook the first clear bottle before uncapping it, and the chemical smell filled the room. Crobat made a sound of annoyance and shuffled away from the two of them, wandering over to Alakazam, who picked it up and took it back into the bedroom.
“I thought I'd do it for you the first time,” Silver said, as if that wasn't obvious from the way he wiped the excess polish off the brush. Picking her hand up again, he started with her thumb, applying the coat with slow, light strokes. It left glistening trails on her nails, but Julie was instead watching Silver's calm, yet focused expression. There was a rhythm to how Silver applied the base coat, one careful finger at a time. She breathed out and smelled acetate on the inhale; the air changed from something tense to something structured, safe.
Julie's hands rested flat against the cold tabletop, drying, as Silver put the base coat away and gently shook the colored polish. “Lyra thought this color would look good on you,” he said, but she knew that he was the one who knew to pick orange, one of her favorite colors. The polish went on smoothly, and Silver took his time: stroking down the middle of each nail, outlining each edge, and then going once down the middle again to pick up the excess. By the time he was done with her dominant hand, it had stopped shaking, receding to its normal latent trembling. She knew Silver noticed it, and her mouth tugged into an expression that tried to be an apology, or a smile, and ended up as neither. “I don't know if I can do this myself,” she said.
His eyes flicked to hers, never stopping in his work. “You can,” he replied. “It doesn't matter if you color outside of the lines.” He finished her second hand and turned away slightly to recap the bottle.
Julie tapped her fingers carefully against the table, feeling the soft pad of each fingertip sink against the cold glass, leaving fingerprints behind. Silver hummed something to her right, his voice gently hoarse. The sound was as familiar as the sensation of phantom weight on her nails was foreign, and she relaxed, one muscle at a time. Together, they waited.
The second coat went on much more quickly, and the color deepened; it was a pale and sunny sort of orange, a kind of color that Lyra would choose. Julie smiled a little as Silver bent over her hands, filling in the bare spots and smoothing out the finish with tiny, fastidious strokes around the nails' edges.
The top coat gave the polish a slick, gleaming finish. She lifted her hands up, half-examining, half-admiring; there was something pleasurable about having prettiness at the end of each finger. Silver looked down, putting the bottles back into the cloth bag. “She says that's a quick top coat, so your nails should be done drying in a minute or two.” He slid the bag towards her. “It's all for you to keep.”
“Thank you,” she breathed.
Silver ducked between her newly gilded hands and kissed her on the lips, serious and chaste.
“Everything will be fine,” he told her.
True to his word, their small party the next day did go well. Lyra brought Green, and Cynthia brought Fennel, and Fennel brought Amanita and Juniper, and the unlikely group gathered from three continents laughed and chattered like the old friends they were.
Silver had vanished into their bedroom about an hour before their friends were to arrive and had emerged with painted nails of his own. Julie blinked at them, but he didn't say anything, so she didn't either. When she had passed through the room to fuss with her hair in the mirror, she'd been greeted by the sharp smell of polish and smiled.
Later at the party, Green grinned when he caught sight of Silver's nails. “Nice choice,” he said. “I like your taste.”
Silver shrugged. “It's a good color,” was all he said, but Julie saw the flash of faded mint green, the exact same shade as her hair. Their eyes met, and when Silver's hand slipped into her own, she squeezed and didn't let go.
no subject
First of all I never thought anyone else would write anything like my characterization of Julie, and it's wonderful to see her through someone else's eyes. Second OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPY SILVER, this is not a thing that happens, he deserves it, this is beautiful. Also Alakazam and Julie would totally get along; Alakazam isn't one of Silver's Pokemon I think about very much but this has totally got me thinking and I really appreciate that.
Also nail polishhhhhhhhh
also, like, Silver and nail polish and Green, huh, there's so much to unpack and think about here, it's a wonderful way to imagine these people later and more peacefully in the process of figuring out themselves and their lives. Thank you so much. I've mostly not been online but I read this on my phone as soon as it came out and it really, really improved my week. <3