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thefanficmonster · 3 years

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Corpse Infested

Corpse Husband & Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Mentions of dysfunctional family, Family problems, Swearing

Genre: Humor, Comfort, Platonic fluff, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: When your friend disappears for a long time, seemingly having lost interest in what fueled the most passionate fire in their life, you cannot not worry about them. Even if you wanna give them space, you will reach out, you will offer your help. You will tell them they always have you to rely on and talk to.

Requested by Anon. Hi dear! I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to complete and post your request, but here it finally is! Hope you come across it and if you do I hope you enjoy the read! Love, Vy ❤

For me, it’s never hard to find things to do. I’ve constantly got things on my mind and tasks to tend to, keeping me occupied and my mind focused at all times. I think that comes with living in a home as dysfunctional as this one. I honestly can’t recall a time when my parents got along nor can I think of a time where there was at least one second of peace while the two are both present in the house. It’s always a warzone up there. I’m saying up there because I tend to live out of the basement of their home. I know living in your parents’ basement is considered a peak loser point, or the bottom of the bottom, but you’d have to believe me when I say - I wasn’t always like this. In fact, I only recently came back to this hell-hole and boy do I regret it. I mean, it was a decision forced upon me by circumstances. Trust me, I tried every other option there was. When my dorm was to be closed down and demolished, we were given a notice to start planning our next move about a month early. You can bet I immediately started looking at places but my very tragic and miserable budget didn’t allow such a purchase. No rent was adequate for me and my near-empty wallet so my second option was moving in with my best friend who was also not in the greatest of situations but I thought I’d give that a shot too.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t work out. She lived in a tiny apartment with her boyfriend and his best friend at the time, so four people in one apartment was a nightmare. Still a lesser nightmare than this one but a nightmare nonetheless. Some unwanted and downright traumatizing events chased me out of that place after barely managing to pack my stuff. Therefore, finding myself on the streets again, I had no other option other than the obvious and least liked one: moving back in with my parents.

Making money during my first year of college hasn’t been easy. Working two jobs at once and also streaming video games on the side was what my time was filled with all throughout the first semester but then this damn pandemic started and now ruined everything for me. I had things going for me, I was slowly getting my life together and now it has all fallen apart yet again. The places I worked at closed down due to quarantine and I haven’t been able to steam, not only cause I’d be the victim of my parents’ comments but also cause my terrible home life would be exposed to all my fans and viewers. It’s not like I could cancel out the commotion going on right above my head, it’s a livestream and this house’s walls are cardboard thin meaning all the arguing I hear almost 24/7 will serve as background noise for my streams.

I haven’t reached out to my friends or fans to inform them of this which I feel slightly guilty about but I’m really not looking forward to having to lie to them, just as much as I’m not looking forward to having to tell them the truth so instead I’ve picked silence which is probably either worrying them or driving them insane. Either way, I’ll make my comeback soon.

Well....not very soon by the looks of it...

I have to gather the money, then I have to find a place, then comes the packing, moving out of here, moving into the new place...oh God, there’s so much to it that I don’t even wanna think about. Just that thought that I’ll be inactive for that long makes my stomach turn. Streaming’s where I’ve been channeling all my negative emotions, turning them into something positive and entertaining with the help of my friends.

Speaking of my friends, I should probably put emphasis on how amazing they are. Basically the older siblings I’ve always wished I had. I’m the baby of the group, the eighteen year old freshman in college, powering through life the best they can cause they are constantly getting tripped up by inconvenient occurrences such as this one for example. I tend to have the gang poke fun at me quite frequently - all lighthearted and with good intentions obviously - but they are also the ones to get super defensive if anyone gets the balls to talk shit about me. They’d never allow me to be the victim of any smack talk or online rumors and ‘cancel culture’ or whatever the hell people will come up with to leave others restless and wondering if they did something shady a decade ago. Well, to be fair, I didn’t even know about the concept of social media a decade ago and I’ve never been one to post much but I still have a protection squad in case anyone decides to come after me.

Little do they know the people I need protecting from are the very people that are supposed to protect me - my parents. Luckily, they don’t venture into to basement very often if at all and I have my own exit to the outside world so I don’t have to run into them unless I absolutely have to. The only time I emerge to the surface of the house - aka the ground floor - I do so to leave my share of rent money on the dining table and I usually do it when they aren’t home or when they’re asleep - that happens often with how many bottles they each knock back on the daily.

*sigh*...at least I don’t have to talk to them, right?

Anyhow, remember how I mentioned I always have things to do? Well, right now I’ve tasked myself with rifling through the large boxes containing random stuff I found in one of the basements down here to see if there’s anything I could possibly sell online. For starters, I’d like to hope there aren’t any severed body parts in here because this was one shady-ass basement before I moved in and un-creeped it a bit so I wouldn’t have to become an insomniac due to the paranoia of there being a homeless person down here with me or some paranormal entity. Regardless, old basements tend to be, apart from haunted, also filled with junk no one would find valuable despite it actually being worth something after all. That’s basically what I’m hoping to find at the moment.

As I dig through the contents of the first box, the YouTube playlist I have put on on my phone cuts off causing me to furrow my brows in confusion for a second before my ringtone pierces the silence the lack of music created.

I quickly mute the ringing and take a look at the Caller ID to see a name I never thought would pop up on my screen as an incoming call - Corpse. I, as well as many of our friends, know that he’s not the biggest fan of talking to people on the phone so this is rather surprising. Still, I pick up the call in case it’s not a mistake and an odd chance that it’s somethin urgent cause Lord knows Corpse doesn’t call people willy-nilly.

Thank God it’s quiet up there at the moment.

“Hello?“ I try my best to cover up the confusion in my voice but I can only assume I didn’t do the best job considering Corpse replies with a slightly awkward chuckle.

“Surprised you, didn’t I?“ He asks, getting my cheeks to redden a bit, “You can’t blame a guy for calling after up and disappearing on him and on the whole internet. Where’ve you been?“

I open my mouth to respond when I hear the sound of glass breaking a shouted curse from upstairs.

Oh for fuck’s sake!

“Um...you know, places?“ I’m aware the answer isn’t only nonsensical but also sounds more like a question, but I can hardly focus on that right now. I’m too buys praying to an entity I don’t fully believe in for the situation above to not escalate.

“Uh, is everything ok over there? Where even are you right now?“ The teasing tone to his voice is all but gone at this point, replaced with deep concern, having obviously heard the commotion that did the exact opposite of what I prayed for - escalated.

“Y-yeah, it’s ok. It’s just another Thursday, you know.“ I attempt a small laugh but it’s blatantly miserable, “I moved back in with my parents when they announced the quarantine so that’s where I’m at now. They’re not the quietest of folks as you can tell so...“

“I FUCKING HATE YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HOPE YOU DIE“

Oh crap, here we go.

“...So I can’t really stream a lot...or at all.“ I mutter, cringing with all my might, “But it’s only temporary! I’ll get back in the saddle as soon as I find another place to stay.“ I don’t dare mention how long that’s gonna take me, it’ll be too disappointing and depressing for the both of us. “So yeah...um...thanks for showing concern but there’s really nothing to worry about. I’m ok, everything’s ok, things are just...a bit off the rails, but I’ll fix em no problem. Like I always do!“ I attempt to sound as cheerful as possible with little success due to the overwhelming anger I feel towards those people upstairs and the gut-wrenching nostalgia for the world of streaming I can no longer be a part of because of them. Actually, I put the blame first on the pandemic and second on my parents - if it wasn’t for Covid I’d probably still be in my dorm!

“Hey...um, I think I know an affordable place where you can take up residence. Only if you want to, of course.“ He sounds hesitant but I easily overlook that as excitement bursts throughout my entire being at the sound if an escape being offered to me just like that. Had I known I’d find the solution to my problem in the very people I spent time avoiding because I was afraid of their pity, sympathy and judgement.

“Oh please, it could be a rat and roach infested shoe box and I’d go running to it. How much is rent?“ I ask through a gasp of hurried laughter that’s a result of my inability to contain said excitement. Listen, I’ve been sitting here in Hellsburg for three months now and haven’t gotten a proper shuteye during that whole period, whatever Corpse is offering has to be better than this misery.

“Rent can be discussed once you move in...“ He trails off, “And it’s not rat nor roach infested but there’s a slight issue...“

“Which is?“ I’m honestly expecting the worst: in a bad neighborhood; faulty wiring with a high chance of being electrocuted; faulty piping with a high chance of flooding; people have died there; things get randomly moved around in the middle of the night etc. However, I don’t voice any of them to avoid getting laughed at for my wild imagination.

“Well, uh, it’s corpse infested.“ He says a little awkwardly, causing me to let out an inaudible sigh.

So my ‘people have died there’ guess was on point, huh?

“People have died there, huh? Well, I can turn a blind eye to that as long as I don’t find their bodies in the closet or meet their spirits at 3AM.“ I attempt to joke, now second-guessing my eagerness to accept the offer.

Corpse bursts out laughing his ass off at my statement, getting me to furrow my eyebrows in confusion and wonder what I said was so funny - it was a poor attempt at a joke, it in no way deserves that sort of reaction, barely a chuckle in my opinion.

“You’re golden, Y/N, I swear.“ He says once he forces the laughter to subside, “I meant corpse infested as in Corpse Husband infested.“ He breaks out in another fit as my brain slowly starts connecting the dots.

Oooohh he’s asking me to go live with him

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait, hold up for a sec. Are you aware of what you’re offering me? I mean, we’ve never met IRL, you barely know me and....and for all you know I could be the serial killer in this situation!“ I have no idea why I’m pushing my luck, don’t ask. I just don’t want him to make a decision he’ll later regret, I guess. “Like, I could kill you in your sleep!“

“Would you?“ He asks confidently, silently stating he already knows the answer.

I roll my eyes, “Of course not! But...” He cuts me off.

“Great, the offer stands on my end. I’m not a noisy nor nosey roommate so I suggest you start packing. If you choose to live in that hell-hole over living with me, I’m sorry but I’ll be hella offended, just so you know.“

Corpse sounds like he’s about to hang up on me, a decision already made, so I hurry to stop him. “Wait! What about rent?”

“Fuck the rent, pack your bags.“ And just like that, despite my efforts, he hangs up on me.

Well...this is a chance of a lifetime that I know refusing would lead me to not only remain stuck here but also put me in the hugest loser bin. There’s also the fear of being Corpse’s burden which I’ll try my best not to be - I mean, I’m a super independent person and Lord knows that if this offer came any other time or from any other person, I would’ve declined asap, no discussion.

But streaming

But sleeping properly

But having a normal life again

Yeah those are most certainly the reasons I get up and go into the closet in search on my emptied suitcase. Time to fill it up again, I guess. This time with a smile on my face and excitement fueling each and every movement of mine.

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incorrectsanders · 6 years

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His Home (Mall Employee AU)

Yo Yo What up. I started school back up so I’ve been quite inactive. In lieu of writing my first paper of the quarter, I bring you this! The next installment off my Mall Employee AU! Read about Analogical here and Royality here. Read about Thomas adopting Virgil here.

Relationship: Platonic Logicality

Genre: The Fluffiest Fluff to Ever Fluff

Summary: All Logan wanted to do was keep a little freshman from harm. He didn’t expect to end up with a small friend attached to his hip at all times. Or, how Patton and Logan met.

Warnings: Cursing, Moving Away

Bullying was a concept Patton could never quite wrap his head around. His dad had always told him that people only bullied him because they were jealous, or because that was how they dealt with their own problems. Well... Patton never thought that was fair. They shouldn’t solve their problems by pushing them on someone else, they should talk. So, he took it upon himself to try to befriend the bullies he came across.

And yeah... that process never worked for Patton. It’s how he’d ended up with a senior pushing him up against the lockers and a bloody nose.

“You think I’m some kind of fag?”

“N-No! I just- I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out some time! It’s just- I- you seem really lonely- like you need a friend!”

Not the best follow up line, either. That one got him a black eye.

“What the fuck are you doing, Samson?” A new voice spoke up. Patton glanced over and immediately recognized Logan Berry. It was hard not to. Between being president of the science club, captain of the baseball team, and technical director for nearly every school performance, the Junior had his face plastered all over the school. All of the incoming freshmen knew of Logan. Patton, one of those tiny freshman, was not nearly as well known.

“Why do you care, Berry? Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Samson growled, not even looking up from where his eyes were on Patton.

“Yes, it’s here, stopping your idiotic and violent tendencies. Look at him, he’s five foot one, are you really being fair?”

“I don’t give a shit. Now beat it, Nerd, or you’re next.”

Patton hit the floor then, and curled up a little before he realized it was because Logan had pulled Samson off of him and shoved the bully against the lockers next to him. Patton was almost scared of the way Logan held his forearm over Samson's neck and got close to his face, fire in his eyes.

“If I ever catch you even looking at this kid again, I’ll end you.” He said. Patton had to look away when Logan gave the guy a split lip, then sent him running down the hall. Logan turned to Patton after, helped him up, and placed a gentle finger under his chin. Patton was sure he had stars in his eyes. It was the fifth day of school and he still hadn’t managed to make any friends. He was from a different town, he didn’t know anyone and he didn’t seem to fit into any group yet. But now here he was, being protected by a Junior with the kindest eyes he’d ever seen.

“Your nose has stopped bleeding. Let’s get you to the nurses office just in case.” Logan said. Patton only nodded a bit, and maybe it was a little devious but he made sure to stumble a couple of steps so that Logan would sigh, shift his book bag and baseball bag, and scoop him up in his arms. Patton may be naive, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to take any change to have a handsome boy carrying him. “What’s your name?” He asked.

“Patton Alexander...”

“My mother told me never to trust a man with two first names.” Logan said back with a straight face. He looked down at Patton after, giving a playful wink. “I’m Logan Berry.”

Patton gave a sheepish smile, looking down at his hand that was playing with Logan’s collar from where it was hooked around his neck. “Your name is a pun...” He pointed out shyly. Logan laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Yes, I’m aware. My parents have quite the sense of humor.”

They got to the nurses office too soon. Logan set Patton down on one of the observation tables and the nurse only sighed

“Another one? Oh, I just wish you kids would stop beating up on each other.” He tsked, starting to examine Patton.

Logan left once he was sure the nurse had it all, and he told Patton that if anyone ever bothered him again, he should come straight to Logan.

Patton found out later that Logan regularly intervened in situations like this. He didn’t like seeing people hurt.

And if all the extracurriculars didn’t make Logan amazing, that certainly did.

***

When he saved the scrawny little freshman from Samson, Logan hadn’t expected to make a new friend. But, Patton had other ideas.

The sight of the little one padding excitedly up to his table in the cafeteria was a little disconcerting. Logan’s friends were all nice enough- but he wasn’t sitting with his friends today. He was with the baseball team because they’d had things they needed to discuss.

“Hi Logan!” Patton chirped.

