Torments of Hoenn - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - New Beginnings Together

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The next morning, with much, much difficulty, did they made their way back to the camp. Lyra instantly secluded herself from the two men who both claimed to love her. She sat in her slightly wet tent and just stared into the nothingness, thinking. She really just needed to talk things over with Silver before this journey went ahead any further. Crawling out, she beckoned him to join her so they could talk.

"Hey," he whispered to her softly. "How are you doing?" He ran a hand up her arm gingerly.

She shivered pleasantly at his touch. "Pretty good, actually," she answered with a slight smile. Biting her lip, she turned to him. "We really need to talk."

"I'll say," he scooted a little closer to her.

She reluctantly pushed him away. "No, seriously, Silver. We have to talk about what happened last night and if we're going to continue our relationship."

"Fine," he sighed. "Where should we start, then? Because I, quite frankly, have no idea where to begin. Just so much stuff has happened…"

"I think we should go into the finer details of last night," she offered quietly.

"Either way we're going to have to cover it," Silver shrugged. "What do you think?"

"What I know that it was all a mistake, Silver," Lyra told him. "It was just a spur of the moment thing. I don't like Ethan that way. I was just angry about what was happening with us and it lead to this whole big mess."

"Can… can I take your word for that?" Silver asked her whisperingly.

"Only if you want to," Lyra answered. "I don't want to force you to believe anything."

He nodded at her. He remembered what had happened with the dreaded Tesla, and wondered if he should bring it up. But if he ever wanted another chance with Lyra, he knew he shouldn't. "And what I want you to understand is that nothing happened with Tesla and nothing is ever going to," he lied, trying not to let guilt overtake his words. Lyra seemed to buy it. This time, she moved closer towards him.

"I believe you. I mean… this entire time, I was taking everything out on you and calling you the liar, even when you were right about Ethan. But I trust you-" she placed her hand on top of his. "-to tell the truth." He looked away from her, but she pulled his face back to hers with a finger. "And on top of that, I've come to realize something of my own," she started. There was a long pause. "That you really do love me," she kissed his cheek tenderly at that. "And we don't have to have a relationship together for me to know that I love you, too. I just really wanted you to know that."

Silver's head shot around at her confession. Someone loved him back! His heart pulsing, he fought the uncontrollable urge to kiss her right then and there. "And I know that what we have is really screwed up right now, but I'd, personally, like it to go somewhere," she told him, and a smile broke onto his face for the first time in a long while.

"So we're going to stay together?" Silver asked, his eyes bright and hopeful as he took her hands. But before she could even nod, Silver kissed her. It was nothing too passionate, but it was by far one of the most special ones they had ever shared. He proceeded to wrap an arm around her to bring her even closer. When they finally broke apart, his smile was still ever prominent and Lyra was blushing like old times.

"I kind of think you just answered your own question," she giggled at him, before pushing him onto the blanketed ground of the tent and kissing him again.

After a moment, he mumbled something against her mouth.

"What was that?" she asked him, pulling away.

"I love you," he told her with a soft smile. He intertwined their fingers. "And we're going to do this right, this time." She nodded, before biting her lip again. "What is it?"

"How am I supposed to break this to Ethan? He'll be heartbroken, Silver," she said with a frown, taking her hands back and folding them into her lap.

"We'll figure it out," he retook her hand and rubbed his thumb over it soothingly.

Lyra sighed heavily at the thought of breaking it to Ethan. Her eyes then wandered to her PokeGear, and she smiled to herself. "Actually, I may already have a solution…" she looked up at Silver. "But we need to go back to Lilycove."

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A blue-haired girl wandered through the streets of Lilycove, having just flown from the faraway town of New Bark. "They said they would meet me right here," she huffed inwardly, sitting down on a nearby bench. The truth was, she was actually about ten minutes early herself.

"Kris!" she turned her head to see Lyra running at her after those impossibly long ten minutes passed. "Oh my Arceus, it has been way too long!" Lyra grinned as she hugged her friend.

"Too true, too true!" she laughed. "How have you been?"

"Great," the pig-tailed girl nodded. "It was a little rough at first, but everything's been sorted out. But I talked to Ethan - he really wants to see you again."

Kris' face flushed a bright pink. "R-really?"

