Entry #1: Because I love you
“- And remember to do your curatives.”
Crystal nods through the nurse’s instructions, pulling her shirt over her head. “I will. Thank you a lot.”
The nurse shakes her head and waves a hand dismissively. “It’s no problem. I’m just doing my job.” He smiles, softly. “If you want to thank me, be careful not to get hurt that badly ever again and go reassure your scary friend.”
That last bit makes Crystal smile as she reaches for the door handle. Scary friend, huh? Even Silver’s pokerface has its limits, she guesses.
Finally, Crystal opens the door to step outside of her hospital room-
only to get jumped by something fast and red.
“Crystal!” Gold’s voice is loud in her ears. There is so much unadulterated joy here; it would almost be cute. “Crystal Crystal Crystal I’m so glad you’re okay!!”
Almost, because she feels warm, warm arms tight around her waist and she feels herself being lifted off the floor and god fuck it hurts.
“Gold, you fucking idiot!” Okay, yeah, not the best thing to tell your (ex?) boyfriend after a fight and a near-death experience, but fuck. He’s pressing right over her bruised ribs. Moron.
Crystal winces in pain and raises a hand to smack the back of his head- she needs him to let her go, right now.
Her hand doesn’t go back down.
Because Crystal sees red.
She’s put down hastily (by warm, warm, warm hands, how did she not notice their heat) and Gold’s voice raises again, fretting, arms flailing wildly in the air. “Oh, fuck, I’m so stupid, I’m sorry, are you okay, I didn’t hurt you did I?”
Crystal quickly steps back, silence. It’s Gold’s voice. It’s Gold’s hands. It’s Gold, by all accounts.
There are red lines over his skin and black in his eyes.
She doesn’t hear Silver coming, stealthy as he usually is, until the ginger ’s torso is between her and the one who may or may not be Gold. “What did I tell you?!”
The Gold-lookalike actually whines at that, looking down like a scolded puppy. “To let you talk to her first.”
“And what did you do?” Silver’s tone is steady, seemingly composed. In control.
His fingers are twitching, hands clasping at the air. Agitated. Not good.
“I stole your thunder?” He smiles sheepishly. All Crystal can see are teeth. “I’m sorry? I got excited, I just- I’m just so happy she’s okay.”
Yeah, no. Definitely not Gold. Too shameless. Too overt. Too impulsive, something Crystal would have never thought she’d say in her entire life.
“Groudon?” No. That’s not right either. She remembers all too well- a monstrous mountain of fire and fury. Groudon would never act… dare she says lovey dovey. Every single legendary she’d met til now were creatures of pride. No reason for Groudon to break the mold.
The one who is not Gold but might have been once- shrugs. He just- fucking- shrugs.
“No.” says Silver, surprisingly much more helpful. “That’s not any more Groudon than it’s Gold. I think he’s a fusion of both. Takes traits from both.”
Crystal squints her eyes. “You think.” That would explain the weird behavior. And the absence of automatic maiming. A good theory. Why is it only a theory.
“He’s not exactly letting people get close to him, you know. And not everyone is a science genius like you.”
The thing in Gold’s body crosses his arms and- huffs. Pouts. A creature supposedly made of half of the avatar of the earth. Pouting.
Good to see some of Gold is still shining through.
“I don’t like humans.” He says. Ah. There it is, the anger. Groudon is bleeding through too, she sees. “They’re unreliable, stupid, weak, keep waking me up and trying to enslave me with this fucking orb to do dumb shit, and can’t even use a single ground of fire move. I just want to sleep. Is that too much to ask.”
Wow, no wonder he rules over mineral matter, considering how salty he is.
“…Thanks?” Crystal replies. Dumbly.
Silver winces. “Please don’t get him started on this. He runs on insane troll logic as much as Gold did.”
Goldron puffs his cheeks like a quilfish, offended. “Hey, it is logical. You guys don’t count. You hate humans too, and Crystal’s humanity is debatable anyway.”
Silver sighs. Loudly. “Can we not do that again. I’ve been dealing with that since this morning. Please. For my sanity.”
Crystal would normally disagree. But also Crystal did not typically argue with divine hybrids first thing getting out of the hospital. “So what, you’re sticking to us both because we’re better than most humans?”
He giggles. An actual, honest-to-god giggle.
(Gold never giggled. He snorted. He chuckled. He laughed. But he never giggled.)
“No, silly.” He smiles again. It’s wide and pointy, but what really gives Crystal shivers down her spine is that it’s genuine. “I’m doing this because I love you!”
“I love you! I love you both. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone.” Goldon repeats, cheerful, and he twirls like a dancer in his joy. “I was born loving you- I can feel it, right there!” He lays his palm on his own chest. “I love you. I love you. I want you guys safe and happy. And I would do anything for you.”
Anything. That means a lot, anything. He could rein in lava and hate, for their sake. He could play human, for their sake.
He could kill, for their sake.
Crystal has no doubts that he wouldn’t even hesitate.
“I love you.” He continues, yellow eyes staring straight at her. There is something in those golden iris; something twitching and squirming like embers; something deep and ancient and profoundly deranged.
(And maybe the most jarring part is knowing that this- this undying loyalty, this willingness to become a saint or a monster at their command, cannot in any way be inherited from Groudon.)
“I was born to love you. And so love you I will.”
