Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
Silver sat across from the human woman feeling awkward. He caught her staring at him several times and he didn't know why she was doing so. Did she suspect him of anything? It was unlikely considering how trusting she was while bringing him to the house. He wished he had the ability to read her mind because her piercing gaze was starting to drive him mad.
"So how do you know Crystal," Lyra asked for the third time. She didn't know why he never answered her questions and was beginning to become worried. While Crystal did say that she invited them to their home, Lyra could tell from her behaviour that she wasn't really comfortable. "Do you like the mash potatoes, Mr. Silver?"
"They're too sweet," He finally answered a question but she pouted at how blunt it was. She was feeding him and he had been less than entertaining the entire time. This man was very different than the one she envisioned whenever they passed each other on the bridge. Once again the world was much bleaker than the one she created in her imagination.
"I know this is awkward for you since we only just met and you feel the need to entertain me so you don't need to force yourself." Silver told her and she thought there was a hesitation in his voice. Silver was never good with conversation so hoped that Lyra would take his advice and continue in silence. By God when would Gold return so he could talk to him?
"I don't want things to be awkward if you're going to stay here." Lyra admitted. She knew that she would be pushy but she was curious about the man she thought would forever be a familiar stranger. "So let's try to get along and get to know each other better. You already know my name's Lyra Hale but I'm also an author and reporter. I use the pen name Aries when publishing."
"Your family sure like stars," Silver already noticed that she was named after a constellation and wondered if she loved the stars like her sister. He thought back to the story Gold told him about the constellation. "Do you know the lore behind your name? I find it strange that your mother would give you a name connected to such a sad lore."
"My sister loves the stars so of course I know the story of the harp." Lyra didn't know why he was looking at her with pity. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice was rather sad but she found it rather romantic that Orpheus felt so deeply about Eurydice that he would travel the underworld for her. He was able to put those emotions into his song and move so many people.
Silver saw her soft smile and wondered what she thought of the myth. He had to voice his opinion though, "Orpheus was an idiot. The fool doomed the one he loved and caused her death again. He had only one condition but his impatient caused him to lose her forever. I hope that you never love so deeply that it dooms you to death."
"There's nothing wrong with loving deeply," She frowned but Silver only raised a brow as if he hadn't expected her to argue with him. "Yes it's tragic that his love caused them to be apart forever but at least he tried to get her back. I don't know what it feels to love someone so much you'll do anything to save them. I hope that I find someone that inspires me like that one day."
"It seems like my sister has been telling me about romance all wrong," Silver chuckled at the memory of all the times his sister would try to match him with another painter. Lyra couldn't read his thoughts so thought he was laughing at her and puffed her cheeks in frustration. She always thought that she could get along anyone but Silver was making it very difficult for him.
"She keeps going on about how I need to find a woman I want to protect but apparently girls want sacrificial lambs. It's a romantic thought but if you think about it in reality it becomes sad. Survivor guilt is a very real thing. I think I know what it's like to be left behind knowing that it might as well be you that took their life."
"You do?" She looked up at him again and saw that his eyes were far away. Maybe her backstory of him losing his true love was accurate. Her mind was racing with the concept and she stood abruptly which shocked him. She leaned over the table and her wide eyes stopped him from backing away from her. "What kind of girl was she?"
"I don't know," Silver whispered. He should've known admitting that would have her barrage him with questions. In all the tragedies he faced, he never had to lose a person close to him. But in his dreams he saw a woman in white disappear before him. She always faded before he could see her face and he didn't know her but he felt that she was important to him. "Let's change the subject."
It would be one of the few times Lyra left well enough alone but he didn't look like he had any answers himself. But her curiosity still made her ask other questions. Before she could stop, Silver stopped her by pushing away his plate and standing up. "I just came to check on Gold but I really must be leaving now. I need to work and I can't be late."
"What do you do for work?" She asked even as he started to move away from her. Silver knew that he would have to see her often since he planned on keeping an eye on Gold while he was on earth. He never knew a woman with so many questions and didn't know if answering one would lead to her asking more. How had his sister been able to interact with humans while also keeping her identity a secret?
"I draw," he gave into her eyes and he could see more questions run through her head. Silver pulled his mantle around him and left before she could ask them. Lyra looked out the window to wave bye to him but froze when she saw him take out his chalk and smoky wings seemed to appear behind him. He looked around him but didn't seem to notice her duck behind the wall.