Logan nodded at him, giving him a small smile in return. “Hello, Patton. Is something wrong?” He asked. He did tell Patton to come to him if he needed help.

“No!” Patton giggled, just as happy. He plopped down right next to Logan and started eating, much to the amusement of the team.

“Hey Logan, who’s your little friend?” One of them asked.

“Look at him- are you sure you’re in the right school, short stuff? Lincoln Elementary is right down the street.”

Logan glared up at them, but Patton only shook his head, his smile never faltering.

“I’m a freshman! You’re all on the baseball team, right? How do I join? Sports sound fun!”

“I dunno, maybe you should start a t-ball club!”

That sent the team into laughter and Logan shut them up with one glare. He stood up, grabbing his lunch.

“Practice is going to run an extra half hour now because you don’t know how to treat people. If I ever hear of any of you being rude to Patton, you’re off the team. We have a zero tolerance policy, remember?” He hissed, nodding to Patton so he’d grab his things. Patton frowned, but followed him because Logan was his only friend, as far as he was concerned.

“Jocks can be a bit overwhelming. I only joined the team for the scholarship opportunities.” Logan explained. Patton looked around, trying to memorize the halls as they walked down them. Where were they going? “It all depends on the sport as well. Oddly enough, the football jocks are very nice. Just a little... impulsive at times.”

“What about the cheerleaders?” Patton asked curiously.

Logan nearly short circuited. This tiny freshman in a cheer uniform? Running around all peppy and happy? He already felt an overwhelming urge to protect him, he couldn’t imagine how he would feel then.

“Yes, the ones that I’ve met are kind. Do you have a desire to join?”

“Yeah! I do gymnastics.” Patton chirped.

“That’s wonderful. I’ll talk to one of my friends and see how you can go about joining. Do you like science, Patton?”

“It’s my favorite subject!” Patton nearly squealed.

Logan opened the door for them both and headed into it. He was immediately greeted by nearly everyone, and met with confusion as to why he was there that day.

“The Jocks couldn’t act like decent human beings, so I’ve decided to join you today. This is Patton. He’s my friend, and he happens to like science. Let’s show him what we do so he can decide if he would like to-“

“Is this the science club?”

“Well- yes, it is.”

“I wanna join!”

Logan couldn’t help but smile. An eager face in the middle of all of the melancholy of high school was everything he never knew he needed.

*** When Logan befriended Patton, he’d realized that he was a freshman and therefore was going to grow some. He hadn’t expected this much.

They hadn’t seen each other in almost four months. Cheer camp had come first and Baseball camp had overlapped it which meant that the only thing they’d had a chance to do was video chat and text. The last time Logan saw Patton, he was five nine and therefore stood a few of inches shorter than Logan’s six one. Now, the sophomore had three inches on him at six four.

“Logi-Bear!” Patton shrieked, rushing up to him and pulling him into a crushing hug. Yeah, that was a lot cuter when Patton could burrow his face in his chest. And it was a lot less terrifying when Patton could burrow his face in his chest. “I missed you so much! It was such a long summer! How was camp? Wait- Ooh, I’m taller now!” He said excitedly. Logan stepped back, nodding lightly.

“Yes- it seems so. I’m glad to see you, Pat, I’ve missed you very much.” He said. Patton only grinned.

“You’re mad that I’m taller than you.” He pointed out.

“I am n-“

“Logan Berry is mad that I’m taller than him!” Patton shrieked, catching the attention of many of their classmates and many confused small freshman.

“Patton-“

“What’s wrong, short stuff?!” Patton shrieked, then fell right into giggles afterwards. Logan didn’t take it personally. He knew Patton was only having fun. The boy would never hurt anyone.

Still, he was a little upset that the boy he’d protected for the past year was now taller than him. Patton was his best friend, and Logan couldn’t explain his desire to keep him little and protected.

***

Patton’s height didn’t stop Logan from being able to protect him. The boy tended to get his heart broken often because he wore it on his sleeve. He was lovely and kind and Logan hated to see him hurting but he also loved being there for Patton. He was Patton’s shoulder to cry on and he always would be.

“He said that I’m not putting myself into the relationship! I miss all of his gestures or something- but I just don’t know how I can try harder! I don’t know if I want to- I like the holding hands and kissing and stuff but- boyfriend doesn’t sound right!” He cried.

Logan hummed, running his hands through Patton’s hair as he pulled him closer. “Maybe you’re aromantic, Small.” He said thoughtfully. His best friend was hurting, he wanted to take care of him. And the easiest way for Logan to take care of his friends was to talk things through with them. Patton was the one who taught him to hold and comfort people, too. It was still a little awkward, but not with Patton. It felt nice with Patton.

“But I like... physical stuff...” Patton squeaked, blushing lightly and nuzzling into the crook of Logan’s neck to hide himself.

“Well, not all aromantic people are asexual. Or maybe you’re demiromantic.” Logan said gently, coaxing Patton’s chin up so he’d look at him. “He’s a fool for not approaching this more delicately. If he doesn’t want to talk out issues with you then he doesn’t deserve to be with you.”

Patton sniffled lightly, nodding along laying his hard back on Logan’s shoulder. “Thanks Logi-Bear.”

Logan pressed a kiss to his forehead, then shifted them both so they were facing the TV. “Let’s watch Winnie the Pooh and get your mind off of this for a while.” He insisted.

***

Patton sat with Logan’s parents, their hands all linked as they stared down at the boy who stood proudly at the podium. His parents had been so proud, and Patton had as well. Logan was valedictorian, had a full ride to a college only two hours away, and was well on his way to making it. Patton was proud of himself as well, because he’d made it this far without crying.

“And as we say goodbye to our beloved teachers, staff, and friends...” Logan paused, scanned for Patton in the crowd, and gave him a loving smile and a wave. Okay yeah, he was crying now. “I hope we’ll all think back to the opportunities this institution has given us rather than the countless hours of stressing over studies and extracurriculars.” That got a laugh from the entire crowd. Logan paused again, unable to hide his small grin. Patton had told him over and over again that the line would get him a laugh but he knew Logan had still been worried. “Congratulations, Class of 2010. We made it.”

After the commencement, Logan stood with a few of his friends when he saw Patton running up to him. His eyes immediately widened because he knew that look. When Patton was smaller than him, Logan used to pick him up and spin him in circles and bask in Patton’s delighted noises. But that was when he was smaller.

“Patton, no, you’re too-“ He couldn’t even get out the words before he was on the grass with Patton on top of him. There were limbs everywhere and Patton was crying into his chest.

“I’m so proud of you! You’re gonna go off to college and do amazing things- and I’m gonna be alone!” He wailed.

“That isn’t true.” Logan chuckled, sitting up and pulling him close. “You’re the most loved person in this entire school, you definitely won’t be alone.”

“But my best friend is going to be gone!”

Logan’s throat tightened at that and he had to choke back his own tears. He already knew how much he was going to miss Patton.

“I’m only two hours away, and I’m gonna be here all summer. Only two years and you’ll join me.” Logan said gently. “You’re gonna be an amazing President of the science club and you’re gonna be the best head cheerleader.” He smiled, standing up and helping Patton as well. “Don’t cry, Small.” He hummed lovingly.

***

The campus was huge. Haunting, almost. Logan could navigate the entirety of his high school campus with his eyes closed. This campus? So far he knew where his dorm, one of the cafeterias, and the baseball field were. And he only knew where the baseball field was because it was detached from the rest of the campus and he could GPS the route to it. Three full days slinking around the college with his orientation group was doing absolutely nothing to help him learn to navigate the campus on his own. What was he supposed to do when classes started?

At least he had his own room. His scholarship had been a full ride for all four years. That, coupled with the small savings account his parents had built up for him was enough to upgrade to a single room in an on campus apartment. He was grateful for it because it allowed him to hide away there and cry. He’d never admit that, though

A knock on his door startled him. He let go of the teddy bear Patton had given him the day he’d helped him move in and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. God, he barely knew his roommates and they were all sports players in the Senior and Junior class. They wouldn’t let him live it down if he started crying.

“Yes?” He asked as he opened the door. His mouth immediately fell when he saw Patton standing there with a big box in his hands

“Logi-bear! I wanted to surprise you so I brought you some things for your- oof!”

Logan threw his arms around the taller boy and he couldn’t hold it back anymore. He broke out into full sobs and Patton slowly walked in, closed the door, and led him to sit down on the bed before he set down the box.

“LoLo, what’s wrong?” He crooned.

“I hate it here, Patton! I don’t know where anything is, I don’t know anyone, the food in the dining hall sucks but I can’t make anything here because I never learned to cook, the laundry rooms are dirty, my room smells too new, and all of my friends and family are at home! I’m not ready for this!” Logan sobbed out.

Patton pulled him into his arms, starting to rub his back. He knew that Logan rarely broke like this. They were working on him being more open but the majority of times Logan shoved his feelings away and tried his hardest to pretend they weren’t there and everything was fine. Because of that, it would build up until Logan finally broke because of some small thing. It usually ended in him crying for hours.

This time, it had been seeing Patton- one of the biggest parts of his home. “You’re the smartest person I know. It’s only been a week since you got here, of course you’re not going to be able to navigate well, and you’re not used to any of this. I promise you, it’s gonna get better and you’re gonna start having the time of your life.” Patton chattered, reaching for the box. “Look through this, it’s gonna help you feel better.”

The box was the most thoughtful thing Logan had ever received. There was some amazing wall art, a couple of sweaters (Logan had mentioned that he forgot to pack many winter clothes), the softest blanket he’d ever felt, some of his favorite sweets, his favorite tea, a mug that had ‘will work for’ and the chemical composition for caffeine on it, and a scrapbook with pictures of all his family and friends in it. The whole thing only made him cry more, but Patton thankfully understood that it wasn’t because he didn’t like it.

That night, Patton showed him how to cook Chicken Alfredo Pasta. The next day, the two of them explored the school for three hours together and they found all the buildings Logan’s classes were in. Every weekend after that, either Patton drove up or Logan drove down and they’d help each other study, cook together, or just sit with each other.

There was no denying that Logan had the best friend in the world.

*** “What’s wrong, Logi-Bear?” Patton chirped. Logan groaned, shoving his face into his pillow. He liked that the two of them had their own apartment. They both knew they’d eventually do it, and it was nice.

“Virgil turned eighteen yesterday.” Logan grumbled.

“Ohhhhh.” Patton snickered. “Shouldn’t that make you happy? You like him.” He said.

“I don’t! He’s eight years younger than me!” Logan shrieked. “It’s just- he very clearly has a crush on me and now that he’s eighteen I know he’s only going to try harder to engage in romantic involvement with me.”

“Right. That’s upsetting. But you also like him.” Patton grinned.

Logan only groaned loudly into his pillow, then quickly sat up. “He’s eight years younger than me! I should have no interest in him but I do! He’s so intelligent and perceptive and he’s exactly what I want in a partner. But he’s practically a child!”

Patton laughed lightly, sitting down next to him and patting his shoulder. “It’s legal now, Logan. Age doesn’t really matter, and he’s really grown up.” He said.

Logan gave him a helpless look. Patton only sighed.

“Look, I get it. Ro has been trying even harder to get my attention since he turned eighteen. It’s getting hard to act clueless at this point.” He said.

“Why don’t you tell him you’re aro?”

“I just- I dunno. None of the group knows and- I know they’ll accept me, okay? Don’t give me that look. It’s just... I don’t wanna come out yet.” He shrugged. “Stop- we’re talking about you. What are you going to do about Virgil?”

Logan sighed, reaching up and rubbing his temples. “I dunno.” He groaned.

Patton only smiled lightly, pulled Logan into his arms, and shifted until they were comfortable on the couch. “Big Hero 6?” He offered, reaching for the remote.

The two of them had depended on each other for nearly ten years now. Both of their protective personalities meant they would do anything for each other. And neither of them minded that at all.

#mall employee au #not incorrect quotes #logicality #platonic logicality #high school au #?#sanders sides #sanders sides au #thomas sanders

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roguemikmac · 6 years

Text

Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow

Summary: What if things had happened a little differently in Beat the Devil? We all know Dean couldn't really leave without his Sam.

Genre: Gen, Angst, Family

Word Count: 1,856

Warnings: Blood, gore, angst

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12978484/1/

A/N: I never thought I’d post another story, but here we are. As some of you may know, Jensen has voiced his…displeasure at the fact that Dean left Sam down in that mine shaft in Beat the Devil, but that it was too late to change it by the time he realized it. So this is a short fix-it fic, sort of. I don’t know if someone has already done this, but I couldn’t find a fic in my brief search and I needed a scene rewrite.

So please let me know how I did. I may not write all that often but I will strive to improve for when I do. No beta, so all mistakes are mine.

00000

As soon as Dean sees his brother brought to his knees, time seems to slow down.

“Sammy!”

He watches as one vampire sinks its fangs into Sam’s neck, and Sam cries out his name like a reflex.

Pinned as he is by his own attacker, Dean can’t help but answer, “SAM!”

To his horror, the vamp rips an entire chunk out of Sam’s flesh, and a nauseating gush of blood spurts from his neck. The sight makes something flip inside Dean, and he surges forward. He just barely catches the gasped “Dean” from his brother, voice weakened but still reaching out to him. Dean feels like he’s in a haze—everything around him is blurred, along with all thoughts but one: get to Sam. He knocks the vamp in front of him down and turns to do just that when, in a moment of clarity, he notices movement behind him. On pure instinct, he catches the vampire that jumps him and flips it over his shoulder, stomps his foot down on its chest to hold it, and slices through its neck with deadly efficiency.

Wasting no time, Dean leaps over the slayed monster and is in front of Sam in a few long strides, ripping him from the other vampires’ grip with adrenaline-boosted strength before they can drag him off into the tunnel. He grasps Sam in one arm, guards him with his body, and holds his machete out with the other, hoping to keep the vamps at bay.

The monsters snarl and make to lunge at the brothers when Cas appears from behind Dean to stab the closest vamp in the heart with his blade. Dean swipes the machete at the other, and its own momentum helps the blade sink into its neck. It collapses to the ground with a gurgle and goes still.

Dean pants and time speeds back up. He drops the weapon and clasps his hand to the side of Sam’s neck, crouching down as he secures him in his arms. “Sam! Sammy, hang on.” Deep down, he knows what he saw, how much blood Sam must’ve lost in even just the few seconds since his throat was torn out. His fingers slip in all the blood, which by now is just barely seeping out of the devastating wound. But it’s ingrained in him to try to fix it, so he clamps down on the wound anyways.

Sam lets out a tiny gasp and Dean feels like his own heart stops beating. The light is already fading from Sam’s eyes, though they flicker with life one more time as they meet Dean’s—they’re full of fear, sorrow, and other deeper emotions that don’t need to be said aloud but Dean sees clear as day—before glazing over.

