Chapter Text
Silver was dirty.
He knew he was dirty, it was hard not to be. It wasn’t like he had a place to wash his two sets of clothes safely, or somewhere warm to bathe, he slept where he could, there was no warm, safe, clean bed waiting for him.
There was no family desperately wishing he’d come home. He wasn’t Blue, he knew he didn’t have a life waiting for him. He’d made peace with it when he was younger, but it made things complicated. He would always be alone, taking care of himself, and not very well.
One of the biggest problems he faced was the constant invitations from Gold to come over, to meet his mother, have dinner, play pool and video games, and whatever else normal kids do. He’d avoided it for as long as he could, but honestly, telling Gold no was hard.
He had been pretty sure that Gold’s mother would immediately turn her nose up at him, telling him to leave. Thus making it easy to avoid Gold’s house (and the confusing feelings the other boy gave him). She had the opposite reaction, deciding immediately that she adored him and that he needed to stick around to teach her brute of a son some manners.
But now she constantly attempts to get him to stay the night, and while it would be nice to sleep in a real bed for once, he couldn’t take advantage of them. Plus he was gross, his clothes were covered in a layer of grime that would probably never come out, even if he’d had access to a washing machine. His hair was oily and filthy, tangled so badly that he’d probably have to shave it at some point.
If he dared to lay his head down on a pillowcase, they’d have to burn it. Thus ruining his one friend who he managed to make on his own.
“Oh please stay the night, dear! We’d love to have you, I can make my famous biscuits and gravy for breakfast!” The older woman begged.
He felt guilty telling her no over and over, but he’d feel even worse when he accidentally destroyed her linens. Everything in the house was expensive, he’d never be able to replace it.
“I’m sorry ma’am, I can’t tonight,” he made sure to use ma’am as she was very Johtonian and that was the only way to speak. It also annoyed Gold, which was a nice bonus.
She frowned, glancing at her son for assistance, but he just shrugged, at least Gold had stopped asking. Knowing the answer never changes.
“Well, at least come help me with my canning before you head on out,” she turned toward the kitchen, not bothering to check if they were coming, “that means both of you,”
Sighing, Gold knocked his shoulder against Silver’s, neither were getting out of whatever she needed help with. Silver didn’t mind, it was a small way to repay the kindness she’d been showing, the meals offered that he’d occasionally indulge in, especially when he hadn’t eaten in days.
Immediately, jars of what he assumed was some kind of fresh jam were shoved into their arms.
“Go on and put these in the cellar, then you can help me make the next batch,” Silver saw a giant pile of what he could only assume were fresh picked berries, maybe he could sample a few while they made jam.
The boys did as told, Gold was significantly less grumbly about the chore than he’d normally be, he seemed somewhat distracted. It was almost certainly a sign that Silver had managed to over stay his welcome. He’d help put away the jars then make up an emergency. Maybe he’d avoid Gold for a while, he was being too needy, taking advantage of their kindness.
As they came back into the kitchen, Gold’s mother held an opened jar, full of dark jam. She made her way over to them. As she approached, her shoe caught on a rug, she began to tumble.
Quickly, Silver rushed forward, stopping her from hitting the ground. Unfortunately, the jar she’d been holding emptied out all over him.
That wasn’t good.
The dark colors would stain for sure, even if he managed to find a river to wash them in right now. Now he would either have to wear extremely stained clothes or be down to a singular outfit.
Not good at all.
“My goodness, I am so sorry dear!” She stood up, shaking her head as she looked at Silver’s covered clothes.
“Are you alright?”
“I am, I’m such a clutz! I’m so so sorry,”
He wanted to leave, he wanted to go crawl up at a base and cry. And of course this would happen when Gold was annoyed with him over something or another. He already felt horrible, this was just the icing on the proverbial cake that was his terrible life.
“It’s fine,” he lied. It wasn’t fine.
“No it’s not! You’re covered, and I got it all over your hair,” she frowned, turning to face Gold, “Take him upstairs, give him a set of clothes to wear tonight, I’ll wash these, and in the morning they’ll be as good as new!”
Without giving Silver a chance to protest, she shoved them towards the stairs, “Gold, why don’t you wash his hair in my hair sink, that way you can get all the jam out!”
With that final line, Silver was led upstairs, handed a clean set of clothes, instructed to leave his soiled clothes just outside of the door, and to not wash his hair, just his body.
Silver knew he shouldn’t waste their water, he knew he needed to be quick to shower, he couldn’t take his time, but once he was under the warm spray, his body relaxed in a way that was ridiculously rare for him.
