#this should he under a cut but heyoooo

[shira-cosmic-star]

Heyoooo, I'm not sure who you would write for the most but I'm interested in little sibling head cannons(as in reader is Thier little sister/brother/siblings)with the Toyko debunkers cast. I wanna do Jin, Sho and Alan the most. But Lucas and Rui would be the most interesting considering what's going on with them. If you do more the rest is up to you ❤️ thanks a bunch - 😼anon

Siblings Dynamics

Jin:

Jin has a younger sister that came to Darkwick in his 3rd year. His sister is known to be a lot like their mother. Who has sadly passed away. The passing took a toll on both of them. Jon doesn’t look like it, but he cares a lot for his own sister. Secretly Jin told Tohma to watch over her and assist her if needed. He also told Luca and Kaito to be her friends and make sure that her wellbeing is taken care of. Luca and Kaito were already her friends, but now they took it more seriously. One being knightly and the other scared to death about Jin’s wrath, if anything goes wrong.

Jin's sister is complete opposite of him. A air head, adorable, a bit reckless, but in some ways. They are almost the same. Both are kind, loyal, and thoughtful. His sister tends to light up the room with her smile and it attracts a lot of attention. Since she’s a bit of an air head. It leave her with a bit of trouble. Some of the students in Frostheim, might try to gain favors with being her “friend.” Tohma have often stepped in as an interference. Tohma would remind her about being careful with being too trusting. Kaito and Luca tried their hardest to make sure they look after her and keep her out of trouble. Kaito ego expands and Luca still remains the same. Though all of them as a trio makes anything an adventure. Jin’s sister would often play outside with them and Jin as well as Tohma would watch from his room. It makes him happy that there’s a smile on her face after loses they have suffered.

Sho:

Sho has a younger brother. A brother that looks up to him a lot. Maybe more so than with the oldest who happens to be a professor at the school. Sho’s brother wants to have fun and still be respectful. He really wants to be like Sho. Might not be a fully good idea considering who Sho hangs out with. Leo has often teased Sho’s little brother for trying to hard. Sho never liked that and told him to cut it out. Which Leo rolls his eyes and scoffs. When at home, Sho would cook and clean. His brother would often help out when given the chance. After his brother got a little older. Both took turns cooking when at home. Both would also separate the chores around the house. They have a close bond and even look after one another. Though Sho isn’t too sure that he’s a good role model. Often told his brother that he shouldn’t follow his lead. Instead, he should be his own person and try to be a better man than him. This makes Sho’s brother admire him even more.

Both have some similarities as well. I think most siblings do. Sho’s brother is more on the quiet side as well as a respectful person. Even though he’s quiet and respectful. He doesn’t like confrontation that much either. Maybe a bit of the scaredy cat. But tries his hardest to face his fears. Doesn’t like Leo that much, hates the fact that Leo places blames on his brother as well as throwing Sho under the bus for his own gains. It often makes him made that a “friend” would do that to his older brother. Yet never had much of a back bone to stand up to Leo. Not yet at least. Sho’s brother would often work out and exercises when given the chance. He’s actually a bit more buffy than his own brothers. But under those muscles. Is a adorable sweetheart of a brother.

Alan:

Alan has a younger sister. Super protective of her and often checks up on her. A total worrywart. Luckily for him, his sister isn’t in the same dorm as him. She was in Jabberwock, tending the animals with Haru and flowers with Towa. She would also play games with Ren too. It’s a simi safe place. Better than Vagastrom dorm, that her brother is in. She would often come over to talk to him when she had time. The students in the dorm didn’t know that she was Alan’s sister. She was being hit on and when she told them that she wasn’t interested. This cause a bit of a problem. Alan steps in and saves her. Telling them that she was his younger sister and they are to NOT cause her any problems or touch her.

His sister is a sweet heart, with a quiet voice. Which is why Alan is extremely protective. He would often teach her how to protect herself and what to do in a dangerous situation. He would make her repeat what he had told her over and over. Just to make sure it sticks. He would also tell her to not be afraid of hurting any attackers. Fully trust Sho to be around her. Not so much with Leo. It’ll probably take some time. Leo would often tease her to make her blush and Sho would tell him to knock it off. She has started to really like Sho, but isn’t sure if it’s more than friends or just some deep admiration. Alan would not noticed.

Luca:

I can see him with a sister. He already have a twin brother. Luca is also extremely protective. They lost their brother, and he isn’t risking losing another sibling. He would often ask if she is okay. This makes her feel a bit suffocated. Though she understands why, she would often reassure him that if anything happens. He’ll be the first to know about it. Both are loving towards one another. They would look out for each other, take care if one got hurt, one got sick, didn’t eat yet, and etc. They don’t hang out much but they do text constantly.

She’s a bit like him. She thinks about others, loyal, and kind. She’s a bit of a lone wolf though. She doesn’t have many friends and often spends her time drawing or listening to music. That or she goes on a walk around the campus when she’s bored. She has met Kaito, thinks he’s a coward. When Luca got into a fight with Sho. She was worried, she asked him if he had any injuries, luckily he didn’t. Luca’s sister knows about his habit of losing sight of his perspectives. Often when they were little and mean kids picked on her. Luca and his twin would fight them. She loves her brother(s), is often concerned about his obviousness to read the room and his recklessness. She hopes that in the end. They can find their brother and go home.

Rui:

Rui has a younger brother and sister. They are twins! Both of them have the same hair color and eyes as him. The boy twin is more quiet and calm. The twin sister is rowdy and loud. Rui often had a hard time getting the younger sister to calm down and go to sleep when they were smaller. Nothing has changed all that much. Rui would still make their food, pack their lunches, checks up on them, and act motherly towards them. If they got into trouble for pulling pranks again. The school would call for Rui. Poor Rui. After the meeting with the school staff and the twins. Rui would scold them again.

When they had heard about their brother being cursed. This broke their hearts. They loved hugging him when they were younger and they still would if they can do it now. They can’t touch him now due to the curse… Rui still cheers them up by inviting them to play card games or video games with him at his dorm. When they get there, they see their brother overworked. So they chipped in to help. They wanted to make things easier for their big brother since he does a lot. Not only for them, but his dorm mates, friends, and classmates. Rui feels extremely happy to have them here. It’s not the best situation, but it does make it easier on him on some cases. Once his curse is broken. He’s definitely giving them a huge hug.

———————————————————

[Unedited] Author’s note: this took me a bit because I burnt myself out with the last request and then I got sick. I’m feeling better. I will get to the other request as soon as I can. Thank you all for your patience with me💙

[chicago-geniza]

on the one hand it's possible & even necessary in the interest of full-bodied interpretations & multidimensional critique (beyond the literal & autobiographical) to separate the art from the artist. on the other hand as the most neurotic person alive with the demographic profile & scrupulosity brainworms i have, you have no idea what a relief it was when masha scream issued a public statement condemning the war in no uncertain terms (her family is from ukraine; there was a LOT of mat lol) & telling "patriots" where to stick it. same relief as when she told skinheads to essentially detonate a nazi grenade up their collective ass & stay out of arkona mosh pits. when it's -32 degrees & i want to [parody] [satire] nothing gets me out of bed like this stupid pagan metal band i've listened to for 10+ years, that inspired my undergrad thesis, & the reason i haven't quit them when i've quit most other metal is because they consistently & vocally tell rodnover neo-nazis & russian ethnonationalists to get fucked, & they have to do it like, all the time, because, you know, it's slavic pagan metal. i am sure there's some weird pan-slavism afoot & i'm not, like, a child getting disillusioned when my celebrity role model behaves badly, but you know i feel a bit of a bilious, oxidized-copper tang when nochnye snaipery come on shuffle, it's the long arm of the present crumpling a past association around the edges. & because masha was like "fuck the war, fuck the gov't, & fuck you," some of the music that got me though the worst years of my life isn't curdled in retrospect by the musicians being political turds lol

yes i am fully aware of how insignificant & absurd this is in the grand scheme of things but sometimes you haven't seen the sun in almost 2 weeks & there's a polar vortex & most of the people you spoke russian with now refuse to speak it for political reasons & are learning ukrainian instead (often in addition to yiddish) & like. i can read it okay & passively comprehend it well (i actually *speak* a variant of surzhyk!) but it's not my "heritage language" any more than hebrew would be. learning another language is always good but depriving oneself of a language because some of its speakers commit atrocities feels like capitulation to linguistic nationalism, renunciation of...cultural connections across borders, outright denial of history, rejection of the self who exists in that language, their emotions, their experiences. idk. i think about vogel writing in yiddish, how sometimes you can hear polish behind it, sometimes german. how when zelenskyy speaks ukrainian you can often hear the russian behind it. when the self-declared subaltern speaks in a reclaimed national language, the "native" language[s] of empire pulse beneath its skin, & a new dialect falters to its legs, yeah? legenda czasu. to be clear i think this is good and interesting, it's just the concept of linguistic nationalism, & "native" language corresponding to the nation-state, adopted even among anarchists, that i find troubling.

also back to the point of the original post very funny for patriots to get weird about masha scream when several of their songs are in surzhyk lol

[loverboytrashmouth]

Of Macchiatos and Nicknames (part 2)

pairing; Reddie

word count; 2.3k

summary; Eddie keeps dragging Bill to the coffee shop for his now daily chats with a certain barista. Bill didn’t think he could get tired of drinking coffee. Meanwhile, Richie’s coworker is tired of him being even more clumsy with coffee than usual.

a/n; heyoooo here’s part two of my reddie coffee shop meet cute :) here’s part one if you missed it. and you can read this on ao3 here if you’d like! enjoy !!

This was the sixth - seventh, maybe? Who’s counting - day in a row where Eddie found himself sitting across from Bill at his new favorite study spot. The only thing that differed from their first homework session spent at the campus cafe was Eddie’s seat of choice. The second day Eddie had asked Bill to switch seats with him, making up some excuse about his chair being unsteady. Of course, Bill knew Eddie just wanted a better view of the guy messily making coffees behind the counter, but he kept this knowledge to himself.

And, of course, Bill knew why, despite Eddie’s hatred of customer service interactions, the shorter boy would insist on ordering their coffees for them every visit. Or why, on day four, Eddie started waiting for their drinks by the counter instead of setting up his study area while they were being made. And Bill knew why Eddie would constantly get distracted while he attempted to go over calculus equations with him, only to get a small “hm?” in response, as if Eddie had just come back down to Earth after a long journey on Planet Trashmouth.

Bill was happy his friend had found someone that caused the same look in his eyes that Bill would get himself when looking at his boyfriend, Mike. And at first, Bill was happy to keep his teasing to himself (for the most part).

But on day six (seven?), Bill wasn’t running on a good night’s rest, and the caffeine wasn’t helping. 

“If you don’t s-s-stop with this school girl crush sh-shit and finally ask the guy out, I’m gonna s-stop acting as your excuse to c-come here everyday,” Bill snapped when another one of his questions was met with Eddie snapping back into reality, barely hearing what he had said. Eddie’s cheeks turned the shade of pink Bill had gotten too familiar seeing them being, before giving his friend apologetic eyes.

“I know, I’m sorry I keep getting distracted,” Eddie raised his arm to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment, guilt beginning to cloud his features at the realization that he was being completely rude to his friend. Bill softened at this, putting on his signature comforting smile.

“It’s f-fine, really. I just think it’s time for you guys to cut the flirting and actually do s-something, that’s all,” Bill said warmly, assuring his friend he wasn’t upset with him. “Plus, I never thought I’d get t-tired of drinking coffee. And I don’t th-think I’m at that point yet, but oh, am I getting there.” Eddie chuckled, taking another glance over at Richie, who was currently taking another student’s order. The smaller boy sighed.

“I’ve never done this shit before, though! I thought he’d ask me by now. Shit, maybe even for my number at least,” Eddie mumbled the last part, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms, feeling defeated. Richie seemed to be bold enough that Eddie figured he would only have to show up to the coffee shop once, maybe twice more and boom, he’d have a date before the week ended. But with the way things were going for him, he’d be surprised if he didn’t develop a caffeine addiction before learning how it would feel for him to plant a kiss on those slightly chapped lips he couldn’t stop thinking about. Bill’s smile grew warmer, if that were even possible.

“D-Do you want help?” Eddie frowned dramatically and nodded.

--

Richie flirted with everyone and anyone that would let him do so. It was all just playful banter to him. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Until that fanny pack wearing, freckle ridden boy had walked in during his daily afternoon shift at the campus cafe. With him it meant something, something Richie could feel in his bones, that spread across his skin in goosebumps and blushes.

Beverly had noticed as well, that Richie was very clearly falling for this particular student. She was his best friend and knew him almost better than he knew himself, so of course she noticed.

Her tell-tale sign, though, was Richie’s lack of coordination within the past week or so. He was already a pretty clumsy guy, but he was at least able to kind of get his shit together during work. But Bev noticed the shred of coordination he’d possess once he had his apron on had gone out the window when Eddie began showing up more and more.

So she wasn’t all that surprised when she heard the familiar clanking of the metal milk steamer hitting the tiled floor, Richie mumbling a slightly aggressive “shit” under his breath. The redhead huffed out a sigh, turning to her best friend with an annoyed glare. Richie gave her a toothy grin in response.

“My bad, Bevster. Won’t happen again, scout’s honor.”

“You’ve said that every time you’ve dropped something for the past six days,” Beverly retorted, shaking her head as she turned for some paper towels to hand over.

“Seven,” Richie corrected. He grabbed the paper towels from his friend’s hand, taking one last glance over his shoulder at Eddie, giving him a wink, before getting on his knees to clean up his spill. He smiled proudly to himself, knowing he definitely just made Eddie flustered once again. Beverly crouched down so she was eye level with Richie, her chin resting on her knee.

“Just ask the boy out already, Tozier,” she half whispered, giving him the look she always gives him, the one that tells him he’s being a pain but she loves him anyways. Richie looked up from his cleaning before responding, catching a glimpse of said look.

“All in good time, Ms. Marsh. I’m just buttering him up,” he replied, nudging Beverly with his elbow. Suddenly, his smile twitched, letting out a soft chuckle. “I really want him to say yes,” he continued quietly, beginning to fidget with the paper towel in his hands, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

Beverly let out a breathy chuckle beside him, patting him on the top of his beanie where she would usually ruffle his curls like she’d always do when giving Richie her sisterly advice. “Dumbass, do you not see the way he blushes whenever you even look at him? Not to mention I’ve never seen him here before last week when you guys met, and now he’s here, like, everyday. It doesn’t take a fuckin’ rocket scientist to see a lovestruck little gay boy when he’s dead in front of you.” Richie laughed and shook his head, adjusting his glasses with the same nervous tick he’s had since adolescence. 

“If you’re sure, little red. I’ll… I’ll work on not pussying out,” he said with his crooked smile. His smile turned devious before adding, “Maybe I can work on getting his pussy out, if you know what I me-” He was cut off with an elbow to his knee, making him wobble due to his brief loss of balance.

“Beep beep, Richie. God, you’re the worst,” Bev snapped with no heat behind her words. She got up, dusting off her knees, letting the trashmouth clean up his trash. 

--

Now it was day nine (day nine for sure, Eddie recounted all of their encounters in his head one night when he couldn’t sleep, so he knew, nine days). Eddie had decided against dragging Bill with him to the coffee shop this time around, mostly due to his guilt for helplessly ignoring his friend every time he was in Richie’s presence. He felt like such a lovesick teenager, like he should be laying in bed on his stomach, feet swaying in the air while he wrote in his diary about his crush on the campus barista. 

Eddie was sat in the familiar spot facing the counter at the table he and Bill usually favored, laptop open, but not doing any actual work. Instead his eyes trailed above the screen, watching Richie wipe down the counter after, no doubt, spilling something again. Eddie had wondered if he was always so clumsy, or if that was reserved for when he was around. He smiled at the idea of Richie getting so nervous around him that he couldn’t help but spill a coffee or two. Or ten.

Glancing down briefly to check the time displayed on the upper right hand of his screen, Eddie noticed he had a mere couple of minutes before he knew Richie was set to clock out for the day. In the nearly week and a half he had been spending at the cafe, Eddie observed the barista would run out the moment his apron was off his lanky figure on the weekdays, presumably to make it to a class. On weekends, however, he’d fall back a bit, making himself a coffee and chatting with his red-haired coworker, all while giving the shorter boy those small glances that made the latter’s chest flutter. Day nine was a Saturday, leaving Eddie all the time he needed after Richie’s shift to build up enough courage to approach him.

Fortunately enough for Eddie, he ended up not being the one walking over to the other boy.

“Ya here all by your lonesome today, boy,” Richie asked in a ridiculous southern accent, his hands grabbing onto his belt and doing his best cowboy saunter. His apron was off and replaced with a ridiculously patterned button up sitting open over his black tee, his curls free from the beanie that he’d wear during his shifts. Eddie chuckled as he shook his head at the antics.

“Yeah, Bill, he… had a… thing,” he answered lamely, mentally slapping himself, which he found himself doing a lot around Richie. Eddie had recently picked up a habit of speaking before his brain could fully process what he was about to say. It was as if he felt as though he constantly needed to be talking, no matter what he said, as long as it would keep Richie’s attention on him.

Little did Eddie know, Richie couldn’t keep his attention off him even if he tried.

Richie slid into the chair across from Eddie, his eyes never leaving the latter’s face, the ever present smirk plastered on his chapped lips. “Well, I don’t see what ‘thing’ could be more important than hanging out with a cutie like you, Eds. What kinda boyfriend is this Bill guy anyhow?” Richie’s smirk faded slightly at the last sentence, giving Eddie an expectant look. Eddie’s eyes widened before sputtering out an obnoxiously loud laugh.

“You- You think I’m wi- with Bill,” the smaller boy managed to get out, his eyes crinkled and his arm snaking around his stomach when he felt a pain in his abdomen from laughter. Richie let out a chuckle across from him, and Eddie opened his eyes in time to see the barista raise his hands in defense.

“Hey, spaghetti man, I’m just making sure you’re on the menu,” Richie responded with his usual flirty grin and eyebrow wiggle. Eddie’s laughter slowed and he felt his face heat up, as it always does around Richie. Despite this, the shorter boy scoffed at the nickname usage, again, as he always did.

“And what makes you think all these ridiculous nicknames are gonna get you anywhere?”

“It’s all part of my plan. Woo you with my charms and incredible nicknaming abilities. Don’t lie, I know you like ‘em,” Richie teased, and of course, he was right. Eddie’s attempts to deflect the nicknames with a disgruntled noise or eyeroll constantly failed at the hands of the rosey color that would appear on his cheeks shortly after. Eddie elected to ignore the comment rather than deny it.

“Well, no, I’m not dating Bill. He’s my best friend. He’s already got a boyfriend, plus he’s not really my type anyways,” Eddie shrugged with a small smirk on his lips. Richie perked up at this, straightening his posture and resting his elbow on the back of his seat, legs crossed, eyebrows raised at the shorter boy.

“Oh, I see. And what would you say tickles your fancy, dear old Edward,” Richie questioned in his old British woman voice, one of his personal favorites. He’d never forget his friends’ reactions when he first used that one in high school; he had even earned a chuckle from Stan. When he received a breathy giggle from the boy across from him now, he knew this Voice was an oldie but a goodie.

“Hmm,” Eddie started, putting on his best thinking face. Richie couldn’t help the fond look that crept onto his features while he watched Eddie rub his chin and purse his lips, fully not believing anyone could be so cute cute cute so effortlessly. “I like guys that are tall, pretty lanky. Long hair. Bonus if they can make me laugh.” Eddie had avoided Richie’s gaze throughout his description, his eyes not landing back on the taller boy until he was done talking and already had his bottom lip nervously between his teeth. He was met with a giddy smile on Richie’s part, causing Eddie to release his lip and break into a smile of his own.

“What a coincidence. I’m into tiny, feisty dudes that wear fanny packs.” Richie’s smile grew wider as he spoke, meanwhile Eddie’s simmered into a pout and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Don’t call me tiny, asswipe,” he retorted as he playfully kicked at Richie’s black converse beneath the table. “That’s a nickname I won’t tolerate.”

“Hardly a nickname, Eddie baby. Just a descriptor,” Richie replied, kicking him back lightly with a laugh. “It’s true, and it’s what makes ya so darn cute!” He punctuated his comment by reaching over the table to pinch Eddie’s cheek, receiving a slap of the hand from the other boy.

The two continued their flirty banter and playful bickering until they heard the clattering of the metal that closed up the coffee counter, and saw the sun disappear behind the campus buildings and be replaced with nightfall. When Eddie walked back to his dorm that night, he had a new contact in his phone, a warm spot on his cheek where Richie had briefly pressed his lips to, and a fluttering feeling in his heart he couldn’t shake even if he wanted to.

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 78

Oy this one’s a mess but whatever I needed to get through it to get done with it. Plus heyoooo one chapter left after this one till RMD yeah boiiiiii. Anyway this one is, ok... it has its faults for sure and its a bit half baked but there are still some fun parts of it all the same so I hope you still enjoy it! (and again for formatting please read this on AO3 or FF.Net, Dumblr is the worst when it comes to formatting). Enjoy!

Previous: https://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/617233070438907905/universe-falls-chapter-77-part-3

***

Chapter 78: Monster Falls

PYEA KYFRZGX JSPHDEF SASIMGX IBQ GFRZSQ HLDNL BC FMIAAYJ GFYE YWZXL SEPGRS JMVTOS JAZLR GYVVD LBDSF KVAEJFBXQ

“Now, now, Yellow, just hold onto your hand ship. These things take time! You just gotta be patient!”

“I’ve been patient for over 5,000 years now! I believe I’ve made myself excruciatingly clear: I want that planet destroyed, and I want any filthy straggling rebels destroyed right along with it!”

“Hey, we’re on the same page here, Yellow! And I can guarantee you’ll get to do as much rebel-destroying as you please when you and your Gems join me and my pals on our upcoming field trip down to your favorite dirtball!”

“Ah yes, an excursion that’s taking far too long to actually happen! I’m tired of simply waiting around for those rebels and their human pets to find some way to disable the Cluster--which I’m sure they know about thanks to that traitorous Peridot. If you won’t wipe them out like they deserve, then I’ll do it myself!”

“Whoa-ho-ho, no need to be so hasty! You wanna  nip those Crystal Chumps and their human buddies in the bud? You got it. Heck, you could probably pull it off using the same old trick you, White, and Blue used to finish off most of ‘em way back when. Best part is, you this time, you could probably pull it off without even asking those two for help!”

“...You mean use my power… alone? I fail to see how that would-”

“Not alone! I’ll lend you a hand instead. Between the two of us, all it’ll take is a direct hit straight on their “base” or whatever ya call it, and they’ll never know what hit ‘em!”

“Hm… I suppose it is worth a try. Especially if it will finally wipe the last of those despicable Crystal Gems and their wretched leader out of existence once and for all.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s absolutely what it’ll do. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s give those chumps a real blast from the past…”

“Thanks for coming over and helping me with my spring cleaning, you guys!” Steven grinned down to Dipper, Mabel, and Connie from his spot up on the loft. The kids had spent the better half of their morning sorting through Steven’s belongings to help him decide what to keep and what to throw away or donate. A rather mundane task compared to what they usually tended to get up to, but a surprisingly enjoyable one all the same. 

“I think you mean summer cleaning, Steven,” Connie chuckled as she neatly folded up a shirt. 

“...Huh… yeah, I guess I do!”

“Not that any of this stuff even needs cleaning,” Mabel said as she carried a box of various nick nacks up onto the loft. “I wish I could keep all my Crying Breakfast Friends merch as organized as you do, Steven!”

“So do I,” Dipper remarked to Connie more than Mabel. “Especially since her “merch” usually ends up on my side of the attic.”

“Well, Pearl once told me ‘the cleaner the room, the happier the human’, so I--oh no!” Steven stopped short with a sudden gasp as he lifted one of his several stuffed animals. “MC Bear-Bear! You’ve got a tear-tear!”

“Not MC Bear-Bear!” Mabel exclaimed just as dramatically as Steven showed off the relatively tiny tear under the bear’s armpit. “He was too young! Too pure!”

“It’s a stuffed bear, Mabel,” Dipper deadpanned. 

“A beautiful bear with so much to live for!”

“I should have been more careful,” Steven added onto the round of laments. “We’ve lost too many good bears this way. Well don’t worry,” he said to the bear as he held it close. “You’re hurt, but I’ll look after you.” With this, the young Gem planted a gentle kiss on the bear’s head, and as a result, his healing spit swiftly did its jobs, magically mending the tear back together until it looked like it had never even happened at all. 

“Huh, well that’s one way to patch up a tear,” Dipper noted, genuinely impressed. 

“Yeah! Way to go, Steven!” Mabel cheered. “Ya know, I have more than a few stuffed animals of my own that are due for the ol’ ‘Magical Healing Kiss’ treatment too… if you’re up for it, ‘Dr. Universe’.”

