#For Steven the picture is right a top of where he rests

[artsycooky13]

i just find it really sweet but also find the contrast super funny that steven always has a smol cute pic of connie by his bedside, meanwhile connie has a big hecking poster of him  (and lion <3)

[unknownperson246]

Can you write a slash x fem fic where slash gets drunk and is all over her? Maybe the bands makes fun of him for it or something

Mr.All over her

Words: 689

warnings: *fluff* *drunk a lot of alcohol and GNR being kind of judgy *(I don’t know how to categorize this so I guess I will put fluff)

Slash is seated in the back room in his makeup chair with his half-vacant bottle of Jack Daniels he is taking swigs of his beloved Jack Daniels as he stares at his favorite picture of the woman he is in love with. She is slightly tanned with brunette hair she is a model she is 5’7 She has a sexy pair of black lingerie on in her model pose. Her name is Vienna Whitlock. She has 80s hair due to the seductive look on her face like she is trying to kill through the camera. She kind of looks like Axl’s wife Erin Invicta Everly Rose. Even Axl mistook her for his wife Erin Everly for a second A photo of her is stuck on his mirror the rest of the band moves into the room unconcerned.

Axl asks Slash in an angry tone with a scowl on his face, his red hair covering his charming looks, "Is that my wife?" 

Slash replies, "No, Axl, it's the woman I love. I saw her at the Whiskey a Go-Go while we were performing. She was in the crowd with her gorgeous brunette hair."

Slash soon passes out with his top hat on his head after his conversation with Axl and his sunglasses covering his charming, glistening face. Axl, Izzy, Duff, and Steven leave the room trying to make very little noise so Slash does not jerk awake. The rest of GNR emerge at the rainbow bar and grill on Sunset Strip. They take a seat at a booth. Slash knows where his bandmates went and he wants to follow them. He quickly gets up fixes his hat on his head and readjusts his sunglasses Slash quickly and drunkenly heads out in his leather jacket and his white shirt underneath his black leather jacket he makes it to his car without tipping over and quickly drives to the rainbow bar and grill. Slash views the girl he loves; he knows her from being a model. Slash is very greatly infatuated with her. She is wearing a silky black dress with simple pearl earrings her hair is down it goes perfectly with brunette hair.

Slash goes up to her for the first time he says with his words garbled 

 “H- Hi I saw you in the crowd last night while me and the guys were playing and you're that model Vienna Whitlock?.”

Slash speaks in an inaudible voice. She responds in a sweet gentle voice  her response  to Slash 

“Yes and Hey I know you're Slash from Guns n Roses right?” She says in a confident volume. 

“Yeah, yeah that's me he responds. Vienna still has her drink in her hand she is sipping at a blue margarita. Slash quickly grabs her drink out of her hand and he asks her to join him with the guys. Slash is all over her with his gushy lovey dovey look. He is very drunk and he has no idea what he is doing but he is going with his drunken instincts. He drags Vienna to Steven, Izzy, Axl, and Duff. Slash makes her sit down next to him at the booth. Duff is in the middle of enjoying his second bottle of vodka. Izzy is zoned out taking small swigs of his French wine. Steven is chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels and Axl is sitting there deep in his thoughts with a small cup of Vodka. He had asked Duff for some.

Slash is all over her he drunkenly falls asleep on Vienna's shoulder and he slips and falls on her lap.

“Oh my, he fell asleep”. She says blushing and chuckling as she is tipsy.

 Slash is still and soundly passed out  

Axl snickers and says “Damn he must have taken some strong dose of all drugs and drinks mixed look at that he looks so peaceful.”

Izzy is watching with no response but he is thinking ”Hah what a desperate guy.”

Steven says “Alright let's get Mr.All over her to bed.”

Duff gets up unfazed and starts to help Steven carry Slash to his car and they drive Slash home.

[steven1123x]

Slipped Away

It’s Steven’s birthday and Greg is thinking about his mom. But, that won’t get in the way of their fun day out in Delaware.

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He missed her… He missed everything about her… Her smile, her laugh, her curiosity about Earth. Everything….

He misses his girlfriend dearly.

Greg Universe sighed, and checked his phone — It was August 15, Steven’s Birthday. Greg looked up at the ceiling of the wooden beach house. He looked at his phone, his wallpaper was of him and Steven with the Crystal Gems. Greg sighed again, he opened his phone went to his camera roll, and found a file titled “Rose.” Greg’s finger hovered on the screen, He pressed it and then saw videos and pictures from his VHS tapes that he and Rose recorded together.

Greg saw his favorite one. That was the day that She was going to have a baby with him. When his girlfriend told him that she and Steven couldn’t both exist, he was devastated. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He wanted to grow old with her — well, she couldn’t age because her body was just an illusion. Greg didn’t understand Gem stuff, and he probably never will but….

He knew that he missed her a lot. But, at least he has Steven. He smiled as he sat up, the man looked up at his loft bedroom, the half-gem was sleeping peacefully in bed. Steven was kind enough to have him stay over the night for his birthday tomorrow. Steven, Amethyst, Connie, Lapis, Paradot, and himself were all going to go to the arcade together.

Greg saw a video, he read the top of the screen that said August 2, 2000 9:42 PM. He clicked on it and started to watch it.

“Hey, you wanna dance?” Greg asked her. Rose smiled and walked towards him. Rose was nine months with Steven. And they were trying to spend as much time as possible.

Greg smiled as he set the camera up on a tripod. He walked over to her, wearing his Jordans that he got at a thrift shop. Rose had a pair of Jordans too, but the Nike Swoosh was hot pink — just like her hair color, and the rest of the shoe was white. They danced to the music of ‘Your Beautiful’ by ‘James Blunt’

Greg and Rose both kissed after the song ended. Greg put his phone on the charger and tried to get to sleep.

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“Hello, people of YouTube!” Steven Quartz Universe said, smiling, it was eight in the morning in Beach City, and his laptop was playing Sonic The Hedgehog 4 music. He dressed in shorts, walked to his dresser, and picked out a shirt, he picked out a white Metelacia T-shirt, slipped it over his head adjusted it. He clenched the fabric softly where his gem was placed and smiled, he ran down the stairs with his camera and got started on breakfast.

“Okay… Let’s see—“

“STEVEN!” Amethyst screamed in his ear making the boy jump a few feet in the air. Literally.

“Ah, Amethyst!” he yelled. Amethyst laughed as she saw the half-gem boy float down to the ground.

“Happy Birthday, dude!” She said. Steven smiled and hugged his friend. “You excited for today?”

Steven nodded.

Amythest saw the camera recording. “Ohh! your vlogging for YouTube!”

“Yeah! It’s a birthday vlog thingy,” he said as he continued cooking his eggs. he put them on a plate and ate them.

Just then, the screen door opened. It was Connie, Steven’s best friend. Steven ran up and hugged her. “Happy Birthday, Steven!” Connie said.

“Thanks, Connie!” he said happily. “Hey, where’s Pearl and Garnet?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” Then, he got a video call on his laptop, the music lowered as his MacBook Pro started showing an icon. Steven ran up the stairs, sat on his bed, and picked up his laptop, he saw that it said ‘Paradot’ He smiled as he clicked the green Accept button.

“Hey, Paridot, Lapis. What’s up?”

“Happy Birthday Steven!” Both Lapis and Paradot said.

Steven smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

“Hey, I’ll see you at the party.”

“Okay! we're having it at the arcade right?” Lapis asked the boy.

Steven nodded. Then she hung up after exchanging goodbyes. Steven walked downstairs and got a text from his dad.

Grab a pair of shoes, Schtu-ball.

Steven sent a thumbs up emoji and went upstairs grabbed his white and red Jordan’s and tied them with a pair of socks. He went downstairs, Connie was sitting in the kitchen with Amythest, talking. Greg walked in.

“Happy Birthday, Schtu-ball!” he said, Steven ran up to him and hugged him. “Thanks, Dad!” Greg smiled picked him up and spun him around. Steven laughed as he was being spun.

“You kids ready to go?”

“Yeah!” the three of them said.

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Steven was in the front seat of his father’s mid-1970s Dodge Tradesman, Amethyst and Connie both sat in the back then they got going. Greg put it on his iTunes and then picked out a song called 'Lonely Day' by 'System Of A Down.'

"Such a lonely day, and it's mine

The most loneliest day of my life

Such a lonely day should be banned

It's a day that I can't stand"

Greg and Steven sang the lyrics to the song, Steven opened the window and put his hand out, the smell of the sand and the salty beach air hit his nose as they drove.

"The most loneliest day of my life

The most loneliest day of my life

Such a lonely day shouldn't exist

It's a day that I'll never miss

Such a lonely day, and it's mine

The most loneliest day of my life"

Steven turned to his father, he was curious why they didn’t go to the arcade like they planned to.

"And if you go, I wanna go with you

And if you die, I wanna die with you

Take your hand and walk away"

The solo kicked in, they listened to it. Then someone broke the silence. “Yo, G. Why aren’t we going to the arcade?” Amethyst asked. Connie looked at the back of the driver’s seat. Greg smiled and said nothing, Steven was wondering that too.

“Daaaad! Why aren’t we going to the arcade?”

“You’ll see soon enough, Steven. It’s a surprise.” Seven nodded, stars still in his eyes as he sat there. Can’t help to contain his excitement for this trip.

"The most loneliest day of my life

The most loneliest day of my life

The most loneliest day of my life

Life

Such a lonely day, and it's mine

It's a day that I'm glad I survived"

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They've made it to the Bowling Alley located in Pike Washington Delaware–Pleasant Hill Lanes was their party destination. Steven had birthday parties here since he started growing up at eight years old.

“Dad! Where bowling?!” Greg smiled and ruffled his fluffy hair. Steven smiled and stepped out of the van. He got a text from Pearl that their table was ready. Steven smiled as he saw the place.

The half-gem boy's eyes sparkled as he saw a spacious bowling alley with a large open area and various seating options. There are multiple rows of bowling lanes, some of which are lined with green pins. A total of six bowling lanes can be seen in the scene, each one having its own set of pins and bowling balls.

The room is filled with various furniture pieces such as chairs, couches, and tables. In addition to the bowling lanes, there are two couches placed at different locations within the space. One couch is situated closer to the left side of the room, while another is located near the right side. There are also several dining tables scattered throughout the area, offering a comfortable setting for guests to relax and enjoy their time.

“Where are Pearl and Garnet?” Connie asked.

“Pearl texted me that she was at lanes one and two,” Greg said. Steven ran to lane one to see the pale-skinned gem setting up. “Pearl!” Steven said, running towards her.

“Hello! Steven! Happy Birthday!” Pearl said, hugging him. “I can’t believe that you're fourteen!” Steven smiled and looked around, there were balloons, plates, and chairs decorated with a Transformers and Sonic The Hedgehog theme.

“Everything looks great, Pearl!” Greg said. She gave them a thumbs up.

“Who’s coming?”

“Sadie, Lars, Sour Cream, Onion, Kiki, and Buck,” she said, reading the names off her clipboard.

“Ugh, you look like a high school teacher holding that, dude.” Amethyst rolled her eyes at her.

“Amethyst!”

“What?! you do!”

“Hey, has anyone seen Garnet?”

“I asked her to get some food for the party,” Pearl told the man. Greg nodded

Steven looked at the arcade. “Amethyst, wanna play at the arcade?”

“Okay! Yo, Greg, can you give us some cash!” She asked, Greg nodded, pulled out his Batman wallet, and handed them twenty dollars.

“AWESOME!” Both Amythest and Steven both said, both Gem and Half-Gem ran to the arcade.

Then, Greg saw Garnet walk in holding veggie platters in her hands. “Hey, Garnet. What’s up?” Greg asked. Connie stood there, Greg noticed this. “Connie, you okay?”

“What? Yeah! I’m fine I’m going to play with Steven and Amythest.” she said, walking off.

Greg, Pearl, and Garnet were setting up. Garnet was opening up plates and napkins, Pearl opened up the veggie platter, she tried not to gag and cringe in disgust from the sight of food, and thinking about people eating it. Greg stared at her.

“Pearl, you alright?”

“Yeah yeah! I’m fine! just the sight of food makes me…..” she couldn’t finish that sentence.

Geeze… she’s so dramatic. Greg thought to himself, as he looked at his phone, Steven’s cake was ready to get picked up. He was going to a special bakery in Delaware to retrieve it.

Greg grabbed the keys to his van and he walked out of the building. He unlocked his van sat inside and turned it on, the engine hummed to life as he drove to the bakery.

He was at the bakery, A woman walked out with his cake. “Here you go, Mr. Universe.” Greg smiled as he paid for it. He grabbed the box and went back to his van.

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He drove back to Pleasant Hill Lanes and went inside. Steven, Connie, and Amythest were still playing in the arcade, Sadie was now there with Lars, Sour Cream, Onion, Buck, Kiki, Lapis, and Paradot.

“Hey Mr. U! Where’s Steven?” Buck Dewey asked the older man, who was holding the box.

“Oh, he’s in the arcade, let me text him,” he said, putting the cake down pulling out his iPhone 5s from his pocket, and texting him. The blue iMessage bubble pops up. Steven read it and typed back. OK, I’ll be there now. he texted.

The half Gem ran with Amythest following behind him. “Hi guys!” he said cheerfully.

“Hey, Steven!” Sadie waved. Lars stood there, and Sadie elbowed him in the stomach. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Tell Steven Happy Birthday!”

Lars grumbled. “Happy Birthday, Steven…”

“Aren’t you like…. Ten?” he asked.

“He’s fifteen, Lars!” Sadie hissed.

“Okay, jeez! so-rry!” he said, Sadie smiled and handed a gift bag to Greg. “Thanks, guys,” he said, putting Lars' gift bag on the table as well. The young Gem Hydrid smiled at them, Sadie smiled and ruffled his hair. “Happy Birthday, little dude!”

“Happy Birthday, Steven! Paradot and I got you a gift,” she said, handing him the bag.

“Thanks, guys.” he smiled

Lars sighed and tried to smile. “Happy Birthday, Steven.” he sighed, wondering why he was here. And why did Sadie force him to go, he wasn’t friends with a… Tenth grader — or, fifth grader, in Lars’ opinion.

Then, Kiki, Buck, Sour Cream, and his little brother Onion walked in. Lars was about to scream when he saw The Cool Kids here.

“H-Hey guys, what are you doing at this lame kids' party?” Lars asked. Sadie glared at him.

Sour Cream stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at Steven. “Hey, Steven asked us to come, he’s pretty awesome. Give him a chance.”

“Ugh, whatever…” he said, crossing his arms.

Steven walked up to the counter to get bowling shoes. He grabbed his shoes and put them on, he strapped the velcro to his shoes and then stood up. Sadie grabbed some bowling balls for them. Steven put everyone’s names on the screen.

“Hey, Pearl aren’t you playing with us?” Steven asked, putting his name on the board. “I am fine, Steven. Plus, I’m not wearing those… Disgusting bowing shoes. Everyone puts their feet in those.” she cringed. Amethyst rolled her eyes as She put on her bowling shoes, then she walked up to the screen to put her, Garnet’s Lapis’ and Paradot’s names in.

“Alright, we're all set, Sadie you're up first,” Steven told his friend. Sadie picked up her ball and rolled it down the lane. Steven looked as the pins crashed. Steven saw that she got a strike.

“Nice job, Sadie!” Steven said. Encouraging her. Sadie smiled and sat down, Lars went next.

Picking up his bowling ball after sticking his fingers into the three holes, he rolled it down the lane. His ball went to the side.

“Why?!” Lars said he got another chance, he got it but it was two pins. “You gotta be kidding me! Steven, did you rig this game?!” Lars asked picking the boy up by the shirt.

“Lars! put him down!” Sour Cream said,

“Put him down, dude!” Kiki told him, glaring at the taller boy. Lars sighed and put him down. “Sorry, Steven,” Kiki said. Steven smiled. “That’s alright! I know he was just kidding around!” the Half Gem said as he went next, Steven picked up his bowling ball and threw it, his friends cheered as he got a strike.

“Way to go, Steven!” Kiki said from the other lane, Steven blushed and walked over to his friends, Buck was up now. Kiki, Onion, Amethyst, and Garnet were on the other lane.

Kiki saw Garnet go. She got a strike as well. “Nice, Garnet!” Kiki said. They played two rounds before they had lunch.

Greg returned with pizzas in his hands, Steven grabbed a slice. So as his friends and Amethyst. He grabbed a slice and sat next to his son.

Amethyst smiled and put a hand on Steven’s shoulder. Steven’s friends all sat and talked, except Lars.

“This is awesome!” Paradot exclaimed as she saw her name up on the screen, Lapis and Paradot took two turns each while all of them were eating. Once they were done, Garnet pulled out the cake and she opened it, The fusion removed it from the box and Steven stared at it in awe with stars in his eyes.

The birthday cake is a very unique and creative design, with a green and white fondant cake as the main base. The cake features a large, multi-layered cake decorated with various characters from the Sonic The Hedgehog video game series, including Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. The characters were placed around the edges of the cake, giving it a whimsical and playful appearance.

Additionally, there are several smaller cakes placed throughout the arrangement, each one decorated with a different character. A small cupcake is also visible towards the bottom left corner of the cake. The cake stands on a dining table, surrounded by various items such as cups, bowls, and plastic bottles, creating a fun and festive atmosphere for the birthday celebration.

In the middle, in yellow fondant, it said ‘HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY STEVEN’ Amythest had to get pushed out of the way by Pearl. “Amethyst! down! we have to sing Steven Happy Birthday!”

“Oh, right…” Amythest said. Greg pulled out his iPhone and pressed record.

“Happy birthday to you!”

“Happy birthday to you!”

“Happy Birthday Dear, Steven!”

“Happy birthday to you!”

“Happy Birthday, my handsome half-gem .” Pearl said hugging him and kissing his cheek.

“Ahhh! Gem coodies!” Steven rubbed his cheek trying to get Pearl’s spit off. Amethyst laughed.

“MY HANDSOME HALF GEM!” Amythest laughed even harder. Lars also laughed, Steven blushed and leaned onto his chair. Garnet put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Steven looked at her, he smiled, and Garnet rubbed his hair. Steven blew out the candles and everyone cheered.

“Let’s eat some cake!” Amethyst said. Greg smiled and cut a piece for Steven, everyone got some, except for Pearl and Garnet. Steven ate his cake, everyone was having a good time. Greg saw the pictures taken on his phone, he walked to Steven.

“Pearl, can you take a picture of me and Steven?” Greg asked. Pearl took his phone from her and took a picture of both of them, then. Everyone got into the picture and an employee took the group photo of them.

Steven’s family.

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Notes: If you like it, I appreciate your reviews and support, this is my first SU fanfiction! I don't know if I did well at all actually.

[blogfullofemos]

Let Me Break The Ice (Part I)

To the moon knight girlies, sorry for the long break. This was inspired by an anon ask I've seen from another blog. It sent my mind spiraling into feral thoughts, my true Britney Spears persona. Thank you and enjoy. 😘

Summary: You had a rather 'very heated' dream which put you into a very compromising position 😏. Would you think your husband Marc Spector would mind?

Warnings: Mentions of rope bondage, mentions of smacking, Daddy kink!Marc, being called slut *gasp*, mutual masturbation, fingering, handjob, and dubious sensational foreplay. Like that scene of Harry Styles with the watermelon (iykyk).

Word Count: 1,034

        You woke up with a sigh as you came to from the heated dream. “You okay beautiful?” Marc asks with a rest-addled voice, his hand lightly playing with your splayed hair. You look at him with droopy eyes and realize your balled fist was wrapped around Marc’s cotton tank, your other hand inside your pajama pants. The thick quilt barely covering your body as it covered Marc’s up to his stomach.  “Fuck m’sorry.” you apologize moving your hands away from their rather odd places. You shifted your body to face him as he did the same, he rests his hand on the side of your face. He rubs his thumb gently on your cheek as he brushes your hair away from covering your face. He then proceeds to slowly with ghost-like sensation glide his fingers down the side of your neck, you moan lightly from the gentle feel by the rather rugged side of your husband. Your eyes showcasing adoration to the stubbly beard growing out, knowing Steven would shave it off sooner or later for fear of losing his job. But the thought of feeling the stubble prickle your skin reawakened your need with a force. “What did you dream about? You woke me up by your shuffling and grabby hands.” he admits as he glides a finger down to the dip between your collarbone before finally resting it on the bed.

      You bit your bottom lip, deciding if you should expose your masochistic dream to him. But knowing Marc, he was the perfect balance between the 2 of them. “Well, it was a wet dream.” you started, noticing Marc’s sleepy disposition start to sparkle with a requited interest. You smirked trying to hide a giggle. “Continue.” Marc pushes with a poke to your shoulder. ‘Now this is where it might get interesting’, you thought to yourself as your legs rub against each other to ease a rather hungry feeling between them. “We were in a room. Me, You, and Steven… Kind of wonder why Jake wasn’t there since this scenario would’ve suited him better.” you hint, knowing Jake was highly dominant in the bedroom. You place your hand on Marc’s left pec, giving it a squeeze before trailing a finger down the middle of his stomach, stopping at his happy trail to rest it back on his neck. Making Marc shuffle himself closer to your suggestive action. “Well, we switch bodies so I wouldn’t be shocked if Jake came later into the picture. You know he loves to stay back most of the time and watch.” Marc confesses, which you never knew.

“Oh so papi does have a subby side. A cuck. Who would’ve known?” you joke, but as you both laugh Marc brings your right breast out from under your tank top. You gasp as he flicks his rugged thumb across your nipple, he brings his lips to yours in a breathless kiss. Licking your bottom lip before saying “Jake says to be careful with joking on people’s kinks.” Marc pinches your nipple making you jump at the sudden feeling and yelp mere inches from his lips. “You know how this could end tonight.” he finishes.

      Marc flips you to your back so he could be on top. He licks a wet stripe up the side of your neck and blows air on his way back down, making goosebumps form at the chill. You place a hand into his luscious curls as he starts his work on the side of your neck. You close your eyes as you continue, feeling your nipple twirl around your husband’s thumb as your walls coat itself more for his arrival. “O-Oddly enough, you both were in separate bodies.” Marc nips your neck and starts suckling at the redden area “I was tied up in this horizontal position, feet fully off the floor. I-I could feel the rope keep my legs bent and open, pinching my wrists just enough for it to s-sting. Fuck, Marc.” you gasp as you felt his hand leave your breast and go into your pajama pants.

His index finger slowly circling your clit with just enough pressure, Marc’s stubbly chin adding more sensation to your building orgasm. “Don’t stop now (Y/N).” he groans. You try to recollect the dream, even as it felt like you were reliving it’s pent-up frustration. “St-Steven’s head was between my legs as he.. Fuck.. As he ate me out.” Marc grinds against your thigh, finally letting you feel his hard cock under his pants “I-I was crying because I was so close. MArc!” you yelp as his finger picks up the pace on your swollen clit. You lick your palm, letting as much saliva stick to its surface before bringing the hand into Marc’s pants. Taking hold of just the tip of his cock, “Baby.” he moans, stopping his bruising artworks on your neck. His breathing labored as you continue, “And fuck Marc you were so good to me.”. You could feel his tip become extra lubricated from his precum as he moans your name. 

      “You were pulling my hair till I could feel every point in my scalp plead for release, but you didn’t let go. You kept me looking at those sexy brown eyes of yours as you were saying the filthiest things.” you say as you feel his hand lose its rhythm on your clit as your palm rubbed against his tip with almost painful pressure. You turn your head to look at Marc’s eyelashes flutter as he focused on your hand job. “Ye-ah baby, what did I sa-ay?” he asks looking at you, dazed in pleasure. 

“Look at my slut, begging to be filled with Daddy’s cum. Oh you should see yourself, crying for Steven to bring you to completion. I can see your fingers dying to touch yourself, but you can’t… And you slapped me, telling me to be a good little cock whore for you both.” you answer, making Marc pump his cock in your hold, short and fast. He grips the side of your hair, making you look into his lust blown eyes. “Do you want Daddy to fuck you tonight?” being his last coherent sentence for the night.

[purifycantyouhelpme]

Blood Is On My Hands | Chapter 3 | Izzy x Stradlin x Reader

A03Link<3

Word Count: 1538

Shortly after I killed Steven, I immediately cleaned up the evidence. Cleaning the blood off the knife and putting it back like nothing happened was easy. Changing my clothes and putting my bloody clothes in the garbage cans outside was also easy. All I was wearing was a white tank top and medium sized black shorts, I never wear shorts. Cleaning the blood off of the couch however was not. There was so much blood and it was taking too long for it to come off. Once I heard the police drive by and the police sirens, I immediately ran out of the house from the backdoor.

The next day, in the morning 12:00 AM, (Y/N)’s P.O.V

Me and Izzy were sitting in my living room, playing Sonic 2 on the Sega Genesis. Izzy was Sonic and I was playing as Tails. We were at Aquatic Ruins Zone Act 2. “You suck at this game.” Izzy teased me. “That’s because you keep on leaving me behind.” I punched him pretty hard in the shoulder and continued playing the game, Izzy paused the game and said, “I’m really glad that you’re feeling alot better.” He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled. I looked at him and I smiled back. There was a loud knock on my door. Who could be here this early in the day?

“I’ll get it.” I got off of the couch and walked to the door. Before I opened the door, I looked through the peephole. There were 5 police officers, standing in front of my door. I was really nervous and scared, think they were going to arrest me but I kept my cool. I opened the door and asked. “What’s going on, officers?” One of the officers pulled out a picture of Steven and held it up to my face. “Do you know this person?” One of the officers asked me.

“Yes, that’s Steven Adler. My best friend. Why did you ask?” I was getting even more scared. What did Steven do? I could hear Izzy’s footsteps coming close to me, he stood right next to me. “I’m sorry to tell you this ma’am but, your friend, Steven, was murdered in his home yesterday.”

My eyes widened when I heard that.

Tears were falling down my face, I was sniffling, trying to not cry in front of them. Izzy held me close and let me rest my head on his chest. “It’s okay, (Y/N). I’m here for you.” Izzy said softly to me and he gave me a kiss on my forehead while trying to comfort me.I didn’t bother to respond and or say anything to Izzy or the officers. I’m in extreme disbelief. I know that Steven has hurt me and betrayed me but he didn’t deserve to die.

