#also i tried really hard to wipe off the white flecks but i think its damage and not dirt so *womp womp*
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Shop Photos: We are SMAP! Takuya in Space Edition
Not to be confused with Takuya in Space Battleship Yamato Edition, which is just Takuya looking extremely gender in a film that coincidentally released in the same year as these pictures
#of course i saved the best for last who do you think i am?#kimura takuya#木村拓哉#takuya kimura#scans#shop photos#we are smap 2010#why are you…as a man…putting gloves on#also i tried really hard to wipe off the white flecks but i think its damage and not dirt so *womp womp*#oh well he’s still pretty i forgive him#pretend they’re stars and takuya is in space to fit the earth motif#…i put it in the caption so you have to…thats the rules#actually maybe the flecks are intentional now that i think about it#im still talkin arent i#queue've got a pulse and queue are breathing
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Please...
“Get it out” • No More • “Stop, please”
Sitting in this hospital, she can’t help but gravitate closer to him. It’s a need born out of the chill in the room and the white walls that feel nearly claustrophobic. As if the whole world is in this waiting room with them. His side is warm and he doesn’t so much as blink in response as the sides of their bodies lean into one another.
Her left leg bounces to a beat of its own drum while he flips through a magazine.
The doctor comes out and tells them their witness can be questioned but to keep it short. She can’t tear her eyes off of his face as his voice comes out a little wrong but he nods and motions for Emily to follow him back. It’s not until later, two days later, when she watches him take two steps back when JJ passes by him a little too close, shoulder’s threatening to brush, that her throat gets a little tight.
Because Hotch doesn’t like people close and she’s found herself the exception to the rule.
She tries it again on the jet and blinks stupidly when he just glances at her and resumes reading his file. As if it’s nothing at all. Like it’s not crazy he’s letting her corner him in the seats. Because he likes the window seats, always has, but doesn’t like being cornered between the window and the aisle seat. The aisle seat she’s just taken.
Pulling her legs up into her chair, tucking her head atop her knees, she stares at the table and wonders what exactly this means.
He’s doing the same.
Then New York happens and brushed shoulders and aisle seats on the jet equate to nothing when he looks at her with those hollow eyes. He’s shaking and she can’t tell if it’s pain or exhaustion wearing his eyelids down but he won’t sleep here, not tonight. So they just sit here, on his hotel bed, facing one another on opposite sides of the bed, with their legs drawn up, and their heads resting on the wall.
“You okay,” she asks under her breath. It’s raining hard. Her father had always said the rain was the Earth’s way of cleaning itself up. The same way crying in the shower helps wash the blood away. “You’re starting to look pale, again.” She’d all but broken into his room so he wouldn’t be alone tonight, out of her own fear of his injuries being worse than they thought and knowing that he shouldn’t be alone.
He just looks at her.
And she’s thinking about the street and the SUV. The way the rain is probably washing Kate Joyner’s blood down into the sewer. The way the shower Hotch had taken had washed the blood from his coarse hair. He shivers, cold, but doesn’t say anything.
They never really say anything.
She’s not there to see him shout himself hoarse or to see the tears stinging his eyes as Benjamin Cyrus beats her. In the back of her mind, as his hits rain down, she finds comfort in knowing he’s out there. And it’s into his arms that she stumbles when that fucking building comes falling in around them.
“Don’t do that again,” he says into her hairline. His eyes are squeezed shut, he never sees the looks they receive from the others. Doesn’t care to wonder what they might even think as she shakes in his arms and he breathes-- he fucking breathes-- for the first time all day.
She looks up at him, those dark pensive eyes looking up at him like she’s looking for something. He swallows thickly and she smiles like she’s found it. “You couldn’t pay me enough,” she promises.
In October she gives him a book.
It’s stupid, really, but she sees him staring off into space on the jet. The kind of stare that just screams boredom. She goes to get another cup of coffee and just places the book in front of him. “It’s not a murder mystery,” she says, with a small shrug. “I like it, though.”
As he collects this book into his hands. Each word bleeds into his lap. The pages smell old and so unmistakably Emily. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, glancing at her back he wonders if those words are meant to mean something to him.
He supposes the book is gift enough and tries not to overthink her motives as he sets into the first chapter.
“He smiles more,” Reid deduces, as Emily takes her seat back beside the genius.
She regards him with a frown. He’s always been like her kid brother. She’s never had a brother before but she imagines his knowing smirk and the mirth in his eyes come with brothers. With a smile of her own, she wraps her hands around her mug and shrugs. “Who?” as if she look up to find Hotch already looking at her.
Reid shakes his head and looks back to his own book. Idiots.
Matthew dies.
Morgan pulls her into the hall, his grip tight on her elbow. She frowns at his touch, remembering the way Hotch had touched her like that. Not tight. Not frustrated. Morgan is both of these things as he lowers his voice and reminds her they have a job and she’s pushing her luck. His own anger seeps into his words and she knows she’s also taking some heat from him for the way Hotch acts around her. For the fact that Morgan would be chewed up and spit up for half the things she’s done today and Hotch can’t even meet her eyes.
She knows. She just doesn’t know what it means.
He finds her at the church.
She jumps. Flinching as she sees the dark silhouette of a man, it takes her only a second to realize it’s him. It’s the way he walks and the fact that he’s not wearing a hat even though the strong breeze whipping past them is sure to agitate his ears.
“You’re bleeding,” he states as he gets closer.
She stops the movement she sees coming, his hand rustling from where he’s tucked his arms to his chest. Running her hand under her nose she wipes the blood away. “Just a nosebleed,” she says, ducking her head from his intense gaze.
He walks the rest of the way to her, turning on his heel to face the church. “He’ll never…” the words get stuck in his throat. A part of him feels broken, deep in the pit of his stomach. He’s reminded of his father, standing at the foot of his death bed and looking at his mother with those same words on the edge of his tongue-- “He’ll never come back.”
She leans into him, her hand creeping around his waist. She finds herself properly tucked into his side, her arm under his jacket and close and warm with his cologne filtering between them. “It doesn't matter,” she whispers.
He looks up at that church and knows that’s not true.
He blinks and the world is cold and bloody. His eyes are unfocused and his sweat is drenching his clothes to his body. Emily’s nowhere in sight and still, all he can do is think about her.
“Where’d you go,” Foyet asks, a sickeningly curious smirk on his lips. “Just now,” he explains, “I could see it in your eyes. You were thinking of something.” He draws the knife down Hotch’s chest, smiling when Hotch doesn’t even flinch. His chest hardly rising with his shallow breaths. “I think it was a someone. Oh please tell me it was a someone, Aaron.”
Hotch chokes, turning his head as Foyet presses the knife back in. Feeling the other man's breath down his neck. That breathless chuckle Foyet expels, chopped with his pants. It takes a lot to stab someone nine times.
Foyet sits back on his thighs as all of his attention goes into watching the knife pull from Hotch’s abdominal cavity. The blade’s thick and sharp and even on it’s way out Foyet can see it breaking Hotch’s pale skin. Parted in a sea of red that gets deeper and darker and he can’t help but to reach out and drag his finger along the stab wound's smooth edge.
“Aw,” Foyet grunts, standing up and shifting around so that he can better see Aaron’s face. He ‘tsks’ his own carelessness. “I’ve nicked something,” he grumbles, as if the blood trickle down Hotch’s chin is just mere inconvenience. It means his fun is over, his play-thing is dying. “And I practiced so hard--”
A key hits the lock.
The thick copper taste of his blood on his tongue is heavy. Breathing is becoming harder. His breath catches on that blood and he chokes, gagging uselessly around the intrusion. He’s too weak to call out to her. He sobs, tears trickling down his cheeks, as his vision goes black.
He just hopes she is better than him.
Stronger.
Faster.
Emily stands in the doorway of his apartment, the keys in her hand clutched tightly. “Aaron…” she can feel the chill in the air. The whole apartment doesn’t feel right. She’s been in there enough to know-- she knows Aaron well enough to know-- this isn’t right. “Aaron, where are you--”
She finds him.
“Aaron!”
He struggles hopelessly against bonds that aren’t there. His chest hitches, lungs making a terrible wheezing sound around the knife firmly embedded in his chest. Opening his mouth to call out to her, to warn her ends in a choked, gagged sound. His warm, hot blood clots at the back of his throat. All he can do is writhe, kicking out uselessly as the blood blocks his air.
His heart stammers in his chest…
Emily comes closer.
“No, don’t--” she catches his trembling hand. His fingers failed to grasp the knife's handle, no doubt trying to pull it out.
He shakes his head and manages to turn onto his side, coughing, and, this time, the blood comes up. It spills over the side of his face. A choked cough sending the flecks of blood up and over his lips. “Foyet,” he grunts, his eyes ghosting behind her. Unfocused, uncoordinated-- he lets out a broken sob.
“Shh, shh,” she can’t understand him. His panic and the blood loss… she can’t understand his terrified whisper. “It's okay,” she soothes. Her eyes glancing to the knife, the handle just barely visible, from where it sits flush in his chest. “It’s-- You’re--” she gasps softly at the way his blood flows just over her hands. Her interlaced fingers do nothing. The blood just…
She places more pressure against the wound.
He whimpers. A guttural sound, trapped against the back of his throat. “Take it--” he turns his head, tears spilling out of his eyes and over his cheeks. “Get it out,” he grunts, weakly pulling against her grup. “Please, get it out.” He can feel it pulling each time he inhales. Shifting on exhales.
“I can’t,” she whispers, her own tears falling. “I can’t take it out.”
There’s no time to consider why she’s here. Normally, she’d call ahead. A text. Even just a comment passed between them as a warning. Something she slips in or he mumbles. But those fucking pigs and that girl… he can’t say he blames her for stopping buy.
Pouring himself the drink that started it all had been his way of holding her close. The only way she could think to do the same was to come and really hold him. She just hadn’t expected to open the door to find nothing.
“You have--” his breaths become too labored. Too forced. “You have…” there’s the shallowest sound that comes from his chest. An exhale that’s barely there at all before his half-lidded eyes slide shut. A shaky, half exhale falling from his lips. Then nothing.
“Aaron,” she runs her hand up his chest. Her cold fingers tap against his cheek, attempting and failing to rouse him. “Oh God,” she pulls at him, panic rising in her chest. “Oh God, Aaron! Aaron, please!”
But he’s too far gone to hear her cries.
#criminal minds#criminal minds fanfiction#aaron hotchner#emily prentiss#spencer reid#david rossi#derek morgan#jennifer jareau#penelope garcia#whumptowninwhumptober#hotchniss#HotchxEmily
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you deserve to ask for all the validation. what's on your mind with Joker? gush gush gush! tell us your thoughts!
@into-crazy said: Hey sweetheart💞 dropping by to tell you that you can gush about Arthur HOWEVER much you want🥰 I know I'm always happy to read them, you're always so caring. So please, gush on😭💓
😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺Thank you both for the validation and for letting me gush omg I feel selfish every time I do so I try not to too often ksksks but but buttt!!!!! He deserves it!!!!! And so do I!!!!💚💜💗💙
Under a cut for those who want to skip my gushing!!! 🥰🥰🥰
Okay, I wanna start by just... Joker!!!! Joker Joker Joker Joker Joker Joker Joker Joker - I’m tearing up just from typing his name that many times and my heart is squeezing in my chest omg I love him so so much omg I can barely see my laptop screen I’m cryinggg asdfghjkl 😭😭 He is!!!! Ethereal!!!!! He makes my heart go ✨✨✨✨ and he’s!!!! So!!!! Beautiful!!!
Look at him!!! 🥺😭
Look at this romantic green waves, the worn away white paint, the way the blood and the red paint blends together, the faded blue and the speck of blood on his waistcoat. He’s hurt and broken in more ways than one and bleeding; his inside is shown on his outside in this very moment and he’s so pretty in his pain. I’m crying omg look at him 🥺🥺🥺🥺 I just wanna lay down beside him on the boot of the car and kiss his tears away and wipe his face clean - yeah, we’re in the middle of a riot, so what? He’ll protect me after I’m done protecting him. I’d burn a city to the ground to keep him safe. “It’s okay, Joker, you’re safe.” and I’d run my hands through his hair and tell him I’m proud of him even now, even after everything. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I’d hand wash the blood from his hands (I’m a uterus owner, we know best how to do that), I’d werewolf and go wild with him if he wanted to take me out with him, I’d die for him.
Joker’s impossible for me to describe without using celestial terms but not only is he physically stunning, but he’s also beautiful on the inside and I love him because he is who he is - flaws and all. Though I wish I could take his pain away, I also wouldn’t change a single thing about him because to me he’s perfect. He’s everything I didn’t know I needed right up until the moment I did and he truly did change my life in so many ways. Sometimes I think he’s more real than I am because when I die one day, he’ll remain on this earth, forever immortalised in the hearts of all who know him.
Arthur Fleck will never die.
His entire segment on the show makes me cry so, so hard. Even when I’m feeling apathetic, I will still cry. It’s guaranteed. The way his jaw was clenched, his breaths uneven, his eyes red rimmed with unshed tears... and no one saw him. I don’t understand, I truly just don’t, how he could have a breakdown on national television and no one. saw him. He’s just... I wish I could go out from the audience or come out from backstage and rip into Murrat. I know that Joker didn’t tell them why he committed the murders, he just let them believe whatever they were going to, but that doesn’t explain or excuse humiliating him in public, not respecting that he asked to be called Joker, etc. Here is a man broken and bleeding, here is a man who came here to die and danced on his way to do so, and they’re laughing at him. How??? Oooh I wanna become an octopus so I can bitchslap eight people at a time (might swing back around at some people for a second slap...) for how these people treated him... I know, unreliable narrator, I know, but. Still. Still.
Joker’s just... oh. My chest is tight. I love him. I just!!! Really!!! Love my husband omg 🥺😭 the way his singing is off key, the way he cups people’s cheeks when he kisses them, the way he’s so tender and so gentle and so loving and the way he tries so hard. He sees people for who they really are, he’s so emotionally intelligent and he knows he comes across as creepy and he knows he shouldn’t do some things but he does and I just.... he found me at a very dark (but not the darkest - I’ve been Places lmao) time in my life and he brought me slowly, slowly, into the light and he still does the same for me now and I long to do the same for him. The way he dances and skips, the way he moves, the way his cigarette rubs away some of his lipstick... he is a being made up of music and its the only music I ever want to hear for the rest of my life. I want to sink into every refrain and to never again resurface.
He’s just... he is my entire life. And I don’t care if that’s sad or pathetic, because he helps me. Even in the middle of a panic attack or in the few seconds after I wake up from a nightmare, Joker’s there. If I’m scared because I read the news for too long or because I watched something I shouldn’t have, Joker’s there. If I can’t sleep, if I won’t sleep, if I can’t or won’t eat... Joker’s there. I wake up every day wanting to wake up... because I can see Joker (and the friends I’ve made because of him). He is always with me, and though there are times I doubt he’d even love me, though there are times I doubt he wouldn’t hurt me, though there are times I can’t even feel him around me, I still know right in the back of my head that he is there and he does love me, if only because I love him.
Joker touched a part of me I thought had long since been dead, and he showed me who I had the potential to be. He set me free from a cage of my own making and I yearn to do the same for him. I love him so much and I’m still crying omg 😭🥺 He makes me feel when I can’t feel anything at all and if that isn’t love in its purest form then I don’t know what is!
I still have so much more to say but he always brings me to the point where words run dry, and that’s where I am now. But, in short:
✨✨✨✨✨✨💖💖💖💖💖💖🥰🥰🥰🥰😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺😇😇😇😍😍😍 Even just saying his name makes me go all:
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Finding Harmony - Ch 4 Getting Closer
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
Luka gave Marinette a few days of space, and then showed up outside of the school and took Juleka, Rose, and Marinette out for ice cream after classes one day. The girls were a little stiff with one another at first, but Luka teased them enough that they all ganged up on him for revenge, and it was worth the ice cream smeared on his face to see them all relaxed with each other again. Marinette’s horrified reaction when he showed her the picture of his disassembled guitar had him cackling every time he thought of it for the rest of the day.
“How can you laugh? It’s your guitar, it’s in pieces!” she cried.
“Because I know it’ll come together again,” he said, chuckling. “And it’ll sound even better than before.”
“Ignore him,” Juleka muttered, looping her arm through Marinette’s and tossing her hair. “He likes to make people think he’s deep and cool but he’s really totally lame.”
“He’s a sweetheart,” Marinette said with a fondness that made his heart skip. “But yeah, he is pretty silly sometimes,” she teased, looking back over their shoulders at him.
He must have been giving her some kind of soft look, because she turned back quickly with reddening cheeks. Rose giggled, nudging Luka with her elbow before jogging up to grab Juleka’s free hand. He felt a comforting warmth in his stomach as he looked at the three of them. He’d had a gentle talk with Juleka, nothing invasive or confrontational, just warning her that Marinette felt alone and ignored right now, and reminding her how Marinette had stood by her when Juleka felt that way—reminded her also that Marinette was planning this whole design and photoshoot to make up for something that hadn’t been her fault in the first place. Luka still didn’t know the details of what had happened at the school, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to pry or interfere in Juleka’s life. He just hoped that if Juleka refocused on the truth of who her friend was, on Marinette’s heart, then whatever other craziness was going on would roll past them.
Despite the ice cream outing, it felt like he hadn’t seen her in forever when she finally called him back for a fitting.
“You know,” Luka called over the screen as he pulled his jeans back on, “I could just come over when Juleka does, it’s not that hard for us to coordinate.”
“No, I don’t want you to see each other until the shoot!” Marinette called back.
Luka rolled his eyes, though she couldn’t see him. “Why? I’m her brother, not her date.”
“I know, but it matters to Juleka what you think, and she’ll be able to tell if you like it or not. It’ll give her a confidence boost right before the photo shoot.”
“That’s admirable, Marinette,” Luka sighed as he came around the partition, “But its not worth burning yourself out over. You have so many responsibilities as it is.”
“I’m not,” Marinette protested. “I mean, yes, I do have a lot of responsibilities—more all the time, it seems like—but that’s not the same as this. This is me doing something I love for people I care about. It’s not draining, it’s energizing! Really, if you both came at the same time then one of you would just be standing around waiting half the time anyway. It’s more fun like this.” She carefully laid the pants she had just finished marking and pinning on the desk, and then turned back to him. “Okay, that’s all I needed for my stuff. Let’s go upstairs and I’ll see if I can finish yours before you leave.”
The body of Luka’s guitar, stripped and sanded and lacquered with a base coat of black, with the space for the pick guard carefully taped off, was securely strapped to an easel on Marinette’s balcony, since she had (reasonably) refused to paint on the swaying deck of the Liberty, and the smell of the paint would have been overwhelming in her small room. She wouldn’t let him see the work in progress, but he was happy to park himself in a lounge chair and play his mother’s guitar while Marinette worked on his. She’d had it for a few days now and it was almost finished.
Luka had to admit, watching Marinette work was one of his favorite things ever. Not only was her concentrating face super cute, she became so focused that she forgot the self-consciousness that was the root of most of her awkwardness. Despite all her initial protestations and “are you really really sure you want me to do this,” now that she was into the task, she was confident, capable, and captivating. It made him wonder about the woman she would grow into one day, once she left the drama and awkwardness of her teenage years behind.
Without his realizing it, the tune he played slid into something warm and low and a little wanting. Thankfully she was too engrossed in her work to realize how closely he watched her, and he caught himself before anyone else did. Face heating, Luka set the guitar aside and stood up.
The absence of the music made Marinette look up. “Just need to move for a minute,” he told her, stretching his back and then his fingers. “How’s it going?”
“Almost done I think,” Marinette said, surveying her work thoughtfully. “Just a few more details to go. I don’t want to overdo it.” She waved him off when he tried to get a look. “None of that, it’s so close now you might as well wait. I hope you like it,” she fretted, a little uncertainty returning. “Maybe we should have done a kittycorn design instead…”
“Marinette, I love Kitty Section, but this is for me, not for the band, and the design is perfect. I know I’m going to love it. Do you need anything? I could go get us something to drink.” As he moved around her toward the hatch, he paused and frowned, stepping back closer to her. “The back of your neck is turning red.”
“Oh, I should have thought of that,” Marinette groaned, reaching back with paint smeared fingers. Luka caught her wrist. “Don’t, you’ll get paint in your hair. Hang on, I always have some sunscreen.” He went to his guitar case and pulled out a battered tube tucked into an outer pocket. “With the sun on the water I’m pretty much always covered with the stuff.”
“That’s why you always smell like the beach,” Marinette muttered, studying her work.
“Well, I do live on the river.”
Marinette snorted. “We both know the Seine doesn’t smell anything like a beach.”
Luka chuckled. “Fair point. Do you mind if I put this on you?”
Marinette blushed, but didn’t have much of a choice since her own hands were both flecked with paint. “Please.”
“Sorry, my hands are kind of rough,” he muttered as he dabbed the cream carefully along the back of her neck between her pigtails. “Does it hurt?”
“No, I didn’t even notice.”
“Good, hopefully we got it before it got bad enough to cause you a problem.” He couldn’t resist leaning around her slightly and adding, “Should I do your face too? You look a little pink.”
“Now you’re teasing me,” she grumbled, turning a little pinker. “But you probably actually should.” She turned toward him and lifted her face. “Go ahead.”
Luka smiled to himself a little ruefully when she called his bluff, but his hand was steady as he dabbed the sunscreen on her little nose and smoothed it over her cheeks with his thumb. The slow smile she gave him didn’t help his composure. “Now who’s pink?” she giggled, and he grinned back.
“You got me. You’re just too cute, Marinette.” Luka actually caught himself leaning in toward her and stepped back quickly. He really wanted to kiss her and the way she looked at him made him think maybe she wanted to kiss him too, which was not helping his self-control. Luka took a deep breath and turned away, settling back in the lounge chair and picking up Anarka’s guitar. He launched into the most complicated riff he could think of, as Marinette turned back to her painting.
The charged moment ebbed away and they lapsed back into their comfortable camaraderie as Luka played, and Marinette painted. “Do you think you’ll finish today?” he asked, glancing at the sinking sun. “It’s fine if you need to keep it another day.”
“I’m done,” she announced.
“You’re done? I can look?” Luka hopped to his feet, and Marinette stepped back and waved him toward the easel.