It felt like getting a comforting hug, he could almost see the tension washing down the drain. His eyes slipped closed as the heat seeped through his tough exterior, gently massaging his ever present exhaustion away.
What he wouldn’t give to be able to have this daily… to feel this comfortable, to be able to lather delicious smelling soaps on his skin, to not have to feel subhuman all of the time.
It was depressing in a way, to get to experience this feeling, knowing it was a one time occurrence. Now each freezing plunge in a river, or hasty wipe down in a public bathroom, would feel a hundred times worse.
After what was probably much too long, Silver shut off the water and dried himself off. He was careful as he slipped the clothes on, the shirt especially, since his hair was still disgusting with additional jam stickiness. He didn’t want to ruin Gold’s clothes like he had his own.
He probably should have just ignored Gold’s mother and washed his hair in the shower, he didn’t like the idea of bothering Gold. The other boy was already annoyed with him, now he had to wash Silver’s nasty hair, share his clothes, and deal with Silver being there all night. Maybe it was best if he just went to Gold’s mother and took his soiled clothes back, telling her it wasn’t a big deal, he would deal with them. He got an amazing shower out of the day, so that alone was worth it.
Coming out of the bathroom, Silver didn’t expect to see Gold leaning against the other wall, waiting on him. He braced himself for a scowl, instead Gold grinned.
“Those fit you good! You can keep ‘em, they don’t fit me anymore,”
Silver looked down at the outfit, pajamas that looked like they’d never been worn. They did actually fit him. They were soft, and warm, and much too nice for him to have. But if they didn’t fit Gold, they were just going to toss them anyway…. Why couldn’t he keep them?
He nodded, giving Gold a half smile.
“Come on, mama’s hair station is down stairs,” Gold hooked his arm around Silver’s, dragging him along.
The earlier sour mood on Gold’s part seemed to have dried up. He was back to his normal, energetic and chatty self. Silver couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe he hadn’t overstayed his welcome, maybe he was just bad at reading signs? Or maybe Gold was just pretending, hopefully he hadn’t gotten in trouble with his mother or something. That would ruin their friendship for sure.
Gold led Silver into a room that he’d never been in before. There was a cushy looking black leather chair that sat low up against a low basin sink. Next to it was a rolling cart with what looked like giant shampoo bottles.
Silver had never seen anything like it before in his entire life.
Grinning, Gold shoved him into the seat. He draped a black tarp around Silver’s neck then turned on the water.
“Just close your eyes and relax, I’m a professional!”
Despite his assurances, Silver wasn’t sure he was comfortable trusting whatever Gold was about to do to him. He was rigid as warm water hit his head, wetting his hair thoroughly. But, he couldn’t deny how nice it felt, just like the earlier shower.
The water shut off, Gold leaned over, depressing a pump of what was likely shampoo into his hands.
“You’re lucky, mama just bought more of this scent, otherwise you woulda been stuck with something lame like strawberry fountains,” Gold said before his fingers began working the shampoo into Silver’s hair.
It smelt really good. Like a gentle summer breeze. But not only did it smell good, it felt really really good. Gold’s lithe fingers massaging Silver’s head, working up a lather, stripping away the oil and dirt. He felt his eyes slipping closed.
He wasn’t tired…
He just felt- safe. He knew in the back of his head he shouldn’t be letting his guard down like this, that Gold was probably annoyed with him, but it just felt so nice. He worked his hands through Silver’s hair, from top to bottom, making sure the refreshing lather made it everywhere, no strand left unclean.
It was silent in the room, the only noises were the sounds of his hair being washed. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, but in a good way, Gold rinsed the suds out of Silver’s hair and down the drain.
“Stay still, gonna put some conditioner in,” Gold murmured softly, normally boisterous, he didn’t want to break the spell of the silence in the room.
Again, Silver relaxed as Gold massaged product into his hair. He wasn’t entirely sure what conditioner was for, he’d seen it in the stores before, but never stolen it. Blue would probably know, he could always ask her.
“What’s conditioner for?” Silver asked, words slipping out without his approval.
Humming, Gold added more to the bottom strands, seeming to focus on certain spots, “It makes your hair soft, easier to brush, better for long hair,”
Contrary to what Silver would have expected, Gold wasn’t a dick in his explanation, he didn’t talk down, or compare Silver to a girl.
“I’m gonna rinse it out,” Gold said before turning back on the spray. Silver allowed his eyes to flutter closed again as Gold worked the thick conditioner out of Silver’s hair.
With the water off, Gold grabbed a towel from the shelves, he gently patted the long strands, getting most of the water out.