Dean sucks in a shaky breath that almost sounds like a sob. “No...Sammy, please. C’mon.” He moves his bloody hand, trembling, to brush it against the side of Sam’s face. A few strands of hair fall limply. His whole body feels numb, and anguish begins to wash through him like waves, ebbing and flowing. He’s so frozen in shock that he nearly jumps when a hand settles on his shoulder.

Cas’s rough voice sounds from just behind him, “Dean, is he…?” Dean vaguely hears the others—Gabriel, Maggie, and the other guy whose name escapes him—also approaching from the other side of the cavern. Anger sparks briefly in him because none of them seem to be doing anything.

Dean looks up at Cas, eyes boring into him, then into Gabriel who’s come up into his line of sight as well, and back to Cas. “Cas, what are you waiting for? Heal him, right now!” The words punch out of him, gruffer than he intended but he's past the point of caring.

Cas turns his head away, as sorrowful as Dean has ever seen him. “Dean, I’m sorry, I...I can’t. He’s too far gone for me to…” He trails off, and the angel settles his eyes on Sam. The grief and shame at his own powerlessness are written all over Cas’s face.

It’s as if Dean’s very soul is cracking, and the knowledge that this can't be fixed—not here, not now—has him frantic. He turns desperately to Gabriel, not even needing to voice his plea.

The archangel appears just as regretful as he shakes his head once, silently communicating his helplessness.

No. Sam, he couldn’t be… Swallowing that thought and tamping down the swell of despair, Dean gently slides his arm out from under Sam, pausing to close eyelids over sightless eyes. It causes him almost physical pain to lay him down and stand up.

Dean faces the others and with more calm than he should have—though his voice trembles faintly—he addresses his friend, “Cas, you and Gabe should get them out of here. We should be close to the exit, you can hold off any other vamps well enough to get them through. Once you get out, make tracks for Dayton.”

Cas begins to protest, “No, Dean, what are you—”, but Dean interrupts.

“Cas, please.” He cuts a glance at the body near his feet. “I’ll...we’ll be right behind you, I just gotta…” His eyes are watery as he stares at Cas, begging him to understand that he can’t leave just yet, can’t leave his brother here alone.

Cas doesn’t want to let Dean stay without backup, but he knows they’ve run out of time and he can’t convince Dean to come with and leave Sam behind. So he leans in so only Dean can hear, “You will catch up with us, right, Dean?” He can’t bear the thought of losing both Winchester brothers to this hellhole of a world, and he can’t do that to Mary and Jack either. He’s certain they will be devastated enough as it is.

Dean ghosts a half smile at him, though his eyes don’t reflect any mirth. “Yeah. Promise.” He doesn’t have the heart or energy to say more.

Cas nods and turns away, gesturing for Gabe, Maggie, and Floyd to follow him. They disappear without another word into the far tunnel.

After the sound of their footsteps recedes, it’s quiet, save for the scattered dripping from the opening in the ceiling into the dirty pool of water. There are probably more vampires lurking around, but Dean barely spares that a thought. He kneels and bends over Sam’s unmoving form. He cups his brother’s jaw and lets his eyes roam over the still, lifeless face. The face of the one who mere days ago declared they were in it together until the end.

If something happens, we will deal with it. Together. And if we die? We’ll do that together, too.

And Dean had believed him, because if he didn’t have faith in Sam, after everything they’d been through, he couldn’t rely on anyone. If the past five, ten, thirty years had taught him anything, it was that neither brother dealt well living without the other, so he didn’t begrudge Sam the sentiment. Not anymore. No, Dean didn’t mind at all the thought of going out with a bang, side by side.

I don’t really care what happens to me.

But he should’ve known better. Their mutual trust had been fought for and earned many times over, and they couldn’t afford to doubt each other. But they shouldn't have fooled themselves into believing that some evil thing out there wouldn’t take any chance to rip them apart. Quick, cruelly, and with no warning. Like Random Cave Vampire #4 getting the jump on Sam and taking a bite out of his jugular. In the blink of an eye, before Dean could do anything about it, his little brother gone just like that. Dying. Dead.

We’ll do that together, too.

So why did Sam go alone? Dean feels himself choke and tears start to drip from his eyes. He leans over further until his forehead just brushes Sam’s. His hand slides back to grip the back of Sam’s neck, fingers tangling in his hair, nails scraping through congealed blood settled into creases of cooling skin. Reminders that now Dean is the one who’s alone.

Dean only allows himself another minute of inaction. He sniffs once and cranes back to look at Sam’s face again, where a few droplets of salt water tears have fallen and dripped down, carving little paths through dirt and blood. It’s funny. Even though Dean’s world has essentially ended, he doesn’t have time to really let it sink in. He has to get out before more vamps show up. He has to catch up to Cas, find his mom and Jack, and go home while the portal is still open.

Jack… If Jack had the power to resurrect Cas from the Empty, is it possible that he could…? Dean prays that the nephilim can do it. The kid is family and Dean trusts him to do everything in his power to bring Sam back. That thought alone is what keeps him from pulling out his gun and ending it for himself right there, or rushing headlong into a swarm of vampires with no weapon. He will carry Sam the whole way to Dayton if he has to.

Dean pulls in a breath. His voice sounds like gravel as he—forever the big brother—reassures his little brother, “It’ll all be okay, Sam. Me and Jack? We’re gonna fix this.” He says it like he isn’t trying convince himself as well. He begins to gather Sam’s body to him, preparing to lift when he hears snarling echo off the walls. Dean’s head snaps up, renewed fear and adrenaline washing through him. Now that he has a mission, the sound of the approaching monsters makes his gut twist at the bad timing.

Dean reaches for his dropped machete, and he stands up, places himself between the incoming threat and Sam’s body, and readies his stance. His jaw ticks and his lip curls in determination. Nothing will take him down before he has a chance to save his brother.

Several vampires emerge from the mouth of the passageway. They spot the lone hunter and grin devilishly. Dean’s form is that of a deadly predator, ready for an attack.

The vamps rush forward, intending to surround him, when they suddenly stop as if they hit an invisible barrier. They stumble and strain forward uselessly, angry and growling.

Dean’s brow furrows in confusion, but then someone speaks from behind him, a voice that makes his body go cold.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Dean closes his eyes for a moment in resignation, then reopens them and slowly turns around to come face to face with the gleeful smirk of the newcomer. He’s not really surprised that the Devil made it here. Who knows whether or not Rowena is alive, but he has more important things to consider. Like the fact that Lucifer is standing there, his hand held up in a finger snap, expression smug as hell and watching him over Sam’s lifeless body.

“You fellas look like you could use a hand.”

#spn fan fic #13x20 #Beat the Devil #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester

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lettersofsky · 7 years

Text

A Programmed Mistake

Alright, so this is a commission piece I’ve been working on the past week for someone who prefers to remain unlisted and I’ve finally finished the thing and given it to the person. They gave me a vague premise and aside from a few requested add-ons and a different ending left me to my own devices.

Fandom: FNAF Characters: Original Character (Hazel {she’s mine}), Circus Baby, Ballora Trigger warnings: Implied character death, Implied fetus death, Horror elements. Tip Jar

Hazel walked into the entryway of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, clutching the small bit of newspaper in her hand. If this didn’t work out then she didn’t know what she was going to do; their rent was already late and her partner was already working overtime just to get that settled, add on the fact that her last employer had decided to kick her out instead of just paying for her maternity leave and they were in a bit of a bind.

But the add in her hands seemed to be the answer to what she was looking for; casual work close to home where they’d simply call her in if they needed her. It was the perfect solution to what they needed, she’d be getting some income to help with the rent and even got to get some exercise in as she walked to the little family pizzeria that was located only a few blocks from their apartment block.

She’d like it more if it didn’t have anything to do with the downright terrifying animatronics they had here but she wasn’t going to be picky about where she got her payslip.

She was nervous as she approached one of the workers standing behind the front counter, unable to shake the feeling of dredge that was blooming in her chest and telling her to get out of there as quickly as she could. She took a steadying breath and straightened her spine as much as she could, she wasn’t going to let some unwarranted emotions stop her from doing this.

“Hello,” she greeted in a cheery, professional tone. “I’m here because of the casual maintenance position add in the paper.”

The worker, a tall teenager with oily, straight hair, snapped to attention, he seemed to have been zoning out before she spoke to him and stared at her a moment, disbelief painting his face.

Hazel tried not to be offended by his expression, she was used to getting that look from people; they seemed to think that simply because she was a short, slim woman that she couldn’t do what they could.

… Or perhaps it was due to her more-than-obvious baby bump?

Actually the disbelief was most likely due to the bump.

“Oh, sorry!” He exclaimed, realizing that he was staring at her. “Yeah, um… you’re gonna wanna talk to the boss out back. I’ll… um, I’ll take you right to him.” His words were quiet and he avoided her eye while speaking to her, almost mumbling the words into his hand as he moved around the counter towards a plain yellow-door simply labelled ‘Staff’.

She followed him through the back walkway of the establishment until they came to a door tucked into a corner labelled ‘Management’. He knocked on the door in a hurried manner, opening the door enough to duck in and address the person inside. “Boss? There’s uh, someone here for the maintenance job.”

Hazel didn’t hear the reply but the teen nodded and stepped back from the door, ushering her inside before turning to return to his work. She watched him go for a moment before turning her attention to the door before her, opening the plain wood and stepping inside.

She was going to get this job no matter what.

Turns out, it isn’t so hard to convince a desperate man to hire a very qualified pregnant woman. If only it was that easy all the time.

The job was simply, they’d call her in to work on the animatronics when they couldn’t get any of the others to come in for some reason, the maintenance would be done at night after business hours unless an emergency occurred and they needed a quick fix up during the day. That was fine with her, she’d always been a bit of a night owl and night rates were a bit better than day rates anyway.

They wanted her to work that very night, in the Storage Facility where they kept their rental animatronics. Apparently the maintenance guy working there hadn’t come into work the past few days and they needed someone to go fix up ‘Circus Baby’ and ‘Ballora’ for a booking the next day. She had been too happy to scoop that up when it was offered, eager to get started and get her first paycheque.

She was given a key card and a set of instructions before she left the Pizzeria, telling her exactly where to go and what to do to in order to get into the underground Storage Facility. The two animatronics would be ready and waiting for her in the Parts and Service room, she would only have to go in, do her job and leave.

She left the Pizzeria beaming, eager to return home to get a nap in before the start of her first night shift.

The Storage Facility was rather eerie now that she was here, the elevator ride down had been downright nerve-wracking; it had seemed like it could break and plunge her to her death at a moment’s notice. But it had gotten her to where she needed to be and by inputting the code she had been given she was granted access to the Parts and Service area, where the two animatronics were waiting for her.

She had thought that the animals were terrifying but they held nothing to the two animatronics in front of her. They looked like something that was almost human, if you used human in the loosest sense of the word.

The smaller one must have been at least seven feet tall and the face it’s features were stuck in a permanent macabre smile, teeth bared in a sinister grin. It’s arm and legs were thicker than Hazel’s own, and its hands looked like they could snap her easier than she would a twig. Everything about it was plastic, including its unnaturally bright, orange pigtails.

The other animatronic vaguely resembled a ballerina, with its attire and the way it’s feet were designed; leaving it to balance on the very tips of its toes and leaving it a bit taller than the other animatronic in the room, leaving them both much taller than Hazel herself was. It’s shell also appeared to be made of plastic, the material left the animatronic looking cold and hollow in its state of inactivity.

Or at least Hazel hoped they were both deactivated, she didn’t know if she could work on them while they were active and staring at her with their empty, glass eyes.

She took a few shaky breaths before stepping into the room, sighing in relief when nothing happened. She ignored the animatronics for the moment and instead moved over the work bench positioned on the other side of the room, looking through the pile of blueprints that littered the space and completely unaware of the way a single, gleaming emerald eye tracked her movements.

She found the two blueprints labelled with the names of the animatronics she would be working on; Circus Baby, the smaller one with the pigtails and Ballora, the ballerina-looking one. Each of the animatronics had a list of features in the bottom corner of the blueprints but she ignored them, more focused on discovering how to open up their shell to find what needed to be worked on. It seemed that the plastic pieces were held together by pieces that could open up when the right sequence of buttons was pressed, a glance at her instructions showed her that the correct sequence had indeed been printed for each of the animatronics.

She huffed a sigh of relief, at least she didn’t have to worry about having to mess around with that.

She decided to start with Ballora as it seems the larger animatronic only had a few minor issues with some of the joints of her torso that allowed her upper body to spin completely independent of her legs, it should have been an easy fix.

It should have been.

But Hazel didn’t count of the age of the joint she found when she opened up the animatronic’s chest, nor the countless fraying wires that were visible to her eyes. Geez, it looked like the machine hadn’t been looked at since it was made. A quick look at the rest of the endoskeleton showed her that the majority of the damage was in its chest area and there was none anywhere else, it also showed her that the animatronic had a set of needle-sharp teeth for some reason but she really didn’t want to think about that.

Instead she returned to the work bench, gathered her long curls of brown hair into a bun and began to search for the parts she’d need to get the ballerina in working order for the show tomorrow. There was a bit too much for her to do in one night and she still had to work on the other animatronic, so she would leave a request form for a touch up on the wires within its chest cavity. Hopefully, they’d get around to fixing it before it broke completely.

If they didn’t, then it wasn’t her problem.

‘A new arrival?’ Baby thought, staring at the thing that was currently working on something in Ballora’s chest cavity. It was wearing one of the uniforms worn by those that tore them apart and put them back together night after night, but it didn’t look like any of the workers they had ever seen before.

It looked softer than they were, round in a way that Baby associated with Freddy’s design purposes. Glassy, emerald eyes followed the other’s movements closely, following their movements as they replaced parts within the chest of the other animatronic.

Perhaps this was actually a new friend meant to help them with their directive? They certainly looked trustful enough, it would be easy to lure away children looking like that.

The new arrival turned to the side, showing off the noticeable bump to its frame. ‘Ah,” Baby realized, staring at the new arrival’s form intently. ‘It seems they’ve already collected their first child.’

If that was the case then they needed to get them into the scooping room so the child could be retrieved for testing.

Hazel finished the repairs on the tallest animatronic after a few hours of work, carefully replacing the old hinges with new ones before closing the plastic shell back over the endoskeleton. That was one animatronic down, one more to go before she could leave for the night.

She stretched after she was done, hands pressed to the small of her back as she did so. She hadn’t worked on something like this in a long time, it was just as exhausting as she remembered it being.

She picked up the instructions she had been given and looked through what she needed to do for Circus Baby, they said that there was something wrong with the animatronic’s left arm and she needed to open the limb in order to discover what she needed to do. It was easy to get the limb open now that she’d done it once already.

Unfortunately, she needed something else to fix the arm. There were a few parts she needed that weren’t in the Parts and Service room but according to the instructions she had been given, there should be some of what she needed in the central office just down the corridor. She left the Parts and Service room and quickly made her way to the central office.