The blue striped snake with its red head and tail slithered up the side of the guitar, following the curves, against its background of white blossoms, the centers just tinged with pink. It fit the body of the guitar beautifully and the colors popped against the black. “I put a little more blue in the snake just so it wouldn’t blend too much with the black,” Marinette said thoughtfully as she wiped her hands. “I think it worked.”
Luka put his arms around Marinette and lifted her off the ground. She yelped and giggled. “I love it, Marinette, it’s amazing. You’re amazing.” He put her down and bent to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head and every nerve in his body lit up at once when he felt her soft lips under his, her fingers tangling in his shirt to keep him there. His hands moved on instinct while his brain was still locked up, flattening against her back to pull her closer. Luka’s eyes fluttered shut as they both shifted slightly, lips sliding across each other until they fit together perfectly. It only lasted a moment before Marinette gasped against his lips, and pulled away, clearly realizing what she’d done.
He stared at her, trying to put himself back together, and her eyes widened with horror and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Luka, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking—I mean, I wasn’t thinking, it’s just, you were so close and you’re really cute and I—I do really like you but I didn’t mean to—”
Luka held up a hand between them to stop her, but it was another moment before he felt composed enough to speak. “It’s okay, I understand. I wanted to kiss you too, so—the moment got away from us and that’s okay.” He took a deep breath, and tried to smile. “But let’s try not to let it happen too often, I don’t think my heart can take it.”
“Right,” she whispered, fingers still over her lips. “Sorry, Luka.”
“Don’t be, I liked it. It was a good kiss.” He winked at her and she giggled.
“It was,” she agreed, and then sobered. “But I shouldn’t have done it while my feelings are so messed up, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Forgiven,” he said simply, and turned back to his guitar. “I can’t wait to get this home.” He nudged her arm. “Sign it for me?”
“But—”
“Please.”
“What if I sign the back?”
“Marinette, sign your art for me, please.”
Reluctantly she chose a detail brush, and, after studying the design for a moment, delicately painted a small Marinette in the curve of a branch of blossoms.
“Now it’s perfect,” Luka grinned.
“What happens now?” Marinette asked.
“I need to put a clear coat on it and it’ll need to cure for a bit, and then I can finally put it back together and play.” He grinned. “So when people ask where I got my sick custom paint job, what should I tell them?”
Marinette shoved him lightly. “That it was a one-time deal because you’re my friend. Clothes are one thing but I don’t think I could do this too often, too stressful.” She wrinkled her nose. “And smelly, even up here.”
“Well, if you ever need some extra cash, let me know and I’ll pass your name around. People would pay good money for something like this. I’m just as happy to have a one-of-a-kind, though.”
“Better hold off on the praise until you make sure it still sounds right,” Marinette fretted, and Luka squeezed her shoulder.
“Don’t worry so much. I wouldn’t have let you touch it if I didn’t have complete confidence in you.”
Marinette gaped at him. “You said you could just refinish it again if it didn’t work out!”
“I did say that, and it’s technically true,” Luka laughed. “But I sure as hell don’t want to. It’s a lot of work.”
Marinette pouted, and Luka had to physically turn away from the sight now that he knew what those lips felt like.
She shouldn’t have kissed him, but in retrospect Luka blamed himself as much as her; he’d been hovering in her space lately, indulging in more physical contact than he probably should have. He’d always known she was attracted to him, and now, when she was in a headspace where she felt neglected and rejected, cozying up to her was just asking for pain. He could hardly fault her for giving into the impulse, he’d nearly done the same earlier. He was human, after all, hanging out with a cute girl that he really, really liked, and meditation could only do so much. Luka sighed and resolved reluctantly to keep a little more distance from now on, before he did something he ought to regret.
Naturally, Juleka chose that day to pick at him when he got home. “So, been making any progress on all these Marinette dates you’ve been having?” she asked, and he winced.
“They haven’t been dates, and...I’m not sure. Something feels different, but...” Luka shook his head. “I don’t want to get my hopes up. I’m just trying to be a friend she can count on. Honestly I’m not even sure she’s up to dealing with a guy in her life right now.”
Juleka snorted. “Don’t be stupid.”
“What?” Luka looked at her, and she tossed her bangs back to look at him.
“Marinette needs people to love, she can’t help it. She’s at her best when she’s caring for other people,” Juleka said, turning her face forward again, “It has to be a two-way street though, and that hasn’t been happening lately, in a lot of her relationships.” She looked down, twisting her hands in her lap guiltily. “And with Adrien,” Juleka continued, “She’s just...wasting energy that she really, really needs for other things. And...I think she might be figuring that out now.”
“What do you mean?” Luka asked, frowning.
“I’m not saying she’s moved on,” Juleka said cautiously. “But I’m saying she might have figured out she needs to. This whole...finding herself quest that she’s on...I think that’s part of it. I think something happened that she doesn’t want to talk to the rest of us about.”
Luka wanted to ask why she thought so, but had a feeling she wouldn’t tell him.
“How are you feeling about the things she wants you to wear for the photos?” he asked instead.
Juleka smiled broadly. “They’re awesome.”
“So feeling a little better about this time?”
“There won’t be so many people this time,” Juleka said. “Marinette has the whole thing planned out ahead this time, and she walked me through what she wants to do. And…” She bit her lip.
“And?” Luka prodded gently.
“And I...talked to Rose. About the panic attacks. So she knows what to do now.”
“That’s great, Jule.” Luka reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m glad you decided to talk about that. I know that’s a big step.”
Juleka shrugged his hand off, blushing. “And you’ll be there, so it’ll be fine.”
“Love you too, sis.”
#quickspins#finding harmony#backlog#lukanette#i am lukanette trash i admit it#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#ml fics
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Home - John Constantine x reader
I also posted this on my wattpad. Everyone over 18 as there is smut, hope y'all enjoy!
For (Name), it had been months since she had last seen John. The two had worked together since the Newcastle incident which John had blamed himself for ever since, but (Name) had stayed with the demonologist and their friendship had evolved into casual sex and then finally a relationship that neither of them had planned for. Like John, (Name) was in control of the dark arts, and along with their friend Chas, had encouraged John to go and work with the Legends for a while, whilst (Name) stayed in the US to help local exorcisms and other demon issues.
But, here (Name) was getting ready to go out on a date with John for the first time in three months. She had missed John as her partner - in both meanings of the word. She loved working with Chas, but she missed John desperately. He knew her inside and out, and she always felt safe and comforted working with John, even in unfamiliar or cruel circumstances. Of course, (Name) also missed John romantically - she missed waking up with him in the morning, going to sleep snuggled in his arms and wearing his shirts and obviously the more intimate part of their relationship. As (Name) hadn't seen John for a while, she wanted to impress him, so she decided to wear some new lingerie that she knew John would appreciate and the outfit that he often complimented her on. With the finishing touches on her outfit, (Name) started to style her hair and fix her makeup, doing her best to cover the bruises that she had gained on her last job so John didn't freak out. By 7pm, (Name) had finished getting ready and just as she grabbed her bag, there was a knock on the door to what (Name) classed as now her apartment. Looking through the peep hole, (Name) couldn't help but smile when she saw the face of her boyfriend holding some flowers and a pack of beers.
"Hi there, stranger." (Name) said, smiling at John as she opened the door.
John smirked, extinguished his cigarette and looked (Name) up and down, "You look stunning, love."
"Not so bad yourself, mister. I've missed you Johnny, come in. How long has it been for you?" (Name) asked, putting the flowers in a vase and the beer in the fridge.
"Couple of weeks love, you know time works different in the temporal zone." John replied, taking a seat on the sofa.
"So you've said." (Name) laughed and offered John one of the refrigerated beers that she had purchased prior to the night. "I got your favourite!"
John grinned, grabbing the beer and reclining as (Name) took a seat next to him on the sofa, her own beer in her hand.
"To date night." John clinked their bottles together before taking a swig.
The two chatted for a while, catching up and reuniting. They told each other stories of the Legends and Chas, and after an hour, (Name) was sat on John' knee as the pair kissed. (Name) had her hands in John's messy blond hair whilst John's had settled on (Name)'s ass, grabbing and squeezing in what was a very John Constantine way. (Name) groaned as they parted, resting her head on John's shoulder.
"I missed this," she confessed, biting John's neck playfully. "I've missed the way your arms feel around me and your unique charm."
"Is that what you're calling my prick now, love?" John teased, wicked grin on his lips. "My charm?"
(Name) laughed, swatting the man on his shoulder. "Head in the gutter as always Johnny."
"Mmm, only for my bird. You said something about food?" John asked.
"I said nothing about food, you hungry bastard, but I was thinking we were going out to your favourite pub." (Name) told John who nodded.
"That'll suffice, love. Come on, I'll get my coat and we'll go."
Conveniently, (Name)'s apartment wasn't far from John's favourite pub, and they were seated at a private booth with drinks and food menus in front of them rather quickly. It wasn't too long before John had his usual beer and (Name) had her drink of choice, as well as their favourite meals. (Name) was happy and content, tucking into her dish with gusto, laughing and joking with John as she ate.
All was calm.
Until it wasn't...
When they had finished their food, the pair moved to a different seat. Whilst no longer a secluded booth, the table was still for two but had a good view of the bar and the live singer.
"I'm just going the men's, love. Get us another round, will you?" John asked.
"Of course Johnny, the same again?" (Name) said, smiling as John nodded with a grin.
"Bang on, babe."
So (Name) went over to the bar, watching as John walked away. His golden blond hair instead was illuminated a shade of emerald green by the fire exit sign above the toilet. Of course, he was wearing the same white shirt as ever, but his red tie had been replaced with a newer one with a slightly lighter shade of red. He looked tired but his smile was genuine when she made him laugh, and other than a few flecks of gray put there by stress and a couple of healed scratches, John looked better than (Name) had seen him in a long time. These Legends people were good for John, maybe even better than she was for him.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing here all alone?"
The voice broke (Name) from her thoughts and with a glare, she fixed her gaze on a stranger.
"I'm not alone, mate. I'm with my boyfriend." She replied.
"Then where is he?" The strange man countered with a cocky smirk.
"If you have to know, he's taking a piss." (Name) rolled her eyes as the man recoiled slightly.
"Language like that doesn't suit a beautiful girl like you." He continued.
(Name) ignored him, instead speaking to the bartender who passed (Name) her drinks. With her two hands full, (Name) made her way back to their seat where John was waiting for her.
"Thanks, love." He said. "You alright?"
"Yeah Johnny, just some idiot at the bar." (Name) replied, taking a sip of her drink.
John's face darkened with what (Name) could only assume was a look of possessive jealousy. She knew the look well, as even before they got officially 'together' and were still just casual sex partners John got jealous if other strange men tried it on with (Name). That look on John's face often resulted in more rough sex than usual, and (Name) looked forward to their homecoming, as after two months apart, she had missed sex with John.
"Come on love, drink up. We're getting out of here." John declared, leaving half his beer.
The walk home from the pub was silent but the proxemics held a festering sexual tension. John's arm was around (Name)'s shoulders and his hand clutched her arm tight enough to be possessive but not painful. (Name) unlocked the door quickly and as soon as she had closed and locked it again, John's hands were all over her. They kicked off their shoes into a heap by the door as they kissed heavily, the man's hands roaming over (Name). Before they reached the bedroom of the apartment, John had gotten rid of his tie and a trail of (Name)'s clothes had been left behind as she was slammed into the bedroom wall.
"Bloody hell John, ease off a bit there." She muttered, moaning as John bit down on her neck.
"Be a good girl and hush for me love, I've waited a long time for this." He replied. "Wanking to your pictures just isn't the same."
(Name) laughed softly, doing her best despite the onslaught of kisses to rid John of his shirt.
"Mmm if you carry on like that, you'll have to do the same to me in real life. I get enough bruises from this bloody business without you carrying on." She said, gasping as John slipped his hand down her underwear.
"You can be in charge next time, I'm on a mission tonight to make you scream my name."
A shudder of pleasure coursed though (Name) at those words and she felt her knees buckle as John worked his magic. Crying out as she was brought closer and closer to the edge, (Name) grabbed John' naked torso as her whole body shook.
"Oh! John I'm gonna-"
"No you're not, pet. Let's get you all bare for me, lie down on the bed and spread those legs of yours - I want what's mine."
(Name) slid of her knickers and discarded her bra before lying on her back and opening her legs, baring herself to John who removed his pants and walked over to her. His eyes were focused on her, hungry with lust and desire as he approached her almost like a predator stalking its prey. He pried her legs open with his hands, squeezing slightly before lining himself up and entering her.
"Oh my God!" She cried, back arching.
"That's it love, just relax."
John let go of her thighs, trusting them to stay open for him and he grabbed her hair into a handle in one hand and gripped her thigh tightly with the other. He got into a rhythm and before long, (Name) was writhing and bucking wildly. She closed her legs slightly by accident and John brought the hand holding her hip down hard on her right thigh. The sensation triggered (Name)'s scream of John's name, and half triumphantly John groaned hers in return.
(Name) lay still, feeling John lie down beside her. He kissed her shoulder and wiped her hair from her sweaty forehead.
"I've missed you, love."
"I love you too, you big softie."
(Name) knew what John meant, and she knew that he couldn't say those three little words due to his turbulent past but the look in his eyes and the tone of voice conveyed what he really meant.
Here, they were both home in one another and safe to fight another day.
#john constantine#john Constantine imagine#john Constantine x reader#dc comics#dc imagine#dc comics imagine#matt ryan#matt ryan x reader#matt ryan imagine#not my gif#dc's legends of tomorrow#legends of tomorrow#smut warning
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I swung, aiming for surprise, directing the iron at the skull.
It caught the iron mid-swing. I tried to wrench the weapon free and failed.
Another hand emerged from beneath the hides. I had to let go of the weapon and back away before it could claw at me.
It took a half-step forward to follow. It dropped the tire iron onto the road, where the snow muffled the sound.
Blake you can’t fight this with a stick so please run before you die and also get Rose more hurt maybe. Is this what got Molly?
“How does this end, then?” I asked. “We wait out here by the side of the road until I freeze to death?”
I paced, watching how it followed. The knobby, long-fingered hand came out as I drew too close.
There was a hint of hysteria in my voice as I spoke, “Can’t go forward, can’t go back. I won’t go left. Will you let me go right?”
I like that he’s talking in the middle of this. Makes no sense, I’d be breathing hard at least, but I like it.
The hop hadn’t inspired a sudden attack. Briefly turning my back, too, seemed like it was fairly safe.
That in mind, when I found flat ground under my feet again, I ran.
SMART BLAKE YES
“Rose,” I gasped out the name. I fumbled for the mirror, but my hands were frozen. I got a grip on the bar that was supposed to fix the mirror to the ceiling and pulled it out.
“-here.”
Her voice was faint, tiny, and muffled, cutting off as though someone had reached out to muffle her.
ROSE IS ALIVE YES
I could feel a sick feeling in my gut, a combination of fear, despair, and the exhaustion of running.
I saw a figure up ahead, through the tree cover.
A quick glance back showed me the other one was still following. Closing the gap.
“Hello!” I called out, and I was surprised at how hoarse my voice was, my throat made raw by the heavy breathing of frozen, dry air. “Help me!”
The figure pushed through the cover of branches.
A bird skull, a covering of overlapping hides, bleached white and stained, and a heavy wreath of branches around the neck and shoulders, like a nest.
And there goes my good mood. Oooh no.
There, in the distance, in a gap between neat rows of trees. A third, with the hides forming a hood over the bird skull. Shorter than the others.
Bad bad bad
“Rose,” I said.
I heard only a whisper of a noise. I wiped the mirror against the side of my leg, mid-run.
Bad bad bad bad bad
I came face to face with another of the bird-skulls, not looking carefully enough for the white skull and white hides against the snowy background. It clawed at me, backhanded, and dashed the mirror out of my hands. I fell, a result of the combined impact, pain and surprise, landing just beside the flecks of blood he’d clawed from my hand. My glove was cut, the skin around it exposed, and a line of blood was nestled in the center. Bewildered, I watched as the skin parted and joined together, as I opened and closed my hand.
Okay Blake I know that you are amazing but now is not the time to admire yourself
No mirror, no Rose.
WAIT WHAT
It clawed at me, backhanded, and dashed the mirror out of my hands.
NO
Were they wanting me to try to cross? Was that the plan?
I sat by the bank instead.
I looked at the bird masks that had gathered formed a loose three-quarter circle around me.
“This okay with you bastards?” I asked. “Can I sit? You like this?”
The hides flapped in the wind.
“Motherfuckers,” I said. I moved my hands up to my armpits, squishing them beneath my arms. I could feel the pain in my wounded hand. My cheek felt tight where I’d been scratched.
Blake: I want to run
Deerbirds: Run that way
Blake: Okay now I will not do that
“Please tell me reflections in water work too.”
“Yeah,” she responded.
Alright, so not everything’s fucked! That’s good!
“Does it matter? I think those orders are why they’re behaving this way. Barring my path to keep me from certain areas. Driving me away from shelter, wearing me out.”
“They want plausible deaths.”
That means we have a smart antagonist for a smart protagonist... I’m ready for sassy Sherlock and also sassy Sherlock vs Deerbird Moriarty!
“Not sure how I’m supposed to do that,” I said. I sighed, and my teeth chattered as the air passed through my lips. “All I can figure is they don’t want to claw me to death.”
“Molly was clawed to death,” Rose said.
I closed my eyes.
Blake: Okay that’s neat Rose but could you please keep those thoughts to yourself thanks
Alternatively,
Blake: *inhale* boi.
I forced myself to my feet. I was shaking, now.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m not,” I said. “I just hate sitting still.”
“You need a plan.”
“Any fucking ideas?” I asked.
Man, it’s only been two chapters but I’m so invested in Blake. I know he won’t die here but I am really scared it will happen anyway.
Maybe that’s the blogging’s fault?
The three-masked one slowly removed one mask from its shoulder.
It dawned on me.
That mask was going to be mine.
One of those is Molly. Calling it.
“I’ll take a guess, if you have to give me one, Rose. Just lie convincingly. I’ll lose heart if I don’t buy it.”
“Your three o’clock,” she said.
Nothing more. No details. No explanation on why it was the right direction.
Right.
I always love the chemistry between clones. It’s always unique but similar, and this is no different.
Each step was a careful one as I made my way towards the middle of the pond. I transferred my weight with care, doing my best to avoid putting too much weight on one point at once. The three-masked one moved to cut me off, keeping me on the ice.
I heard the faintest cracking sounds. Around me, not them.
I made a beeline straight for three-masks.
Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh-
Woman’s hands, oddly enough, with flecks of nail polish still on one. Wizened, worn, abused, with bits of nail splintered off where they had maybe scraped violently against something.
Grandma Rose?
The ice didn’t break beneath them. My heart sank.
I collided head-on with three-masks, and felt her stab at my shoulders through my coat, clawing through fabric with no heed for her own well being. Frenzied, violent and noisy after the almost tranquil quiet.
Are they ghosts? Wendigos? Some other horrible creature? Either way, they don’t ‘properly’ exist physically.
In one motion, full-body, I managed to heave it about three feet. I watched it bounce off the ice and slide, uselessly, towards the middle of the spread out bird-masks.
It lay there for a good ten seconds before the ice broke. I watched as the things plunged into the water.
Yay! Something worked!
Leaving me with only two to deal with.
I ran, fueled by desperation.
I ran, fueled by the adrenaline that pain was dumping into my body. Through shock and fear. Nothing conserved, nothing saved.
Thick trees tore at me, costing me my toque. My frozen hand and foot were throbbing, now, and my injured hand was so cold I couldn’t open my fist.
NOT THE TOQUE! Saddest death so far. Rip toque, enjoy clothes heaven with scarf.
I found the end of the trees. A strip of snow. A line of road.
Squat, short buildings, and a sign reading ‘truck inspection area’.
Headlights flared in my field of vision, blindingly bright.
I staggered forward, collapsing onto my hands and knees. I could hear a vehicle’s door open.
I’d say Blake is safe but I’m feeling more paranoid than he is.
“Good god, man,” a deep voice said. “What the hell did you get yourself into?”
I thought about explaining, about the others. I’d sound crazy.
I thought about making an excuse, saying I was chased by some delinquent kids. It would get the police involved, and it would delay me.
“Car broke down,” I said, a little numb. “I thought I’d take a shortcut, got turned around. I- I- panicked. I started running and got hurt.”
“We’ll get you an ambulance, not to worry.”
Why do nice people in this make me nervous?
“If I don’t get you to a hospital, and you die-”
“I’m not going to die,” I said, not sure if I was lying. “Drop me off at the rest stop, I’ll warm up and get food. I’ll hitch a ride to where I need to be.”
“If you’re positive,” he said. “I don’t want you haunting me or anything, and I don’t want lawsuits either. I don’t make that much money.”
He nodded. “Sure, then. You need help getting up?”
I like this guy but still don’t trust him. Also, did Whatbomb miss a line there?
Was that a rule, here? No monsters after sunrise, or no monsters when others could see?
I made eye contact with Rose, in the side-view mirror.
She looked drained, haggard. Almost worse than I did.
Day is typically good in stories, so I’d say yes. Also, Rose is okay! Yay! Kinda okay. Maybe a little worn down.
As the truck driver talked to some employees, negotiating a way to get me to my stop, I saw a man in the corner with an oddly crooked stance, leaning against the wall as if his limbs wouldn’t hold him up, the whites of his eyes too white as he tracked us with his gaze. Staying out of the way, almost out of sight.
SUSPICIOUS! STAY AWAY BLAKE, THAT’S A BADDIE
Wow. The chapter’s already done. Not much calling it in this chapter, so I’m gonna hold off on analysis until after a few more ‘calling it’s.
I’m really nervous and I love that!
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BTS - They get distracted by you when working
Thank you for the request. Keep them coming!
This can be enjoyed on its own or as part of our headcanon universe with our headcanon versions of their girlfriends.
This can also be found on Ao3 here.