A few weeks later 4:00 PM, (Y/N)’s P.O.V

I knocked on Eva’s door, I was breathing heavily because I was really nervous to tell Eva what has been going on with me these past few months and I was

It have been a few weeks since Steven died and I still can’t get over it. His death affected me mentally, it made everything worse for me. Eva finally opened the door. She took one look at me, took a few steps to me and asked, “(Y/N), are you okay?” She put her hands on my shoulders, she was worried about me. “Yeah, “I’m o-okay.” She replied softly, I looked away from her.

I walked into her home and I sat near the kitchen table, resting my head on the table. It felt pretty warm here. It was quiet here, no TV, no background, nothing, Just pure silence. Eva shut the front door and locked it. “Can I get some ice tea please?” I asked softly, catching my breath. “Sure,” Eva walked to the refrigerator and started pouring me some lemonade tea in a cup. She walked over to the kitchen table and set the cup on the table. “Thanks.” I said as I took a sip of the drink. So refreshing… I looked around to see where Eva was and she was sitting on the couch. Breathing in and out slowly, I threw the cup in the kitchen sink. It’s time to tell her.

“Eva, I want to tell you something very… i-important.” I said slowly, struggling to get the words of my mouth. She turned her head to look at me, making sure she was listening to what I was going to say to her. “What is it?” She asked. I put my hand on my chest, looked down slightly, and said, “The reason I have been a-acting paranoid and s-scared of everything and d-distant from S-Steven… is… because–” Stumbling with my words, I could feel myself being ready to cry. “S-Steven… raped me.” I confessed, tears were flowing from my eyes. I couldn’t hold in my tears anymore so I just kept crying with my hand on my chest. “I don’t believe you, (Y/N).”

My eyes widened in shock when she said that. Why would my best friend not believe me?

“He just died and now you decided to say that? You’re just trying to make him look bad and be the victim. I thought you loved him–” Fists clenched, I wanted to hurt my best friend for saying those things to me but instead, I interrupted her by saying, "You're a… horrible friend. I wish I never met you," in a soft tone. I immediately ran out of the house, still crying.

A few months later, night time, Izzy’s P.O.V

I was behind Eva’s house with a kitchen knife in my hand. The wind was blowing the trees and on my body and hair. It didn’t matter if I got sick or not because I was wearing a black jacket and some pants and my hood was on. It has been a while since Eva and (Y/N) talked to each other. It's weird to see them apart. They’re really close and hang out with each other almost everyday. I know why they haven’t been talking to each other. (Y/N) told me everything that happened between them. And maybe Eva should have just supported and comforted (Y/N).

Footsteps approached, it was Eva. She was taking the trash out. Walking towards Eva, I pulled her by her shirt and dragged her to the back of her house. “Hey!! Let me go!” She yelled but no one could hear her and didn’t listen. I slammed her against the wall with one hand while pulling the knife out with the other hand. She tried to push me off but to no avail. Smiling that I was about to kill her, she looked at me confused and shocked. “Izzy?!” She yelled again. Before she even processed what was happening, I immediately stabbed her in the forearm. Eva was kneeling down, her hand covering up her wound while she was breathing heavily in pain.

“I heard that you told (Y/N) was lying about Steven…. raping her, instead being there for her.” I said to her in a soulless voice, no remorse or mercy. Look at her, she is struggling to get up or even talk. How pathetic. “My love was right, you are a horrible friend.” I laughed maniacally. I grabbed her by the collar and stabbed her in the chest multiple times. Blood was all over my hands and clothes. Seeing Eva’s lifeless body made me smile.I heard someone coming toward this way. Oh shit, I’m fucked. The person who came here was (Y/N). She looked at me in shock and fear. I didn’t know what to do so I froze, dropping the knife on the ground. “I-I-IZZY?!” (Y/N) screamed in horror. She can’t believe that I killed her best friend. She was shaking and was about to cry. This is it, I’m done. It’s time to tell (Y/N) the truth. “(Y/N), I killed Steven and.. E-Eva," I confessed to her as she started to cry. I smiled, put my hands on my chest and said, “I did this for you. I killed Steven because he did something horrible to the person I love." I explained in a lovely voice. Before I could even explain why I killed Eva, she said, "I… I don't care about Eva anymore.” She sniffed, walking towards me. She sounded somewhat happy. “I love you, Izzy.” She gave me a kiss on the lips as my eyes widened in shock. I didn’t expect her to like me after what she just witnessed. Killing her two best friends was worth it after all. She smiled at me as she tried to wipe her tears.

“Police, put your hands up right now!” The police yelled. Of course the police would find me. It was only a matter of time. I raised my hands up along with (Y/N).

A/N: Yeah, I know, rushed ending but I hope you enjoyed this story. I had a lot of fun writing this story. Thanks to anon on Tumblr for requesting that I write a Yandere! Izzy x reader story.

[starsaroundmyscarsblog]

Moon Boys in a Heatwave:

Marc x reader/Steven x reader/Jake Lockley x reader

Summary: Just some small headcanons on what the Moon Boys would do in a London Heatwave, inspired by the 40°c temperatures we had this summer ☀️

Warnings: Fluff, if you consider it one I guess. Otherwise none.

Why is there a picture of a lightning sand tornado? I don't know. But I needed a gif for vibes and couldn't find one I liked so I chose this in a rushed decision I'm regretting.

Steven Grant:

• Steven probably is the person who gets the most bothered by the Heatwave

• He doesn't like it that much, and finds it gets in the way over everything

• Like, for instance, his hair is always so messy by the end of the day

• But he's pretty prepared

• Like he makes sure you reusable water bottle is always filled up, right to the top before you go to work, his gentle reminder to drink your required 2 litres

• Steven's also the type of guy to watch those videos about what to do in a Heatwave on tiktok, and follow their advice as well. Like you'll be sitting on the couch fanning yourself and see him placing a bowl of ice water in front of the fan, muttering "Its bloody hot."

• All lights would be off, and the most of the curtains are closed except for the ones by the TV, so you could see it properly.

• He takes refuge in the museum (or wherever you imagine he works after mk) for the free air conditioning.

• Also, you know its hot when he wears shorts on the weekends. He rarely wear shorts.

Marc:

• Most cool-headed in a Heatwave

• If he feels too hot he just takes off his shirt and walks around shirtless

• Is still a 100% dedicated to his workout regime, even in the heat

• Sometimes you worry when his face goes red that he's gonna pass out, but he assures you that he's fine

• When you're getting water from the fridge, or just chilling on the sofa, he'll come up behind you and give you a sweaty hug

• Loves warm showers, particularly in the heat.

• If you're outside, walking through the park he'll make sure to treat you to ice-cream

• One time you were both messing around, with sun screen, and he got some in your hair and you got some all over his face.

•

Jake:

• Like Marc, 100% dedicated to his fitness regime

• Will go on a run every day without hesitation. Rain or shine. Snow or Storm

• Showers immediately after fitting back because he likes routine

• Bur will spend the rest of the day with you

• Pays attention to the physical signs you give throughout the day.

• For example, if you keep clearing your throat, he'll get you some water, or if he sees you fan yourself with that old leaflet that was mailed to you guys, he'll inch the fan closer to you a little, from where it was in front of your guys

[julianspants-blog]

Can I get some fluff with Steven (Universe) x a trans male reader? Some comfort, specifically. Like, the readers been dysphoric as of late and Steve-o comforts him about it

Of course you can!!! Also Thank you sosososoo much, Anon! For being my first request on my tumblr!(´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) Some warnings:

Body dysmorphia Depressing thoughts A tad bit of anxiety, as well as some slight flirtatious actions.

❤This one-shot starts more realistically in Steven Universe: The Movie, (during the time of repairing earth from Spinel's attack on Earth, not quite the beginning of SUF). If that makes any sense ❤

As the morning sun rises upon the docks of Beach City and glistens onto the salty water to refract shimmering crystals across the sand, your alarm clock slowly but surely wakes you from your peaceful sleep. Your eyes flutter open, adjusting to the rays of the sun shining through your window. You pull your blankets off in one quick movement, quickly feeling the crisp air hit your legs as you shiver slightly. As you sit on the edge of your bed, you check your phone; 10:15 AM. 2 hours until you meet up with Steven and a couple of friends for a movie date. You read along with the cute daily reminders that ping onto your screen. Fortunately, Steven knows you like the back of his hand, that without the motivation, you will not hesitate to crawl back into the soft blankets of your queen bed. While you were asleep, he made you a cute little daily affirmations to help you get up with a smile on your face. With cute messages like "If I had to shout to the world how much I love you, I'd simply whisper it into your ear <3" as well as "Be sure you have a nutritious breakfast, love!" A soft smile creeps onto your face as you picture your beloved boyfriend's goofy smile as he peppers your face with kisses, You begrudgingly stand up on the cool wooden flooring and walk to your bathroom and flick on the fluorescent light, and look up at your dimly lit figure in the mirror. You slightly wince at the sight of your figure in the mirror, with your arms contrasting against the size difference of the red shirt with a big golden star in the center. Your stature stands with your hands perched against the counter, dissatisfied with the figure hiding underneath the security of Steven's old shirt. You try to push past your pessimistic thoughts as you remind yourself of your partner's compassionate words as you get in the shower. You try not to look down at yourself too much as you lather the loofah in soap. To say the least, your shower is pretty short. You reach for the white towel draped over the shower curtains and wrap the cloth around you, instantaneously warming you in contrast to the chilling air outside the shower. As you're exiting the shower, you can't help but hate the way the towel wrapped around you fits around your body. You start to feel a pang in your chest as a knot begins to form in your throat. You stand there frozen, looking as your self-image slowly deprecates into a sea of paralyzing anxiety. "What will they think about me?" "I look hideous." "What will he think of me..."

Your unrelenting berating of yourself halts as you feel tears dripping down from your eyes. A flow of hatred seizes you as you angrily wipe the tears from your face. You jump slightly as you hear your phone ringing from your bed. You walk back to your bed and flip over your buzzing phone to find Steven calling you. You quickly assess your voice to make sure it doesn't sound like you were just crying and slowly press the tip of your thumb to the green button...

"Hey..."

"Hey! Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I.."

As you were being overflowed with questions you could barely understand, your gaze finally rested on the time in the top right corner of your phone, realizing that... it's 1:30...

As you come to notice the time during Stevens' worried rampage of questions, you can't help but feel guilty and a bit nauseated at the thought of him and the others waiting for an hour standing at the movies... for you.

"I called you like three times!" "Are you sick?" -

"No, I'm fine.” You say, cutting him off a bit. "I'm sorry that I made you wait."

Steven's hurling questions pause; he holds the phone in his hand as he hangs onto your words. "...that I made you wait..." His slightly panicked voice slows to a gentle, mother-like tone.

"What's wrong?"

At this point, you don't think that you can answer him without your voice unraveling to a small whisper of pitiful cries, so that's what you do..

You just cry.

As you softly weep into your hands, the mic picks up your soft mumbling. Through the phone, Steven lets out a small sigh and tells you, "Stay where you are; I'll be there in 5, my love." Through your choked sobs you give a weak Mhm, letting him know you heard him, as he smooches the phone, the call hangs up.

As you wipe the tears from your face, you realize that you're still in your towel. You get up from your seated position and slip on some underwear as well as some comfortable sweatpants you have recently bought. You turn to your binder and slip it onto your torso. Just as you turn to grab your hoodie, your front door has someone firmly knocking on its surface. You hear this and start to descend the stairs from your room to open the front door, you're met face-to-face with a box of Spacetries and, of course, the famous Steven Universe. You opened the door wider for him to step inside the house, after kicking off his flip-flops, he finally navigated his way to the nearest table and placed down the box of sweets and a bag of fry bits. You close the door behind him and lock it before turning towards his awkward walk towards the table. It takes everything in you not to start crying again over the thought that he did this for you. You slowly shift towards the doorframe of the kitchen before he's aware of your presence. In that same movement he swiftly turns his gaze settling onto your tear stained cheeks and your slightly reddened-puffy eyes. It only takes him 4 quick paces to reach out to you in the doorframe, and he gently envelops you in a hug with one arm coming up and resting his hand on the upper part of your back while the other comes up and cradles the back of your head. You wrap both of your arms around his torso as your head is brought to the crook of his neck. You feel as if you're floating on air as he silently rubs small circles into your back, then momentarily kisses behind your ear and rubs his thumb ever so sweetly across the back of your slightly damp hair. He slowly retracts from the sweet embrace and takes time to look at you, waiting for you to say what has been upsetting you. You feel the tears welling up in your eyes as his soft hazelnut gaze peers straight through your heart and into your soul, on instinct you look down at the collar of his jacket as you feel embarrassed that you made him miss out on the movie.

"I- I just felt. I didn't feel like myself", You pause for a moment as you draw a shaky breath before you continue. "I just haven't been feeling like anything lately; it's like I'm trapped in the web of my own trap, like I'm stuck in one place, in one body...like- there's nobody that can help me wade through," you say as the knot in your throat tightens. You bring your hands free from his warm sides and hug yourself while tugging at your binder that holds your torso. Steven understands exactly what you're saying to him and brings his hands towards your face to cup your cheeks, slowly bringing your head to look at him, thumbs brushing the sides of your face in an arch motion. "I understand my love. However you feel, whenever you feel this way, I will always be here to love and support everything you do," he says, lightly placing a soft kiss on your forehead before he continues. "Whenever you need someone to talk to about your feelings, myself and the crystal gems would be more than happy to help you release any self-deprecating feelings or stress." Your gaze lifts to him with softened eyes as you bring your hands back around his waist where they once were, bringing him closer as you bury your face into his chest, taking in deep breaths of his scent, instantly calming you. "I love you" he breathes into your hair with such care and compassion that a shutter rubs down your spine from the tender phrase just as the trickle of his breath against your back. You squeeze him tighter in response and let out a shaky yet relaxed sigh into his jacket. Steven, being the gentleman he is; politely releases you from his grip and tugs on the left sleeve of his jacket slowly removing the jacket off his body then taking the collar into his palms and draping it over your shoulders like a cloak. You look up at his face, taking in his softened facial expression, his tinted cheeks, and the fallen stray curl that gently rests upon his eyebrow. While admiring his lovely features, a soft smile curves its way onto your lips as you swiftly tilt your head to get a quick peck at his soft lips. As you retreat from the sweet gesture, he immediately has your lips back on his for a slow, charming kiss. As the tender moment ends, he guides you over to your living room sofa, instantly reaching for the cookie cat plushie resting in the nook of the window seat. You and Steven cuddle up close underneath a nice fuzzy blanket that Pearl had previously knitted for your birthday last year. Steven decided on watching old reruns of 'Camp Pining Hearts' together whilst arguing with the TV about how bad the ship Pilette (Pierre & Paulette) is. As you pop a Chaaaap in your mouth, you can hear a soft snore come from your right. You slightly turn your head to see Steven, lips slightly parted as his head rests on your shoulder, fast asleep. Your eyes travel to his peaceful face full of admiration, endearment… Love, you lightly kiss his forehead and slowly snuggle closer into his warm torso. As you start to doze off into the comfortable embrace of sleep, you whisper.

‘Steven, I love you so much.’

He doesn't respond of course but you can't help but know he heard you as he squeezes you tighter in his embrace as you are both lulled to sleep.

Word Count: 1.8k

I am SUPER happy about this one-shot!!

I'm sorry for such a late response, I’ve been held up with school and such things. Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Have a wonderful day <3ヾ(^▽^*)

[targetf0rce]

Steve Hopper (Aka Hopper Adopts Steve AU)

PART 1

TW for child abuse and neglect

-=-=-=-=-=-

October 1977

It took a year of being back in Hawkins to discover what the "Harrington Case", as Hopper had dubbed it, truly meant. He had always seen the word on the Chief and Flo's lips before he would quietly leave the premises and return a couple hours later with no word. The paper shredder was always heard after his return.

It was a miserable wet day as he begrudgingly entered the police station, his boots and the bottom of his trousers were soaked from the flood of the drains on the road when he got out of his car. He didn't know where the rain had come from, it seemed to hit them all of a sudden at 7 AM and hadn't let up since. The day shot past without a hitch, just the usual calls and patrols. Not that they were needed, nothing ever happened in Hawkins. It was a quiet town where nothing happened but that belief would change the moment that Flo's voice spoke on the radio at around 4PM.

He parked in his usual spot, watching cars fly past for any speeders as they entered Hawkins. Bored eyes staring at them as he rested a hand on his wheel.

"Hopper, I need you to check out a call about the Harrington's. There was a noise disturbance this morning and their neighbours have been concerned about seeing someone inside the property. I asked the Chief to respond to this earlier but he's away for a family emergency." Flo spoke into the quiet to pull him away from his own boredom.

The radio crackled into life once again as Flo talked more softly into her microphone, "Hopper, whatever you see, just keep it between us, the Chief can sort it out when he’s back. Just…” her voice paused for a few seconds. “take him to the hospital and return him back.”

If that didn’t concern him, he didn’t know what did.

“Right.”

He pulled out of his spot and drove towards Loch Nora, he ignored the dread that settled in his stomach at her words. What the hell was he facing if he had to go against protocol like this. Something that warranted bribery from the sounds of it.

Everyone knew of the Harringtons, Richard and Diane, and their son, Steven. Everyone knew of how their wealth had let them own and fund most of the town’s services, it was clear that they didn’t care much of the town other than good appearances and favour in Hawkins’ eyes. They funded the police’s equipment and had done so very publicly, there was a picture of Mr Harrington shaking the Chief’s hand while they held a cheque with a massive sum on it from the newspaper clipped onto a corkboard in the station. So no wonder the Chief let whatever nasty activities they did that likely were illegal to go under the radar.

But Hopper didn’t know if he could let it slide, especially at Flo’s words. He was concerned about what kind of drunken state he was going to find Mr Harrington in. Nothing else crossed his mind, however that flew out of the window when there was no car beside the large house once he peeled off the main street towards the Harrington’s.

The house looked empty, no lights were on even though it was the evening. All the curtains were open on the front side of the house while no sound could be heard except for the rain pouring down in heavy sheets on top of everything and the sway of the trees in the wind.

He frowned, maybe they had been broken into after all, but he hadn’t seen any broken windows. There might have been one around the back, though.

Hopper approached the door and knocked, his hand resting on his gun just in case. There was no response, nothing.

He tried again, knocking louder. “This is Hawkins PD, open the door!” he called at the door and wasn’t surprised by the lack or response at this point. “I will have to use force if you don’t open the door.”

He needed to find a way into the property, he was getting soaked through. He looked down at the floor, there were no plants or pots for a key to be hidden through, he hoped that there was some way into the back door otherwise he would have to pick the door open.

Pulling his hood further over his head, Hopper trudged towards the back of the house and opened the gate. The rain rippled over the surface of the pool, while the loungers were pooled in water on the plastic material. An out building by the pool sat untouched as did the rest of the house. Whatever had caused the noise disturbance had passed and they had clearly left the property behind, but that did little to settle his nerves. Whatever this was didn’t sit well with him. Something was clearly wrong, but he didn’t know what. He just had to get to the bottom of whatever the Chief and the Harrington’s were trying to cover up.

He was about to head back to the car to get his screwdrivers to pick the lock on the glass door to the living room when he heard a soft noise behind him. A muffled sob that trailed into a whimper. He whipped his head around to face the outbuilding behind him and cursed softly. It was too high to be Mr Harrington, and that left the him to mean their son.

Hopper felt ill at the realisation as he approached the annexe, he wouldn’t have dreamed to hurt his Sara when she was still here, but he knew that not every parent had kind parents. How long had the Chief willingly let this kid get hurt in expense for their equipment and good relations? How had the Chief let it slide and sleep at night knowing that there was a boy out there needing help and he was ignoring them. Hopper knew then he was that boy’s only saviour.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?” He tried to turn the door to find it was locked, the door padlocked from the outside. “It’s Officer Hopper, I won’t let any harm come to you, if it’s you kid.” He rested his hand on the door and heard the quiet rustle of something behind the door.

No voice spoke up, but he didn’t blame the boy. He probably didn’t trust Hopper or any adult if his suspicions were true. And seeing that it was likely that Steven was locked in an outbuilding for who knows how long then he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

“I’m gonna go get some stuff to unlock the door and get you out of here kid.” he reassured, hoping that he was listening even if he wasn’t responding.

He quickly headed back towards his car and searched his glove compartment for his makeshift lockpick kit of screwdrivers and grabbed them before rushing back to the property. His hands shaking a little as he tried to quickly unpick the lock, lock picking wasn’t something that could be quick, but he prayed that the boy was alright for a little longer. The soft click when the padlock opened was the most relieving noise he had heard in that moment. He removed the lock and pushed the door open easily.

“Kid? Are you in here?”

Hopper flicked on the light. The room was full of summer furniture and a barbecue that looked like it had never been used, plus the equipment and filters for the pool to keep them out of the rain. A shape ducked behind the outdoor sofa with a small gasp.

“I’m not gonna hurt you Steven, I just want to help you, I promise.” he urged softly.

A small boy slowly appeared from behind the sofa, hazel eyes wide and red rimmed, his hair flopped over to one side and was slightly messy. His nose was red and snotty as tears had stained his mole speckled cheeks. He looked around the age of 9 or 10 if he had to guess. His polo shirt was crinkled and dirty as he stared at Hopper until he made eye contact with the boy and he timidly shifted his gaze to the floor.

What was concerning was the red mark that covered the kid’s cheek that looked suspiciously like a handprint. The sight was the final nail in the coffin for Hopper as he knelt down on his knee to look less intimidating to the poor kid.

He was shaking in fear and cold, there was no heating in the small annexe. One of his arms wrapped around his stomach in protection as his other hand was fidgeting with his shirt. There were no signs of blood and open wounds on the young kid, but he felt he would find bruises on him if he looked.

The Harringtons had skeletons in their closet like many people, but Hopper drew the line for sympathy when he found their kids locked in those closets too.

“You’re safe now son, I won’t let them touch you again. I promise.” He urged softly, it was a hard thing to promise another kid’s safety but by damn he wasn’t going to let anything happen to this poor boy. Sure he had assumed that he would have been just another stuck up rich kid, he hoped he had been, not a scared hurt kid.

Steven shook his head softly. “They’ll be back.” His voice was small but the haunted tone to his words was a hurricane in the silence.

“Where did they go?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know. They don’t tell me, but she said it would only be the weekend this time.” He admitted to him quietly before quickly adding, “but I’m a big boy, I can look after myself, sir.”

“This isn’t the first time?” Hopper raised an eyebrow, this was just making the case worse for the Harringtons.

Steven shook his head softly.

“When was the first time?”

He didn’t answer and stared at his hands.

“When I was 7 but I’m 10 now. I know what I’m doing but they don’t normally lock me in here.” He muttered softly, “I was being bad so it’s okay.”

The Harringtons had been keeping their son home alone for 3 years, enough so that he knew what to do and they had been hurting him for who knows how long. The sickening dread returned tenfold and Hopper knew then that he couldn't let this kid stay in this house anymore. Consequences be damned, this kid couldn't stay in this house on his own and he definitely couldn't stay with parents that hurt him enough that he felt it was his fault.

“It’s never okay, Steven.”

“Steve.” The boy spoke softly. “I prefer, Steve.”

Hopper nodded and continued. “Look son, I really don’t want you to be staying here on your own and I’m concerned about your safety here. So how about you go inside and pack some clothes and some stuff and I’ll get you a bite to eat?”

He noticed Steve perk up a bit at the mention of food, poor kid must be starving. “What about my parents, they won't be happy. They only trust the Chief.”

“Don’t worry about them. I’ll handle them, kid.”

He was going to handle them alright.

[scare-ard--sleigh]

tagged by @maplefiasco 8 shows to get to know me uhhhh in no particular order!!

tagging (no pressure tho!) ;; @cauldronofmorning @angellspt @spacephrasing @ambrwolf @wesninskijr @rolodextra @zapkilikan and anyone else who wants to do it !

what we do in the shadows: wwdits caters to me so heavily. it captures all of my genders. everyone's hot and fucking each other and they're all so fucking stupid. i've watched it 90 billion times and i still laugh bc the jokes still make me laugh.

midnight mass: we're setting aside my taste in men for a minute here. midnight mass does a really excellent job capturing the more horrifying aspects of growing up as an outsider in a very tight-knit religious community. i've never seen that done in a way that's resonated so much. i talked about this show a lot in therapy. plus okay fine; father skinnyjeans thee vampire [chef's kiss.]

the magicians: idk how to sum up the everything about the magicians in a few sentences. i have an eliot prayer candle lmao, his arc and his friendships and the way he does masculinity are so important to me despite the writing having a few missteps (mind the warnings definitely.) the fandom experience is unlike anything i've ever had, yes derogatorily but also in a really good way--my writing got so good because of the things that i created for this show.

steven universe / sailor moon: i combined them because while they're separately very important to me, it's for a lot of the same reasons and i don't feel right putting one without the other. i'm very saccharine underneath everything, i wanna believe love and friendship can heal anything. i grew up on sailor moon, and i think su would have had the same impact on me if i was the right age.

daredevil: where do i even start :( human disaster matt murdock is just like me fr. foggy nelson is who i wish i was (he also reminds me so much of my husband.) i almost went to law school bc of this fucking show. it's the first time i ever saw two guys crying during an argument bc they love each other that much (nelson v murdock is a treasure of an episode.) i didn't dig s3 as much and i hated the defenders but god the rest of it's so good.

bob's burgers: it's less because i think it's deeply telling and more because it's 100% comfort food. if i'm sick or stoned or sad or trying to find a crowdpleaser, bob's is always my go-to. their family and bob & linda's parenting methods are a lot of what i picture for myself when the time comes.

death note: death note was the thing i was obsessed with as a teenager and while i missed a lot of the point of it, it also is what started making me smarter about media consumption, interpretation, and analysis. mello is also like thee gender of all time.

succession: the latest and greatest "oh jeez that's me." like firstly i love watching shows about terrible rich people but to dig deeper: some of the dynamics hit soooo fucking close. i feel like the portrayal of mental illness and abuse are done almost too well: proceed with caution.

honorable mentions:

buffy the vampire slayer: buffy was the first show i ever got like really, really obsessed with (as well as the first canon i ever tried to make an oc for) but it's almost impossible to recommend for actual viewing bc of how badly it's aged. i didn't rewatch it for the many years, cringed through the last one, and am at permanent hiatus since we've entered the Joyce Is Dying arc which is just like painful to watch on top of the uhhh. joss whedon writing.

archer fx: i don't think archer's necessarily required viewing to get to know me, but i've definitely done some of my best writing for that canon and if you're willing to listen to me talk ad nauseam about archer and cyril's dynamic i'll probably love you forever.