Strangely though, Steven didn’t answer as his focus was still on MC Bear-Bear, his expression much more thoughtful and serious than it had been a moment prior. His silence wasn’t lost on the others as Connie spoke up to address it. “Uh… are you ok? You sure are staring MC Bear-Bear down pretty hard there…”

“Huh?” Steven blinked, looking between his three friends before turning back to the bear once more. “Well… I was just thinking… We’ve done a lot this summer--saved the town, the whole world, even, but… there’s still something we haven’t done… Guys,” his tone was earnest as he glanced up, resolved. “We haven’t helped any of the corrupted Gems…”

Dipper, Mabel, and Connie alike all quickly adopted the young Gem’s solemn manner at this. “No, I… I guess we haven’t,” Connie admitted with a frown. 

“To be fair, we have been pretty busy,” Dipper countered. “Besides, it’s not like anybody really even knows how to-”

“I know how!” Steven interjected, raising his hand. “I-I mean, if my healing powers can fix up humans and Gems and even MC Bear-Bear, then I don’t see why they wouldn’t work on corrupted Gems too, right?”

“You really think it could?” Mabel asked, curious. “Cause if you’re right then that’s a lot of monsters you’re gonna have to smooch…”

“Which sounds… sort of dangerous,” Connie noted worriedly. “Maybe you should try a test run first?”

“That’s a great idea!” Steven hopped up from his bed just as the temple doors slid open just in time. “Guys!” he called, tripping over the side of the loft, only to land squarely on the couch between Dipper and Connie. That hardly stopped him however, as he rushed over to the Gems as the others followed not too far behind. 

“Hey, what’s up, little Ste-cup--and amigos?” Amethyst asked, offering the kids a casual grin. 

“Guys! I used my healing spit to fix a rip on MC Bear-Bear!” Steven proclaimed, holding the stuffed animal up for them to see. 

“Oh, uh… that’s… nice?” Pearl said an uncertain smile, though clearly she wasn’t sure what the cause for the young Gem’s excitement was. 

“Good job,” Garnet smiled, sending him a thumbs up. 

“That all you wanted to tell us?” Amethyst asked, crossing her arms. 

“Not even close!” Steven continued. “What I really wanted to tell you is that we were all talking and, well… we wanted to see if we could try-”

“No,” Garnet staunchly cut him off. 

“Uh… Steven didn’t even ask you anything yet,” Dipper pointed out, confused. 

“And even if he had, it was gonna be something you should totally say yes to, by the way!” Mabel added enthusiastically. 

Yet even so, Garnet shook her head. “With my future vision, I can see that you’re going to ask me if you can try healing one of the monsters in the bubble room.”

“So… that’s a no then?” Connie inferred. 

“Can you see if we can get you to change your mind?” Steven ventured, offering the Gem leader a pleading smile. Soon enough it was one that Mabel, Connie, and Dipper all picked up in turn, each of them eager to assist the young Gem in his altruistic plan, even if it was a rather risky one. And though Garnet seemed to hold her ground at first, against all four of the kids hopeful smiles at once, she ultimately found she was no match whatsoever. 

“Why did you agree to this?” Pearl asked Garnet as they all filed into the temple’s bubble room moments later. 

“I lost a battle of wills,” the Gem leader said plainly. 

“So, who are we healing up first?” Mabel asked, eagerly running into the room as she pointed out a handful of bubbled Gems. “Ooo, what about this one? Oh! Or we could try her, I bet she’ll be a ton of fun when she isn’t corrupted anymore!”

Despite these spirited suggestions, however, Steven already had his sights set on one bubbled Gem in particular. With a floating leap, he was easily able to catch the bubble and bring it down to its level, looking over it with a small, hopeful smile. “And gotcha!”

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

“Yeah,” Steven answered Dipper’s unfinished question with a sincere nod. “It’s Centipeetle. If I can help any of them, I want to help her first.”

“Oh, isn’t she that monster we fought at the beginning of the summer?” Connie asked, intrigued. 

“Yeah, but also she totally saved us from turning into dino-chow,” Amethyst pointed out. “Oh, speaking of chow, don’t forget about these!” She summoned her whip to pull down another bubble, one that had been hanging next to Centipeetle’s with a familiar bag of chips in it. 

“Chaaaaps!” Steven exclaimed excitedly as he unbubbled the snack. “They’re her favorite! Okay,” he said, taking in a deep, determined breath as he looked to the others. “Everybody ready?”

Garnet nodded, giving him the go-ahead while Amethyst and Pearl braced themselves, stepping protectively in front of Dipper, Mabel, and Connie just in case. With everyone in place, Steven gently popped the pink bubble, allowing Centipeetle’s spherical gemstone to hover free from it, glowing all the while as the monster began to take its form. 

“Come on, dude, do your thing!” Amethyst encouraged eagerly. 

“You’ve got this, Steven!” Dipper added just as supportively. 

“Put that sparkly spit of yours to the test!” Mabel chimed in with a bright cheer. 

“B-but be careful about it!” Pearl advised anxiously. 

Amidst all this, Steven landed a hearty, wet lick across his hand and, just as Centipeetle’s monstrous body was starting to fully take shape, he placed that hand squarely on her gemstone. The stone sparkled radiently, Steven’s healing magic flowing through it as Centipeetle’s silhouetted form shifted completely. Her long, mandibled body grew smaller, much more humanoid as her many tiny legs became a single pair of normally-proportioned arms and legs each. By the time her transformation was seemingly complete, Centipeetle collapsed to the ground, resting on her hands and knees as everyone else started at the incredible change she had just undergone in dumbfounded awe. 

“I-is it working?” Pearl dared to ask, catching the apparently healed Gem’s attention. 

However, as she suddenly turned around, it was clear to see that Centipeetle hadn’t been as healed as she might have seemed. She retained her thick mane of white hair, as well as the singular eye that was her gemstone, but just below that was a smaller version of the fanged beak she had when she was fully monstrous. In addition, she had kept a few other insect-like features, namely her pinchered abdomen protruding from behind her, but other than that, she looked decently healed. Physically speaking, at least as she let out a loud, unintelligible shriek of alarm. 

“Boy, did it ever work!” Mabel grinned, sharing Steven’s immediate excitement over Centipeetle’s strange new form. 

“What? No, it didn’t,” Dipper noted incredulously. 

“I mean, it sort of worked…?” Connie said with a diffident shrug. “She isn’t completely a monster anymore, but…”

“Centi! You’re back!” Steven filled the awkward bout of silence that followed this in. Despite the whispered warnings both Amethyst and Pearl sent his way, the young Gem hurried forward to greet the former monster, chips in hand, though he quickly stopped as soon as Centipeetle met him with a harsh, sudden hiss. “Whoa! What’s the matter?” he frowned, approaching her much more carefully as she cowered away from him. “You want some Chaaaps?”

“Uh… I don’t think she remembers them…” Amethyst spoke up as Centipeetle let out another angry squawk. 

“Forget the chips then,” Steven pushed the bubbled bag of Chaaaps back up into the air as he addressed Centipeetle patiently. “You remember me, don’t you?” Though she didn’t react as fiercely to this, Centipeetle still tilted her head in confusion as her singular eye stared him down unknowingly. “I… have a bad feeling this didn’t work how I wanted it to work…”

“You think?” Dipper said, crossing his arms. 

“Aw, well… at least you still tried,” Connie smiled sympathetically. “And hey, something’s better than nothing, right?”

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Mabel placed her hands on her hips. “I think Centi looks better than ever!”

“Better… but not all the way better,” Steven said, taking another step toward the confused semi-corrupted Gem. 

“W-wait! Don’t go closer!” Pearl cautioned nervously. 

“Maybe she just needs a little extra love!” Steven suggested, refusing to give up so easily. Fortunately, Centipeetle didn’t lash out to attack him as he leaned in to plant another brief kiss on her gemstone. However, it did little to heal her as she instead reeled back, closing her eye tightly as she covered it with both hands, growling in both pain and annoyance all the while. “Oops! S-sorry…” Steven let out a small, anxious chuckle as he reached out to help Centipeetle back up. 

“Hm…” Garnet mused as she watched Steven and Cenitpeedle’s interactions from afar. “This is the best we’ve ever seen it work.”

“But it didn’t work,” Pearl countered. “I guess it’ll take more than a kiss to heal damage from the Diamonds…”

“But why?” Steven turned to the Gems with a fretful frown. “My healing powers have been working great lately. I-I should be able to do this.”

“It’s alright, Steven,” Pearl reassured earnestly. “Remember, she’s not cracked; she’s corrupted, and that’s something different, something nearly… impossible to describe. U-unless it’s by a Gem who’s actually been through it.”

“But, ya know, most of the Gems who have…” Amethyst nodded up at the countless bubbled Gems above them. “Aren’t really doing a ton of describing these days…”

“It’s sort of like… if MC Bear-Bear didn’t just tear the fabric of his arm,” Garnet explained as accurately as she could. “But the fabric of his mind.”

“Whoa…” Mabel gaped, mistified by such a deep explanation. 

“That’s… kind of horrifying,” Dipper shuddered, unnerved. 

“I guess it’s times like these when being a human really has its perks,” Connie said offhandedly. “At least something like that couldn’t happen to any of us.”

Garnet adjusted her shades upon hearing this, her future vision nearly catching a glimpse of something, though it flashed by far too fast for her to really make anything of. So instead, she shook her head to clear it before addressing the apprehensive young Gem once more. “Steven, I’m impressed with your ability to bring the Centipeetle this far, but it’s time to let her rest again. Amethyst-”

“Uh, sure,” the purple Gem shrugged, summoning her whip again. “I’ll poof her.”

“W-wait!” Steven protested, hurrying to shield Centipeetle as she curiously looked over her new form through a reflection on the wall. “She’s not a monster anymore!”

“Here,” Garnet pulled Steven close, pressing his face against her as she extended a hand out to the other kids as well. “You don’t have to watch. Same goes for the rest of you kids.”

Though Mabel was really the only one to take her up on that offer, Steven suddenly pushed himself away from the Gem leader to rush back over to Centipeetle. “No, please! She can walk, a-and talk! Just like you guys!” Surprisingly, Centipeetle chimed in with a contented squeak, her maw forming something that almost seemed like a smile as she turned back to face Steven. “See?”

“Aw, how can you guys say no to that face?” Mabel said, sending the Gems the same pleading look Steven was. 

“Yeah, she doesn’t really seem like she’s that dangerous anymore…” Dipper agreed. 

“Definitely not as dangerous as she was the day the four of us met,” Connie said with a small, fond chuckle. 

“See? Centi was the one who brought us together in the first place,” Steven said, motioning between himself, Connie, Dipper, and Mabel. “M-maybe she wasn’t the nicest back then, but she’s our friend now! I helped her--we helped her this much; maybe we can help her more. We have to try, I made a promise! Please?”

The Gems exchanged an uneasy glance at this, none of them too keen on the idea of letting a corrupted Gem, even a semi-corrupted one like Centipeetle, simply run around unrestrained, especially around the kids. And yet, even despite her strange form and unpredictable behavior, for the most part Cenitpeedle seemed much calmer and more civilized than she had been before, even if she was still rather skittish and couldn’t quite communicate in anything other than squawks and hisses. But what really broke through their hesitancy was the kids, all four of whom were staring up at them pleadingly in their shared resolve to do whatever they could to help Centipeetle even more than they already had. 

So the Gems let out a unified relenting groan as they lost a second battle of wills, much to the kids’ mixed relief and excitement. Still, that didn’t mean that the Gems didn’t have any dissention toward this newfound haphazard arrangement. “S-so what are we going to do with her?” Pearl asked, wincing as she stole another glance over at the semi-corrupted Gem. “Let her move in?”

“Aw, yeah!” Amethyst cheered, in favor of the idea. “Corrupted roommate!”

“Oh, Amethyst, be sensitive,” the white Gem rolled her eyes. 

“Oo! She could stay down at the shack!” Mabel suggested enthusiastically. 

“Wait, what?” Dipper looked at his sister incredulously. 

“Yeah! I bet Mr. Pines will love having Centi as a house guest!” Steven readily agreed. 

“I bet he won’t,” Dipper interjected once more. 

“That’s what makes it funny,” Amethyst chuckled, amused. 

“Well… it’s better than her staying here, I suppose…” Pearl muttered, aside. 

“Wherever she stays, whether it’s here or at the Mystery Shack,” Garnet spoke up, evenly catching all four of the kids’ attention. “You kids need to be careful with her. She can stay unbubbled, but you must understand: some Gems are beyond our help.”

While the kids didn’t exactly have much of a plan to help completely cure Centipeetle of her corruption, they were still largely optimistic that they could all the same. Though the Gems still had some reservations, Steven managed to convince them to allow the semi-corrupted Gems to accompany him and the other kids down to the Mystery Shack. And though she was certainly much more tame than the animalistic way she’d been before, it was clear that Centipeetle still wasn’t exactly used to being out and about as the kids did their best to coax her out of the house alone. 

“It’s ok, Centi,” Steven urged patiently as he held the door open for her. “We’re just gonna take a nice walk down to the Mystery Shack. How does that sound?”

Centipeetle let out an uncertain chirp at this as she lingered behind the doorway, nervously peering out from it. Her curiosity soon turned to terror, however, as a sudden breeze happened to blow by, tousling the semi-corrupted Gem’s hair and catching her off guard completely. She stumbled back, eventually falling to the floor as she shrieked in alarm, even as the gentle wind started to die down outside. 

“Whoa, hey! It’s ok!” Connie hurried to the Centipeetle’s side to calm her down. “That was just the wind. It’s nothing to be afraid of, even if it’s something you can’t see.” 

Centipeetle eased up at this, clumsily picking herself back up to stand as she attempted to venture outside once more. This time when the wind blew by her, however, she cowered much less than she had before as she actually managed to step out to join the others on the porch. “Yeah! Way to go, Centi!” Mabel cheered, though her excitement was completely lost on Centipeetle as she shrunk back in fear once more. 

“Mabel, not so loud!” Dipper chastised. “You’re scaring her.”

“Oops! Sorry! I meant--way to go, Centi!” Mabel tried again, this time in a cheery whisper.

“Ok, Centi--Oh,” Steven stopped short as he led the way down the stairs. “I guess that’s not really your name. What should we call you?” Centipeetle answered in a series of unintelligible chirps, one that left all four of the kids staring at her, dumbfounded. “Oh, right, can’t talk…” Steven rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Maybe we could try to guess your name,” Mabel suggested. “What about… Lindsay?” 

“Mabel, that’s not a Gem name,” Dipper said flatly as Centipeetle shook her head. “It’d probably be something more like… Oh, I dunno, she’s green, so… Emerald?” 

Once again, Centipeetle made a face, obviously not a fan of that name either. “Well, there are plenty of green gemstones out there,” Connie noted. “I picked up a book on different gemstone types awhile back for… reasons. So, off the top of my head, I can think of… Jade, Tourmaline-”

“Peridot, but we’ve already got one of those!” Mabel chimed in. 

“Demantoid, Aventurine, Nephrite-” Centipeetle suddenly cut off Connie’s list with a loud squeal, which she paired with hopping up and down on the balls of her feet as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The kids exchanged a curious look at this, none of them really knowing what to make of it until Steven spoke up. 

“Well, that can’t be it,” he frowned, not noticing Centipeetle’s disgruntled sigh. “We’ll just stick with Centi for now, ok? Just like we did before. Do you remember any of that?” he asked Centipeetle with a hopeful smile. “That time you saved me from a crow, or how you took on that pterodactyl baby, or how we helped the Gems electrocute--uh, actually, do forget that one.”

Centipeetle tilted her head in confusion, though her singular eye suddenly shot wide with alarm as she stumbled back into the porch staircase. The kids didn’t understand where this newfound bout of fear was coming from until she pointed a shaking hand past them to the animal that was peacefully grazing several feet away. “Oh, that’s only a deer,” Dipper explained to Centipeetle. “Don’t worry; it won’t hurt you. In fact, it’s more likely to run away from you than do anything else, see?” Sure enough, by now the deer had noticed the group standing nearby and had taken off, bounding back into the woods it had come from. By now, Centipeetle’s fear had turned into intrigue as she attempted following the deer, only to stop short as she stumbled across something else that caught her eye instead. 

“Whatcha got there, Centi?” Steven asked, walking over to where the semi-corrupted Gem had knelt down. She chirped brightly as she pointed out a patch of pink wildflowers, apparently fascinated by them as she turned back toward them. “Oh! Those are some really pretty flowers! Here, hold tight for just a second.” Centipeetle continued to curiously watch as Steven picked a few of the flowers, tying them together into a simple, yet fashionable crown, which he proceeded to place on the semi-corrupted Gem’s head. “Tada! It’s for you! Do you like it?” 

Centipeetle did seem to enjoy the flower crown as she cooed happily, though she kept trying to really look up at it to no avail. “Oh, you wanna see how you look?” Mabel inferred, grabbing her hand. “Well, c’mon! You can check out your fab new style right here.” She led Centipeetle over to the nearby stream, allowing her to get a full and proper view of how the flower crown looked on her. The semi-corrupted Gem managed a satisfied smile as she looked at her reflection, though that reflection was soon broken by the small fish that happened to briefly jump out of the water. Centipeetle flinched, afraid, as she fell back into the grass, her flower crown landing right beside her. “Aw, Centi! No need to freak out!” Mabel chuckled as she repositioned the flower crown on her head. “That was just a cute little fish! It can’t hurt you. Well, unless we’re talking about some of the big boys out in the ocean, cause something like a shark isn’t exactly the kind of fish you wanna-” She stopped short upon meeting Centipeetle’s nervous expression once more. “Uh… you know what? Never mind.”

“Boy,” Connie grinned as the semi-corrupted Gem peered back into the stream for another look. “She sure is curious, huh?”

“She must not have gotten to see a whole lot of the Earth before she was corrupted…” Steven frowned sympathetically. 

“Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking,” Dipper interjected. “If we really want to help her uncorrupt completely, then maybe what we need to do first is figure out how she was corrupted in the first place and work from there.”

“Didn’t Pearl say something about ‘damage from the Diamonds’?” Connie mused. “What kind of damage could they have done to cause something like… well, what happened to her?”

Centipeetle turned at this, though she quickly froze, her eye going wide as she stared at something beyond the kids gathered before her. A piercing, downright terrified screech escaped her, catching the others completely off guard as they all turned their attention back to her. “What’s the matter?” Steven asked, placing a gentle hand against her arm, which was trembling every bit as much as the rest of her body. “Are you ok? A-are you remembering something?”

Centipeetle reacted harshly, clutching her head tightly as she closed her eye, screaming all the while. She somehow managed to get back to her feet, looking to the sky once again as she finally pointed a shaking finger at what had her so scared to begin with. 

Despite the summer skies being crystal clear, a large, bright golden star had seemed to take up a place within them. It shined brightly, clashing with the familiar blue atmosphere, and while the mere sight of it outright horrified Centipeetle, the kids largely had no idea what the cause for alarm really was at all. “Uh… what is that?” Dipper asked, somewhat unnerved. 

“Maybe it’s like one of those jet plane thingies you always see in the sky super early in the morning?” Mabel suggested. “Only the pilot on this one woke up way later than he should have.”

“That doesn’t look like any jet I’ve ever seen, even from a distance,” Connie shook her head. 

Steven, meanwhile, was largely distracted by Centipeetle, who was looking around in just about every direction, seemingly trying to find some way to escape. “Whoa, Centi, i-it’s alright,” he advised, grabbing her hand. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of when you’re with us!” The semi-corrupted monster was hardy listening however, as she looked back to the “star” once more. It flashed brightly, but briefly, and that alone was to throw her already palpable alarm into an all-out panic. With a manic screech, she pulled her hand out of Steven’s and took off, running off into the forest as fast as her newly-reformed legs would carry her. “W-wait!” the young Gem called, intending on running after her until Connie reigned him back in. 

“Uh, S-steven?” she grabbed his arm, directing his attention up to the “star” once more. By now it was practically burning yellow in the sky, yet it hadn’t moved, hadn’t done much at all until it suddenly dialated dramatically. 

And then, before anyone had any time to say or do anything else, it exploded. 

A bright, blinding golden light flooded the entire area, spreading out far and wide across all of Gravity Falls at a supersonic speed. It overtook nearly everything, from the temple to the shack to the forest to downtown, even as far as the lake and the outlying countryside, all centralized solely on the tiny timberwood town itself. In its wake it covered everyone, humans, Gems, and magical or mythical creatures alike (though only one group among those three would emerge from it unscathed). And as it shined upon them all, if its overpowering, devastating radiance hadn’t momentarily defeated them, they might have heard the briefest bout of twisted laughter, accompanied by a single voice raised in vengeful song. 

And just as quickly as the light had come, it was over. It faded, leaving the sky crisp and clear and blue once again. Slowly, nature reawakened after being so sharply silenced as gentle birdsong filled in the late morning air once more. That quiet din was what first roused Steven, who sat up slowly, placing a careful hand against his now-aching head as he did. And yet, before he could even really get his bearings back, the first thing he happened to notice was that his hair strangely didn’t feel much like hair at all. Rather, it had a much softer, lighter texture, almost akin to flower petals, which made the fact that his fingers were seemingly much sharper than he knew they should have been all the more bewildering. Confused as he was, he tried to stand, though as soon as he got to his feet, he received a sudden, involuntary boost into the air. Briefly, he thought he’d accidentally activated his floating powers, until he happened to notice the series of sturdy green vines that were somehow propping him up. 

“Huh?” Steven frowned, glancing back only to see that the vines didn’t just seem to be coming from behind him, but from him. They sprouted from his back, and a few of the more thorny ones had twisted themselves around his arms and legs, though those thorns didn’t dig into his skin, which was an odd shade of pale pink. “W-what is all this…?” he wondered to himself, briefly glancing up from himself to look around. The first thing he realized was that Centipeetle was nowhere to be found, having run off into the woods just moments prior, a thought that worried Steven far more than his current peculiar condition did. “Oh no! Centi!” he gasped, alarmed as he searched for any sign of her. “Where are-”

“Ugh… Steven…?” The young Gem immediately stopped short as soon as he heard Dipper’s voice somewhere nearby. Despite his attempts at turning around, the vines suddenly did so for him as they somehow moved on their own accord. Still, Steven ignored how startling the vines, the thorns, and even the surprisingly sharp claws he now had were, in favor of checking on the others instead. 

“Dipper! Are you ok--Ohhhhh my gosh!” Steven’s jaw dropped in shock as soon as he actually looked at Dipper, who had just started to partially pull himself up off the ground. 

As he did, however, he clearly noticed something was off, particularly about the texture and shape of his nose and ears. “W-what is…” Dipper trailed off as he tried to properly sit up, only to not receive the sort of usual feedback he would have expected from his legs. “Why… why can’t I-” He cut himself off with a sharp, frightened gasp as soon as he so much as caught sight of the lower half of his body. Because by all accounts, it looked identical to that of a deer’s, complete with not just two, but four long, lithe, thin legs, brown fur spotted with specks of white on his back, and even a tiny tail that was currently twitching out of immense agitation. As he fully took in this inexplicable shift, Dipper let out a tight, terrified cry that didn’t sound exactly human, though he didn’t seem to care as he gripped his front set of legs to confirm that they were, in fact, actually his. “W-what’s going on?!” 

“Whoa, Dipper!” Steven exclaimed in equal awe as he leaned forward as much as the vines would allow. “You’re like… some kind of deer-centaur! A deertaur!”

“Ok, two things,” Dipper said crossly amidst trying to position his new, rather awkward set of legs to stand. “One, I’m pretty sure that’s not what this is called and two... WHAT? WHY? HOW? What happened to me?! What happened to you?! What’s with all the vines? Why does your hair look like a bouquet?”

“It does…?” Steven frowned, reaching up to thumb one of the “petals” that now apparently made up his hair. “Huh.”

“Seriously, what happened?” Dipper reiterated as he made his first real attempt at standing up. And yet, as unused to his strange new form as he was, balancing on his feet, or hooves, rather, proved to be quite a challenge as he unsteadily wobbled before ultimately falling right back to the ground clumsily. “And why a deer?!” he let out a small, frustrated huff through his now pert, black nose. “It’s not even like they’re even my favorite animal or anything! This makes no sense!”

“W-well, if it’s any consolation,” Steven began with a small, reassuring smile. “You do look pretty cute like this.”