& Our full masterlist can be found here
(Photo credit goes to: https://bangtan-sonyeon-scans.tumblr.com/)
Content below cut
We have written these in the order they are most likely to be distracted
1. J-Hope
Hoseok would be completely unable to stay away from you if you were in his proximity when he was supposed to be working. He generally loves being around you at all times when you are together, often absentmindedly following you into the bathroom and around the house while you are looking for things. You would often find yourself having to tell him to go back to work or leaving altogether in an effort to get him to finish whatever projects he was working on. Hoseok is the most chatty and touchy-feely member and would always be unable to stay focussed when you were around; instead prefering to talk to you while giving you little caresses and touches.
*
“Oh, this smells so good.” Hoseok called from the doorway. You spun around from the boiling pot of sauce on the stove to look at him. A grin was fixed on his face as he walked over to you by the marble counter. “Do you want me to chop the onions?” He reached for the knife on the stand before you could protest and started cutting the round objects you had already laid out on the chopping board. “Oh!” Hoseok protested after a moment, moving his wrists to dab at his eyes. “These are strong.”
You looked over at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be finishing your verse for Yoongi?” He had finished chopping the onion and moved over to the washing up bowl, dropping the knife in the soapy water. He shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to...”
You rolled your eyes. “So don’t you think you should finish it?”
He met your gaze. “I guess so.” He wiped the blade of the knife clean with a Brillo pad and placed it carefully on the draining board. “But I want to help you cook.”
You shook your head, knowing he had to finish the song lyric soon in order for it to make the cut for the new album. “I’m perfectly fine finishing it myself.” You nodded towards the door. “Go...finish it.”
He reluctantly walked towards the doorway, looking back at you once before heading to the next room.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Hoseok was once more back at your side. You had finished washing up the first set of dishes from the sauce preparation and had moved on to rolling out a layer of fresh pasta dough. He reached out and brushed a fleck of flower from your face with a giggle.
“You look like a ghost”.
You gave him a sideways gaze, unimpressed. “I half-dropped the bag of flour...it went everywhere.”
He grinned and brushed both of your cheeks gently; his fingers coming away white.
You sighed, craving more of him but knowing you were an unintentional distraction for him. “How is the song coming along?” You asked.
He quickly looked towards the doorway before back at you. “Oh...fine.”
You thought he didn’t sound very convincing.
“Do you think you’ll be able to finish it tonight?”
He looked a little sheepish. “I’ll finish it tomorrow.”
You rolled your eyes once more, giving in and leaning over to peck his lips once, chastely. It wasn’t you who would have to deal with Yoongi when the song wasn’t finished in time after all. You felt Hoseok’s hands move ontop of yours, helping you press the pasta dough.
2. Jin
Jin would be unable to help but be distracted when you were around. Like Hoseok, when you are with him he enjoys spending his time at your side and doing things as a couple, although he would not go as far as to follow you to the bathroom. He loves nothing more than making you laugh with his jokes and would find himself feeling incredibly lonely if you went to another room of the house in an effort to get him to stay focussed on the task at hand. He would resist following you into the room but would sit and stare at the piece of work for a long amount of time, unable to put pen to paper and sighing loudly to himself every couple of minutes. Eventually, he would come to find you, complaining that he was unable to work without you there with him. When you did join him in the room, however, he would get too distracted by you to work anyway.
*
“Don’t blame me when Namjoon doesn’t let you write anymore.” You rolled your eyes but a small smile played on your lips. He had finally joined you in the bedroom room after sitting by himself in the living room for fifteen minutes.
“I really tried.” He moaned, moving over to your side of the bed. You sat up and put down the magazine you were reading.
“You obviously didn’t try hard enough.” Your voice was soft despite the fact you were telling him off.
“I don’t think I’m cut out to be a song writer anyway.” He said, his voice still whiney. His arms hung heavily at his sides as he overdramatised his movements.
You shook your head with a smile. “I think you just need to concentrate.”
He thought for a moment, holding out his hand and taking yours. “I think I might be able to do it if you are with me.”
“That’s not true is it?” You looked up at him, remembering the last time he had asked you to be at his side while he worked. You had ended up playing a game of Monopoly with him before making love on the sofa. The worst attempt at procrastination you had ever seen.
He flashed you a grin. “It’s the thought that counts.And I’m thinking about working.”
You sighed as you got to your feet.
3. Jimin
Jimin would love having you around while he was working, such as during dance practice, but would find himself giving you a lot of attention; frequently stopping what he was doing to talk to you or make little comments about how cute you were. As he has less to do with the song writing aspects of the band and is a naturally talented and quick to learn dancer, being distracted wouldn’t have as many negative long-term effects as it would on some of the other members. However, of all the members, he would be the most likely to bring his girlfriend along to a group practice session which might lead to the other members getting annoyed at how distracted he was. He would love showing off his dance moves while you were around; his movements would be especially sensual as he knows you are watching.
*
“I think I have to do that part again.” He walked to the centre of the dance studio and took his starting position.
“It looked fine to me.” You said from your position sat on the hard wooden floor. You crossed your legs as you looked up at him.
He shook his head. He was a little out of breath. “It was off. That last part.”
You sighed. “You’re too critical on yourself.”
He seemed to ignore this last comment. “Can you count me in?”
You counted to three and watched as his body spun and twisted into marvelous shapes; his soft feet tapping against the hard wood as he twirled around in the air like a ballerina. He finished the dance, a short number intended for the bridge of a group song, and came over to you with a small smile. His breathing was laboured but the blush which stained his cheeks made him look impossibly beautiful.
“What did you think?” He asked.
You smiled. “It was beautiful.”
4. RM
Namjoon would often find himself procrastinating while you were around, putting things off until later. He would usually spend a short amount of time doing a lot of work and then the rest of the time being distracted. He is able to work to some extent with you around; he would let you sit on his knee while he wrote the odd lyric or worked out the band schedule for the next week. He would wrap his arms around your waist or stroke your leg while he worked. Things would often get heated, however, and he would be unable to work once he had made love for you, rendering the rest of the evening useless.
*
He reached out and crossed out a word on the sheet of paper in front of him.
“Are you comfortable?” He asked, his spare hand wrapped firmly around your waist.
You nodded in agreement. You were sitting on his thigh and watching as he wrote down a to-do list, the names of each member sketched next to a list of chores.
“You missed out Hoseok.” You said, pointing to the piece of paper.
Namjoon paused. “Oh yeah, you’re right.” He added the older member’s name to the bottom of the list. “He’s in Spain at the moment but he’ll be back on Monday.”
You adjusted yourself on his knee; shifting your bottom to make yourself more comfortable. “Are you writing later?” You asked, curious as to whether you should go back to your apartment to have lunch.
He shook his head. “It can wait.” He moved his arm on your stomach to pull you closer and you relished his touch.
5. Jungkook
Jungkook would generally be good at avoiding distractions when you are around but he would be prone to “zoning out” while he is working alone. He might also end up accidently procrastinating by playing video games for hours and losing track of the time. You might have to be the one to remind him that he should be working, if you entered his bedroom to find him playing videogames. Having said that, if he is working he would generally prefer to not have you in the room as he would think you were bored and, as he is prone to being very quiet when he concentrates, would feel guilty that he wasn’t talking to you.
*
“Jungkook?” You knocked gently on his bedroom door. Namjoon had let you into the shared house, unsure of whether Jungkook was home or not, having not seen him all morning. There was no reply, so you knocked harder, your knuckles rapping on the wood. A moment later, the door opened just a crack and you saw your boyfriend.
“Oh, hi.” He opened the door widely to let you in. He looked genuinely surprised to see you. “What are you doing here?” He asked. You observed a smart shirt and pair of freshly laundered jeans placed neatly on his made bed. He was wearing what you came to think of as his casual clothes; a plain white T-shirt and a faded pair of blue jeans. His feet were bare against the carpet.
“It’s midday.” You said as he turned around to look at you. “You were supposed to be meeting me at half 11.”
“What?” He walked over to his bedside table and picked up his black G-Shock, checking the time. “Oh...” He looked both shocked and guilty in an instant. “I didn’t forget...” He tried to explain. He walked to the centre of the room where a small, two person sofa sat in front of a large T.V. Your eyes flickered to the screen. Animated figures stood paused against a medieval looking background. “Namjoon got me this new game as an early birthday present and...” He saw your reaction and his shoulders dropped. “I’m so sorry. I just....lost track of the time.” He looked up at you. “Are you angry?”
You sighed and rolled your eyes. It was inconvinient that you had to walk to half mile from the place you were supposed to be meeting to his house, but the pathetic look of his face, so much like a small puppy, made your heart sink. You walked over to him and kissed his lips gently.
“Just get dressed. We can still make the film if we get a taxi.”
6. Suga
Yoongi would be able to work comfortable with you in the same room without being overly distracted. He would love simply having you around while he wrote or produced songs. He is the type to go for someone who is also content at getting on with her own things and you would usually just read a book or get on with your own work. He would break the silence every now and again to ask you questions or make small talk. He is not one to usually talk in detail about what he is working on, instead prefering to keep it to himself until the product is finished.
*
“Have you got a black ballpoint?” You asked. You were sat on the small sofa in the corner of the studio while Yoongi sat in his swivel chair at the desk. He was leaning over a sheet of paper, writing every now and again a word or two. He looked briefly around his desk before picking up a pen.
“Here.” He held it out in his left hand while he continued to write with his right.
You walked over to him and took it before returning to the sofa. You used the small coffee table in front of the sofa to write on the small bundle of paper, the scratching of both your pens filled the otherwise silent air. After ten minutes Yoongi raised his head.
“What are you writing?” He asked, his curiosity apparent if a little delayed.
You looked up and met his gaze. “It’s to do with professional development.“ You rolled your eyes and Yoongi grinned in reponse. “There’s ten pages to fill in and I have to do it tomorrow if I want my pay rise.”
“You’re getting a pay rise?”
You nodded. “An extra two percent per hour.” You rolled your eyes dramatically.
“They’re cunts.” He said, shaking his head with a sigh.
You looked down the list of questions and quoted: “If a customer asks you to double his usual dose of medication without a doctors’ note do you A: Give him the prescription. B: Telephone his GP. Or C: Refuse to serve him.”
You heard Yoongi chuckle from the corner of the room and you grinned in reponse before turning back to your paper.
7. V
Taehyung would be the most likely to almost completely ignore you if he was working; prefering to concentrate on getting the task at hand finished before giving you his full attention. This has been proven in many of the BTS series where he has been one of the most compitent at making products such as the pottery class. His silence would make you feel the need to leave the room and give him some space.
*
You heard Taehyung humming cheerfully behind you as he walked into the kitchen. He went over to the marble counter and took a brightly coloured enamel cup from the mug tree; flipping it over and placing it on the side as he turned on the electric kettle. As the water boiled, he walked over to you and kissed your cheek; his fringe brushed your neck and you giggled a little at the ticklish sensation.
“You’re finished then?” You asked, savouring his soft scent as he leaned in closer.
“Mmhm.” He confirmed, smiling as he pulled away and walked back to the counter.
“You looked pretty focussed. I didn’t want to interrupt you.” You said, watching as he reached into the cupboard and pull out a peppermint tea bag. He turned around to face you and held up the green box of teabags, his eyebrow raised, questioning. “Yes thank you.” You confirmed his silent question and he cheerfully picked another little mug from the side and placed a second tea bag in the cup.
“It’s okay, I got it finished.” He confirmed as he poured the steaming water into the cups.
“Good.” You smiled as he joined you at the little kitchen table. He moved his hand to brush your face gently and your heart lept in your chest.
***
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Meet Me at the Chalet || day one.
Eventual pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Jenessee Borosi)
Word count: ~5.7k (told you it’d be longer, but I promise they’re not all this long)
Summary (I suck at these): Jenessee goes on a solo vacation after the release of her first novel. She got a little more than she bargained for when she gets snowed in with her biggest celebrity crush.
Warnings: So much freaking fluff, swearing but blink and you’ll miss it, depressing thoughts (future chapter), mental breakdown (future chapter), Tom being Tom
night one. || day one. || day two. ||
The next day, the stillness greeted me. The same feeling I would get waking up on a Saturday afternoon after a blanket of snow coated everything for the very first time. Like the snow froze time, nothing moving or wanting to disturb the serenity. It’s one of those days where getting out of bed is optional. This feeling is exactly what I was wanting while on this vacation.
I could have stayed in bed all day, but my stomach protested pretty quickly after sleep left me. Climbing out of my comfy cocoon, I stretched every muscle, ridding it of any trace of tiredness. Gosh, I haven’t had this heavy of sleep in years! What are these mattresses made of? Magical clouds?
I took in my room. It’s a complete contrast to the lobby. Modern dark gray walls complement the black carpet. White faux fur rugs sit at each side of the King sized bed to contradict the dark. Clean white sheets adorn the bed with black and gray accents on the comforter and in the pillows. The windows and doors are framed with a natural light wood color to bring the modern touches down a notch.
Opening the black-out curtains revealed the floor-to-ceiling windows with the most picturesque view I’ve ever seen. Pine trees are covered with snow, weighing down every branch. The still falling snow is a mixture of tiny cotton balls and glitter. All of the white nearly blind me, my eyes not used to the light yet. But still, my heart swells. Vacation begins.
I quickly throw on the most comfortable outfit I packed: a dark gray cowl neck sweatshirt with black, white, and purple Zubaz. I slightly flinched when I took in my appearance in the bathroom mirror. Leftover make-up flecks were under my eyes. My make-up remover wipes are obviously not doing their job properly… I ran some warm water over my face to get rid of them. Putting my long, wavy hair into a braid was the last thing I did before leaving my solitude.
As I flipped on the light in the kitchen, I hesitated in the doorway. He wasn’t kidding about “top of the line.” Top notch stainless steel appliances: double ovens, 8-burner stove top, industrial sized refrigerator, and the biggest microwave I’ve ever seen. There were also all of the small appliances that anyone would need. If I were a chef, I would be in heaven. I almost don’t feel worthy enough to be in here.
Picking my favorite playlist, I dove into my own little world. As the music flooded the room, my body carried me throughout the expanse of the kitchen collecting every ingredient, utensil, and bowl I need to make French toast with strawberries. Jamming to just about anything that would pop up as everything came together.
Applause broke my reverie, my heart leaping out of my chest from fright.
Spinning around, clutching my chest I see the last person I ever expected to see. Leaning against the door frame with his long and lean body adorned in a white t-shirt, a black zip-up hoodie, and hip-hugging sweatpants, a book stuffed under his armpit, a charming smirk was plastered on his gorgeous bearded face… was Tom freaking Hiddleston.
What in the world is he doing at a small chalet in the middle of the mountains in the states when he could be at some luxury, private resort in Europe? How does he even have the time to be here? Doesn’t he have a huge movie coming out soon, play rehearsals, and two TV shows in the works that he should be out promoting? How does he have any time to do anything personal at all?
Although, as his fan, I’m proud he is finally taking some time for himself. He’s been busy nonstop since his first Marvel movie. He deserves to take some time for himself for some much-needed R&R. No screaming, no cameras in his face, no signing autographs- total privacy he so wants and deserves. That reason alone is why I will not make my admiration known, not right away at least. He does deserve all of the credit he is due, but I would like his vacation to remain a peaceful one.
He cleared his throat, “I apologize for scaring you, but I thought I should make my presence known before you were to go on.” He spoke so eloquently, it was hard to ignore the way his beautiful blue steel eyes radiate with restfulness this getaway has finally given him after so long. “And I must say, you have the most eclectic taste in music.” He added while stepping in.
His sudden movement snapped me out of my frozen state. “Well it never hurts to have a variety.” I turned back to the stove. “And don’t think that complimenting my musical interests gets you off the hook for giving me a heart attack before I got food in my stomach.”
“Oh I wouldn’t dream of it.” Even though my back was to him, I could hear the smile in his tone. “How can I make it up to you, then?”
“Hmm, I don’t know.” I flipped the piece of bread onto its other side, loving the golden brown color. I turned slightly back to him. “I thought you were leaving today.” I recall the guy yesterday mentioning the other guest was supposed to be departing this morning.
“Well, thanks to Mother Nature, my stay has been extended. Not that I’m complaining though. I wasn’t ready to leave quite yet.” He leaned back against the counter next to the stove, so he was in my line of sight. One thing I heard about him is he is one of those guys that loves eye contact, especially during conversations. His move only proves that is right.
“Why not?” I asked as my curiosity was piqued. Assuming he doesn’t want to leave yet because it means going back to his hectic schedule is reasonable, but one should never assume.
“It’s very serene here. I like it better than the alternative.” Another thing I heard was how notoriously private he is. He only lets the world see what he wants them to see, leaving aspects of him that he reserves only for his close friends and family. Same goes for his relationships. He lets people know what he wants them to, never revealing too much. He must feel that everyone only cares to know why he’s single or if he’s dating anybody. So to him, keeping his private life just that is important. He loves his fans, he’s said so on many occasions, but he deserves to have some form of normalcy in all of the chaos.
“Everyone deserves a little peace and quiet every now and then. Pressing pause on life is good for your sanity.” Plopping the finished piece of French toast on the plate, I turned off the stove.
I can absolutely understand why everyone needs the pause button. Being a writer it is nonstop meetings and phone calls about pages and storyline updates. Everyone is always rushing to meet the deadlines. The trouble is I’ve never been good with deadlines or peer pressure so publishing my first book nearly caused a meltdown. Hence the reason I am on vacation by myself in the middle of the mountains. Now everything is published and awaiting more reviews. My publisher already gave me a heads-up that they were mostly good and that’s all I needed. Criticism isn’t something I’m fond of either. Thankfully my agent, publisher, and editor all agreed to leave me alone while on this trip, so I don’t have anything to worry about. Plus, this gives me a chance to get inspired. Knowing the big guns would want another book proposal as soon as the first one was completed, I already gave them the sequel to my first. That satisfied them for the time being. Now I just have to think of my next project.
“You sound like you speak from experience.” He pointed out, detecting my hidden meaning. He’s perceptive… gotta watch out for that.
“You could say that.” I sighed, moving to chop the strawberries I want on my French toast.
“How rude of me,” He blurted, shaking his head in self-disappointment, “I never introduced myself.” I chuckled at his humbleness. Like he really has to introduce himself to anybody anymore. But being the ever-polite British gentleman, he feels the need to. He held out his hand to me. “I’m,” he paused, “Will.”
I tried to stop the smile that threatened to show but failed. He’s going to use an alias. I guess he wants to remain anonymous. Again, his actions make complete sense to me. When I was given the opportunity to publish my book, I decided to use a pseudonym. Anonymity was important to me as well. That way I could still go about my life without my name being out there. I used a compilation of my initials whereas he is using a shortened version of his middle name.
“I’m Jen.” I fold my hand around his, locking eyes with him. It’s in that moment I registered just how close he got to me. With our height difference, I was forced to look up at him in order to meet those bright blues. As gorgeous as they are in pictures, they’re even more mesmerizing up close. The small section of light brown contrasted the light blue inner iris and the dark blue outline framing everything perfectly. His eyes alone could make anyone’s knees go weak…
“It’s very nice to meet you, Jen.” He muttered, never looking away from me. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, so I transferred my attention to our still connected hands. His large warm hand swallowed my small cold one. Instantly his warmth spread up my entire arm, also sending shivers down my spine.
“The pleasure is all mine…” I brought my eyes back to his. They now had a hint of something in them I didn’t recognize at first. “… Will.”
Before I could get completely lost in his eyes, I pulled my hand out of his, immediately missing the warmth of it. I quickly resumed my slicing, needing something to keep me busy. “So, what are you reading there?” I asked needing to break the tension that was in the air.
“Erm,” He cleared his throat again, taking a step back, “A book my friend told me to check out.” He took it out from under his armpit gripping it with both hands.
“Lemme see.” I wiped my hands off before he handed it over.
My heart dropped. I recognized the cover right away. The one word title flashed across the front like a beacon. The cover art of a guy and a girl standing with their bodies touching, but their hands not letting themselves be connected, denying what they have… My book. He’s reading my book. “Deny by J.J. Ehlby.” I read out loud, careful not to give myself up. I pretended to skim the back cover before handing it back to him. “I didn’t take you for the romance type.”
“What type do you take me as?” He leaned his hip against the counter again, relaxing back into our conversation.
“More…” how do I want to describe this? “well-known and established novelists like Dickens, Tolstoy, Twain, and more importantly Shakespeare. You’re definitely into Shakespeare.” Everything I’ve heard about him mentions his love of Shakespeare. He also participated in a debate about Dickens and Tolstoy. His love of classic literature is something I admired about him. His ability to read, comprehend, and appreciate literary geniuses is rare and praiseworthy.
He chuckled at my obvious stereotyping of him. “Is it because I’m British?” He asked with faux offense attached.
“Yes.” I bluntly answered, only half-kidding.
He full-on laughed at my honesty. He threw his head back and threw his hand over his heart, taking after Chris Evans in that regard. Listening to his laugh echo through the empty kitchen was like listening to the most beautiful symphony. You don’t get to see this type of laugh from him often. It’s always that “hehe” kind of giggle. This was him not caring and letting go. What a sight it was.
I couldn’t help but join in. “Well, am I wrong?” I countered, fully knowing I’m not.
“No!” He choked out, trying to calm himself down. “No, you are not wrong about my love of Classical literature.” He adjusted his glasses back to the tip-top of the bridge of his nose. “But you are wrong about my liking of romance.”
“Oh?”
“I quite like it actually. Shouldn’t falling in love be the best feeling in the world?” I looked up when he didn’t continue. He was watching me like he wants me to understand what he’s trying to say, “That head over heels, my heart is yours and yours mine, can’t live without you, want to spend the rest of my life by your side feeling…” He trailed off, taking a step towards me again. “That heart-pounding, staggered-breathing, knee-trembling, soul-freeing feeling of true love…” His voice dropped a few octaves, losing its sturdiness, only coming out as a whisper by the end. He’s passionate about love, even though he doesn’t have that kind in his life at the moment. How that is even remotely possible is beyond me… His gaze was locked on mine, entrapping me. They were filled with longing and… what I concluded as recognition. Recognition of what? I haven’t figured that out yet… My heart was pounding in my ears almost deafening in the silence. “I quite enjoy reading about two people discovering that feeling.”
All I can think is “Thank God the counter is here” otherwise I would be in a puddle on the floor.
