A/n: Finally! Here it is! Da da da daaaaaaa~ :D I'm so glad I have this done! It took forever and a rough draft to finally be proud of the final product, but here it is. :D Thank you to everyone who kicked my butt and made me get down to business to write this. v_v You're all wonderful and I wuv yoo alllll! ;w; ~cuddles for everyone~ Please enjoy!
Pairing: Silver/Gold 3
Rating: K+ (for this chapter)
Warnings: None. :D
Extra: Gold's mom is in here! :'D She's a lovely lady and characterizing her as such makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Thanks to Draikinator on deviantart for creating the original comic that inspired these two stories. You are truly fabulous!

I'm okay.

Waking up in a house I don't truly recognize is befuddling at first. My eyes open and I realize that, no, I recognize this room; the lightly painted walls, the plush carpet, the white curtains waving in the wind. My brain is reeling, trying to think about what happened not too long ago. Was it the night before? I don't know. I can't remember.

I look around, trying not to panic. I find Sneasel blinking at me, assessing my terror. Seeing my Pokémon calms me, soothes me. Where am I? It feels like… home.

Warmth and comfort. The feel of home. It smells like Gold. As I lift my eyes from Sneasel, honey eyes and a sunshine smile greet me, and without noticing, a shy grin creeps onto my face. Just then, I realize that I'm okay.

Just then, I realized that I was home.

I'm okay.

Breakfast. It is my first meal in two days. The oatmeal and pecha berries are sweet and sugary, fueling my body. Gold is still sunshine smiles and honey eyes. They pierce through the layer of thick, black, dark that I use to guard myself against others. I can't fight it. Though, I don't know if I want to anymore. He's too nice, too welcoming, too comforting.

His mother. My mother. It doesn't matter. It's mom. There is no other separation. For once, I feel like I belong. She has kind eyes and a big heart, and I can't help but feel … safe. For once, I know I will be okay.

My eyes mist over, and mom gives me a curious look. She smoothes my hair down and whispers "Welcome home, honey. Would you like more berries?" The tears fall and I nod. She kisses me on the head, patting me once more before heading off to the kitchen.

Gold grips my hand tight in a supportive and loving motion that sends exultant feelings flooding through my worn body.

I'm okay.

I haven't felt hate for a while now. I've been with Gold for what seems years, when in reality, it's only been a few weeks, and his good graces seem to be rubbing off of my team and I.

Crobat grins wider than ever. Feraligatr grumbles laughs. Sneasel snickers. Alakazam hides guffaws behind spoons. Gengar's sinister smiles seems kinder, and even Magneton has found a way to make electric laughs that sound like firecrackers with a bad case of static electricity.

I wonder why we seem so blissful. We've never been this way before. It's always been like this: battle, win, obtain prize money, buy food and a blanket, find a place to camp, survive. Now it seems so free and easy. It's like sitting in a small boat on a gentle river as it rocks the riders in a soothing motion while the sunshine beams down to warm them. Poetic, isn't it?

I suppose my equivalent of that would be Gold's home, the boat, mom, the river, and Gold, the sunshine. My sunshine.

I'm okay.

It takes a while, but soon I start to vocalize. It starts with Gold waking me in the morning, his body causing my bed to bounce roughly. The first thing I say to him is "Get off." Get off. How eloquent, but Gold simply launches himself at me, clinging to my side and cackling excitedly.

"You spoke!" The exclamation is directly in my ear, but I can't bring myself to tell him to quiet down. I simply nod, and the sunshine smile I receive from Gold warms me to the core.

I don't speak much. I mutter my gratitude to mom for cooking food and keeping me clothed like her own son, but that's mostly all. Mom and Gold don't mind. They're just content I'm not mute. I think they just appreciate the thoughtfulness behind my words, my own silent way of showing affection.

Though when mom tells me, "You know, Silver, honey, I love you as if you were my blood son, and I appreciate that you've stuck with us for this long," all I can do is cry in her arms. I say nothing. She has me speechless, but this time, I'm sane. I'm not breaking apart. I'm okay.

It was one of the few times afterward that I couldn't say a word, but somehow, Gold and mom would know what I wanted to say.

I'm still okay.

There are times when I feel like splitting apart, my seams collapsing and fraying, the building blocks of my sanity cracking and being pulverized. They are rare, but they hurt when they happen. Mom calls them anxiety attacks. She says that I don't need a doctor though, because I'm perfectly normal. I try to tell her otherwise, but she adamantly repeats, "You are perfectly fine, Silver. You just need a bit of love, that's all." I have no other choice besides shaking my head and tearing up at her compassion and kindheartedness.

Sometimes, when mom is away, I have anxiety attacks. Gold doesn't know what to do to stop them, but he can soothe them. All I can process is fear, pain, and I hate everything. I shake and I wail. The crying is the worst because it comes out of nowhere, and when it happens, it's wracking sobs that convulse my body and upset my breathing. I hyperventilate sometimes, and I can't catch a breath.

It's times like these where Gold will hold me, whispering over and over that I'm loved and that I'm safe and that nothing will ever be hard for me ever again.

And through it all, I know that I'm still okay. I'll survive. I'll truly believe that I am loved deeply and unconditionally.

And nothing will bring me down.

Gold sighs as I rest my head against his shoulder. Mom is humming a tune that sounds like home while she makes Sunday morning breakfast. Gold's Pokémon and my Pokémon are cavorting with Mom's. Their happy cries highlight the joyous atmosphere. The sun is beginning to rise, the oranges and reds and yellows illuminating Gold's honey eyes and sunshine smile; my two constants in the world.

It's a simple morning with nothing extravagant or ostentatious, but it makes me happier than I've been in too long of a while.

Soon enough, the sun warms my home and the rest of New Bark Town. I hear the wild HootHoot give one last coo before falling asleep while basking in the warm rays. Mom finishes breakfast: berries imported from Hoenn cooked into a warm cobbler with a cool glass of MooMooMilk. I chew in silence, watching Gold devour his in a matter of seconds before holding his bowl out and asking for a generous second helping.

When mom chuckles and goes to retrieve more food for her blood son, I take the hushed and tranquil break from parental monitoring to murmur, "I love you, Gold."

The sunshine smile that erupts onto his face is the biggest I've ever seen, and I never want it to go away ever again.