Dipper flinched at this, but said nothing in response as he crossed his arms and glared away, blushing, at least until he picked up on something else. “Hey, wait a second, where’s-”

“Oy, what smells like fish…?” Mabel suddenly spoke up as she finally started to wake up herself. She let out a long yawn, not noticing the dumbfounded looks Steven and Dipper were both sending her way as they realized she’d also gone through an unnatural transformation. For her own part, however, it took Mabel a moment or two to register that transformation as she sat up and stared directly at the scaly pink finned tail that had taken the place of her legs. “Huh… Well that’s new,” she noted, glancing over her now-webbed hands before balking at her tail again with a huge gasp. “OH MY GOSH!” she practically screamed, stars in her eyes as she hugged her tail excitedly. “I’m a mer-ACK!” Mabel sucked in another sharp gasp, an involuntary one this time as her breathing grew short and shallow, her eyes widening in panic as she gripped her throat frantically. 

“Mabel!” Steven and Dipper both exclaimed in concerned alarm. On impulse, Dipper rushed to get up to help her, completely forgetting about the current state of his legs until he inevitably ended up tripping and faceplanting right back into the grass again. He didn’t let that stop him however, as he prepared to try again, he happened to catch sight of something Mabel apparently hadn’t as she haphazardly threw off her sweater so she could breathe easier. “Gills…” he gasped in realization. “She has gills! She can’t breathe! Steven, she needs water! B-but I can’t-”

“I’m on it!” Steven readily agreed, his vines moving in accordance with him this time. It was almost as if they knew exactly what he was thinking as they kept him propped up, essentially “walking” him over to Mabel, who was still gasping and choking on air that wouldn’t do anything for her now. While Steven tried to help her himself, the vines did that for him too as their tips gently coiled around her arms before they swiftly pulled her into the nearby creek, submerging her completely. 

Both Steven and Dipper waited for an anxious beat for Mabel to emerge from the relatively shallow water, though when she did, she let out a rejuvenated sigh of relief as she perched herself against the side of the creek. “Ah! Much better!” she grinned happily, splashing more water against the small pink gills on her neck. “Guess I just needed to wet my whistle! So, whaaaaaaaaaaaaa-?!” By now, Mabel finally noticed just what had happened to Dipper and Steven, and as soon as she did, a huge, delighted smile broke out across her face. “Ohhhhhh, Steven! Dipper! You guys look so adorable!”

“Uh, thanks?” Steven chuckled. 

“Ugh, this is just gonna keep getting more and more embarrassing, isn’t it?” Dipper scoffed, dryly. 

“Embarrassing? Bro-bro, what are you talking about? This is amazing!” Mabel proclaimed, flopping back into the creek behind her so she could admire her tail fins noce more. “Check it out! I’m totally a mermaid! Oh, if only Mermando was still here! We could be the cutest mer-couple ever, and have mer-babies, and live in a mer-castle under the sea! And sing mer-songs all day!”

“Yeesh,” Dipper rolled his eyes at his sister’s flights of fantasy. “You would enjoy this, Mabel.”

“Hey, has anyone seen Connie?” Steven asked, glancing around in newfound concern. “I haven’t seen her since all this happened. Do you think maybe she could have gone after Centi when she ran off?”

“What are you talking about, Steven? I’ve been here this whole time!”

Steven, Mabel, and Dipper alike all froze up at this, each of them looking around for Connie upon hearing her voice, only to find no sign of her anywhere. That is, until she happened to reappear out of nowhere right in front of Steven. All three of the other kids let out a startled round of alarm at this, though Connie didn’t share it as she let out a small sigh of relief instead. 

“Ah, finally you guys can actually see and hear me!” she exclaimed as she hovered up into the air a bit. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for the past several minutes, but it’s like you all just kept staring right through me!”

“Aw, sorry, Connie!” Steven apologized earnestly. “We didn’t mean to! But I couldn’t see you until now, much less hear you!”

“C-Connie?” Dipper spoke up, trembling slightly until he caught himself doing so. “A-are you… I-I… I don’t know how to say this, but… I-I think you might be-”

“Oh! A ghost!” Mabel guessed bluntly. “I got it right, didn’t I?”

“What? A ghost?” Connie shook her head incredulously. For her part, she largely looked the same as she always did, though like Mabel, her legs had been traded in for a tail, albeit one that wasn’t anywhere near as fish-like. But even beyond that, she had taken on a pale blue parlor, her entire body being more or less completely translucent as it radiated with a dull, unearthly sort of glow. That, paired with the fact that she was able to float above the ground freely, added up to far too much evidence for anything else to really be true, as much as Connie wished something else was. “Oh my gosh, I-I think you guys are right! I-I really am a ghost! B-but why? And how--wait, no, I don’t even want to think about how! A-anyway, w-what happened to you guys? To all of us?!”

“I think I know what happened,” Mabel said as she pushed herself up out of the stream a bit. 

“Really?” Dipper asked, skeptical as Steven began to use his vines to help him properly stand. “You know what happened to us when none of the rest of us do?”

“Of course, I do,” Mabel grinned proudly. “We all got turned into totally awesome magical creatures! I mean, think about it: I’m a super sparkly mermaid (with a tail in my favorite shade of pink, might I add!). Connie’s a really cool ghost why can fly and turn invisible-”

“I don’t know if I’d call either of those things ‘cool’ in this instance…” Connie frowned as she accidentally phased her intangible hands into each other. 

“Steven’s, uh… w-well he’s some sort of flower… guy… person… thing…” Mabel ventured, uncertain. “B-but that’s awesome, since pink is totally your color.”

“Oh, you think so?” Steven grinned, looking down at his light pink arm with a newfound sense of fondness. 

“And Dipper is a super cute deertaur!”

“Again, I’m 100% positive that’s not what it’s called,” Dipper spoke up as he stomped one of his hooves down in annoyance. “Also, would everyone please stop calling me cute?!”

“Maybe once you stop being cute,” Mabel chuckled with a teasing smirk. 

“Which will be never!” Steven added much more earnestly. 

“Ugh, look,” Dipper began, addressing the enthused pair evenly. “I don’t know if you guys realize this, but this is serious. We just got turned into monsters, or magical creatures, or whatever, completely out of the blue. Something like this doesn’t just happen, not even here in Gravity Falls. Something caused this, and we need to figure out what it was so we can find a way to undo it and get all of us back to normal.”

“Aw, but I like being a magical mermaid!” Mabel pouted. 

“Do you like not being able to breathe outside of the water?” Dipper countered flatly.

Mabel flinched, recalling the frightening experience she’d just been through moments ago, an experience she certainly wasn’t keen on going through again anytime soon. “I… see your point.”

“Maybe that star had something to do with it…” Connie mused, looking up to the now-empty sky. “It was the last thing any of us saw before we woke up like this, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Steven agreed as his vines formed something of a seat for him to recline on. “Oh, thanks!” he said to the vines themselves before returning to the matter at hand. “Plus, Centi seemed to be really scared of that star. She might even know what it was! Maybe if we can find her, then she can-”

A sudden thunderous clamor cut through the conversation like a knife, a clamor that came from the temple, to be precise. The chaotic noise only amplified as the front door burst open and, as opposed to any of the Gems, what seemed to be a monster jumped outside instead. It wasn’t very large, though it was just a bit bigger than the kids, with a purple, bulky four-legged form and a full, thick mane of lighter lavender hair. It unleashed what sounded like a wild howl as it pounced off the porch, its clawed front arms allowing it a square landing on the ground. It didn’t seem to have any eyes, with a set of bright purple horns in place of where they would have been, but it still managed to spot the kids gathered just a bit down the hill from it. The monster’s toothy maw split into an expression that was almost akin to a grin as it made an animalistic sound that sounded a bit like a laugh, though it was still completely unintelligible. Its apparent excitement prompted it to stampede toward the group at a rapid pace, much to their shared alarm,, and at least in two cases, outright fear. 

While Mabel and Steven simply gasped in surprise as the monster rushed for them, Connie completely disappeared into thin air, not even making a single sound or uttering so much as a word as she did. Dipper, on the other hand, froze up, his eyes wide but his expression otherwise largely vacant and unreadable. And as the monster drew even closer, he suddenly took off, somehow completely capable of using his new legs, which he couldn’t even properly stand on mere moments ago, galloping at full speed into the nearby woods. Mabel let out a startled cry as she watched him easily leap over the stream she was sitting in before he disappeared into the forest just before the monster could arrive.

“Wait! Dipper!” she called, frustrated by her inability to get out of the water to go after him. Both her and Steven were met with an all-new concern, however, as the monster suddenly slammed down right in front of them, focusing on the young Gem in particular as it reared low with a small growl. 

“S-Stay back!” Steven warned, summoning his shield to ward off the beast. The monster leapt at him anyway, however, barreling into him and knocking him to the ground, even despite his vines trying to keep him upright. The young Gem braced himself for a vicious attack as his shield disappeared, yet instead, he was met with a sudden, wet lick from the beast’s large tongue. “Huh?” Steven frowned, looking back up to the monster, who still had him pinned down, but was now panting happily. Though he was already confused, his bewilderment only grew tenfold as he happened to notice the very familiar purple gemstone resting on the monster’s chest amidst her unruly tufts of hair. “Wait… A-Amethyst?!”

The beast nodded vigorously, finally stepping away from the young Gem as her long, messy tail wagged excitedly. While his vines picked him back up above the ground once more, Steven exchanged an uncertain glance with Mabel before he looked to who he could only assume had to be Amethyst once more. “D-Did… you shapeshift to look like this?” 

Amethyst shook her head, apparently unable to properly speak. She turned her attention back up to the temple, where another monster seemed to be stomping out, though it was much easier to discern the identity of this one from its appearance alone. 

“Garnet?!” Mabel and Steven exclaimed in shock as the creature the Gem leader had turned into jumped down from the porch to join them. There was no mistaking her, namely because of her pair of heads, one of which bore semblance to Ruby in coloration, though the only feature of her face was a fanged maw, while her other head was clearly Sapphire with her singular eye and long blue hair. The rest of her body was much more akin to Garnet herself, though quite twisted, her arms massive and muscular as they reached down as long as her much shorter legs did, her huge clawed hands acting more as her main form of transportation as she slowly lumbered forward. She towered high over Amethyst and the kids, letting out a low, inhuman groan that almost seemed to be a greeting, though despite her admittedly mangled appearance, she seemed just as calm as she always was. 

“Garnet… Amethyst...” Steven looked between the monstrous pair, quite shaken. “W-what happened to you? And… where’s Pearl?”

This question was met with a sharp, high pitched squeak from above as a large shadow briefly covered up the sun. That shadow had been cast by a large, majestic bird-like creature, one that nervously touched down to join Garnet and Amethyst. There was no question this was Pearl, from the tell-tell gemstone on her now-eyeless head, resting just above the long, pointed beak she now bore. Her form was sleek and graceful, with a thin, curved, swan-like neck, wide, sweeping peach and white feathered wings and a set of long, narrow legs that carried the same spiraled design as her spears. Pearl let out another unintelligible shriek, one of apparent surprise as she caught sight of Steven and Mabel, her wings flapping anxiously, at least until she heard Amethyst’s amused gruff cackle beside her. The white Gem shrieked shrilly at her in annoyance, though she merely kept on “laughing”, at least until Garnet silenced them both with a heavy, commanding grunt. 

“No way…” Steven shook his head incredulously. “I-it really is you guys! A-are… are you… corrupted?” 

All three of the Gems reacted to such a claim in shock, Pearl fiercely shaking her head as Amethyst tilted her head, confused. Garnet remained still and silent, though after a moment of thought, both of her contrasting heads finally nodded, much to the shock of her teammates. An argument of various squawks, roars, and groans erupted at this as the Gems “communicated” with each other, though neither Steven nor Mabel could even hope to make out what they were trying to say. 

“This is so weird…” Mabel frowned, leaning against the creekbank. “Aren’t corrupted Gems supposed to be all wild and crazy? Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are just… acting like themselves.”

“Maybe they’re not entirely corrupted?” Connie purposed as she suddenly reappeared, catching Steven and Mabel off guard. “O-oh! Sorry! I really gotta learn how to control this whole randomly disappearing thing better…”

“But… why do they still look like monsters?” Steven wondered, catching the attention of his guardians. “I know you guys can’t really… talk right now, but… you can still understand what we’re saying right?” All three of the Gems nodded, though what little their malformed expressions alone could convey told they were just as baffled and concerned as the kids themselves were. “So… you’re all basically half-corrupted then… just like Centi! Man, I really wish she hadn’t run off earlier; she’d be so much in figuring all this out!”

“Speaking of running off…” Mabel said, turning back toward the forest. “It’s ok, bro-bro, everything’s cool! You can come out now! There’s nothing to be afraid of out here.”

“I-I wasn’t afraid!” Dipper protested as he peeked out from the tree he had taken refuge behind. “I-it was just really loud and a lot of things were happening at once and I… might have panicked. J-just a little!”

“Well, deer do have a reputation for having a pretty sharp flight response whenever they get startled, so that might explain it,” Connie pointed out. 

“Ugh, great…” Dipper sighed as he fully emerged from the forest. “Just another reason to find a way to get us all back to normal as soon as possible. Especially for you guys,” he said, flinching as he looked to the Gems in particular. “You three look--uh… y-you look great!” he played off whatever he was going to say with a nervous laugh. The Gems didn’t quite buy it however as Amethyst teasingly stuck her tongue out while Pearl squawked, apparently flustered as she nudged one of her wings with her beak. 

“Wait a minute,” Connie interjected. “If that star, or whatever it was, somehow transformed all of us, then… maybe we weren’t the only ones affected by it…”

Everyone else took pause at this alarming thought, especially as they all happened to look down the hill toward the Mystery Shack. As they did, Dipper and Mabel in particular exchanged a nervous glance as they both considered exactly who else could be going through the exact same thing they currently were experiencing. “You don’t think…?”

Unsure of what they’d find, once the group of monster-turned kids and externally-corrupted Gems arrived at the Mystery Shack, Connie volunteered to head in first since she could more or less slip in unseen to scope things out. The only problem that arose with this came from Amethyst, who suddenly, impulsively decided to join her right as she floated toward the gift shop door. Connie stopped just as Amethyst rammed into the door horns-first, easily breaking down as she stormed in, eager to find Stan and show him her new form, much to the alarm of everyone else outside. Pearl let out a frantic squeal as Garnet slammed one of her heavy hands to the ground in an attempt to reel Amethyst back in, though the purple Gem, rowdy as ever, hardly paid them any mind. Likewise, the kids also watched with concern as she rushed inside, ensuing a chaotic clamor almost immediately as she haphazardly crashed into several display cases and quickly catching Stan’s attention, just as she’d intended. 

“Augh!” the conman shouted furiously from inside. “What in the--wait, Amethyst?! N-no, no, no, no! You better not--” He was cut off by another huge crash, one that promoted Pearl and Garnet into action while the kids stood by just a bit past the door. 

“Oh man, I wish we could see what’s going on in there!” Mabel exclaimed, leaning out of the small swimming pool Steven and Dipper were filling up for her. “I bet Grunkle Stan is totally freaking out!”

“Uh… I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate…” Connie frowned as she peered into the shack just as Amethyst scurried out of it, laughing all the while. Likewise, Garnet and Pearl both stumbled back themselves as Stan tried to burst out of the shack, revealing that, much like the kids, he’d gone through a rather monstrous transformation himself. 

By all accounts, it seemed as though the conman’s skin had turned to moving stone based on its rough, gray texture. Beyond that, both his fingers and his tones bore sharp, talon-like claws as he sported a small set of stony horns just above his now acutely pointed ears. But his two most notable new features were his eyes, which seemed to shine a bright, almost ominous kind of yellow, and the wide set of pointed wings on his back, which were currently caught on the doorframe, essentially holding him in place as he angrily tried chasing after Amethyst. “Ugh, again? Seriously?” the conman growled in annoyance as he somehow managed to retract his wings in a bit. “I’m already sick of these stupid things. And as for you, Amethyst, I--aye, yi, yi…” Stan trailed off, shock overtaking his expression as he noticed Pearl and Garnet’s changed forms too. “Yeesh, and I thought I had it bad between the new wings and the horns. You three look terrible!”

Pearl let out a harsh, offended hiss at this, though Garnet didn’t really respond. Amethyst however, let out a teasing roar, one that Stan didn’t seem to follow at all. “Uh… what, are you guys done speakin’ English or do you just expect me to understand ‘monsterese’ now?” he asked dryly. 

“Uh, actually, Mr. Pines,” Steven spoke up. “They can’t really… ‘talk’ right now…”

At this, Stan stole a glance over at the kids, only to balk in bewilderment at each of them in turn. “W-wha… what the heck happened to you kids?!” he asked, stepping over toward them. “Dipper--or Steven, I don’t care who since either of you if not both is usually behind anything wacky or magical happening around here--explain. Now.”

“We would if we actually understood what happened to begin with,” Dipper replied, crossing his arms.

“Well you better figure it out!” Stan snapped, irritated. “Cause I don’t know how you expect me to send you runts home to your parents with you looking half like a deer while your sister’s flopping around like a fish outta water.”

“Aw, it doesn’t sound anywhere near as magical and cool when you put being a mermaid like that…” Mabel cringed as she popped her head out of the water after refilling her gills. 

“You won’t have to send us home looking like this,” Dipper countered, resolved. “Because we’re going to find a way to undo all of this and get everyone back to normal.”

“Yeah!” Steven, Mabel, and Connie all chimed in support of this plan. 

“Oh really? That’s awesome, dudes!” Soos exclaimed as he stepped outside of the shack. Upon a first glance, he seemed to look just as he always did with no peculiar transformation in sight, at least until a piece of his arm quite literally melted right off. 

“Uh… Soos?” Steven spoke up, all four of the kids looking to the handyman in immense concern. 

“Oops,” Soos scooped up the strangely mouldable clump of his arm and easily slapped it back on as if it had never fallen off to begin with. “I’ll tell ya what, being made of clay may seem like it has its perks, but it’s starting to get way less cool the more times a chunk of me randomly melts off…”

“Could you at least stop melting all over the shack?” Stan asked dryly. “The last thing I wanna do is clean up bits of Soos off the floor.”

“Sorry, Mr. Pines,” Soos apologized as he smoothed up the side of his cheek before any clay could drip off of it. “I guess clay and a hot summer day aren’t a great mix…”

“Ugh, consider yourself lucky, man,” Wendy spoke up as she came out of the shack herself. “At least you’re not covered in fur…” 

“Whoa, Wendy!” Mabel exclaimed in fascination as Dipper, Steven, and Connie looked to the cashier in shock. “Are you-”

“A werewolf? Ugh, yeah, I guess,” Wendy rolled her eyes as she absently scratched behind one of her now rather dog-like ears. Sure enough, her entire body was covered in thick red fur to match her hair color, and alongside that she bore a bit of a snout with a wolfish nose and plenty of sharp, fanged teeth to match the sizable claws on her hands and feet. Yet despite her rather canine appearance, she was still perfectly able to walk upright, which was apparent enough as she leaned against the side of the shack, annoyed. “All those movies with the hot shirtless werewolves totally oversold this, by the way. The real deal totally sucks between being hot and itchy all the time. So if you guys are dead set on getting us all back to normal, then more power to you.”

“Don’t worry, we will,” Connie assured, though her confident smile quickly fell. “If only we knew where to start…”

“Maybe Great Uncle Ford can help,” Dipper suggested. “After filling up three whole journals, it’s safe to assume he is the resident expert on magical creatures around here. Where is he anyway?”

“Ugh, please don’t get me started on Ford and all those stupid riddles he’s been throwing around since this whole mess startled,” Stan huffed crossly. 

“Riddles?” Steven asked, confused. 

“Precisely, my boy,” Ford interjected as he rounded the far corner of the shack. For his part, his appearance had taken on something of a lion-eque motiff, with golden-brown fur, a long, thin tail, large (but still six-fingered) paws, and even a rather feline nose. But what set that motiff apart were his wings, just as wide as his brother’s, though bright and colorful and feathered instead of grey and stony. He only briefly regarded the Gems and the kids’ changes in appearance, seemingly not alarmed by them at all as he continued just as calmly. “For instance, what do you call a creature that’s steeped in ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology and has a penchant for presenting all who cross its path with puzzling riddles?” 

“Annoying?” Stan ventured, sending his brother a bored look. 

“No, Stanley,” Ford countered flatly. “A sphinx. Which seems to be what I’ve turned into. Maybe you’ll have an easier time figuring this one out: what’s the term for a creature that’s made of animated stone and also happens to be what you’ve become?”

“I’m sticking with my first answer and saying annoying,” the conman reiterated, glaring back at his unwanted set of wings. 

“A gargoyle, Stanley, a gargoyle,” the author huffed, exasperated. “Come on, that one wasn’t even hard at all.” 

“Yeesh, if you’re gonna be a wisecracking know-it-all, then can’t you just get to the point about it?” Stan rolled his eyes. “Do you have to keep at with all these pointless riddles?”

“...Yes,” Ford said bluntly before turning to the kids. “Anyway, children, do you know what a living, human-like being made of an earthen material such as mud, rocks, or in this case, clay,” he nodded over at Soos. “Is called?” The kids exchanged an uncertain glance at this, though it wasn’t long before the author filled in with an answer to his own riddle once more. “A golem. A clay golem in this particular instance, I believe.”

“Oooohhh so that’s what I am,” Soos mused, fascinated. “And I was just gonna keep calling myself “Soos: Clay Edition” but a golem sounds way cooler.”

“Furthermore,” Ford posed another riddle. “A creature with the arms, head, and torso of a human, but the body and legs of a deer is called a…?”

“A deertaur!” Steven and Mabel both chimed in with an enthusiastic answer. 

“Ugh, for the last time, you guys, that’s not what it’s called!” Dipper protested, his tail flickering in aggravation. 

“You’re absolutely right, Dipper, that’s not what it’s called,” Ford pointed out with a knowing grin. “You’re actually a cervitaur.”

“Eh, that doesn’t have nearly the same ring to it…” Mabel said, looking to her brother dubiously. “Grunkle Ford, can you do me next!”

“Mabel,” Dipper cut in, shaking his head. “We already know you’re a-”

“A creature that’s half girl and half fish would be known as…?”

“A mermaid!” Mabel immediately guessed. “I know because I am one! Right now!”

“Correct,” Ford nodded, pleased. “Now… hm… this one is a bit trickier. A physical spirit tied to… well, traditionally trees, but I suppose just about any form of flora works, as is the case with Steven here, so that would make him a…?”

“Uh… Mabel guessed flower guy earlier so, I’ll go with that?” Steven suggested, though he really had no idea himself. 

“Actually, my boy, you’re what’s known as a dryad,” Ford corrected. “Or more accurately, the male form of a dryad, a drus. A rose drus, from the looks of it…”

“...It had to be roses, didn’t it?” Steven muttered to himself as he rubbed his thorn, covered arm apprehensively. 

“Now, rounding things off, a creature that’s wolf-like in appearance, but-”

“It’s a werewolf,” Wendy interrupted boredly. “Already figured that out as soon as I realized I had a tail, man, it’s not that hard.”

“Ah,” Ford said somewhat awkwardly before continuing. “Then how about an immaterial spector that’s-”

“A ghost,” Connie readily filled the answer. “Sorry, Mr. Ford. We… kind of already figured that one out too.”

“...Very well then,” the author noted as he glanced over at the Gems. “As for you three, I… can’t quite seem to think of anything-”

“Oh, thank god,” Stan said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Are… are they… corrupted?” Ford asked the kids in particular. 

“Sort of?” Steven shrugged. “They’re still themselves though, right, you guys?” The Gems let out a variety of unintelligible answers at this, but all of them seemed to confirm this to be true. 

“Fascinating…” Ford adjusted his glasses as he looked over each of the Gems’ semi-corrupted forms. “All of this is just so… fascinating! I could fill up an entire journal alone with all of the scientific discoveries to be found here! And while I’m on that note, another riddle! What’s-”

“No!” Stan quickly cut him off, leaping forward with a powerful flap of his wings to practically tackle Ford to the ground. “You are not asking another one of your dumb riddles on my watch!”

“...Well, you could have just asked, Stanley,” Ford huffed, pushing his brother off him. “You didn’t need to be so extreme about it.”

“Oh, hey!” Steven cut in, pointing to a familiar van driving toward the shack. “Looks like Dad’s on his way here!”

Sure enough, Greg’s van pulled up to a sudden stop in front of the group gathered outside the shack, with the former rock star poking his head out the window frantically. “Steven!” he exclaimed, startled by what had happened to both his son and the others. Greg himself had also undergone a rather alarming transformation, as he was seemingly wrapped in browning bandages from head to toe, with what little skin showing between those bandages looking drastically pale and almost lifeless. Yet he hardly seemed to care much for his own appearance as he threw the van door open to check on his son and the others instead. At least until one of his bandages got caught up in the door as he slammed it shut. “Aw, not again!” he huffed, pulling the bandage out before hurrying over to Steven. “L-look at you!” he exclaimed, practically having to look up at his son thanks to the vines still holding him aloft. “Are you ok? Is everyone ok?”