How can a conversation with someone I just met be this intense? How can we be so open with each other with barely knowing the others name? I feel like he’s giving me a look inside his heart but at the same time keeping those guards up that he’s built throughout the years. He’s wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing me everything he’s got right away…
I wrenched myself out from his trance and this time, I took a step away trying to put some distance between us. He may be ready to show me everything, but I’m not. My heart is surrounded by miles of barriers that will be virtually impossible to break down. “Okay, Romeo. I get it.” I sent him a small smile, showing him that I’m not shutting down completely like he might think. “You are a fan of romance.” I strolled over to one of the cupboards, grabbing the powdered sugar, bringing it back over to my plate. “Can I eat my breakfast now?”
“May I join you?” He politely asked, giving me pleading eyes like a toddler gives his mother when asking for a piece of candy or a cookie. Irresistible cuteness.
I stared at the pile on one plate and my prepared plate next to it. I was going to consume the entire lot myself… but I wasn’t about to turn down spending more time with him. I found him a plate, splitting my portion in half for him. A brilliant smile followed nearly knocking me over.
After eating in the dining room, I retreated back upstairs while he offered to clean up. I protested at first, but he insisted, feeling bad that he kept me from eating for longer than I wanted. He practically begged me to so who was I to say no?
I immediately went to my room, locking the door behind me. I rang my agent who was about to get an earful…
“I assure you, Jen, no one had any idea he was there. By all accounts, he was home in London.” She tried to calm me down after I ranted to her before she could even say “hello.” “This could be a good thing!”
“How? I’m supposed to be on vacation, relaxing. How can I do that with the most perfect human being on the planet in the next room?” I flopped back on my bed, eyeing my suitcase full of comfy pants, sweatshirts, and hardly any make-up. I never planned on seeing many people on this trip. The plan was to lock myself in my room for seven straight days before rejoining the world again. I can’t do that now knowing Tom is here. I don’t want him to think I’m a total hermit.
“You also went there to get inspired. With your second book’s first draft already in the editor’s hands, the instant that one comes out, the more they’re going to want. You got lucky with your first few novels already being completed before you even found a publisher, now is the time to get a head start on what’s next for J.J. Ehlby, a.k.a. Jenessee Borosi.”
I rolled my eyes at how predictable she is and for how she used my full name. “So you’re saying I should write a book about this.” I didn’t phrase it as a question for a reason. I’ve been working with her for a year now. She’s been good about not pushing me, but she can’t help it sometimes. I know she has people to answer to, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
“Just think about it.” She didn’t deny my indirect accusation. “That ‘After’ book was originally fan-fiction and it was turned into a movie.”
Again my eyes roll. “Being snowed in, in a secluded chalet in the mountains with one of the world’s most brilliant and most well-known actors? What do you think is going to happen? Because of our solitude, we’ll find something in the other that we’ve been missing in everyone else; that we’ll fall in love in a week’s time? That sounds like one of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies that are so unrealistic, they’re laughable. That’s not realistic, that’s a fantasy.”
Although… based off our conversation in the kitchen, that’s already not far off, at least for me. I’ve had a major crush on Tom for years prior to this. Only dreaming of being with him, never believing I would actually get the chance to meet him. Me falling for him isn’t completely far-fetched because I’m halfway there already. But him? No way.
“Just think about it.” She repeated before ending the call.
Think about it I did, but quickly came to the conclusion that I would not exploit Tom like that. This is his private time as much as it is mine. I will not expose anything he doesn’t want anyone else to know. I respect myself, my work, and above all, him too much to stoop that low to get my next book idea.
A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts.
“Care to join me downstairs?” He asks as soon as I open the door.
“And do what?” I return, not really caring what he was to suggest. I will take every opportunity given to me to be in the presence of this beautiful man.
“We could read if you brought something to read. I know that’s what I will be doing. You could do whatever it is you like to do.” He rambled on nervously. It was adorable actually. What he had to be nervous about, I have no idea. Was he afraid I would say no? That I might have had enough of him already? Impossible. “I figured since we are the only ones here, and more than likely will be for the foreseeable future, we don’t have to-”
“I like to write.” I interrupted, my slight sadist side being fulfilled by his groveling.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. You can write, and I can read. We can do that… together.” He concluded, all nervousness starting to dissipate.
“Okay. Let me grab my stuff and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Ten minutes later we were sitting in a comfortable silence on the large U-shaped couch, Tom reading my book and me attempting to think of something to write about. However it proved more difficult than I was expecting. The only thing I could think of was him. How he was sitting just feet away, reading my book. I tried to determine where he was in the book depending on his reaction but was failing at that as well. He masked his emotions with a furrowed brow and straight lips. Occasionally that mask broke letting a chuckle slip out. He’s finding it amusing at least. That’s a good sign right?
“Having some difficulty?” He broke the silence, his eyes never straying from his page. Crap, he saw me watching him. I knew I wasn’t being stealthy, but he hasn’t looked up since we sat down. How could he know that I’m having a hard time getting started?
“You could say that.” I shifted my position, hoping that might make me more comfortable and by some miracle have something, anything come to me. Not only is it difficult having him here reading my book, it’s odd having someone else, period, around while I write. I’m always by my lonesome when doing so. I catch myself making some funny faces while writing. In order to skip any embarrassment by someone seeing them, I prefer solitude. That also doesn’t bring any outside distractions, like I can listen to music, stare off into space, talk to myself- do whatever it takes to come up with what I want to do next. “Writer’s block is rearing its ugly head.” He snickered, my book falling onto his lap. “This bitch is partially the reason why I’m on my solo vacation.” He set my book to the side, giving me his undivided attention, beckoning me to continue. “I thought a change of scenery might help some.”
“And has it?” He asked, seemingly fully invested in what I have to say. I squirmed in my seat, not used to this kind of attention. Growing up an only child with older and younger cousins who are focused on their little group, I was mostly alone. No one really paid attention to me. The adults criticized my decision to become a writer instead of a typical “9 to 5.” Also not having much in common with the next generation young ones, I kept to myself. Instead turning to writing as an outlet for my loneliness. I was extremely hesitant before getting published. My writing is like my diary. I didn’t know if I ever wanted anyone to see that far into my mind. But after rave reviews from my publisher, I decided to go for it. Even during the initial meetings with editors, they didn’t give me as much attention as Tom is giving me right now. To say it’s odd, but greatly appreciated is an understatement.
“It’s given me ideas but putting an idea to paper is more difficult than one would think.” I think back to my agent’s idea. I never said it wasn’t a good proposal, I just said it was cheesy and more than likely, overdone. Why would I want to do something that’s already been done multiple times? Yes, there are always different perspectives on the same story, but my argument stands.
He continues to ask me questions about writing, each more thoughtful than the next, shocking me to no end. No one has taken this much interest in my writing. Not even my publisher. What really throws me through a loop is how genuinely interested he is. Most people ask to be nice or are curious but drop the topic after one or two questions. Not Tom. His curiosity is refreshing and scary at the same time.
“Have you ever wanted to get published?” He asked one of the most common questions I would get. My answer still remains the same to this day.
“No.” He raised his eyebrows at my answer. Everyone who asks is always surprised by my confession. I shrug, “Since I started, it never was my goal. I wrote for me. I didn’t need anyone to read anything because that’s not who I wrote for.” I look at the pen in my hand and smile. It rests on the writer’s bump on my middle finger I’ve gained from many, many years of writing. I used to loathe it because it made my hand look funny, but I’ve learned to accept it because it makes me unique. “Having a pen in my hand feels as natural as breathing to me. Ever since I wrote my first “novel” in 5th grade, I’ve almost always been writing. Everyone I went to school with knew me as ‘the girl who writes a lot’.
As I got older, that’s when people started asking if I wanted to publish someday. My answer was always no, because I never thought I was good enough to and criticism and I don’t go hand-in-hand. I read a quote once that said: ‘Wanting to be a writer and not wanting to be rejected is like wanting to be a boxer and not wanting to get punched.’ It’s not the rejection that held me back. I know that’s par for the course, just like it is with acting. My fear was all of the negative criticism that my books were bound to get. I’m the type of person who could get 100 compliments and one negative remark and only focus on the one negative comment. That would stick with me longer than any of the good.” Because of that, I almost said no when I was offered to publish. I was urged to because of the concept I had. The publisher loved that it was never done before and all of the ideas I had from it, they practically begged me. So after a year of editing, it was published a month ago. I have yet to read a single review though. The only thing I heard was it was doing really well.
“I tried putting something online, but because it wasn’t fan-fiction or have any supernatural elements incorporated, it didn’t take off.” I shrugged off its initial failure. That’s what caught my publisher’s attention though. They liked the overall premise and once they heard what I planned on doing with it, they were on board. “Because you know, that’s all anyone under the age of 25 cares about nowadays.” Shrugging again like it was no big deal, I returned my blank pages in front of me, hoping words would have magically appeared while talking. No such luck.
“Have you ever written anything other than novels?” He questioned, taking into account what I’ve told him. Novels have always been my go-to. I just have had so much to say and so much to write that all of my works have turned into multi-chapter stories. “Have you tried a novella or just a short story?” I shake my head. I’ve seen and read short stories and one-shots on Tumblr, but never tried my hand at it. I guess I could try it… “I say, try that. See where it takes that beautiful mind of yours.”
My head snapped towards him. Beautiful? How could he think that if he’s barely scratched the surface?
He smiled sweetly at me, warming my insides more than I ever expected before opening my book back up.
As we returned to the silence, my mind raced at the possibilities. I logged on to Pinterest and looked up some writing prompts to see if anything sparked some ideas. It didn’t take me long before I found one and I was already 5 written pages in. It felt good to write again. Having the ideas pour out of my mind and onto the paper is an exciting feeling that only a writer can appreciate.
Soon enough the sun was setting and neither of us had moved since we sat down. It was a quiet afternoon that I was yearning for while on this trip. And to share it with Tom was just an added bonus.
I only paused when my hand started to cramp. Tom seemed to have noticed so he suggested we think about dinner. It wasn’t until he mentioned food that I realized how hungry I was.
He insisted on making dinner for us since I (unintentionally) made breakfast/lunch for us earlier. He didn’t know what he should make so I made a suggestion: pickle and bacon grilled cheese. He was intrigued by the idea, so he agreed. I tried to help but he shooed me away, telling me to grab a glass of wine and enjoy the show, only asking me how much bacon to use and how many pickles to cut up. He started asking questions about my upbringing to which I did the same. We both discussed the ways our respective parents divorces paved our lives into what they are today but didn’t get too deep or else I would have cried. I would need a lot more wine for that to happen. He at least found the positive aspects from his situation whereas I definitely haven’t. He credits his parents divorce for showing him human frailty and how he can be more compassionate in his understanding of it. With him being 12 when it happened, he was old enough to understand what was happening. I admire him for the way he has taken something tragic and turned into something positive. As if I didn’t know this already, but he’s a much better person than I am.
By the time he was finished making 4 sandwiches: 3 with pickles and bacon and 1 regular, in case he didn’t like my add-ons or in case we were both still hungry afterwards. He wound up loving it, even adding more to his plain one. He couldn’t believe he went so long without trying it and vowed never to go back to regular grilled cheese sandwiches. Mission accomplished.
“Are you going to get back to your writing now? You looked… rather inspired before. I didn’t want to interrupt.” He asked as he walked me to my room for the night.
We both cleaned up the kitchen, much to his protest. But I argued my point and he couldn’t say no. He told me all about growing up in Wimbledon with his sisters, going to an all-boys prep school to graduating with a “double first” in Classics at Cambridge and attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. I listened in awe of all he accomplished while I was still in elementary school, before I even discovered my passion for writing. He raved about the small projects he’s done since graduating, focusing on theater. I could tell he was purposely not mentioning Marvel or any other movie he’s done since gaining recognition, wanting his anonymity to stay that. I just listened while handing him dish after dish. Thankfully there weren’t very many, but we took our sweet time doing it. I loved hearing him talk. That accent could make anything sound interesting. But other than that, hearing the passion in his voice as he talked about the theater and how he discovered his love for acting by going as a boy was awe-inspiring. After he rambled, he apologized for only talking about himself while we were cleaning up. I of course didn’t mind, hating talking about myself so it was nice to talk about him and learn more about him from the source and not from the internet.
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “We’ll see if I can get back into the swing of it.”
“Well I believe in you.” He smiled, stopping in front of my door. “I believe you can do it.”
“Oh yeah? How can you be so sure?” His confidence in me is astounding.
“Well, not to sound like a creep, but erm,” he hesitated, “I was watching you before.”
Dear Lord, why? Why did he have to watch me? He saw the faces I make, my staring off into space, and hand gestures I do to recreate the picture in my head… I’m mortified.
“You were so engrossed in what you were writing. I could quite literally see the wheels turning in your head as you were figuring out what to do next.” His tone was filled with as much awe as I did listening to him. “It was mesmerizing.”
Feeling the blush creep in, I looked away from his wonder-filled eyes. No one has ever found something I do “mesmerizing” or anything remotely interesting. So, why does he? Why does he out of all of the people in the world find me so worthy of that kind of praise?
As I sat on my bed after we said good night, I finally could comprehend everything that happened today. I spent the day with Tom Hiddleston. I had uninterrupted quality time with him. No pressure of being watched, judged, or rushed. We had a relaxing day enjoying each other’s company like we were 2 friends on vacation together.
Is he a friend? Or am I jumping the gun here? Would he consider me one after we get out of here? Would he want to keep in contact? Or would I just become a memory that fades as time goes on? On the other hand, why would he even want someone like me in his life? He’s probably got plenty of friends that would be much better company than me. People who he can have intelligent conversations with and go in depth about things I know nothing about. I’d bore him and he’d drop me. But being a gentleman, he’d do it nicely. So there would be that.
I’m not going to have any expectations when it comes to after this week. As far as I’m concerned, after we are clear to leave, we will go our own ways and never think about the other again… well, that’ll only be half true. There’s no way I could ever forget about him. He’ll be everywhere. Me? I’ll only be a memory. He’ll have no reminders of me. He’ll forget about our time together once he gets back to the chaos that is Hollywood. So I will enjoy his attention while I have it…
day two...
Permanent Taglist: @elusive-beauty @drakesfiance @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @fantasy-is-my-reality @hiddlephile @naniky
#tom hiddleston#meet me at the chalet#mmatc#tom hiddleston x reader#tom hiddleston x you#tom hiddleston x ofc#tom hiddleston imagine#tom hiddleston x female!reader#tom hiddleston fanfiction#tom hiddleston fanfic#tom hiddleston fic#tom hiddleston series
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Cutie Reviews: NMNL Dec 19
Ugh... I feel yucky being reminded that the last time I posted a NMNL review was four months ago <_< I feel like I need to stretch my review muscles again because that last one I did was kinda lousy.
But today I’m really feeling this one! I got my bath and body order I’ve been waiting for, my Pink Fairy Gumdrop candle is lit, I’m ready!
“The year is almost over and it’s time to celebrate the holidays, for the last nomakenolife box of 2019 we’ve included beauty products that will bring out the glamour girl in you! Wear those false lashes, make sure your skin glows and remember there’s never too much Glimmer & Glam!“
Contest
For this month’s contest the prizes come from the brand I’m Meme to help complete that glam, bold look. I love the heart stamp blusher~
Glam Gift and Horoscope
Meanwhile, the Glam Gift includes a variety of products from the brands Too Cool for School and Frudia.
The horoscope for this month is “Which K-pop star’s makeup look should you try for the Holiday?“
Aries: Hyuna
Taurus: Lisa from BLACKPINK
Gemini: Chaeyoung from Twice
Cancer: Sojin from Girls Day
Leo: CL from 2ne1
Virgo: Seoulgi from Red Velvet
Libra: Yuqi from (G) I- dle
Scorpio: Yoona rom Girls Generation
Sagittarius: Lee Na Gyung from Fromis_9
Capricorn: Jisoo from BLACKPINK
Aquarius: Jessica from Girls Generation
Pisces: Sohee from Elris
Do you guys recognize anyone from the list? I know BLACKPINK and 2ne1, but that’s about it. I’m a Libra, so I got Yuqi. They all look very pretty.
Tear Drop Liner & Whitening Eye Cream
From Etude House (one of my favorite brands x3), our first item is a cute-shaped shimmery eye liner that was available in pink, white, or gold. Besides being an eye liner, you can just apply it to the corners of the eye for a glittery brightening, it also makes a lovely eyeshadow or highlight if you thin it out.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I usually hate eyeliner because I’m not any good at application. It’s not that it comes out and looks lopsided, or a bad wing, I literally cannot apply it. At all. I’ve given up after so many failed attempts- but I keep hoping that maybe I’ll find one I can apply that doesn’t look like a splotchy mess.
I seem to finally have found it in this liner! The applicator is very small and smooth where you apply it, and because its so glittery/light any sort of “flaw“ isn’t very noticeable. It wipes off pretty easily, and like I said above, if its not your type of liner it can be used a few other ways.
- - - - -
The whitening eye cream is a mess-free way of keeping those eyes bright all day long. You just give it a small squeeze, then use the roller-balls on it to massage the product into the skin. You can use it both at night before bed, and in the morning.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but my sleep schedule is a nightmare. So my eyes usually don’t look very nice in the morning. We don’t get many products like this, so it was pretty interesting to try out, and I think it actually works pretty good! I can see a noticeable difference when I apply it (I’m already pretty pale) and my eyes don’t feel so heavy. I’d recommend it!
Champion Lash
While these lashes are meant to be extravagant and bold, I actually got probably the most tame option out of the various choices. I think. There was 11 possible varieties!
So... I mentioned this before, but I can’t really use false eyelashes. I’ve tried and I have so much trouble getting them on, so I usually don’t use them. I’m not very concerned over my eyelashes anyway because they’re naturally pretty long anyway, I usually put on some mascara or a strengthener if I want a little shine to them and that’s about it.
Morning Facial Mask
This is an all-in-one morning face mask ideal for those rough nights or busy mornings when you’re in a hurry and want an extra boost. It contains not only toner, but moisturizer, makeup base, and skin cream. It also gives your skin a shimmery glow and is available in pink.
However, the booklet claims you only need it for 5 minutes, while the back of the package says 10-20 minutes. I left it on for about 13 and while I liked it, one of my eyes was bothering me due to allergies this morning and it was kind of a pain.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Initially I was disappointed because the image on the back shows the mask as yellow/gold, and it was white. But it turns out there’s very fine gold glittery through it, someone pointed it out to me after using it and I saw in the mirror I had gold glitter all over my face. It was very light though, not obnoxiously bright or annoying at all.
It also has a very strong perfumey fragrance. I’m not sure what it was.
Rhinestone and Pearl Hair Tie
I really wish we got more items like this, cute accessories :D I love them, and look how fancy this one is!
For this month, we had 4 possible hair ties composed of a black band with three pearls surrounded by a rhinestone frame, which could be a diamond, square, heart, or bow. I really wish I got the heart or bow, but all four of them are very cute.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Besides being cute, I really like this because of how easy it is to put in and take out. My hair is pretty thick so it can be hard using hair things sometimes, but I have no issue with this. It’s not pulling out any hair or snagging it.
The only problem I have is that I wish we got 2 of them. I’m not much of a ponytail girl, I prefer twin tails. But sometimes I’ll wear my hair over my shoulder, in fact I’m wearing it right now as I write this.
It also makes an adorable bracelet~
Peel Off Pack
This pack is designed to remove Sebum from the skin and is full of keratin to make it healthy and youthful. You apply it to your face and leave it on 15-20 minutes, then you simply peel it off.
I was a little worried about using this, it tends to happen when your first experience with peeling packs is seeing people screaming in pain on Youtube. They look... sort of fun, but I was scared it would hurt and really didn’t want to ever try them- so when I get items like that in these boxes, I get a bit excited...but really nervous at the same time.
So far there’s been no painful experiences :D
♥ ♥ ♥
I wasn’t really sure how to rate this one, because it doesn’t hurt to use. Applying and removal is easy, with the exception that in some spots, I noticed the “under-layer“ wasn’t dry yet like the top was and needed more time, and this was later than the time they recommend. I also didn’t really notice any real changes to my skin when using it, but they suggest you use it twice a week so it could just be that I need to use it more than once?
It’s really fun to use, I kind of wish we got a bigger pack of it though. It also smells really good, like the face mask but a little lighter.
Champagne Hand Soap
Just in time for the holiday, we get a lovely bottle of champagne... soap! We’ve been given green-tea scented champagne body soap before, but this one looks way more fancier.
Besides gold, its also available in pink! It’s kind of a bummer, this entire box and I got no pink items.
♥ ♥ ♥
Um... in terms of scent, I suppose its meant to smell like champagne? I’ve never had it before, but it smells like what I assume things like wine and champagne would smell like. I’m not very crazy about it though.
In terms of being a soap, it’s very bubbly. My hands feel the same prior to using it, maybe a teensy bit softer? I’m not entirely sure, but they’re not dry at least.
Glitter Hair Gel
Our final item of the box is this pretty, eye-catching gel for the hair. Apply it to your bangs, tips, throughout the whole thing, or give yourself glittery roots. The gel came in 4 variations, I think the one I got would have been the one I wanted.
♥ ♥
As pretty as this is to look at... it’s kind of difficult. By that I mean, I tried and I can’t seem to get it to really come out. I might get a few flecks or stars in a small portion of hair but nothing like what the pictures demonstrate. I don’t know if I need to use a lot of it, or squeeze it directly into the hair, I tried a variety of things to get it to work and they seemed to all reach the same result. Not only that but the hair was wet, sticky, thinned out, and knotted.
Also... I might be crazy, but I was thinking that I might be able to use this as a nail polish. If I apply it very thinly/put the little mix-ins on my nails, give them a few minutes to dry, then apply a clear coat over it. Not sure it will work, but its worth trying sometime.
♥ Cutie Ranking ♥
Content -5 out of 5. We didn’t get too much of a variety, it was almost all for the face and head, but the items were wonderful and pretty fun.
Theme: 5 out of 5. Almost everything was glitter and glitz, and had a glamorous appeal. It would have been nice for them to save this for January though, and focus on a Christmas theme, but you could argue that these items would still work for a Christmas celebration.