She returned to the room after getting the parts she needed, but the animatronics were missing.

She felt her breath leave her in a rush, panic quickly filling her chest and her bronze skin paling as she searched the room for the missing animatronics. She didn’t know where they had gone, how could they have disappeared? They were giant, they shouldn’t have been able to disappear like that.

She… she couldn’t be here anymore. She dropped the parts she had gotten on the floor and rushed to get out of the facility. In her rush, she left her key card behind on the workbench.

She was in a blind panic by the time she reached the elevator, desperately trying to get the door to open to take her back to the surface. But it wouldn’t open without the key card.

She spent a moment slumped against the elevator, chest heaving with panicked breaths as she realized that she would need to return to the Parts and Service room. She didn’t want to go back in there but she needed to if she wanted to get out of the facility.

A sharp pain ripped through her as her unborn child gave a rather violent kick against her insides, digging into foot well into the walls of her womb and into one of her surrounding organs. “Oh, no sweetie!” She gasped quietly, hand moving to cradle her bump. “I know this is bad, but this is definitely not the time!” The sensation died down after a few moments, leaving her gasping against the lingering pain.

She turned and began to cautiously make her way back to the room, senses trained on the facility around her as she moved. She couldn’t hear anything around her nor could she see anything but she knew that something was watching her, she could feel something watching her.

She reached Parts and Service with no incident and found the key card exactly where she had left it, on the workbench buried under the blueprints of the animatronics. She clutched the key card close to her chest, turning to make her way out of the room.

She didn’t expect to come face to face with one of the missing animatronics. She froze completely, staring at the large human-like animatronic that was standing in front of her. It cocked its large head slowly, the movement stilted and unnatural as it considered her.

Hazel could feel a terrified scream trying to tear its way out of her throat but she desperately fought it down, scared that the slightest movement could set the thing off and lead to her death.

The animatronic moved without her needing to though, its face springing open and revealing the metal skeleton that lay beneath. The animatronic seemed to seize up then, moving in a series of stiff, uncomfortable looking twitches in front of her. A sharp, high-pitched mechanical sound came from the animatronic as it moved.

Hazel felt her heart skip in her chest and her breath left her lungs, she struggled to get air into her lungs but was unable to. She collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

Baby stared down at the collapsed form in front of them, face plates sliding back into place as their sporadic movements ceased and they were left standing in the Parts and Service room with the new arrival.

A steady, heavy noise came from behind them, turning showed that Ballora was approaching. Free of the track the larger animatronic was left to travel around the halls in a graceless movement, moving around on their hands and feet in a spider-like fashion.

“Did you find them?” Ballora asked, voice calm and musical.

“It seems to have deactivated,” Baby answered, turning back to where the new arrival was collapsed on the ground. “We should take them to the scooping room.”

“You believe it’s one of us?” Ballora questioned, words almost amused as she approached the collapsed form. “It’s obviously a human.”

“How can it be a human if it has a child trapped within?” Baby asked, peering down at the covered skin. “Humans aren’t hollow like we are.”

“I’m certain that it’s not one of us,” Ballora stated, coming to a stop next to the maybe-human. A slender hand reached out to rest against a dark cheek. “It’s warmer than anything we could ever manage.”

Baby stared at the other animatronic, cocking their head as they questioned the larger. “What should we do with them then? Leave them, take them to the Scooping Room?”

“We should take them to the Examination Room,” Ballora decided after a few moments of silence. “We can figure out if it’s one of us or not in there.”

Baby nodded, pleased by the decision that had been reached. Thick, plastic limbs picked up the new arrival and carried them towards the examination room hidden in the back of the facility.

The room’s damp walls had numerous tables holding medical equipment pushed against it and several examination tables filled the rest of the space of the large room. They placed the new arrival on one of the table, securing their limbs down with the straps attached to it.

Baby stepped back once the new arrival was tightly secured, gaze turning to the obvious bump in the centre of the new arrival’s form. Ballora was moving around the room, footsteps loud in the silence of the room.

A large, unfeeling hand reached out to the bump, the cold plastic resting against warm flesh. Large fingers moved after a moment, drumming against the covered part. It was softer than the plastic that covered them but perhaps it had simply been made with a different material than theirs in order to blend in better.

The large fingers began to press into the distended skin, pressing deeper and deeper into the flesh-like material until the material stopped moving as easily under the pressure of the unfeeling limbs. Empty eyes watched as the dark material lightened under the fingers, the area directly under the digits an almost white. The material stopped giving way suddenly and wouldn’t move any more under the digits, there was something under the material, Baby assumed it was the new arrival’s storage tank.

She lifted her digits from the discoloured material, observing the way it immediately resumed its previous state and shape. Glassy eyes stared at the way the material resumed its natural colour after only a few seconds before the process was repeated once more; testing if the material would resume its previous state in as quick a manner.

Ballora moved closer then, lifting her torso from the floor to observe the tests she had been performing. Long arms planted on the table’s surface kept her steadily in place as she had no way to properly keep herself balanced without the use of her arms off her track. Her eyes opened slightly, just enough to observe Baby’s movements before closing again.

Her attention was quickly lost without a sound to keep her senses occupied; the larger animatronic wasn’t programmed to be interested in what she saw only what she heard. She resumed her continuous track of the room, circling the examination table and the new arrival in an unending movement, waiting patiently for the first sounds of reactivation.

Baby removed her hand from the bump, staring at the new arrival with glass, emerald eyes. All they had to do now was wait for it to reactivate.

Hazel woke up an undetermined time later, her deep, steady breaths shifting to quick, panicked ones as she realized that she was strapped down to a hard metal table with some sort of leather bindings that made it impossible to move any of her limbs.

She tried to take deep breaths, knowing that panicking would not help her in this situation and that so much stress would not be good for the baby. She had almost gotten herself under control when a cold touch on her covered midsection tore a hoarse scream from her throat.

Brown eyes snapped open, frantically moving around the room as she desperately tried to move away from the touch. They quickly took in the damp walls of the room, the numerous sterile medical instruments lining the walls and finally the thing that had tied her down.

It was the Circus Baby animatronic, staring at her with dead, empty eyes and that same macabre smile. Its hand was resting on her midsection, just over her bump. The unnatural limb was heavy and cold through the grey material of her uniform, pinning her in place as the animatronic just stared at her.

The other one was in here too, she could hear in moving just outside of her vision-range, the sounds of its movements were deafening in her ears, almost drowning out the frantic beating of her heart in her ears. They were regular and heavy, far heavier than she had thought the ballerina animatronic would be when it moved.

Then the other came into her vision and she saw the reason behind the heavy footsteps. Ballora was not moving on her two feet like Hazel had originally thought, no it was moving around on its hands and legs in a facsimile of a spider. It turned its head towards her as it moved, arms and legs moving forward simultaneously, its blank, closed eyelids focused on her face.

She turned her attention back to Circus Baby went she felt cold fingers drum against her flesh, staring at the large animatronic currently touching her.

“What is this?” Circus Baby asked, voice cold, mechanical and unfeeling.

Hazel was petrified. Staring at the animatronic with wide, brown eyes, her voice was frozen in her throat, unable to answer the question she had been given. “W-What…?” She eventually managed to squeak out, her voice breaking on the single word.

“This.” Circus Baby repeated, drumming her covered midsection once more. “Have you eaten too much? Is this a new subject? Do you need to have them scooped out?”

“Scooped?” She squeaked, panic squeezing the heart in her chest.

“Yes,” came the neutral voice of the other animatronic, as it moved closed to the table she was strapped to. “The Scooper will remove your storage tank from your endoskeleton so that the subject can be extracted for testing.”

Hazel’s chest was heaving with her breaths, she stared at the two animatronics in stunned silence. The Scooper? Remove her baby from inside of her? They couldn’t be serious about that, could they?

“No… Not my baby,” she whispered softly, desperation colouring her voice. “Not my baby. Not my baby!” Her voice steadily rose in volume and pitch as she became more and more hysteric. “NOT MY BABY! NOT MY BABY!!” Her voice rose to a scream as she continued to repeat her plea to the unfeeling animatronics standing next to the table. “YOU CAN’T TAKE HER FROM ME!!!”

“It seems you were correct after all,” The crawling animatronic stated, turning to stare up at Circus Baby. Its voice was devoid of emotion, mechanical and neutral as it had been programmed to be. “The new subject will have to do extracted as soon as possible.”

“Indeed,” Circus Baby agreed, removing its heavy mechanical hand from Hazel’s midsection. “The Scooping Room is ready for extraction.”

Hazel’s vision was slowly darkening from her panic, she continued to scream, repeating her desperate, unheard pleas to the two animatronics. Circus Baby grasped her upper arms tightly, pinning her to the metal table as the leather straps holding her in place were removed. She kicked out desperately when the other animatronic freed her ankles, trying fruitlessly to escape the situation she was in.

The animatronics didn’t give any kind of indication that they noticed her struggles, Circus Baby merely lifted her from the cold table and began to drag her from the room. Hazel tried to keep her feet under her but couldn’t and ended up losing her footing. The animatronic didn’t react when she couldn’t support her weight, continuing to drag her towards the ‘Scooping Room’.

Her throat had grown hoarse with her screaming and though she continued to do so, her throat bleeding as she tried to force more words out. They weren’t listening to her though and continued to force her down the corridor without hesitation, slowly coming closer and closer to their final destination.

Circus Baby opened the metal door in front of them, forcing it open and dragging her inside. She tried to keep struggling but she couldn’t anymore, exhausted from the events leading up to this and her previous struggles. Even her pleas had ceased, she had been reduced to tears as she hung in the animatronic’s grip.

It strapped her down on a conveyer belt, forcing her arms down by her side and holding her in place before stepping back and leaving her there. Hazel stared weakly against the bindings but couldn’t dislodge them. She sobbed weakly, tears running down the tracks on her face and leaving it flushed and wet.

She couldn’t escape and she didn’t know what was going on. What she did know though; was that the ‘Scooper’, whatever that was, terrified her. She didn’t want to discover what they meant by what they had been saying in the other room before they brought her here.

She just wanted to go home; where her partner was waiting for her, safe and warm in their bed. She didn’t want to be here anymore, she wished that she hadn’t ever answered that add, paycheque be damned!

The conveyer belt started to move under her, rusted gears turning with a sickening, grinding noise as it moved her further into the freezing cold room. It stopped her right in front of a strange mechanical device.

It was just a giant metal arm attached to the floor, coiled up and ready to spring forward at a moment’s notice. At the end of it was a large claw, similar to an ice-cream scoop but sharper and deeper. This must have been ‘The Scooper’ that the animatronics had been talking about.

Her heart froze in her chest at the sight of the metal hand, her struggles increased as she tried desperately to get away from the thing. She didn’t want to know what it did, she didn’t want to see it activated at all. She needed to get out of here and call the authorities, tell someone about what had happened and get home to her partner.

She continued her struggles, jerking her limbs in an almost violent manner to escape the situation. She could feel the blood from the tore skin of her wrists dripping down her hands to her fingers, falling from her skin to pool on the conveyer belt beneath her. Her breaths continued to fall from her mouth in panicked, rapid and uneven movements.

The sound of machinery starting filled the room but she refused to turn her gaze to the meta arm in front of her and remained focused on her efforts to escape. She could feel the bindings keeping her in place loosening but she was all too aware of the ever-increasing sounds of the machine in front of her.

She summoned all her strength for one final attempt and jerked herself as hard as she could to one side.

A harsh, mechanical snapping noise filled the room.

#five nights at freddy's #commissioned piece #original character #Circus Baby #Ballora #horror #Implied character death #Implied fetus death #vague ending #not so vague alternate ending available on Patreon #This was almost more trouble than it was worth #but I'm glad it's done #and now I have something to add to savings for new computer

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minijenn · 7 years

Text

Universe Falls Chapter 26

Well here we are with the angst kick off at last! This chapter fucked me up all kinds of good while writing it, so I hope you all enjoy it! I don’t have too much else to say about it, so... let’s dive right in!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/155361222859/universe-falls-chapter-25

Chapter 26: On the Run

20-8-5-25 3-1-13-5 20-15 8-15-12-12-15-23 15-21-20 20-8-5 5-1-18-20-8 9-14 11-9-14-4-5-18-7-1-18-20-5-14-19 7-5-13-19 19-1-23 20-8-5-9-18 2-9-18-20-8 25-5-20 5-22-5-14 14-15-23 20-8-5-25-18-5 8-1-18-4-12-25 4-15-14-5 20-8-5 4-1-14-7-5-18-19 15-14-12-25 10-21-19-20 2-5-7-21-14

Save for the occasional monster invasion, the temple was generally an overall peaceful place to simply go and relax, which was exactly what the kids were spending their afternoon doing there. While Lion and Waddles napped together on loft above, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel all sat on the couch below, each of them engaged in their own respective activities. Mabel was busy at work knitting another sweater and though Dipper and Steven were both reading, their respective books of choice couldn’t be any more different. While Dipper poured over the journal once again, Steven was engrossed in reading a novel from his favorite book series: The No Home Boys.

“Whoa,” the young Gem gasped under his breath after coming up to a suspenseful cliffhanger in the novel. “How are they gonna get outta this one?” Fortunately, he got his answer as soon as he turned the page and read on. “Oh, that’s how.”

“Aaaaand… its done!” Mabel proclaimed after putting the last finishing touch on her latest sweater. “Here you go, Steven!” she held the sweater up for the young Gem to see. “What do you think?”

“What do I think?” Steven repeated with a huge grin, shutting his book. “I think it’s amazing, Mabel! Is it really for me?”

“Sure is!” Mabel quipped happily, handing off to him. “It even has your star on it and everything. Try it on!”

The young Gem didn’t hesitate to do so, pulling the sweater over his shirt and smiling down at it in elation. “Wow!” he laughed brightly. “It’s a perfect fit!”

“My sweaters always are,” Mabel nodded in satisfaction. “What do you think, bro-bro?”

As supposedly preoccupied with the journal as he was, Dipper hardly heard his sister’s question, nor did he really even notice Mabel or Steven looking to him inquisitively. “Uh… Dipper?” Steven tried again a moment later.

“Hm?” Dipper sparsely replied, not bothering to look up from the journal.

“I ask you what you thought of the sweater I made for Steven,” Mabel huffed impatiently, rolling her eyes at her brother’s obliviousness.

“Oh. It’s cool,” Dipper answered flatly, still seemingly distracted. Though Mabel simply let out another annoyed sigh at this, Steven couldn’t help but notice there was something else in Dipper’s otherwise bored tone. Remorse, apprehension, maybe sadness? Whatever it was, the young Gem’s curious, empathetic nature refused to simply let it lie.

“Dipper, is everything ok?” the young Gem asked, concerned.