“Yeah, we’re all fine,” Steven nodded. 

“E-even the Gems…?” Greg asked, sending them a worried look. 

“Yeah, they’re ok too,” the young Gem mustered a small smile. 

“Ah! Here we go!” Ford piped up with a brand-new riddle. “What would you call an undead creature typically wrapped in cloth bandages to try and preserve the decaying body?”

“U-undead?!” Greg balked, glancing down at himself fearfully. 

“Join the club…” Connie spoke up as she hovered nearby. 

“A mummy! Greg’s a mummy! Geez!” Stan swiftly answered, shoving his brother out of aggravation. “What did I say about the riddles?!”

“Oh, honestly, Stanley! You don’t have to be such a brute!” Ford took a swing at the conman with his claws, only for them to hit solid stone instead.

“And you don’t have to be such a pain!” Stan countered, utilizing his wings to gain the literal upper hand over the author before he could lash out again. Ford didn’t let him get away that easily as he also managed to take flight, and soon enough both brothers were engaged in a midair chase that everyone briefly stopped to watch before returning to the matter at hand. 

“So yeah, like Steven said, we’re all doin’ pretty good,” Soos reiterated obliviously. 

“I-I can’t believe this whole monster thing happened to all of you guys too!” Greg exclaimed, running a hand through the hair that was sticking out from under the bandages. 

“What do you mean ‘too’?” Dipper asked, confused. 

“Haven’t you seen the news?” Greg asked, incredulously. 

“Oh, yeah,” Wendy spoke up as she pulled the latest town news report up on her phone before holding it up for everyone to see. “Check it out.”

“This just in,” Shandra Jimenez, who seemed to have been turned into a harpy, reported urgently. “Monster madness has taken over Gravity Falls! Residents all over town have reported being suddenly transformed into magical or mythical creatures.” Sure enough, the accompanying footage proved this to be true as every citizen shown seemed to be some sort of monster or cryptid or creature, each in some varying level of surprise or panic over their new forms. “The cause for this town-wide transformation is still unknown, but experts believe the large flash of bright light that encompassed the entire area earlier today might have had something to do with it. For now, residents are advised to continue on with business as usual until some sort of cure can be found. We’ll be back with more details at 5, but for now, I’m Shandra Jimenez, and it’s time for my hourly preening session.” With a loud squawk, the anchor signed off to pick at the feathered wings that had taken the place of her arms and putting an end to the news briefing in the process. 

“T-this is happening to the entire town?!” Dipper asked in disbelief. All four of the kids exchanged a startled glance at this as they realized this problem was much more widespread and far more serious than they first thought. Which, of course, would only make finding an elusive solution for it much more difficult than they had originally hoped. 

“Yeah, it is, and somebody better do something about it! Soon.” 

“No way…” Dipper gasped as he was the first to notice who was emerging, or rather slithering out of the nearby forest. “Pacifica?!”

Like all of the others, Pacifica’s appearance had drastically changed, primarily by the way of her legs being replaced by a long, light gold, snake-like tail. That reptilian theming continued with her hair, which was no longer really hair at all but a horde of snakes, each of them alive and autonomous as they moved about on their own accord. The heiress-turned-gorgon clearly cared little for her own snakes as she pushed the unruly reptiles back as they hissed and maneuvered about freely. Yet her frustration quickly fizzled into shock as she spotted the group of various creatures and monsters in front of the shack, though she focused most of her concern on her boyfriend in particular. 

“Oh my gosh!” Pacifica exclaimed, clumsily slithering over to her as Dipper tried to meet her halfway every bit as awkwardly on his still rather unsteady legs. “D-Dipper, you… look-”

“Please don’t say adorable,” Dipper interrupted, deadpan. 

“...I was gonna say like a deer, but…” Pacifica couldn’t help but crack a small smile at this, revealing her new set of sharp fangs. “You definitely look better off than I do right now…”

“What? N-no!” Dipper countered, trying to reassure her as best he could as he suppressed a nervous cringe as one of her snakes drew in a bit too close to him for comfort. “You, uh… you look…”

“Don’t lie,” the heiress warned coldly. 

“...S-snakes,” Dipper finished, unable to really say much else as he realized he was slightly trembling again. 

“Yeah, snakes,” Pacifica scowled, reigning her snakes back again as several of them started crowding around Dipper, their almost hungry stares making him quite uncomfortable. “Please tell me you’re working on a way of undoing this whole mess…”

“Of course, we are,” he said, suppressing his sudden anxiety as he took her hands to comfort her. “We’ll figure something out, I promise.”

“AW!” Mabel suddenly gushed from her pool. “Even like this, you guys are still the CUTEST couple ever! What I wouldn’t give to have my camera on me! Though then again, maybe it’s better that I don’t… I don’t think it’s waterproof…” 

“Oh, come on, really?” Pacifica asked in disbelief as she glanced over at Mabel. “You got turned into a mermaid? I wish I could have been that lucky…”

“Tell me about it,” Connie sighed as she suddenly materialized right beside the heiress, startling both her and her snakes in the process. 

“Ok, everyone,” Dipper addressed the others, outside of Stan and Ford who were still engrossed in their petty brawl above. “Let’s get back on track. We need to start looking for some way to get all of us back to-” A high, loud screech abruptly cut him off as it echoed through the air, though it didn’t take long for everyone to discover the source of the noise as it came from above. Stan and Ford’s ongoing argument was only briefly interrupted by the arrival of a winged creature that suddenly blazed right past them both. That blue, jellyfish-esque creature was apparently holding something with its thin set of lengthy tentacles, a much smaller, bright green, six legged spider-like monster. While a pair of such peculiar creatures would have normally been cause for alarm, as the jellyfish gently set the spider down on the ground before coming to hover just above it, it soon became very apparent to just about everyone exactly who these creatures, or partially corrupted Gems really were. 

“Wait a second…” Steven said, focusing on the familiar gemstones on each of the monsters. “Isn’t that-”

“Oh my gosh! Peri!” Mabel practically squealed with delight at the spider-like form Peridot had taken on. “You look so CUTE! You’re like an itsy-bitsy Gem spider! If I could get out of this pool, you better believe I’d be giving you the biggest hug right now!”

Peridot let out a flustered hiss at this, her large, dark eyes narrowing in apparently frustration and embarrassment as she stomped her two front, disjointed legs down in annoyance. An apparent testament that the green Gem still retained her annoyance at being referred to as small, even in her now largely-corrupted form. 

At the same time, Dipper was completely caught off guard as the jellyfish creature suddenly flew over to him, remaining completely silent as several of its long tendrils reached out toward him. Immediately, his relatively new panicky instincts washed over him as he froze up, staring at the monster with stark, fearful, yet quiet alarm. The creature quickly noticed this and drew back a bit, seemingly confused and concerned, though it was still unable to make so much as a sound to convey either of those things. 

“Uh, Dipper?” Steven placed a steadying hand on his shoulder as his vines carried him over to him. “I… think that’s Lapis…”

At this, Dipper quickly snapped out of this forceful bout of shock, recognition filling his features as he spotted the teardrop shaped gemstone that was clearly visible through the jellyfish’s somewhat transparent blue body. “L-Lapis…?”

Lapis “nodded” as much as she could in her current form, slowly reaching her tendrils out once more so she could better see how Dipper had changed too. This time, he allowed her to, albeit a bit anxiously as one of her naturally wet tentacles found a gentle spot against the side of his face. “Uh… s-sorry,” he said, backing up a bit. “This is just… really weird…”

Though Lapis didn’t really respond to this, Peridot certainly did in a series of plaintiff hisses as she skittered around in apparent frustration. “Yeesh, even like this she’s still a loudmouth,” Pacifica noted to Connie and Mabel, aside, both of whom couldn’t help but agree. 

“So, you guys got corrupted--er, s-sort of corrupted too, huh?” Steven asked Lapis and Peridot, who both nodded in what almost seemed like resignation to this fact. The young Gem let out a small, fretful sigh as he took a moment to glance over the pair, as well as other Gems’ rather monstrous forms. Likewise, he took another moment to take stock of what had happened to his father, to Soos and Wendy and Pacifica, to Stan and Ford, to Mabel, Dipper, and Connie, and even to himself. For whatever reason, they had all undergone some kind of unknown, and in most cases unwanted, transformation, one that had disrupted their lives and left them all with more questions than answers as they tried to adapt to what had so suddenly happened to them, a plight that faced  the entire town and everyone in it, Gems and humans alike. And while Steven knew Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl weren’t particularly equipped to save Gravity Falls from such a plight as they usually would have, he figured that someone else would just have to step up and do exactly that in their stead. 

“All right, enough is enough,” Steven said, his tone stern and serious as he looked to Dipper, Mabel, and Connie. “We need to do something about this.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time,” Dipper huffed, his tail twitching in slight aggravation.

“I know…” Steven admitted as a few of his vines curled back in embarrassment. “B-but this time, let’s actually do it! We can find a way to undo this and get all of us, everyone--the whole town, back to the way they’re supposed to be, I know we can! So, are you guys up for another mystery?”

“You bet!” Mabel eagerly chimed, slapping her hand over Steven’s as he extended it to the others. “Mystery Kids!”

“Mystery Kids,” Connie agreed, hovering her hand over the others even though she couldn’t really touch them herself. 

Dipper sighed, though he did so with a warm, resolved smile as his hand joined the pile. “Mystery Kids.” He paused right after this, however, as he stole a glance over at Pacifica, who stood on the fringes of the group, glancing away awkwardly as even her snakes seemed to hang low and quiet. She started, however, as she caught sight of Dipper silently motioning her to join them. Considering her less than stellar history with the other members of the group, she hesitated, but she ultimately folded upon meeting her boyfriend’s soft, reassuring smile. 

“M-Mystery Kids…?” Pacifica ventured as she slithered over to the group and placed her hand atop theirs. Steven, Mabel, and Connie all offered her the same eager, welcoming smiles, which helped to set her at ease just as much as Dipper reaching up to lightly, supportively squeeze her hand did. 

With another daring cheer, the four--now five--Mystery Kids solidified their brazen mission to uncover the truth behind what had happened to Gravity Falls and find a way to solve it. A lofty, brazen goal to be sure, but one they felt largely equipped to handle; after all, they’d faced impossible odds like this more than a few times before. 

“Ok,” Dipper said as they all retracted their hands. “Let’s get started.”

“Good luck, dudes!” Soos encouraged with a bright wave, though his hand ended up melting off his wrist before it splattered onto the porch. “...Oops.”

“Uh, you guys might wanna hurry up on that,” Wendy noted as she watched the handyman reclaim his hand with a concerned frown. “I don’t know how much longer Soos can hold out with it being this hot out. Or how much longer I can hold out either for that matter…” she growled, scratching away at her own thick fur. 

“Wait, hold up,” Stan cut in as he finally came in for a landing, Ford following not too far behind him as their disagreement had reached a stalemate. “The entire town is cursed or something, and we’re just supposed to rely completely on you kids to get us all back to normal? N-not that I don’t trust you four, but you gotta admit you’re a little wet behind the ears. In some cases, literally,” he nodded over at Mabel. 

“Guilty as charged,” Mabel chuckled, showing off her now fin-like ears, which were, sure enough, soaking wet. 

“Stanley, don’t be so inconsiderate,” Ford scolded. “After all, who has accomplished impressive feats of discovery and problem solving through pooling their respective talents together on several occasions over the past few months alone?”

“We have!” Steven proudly proclaimed.

“Exactly,” the author nodded, ignoring his brother’s irritated glare over yet another riddle. 

“Well, you kids have definitely got my vote of confidence,” Greg soundly agreed amidst resecuring a loose bandage around his arm. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Steven grinned, leading the way toward the forest. He stopped short, however, in front of the Gems, all of whom, including Lapis and Peridot, regarded him affectionately as best as they could, even if they had to do so without using words. “Don’t worry, guys,” he assured them with a hopeful smile. “We’re gonna fix this, no matter what it takes. I promise.” Though none of the Gems could properly express it, their pride was clear through the round of various indiscernible, yet clearly happy cheers that rose up among them. Their warm support only gave a boost to the young Gem’s smile as he turned back to the other kids. “Ok, you guys ready to go--oh…” 

His question was answered before he even finished asking it, for while Connie was able to freely hover just about anywhere with few problems, Dipper and Pacifica were still quite unsteady on their hooves and tail respectively and Mabel was essentially confined to her tiny kiddie pool (which her long tail was actually halfway sticking out of). “Uh… right,” Steven let out a small laugh, realizing that the others didn’t have an autonomous set of vines to tote them around like he currently did. “We should probably figure this out first…”

The solution when it came to transportation was actually pretty simple, and a large part of that came down to Steven’s several sets of sturdy vines. As intangible as she was, Connie couldn’t really do much to help, but Steven hardly minded as he allowed both Dipper and Pacifica to cling onto a few of his vines, as well as each other, for support as they began to make their way through the woods. Mabel had been a bit tricker, but they’d eventually devised an idea upon finding an old pair of skateboards stored in the back of Greg’s van. It took a bit of doing (namely in getting Stan and Ford to cooperate long enough to work together to lift Mabel’s pool onto the boards) but eventually the pool itself was fully mobile and ready to be pulled along by a few more of Steven’s vines (of which he fortunately had plenty to spare). And just like that the small, but enthusiastic group set out on their daunting quest, though exactly how they were supposed to go about it still wasn’t exactly clear. 

“So… what are we out here looking for anyway?” Connie finally posed the question that all of the others had been thinking. 

“A way to get everyone back to normal,” Steven replied with a steady grin. 

“Ok, but like… how?” Pacifica asked, just as confused as Connie was. 

“Uh, well…” Dipper began, exchanging an uncertain glance with Steven. “We… don’t really know what we’re looking for exactly. To be honest, a lot of the times when we do this, we just tend to look around for a bit until a solution just sort of comes to us.” At that exact moment, the entire group came to a grinding halt as something, or rather, a certain semi-corrupted Gem to be exact, abruptly fell out of the canopy of trees just in front of them. “...Like that.”

“Centi!” Steven exclaimed as he reached a vine out toward the disoriented Gem to help her up. “You’re back! A-and… whoa, you look just like you did before!” Sure enough, Centipeetle hadn’t been transformed whatsoever like all of the other Gems had, for she still retained the same semi-corrupted appearance she’d had since Steven had tried to heal her. Likewise, she still seemed to have a rather skittish mindset as she cowered away from Steven, not seeming to recognize him or any of the others in their strange new forms. “Hey, i-its ok!” he said, pulling his vines back a bit so he couldn’t scare her any further. “It’s just me: Steven! I know I look a little different right now, but you don’t have to be scared, ok?”

Centipeetle eased up a bit at this, looking Steven up and down before calming down as she met his comforting smile. She let out a somewhat confused chirp as she walked over to him, and that confusion only seemed to grow as she looked over the other kids as well. 

“So this… “Centi” is a friend of yours?” Pacifica asked Dipper to gain a better sense of context. “Yikes, it looks like she got hit by this whole monster thing really hard…”

“Um, actually, she looked like that before any of this happened,” Dipper carefully pointed out. 

“...Oh,” Pacifica glanced away awkwardly. “My bad…”

“I don’t understand,” Connie spoke up as she flew closer to Centipeetle, who flinched away from her slightly. “I know she’s already partially corrupted, but why didn’t she fully turn back into a monster like the other Gems did?”

“Good question,” Steven said, watching as the semi-corrupted Gem sauntered past him. “You got hit by that light too, didn’t you, Centi? Do you have any ideas about what might have happened?”

Centipeetle didn’t respond as she was instead far more fascinated in the small pool Mabel was sitting in. Or rather, the pool that Mabel had completely submerged her entire head under for far more than just a few mere minutes now. 

“Oh my gosh, Mabel!” Dipper gasped, not hesitating to stumble over to her as fast as he could. Though her tail was hanging over the side of the tiny pool, the rest of her body lay face-up under the shallow water, her expression completely blank as she stared up at nothing at all as her gills “breathed” in the water surrounding her at a steady, synchronized pace. “Mabel!” Dipper reached into the water, grabbing her by the shoulder to rouse her from this bizarre trance. It worked as she gasped, darting up with a start and unintentionally splashing her brother in the process. 

“W-whoa!” she exclaimed, pressing a hand against her head. “Uh… sorry,” she offered Dipper an apologetic grin as she noticed he was now dripping wet. “Not sure what happened, I guess I sorta zoned out there. Oh hey! Centi’s back!”

“Ok, can we not backtrack here?” Pacifica asked, somewhat impatient. “We’re supposed to be finding a way to fix all this, remember?”

“Right,” Steven soundly agreed with a hopeful smile. “And I think Centi might just be the key to helping us figure that out.”

Centipeetle tilted her head, letting out a curious coo at this, yet a few of the other kids weren’t so convinced. “Uh… Steven? I know you still want to help her, and we do too, but… we sort of have bigger problems to deal with right now, don’t you think?” Dipper asked apprehensively. 

“But Centi was corrupted, just like the Gems sort of are now,” Steven pointed out. “And whatever corrupted them transformed the rest of the town too. So maybe whatever did that did this too!”

“But we still don’t know how corruption even happens to begin with,” Connie noted with a frown. 

“Maybe we don’t, but Centi might!” Steven turned back to the semi-corrupted Gem. “What do you say? Do you remember anything from before you--I-I mean… from long ago?”

Centipeetle took a moment to ponder this question before she answered it with a surprisingly enthusiastic nod. Likewise, she began to explain, albeit in her usual language of inhuman squeaks and squawks, none of which any of the kids could even begin to decipher. 

“Well, this isn’t gonna work,” Dipper remarked flatly. 

“Oh! I have an idea!” Mabel raised her hand. “If her memories are still in her head, we just gotta draw them out. Literally! Through the language… of ART!”

“...Or she could just write it all down,” Pacifica countered much less dramatically. 

“Yeah, that would probably be a little easier,” Connie nodded. 

“Now, if only we had some paper and a-” Steven stopped short as Dipper suddenly pulled both a notepad and a pen out of his vest. 

“I never leave home without them,” he said with a proud grin. “Especially since you never know what you’ll run into next around here. It never hurts to be prepared.”

“Dork,” Pacifica teased, lightly elbowing him, which he was more than happy to accept given the flirtatious nature of the gesture. 

“Ok, Centi, check this out,” Steven said, writing his name onto the first empty page of the notepad. “Ste-ven. That’s me! Can you do that?”

Centipeetle nodded, taking the pad as she began to scribble something down onto the page. When she was done and presented her work to the kids, however, the series of jagged, mangled lines she’d drawn didn’t bear semblance to any legible words at all. 

“...You know, maybe having her draw might not be such a bad idea after all…” Connie said somewhat fretfully. 

“Yes!” Mabel cheered. “Art always wins!”

“Ok then, let’s try this,” Steven sketched out a quick stick figure sketch of himself so Centipeetle would understand what they wanted her to do. “You can tell us whatever you want to through pictures! You try it.” 

Centipeetle reclaimed the pen and pad and began to do exactly that, sketching something out in record time before showing her work to the others. “That looks like… some kind of spaceship…” Connie inferred, hovering above as she glanced down at the Gem’s rough, yet understandable drawing. “Is that how you came to Earth?”

Centipeetle nodded, flipping the pad to a blank page as she started doodling something else. “Ooo, they look like you!” Mabel pointed toward the trio of stick figures that bore a passing semblance to the semi-corrupted Gem. “Centi, did you used to roll with a super cool crew back in the day?”

Centipeetle let out a happy chirp at this, pointing to herself with something of a proud smile. “You were a captain?!” Steven gasped, stars in his eyes. “That’s amazing! Sorry, I mean--that’s amazing, sir!” he chuckled with a playful salute before he happened to catch himself. “Oh, right, you guys don’t salute like that. It’s more like… this, right?” The young Gem awkwardly tried to cross his arms, though he couldn’t quite position them in any sort of comfortable manner. “Ow! Oh, this looked so easy when Peridot did it....” It didn’t take long for Centipeetle to catch onto what he was trying to do as she showed him the corrected cross-armed salute. “Oh yeah! Like that!” Steven nodded as the semi-corrupted Gem let out another noisy chirp before she resumed drawing out her tale once more. 

“Ok, so… you’re saluting someone…?” Dipper guessed as they all gathered closer to watch Centipeetle draw. “Is that your commander or something?” The semi-corrupted Gem nodded, pointing back to her drawings with another pointed squawk. ‘

“She gave you an order,” Connie continued inspecting the drawings. “And you and your crew got on your ships and--oh, lots of ships. Heading through space to… Earth.”

“You landed and started building stuff,” Steven mused as Centipeetle sketched out the start of Homeworld’s colonization of the planet. A colonization which soon turned to a violent conflict. “But then… the Gem war! You joined the fight…” Centipeetle’s drawings grew a bit more aggressive and hectic as her hand started to shake. She swiftly crossed out several of the Gems she had drawn, symbolizing their brutal ends that happened so long ago. “You and your crew kept going…” Steven faltered as Centipeetle suddenly ripped half of the page she was working on, tearing away her fellow crew members away from her. “You got seperated, but you were still fighting. Then, new orders from your commander… to retreat. Everyone’s running-” The sketches shifted to a massive crowd of Gem soldiers fleeing from some unknown, unseen threat. And among that crowd was Centipeetle, lost in the shuffle and hopelessly confused as to what was really going on. “But from what? You don’t know. Where’s your crew? Where’s your ship? You stopped.” Centipeetle froze in her drawing, captivated by the sky as a large star, three stars rather, appeared in it. “You heard something--from the sky, a sound. A song? And then…”

Centipeetle tore the last page away entirely to a completely blank one. She covered that empty page with her hand as tears started to slip out of her eye and splash down onto the paper, dampening it as she let out an agonized sob. “C-Centi?” Mabel spoke up, concerned. 

“That light…” Dipper began in dawning realization. “That’s the same light that hit the entire town! Where did it come from?”

Centipeetle whimpered once more but drew one last image upon the empty page: the familiar symbol of a trio of diamonds. “D-damage from the Diamonds…” Steven whispered, his eyes wide with alarm. 

“Uh… what does that mean?” Pacifica asked, largely out of the loop compared to the others. 

“It means… none of this makes sense…” Connie shook her head incredulously. “The light from the Diamonds corrupted Gems back then, but… it didn’t work on humans before… did it?”

“N-no, it… it only worked on Gems, like Centi…” Steven frowned, recalling what Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had told him of corruption before. “But this time, it only affected the Gems’ bodies, not their minds like it did with all the others… And it did work on humans… So, what’s different now?”

“Bill,” Dipper said starkly, panic filling his expression as he recalled a very significant, very frightening recent revelation. “H-he’s working with the Diamonds now, o-or at least Yellow Diamond, remember? What if they teamed up to do this to us?!”

“B-but why would they-” Steven didn’t get a chance to finish his question as Centipeetle suddenly caught his attention. The semi-corrupted Gem was hacking horribly, acid spilling out from her beak-like maw as she abruptly collapsed to the ground. “Centi! Are you ok?!”

Centipeetle let out an anguished cry as light enveloped her arm, forcibly mutating it back into its previously short, insect-esque appendange. “W-what’s happening to her?!” Mabel asked, leaning out of her pool worriedly. 

“She’s reverting!” Steven exclaimed, alarmed. “Here, I’ll heal you again!” The young Gem hurried to do so, swiftly licking his hand and placing it against Centipeetle’s gemstone. She reacted harshly, however, her eye slamming shut as her arm glitched out, but ultimately stayed corrupted as the rest of her body began to do the same. “W-why isn’t it working?! How can I help you?!” 

All Centipeetle could respond with was a loud, piercing, pained screech, one that echoed through the forest and set off a series of varied responses in the process. As startled as she was, Connie was no longer able to keep herself visible as she abruptly disappeared into thin air once more, despite Steven’s desperate plea for her to stay. Likewise, as horrified as he already was by thoughts of Bill and the Diamonds and their twisted alliance, Dipper found he was completely helpless to resist his new flighty instincts overwhelming all sense of reason and logic as they prompted him to flee, running swiftly off into the forest, even as Mabel and Pacifica both tried and failed to reign him back in. 

And yet, Dipper and Connie weren’t the only ones to take off out of fear as Centipeetle started doing the same, distressed as she startled scrambling back through the woods herself. “E-everyone, wait!” Steven called, distraught as he realized things were only going from bad to worse. 

“W-what do we do?” Mabel asked, immensely concerned. 

“Uh… um…” Steven stammered, racing to come up with some sort of plan, which he surprisingly managed to do in record time. “Pacifica, can you go look for Dipper?”

“Um, yeah, I’ll try,” Pacifica agreed, more than willing to do so, even if she wasn’t entirely sure how far she’d be able to go on her difficult to maneuver tail. 

“Mabel, you… stay here.”