Total Rank: 9.5 out of 10. A lot of items were on the smaller side, but most of the box is reusable. I loved the creatively cute, colorful, and glittery items we got and I didn’t hate anything. I probably won’t ever use those lashes, but maybe I’ll feel brave enough one day to try them out. I’d recommend the items from this if you like any of them, check out Japan Haul to see if they have them on there.
♥ Cutie Scale ♥
Hair Tie - I know it’s not very amazing, but it’s so pretty to look at. Not only that, but it doesn’t hurt putting it in or removing it, I really like it!
Eye Liner - Usually I don’t rank these high, but besides being cute I feel confident wearing this; or at least using it for practice. Maybe by the time I run out of it I’ll be an expert at using eye liner :D
Peel Pack - Like the mask, it smells really good but I didn’t really notice any sort of changes after using it. It was fun to use though.
Whitening Eye Cream - It feels very nice on the skin and I could feel/see a difference.
Face Mask - it smells very good and felt lovely, but I don’t actually think it really changed much.
Glitter Hair Gel - it’s very cute and pretty looking, but I have no idea how to make it look as nice as the pictures did.
Champagne Hand Soap - it’s so fancy looking, I hated destroying the packaging. I kept the little ribbon as is though, it makes a cute little ring~ I didn’t like the scent but it’s great if you like bubbly soap.
Lashes - They’re really fun to admire in the case, but I feel like they won’t get any use. If I was any good at doll customization though, I think it’d be fun to use them then.
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Universe Falls Chapter 33
Ahhhh its finally done you guys! ANd I’m super hyped about it too, since writing for Peridot alone made the grinding I did with this chapter immensely worth it. So I won’t take up too much time here! Enjoy!
Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/159304536002/universe-falls-chapter-32
Chapter 33: Marble Madness
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In the aftermath of their latest victory, the Gems pushed their way through the flowery meadow that had been their battlefield just moments ago with relatively high spirits. And this generally cheerful sentiment was something that most of the members of the spectating trio that had come along on this mission shared in as well. It hadn’t really taken too much pleading and prodding for Steven, Dipper, and Mabel to convince the Gems to bring them along on their latest quest, one that, aside from a random encounter with a Gem monster, hadn’t been too harrowing or life-threatening. And even as Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl took said monster on, the kids were content enough to cheer them on from the sidelines of the fray, one that had, much to their pleasant surprise, been a quick and painless win.
“I can’t believe that went so well!” Pearl exclaimed with a satisfied smile as her and Amethyst emerged from one of the countless towering flower patches surrounding the warp pad.
“Yeah,” the purple Gem agreed with a small chuckle. “That was kinda great when you hit it with your spear and it went like ‘boosh’!”
The white Gem humbly glanced away from her teammate, her cheeks lightning up in a pale blue blush as her grin widened. “And the way you were circling around it? Almost looked like strategy.”
“Heh, well you know,” Amethyst smirked just as bashfully. “I can do that stuff too.”
By now, Garnet had stepped out of the flowers herself, the defeated Gem monster trapped in the bubble above her palm before she calmly warped it away. Mabel came rushing out of the flowers next, completely covered in the colorful buds out of her own volition, as she had not only constructed herself a lively flower crown, but had also managed to fix several more of them onto her sweater as well.
“Ok, so I just gotta say that this is the prettiest Gem place we’ve ever been to, hands down!” she proclaimed with a wide smile. “Can we just stay here for the rest of the day and make more flower crowns?”
“Maybe some other time,” Garnet replied with an amused smile.
“Aw…” Mabel stuck her tongue out in faux disappointment. “But this place is so great!”
“Speak for yourself,” Dipper huffed in aggravation as he finally pushed his way out of the flower patch, looking quite perturbed as he gingerly rubbed his sore and swollen arm. “I got stung by at least four bees back there, all because of that dumb flower crown you just had to make me.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t love it,” Mabel sent her brother a wry smirk. “But hey, what’d you do with it anyway? Don’t tell me you just threw my careful craftsmanship away like it was nothing, Dipper!”
“Calm down, I didn’t,” Dipper reassured, rolling his eyes. “I just gave it to Steven. Though honestly, I’m kind of regretting that choice now…”
“Guys, wait up!” Steven called breathlessly as he managed to at last break out of the flower patch. The young Gem was clearly much worse for wear from his trip through it, as could be seen from his runny nose and watery eyes, both aggravated by the immense amount of pollen in the surrounding area. “Sorry I couldn’t help much with the monster,” Steven said to the Gems, his voice quite congested. “I think the flowers are making me-” He cut himself off, taking in a sudden gasp of air before abruptly letting it out in a heavy sneeze, the brunt of which happened to land on the Gem leader. “Oh! Sorry, Garnet!”
“I’ll live,” Garnet remarked, casually wiping the mucus of her hip.
“Steven! You’re supposed to sneeze into your antecubital fossa!” Pearl scolded, only to garnish very confused looks from all three of the kids.
“My… what?” Steven asked with a bewildered frown.
“You’re—this thing!” the white Gem pointed to the inner crook of her elbow before continuing on to the warp pad.
“Steven, if you’re so allergic to the flowers, why don’t you just, I dunno, take the flower crown off?” Dipper asked caustically.
“Why would I do that?” Steven asked with a sniffle as he readjusted said crown atop his head. “It’s so pretty and Mabel worked really hard on it!”
“Well at least somebody appreciates it,” Mabel sent her brother a pointed smirk as she joined Amethyst and Pearl on the warp pad. Garnet and the boys crammed onto it after them, and as soon as the white Gem preformed the obligatory check to make sure all of the kids were safely on the pad, they were off.
The irradiant column of light that was the warp stream was just as mesmerizing as ever as the group gently zoomed through it. Since the flowery meadow was quite far from the temple, the warp trip would take at least several minutes, which was something the kids didn’t really mind seeing as how warping alone was such a fascinating experience.
“Hey, you guys know what this would be a great time for?” Mabel spoke up with a smile before pulling her camera out of her sweater. “A scrapbook-ertunity!”
“Didn’t we already have one of those on the way here?” Amethyst asked, smirking.
“Well, yeah, but that was the before picture,” Mabel clarified. “This one’s the after picture, which is always objectively better than the first one! Now everyone huddle in and say ‘we beat a Gem monster’!”
Amused, the Gems complied, as did Steven and Dipper, while Mabel managed to squeeze herself into the picture while holding the camera out as far as she could. “We beat a Gem monster!” everyone exclaimed with shared smiles as the picture was snapped. However, the camera’s sudden, bright flash managed to cause Steven’s allergies to flare up once again. The young Gem took in a sharp gasp, his eyes watering and his cheeks warm as he tried his best to hold the oncoming sneeze back, especially as the Gems quickly repositioned themselves in the stream to avoid it.
“Do it at Pearl!” Amethyst laughed, pointing to the white Gem.
“Steven! Your fossa!” Pearl warned in a sudden panic.
“Oh! Oh! Let me get a quick pic of this too!” Mabel exclaimed, quickly aiming her camera. “I have the cutest sticker of a sneezing turtle that’ll go great with it!”
“Mabel, do you seriously have to-” Dipper was abruptly cut off as Steven finally let his pent-up sneeze go, unable to hold it in any longer. The force of it was enough to throw the young Gem back quite a bit, propelling him backwards towards the edge of the stream itself. Before he hit it however, Steven accidentally bumped into Dipper, knocking him back towards the edge as well. The Gems weren’t quite quick enough to catch either of the boys before they both partially fell through the stream’s intangible barrier headfirst, without hardly feeling it at all. Because of the suddenness of it all, it took them a moment to regather their bearings, but once they did, both Steven and Dipper were absolutely amazed at what they saw.
The space that existed outside of the warp stream could be described as just that: space. There was darkness only void darkness for as far as the eye could see, though it was occasionally dotted with small flecks of light akin to stars. This void was hardly still, however, as several thick, ominous clouds swirled within it, roaring with gentle, rumbling thunder and the occasional bright spark of lightning. Yet despite this, the air itself, if it could be called that, seemed to carry a sudden, sharp chill, one that was far removed from the mild temperance that existed inside of the stream. Time seemed to crawl as the boys stared at this hauntingly amazing sight with the same expression of awestruck wonder, wonder that neither of them could really put into words, though Steven did attempt it.
“Whoa…” the young Gem muttered, only to immediately gasp over his own sudden, inexplicable breathlessness. Dipper realized the same exact thing as he remembered to take a breath amidst his amazement, only instantly choke over air that wasn’t actually there.
Yet despite this frightening revelation, both boys’ attention was quickly caught as a light suddenly flashed from afar within the warp space, one that certainly didn’t come from any periodical lightning. Instead, it was a long, thin blue illuminant pillar, a warp stream identical to the one they were both still partially within. It appeared out of seemingly nowhere, traveling upward instead of down, and traveling along its speeding path was what the boys could only make out as but a mere blur of a round shadow, but a clearly visible one nonetheless.
“What-” Dipper attempted to ask despite the prevalent lack of oxygen. Though before he could get anything else out, a pair of hands suddenly pulled both boys back fully back into the stream at last, just as the unknown object in the adjacent stream disappeared from view.
“Careful!” Pearl cried fretfully, pulling both Steven and Dipper close to her and checking them over for any apparent injuries as they both instinctively sucked a much-needed breath of air. “It’s dangerous to stick your heads outside of the stream!”
“There’s not much air,” Garnet explained calmly as she flicked the frozen snot off of Steven’s nose. “And it’s very cold.”
“Whoa… Did you guys die out there?” Mabel asked the boys curiously.
“Heh, looks like it to me,” Amethyst chuckled, smirking at the pair as they still struggled to catch their lost breath. Still, neither of them paid her usually heckling any mind as they exchanged a stunned glance, knowing that they had to share what had just happened.
“Y-you guys!” Steven began, taking in another sharp gasp. “We… we saw something out there!”
“What?” Pearl asked, raising a confused eyebrow.
“H-he’s right! There was-” Dipper cut himself off as he coughed once again, still trying to recover lost air. “There was something else warping out there!”
“No way! Really?” Mabel asked with immense interest. “I wanna see it too!” Without any deterrence or delay, she eagerly pushed herself towards the edge of the stream as well, only to quickly be halted by Garnet’s outstretched hand.
“There’s nothing to see out there,” she concluded, her tone cold and resolved.
“Huh?” Steven and Dipper asked in slightly alarmed unison.
“Garnet’s right,” Pearl quickly interjected. “It’s impossible that anything would be out there. Perhaps the lack of air out there made you both see things?”
“I can see perfectly… Pearl?” Steven guessed, having to squint to look at the white Gem since his vision was still blurry thanks to his lingering allergies.
“You guys, we know what we saw,” Dipper asserted. “Ok, well… maybe we don’t know exactly what it was, but it was definitely out there! If you don’t believe us, just check for yourselves.”
“Sure, whatever,” Amethyst shrugged, still not really buying it. “If it’ll chill you guys out.” In mere seconds, the purple Gem stuck her head out of the stream before quickly pulling it back in. “Yep, just like we’re sayin’. Nothing’s out there but a bunch of clouds and cold.”
“B-but it was there!” Steven protested insistently. “We both saw it!”
“Yeah! If you guys would just-”
“Dipper, Steven,” Garnet firmly interrupted. “It’s like I said. There is nothing out there. There hasn’t been anything else for a long, long time.”
Pearl and Amethyst nodded their fervent agreement with this as Mabel simply shrugged, mostly accepting it. Still, neither Dipper nor Steven could be so complacent over the matter, especially considering the fact that they had seen it themselves. Something was out there, and even if neither of them had the slightest idea of what that something was, it existed nonetheless. And they weren’t about to let the Gems convince them otherwise so easily.
Seeing as how their mission with the Gems had taken up most of the morning, the kids still had the afternoon to do whatever they pleased. Seeing as how Connie’s afternoon had been freed up thanks to her violin lessons being cancelled, she was able to join the trio as they hung out outside the Mystery Shack in the pleasant afternoon sun.
“Ok Connie, so what’s this super cool thing you said you brought with you?” Mabel asked with excited curiosity, paying Steven and Dipper no mind as they both kept their gazes fixated on the temple up the hill.
“I’m glad you asked,” Connie grinned, reaching into her bag before pulling out a thick novel. “Ta da!”
“Ugh…” Mabel let out a disappointed groan. “Books? Seriously? What are we? In school?”
“Whoa,” Steven’s interest was suddenly peaked as he looked to the novel. “Books! Cool cover! What is it?”
“Book 1 of the Spirit Morph Saga, which is only my favorite book series!” Connie gushed, smiling at the mysterious cover of the book, entitled The Unfamiliar Familiar. “It’s about this girl named Lisa, and she’s a witch! I mean, she doesn’t know she’s a witch at first, and she has a familiar, which is sort of like this spirit companion that everyone in the world has. And hers is a falcon named Archimicarus! Anyway, she goes on this quest to find her father after he’s kidnapped by a mysterious one-eyed man!”
“Ooo, mystery!” Steven exclaimed, now fully invested despite his earlier scrutiny.
“Sounds like something that would be right up your nerdy alley, huh, bro-bro?” Mabel asked, elbowing Dipper, who was still quite distracted with focusing on the temple.
“I’ve already read them all, actually,” he replied duly, still not bothering to glance away from the temple and instead focusing his thoughts on whatever him and Steven had seen in the warp space earlier.
“Wait, really?” Connie asked with an excited grin. “Finally, I have someone to talk to about them face to face with instead of having to resort to venting on message boards and fan sites! So, Dipper… what’d you think of the ending of Destiny’s End?”
Upon hearing this question, Dipper instantly tore his gaze away from the temple at last, letting out a harsh scoff as he did so. “Are you kidding me? That ‘ending’, if it could even be called that, was awful.”
“Ugh, I know, right?” Connie thoroughly agreed, already incensed on the matter. “They spend three whole books subverting tropes and crashing through stereotypes and expectations and being really self-aware about being a pastiche, and for what?”
“For them to completely ruin it all by taking up 50 pages just to describe a cake,” Dipper remarked with equal disdain. “The first three books totally had me going with the mystery of the one-eyed man, only for us to never actually get a real name or backstory for him. It’s seriously the most disappointing and anti-climactic thing ever.”
“What drew the line for me was how they just uprooted all those themes about standing against absolute authority!” Connie added adamantly, not noticing the bewildered looks Steven and Mabel were giving her and Dipper both. “Lisa and her talking falcon, rebels challenging the stifling traditions of the magical bureaucracy? I loved that! But no, let’s just drop it all for ‘romance’ and ‘fluff’.”
“Talk about pandering! Like, come on, could they have gotten any more schmaltzy. I couldn’t believe what I was reading when Archimicarus turned into-”
“Whoa, hold on a second!” Connie quickly interrupted. “We don’t wanna spoil it for Steven and Mabel, no matter how trite and hackneyed it is.”
“Oh yeah,” Dipper said with a small, embarrassed laugh. “Honestly, we probably said too much about it already…”
“Pfft, you guys are A-ok spoiling your nerd books for me,” Mabel groaned again, lying down on the ground lazily. “As long as it gets you and Steven to stop freaking out over whatever you saw when we were warping earlier.”
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!” Steven exclaimed with a gasp. “Thanks for reminding us, Mabel!”
“Why can’t I ever keep my adorably big mouth shut?” Mabel whined in exasperation, covering her face with her sweater sleeve before the boys could even begin their worrying.
“What does she mean?” Connie asked the boys inquisitively. “What did you guys see?”
“We… actually don’t really know…” Dipper admitted hesitantly.
“It was some weird roundish thing zipping through a different warp stream!” Steven exclaimed. “The Gems said that it was nothing, but that means it’s gotta be something, doesn’t it?”
“It was something!” Dipper insisted. “Something that’s possibly really important or dangerous, especially if the Gems are right and nothing’s supposed to be out there. That’s why they should have listened to us and actually looked into it instead of just shrugging it off!”
“Ugh, you two have been going on about that thing ever since we got back earlier!” Mabel exclaimed tiredly. “Can’t you just give it a break already? The Gems said it’s all good, so we have nothing to worry about.”
“Mabel’s probably right,” Connie said, giving the boys an understanding smile. “I mean, we want the Gems to trust the four of us; maybe we should meet them halfway and trust them in return. Besides, if what you saw really was dangerous, then they would have already handled it by now, right?”
“Sure, if they had actually believed us about it in the first place,” Dipper muttered, crossing his arms.
“Hm…. I guess so…” Steven sighed, even if he didn’t really agree. But even so, he figured that they wouldn’t have much luck convincing the girls of what they had seen since, much like the Gems, they hadn’t had the chance to witness it for themselves.
“Good! Then that means you two can finally stop being Worried Walters and relax for a change!” Mabel quipped jokingly.
“And it means we can get you guys started on these!” Connie held The Unfamiliar Familiar up to Steven and Mabel, the former perking up with excitement while the latter let out another bored groan. “Ahem,” Connie cleared her throat, adjusting the frames of her glasses as she began to read the novel aloud. “Chapter One: The Morning Thief…”
Steven attempted to focus more on the first Spirit Morph Saga book that Connie had successfully finished reading to him that night as he climbed into bed, as opposed to thinking of the unknown object from the warp stream. Still, the young Gem could think of little else as he snuggled into his covers, his already palpable concern steadily growing with each glance he happened to chance towards the warp pad down below. Certainly if something was indeed flowing throughout the stream at that very moment, then there was always a chance that it could wind up warping right up to the temple itself, right?
While these ominous thoughts definitely troubled Steven, he soon began to feel his eyes grow heavy with oncoming sleep nonetheless. He was quick to snap himself awake again though, fearing that if he let his guard down, even for a moment, then the unknown object would show up without any warning. And if it was actually dangerous, then its arrival was certainly something the young Gem wanted to be ready for.
However, what Steven wasn’t ready for was for a bright light to suddenly flood the loft, startling him upright with a terrified gasp. And yet, instead of it being the telltale flash of light from the warp pad, it was the pale glow from the refrigerator instead.
“Wha—Amethyst!” the young Gem exclaimed, looking down to see the purple Gem raiding the fridge as she often did at this late hour.
“Hey, Steven!” Amethyst greeted casually, snacking on the powdered cheese that came along with macaroni. “Want some macaroni cheese?”
Steven didn’t answer her, tucking behind his blankets a bit until the purple Gem began sauntering back towards the temple gate. “W-wait!” he called after her. “I…. I can’t sleep.”
“Why?” Amethyst licked the cheese residue off her hand. “Are you scared of that thing you and Dipper saw earlier warping right into the house and attacking you in your sleep?!”
“…No…” Steven squeaked anxiously.
“Oh good!” the purple Gem smirked teasingly, continuing on to the gate. “Glad to know you’re not totally wimping out on us after all! Well, nighty night! Don’t let the ‘warp monster’ bite! Ha!” With a loud, callous chuckle, Amethyst opened the door to her room and entered, leaving Steven alone with his growing dread once more.
The young Gem bit his lip apprehensively as he looked to the warp pad once again, the familiar sight looking ominous and almost sinister as it glistened dully in the darkness of the room. It was silent and still now, sure, but how long could he really be sure that it would stay like that? Something was wandering through warp space freely, something unknown and certainly disconcerting. And for as long as it was out there, Steven knew that he would be unable to really think of anything else.
“Looks like I’m not sleeping tonight…” the young Gem muttered to himself with a long sigh. Still, if he was going to tackle anything that might try to come through the warp stream unwarranted, then he was at least going to tackle it with the proper arms. With firm resolve, Steven grabbed his water gun and crept downstairs to fill it up, already knowing that it was certainly going to be a very long night.
“Steven…” Pearl cooed in a sing-songy voice, lightly tapping the young Gem in an attempt to rouse him awake. Upon emerging from the temple that morning, Pearl and Garnet had found Steven snoozing propped up against the front door, water gun loosely hugged to his chest as he snored softly. The two elder Gems couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty about their dismissive behavior the previous day, and so they intended on making it up to their young charge. As soon as he woke up that was. “Steven,” Pearl tried again, a little louder this time. “We’ve got a surprise for you-”
“Ah!” Steven gasped as he jolted awake, his finger already on the trigger of his water gun. On instinct, he pulled it as he pointed the weapon at whatever was in his immediate vicinity, which of course happened to be Pearl. The white Gem let out a startled cry as she was struck by the watery blast, knocking her back away from Steven and thoroughly soaking her, much to her aggravation. “Oh! Sorry, Pearl!” the young Gem exclaimed, jumping to his feet upon realizing his mistake.
“Now you’re not getting any cookies,” Garnet remarked as she stood by, holding a trayful of cookies they had made Steven.
“Cookies?!” Amethyst asked eagerly as she emerged from the temple. “I’ll take ‘em!”
Before Garnet could protest, the purple Gem snatched the cookie tray away from her, pouring the treats into her mouth without much restraint. “Amethyst, slow down,” the Gem leader advised, though Amethyst did anything but.
“Again, I’m sorry, Pearl,” Steven said with sincerity, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. “I just… I guess I didn’t…”
“Didn’t sleep,” Garnet finished thoughtfully as the young Gem trailed off.
Steven confirmed her suspicions as he let out an exhausted yawn. “Maybe,,,”
“Good morning, everyone!” Mabel greeted just as bright and blithely as ever as she burst into the house. Her cheerful smile quickly fell into confusion however, upon noticing Steven’s water gun, as well as the fact that Pearl was still sopping wet. “Whoa, what’s going on here? Were you guys having a water fight? Cause if you were, I wanna play! I’ll just have Dipper go get-” She abruptly cut herself off as she glanced over her shoulder, only to find that her brother had in fact not followed her inside, but was leaning against the doorframe outside, half asleep. “Seriously? Again?” Mabel huffed in annoyance, pulling Dipper inside and roughly waking him up fully in the process. “Now what did I tell you, bro-bro?”
“Uh… something about staying up all night reading the journal?” Dipper guessed tiredly, letting out a long yawn a moment later.
“That’s right, I told you not to do that because it would make you super tired the next day,” Mabel informed pointedly. “And what do ya know? Looks like I was right once again, cause you’re totally about to clonk out for like, the 20th time today!”
“No, I’m…” Dipper trailed off as he began to nod off once more, only for Mabel to wake him back up with a sharp snap of her fingers. “Huh?! What’s going—I-I mean, I’m totally awake! Yeah, n-not tired at all!” He let out a small awkward laugh, one that neither Mabel nor the Gems really bought as they all gave him unconvinced glances. “So, uh… what were we talking about again?”