When she looked back he was gone, leaving her with questions.
Crystal leaned back against her chair and looked over her work. She was trying to write her thesis about the evolution of the stars but found herself struggling. How could she write something that went against what she knew? How could she write what she knew went against science? Life was so much easier before Gold came into her world.
Thinking of him again, she checked the monitor. She was so engrossed in her study that she didn't realize the time. The show should've been over by now and she thought he would've come to bother her by now. Crystal stood when she realized that there was no sign of him in the auditorium. She could only imagine the trouble he was planning to cause. Why wasn't she keeping better track of him?
She organized all of her things into her bag before racing out of her office to find him. But she didn't know where to look since the planetarium was so large. She just hoped that he wouldn't cause any trouble before she could find him. The other scientists didn't seem to be aware of anything strange so that was a relief to her.
Crystal went to the auditorium first to see if he left behind any clues to where he went. The show was over, leaving the auditorium empty. To her surprise she found that Gold was still sitting where she left him with an arm over his eyes. Why couldn't she see him through the monitor when she could see him clearly now?
Gold must've sensed her step towards him for he lifted his arm slightly to smile at her. "You missed me already, SuperSerious Gal? I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me and come back soon. You guys really need to improve that show. It was the most boring thing I've ever watched! How about we go out for dinner to make up for forcing me to watch that show?"
"I'm guessing it didn't give you the inspiration you were looking for?" Crystal sat next to him and thought she saw him wince for a moment before he returned to his confident smile. Something about the tension she saw in his should told her not to bring up that he was the one that wanted to watch the show. "My work is almost over so I can go home soon. Is there anything you want to show me?"
Gold thought over it for a moment and grinned up at her. "How about we just go out to eat like I suggested earlier? I can't paint anything on an empty stomach. It's a little late but I'm sure we'll find a place that's open."
"The only places open around this time at night are fast food restaurants. Maybe it's just better if we go home right now. I'm sure Lyra made something and wrapped it up for us to eat. It's what she usually does when I work late like this." Crystal suggested instead but he seemed to be thinking something over as she guided him outside.
"I've always hear of fast food and seen it from the sky but I've never tried any before. I wanna try one of those potato sticks!" He took the lead despite not knowing the layout of the building. She tried to walk fast while looking natural since she didn't want to draw any attention to herself. While she could see Gold, she knew others couldn't.
"Slow down Gold. I'll take you to eat a burger," she begged him quietly and was surprised when he led her to a window. She knew exactly what he was thinking and started to yell at him to stop but he didn't seem to hear her as he lifted her into his arms. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into the crook of his neck to prepare herself for the impact.
Gold quickly painted over the window so that it became air before he jumped through and landed gracefully on the sky. He walked on air and looked down at Crystal in his arms. He couldn't see her expression since her face was still buried against his chest. She was warm and light in his arms, two characteristic often used to describe his stars.
"Are you sure you're not falling for me?" He chuckled into her hair. She looked up to face him so quickly that their noses bumped. He laughed but it wasn't reflected in her flush face. He knew that he angered her again and was most likely going to lecture him again.
"Put me down! Why are you so reckless? I can't imagine what coworkers think of me now!" Crystal flushed even more at the thought. She didn't know how much longer her heart could take his stunts and they were barely in their first week together. "You're lucky I haven't rethought taking you to eat that burger. I still don't know if I should."
"I vote for you taking me out to eat!" Gold lowered her to the ground to gain some goodwill from her. He once again cheered his vote and placed his arm around her shoulder. Once he gave her his winning smile that shined like the stars, she found she couldn't deny him. With a sigh, she gave him direction to the nearest burger shop she knew.
"I think this is the third time you talked about eating out. So now I know your two passions are eating food and painting stars," Crystal observed to herself. As they walked, he hummed to himself since he didn't think that she would want to speak to him since she was still mad at him.
The sun was rising and his stars were overtaken by the fiery sunrise Sapphire painted. It had been a day and he spent a good part of the night staring at empty stars. If he continued like that he would never find his muse and he would've angered the gods for nothing. He vowed once again to find his muse and pushed aside the fear he secretly felt.