“What?” Dipper blinked, finally looking up from the journal. The question caught him off guard somewhat, but he was quick to catch himself the best he could. “O-oh, uh, yeah. Everything’s fine,” he reassured with a weak, rather fake smile. “Why do you ask?”

“Cause you’re sitting there being all pouty,” Mabel teased. “What are you so mopey about anyway? Did that ol’ journal give you a paper cut or something?”

“No, that’s not what-” Dipper quickly cut himself off, glancing away from the pair as he blocked them out of sight with the journal. “No,” he muttered, feigning emotionlessness and conveying anything but. “It’s… It’s nothing.”

Steven and Mabel both frowned, neither of them really convinced. “Are you sure?” the young Gem asked earnestly. “Because it sounds like something’s bothering you.”

“Yeah, bro-bro, spill it!” Mabel urged less tactfully, playfully pushing against her brother. “You can’t hide it from us! We can sniff emotional distress a mile away and you’re reeking of it!”

“Mabel, please,” Dipper scoffed, pushing his sister away. “I don’t have any ‘emotional distress’ or anything like that. I’m fine, okay? So let’s just drop it.”

Once again, Mabel and Steven exchanged a doubtful glance. “Are you buying that shtick?” Mabel asked the young Gem, her hands on her hips.

“Not for a second,” Steven shook his head. “Dipper, why don’t you just tell us what’s wrong? You’ll feel better if you do, I promise!”

“I doubt that…” Dipper muttered diffidently, though the others still clearly heard him.

“Aha! So you admit it!” Mabel accused, jumping to stand on the couch. “Something is getting you down! And you better tell us what it is so we can help you. Or else!”

“Or else what?” Dipper asked, not taking her threat seriously.

“Or else…” Steven tried to come up with something, but thankfully Mabel jumped in with a perfect idea.

“Or else this!” Without any warning, Mabel suddenly launched herself at her brother, subjecting him to a full-on tickle assault. Dipper was powerless to stop her as he involuntarily laughed all while trying his hardest to push her away. Steven was of no help whatsoever as he stood by and chuckled in amusement, cheering Mabel on all the while. Of course, in the end Mabel won out as Dipper finally caved after only about a minute of intensive tickling.

“Ok, ok!” he gasped between exhausted laughs, finally shoving Mabel off of him. “You guys win. I’ll tell you about it. But fair warning: you both are probably gonna think this is sort of dumb.”

“Aw, come on, Dipper, don’t be like that!” Mabel said with something of an apologetic smile.

“Yeah! If it’s important to you, then its important to us!” Steven added warmly.

Dipper sighed, hardly reassured, but even so, he dove right into it, as much as he didn’t really want to. “Ok so… uh, I’ve just been thinking a lot about what happened the other day. You know, when I indirectly broke Wendy and Robbie up?”

“Oh yeah, Steven told me about that,” Mabel nodded. “I heard it was pretty rough. But I thought you’d be happy about it, Dipper. After all, it means that Wendy is single and ready to mingle again!”

“Yeah, well the last person she’d probably ever wanna ‘mingle’ with is me,” Dipper remarked glumly. “She was really upset over what happened, and I kind of can’t help but feel like that’s my fault for telling her what Robbie was up to in the first place.”

“But Dipper, you did the right thing letting Wendy know the truth,” Steven said with a consoling smile. “Garnet even said so herself.”

“Well Garnet also said that Wendy would eventually forgive me but that hasn’t happened yet,” Dipper retorted, crossing his arms and looking down. “It’s been almost a week and we’ve barely spoken to each other since then. And at this rate, she probably never will again.”

“Well there’s your problem!” Mabel exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “You’ve been wasting all this time waiting for Wendy to come to you, when you should be the one to go to Wendy!”

“Mabel’s right,” Steven agreed. “Maybe Wendy hasn’t talked to you about it yet because she doesn’t know you’re still upset about it. But I’m sure she’d forgive you if you just asked her to!”

“Are you guys serious?” Dipper scoffed. “This is a really delicate situation! I can’t just walk up to Wendy and tell her I’m sorry! If anything that would just remind her of what happened and make her feel worse!”

“So… are you just going to keep avoiding her then?” Steven asked with a frown.

“…Maybe…”

“Oh, Dipper,” Mabel shook her head. “You can’t just run away from all your problems! You should do what Grunkle Stan says: man up and punch them in the face!”

“Somehow I feel like that would only make things even worse…” Dipper remarked dryly. Still, neither Steven nor Mabel had a chance to much more encouragement as the warp pad lit up, signaling the Gems’ incoming arrival.

“Ugh, who cares?” Amethyst groaned as their ongoing conversation continued as they warped in. “It’s not like it’s even that big of a deal.”

“I’d say it’s a very big deal!” Pearl protested crossly. “We should have been more careful. Who knows what dangers just letting Lapis return to Homeworld could bring? If she tells them about us… they might try to return to Earth…” The white Gem sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with sudden panic. “We can’t let them come back!”

“Pearl, calm down,” Garnet reassured. “We checked the Homeworld warp and it’s still inactive. We’re still cut off. The Earth is safe.”

“Safe from what?”

All three of the Gems froze upon hearing Steven pose this innocent question, turning towards the kids in the den with genuine shock. “S-Steven! Dipper! Mabel!” Pearl exclaimed with a nervous laugh, stepping off the warp pad. “We… we didn’t know you three were here!”

“Hey, check this out you guys,” Amethyst smirked, holding out a large rock she had brought back with her before crushing it with her bare hands. “Kaboosh!”

“Amethyst, please!” the white Gem chastised, shielding herself from the resounding shrapnel. “Be serious for once!”

“Pfft, never,” the purple Gem crossed her arms and glared in the opposite direction.

“So what were you guys saying about Homeworld just a minute ago?” Dipper asked, his melancholy replaced with his usual curiosity.

“Yeah, what would be so bad about letting them come visit Earth?” Mabel added blithely. “Meeting all those new Gems would be a lot of fun!”

“Trust us, no it wouldn’t,” Garnet replied simply.

“But based on what Lapis said about Homeworld, it doesn’t sound so bad,” Steven mused with a frown. “Then again, she really didn’t say anything about it…”

“Kids… What happened with Homeworld… Well, it’s… it’s complicated,” Pearl began, glancing away guiltily. Still, she was prompted to explain it anyway as the Gem leader put a steady hand on her shoulder.

“Remember, we promised we would start being honest with them,” Garnet reminded gently.

“Right…” Pearl nodded, taking in a deep breath before kneeling down to the kids’ level. “You see, kids, a very long time ago, Gems came to the Earth and tried to do something… very bad. It was something that would have damaged the Earth, irrecoverably so. Some Gems, like Rose Quartz, Garnet, and myself, felt that this was unfair to the life that already existed here, and so we swore to never let the Earth be used for their… purposes. Even if it meant-” The white Gem was suddenly interrupted as Amethyst shattered another rock, her expression bitter and angry as she did so. Pearl let out an aggravated sigh, but continued nonetheless. “Even if it meant we could never go home.”

“Long story short, we chose Earth,” Garnet concluded firmly.

“Wait, so what was Homeworld trying to do anyway?” Dipper asked, immensely interested by this newfound information. After all, not even the journal detailed any of what Pearl had just explained, save for the Crystal Gems’ dedication to protecting the Earth.

Garnet and Pearl exchanged a worried glance at this, neither of them really sure how to go about describing the truth. “We’ll… save that for another time,” the Gem leader said, her stoicism breaking a bit.

“Aw, come on!” Mabel let out a groan along with her brother. “You guys don’t have to end Gem story time here! We’re always down for hearing more cool dark secrets about you guys!”

“Well… some of our ‘secrets’ are a little darker than others…” Pearl frowned apprehensively.

“Whoa, wait a sec!” Steven interjected, stars suddenly in his eyes. “If you guys can’t go back to your home… then that means… we’re just like the No-Home Boys!”

Everyone turned to look at the young Gem upon hearing this, all of them aptly confused. “The what?” Pearl asked with a frown.

“The No-Home Boys!” Steven exclaimed, holding up the book he had been reading earlier. “It’s a book series about these boys who have no home. So they travel around the country, living in boxcars, riding river rafts and solving mysteries! They had a successful run, until the disastrous graphic novel adaptation. But my favorite story is this one: On the Run. In it, the No-Home Boys are chased across the countryside by a mysterious pursuer, which turns out to be the very fear resting within themselves.”

“Whoa! That’s like, you guys’ life story!” Mabel exclaimed to the Gems with a wide smile.

“Oh please,” Pearl scoffed, rolling her eyes. “We are not like the No-Home Boys. Steven, we are literally standing in your home right now.”

“Yeah… that’s a bit of a stretch,” Garnet agreed caustically as her and the white Gem headed for the temple gate. “On the Run does make for a pretty gripping title though.”

“I know,” Steven shrugged with a grin. “That’s why it’s the first book in the series. To draw people in with its drama and excitement.”

“I bet,” Garnet chuckled softly, disregarding Pearl’s aggravated sigh as they both went inside.

“Bye, you guys!” Mabel cheerfully called out after the two elder Gems as the door slid shut behind them, even though Amethyst remained outside.

“Ok, then…” Dipper frowned, somewhat perturbed at how sparse Garnet and Pearl had been. Hopefully though, the purple Gem would be a bit more loose with the truth than her teammates often were. “So Amethyst… what did Homeworld Gems want to do with the Earth anyway?”

“Who cares?” Amethyst answered bitterly, crossing her arms and looking away.

“We do!” Steven said with a curious grin. “Will you please tell us about it, Amethyst? Please? Please? Please?”

“Ugh…” the purple Gem let out a loud groan. “Why do you guys wanna know about all that dumb old stuff anyway? It all happened way long ago so none of it matters anymore. Which means we don’t need to talk about it, ok?”

“Oooo, looks like you’re not the only one who’s emotionally distressed around here, Dipper!” Mabel goaded her brother, flashing a sly smirk to Amethyst as well.

“Pfft, whatever,” Amethyst scoffed, not confirming it but not denying it either.

“Well if you are feeling down, Amethyst, then you can always hang out here with the three of us!” Steven reassured. “Right guys?”

“Actually, you’re gonna have to make that the two of you,” Mabel said, pointing to Steven and Dipper. “I’m have to go down to the mall to meet Candy and Grenda for a SHOPPING SPREE!” she practically squealed as she ran for the door. “Maybe while I’m out I’ll pick up something to cheer you two sad sacks up,” she grinned at Dipper and Amethyst, who both rolled their eyes in response. “But in the meantime, don’t go talking about any cool, super secretive Gem stuff without me, ok? Bye!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice…” Amethyst muttered sullenly so that no one else could hear her.

“Bye!” the boys both called out after Mabel as she left, leaving the trio alone. It was clear that both Dipper and Amethyst were still a little down for their own respective reasons, and gradually this melancholy passed onto Steven as well as he flopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

“You know,” the young Gem began, flipping through his book once more. “I wish I was a No-Home Boy. No past, no future. Just the open road!”

“Yeah…” Dipper agreed with a sigh of his own. “That whole no past, no future thing actually sounds pretty nice right about now… Too bad it’s impossible.”

“Impossible? Says who?” Amethyst suddenly perked up.

“Well, Dipper said that a second ago,” Steven pointed out rather obliviously.

The purple Gem rolled her eyes as she took a seat in between the boys. “Listen,” she began, her lasting scowl finally turning into a smirk. “You guys wanna see the open road? Then let’s do it.”

“What?!” both Steven and Dipper exclaimed in startled unison.

“Yeah,” Amethyst grinned daringly. “Let’s run.”

“Really?!” the young Gem asked with an excited smile.

“Sure, why not? Sounds like fun.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dipper quickly interjected, clearly not as on board with this sudden idea. “Amethyst, we can’t just… just run away!”

“Uh, yeah we can,” Amethyst argued dryly. “All we gotta do is get out the door and go.”

“Where are we gonna run away to?” Steven asked, eager and ready for this escapade.

“Doesn’t matter where, dude,” the purple Gem shrugged. “We can go wherever we want, do whatever we want, and best of all, no one will be around to tell us that we can’t. Unless you plan on being lame and doing that, Dipper.”

“I only said we can’t because running away is actually crazy!” Dipper protested defensively. “Amethyst, I know you don’t have to eat or anything, but me and Steven do, and it’s not like food is something that’s really easy to come by when you’re on the run with no money or no way of getting money.”

“Oh! I know how to handle that!” Steven quipped. “We’ll just do what the No-Home Boys do! We’ll pack bindles of food and supplies to start us out for a few weeks and when we run out, we’ll use our quick wit and determination to savage more and survive on our own! Like real men!”

“Yeah!” Amethyst cheered in brazen encouragement. Yet even so, Dipper wasn’t sold on the relatively risky plan.

“Steven, somehow I doubt being literally homeless isn’t as fun as those books of yours make it sound,” he remarked caustically. “And besides, somebody will notice we’re gone eventually. What about Mabel, Grunkle Stan, Pearl, Garnet—?”

“Ok I’m gonna stop you right there,” the purple Gem interrupted. “One: I don’t care about what Pearl or Garnet might say about this. And two: Stan won’t care because he’s done stuff way crazier than this before. And I should know; I was there for a lot of it.”

“Please come with us, Dipper!” Steven pleaded sincerely. “If you don’t, then we can’t be like the No-Home Boys because Amethyst’s a Gem and I’ll be the only boy!”

“Seriously, dude, loosen up for a change,” Amethyst added. “Take a chance, have some fun. You really wanna sit around all day with your nose in that dumb old journal when you could be living life wild and free?”

“Hey, that wasn’t all I was going to do today,” Dipper retorted firmly. “I was… I was gonna… I’m going to head back down to the Mystery Shack after you guys set out “on the road’, or whatever.”

“Oh, good!” Steven exclaimed, allayed. “Maybe while you’re down there, you and Wendy can finally talk about what happened the other day! That’ll make you feel better for sure!”

Dipper froze up upon hearing this suggestion, his immediate thought being that this was a terrible idea. The thought of going up to Wendy and engaging in what would certainly be a very awkward conversation in light of the circumstances was downright nerve-wracking to him. In fact it was as he came to this conclusion that he realized that the alternative that Steven and Amethyst were proposing to him was more than just an impromptu, harrowing, risky adventure. It could very well be an all-out escape, one that he’d be remiss over if he didn’t take it. “…On second thought… I think I might actually join you guys after all…”

“Whoa, really?” Amethyst asked, intrigued. “That’s pretty hardcore of you, dude. Nice.”

“Hooray!” Steven cheered excitedly. “Oh man, this is gonna be so much fun! We’ll pack up our bindles, hitch a ride on a train, build a fire to keep us warm at night and tell stories around it, and see the world! What could be better?!”

“Y-yeah…” Dipper agreed with something of an uneasy laugh. After all, what they were about to do could no doubt be quite dangerous considering the unpredictability of the open road. But even so, he had already agreed to it; there was no backing out now. “What… what could be better?”