“Yeesh,” Amethyst remarked dryly, rolling her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, Dipper, right now I’d think that you and Steven are twins instead of you and Mabel. You know, ‘cause you both have the same big ol’ bags under your eyes.”
“You didn’t sleep last night either, Dipper?” Steven asked, his lingering exhaustion reminding him that this was something he easily related to.
“Ugh, no,” Dipper admitted, somewhat frustrated as he rubbed his eyes. “I was up all night looking through the journal for any hints about that… thing we saw in the warp stream yesterday!”
“And you didn’t find anything about it, which means that you pretty much wore yourself out for nothing,” Mabel added with a smirk. “Which is something you do all the time, but hey, I’m not here to judge.” She paused for a moment before discreetly whispering something else to the Gems. “Yes, I am.”
“Hold on a minute,” Pearl interjected, wringing the water out of her sash. “Is that seriously what all this fuss is about? You two are still thinking about whatever it is you think you saw yesterday?”
“We don’t think we saw anything, because we really did see it!” Dipper argued, more cross than he usually would have been, considering his exhaustion. “Right, Steven?”
“Yeah,” the young Gem readily, the smallest hint of desperation in his tone. “It was real, you guys! Something was warping somewhere in the warp!”
“And we need to figure out what that something was,” Dipper contended. “What if it’s something dangerous or violent? You three would care about it then, right?”
“Sure we would,” Amethyst said with a shrug. “If it was real.”
“But come on, you guys,” Mabel interjected just as dismissively. “When have Gem things ever been dangerous or violent before?”
“Are you seriously asking that question right now?” Dipper asked caustically, knowing he could give her countless examples of both of those things. “Seriously?”
“We wouldn’t lie to you guys about something like this,” Steven insisted earnestly. “If you’d just hear us out, then we could-”
“Listen,” Pearl interrupted, her tone firm and slow as she placed a hand on top each of the boys’ heads. “Both of you. Nothing on Earth can use the warps but us. Nothing. Do you both understand?” Neither Dipper nor Steven were willing to accept this conditioning so easily though, as they both glanced away from the white Gem sullenly. “Steven, Dipper,” Pearl appealed once again, her tone more authoritative this time. “Nod in agreement if you understand.” They didn’t of course, still resisting what they knew couldn’t be true, much to Pearl’s ever growing frustration. “Nod in agreement if-”
“I’m confident Pearl is right,” Garnet interrupted, looking to the boys calmly. “There’s no use in either of you staying up all night and waiting or looking for something that you’re not going to find. But…” Steven and Dipper took in a shared anxious breath upon hearing this, hoping that the Gem leader would at least listen to their concerns. “If it’ll make you both feel better, we can go check.”
Steven sighed in immense relief upon hearing this, and while it wasn’t exactly what Dipper had been hoping for, he nodded in tentative agreement with this plan nonetheless. After all, any amount of scrutiny on the Gems’ part in all this was better than none at all.
“Woo! Warp tour! Warp tour!” Mabel cheered, more than ready for another exciting Gem adventure, even if this one was going to be rather simple in nature. Still, no one wasted any time in squeezing onto the warp pad, seeing as how they had quite the trip ahead of them. And with another affirming nod from Garnet, the group set off on their so-called “warp tour”.
Their first stop was also their most recent destination: the flowery meadows. The area looked essentially the same as it did when they were there the previous day, the tall blossoms swaying to the peaceful breeze as the group warped in.
“Nothing unusual here,” Garnet noted, her hands on her hips. This information didn’t really discourage the boys though; after all, they still had plenty of other places left to go.
“Oh boy! Since we’re back here we can make more flower crowns before we go!” Mabel exclaimed, clasping her hands together with delight.
“No,” Dipper quickly deadpanned, far too focused on their mission to care about such trivial things.
Before they could move on, Steven happened to let out another heavy sneeze, his allergies stirred up by the dense pollen in the air once more. “Bless you,” Garnet excused him succinctly before they warped to their next destination.
Really, the next several spots that the group warped to turned out to be just as uneventful as the first. Some locations were familiar to the kids, some not, but all of them wielded the same results: nothing. Still, Dipper and Steven made sure to keep their eyes peeled, not just as they arrived to each spot, but in the warp stream as well. They hoped that with the thorough investigation they were doing, that they would be able to find at least a hint at something out of the ordinary, one that would point them in the right direction as to the location of the mystery object if nothing else. And yet with every new place they warped to, that hope steadily started to diminish, but even so, they didn’t once question whether what they saw had been real or not. Not only did they have each other was witnesses, but the memory they both had of seeing the unknown object was still so clear and fresh in both of their minds. There was no doubt that they had both seen it. No doubt anywhere except for with Mabel and the Gems.
“Well, this is the last place to look,” Garnet concluded as they arrived at the legendary Sky Spire, only for there once again to be nothing there of note.
“W-what?!” Dipper exclaimed in sudden alarm. “But… but that can’t be it! There’s got to be somewhere we haven’t checked yet! We need to-”
“Ugh, give it a rest already, bro-bro,” Mabel groaned, slightly annoyed. “Every place we’ve been today was super cool yeah, but also super relaxed. Why can’t you guys just accept that and let this thing go?”
“I agree,” Pearl nodded succinctly. “You both have blown this way out of proportion. We’ve looked all over! There’s nothing out here to find.”
“But you’re wrong…” Steven mumbled sullenly, rolling his eyes.
“Excuse me?!” the white Gem narrowed her eyes at her young charge.
The young Gem paled a bit, realizing his disrespectful mistake as he immediately tried to redact it. “I-I mean-”
“No, don’t take it back, Steven,” Dipper cut him off, looking to Pearl defiantly and scarcely caring about crossing the line now. All day the Gems had refused to take either of them seriously, and he had grown beyond tired of it, which was why he had every intention of putting an end to it in any way he could. “You are wrong. And we can prove it!”
“Oh, really?!” Pearl gasped, completely appalled. “And how are you going to do that? Might I remind you that nothing on Earth can use these warps but us? So how do you intend on disproving that proven fact? With that little journal of yours? Ha! Good luck with that!”
By this point, Dipper was aptly infuriated, especially as the white Gem callously mocked the journal, but still, before he could send a heated argument back at her, Steven cautiously interjected. “W-well…. What if… what if it was from space?” he asked tentatively. Really, it didn’t seem like too outlandish of an idea, given the fact that the Gems themselves were from space, and they were they only things on Earth capable of warping. Still, this suggestion seemed to silence all three of the Gems completely, all of their eyes widening at the idea of this proposal, even if Pearl was the first to provide an answer for it yet again.
“I-” she cut herself off immediately, pursing her lips as she met the expectant gazes all three of the kids were giving her now. “I don’t appreciate your tone.”
Still, before either of the boys could try to support this newfound idea, the white Gem was quick to warp them all away from the Sky Spire and to another familiar spot: the Galaxy Warp. It was indeed the only place they hadn’t scoped out yet, but still there was no unknown object to be found there. Neither Steven nor Dipper really cared about that at the moment though; currently, all of their frustration was saved for Pearl, who began to explain why she firmly believed they were both wrong.
“These are the warps that once connected us to other planets,” she said, her tone quite patronizing as she made her way to the central warp pad. “If something tried to come from space, it would be through here. But wait!” she exclaimed with faux dramatics, spinning around to face the boys. “This warp pad is broken, marked inactive by the very depressed cartoon breakfast sticker you placed here yourself, Steven!” With a cold glare, she pointed to the Wailing Waffle sticker the young Gem had put on the central warp during their test of the pad weeks ago, proving that it was indeed out of commission.
“Look,” Amethyst interjected with a comforting smirk as she walked up to the boys along with Mabel. “Pearl’s right, as usual. Sure, it’s annoying, but you get used to it.”
“Seriously, you guys need to chill out,” Mabel added with a discontented frown. “Dipper, it’s already bad enough that I have to deal with your dumb paranoia over everything, but now you’ve gone and rubbed that paranoia off on Steven to the point that you both are covered in it and neither of you are any fun anymore! It’s driving me nuts!”
“We’re not being paranoid!” Dipper stressed adamantly. “We’re being careful, which is clearly something that none of the rest of you care about, otherwise we would have already found that thing by now!”
“If there was actually anything to find,” Pearl pointed out caustically. “Which, as we’ve just proven, there isn’t.”
Garnet affirmed this sentiment, placing a gentle hand on top of both of the boys’ heads and sending them a soft smile as they looked up to her dubiously. “We’re safe.”
Neither Steven nor Dipper found that they could really argue with this, even if they both really wanted to. Yet every time they tried to voice their growing concern, they only fell upon deaf ears as the Gems stubbornly disregarded them, no matter how hard they tried to convince them of the truth. Which was why both of them were quickly starting to reach the conclusion that it was futile to really even try.
Dipper let out a bitter, defeated sigh as he crossed his arms, looking down to the ground with a sullen scowl. At the same time, Steven pouted anxiously as he looked to the central warp yet again, placing a hand beside the Crying Breakfast Friends sticker fixed upon it as he looked over its cracked, weathered surface. “Well…” the young Gem began, his tone still not entirely convinced. “I guess so…”
The Gems let out a collective sigh upon hearing this, one that Mabel also joined in on as all of their moods instantly improved. “Oh man, finally!” Amethyst exclaimed, stretching out casually. “That took all day!”
“Well at least we can finally head home and put this whole thing behind us,” Mabel said, sending a satisfied smile Steven and Dipper’s way. “And maybe you two can actually get a good nights’ sleep tonight instead of staying up worrying over nothing.”
Both of the boys bristled somewhat at this comment, but still, neither of them said anything, knowing that it would be wiser now to keep the peace, as much as it annoyed them to.
“Still,” Garnet spoke up, her hands on her hips. “It was important to make Steven and Dipper feel secure.”
“Yes, they both feel much better now,” Pearl concluded somewhat condescendingly. Of course, upon hearing this, both boys only grew even more irate over the entire situation. It was bad enough that the Gems had dismissed their fears entirely, but now they seemed to be completely talking down to them for it all. And the longer they silently simmered over it, the more unacceptable it became.
“I’m a little tired…” Steven began, his tone rarely cross and borderline hostile as he turned to face his guardians. “Of you guys telling us how we should feel!”
“Seriously, you guys are treating us like we’re little kids who are only making this stuff up but we’re not,” Dipper insisted hotly, his hands in tight fists at his sides. “We’re telling you the truth!”
“We know we saw something outside the stream!” Steven exclaimed, clearly livid by this point.
“And I know you didn’t!” Pearl retorted just as incensed. However this time, neither of the boys were about to back down from this false claim so meekly.
Garnet, Amethyst, and Mabel were all startled yet unsurprised as an inevitable argument broke out between Steven, Dipper, and Pearl. Then again, it wasn’t really as much of an argument as it was an all-out shouting match.
“Now both of you listen to me,” the white Gem asserted loudly and rather harshly. “I’ve been around much longer than either of you have. I know everything there is to know about the warp system. Which is why you two don’t tell me what I already know!”
Still, neither of the boys were hardly listening to a word she said as they ranted off their own immense grievances. “Why is it so hard for you to just listen to us?!” Steven exclaimed indignantly. “You don’t care what we have to say! You never do! You just want to do it your own way!”
“Whatever happened to ‘oh we’ll start trusting you guys more’?” Dipper asked just as angrily. “If you really trusted us, then you’d actually hear us out and stop pretending like nothing’s wrong, just like you always do!”
This heated quarrel went on for quite some time, all three of them yelling over each other to the point that most of what they were shouting couldn’t really be made out by the trio watching in stilted silence from the sidelines. Garnet, Amethyst, and Mabel all exchanged uncertain glances for a moment before turning their attention back towards the ongoing argument, none of them bold enough to throw themselves into this intense conflict willingly.
“Uh, this is new,” Amethyst remarked with a small, amused chuckle. “I kinda like it.”
“Shouldn’t we try and stop them?” Mabel asked Garnet, who only shrugged apathetically in response.
“Ugh,” Pearl finally groaned, rolling her eyes as a break in the argument finally came. “You two just don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh we’re the ones who don’t know what we’re talking about?” Dipper asked with frustrated disbelief. “Sure, I mean, it’s not like we were the ones who actually saw it or anything!”
“It sounds like… maybe you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Steven shouted at Pearl, his voice echoing throughout the Galaxy Warp as the white Gem took in a sharp, shocked gasp. The others were quite alarmed at hearing the usually gentle and agreeable young Gem get so frustrated, but even so, he didn’t dare take it back now. Honestly, he likely wouldn’t have even if he wanted to.
By this point, however, Pearl was so frustrated with both boys that all she could really do was let out a petulant scoff as she crossed her arms and glared away from them. Of course, Steven and Dipper were still quite upset themselves, but at this juncture, Garnet finally decided to intervene.
“Alright, you two,” the Gem leader said, her tone calm yet firm as she stepped between the boys and Pearl. “That’s enough. Let it go.”
“But-” both Steven and Dipper attempted to interject, but Garnet quickly stopped them.
“I said, let it go,” she repeated authoritatively, making it quite clear that no matter how much they tried to argue otherwise, there would be no further discussion on the matter.
Mabel smiled as she finished positioning the pillows on her bed in a way that would comfortably accommodate both her and Waddles, before hoisting said pig up onto the bed as he trotted up to it. “There you go, my perfect pink angel,” she quipped, plopping Waddles down onto his pillow. “Now we can have a nice, cozy night’s sleep, unlike some people…” Mabel frowned, somewhat annoyed, as she glanced over at Dipper, who was pouring over the journal just as intently as he had the previous night. He was utterly exhausted, of course, but he wasn’t about to let that deter him from checking the book one more time, desperate for any answers it could possibly give.
“Complain all you want, Mabel,” Dipper said, not even looking up from the journal. “But I’m not giving up until I figure out what that thing in the warp stream was!”
“Why nooooot?” Mable whined, laying back on her bed and covering her eyes with her arm. “You heard what the Gems said! We’re safe!”
“That may be what they think, but I’m not about to believe it until I have proof.”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying when you get all obsessy like this! Remember the last time you went all crazy trying to prove something, Dipper? Cause I do! In fact, I remember it involving a bunch of gross zombies that tried to eat our brains out!”
“This is totally different!” Dipper snapped defensively. “Look, I’ll admit that I was totally reckless about the whole zombie thing, but I’m being the exact opposite about this! I’m trying to figure out the truth about this thing so we can all be safe.”
“Is that really why you’re doing this, Dipper?” Mabel asked, sending her brother a rather harsh glare. “Or are you just doing this because you wanna prove that you and Steven were right and the Gems are wrong?”
Dipper was more than ready to refute this assumption, but before he could, Stan happened to burst into the room, looking anything but pleased with his nibblings. “You two! Cut all that yelling out!” he growled sullenly. “It’s late, and I don’t wanna referee you munchkins if you get into a fist fight or something. Plus, I don’t have my camera on me to record it.”
“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel exclaimed loudly. “Dipper’s being dumb and he keeps stressing out over this stupid thing that him and Steven saw when we were out with the Gems yesterday!”
“Mabel!” Dipper quickly interjected. He was quite annoyed that she had no qualms over tattling on him, especially seeing as how the conman was already keeping a closer eye on him in light of the zombie incident.
“Oh yeah?” Stan raised an eyebrow as he looked to his nephew. “What kind of thing?”
“I-it was-”
“He doesn’t know what it looks like because they only saw it for like, a second,” Mabel informed pointedly. “If they saw anything at all, though I’m with the Gems in thinking that they didn’t.”
“Oh, so now you’re seeing things, kid?” the conman asked dubiously. “Figures. Reading a kooky journal like that will do it to ya.”
“Grunkle Stan, I’m not just seeing things!” Dipper argued intently. “What me and Steven saw in the warp stream was real, and it was-”
“Yeesh, calm down,” Stan interrupted with a small laugh. “I was just kidding. Still, if the Gems said it was nothing, then, as much as I hate to admit it, they’re probably right. They are the authority on all of that magic mumbo-jumbo, after all.”
“See?” Mabel sent her brother a smug smirk. “Told ya so.”
“Now both of you, get to bed,” Stan ordered as he prepared to take his leave. “And if you two actually do end up getting in a fight, don’t expect me to come up here and break it up. Besides, we all know Mabel would win anyway so it would be pretty much pointless to try and intervene.”
“Hey!” Dipper protested as Mabel let out a small snicker. The twins didn’t really didn’t converse much further with each other after Stan left, both of them still rather irritated with each other over the situation at large. Still, even after Mabel turned the main light off and nestled with Waddles into a comfy slumber, Dipper stayed up with the journal and a flashlight, just as he had the previous night, resolved to examine every word of it that concerned the Gems in the hopes that he would at the very least get some sort of lead. He didn’t make it very far into his search, however, before he began to nod off, only to be roused awake by sudden tapping against the attic window.
Since Mabel was already fast asleep, she didn’t hear the repeating noise, but seeing as how he was on edge already, Dipper didn’t hesitate in checking it out. Being as quiet as possible as not to wake his sister up, he climbed up onto the nightstand to get a better look out the window, only to find a sight he hadn’t really been expecting.
“Steven?” he whispered incredulously, frowning down at the young Gem who stood in the yard down below, a pile of pebbles in his hand as he waved up at him. Lion stood beside him, licking his paw boredly, but the intent, almost desperate expression on Steven’s face was enough to convince Dipper to grab his hat and jacket and sneak out of the shack to meet him outside. “Steven, what are you doing here?” he asked the young Gem, who’s worry turned into slight relief upon seeing him. “Don’t you have any idea how late it is?”
“I do, but…” Steven frowned anxiously as he glanced behind him towards the temple. “I need your help. The Gems still won’t believe me, and I keep having mini-freaks out every time I look at the warp pad, and you’re the only person I can count on in this because you saw it too and-”
“Whoa, Steven, slow down,” Dipper interrupted. “What exactly do you need help with?”
“I-I want you to help me keep an eye on the warp pad,” Steven said with shaky resolve. “Just in case… it comes through. We still don’t know what it is, and… I really don’t like the thought of being there alone if it does show up. So… I know this might be a lot to ask, but… will you help me, Dipper?
“Are you kidding? Of course, Steven!” Dipper instantly agreed, as though it was obvious that he would. “If that thing warps in, I definitely don’t wanna miss it.”
“Great! Thanks so much, Dipper!” Steven exclaimed, overwhelmed with relief as he abruptly pulled him into a tight hug.
“Steven! Not so loud!” Dipper was quick to pull away and shush him. “What if Stan or Mabel hear you?”
“Oh, right…” the young Gem blushed, lowering his voice down to a whisper. “Sorry!”
Not wanting to waste any time at all, both boys climbed onto Lion and rushed back to the temple in record time. The house was calm and quiet as they arrived, no signs of any unknown objects or unwarranted warping whatsoever. Still, they weren’t anywhere near appeased just yet. The pair began their vigil, one of them sitting on each side of the warp pad and scarcely taking their eyes off of it for a moment. While Dipper had the journal positioned in his lap, he was more ready to take notes in it than read it in the event that the unknown object did show up. At the same time, Steven had prepared himself a small snack of macaroni, bereft of cheese since Amethyst had eaten it all, but still it was something to help pass the idle hours. For almost an hour, the boys sat in still, perfect silence, their shared resolve filling in any sort of anxious conversation they might have had. Exhaustion and fatigue were weighing heavily on both of them, to the point that both of them were having trouble even keeping their eyes open for every long, but still, they forced themselves to remain awake. After all, if no one else was going to take this matter seriously, then they had to and were going to, for everyone’s sake.
Yet as time continued to drag on and still nothing happened, the wearier in their mission both boys started to get. Unable to bear the deafening silence along with his own growing dread, Steven finally spoke up. “Dipper? Why are we doing this?” he asked, his tone rife with uncertainty.
“What do you mean?” Dipper asked, finally glancing up from the warp pad.
“I mean…” Steven let out a frustrated sigh before he continued. “It’s been two days since we saw that thing… If it hasn’t shown up by now, then how do we know its gonna show up at all?”
“Oh it’ll show up,” Dipper affirmed intently, his tone somewhat unhinged. “It has to. And when it does, we’re gonna get the Gems and show it to them and then they’ll finally, finally realize that we were right all along!”
Steven sucked in an anxious breath at this, his doubt starting to grow even more as he looked to the warp pad again. “But what if it doesn’t? What if… What if we were wrong and everyone else was right?”
“You can’t be serious, Steven,” Dipper scoffed, angrily glancing away from the young Gem at this very suggestion. “We both saw that thing with our own eyes! The Gems, Mabel, everyone thinks we’re crazy for thinking that it’s real, but we’re not! And we have to show them that we’re not!”
“I know, but this-” Steven threw his arms out wide as he rose to his feet. “Staying up all night and sitting around waiting for who knows what? This is crazy! Let’s just face it, Dipper; nothing’s going to come through that warp pad.”
Before Dipper could even argue this point however, Steven was inadvertently proven right as something crashed into the house not through the warp pad, but through the ceiling instead. Both of the boys let out startled gasps as the small round, pale green orb smashed into the ground only a few feet away from them. Its surface was smooth and almost marble-like, and despite the intent it had left in the floor, it soon picked itself up as four short, leg-like extensions emerged from it, all of them detached from the orb itself. The machine made a swiveling noise as it pushed itself upright, before it began to skitter its way towards the warp pad.
For a moment, both Steven and Dipper were too stunned with shock over this turn of events to even do or say anything about it. And then, at the exact same moment, they both started to laugh.
“Oh my gosh! This is it!” Dipper exclaimed with a huge, excited smile as he watched the orb crawled its way towards them. “This was that thing in the warp stream! We were right!”
“No way!” Steven gasped, just as exhilarated, especially as he glanced up towards the hole the orb had left in the ceiling then back to the machine itself. “It really did come from space! Oh man, the Gems totally are gonna freak out when they see-” The young Gem cut himself off with another gasp as the orb continued to clamor forward, his elation suddenly turning to concern. “Uh, I-I think it’s trying to get to the warp pad!”
“What? But why would it-” Dipper was interrupted as the orb attempted to squeeze its way between them, using its tiny legs to try and push them out of its way. “Hey!”