"That's strange," Crystal said when her phone rang and saw that it was her sister. Lyra didn't know that she was off work yet and it wasn't like her to call while she was working. It was a quick text saying that she needed to tell her something. Something in her gut told her that Lyra wanted to tell her something important. "We should get back to Lyra."
"I'm never going to get to have that dinner with you, am I?" He started to joke but saw the worry in her eyes that she quickly masked with frustration. So he took her hand once again and amended. "We'll get home quicker if I use my powers to take us home. Just don't let go my hand."
"Crystal I need to tell you something about Silver!" Lyra tried to pull her sister aside the moment she stepped into their home. Lyra stiffened when she saw Gold walk through the door as well. In her anxiousness over thinking of how to tell her sister that she witnessed Silver disappear she forgot that Gold was Silver's friend. How would they react to what she had to say?
"What's wrong Lyra?" Crystal could tell her sister was in a panic and tried to calm her. She noticed that Lyra kept looking towards Gold and wondered why his presence was suddenly making her worried. She wasn't anxious around him before. "Leave Gold! Now Lyra, take a deep breath and calm down. Did Silver do something to you?"
"He didn't do anything!" Lyra said quickly and was glad that Gold left promptly. How was she going to tell her sister even when she didn't have to worry about Gold? Her sister would think that she was crazy when she told her but she needed to. "I saw Silver have these wings before he disappeared. He was using this chalk to draw something too. I know I sound crazy but I know what I saw and it's not…"
Lyra trailed off and Crystal cursed. She was never a good liar and didn't know if she could never do so to her sister. She cursed Gold and Silver for putting her in this situation in her mind. She thought that Silver would be more responsible than Gold and keep Lyra from seeing his power. Gold had told her that the gods didn't want humans to know of their existence and worried over what would come of Lyra.
"Looks like we have a problem," They both turned sharply at Gold's voice and Crystal stiffened when she saw him pull his paintbrush from his mantle. She knew that it meant stood protectively in front of her. Gold saw the fierce spark in her eyes and lowered his paintbrush. "I don't care if the gods find out I told a human about our existence but I won't let them punish Silver for this mistake."
"I'm not going to let you hurt her! She has nothing to do with this," Crystal snapped and Gold stopped for a moment. She sincerely thought that he was going to hurt her sister. She didn't know how she would fight a painter of the gods but she would try! She would try to protect her sister.
"I'm going to protect my friend," Gold echoed her thoughts. Lyra's head raced trying to understand what they were arguing over and became more confused over Gold's next words. "If he wasn't checking up on me than he would never have revealed his power. You don't need to worry about your sister since I'm just going to repaint her memories."
"Repaint?" Lyra echoed and instinctively placed her hands over her head as if to protect herself. "Please just tell me what's going on! I don't understand."
"Maybe it's better to tell her," Crystal decided quickly. She didn't know if she should trust Gold to be anywhere near her sister. While she didn't want to pull Lyra into the world of painters, it seemed to be the lesser of two evils. At least now she could warn her sister about the dangers that could occur around them. "You can trust my sister."
"I'll talk to Silver about this," Gold placed his paintbrush in his pocket again. "Maybe you should sit down, Lyra. We have a lot to talk about."
Green looked into the water around him and wondered why he had been feeling lightheaded for the last couple of days. He felt as if he was forgetting something but every time he tried to remember something stopped him. But lately he felt calmer while he was around water and wondered if the memory was connected to the element in some way.
Telling himself he had more things to worry about than if he was forgetting something, he forced himself to concentrate and took his fishing rod from his truck. If it was really important, he wouldn't have forgotten it. He wanted to relax on his boat to clear his mind and a quiet afternoon on the lake was what he needed. It was a weekday so the lake should be mostly empty.
As he walked down the trail to the river, Green wondered if he would see Blue again. The woman did have a knack for invading his space while he was fishing. He hadn't been fishing for a while and thought that time would be a good reprieve from her meddling. Since they only met and talked when they met on the river, he had to wonder what she did when she wasn't on there.
"I told you I don't know where Gold is!" Green stopped when he heard Blue's voice. The anger in her voice was clear but there was also a tint of fear. He barely knew the woman so he had no reason to involve himself but still he worried over the equally angry voice that answered. He leaned against a tree and listened to their conversation.
