Why I Love You

A Pokémon HGSS One-Shot

"Silver?"

A snore from the other bed answered her. Lyra sighed. Her boyfriend was quite the heavy sleeper, it seemed. She smiled a bit at the thought. Her boyfriend. After months of crushing on him, she'd finally gotten up the nerve to confess, and he'd accepted. They'd been an official couple for several hours, but there was one thing that bothered Lyra as they lied in separate beds in their shared room in the Pokémon Center. She needed to know, so, sliding out from underneath the covers, she crossed the short gap between their beds and sat at the foot of Silver's. Taking a breath, she reached over and shook his shoulder. "Silver?"

"Mm...?" Silver groaned, rolling over. His eyelids tightened, and then he opened them and sat up a bit. "What are you doing up?" he asked, sitting more properly.

"I just...wanted to ask you something," Lyra said, rubbing her neck.

Silver sighed and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "It's past midnight, Lyra. Can't it wait until morning?"

"It...yeah. Yeah, it can wait," Lyra said, staring at her lap. Standing, she added, "Sorry I bothered you."

"Wait," Silver sighed, grabbing her hand as she walked away. "I'm awake now, so you might as well ask me."

Doing as he wished, Lyra sat on the bed again. "I was just...wondering..."

"...Yes...?" Silver asked when she didn't continue.

"Well..." She inhaled deeply and then blurted in one breath, "I was just wondering why you agreed to be my boyfriend." She flinched, awaiting an answer, but when she received none, she opened one eye for a peek. The room was dark, but moonlight cast over Silver's face indicated that he was staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"...That's seriously your question?" he asked.

Lyra nodded gravely.

Silver sighed. "And it seriously can't wait until tomorrow?"

Lyra shook her head briskly.

Silver sighed again. "Lyra..."

"Well, when I told you how I felt and asked you out, you just...agreed, and left it at that." She stared at her lap. "I guess I was just wondering how you felt about me."

Exhaling, Silver scratched his head. "...Honestly, I didn't think anything needed to be said. I mean," he turned to her, "I wouldn't go out with you if I didn't like you, you know."

Lyra felt her cheeks grow warm, and she smiled as Silver coughed and looked away.

"Look, Lyra," he said, fixing her with a serious gaze, "I'm no good at all this mushy business. I'm not a poet, or a songwriter, making rhymes about...I don't know, how your eyes shine like the moon or some crap. Hey, don't laugh, I'm being serious." He grinned as she stifled her giggle. "All I can say is...for a long time, I was a bitter and cold person. I hated the world, I hated my life, I hated myself. But you...you've taught me a lot in the short time I've known you...about love, and how important it is to have love in your life. Not only receiving it, but giving it as well." He reached across and took her hand. "I'm not going to promise that being with an asshole like me will be easy; hell, I'll be the first to admit that I probably won't be as lovey-dovey as you may want me to be, but I suspect you already knew that...Shut up, don't laugh." He chuckled too, in spite of himself. "But look, even though I probably won't say it to you as often as I should, I'll say it to you now, so you can remember when I piss you off somewhere down the road: I...I really like you. So much, that I honestly don't want to think about living my life without you, and I barely remember what it was like before I met you." He squeezed her hand. "You've changed my life, and I'll never stop appreciating you for that."

He heard her sniffle, and he sighed. "Oh jeez, don't cry..."

"Sorry..." she sniffed, mopping her eyes.

Chuckling, he leaned forward and pulled her into an embrace. He held her for a minute or two, allowing himself to enjoy the closeness, and he felt a twinge of sadness when she pulled away to sit up again. "So, you satisfied now? I'd like to get at least some sleep tonight," he teased.

"Almost," Lyra said. "I just need one more thing."

A shadowed silhouette leaned over in the darkness, and warm lips met for the first time. The shadows stayed connected for almost a minute before they finally drifted apart, then one pulled the other into an embrace, and they disappeared under the covers together. Their lips met over and over for a little while, and then the two snuggled close to sleep through the night together. Lyra lied there, her heart drumming against her chest, feeling the warmth of Silver's body against her back and his arm draped over her waist. After a few minutes had passed, she heard his breathing slowly fade into a faint snore, and then, pulling his hand to her lips and kissing it, she too drifted off to sleep.