“Whoa there, little guy!” Steven exclaimed to the orb, putting his hands onto it an attempt to stop it. “Hold on for just a—Ow!” Without warning, the orb’s insistent behavior turned violent as it lashed out, landing a surprisingly hard kick to the young Gem’s chest and knocking him back. Somehow, Steven had managed to hold onto the orb throughout this, and he still clung onto it as tightly as it could, even as it continued to struggle against him. “Guys! Come out here and check this out!” he shouted towards the temple gate in the hopes that the Gems would hear him, not even noticing as a small hatch started to open up on the orb’s upper half, revealing a short, pointed nozzle.
“Whoa! Steven, look out!” Dipper shouted, rushing over with the journal still in hand. Before the machine could fire whatever projectile it had at its disposal at Steven, Dipper hit it hard with the side of the journal, sending it flying off of the young Gem and to the other side of the room. The impact actually managed to damage the orb somewhat, as a small crack now ran down its otherwise polished surface and a strange, unknown light teal liquid began pouring from it as it skittered about in a sudden panic.
“What do we do?! What do we do?!” Steven asked fearfully as he jumped to his feet.
“Uh… we should…” Dipper trailed off anxiously, only to gasp in surprise as the orb suddenly lunged towards the warp pad once more. “We gotta stop it! Come on!”
Steven didn’t argue as they both charged for the warp pad as well, making it there at the exact same moment as the orb. As the machine made contact with the pad, it lit up with its usual glow, a sign that it had no intentions of sticking around much longer. “Oh no, you don’t!” Steven exclaimed as both him and Dipper pounced on the orb, though this time, it oddly didn’t struggle. “Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl-”
The young Gem was cut off as, without warning, the warp pad activated, taking both of the boys and the orb with it. Still, they hardly noticed as they were propelled up the stream, both of them still clinging onto the orb in a mix of desperation and confusion. “I don’t understand!” Dipper exclaimed, glancing over the orb in bewilderment. “Where’s it trying to go?”
Steven didn’t have much of a chance to even ponder this question as he was suddenly struck from something from behind. “Huh?” he glanced back, only to let out a startled gasp to find that another orb, identical to the first one, had somehow entered the stream, followed by countless more. “T-they’re coming from all over?!”
Likewise, Dipper was also quite alarmed to see an influx of orbs coming in from the other side of the stream, all of them quickly converging towards the two of them. “Steven, they’re-” Before he could finish, all of the emerging orbs suddenly smashed into both of the boys seemingly all at once. The machines’ became only more aggressive as they roughly pushed the boys against each other before shoving them towards the edge of the stream in a clear attempt to remove them from the stream.
“Ow! Hey! Stop it!” Steven shouted at the orbs as him and Dipper attempt to push back against them, to little avail. The machines were surprisingly strong and enduring, and given their immense and ever-increasing numbers, it wasn’t long before they managed to partially push both boys out of the stream.
As soon as their heads were forced out of the stream and into the empty chill of warp space, both Dipper and Steven took in large gasps of air that didn’t really exist out there. Still, neither of them had much time to focus on that, as their attention was instantly garnished by something much more important. The otherwise sparse void was lit up with dozens, if not hundreds of different warp streams, each of them carrying mass amounts of the same orbs as they all seemed to converge at the same exact distant point.
“Wha—t-they’re all-” Dipper was unable to finish his stunned statement as the lack of air all around them quickly left him breathless. Alarmed and concerned by this, Steven wasted no time in trying to both them both back into the warp stream, even though the orbs were still trying to do the exact opposite.
“N-no!” Steven exclaimed, shoving their way back into the stream and allowing them both to momentarily catch their breaths. Dipper quickly joined him in fighting back against the persistent machines, though it was becoming painfully apparent that this was a battle they were going to lose. “We won’t let you—augh!”
Without warning, the orbs all suddenly pushed back hard against the boys, to the point that there was nothing they could do as they were both abruptly knocked out of the stream completely. They shared a gasp of panic as they were sent freely flying into the cold depths of warp space, with the only thing they had to mutually cling onto being the lone orb that they had both managed to get a firm hold on before being pushed out. For a moment, all the boys could do was exchange a stunned, fearful glance, both of them quickly realizing just how much danger they were in. Not only did the bitter cold atmosphere instantly start to get to them both, but the sparse amount of oxygen at their disposal only made things even worse, especially neither of them really knew how to conserve it.
“S-Steven!” Dipper gasped, immediately panicking as he desperately glanced around for any nearby warp stream. “W-we gotta find a-another-” He stopped short upon hearing a small, weak, somewhat unnerving chuckle come from the young Gem, who remained rather still as he floated along, dully holding onto the orb. “Steven, what-”
“W-we were right, Dipper,” Steven laughed, clearly in something of a daze as he grinned towards the orb. “We w-were right… And now…” His smile faded into a sort of morose, almost tearful sort of expression, one also marked with grim acceptance as he slowly let go of the orb. “W-we…. We’re gonna die… Two tired… frozen… little s-sadsacks…”
For a moment, all Dipper could really do was stare at Steven with the same kind of crestfallen despair, but even so, he wasn’t about to give up so easily. “N-no! We… we can’t!” he choked, realizing just how tight his chest suddenly felt, no doubt a sign of slow suffocation. “We… There… T-there has to be…” He trailed off, a stark shiver running through him that wasn’t just from the freezing cold. As horrifying as it was to think, they were both stranded in a place where they couldn’t possibly hope to survive for very long, all because of their own desperate, reckless desire to be proven right. And now, because of their stubbornness, the only thing they could prove for certain now was how foolish they both had been.
And yet, just as both boys were about to resign themselves to their cold, dark fate, something that was nothing sort of a miracle happened. As they continued to aimlessly float through warp space, a sudden pillar of light soared up right behind them both, a warp stream of all things, and not just any random one at that. For as they drifted close to it, a pair of hands reached out from inside of it, hands that were quick to grab onto both of the boys and pull them safely inside.
Garnet pulled both Steven and Dipper into a tight embrace against her, allowing them to cling onto her tightly as they both desperately gasped for air and shivered uncontrollably all the while. “Stay calm,” she advised, even if her own tone wasn’t as relaxed as it usually was. “Take slow deep, breaths.” Somehow, the boys were able to do as she commanded, their thoughts on nothing else but recovering from their near-death experience, even as Garnet retrieved the orb that she had pulled into the stream with them. “So this is what you both saw.”
Still clearly shell-shocked, the boys tentatively glanced up at the orb, both of them partially reviled at the very sight of it seeing as how it had nearly cost them both their lives. Dipper slowly nodded, looking away from the orb in slight shame while Steven looked to Garnet instead, hot tears of frustration forming in his eyes. “I don’t care about that!” he cried, wanting nothing more to do with any of it.
“I do,” Garnet replied intently, lifting her hand up to her visor as she appeared to wipe away what might have been tears. “I should have listened to you two. We promised we would start trusting you more, but we didn’t. I’m sorry.”
While the boys had mostly recovered, they still didn’t say much as they both looked up to Garnet with small, grateful smiles, something that she returned as she gently relinquished her secure hold on them. The moment of solidarity didn’t last long, however, as Pearl caught up with them in the stream, followed by Amethyst and Mabel not too much later.
“Finally!” Mabel exclaimed with clear exasperation. “There you guys are! What’s with you two, going on a crazy midnight warp run like that! The least you could have done is ask me to come along too!”
“Are you both okay?!” Pearl asked the boys with apt concern. “Amethyst heard the warp pad activate, and Mabel had come to the house looking for Dipper, and Garnet said you were both floating outside the stream and-” The white Gem’s hurried explanation was cut off as she took in a sharp gasp upon seeing the orb Garnet was holding. “W-what is that?”
“You mean… you don’t know?” Steven asked with a confused frown.
“Whoa…. That thing’s far out!” Amethyst remarked, quite intrigued with the machine.
“I wanna touch it!” Mabel grinned, reaching a hand towards it only to be stopped by Garnet.
“Not until we know for sure what it is,” the Gem leader said, her tone as firm as it usually was once again.
“It’s some kind of space robot!” Steven exclaimed. “There were tons of them! And it looked like they were all going to the same place.”
The Gems exchanged a dubious glance at this, none of them really sure what to make of this news. Yet even so, Dipper couldn’t help but speak up in order to address the elephant in the room, so to speak. “Ok, so I know this is probably a bad time for this, but…”
“Oh boy…” Mabel rolled her eyes, already anticipating what he was going to say. “Here it comes.”
“We told you so!” Dipper exclaimed with a triumphant smirk. “We were right all along and we told you so! Guess you guys will think twice about not believing us next time, huh?” He looked to the Gems, still grinning rather smugly, only to stop upon catching the incredulously glance they all sent his way. “Oh, uh…” he took in an anxious breath, looking away somewhat awkwardly. “L-like I said, bad time…”
It was only moments later that the group followed the orb in their possession to its intended destination: the Galaxy Warp. As soon as they made it their, the machine leapt out of Garnet’s grasp and made its way over to join all of the others as they crowded around and on top of the central warp pad. All of them were currently in the process of shooting their unknown teal liquid onto the pad, covering it completely as the Gems and the kids warily approached.
“What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?!” Pearl asked with growing worry.
“Dang, there’s a ton of them!” Amethyst remarked, her eyes wide as she tried in vain to count them all. Soon enough though, the machines all started to skitter back away from the pad, until, all at once, the liquid they had sprayed onto it vanished. What was left in its place was a warp pad that completely lacked all of the cracks and cervices that had previously disabled it, leaving it looking as good as new. “What? They fixed it?” Amethyst asked, bewildered.
“So what does that mean?” Mabel asked curiously as the Gems exchanged another stunned glance.
“I-” Pearl cut herself off with a nervous, fretful gasp. “I don’t know!”
They had no time to try and find out the truth, however, as the Homeworld warp suddenly light up, activating for the first time in centuries. A unified gasp of unbridled horror escaped the Gems, and likewise the kids were quite startled by it as well. But even so, Garnet kept a level head as usual as she quickly grabbed them all, leaping away from the warp pad and taking refuge behind one of the tall rocks surrounding the area. The Gem leader used one of her gauntlets to hold onto the stone, providing the kids with enough of a boost to serve as lookouts as the light from the warp pad cleared, revealing an unknown figure in its place.
It was rather easy to tell that this figure was a Gem, based on her unnaturally colored lime-green skin, as well as the rounded, triangular gemstone of the same color positioned on her forehead. Her hair was also in an oddly-triangular shape, its short, pale ends styled in three precise points. Really, everything about her was angular, from her pert, pointed nose, to the opaque visor over her eyes, to her unimpressed scowl. Her green coloration continued throughout her outfit, save for the light-yellow diamond on her chest and knee pads. She was rather slender and tall, her arms and legs both seemed to widen and flare out quite a bit past her joints, and even stranger was the fact that she lacked hands entirely. Instead, her “fingers” seemed to hover over the end of her arms, levitating obediently as they followed her every movement. She showed little signs of emotion as she glanced around, her fists on her hips as she stomped on the warp pad she had just arrived on experimentally.
“W-who is that?” Pearl whispered nervously.
“No idea,” Garnet replied, just as confused as they continued to observe this new Gem from a safe distance.
The green Gem turned around fully, still unaware of the groups presence as she lifted her hand. Her fingers somehow repositioned themselves, four of them forming an electronic screen littered with indecipherable information, which she navigated with her spare finger as she began to record a report. “Log date 3 1 2,” she began, her voice cold and calculating as she paid little mind to the orb crawling up her to perch upon her shoulder. “This is Peridot, reforming Earth hub maintenance check.”
“Peridot,” Steven repeated with a small smile as he glanced down to the other Gems. “Her name is Peridot!”
Of course, the Gems were quick to shush him, terrified of their cover being blown, but all the same, the kids were immensely curious with this turn of events. “Maintenance check?” Dipper muttered, raising a confused eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He got no real answer, however, as the Gems quieted him as well before turning their attention back to Peridot. “Warp repair was a success,” she reported, tapping away at her screen. “All 79 flash robinoids deployed and accounted for. Preparing to locate and manually reactivate Kindergar-” The green Gem suddenly gasped as she noticed the damaged orb, or rather, robinoids, at her feet. The machine sputtered as it attempted to crawl up her leg, before ultimately crumbling to the ground in defeat. Peridot gave it a critical glance, one that certainly wasn’t lost on Steven as he continued to observe her from afar.
“Aw, the little ones are like her babies!” he whispered with a charmed smile.
However, this couldn’t have been any further from the truth as Peridot’s calm demeanor turned to obvious annoyance with the damaged tech. Clearly, she had already determined that the machine’s usefulness had reached its end as she stepped on its struggling form, pushing her foot down on it until it completely and utterly popped.
All three of the kids let out a shocked, rather horrified gasp at this display of heedless destruction, as small scale as it was. “I-if that’s how she treats her babies then she really shouldn’t be allowed around them anymore!” Mabel remarked in an anxious whisper, feeling quite sorry for the now obliterated robinoids.
The Gems overheard this, and while they weren’t able to see what exactly was going on for themselves, Amethyst and Pearl silently lifted their hands to ask if it was alright for them to come out. The kids quickly waved them off though before joining them in complete hiding, now actively frightened at the prospect of being found by someone as apparently merciless as Peridot.
“Now to access the domestic warp…” the green Gem said as she began descending the Homeworld warp’s stairs. “Huh?” she stopped short, however, upon noticing the Crying Breakfast Friend sticker still stuck to the side of the pad. Tentatively, Peridot retrieved it, giving it a scrutinizing look of confusion before suspiciously glancing around. “This site may have been compromised,” she noted, wasting no time in hurrying back up onto the pad. Acting quickly, Peridot placed a small, glowing device onto the pad only seconds before warping back to wherever she had come from. Mere seconds after her flight, the device went off, instantly deactivating every last robinoid in the vicinity.
As all of the machines went limp around the Homeworld warp, the Gems and the kids slowly and carefully emerged from their hiding spot, making sure that the coast was fully clear before approaching the pad. There was no doubt there were all rather shaken up by what they had just seen, but the Gems in particular were in a severe panic over it all.
“T-they’re coming back…” Pearl said, her voice shaky and raw with an age-old fear. “I can’t do this! Not again!”
“We’re dead!” Amethyst shouted, crossing her arms. “We are so dead!”
“So… that was another Gem, right?” Steven asked anxiously. The Gems nodded in flighty unison, though all of them were far too encompassed in their own immense worries to pay the bewildered kids much attention.
“Did… did she really come from Homeworld?” Dipper asked, his mind racing over what all of this could possibly mean. “What was she trying to do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Garnet cut in, her tone oddly dark as she approached the warp pad with heated intention. The others all gasped in alarm as she summoned her gauntlets, which grew to a massive size as she held them high over the warp pad. And then, in a heavy, powerful swing, she brought them down, completely crushing the Homeworld warp once again. “She’s not coming back!”
Needless to say that everyone was quite solemn and shaken upon returning to the temple after everything that had happened. No one really said much about it or asked too many questions, mostly because there was far too much to say and far too many questions to ask. Still, the Gems insisted that the twins spend the rest of the night at the temple with Steven, promising that they would take on the burden of explaining things to Stan the next morning. And indeed they did, though in reality, they left out most of the details behind this impromptu sleepover when explaining it to the conman, namely anything concerning the robinoids or Peridot. The twins were grateful for it too, seeing as how Stan didn’t really give them a very hard time about sneaking off to the temple in the middle of the night without telling him. Yet even so, all three of the kids were still in slight shock over the events of the previous night, which was why the Gems had suggested that they spend the next day taking their minds off of it while they began looking more into the matter. And while normally the kids would have argued against this idea and insist upon helping, they actually didn’t protest this proposal too much, considering the fact that Steven and Dipper in particular really needed to catch up on their sleep. So the boys spent the morning snoozing, and by the time they woke up in the early afternoon, Connie had arrived at the temple at Mabel’s invitation so they could all spend the rest of the day simply hanging out and relaxing like normal.
Still, the kids didn’t really stay up at the temple for too long, mostly because of the nearby warp pad serving as a grim reminder to the boys that they nearly met a shared end mere hours ago. So they headed down to the shack instead, and on the way down, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel filled Connie in on the details about what had happened last night. Of course, she was immensely curious about the whole ordeal, after they arrived at the shack and took up shop on the porch, their discussion of it gradually began to peter out. In place of talking about these stressful current events, their conversation eventually turned back to the Spirit Morph Saga, much to Steven’s interest, Mabel’s protest, and Dipper and Connie’s shared insistence that they continue reading it. And of course, the vote came to three to one in favor of starting the second book of the series: Welcome to the Wizard Wilds.
“Lisa ran to the steadily closing gates, her boots slamming into the rain-soaked mud under her and her heart pounding intensely,” Connie read, adding a dramatic flare to story, mostly for Steven’s sake seeing as how he was the one listening with the most rapt attention. “Archimicarus soared a protective distance above her, keeping a watchful eye out for-”
Her reading was suddenly interrupted by a low rumble afar in the distance, one that she was the only one to apparently hear as Steven and the twins apparently hadn’t noticed it. “This is a really good book!” the young Gem pointed out, urging her to continue.
“Uh… okay…” Connie frowned, but nonetheless, she continued reading. “Archimicarus soared a protected distance above her, keeping a watchful eye out for any of the shadow creatures that could have followed them from the forbidden forest. The coast seemed clear, but right as Lisa reached the village gates, she-”
Connie was cut off once again, this time by something that none of the others were able to overlook. A large, round sphere, one nearly identical in appearance to the robinoids from the previous night, crashed into the forest right beside the Mystery Shack from above, resulting in a short, yet sizable earthquake. The kids all gasped in surprise as they all jumped to their feet, especially as a set of stilted legs emerged from the larger robinoid and it pulled itself upright. Still, none of them had any time to question it whatsoever before the Gems arrived on the scene.
“What was that?!” Amethyst asked, her whip already summoned as she glanced around.
“I-it’s one of those robots from last night!” Dipper exclaimed, pointing to the robinoid as it crawled out of the forest towards them.
“Yeah, only this one’s not as cute or tiny. It’s like way bigger!” Mabel added, throwing her arms out wide for emphasis.
“What?!” Pearl asked in alarm as her and the other Gems looked to the hefty robinoid. As usual, Garnet was the first one to leap into action, jumping on front of the large orb and putting a stop to its advance with her gauntlets, even if it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to hold it back for long.
“Amethyst! Pearl!” the Gem leader shouted, prompting her teammates to hurry to her aid. The pair preformed a graceful leap high into the air, before coming down hard and fast at the robinoid from above. Their impact on it was powerful enough to shatter the machine completely, though Steven was quick enough to summon a bubble around himself, Connie, and the twins to protect them from the burst of sealing goo that resulted from the explosion.
“You ok?” Steven asked Connie with concern, dropping the bubble as he helped her to her feet.
“I love hanging out with you guys!” Connie remarked with an amazed smile over what she had just seen.
“I don’t get it,” Dipper said to the Gems as he glanced towards the downed robinoid. “I thought we got rid of Peridot last night. So then why are her machines still coming?”
“It’s hard to say…” Pearl mused. “I suppose it’s because she’s not done with… whatever it is she’s trying to do… Still, it’s odd… The robots from last night were nowhere near as big as this one…”
“Or as gooey!” Amethyst chimed with a rouge grin, revealing that she was covered head to toe in the robinoids’ liquid.
“Amethyst, we need to be careful,” the white Gem cautioned. “We still don’t know what this stuff is.” The purple Gem pouted for a brief moment, though her expression quickly turned into a wry, mischievous smile as a sudden idea came to her, one that Pearl was quick to catch onto. “Oh no,” she hissed, already taking a large step away from Amethyst. “Don’t you dare get that stuff on me!”
“Goop hug!” Amethyst shouted, holding her arms out wide as she began to chase after the panicked white Gem. “Come here, Pearl! Don’t you want a hug?!”
In the midst of this, however, Stan happened to emerge from the shack, having heard the crash and commotion from earlier. “Hey! What’s going on out-” The conman cut himself off, his anger dissipating into annoyed acceptance upon seeing the mess the destroyed robinoid had left in his yard. “You know, I could get mad about this, but after years of putting up with this sort of stuff, I really don’t think I have that kind of energy left in me anymore.”
“Stan!” Amethyst shouted, her playful grin growing even wider as she ran up to him and threw her arms around him, smearing his suit with the goo that was covering her. “Ha! Gotcha!”
“Ugh, Amethyst!” the conman growled in newfound frustration, scowling down at the mess on his clothes. “Why I oughta-” Stan cut himself off, taking in a deep, controlled breath. “Nope. I said I wasn’t gonna get mad and I’m not. I’m just gonna do this instead.” Without any warning, he suddenly shoved Amethyst off of the porch roughly, laughing in amusement as she clumsily fell to the ground.
“Hey!” the purple Gem protested, even if she was laughing just as hard. “Ah well, you just gave me a head start on getting back to Pearl!” The white Gem gasped upon hearing this as she began running in the opposite direction of the purple Gem, who was quick to give chase once more, still as drenched in as much goop as before.
“Grunkle Stan! That machine was one of the ones we were telling you about last night!” Dipper exclaimed fervently. “Turns out it was real after all, even if some people didn’t think so at first.” He sent Mabel a smug smirk, only for her to retort by petulantly sticking her tongue out at him.
“Kid, I don’t care what that thing is as long as it gets out of my yard,” Stan deadpanned. “Broken, goo-covered garbage like that is bad for business.”
“We’ve got it covered,” Garnet responded with a sparse thumbs up, even if Amethyst and Pearl were still chasing each other around.
“That’s all I ask,” Stan remarked dryly, turning to head back inside. “Now if you need me, I’ll be inside cleaning this gunk out of my suit. Oh, and if any more magical alien robots fall from the sky, count me out of it!”
Without sparing another word, the conman left, slamming the door behind him and leaving the Gems to do their work. “Peridot….” Connie spoke up thoughtfully, addressing the others. “Isn’t that the Gem you guys were telling me about? The one that’s trying to come to Earth?”
“Yeah,” Steven nodded. “We stopped her last night, but… I guess she can still shoot stuff here from space, including these things that are trying to do… something?”
“It’s not trying to do anything now,” Garnet said, looking over at the fallen robinoid with apparent distain.