“Nothing could,” the purple Gem answered solidly, wrapping an arm around both boys’ shoulders. “You guys know why? Because this crew’s going ON THE RUN!”

The trio didn’t waste any time in starting their preparations for their ‘journey’. Amethyst urged that she wanted to be gone before Garnet or Pearl returned, and neither Steven nor Dipper could really blame her for it. After all, if the elder Gems knew what they were up to, certainly they would try to hold them all back and scold them for even entertaining such a thought. But all the same, they had made up their minds. They were leaving to parts unknown, and they weren’t coming back until they wanted to. As Amethyst had put it, they were the “masters of their own destinies” now.

It was a pretty enticing thought. The execution, however, seemed as though it might be a bit less glamorous.

Seeing as how they were limited in both time and space, the group took to shoving whatever they could find lying in the fridge into the spare pillowcases Steven had found in his closet. From there, they tied them to sticks, creating bindles that weren’t too heavy and sufficed to carry the basics. And, after throwing out all their fears and reservations, the trio set off, ready to go wherever the wind took them.

Amethyst had made sure to advise Steven not to leave a note for Garnet and Pearl stating what they were doing and fortunately the young Gem obliged. Along those same lines, Dipper insisted they push right past the shack as they headed into town, mostly so Stan, Soos, or especially Wendy would catch on. But as much as they all wanted to remain inconspicuous about their plan, there was one person that both Steven and Dipper couldn’t help but feel guilty about leaving out of the loop.

“You know, I kinda wish we had gotten the chance to say goodbye to Mabel before we left…” Dipper said with a frown as they made it into town.

“But we did say goodbye to her when she left earlier remember?” Steven pointed out.

“No, Steven, I meant like an actual goodbye.”

“Oh yeah…” the young Gem said somewhat morosely. “I guess we should have, since we might be gone for a really long time… Oh, I know! We could always send her a postcard! They do sell postcards on the open road, right Amethyst?”

“Heck if I know,” the purple Gem shrugged. “What I do know is that once we get out of this drag of a town, everything’s gonna finally be great.”

“Amethyst, I don’t know if this is… ok to ask, but… what made you suddenly wanna run away anyway?” Dipper asked somewhat tentatively.

“Nothin’ did,” Amethyst said, letting out what seemed like a forced laugh. “I just… wanted to, you know? Thought it would be fun if I took you two dorks with me. So far it ain’t that bad.”

“Aw, come on, Amethyst,” Steven prodded with an understanding smile. “There’s gotta me more to it than that. I mean, I know you and Pearl fight a lot so maybe that could have had something to do with it?”

“What? No way,” the purple Gem scoffed defensively. “This has nothing to do with Pearl. Sometimes I just… wanna get away, alright? Not everything has to have a reason. That’s the first lesson you guys are gonna learn once we finally get out there on our own.”

The boys exchanged a glance upon hearing this, Amethyst’s rather cold tone not lost on either of them. They couldn’t really pinpoint why the purple Gem had been acting so touchy and moody all afternoon, even before they left, but it was clear to see nonetheless. But given how closed off and rigid Amethyst often was about her emotions, chances were they weren’t going to get an explanation for it any time soon.

And so the trio continued on down the sidewalk in silence for a while, at least until then sudden blare of a car horn startled them all. “Hey, what’s up, you guys?!” Jenny called as she pulled her car up alongside the group. Crowded in both the front and back were several of the other teens, including Buck, Sour Cream, Nate, Lee, Tambry, and Thompson. Fortunately, Dipper noticed that neither Wendy nor Robbie were among them, but even so, he avoided eye contact with the teens nonetheless, thinking that certainly they knew about the couple’s rough breakup.

“Hi, guys!” Steven exclaimed with a friendly smile. Likewise, even if she wasn’t as familiar with the teens, Amethyst offered them a casual grin and nod of greeting.

“What’s with the sacks?” Lee asked, noting their bindles. “You guys practicing being hobos or something?”

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Amethyst remarked with a smirk.

“We’re on the run!” Steven exclaimed brightly.

“O-on the run?” Thompson asked with concern. “From who?”

“Oh from no one,” the young Gem reassured. “We’re just doing it for fun. Right guys?”

“Yeah,” the purple Gem shrugged.

“Right…” Dipper agreed halfheartedly, still looking away from the teens. “Fun…”

“You guys are really living wild and free with plans like that,” Buck said with a nod of approval. “I like it.”

“So do you three ‘hobos’ need a ride to wherever it is you’re going?” Jenny asked with an amused smirk. “We still got a little room back there, right guys?”

“Meh,” Tambry responded flatly, engrossed in her phone as she sat squeezed tightly between Thompson and Nate.

“We can make room,” Sour Cream assured a moment later.

“We’d love a ride!” Steven grinned, delighted as he ran over to the car and jumped up front in between Buck and Sour Cream. “Thanks so much, Jenny!”

“Don’t mention it,” Jenny laughed before looking to Amethyst and Dipper. “You guys coming too?”

“You bet,” the purple Gem agreed, hopping into the back. “Anything’s better than having to just walking like a bunch of squares. Right, Dipper?” she asked pointedly, noticing his apparent hesitance to join them.

Dipper shot Amethyst an unamused glare at this, but even so he relented and got in the car, knowing that he couldn’t very well refuse, given the circumstances. “Y-yeah… Um, thanks, you guys.”

“So where were you guys going before you passed by us?” Steven inquired curiously as the car pulled into motion once more.

“We were just heading to the Mystery Shack to pick Wendy up from work,” Nate said. “She said she wanted to hang out, blow off some steam, you know?”

“Can’t blame her, dude,” Lee remarked with a frown. “She’s been feeling pretty low ever since her and Robbie broke up last week.”

Dipper sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing this, his former guilt and remorse returning in full force. He had suspected, based on their limited reactions over the past week, that Wendy had been lastingly upset after what happened, but now that suspicion was all but confirmed. Still, it was all the more of a justification for his choice to join Steven and Amethyst in running away. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was make Wendy feel even worse just by going up to her and talking to her about it all.

“Yeah… Me and Dipper were actually there when they broke up,” Steven said sympathetically, not noticing the look of absolute panic Dipper sent him at this. “Wendy seemed really, really upset…”

“But,” Dipper quickly interjected before any of the teens could say anything. “J-just so you guys know, neither of us had anything to do with it! So, uh… yeah!”

“Wait, really?” Amethyst spoke up, confused. “Because just the other day, Garnet was telling me about how you told Wendy that-” The purple Gem was abruptly cut off by Dipper shushing her, but fortunately, none of the teens seemed to question it.

“Yeah, we don’t really know a whole lot about what happened between those two…” Sour Cream mused. “All we know is that it was some pretty heavy drama.”

“Wendy won’t really tell us anything about it and none of us have heard from Robbie since then,” Jenny shrugged. “Guess that’s just par for the course when it comes to dating friends.”

“It’s like asking for trouble,” Buck said stoutly.

“It still sucks that we can’t all hang out like we used to because of this,” Thompson pouted sourly.

“Eh, they’ll get over it,” Tambry muttered, still not looking up from her phone.

“Aw, I’m so sorry, you guys,” Steven said with sincerity. “I know how hard it can be when your friends fight… But I think Tambry’s right! Wendy and Robbie will feel better eventually and then you can all hang out and have fun together, just like before!”

“We hope you’re right, Steven,” Buck said, his tone as stoic as ever, even if there was the slightest hint of wistfulness in it.

“Well, here we are,” Jenny said, bringing the car to a stop. “The outskirts of town. You guys getting out here?”

“Yep!” Amethyst quipped, boldly leaping out of the car and grinning at the nearby sign reading “Now leaving Gravity Falls.”

“Thanks again for the ride, you guys,” Steven smiled as him and Dipper got out of the car with their bindles. “I hope everything turns out alright!”

“Thanks, dude,” Lee grinned. “Hope you whole ‘hobo’ thing works out good too!”

“Oh it will,” Amethyst muttered somewhat mysteriously. “It has to this time.”

As the teens began to call out their goodbyes, Steven blithely waved after them, but Dipper didn’t initially join it, especially as the finality of what they were doing finally hit him. They were leaving, heading off into the great unknown, without the faintest idea of when they might return, if they were even going to return at all. And as much as that thought alone frightened him, the thought of not ever getting at least a chance of reconciling with Wendy, even if it was indirectly, frightened him even more. “Wait!” he suddenly called out after the teens before they could pull away. It was a move driven by impulse and panic and little else, but even so, he resolved himself to go through with it, no matter how it might look. “Uh… when you guys see Wendy again… could you maybe tell her that… I’m sorry?”

“Sorry for what?” Tambry asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

“For um… well, she’ll know what it’s about,” Dipper said, admittedly too ashamed to admit his part in the couple’s breakup to the teens.

The teens all briefly looked to each other, confused, but even so Sour Cream offered him a thumbs up. “Yeah, alright.”

“Bye!” Steven called after the teens drove away, leaving the trio alone once more as they stood by the otherwise empty road.

“So… what now?” Dipper asked, looking to the vast expanse of trees ahead of them.

“Now,” Amethyst began with a smirk. “We just keep on running.”

“Until when?” Steven asked.

“Till whenever!” the purple Gem exclaimed. “C’mon!” Without much warning, Amethyst scooped both Steven and Dipper up and perched them on her shoulders with no trouble at all. It startled both boys somewhat, but even so, they let her carry them into the forest that continued to head out of town. After a while, the purple Gem eventually grew tired of this however, so she put the boys down and forced them to walk, though they didn’t really complain about it. After all, venturing into the mysterious forests that eventually gave way to wield fields was an adventure, one that Steven at least was taking on with his usual optimism and verve. As they made it out of the woods, the young Gem even happened to come across a stray racoon, which he was more than happy to befriend and bring along as they continued on their way. Of course, the creature was only friendly for so long before it turned on Steven and viciously attacked him for his bindle before doing the same to Dipper, all while Amethyst merely stood by and laughed instead of doing anything to really help.

Racoon attacks aside, as exhilarated about their excursion as Steven was, Dipper didn’t really share his enthusiasm, at least not at first. For their first several hours of wandering, he was still largely preoccupied with remorseful, wistful thoughts of Wendy, just as he had been before they left. But the further out they got from Gravity Falls, the less he began to think about it all, especially as Steven and Amethyst provided ample distractions with their jokes and jabs. The purple Gem had been surprisingly accurate in saying that there was something liberating in getting away from it all. With the endless skies above them and the open road ahead of them, it really felt as though they had no limits at all. They could go anywhere, do anything, or be anything they wanted.

And to put it simply, it felt great.

As the sun began to sink low into the sky, the trio happened across a fast-moving train speeding through the valley. Agreeing that this would expedite their travels, Amethyst tossed both boys onto an open train car with gusto before hopping on herself. After spending a while settling into their newfound ride, Steven decided to cheerfully entertain his two traveling companions in the best way he knew how: with song.

“It’s time to get moving, time for us to have some fun,” the young Gem sang brightly, his tune upbeat and bouncy even though it was acapella. While Dipper was somewhat confused by this impromptu musical number, Amethyst smirked as she tapped her hand against the floor of the car to create a fitting beat. “There’s no time to hang around, our adventure’s just begun! We’ll be thinkin’ ‘bout our friends, as we chase the setting sun-”

“But we’re leaving them behind, we’re on the run,” Amethyst joined Steven as he finished the verse before she jumped into whistling a reprise of it.

“Come on, Dipper!” Steven encouraged with a bright laugh. “Sing along with me!”

“Uh… yeah, sorry, Steven, but… that’s not gonna happen,” Dipper said with an small, rather awkward grin.

“What? Why not?”

“Because singing’s… not really my thing, ok?”

“Aw, don’t be silly,” the young Gem said with a wave of his hand. “Just try it! I’m sure you’ll do great!” And with that, Steven leapt into his song once again: “We’re on the run…” he held a long note, waiting eagerly for Dipper to join in. Of course, this never happened as Dipper upheld his stance against singing.

Still, that didn’t keep Amethyst from accompanying Steven with her own new verse instead. “I don’t care about what all the others say.”

“We’re on the run…” Steven sang once more, smiling as the purple Gem joined him.

“Well I guess there are some things that will just never go away,” Amethyst continued, glancing down somewhat morosely. Yet even so, she made sure to recover from her melancholy before either of the boys could really take notice.

“We’re on the run…”

“I wish that I could say that there’s no better place than home-”

“But home’s a place that I have never known!” both Steven and Amethyst sang together, startling Dipper as they both pressed against him while doing so. “That’s why we’re on the run…”

“Well that was… fun?” Dipper said, unsure of what to make of such a sudden performance.

“Yeah it was!” Steven quipped happily. “Just think of all the other great new songs we can come up with and sing out here on the road! And look at that sunset!” The young Gem waved his hand at the open train car door, which was showcasing the crisp glow of the sun as it disappeared over the distant hills. “This is the life!”

“You can say that again,” Amethyst chuckled, propping herself up on a pile on one of the many piles of hay filling the car.

“You know, I wasn’t really sold on this whole running away thing at first,” Dipper admitted with a small smile. “But now that we’re actually out here, it’s kind of nice and relaxing.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, dude,” the purple Gem remarked. “Out here, there’s nothing to worry about. We go with the flow, ride the rails, and do nothing but chill. It’s way better than having to follow a bunch of dumb rules and be whatever someone else wants you to be.”

“And the best part is, we still have a bunch of delicious snacks from home to enjoy!” Steven proclaimed, taking a sandwich out of his bindle as Dipper did the same. However, before either of the boys could chow down, a familiar furry face just so happened to leap into the train car and join them.

“Ah!” Steven gasped as the racoon from earlier pounced on him, stealing his food. “The racoon is back!”

“Hold on, Steven! I got this!” Dipper exclaimed, preparing to beat the critter away with the stick of his bindle. Unfortunately, the racoon retaliated by grabbing the stick just in time and used it to roughly pull Dipper to the ground before it made off with both his and Steven’s stashes of food.

“Aw, man!” Steven exclaimed in dismay as the racoon jumped off the train with their food in tow. “Um, Amethyst? Could we maybe have some of your food?”

Of course, as the young Gem posed this question, Amethyst just so happened to be in the middle of dumping the contents of her bindle straight into her mouth all at once. “Huh?” she asked, her mouth full as she finished her food off. “Oh, uh… sorry, guys.”

“See? I knew this would happen,” Dipper remarked pointedly, taking a seat against a bale of hay indignantly.

“I guess our bindles couldn’t fit enough for us and a racoon…” Steven sighed, cringing at the sound of his own rumbling stomach.

“Why didn’t you just bring your backpack?” Amethyst asked caustically.

The young Gem glanced away, somewhat embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of that. “…It wouldn’t fit in my bindle?” he said quickly before climbing up onto a nearby stack of hay. “Maybe I can just sleep the hunger off. Just like the No-Home Boys.”