"Yeah!" Lyra hooked her arm around Kris' and started yanking towards two young men - an indifferent Silver and a nervously blinking Ethan. When they approached the boys, she immediately pushed Ethan and Kris together. "Now, you guys haven't seen each other in a very long time, and I think you both have something to get off your chests. Well, I know Ethan does," she winked at the already flustered cap-wearer, but this sent him into a round of his own blushes. "So Silver and I are going to go off and celebrate my birthday properly, and you two are going to catch-up." Silver smiled at her persistence, before wrapping an arm around her.

"Now let's get going," he took his turn to embarrass Ethan. "These two love-birds need their time alone, and we're not giving them it by standing here." He ushered Lyra off, and when Ethan went to glare at him, he only winked friendlily. Ethan was left even more flustered, but nonetheless smiled before taking Kris' hand and walking off in the opposite direction of the other couple.

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Silver and Lyra had finished dinner a half hour before, and were now walking around the serene, moon-covered park of Lilycove, hand in hand. They stopped on a bridge that connected both sides of the park, and just admired the seemingly glowing sea below them. Silver held Lyra, back first, against him, and they stayed perfectly still for the longest time. "This was very romantic," she kissed his knuckles lightly. "But we're going to have to get back to the hotel soon."

Silver just whispered, "I know." He reached down into his pocket where the ruby necklace still sat. It was more special than the ring he had ever was. He then pulled the silvery pendant out and slowly placed it around Lyra's neck. She gasped slightly when she looked down at it, and felt happy tears form in her eyes. "Happy belated birthday, Lyra. I love you." She turned and kissed him at that, and they stayed there on the bridge for another hour doing so before returning to the hotel, which was only a brief interruption before they started locking lips again. When Lyra pulled Silver onto the bed, though, he couldn't help but - reluctantly - halt their make-out session for a moment. "Are we really going to do this?" he asked, breathing heavily. "I thought you wanted to wait and-"

"I'm ready, I know I am," Lyra smiled at him, her eyes glittering at the care he was displaying for her. "I want to do this, I'm not forcing myself to, Silver. It's with the man I love. So don't feel guilty."

He sighed, relieved, before bringing her lips to his once again. This time, he was going to do it right, and with the woman he loved and who loved him back.

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Briinng! Briinng!

Lyra's PokeGear was ringing like crazy on the nightstand beside her. She curled in her blankets, turning to Silver. She was just going to let the call go into her messaging. It rang a few more times, before beeping and allowing the message to record.

"Hey, Lyra," it was Ethan. "I know this is kind of sudden… but I'm going to go off with Kris… instead. I know I should have told you sooner, but I couldn't find you anywhere and your PokeGear was off all of last night, so I couldn't. Give me a call when you get the time. Bye… oh, and thank-you, Lyra, for arranging this meeting with Kris. You're really the best friend I could have ever asked for." Lyra smiled to herself. She was, wasn't she?

She flipped over to see Silver, who had his eyed fixed on her. "What are you looking at?" she turned away, blushing.

"How gorgeous you are," he smiled goofily, but genuinely, and twirled a lock of her hair in between his fingers.

She bit her lip, embarrassed at the topic she was about to bring up. "Last night was amazing," she commented quietly. She tried not to stare at his bare chest as she said this.

"I'll say," he pulled her close, kissing her nose. "I'm looking forward to next time already." Lyra blushed brightly. For a while, they just sat there, nuzzling each other affectionately and enjoying the intimate time they had left before they would have to leave town.

"Hey, Silver," she said after a moment of cuddling. He made a gesture that he was listening. "Ethan just phoned. He said he's going to travel around Hoenn with Kris instead. So…" she trailed, pressing their naked bodies together, causing Silver to blush furiously "…it's going to be just us now."

He kissed her again. "Good. I've got you all to myself now."

She slapped his arm lightly at his remark. He laughed. "Love you, Lyra," he kissed her, pushing her against her pillow gently as he did so.

Pushing his red hair out of his eyes, she stared into them deeply before leaning up and meeting his lips herself. "Love you, too, Silver." And with that one reassuring kiss and those few reassuring words, she knew that they were going to be all right, after all, so long as they were together in the midst of it all.