[womanofwords]

Primary Objective: Friendship (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2: School Enrolment

"I can't believe this," I said. "Nikola's about to be the first robot ever to go to school."

"Yay!" Nikola celebrated. "I can meet other humans and make friends!"

"Absolutely." Uncle James patted Nikola's head as if he was a child or dog. "If we're really going to do this, we'll do it the right way. Nikola is going to have all the stuff he needs and he'll be enrolled like any other student. Which is why we're meeting the headteacher. Ms Stevens, right?"

"Yes." I looked at my uncle, and he looked different. Less goofy, more serious. "Wow. You're serious."

"Of course I am. Now, where's the headteacher's office when you need it? I happen to have an appointment with her."

"That way."

Uncle James, Nikola, and I sat on uncomfortable chairs outside the headteacher's office. "Is this supposed to happen?" I asked. "Because my parents just sent mine in through the post."

"I know, and your parents told me all about how complicated I was making this. However, since I am Nikola's creator, I should let them know that Nikola is not a typical student. And I've seen the picture of the headteacher. She seems nice."

The door to the headteacher's office swung open, but Ms Stevens, the headteacher, did not come out of it. Mr Barrett did.

Mr Barrett had no hair on the top of his head, so he compensated by growing the hair on the rest of his face to be really thick. His moustache, for example, seemed to have a life of its own, and perhaps aspirations to hop off his upper lip and go on its own adventures. "You're not Ms Stevens," Uncle James said.

"What an astute observation, Dr Boone," the deputy headmaster said. "But you're right. I am Mr Barrett. Ms Stevens is indisposed, so I will be handling her appointments. What is this about?"

"I would like to enrol Nikola into your school," Uncle James said. "And this is Nikola."

"Hi!" Nikola waved at Mr Barrett. He jumped back as if he'd just seen a mouse.

"What is it?" he spluttered.

"I am not an it." Nikola stared Mr Barrett down. "I am a he, and my name is Nikola."

"And you're going to enrol i-him . . . into our school?" Mr Barrett stammered. "No, absolutely not. Utterly ridiculous."

"Mr Barrett, this was deemed to be the best possible way to socialise Nikola with humans, and after much testing, he has been found to have the same maturity levels of a child my niece's age."

Mr Barrett stared at us with annoyance. "I'm sorry, Dr Boone, but in the interest of the school, there is simply-"

"Finally, I'm back," Ms Stevens said. "Mr Barrett, why are you taking my appointment with Dr Boone and Nikola?"

Mr Barrett didn't seem so tough any more. "You said you were going to be tied up in a meeting."

"The meeting adjourned," Ms Stevens said. "You can go back to your own duties now, Melville." Mr Barrett grumbled as he left the room. "So, Dr Boone, what is this about enrolling Nikola?"

"This is Nikola, Ms Stevens. He is a robot, as you can see, and he has recently shown an interest in going to school and socialising with humans."

"Alexis told me that school is a place of learning," Nikola said.

"Alexis was right," Ms Stevens smiled. "I have a feeling that anybody who wants to learn as much as you will fit in well here. Make sure to read the student handbook before arriving into school so you know the rules, and feel free to ask your teachers anything. We look forward to seeing you."

"Thank you," Uncle James said. "This means a lot. Nikola, you're in."

"Yes!" Nikola celebrated. He jumped up and down, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Having Nikola in school was going to be fun.

The other parts can be found in my Masterlist.

[goldenbeastkeeper]

Valor frowned at the information Pearl gave, taking note of it but not saying anything to it. Forgetful, yes, but something even so important as not surviving the birth? Forgetting to mention things like that for thousands of years, if it was for as long as Pearl knew her? There were systems one could have in place for helping that. Having people like Pearl to remind her, yes, but also writing things down and such like that. After thousands of years it was still such a consistent problem?

"I'll get you a picture," Flicker promised, stepping around to the glow Steven opened up in the mane. They poked their head through once, just to look around, before pulling back and grinning up at Valor. "Let's go!"

Both of them took deep breaths, then climbed into Lion's mane one after another.

It was beautiful in here.

They noticed the tree Steven had mentioned right away and made their way over to it, Valor running his hand over the tops of the grass in habit as they did. No bugs, unfortunately. Actually, no, that was probably good. This grass seemed to be Lion's mane, or at least correspond to it, and any bugs in it would probably be like. Lice, or fleas.

Once they got close, Flicker trotted the rest of the way to the little island and took out their phone to take a picture of everything in here. There was the sword that Pearl and Steven had both mentioned, a ragged flag, a chest, a shirt, some squarish thing floating in a bubble . . . Oh, there was also a VHS tape and a picture frame on the ground.

As Flicker continued around the little island to take pictures from multiple angles, including out into the sea of endless pink grass, Valor's eye was caught by the bubble, and he walked up to it to see it better. That was . . . a gem? Pearl did say that to take down a corrupted gem, one had to damage their body enough, and that they then bubbled it to prevent it from reforming . . .

She'd also briefly wondered if Valor and Flicker might be able to bubble one with their own magic. He climbed up into the tree to get a better look at it and while there took a closer picture of it than Flicker got. He reached out to touch it, then pulled back before he could. He didn't know how this thing worked. Touching it might not be wise.

He wondered if a small, spherical shield would work to mimic something like this, or if the magic specifically had to be meant to keep a gem from reforming. Was there anything they'd be able to test it out with? If it didn't work, then they'd have to take down a corrupted gem all over again . . .

It wasn't long before the two climbed back out, and while Flicker was showing Steven the pictures, Valor spoke up. "Hey Pearl?" He was unlocking his own phone, which he'd put away when he'd climbed back down the tree. "I think there was a bubbled gem in there." He offered her the phone, picture open on the screen.

He wondered why it was in there. He didn't know where the gems put the ones that they'd bubbled, but this one was all by its lonesome. Maybe Rose had put it there temporarily and then forgot about it?

Pearl freezes when Valor questions that. Oh. She's not. She's really not surprised. She's known Rose long enough to know she often would just, not mention things she should.

Pearl was just used to being the one exception. The person who knew everything and could help keep her on track with all these things she neglected- or more often forgot- to mention.

❝... She was forgetful to a fault,❞ she says softly. ❝I'd been the person to remind her of things- even important things- the entire time I knew her. But... I couldn't help if I didn't know.❞

Lion rolls back onto his belly, staring at Flicker for a moment, before slowly blinking at them.

Steven is excited now, to know what they see in there, and he's also glad to leave the sad topic behind. He tests the power a few times, taking his hands in and out of the mane, before shifting to hold it open with his arms for them to go in.

❝This is so cool! I need to get better at holding my breath so I can look at it all.❞

[jodilin65]

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1999 We’re at the hotel now and Tom went to bed a little while ago after negotiating a deal with fuckface Steven over our washer/dryer. We’d prefer to settle on a reasonable price rather than have to sue, but if that’s what they force us to do, we’ll do it. It wouldn’t be the first time people made us do something we’d rather not. Always there’s someone, no matter where I go, fucking up and interfering with my life! Am I ever going to be allowed to live without others controlling my life? And I totally resent God too, for sitting back and allowing this to happen. It’s nice that he connected us with Dennis and his trailer, but other than that, he’s been of no help to us as we’ve been dragged through the mud. What does he care that we haven’t had a home or a stable, normal life with some structure and routine? What does he care about all our mental anguish? Or about the fact that we’ve got to make house payments and hotel payments and we owe Dennis $1,200? Tom’s still being way too overly optimistic. He says we’ll be in the house next week for sure. No, we won’t. They’ll only be more problems, delays, excuses, lies, incompetence, and plain old cockish stupidity. If we’d had women running the show, the bulk of this would’ve been done right and on time, if not very close to it.

The fucking inspector, who works for the county/state, wouldn’t even inspect yesterday, even though he did show up. Thanks to the people who never told us in the first place, we found out we had to make some preparations before he could inspect. Someone had to come out to remove most of the skirting, for example. Now they say they’ll re-inspect Monday, but so what if they do? They’ll only find more problems to complain about and tell us what we’ve got to do first. Then we can be stalled some more.

We’re now at the point where everyone involved has fucked up. Of course, though, Brian and Gravity haven’t fucked up nearly as much as Steven and Dan. Fucking, motherfucking cocks! I am such a sexist and I always will be! I fucking hate males! Sure, there are some stupid women out there, but there’s no comparison between females and males, except for a few guys like Tom. Females are way smarter. They know more, learn better and faster, and retain info well.

I had a bad vibe as soon as we got here and to the room but hopefully, it’ll be a false alarm. If God has any compassion for us, he’ll leave us alone with other people’s noise. All we’ve heard so far was a loud door slam once or twice. Really, though, I don’t need other people’s noise and shit on top of the people who are already shitting on us.

Yesterday, we decided to go see Ma, Mary and Dave, and they were kind enough to put their dog out back. Even Dave said he’s getting sick of Pepper. Pepper’s been getting into all kinds of things. Maybe that’s why he was in the Humane Society.

Dave was his usual teasing, humorous self.

Ma was with it, but man is she shaky! She had her forearms resting across her stomach and would have occasional spurts where she’d slap herself she was so full of tremors. What an inhumane, awful way to live! Yeah God is good. God is really good.

We received more gifts than we expected. We thought we were getting gifts only from Mom, Mary and Dave, but nope. We got more!

Mom got me a facial skincare massager and Tom a super cool screwdriver with a handle that allows for better leverage. Mary got me one of those little musical dolls that are 8” sitting (identical to my other two) and Tom a computer game. Ray and Nora got us four beautiful puzzles. They’re each 1000 pieces, so the table I plan on getting will be great for it. Jackie and Jim got us a Christmas card holder which would take us 20 years to fill. Carol and Steven got us treats - cookies, dried fruit, nuts, etc. David and Evie got us caramel popcorn, and of course, like always, even had to enclose a picture. Her and her pictures! It was a nice one, though, taken in San Diego with Ma, David, Evie and her kids, Carol, Steven, and Matthew.

We also got that money I said we were getting and I spent $75 of it after we left at Wal-Mart.

I got a tier/valance set and put the valance in the kitchen and the tier in the guest room. I got swags for the bedroom. Now all I have to do is get something for the living room.

All these window treatments are white or ivory. I wanted neutral colors where furniture and bedding of any kind are to be so they wouldn’t clash with it

For the first time I’ve ever seen before, especially at a place like a department store, they had boxes of porcelain doll clothes. I got Anne a pretty pink dress with a few scattered rosebuds. To replace her hideous, old-fashioned dress with small clusters of flowers on a dark blue background.

Lastly, I got a gorgeous Peruvian Barbie with the most realistic face I’d ever seen on a Barbie. She has a very pleasant face with long dark braids. She’s dressed in colorful Peruvian attire right down to her sandals. Debbie makes for a great variety of these little musical dolls (she plays an old 50s song I never heard of). Melanie has brown hair, Stephanie has auburn, and Debbie’s blond. Melanie has green eyes, Stephanie’s are blue, and Debbie’s are brown. I wonder why she has a name and the others don’t? Anyway, she’s a nice-looking doll in an ivory satin dress with gold accents. She has a matching ribbon for a headband.

I decided to wait for the new headphones, to get the CD-changer when we can and not get a big Barbie. I think she’d look really tacky. Especially after seeing a large Barbie head in the store (so you could do her hair).

Tom slept on and off from the time he came home this morning. He fired the generator for a while so I could type, then later I drove the car from the house to the trailer, while he hauled the generator back. He had parked by the house when he got in cuz he didn’t know if I’d be up. I hope to sleep well tonight, cuz there’s no way I’m gonna be able to sleep in on New Year’s Day. Not with all the gunfire, and also, I’m sure New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be filled with lots of music. It fucking figures New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day has to come before I could be in the insulated house, sleeping with the fan.

Anyway, this will probably be the very last time I write in the 1900s. Till the next century!

Later…

Well, I guess it isn’t the last time I write this century, after all. Tom and his fucking colds! One after another after another. I’m sick of it! I knew it, too. Mom and Mary had colds when we saw them yesterday, and I knew he’d catch it. He says it’s not possible to have caught it from them so fast and that he probably caught it from someone at work. I disagree. It only takes a day, but for him, five minutes is enough! He blames it on lack of sleep, but whether or not that’s a factor, just knowing he’s gonna have ten colds a year for the rest of his life really bums me out. It bums me out for him and me, cuz I still have to deal with it, too. I may rarely get colds, but I’ve had enough to know how cranky they make you. He’s as hexed in the department of colds as I used to be. That isn’t gonna change anytime soon. Nothing about him will change upon getting into the house. Not his eating habits. Not his lack of sleep. Not his trashing. Not his busyness. Not his lack of interest in sex/cumming.

Anyway, now that I’m done bitching, I’ll probably return to reading. He’s in the shower now, getting ready for work. Guess I’ll also do a little singing once he leaves, too. Teresa wasn’t working tonight. She said her days off vary.

I never saw Tracy tonight, but her car’s still here. Her husband owns a sign-making company. They have their own company, a house, and can pay all this hotel money, so why don’t they get a nicer car than the beat-up piece of shit they have?

Tom’s so sure that we’ll be in the house next week and that next Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday will be our last hotel stay. Yeah, right! That’s not what my logic or gut feeling tells me. I don’t know what I feel anymore. All I know is that I can’t believe a damn thing I hear from anyone and that I need to always assume the worst and be a pessimist. It helps lessen the feeling of disappointment when things don’t work out. The house is like one big dead person we’ve been trying to bring to life. It’s like electricity is its heartbeat and water is its lungs breathing. Will this house ever come alive?!?!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1999 At the hotel…

We arrived at the hotel and got a third-floor room like we’ve been doing lately.

The last time, I forgot to pack the sneakers Tom works in and since he didn’t want to go to work in sandals, he bought new sneakers before work that night, which was Sunday night. He was due for a new pair anyway. Now he can use his old, smelly, beat-up pair for outdoor activities.

After we checked in this evening, I ran down to wash his work pants. Luckily, Tracy wasn’t using the machines. One of her daughters saw me and said hi. Last Sunday I saw Tracy by her room down the end of the first-floor hall and ran to ask her how much longer she planned on using the dryer (Teresa told me it was she who was using it, which I had guessed). She was glad to see me and was on her way out with a friend for pizza. She offered me some popcorn and I told her we didn’t have a room with a microwave this time and needed to cut the snacks down to lose 20 pounds.

“Where, girl?” she asked.

It was kind of amusing to think about how she and Teresa think I look fine. I bet I do to them. These are gigantic women, so I’m sure I do look fine in their eyes.

Anyway, I helped her daughters Sierra and Desiree gather up the clothes that were in the dryer (they’re about 6-8 years old) and I put a bracelet on for Desiree she was having trouble getting on.

Teresa had a headache so I brought her some ibuprofen.

I took a chance and had us eat at Denny’s earlier cuz I wanted something different. Luckily, it was quiet, but I’m not gonna push my luck, that’s for sure.

Dieting without something like prune juice is a hopeless waste of time, cuz whenever I try to diet, I get stuck. The lack of food gets made up for cuz my body just hangs onto everything it gets, so there’s no use in struggling to keep food out when my body just struggles to keep it in. Kind of defeats the purpose. I’ll never lose weight and be thin again, anyhow, which has been more than obvious for 2-3 years now, so what the fuck, huh? My only worry is - how much more weight will I gain before we get in the house? I’m nearly 130 pounds now. Will I be nearly 140 when we move in? 150? Dan, you fucking cock, I could kill you! You fucking motherfucker! You really controlled, delayed, and fucked up our lives! I can’t work out on an exercise machine cuz of this cock, I can’t begin my story, sleep in my own bed, or live my own fucking life! Oh, the money, time, and hassles he’s cost us!

Tom and I made a deal. That I’d send letters to Steven and Dan giving them a piece of my mind, rather than going and beating the shit out of them when we’re in the house. He worries I’ll go overboard with how mad I am and kill the cock. Fine. I’d be happy to drop them a line.

We went to Casa Grande yesterday to get refills on my inhalers. For a couple of bucks, I got a gorgeous souvenir ruler. It has several beautiful pictures of various places in Arizona, like the Grand Canyon, Sedona, etc. It sure beats my old plain, boring wooden ruler I’d had for seemingly half my life.

I forgot to mention the comment Tom made when we screwed in the house on Christmas day. “I did all I wanted to do,” he said. So he does have control over his actions. I always knew he did, but what I can’t understand to this day is how he can stand to be the way he is. How can he stand not relieving his excitement? How could anyone? Now that’s major self-control. Also, it’s almost like he’s just dying to prove me more and more right each time we screw about how I say he’s always got a problem. It’s like he’s saying, “Yup, you’re right. I’ll always have an excuse when we screw.” I swear, his turning me off is what turns him on. Well, we’ve all got to get our satisfaction somehow, huh?

The computer, which has really helped occupy my mind and time, was fun for both of us today. We played miniature golf against each other. He won one game, but for the first time in my life, after never beating anyone at miniature golf whether it was on a computer or not, I beat him.

Brian, our favorite, came out with his son to do a little work. We were supposed to have an inspection today, but as usual, no one showed up for that. We were chatting with one of the well drillers right before we both headed out. The only kind one that may have some brains and that may be somewhat honest. We’re now at 700’ and still no water. Dan’s been sick, he says, and I was making little comments about how glad I was to hear he was sick, then Tom told me afterward that that was Dan’s son. Well, I didn’t know. He doesn’t look like Dan any more than Brian’s son looks like him, but that’s not a surprise. A good 80% of the time kids look more like their mothers. I resemble both my parents, and unfortunately, God picked out each one’s worst features to give to me. I’ve got my dad’s long chin and little hole of a mouth, and my mom’s lousy shape.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1999 I’m in the trailer for the night and Tom’s asleep in the house till he has to get up for work.

The well drillers were out today. They arrived right before we did and found the rig’s battery dead, so Tom jumped it.

Again, I’m not kidding when I say that something does not want us to live here. They drilled down to 660’ and still no water. I guess the only reason they hit water at 545’ was simply that they hit an isolated pocket of water. I feel so fucking teased with this house! First, something up there had to tease me with when the house would even get here, then I had to miss out on seeing the house arrive, and now this!

I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that my life on the road is going to exist for a while longer. I see no end in sight too soon. And I once wanted to be a traveling singer! Ugh! The only sense of normalcy and my old life I’m getting is during all the hours I’m spending on the computer. I’ve already typed up the first page.

Sunday morning wasn’t very pleasant here. I woke up at 6:00 to go pee and spoke to Tom after I heard him rummaging around in the car. I had just fallen back asleep when every Goddamn dog within a ten-mile radius decided to go off, and our local cocks decided to get trigger-happy. I hate these weekend shoot-outs. The dogs are barely audible in the house, but the gunfire isn’t, and I’m not gonna get any sleep in my own home on weekends! I could if I slept with the box fan, but I don’t want to sleep with that particular fan. I want to sleep with the other one. I hate being controlled in my own home by strangers, and I refuse to be. I don’t even know these people and I’ll be damned if I’m forced to accommodate these assholes. After all the shit we went through and are still going through to live here, I’ll kill anyone who tangles with me out here.

I spoke to a certain black bitch that tangled with me once upon a time in Phoenix. I got her number from the computer and was surprised to find her even available. I thought she’d be out of town.

Anyway, she answered, and I started off by asking if she got my mail. I didn’t get the reaction I expected, so I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I mean, I expected her to go off on me instantly. Not act like she didn’t have a clue about it, but hey, there are no guarantees that she ever did get my mail. I’m still hoping that she did and was just caught off guard by my call.

So then I asked if she knew who I was and she said no. My next question brought an instant hung-up, rather than the fit I thought she’d fly right into. I asked if she got any mail from an old neighbor. Then I called back and got her machine, as I hoped to at that point, and told her just what I thought of her. After a few minutes, I made another call where she hung right up, then my last call where I left my final piece of mind on her machine.

It’s a damn good thing I didn’t call all night long too, over and over, cuz it was a long-distance call and I didn’t even know it till Tom asked me about it (it was on the hotel receipt)! I denied knowing anything about it and he told the front desk we never made the call which they “say” they’ll remove.

I didn’t know it was long distance cuz of this screwy new system they’ve got where Phoenix now has a zillion area codes. Sometimes you don’t know if it’s long-distance cuz for both local calls and long-distance you have to dial the area code before the number. They needed to create 10-digit numbers cuz they ran out of numbers.

We got everything out of mini storage yesterday, so now we have nothing stored anywhere.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1999 Today was a great day. Save for a few scattered dogs in the distance, it was a quieter Christmas than I expected. No voices, no gunfire, no music. Till 8:00. Yeah, I heard distant bass rumbling off towards where all the lights are for about 15 minutes, but fortunately, it was too soft to be heard in the house. I could only hear it in the trailer. I think it was coming from the same place last week’s music came from.

New Year’s Eve is probably gonna be noisier than in the city. It’s tradition, especially in Arizona, to shoot guns at midnight. Well, if they do it in the city where it’s not allowed, I can only imagine how much they’ll do it out here in this rural area where it is allowed.

I was surprised at how many cars I heard driving by last night. Maybe not down Ralston or Meadow Green, but near enough. Right before midnight, the gray dumpy car that lives at the furthest rental drove down Ralston by the house, then turned onto Meadow Green, then in front of their place. That’s the second time I’ve seen them come in really late. Maybe someone there works a 3-11 shift.

Shockingly, there’s still no one in the closer house in back, nor has George brought in any new trailers or houses.

Although it was cold, in the 50s, I survived sleeping with the thermostat just below 60º. Tom said that hardly any propane got used last night. Tonight, though, I’m gonna keep it at just under 65º, although I prefer 70º. I just don’t want to risk running out at 3 AM. I could sleep without any heat at all, but I’d rather have at least a little.

Why are we so fucking hexed with toilets? Toilets and cars! First the valve wasn’t closing all the way so we couldn’t fill the toilet with water to take a dump, then the toilet paper got jammed up so no more would fit down the hole. It certainly wasn’t full, so our tipping the trailer the other day trying to move it must’ve caused it all to settle in one spot. I just hammed the toilet paper down with the end of the fly swatter, so hopefully it’ll be OK for a while.

I haven’t been setting alarms for a few weeks now. I seem to naturally wake up between 8:00 and 10:00.

When I got up today, I brought food and water over to the animals, who are now in the house.

We dragged the generator over to the house to run the portable heater to heat the bedroom, where we had boring, predictable sex. The only surprise to it was that it didn’t hurt like I expected it to. Good, so when we screw again in 2-4 weeks, I’ll know not to worry. Other than that, the excuses came again. This time it was the cramp-in-the-side excuse.

I steamed some dolls’ dresses and hair, but what really made the day was that I got to use the computer! Oh, it felt so good! I missed it! I was surprised not to have forgotten anything, like how to download pictures, which I did, and my typing hasn’t slowed down a bit.

I typed 7 pages (nearly half of my first trailer journal) and retrieved Joebitch’s number. The one she got when she moved. I’d love to call her from the hotel to hear her reaction to hearing from me and to see if I can confirm she got my mail, but unless the bitch has changed habits, she’s out of town till after New Year’s. However, if there’s any good to us being delayed from getting in the house, it’s that we’ll still be playing hotel when she gets back.

Speaking of that black and a certain pack of Mexicans, I wonder if part of the shit we’re going through trying to get in our own home is part of God’s punishment for my mail to those people and for dumping Andy. I think it’s mostly cuz we left the city, though, and to compensate us for getting such a nice house. Well, feel we deserve and earned this place, and if something up there doesn’t think so - tough.

Because we brought over the 2 big boxes my computer and monitor were in from the trailer to the house, we were able to fold the bed back into a couch that’s in the front of the trailer. It sure makes the place look bigger. I swept and vacuumed the trailer today.

It was good to take a day off from going out. I needed it. Tom made a trip to Maricopa, though, for gas and my favorite coffee.

Tom told me that many years ago, for about a year or more, all he had to eat every day was a ham and cheese sandwich, fries, and a shake. He got this at a drive-through every morning before work and kept no food in his house. I asked why and he said it was just a habit. I wish I could get myself into the “habit” of only having one meal a day, but I’m such a wimp. I can never get used to the hunger no matter how long I diet.

Around 7:00 I fired down my computer and he fired down the generator. He went to bed in the house and I came here to the trailer. I’m gonna go do another round of singing.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1999 In the trailer…

Tom went to crash in the house where the animals are now.

I just heard the strangest thing I ever heard around here. I was sitting on the bed relaxing with some cocoa when I heard a voice. It certainly wasn’t loud enough to make out, but when I stepped outside, I heard a male voice say, “Go to hell, go to hell,” in the utmost terrifying voice. I think it was from next door. They said it with such fear that if they were just joking, they’re a damn good actor. I also heard a dog that sounded too close for comfort, bark a few times. The only other sound I hear right now is some engine revving up, but I don’t know where it’s coming from. It sounds a lot like a big tractor a few miles away, but it’s probably a truck next door.

I expect it to sound a bit city-like tomorrow for Christmas. Some voices, gunfire, and music oughta be heard. I’m surprised I haven’t heard any music yet tonight, but it’s still early. The music I heard last Friday didn’t start till close to 10:00.

I still hear that engine and am beginning to think it’s a farming vehicle of some kind (you’d be surprised at how much work they do at night). cuz I can’t imagine why next door, or any other neighbors, would sit and run their vehicles. It’s not idling. Whatever it is, they’re gunning its engine periodically.

Anyway, to sweep through the day - we went to Whataburger after checking out and I’ve really had it with them. They take forever, they fuck up our orders, and I’ve had enough. I don’t want to go back to noisy restaurants with shitty service either, so I’ll just grab something from Circle K. People are just too stupid!