“Good idea,” Dipper agreed, taking a different approach by just lying down on the floor of the car. However, he was only there for a moment before the train happened to bump rather roughly, resulting in him ultimately hitting his head against the hard metal floor. “Ow!” he exclaimed, sitting up and gingerly placing a hand against the now sore spot. “Ugh, why did I think that would be a good idea?!”

“You know,” Steven spoke up, having problems of his own as he tried his best to get comfortable on his hey bed. “I feel like I’ve been misled about hey. It always looks so soft in those illustrations, but it’s actually really scratchy.” Of course, the train happened to bang violently yet again, causing sending one of the stacked hay bales tumbling right down on the young Gem and irritating him more. “Amethyst, I wanna go home now.”

“Same here,” Dipper sighed, rising to stand. “I hate to say it, but I think going home and finally facing Wendy would be easier than having to live like… well, this. N-not that I’d actually do that if we do go home, but still.”

“Pfft,” Amethyst scoffed, turning away from the boys as she sulked over to the edge of the train car and took a seat. “You guys need to get over yourselves. Have you ever tried maybe not being such wimps?”

“…Doesn’t running away technically make us all wimps?” Dipper asked somewhat hesitantly.

“Well either way, I think I’m done being a No-Home Boy,” Steven said as they both headed over to sit down next to the purple Gem.

“Not me,” Amethyst said apathetically, staring out at the passing scenery.

“Amethyst, you don’t honestly expect us to be able to last out here forever, do you?” Dipper asked with sudden concern.

“I dunno, maybe,” the purple Gem shrugged. “You might if you learn to toughen up a bit.”

“But… I’m sure Garnet and Pearl and Mr. Pines and Mabel are worried sick about us,” Steven pointed out with a frown. “They’re probably wondering when we’re coming home right-”

“That’s not my home,” Amethyst cut the young Gem off sharply.

“Huh?” Steven asked, confused.

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Dipper interjected. “You’re from Homeworld.”

“That’s not my home either!” the purple Gem exclaimed harshly, apparently even more offended by such an idea.

Dipper and Steven were both silent for a moment as they exchanged a puzzled look over how angry and indirect Amethyst was being. After all, if she considered neither Homeworld nor the temple to be her home, then where else was there? “Then… where are you from?” Dipper asked, voicing the question they were both wondering.

A sudden, almost dark smirk crossed the purple Gem’s features upon being posed this question. “I’ll show you.”

The trio continued riding the rails for quite some time, and all the while, Amethyst refused to answer any of the boys’ questions about where they were heading. All the while, she only kept up a sly, mysterious grin until she prompted Steven and Dipper to disembark from the train at last, only after they had traveled several hours. Yet even after jumping off the train, they still had to walk several miles before even coming close to their supposed destination. And as they did, both boys couldn’t help but be the slightest bit disconcerted upon a first glance.

Amethyst was eagerly leading the way into what seemed to be a high canyon, with dark walls that towered high into the dark fog shrouding the area. As they got closer to it, Dipper and Steven both couldn’t help but notice that all vegetation and natural life seemed to abruptly end, giving way to dry, desolate earth. The entire place already had quite an eerie air to it as almost every sound they made seemed to echo back at them. But even still, Amethyst bounded towards it with an elated smile, as though there was nothing unnerving about the area at all.

“Here we are!” the purple Gem chuckled as they stood before the entrance to the canyon. “Welcome to the Kindergarten! What do you guys think?”

“Um… It’s great!” Steven exclaimed with something of a forced smile, not entirely sure of what to think.

“Uh, Amethyst?” Dipper spoke up, aptly confused. “This… isn’t a kindergarten.”

“What? Yeah, it is,” Amethyst rolled her eyes. “I mean, there’s no flashy sign or anything, but this is the real deal, for sure. Believe me, I would know.”

“No, I mean-” Dipper cut himself off with something of an exasperated sigh before trying again. “Look, a kindergarten is like… well basically, it’s a school for really little kids. And this place… Well, this place couldn’t be any further than that.”

“Oh what, you don’t believe me?” the purple Gem challenged. “Then I guess I’ll just have to show you. C’mon!” Amethyst laughed mischievously once more as she grabbed both boys by the wrist and dragged them into the canyon itself. Of course, the area became even more unsettling as they got a good look at it. Not only was the depths of the canyon expectedly dark and devoid of much color, but what was quite odd was the fact that its walls were dotted with thousands upon thousands of deep, almost human-shaped holes. Even stranger were the tall, drill-like machines that occasionally clung to the walls via spider-esque legs. The boys couldn’t help but feel rather small compared to all of this as Amethyst led them through the vast gorge. Whatever this place was, it was far from undiscovered. Something, or someone had been here before.

But who?

“Ok, Amethyst, what is this place, really?” Dipper asked, finally too perplexed by it all to remain silent.

“It’s kinda where I’m from,” the purple Gem replied, shrugging.

“But… I thought Gems were from space?” Steven frowned, confused.

“Pearl and Garnet are,” Amethyst explained. “But I was made here on Earth. Like you two!”

“Wait, you’re from Earth?” Dipper asked, taken aback. “But how-”

“Don’t act so surprised, dude,” the purple Gem interrupted, smirking. “You know, the way you’re freaking out reminds me of how your uncle did the same thing when I brought him here a bunch of years ago.”

“Stan’s been here before?!” Dipper exclaimed, even more shocked by this information. “Then why has he never mentioned it to me or Mabel?”

“Maybe he just forgot?” Steven suggested.

“Nah, it’s because this place skeeved him out a little,” Amethyst laughed teasingly. “Don’t know why though. The Kindergarten’s where the party’s at. Oh, and check it out!” the purple Gem exclaimed with a delighted gasp. Without explaining, she ran ahead, hurrying up to a nearby boulder as the boys followed after her. “Oh man! I missed this guy!” she laughed, embracing the large stone. “Aw… It’s my climbing rock!”

“Uh, hello!” Steven greeted the climbing rock with an uncertain smile.

“Steven, that’s a rock,” Dipper deadpanned.

“Heck yeah it is!” Amethyst exclaimed brightly. “And over there-” she pointed to another nearby rock. “That’s the sitting rock! And that one was the rock that I kicked into two rocks!” With a warm laugh, the purple Gem scurried up the climbing rock, happily sitting atop of it as she grinned down at the boys. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“So, how long did you live here?” Steven asked curiously.

“For a while, I guess,” Amethyst shrugged. “At least until I met your mom and the others.” Still clearly enjoying being back in such a familiar place, the purple Gem flopped off the climbing rock and ran further into the Kindergarten. While Steven was more than eager to follow her, Dipper was much more hesitant about it, especially as the purple Gem rushed towards one of the massive drill machines.

“Whoa,” he gasped, unnerved by the sheer size of it as it towered over them all. “What is that thing?”

“Eh, it’s just some old Gem junk from a long time ago,” the purple Gem remarked dismissively. “It’s probably busted by now.”

Despite Amethyst’s assurance, neither Dipper nor Steven were really that allayed. Even if they didn’t know what these machines were for, they did know that they were not only abundant here, but quite sinister-looking with its several sharp, menacing points all aimed straight for the ground. Still, the boys only had enough time to exchange a nervous glance before Amethyst called over to them once again.

“Hey, Steven, Dipper! Look!” the purple Gem’s smile was huge as she stood beside one of the many holes in the cliff side. “Here’s the hole I came out of!”

“What?!” both boys exclaimed in equal surprise and confusion, hurrying over to the hole themselves.

“It’s my hole,” she reiterated, chuckling at their bewilderment. “Look! It’s me siiiiizeeed…” Amethyst flashed a wry grin as she inserted herself into the hole, which was indeed, her exact size and shape. Needless to say, both Steven and Dipper were startled as she slid back into the hole seamlessly, before sitting down and letting out a contented sigh. “Ah, its still got that good hole smell.”

“Let me get this straight,” Steven interrupted, trying to make sense of all this as him and Dipper peered into the hole. “You came out of this hole?”

“This is where I was made, dude,” Amethyst nodded. “One day just… pop! Right outta this hole.”

“Hold on,” Dipper shook his head, his thoughts running at a mile a minute over all these sudden revelations. “So that’s how Gems are made? You guys just… come out of the ground?! Well, actually, I guess that makes sense, seeing as how gem gems are made, but still—this is crazy!”

“Yep! That’s exactly what Stan said too,” the purple Gem laughed, amused.

“So… if this is your hole…” Steven began anxiously, backing away to get a better look at the hundreds of other holes on that wall alone. “What about all the other holes?”

The young Gem’s question was left unanswered as the nearby warp pad suddenly light up, startling the boys as they spun around to face the pair that had just arrived.

“Oh, look! There they are, Pearl!” Mabel shouted with apt relief, smiling widely as she waved down to Dipper and Steven.

“Finally,” the white Gem sighed in relief, though she wasn’t as quick to join Mabel in climbing off the warp pad and heading down to meet them. Instead, she remained stationary for just a moment, taking an uneasy glance around the Kindergarten before leaping down herself.

“Great,” Amethyst remarked crossly as she climbed out of her hole. “Here comes the fun police…”

“Me and Pearl have been looking like, everywhere for you guys! I’m so glad we finally found you!” Mabel exclaimed as she locked both boys into a tight hug before suddenly smacking them both against the back of the head.

“Ow!” Dipper shot his sister a glare. “Mabel, what-”

“That’s for running away without telling me, you dummies!” she pouted angrily. “I was worried sick about both of you! The least you could have done was tell me about this. Then I could have come along and joined in on the fun too. I would have even packed us some cookies for the road!”

“Well, they probably wouldn’t have lasted that long anyway thanks to the racoon…” Steven frowned.

“Trust us, Mabel, life on the road isn’t as fun as it sounds,” Dipper remarked somewhat dryly. “We just-”

“I don’t wanna hear a peep outta you, Mr. ‘Runs-Away-So-He-Doesn’t-Have-To-Face-His-Problems’,” Mabel asserted firmly. “I know you only did this so you wouldn’t have to talk to Wendy, even though that’s what you need to do!”

“Oh, come on!” Dipper exclaimed, exasperated. “Mabel, that’s not even what this is about!”

“Really?” Steven asked, confused. “Because I thought you said that you weren’t going to talk to Wendy, even if we-”

“Steven!” Dipper harshly cut him off. Fortunately though, before their conversation could really continue, Pearl intervened, already more than prepared to give Amethyst a proper scolding.

“Oh, I’m so relieved to see you boys are alight,” the white Gem sighed, somewhat relieved. “Garnet said you’d all be here, but I didn’t want to believe it. Amethyst, what were you thinking bringing Steven and Dipper to a… Kindergarten?”

“Kindergarten?” Mabel interrupted with an intrigued smile. “Wait, if this is a kindergarten, then where are all the toys and milk cartons and adorable little kids?”

“It’s not that kind of kindergarten, Mabel,” Dipper quickly noted to her in a whisper.

“Well, Amethyst?” Pearl asked, looking to the purple Gem caustically. “Care to explain?”

“I dunno,” Amethyst scowled, kicking a nearby pebble. “We were in the neighborhood. And hey, don’t act like I’m the only bad example. You brought Mabel here, after all.”

“O-oh, well that’s only because she wanted to come looking for the boys with me and she wouldn’t take no for an answer!” Pearl protested, flustered. “Right, Mabel?”

“That’s right!” Mabel quipped. “And I’m glad I came because now I get to hear about all of this cool mysterious Gem stuff going on here too!”

“Pearl?” Steven interjected apprehensively. “Was Amethyst really… made here?”

The white Gem sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing this question before turning back to Amethyst, even more aghast this time. “How much did you tell them?”

“What? You mean about the bad thing?” Amethyst asked, her voice a whisper at first, though it steadily started to raise in volume the angrier she got. “How this bad place is where bad Gems came to grow more bad Gems? Is that what you’re talking about?!”

“No way. They grew other Gems here?!” Dipper exclaimed, completely stunned by this information.

“Cool! Where are they?!” Mabel grinned excitedly, glancing around for any other Gems.

“Thankfully, not here,” Pearl said harshly. “Amethyst, none of them are ready to hear about this!”

“A-about what?” Steven asked worriedly.

“Oh, but don’t worry, you guys,” Amethyst faked a smile as she pressed past the white Gem and stepped closer to the kids. “Everything’s just fine now.”

“Amethyst,” Pearl interjected rigidly, but even so, the purple Gem ignored her.

“It all worked out. We won!” she continued, pressing closer to them as she failed to notice their shared growing confusion and fear.

“Stop,” the white Gem pressed again, yet Amethyst kept on going, too unhinged to stop now.

“And we shut this place down so the Earth would be safe from parasites like me!”

“Amethyst! That’s enough!” Pearl shouted, putting herself between the kids and the purple Gem.

“Pearl?” Steven spoke up, his expression awash with concern. Likewise, the twins stood alongside him just as confounded and troubled. None of them really understood what the unfolding contention between the two Gems was truly about, but what they all immediately figured was that it was more than any of them could have bargained for.

“Oh, kids, I’m so sorry,” Pearl sighed, kneeling down to their level. “None of you should have ever had to see this horrible place.”

Amethyst’s burning scowl deepened upon hearing this, her gem starting to shine as she let out a low growl. “Then why don’t you just leave?!” the purple Gem exploded, her whip lashing out of her gem and coiling around Pearl tightly. The kids gasped in shared shock as Amethyst tossed the white Gem towards the nearest drill machine, sending her crashing into it first and then into the ground roughly. “Admit it! I’m just an embarrassment to you!” Amethyst shouted, swinging her whip at Pearl once more. This time the white Gem managed to dodge it, though it did cut a swath into the leg of the machine as Pearl easily flipped away.

Of course, all three of the kids were quite alarmed upon seeing the purple Gem’s sudden, violent outburst. Which was why they all hurried to intervene before things could get too out of hand. “Amethyst, wait!” Steven exclaimed desperately, reaching for his guardian. “You can’t do this!”

“Y-yeah!” Mabel agreed earnestly. “You guys are friends! You shouldn’t fight!”

Amethyst said nothing in response as she instead scooped all three of the kids up at once, shapeshifting another hand to help her do so, before tossing them aside as though they were nothing. The trio were fine as they landed a few feet away, all of them cushioning the fall for each other, but still shaking them up nonetheless. “Uh, guys?” Dipper said with a frown. “Maybe we shouldn’t get involved in this…”

“No way!” Steven exclaimed with determination. “We gotta stop this before they hurt each other!”

“Amethyst!” Pearl shouted as she rose to stand, summoning her spear as she did so. “I don’t want to fight you!”

