People said a lot of things about Silver, but Gold was really the only one who truly knew the redhead; he was the only one who could see how far Silver had come from being the angry teen who kicked his Pokémon around for losing, and that despite the disrespectful attitude the smaller male held towards the world, he was working hard on changing that.

Gold had a feeling he'd be the only person who'd ever know that, deep down, Silver yearned for the love and affection he had never been given by anyone before.

There were times when the two would just hang out at Gold's house, watching the TV together. Their Pokémon would be out of their balls and doing their own thing, leaving the boys alone. It wasn't often, but there were times Silver would move closer to his friend, seeking his body heat. Even rarer were the times Silver would reach out and tentatively brush his fingers against the calloused skin of his friend's hand.

But, to Gold's understanding, the redhead had never been the one to initiate intimate contact, such as hugs. Gold could respect that, and it didn't matter too much; he could see whenever his friend needed a hug – he was just glad that the redhead trusted him enough to let Gold wrap his arms around the skinny male and hold him close.

Gold knew to be patient when Silver struggled with things he had no comprehension of, such as kindness and appreciation – it was everyone else who treated Silver as if he were an abomination that bothered the dark-haired male. Silver was doing his best to cope with the life he had led, and considering the things he had been through, he was doing quite well.

Gold knew it was just a shame no one else could see that.

But now, just a year after Silver had started letting Gold in, the other could see that though Silver may still be damaged, he was no longer the aggressive person he had once been, and could be gentle when he wanted to be.

Gold noticed the contrast now more than ever.