Chapter Text
Ethan shifted on the expensive leather couch, nervously picking at the seams of his sweater sleeve. He had never been one to be shy or anxious, especially for a babysitting job. Maybe it was how silent the house was, or how just the living room was so big that it felt claustrophobic, that it made him afraid to breathe a little too strongly. He occasionally looked up at the sparsely decorated walls, examining the expensive paintings of fancy Persians, and pictures of a little baby with shockingly red hair, whom he assumed was Silver. He felt his nerves die down as he saw how the boy was smiling in all the pictures, not rehearsed or forced smiles, even as he was in a practiced pose in some of them. They all seemed pure and light-hearted.
He hadn’t realized how long he had been staring at the pictures, completely spaced out, until he heard a polite cough from above him, his head snapping up to the source of the sound as he rose to his feet.
Giovanni was an intimidating man; even when Ethan had only heard his voice through a phone call, he could tell what kind of man he was. An alpha, tall, strong, sharp. He had no smell, years of maturity allowing him to control it perfectly; the way he carried himself was enough to let his classification be known. Beside him stood the same boy from the photos on the wall, barely tall enough to reach the side of his father's hip. His expression was completely different from the one in the pictures, his small features scrunched up in an attempt to seem intimidating.
“I must head out now.” Giovanni nudged Silver to step forward, but the boy stayed frozen right by his father. “Do you have any questions about Silver’s schedule?” Ethan shook his head. Everything was pretty simple. He was given only a few rules: to give Silver a pre-made dinner when the boy got hungry, to remind him of his schoolwork, to get him to take a bath, and to do all this before he had to sleep at nine. He was told over the phone that Silver was pretty independent, that Ethan was only needed ‘just in case.’
“Alright.” Giovanni nodded, trying to nudge Silver off of him. Silver clutched onto Giovanni’s leg, the angry look on his face fading into one of a sad Growlithe as his father managed to create some space between them. Ethan nodded back at him, his eyes following Giovanni until he was out of sight, shoulders slumping as he heard the sound of the front door closing and being locked.
Most kids’ Silver’s age had no scent until their teenage years, even when having intense emotions, but Ethan could make out the vague smell of soured sweetened milk. It wasn’t a strong or horrible smell, just strange. Even when the younger kids in his town got angry or hurt when playing, there would be no scent. And Silver only seemed slightly upset over his father being gone.
Giovanni's presence felt like a boulder atop him, and now that he was gone, Ethan felt like he could breathe properly, falling back on the couch with a heavy sigh.
“Silver, right?” Ethan smiled at the boy, ignoring the eyeroll he was given. He had been able to deal with the most difficult kids in the past, and Silver was going to be no different. “Is there anything you want to do? We could–” Ethan was about to reach for his bag, where he usually kept some sort of card game, when he was cut off by a rather loud groan from Silver. Silver had a glare on his face which Ethan just found adorable, before stomping out of the living room, his little cowlick bouncing almost cartoonishly with every hard step. Ethan just watched as he left. There was nothing he could do; he couldn’t force Silver to be happy with him. He looked back around at the various pictures hung up on the wall, wondering if it was the same kid at all.
Ethan stuck himself to being slouched over his homework most of the night on the dining room table, occasionally making his way upstairs to check up on Silver in his room (getting lost most times as he forgot which door out of what seemed like hundreds was Silver’s). The house felt too large, too complicated, for just two people. Ethan seriously underestimated what Giovanni had meant by Silver being independent. He seemed completely fine by himself in his room, focused on what seemed like his own schoolwork or paying attention to a little Sneasel.
He stopped checking in on Silver as much. Even if he entered his bedroom quietly, he could tell that it annoyed Silver, and it’s not like he needed Ethan's attention on anything.
Occasionally, he could feel a tiny pair of eyes peering at him from the dining room door, disappearing the second Ethan looked up. And occasionally, when he looked up, it would be that same Sneasel, Silver’s Sneasel, standing at the doorway. Unlike the boy, Sneasel wouldn't flee whenever Ethan looked up at him. It would stand there, a sly little smile on its face, before running off, letting Ethan know that he’s being watched by both of them.
Normally, Ethan would have tried pushing the boy to socialize with him more, but he understands why Silver would seem so closed off, judging from what Giovanni has told him. Silver had been homeschooled his whole life and struggled to talk to other kids the few times he did get to interact with them. It would be surprising if he didn’t grow overly attached to his father.
Ethan felt those same eyes on him, snapping his head fast enough to manage eye contact with the boy. His thin eyebrows were in a tight frown, and this time he didn’t go scurrying off. He stood by the front of the dining room before taking a shy step ahead of him. He opened his mouth to speak, a very faint blush growing on his chubby cheeks as he lowered his head down and closed his mouth back up.
“Everything okay?” Ethan stood. Silver looked up at him through his bangs. “Are you hungry?” Silver just stared at him before slowly nodding his head. Ethan smiled, turning to the kitchen to warm up Silver, one of his meals.
Silver sat right across from Ethan, keeping his head down, though Ethan could tell he was still staring at him as he ate. Silver’s scent was no longer there, seemingly no longer upset that his father had left him with Ethan.