“Yeah, I… kinda can’t really do much else,” Mabel noted, pointing to her tail. “Oh! I know! I’ll see if I can get Connie to come back!”

“Great,” Steven nodded as his vines turned him around. “I’m gonna go after Centi. I’ll be back soon!”

“Good luck!” Mabel called after both Pacifica and Steven as they set off on their own respective missions. She paused a moment after they were gone, more than set to call after Connie in the hopes of getting her to appear. Yet just before she could, her own bizarre newfound instincts took over as she silently plunged herself back under the water of her pool, unable to really do anything else, even if she could have tried. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Steven to catch up to Centipeetle given how surprisingly fast his vines could carry him. The semi-corrupted Gem had just broken through the edge of the forest, apparently heading back toward the temple, yet as Steven did the same, he was quite taken aback by what he saw happening at the Mystery Shack. 

The entire area was awash in chaos as it seemed as though almost everyone who had gathered there had also fallen victim to whatever instinctual impulses that came along with their new monstrous forms. Stan and Ford had apparently gotten into another brawl for whatever reason, though this one was much more violent and aggressive as they chased each other around the sky again. Wendy attempted to follow along on the ground, running on all fours as she growled almost ferally, and though she missed Centipeetle, she did notice Steven and tried chasing after him as well. The young Gem narrowly managed to avoid her using his floating powers to jump on top of his father’s van, though that hardly stopped the frantic scene on the ground below. Soos seemed to have tucked himself away inside the shack to avoid melting any further, and Greg was seemingly nowhere to be found, at least until Steven peeked into the back of the van to find his father sleeping soundly within it. 

“D-Dad!” Steven exclaimed, hurrying to his side, only to notice Greg’s arms were crossed squarely over his chest, much like a traditional mummy’s would have been. “Dad, wake up, please!” he shook his father’s shoulder to try and rouse him, though it didn’t do any good. “D-Dad…?”

A sudden screech quickly caught the distraught young Gem’s attention, one that came from Pearl, who he realized was standing right behind him alongside Garnet and Amethyst. While Lapis and Peridot had taken to the sidelines, unsure of what to do, the main trio of Gems had been doing their best to ease the mindless uproar between the others, though there wasn’t much they could really do with their forms as monstrous as they currently were. “G-guys, what… what’s going on?” Steven asked them, realizing they were much calmer than everyone else seemed to be. “Why’s everyone acting so weird?” 

Though she couldn’t really give a proper answer, Garnet replied in the form of a low grunt, nodding up toward the sky, or rather, toward where the apparent corrupting light had come from. “C-Corruption… yeah, we know,” Steven nodded, “We think it might have been Bill and the Diamonds this time, but they... “ He gasped as the newfound, horrific realization struck him. “They corrupted everyone’s bodies… but only the minds of the humans! That’s why they’re acting like this! W-we have to help them! B-but how?”

The Gems seemed to agree, though the only way they could really convey their idea to do so was to step aside so Steven could see Centipeetle, who was still frantically making her way up to the temple. “Centi?” the young Gem wondered anxiously. “D-do you think…?”

The Gems exchanged something of an uncertain glance but ultimately they agreed that the semi-corrupted Gem would be their best course of action right now. Something Steven couldn’t really argue with since he was largely out of ideas himself. “Right,” he nodded, his vines starting to pull him forward so he could follow her. “You guys stay here and keep everyone safe. I’m gonna find a way to fix all of this. I mean it this time.”

Even if they couldn’t exactly speak, the Gems still sent him off with a chorus of warm, proud well-wishes, voicing their firm belief in their young ward just as well as any words could have. Their faith did give Steven something of a confidence boost, but as he set off after Centipeetle he couldn’t help but feel quite worried all the same, especially now that the stakes seemed higher than ever before. What if he couldn’t find a way to return everyone to normal? What if his friends, his family, possibly even himself with time, were all eventually lost to their monstrous forms and mangled minds, just like previously corrupted Gems like Centipeetle had been centuries ago? 

These were all thoughts Steven could hardly bear to face, so he decided to embrace the opposite instead, the hope that he would find a solution. That he could fix this and save everyone, just as they were all counting on him to do, even if they didn’t even realize it. 

The young Gem burst into the house just moments after Centipeetle had, finding her propped up against the warp pad as she desperately tried using it. No teleporting light emerged from it however, much to the semi-corrupted Gem’s distress as her leg started glitching back into its previously corrupted appearance. “I-it’s not working because you’re corrupted,” Steven noted, hurrying over to her. “Where do you want to go? The battlefield you fought at? Your ship?”

Centipeetle squawked out an immediate response to this, though Steven still didn’t quite understand. “Is there something on the ship that can help you? That can help all of us?” The semi-corrupted Gem only screamed louder at this, slamming herself down onto the warp pad as she practically begged him to use it. “O-ok, just… hold on,” Steven said, grabbing her hand to calm her down. “I’ll get you there.”

Despite his own condition, fortunately Steven was still able to use the warp pad as usual. Its light enveloped them both, taking them to the very same abandoned Gem ship that Peridot had tried trapping them in what felt like ages ago now. As soon as she so much as spotted her ship, Centipeetle took off, running through the jungle as she called out for someone she only barely remembered. “Hey! Wait!” Steven ran after her, or rather his vines did, at least until Centipeetle suddenly stopped short. The corrupted Gem unleashed another agonized scream as she collapsed, clutching her head in pain as more traces of her monsterous form began to overtake her: her multiple tiny legs, her lengthy, multi-tiered body, her long, pincher-like snout. As this horrific, slow transformation continued, Steven briefly watched in frightened alarm, before he took the initiative, gently latching onto her with a few of his vines. “You want to get to the ship? Then let’s go.” As unable to walk as she was, Steven let his vines hoist Centipeetle up as she continued whimpering loudly, her form continuing to unsteadily shift as her mind tumbled into madness all the while. Yet despite her wild manner starting to flood her once more, she still somehow recognized Steven, still somehow trusted him to take her where she longed to be. And sure enough, that’s exactly what he did. 

The young Gem carefully set Centipeetle down just as all traces of her once human-like form gave way to her former corruption. She squeaked pitifully, acid dripping out of her maw as she looked to Steven almost pleadingly. He shuddered, wishing he could do so much more to help her, but for now, the most he could do was open the door to her abandoned ship and let her back inside of it for the first time in eons. 

Silently, Steven followed Centipeetle inside the derelict vessel, only to find that they weren’t alone. Two other creatures, identical to the corrupted Gem, had scaled its dusty walls and had taken up shop there, though as they noticed Centipeedle herself, they greeted her with cheerful chips of greet. “Other Centipeetles…?” Steven wondered, watching as his own corrupted companion scurried over to join the pair. “T-they’re your crew… aren’t they?” 

Centipeetle stopped short at this, turning back to Steven as she skittered over to him once more. He offered her a small, sad smile that was quick to fade as he looked between his corrupted friend and her crew. “I-I… I’m sorry….” he sighed morosely. “I wish there was more I could do to help you. T-to help everyone! All of the other corrupted Gems, and especially everyone back in Gravity Falls right now! They’re all in danger and I-I… I don’t know what to do to save them! My friends… e-everyone I know needs my help, a-and I… I can’t do anything for them…”

Tears started to well up in the young Gem’s eyes, yet before they could fall, a gentle, almost kindly chirp from Centipeetle caught his attention instead. The corrupted Gem pulled her lengthy form up a bit so she could gain some height over Steven, and then, in much of the same way he had done for her before, she delivered a soft “kiss” of sorts upon his forehead using the very tip of her beak. It wasn’t much, but in a strange way, it offered him exactly the sort of comfort he needed at a hopeless moment such as this. 

He mouthed her a silent ‘thank you’ as she turned again to join  her crew, all three corrupted Gems chirping warmly amongst each other as they reunited after centuries of painful separation. Steven stood by, watching them for a moment or two, his mind lingering on Centipeetle’s “kiss” all the while. And the longer he thought about the touching gesture, the more it made him think about how his own healing kiss had, at least in some way, truly worked to partially cure the corrupted Gem, even if it hadn’t really worked as well as he had hoped. Yet still, it had worked on some level all the same. Which made him start to wonder if it could possibly work when it came to another, newer kind of corruption instead. 

Steven wasn’t exactly sure what the result would be as he glanced over the back of his now-clawed hand, but as he looked to the vines sprouting from his back and thought about the pink petals that had overtaken his hair, he figured it was at least worth a try all the same. The moment he so much as skimmed the back of his hand with a gentle kiss, however, he found that everything went completely white and numb, until just as quickly, everything abruptly returned. 

Except plenty of things didn’t. Because instead of being involuntarily propped up on vines as he had been all day, the young Gem found himself sitting on the floor of the abandoned ship with not a single vine in sight. His skin had regained its usual pallor as opposed to the unnatural shade of pale pink it had become and his hands and hair, he found, were both just as normal as non-floral as they should have been. “I-I… I healed myself?!” he gasped, jumping to his feet, though he just as quickly collapsed to the ground. “O-oops, guess I gotta get used to walking around on my own again, b-but still, this is great!” He grinned brightly up at the trio of Centipeetles curiously watching him from above. “Thank you,” he said to Centi in particular. “I-I know my powers won’t work on you guys, but… maybe someday they will. And when they do, I’ll come back for you first, Centi, I promise.” Centi let out a bright, affectionate chip at this, one that Steven couldn’t help but return with a small, joyous laugh of his own. “B-but for now, I’ve gotta get back and see if I can help everyone else!”

Steven wasted no time in doing so, waving one final, fond farewell to Centi and her crew before he took off to return to town. And all the while, the trio of Centipeetles remained aboard their broken vessel, happy to be, if nothing else, together again, just as they had yearned for all that time apart. 

As soon as he warped himself back to the temple, Steven rushed out of it, running as fast as his admittedly sore legs could take him in place of having his vines tote him around. The chaos unfolding at the shack had hardly changed in the time that he’d been gone, withe Gems desperately trying and largely failing to reign the maddened humans among them back in. Still, as soon as they spotted Steven in his usual appearance, the Gems were all quick to hone in on him in rapt, excited, fervent attention. Still, despite the crowd, Steven steadily got to work, even if he did have a few doubts about whether or not his plan would really work at all. All the same, he started with Amethyst, landing a brief kiss against her muscled arm, one that, sure enough, enshrouded the purple Gem in light before reverting her form back to how it usually should have been. While grateful for Steven’s assistance, Amethyst did have the slightest complaints, namely that she had found her corrupted form to be rather fun and enjoyable, something Pearl readily disagreed with as soon as the young Gem healed her up next. Garnet was more than relieved to have her future vision back on hand as Steven healed her, and with her usual level-headedness, she got her teammates into action to round up the scattered humans while the young Gem healed Lapis and Peridot next. 

It had taken some doing, but between the three of them, the Gems had managed to round up Stan, Ford, and Wendy just as Steven finished off returning Greg and Soos to normal. The trio was still quite rowdy and untamed, which made approaching them a bit of a challenge for the young Gem, at least until Amethyst came up with the idea of a spray bottle on them. Miraculously, this managed to work as Steven mixed in a bit of his own healing spit into the water before the Gems spritzed the aggressive group with it, healing them in short order and leaving each of them quite embarrassed when they realized what had happened. 

With everyone at the shack healed up, Steven made it his immediate mission to find his scattered friends in the forest, a mission that the Gems were more than happy to join him on. Lapis took to the skies alongside Peridot to try and find any signs of Dipper (and Pacifica for that matter) while Steven and the others took to the ground to regroup with Mabel and hopefully Connie. They found the latter first, who had managed to reappear and nearly flew right into them while searching for the young Gem herself. As surprised as Connie was by how Steven had managed to heal everyone, they both found a unique challenge when he tried to do the same for her given her currently intangible form, one that he couldn’t seem to touch at all. That is, at least until Garnet suggested that they fuse. It was a bit awkward and difficult to do so, yet somehow, it worked, with Stevonnie taking on a partially physical form, though they did still hover above the ground while retaining something of a ghostly glow. Still, it was enough for the young Gem’s healing powers to work as they kissed their own arm, returning not just the fusion, but Connie herself back to normal once they warmly unfused. 

Since she was essentially unable to go anywhere else, Mabel had remained in her spot in her pool, staying under water the entire time so she could breath easier. Her expression was absolutely empty and she remained completely silent, even as Connie began propping her up out of the water so Steven could heal her. And as soon as he did, Mabel immediately snapped right back into her usual chatty self, even if she was a little disgruntled by her now wet skirt, socks, and shoes as she finally got out of the pool, able to walk on her own two returned legs once again. 

By then, Lapis and Peridot had returned with their report that they had spotted Dipper running off deeper into the forest. Not wanting to waste any time, Steven, Mabel, and Connie all raced to catch up with him, though when they found him, he wasn’t exactly alone. Pacifica had also managed to find him, though by now her newly predatory instincts had overtaken her as she cornered her frightened boyfriend as both her and her snakes prepared to take on their easy prey. This tense confrontation was put to a quick end as the other kids arrived to break it up, with the girls making use of the spray bottle on Pacifica while Steven managed to keep Dipper from slipping away again with a well-timed bubble so he could properly heal him. And as soon as the couple were both back in their right minds and usual bodies, they both soundly agreed to never speak of what had almost just transpired ever again. 

From there, healing the rest of the town from their monstrous plight was quite a daunting task for Steven and the others, though the spray bottle scheme did make doing so quite a bit easier. All it took was one spritz to each citizen-turned-creature and they were back to their usual fully-human forms. With the Gems and the Pines teaming up together to spread out through the town, it was only a matter of hours before every impacted resident had been healed (even if most of them had no idea exactly what the water that had done so actually contained). Still, the general consensus was a glad and grateful one amongst its citizens as Gravity Falls slowly but surely started getting back to normal (or at least as normal as the strange little town could be). 

“And that should be everyone,” Garnet noted, relying on her future vision to confirm that their mission was complete. While a handful of the others who had lended a hand had already headed back home, the kids and the Gems were the last to dole out healing to any remaining stragglers. And with the last few townsfolk healed and human again, the sun was just starting to set as the last of the group began to make their way back to the temple and the shack as well. “Good job, Steven.”

“Yeah! Magical healing powers for the win!” Mabel cheered as she ran alongside the young Gem. “Seriously, I’ve never missed having my legs this much!”

“And I’ve never missed having only two,” Dipper readily agreed with a sigh of relief. “Let’s just hope something like this never happens again. I don’t know if I can handle the whole “mindless deer panic” thing again.”

“Well, if it does ever happen again,” Connie spoke up, glancing over at Steven with a fond smile. “We know who we can count on to save the day next time, right?”

“Wrong,” Steven finally spoke up, his dejected expression more than apparent. “I couldn’t save everyone. You guys were right,” he looked up to the Gems. “I couldn’t help Centipeetle..”

“You brought the Centipeetle back to her ship,” Garnet said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You brought her back to her crew. They were waiting for her there. They didn’t want to leave her behind.”

“Wait…” Steven raised a confused eyebrow. “How did you know any of that?”

“She told us,” Garnet held up the previously discarded notepad Centi had sketched her story in. 

“Her drawings…?” Steven flipped through the book, perplexed. 

“Her writing,” the Gem leader corrected. 

“It’s actually decently legible!” Pearl pointed out the seemingly unintelligible scribbles Centi had written out. 

“Wow!” Steven grinned, glad that someone could make it out where they hadn’t been able to. “Um… did she mention anything about… the corrupting light?”

“Mm… no,” Pearl shook her head as she looked through the notepad. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…”

“Cause the light that turned everyone into monsters was totally the same thing!” Mabel interjected. “Or at least we think it was.”

“We also think Bill might have had something to do with it,” Dipper added disdainfully. “That’s why it actually worked on humans this time.”

The Gems exchanged a worried glance upon hearing this, none of them liking the idea of Bill and the Diamonds collaborating, especially on something like this, however plausible it might have been. Yet even so, they did manage to find a few holes in the kids’ theory all the same. “Uh, if it was corruption, then how was Steven able to heal us all up when he couldn’t do the same for your girl Centi?” Amethyst asked, confused. 

“I… don’t know,” Steven frowned, puzzled. “Maybe it just wasn’t as powerful this time? Even with Bill’s help?”

“Or maybe it was only one of the Diamonds instead of all three…” Garnet muttered quietly before Pearl quickly cut in. 

“W-well anyway, I suppose it doesn’t matter that much now that it’s all over and done with!” the white Gem exclaimed with a bit of a forced smile. 

“But… if Bill and the Diamonds can do something like this, then don’t you think we should be worried about what they’re planning next?” Dipper asked warily. 

“I-in the long term, yes…” Pearl ventured somewhat anxiously. “But for now-”

“For now, we won,” Garnet interjected. “Let’s celebrate that instead of worrying about what’s to come.”

Though Dipper let out something of a disgruntled sigh at this, the other kids largely agreed, especially Steven. Because just a few hours ago, he had thought he might have very well lost his friends and his family for good, to something that had been far out of anyone’s control. Yet now, through a miraculous turn of fate and a little of his own miraculous magic thrown in, here they all were, together and back to their normal selves again, just as they should have been. Well, almost all as they should have been. 

“Hey, Pearl?” Steven began, glancing down at the notepad once more. “Can you teach me how to write in Gem?”

“Oh, Steven, it’s very complicated,” Pearl said with a small smile. “And you won’t have much use for it.”

“Oh, I just want to know a few things like, ‘Hi, how are you?’, ‘Where’s the bathroom?’ and-” Steven stopped short as he flipped to the last drawing Centi had left behind, of the trio of diamonds representing the ones who had damaged her, and so many other innocent Gems in the process, seemingly beyond repair. Or at least it was for now, something that he could only hope to somehow change someday for Centi and her friends, just as he had for all of his. “And ‘I’m sorry’...”

Next:

[slamncram]

Heyoooo "Just a taste" for the Thorki prompts you devil you.

This went a way I wasn’t entirely planning on, but I think a lot of us enjoy a little bit of Loki causing chaos, even if it’s at his own wedding.

There was no doubt that they neededsomething good aftereverything that had happened. Yes, the fact that they had defeatedThanos and undone everything he did was great, but there was noaccounting for the emotional toll that it had taken on each and everyone of them. Something like half the universe being wiped out, andseeing your loved ones killed, would do that to the average person,let alone the Avengers and their Allies.

Tony just wasn’t entirely surethis was the goodthing they’d needed.

Not that he was knocking it. No, farfrom it. Loki was far less dangerous now that he’d, apparently,grown out of trying to knock over small planets for sport, and he andThor were incredibly happy. The remaining Asgardian people wereflourishing, their new home of New Asgardia under construction.

But this wedding…

It had been a difficult sell forThor, Tony knew that. Loki was his adopted brother, and to all ofthem, this seemed somewhat… off, and wrong. But, they were Gods, asSteve had pointed out. What Gods in mythology didn’t do somethingthat, by Earth standards, was a little off?

Plus, if it kept Loki in line,everyone won in the end. Didn’t they?

The wedding itself had beenbeautiful, there was no denying that. Tony and Pepper had, in theend, opted for something a little more private and quiet, and he’dbeen glad for it. No media circus, no intrepid journalists trying tosnap the shot. Theyhad their time and space for their nuptials.

Thor and Loki had the same, butthere were quite a lot more people here. Asgardians, Wakandans, theAvengers and their allies. In contrast to Pepper’s white dress,Loki’s outfit of flowing green and gold cloth had been extravagant,and against Tony’s somber black suit, Thor’s signature reds hadbeen lively. They’d made quite a couple, standing before all theirfriends and people, while the Watcher, Heimdall, bound their handswith a length of shimmering silver ribbon.

It had been a lovely ceremony.

It was this reception that wastrying Tony’s nerves.

Peter had been invited. Of course hewas. Thor was fond of him, but Loki had grown impossiblyfond, and that would be worrying, if Peter hadn’t seemed to be agood influence on the former terror of NYC. As an Avenger, this waswhere Peter belonged, anyway, amongst the rest of them.

Tony just wished he would stopreappearing nearby the ornate champagne fountain that Tony knewwas flowing with something no mortal man should ever have.

“Aw, c’mon, Mr. Stark!” Peterargued, the third time Tony had to drag him away. “This has to bethe safest place forthis, and Thor told me to partake in everything. When am I ever goingto get the chance to try all this Asgardian stuff again?”

“When you’re 21.”

“They aren’t going to haveanother big wedding just because I turn 21!”

Tony narrowed his eyes, peering intoPeter’s face. “Have you already been drinking?”

“No!”

At his side, Pepper laughed. “Heis just trying to dowhat the groom told him, Tony.” Her hand laid on his arm. “And,besides, we are on what is now, technically, Asgardian soil. I don’tthink the 21 rule applies here.”

Her voice was low, for Tony only,but he couldn’t help being sure that Peter was trying to read herlips.

“That stuff could killhim.”

Before Pepper could respond, Petercut in.

“Shuri had some!”

“Well, PrincessShuri is royalty, and she isn’t prone to doing stupid things evenwithout the influenceof 2000 year old Asgardian booze.”

“It’s actually only 900 yearsaged.”

Loki’s voice was smooth as silk,appearing almost out of nowhere. The big, draping sleeves of hiswedding outfit were gathered around his elbows, black fabricstretching the rest of the way up to his wrists, and in one hand, heheld a shot glass.

“Anything more than that couldhave actually caused a problem, and I promised Thor I’d keep thetricks to a minimum for today.”

Tony eyed the shot glasssuspiciously.

Peter eyed it with hope.

“It’s my wedding, after all, andI did want to make sure everyone was enjoying it. To the fullest.”

Too late, Tony caught that glint inLoki’s eye. The one that meant he was about to do something Tonywas going to hate. Thankfully, since he’d mellowed out somewhat,that didn’t seem to mean anarchy and world domination.

It simply meant that he put the shotglass in Peter’s hands with a wide smile and, “just a taste!”

The shot was gone in an instant, andso was Loki, flitting away with, “I’m going to go find myhusband.”

“Good idea!” Tony called afterhim, taking the empty shot glass from a smug Peter. “You happy?”

“Oh, very.” Peter answered.“S’cuse me, Mr. Stark. I’m going to go with Loki. Wish him andThor happiness and all that.”

Tony sighed, but let him go,Pepper’s hand on his arm.

“He’s going to get more.”

“Oh, absolutely. You’reobviously bothered by it, so I’m sure Loki will make sure of it.”Pepper answered, before kissing his cheek. “Come on, Iron Dad.Relax and come dance with me.”

[nerdylittoyvoid]

Half light - Banners (Connor x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of mental illness, Angst

Synopsis: Connor just wants to know both sides on Y/N 

Heyoooo the warning is up there for all those who may want them, feel free to ignore them (you rebel, I like you) or listen to them (you warning abiding human, I also like you). So, this fic is for @spectacular-spiderboy‘s 600 follower writing challenge! I hope you enjoy! 

“it makes me feel nervous, you have that look in your eye”

 Connor’s LED blinked yellow, his face showing pure concern while seeing her like this.

You were sitting alone at your desk, the clock displaying 12:46 AM. It was another late night at the DPD filling out what seemed to be endless paperwork. Your hands shook as you tried to complete another file, your erratic breathing evident. Shakily running a hand through the hair that had fallen out of your braid, you looked pale. Too pale.

Connor could tell that your heartrate had accelerated. He’d seen you too many times like this before, taking care of everything else but yourself. You tried to put up a ‘strong woman’ front with everybody in the office, trying to be seen as a super woman of sorts. Able to accomplish everything, not letting anything get to you. But Connor, he could tell that you were deteriorating. Scanning you, he saw that you were severely fatigued and dehydrated. The girl he became deviant for was so focused on everything that she needed to do that she forgot to sleep.

He hated seeing you like this. As a human, you were so fragile. Any need not being met would put your health (or worst-case scenario, your life) at risk.

Yet, you were adamant that nothing was wrong. It was almost as if you had forgotten that Connor could do a full scan of your body to ensure your health needs were met. You’d put on a smile and build a brick wall towards everybody else. He never had the honor or the pleasure of knowing who that real Y/N was. The Y/N when she was sad, anxious, upset, vulnerable. It was at the point that he didn’t know if the happy, bubbly, sarcastic girl was really you.

“When you’re in the half light it is not you I see

And you’ll live a half life

You only show half to me”

Y/N grew up in a troubled home. Her parents divorced in the middle of her childhood. Everyone she loved all grieved over so many losses, so many personal troubles. She has learned that it was best to not bother anyone with her own problems. After all, everybody else already had so much on their plate.

She did have a therapist who she visited frequently, along with a doctor who prescribed her depression and anxiety management medications. It wasn’t that she was trying to avoid getting better, she just didn’t want anyone else knowing what she was battling. She was doing pretty well for herself, too. She had cut down on her drinking, went out for walks more often, tried her best to take time for herself. But what good is any of that when you can’t even get out of bed in the morning.