Then, it was off to mini storage to load up with more stuff. I made a plant hanger out of silver chains and hair elastics for my pink floral plant that was here all along in the big box in which my monitor is. I hung it on Tweety’s old stand. Once the house is all set up, I’ll thoroughly describe each room.

Our last stops were to the grocery store and Circle K for my coffee.

Upon arriving home at 1:30, we were both majorly shocked to see the well drillers here, who had just arrived too, and were setting up to pull all the casing out.

Then it hit me… they’re here cuz they want us to think they’re finally gonna get their asses in gear and finish the job right for once and for all. The fact is, though, that after today, we’re gonna have to wait God knows how many weeks to get them back, but hey, their rig’s here. I’ll sabotage it on top of everything else I’m gonna do to them (and Steven).

With no success, we tried moving the trailer by the house by chaining it to a crowbar that we chained to the frame of the car, but amazingly, all it did was break the crowbar right in half.

Since we only have enough propane for one night rather than the two we plan on being here for. I’m trying to go as long as I can with no heat. To help with that, I swapped in my blanket for a down comforter, and am gonna sleep with my pants on, as well as the sweatshirt and socks I’ve been sleeping in.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1999 Tom and I are at the hotel now, and boy are we pissed, frustrated and depressed! It’s an understatement to say we are really really cursed! Something does not want us to live in that house. I knew God was gonna make us pay for leaving Phoenix and the Mexicans but like this? This is overkill. He’s really taking it to the extreme.

Today was such a mix of emotions. Not only was the fear of God in me but so was everything from tears of frustration and depression to a red-hot boiling rage.

Scared the shit out of Dan today. Everyone’s pissed off at Dan and Steven. Both Dan and Steven’s careers are over cuz I also intend to sabotage their so-called business and have their licenses pulled. I gave Dan a piece of my mind from A to Z, and according to Tom, even he said I had every right to be upset later on when I ran into the trailer to cry, bitch, and cuss.

After Tom called at 10:30 complaining about how they “promised” to be at our place and done with the well by 10:00, the fucking cocks finally decided to show up at 1:00. Tom was asleep in the house when they pulled in and I hopped out of the trailer and approached the driver. I asked if he was Dan and he nodded. Then I firmly said, “I want the well done today. No more delays.”

He looked terrified, although his partner, a cock I’ve never seen before, found it to be quite funny by the amused look on his face. So Dan says it’ll be done, then proceeds to set to work on the well. Then Gravity, who’s turned out to be one of the more reliable guys we’ve dealt with so far (along with Brian. Although I wish he’d finished caulking nails that are visible), shows up and digs two trenches. One running along the back of the house to the well for water pipes, then one running along the front of the house to the well for the electricity. We had no idea he was gonna dig a trench in front. His cowboy buddy was with him. They both sympathize with what we’re going through as far as Dan and Steven go, and Gravity said that yes, Hilda was really fired. He said he’d have quit if she weren’t.

Anyway, Dan is such an incompetent little fuck. Before he even tested to see if the well had dried up, he and his assistant put the pump, threaded pipe, and wire down the well. And the stupid fuck never had enough pipe to begin with, cuz his math is worse than mine. He said he went down 526’ but the fucking thing’s 550’ deep (which should’ve been deeper). So the shit runs the pump, gets no water, has to pull everything back up, then tells us the well’s dried up and he sees it all the time. Then if he’s seen this before, the stupid fuck should’ve known better than to have those other guys only drill to 550’ and he should’ve checked for water before going through all this shit and wasting more time. Now the retarded fuck is saying they’ll come back and drill deeper and it’ll be done and operable by next Thursday. Oh, bull fucking shit it will be, and as I told him, he’s already looking at not getting paid. And I’ll be so pissed if Tom pays the January house payment, cuz I’m not paying for anything I’m not living in. They wouldn’t pay these assholes’ bills for not being done yet, so why should we have to pay for a house we’re not able to live in? That ain’t fair.

There’s no fucking excuse for this. We should’ve been living in that house 6-8 weeks ago. These people are turning my dream into a nightmare, and I’m gonna be their worst nightmare! Just as soon as we get in that house, so help me God! I’m fucking sick and tired of people lying to me and fucking up my life and getting in the way of the things I want to do. It’s one thing to have God running my life and making all my decisions for me, but another to have people doing it, too.

I’m scared. I’m really scared. I know it’s gonna be one problem after another as the “price” we have to pay for leaving the city. But why?!?! Why?!?! Why should we have to be punished in order to have something we want in life? We worked hard for this. We earned it. We deserve it. What? Can only lazy blacks or Mexicans be given anything for nothing?

If these stupid shits don’t want to do the work for us, why don’t they just say so? Why the bullshit excuses and stories? Tom let the loan people know we’re way past ready to fire these people and hire new people, but if we do, will they be any more reliable and competent?

Teresa isn’t working tonight, and I’m kind of glad she isn’t cuz I’d be lousy company. I’m all bummed out and I may only bring her down, too.

After we got here and showered, he called Mary and we both cried on her shoulder. It felt good and I could really hug her for being so positive, cheerful, supportive, and understanding. She really felt for us.

She mentioned a Christmas gift for me and from what I understood, she and Ma picked it out together. I guess they debated about which one would be best for me, but as I told her, whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it. Tom and I doubt it’s a doll. We think it’s clothes of some kind. I kind of hope not, cuz I don’t think anything they could get would fit. Not if they’re buying something for a 110-pound person to wear who’s really close to 130 pounds.

Before anyone came out to our place, all by myself, I put Tom’s free chair together and then he broke it. We were having trouble snapping the wheels in and he put so much force on it that the plastic we glued it, but I don’t expect it’ll stay put for long.

The directions the chair came with were actually written in clear, blunt English. No wordy shit, no dancing around the subject.

What I’ve already written about wasn’t our only problem. Something’s really out to get us good. We’re gonna have no more free time than we used to in Phoenix.

The fucking trailer toilet is fucked up now so you can’t fill it up with water. Another thing we have to deal with. As if we don’t already have more than enough to do.

Also, the headphones for my portable CD player have a short in its wire, so now I’ve gotta get new headphones. I have a couple of other pairs, but one’s too uncomfortable and the other’s jack is the wrong size and I don’t know where my adapters are at the moment.

I also let Mary know I was sorry I couldn’t make up those calendars for Christmas as I’d originally intended to do, and she understood.

She also said things like how she wanted to see the house when it was done, we’d be very happy and things would work out, and this will only make me stronger so I’m a pioneer woman when this is over. Well, if I haven’t been a pioneer since I was about five, I never will be. I feel the opposite. I feel like all the shit I went through at home with my parents, then at the places and apartments I was in, along with living with the blacks and Mexicans, has made me smarter and more experienced, but weaker, nonetheless. I feel like each crisis just breaks me even more.

To make an already shitty situation even shittier, it was so incredibly windy today that the dust Gravity and his tractor were kicking up was horrendous. We had to shout to hear each other, and dust was getting in my eyes and hair.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1999 In the trailer…

That’s the second time I’ve seen one of the trucks next door by the shacks. The first time, a cock was there during the day. He was telling their dark, medium-size dog to “go home.” As in to go up to the house. After he was done doing whatever it was he was doing at the shacks, he drove around the corner and on up to the house.

Someone was there again just now. I could hear the truck engine and see taillights. There was once electricity running to these shacks, and there’s still a phone wired to it. Rumor has it that some old people, presumably the older woman’s parents, used to live in these shacks before they died, but I don’t see how they could have. They’re barely five feet by five feet.

They’re so old and ugly-looking. They’re leaning slightly to one side and their windows are smashed. Fortunately, this should keep the kid from playing around them, cuz that’d be dangerous. They’re right on the corner of their property, which I thought was illegal. I thought you couldn’t have any building of any kind closer than 25’ to the edge of your property.

Maybe they’re using them for storage. I just hope that if they’re not gonna tear them down, they never restore them. I don’t want them that close to me, despite how quiet they’ve been.

Anyway, I’m here hanging out in the trailer and Tom’s asleep in the house.

These fucking cocks keep fucking us over with more bullshit lies and excuses, but now my vibes make perfect sense. As I said, I had a good vibe for the 23rd, which is tomorrow, but I also felt a bad vibe kick in two days ago. I had thought the good vibe was cuz of the two dolls I got today, but we’ll find that out for sure tomorrow. The bad vibe was cuz the fucking well people didn’t finish the job they were supposed to finish today, the lazy lying, mother-fuckers! I kept telling Tom for these last two days that they wouldn’t be out today, even though he insisted I’d be wrong.

Today’s excuse from the well driller was that he couldn’t get any workers today. Bull fucking shit! Steven told Tom that he spoke to Dan, the cock who’s holding up this final part of the well, and Dan swears the well will be done by 10 AM tomorrow and that he’ll bring his wife out to help if he has to. Even Steven said he’d come out and help. Like that stupid, worthless piece of shit would know anything about wells, yeah right! Then we got Gravity swearing he’ll come running right out to finish his job as soon as Dan gets his lazy ass out. Then we gotta wait for an inspection, and for APS to give us a meter box.

Well, it’s all bullshit. All fucking bullshit. No one will show up tomorrow and tomorrow’s excuse will be that he couldn’t get any vehicles running in order to get out here, or some lame, bullshit excuse like that. I can’t believe a damn thing anyone says! My life has been based on nothing but lies. All people want to do is talk. Everything’s all talk and no action.

I made a deal with Tom. We did it his way with the Mexicans and the blacks. I never laid a hand on them. But this cock’s mine. If he does come out tomorrow, fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut and my fists to myself, but he’s not allowed to leave this property till his job’s complete. If he doesn’t come out by Christmas, he’s at my mercy, and I swear, I’ll be his worst nightmare! I’ll fucking beat the cock beyond recognition. Nobody fucks me out of thousands of dollars and gets away with it. Even if I could win in court, I’m not gonna use the courts to fight my battles for me, which would cost more money and take forever. I can’t beat the money we’re lost to hotels out of this cock, but I can beat him so he suffers and so he really has an excuse to not work for a while.

Tom and I were checking out the well the other day, which is only a 550’ long pipe in the ground at this point. They covered it with a bucket and when we picked it up, you could hear the fine pieces of rock trickling down it that slipped down when we removed the bucket. Sound really gets funneled well in such a narrow space. I threw a stone down, a small quartz rock, actually, and it sounded weird. It not only seemed to make a wind sound going down, but you could also hear it hitting the sides of the pipe as it went down. I heard it hit water with a splat that echoed. It must’ve taken at least ten seconds to get down there.

Why is the dirt out here so powdery and why are there no rocks out here? Tom and I have been asking these questions, and if we can ever get back online one of these years, we’ll research this topic. I thought I once heard that the Grand Canyon was once an ocean, but Tom never heard that. He never heard what a co-worker told him either, which was that this was an ocean millions of years ago. Well, the powdery, dusty, rockless dirt supports that theory, but why aren’t there any fossilized bones of the sea life from back then? I know land can change drastically over lots of time, but it’s hard to understand how a desert could’ve once been a swampy or tropical area.

Scuttles is almost as big as Ratsy is now.

I accidentally scared poor Teresa last night. I came up to the desk and asked if she believed in psychics and she stiffened right up. After a few seconds of hesitation, she said yes. Then I told her I had a bad vibe that they weren’t gonna show up tomorrow (today) and proceeded to explain when she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Oh, you scared the shit out of me! I thought you were talking about having a bad vibe for me.”

Got two new dolls today at the grocery store. They’re 17” and from the same company I got Shauna and Meagan from. They were marked down from $20 each to $10 each, as I told Tom I thought they’d be. It’s hard to believe these two dolls together cost half of what Anne costs alone.

Nakita has reddish-brown hair and grayish eyes. I guess some might call her hair auburn. She wears a beautiful dress with shimmering gold and gold beads. She even has gold beads on her shoes.

Selena has blond hair and brown eyes and wears a white dress with pink tulips across the chest.

Their hair was styled the same, with looped braids. It’s where you put the hair in two ponytails, then separate three sections of hair on each side and braid them. Then you hook the ends of the braids up by the rubber band holding the ponytails. I never particularly cared for this hairstyle so I redid their hair. I put Selena’s in a high-pitched ponytail and started to make one braid for Nakita, but because her hair was uneven, loose pieces stuck out along the braid. Instead, I took those shorter pieces which were at the sides, and pulled them back with a gold barrette. Her hair’s long! To her feet.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1999 At the hotel…

I’m getting sicker and sicker of unreliable people! Why can’t anyone finish what they start? The stupid shits drill the well, and now they’re not gonna finish it till tomorrow! Or so they say.

I had a good vibe for the 20th, but all that happened then was they came and got their rig. Big deal, huh? Although he says it was a good thing cuz he had been worried they were gonna be stuck in all the mud they created, I was never worried.

I also had a good vibe for tomorrow, but logic, plus people’s work patterns, tells me we can forget about getting in by Christmas and count on not being in till around January 10-15.

As soon as we arrived home yesterday, I knew, I just knew things weren’t gonna work out. Immediately I knew our two-week wait just got jacked up to about four weeks.

What really burns me up is that these people can fuck us over and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it short of killing them. We don’t have a case in court since contracts, as I’ve learned, mean absolutely nothing around here. They can put it in writing all they want that they have until December 1st or December 24th to finish up, but it’s bullshit! All bullshit! No one keeps their word, no one does shit, and no one gives a shit that we have to live with the hassles and expense of bouncing between the trailer and hotel. They can promise, they can write, they can threaten each other, but it’s all a bunch of bull fucking shit! None of these contractors will ever get sued or fired by anyone, we won’t get a discount for all these lazy, needless delays, and we’re gonna be losing thousands of dollars on account of these cocks. Aaaaarrrrggggghh!!! I want to kill these people sooo fucking bad!

I should’ve known something was up as soon as the house sold as fast as it did and as soon as we got that incredible offer. I should’ve known God had a reason for it. Of course he had the house sell fast at such a phenomenal price; he knew we’d need the money and that it’d take forever to get in the house. This was his first of many compensations to come, too. He won’t be finished with us when we do get in the house. No way. He’s gonna make us not only pay dearly for this big, nice new house, he’s gonna punish me for leaving the city. He wanted me to be a city girl. He wanted me in the city and he wanted me to listen to those Mexicans next door. But because I refused to stay in the noisy, crowded city filled with freeloaders, I have to pay for it. The question is what’s he gonna do when we do move in? Fuck up the house? Have us get sick or injured?

God, if it’s you who’s been cursing us, leave us alone! If it’s not you, then leave us alone whoever or whatever you are!

Later…

Must be a Mexican close by. Yeah, I heard a car stereo thumping.

Last night I crashed earlier than usual cuz I was so beat. That pain I get at half-time every so often was back again to bug me, so maybe that was draining me. For the first time ever on the land, I awoke before sunrise.

I ended up speaking more with Teresa and Tracy, the black lady, but mainly Tracy, last Sunday night. We mostly talked about my having braces/retainers, and why she’s interested in getting them for herself, beats me. Her teeth are already straight.

Teresa brought in cookies she baked for the guests and they were delicious. She has her younger brother Joey here with her tonight. Last Sunday her two sisters stood over. I wonder why they stay at the hotel.

We’re in the same room we were in last time - room 330 with a king bed and micro/fridge. Last time, on a hunch, I called the room directly below me to see if Teresa’s sister was in it, and sure enough, she was. A young girl answered and in a disguised voice, I asked if she was Teresa’s sister. Yeah, she said, and I hung up.

Tom’s mom is giving us quite a generous Christmas gift. As Tom said, if he understood her right, we’re each getting a wrapped gift, $100 for each of us, and $250 for us both. Neat, huh? Can’t wait to get in that house and get our new exercise machine, even if that means my big Barbie, CD-changer, new headphones, and cactus napkin holder have to wait.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1999 At the hotel…

Arrived at 3:00 after doing things around the house. We both slept till 10:30. My schedule’s slipping! It’s still too soon to not take any Melatonin and allow my schedule to naturally go wherever it wants to.

I did laundry as soon as we got here, and again the hotel ran out of quarters. A black woman, who was sitting in the lobby with her three kids, and who had been chatting with Teresa, gave me quarters for my dollar bill.

Tom mentioned seeing a black family leave every day for a while in a beat-up car. I think these are the same people cuz we got to talking, and they too, are having a home built. Theirs is being built on-site, though, here in Chandler, but why they couldn’t stay where they were till the house was done beats me cuz they’re not coming from out of the area. They’re from Chandler.

We were talking about our rooms, and I made a comment about it being too bad that the vending machine was out of popcorn, since we’ve got a microwave, and she said they had some and sent her son to fetch me a bag. How nice of her. I offered something in exchange for it, but she shrugged my offer off.

I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to Teresa yet, but two of her sisters were here, and my God! They don’t look like sisters at all! Just like Tammy and I don’t look like sisters, Teresa and her sisters are like night and day. Where Teresa is quite hefty, her sisters are as skinny as a coat of paint. There’s only a slight resemblance in the face.

Got a couple of really nice calendars, although I still plan on making my own too, with the thick paper I just got. One of the ones I got has pictures of the desert in bloom, and the other has cats. The cat ones have a little cat picture for each day, rather than one big picture for each month.

Not much else to tell right now. Guess I’ll do some reading. And hope to hell this week goes well. I sure as hell hope to have a better idea of just where we stand by the time the week’s out, or even by Wednesday. Just please God - let our well be completed with its pump tomorrow, and then please let Gravity and APS finish their jobs!!!

Another thing I wonder and even worry about is how long after we move in will it be before we get a washer/dryer and the exercise machine?

Just let things work out for a change!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1999 Never again will I go out on weekends! Especially when it’s so close to Christmas. The traffic and crowds were horrendous! At least something good came out of it - a new computer desk! It’s a great 3-piece deal for just $150. We thought I’d have to spend a good $250 or so on anything decent.

Let me go in order of events, though. I slept till around 10:00 today, then we were off to the grocery store for a few non-perishable items, then to Staples. This Staples didn’t have this model in whitewash, so the guy called another Staples 15 minutes away and had one reserved for us. The first Staples was offering a free chair with that model. I told Tom I’d still settle for light brown so we didn’t have to be out running around all day, but he said it’d be no problem going to this other Staples. No trouble my ass! The fucking parking lot was a total nightmare and the hordes of people we horrid! It took forever to get there, then to park, then to get the damn desk and the chair too, since this store tried claiming they knew nothing about it. Then after two salesclerks were on the phone with the Staples we came from for an eternity, we finally got the damn desk and chair.

Then it was off to fight tooth and nail to get out of the parking lot. This one smart-ass cock was walking so slow in front of the car, pissing me off, and getting pissed off doing it, that I was prepared to fight if need be and I didn’t give a fuck how big he was. The fortunate little shit walked away, though, without provoking me and forcing me to kick ass. Lucky little bastard!

We also went to a sporting store where Tom ran in to get toilet chemicals while I sat in the car. It took him forever.

We grabbed me some Chinese take-out, got some gas, then we finally came back to the house.

The computer desk has a printer and a file cart. It’s great and I have good space, too. All the more it’ll inspire me to write. We put it together using a super bright halogen light run by the generator.

Later…

Well, we’re getting a little taste of the city now. God just won’t let me live in peace. I just have to listen to other people’s shit.

When I first heard the music I automatically thought - here we go. The renters are ready to announce themselves and make their presence known. We drove by them today. Although there are curtains in the window of the one closest to us, it still looks deserted. We didn’t see any people, but there was an old, Mexican-looking car by the other one with a big dog chained in front that may’ve been a St. Bernard.

It wasn’t the renter’s music, though. It’s coming from the north, opposite next door. It sounded like it may’ve been country music, and it was coming from a house, not a car. Fortunately, it couldn’t be heard at all in the house. Not till the parties get closer and louder. It was quite a party, though, setting off tons of dogs in the area by it. I thought they weren’t supposed to do this out here! Tom said that people are bound to have parties during the holidays. Yeah, but there are holidays every other week. Can anybody anywhere keep their damn parties to themselves? It may be Saturday night, but isn’t it a little too soon for a Christmas party? I can’t believe this fucking shit, though! Everywhere I go, everywhere, I have to be forced to listen to other people’s noise! It fucking never ends! Even out here I’m gonna have to listen to other people’s music. Why oh why God can’t you just let me live in peace! Why this obsession?! Well, this decade’s not out yet, but it will be soon enough. Then he can decide whether or not to keep sticking people’s noise on me or do something else to me for the next decade.

I’m out in the middle of fucking nowhere yet I still listen to other people’s music! All I hear is bass, though, and I’m really starting to believe it’s a live band. I’ll bet you anything that if we were in that house, God would make sure it was loud enough to hear in there. I can’t hear it with an earplug in the good ear or when the trailer heater runs, so thank God for at least that much, cuz these things certainly would’ve been utterly useless in Phoenix against car stereos.

Still, holidays or not, Saturday night or not, I thought people out here kept their noise for their ears only. They must be renters, and surprisingly, they aren’t scarce around here. I’ve seen lots of signs advertising houses for rent.

Anyway, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting den tables from Heilig-Meyers cuz they just don’t have any others as cheap as those other ones, and they don’t have a great selection. Since we still have about $50 of credit with them, I’ll at least grab a decoration of some kind.

Speaking of decorations, I picked up 6 new gorgeous pictures at Fred Meyer. They all came to only $50 cuz I bought them frameless. They’re mounted on cardboard and wrapped in plastic.

One may be from some sort of play. It’s called The Accolade, but I never heard of it and don’t know what it means. There is a lady and a man dressed in fancy, old-fashioned clothes, and they seem to be involved in some sort of ceremony. The guy’s kneeling in front of the woman and the woman has a sword lying on the guy’s shoulder. The woman has beautiful long hair, so that’s what attracted me to this picture.

There are two pictures of kids. One is of little girl ballerinas in soft pastel colors and the other is of a boy and girl from behind who are holding hands. “Friends Forever,” it says.

I got a long, skinny picture with puppies amongst pots of purple flowers, a field of purple flowers with a mountain behind it, and another long, skinny one of a beach with palm trees in Tahiti.

I have never written about Janette yet. She’s an older woman who works with Tom and she got in an accident by slamming into a median, so she called Tom to go help her. There was nothing he could really do for her (this was Friday after work), but calm her down till she reoriented herself. The poor woman’s airbag came out and bonked her upside the head, her motor fell out to the ground, and now her insurance rates will go up.

Well, I want to listen to my music now, so I’m gonna unplug and see if they’re still carrying on.

Later…

From the sound of it, they’ve shut up for the night. I took my Melatonin for the night and will be crashing soon. Tom, of course, is crashing in the house. He can stand to sleep in the house under a blanket, and all he has to do to pee is whip it out and squirt it out the door. He doesn’t need any toilet paper. I’m glad he can deal with sleeping over there with no problem since that way I can be free of his shaking the trailer and since I prefer easier access to toilets.

They left their well drilling rig here over the weekend, so I hope that means they’ll be in a hurry to get out here Monday and finish the job so they can take the rig back.

Tom was pretty nervous for a while before they hit water as they did at 545’. The guy said he brought enough piping for 680’ and that on Hidden Valley Road, right around the corner, he had to drill 785’ before hitting water! That’s deep.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1999 In the trailer…

Just when I was admiring how quiet the dogs have been, next door’s dog takes off on a half-hour fit. It didn’t start barking till 10:00, though, and at least the dogs around here, when they do bark, don’t bark much during the day.

Haven’t heard anything else around here yet. A good 99% of the time it’s quiet. Finally! Yeah, but this peace I’ve been dreaming of and fighting for over the last 8 years is something I better enjoy while it lasts.

No Friday night stress like I had in the city! God how I hated weekends on N. 21 Ave.! I can just imagine how many cars are in front of next door! Those poor moochers. Wait till the summer when they’re outside gabbing from sunset to sunrise! It’s just a hell of a relief and a hell of a feeling to know that I no longer have to be forced to listen to and deal with those Mexicans!

I talked with Teresa on and off last night and it was fun. She enjoyed my company and I found her pleasant to chat with.

She looks and acts older than she is. I thought she was in her early 20s, but she’s only 18. She’s engaged and has a 2-year-old. Figures, huh? At just 18? Truthfully, though, if anyone had to be a teenage mom, I’d hope it’d be her. She’s so intelligent and with it for her age. She’s your classic mom looks-wise cuz she’s huge. She says she doesn’t care that she’s big. I envy her attitude.

She was shocked to learn I’m 34. She thought I was around 27.

According to the computer, last night was our 17th night there. That’s scary. And that doesn’t count the days we spent at the La Quinta, the Holiday, Hampton, Red Roof, or the Southgate.

Well, no place is perfect, but the Fairfield is definitely my favorite.

I bought us some chips and shared some cookies and soda with her. She gave me a bag of hard candy.

She might let me steal this fake green leafy tree that’s been cramped behind a cabinet-like thing for a while. She’s gonna get a feel for if her boss would miss it or not, I guess, then let me know Sunday night whether or not I can whisk it out.

She also was cracking up over some jokes I was telling her, which she repeated to her mom and stepdad.

I told her that if all went well, she’d never see me again after next Tuesday. That’s not what she wants, she said, and I gave her our cell phone number. She knows and understands, though, how much we want to get in that house.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1999 We extended our hotel stay for three days in a row, with tonight being the last night, to make it easier on us.

They were at 200’ with the well Tuesday and at 400’ yesterday, so they may finish up today. Meanwhile, Tom’s gonna jump on the phone to push for Gravity to get his fat ass out to finish his job, so we can get in by Christmas and not have to wait a month in between jobs. Before, it’d seem like a month would pass after each job they did, be it the septic, the skirting, APS stringing the electric, etc. If these people want to get paid, they’ll finish their job cuz as it is, they’re not getting full payment. Not with all the delays they’re not.

Well, last night was the 5th quiet hotel night in a row. Hopefully, that’s a good sign, and maybe God will give us a break for a change and let us into our home by Christmas like I prayed for. The bulk of my prayers go unanswered, though, as you know, so we’ll see.

I called Andy last night and the night before, but I think I’m gonna call it quits with calling him. All he does is either say nothing or quote lyrics and it’s really quite boring. I’m done with him. I have nothing to say to him. And there’s nothing he can say to me that’s worth hearing.