Silver sat up, he looked down at his hands, not wanting to make eye contact, “Thanks Gold, I appreciate your help,”
“Not done yet buddy,” Gold said with a grin, he looked like a kid in a candy store, as he pumped more product into his hands and ran them through the red hair, “Leave in conditioner,” he informed before turning and washing his hands off.
He pulled the tarp off of Silver, tossing it towards a bin, it landed just outside, he didn’t move to put it in. Grabbing what Silver recognized as a comb, Gold once again tugged Silver out of the room and towards the stairs. He could hear his mother singing in another room, the soft melody of her voice fading as they climbed up to Gold’s room.
Pointing at his bed, Gold shoved Silver. Climbing in behind him, Gold settled against his headboard.
“I’m going to brush it out, let me know if it hurts, mkay?”
Silver nodded, unsure of what else to say as Gold began to run the comb through his hair, gently working the knots out.
“How- how do you know how to do all this?” Silver asked, somewhat afraid this was something that everyone who had normal childhoods knew how to do, maybe he was just the weird freak.
“Back a couple years ago, mama’s wrist was broken,” Gold’s tone darkened, Silver felt himself stiffen up, there was more to the story than a broken wrist alone, it sounded like, “I wanted to do something to help, cause I’d failed at taking care of her,” The last bit was whispered enough that Silver was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hear it.
Should he ask? Silver wondered. Gold was not the type to talk about feelings, but it sounded like he had something on his chest, maybe it would-
“My pa was a drunk, a damn mean one too, mama tried to kick him out, so he broke her wrist,”
Chewing his lower lip, Silver felt terrible, Gold’s mother was one of the kindest people he’d ever met, she deserved so much better.
“I’m sorry,”
Gold hummed in recognition, “It’s okay, bastard got what he deserved, right after he drove off, still drunk, ended up gettin’ intimate with a tree, nobody attended his funeral,” he could hear the smirk in Gold’s voice.
“Anyway, I started helpin’ mama wash and braid her hair, I got pretty good at it,” Silver felt him shrug, then he felt Gold separating his hair.
Furrowing his brows, Silver spoke, “Are you braiding my hair?”
“Mmmhmm, it’ll protect it while you sleep,” Gold tugged gently on a group of strands as he twisted them around the others.
Chewing his lower lip, Silver was more relaxed than he’d probably ever been, but at the same time, he knew he was being a massive burden upon Gold.
“Thanks,” Silver whispered, “You didn’t have to,”
Gold flicked Silver’s shoulder.
“Don’t tell a soul, but I really like doing hair, I’ve wanted to braid yours since we met,”
Silver whirled around, staring at his friend, who was looking anywhere but him, a light dusting of red on his cheeks.
“Really?”
“Shut up man,” Gold mumbled, as if to prove his masculinity to himself, he grabbed a pillow from next to him, smacking Silver across the chest.
Not one to back down from a fight, Silver grabbed a different pillow and got his own revenge.
Later, the pair fell asleep, tired, clean, and happy. Silver had never slept so well in his entire life.
—------------------------------
“Here you are dear,” Gold’s mother smiled kindly as she handed Silver the fresh clothes.
He took them with wide eyes, not only were they folded neatly, but she’d stitched a few tears and patched the holes, the fabric she used seamlessly blending in making his old rags look new.
“Oh! And keep what you’re wearing now, actually I have a whole bag of clothes that Gold is too big for, kid is growin’ like a week. But, you can save me from keeping them in the attic for ten years like his baby clothes,” The woman said with a warm laugh, the sound calming Silver to the core.
Before he could argue, she was grabbing a backpack, shoving it into Silver’s arms, he nodded, adding his now clean clothes to the bag, putting it on his back. She was holding a familiar swatch of fabric in her other hand.
“I hand washed this, good as new,” She said softly as she gave Silver his handkerchief.
Against his will, tears welled up in his gray eyes, he traced the red thread of his name. The embroidery was his sole connection to his past, whatever sort of life he had before he was taken. The only sign that he ever possibly had a family that maybe loved him.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his throat tight.
“I can tell whoever made it for you, made it with love,” She ran a hand through his now clean hair, her thumb running against his chin as she cradled his cheek, “I know they’re out there looking for you, one day you’ll be reconnected, but know that they aren’t your only family, you’re always welcome here, I would love for you to live here, you’re part of our family too,”
She pulled him into her arms, rubbing his back, politely ignoring the wet spot on her shirt.
Maybe she was right, maybe he did have a family, except it wasn’t whoever embroidered his name, it was the ones that cleaned the dirt off and made him shine like new.