“But… shouldn’t we try to figure out what it came here for?” Dipper asked, relatively concerned.
“We destroyed it,” the Gem leader remarked, picking a stray broken piece of the robot up off the ground before tossing it aside. “That’s all that mattered.”
The kids exchanged a doubtful glance upon hearing this, none of them very sure that the matter was that simple. Still, they didn’t get much of a chance to question it as Amethyst suddenly plowed into Garnet, cheerfully embracing her and smothering her side with goo. “Goop hug!” the purple Gem quipped, chuckling as Pearl approached, sullen and covered in the unsavory liquid herself. Garnet smirked as she pulled the white Gem into the team embrace, regardless of the goop drenching all three of them.
As it turned out, the next several days were only plagued by even more robinoids plummeting down to Earth from space. Fortunately, the Gems were privy to each ones’ arrival thanks to Garnet’s future vision, and they didn’t hesitate to track down and dispatch each and every one of them without delay, not even wanting to think about what the consequences might be if they didn’t. Steven accompanied them on most of these mini-missions, and occasionally Dipper and Mabel did too, even if each one only consisted of finding a robinoid and beating it into submission. This process of hunt and destroy was easy enough, but it was quickly starting to wear down on the Gems, especially since it seemed as though there was really no end to it in sight.
Still, whenever there did happen to be a break in this wild storm of robinoids, the kids took advantage of it to rest and catch their breaths from the tremulous passage of recent events. Steven, Dipper, and Mabel had taken to spending the early afternoon up at the temple, and instead of discussing the robinoids, or Peridot, or anything related to any of that, they once again tried to focus on discussing the Spirit Morph Saga.
“Come on, Steven, me and Connie have already been over this with you like, a million times already,” Dipper began, slightly exasperated. “The order goes like this: first there’s The Unfamiliar Familiar, then Welcome to the Wizard Wilds, then Overneath the Underworld, and finally it ends with Destiny’s End. Got it?”
“Um… I think so…” Steven said, looking over the set of books on the table with a frown. “I just have one question… What’s a familiar again?”
Dipper let out a loud, frustrated groan upon hearing this, one that Mabel shared, though for completely different reasons as she flopped onto the couch. “Ugh, this is so boring!” she complained, lolling her head to the side. “Are we ever gonna stop talking about these lame nerd books?”
“They’re not lame, Mabel!” Dipper protested defensively. “They’re really smart and well-written and interesting and deep. Until the last one, of course. That one sucks.”
“Well, I like all of them so far,” Steven cut in with a small smile. “Though I guess I’ll have to take you and Connie’s word for it on the last book…”
“Who cares?” Mabel stuck her tongue out languidly. “You guys going on and on about them almost makes me wish that another one of those marble things would show up just so something cool would finally happen!”
Of course, only seconds after she had said this, a distant rumble rattled the house. The Gems emerged from the temple gate almost as soon as it happened, the telltale aggravation on their faces filling the kids in on everything they needed to know. “Yes!” Mabel exclaimed with relief. “The timing of that couldn’t have been more perfect!”
“Augh! What is with these things?!” Amethyst growled, pulling at her hair in immense annoyance. “This is like the fifth one this week!”
“We’ll find it in the desert!” Garnet exclaimed, rushing to the warp pad. “Let’s go!”
The other two Gems were quick to follow, and sure enough, the kids weren’t too far behind either. While the Gems warped off first, Steven did so for himself and the twins very shortly after, to the point that their respective arrivals in the desert were only mere seconds apart. Still, as the kids arrived, they found that the Gems had already engaged the robinoid there. Amethyst and Garnet were pushing on it from the sides, while Pearl had perched herself on top of it and stabbed it continually with her spear in the hopes that its marble surface would crack.
“Stop! Coming! Here! You! Stupid! Balls!” the white Gem shouted, throwing her spear down hard with each word.
“Yeah! Let it out!” Amethyst hollered, lashing her whip out and coiling it around the robot. “Get crazy! Ha!” With a heavy tug, the purple Gem pulled the robinoid forward, causing it to teeter a bit, though it still didn’t fall.
“Guys! Wait! Stop!” Steven cried as he rushed forward along with the twins. “How many more of these things are you gonna have to fight?”
“We don’t know!” Pearl exclaimed, beyond stressed. “They just keep coming and coming and we don’t even know what they are! We don’t know anything!”
“Hey, welcome to the club,” Dipper remarked rather sarcastically.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Amethyst asked, raising a caustic eyebrow.
“He means… well, the three of us don’t know anything all the time,” Steven replied with a small, understanding smile. “It can be frustrating sometimes, yeah, but its ok to not know everything.”
“Trust us,” Mabel added blithely. “You guys will get used to being left out of the loop in no time! Plus its actually pretty fun, cause it means you get to experience all the fun of being surprised every time you have a bombshell secret dropped on you, just like we get to whenever you guys drop one on us.”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that learning bombshell secrets is always ‘fun’,” Dipper said with a shrug. “More like ‘shocking and most of the time really confusing’ but still.”
“But no one even knows what these things are here to do!” Pearl interjected with a tired sigh. “So it’s not like we can even figure the truth out from anyone!”
“Well… what about that?” Steven asked, nodding to the robinoid itself. “No one would know more about what it’s supposed to be doing than itself.”
“…What?” the white Gem asked, dumbfounded.
“Whoa, Steven’s got a point!” Mabel exclaimed with a newfound grin. “We could just follow the little guy and see where he wants to go! It’ll be like playing follow the leader, only with a big ol’ mysterious robot instead!”
“Hold it,” Amethyst cut in with a scoff of disbelief. “Are you guys nuts?!”
“Who knows what could go wrong?” Pearl added, adamantly disagreeing with this plan.
“Well, its gotta be easier than just aimlessly destroying these things every time a new one shows up, right?” Dipper asked, seeing no apparent problems with the idea himself.
“He’s right,” Garnet spoke up, still pressed up against the robinoid. “We can’t keep fighting these things forever. Well, we can, but I don’t want to. Let’s to it their way.”
“Yeah!” Steven cheered enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around the twins’ shoulders in celebration. “Let’s follow the funky flow!”
“We’re dead,” Amethyst remarked dryly, exchanging an uncertain glance with Pearl. Still, the Gems didn’t argue as they climbed up on top of the robinoid first, the kids squeezing onto it after them. It was a rather tight fight, and given the droid’s already spherical surface, remaining steady on it was something of a challenge, but they all somehow managed to stay on top of it without falling off.
“Alright, big guy,” Steven said to the robinoid, giving it a solid pat. “Mush!”
At this, the droid began to skitter forward, somewhat unsteady thanks to the group of passengers now riding on top of it, but even so it slowly made its way over to the nearby warp pad. The kids exchanged apprehensive smiles as their plan was sent into action, all three of them hoping that it would provide them with the answers they had been looking for since all of this began.
As soon as it made it to the warp pad, the robinoid teleported off, taking its large crowd of passengers along with it. Upon arriving at its intended destination, the entire group let out a collective gasp to see some very familiar darkened, desolate canyon walls surrounding them.
“Kindergarten…” Garnet muttered, clearly caught off guard by this.
“But why here?” Pearl asked with apt concern. “This site has been damaged enough by the Gems that were incubated here 6,000 years ago! That’s it! It’s confirmed. These things are up to no good!” With a determined scowl, the white Gem summoned her spear and prepared to strike the robinoid, but fortunately, she was stopped before she could.
“Wait!” Steven exclaimed, holding his hands up. “We don’t even know what it’s doing here. Can’t we just… see where it wants to go?”
“Yeah, I mean, we’ll never find out what’s its doing here if we don’t at least follow it some of the way, right?” Dipper added with a shrug.
The Gems exchanged another uncertain glance, but as usual, Garnet was the one to have the final say on the matter. “Hm… Their way,” she nodded tersely. With an exasperated sigh, Pearl pushed her spear back into her Gem, which in turn, prompted the robinoid to get moving again.
The droid leapt from the warp platform and onto ground level, going at its usual pace as meandered about the Kindergarten, clearly having a particular destination in mind, even if no one knew where that could be. “What does it want here?” Pearl asked in an anxious whisper, as if she was afraid that the very sound of her voice could disrupt something in this scarred place.
“Maybe it just wants to see where Amethyst was made,” Steven suggested.
“Maybe it should mind its own business,” Amethyst remarked bitterly, crossing her arms.
“Oh, I don’t like this at all…” Pearl muttered, looking around the ominous walls of the Kindergarten apprehensively.
“Aw, come on, you guys,” Mabel quipped as brightly as usual. “You gotta admit this is kind of fun. Riding around on a nifty orb guy through a dark, scary Gem place? Way more interesting than sitting around talking about nerd books all day, if you ask me,” she said, sending a lightly teasing smirk Dipper’s way, though he merely returned it with an aggravated eye roll.
“Eh, actually, I’m kinda on Pearl with this one,” Amethyst said with an uneasy frown.
“Aw, but can’t you feel this guy’s funky flow?” Steven asked, patting the robinoid with a small smile. “He’s a funk master.”
“…I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Pearl said, her tone tight and rife with uncertainty.
The conversation was soon interrupted however, as the robinoid suddenly came to an abrupt halt right in the middle of the Kindergarten, much to everyone’s shared confusion. “Why’d you stop, little buddy?” Steven asked the droid, running his hands over its smooth surface.
“Something’s happening,” Garnet anticipated, not wasting any time in grabbing both the kids and her teammates and leaping off of the robinoid as a precaution. And she did so just in time too, as the droid’s legs retreated back into its body and a small burst of energy struck the ground underneath of it as it continued to hover in midair. Said section of the ground suddenly dissolved away without warning as the robinoid seamlessly shifted into a pyramid shape to accommodate the square hole it had created. The group let out a muted gasp as they watched the robinoid descend into the hole, fitting into it perfectly as it emitted a bright glow. The kids briefly looked to each other with growing excitement upon seeing this, especially as the droid began to sink into the hole, leaving the gap open for them to follow it down to wherever it had went.
“See?” Steven grinned to the Gems as they all ran to the edge of the hole. “I knew we’d find something cool! Let’s go!”
Without any further delay, the young Gem leapt right into the hole, Mabel eagerly following right behind him. “Woo! This is just like the Bottomless Pit, only hopefully this one won’t be so, well, bottomless!” she quipped cheerfully. “Come on, bro-bro!”
“Wait, you guys! I don’t know if this is such a good-” Dipper’s protest was cut off as Mabel suddenly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the hole along with her, leaving the Gems behind in absolute shock over what the kids were doing. Still, they were quick to rush in after them, as nervous about this whole situation as they were.
Soon enough, the kids made a safe landing on the still descending-robinoid, the Gems joining them mere moments later. “Hey, guys! Going down?” Steven asked with a joking smirk, one that soon faded upon noticing his guardians’ shared stunned expressions. “Are… are you ok?”
“What is all this…?” Pearl whispered, looking to the massive clusters of wires lining the walls around them.
“Wait, so… you guys have never seen any of this stuff before?” Dipper asked with growing concern. After all, if the Gems themselves didn’t know what any of this was, then there was certainly no way for any of them to know what they were getting themselves into.
“Nah, man,” Amethyst shook her head, her expression rarely tense and fretful. “This is just as new to us as it is to you guys.”
The kids took in a shared anxious breath upon hearing this, their excitement quickly starting to wear down into the ongoing worry the Gems already had. Still, they didn’t want to judge the situation so quickly without knowing for sure what was going on. And, as the platform they were on came to a halt at the bottom of the hole, it seemed as though they were finally about to find that out.
The robinoid had stopped at a large, open, hexagonal room, the perimeter of which lit up in a pale green as the droid arrived at it. At the end of the room, a hand shaped pedestal rose up from the ground, a yellow diamond resting upon its palm. The group soon caught onto an odd swishing sound from beneath them, prompting them to look over the edge of the platform to see that its triangular tip drip down to form a small robinoid. The miniscule robot steadily made its way up to the room, unaware of the group watching on as it skittered up to the hand pedestal, firmly placing itself upon it and causing it to activate. An array of unintelligible data appeared on the walls of the room as the crystal at its core projected a large, wide monitor. And on that monitor was none other than Peridot herself.
Taking in a shared gasp of alarm, the Gems quickly grabbed the kids and jumped off of the platform so the green Gem wouldn’t be able to see them. And as she began to deliver another report, the group took refuge just out of sight.
“Established Gem Projection Link with control room,” Peridot began dully, her fingers forming another small screen on her end. “Plug Robinoid has successfully landed on planet Earth and entered the Prime Kindergarten Control Room in Facet Five. Will now proceed to preform status check of the Kindergarten.”
As Peridot’s screen turned itself around, the Gems released the breaths they had been holding upon realizing that she was still fortunately unaware of their presence. “Ugh, what’s she doing here?!” Amethyst whispered, her eyes wide with fear.
“Is she trying to reactivate the Kindergarten?!” Pearl gasped in immense alarm. “Doesn’t she know it’ll destroy all life on Earth?!”
“Why don’t we just ask her?” Steven suggested simply.
“Yeah! I’m sure she’d tell us all about it if we just asked,” Mabel eagerly agreed.
“Are you guys serious?!” Dipper asked in a disbelieving whisper. “That’s a horrible idea!”
“Dipper is right,” Garnet said tersely. “We’re facing an enemy we don’t know with technology we don’t understand. This isn’t the time to be asking questions.”
“Really sounds like it is…” Steven muttered, pouting lightly.
“Ok, here’s the plan,” Garnet began, turning to her teammates. “We can’t let her see us, so we wait for an opening. When she’s distracted, we destroy the power source on the far wall. The kids stay here!”
As the Gems continued planning their assault, however, the failed to notice the kids coming up with a plan of their own. Though for the sake of being discreet, Steven and Mabel did so without really using any words, instead just exchanging determined nods and smiles concerning what they intended on doing. And while this was lost on Dipper at first, it didn’t take him too long to realize what their dangerous plan was. “Oh no, you guys,” he quickly spoke up, adamantly disagreeing with the very idea. “We’re not gonna-” He didn’t really get a chance to finish, however, as Mabel abruptly grabbed him by the wrist once again and pulled him along with her and Steven as they started making their way for the control room. “O-ok, I guess we are then!”
The Gems had only just finished preparing themselves for their own plan, however, as they noticed that the kids were missing, and were indeed, scaling the nearby wires to go meet the green Gem for themselves. The trio gasped in exasperated alarm, but they didn’t dare try to stop them, lest they blow their cover completely, even if the kids were already well on their way to do just that.
“Now accounting for all operational injectors,” Peridot continued her report, unaware of kids’ arrival since her monitor was turned away from them. “Checking for aberrations in perimeter.” As she spoke, the kids were startled as two very large, robotic hands, independent of any sort of arms or wrists, rose up from the ground nearby. The pair of hands got to work on activating a pair of panels on the adjacent walls, which brought ejected a group of cylinders from the ceiling. “Ugh, this Gem tech is simply archaic…” Peridot sneered dryly as she continued her work.
“I don’t know, I think it looks pretty cool,” Steven suddenly spoke up with a small smile.
“Yeah, it’s all sparkly and futuristicy,” Mabel added just as brightly, ignoring Dipper as he facepalmed in exasperation over their shared innocent friendliness. “You guys really know what you’re doing with this stuff!”
For a moment, the entire control room went silent, the robotic hands freezing in place before they suddenly lifted from the walls altogether. Peridot’s monitor swiveled around just as quickly, her eyes wide with alarm and confusion as she noticed the trio standing before her.
“Hi!” the young Gem greeted warmly as Mabel waved to the green Gem while Dipper glanced away nervously. “I’m Steven, and this is Dipper and Mabel!”
Peridot remained silent as her screen drew in closer to the kids, her surprise turning into annoyed confusion as she looked over her log once more. “There appears to be an infestation of ‘Stevens’, ‘Dippers’, and ‘Mabels’ in the Kindergarten,” she reported, her tone rather cross.
“…What?” Dipper asked flatly, quite bewildered by the green Gem’s odd logic.
“Aw, we’re not so bad once you get to know us!” Steven quipped as Mabel let out an amused laugh.
Peridot glared back at the trio, raising an eyebrow as she looked over them with slight scrutiny. “And how many more Stevens, Dippers, or Mabels are present in this area?”
“Oh, its just us!” Mabel informed her with a blithe grin. “Well, us and the-”
Dipper hurriedly cut her off by slapping a hand over her mouth to silence her. “Uh, like she said, i-it’s just us! N-nobody else!” he exclaimed with a very nervous laugh, remembering well just how much the Gems wanted to remain unseen in all this. And while he didn’t really understand exactly why, he figured that, based on Peridot’s apparently unconcerned attitude so far, that not mentioning them probably would be for the best.
“Hm, well that’s a relief,” Peridot remarked, seeming to buy it as she looked over her screen once more. “So tell me: have Stevens, Dippers, and Mabels replaced humans as the dominant species on Earth?’
“What?” Mabel chuckled, bemused by the green Gem’s apparent lack of understand. “We are humans, silly!”
“Oh really?” Peridot asked, her tone bored as she raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but there’s lots of other humans too!” Steven exclaimed enthusiastically. “There’s my dad, Connie, Mr. Pines, Soos, Wendy, Sadie, Lars, Onion… I think. But yeah, lots of people, including us!”
“Hm…” the green Gem mused, rolling her eyes. “I suppose it is impressive that your kind managed to survive this long… Even if you won’t for very much longer.”
“Whoa, hold on, what?!” Dipper interjected, quite alarmed by the implications of this, though Steven spoke up before Peridot could divulge any further.
“Now we get to ask you a question,” the young Gem addressed the green Gem with a coy grin. “What are you doing?”
“Oh,” Peridot began, her tone as aloof as ever as her screen turned itself back around. “Just picking up where we left off…”
The kids didn’t have the opportunity to ask her to elaborate, however, as one of the robotic hands hovered over them, quickly taking the form of a tight fist, one that raised up high with every intention of crushing all three of them. And yet, as Peridot brought it down, the kids were fortunately saved at the last second by Garnet, who thankfully intervened by catching the massive fist with her gauntlets before tossing it aside. The green Gem immediately took notice of this, her monitor turning around as she let out a sharp, startled gasp. “A Gem?!” she exclaimed in disbelief, though her surprise only increased as Amethyst and Pearl leapt into the control room, standing protectively before their kids with their weapons at the ready. “Ah! More?!” Peridot cried fearfully. “But the Red Eye didn’t report the presence of any Gems on this planet!”
“That’s because we destroyed it!” Pearl exclaimed with boldness far removed from her earlier panic.
“Y-you what?!” Peridot gaped, frantically looking to her screen. “So you were the ones who—B-but the records say that Gems were wiped out on Earth! Wait a minute… you’re the ones who have been destroying my Plug Robinoids! Are you the reason the Homeworld warp is down again?! Is this your bizarre icon?!” she demanded, holding up an image of the Wailing Waffle sticker on her screen. “Augh! Why do you keep destroying my things?!”
“Because we are the Crystal Gems!” Pearl proclaimed fiercely, pointing her spear at the green Gem’s monitor. All the while, the kids could only watch this exchange with shared, stunned fear, unable to even think about whatever mistake they might have made as the white Gem continued her brave declaration. “We’re still alive, and we’re still the guardians of this planet and all its living creatures!”
Peridot’s fury turned to blank confusion at this, as if she had no idea what the white Gem had been talking about. “The… Crystal Gems…?” Before the green Gem could ask any further questions, however, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl courageously leapt into action. With fierce battle cries, they began a brutal assault on her hand constructs, lashing and beating away at them aggressively, much to Peridot’s immense frustration. “Stop!” she shouted hotly. “How dare you! I’m doing this one way or another! You’re just making it really difficult!” The green Gem seethed with visible rage as the Gems managed to take out one of her robotic hands with ease, crumbling it to ineffective bits.
“Now do you guys see just how bad of an idea this was?” Dipper asked Steven and Mabel dryly amidst all of this chaos.
“Yeah…” they both admitted in awkward unison, glancing away from the fray with clear regret.
“Amethyst, now!” Garnet shouted to the purple Gem as she went high and noticed her whip was wrapped around the other large hand.
“Destroy!” Amethyst growled, throwing the hand down hard at the power source at the back wall. The crystal instantly shattered, but not before Peridot managed to get one more word in edgewise.
“I’m reporting this, you CLODS!” she shouted angrily before her monitor vanished and the control room went dark, its link to Homeworld finally severed.
“Is… is it over?” Amethyst asked her teammates tentatively. Garnet and Pearl exchanged a brief, uncertain glance, but after a moment, they both let out a shared sigh of relief. Still, everything wasn’t entirely over, especially as the Gems approached the kids, giving them a round of exasperated, unimpressed stares.
“Ok, right off the bat, I wanna say don’t look at me,” Dipper quickly interjected. “This was all their idea, after all,” he nodded to Steven and Mabel, who met the Gems’ caustic gazes rather anxiously.
“Ok…” Steven admitted with a sigh. “So we might have gone… a little far this time…”
“A little?” Pearl raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
“Mmm, ok… a lot,” Mabel corrected with a frown. “But how were we supposed to Peridot was actually kind of crazy?”
“Really?” Dipper asked dryly. “You couldn’t have gotten that from how she totally destroyed one of her own robots the other night?”
“Well, you two weren’t completely wrong,” Garnet spoke up with a small, reassuring smile. “We did learn something new from your decisions.”
“And that something is…?” Steven asked curiously.
“…We have no idea,” the Gem leader admitted. “But we’ll figure it out eventually.”
“Alright!” the kids cheered with relieved unison before Garnet cut in once more.
“But yeah, this was a pretty bad idea.”
“Aw, man…” Steven and Mabel both sighed in defeat as Dipper merely rolled his eyes knowingly. Still, before the group left, they all looked over the wrecked control room once last time, both the kids and the Gems all silently mulling over the exact same thing. It was indeed as Garnet had said; they had discovered something new through this risky encounter.
And yet, only time would tell if they would ever really figure out what it all truly meant.
Next:
#universe falls#jen writes#gravity falls#steven universe#crossover#au#steven#dipper#mabel#garnet#amethyst#pearl#peridot#marble madness#warp tour#stan#lion#fanfiction#reverse casar again#bleh now to do homework for the rest of the night ew
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