“I wouldn’t wanna fight me neither!” the purple Gem hissed before jumping and curling into a ball and rolling towards Pearl at a frightening speed. The white Gem rolled out of the way just in time as she sent a barrage of energy blasts at Amethyst from the tip of her spear. The purple Gem outmanurvered them, rolling along the side of the canyon until she leapt high into the air, hurling her whip down at Pearl brutally. Fortunately the white Gem saw this coming and slammed her foot down on the whip, slicing it cleanly in half.

As this skirmish continued, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel rushed into it once again, all three of them hoping they could somehow convince the fighting Gems to calm down. “You guys, stop it!” the young Gem begged. Before either of the twins could make an appeal, however, Amethyst counteracted them, mostly out of frustration.

“Stay out of it!” she shouted, tossing a long whip at the three of them. It hit its mark, twisting around the trio, tying them together, and sending them roughly plummeting to the ground.

“Aw, I thought for sure that would work!” Mabel exclaimed as they all tried to wriggle free.

“Maybe we should try coming up with an actual plan this time, you guys?” Dipper suggested pointedly. Still, they didn’t really have a lot of time for that as the duel between the two Gems waged on.

Pearl launched herself at Amethyst, smoothly bending out of the path of a lash of her whip before leaping over her and landing a heavy kick to her face. The purple Gem cried in pain as she landed, glaring up at Pearl, who stood ready for her next attack, her spear spinning deftly in her hand. “Amethyst, stop this!” she urged firmly. “You can’t beat me!”

“I… don’t… CARE!” Amethyst practically screamed in raw fury, letting that scream continue as she pulled two more whips out of her gem. Both of them managed to latch onto Pearl’s spear as soon as she lashed them out at her. “I’m not gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I hate about myself!”

With another battle cry, the purple Gem shook her whips, sending two violet bursts of energy running down them and towards Pearl. The resounding explosion shook the Kindergarten, startling the kids and sending Pearl flying backwards into the drill machine. The white Gem landed hard on the ground below and struggled to pick herself up even as Amethyst approached her.

“I never asked for it to be this way,” the purple Gem lamented, heavy tears streaming down her face. She let out a choked sob as she continued, her voice rough and ragged with far too many emotions to count, even if most of them could be summed up by pain. “I never asked to come out here! I never asked to be one of them! I never asked to be made!”

Pearl was stunned into silence upon hearing this, her expression awash with deep worry and sympathy for her teammate. She had spent so many years around the purple Gem, but even so, she could have never guessed that her feelings of remorse and regret for something that wasn’t even really her fault ran so very deep. “Amethyst…” she muttered softly, wanting to say so much but not even knowing where to start. Fortunately though, the kids intervened just in time.

“Amethyst, please, no more!” Steven pleaded as him, Dipper, and Mabel rushed to stand between the quarreling Gems. Tears were forming in the distraught young Gem’s eyes, and that alone was enough to make Amethyst stay her hand before lashing her whip out at Pearl once again. “I know you’re upset, but I can’t stand to watch you two hurt each other.”

“Seriously, can’t you two just… talk this out or something?” Dipper asked anxiously. “It’s bound to be easier than just beating each other senseless.”

The purple Gem opened her mouth to shoot back a reply, but before she could get anything out, a sudden loud creak from above startled them all. With a gasp, everyone looked up to see the drill machine they were gathered under begin to quickly topple over on them as its sliced leg suddenly snapped in two. Acting quickly, Steven summoned a large bubble around himself, Pearl, and the twins to shield them from the impending fallout. Unfortunately, there was still someone who was just outside of the bubble’s protection.

“Amethyst!” Steven gasped, horrified as the purple Gem stood just a few feet outside his bubble. However, Amethyst simply looked to the kids for a moment, frightened and ashamed, before she abruptly turned on her heel and took off in the opposite direction.

“Amethyst!” the young Gem cried again, the twins joining him this time as they all shared the same sheer panic for the purple Gem’s safety. “Amethyst! Amethyst!” All of these please fell on deaf ears however, as Amethyst simply kept on running. Right until the machine came crashing down on them all.

Thankfully, the bubble did its job and kept them safe from the falling machine. Still, Pearl and the kids were hardly relieved as the dust began to settle and they saw that Amethyst was nowhere in sight. “Amethyst!” Steven sobbed, dropping the bubble and running forward as Dipper and Mabel hurried after him.

“Amethyst, where are you!?” Mabel called, immensely concerned.

“Wait, do you guys hear that?” Dipper asked, catching onto the very faint noise of what sounded like sobbing nearby.

“The hole!” Steven gasped, rushing over to Amethyst’s hole, which was blocked off by a heap of rubble. Pearl slowly rose to stand as she watched the kids quickly work together to remove the blockade, all the while keeping her distance out of both dread and guilt.

“Amethyst!” the kids exclaimed in surprised unison upon seeing the purple Gem huddled deep inside her hole. Her back was turned to them and her shoulders were shaking as she kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself, but fortunately she was unscathed. At least physically.

“Go away,” Amethyst ordered bitterly. “I’m bad and you guys shouldn’t be around me.”

“What?” Steven asked, confused. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Yeah!” Mabel nodded in sincere agreement. “Amethyst, you’re like, one of the coolest Gems we know! Then again, we only know four Gems, but still, you’re great!”

“And hey, even though things are kind of… rough right now, we still had a fun time hanging out with you today, even if we almost died several times. Right, Steven?” Dipper asked, sending the purple Gem an encouraging grin.

“We did!” the young Gem nodded insistently. “Look, Amethyst, we don’t really know what any of this means, but-”

“Yeah, you don’t,” Amethyst interrupted crossly, still not turning to face any of them. “Cause if you did, then you wouldn’t be talking to me.”

“Oh boy,” Dipper sighed diffidently as they backed away from the hole a bit. “We’re really not getting anywhere with her, are we?”

“Hold on. I have an idea,” Steven said, turning to the nearby white Gem. “Pearl, you gotta get in here. You have to help us.”

“But-” Pearl tried to protest, but the kids weren’t having it this time.

“You have to talk to her,” Steven insisted, his tone dead serious.

“Maybe if you do, then she’ll feel better and come out!” Mabel added with a reassuring smile.

The white Gem let out a long sigh at this, steeling herself for the challenging task ahead of her. “Y-you’re right…” Pearl agreed, glancing away. “As… difficult as all of this is, I suppose avoiding it really isn’t helping anything…”

“Hey, doesn’t that sound familiar, bro-bro?” Mabel asked, elbowing her brother.

“Mabel, now’s really not the time for this!” Dipper exclaimed in a harsh whisper, but even so he couldn’t deny she was right. Even though what Pearl and Amethyst were going through was vastly different from what transpired between him and Wendy, not confronting the problem was only making things worse. After all, regret and remorse could never truly be alleviated by either fleeing or fighting; time and talking were the only things that could ever really reconcile them.

Pearl took in a deep breath as she slid into the hole and took a seat next to Amethyst. Neither of them said anything for a long moment, especially as the purple Gem kept her back turned and her posture small and closed off. After what seemed like ages of tension however, the white Gem finally spoke. “Amethyst…” she began, reaching her hand out towards the purple Gem before hesitantly pulling it back. “Amethyst, I had no idea you’ve been upset about this.”

“What?!” Amethyst spat harshly, finally turning around as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. “You had no idea?! This is like, my entire existence!” she shouted, motioning to the hole around them. “You wanna pretend like none of this ever happened! You think I’m just a big mistake!”

The white Gem gasped upon hearing this, moved with sadness for the grief her teammate was going through. “No, no!” she protested. “Amethyst, you’re not the mistake. You’re just the byproduct of a… big mistake…” Pearl trailed off, blushing in embarrassment over her awkward misstep of words. Amethyst shot her a cold glare at this while the kids all shook their heads, knowing that this wasn’t going as well as they had hoped for. “No, that’s not-” Pearl tried again, recollecting herself. “I… I just never thought of this as you. None of this is your fault. You didn’t build this place.”

Amethyst paused upon hearing this, knowing that nobody, not even Rose, had ever told her something like this before. It was true that she knew she had no control over the place she had emerged or how, she had always carried some level of guilt towards it all. After all, the very reason why the Crystal Gems existed at all was to end Homeworld’s Earth-harming mission, a mission that had the Kindergarten at its very heart and soul. But since she had come from the Earth Kindergarten, the purple Gem had always believed that she had been a least a part of the problem, a problem that could have very well destroyed the planet she now stood to protect if it had been left unchecked. Yet now, Pearl was telling her that what had happened here, what could have been, was not her burden to bear. And perhaps, Amethyst realized, it really never was in the first place.

“I-I’m sorry, Amethyst,” Pearl said with absolute sincerity. “I hope you can forgive me. You’re the one good thing that came out of this mess. I always thought you were proud of that.” With a gentle smile, the white Gem extended her hand out towards her teammate. Amethyst didn’t take it right away, but when she finally did, she wiped her tears away and allowed Pearl to help her out of her hole. The purple Gem refused to so much as even look back at it as she left it, knowing that she didn’t need to cling onto the past or her origins any longer. She was a Crystal Gem now. As far as she was concerned, she always would be.

And that was enough for her.

The kids all let out collective sighs of relief as Amethyst and Pearl emerged from the hole together, apparently having reconciled. The purple Gem still tried to come across as cold and stoic after everything, but as she looked to Pearl, she found that she could no longer keep her overwhelming emotions contained any longer. With a heavy sob, Amethyst enveloped Pearl in a tight, desperate embrace, one that startled the white Gem, though she still smiled softly as she tearfully returned it all the same.

“Aw, they’re friends again!” Mabel gushed with a happy smile.

“Yeah…” Steven nodded with a contented grin. “And you know? I have a feeling things will be even better between them from now on.”

“Even better…” Dipper repeated to himself, his eyes widening in realization. After everything that had happened between the two Gems and how potentially disastrous their falling out had been, he now knew for certain that he couldn’t very well go on avoiding Wendy any longer. He had to stop running and face this problem, no matter how difficult or awkward it might be and no matter what might happen. And maybe at the end of it all, things would somehow turn out to be even better.

“Are you kids ready to head home?” Pearl asked with a grin as her and Amethyst’s hug disbanded.

“Yes!” Steven exclaimed brightly, running to the warp pad. “Let’s go home so Steven can sleep in a bed!”

“Yeah, I think I’ve had enough of life on the road for one day…” Dipper remarked with a tired smirk.

“Seriously though, if you guys ever decide to do this again, please let me know!” Mabel quipped somewhat jokingly as they all climbed onto the warp pad.

“Somehow I doubt we’ll be doing this again…” Pearl noted, giving Amethyst a sly grin, which she softly returned.

With no need to linger any longer in the Kindergarten, the group warped away, leaving the decrepit place dull, dark, and empty once more. Yet even still, somewhere off in the distance, ominous clanging could be heard echoing through the canyon, almost as if it was the very echo of the Gems who had built it centuries ago.

By the next day, everything had returned to normal. Or at least, as normal as things got, all things considered. Garnet was quite satisfied to hear that her teammates had reconciled their differences and she professed her belief that they were well on their way to a much better relationship in the future, much to Steven’s delight. Even though Dipper told her not to, Mabel of course divulged the full details of her brother’s escapade to their uncle, though fortunately Stan was hardly mad, seeing as how he had been on the run from various individuals, as well as the law itself, countless times in the past. Still, not everything was completely resolved quite yet. But that was something Dipper intended on fixing as he sat waiting outside the shack, perking up a bit as he saw a certain cashier come in for her shift.

“Wendy!” he called, getting up and running over to her.

“Dipper!” Wendy exclaimed with a surprised, yet relieved grin. “There you are, dude! I was looking all over for you yesterday!”

“W-wait, really?” Dipper asked, confused.

“Well, duh! My friends told me that they gave you, Steven, and Amethyst a ride out of town yesterday because you all were ‘on the run’ or something?”

“Oh, right…” Dipper frowned, a bit embarrassed.

“Gotta say, that’s pretty gutsy of you, man,” Wendy remarked with a wry grin which quickly faded. “But at the same time… it could have been pretty dangerous out there. So I’m glad to see you’re back safe and sound. Hobo living… probably isn’t for you.”

“Yeah, it really wasn’t…” Dipper said with a halfhearted smile. So far, this conversation was going well enough, but at the same time, he had yet to bring up what he knew he had to get off his chest. Which was why he took in a deep breath, pushed his insecurities away, and simply went through with it. Just as Pearl had with Amethyst. “So uh, Wendy? Can I talk to you about… something?”

“Anything, dude,” Wendy nodded with a smile.

“Well I… I, um, just wanted to tell you that… I’m sorry for what happened last week,” he began somewhat hesitantly. “You know, for how I kinda ended up breaking you and Robbie up?”

“Oh what? You’re still worried about that?” Wendy asked with a suddenly concerned frown. “Don’t be, dude. I’m really not even that torn up about it even more and you shouldn’t be either.”

“What?”

“I said its ok,” the cashier reassured, kneeling down to his level. “I mean, yeah it totally sucks that that happened, but like, you did the right thing. I’m glad you told me the truth about what Robbie was doing; it really showed me that you care about me, which, if you ask me, is pretty awesome.”

“B-but you were really upset,” Dipper interjected. “And I thought you-”

“Well of course I was upset at first,” Wendy interrupted. “But I’ve had time to get over it. I’m sorry if how I blew up over it made you feel bad or like you did something wrong. Because like I said, you didn’t.”

“So… so we’re cool then?” Dipper asked hopefully, relief already starting to fill him that everything would, in fact, be even better than before.

“Yeah, man,” Wendy smirked, exchanging a fist bump with him. “We’re totally cool.”

As this touching exchange unfolded, Steven and Mabel eavesdropped from around the corner of the shack, mostly out of curiosity and concern for Dipper. Still, they were both as relieved as he was to see that everything had turned out alright in the end after all.

“Well, it looks like Dipper had nothing to worry about after all,” Mabel concluded with a content grin. “I can’t wait to rub it in his face that I was right all along later.”

“Yeah, its pretty great,” Steven agreed, smiling. “Pearl and Amethyst made up, Dipper and Wendy made up, and I learned an important lesson: that sleeping on hay is really overrated.”

The pair shared an amused laugh at this, one that concluded as Mabel departed to go take pictures of Lion and Waddles as they chased each other around the yard. Steven prepared to join her, but even so, he did stop short upon stealing a glance up at the temple as it peered over the trees in the distance. The young Gem’s smile faded as he looked to his home, the six-armed statue he had always known suddenly seeming strangely alien somehow. The revelation that the Gems were not of the Earth was one thing, and largely Steven had already come to terms with that by now. But the fact that Gems came to Earth and endangered it by creating more of their own… he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that yet and he honestly wasn’t sure when he would be.

Still, Steven took solace in the fact that he had nothing to worry about. The Gems had made it clear that they refused to let any of their kind return to Earth and use it for their destructive purposes. There was no chance of Homeworld Gems coming back and continuing their treacherous work. As Garnet had said, the planet was safe. Their home was safe. And so it would remain as long as they were around to protect it.

Right?

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