Sensing an anxiety attack coming on, Y/N grabbed her sedatives from her bag.

“Take two when experiencing beginning symptoms of an anxiety attack or as needed. DO NOT OPERATE ANY VEHICLES WHILE UNDER THE EFFECTS OF THIS MEDICATION. MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS OR DROWZINESS.”

Sighing, Y/N took her water bottle out, and followed the directions on the bottle. She noticed her bottle was still full. She had forgotten to drink anything today. “Shit.” She thought to herself.

Y/N sat back in her chair, taking a couple minutes to let the medication do its magic. It was too late in the night to take public transit, she’d be stuck taking a taxi or walking. Most likely the latter, she couldn’t handle interacting with anybody else right now. Any type of exposure would lead to a full-on meltdown, which is never good when in a stranger’s car.

“Sometimes I join you

Let you wash over me

When we’re in the darkness

Only the blind can see”

 Slowly, but loudly enough not to startle Y/N, Connor walked back into the main office to approach her desk. Quickly, Connor analyzed the bottles in her hand. Venlafaxine XR 150 milligrams: a potent, short lasting Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor, and Clonazepam 2 milligrams: a strong sedative in the benzodiazepine family. Both psychotropic medications.  

Connor cleared his throat, hoping to gently catch your attention. After seeing you trying to hide a panic attack at the DPD, he read that using slow, quiet and gentle approaches work best for someone in distress.

“All you all right, Y/N?” Connor asked gently, purely out of care and concern.

Y/N’s head shot up as her eyes widened. “Shit,” she thought, “I thought I was alone.”

“Of course, I just have a headache. Not ideal when you have a case load bigger than a house, with a porch and a fence.” Y/N chuckled, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

“I am not sure if you are in the best space for me to be blunt with you right now-“

Y/N cut Connor off. “Fire away.” She leaned back in her office chair, placing her palm over her forehead.

“Although a headache may very well be present, your symptoms point more strongly towards an oncoming anxiety attack. I’m really worried for you Y/N.” When he got no response, he sighed, grabbing an office chair from another desk. “Can I sit with you?” He asked politely.

“Be my guest” Y/N gave him a weak smile, attempting to show appreciation for his caring acts.

 “Can you shake it off for me?”

 Connor sat down beside her. Turning to her he asked another question, “Is there anything you need that I can do for you?”.

Y/N stopped for a moment. She hadn’t been asked that question in so long. She wasn’t being pressed to talk about what she was feeling, it was an open offer. She let out a long sigh that somehow turned into a chuckle. Damn it, his actions started making her choke up.

“I really just need a hug if that’s not too much to ask.” She said, somehow defeated. All of those years she spent building that guard up, miraculously seemed to vanish, and she was left in a vulnerable state.

“Anything to make you truly happy.” Connor stood up, gently holding Y/N’s arms to guide her up. To him, in this moment, she seemed so fragile. Like any sudden movement would cause her to break. Slowly, he pulled her in, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Like a pin poking a balloon, Y/N just let everything go. She began to sob, muttering little comments on how everything was becoming too much. Heavily sobbing, she noticed this meltdown felt different. It felt like a release, like weight had been lifted off her chest. For the first time, she wasn’t alone.

As if Connor had read her mind, he whispered softly, “You are never alone in this world. Nobody is.”

Stifling through her sniffles, she choked out one witty comment. “How could anyone be with all these damned security cameras. The government surveys all.”

Connor let out a chuckle. Hearing her make a humorous joke regardless or the bad situation proved to him that his Y/N was still there. “Conspiracy time is not now.”

“Every time is conspiracy time.”

Connor tried to sound as robotic as possible. “I have been programmed by cyberlife and the government to politely disagree with you.” For the first time in the past couple days, Y/N let out a laugh. A real one.

“Words cannot express how much I appreciate you. Truly.”

In that moment they looked into each other’s eyes. That feeling, the urge to kiss was there. But, Connor refrained, not wanting to take advantage of the distressed girl. Smiling softly, he kissed the top of her head, in a romantic but still somewhat friendly manner.

“I’m always here for you, it doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is. It’s not like I sleep, anyways.” Connor reassured, while squeezing her shoulders with one arm, rubbing her back with his free hand. “Let’s take you home, you’ve had a late night.” Connor decided.

Taking Y/N out of the building, Connor led her to the car that Hank had help him buy. Opening the passenger side door for her, she climbed in. Soon enough, he was in the driver’s seat, and they headed back to Y/N’s house.

Arriving at their destination, Y/N climbed out of the car with Connor following suit after shutting off the engine. Y/N unlocked her front door, greeting her cat as she walked in.

“I think you should get to bed, maybe call in sick tomorrow morning.” Connor suggested.

“I think that sounds fucking lovely right now.” Y/N signed, as she walked over to her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed.

“I’ll let you get changed.” Connor closed the door, waiting patiently on the other side. When Y/N gave the all-clear, he headed in to see her curled up under her duvet.

“Stay with me tonight, please. If it’s not too much to ask, I don’t want to be alone. I have some baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt you could borrow.”

Hesitantly, Connor agreed. Taking the clothes and going to the bathroom to change, he came out soon after and crawled into bed with her. Taking her into his arms, he felt his thirium pump beat in a way it never did before. After much thought, he decided that this is what love felt like. He loved Y/N.

“Thank you, Connor. I don’t know what I could do to repay you for this.” Y/N whispered, appreciatively.

“Just let me get to know the other half of Y/N.”

“It’s a deal.”

With that, Y/N dozed off. That night, she slept better than she had in months.

[ayyyez]

Neji Oneshot

Heyoooo in honour of Neji’s birthday I decided to put together a special oneshot full of angst and smut based on headcanons I wrote awhile ago (here) that got me inspired. Sorry it’s a little bit late but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. It’s 2,916 words so I chucked it under a cut!

Reader has She/Her pronouns

Warning: NSFW content below: smut

Naruto Masterlist  | Mystic Messenger Masterlist |  ao3 | Buy me a ko-fi?

It’s late at night, the air cool and the streets abandoned when Neji Hyuga finds himself wandering the familiar path through Konoha and toward the house he vowed never to stray to again. The morning had brought a newfound determination, a promise that this time he would stay far away but then the evening came and drew him from the safety of his home, beckoning him like a siren’s call. And Neji found he could not deny the calling, his heart begging to be released from loneliness. The sprouting bud of determination now buries itself behind the darkness of his resolve and wilts as no more than a passing thought.

The stones along the path crunch beneath his sandals, his body moving in a trance, numb to all the commands telling him to stop. His gaze fixes on the sprinkle of stars above, scattered across the night sky, beautiful but out of reach. Then his eyes catch the moon, full and beaming down through the night as it lights up the path in front of him like a beacon.

Perhaps it’s foolish, Neji has never believed in signs but he takes this one as concession to continue because in this moment the path is lit up for him and him alone. Even if he wanted to turn back, he couldn’t. The heavy heart in his chest needs to be sedated from reality and he can settle for it being soothed by the one who teared it open in the first place.

Neji takes a shaky breath as he reaches his destination.

The building has two stories with a sliding front door and a small balcony above which looks out over the village. With the wind blowing, Neji’s senses are overcome with the aroma of spring flowers, an allusion to the sweetness he continues to crave despite it concealing itself from his grasp. The feeling as a whole is a paradox; a nightshade of emotional comfort, for the flower blooms and the scent beckons but once picked it always ends in withering away.  

Balling his fist, he hesitates for a moment then knocks on the front door. He cringes at this and lets out a heavy sigh then hears muffled sounds of footsteps approaching the door. He knows there is no going back tonight, there never really was a chance of stopping in the first place. It’s just how things are with them.

He waits outside, listening to the soft thuds grow closer until silence falls. Despite the weeks growing warmer there’s a chill in the air, blowing just enough to push stray hairs across Neji’s face. It tickles his nose, irritating him enough to brush it away. Footfalls return from inside, approaching closer and eventually the wooden framework of the door rattles as it slides open.

A familiar face appears through the opening gap and pushes through to reveal blinking eyes, fresh from slumber. They instantly catch his and Neji has to divert his gaze away.

‘Neji,’ she whispers sleepily, ‘is everything alright?’

All he can do is nod, a darkness filling the hollow in his chest and causing an overwhelming itch to surface in his throat. His fingers twitch at the thought but before he moves, her hand finds his cheek and caresses it innocuously. There’s a hitch in his breath. Her touch is not heavy but the intent of the action weighs like a stone and all too soon he sinks into the moment.

After they had decided to part ways, to end their relationship for good, Neji had evaded most contact. He had almost succeeded in maintaining his distance when she announced that they should continue on with their lives separately, leaving their time together in the past and heal. But his life soon filled with emptiness and he couldn’t stand the crippling loneliness that came without her touch.

The first time they caved was in her bedroom. It only had one lamp at the time and the sorrow in her expression seemed to fade from uncertainty to want, every shadow of doubt cast on her face was contrasted with the soft light. Neji had resigned himself to the fact that the first slip up was a one time thing only, even if he couldn’t quite convince himself that he didn’t want it to happen again.

And it continued to happen, frequently. Neji just couldn’t stop himself and she would never turn him away.

Tonight is no different and when he finally looks up into her eyes, Neji feels the never ending cycle repeat. There’s still affection reflected in them, a reserved kindness he knows she only holds for him. No one else has what they do and this fact alone is enough for her to step aside, to invite him into her home and embrace, something he knew wasn’t his to take anymore but which he takes anyway.

The shutting of the door becomes an afterthought when his mouth is on hers. It’s welcome but reluctant as his hands clutch at her night gown, feeling for the familiar curves of her body, fingers clutching the silky fabric. The actions are desperate, a reflection of his vulnerability in the face of broken intimacy.

Neji moans into the kiss, drowning out the waves of nausea within. His guilt fights to remain in the forefront of his mind, attempting to stop his body from fulfilling the actions of his deepest desires. He ignores the internal pleas because all he can bring himself to do is cease kissing her, lips still ghosting her’s but their bodies remaining loosely intwined.

She regards him with a concerned expression before she drags her gaze to something beyond him and frowns, presumably mulling the situation over in her head. He doesn’t want to ask, afraid to even interrupt. Instead, he contents himself by tightening the grip on her waist, feeling the fabric glide through his fingers. Neji can feel her hair, which had fallen down the front of her shoulders, tickling his arms. She reaches out and brushes the strands away from his upper arms and lets her fingers linger.

There’s a pause, a halt in their breath as she slowly drags her fingertips up his arm and the neckline of his white shirt, pushing to feel more skin. The outline of his his collar bone gets exposed and in a rehearsed motion, pushes into her touch. She brushes her bottom lip over his parted ones then retreats just as quickly. Their gazes catch and she rubs the pads of her fingers down on his shoulder.

‘I’m sorry.’ Neji whispers and their lips connect again, this time with fervour. The longing they both hold is cemented but it doesn’t make it a sealed deal.

She returns his kiss then breaks apart with a sigh, light but not completely weightless, her eyes asking ‘Are you okay?’ before beginning again, anew, with a kiss, his own lips responding with a desperate plea, ‘Tell me you want this too.’ A pitiful shudder of his body when she slides her tongue against his; a nudge in the right direction but not quite the reply he needs to be free of guilt, at least for the moment.

His chest feels heavy and he swallows reflexively; he dips his head forward and let’s his lips travel down her neck slowly, his fingertips gliding along the silken gown and she arches into his touch, her breathing responding ‘yes i want this, i want you too.’

It’s strange how all the unresolved tension between them that’s built up-and-up since their separation always seems to come stumbling down in this one act as he breathes out in relief. They can hear a gush of wind as it blows against the paper of the door.

I want to do things to you.

It’s a thought always on his mind when in her presence. It’s always been this way and it seems she is thinking the same thing because the next thing he knows she is on her knees and unbuckling his pants. The actions are not gentle or coy but desperate and necessary because there is only so much intimacy they can bear between them until it becomes too painful.

It’s a not a sloppy blowjob but the eagerness is there in how quickly she takes in Neji’s cock; it’s there in how she almost chokes deep throating him a second time and how she accidentally scrapes her teeth along the shaft in the process and how she settles her cold hands on the exposed flesh of his hipbones while hastily running her tongue beneath the shaft without fault or pause.

But Neji can’t protest as he falls deeper into the moment with a hiss and groan and he bucks deeper into that warm heat, swallowed around those beautiful lips. It’s enough to make his lungs constrict, his breathing coming out in fast, hard puffs. The familiar pressure builds inside of his abdomen and it’ll be over way too fast but he can’t stop himself from gripping her hair and coaxing her to finish. His head is falling back against the wall, mouth agape, chest heaving and sinking when the familiar jolt of pleasure comes forth and he gets caught up in his orgasm.

He wants to pull her head away given their circumstances but he can’t bring himself to move as the aftermath of his orgasm runs throughout his body. His legs are shaking; the energy of the night not having worn off in the slightest.

Adrenalin still courses through his veins as he watches her standing, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. He practically shoves her against the entryway and he tastes his own aftermath on her mouth but it doesn’t stop him from swiping his tongue along her lower lip and fumble to get his hands underneath her nightgown and onto the naked soft skin beneath.

His loose ponytail is a messy afterthought as she yanks the hair tie free causing some strands to stick to the sweat perspiring from his neck. She pushes back into his touch eagerly, grinds their hips together, brushing against his sensitive cock in the process, causing him to groan lowly into his lover’s mouth. His fingers press down and grab her backside, pleasantly surprised to find she is without hindering undergarments. Kneading the flesh in a tight grip he imagines the prints on her skin and bucks up against her.

‘We are beyond teasing.’ She murmurs against his mouth, hands sliding around his neck. It doesn’t need to be said what she’s begging for, it’s clear in how urgently she tries to get closer to Neji and how quick, almost hurried, her actions are when touching him.

He’s panting, lips tingling from the kissing and fingers trembling underneath her nightgown. She is in no better state, catching her breath while her gaze remains pinned to his. Neji wants to soak up every little detail because this is the only person he has every loved, the woman he broke his own heart for, the one who despite his avoidance and hesitation, he opened his whole self too. He rubs his hands up and down her sides, palms printed into the skin—skin that served as a reminder of what could have been.

‘Bedroom.’ She murmurs, looking up at him defiantly—and he remembers the first time he had dragged himself back to her after their separation and how she had first given him that look of, not disdain but something that resembled feelings of a bittersweet nature.

Hands come to pull at his shirt, trying to get it over and off of him and he lifts his arms to oblige. He reciprocates by tugging the nuisance nightgown off her body then pressing an open-mouthed kiss to her lips, grinds his erection against her wet heat. Something raises in the back of his mind: their shared bed, her spread out on the mattress, tangled in sheets while he stood over her, in complete awe at her naked skin. Neji ghosts his lips over her cheek then pulls away, takes her hand and leads them upstairs.

Once they reach the bedroom there is no time wasted. This time she is pulling him in for a heated kiss as they let their bodies fall onto the mattress they have made love against too many times to count. A thought, though brief, crossed Neji’s mind that perhaps this time would be the last.

These thoughts dissolve, disappearing the instant his body falls flush against hers, rocking and grinding as a feeble attempt to make the pain go away. His hands find her breasts, grabbing and kneading the soft flesh, fingertips ghosting over her sensitive nipples. But she isn’t in want of teasing but rather something more direct which she makes clear with a few forceful bucks of her hips. Neji holds back a smile at seeing her fiery stare, lips almost pouting, because that look isn’t for his enjoyment anymore.

His hands quickly move south, down the familiar path of her curvaceous figure until they find her clit. There’s a hitch in her breath and her thighs tremble beneath him. Using two fingers, Neji circles her clit increasing in pressure and speed until she is moaning loud enough for his liking. Then he pushes his index finger through her entrance, already wet and waiting and begins working to get her ready. Once she seems adjusted he adds another finger and it’s not long before she’s pushing down against him begging for more.

Removing his fingers, Neji wipes them on the sheets below and crawls on top of her. She spreads her legs to invite him closer and he pushes only the head of his cock into her and then much slower, the rest of his cock, committing every movement, every sigh, every little gasp between them to his memory. And then he’s filled her to the hilt, one hand lifting her thigh while the other sits beside her head. They stare at each other, gazes flitting between eyes and flushed cheeks and all the negative emotions Neji once saw reflected in her eyes vanish, instead he is met with an overwhelming feeling of affection.

His breath hitches, the sudden urge to tell her, like he has a thousand times before creeps up inside his throat, the three words sit on his tongue but are left unsaid. It was one of the many unspoken rules between them and they had to act and speak in a certain way if they were to come out of this unscathed.

A single nod from her breaks the moment and he knows it’s time to move.

It’s in these moments that Neji has never felt lighter in his life. His heart fills his entire being as he drags his mouth along her jaw and to her mouth to kiss her hard, fierce as he thrusts into her with growing force. His skin is on fire and every nerve in his body is blazing, as if her fingertips have ignited each of his chakra points; he can feel the sweaty insides of her thighs sliding over his flanks, can feel her hands touch his back and his neck and his cheeks. She caresses him just like she used to—without doubt or uncertainty.

Neji feels he won’t last long, too oversensitive from that blowjob, not nearly enough endurance from their time apart, her body against his is too hot, too everything and the heat only stacks up to his impending orgasm. He reaches a hand down to her clit trying to edge along her own pleasure to which she responds with a string of moans. His fingers curl reflexively against the pillow and his balls clench and his thighs tremble as he tries, with everything he has, to snapshot the moment and lock it away in his mind before he cums inside her.

Neji slouches over her for a moment, feeling her body spasm beneath him and her own orgasm shake throughout her body. He lets himself fall gently on top of her, burying his face in her neck, taking in her sweet scent. He tries to indulge in the moment without fear or worry but it’s useless. The moment is gone all too quickly.

Pushing himself up Neji places one last kiss to her collar bone, lips lingering for an extra second before lifting himself off the bed completely. A quick survey of the room reminds him of the earlier moments in the evening when they hastily shed his clothes downstairs in the entryway.

‘Forgive me.’ Neji whispers, chancing a glance back at her, broken hearted on the bed before quickly leaving the room.

Returning downstairs he retrieves his clothes, pulling them on without care but haste, an overwhelming feeling of hurt rising in his chest at his own shattered heart, threatening to push to the surface. And pulling on the last piece of clothing Neji feels his chest constrict, his breathing shallow as he pulls open the door and leaves.

Pulling a hand to clutch his chest, he walks back down the familiar path home finding it darker than it was earlier, the moon no longer serving as a beacon. The pain in his chest continues to rise and splinter to his throat, catching there as he continues to walk. The aftermath of the moment finally settling in Neji forces himself not to look back, promising once again that this was the last time.

[saintbalor-blog]

“ PATRICK WITH A FIRE KINK? SHOCKING ! “

REQUEST: heyoooo okay so call me a freak but could you do one where Patrick gets a lil excited and burns you with his lighter and you’re like “wtf that hurt????” and hes like “i can make it better….” (((aka him burning you all over your body and then licking/sloppy kissing the burns and being kinda soft))))? your writings amazing btw thank you for supplying my lank boy addiction!!

AUTHORS NOTE: to make it a lil’ more realistic, you’re not all there in the head in this one, i mean c’mon look at who you’re dating 🤷🏻‍♀️

Arm slung around the side of Patrick’s car while she sat in the driver’s seat, her cheek that was flushed from the summer heat was pressed up against her forearm as she laid her head to intently watch the show ahead of her in a comfier position. Her boyfriend, Patrick Hockstetter, being the main star of the event with the helpless victim clutched in his bloodied hands just being serving the role of a lifeless rag doll with the way Patrick was tossing him around with ease; a few cries of help thrown in the girl’s direction with pleading eyes, the kid obviously unaware of the undeniable loyalty she had for the lankier teen.

Eyelashes fluttering with sleepiness, the whole ordeal taking longer than it should have due to his never ending need for pleasure, Y/N checked to make sure he wasn’t looking her way before she allowed herself to shut her eyes for a second. Having her eyelids shut and shielding her from the gruesome sight waiting for her on the other side, Y/N allowed herself the leisure of momentarily resting after a long day, only the sounds of the poor kid’s hoarse cries and muffled screams serving to remind her of her whereabouts.

Shamelessly, she savored the small piece of peace she granted herself to have the privacy with her thoughts and daydreams that Patrick seldom offered her; always having her do something for him or to him. Though, that silence was interrupted by the sound of her watch’s alarm blaring in her ear, signaling that it was getting close to the time her mother urged her to get home by if she wanted to continue seeing ‘that monster of a boy’.

“Shit.” Y/N cursed, hurriedly sitting up and glancing over to where Patrick was still going at it with the kid, despite the lack of energy present in the kid to fight against Hockstetter anymore. “Patrick, c’mon, I need to get home!”

Letting the child’s bruised body fall to the dirt road, Patrick looked over at where Y/N was ordering him to finish his fun earlier than he intended, a sense of annoyance flooding through him in a group of waves, each one bigger and angrier than the last one. Slipping over to the passenger’s seat, Y/N checked her reflection in the visor, fixing herself up quick and unaware of the trouble that was looming her way in the form a demented, fuming, teenager.

Clueless to the bad intentions Patrick harbored in his mind when he climbed into the car, Y/N flashed him a sweet smile that seemed way out of place with the upcoming actions Patrick planned on committing — eager to teach his girl a lesson once again on not interrupting him. The silence on his side was enough to serve as a warning for Y/N, her body tensing at the unusual quietness from her boyfriend, her eyes watching as he played with the silver lighter in his hands.

“Come here.” Patrick outstretched a hand out to her across their seats, his long fingers wrapping around her upper arm and pulling her into his lap, her legs on either side of his own — the fact that she was wearing a skirt today working to his advantage. “You know how rude it is to interrupt, baby. I thought you knew better by now.” Patrick cooed, the sarcastic usage of the pet name being a sign that he was ready to go off on her for something small like he always did.

“I know but I have to get home so my mom doesn’t freak.” Y/N’s nervous apology struggled to come out as her gaze was too focused on the way his fingers kept switching the lighter on an off way too close to the side of her face, an arm slithering around her waist to firmly hold her in place. “I’m sorry, Patrick. I really am.” She tried again, ripping her gaze away from the fire in his hands and looking at the one burning in his usually empty green eyes.

“Oh, I know you are, baby.” His voice was calm and collected, drastically contrasting her very own as he felt her hands shake from where they were pressed up against his thighs.

“Then why is that still on?” Y/N nodded at the lighter, voice quivering when she could feel the impending danger of the pain he’d put her body through so he could still get off; leaving a classmate a bloodied and crippled mess obviously not enough.

“I have to continue my fun somehow, don’t I?” Patrick asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, tilting his head to the side and raising his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

“Don’t be mad.” Y/N pleaded, the feeling of her frightened body squirming on his lap doing the opposite of what she wanted. “I only did it so we could still see each other, Patrick.” She tried to reason, averting her view from him to the cartoon cat printed against the mustard yellow fabric of his shirt.

But Patrick wouldn’t accept that and she should’ve known better by now. Pushing the lighter against the crook between his thumb and index finger, he pinched her chin and forced her to look back at him, wanting to see first-hand the emotions he was making her go through.

“You really think your mother would be enough to stop me from seeing you?” She could feel the cold metal of the lighter pressing against her jaw, his arm around her waist pressing her closer to him. “Y/N. Y/N. Y/N.” Patrick shook his head at her in a way that reminded her of her father when she was a child.

“What?”

“No one has the right to stop me from getting what I want especially not your bitch of a mother. You’re mine, until I decided I don’t want you anymore.” The crazy glint in his eyes and the hostility evident in his tone should have been enough to make her get off of him and run away but instead she stayed glued where she was and took in every word he said with a silent enjoyment of her own — enjoying being his. “And guess what?”

“What?” She furrowed her eyebrows at him, lightly shrugging her shoulders as she leaned in to hear what he had to say.

“I want you, right now.”

“Patrick-“

The scarlet tint around her flushed cheeks at his words was covered by him pressing his lips roughly against hers, the hand on her chin moving to her hair, pushing her head forward so he could take her all in. Her back arched into the kiss, the hand on her waist trailing down to her exposed thigh and up her skirt, the gentleness in his touch catching her off guard but grateful for it, nonetheless. Letting go of her hair, she felt him trail his hand down her body but was too focused on the way he was biting on her lower lip to concentrate on where it was headed to.

Not minding when his hand landed on hers, grabbing both of them and placing them atop of his boner, she felt herself smirk when she felt how hard he was — unaware of the real motive he had behind holding her hands down. Feeling his teeth cut into her bottom lip, the tangy taste of blood meeting her tongue, Y/N pressed her body further up against him; memories of him being pissed at her a few minutes prior quickly passing.

The fast pain jolting through her body when the flame made brief contact with her shoulder startled her, her blood stained lips breaking apart from his and her body kept in place by his hold on her hands. Looking down at his amused face, the culprit lying in his hand with it’s flame lit again, Y/N began trying to get out of his hold on her.