I thought of Andy after I smelled pot a few times out at the house. Can you believe it?! Even Tom smelled it. If it isn’t pot we smelled a few different times, then it’s something that really resembles it closely. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, although we doubt it came from Dan or next door due to the direction of the wind Dan and next door our south, the rentals are west, and the smell came from the north.

On our first night here, I sat down to listen to music and turned all the lights off. I then noticed these dots of light on the wall and couldn’t figure out what was causing them. When I turned the lights on, though, I could see there were little glow-in-the-dark star stickers stuck to the wall. I took them to the house and put them in my office.

I haven’t said anything to Tom yet, although I’ve mentioned it before, cuz I wanted to see if he’d notice. So far he hasn’t. I swapped my old nicotine-stained lampshade that goes to the bedroom wall lamp, with one of their wall lampshades here. Mine was only slightly bigger than theirs and shouldn’t be noticeable to anyone who’s not looking for it. Eventually, when it comes time to replace the fluorescent bulb, they may see that the lampshade’s rather dingy looking and replace it. By then we should be long gone and they shouldn’t have a clue as to who made the swap. They may never even know it was a swap, but just a lampshade that got dirty.

Also, I filled those three jar lamps. I could’ve put a Barbie in the big one, but she would’ve been standing funny, so I put flowers in and it looks great. Even Tom says it’s way cool and looks like I bought it that way. I didn’t get as lucky with the two smaller ones cuz most of my flowers were either too old and frayed that I threw them out. So I put beads and pieces of turquoise in one, and an assortment of jewelry in the other.

Yesterday I thought I was getting a cold cuz I had a sore throat, but I’m fine today. Nonetheless, I took the day off and let Tom go straight to the house from work by himself. I hope he doesn’t return with any bad news of any kind. We don’t need it! I have a good vibe for the 20th and a somewhat good one for the 23rd, too.

Poor Tom’s only had four hours of sleep the last two days. I hope he can catch up on at least some of it. He said he’d be in between 1:00-4:00. A part of me wishes I’d gone with him today, cuz I’m sort of bored here.

I automatically awoke at 8:30. Guess I’ve developed a bit of a built-in alarm clock.

I’ve written and listened to music, so I guess I’ll read now.

Later…

If only I’d written down that black bitch’s number before we got the trailer! I could’ve called to confirm whether or not she really got my mail. It’s a little late for that now, anyway, though. She and her cock oughta be out of town now like they always were before Christmas and just after the New Year.

I can’t call the Mexicans for confirmation not knowing their name, not that they’d necessarily be listed. I can’t believe that I never got a piece of their mail and learned their name during the four months I was stuck with them.

I can’t seem to get myself to read right now. I’m in more of a writing mood, although I don’t know what else to say at this time. Just the same thing I’ve been saying for months and what seems like years - I want in that house! I want in now! No, I want in more like yesterday!

I’ve gotten a few wall decorations up, but it’d help if I had my box of nails. They must be in mini storage. All I’ve got is my big toolbox which does have some nails, but mainly screws.

Tom and I were a fool to think I’d run out of doll or wall space. I’ve got plenty of room left for dolls, but that’s mainly cuz 12 of them ended up on top of kitchen cabinets and a few on the counters. I could use some more pictures for the walls. The wall space in there is endless!

I wish Tom would hurry back!

Later…

We hit water today at 545’! Tom said there was water gushing everywhere. He says he also has reason to believe we will be in by Christmas according to how everyone’s acting. Well, this goes with my vibes, which I told him about. He said the 20th is when a pump is supposed to be put on the well, and the house should be inspected on the 23rd which could explain why I had good vibes for those dates.

Also, he got a $750 bonus at work for being such a good worker. After taxes are deducted, though, it’ll only be about $450, but hey, that’s the cost of about 8 hotel nights.

He said he was feeling so well and that he wanted the good luck to continue, so he almost stopped at the casino but was too tired. I’ll bet! At least he’s asleep now and will be able to get nearly 8 hours.

They took the storage bin back today.

I forgot to mention this “witching” crap the well driller went through before beginning the drilling. Talk about putting on a show! With a brass rod that looked like an L-shaped coat hanger, he walked around the property claiming that the more it moved to the side, the more there was water pooled in that area. What a bunch of superstitious bullshit! Yeah, right, and if I walk around with a tree branch that happens to swing to the side magically on its own, does that mean there’s gold under me? He had to have consciously moved the rod, cuz you could hit water pretty much anywhere in that area. That was obvious with all the wells on the farms around there.

I said hi to Teresa, who was totally bored and told her about hitting water. Before I could ask her about stealing any plants, she got a phone call.

Tom hasn’t noticed the swapped lampshade. I told the maid we didn’t need her services today. Not cuz I feared she’d notice the switch either, but because we’re all set till we leave tomorrow.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1999 Today was both hectic and productive.

It was hectic hurrying to set up the new shed and empty the storage bin before dark (they’re supposed to pick up the bin tomorrow).

It was productive cuz the Goddamn well driller finally showed up! It was cool to watch them work and I intend to take some pictures tomorrow. They left the rig on the land and left in a pickup.

The question is are we gonna have to wait forever for Gravity, or someone, to hook it up and fill in the septic so we can then call APS to finish their part and get the county out to inspect?

Tom made it clear to Steven that we know all this delay is his fault and that we regret using him. Steven had an excuse for everything, but Tom had an answer for everything, too. For example, Steven tried to convince Tom that despite the delay, we were saving money on a cheaper driller. But we’re not, as Tom told him. The hotel costs are making up for that so we may as well have gotten an expensive driller who was reliable and who would’ve been on-site as promised.

I said hello to Teresa when we got here, then took a much-needed shower to get all the dust off me.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1999 Was sitting at the breakfast bar earlier.

We’re still pretty stressed out over things taking forever to happen. Not that I’m in the mood for sex myself what with all his excuses, but I was shocked to hear him say he was too stressed out for sex. Don’t get me wrong - everything turns him off. It’s just that once again, Tom’s anything but your typical male. Most people would want to have sex during stressful times cuz it eases stress. People tend to turn towards things they like and things that relax them and make them feel good when they’re stressed out. I lose my appetite for food when I’m feeling down in any way, but I tend to do more other things. Especially listening to music.

Tom’s level of optimism is so unrealistic that it pisses me off. He’s too hopeful. He’s still hoping for a well, saying there’s a good chance the driller will be here tomorrow, but I just don’t see it. Why would he suddenly decide to show up now after all this time?

Tom bitched to the loan people and he says that there’s a damn good chance they’ll sue Steven and his fucked up associates if they don’t have their work done by the 24th, but I doubt it.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1999 We’re at the Fairfield now, although he’s gone to work. This time we’re in the same suite that was left open the night I popped popcorn in its microwave. It’s nice having the micro, and I just slipped downstairs for about ten packets of hot chocolate, ten spoons, and five cups, not that I’ll have more than 2-3 cups tonight. Yes, this is definitely my favorite hotel, even though I wish we never had to return after tonight.

I did laundry earlier and found that Teresa wasn’t working tonight.

I placed one call to Andy earlier too, but he was on the phone cuz it only rang once before his machine came on. I left him a hang-up, and you know, I thought about it and realized something - he probably can’t get a hotel number after all. Not unless it was a call from their main line, but extensions should come up as unavailable, the more I think about it, on both caller ID boxes and last number calls.

After he gets out of work, he’s gonna go get a shed. They’re coming to pick up the storage bin on Wednesday. Then all we’ll have is our stuff in mini storage to get out.

Just when I thought my slow-starting period was over, I had wicked cramps, so I popped ibuprofen.

Last night at around 9 PM I heard a series of gunshots, the second-worst thing you’d hear out there besides dogs. Well, they certainly weren’t hunting at that hour, so I guess they were shooting stray dogs or coyotes away from their chicken coops.

Tom and I discussed getting a gun with a laser line-up when we get the horses.

I love seeing roadrunners. They’re so cute, and they sure are fast!

There still haven’t been any noise problems in back, and I know they can’t be living there full-time yet. Not only cuz it’s too quiet for anyone to be living there, but because I only see their outside light on at night and no other lights. It’s just too dark for anyone to be living there, quiet or not.

Later…

Although I already feel much better, thank God, the last two days weren’t the least bit pleasant.

First, though, since I’m obviously gonna finish this book before we move in the house, I’m gonna use either journal #77 or #160 to finish out our trailer/hotel stay, cuz they have blank pages.

Tom says I’ll feel better by Friday cuz Friday we should have a handle on what’s going on with the house. That goes with my vibes. I feel that yes, we’ll know more of what the fuck’s going on this week and maybe even be able to pinpoint a move-in date. But luckily for me, as I said a moment ago, I’m already feeling better. For a couple of days, I was not only beat and run down to the point that I could’ve easily slept 16 hours, but I was depressed, too. I was so scared too, cuz it was over the two issues that I spent about 5 years being depressed over, and I began to fear I’d be slipping back in time, depressed regularly. I feared God was gonna compensate me for the house/land by having me be depressed over old issues, but nah. I don’t think he’ll do that to me. He couldn’t be that mean, could he? Let’s hope not!

The first issue took me a while to figure out, but the second one still has me confused.

Issue one - the realization that neither of us has made any attempt to have sex in the last three weeks or so, was rather sad. It shows that due to how long we’ve been together, the love’s grown, but the lust has died. I really think this is why he’s been complimenting my looks too, to cover for his lack of being turned on.

I also realized it’s not the infrequent sex that gets me down and frustrated; it’s the damn lies and excuses. Always the lies and excuses! He just can’t come clean, be honest, be himself, and quit bullshitting me. He is how he is, so why he has to come out and make such bullshit comments like “Sex will be fine for making babies once we get settled in the house,” beats me and it really bothers me. Who does he think he’s kidding? Himself? Me? Not me. Certainly not me. But why oh why does he keep on, year after year, saying he’s gonna be someone he isn’t? It isn’t in him to have full-time sex and to cum regularly. He doesn’t even want to. Instead, he says he’s gonna do shit he’s not gonna do, then makes excuses. Nine of out ten times, as soon as he’s about to cum, he quits and makes excuses. He’s always got a problem. A cramp, an ache, a pain, a cold, exhaustion, etc. I’m so sick of it and he’s being so damn obvious. This is more than fear of making the baby he believes I can conceive. This is someone who’s just not into it and just not very attracted to me. But why can’t he just be honest and not do things he’s uncomfortable about, rather than attempt them just to back out scared, or cuz he just can’t get into it, then pummel me with excuses? Fine - don’t screw me but once or twice a month. And fine - don’t cum but once a year. But by God - cut the bullshit lies and excuses!

Issue two - this is the confusing one. How do you want something you know you don’t want? I know I don’t want a kid. I just don’t want to live that lifestyle. I don’t want to trade in dolls for diapers and deal with all a child entails; the stress, burden, responsibility, cost, loss of freedom, etc. I don’t want the tremendous strain it’d put on our marriage. We’d only bicker over it and then we really wouldn’t have a life or much time together.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but wonder about it. I’m so curious about this thing I can never have, but I know that want it or not, I can never have it and I could never handle it. If it was meant to be, it would’ve been by now - naturally. It’s better to always remain curious about what it’d have been like to carry/have a child than to live out those experiences and deal with the misery it’d bring. After my curiosity was settled, I’d have only been overwhelmed and miserable for years and years. I have no tolerance or patience for kids.

No amount of sex or in vitro could ever lead to a kid. It ain’t in my cards, but despite my curiosity and how it sometimes gets me down that God didn’t give me the free will to decide about having kids, his making a child not a part of my destiny is a damn good thing for me. Probably the best thing next to making Tom a part of my life/destiny. Having a life and having the freedom that I do is exactly what I need. Things turned out for the best and I’m glad they turned out as they did.

I forgot to say that as for the sex - I have no desire to get what I’m not getting in the marriage with another woman, but I am getting more and more turned off and am losing interest more and more with each passing year. His lack of enthusiasm and his constant excuses really kill my drive.

So what am I gonna do? The only thing I can do - put up with his excuses when we screw every few weeks, and accept that I can never have a child, want one or not, under any circumstances, no matter how advanced technology is.

For a while, I didn’t want to discuss it cuz I’ve learned it’s useless to discuss the things we can’t change and I didn’t want to bicker about it or have him BS me in any way, but I finally agreed to spill it out after he promised not to talk so as to avoid fighting. He knows I don’t want to hear the same BS he’s been telling me for six years now - that he wants to screw full-time, that we will screw full-time, that he will cum regularly, and that I’ll magically conceive someday when I know damn good and well that this is all bullshit. These things can’t and won’t happen. Fine. I accept it and am OK with it. What I’m not OK with are his lies and excuses.

He kept his promise and quietly let me bitch, but was that a look of boredom on his face I saw? A look of not-this-shit-again? Even a pleased look? Why do I feel that the more I’m turned off, the more he’s turned on?

He explained to me that it’s normal for everyone to have cycles of happiness and depression and that certain issues only seem to be getting me down when all it really is is just a case of me being down. It wouldn’t depress you if I died? I asked him. Yes, he said, but if I died during a happier cycle of his, it wouldn’t affect him as deeply as it would if I died during a shitty time for him when he was already feeling down.

Well, I just pray to God that I never ever go through years of wanting a child again! I don’t ever want to want a child!!!!! Ever! For a woman to go through years of depression over that is practically inhumane.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1999 I’m writing for the first time in the house at the bar on one of our new stools. I’m rapidly losing light, though, so I’m gonna head to the trailer. Tom’s bundled up asleep on the couch here.

We may still not have water and electricity, but we have steps! Three sets, rather than the two we thought we were gonna get, although for a while there, I was beginning to think we were gonna have to get steps ourselves, but luckily, it’s one less thing we have to do.

The steps are ugly, but we don’t care. We’ve got them and they’re functional and that’s what matters! I just wish we’d gotten them sooner. They’re wooden steps with a reddish tint. They each have a matching wooden rail to one side, and I managed to hang my three biggest wind chimes off each of the three sets of stair railings. Using a hoe to raise it high enough, I put an old, broken wind chime up in one of our old ugly mesquite trees that’s sort of between the house and trailer. I put the little ones in a bush by the master bedroom side of the house.

Yesterday we got the kitchen set, stools, and spider lamp. They’re gorgeous. I sure do love contemporary-style furniture.

Today we went to the casino again, and unfortunately, my win vibe didn’t pan out. Maybe next time.

On the way back I saw a “Wild West” kind of sight. It was so southwestern and such a cool scene to see. A herd of beautiful wild horses was running alongside us as we were cruising down the freeway.

I got a little tub of homemade cookies from the grocery store, but they were hard. So Tom gave me a wonderful tip. He advised I put a piece of bread in the tub, and sure enough, it softened the cookies. The cookies sucked up the bread’s moisture.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1999 About an hour ago, we arrived here at the Fairfield. Teresa’s on tonight, and she put us in a more secluded room on the 3rd floor and says she’ll look out for us as far as who she puts where. She said all four of those rooms (so that was connected to the guy that came in requesting four rooms. I remember thinking to myself - that’s a lot of fucking kids)! Turned out to be scammers and she wishes she called the cops on them. They rang up their phone bills and stole everything out of the rooms. Yeah, I believe it. And I doubt very much they were retards coming for treatment. Why would they have to come here? They can get treatment anywhere. I think they were a bunch of Mexicans out for hand-me-outs, just like they usually are.

Another thing that annoys me when we stay in hotels is Tom and his goddamn TV. He and TV are like glue, and it’s hard for me to read or write with it going. I’m forced to listen to it too, and you know I hate TV with the same old, same old shit that’s always on. I looked at the HBO guide earlier and I swear that everything listed was the same old shit they’ve been running for the last decade.

Earlier, our kitchen set, stools, and spider lamp were delivered.

As I predicted about a month ago, we’re not getting a well. This fucking driller’s put us on hold and made his false promises long enough. We don’t know yet who’s gonna be filling in the septic, but I’m sure it’s gonna have to be us since no one seems to want to do anything for us. We are getting so fucked over and God’s so oblivious to it all, making me feel like he could care less, and always feeling like I have to pay dearly for all the things I get in life. He’s been totally ignorant of all my pleas for help, so now we’re on our own with no one to help us but ourselves. There’ll be no stairs, either like we were falsely promised.

Tom’s going to call the loan people about readjusting that, then we’ll get water and pressure tanks and begin hauling our own water. Once the tanks are in and inspected, we can fill in the septic, call APS to put a meter box out for us, then finish the stupid, sloppy, lazy Mexican’s jobs for them by fixing what they fucked up or half-assed within the house.

Then maybe, just maybe, God will give us our lives back and leave us alone to live in peace, but I won’t hold my breath. I’ve always believed that as long as God knows Tom’s with me, he’ll always run him ragged and keep him on the go so we don’t have time to do fun things together. And when we do, it’s only once every couple of weeks or so. I strongly feel that as soon as we’re in that house, his mother will become our daughter again and probably end up in the hospital, if not dead. Although, it’s too soon for her to die, from what I vibe. I think she’ll live till around next June-September, but if she’s still alive by then, then she may never die! Not for years yet, anyway. The doctors were obviously wrong in saying she had a terminal blood disease.

Later…

Tom fell asleep after turning off the TV to read for a while I read too, and decided I’d write some more. Perhaps I’ll go begin a letter to Paula.

First, though, I decided that as cute as those borders were, I think they’d be too much and make the place look really circus-like, so I’ve decided that I’ll eventually get a couple of murals that are 9’ tall and 6’ wide. A nighttime city scene for the bedroom and a beach with palm trees scene for my office.

Since there’s a damn good chance I’ll finish this book before we’re in the house, I’ll just get a regular notebook. I don’t have any room on my shelves for any more journals. Wait a minute! I’ve got plenty of room in #77. I was gonna use that up for journal charts back before I knew I was gonna be doing all my journaling on just the computer.

I went downstairs for coffee earlier and ended up chatting with Teresa for a few minutes when she came over to get some juice. She unlocked the orange juice and apple juice machine saying they weren’t supposed to use it (it’s for breakfast), but she was broke and thirsty. She offered me a cup, too.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1999 Tomorrow we’re expecting the kitchen set, the stools, and the spider lamp. That’s great, but when oh when are we ever gonna get water and electricity?!?! I keep insisting to Tom that we’re never gonna get a well, so we may as well start hauling water. We’ll probably have to fill in the septic ourselves too, which has been inspected and OK’d.

When the fuck are we ever gonna get those two sets of stairs we were promised? When the fuck are we ever gonna get in that damn house?!?!

Steven, who’s really lied to us and fucked us over “claims” he fired Hilda, then he swore he called the well driller, after swearing he didn’t know we’d been living in motels and got on his ass about getting us drilled, but even this cock’s a fucking liar. He said he’d drill the well “as soon as we got our permit.” God, how I hate people who say they’re gonna do something they don’t do!

It’s a real bitch stepping up on our little step ladder, then taking the gigantic step up into the house. You have to pull yourself up there.

In case I forgot to say - our AC is a ground-mounted unit, right outside the utility door.

I’m just so fucking sick of people screwing us over; being all talk and no action! I keep telling Tom he’s too soft-spoken with these people, then we argue over how my getting aggressive with these fucks will do us no good. It’s stressful and frustrating, even if my worst days since being out here are still fantastic compared to an average day back east, but still, I feel evil forces working against us, as well as blessed ones. It’s like first God’s with us by letting us sell our house so fast, even if we had expected to get out of there 4-6 months sooner than we did, and now, it’s like he’s teasing me with this house. I feel like this preparing to move and this trailer/hotel shit has been going on for years. Well, I mentally “prepared” to move six years ago, but still - when is this gonna end? I just want in the house! I try to remind myself how much worse things could be by remembering the past, and I tell myself to be glad that at least I have Tom and the house is here and at least we’re out of Phoenix, but I don’t feel gone half the time. Although I have a beautiful house and 10 gorgeous acres, God won’t let me out of the city! Every other day or two we have to go back so we can shower and once again - I’m stuck in the city! Stuck with all the noise and people. Stuck where everyone makes their business your business.

God really wants me to finish this decade with other people’s noise. It’s like the decade’s not out yet so he’s not finished with me yet. But what’s he gonna do next? What’s the next decade’s ongoing issue gonna be that’s gonna take 8-10 years to either go away on its own or for me to fix? Why must I pay so dearly for this house? Can’t I ever receive something without conditions? Why must I be punished and made to suffer just so I can live a normal life in this house and on this land (or as close to normal as God will allow and I’ll be happy with)?

There is some good news, although it’s not really good news, cuz it’s been cold, and cuz they just moved in, but behind us has still been quiet. Again, I don’t think they’re living here full-time anymore than we are.

What I’m trying to figure out, though - is all this being delayed from getting in the house, being screwed by Steven and his people, and having to play motel, punishment for leaving Phoenix and a house of noise? Compensation for getting the house/land? Or a sign of something good to come? Could we be going through all this hassle only to be soon compensated for something wonderful? Well, just getting in that fucking house would be wonderful enough!!!

Speaking of that house, I put some dolls up on top of the kitchen cabinets and they look really cool. I had to put them mainly on the cabinets towards the middle of the house where the ceiling’s high enough for them, cuz the ceiling’s just a few inches above the cabinets on the exterior wall.

Now that I know more about how dolls are made, I was able to fix some arms and legs that I thought were defective or just the way they were. Take Maria, for example. Well, I didn’t know she could be a sitting doll like Bailey, but she can and she is now and she looks so much better. Before, she had an odd pose and was neither a sitting doll nor a standing doll, but more like a leaning doll that was very pigeon-toed.

I repositioned Angel and Lollipop’s arms.

I can’t wait to get back to the casino. We’re gonna win the next time, too. I just know it. How interesting for me to vibe this before going there. Usually, I don’t sense if we’ll win or lose until we arrive at the casino. It won’t be millions, but it’ll be more than a few bucks.

Gosh, I didn’t think I could get in such a writing mood with all the shuffling around and with all the BS I’ve been through, but I guess after not writing nearly as much as I usually do and have been wanting to do it caught up to me.

It hasn’t rained since late August-early September and they say our first rain in months is due to hit this weekend. Can’t wait to check out the wash during a rainstorm. Tom thinks it’ll be a doozy too, and it oughta be neat to see a little river cascade through our land.

If you ask me personally, I’m glad the weather’s been like it’s been in light of our circumstances. This way I’m not sweating my ass off as I go back and forth to the trailer/house, and while I work in the house. It also keeps dogs quieter and flies, moths, and other flying bugs to a minimum.

We finally met our neighbors to our left. Well, he did. I was in the house and didn’t even know they’d met (that’s how big our property is)! Till he told me about it. As we were driving in earlier, we noticed five huge dogs by their shacks which were a bit scary. To say there are a lot of loose dogs around here is an understatement. Anyway, they drove up to the trailer to talk to Tom and they asked if they were our dogs. First, the grandmother introduced herself, her daughter, and her grandson. (I forgot if he said the son-in-law was present). So he told them we’d seen them, and she said they killed a chicken of theirs, but that by the time she grabbed her gun, they were gone (too bad!).

He said she looked white, but the kid and daughter may be Mex. Or did he say the kid’s father? Anyway, it figures. It really figures. He did say they seemed like nice people, though, and we’re glad to have met them since we were both curious, but what would they have done if he’d said they were our dogs? Shoot us?

I guess I’m not gonna be hearing about Joeshit’s and the H’s letters, but I kind of figured as much deep down. What could I hear about them?

I called Andy twice from the Southgate, but the first time I dropped the damn phone and never heard what he was saying so I just hung it up in the middle of his babbling. When I called back, he picked up and said, “Rock and roll star you are,” and I hung up.

Speaking of the Southgate - it was not peaceful like the first two times we were there. It was just like a regular hotel with hallways. There was a lot of banging, and while it wasn’t chock full, it wasn’t as dead as usual, either. Some little shit slammed its door nearly on and off till late at night. Amazingly, I slept straight through from midnight till 8:00 like I did, although at 8:15 the banging started up again. The housekeeper was the cause of some of it. We left before they could begin to pester us to clean the room. As I said, Do Not Disturb signs are useless out here. If they can’t go to your door, they call you and bug you by phone.

Anyway, right after Tom left at 11:00 for work, I called the nearby rooms that were occupied, knowing one or both of them had to be doing the banging. There was no one to our right, but there was to our left and below. I called below first and said, “Stop slamming that door!”

“What?” said the middle-aged to older guy in such a stunned voice.

“Sit down, shut up, and quit slamming doors,” I said and hung up.

As soon as the cock to my left answered, I said the same thing. As soon as I finished, I hung up after hearing him say, “Who the f…”

I obviously really scared the shit out of them cuz they wouldn’t answer in the morning yet their cars were still there.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1999 I just knew today would be a good one. I had good vibes for this day for a week or two. We spontaneously stopped in the casino to try out their buffet (at least I knew I could be guaranteed no screaming kids in there!). Then we gambled and he won about $40 and me $30. I psyched out winning machines and then sensed it when I could win no more. I always sense it and know when I’m gonna win/lose. For $38 (there’s no tax on the reservation) I got a cute little 14” brown-haired, brown-eyed ballerina in a blue satin dress with white stiff netting. Her hair is to her waist and is a cross between wavy and curly. She came with no stand and no name so I named her Linda. She’s very similar to my Christina doll, but rather than having lace-up toe slippers, she’s barefoot. I plan to polish her toenails. As my shit doll luck would have it, I have to glue on a couple of flowers that fell off the ribbons that go around her ankles, as well as her fairy wings. She has a halo of blue flowers around the crown of her head.

For $14 I got an Arizona T-shirt with cactuses with a shiny gold border on a deep magenta background.

At the buffet, they had some Chinese food. As always, I grabbed a fortune cookie, and with it came a rather ominous message that says: Children’s laughter, so beautiful to hear, soon will be a chance to have them very near.

No thanks! Their laughter is not so beautiful to hear and I don’t want a chance to have them very near. I’d had them very near for nearly a decade now, which is more than enough, thank you. I’m not worried, though. I know God has other plans for me in life and that kid(s) is not in my destiny. I may’ve been wrong about marriage, quitting smoking, etc., but I know I’m not wrong about this, even though Tom feels it’s inevitable just like he did with the smoking.