“Maybe next time I come, I could make something for you instead?” Ethan offered, knowing that nothing he cooked would come close to the food Silver was eating, even if it was reheated leftovers.
“Maybe.” Silver said stiffly, taking a slow bite of his food. Ethan’s smile brightened, believing for a second that maybe Silver was warming up to him–at least enough to speak to him. “But I doubt my father would want to hire someone like you again to be my babysitter.”
“Like me?” Ethan repeated quietly, caught off guard by the shady comment.
“Mhm, Silver stood, “like you.” He left his plate on the table for Ethan to clean up, only half eaten, stepping out of the dining room.
Ethan wasn’t offended; he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be. He didn’t know what Silver was implying with his comment. Did he mean his classification? Silver seemed too young to know about the differences between an omega and an alpha, or to think that Ethan would be a bad babysitter just because he's an alpha. Or did he see Ethan as some poor brute? Either way, it was disheartening to know that Silver clearly was not willing to give him a chance at all.
Ethan did not see Silver for the rest of the night. He went upstairs once more to check on him, hearing the sound of a bath running as he walked past the bathroom. There was no point in trying to talk to the boy at all. Silver’s opinion on him was made loud and clear.
Giovanni came back home at the exact time promised, the sound of the front door opening and closing being the only break from the prison of silence Ethan had been stuck in. Ethan gathered all his things into his bag carelessly, not worrying about his homework being crumpled or losing a pen or two at the bottom of his bag. Ethan met Giovanni at the front door, surprised that Silver had not come running down the stairs to greet his father–probably (and hopefully) long asleep considering the time.
Giovanni was like a cold breeze; those same nerves from the beginning of the night were coming back up. Ethan could vaguely make out his scent, though it still wasn’t strong. Giovanni kicked off his shoes by the entrance, turning to look at Ethan.
“Did everything go all right?” Even with his monotone voice and serious posture, Ethan could tell that he was slightly worried through his tone.
“Yes, sir,” Ethan assured, “I'm sure Silver is asleep right now.”
Giovanni just nodded at him, reaching into his back pocket. “I apologize if Silver caused any trouble for you. He can be rather difficult.” He took out a generous stack of bills, not bothering to count how much it was, holding it out for Ethan.
Ethan grabbed onto the money; even just the weight of it in his palm was greater than any he’d made in other babysitting jobs.
“He was fine.” Giovanni's mouth shifted into a very slight smile, even his eyes softening.
“If you are able, could you come in next week as well?” With how the night went, there would be no next week. But the chance at this amount of money again, and getting Silver to open up, was enough for Ethan to want to come back.
“Of course, sir.” He beamed. “Have a good night, thank you.” Ethan slipped past Giovanni into the cold outside, feeling like he had been deprived of fresh air.
“You don’t even know where he works?” Lyra’s squeaky voice rang out from his Pokegear's microphone, a bit muffled and far away from the device. Ethan didn’t have time to answer before she spoke again. “They’re probably vampires.” She said with full confidence, and it was hard to tell if she took herself seriously or if she was joking.
“I doubt it.” Ethan choked out, trying not to let out a laugh. Lyra never appreciated it when he laughed at the theories she had, but he couldn’t help himself.
“I'm serious!” She whined. “I watched this movie where this girl is a babysitter, and she gets trapped inside this old house because the kid she was babysitting was a vampire! Or I think a ghost?” She trailed off, trying to piece together the details of her own theory. “Or both. Something like that.”
“Not sure how that correlates to this.” Ethan fell back on his bed, not caring as he messed up his freshly made bed–one of his Pokémon would jump on it and mess it up anyway if not him. He sighed as he heard Lyra suck in a breath, knowing she was going to start one of her rants.
“He’s a mysterious rich guy with one son, no wife, he won’t tell you where he works, his son is mean and quiet–and he has unnatural red hair!” She rambled, just repeating back the details that Ethan had told her. “Maybe he’s a part of Team Rocket.” She said blankly, both staying quiet at the ridiculous accusation, before Lyra started laughing, unable to take herself seriously.
“You’re crazy,” Ethan said shakily, unable to contain his own laugh. “Yet it’s more believable than him being a vampire.”
“You’ll be sorry when I'm right.” Ethan could hear Lyra smirking right through the Pokegear.
The call screen on his Pokegear was suddenly replaced with an alert that he had an incoming call from a phone number he already recognized.
“I’ll call you back,” Ethan said, not giving her a chance to say her goodbyes before hanging up on her. His Pokegear rang, and he answered quickly.
“Hello?” Ethan spoke first, trying his best to put on a cheerful voice.
Giovanni didn’t even bother with a greeting, asking bluntly if Ethan would be able to come in tomorrow instead of next week. Ethan didn’t fully process Giovanni’s question before agreeing to go; the call cut off short after Giovanni told him to come in the early morning.
If Giovanni had called so soon after, that definitely meant that Silver didn’t go complaining about Ethan just yet, right? Ethan is sure that with enough visits, the boy will grow to like him.