“What the hell, Patrick?” Y/N spat, this time anger rushing through her body at the scorching pain he gave her. “That fucking hurt.”

“Aw, does the little baby want me to kiss her boo-boo better?” Patrick mocked her, leaning back and taking in how good she looked being all flustered because of him, the burn he gave her barely leaving any marks on her exposed shoulder. “Just let me have some fun, Y/N. I’ll kiss each and every one when I’m done. I’ll even stop being mad at you, too.”

The last statement is what made her consider it, not enjoying his fits of anger being directed at her due to how ruthless, she shyly nodded at his agreement with fear still lingering in the hues of her eyes. Giddy, like a child receiving an award for acting good, Patrick began pushing her shirt up to get the sight of her in her black bra and began letting the flame linger over her skin, randomly pressing it closer and earning pretty whimpers from his girl each time the flame burned against her skin.

Glancing up at her with excitement, her face pinched in pain from the flames, Patrick stopped at her hip and let the flame rest there.

“Promise you’ll never interrupt my fun again, princess.” Patrick threatened, the dwelling fire beginning to burn the layer of skin under it with each passing second she took to respond to him, only making it harder on herself.

“I promise.”

Closing the lighter and letting drop at his boots, Patrick let go of her hands and grabbed her face, bringing her in for a rewarding kiss and smiling at her; a smile that worked well on frightening their peers but only made Y/N’s heart swell in admiration at the affection he was giving her now.

“You’re so good, Y/N.” He whispered against her lips before removing his hold on her and nodding over at the passengers seat. “Now let’s get you home and in your bedroom so I can kiss all those burns away.”

[concussed-to-pieces]

Green

Fandom: WWE

Pairing: Dean Ambrose/Female Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Thirst Party Saturday heyoooo! Tagging @toxiicpop, @oraclegazes and but of course, @hardcorewwetrash! Enjoy!

[!WARNING!: Trigger warning for (light and/or clumsy) Dominant/submissive explorations, (light) bondage (scarves), and allusions to previous abuse.]

[DISCLAIMER: Hey everyone, anything involving the BDSM scene/community is something that should be properly researched and understood before even attempting to engage in it. Fanfictions do not count as research! This is entirely fabricated and as such may give wrong or misleading information, like any other work of fiction. Stay safe and check your facts!]

The first thing you noticed is that he didn’t have a bed. In fact, he didn’t seem to have much of anything. A single tote and a backpack; he was dropped off at your apartment by (you assumed) a friend of his and you watched as he shifted his weight back and forth for a few minutes. Maybe his friend is going back for his bed, you reasoned while unlocking your door. The other side of your brain was already suggesting that you offer to move the couch into his empty room.

You shook your head at yourself. Being overly willing to accommodate was what had gotten you into this mess in the first place! Having to put out an ad for a roommate on Craigslist wasn’t the worst outcome, but there were more than enough stories on the internet to justify you being cautious about vetting the potential candidates.

Dean Ambrose had been a friend of a friend, the particular friend vouching for him a little more credible than Dean’s own application, which had consisted of a rambling voicemail listing (among many other spellbinding facts) his weight and height, that he loved animals and he made, “a mean toaster strudel.”

“Ambrose? Yeah I’ve known him for ages. He’s a good guy. Bad childhood. Clean, not neat. More of an ‘organized chaos’ kind of dude, but he doesn’t have a lot to begin with so that’s probably not gonna’ be a problem. Can’t handle slamming doors, so you might wanna’ invest in bumpers or something.” Seth’s rundown had been brief and to the point, allaying some of the fears you’d had after listening to the entertaining voicemail. “I’m impressed he figured out the Internet to the extent that he could even find your ad, honestly. Probably had Ro give him a hand.”

You met with Dean a few times, to show him the apartment and have him sign paperwork. He was very quiet, but you figured once he got used to you that would wear off pretty quick. And if it didn’t, it certainly wouldn’t be the end of your world.

Now here he was, standing outside your apartment complex. He looked like he was waiting for something so you finally opened your window and leaned out. “Hey, Dean! C’mon, the door’s unlocked!”

He started, looking up and grinning when he saw you. “Sorry, m’ comin’.” He called, swapping the bin to his hip so he could open the main door to the stairwell.

He had a sleeping bag.

That was his bed.

You watched from the doorway in disbelief as Dean spread it on the floor of his new room, smoothing out the wrinkles in the worn nylon with a higher level of care than you anticipated. The bin held a few more items. A sort-of functional-appearing laptop, a towel, a toothbrush…not a lot of things. “Yeah, I kinda’ travel light.” Dean mumbled when you quizzed him on it, obviously uncomfortable. You figured it would be best to not pursue the matter, you really didn’t mean to upset him or anything like that.

The sleeping bag was ripped in a few spots, patched with duct tape. You wondered privately how long he’d had it. “Hey, if you don’t have a bed I’m sure we can find a mattress someone is getting rid-“

“Nah, did that once. Bedbugs. Infested the place. Itchy nightmare.” Dean cut you off, grimacing. “M’ savin’ up for one. If you see a bedframe though, definitely lemme’ know.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.” You promised, your own skin crawling at the notion of bugs in your bed. “Well!” You continued brightly. “I’m not going to normally do this, but I guess since it’s your first night here it’s kind of a special occasion. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

“I…uh, y-yeah, I mean if you’re offerin’ I ain’t turning you down. What’s on the menu, can I help prep somethin’?” Dean asked, looking hopeful but wary, strangely.

“I dunno’, I’ll have to see what’s in the fridge.” You gestured over your shoulder. “C’mon, let’s see what I can figure out.”

…

Ambrose stayed quiet. Seth had mentioned slamming doors but it seemed to be more like any loud bang would make him tense up. You did your best to be careful with your old washer and dryer set; the latch of the top-loader was a little finicky and required a firm hand to close.

Your primary form of communication with Dean was sticky notes left on the doors of each other’s rooms. You didn’t actually see much of the man; he mentioned having a full time job when you’d spoken about the apartment. He had crazy late hours, sometimes not coming back until two or three in the morning. When you had nothing else to do at your own job, you amused yourself by making guesses at what he might do. Lion tamer? Nah, maybe a professional wrestler. Or an assassin.

You knocked on Dean’s door one afternoon. The two of you had worked out an agreement where you would purchase the groceries and he would kick in a little extra every month. You didn’t like making a shopping list without knowing whether he needed anything, though. He hadn't left any notes for what he needed, of course, but it never hurt to double-check in case he'd forgotten something.

“Dean? You home? I’m going to go food shopping. Is there…” You paused as the door opened under your touch, like it hadn’t been closed all the way. “Dean?”

The curtains were drawn on the one window, making it somewhat dim in the room. You almost didn’t see him huddled up in the sleeping bag until he moved, making a whining sound as he did.

“Dean, I’m sorry to wake you.” You whispered, feeling like a huge jerk as you tiptoed to the side of his sleeping bag. “I’m going shopping, is there anything that you need?” He made another noise, shaking his head. You were concerned at this point, crouching down so you could see him a little better. “Hey, are you okay?” He shook his head again. “What’s wrong, can you tell me? Is there something I can do?” You asked.

Dean rolled onto his stomach, a groan accompanying the motion. “M’ not feelin’ so…good. Kinda’ got hurt and I…” He seemed to be having a difficult time drawing breath, his sentences fading in and out. “…I’ll be okay, s’jus’ harder right n…now.”

“What happened?” You queried, flinching when he grabbed your shoulder. But he was only using it for the leverage to pull himself upright. He pressed down on the small of his back with his other hand, grunting. There was a bandage there, stark white in the dim light of the room, with violent bruising around the area.

“Took a few kidney shots...hah, no big but…pissin’ blood is not a good time.” Dean gritted out. He was covered in clammy sweat, fingers slipping on your skin. “Y’ goin’ shoppin’, g…grab my wallet an’ pick me up some...tater tots? Please?”

You were still reeling from the information that he’d been in a fight. “Were you jumped or something, do we need to go to the police?” You tried to keep the panic out of your voice.

“N-Nah, just work stuff, f…un’nerestimated my opponent. You okay? Y’look a little…little upset.” Dean pointed out.

“Jesus Christ Dean this is not the way you react when you’ve been in a fight! How long have you been in here in the dark?” You scolded, confused when he started to snicker.

“Shit, I ‘unno. The look on your f…face. I’m fine, honest, promise. Jus’ hungry. I’ve gotten through worse crap than this.” Dean dismissed your worry with a haphazard wink, patting your shoulder. “I’ll tell ya’ if you get me some…some tots. Promise.”

“Who says that I even want to know?!” You sputtered.

Dean propped himself up against the wall, his expression almost smug. “Everyone wants to know. S’jus’ whether they’ll have the guts to ask.”

You shook your head, standing again. “Hell no. I…I had no idea that you did stuff like that for a living. I probably wouldn’t have let you move in here if I’d known that.”

The smugness on his face turned into fear and he caught your leg as you headed to the door. “Wait, what? M’sorry I…please wait.” He begged, sounding oddly vulnerable all of a sudden.

You knew you could easily pull away, could easily kick him out. No jury would convict you, there was no way what he was doing to bring in the rent was legal. I would have preferred lion tamer!

“I’m used to people thinkin’ that me…me gettin’ the shit knocked outta’ me is cool and tough. Please don’t go, hah, fuck.” He was somewhat upright at this point, having pushed himself further up the wall into a slouched position. “I know I…shit, I don’t really like doin’ it but the pay is good an’ I’m pretty sure…I got too many loose pieces up top for a regular job. Don’t like talkin’ about it.” Dean’s hand stayed on the small of his back so he could stand. “Too much shit. But you know, I know you know. Y’ flinch jus’ like I do sometimes.”

“That is none of your business.” You snapped.

“I ain’t sayin’ it is, okay? I’d never…never act like I know what someone else is goin’ through if…I ain’t got all the facts.” He raised his eyes to yours. “Please don’t make me leave. Promise I’ll do…better, if I get hurt I can’t f-ight and then I can’t earn.” He still had a hand on his back, only barely managing to stand. “This last one I got good money off of, s’only reason I agreed to it.”

“Do people bet on you or something?”

“Yeah, like a dog fight. But less teeth and more fists.” Dean grimaced. “I know it probably seems dumb t’ you. An’ I’m not a big fan of gettin’ pummeled. Nothin’ better than winning though.”

“Have you ever gotten seriously injured?” Your brain ran to overtime. If he couldn’t bring in his portion of the rent you’d need to find someone else fast. Your landlord wasn’t exactly a lenient guy.

Dean seemed hesitant to answer, fidgeting with the pockets on his pajama pants. “I…yeah. Once. Got my arm busted, the guy stuck it between--shit, you don’t need to hear that. Look, unless the pay is damn good and I mean damn…damn good, I turn down stuff I know I’ll get hurt in. I’ve learned. Kinda’. Please just don’t throw me out. I can be more careful, uh, find like some part time…hah, fuck’s sake that hurts. I gotta’ sit, m’sorry.” He apologized shakily, sliding back down the wall. Blue eyes half-lidded, he glanced up at you through his lashes. “I know I ain’t worth much, y’know? I ain’t good at much and I’m kinda’ worthless but I can take an asswhuppin’ and keep going.” He said lamely.

“In exchange for your rent I pick up tater tots and keep my mouth shut. Hell of a bargain.” You said wryly. “But I need to know the second you’re hurt to the point where you can’t. Um. Do your job. So I can figure out an alternative method of income.”

“Wait, are you letting me stay?” Dean sounded confused. “I thought--”

“Don’t make me reconsider this incredibly dumb choice, okay Ambrose?” You grumbled, going to dig for his wallet in his worn jeans. He caught your hand before you could grab it though, and you flinched again.

Dean’s face was earnest, his hold careful. “Thank you so much.”

“Please just…please don’t do that.” You replied softly, shaking free of his hand. “Don’t touch me, okay? I’m not into the touching without warning.”

“Got it. Sorry for touchin’, my bad.” Why was he practically whispering? You weren’t some skittish animal. Bad childhood.

“It’s okay. I know you aren’t dangerous or anything. It’s just the speed of it mostly. Don’t want to accidentally punch you if you’re not getting paid for it.” You managed to joke, making Dean snort.

“Oh yeah, real funny. So glad you find my sufferin’ amusin’.”

“I mean, if you were paid by the punches taken you could make a killing off of frustrated women.”

“I’ll ask my boss if he’s interested in implementin’ a ladies night.” Dean grinned, wincing when he chuckled. “Ow, fuck. Christ.”

…

You made a habit out of checking in on Dean after that incident, especially if you hadn’t seen him in a few days. Near as you could tell he was keeping his word, avoiding the worse fights for the ones that paid less but were more likely to not end in broken limbs. Or bloody urine, that was a little more worrisome. Normal, according to Google, but still worrisome.

He came in late one night (early in the morning, technically) with his eye blackened and the side of his face marred in a chain-link pattern. “Bad time.” He managed to say, before flopping down over the couch arm beside you. You had thought fainting was reserved more for Southern belles but here was a self-proclaimed street fighter, literally out cold with his head in your lap.

“Ambrose?” You called quietly, putting a hand on his head and cringing when you felt a sticky substance at the nape of his neck. Your fingers came away red with blood. “Dean? You can’t sleep here, do I need to bring you to the hospital?” His closeness should have made you uncomfortable. You could still barely handle a hug from Seth. “Dean you’re bleeding.”

“Yeah.” The word was muffled by your lap. He stirred, propping himself up on his arms. “Sorry, I uh…huh.” He paused, looking at you like he’d seen you for the first time. “Y’know, you got a nice face. Not just like, a pretty face. You got that too. But you got a nice face.” He said finally, his brow furrowing. “Like a good face. A gentle face. Who the fuck hurt you?”

The abrupt shift made your breath catch and he seemed to notice, standing back up and stretching his arms out over his head with a groan.

“Ah, never mind. Seth said you ain’t much on the talking when it comes to that. Didn’t mean t’ be nosy.” Dean apologized, pressing a hand to the back of his neck. “I mean if you ever feel like talking I’m uh. I’m all ears. But you don’t have to, okay? I get it. I definitely get it.”

His eyes were kind and you really couldn’t handle that right now, shoving your laptop further to the side and getting to your feet. “Come on, Ambrose. You probably can’t Band Aid the back of your neck by yourself.” The sight of blood made you more than a little queasy, but something about the idea of Dean getting bloodstains on that dumb sleeping bag wasn’t appealing.

“Even if you just get the wrappers off, I can take it from there.” Dean said in the bathroom, scrubbing at the back of his neck with a (hopefully clean) washcloth. “It’s the wrappers that end me, I always fuck ‘em up and rip the Band Aids.”

“You got it.” Relieved that your role was an outlying one, you sat down on the edge of the tub and tore the paper off a few bandages.

“Thanks for not losing your mind when I plopped down on you. I know you don’t do the touchin’.” Dean said after a few minutes of silence had gone by. “I don’t mean for…I mean, not like losin’ your mind, but more for bein’ able to handle it. Done good. How long has it been since…uh, whatever happened?”

“Around three months.” You bit your lip, handing him a Band Aid. “It was a guy living here. Knew him from high school.”

“Uh oh.” You looked up, worried, but Dean was watching you in the mirror with a resigned expression. “Can you talk about it?”

“It’s a mess.”

“That’s not what I asked. Have you talked with anyone about it?”

“Seth knows.”

“So no.”

“The last thing anyone else needs is more problems. I only told Seth because he was confused.” You shrugged. “It’s not really all that life-changing.”

Dean maintained eye contact via the mirror, wincing as he tacked Band Aids on the nape of his neck. Despite his battered appearance and almost certain exhaustion, he seemed to be waiting patiently for you to start talking.

You sighed heavily. “I’m too eager to please.”

“You got that right. Grabbin’ me tater tots n’ shit. I’m a grown ass man, make me pick up my own tots!” Dean scolded, getting you to snort.

“I mean to a fault, just way too accommodating. I’ll give the ‘rent jar incident’ as an example.”

“Rent jar…incident?”

“When I had this guy living here, I would put my portion of the rent in a jar on my dresser. Also anything I had extra, loose change, that kind of thing. And I would count it every time I put something in, write it down on a piece of paper in the jar.” Your brow furrowed. “After a while though, things stopped adding up. My numbers kept coming back messed up, stuff went missing in bigger and bigger chunks. I thought I was going nuts. Like maybe I was counting wrong, maybe I was forgetting a number when I added things. I was so used to blaming myself if something went stupid.” You realized you were twisting your hands back and forth. “And then it got to the point where I couldn’t make rent.”

“Oh.” Dean said softly.

“He said he would cover it. ‘On one condition’. What a smart person would have done is kicked him the fuck out.” You muttered angrily. “He had been stealing from me for months, but of course I didn’t figure that out until after the fact. Until after he left without saying a word, left me high and dry in this apartment. I’m so willing to dismiss bullshit, so eager to believe the best in people is all that there is. I should say, I was willing. Not so much anymore.”

“Shit, you guys had that kinda’ arrangement? No wonder y’ flinch. I take it he was a, ‘where I want it, when I want it’ kinda’ asshole?” Dean growled. You were surprised at his reaction. Seth had pitied you, had tried to hug you and stroke your hair. But you didn’t want that.

“Yeah, pretty much.” You didn’t want that at all. You wanted someone who would get furious, who would be angry about what had happened. Because it wasn’t something to feel sad and forlorn about. The guy hadn’t been worth it to begin with. You could be angry with yourself for being so dumb, for being so blinded by old friendships that you convinced yourself it wasn’t just for the rent.

And here was Dean, wringing the washcloth in his hands like he was fit to tear it apart. Like he was livid. “That ain’t fuckin’ right.” He said through gritted teeth. “I don’t care who the hell you are. It ain’t fuckin’ right to cause problems jus’ so you can come in and pretend to be a goddamn savior. That shit frosts me like a motherfucker.”

“I’m glad at least one person is upset about it. Instead of offering me a damn hug and a pat on the head.” You grumbled.

“Well I mean, I get that. Rollins probably didn’t know what the hell else to do.” Dean reasoned. “He’s kind of a baby sometimes. Did you keep tabs on this guy?”

“No. I’ve done my best to forget that he exists.” And you had, you really had. Disposing of what he left behind, cleaning his room from ceiling to floor...doing it all with this feeling that maybe if you scrubbed hard enough, you could dismiss the memories that dug into the walls. The way he would smile at you, the way he’d quietly informed you that he was your only option. “He never promised me anything and the fact that I didn’t expect him to, yet expected him to stay, kind of brands me as the idiot in this situation.” You admitted.

“Hell no, don’t say that. Look, you ain’t kicked my ass out. I’m never takin’ advantage of you like that guy did an’ I’m definitely not gonna’ stand by if someone else tries to. That’s low shit, so fuckin’ low.” Dean turned to face you, his expression serious. “I won’t let that happen again. Not to you, okay? You’ve been more than decent about me. I won’t let some shit happen to you.”

“And in exchange?” You couldn’t help asking, narrowing your eyes.

“This one’s on me, doll. Never again.”

…

Someone offering you something for nothing, even something as inconsequential as a promise of protection, was decidedly foreign. You kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, kept waiting for the instatement of requirements to return in full force.

Dean, however, remained agreeable. He may have even become more friendly. And you had to admit that sharing your apartment with him was not the worst scenario you’d been in by far.

‘Brewsday’ (or ‘Bruiseday’, depending on how rough his fight had been that night) slowly became a weekly ritual, the two of you ending up sprawled out on the couch nursing beers (as well as Dean’s wounds) and watching terrible movies every Tuesday night. Wednesdays seemed to be a shared day off, though Dean was occasionally up and out before you. You took to going food and essentials shopping on Wednesdays. It definitely wasn’t because Dean also had the day off and you enjoyed the company and help carrying the groceries back to the apartment. Definitely not.

But it was one such Wednesday that you finally had to invoke that promise he had made.

“We need cereal, six aisles that way.” You said, pointing and then looking back down at your list. You’d been saving up a little extra here and there, mostly to justify buying something a little fancier for dinner. You couldn’t pick out ingredients with Dean standing over you, though. You weren’t sure when it had turned into a surprise, but apparently dinner was officially a surprise and you didn’t want him to ruin it.

Dean nodded, taking off in the direction you’d indicated. Despite coming to the store at least once every two weeks he still had yet to master the layout of the place. Which you were hoping would work to your benefit in this instance. You hummed idly along to the pop music playing over the PA system, searching the produce area for a decent-looking head of lettuce.

A finger tapped your shoulder and you gestured down at the cart, not bothering to turn around. “In there, thanks. Can you find-”

“It’s been a while. Still as bossy as ever, I see.”

You froze. Oh no.

Behind you, that low laugh crept uneasily up your spine. “You’re also just as pretty as I remember. I like what you did with your hair.”

“Thank you.” You answered automatically, turning to face the young man who had made your life a living hell. “Now how about you stay away from me.”

“Ah, I seem to remember you singing a different tune right after I left, babe.” A hand cupped your chin and tipped your face up. “What was it you said? ‘I thought if I was good enough, you would stay’, sound familiar?” His tone was gently chiding, as though he was reprimanding a small child. You swallowed hard and he obviously felt the motion, if his slow smile was any indicator.

Dean doesn’t smile like that. Why on earth that thought came to you at that moment, you would never know. But you clung to it as your old roommate pressed closer, pinning you to the shelves behind you. Dean’s smile is quick, dimples in his cheeks. Brief, like sun through the clouds. His eyes light up and-

“Dean!” You surprised yourself and the man in front of you with your sudden yell. There was a loud crash a few aisles down, then the hasty squeak of running boots on the linoleum flooring.

Dean rounded the corner with a nondescript box of cereal in his hands, looking more than a little frantic. His eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him. He obviously knew exactly what was going on. You wanted to sigh in relief at how quickly he picked up on the situation.

Your old roommate started laughing again and you cringed. “You’ve got to be kidding me with this, babe. You already found someone else to take my place, huh?”

“You’d need to have had a place in order for me to take it. You alright, doll?” Dean asked.

You opened your mouth to answer, but your old roommate was faster. “No no, you and I are talking right now buddy. They aren’t part of this.”

“The second you put your hands on them you made them part of this.” Dean snarled. “I ain’t brawlin’ in a damn grocery store. You have the option to walk away, buddy.”

“Near as I can tell I hold all the cards here, so-”

“You do not want to go down this road.” Dean warned. “You have no idea who the hell you’re tangling with and you’re gonna’ be in a world of hurt if you don’t let them go.”

“You don’t scare me.” Your old roommate seemed to be getting impatient, his grip tightening on your jacket.

Dean shrugged. “Your funeral.” He took your arm, pulling you closer to him. “This is startin’ to look a little suspicious, wouldn’t you say?” He asked, tilting his head up to look at one of the many cameras in the ceiling. “Tussle in the produce department might arouse a police response. You sure you want to do this?”

“I know what you’re doing, it’s not going to work.” Your ex-roommate sputtered.

“Wanna’ bet? Buddy, this is my goddamn friend, my partner right here. They gave me a roof over my head when no one else would or could. They feed me, take care of me, and they also told me about what you did. All the shitty tricks you pulled and how you left.” Dean wrapped an arm around your shoulders, all but tucking you into his side. “I told them I would make sure no shit like you would ever happen again.”

“You’re crazy!” The other man scoffed.

Dean went dead still beside you. “What the fuck did you just say.” His voice had dropped to a hoarse rasp. You got the feeling that maybe a line had been crossed.

“You are. Crazy! Certifiable, a lunatic for believing anything that they-” He didn’t get to finish as Dean lashed out, right hand catching his shoulder to haul him close in a one-armed hug and the left gripping his groin with purpose. Your old roommate made a choking noise.

“Let me make one thing real clear, buddy.” Dean hissed through his teeth. “You are one hundred percent correct there. Signed and sealed. So why the fuck would you whack the hornet’s nest? You think you can win this fight? Maybe before. What about now, with your goddamn balls in a vise?” He twisted his hand to drive his point home and the other man whimpered pitifully. “I already told you to walk away. Now, I’m gonna’ tell you to run. You have a ten-second head start if you can move. Hope I didn’t tear anything loose.” With that, Dean released him.

Your old roommate immediately dropped like Dean had been the only thing holding him up, and Dean turned on his heel to face you with a tight grin on his face. “Got the cereal, doll!” He said, widening his eyes as if to say play along! while he took your arm and led you back to the cart. “Do we need anything else?”

“S-S-Salad. We needed…salad. Was going to make something special.” Your brain was only half-onboard, all you could see was your ex-roommate laid out on the ground as easy as you please.

Simple. No mess, no fuss. It was almost disappointing in a way.