Last Sunday, after unpacking several boxes, we went and stayed at the Fairfield (I did our laundry, too). Teresa wasn’t working, but Kim, another one we’ve gotten to know (we know the whole staff), was kind enough not to put anyone near us. I explained what happened the last time, and asked that she please be selective about who she puts near us if she could help it. We ended up being on the 3rd floor for the first time in this place, right in the very room those wild animals were in. It had a really cool 20’ high ceiling which made sounds echo. No wonder they were so damn loud. Anyway, it turned out to be their best room yet. I never heard one sound all night.

We’re at the Southgate now.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1999 My 34th birthday, which was yesterday, wasn’t pleasant for the most part, but neither are most of my birthdays. I don’t know if it was my gut instinct or just logic, but somehow I knew he’d be tense and moody. I feel like he uses my birthdays to take out any negative feelings he’s ever had towards me. What’s he gonna do when his birthday rolls around? Bait me into a fight so he can feel like he has an excuse to “get me back” on my next birthday? Well if I’m right about what he’s been up to - it’s childish and getting very old.

Before I continue - I’ve been up since 6:30 and haven’t had a bite to eat all day! Yeah, but I’m gonna have a bag of popcorn later.

Anyway, on my birthday, we went to the grocery store, to get the 13 dolls I had in mini storage, and to those southwestern shops in Scottsdale. They had a fairly decent-sized Indian doll for just $50 and lots of beautiful knickknacks. For my birthday, he got me a beautiful vase with cactuses and gold lines threading through it.

Our stay at the Southgate was quiet, but what is it with these housekeepers calling to see if you’ve checked out yet? Shouldn’t they have this information in their charts?

Let me cover the shit that went down last week at the Fairfield and get that out of my system. It was 9:00 and I was just about to settle in to watch a new movie when all of a sudden, I heard a ton of banging and kids giggling. At first I thought it was coming from next to us, but Teresa, a nice girl who works here, said it couldn’t be after she talked to him. It was just one older guy. Back in our room a little later, Tom had woken up and said it sounded like it was coming from above us on the 3rd floor. So I called down to Teresa, and sure enough, there were four kids up there, and these people had already been complained of and moved before. That’s right God - stick ‘em on top of me! Why does he always stick them on me in fours? Four NHA monsters, four Mormonettes, etc.

Teresa had to call them twice to get them to shut up, and they were quiet for a while till they woke me up at midnight. This was the final straw. I called downstairs and this time, the guy whom I bitched to about that old biddy answered and I told him that they had to go and that I wanted the cops called and that I wanted them out. He said OK, and they obviously were really booted out, cuz there wasn’t a sound after that.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1999 It has become absolutely freezing! It not only was just 50-something degrees today, but it was also incredibly windy. However, since it became wintry, the barking has lessened so much that at sundown you hardly hear anything at all. Well, we'll definitely be in the house long before the weather's comfortable enough for them to go off for a few hours in the evenings.

I still have yet to write about all the noise I had to put up with at the Fairfield, but let's just say that this time around, I had them thrown out. I'll write about it later, but first, the Southgate was again dead and quiet. We're at the trailer now, though.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1999 We’re at the Southgate motel now, after I swore Tuesday night I’d never stay at a hotel/motel again. I’m only here cuz Tom’s still got a cold, although he told me he’d be OK either way. That’s sweet of him, and I know how flexible he is, but still, I thought he deserved the comfort of a real bed and a real bathroom.

This room we got is also on the 2nd floor, but we got two doubles instead of a king, and it doesn’t have a microwave and a fridge.

Boy, am I the opposite of how I was those last couple of years back East healthwise. Back then, I’d just look at someone with a cold and catch it, but now, even if I’m confined in small spaces with someone with a cold, and even if I share their drink with them, as I did with Tom, I still don’t catch colds! I’d have definitely gotten it by now if I were gonna get it. The only thing I have is the usual tightness God’s forever cursed me with, although it’s improved since leaving Phoenix, and will continue to improve once we don’t have to drive through it as much when we get in that house once and for all! I did tell Tom from the get-go, though, that I vibed us not being able to move in till between my b-day and Christmas. When we went to make our first house payment, we were happy to hear that the loan people have refused to pay Steven and his associates a dime, cuz the work hasn’t been completed yet. They now have a 12/24 deadline, or else! We totally regret using Steven (we used him cuz we knew we’d lower our monthly payments by avoiding buying the house directly), although anyone you hire is gonna fuck up in one way or the other. People are just too damn stupid. We’re still fighting tooth and nail trying to get the well driller out there, and God only knows the story with APS, although Kathy, whom we’ve been dealing with, came out and replaced our red tag with a green one.

When we arrived at the land yesterday, we were pleased to see the dumb shit driving our storage big finally found our place after three phone calls asking for directions and were even more pleased to find our stuff intact! I was really sure that a lot of stuff would be smashed with the way they tip the bin. Tom packed it well.

We also got the bedroom and living room set delivered yesterday, too. The living room set came first. I had to send back the three tables cuz they were bent and broken, but as it turns out - I’m glad they were! In this particular room, three tables would’ve been too much. Especially with as monstrous as the sofa, loveseat, and chair were, which I’d forgotten. The chair’s almost as wide as a loveseat, the loveseat is nearly as long as a couch, and the couch is a couch and a half!

So, we’ll be going back there to select just two tables. One big one to serve the couch and loveseat and a small one to put by the chair. I have the chair against the utility wall, the couch in front of the windows, and the love seat sticks out facing the chair with its back by the kitchen in front of the bar and entryway. It fits nicely, though, without blocking our path.

The bedroom furniture people arrived while the people with the living room stuff were still there, so Tom had the bedroom stuff plopped down. The living room guy offered to give us a hand which we didn’t but should’ve taken him up on, cuz it was a bitch to get up in there, and they rudely used us as a dumping ground. I didn’t see it till it was too late, but they left a big empty box out front.

Anyway, we managed to get the dresser and nightstand in. They look great, too!

At first, when I looked at our very black living room furniture against the blue carpet and the whitewash and the tulips and everything combined, I thought it didn’t look as good as I thought it’d look and wondered if it would’ve looked better with a light-colored fabric, but black really does go with everything even if it’s dramatically darker than everything else around it, and it’s so dazzling and so comfy!

We were scheduled to have the dining room set, stools, and spider lamp delivered today, but they wouldn’t have been able to bring it out till after we were planning on leaving, so he called and rescheduled it for next Thursday.

We stopped at Walgreens on our way here and I got a picture frame in a water globe with glittery stuff that floats around. They call it a waterfall photo frame.

I also got some nail art kits. I decided I don’t want some of the decals I got so I’m enclosing that, and glitter from a vial of glitter that’ll make a hell of a mess, in the black bitch’s final piece of mail from me. Yeah, I thought she could use one more wacky, you-had-a-lot-of-nerve-to-do-the-things-you-did kind of letter. I figured I oughta use my nice stationery some more, and that’s why the moochers that bought our old house are gonna hear from me too, but they should’ve gotten their letter by now. The other reason I wanted to come here, besides allowing him to be more comfortable, was so I could mail the Mexican’s mail without his knowledge. The H’s letter implies I’m the next-door neighbor, but I don’t come out and give any specific identity. I start with bitching about all their barking dogs, scold them for vandalizing our place, then weird out on them with the senseless mumbo-jumbo.

[steven1123x]

Behind The Scenes -Chapter 31: New Life and Career

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

November 3, 2013

Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems were going into costume, Steven got a trailer, as same as everyone else. The makeup artists in Steven's trailer were making Steven like the character he portrays, The artists fit him with a fat suit, and They cut a hole for his gem.

Greg and Rose were both sitting on the couch as the men continued doing their work on Steven. His wardrobe consisted of his star t-shirt — but it was not bright red, it was a light pink. Cuffed jeans and salmon pink flip-flops.

Steven put the shirt on, which fit him just right, he put his jeans and flip-flops on. Greg takes a picture and Steven rubs his eyes. "Dad!"

"We're so proud of you, Steven!" Rose said, kneeing to his level and putting her hands on his shoulders. Steven smiled and blushed in embarrassment.

Someone knocked on the trailer's door. "Steven!" The muffled voice of Pearl was heard. "Where starting in ten minutes!" she said. Steven smiles. He saw that his iPhone was in the charger, and he had a text from Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo telling him good luck with filming.

Steven smiled, he was so glad that he had such supportive friends on his side, and parents also.

Steven ran out and saw Pearl in her costume, she hadn't changed at all, just her clothes.

She wore an aqua-blue tunic with a small yellow star on the center of her chest and a lighter satin sash ribbon around her upper waist. Her leggings were amber-colored. She also wore pink socks, and her slip-on ballet flats were colored a slightly lighter blue.

"I like your outfit, Pearl," he said, flashing a smile.

"Thank you, Steven." Pearl smiles. "It does look good on me, doesn't it?"

"It does!" Steven put a thumbs up.

They both went to the soundstage where they were filming the first scene. Steven was amazed. He looked at the set as he was starry-eyed. It was no different than the Regular Show set that he'd been on a few weeks ago.

Sadie and Lars were studying their lines. Lars was sitting on the counter and Sadie was standing to the side, with her script open. The overhead lights shined brightly down onto the set.

Steven walks in further, Amethyst is at the snack table. Steven walked over to her. "Hey, dude."She said, looking. She was shocked as she saw Steven.

"Woah, bro! your different now, heavy makeup can do that, dude," she said. Steven chuckled and smiled. Steven looked at her.

Amethyst wore a mauve, oversized, off-shoulder tank top with a black bra underneath. She also wore black leggings with star-shaped cutouts on the knees, with a tear above the left star, and small, pointed, white boots.

"So… What do you think, man?"

"It looks good on you."

"Thanks, Steven!" Steven looks at Garnet, she is talking to Greg and Rose.

She was wearing a black and crimson bodysuit, with cubic shoulder pads (the right one being brink pink, the left one being crimson), and a pale pink star with a brink pink outline on her chest. Steven looks at her longer. He had noticed that her eyes were covered in a large sunshade, he guessed that it would be from the future.

"Garnet," Steven said, she looked at him and picked the boy up.

"Steven!" she said excitedly. He laughed happily as she held him in the air.

"Lion King!" Steven laughs.

"Alright!" Garnet said, smiling. Then lifts him higher.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhm ingonyama

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhhmm ingonyama

Ingonyama

Siyo Nqoba

Ingonyama!"

Steven and Garnet both laugh at that. The boy smiles as his friend sets him down.

"We're starting in a few minutes guys!" Rebecca said, walking into the set. Steven nodded and went over to another part of the set.

"Quiet on set!" Rebecca said, sitting on her director's chair. She grabs an extra script so she could follow along with the episode.

"And… Action." The director said.

"Steven Universe Gem Glow, Scene one, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

In the vibrant and quirky Beach City, the morning sun bathed everything in a warm glow, and the air was filled with the tantalizing scent of freshly baked goods. But for Steven Universe, today was not a day for celebration.

He bolted into the Big Donut, his eyes wide with disbelief as he approached the ice cream freezer. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried, his voice echoing through the shop. The sight before him was devastating: an empty freezer where Cookie Cats once resided. His heart sank. "This can't be happening! This has to be a dream! Lars! Lars! Please tell me I'm dreaming!"

Lars, busy restocking shelves, shook off Steven's frantic grasp. "Get off me, man! I'm stocking here!"

Sadie, the shop's cashier, looked at Steven apologetically. "I'm sorry, Steven. I guess they stopped making them."

"Stopped making them?!" Steven exclaimed, his voice rising in horror. "Why in the world would they stop making Cookie Cats?! They're only the most scrumptious and delicious ice cream sandwich ever made! Don't they have laws for this?!"

Lars shrugged, kneeling to restock another cabinet. "Tough bits, man. Nobody buys them anymore. I guess they couldn't compete with 'Lion Lickers.'"

Steven groaned, marching over to the offending freezer of "Lion Lickers."

"Not 'Lion Lickers'! Nobody likes them! They don't even look like lions! Kids these days—I'll tell ya what!"

Lars chuckled, mocking him. "Well, if you miss your wimpy ice cream so much, why don't you make some with your 'magic belly button'?" He laughed as he walked away.

"That's not how it works, Lars!… Right?" Steven pondered, revealing a gem at his navel and jiggling his belly. "Oh, sweet Cookie Cats, with your crunchy cookie outside and your icy creamy insides... You were too good for this world." He drew a sad cookie cat on the freezer with his finger and gave it a gentle kiss.

Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Uh... Steven?"

He didn't respond, lost in his sorrowful embrace with the freezer.

"Do you want to take the freezer with you?" she asked, glancing at Lars, who leaned in with a confused expression. Steven nodded vigorously.

"And, cut! That was great, let's prepare for the next scene," she said, as they changed location. Rebecca sat at her director's chair again, in front of a beach house and a large temple that took them a year to build out of real stone.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene two, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard. There were cameras inside the beach house too so, they could keep the show rolling when Rebecca was outside of the house. She could see what was happening through a little screen.

With the empty Cookie Cat freezer hoisted on his back, he hummed the nostalgic "Cookie Cat" jingle as he made his way home.

Once inside the Beach House, Steven burst through the door, excitement bubbling up inside him. "Hey, guys, you won't believe this!" But before he could finish, a Centipeetle lunged at him, roaring ferociously. Steven screamed, but then, in a flash, Amethyst appeared, yanking the creature away with her whip.

"'Sup, Steven?" she grinned, tossing the Centipeetle aside.

In the corner, Pearl was busy lifting another Centipeetle off the Warp Pad, while Garnet dealt with one in the kitchen.

"Awesome! What are these things?" Steven asked, still catching his breath.

Pearl groaned, her expression tense. "Ugh! Sorry, Steven. We'll get these Centipeetles out of your room. We think they were trying to get into the temple."

"Aw. You don't have to get rid of them. They're really cool," he replied, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Just then, the Centipeetle Pearl was holding spat acid onto the floor, dissolving it into a gaping hole. Steven and Pearl recoiled in disgust.

Amethyst, unfazed, poofed another Centipeetle away. "Um, you guys? These things don't have gems."

"That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby," Garnet stated, her voice steady as she expertly knocked a sneaky Centipeetle away.

Pearl nodded. "We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt."

"I can come, right? Can I?! Can I?!" Steven's eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"Steven, until you learn to control the powers in your gem, we'll take care of protecting humanity, okay?" Pearl replied, snapping the neck of the Centipeetle she was holding with a swift motion.

"Aw, man," Steven sighed, noticing a Centipeetle raiding his fridge. "Hey! Get out of there! Go on! Shoo! Shoo! Aw! They got into everything! Not cool!"

The chaos unfolded around him, but amidst the urgency, Steven's thoughts drifted back to Cookie Cats. With a wild imagination and a little determination, he knew that somehow, he would find a way to bring his beloved ice cream sandwiches back to life — after he helped his friends with the Centipeetle crisis, of course.

For in Beach City, adventure was never far away, and sometimes, it was the simplest things that held the greatest magic.

Once upon a time in Beach City, the Crystal Gems were busy in their home, a vibrant place brimming with energy and magic. One day, Garnet, ever the protector, decided it was time for a little surprise for Steven. With a swift punch, she poofed away an old, dusty box in the corner. When the dust settled, Steven's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way! I-it can't be! Wha-where did you get these?!" he exclaimed as he rushed to the fridge, which was inexplicably full of his favorite treat—Cookie Cats!

Pearl, with a smirk, closed the fridge door behind him. "Well, we heard that, too, and since they're your favorite..."

"We went out and stole a bunch!" Amethyst interrupted, her mischievous grin revealing her playful nature.

Pearl shot Amethyst a disapproving look. "I went back and paid for them," she huffed, maintaining her dignity.

Garnet, arms crossed, declared confidently, "The whole thing was my idea." Her gauntlets retracted back to her gems, showcasing her readiness for whatever came next.

"Not really," Amethyst chimed in, throwing a playful glare at Garnet.

"All that matters is that Steven is happy," Pearl reminded them, her heart warming at the sight of Steven's excitement.

As if on cue, Steven burst into the catchy jingle of his beloved treat.

"Oohhh

He's a frozen treat with an all-new taste

'Cause he came to this planet from outer space

A refugee of an interstellar war

But now he's at your local grocery store

Cookie Cat!

He's a pet for your tummy

Cookie Cat!

He's super duper yummy

Cookie Cat!

He left his family behind

Cookie Caaaaat!"

He then speaks "Now available at Gurgens off Route 109!"

The Gems exchanged amused glances, chuckling as Steven continued his ode to Cookie Cat, his enthusiasm infectious. They applauded and laughed, basking in the joy of the moment.

"I can't believe you did this! I'm gonna save these forever!... right after I eat this one," he said, eagerly tearing open a wrapper. "Hello, old friend," he grinned, sinking his teeth into the cookie, bliss washing over his face. But as he savored the first bite, something unexpected happened — his gem began to glow with an intensity he had never seen before.

And this was the first time I'm getting my powers, finally!Steven thought to himself

"Uh, Steven..." Amethyst said, her voice tinged with concern.

"What?!" he exclaimed, lifting his shirt to reveal the glowing gem. Panic surged within him. "My gem!"

"Quick, try and summon your weapon!" Amethyst urged, her usual sarcasm replaced by urgency.

"I don't know how!" Steven cried, his voice rising in panic. "Aaaah, it's fading! How do I make it come back?!"

"Calm down, Steven. Breathe, don't force it," Pearl instructed, her voice steady and soothing.

"Yeah, and try not to poop yourself either," Amethyst added with a cheeky grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Please, don't," Garnet interjected, her tone serious.

As Steven's gem's glow faded, a collective sigh escaped the group. "Ah, I was really close that time!" he said, frustration mingling with determination. "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"

The Gems exchanged looks, their hearts full of affection for their young friend. They knew that together, they would find a way to help him harness his powers, and in the meantime, there were plenty of Cookie Cats waiting to be enjoyed.

Rebecca thought that they were going to do this in post. So GarnetAmeythest and Pearl don't have to travel back and forth through sets.

"Oh, I'll go first!" she declared, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. She gestured elegantly toward the falling petals, which danced whimsically in the air. "Pay attention to these petals, Steven. Their dance may seem improvised, but it's calculated in real-time based on the physical properties of this planet. With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and perform your own dance!"

With a swift motion, Pearl summoned her spear from her gem, demonstrating a flawless, graceful movement that left Steven in awe. His eyes widened as he watched the petals swirl and twirl around him, each flutter an invitation to join in the beauty of the moment.

"And Cut. That was great Pearl. Let's go back to the original location!" Rebecca said. They walked to the Big Doughnut set and set up there again.

"And… Action!" Rebecca said.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene three, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

Later, at the familiar hangout spot known as the Big Donut, Steven felt inspired. He tossed a handful of petals into the air, watching them float. "Wuh!" he exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

Amethyst, lounging nearby, smirked. "Did Pearl tell you the petal thing?" she asked, half-laughing.

"Yeah, I need to practice really hard so I can dance like a tree... I think," Steven replied, scratching his head in confusion.

"Listen, Steven," Amethyst said, rolling her eyes. "All that practice stuff is no fun. Whenever I need to summon my weapon, it just happens." With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her whip and effortlessly broke a nearby garbage container in two. "See? Didn't try at all!"

Just then, Lars burst outside, dropping a trash bag in exasperation. "Aaah! Again?!"

Perplexed but determined, Steven pondered his next steps. "So I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" he asked, seeking clarity.

"And, action!"

"Yes," Garnet replied, her expression stoic yet reassuring.

Steven stood in silence, contemplating the paradox. Garnet continued, "Or... you could link your mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through your gem." With a flourish, she summoned her gauntlets, demonstrating her strength and focus.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene four, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

In the cozy kitchen of the Beach House, Steven felt a spark of inspiration. "I think my best bet is to recreate what happened the last time my gem glowed," he said, motioning for the Gems to join him. "So... Garnet and Amethyst were here, Pearl was next to the fridge... Hmm. Amethyst, I think your arms were crossed?"

"Okay, Your Majesty," Amethyst teased, crossing her arms with a grin.

"And Pearl, your foot was like this." Steven tilted one of her feet slightly, trying to mimic the moment.

"I don't think it works this way, Steven," Pearl said, her voice laced with gentle concern.

"And Garnet, uh..." He squished and moved her face upward, then turned to the fridge and retrieved a half-eaten Cookie Cat. "Oh, wait! I sang the song first!" he exclaimed, bursting into an off-key rap about the delicious frozen treat.

But as he rapped, nothing happened.

"Awww, it was funnier last time," he sighed, lifting his shirt to see his gem, disappointment washing over him. "Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem."

Pearl knelt beside him, her eyes warm and reassuring. "Don't be silly, Steven. Of course, you are."

"And you're fun to have around, even if your gem is useless," Amethyst chimed in, only to be met with a glare from Pearl. "I mean... you're one of us, Steven. We're not the Crystal Gems without you!"

Garnet nodded in agreement, her presence a steady anchor in the storm of emotions.

"Yeah, even if I don't have powers, I've still got... Cookie Cat!" Steven declared, taking a triumphant bite. Just then, his gem began to glow, and to everyone's astonishment, a shield materialized in front of him.

"Steven, it's a shield!" Pearl exclaimed, her amazement evident.

"... Whoa, what?! I get a shield?! Oh... YEAH!" Steven shouted, bursting with excitement.

Steven was trying to break character and tell his mother and father that he had gotten his powers, maybe when they were done, he could surprise Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo. Then Mordecai and Rigby.

Steven then went back into character.

In his exuberance, he accidentally launched the shield, which ricocheted around the room with a life of its own, crashing into Steven's TV with a loud smash. Amethyst burst out laughing, while Pearl groaned in disappointment, her dreams of graceful petal dances momentarily dashed.

But amidst the chaos, laughter filled the air, binding the Crystal Gems and Steven together in a moment of joyous camaraderie. And in that moment, he realized that perhaps the true dance wasn't just about mastering powers but about the connections they shared, laughter echoing like petals in the wind.

It was a calm, sunny day at the Crystal Temple. Steven was lounging on the couch, enjoying his favorite treat, a Cookie Cat ice cream sandwich. As he took a big bite, a familiar pink shield materialized in his hand. Steven grinned, his mouth still full of ice cream. "Huh? Cookie Cat! I summon my weapon by eating ice cream!" he exclaimed, amazed at how his powers seemed to be linked to his favorite snack.

Pearl, who had been tidying up nearby, noticed the discarded ice cream wrapper on the floor and picked it up. "What's in these things?" she asked, examining the packaging with curiosity.

Before anyone could answer, the entire house began to rumble. The walls shook, and the windows rattled violently. Outside, through the vibrating glass, the shadows of enormous creatures loomed. Steven's shield suddenly vanished, leaving a noticeable dent in the TV.

"What was that?" Steven asked, his voice quivering with a mix of fear and excitement.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Crystal Gems burst out of the house to investigate. The sun was still shining, but a sense of impending danger hung thick in the air. Crawling up the side of the Crystal Temple was the biggest Centipeetle any of them had ever seen.

"It's the Mother!" Garnet shouted, her voice strong and unwavering as she leapt into action, aiming straight for the monstrous creature.

Pearl turned to Steven, her eyes wide with concern. "Stay in the house, Steven!" she ordered, her tone leaving no room for arguments

But Steven was never one to back down. "No way! I'm coming, too!" he declared, running back inside the house. He grabbed as many Cookie Cats as he could carry, along with the entire Cookie Cat freezer, and raced back outside. He knew he had to help the Gems somehow.

"And, cut. take five guys!" Rebecca said. Steven was giddy with excitement as he Ran up to his mother.

"Mom! I got a shield!" the boy hugged her and smiled. Rose and Greg both smile, Rose puts a hand in his hair and Greg kisses his forehead.

"We love you so much, Schtu-ball!" Greg ruffles his son's hair. Rose hugged him, putting him close to her gem, He could hear the hum of it and feel the warmth.

"I am so proud of you, honey! your starting to get your gem powers." Rose said, trying not to tear up in front of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Rebecca smiles and watches the three of them.

"And…Action!"

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene five, take one."The clapper leader announced as he claps the clapperboard.

On the beach below, the battle was already in full swing. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst had taken up defensive positions, dodging the Centipeetle Mother's vicious attacks. The beast unleashed a torrent of acidic spit, which the Gems barely managed to avoid. They took cover behind a broken hand statue from the temple, but the acid was quickly eating away at the stone.

"We could really use Steven's shield right about now!" Amethyst shouted, her voice strained as she watched the statue begin to dissolve under the relentless assault.

Suddenly, Steven appeared on the beach, clutching a pebble in one hand and the Cookie Cat freezer in the other. With all the courage he could muster, he threw the pebble at the Centipeetle Mother. "Hey!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly. He slammed the freezer into the ground. "Leave them alone!"

The Crystal Gems gasped in unison. "Steven, no!" they cried, horrified by the sight of him standing in the open, unprotected.

But Steven wasn't about to back down. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "Cookie Cat Crystal combo powers, activate!" he shouted, stuffing a Cookie Cat into his mouth and lifting his shirt, hoping his shield would reappear.

For a moment, there was nothing. The Centipeetle Mother stared at Steven with a menacing grin, seemingly amused by his futile attempt.

"Uh-oh," Steven muttered, realizing that his plan hadn't worked. "Aaaah!" He quickly retreated, dragging the freezer along with him as he dashed for cover, joining the Gems behind the rapidly melting statue.

The battle was far from over, and the Gems knew they had to act fast if they were going to stop the Centipeetle Mother. Steven watched as Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst prepared for another round, their determination evident despite the overwhelming odds.

With the Cookie Cats in hand, Steven knew he had to find a way to unlock his powers again. The safety of his friends and the fate of the Crystal Temple depended on it. As the Centipeetle Mother loomed ever closer, Steven steeled himself for whatever came next, determined to protect the ones he loved, no matter the cost.

In the heart of a dense, mystical forest, a battle was raging. The air crackled with tension as the Crystal Gems fought desperately to defend their youngest member, Steven, from the terrifying Centipeetle Mother.

"Steven, we need to save you!" Pearl shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos as she narrowly dodged the centipede-like monster's snapping tail pincers.

"Can we save ourselves first?!" Amethyst quipped, her voice tinged with the usual humor, though the worry was evident in her eyes.