Green looked in the direction of Blue's voice and saw her speaking with a man wearing a mantle similar to the one she was wearing. The man was twice her size and weight but she didn't show any sign of backing away from him. Who was the man? By the way they were yelling at each other it was clear that they weren't on friendly terms. It didn't help that it seemed the man had her corner against the river.
Green decided to wait just to make sure that she was safe. He couldn't leave but he couldn't interfere either. He could only watch from a distance, ready to interfere if things got too far. While he might know Blue on a personal basis, he didn't want her to be hurt. He couldn't hear what they were saying anymore but by their body language he knew they were still arguing.
Green jumped forward when the man grabbed her mantle and raise his other hand. "Hey, let go of her!"
"Tch, a human." The man swore and let go of Blue so abruptly that she fell back into the river. Green's heart stopped when he saw her fall into the river none too softly. He remembered how he first met her and that she didn't know how to swim. Forgetting about the man, Green jumped after her and took her hand before falling into the water with her.
Even as the water rushed around him, he pulled Blue closer to him. He just hoped that she wouldn't breathe in any water before he saved her. When he broke the surface, the man was gone but he was more worried about Blue since her mantle was quickly absorbing the water. Why did she even insist on wearing such a strange article of clothing?
"Green?" Blue said in shock and quickly tried to swim out of his arms but he kept his arm around her waist. She was sure that there weren't any humans around when she was talking to, Lance, another painter. There were so many things going through her mind and Green was another thing she would have to worry about if he became any more involved with them.
Lance had approached her asking if she knew where Gold was and she wondered if he knew that she lied to him when she said she hadn't. She thought back to Red who wanted to stay in town for a while and was starting to think it was for the best. She didn't know why but she wanted to protect her friends and it would be better if they lived near each other.
She was pushed out of her thought when Green threw her out of the water. He was breathing heavily but he found the strength to climb out of the water and pull her to her feet. Green didn't say a word as he began to pull her away from the lake but she could read the hardness of his eyes. He was angry but she didn't know why. "Where are you taking me Green?"
"To the police," He said though gritted teethes. "I know it's not my place to interfere and I don't know who he is but if you're in danger you need to contact the police. They'll protect you. Anyone who puts their hands on you like that shouldn't be in your life. I don't care if he's your boyfriend or brother-"
"Green!" She dug her feet into the ground to stop him. She knew that if he involved himself any more than he already had he would be in danger. Lance had a cool temper and followed the gods' orders with a controlled hand. Who knew what the painter would do to Gold and Green? "I'm okay and you don't need to worry about me. He was just a cousin."
Green stopped walking and turned back to her. She was stubborn but so was he and he didn't want anyone to be in a dangerous situation. He didn't know the details but he clearly saw the anger in the other man's eyes. Green took out his business card and handed it to her. "Even if you don't want to get the police's help, take mine. If there's anything you need, ask me."
Blue stared down at it and thought over his offer. She had known Green for over a year now and could read him easily. He was a good man even if he was rather rough when showing it. But it was because of that she didn't want to involve him. She had to repaint his memory of her power once already. The address was rather close to the apartment she lived at and he could be the solution she was looking for.
"He was looking for a friend of mine and I'm afraid that if Lance does find him, he'll be in danger. Is it possible for him to stay at your office for a while? At least until this whole mess blows over. Red's a good guy and the situation isn't too dangerous." Blue made up a lie on the spot. She knew that Red would keep Green from being involved in their mess.
"I expect a hell of a lot more than that as an explanation but I'll help you." Green didn't know why he was feeling protective of her but he was. "Now let's get back to my car. I have a towel there. We should dry ourselves before we catch a cold."
I didn't want any of my anonymous readers to be offended with my last author note because I'm really not upset (and the person I was annoyed at didn't even comment to apologize like you lovely people did ^-^) My friend tells me that when I get angry I rampage but it doesn't last for long so I'm not angry. The rule of thumb for me is just people asking with a specific date in mind. When someone asks for updates I smile and go on my day. When someone tells me to update by x days I snap and bitch ^-^" Don't feel guilty for enjoying a work of fiction and being excited, just be more tactful when asking for updates.
On a more happy note, I really enjoyed writing this chapter :P These are like my top three ships yet they're so different from each other.