Dean insisted on carrying the bulk of the groceries home, joking, “I’m the ass, aren’t I?”. The two of you walked the short distance in silence. You didn’t mean to be so quiet, you were just thinking. Hard.

“Did I make you uncomfortable or somethin’?” Dean asked awkwardly after all the groceries were stowed and you had begun making supper. “I didn’t want to, wasn’t what I was going for.”

“It’s not you.” Your smile was weak. “It was just a shock, is all. Still trying to process it.”

He nodded, seeming satisfied. “Whatcha’ making, anyway?”

“Strawberry salad. I guess you can have some too. You were very brave.” You teased.

Dean shook his head. “Hey, I already told you. Not in exchange for anythin’. You dealt with enough shit.”

“How about in return for carrying like, ninety-five percent of the groceries home?” You offered, raising an eyebrow. “Please, have dinner with me? I mean unless you have other plans, have to head off to the Mrs. Ambrose?”

Dean made a strange sound in his throat. “Yeah?” He said finally, his voice so quiet it seemed like he was talking to himself. His whole body had gone tight again, like it had earlier when he’d been called crazy. Which had you very curious. He shook his shoulders after a minute, huffing out a quick breath and giving you a smile. “Alright. In return for the pack mule duty.”

You couldn’t help smiling back, nodding.

Later that evening while the two of you were watching television, Dean dropped an absent-minded kiss on the top of your head.

…

The Bruiseday/Brewsday started like all the others. Dean came fumbling in around eleven, his left wrist swollen and purple. You’d had a rotten day at work yourself, just opening your first bottle as Dean arrived. Wordlessly you passed him the beer and he nodded his thanks.

The two of you sat quietly at the kitchen table, drinking. The silence was companionable and you hated to break it, but...“Man, I can’t seem to do anything fucking right in that place!”  

“What happened today?” Dean grunted, shifting the bag of frozen blueberries he’d laid over his wrist.

You growled, getting to your feet so you could pace. “I always have so much that needs to be taken care of, but it’s just me doing it! I’m a one person department, I guess. I have all this work dumped on me and I know I sound like a little kid right now but it’s not fair, dammit. I’m tired of it. So tired. I wish I had a job like yours!” You said impulsively. “Where I fight somebody outright and maybe win. At least then it would be a fair fight, people would know what they were in for!”

Dean laughed, tipping his bottle towards you. “You seriously think we fight fair? Doll we are up front about the fact that we fight as dirty as possible. Half the appeal of watchin’ an’ bettin’, I suppose.” He shrugged. “When I busted my arm it wasn’t even during the fight. It was afterwards. I won, we shook hands, then he dragged my carcass to the door and slammed my forearm in it until I passed the fuck out.” Dean traced the prominent white line on his right arm. “Doc that casted me said it was a miracle I still had the feelin’ in it. And holy shit, did I have the feelin’ in it.” His grin was rueful. “I don’t think you’d wanna’ trade with me.”

“C’mon, you don’t think I could take it? I could kick the ass of every guy that ever hurt you! It would be awesome.” You flopped back down in the kitchen chair. “Awesome.” You repeated firmly.

Ambrose shook his head. “You’re somethin’ else. What if we had to fight each other?”

“A draw, obviously.” You drained your bottle and took a fresh one from the six pack. “We would be evenly matched, what with your veteran skill and my incredible ability to read your tells.”

“My tells? Now you’re talkin’ nonsense. I don’t have tells.” Dean protested. “I’m unpredictable and fuckin’ nuts or whatever.”

“You do things like focus on people’s shoulders instead of their face. You’re waiting for them to make the first move, the twitch of muscle that indicates they’re just thinking about it.” You replied smugly, watching as Dean’s eyes widened. “What do you think would happen if we fought?”

“I’d fuckin’ pin you, immobilize you with my body. I ain’t tryin’ to hurt you or anythin’.” He muttered, sounding almost sulky as he popped the cap off his next beer.

“I think you just want me under you.” You teased.

“Well yeah, no shit. I’m a fuckin’ dude, ain’t I?” Dean shot back, smirking. “Havin’ someone at your mercy is half the fun of the damn fight.” His smirk faded. “Only then though. I’m not much for…I mean I’ve thought about it, obviously, but I never did anythin’ during.”

“'During’?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, y’know, during. Sex. D-During sex.” Dean’s stammer was absolutely precious. “I know it’s a thing, I’ve seen pictures an’ stuff.”

“Not your cup of tea? Or you’ve never had anyone willing to let you try?” You were genuinely curious, putting down your beer and leaning in a little. It was incredibly rare that Dean did so much as make a dirty joke in your presence, so this was quite the turn of events. You watched him lick his lips and you suddenly realized he was nervous. “Ambrose, I promise what you tell me won’t leave this area, okay? Just interested is all.”

Now it was Dean’s turn to get to his feet. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and then sighed heavily. “I mean, there’s shit for everybody out there, right? I…it’s hard to find answers sometimes, in the mess of people.” He began cryptically. “I see stuff and I think like, ‘oh those are some cool knots’ or ‘I wonder why people like that’. But I fight in a fuckin’ underground ring, surrounded by the shit-stains of humanity bettin’ against me. What the hell in common do I have with anybody? Except the deeper ones, y’know.” He grimaced. “The guys who get off on gettin’ beat up, or beatin’ up their uh…fuck, sub, that’s the word.”

“Well that’s a little different from what you do, I think. The whole dominant or submissive thing is a consensual act, not something you have to do to earn your keep.” You could barely believe you were having this conversation, words tumbling out before you could stop them. “I mean, I’m more than willing to help if you need to figure some lighter things out. I don’t mind getting tied up.” Whoa, easy there! No need to dump your kinks on the poor guy! You scolded yourself, blushing at the startled look Ambrose leveled at you. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be creepy. My bad.” You apologized.

“Nah, no one’s ever really wanted to talk open about this stuff with me before.” He admitted, running a hand through his hair. “Kinda’ at a loss. You like…yeah? What, with rope or…?”

“Um, the scarves are better, I think. They don’t chafe. I’ve only done it a few times.” You bit your lip. “They look nicer too. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures.”

Dean simply inclined his head.

“I mean it’s pretty tame, all things considered, I know. I just like it. I’m helpless but it’s more the concept of it, I guess? The surrender of control.” You shrugged, feeling self-conscious.

“Yeah?” Dean sounded a little breathless. “And what, you just get fucked or do you get off on bein’ helpless more? Like someone usin’ you or something?”

“More like I’m being taken care of.” You corrected gently. “I am helpless, and the person in charge knows my needs better than I do. That’s the idea, anyway. If there’s proper discussion beforehand though, and if I consent to the scene, I will let my body be used for someone else’s pleasure. This one time I was tied up all pretty, like a present, and I was tit-fucked and it was just…” You trailed off, shivering at the pleasant memory.

“Tit-fucked, huh?”

“It was a little ridiculous at first, I couldn’t really move so the guy had to hold my breasts. But once we figured it out, oh wow.” You snickered. “At least that guy had a sense of humor. We had quite the laugh while he untied me.”

“I feel like that’d be an important part of any engagement.” Dean said. “D’you get off on like...being called bad or any of that shit?”

“Not so much the bad stuff. I’m...when I’m in that mindset I’ll do just about anything if you call me good, though.”

“Ah.”

You came back to reality again at his sound of acknowledgment. “Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I definitely didn't mean to spill all of that.” You panicked a bit, concerned that you'd made him uncomfortable or at the very least that you'd said too much. “I guess it's like you said, no one really talks about this kind of thing. So I vomited all this information at you. Um. Use it well?” You finished weakly.

“I plan on it.” Dean murmured, putting the blueberries back in the freezer and rotating his wrist experimentally. “Show me.”

“What?”

“I said, show me.” He looked deadly serious. “If the offer is still on the table, of course. An' only if you trust me.”

“O-Oh.” Your voice petered out. “You want to...?”

“I like keepin' you safe. Probably isn't much different than that, y'know?”

You stood up, wiping your hands off on the skirt of your dress. “We'll see, I guess.”

“Can I kiss you? Do you do that kinda' stuff or is it strictly tie-ups for you? I need to know before I get mouthy.”

“Oh yeah, kissing is f--” You lost track of what you were saying when Dean pulled you into his arms and kissed you until your knees went weak. Teeth nipped at your lower lip and his tongue licked into your mouth as you gasped.

“Green?” He asked after he pulled back, searching your face worriedly. You stared up at him in a daze, slowly running your own tongue around your mouth to catch the taste of him better. “Doll, I need an answer or this is gonna' be over real quick.” Dean said softly. “Green, yellow or red?”

“Fuck, uh, green. Why didn't you tell me you were such a good kisser?” You asked, watching him shrug.

“No one's ever really indicated one way or another. Dunno'.” He ran a hand through his hair again. “Shit you taste good.”

“Not too bad yourself, Ambrose. Christ.” The two of you looked at each other for a tense moment before Dean grunted and took your hand.

“Alright doll, living room or your bedroom? I doubt you want to wrangle in my oh so cozy sleeping bag.”

“My room, c'mon.” You almost felt dumb, leading him, but he indicated that you should and so you did, pushing the door of your room open.

“Have you ever tied anyone else up? Or is it just you gettin' tied up?” Dean asked curiously.

“I'm not really...I worry that people wouldn't take me seriously.” You gestured at your dresser, your scarf collection out on full display. You liked to keep everything folded nicely.

“Shit, ain't you just the damn Boy Scout. Any of them easier to untie? In case I knot too tight. Still new here.” Dean reiterated, unfolding the two scarves you pointed to. “I won't do anythin' fancy, not sure I'd be able to get you outta' some monkey-fist nonsense.” His hands were steady as he carefully wound the silk around your wrists, taking the time to slip a finger between your skin and the cloth to make sure there was enough room.

“Look at you! It's like you know what you're doing.” You teased.

“Hey, I told you I did some research.” Dean took a deep breath. “ An' you're gonna' be good for me if I do this, right?”

“Yes, absolutely.” It had been so long since you'd gotten to play your role. You were incredibly glad you'd opted for your comfortable sundress, it made you feel more delicate, made it easier for you to assume your headspace. “If you take care of me, I'll be so good.”

“Oh Jesus.” Dean seemed flustered, his hands stilling for a second. “You use the green-yellow-red system, yeah? Let me know if I'm goofing something up or if you're not into it.”

“Hey, don't be scared, okay?” You smiled up at him. “You can't hurt me.”

“I dunno'. I don't want to, that's for sure.”

“You won't. You want to take care of me. I'm pretty and breakable and you're so careful with me already.”

“Fuck's sake, you are pretty. So fucking pretty. I love this.” Dean tugged at the skirt of your dress. “I love when you wear stuff like this, when we're just hangin' out on the couch and you're all relaxed up against me.”

“You should have said something! I would have worn more of my cute things if I knew they pleased you.”

“Fucking shit, what a good doll you are. Dressin' like I want you to.” Dean seemed to be more at ease just talking and rubbing his hands over your bare shoulders. “Every once in a while. It's gotta' be special. Can't be too accommodatin' of me.”

“Of course.” You agreed.

“You are just...Jesus, I can't get over you. I'd let you tie me up in a heartbeat, doll.” He confessed, pressing his forehead to your own. “You oughta' try sometime. Can I...what are you lookin' for tonight, what can I do for you? What's your need?” He continued, fingers tracing the design of your dress over your stomach. “How do I make you feel good?”

“The talking is actually really nice. I um...” You paused with a nervous giggle. You weren't used to so many questions! “Would you eat me out, if...if you're comfortable with it?”

“Oh my God.” Dean groaned and you knew you'd suggested the right thing. “Fuck, you ask so fuckin' nice. M'gonna'-” His sentence broke when you nuzzled your face into his neck, snuggling in tight to him and rolling your hips. “Good fuckin'--Jesus. Are your hands enough or should I tie you to the headboard?”

“I wouldn't mind it.”

“You've fuckin' got it.” Ambrose laid you back on the bed and you scooted up so he could secure you properly. “I dunno' whether I'll be any good at this. Pretty sure I can't deny you jack shit.”

“Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. You're doing just fine.” You encouraged.

“Shit, okay, alright.” He looked down at you impassively for a moment before stripping off his shirt. “I'll...move your little skirt up an' fuckin' tug these panties off.” Narrating was apparently a favorite, and you certainly weren't complaining as his motions matched his words. “Gotta' lay on my belly so I can fuckin'...yeah, that's right, open up those legs for me, doll.” Dean encouraged, his voice warm and rough and good. One large hand cupped your pubic mound and the other rested on your thigh, soothing the quivering skin there. “You're so wet for me already. I wonder if I could...” Dean lowered his eyes, making you squirm. “God, look at you fuckin' drip.”

“Please?” You managed to say, whimpering when he hungrily licked up the trail of slick that had been making its way down your thigh. “Please, please sir, I-”

“Sir?” Dean growled, sounding incredibly satisfied and rewarding you with a flat-tongued stroke over your pussy. “S' good shit. Hold still for me, doll.” It had been so long since someone had taken care of you this attentively. Dean was a natural, hands holding you steady as he worked you into a writhing mess with his mouth and praise. Gentle orders were issued and you followed them to the letter, eager for more, eager to be good for him.

“Can I fuck you?” He asked finally, quickly diving back in and rolling his tongue around your clit in tender little circles before you could formulate a response. “Please, may I fuck you?” His voice was almost nothing, a whisper against your skin. “Wanna' make you feel good, wanna' make you come on my cock, doll. I know we didn't discuss the fuckin' beforehand. Color?”

“Green, green, green, please-!” You begged, wiggling your body and canting your hips hungrily up towards his face.

“Oh God, I'm gonna' have to work on this.” Dean propped himself up on his arms, crawling over you until he reached your mouth. When he kissed you, you could taste yourself on his tongue. “Heya' doll. Miss me?” He grinned. “Hands okay? Nothin' numb or tinglin', right?”

You were pretty sure you weren't exactly at your sexiest, your dress pulled up and wrinkled around your waist and your skin shiny with sweat and want. But you took a second to ground yourself, mentally checking all your extremities. “M' okay, y-yeah.” You panted. “Please sir, please fuck me?”

Dean looked like a deer caught in the headlights, his whole body going still again. “You say please an' shit, beg for me so nice.” He murmured, sounding a little melancholy. “Make me feel like I'm worth it. S'dangerous.”

“You are worth it!” You protested, whining when he moved back to take off his pants. “You're being careful with me, you're making me feel good. Why wouldn't you be worth it?”

Dean just shrugged, yanking down his boxers.

“Hey, Dean.” You gentled your tone, waiting until he looked back at you. “Untie me, please?”

He seemed confused but obeyed immediately, practically lunging up the bed to struggle with his knots. They had tightened somewhat from all your squirming. “Color? Y'okay?”

“Green.” You said firmly. “I just wanted to touch you.”

“Why?”

“Because.” Dean flinched as you reached out, doing his best to mask it. Your heart ached because you knew that feeling, the wariness that was always there just under the surface. Your body thrummed with want and you felt almost like you should be crying, emotions running hot. “Shh, just me.” You soothed, giving him a smile. “Just me, Dean.”

His name seemed to snap him back into focus. Dean's kisses were needy, long and urgent with tongue and teeth clicking against your own. The whole while he mumbled praise into your mouth, whispering you're beautiful perfect too good for me in a crooning cadence that had you arching your back. “Color?” He asked finally, his cock sliding up and down on your thigh as he shifted his weight. You were pretty sure the scene was over but you figured you could talk about that afterwards.

“Green. Please. Green, yes, please.” You pleaded disjointedly, your arms slung around his neck. “Please.” His answer wasn't verbal but physical, his cock pressing to the entrance of your pussy. You rolled your hips greedily, inviting, wanting with every fiber of your existence. The first push of his cock into you made you moan, a drawn-out sound that Dean echoed.

“Christ doll, not fair, oh my fuckin' God.” He gasped, clumsily groping one of your breasts through your sundress. “It's not even fair-!”

“Dean please fuck me, I need it, I need it, please!” You didn't even care that you were begging. You knew that was what he needed, the constant affirmation of the fact that yes I want this yes I want you. Dean buried his face in the junction of your neck and shoulder, hands tight on your hips as he mercilessly fucked into you. His pelvis ground against your clit with every thrust, the stimulation white hot and yes I want you!

“You're so fuckin' tight so fuckin' pretty just wanna' fuckin' explode in you fuckin' make you take all of me, I'm not fuckin' good at this shit yet, m' sorry-” Dean rambled in your ear. “Coming, I'm coming, I can't--shit, fuck, hang on, gotta'-” He slid a hand between the two of you and you rocked up against the heel of his palm, sharp bursts that just hilted his cock in you and made him press the right spots everywhere. “Yeah that's it, that's it, you shake around me, you come on me.” Dean ordered and you obeyed, your orgasm a relief and a thrill all in one as you threw your head back and came with a cry of his name. His breath hitched, sounding almost like a sob.

Dean quickly pulled out, shoving your sundress up even higher and then coming on your stomach. He kept his head down, breathing hard.

“Sorry.” He said finally. “Not so good at this, I guess.”

“Hey, for a first timer, I think you did pretty good!” You encouraged, cupping his chin and making him look up at you. “This doesn't need to mean anything, okay? Unless you want it to. And it never needs to happen again if it makes you uncomfortable. Got it?”

“Yeah. I uh...was it good for you, at least? Because holy shit.” Dean said weakly. “Holy fucking shit.”

“Green all the way, Ambrose. Also, since you humored me tonight, any time you want me to tie you up, just say the word.” You smiled up at him and he grinned back (to your private relief.) You weren't sure whether you'd pushed too far.

“Thanks. For everythin', you know? Taking me in, and...well, just everythin'.” Dean said quietly after the two of you got cleaned up. He held you close, resting your head on his chest. His voice was soft again, like he thought you were asleep. “I've never really felt like I was worth much til' you. So thanks.” His fingers twined through your own. “I'll get better for you. I promise. S'least I can do.”

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Preview

Heyoooo here’s ya girl makin some progress on this chapter imo who knows? Maybe this one won’t take ten million years like the last one did idk we’ll see anyway here’s this enjoy: 

“Ugh,,, how are we ever supposed to get her talk?” Amethyst asked, plopping down to the ground in defeat. “She’ll run her dumb mouth about how much she hates us and wants us dead, so why not this stupid Cluster thing too? It’s not like we’re not gonna find out eventually, right?”

“Perhaps I could be of some assistance?” Ford interupted as he made his way upstairs to the group. “I am versed in quite a few different interdimensional interrogation methods, so hopefully one of those is bound to work on Peridot.”

“Go ahead, give it a shot,” Garnet said as she stepped aside, clearly ready to try just about anything at that point.

The author nodded, clearing his throat as he approached the door and gave it a steady knock. “Alright, now listen, Peridot,” he began firmly. “Because I’m going to be absolutely honest with you. As it stands, you’re stranded here on Earth, with no way of returning to your home planet or contact anyone there for assistance. Your weapons and technology have all been disposed of and as you’ve said so yourself countless times now, you’re more or less our captive now. And though we’re not fond of the idea of stooping to such a low level, you should know that we have ways of making you talk.”

“Oh yeah?” Peridot asked, blatantly unconcerned as she leaned against the other side of the door. “What are you gonna do? Shatter me? Ha!”

“…I-if that’s what it takes then… y-yes, yes we will!” Ford countered as gruffly as he could manage, though it was rather apparent he hadn’t expected Peridot to be so unphased by his initial threats.

“Whoa, dude, isn’t that a little… dark?” Amethyst asked, raising an eyebrow at the author.

“W-well, we do want her to tell us what this Cluster is, don’t we?” Ford remarked, slamming his hand against the door more threateningly this time in another attempt at scaring Peridot. “So if she won’t cooperate when asked, then maybe we’ll just have to resort to more… harsher methods…”

Upon hearing this, the green Gem did flinch away from the door out of slight fear, only to jump in full fear at the loud sound of flushing behind her. “Oops! Sorry, Peridot,” Steven apologized as he finished washing his hands at the sink. “I didn’t mean to scare you! Good news is you can finally turn around now. Oh, and don’t worry, we’re not gonna shatter you. I promise.”

“Hm…” Peridot mused, scowling at the young Gem distrustfully as he stepped out into the hallway to join the others.

“Uh… sorry for interrupting your interrogation,” Steven said to the Gems and Ford as he met their wondering glances.

“Don’t worry about it, Steven,” Garnet assured as the young Gem joined the twins in watching from the sidelines.

“Its not like they were really getting anywhere with it anyway, to be honest,” Dipper remarked with a frown.

“But we’re close!” Pearl protested resiliently. “I swear, Peridot is gonna crack any second now!”

“I’ll never crack for the likes of you, y-you… CRYSTAL CLODS!” Peridot shouted fiercely from the other side of the door before letting out a smug, triumphant snicker.

“Ugh…” Pearl growled, frustrated by the green Gem’s stubborn resistance and petty insults. “I’ve got your ‘clods’ right here, you little-!”

“Hold on, Pearl,” Garnet cut in, grabbing the white Gem’s raised, tightened fist. “This isn’t going to work. And neither is threatening to shatter her, which we’re not going to do by the way,” she said to Ford, who simply glanced away somewhat sheepishly at his own failed attempts at negotiation. “If she’s not going to be of any help, then I say we investigate this Cluster situation on our own.”

“Hey, yeah! That’s a great idea!” Mabel chimed in enthusiastically.

“Well, its certainly a better one than trying to get any answers out of the ‘bathroom queen’ over there,” Dipper remarked, nodding to the bathroom door as Peridot apparently broke something else inside of the room with a noisy crash.

“Yeah, and we can come with you!” Steven volunteered himself and the twins, only to be shut down by Ford.

“Actually, children, it’d probably be for the best if you stayed here,” the author said with a reasonable smile. “After all, somebody needs to keep an eye on our… guest… while we’re gone…” His smile was quick to disappear as he cast a brief, cold glare towards the bathroom door, aimed for the bothersome green Gem just on the other side of it.

“Aw, really?” Dipper asked, disappointed. “We have to stay behind to look after her again?”

“What if she busts out again?” Mabel spoke up with a genuine concern. “Like last time!”

“Hm… good point…” Pearl mused thoughtfully. “One of us should probably stay back to supervise…”

“Oh, I am totally on top of that, P!” Amethyst readily volunteered, not even hesitating for a single beat. “I’ll hang out here while you guys go off lookin’ clues or whatever, while me and these dorks here make sure that P-Dot doesn’t try anything.”

“Now, Amethyst, this is a serious responsibility we’re talking about here,” Garnet admonished firmly. “Which means you have to be serious about too.”

“Aw, come on, Garnet, who do you know that’s more serious than me?” Amethyst asked with a sly grin.

“…You don’t want me to answer that.”

“Well, hopefully you won’t have too much to worry about,” Pearl remarked, even though her tone made it clear she was apprehensive about leaving Amethyst behind with the kids herself. “Peridot’s harmless without her limb enhancers.”

“I AM NOT HARMLESS!” Peridot snapped fiercely from inside the bathroom.

“Oh, hush up!” Pearl countered back just as harshly.

“Now, Dipper, Mabel, Steven, be sure to keep a close eye on her,” Ford advised as him, Garnet, and Pearl began to take their leave to begin their investigation. “There’s no telling what she’s capable of, especially considering the fact that one of her previous strategies involved collaborating with Bill Cipher.”

“She also snapped a bunch of my headbands in half,” Mabel pointed out, pouting. “So yeah, she’s one naughty little Dotty. Oh! I should call her that until she decides to behave!”

“Don’t you already have enough nicknames for her, Mabel?” Dipper asked caustically.

“Nope!” Mabel shook her head blithely. “Besides, she likes them. Isn’t that right, Straw-Peri!”

“No, it most certainly is NOT!” Peridot protested crossly, pounding her fist against the bathroom door.

“…Anyway…” Pearl continued after a beat of awkward silence. “We’d best be on our way. Take care, kids! And please, Amethyst, try to be responsible about this, alright?”

“Aye aye, ‘captain’,” Amethyst said, offering the white Gem a clearly playful salute.

“…I have a bad feeling about this…” the white Gem muttered as she began to make her way down the stairs, Ford following not too far behind.

“You and me both…” the author noted fretfully under his breath. “Perhaps we should hold onto that potential shattering plan. Just in case…”

“Hm… you know, it could make a possibly viable plan b…” Pearl agreed quietly, stealing a glance back at the bathroom before it was entirely out of sight. “I-if we absolutely need it that is.”

“Alright, that’s enough murder conspiring, you two,” Garnet asserted firmly as she nodded them off to head up to the temple. “Let’s get going. Oh! And Steven, Dipper, Mabel, there’s one more thing I have to mention to you three.”

“What is it?” Steven asked curiously.

Garnet simply smiled as she turned to face the trio briefly, forming a heart shape with her hands as a form of a fond farewell. “I love you. Bye!”