Steven, standing a short distance away, clutched his stomach in distress. Tears welled up in his eyes as he shoveled Cookie Cats, his favorite ice cream sandwich, into his mouth. The magic within him needed to be awakened, and he believed these frozen treats might be the key. But as his stomach rumbled ominously, he felt nothing—no surge of power, no miraculous transformation.

"Goodbye, my friends," Steven whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. He took another bite of a Cookie Cat, but nothing happened. Desperation took hold. "Why isn't it working?" he cried, just as a spray of acid narrowly missed him, splattering against a nearby rock.

"Steven!" Garnet's voice boomed as she intercepted the Centipeetle Mother's attack, her gauntleted fists grabbing hold of the creature's pincers. With a mighty heave, she redirected the monster's focus away from Steven.

In that moment of reprieve, Steven's gaze fell upon the scene before him—a smoking, ruined Cookie Cat freezer, destroyed in the midst of battle. His heart sank in horror.

"No… Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Steven's voice broke as he began to softly sing, "Cookie Cat, he's a pet for your tummy. Cookie Cat, he's super duper yummy…" With a sudden burst of determination, he seized the wrecked freezer, his grip tightening. "Cookie Cat, he left his family behind! COOKIE CAAAT!"

With all his strength, Steven hurled the freezer at the Centipeetle Mother. The metal box collided with the creature's back, unleashing a burst of electricity.

In the heart of Beach City, a moment hung in the air, charged with anticipation. Steven stood at the ready, his eyes gleaming with determination, though he felt a twinge of uncertainty. "Now available... nowhere," he declared, a hint of playful irony escaping his lips.

"YES!" Amethyst cheered, her excitement electrifying the atmosphere.

Rebecca watched as the scene played out. She leans back in her chair.

Garnet, ever the steadfast leader, rallied her team. "Gems, weapons!" With that command, the three Gems summoned their weapons in unison, each one a dazzling display of their unique abilities. They burst forth from behind the hand statue, a bold and united front against the looming threat.

"Let's do it," Garnet said, her voice steady and resolute. The trio charged forward, their hearts pounding as they launched a coordinated attack on the monstrous Centipeetle Mother. Together, they unleashed a torrent of strength and skill, and with one final, fierce blow, they vanquished the beast for good. As it crumbled, a shimmering gem fell from its form, and Garnet swiftly bubbled it away, ensuring it would be safe.

Steven took a moment to catch his breath, his mind drifting to memories of simpler times. "Farewell, sweet Cookie Cats," he murmured, gently burying a crumpled wrapper in the ground as if laying to rest an old friend. "I'll always remember the time we spent together." His stomach rumbled, breaking the solemnity of the moment. "Shh... Hush now," he whispered to his belly, trying to silence the betraying sound.

Amethyst eyed him with a smirk. "Are you crying?"

"Only a little!" Steven replied defensively, wiping at his eyes but unable to hide his smile.

"Well, I guess your powers don't come from ice cream," she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

Pearl chimed in, her tone soothing. "Of course, they don't come from ice cream. Don't worry, Steven, I'm sure someday you'll figure out how to activate your gem."

"Yes, in your own Steven-y way," Garnet added, her tone encouraging.

"I'm okay, guys. I just—" Steven's stomach growled again, louder this time. "Ugh, I think I ate too many Cookie Cats."

Laughter erupted among the Gems, filling the air with warmth and camaraderie. Steven joined in, his laughter tinged with a hint of anxiousness.

But then, as the laughter echoed, Steven bent over, the inevitable culmination of his Cookie Cat indulgence taking hold.

"And… Cut! That's a wrap. excellent work everyone!" Rebecca said, rising from the director's chair. Steven still felt a little bit sick.

"I need to lie down…" he said, taking a seat on the sand. Greg walks to him and then picks him up.

"I'll carry you to your trailer." he smiled Steven wrapped his arms around his father and he took him.

Rose was proud of him — She had two in one, She saw his acting career lift off, and he had gotten his powers. She wiped a tear from her eye, then Pearl walked up.

"Filming was so much fun!" Pearl said looking at her friend. Rose smiles at her.

Garnet and Amethyst walk up to the two women standing and staring at the temple.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

A\N: They JUST started filming, and I am SO HAPPY for them! This is a day before so, they are going to work on the next episode the day after. I can't wait to write more of this! it was so much fun to make!

[lollipencil]

Lunar Lunch

Ok, this is offically the third version of my attempt to actually do something with this prompt like I promised. The first was going to be System Shock Remake but I never started it, the second was Doctor Who: The Edge of Time/Reality before the sheer length of it made me lose the will to write it. Then I started to get back into Bugsnax, and saw the light.

Enjoy and be gentle ---

Steven moaned as words echoed around his throbing head. "...Well, it is a tantalizing story if true," a voice stated almost reluctantly, "We'll just have to hear it from Lizbert herself. Say you get an interview with her and make it back alive, you just might keep your job. Now get going. And try not to fall off a cliff or something!"

Soon after those words finished bouncing around his skull, Steven could finally open his eyes.

Naturally, the moon greeted him first. Sitting up with suprisingly little discomfort, he blinked away the blurr to his vision, just in time to see a googly-eyed strawberry standing on its crown as if it were legs. "Strabby! Strabby, Strabby!" it cried out as it scampered away.

Stunned, Steven stared in the direction the strawberry ran away. "What the hell...?" he muttered as he finally got to his feet. Shaking himself, he spotted a camera on the ground near him and reached down for it. And saw a paw instead of a hand.

Steven bit back a yelp, before slowly turning his eyes to the rest of the body. The whole of his body was covered in blue-tinted white fur, with his arms being long enough to almost touch the ground when by his sides. Then Steven remembered. Arcade, and that device of his. "I'm gonna kill 'im," Steven whispers with a hiss, clenching his paw as he realises what's happened.

A sigh bursts free from his chest as he scoops up the camera and wanders away from his little spawn point. Only to almost immediately step into a small river. Groaning, Steven looked around.

The whole place was beautiful. The river he stood in was fed by two small waterfalls with a few trees on a smaller cliff in front of Steven. Bushes dotted around the whole place and, in the centre of the river's "island", was a person. Same basic shape as Steven's new body but with more proportionate arms, cyan fur, a different waist, and a white sash saying "mayor" with a paw print on it.

He moaned and opened his eyes at Steven's approach. "L-lizbert, is that you?" he asked, purple eyes unfocused with delirium, "Oh thank Grump you're alive....too bad I'm dying, though!" "Sorry, mate. I ain't Lizbert," Steven stated, "Can you tell me your name?" "What?" he slurred, clearly not hearing the first half, "Wha-it-it's me, Filbo!" "Ok. What happened, Filbo?" "I was looking for you, but, uh, I got hungry and I couldn't catch any Bugsnax and-" Filbo's explanation drifted away breathlessly. "Right, um, do you know where Lizbert is?" Steven asked as the only other question he could think of. "What? That's a weird question, Lizbert..."

Yeah, he should have expected that. "Alright," Steven sighed, "Moving on..." "Wait," Filbo's eyes suddenly focused on him, "you're not Lizbert! Oh grump, it doesn't matter who you are! Please get me something to eat!" "Yeah, ok mate." "Hooraaaaaay. Ow," Filbo's paw flopped on his chest from where he weakly raised it, "I think there's a Bugsnak right over there. Could you get a good look at it? Find out which one it is for me?"

Looking it his right, Steven could see that same strawberry scuttling around a tree close to the cliff-face. Idly, he thought of the camera and brought it up to his eye, bumping his unexpectedly larger mouth on the way. The strawberry was highlighted and a set of question marks appeared in a little bubble along the top. Grumbling, Steven was just about to lower the camera and return to Filbo when he hit the button on top. But instead of taking a picture, it suddenly revealed quite a bit of information about the "Strabby", even highlighting its patrol route.

"Ok then," Steven nodded and turned to Filbo, "I've scanned a...Strabby?" "Oh, good!" Filbo's breathlessness was tinged with relief, "That one's pretty easy to catch. If you aren't me, anyway." He laughed self deprecatingly. "Okay, do me a favor and take my Snak Trap," he said, producing the device from somewhere behind himself.

Once Steven had claimed it, Filbo managed to roll on to his front and, from there, stand. "Its tracks come outta this bush!" he explained tiredly, the Strabby startling at his presence and hiding in the aformentioned bush, "Put the Snak Trap down there and then we'll hide." The instant it touched the ground, the trap unfurled like an umbrella. "Alright, let's hide behind this rock!" Filbo managed to russle up some enthusiasm as he staggered.

Crouching behind the rock, Steven noticed that a watch-like device was now on his left wrist. Seeing as it was likely the trigger for the trap, he hovered his paw over the device and waited. "What's happening?" Marc's voice suddenly asked loudly, making Steven slam down on the button.

Fortunately just as the Strabby wondered out. "Oh, nice! Uh, pick it up before it escapes!" Filbo noted, the trap shaking around as it fought to be free. Darting out, Steven scooped up the trap, and jolted at the feeling of the Strabby entering his inventory with a little jingle. "W-wow, you caught it!" Filbo stammered in excitement as Steven returned, "Okay, now toss it into my mouth hole!"

He opened his mouth wide, looking more like a pedal bin then a living creature. Strabby suddenly appearing in his hand, Steven did as requested. Filbo's mouth closed with a "nom nom" sound before his lower left arm suddenly became strawberries.

"What the fuck!?" Marc shrieked. "Ohh yes, I'm saved!" Filbo sighed in relief, oblivious to Steven's expression of horror. "Arm!" Steven just about managed to say, eyes firmly on the limb in question. "Oh, this? Pretty neat, huh?" Filbo stretched and flexed his arm without a care in the world, "It's a side-effect of eating Bugsnax! Anywho, I'm still recovering. I could use maybe three more Bugsnax? I'm sure that scope of yours will come in handy! Scan and Plan, I always say!" "Sure thing," Steven squeaked before wondering away.

While looking for more Bugsnax (reluctantly, he would like to be known), Steven noticed his reflection. While his nose was similar to Filbo's, albeit a dark purpleish blue instead of bright red, his upper jaw was very different. A prominent overbite resulted in a short, boxy muzzle-like appearence. Two teeth jutted out slightly from under his lip, next to what could only be stubby tucks.

Marc looked around worriedly: "Where are we?" "Some sort of video game, I'm guessing," Steven replied, noticing a shadow and scanning a Green Lollive as it flew by. "Any sight of Jake?" Marc asked as Steven caught another Strabby to a much shorter jingle. "No, only been awake a few minutes meself."

With no way to capture the Lollive, Steven followed the river past the cliffs into another small clearing. Something called a "Rootle" inched its way in a circle around a mound of grass, its carrot-like body flexing in ways a carrot is not meant to. Setting down the trap for it, Steven watches it get suddenly snatched up by the Lollive's long tongue.

With a thought, it bursts into its component parts, only to slowly reconstruct itself in Steven's inventory. This time, the trap caught its intended Snak, leaving him to search for the remaining one he could hear. "Try behind the waterfall," Marc hinted once right next to it. While drenching their fur, it did yield a passage with statues of Bugsnax, and access to the smaller cliff where another Strabby patroled. With the last one in hand, Steven leapt from the cliff and walked back to Filbo.

Somehow, he managed to not flinch as Filbo's other arm and both lower legs changed. "You. Are. A. Lifesaver, buddy!" Filbo grinned, "Sorry, i was too busy dying to introduce myself. I'm Filbo Fiddlepie. I'm the, uh, Mayor around here. Um...Sorry if this is a stupid question but, uh, what are you doing out here?" Three options lay themselves on Steven's tongue, ready to be said. "I'm here to investigate Bugsnax," he chose. "Well, good news, they're all over the place!" Filbo scratched the back of his head with a strawberry hand, "Darn hard to catch, though... I know who you are! You're the journalist! I knew it was stupid to ask... Lizbert said you'd be coming. Hm, you're a bit late, though..." Filbo sighed: "Still...it's my job to show you the way to town. Follow me."

Steven and Marc were greeted to one of the goofiest running animations they'd ever seen as they followed him to the bushes on the other side of the cliffs. "Hey...buddy," Filbo sadly began once they'd reached it, "I have to tell you something. I'm supposed to take you home but... Lizbert might not be there." "Where is Lizbert?" "I don't know where Lizbert is. I was out here looking for her." Suddenly, Filbo perks up: "But who knows, maybe she WILL be there when we get back! I'm sure she wouldn't want to miss her interview with you! Ready to go, buddy?"

With Marc's mental nod, Steven nodded their head. "Alright, though here," Filbo threw up his arms, and the bushes vanished with a puff of leaves. He ran into the trees beyond, and with no other choice, Steven followed.

Moon Knight Prompt #4

Due to Arcade-related shenanigans, the Moon boys have been zapped in a video game, and cannot get out until it has been completed.

[buckybarnesdiaries]

white wolf: “the story of a first date”

first part — second part — third part — fourth part (soon)

© @capsgrantrogers

bucky barnes x reader. ⎢ masterlist.

Sam helps Bucky to ask you out for a date and it's a disaster, but he gets it.

word count: 3.147 words. (not sorry, it worth it, i promise!!!)

warnings/tags: none. bucky being the cutest gentleman in the whole wide world, and sam keeping an eye on him.

author notes: as it happened with the first part, i'm not really happy with the result but i had so much fun writing it and i think that that made this writing perfect, so i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed it. none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

The car stopped because of a red light, a moment where Sam took the advantage to turn at his copilot, glancing at Bucky from top to bottom in complete silence. Analyzing him. The soldier tilted his head raising an eyebrow, showing his curiosity about what the hell he was doing.

“What are you gonna wear, uh?” Sam asked then, maintaining a serious gesture on his face.

“Clothes”. Unworriedly, he put back his eyes to the front window.

“You probably look good naked, but that’s not what I’m talking ‘bout”.

“Just… some jeans, a shirt, and a jacket”.

“And shoes, I guess”.

Bucky turned on his seat towards his friend, squinting confused for the interrogatory. “Who cares?”

“About the shoe—”

“About the clothes”.

“Man, it’s a date! Do you wan’her to remember this night as the night Bucky Barnes shown up as a Russian bum?”

“I’m from Brookl—”.

“Yeah, but you look like mother Russia just spat you to the world”.

Sam rolled his eyes as a sigh escaped his mouth. Shaking his head, he took the next corner to the fifth avenue changing the planes they had in mind. A good outfit meant a good date. A good date meant happy soldier. Happy soldier meant no trouble. See the point? So the Falcon would take care of the Winter Soldier today. If only Steve could see them. He’d feel proud, that was for sure. They visited a couple of shops, finally letting Sam take control over the situation and pick the clothes he would wear for you. He had good taste, everybody knew that, and Bucky couldn’t complain about his choices.

Even less when the distinctive black suit dressed his anatomy to perfection. Spinning around in front of the mirror, he felt different. He looked different. He looked good, but not as he’d like. Holding the bucket of flowers once he was ready, Bucky left his apartment straight to the garage under the building. He was nervous, he couldn’t lie. But he had that sensation inside him that made him believe everything would be okay for the first time since he woke up.

The road didn’t take him more than ten minutes, not really worried about the time given that he had planned to arrive a little sooner than accorded. Life seemed like it was smiling at him, finding a parking lot in the same entrance. Landing his blue eyes on the rearview mirror, Bucky took a last view at his reflection, brushing back his hair as he used to do in the forties. He grabbed then the flowers he bought for you and stepped out of the car, trying to remember the advice Sam gave him. Resting his back against the copilot's door, he waited impatiently for you.

“Hey, you”.

His heart stopped for a second, raising his orbs to the man coming closer. Before he could react, the man in question tucked a hand beneath Bucky's jacket. Patting him down.

“What the hell are you doing, Sam?” He questioned irritatedly, slapping his hands and causing him to laugh.

“Just checking you didn't bring the notecards again”.

“Yeah, very funny…”

“Man, look at you! Should be illegal to look this good, uh?” Sam helped him to put on the jacket again, receiving another slap from his friend.

“Don't touch me”. Scowling, he fixed the flowers in his left hand, wanting them to be perfect. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Watch you till (Y/N) comes. Lemme take a picture, I feel like a proud father on his son's prom day”.

“You're not m— Get the hell outta here, Sam”.

“Fighting again, kids? Should I call your mama?”

As Bucky heard you scoff, his soul abandoned. His pupils dilated. His legs trembled. And he could swear that everything disappeared around him when he watched you going downstairs, swinging your hips unconsciously sensual, with a black dress fitting you like a glove. If this morning Bucky wanted to marry you, now he wanted to spend the rest of his life by your side. Your makeup was on point, just like your hair, not being too formal but enough to run him out of words.

“Steve is off-duty, so, what 'you gonna do, soldier?” Sam mocked, an instant before noticing how pale Bucky was. He couldn't help but slap the back of his neck to bring him back to reality.

“I, uh… flowers… I bought you…”

“You're not Yoda”. Sam whispered as the other offered you the present.

“C'mon, stop messing with him”. You clicked your tongue, right before you drew an adorable smile on your lips, leaning to kiss Bucky's cheek. “Thank you”.

“You're welcome”. He just answered, responding to your same gesture while opening the door for you.

“Such a gentleman…” His playful murmur made Bucky frown and nudge him, trying to stop him from saying anything else and ruin the occasion.

“I'll bring him back at ten”. You joked palming his chest.

“The point is to not bring him back to me”. Sam cackled, shaking his head and taking a step back.

Once in the car turning on the engine, James joined the road after checking you were good. Never in his life he had driven with so much care as if he was carrying a bomb by his side. He set on the radio, not really knowing how to start a conversation, watching you through the corners of his eyes caressing the flowers over your lap. No one had bought you them before, thinking it was a thing that only happened in movies. But then, you met Bucky. An old-fashioned man, making yourself wonder how he was the same the news used to say he was a cold-blood assassin.

“What have you thought?”

“Uh?”

“About the date”.

“Sam told me about a rest—”.

“Okay, okay, Bucky. Pull over”. You couldn't help but burst into laughter, as his face was pale again thinking you were about to step out and end the date.

“Sorry, did I…?”

You swiveled at him on your seat, kissing your teeth and squinting inevitably. Studying his face you knew how afraid he was, and it was the most adorable reaction ever. You could have kissed at that precise instant, but it'd have been a little awkward.

“Where do you wanna go?”

The question didn't take him by surprise, actually. He was still getting used to doing the things he desired and not what other people asked him to do. The restaurant was a fancy place with a distinguished menu according to what his friend explained to him, but it wasn't the kind of site that he'd normally go, or that represented him.

“When I, uh… came back, I discovered that my favorite burger joint in Brooklyn was still standing”. Bucky told you, facing you after finishing the sentence. “They prepare the best burgers of the whole New York and you can decide what ingredients add, and the bread, and the kind of meat. And it still having the original decoration”.

You reclined on your seat, just staring at him talking with that kind of burning passion about something he loved. Puckering your lips, you nodded your chin. The fact that not only he wanted to take you to a different place, but a place that he used to go to when he was young made butterflies flutter within your belly. Bucky wanted to make you part of his future, but also his past. That made the difference.

“Sounds good to me”.

“Really?” He inquired funnily confused, wrinkling his nose and forehead.

“Really”.

The shine that appeared within his eyes made you place a hand on his cheek to urge him to turn his head and drive again. An innocent gesture that provoked him a lively giggle. If that man knew all the things he caused you, he'd have taken the step months ago.

As the night went on and Bucky was losing his shyness, he talked to you about the good old times. Before HYDRA, before the winter, before the war. When he was a kid with no worries more than keeping Steven safe from the bullies. It was nice to disconnect from the present, from the gazes around the two of you, from the back talks, only enjoying your dinner and your conversation. You talked to Bucky about how was to be raised on a farm, surrounded by open fields and animals, to join the army years later. Without going into details that could make him remember the old bad times, you told him about what you used to do, your missions, and how you were wounded in combat after being shot and fell from a helicopter.

Bucky felt confident enough to compare it with how everything started. Falling from a wagon to the snow. But as soon as his voice became lower, you couldn't help but hold his gloved left hand and intertwine your fingers with his. And you could swear you felt him shaking for a brief moment because of your touch.

“So, what, uh? It was a forties trend to jump into the void?” You tried to joke, wanting to feel relaxed.

“Yeah, seems like”. He mumbled curling up his lips. “Listen… I really want to… open up, and I know it’s easier with you because… y’know, you work doing this”.

“Hold on, Bucky”. You laughed waving your free hand, shaking your chin as you closed your eyes for a second. “That has sounded really bad”.

“Wait, wh— Oh, shit, no, no, no”.

For the first time since you walked into the small restaurant, his laughter was lively, unworriedly, honest.

“Take it easy, just kidding”. You grinned, nailing your elbow on the table to rest your cheek on your palm. “But… this isn’t work. We’re not doing therapy, we’re… knowing each other. And I don’t want to pressure you to talk about something you don’t feel prepared to, okay?”

“I know”.

Bucky couldn’t believe how much you seemed to empathize with him, not judging his acts nor his past, not deciding that the date wasn't a good idea nor running away. He couldn’t believe the less importance you were giving to his arm made of vibranium; usually, people used to freak out, to feel frightened somehow about the things it could do. But you were there, fingers playing with the others as if it was the most common and natural act in the world. And, for you, it was. That was you in all your best. Considerate, smart, patient, lovingly. The rainbow after a stormy life. Everything that Bucky needed in his life to start from scratch and be his better version. A shoulder to lean on and a reason to come back home.

“Was afraid of asking you out”. He confessed after some seconds admiring each other. Any person closer would say you had been dating for a long, long time by the way you had to keep silent and not feel uncomfortable.

“Why?”

“You came from war and made your world a place to live. I’m still stuck there”.

“I have my own red flags”. Clicking your tongue, you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, really? Please, surprise me”. Bucky teased you sitting up on his chair, not loosening the gentle grip around your left hand.

“I put the milk before cereals”.

“Oh… Oh, God”. He let out, pretending to be horrified and running a hand on his face. “Goddammit… you’re a monster, ma’am. I don’ think this is going to work”.

“Excuse me?” You chuckled, parting your lips in a breath while leaning over the table to palm his right shoulder. “It wasn’t me who added lettuce to the burger”.

“What? What’s the matter with that, uh?”

“Lettuce kills the savor!”

“Y’know what kills the savor? Ketchup. Today, people use ketchup literally with everything… And that’s disgusting”.

“Okay! Next time, no lettuce, and… no ketchup”.

“That’s a big challenge”. Bucky scoffed tenderly squeezing your hand between his cold fingers.

“I’ll live, Sergeant Barnes”. You narrowed your eyes and crinkled your nose at the same time.

“I was talking about a second date, not about your issue with ketchup”.

“So was I”.

A goofy smirk appeared on Bucky’s face, biting his inner cheek as he assented with his head. Seeing you again, knowing that you wanted it —that you wanted him—, made him trust Dr. Raynor’s words. He was having a second chance to do the right thing. To live and to be.

You wanted to add something else when the clock in his wrist started to beep. Curious, you raised an eyebrow. “We have to leave”.

“Why?”

“Sam told me you work tomorrow at eight, which means you’ll get up at six and a half… maybe seven. While I pay, take you home, all that stuff… I don’ want you to be tired in the morning”.

Bucky would never stop to amaze you, looking up to him in silence to contemplate how he called the bartender and beckoned his free hand to ask for the bill.

“What…? What are you doing?” He chuckled embarrassed, taking his beer to sip.

You cleared your throat when you realized how stupid you should look right now, shaking your head as you freed his cold hand from yours to find unlock your phone as soon as the guy brought the dataphone.

“Hey, no, no. I asked you out, I pay”. Bucky began to fight with you, provoking some laughs on the table as you tried to put your screen above the tpv.

“Well, welcome to the twenty-first century”. You hummed as the operation was confirmed.

“I’ll pay next time”. He declared licking his incisors, prior to his lips.

You wished the ride back home to last forever, not wanting to end the date. But the car reached your neighborhood in a blink of eyes. You couldn't help but sigh barely appreciably for your companion, gazing through the window until double parking in front of your apartment. You turned towards him, hearing the engine shut off. Bucky seemed disappointed like you, not being able to remember when was the last time he had a break, he had fun. The date was nicer than he expected but the idea of not knowing exactly when he was going to see you again was killing him from the inside.

“I'll accompany you”. He declared undoing his seat belt as you did to step out.

You reacted with a delicate smile, holding the bucket of flowers against your abdomen while walking to the front door of the building. That moment was a little uncomfortable, not being sure about how to say goodbye, just looking like two teens in love.

“Thank you for tonight, Bucky”. You uttered without thinking about it. “It's been the best night I've ever had”.

“Next will be better, I promise”.

“That's a big challenge”. You chuckled repeating his words a while ago in the restaurant.

“I'll live”. He nodded convinced, glancing at you bowing down your interest to the red roses between your hands.

How could you tell him that you were dying to be together again? That you wouldn't mind waking up sooner and having breakfast? You bit your inner upper lip, trying to find the correct words to say, without sounding like you were feeling something else to a physical attraction. Bucky was hot as hell, that wasn't up to debate, but he was the kindest and charmingest man you had known. He was sensible and strong at the same time. You both complemented the other like the pieces of a puzzle and you never thought something like that could happen to you. To find your other half and having it so clear you didn't want anyone else.

“I am, uh… free tomorrow”.

His words pushed you out of your thoughts, putting up your attention to a Bucky almost flushing, stroking the back of his head, and having the impression that he could scare you.

“Got a break for lunch, if you want”. You proposed without hesitation.

His eyes sparkled with happiness, holding your left hand with his to bring it to his mouth, placing a fond kiss on the back. Such a gentleman, like Sam said, inducing your cheeks to burn. And then, you saw him doubting about taking another step. You wanted it too to happen, tho, leaning forward to press your lips together. Your eyes snapped closed at that precise instant, not having any rush, tasting each other's and shortening the distance between both of you by his free arm getting wrapped around your waist. The kiss was innocent but passionate. It was warm, intimate, trying to transmit all the chemistry you woke up within the other with only one look, with only one smile. Breaking it —much to your regret— when you needed air to breathe. And even so, Bucky rested his forehead against yours freeing your hand to place it on the right side of his neck.

Neither of the two of you opened your eyes, extending the moment as much as you could. You felt he craved to spend the night with you, and you desired it too, but you also felt that he needed some time to get used to this new world he was living in. It wasn't easy. You thought back to the months after the war, the recovery, the loneliness you forced yourself to be in. You were in Afghanistan for three months. He had been fighting since nineteen forty. And he didn't want to ruin what you were building together.

“I should leave”. Bucky murmured against his wishes.

“See you tomorrow”.

At the moment you opened your eyes to meet the pale blue ones, your whole body felt weak. You saw the brightness in them after letting him know that the second date was going to happen and that it wasn't just a formality before disappearing, wiping out any minimal doubt by kissing him again. The last kiss. A good night, I'll dream with you kiss.

“I'm gonna play this on your wedding day, definitely”.

You screamed because of the unexpected metallic voice coming closer, clinging to Bucky's neck as his heart raced too. Redwing was suspended in the air some steps away from you, being controlled by Sam. Who else is not him, uh?

“I'm starting to think you have separation anxiety”. The soldier growled trying to hit the flying device with his flesh hand, hearing you laughing against his chest.

“Good night, kids”. You chuckled separating from Bucky.

“No kiss for me, soldier?”

“I'm not gonna kiss that thing, Samuel”.

“What about a howl, White wolf? Would be very appro—”.

“White wo—”.

“Please, don't. Don't ask”. Bucky begged you, licking his bottom lip while rubbing the back of his head, clearly ashamed.

“Hope you show me one day what it means…”

“Oh, he will… Just wait till the full moon”.

“Sam!” Bucky and you yelled in unison, you playfully, he annoyed.

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[the-infamous-coat-of-baron-zemo]

When You Least Expect It | Chapter VII

Moon Knight 2022 | Marc Spector x F!Reader | Steven Grant x F!Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5,369

Total Story Word Count: 25,726

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | 

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On AO3 Here

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Latest chapter! Whew. It was kind of a lengthy one. Hope you enjoy it! 

OOOOO

You were tied to a pillar. Your arms ached from being held at such an uncomfortable position. Looking to your left, you saw Layla. The men who had captured her earlier had bound her to the column next to you. Her head was bent down, chin resting against her chest. You saw some blood smeared across her forehead. You couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed during her scuffle with Harrow's men, they must have knocked her pretty good. Frowning, you realized this was not the ritual room, or at least, not from Ammit's tomb. If your memory served you correctly, you were in the center chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Not that you'd ever been, but you were always enraptured by Steven's re-telling of Egyptian history. His descriptive details were enough to paint a picture of what the interior might look like. Looking up, you saw the triangular formation of the walls leading up towards the ceiling. Also, a big give away.

When had you travelled to the pyramids?

The last thing you remember was watching Marc get knocked unconscious and dragged behind you.

Now that you think about it, you were feeling a tad groggy, and your mouth tasted like chemicals. Chloroform? How original. You shook your head, looking around the room. There was something familiar about it, but you couldn't understand why.

There were five statues at the top of the stairwell lined in cobalt and gold. A recent conversation sparked in your mind. You remember Marc telling you about the meeting he had with the council. He mentioned those statues. This was where the Gods convened and decided Harrow was not a threat to release Ammit.

Bet they were rethinking things now.

Wait. Marc. Where was he?

You gazed about the chamber, eyes darting around trying to locate him. Harrow's men were gathered around in various places inside. Now that you were paying attention, you saw some people dragging bodies off to the side. Upon closer inspection, you counted five. Oh no. Were those the council's avatars?  Harrow had taken them out. Looking around a bit more frantic, you didn't see the cult leader himself in your search for Marc.

In the center of the room, you saw Harrow's cane. It had changed. Gone was the outward representation of an ordinary handle. In its place was the head of a crocodile. The eyes of the croc were glowing bright violet, and the remainder of the cane itself was embedded into a stone block. The block had multiple hieroglyphic carvings wrapped around it from top to bottom. In a fleeting thought, it reminded you of similar imagery to something out of the sword in the stone.

If the sword were also a glow stick of death.

The hieroglyphics were flickering intermittently. The head of the Ammit was turned, facing the right side of the room. There were purple tendrils running along the ground and up the wall nearest the side of the stone block. The power emanating from the cane created a distorted field everywhere the tendrils were wrapping. Like a protective shield.

That's when you saw him. Black curls and strands of hair poking out from the corner of the stone holding Harrow's cane.

Not a shield. A cage.

Marc was lying on the ground, still out cold. You couldn't make out the rest of his body, but you hoped he'd be alright. He still had Khonshu's healing.

You couldn't call his name without drawing attention to yourself. There was only one guard close to you. You tested your bindings whenever he wasn't facing your direction. You tugged, flexing your arms forward and backward with what room you had left. No success. You bit your lip, feeling the back pillar with your hands. It was old, ancient, which meant it wasn't smooth. There were rough patches all around. If you could find an area within your reach, you might be able to cut your bindings with enough effort.

Moving your hands from left to right, you attempted to make a sawing motion with your wrists.

"Hey," one of the men yelled.

You stopped, standing ramrod straight afraid you had just gotten caught. You turned your head towards the voice and were relieved that the outburst wasn't directed at you.

The man addressed the group, jutting his head towards a lit corner hallway in the back, "He's coming. It is almost time. Put those bodies in the alcove."

With your back against the pillar, you noticed you were no longer wearing your backpack. Taking another moment, you looked at the ground, twisting to find your bag. Glancing up towards the men and then back down, you saw it. It was behind you, on the wall between you and Layla.

Making a mental note, you were formulating a plan, once you freed yourself.

As you turned back, you saw Layla was waking up. She peered up, looking disoriented. Turning towards you, her eyes widened when she saw you also bound.

"You okay?" you mouthed to her silently.

She nodded in response. Layla tilted her head, searching. You realized she was looking for Marc. When she swung her gaze back to you, you pointed your head in the direction he was laying. She couldn't see any of him from her perspective, but hopefully she would catch on with the huge purple field surrounding that area of the chamber.

"What the hell is that?" she whispered.

You pursed your lips, looking to make sure no one was paying attention to you both.

"Magical containment," you replied quietly.

"That's a thing?"

"Unfortunately," you said.

Layla tried to break free from her restraints, but didn't have any luck.

That's when you saw Harrow walk into the room. He was holding the stone statue of Ammit with him.

"Ladies, so glad you could join us. I think you will all be enlightened once Ammit has been freed from her prison," Harrow said, stopping to stand between the two of you.

"What did you do to Marc?" Layla asked, struggling against the pillar.

"Him? Oh, I assure you, he's fine. I am simply ensuring he doesn't interrupt our plans prematurely."

You noticed Marc beginning to stir, watching him roll over and bring a hand to his face.

"Please don't release Ammit. However you envision how things will go, they won't. Trust me, I've been through enough of these things to know," you pleaded with him, trying to buy Marc some time to recover.

Arthur moved his hands behind his back, walking over to stand in front of you.

"Your concern is noted, however, please forgive me if I don't follow your advice," he said.

Harrow brought one hand from around his back and grabbed something from his pocket. He pulled out an Egyptian carving knife. It had a gold hilt. You couldn't make out the engravings, but they were very intricate. Arthur stepped up you, leaning around your left side. You swallowed thickly as he brought the knife close to your body, but he moved his arm to your back. Your arms dropped down, feeling the zip ties fall away from your wrists. He shifted the knife into his other hand holding the crocodile statue and grabbed your arm with the other.

"I'm going to have to apologize in advance, but I need you for what comes next," Arthur said.

Your eyebrows raised at that, "You need me for what exactly?"

He didn't answer you, just pulled you along to an alter at the front of the chamber. Knowing nothing good was about to happen, you looked over to Layla and tried to point to your bag. She turned to gaze at the bag and then back to meet your eyes, shaking her head that she understood. You tried to twist out of Harrow's grasp, but he seemed stronger than normal. You continued to struggle every inch of the way. As you reached the alter, you heard Marc shout your name.

You whipped your head around, hearing his voice, "Marc!"

Marc looked to Layla, then to you. He tried to break through the barrier, but it just propelled him backwards onto the floor.

You grimaced. That probably hurt.

"Summon -," you started to say, when Arthur handed you off, only to have someone cover your mouth and hold you in place.

You put all your weight in the heels of your feet and pushed back. You were hoping to knock the guy off balance, but it only angered him. Agitated, he pulled your arm up at an unnatural angle. The motion caused a muffled cry to escape your lips, against his hand. Still struggling, you had limited options, so you bit the man's hand. He wasn't expecting it, which made him remove the hand from your mouth.

"The suit. Marc, it's nightfall," you shouted.

Harrow had just placed the statue of Ammit on the ground in the center of the alter. He stood up and motioned for the guy holding you to move you forward to him. You saw him give a sparing glance to Marc before facing you.

You watched, as a panicked expression took over his face, before summoning his ceremonial armor. As Marc fully transformed into Moon Knight, he pulled out his blades and ran towards the containment field.

"You're going to regret doing this," you glared to Harrow.

He just smirked at you, a knowing look on his face, "No, I don't believe I will."

You averted your eyes away from him and back to Marc. As his shoulder connected with the barrier, the tendrils swirled and kicked him back.  It didn't work. He couldn't get through. That's why Harrow wasn't worried about Marc. The power contained in the cane was strong enough to stop Marc from getting out even with Khonshu's armor.

"Harrow - don't do this," Layla echoed.

"Arthur stop," Marc said.

Harrow reached for your hand, tugging one of your arms forward. He flipped your hand over, palm facing up.

"This is going to hurt," Harrow said.

He raised his knife up in his free hand and sliced your palm. You cried out in pain, trying to pull your hand out of his grasp. You watched as the blood bubbled up and poured out from the wound, dripping onto the floor of the alter.

"No!" you heard Marc's agonized yell.

Harrow brought your hand and held it over the statue of Ammit. Blood droplets fell onto the statue, coating the top half.

"I could have released Ammit without you. But given the knowledge of how rare you are and what you are capable of as a soulmate - your blood with only make Ammit even more powerful upon her arrival into this world," he explained.

He let go of your hand and then crushed the statue with his foot.

"Khonshu!" Marc shouted, frantically trying to find anyway to break out of his confinement.

A spiral of energy whipped around you. There was smoke billowing up from the broken statue and violet colored energy forming in the air above Harrow. You watched as Ammit revealed herself on the steps to the entrance to the chamber. Harrow's men were so shocked and awed by the appearance of Ammit, they let their guard down. You saw your opening and gently removed your arm from the guy holding you. Enraptured from her appearance, all of the followers, including Arthur, took a knee.

You stealthily crept into the shadows and made your way over to Layla. You searched for something, anything to free her.

"To whom do I owe my gratitude?" Ammit said, she was pacing back and forth on the landing.

"A humble disciple my goddess, to which you owe nothing." Harrow replied, bowing his head.  

"Your scales lack balance."

"I understand. I had hoped my penance would correct that, but I see now that is not possible. Do with me as you wish," Arthur humbly answered.

Under a broken piece of stone, you managed to find a sharp edge of rock. Picking it up, you crawled over to Layla using the shadows of the chamber to hide you.

Ammit had decided Arthur would be his avatar even with his unbalance.

You made it over to Layla and saw Khonshu had appeared behind the pillar you were just tied up at. Ignoring him for now, you broke the bindings holding Layla's hand together with a sold hit using the rock. Layla scooted around hiding behind the pillar with you.

"This is all very bad. Is there a plan?" Layla asked, rubbing her wrists to put some circulation back into them.

You moved your jacket away and tore off a bottom strip of your shirt to wrap your bleeding hand in, "There's part of a plan?" You made a see-saw motion with your injured palm, once you finished bandaging it.

Layla gave you an incredulous look.

"Hey - I'm doing my best under the circumstances!"

You jutted your head for Layla to follow you to your backpack.

"Khonshu, can you keep Ammit busy while we try to free Marc?" you murmured out.

"I can distract her, but will need Marc Spector in order to re-bind Ammit."

You pulled your staff out of the bag.

"Layla, Khonshu is going to distract Ammit. Can you get to the stone block and get Harrow's cane? Removing it, from it's place, should lift the containment field holding Marc and Steven," you explained.

"Yeah, I can get to it, but what about Ammit's disciples?" Layla questioned.

You stood up and activated your staff, "I plan on being the secondary distraction, hoping to draw enough attention away so you can get to Marc."

"Be careful."

"You too," you said, before turning to address the King of the Night, "Khonshu, you enjoy making dramatic entrances, why don't you go first?"

He peered down at you and nodded before swiftly disappearing in a swirl of smoke.

You and Layla leaned out from the pillar to catch Marc's bright eyes. He was making animated movements with his hands. You think it was an attempt to tell you both to leave, but that sure as hell wasn't going to happen. You both just rolled your eyes at him, knowing it was a futile effort. Like you were going to actually leave. You snorted. Ridiculous man.

You saw Khonshu re-appear, standing tall with his staff in hand, facing Ammit and her newly anointed disciples.

"Khonshu, time has been cruel to you," Ammit said.

"Indeed," he stated.

Khonshu moved towards Ammit. Harrow finally stood up as well as the rest of the people in the room.

"I cannot allow you to proceed," he continued.

You saw Harrow glance around, realizing you and Layla had vanished from his sight.

"Find them," you heard Harrow speak.

Great. Okay Khonshu, anytime now.

The men started to spread out in the chamber.

"Oh Khonshu, you are low on faith," Ammit spoke sadly.

"You never learn," Khonshu replied, raising his staff in defense.

Ammit growled at Khonshu, then attacked.

"Now!" you said.

You raced out into the middle of the chamber, staff held at your side.

"Grab her," Harrow said, pointing at you.

A group of four came running towards you. As they got closer to you, you raised your staff and brought it down to the ground. The impact reverberated against the ground and the force sent the disciples flying backwards to the floor. Another one of chosen had spotted Layla halfway to Marc.

"Don't let her get to that cane!" Arthur shouted.

You sprinted to intercept them from getting to Layla, but you were blasted with energy mid run, the hit throwing you away from the fight. Your back slammed into one of the columns near the staircase.

"Ow," you mumbled, picking yourself back up.

You surveyed the room and Khonshu was not doing well against Ammit. His staff had been dropped and they were tumbling around the room. Neither one truly gaining the upper-hand, but Khonshu was weakening. He needed help soon. Twisting around, you noticed Layla was now fighting against several men. She was holding her own, but it still left Marc trapped. He was pacing anxiously, occasionally trying different areas of the barrier to see if he could get out. But every time he tried, it would knock him back.

Staring straight ahead, Arthur was walking lazily to you. Confidence exuding in every step he took.

Marc was shouting your name again. You turned to him, stepping backwards slowly as Harrow was approaching.

"Get out of here," Marc yelled.

"I'm not leaving you."

Harrow shot another bout of energy from his hand. This time you were ready. You brought your staff up and held down the center button. A shield came up protecting you from the energy surge. The magic was intense, it was so powerful it caused you to skid backwards. It took almost all of your strength to hold the staff level.

You bent your head down trying to concentrate. There had to be something you could do. Think, think, God dammit. You gazed at Marc, watching him in his Moon Knight armor.

An idea came to mind.

A leap of faith. You had to take a leap of faith, if you were to really believe you were somehow connected as soulmates.

You gritted your teeth and pushed back against Harrow. The shield bounced his energy back at him, knocking him unsteady. With that opening, you checked to make sure Layla was still okay before darting towards Ammit and Khonshu.

"Khonshu! Bad timing for conversation, but I need to know something," you said to him, dashing past a few disciples. You swiped one of them into unconsciousness with your staff, not stopping along the way. "If soulmates are connected to an avatar, do they possess the ability to summon your armor?"

The Moon God punched the crocodile in the face before answering, his breathing slightly labored.

"It has never been attempted before. It could be possible for a brief period of time, but it would not heal you from injury. The armor would recognize you aren't my true avatar and eventually reject you."

"But it's possible," you stated.

"At what cost," Khonshu said, before Ammit barreled into his mid section, knocking him to the ground with a rumble.

You saw Harrow still focused on you and jumped out of the way when another energy bolt was released. The energy hit one of the statues, causing it to crumble. You were breathing heavily and had made it to the top of the stairwell, with a clear view of Marc.

There was chaos everywhere. Layla was forced to backtrack and she disappeared down a hallway, a few of the group following her.

Looking at Harrow, he just raised his arms up from his side, "You cannot win. Ammit will reign supreme and all will be judged."

You had no clue if you could wear Khonshu's ceremonial armor, but you had to try. Taking a deep breath, you shifted your eyes to gaze at Marc. There were so many thoughts running through your head, but you tried to clear them all away and just focus on him. Let everything else fade away.

His face covering had been removed, revealing his face. His expression said everything. He was angry and confused, feeling helpless that he couldn't do anything.

Inhaling noisily, you stretched out an arm to him. You locked eyes with his and felt your entire body thrum with energy.

Summon the suit. Summon the suit. You kept chanting to yourself.

You could do this. You just had to believe.

You closed your eyes and concentrated. You could feel the energy building in your body, singing through your veins. There was incoherent noise around you, but you ignored it all. You listened to your body, when you thought the energy had reached it's peak inside your body, you opened your eyes and tugged your arm back with a jerking motion.

Gasping, you felt a power flow through you. A burning sensation started creeping behind your eyes. Your body became rigid. When you opened your eyes again, you saw the armor unravelling from Marc's body and winding itself around you. You looked down at yourself once the armor finished wrapping around you. You felt stronger, lighter, with endless amounts of energy. Your eyes felt like 200 watt lightbulbs. Jesus, is this how Marc and Steven feel when they put this on?

You gave yourself a quick once over. The suit you wore was very similar to Marc's. There were a few subtle differences. The cape attached to your back was hooked on your left shoulder and draped down, connecting to the belt on your right hip. The angle forced the cape to appear as a crescent moon. Your arms were also sleeveless. You had gloves on that matched Steven's Mr. Knight suit and wrist braces that came from Marc's outfit. Then the upper part of your arms had two golden braces on either side. They appeared to be made out of the same material as the blades. Each arm brace encased your arm with a raised crescent moon emblem attached to the front.

It worked. It actually worked. That meant it was true. Being told you're someone's soulmate is one thing, but now. Now, you're actually seeing visual proof. You flipped your hands back and forth, marveling. Oh, shit. Okay, I believe. I believe.

You looked to Marc.

His jaw had dropped, gaping in a stupefied expression. Like, he couldn't quite believe what happened. He started to move forward, but stopped himself when he realized the barrier was still up.

"Well, now this - this I was not expecting," Harrow crooned.

"What can I say? I was feeling epic," you light-heartedly joked. You slowly walked, one foot crossing in front of the other. Keeping your movements precise, you and Harrow began to encircle one another.

"I'm almost disheartened to have to kill you now," Arthur said.

He struck first, driving forward. He tried to land a punch to your face, but you side-stepped, easily blocking him. You kicked out from behind, creating more distance between the two of you.

Harrow's men gathered around you, all poised to strike. You weren't going to use Khonshu's blades against. You didn't want to kill anyone. No matter the threat level. You twirled your staff in front of you, bouncing one end on the ground to launch you into the air. You did your best to aim and land on the block holding Harrow's cane, but you were hit from the side, knocking you short. Your staff rolled away as you tumbled over on the ground from the hit.

Groaning, you felt your body ache. Right, no healing. You need to hurry up and get to Marc.

The chamber started rumbling.  You saw Ammit throw Khonshu into the far-side wall. Yeah, that'll make the pyramids shake.

The disciples were closing in on you and your staff was too far away. Dusting yourself off, you had no choice but fight them hand to hand. Alright, let's see what this suit can do. Dodging from side to side, you blocked, punched, kicked trying to get an opening to reach Marc.

You definitely weren't built for this. As much power as the suit provided, you were still woefully underprepared. You were able to fumble your way well enough, but they were still coming. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Harrow smirk at you and motion to a smaller group to follow him out of the pyramid.

As you were still fighting, you saw some of the suit starting to unravel. Oh, no. You were running out of time.

With a flurry of kicks and punches, you focused on knocking the remaining bunch unconscious. You landed one punch a bit too hard and sent one of the guys flying across the room into a wall. Oops. The others stopped to eye you cautiously. You just shrugged.

"What? It's new," you said, "Who's next?"

They all converged on you at the same time. You crouched down and swiped your leg out, taking the closest guy to you out. Then you jumped up and grabbed the next one, wrapping an arm around his neck, forcing his body to be placed in front of you. You kicked him into the next attacker, causing them both to fall to the ground.

There was one left. You eyed your staff. You swept the floor with your cape, flipping to pick up your staff from the dusty ground. The disciple anticipated your move and dove towards you, but you were able to roll out of the way. You took your staff hit him in the back as he flew right by you. The force of the hit knocked him out.

The chamber was quiet all of a sudden. All that could be heard was your breathing. You surveyed the room. Ammit and Khonshu were gone. Not wasting anymore time, you ran over to Marc, climbing up the engraved block holding Harrow's cane. You grabbed onto the croc's head, getting ready to pull it out when a burst of energy hit your solar plex, throwing you off.  

Pain erupted in your side. You looked down to see what happened. The armor was still in tact. Getting up, you jumped onto the stone block again.

"You okay?" Marc asked.

"Peachy," you sarcastically answered, "Let's get you out of here, yea?"

You reached down to grab a different part of the cane, but stopped. You noticed some of the glowing pieces that were imbued with power missing. You didn't have time to give it much thought, but knew if you grabbed it again - you'd most likely get thrown across the room a second time. You'd like to avoid that. You've been tossed around enough today. You pulled two blades from the centerpiece on your chest instead, and used them to leverage the cane out. When the cane hit the floor, it disappeared as if teleporting away.

The field of energy dissipated, releasing Marc.

"Hey you," you said, running up to him relieved. You pulled down the cowl from your face.

You saw more of the suit unravelling in different places.

Marc met you halfway and put you in a bone crushing hug, cradling the back of your head with one hand.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry," your muffled into the crook of his neck.

Marc pulled away reluctantly to look at you. There was a small shift in his eyes.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Steven said, an expression of awe appearing on his face.

"Thanks Steven," you blushed.

There was another shift.

"Steven's right, you look...good," Marc said giving you an appreciative look, "How did you end up wearing the suit anyways?"

"Soulmates."

"Right, wow. Okay, had almost forgotten about that."

"It's a limited time deal. The suit is rejecting me as Khonshu's avatar," you said, pointing to the wrist where the suit was coming undone. The unravelling had reached the upper half of your arm now and parts of your legs.

"You need to stop Harrow and Ammit, and I'm going to get Layla. I think she's okay, but there were guys chasing after her. It's possible she made it outside," you said.

"So how....," Marc trailed off, motioning back and forth between your suit and himself.  

With your hands on your hips, you hummed in thoughtfulness. Thinking back on how you summoned the suit, you tried to figure out how to send it back to him.

Suddenly, you had a thought. Smirking at Marc, you figured the suit gave you enough confidence to try what you had planned.

Cocking his head to the side, Marc eyed you wearily at your abrupt change, "What?"

"Do you trust me?" you asked.

"Yes? What does that have to -"

Upon hearing his initial answer you grabbed Marc by the lapels of his jacket, kissing him, effectively cutting off his reply. You threw all your emotions into the kiss. No more hesitation, no more dancing around what they may or may not be. Marc stumbled into the kiss, but recovered admirably. He responded in kind, burying one his hands in your dark locks, while running his other hand up your back.

You felt the armor leaving your body in full force now. The material underneath your hands of Marc's jacket shifted. You finally broke off the kiss, breathless. You watched the remnants of armor leaving your body and finished materializing on him. It was quite the sight. You tilted your head up to meet his gaze. Now, bright, white eyes stared back at you.

Marc felt around his body making sure the armor was actually there.

"Did you just transfer the ceremonial armor to me via kiss?" he questioned, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. It was worth a shot," you shrugged, grinning at him.

"Fuck, baby. That was amazing."

You laughed at that.

"Yeah, wasn't half bad," you poked at him.

A large crash sounded on one of the sides of the pyramid. Stones started falling from the walls and ceiling.

"You should probably - " you motioned for him to get going.

"You need to get out of here," Marc said, gripping your arms lightly.

"I will, let me find Layla, and we'll high tail it out of this pyramid."

Marc seemed to hesitate, but nodded at you, "Okay, but not a minute more, alright?"

"Deal."

With superhuman speed, Marc flew out of the pyramid, cape flapping out revealing the shape of his crescent moon.

The rumbling had subsided some, but now you could heard screaming coming from the open pathway that led outside. You started walking forward in the direction of where you last saw Layla, but stopped when you felt an intense pain in your side again. Shifting your light jacket out of the way, you finally saw what Khonshu's armor failed to reveal. Those missing pieces from the cane. They were embedded in your lower abdomen. Like shards of glass slicing into your skin. Groaning, you're not sure why you hadn't picked up on it earlier. Must have been all that adrenaline coupled with the suit.

Fuck. Khonshu had warned you that you wouldn't heal.

You limped over to your abandoned bag.  Lifting it up with your foot, you grabbed a strap in reach, so you wouldn't have to bend down. You rummaged around for some bandages. When you were ready, you reached down with one hand bracing yourself for the pain that would inevitably come from removing the shards. As your hand touched one of the pieces, your whole body jolted in pain, dropping you to your knees. Tendrils of energy wrapped around your hand briefly before dissipating. Oh, shit. You couldn't get them out. It's like they were magically attached to you. There was blood seeping out of the wound too. You put one hand on the ground to catch your breath, wincing every few seconds.

You bit your lip. You couldn't stay here. You needed to find Layla. Appraising your injury, you weren't severely bleeding, but there would be blood loss over time. You just hoped Marc and Khonshu would be able to defeat Ammit and Harrow. Khonshu was probably your only saving grace to getting these shards out of your body. Sighing in resignation, you took the bandages in your other hand and decided to wrap them around your midsection to help slow the bleeding. You stood up once you finished, wheezing from the effort. Checking, you saw your staff was still attached to your hip. Good, at least you don't have to bend down again.

Swallowing several times, you fought back the nausea building in your stomach. You pushed down all the pain, setting a determined look on your face. Time to find Layla and get the hell out of here before this whole place comes crashing down.

OOOOO