I'm so sorry for the extremely late update. I took a short break from everything that seems remotely productive XD. Anyway, on with the story. I hope you guys like this one. Even if it seems a bit filler-ish.
Greg slowly opened the doors to his van and showed Pearl and Steven the mess that has accumulated in his vehicle for the past few months. Clothes were scattered everywhere, his instruments were placed in random locations and one could barely see the floor of the van. Pearl was visibly frustrated by the sight. He's still a mess, as always.
"Whoa, this is messier than last time…" Steven commented.
"Greg, didn't we clean this out months ago?" She sighed exasperatedly.
"Y-yes, b-but I guess I'm not good and organizing, cleaning and stuff…I'm sorry, honey..." He said as he sheepishly smiled at her apologetically.
Despite everything they've been through, she still feels annoyed at him at times, especially at his messy nature but he couldn't stay mad at him for long. How can she? She can easily overlook all of his faults, thanks to his charm and sweet nature. She smiled at him. "Well… I guess, it can't be helped… We'll have to take out all of your possessions and place them back in a more organized manner." She replied with a slight smile on her face.
"Looks like we're going to have a long day ahead of us, Steven. Are you ready for this?" Pearl asked as she turned to Steven.
"I was born ready!" He replied happily.
"Thanks a lot, guys. I owe you one."
"It's no problem, dad. We're happy to help." Steven commented as he climbed inside the van and took out a folded box to put some of his father's things inside.
"Yes, this is no trouble at all, but you really need to keep your things in order." Pearl commented.
"I'll try… I'm gonna get more boxes. Be right back." Greg replied as he headed out towards his storage unit.
"What a mess… and to think we just cleaned this about a year ago." Pearl said as she placed some of Greg's belongings inside the box.
"Yeah… a lot has happened in the previous year though." Steven replied.
"True, but some things will never change…" She replied as she looked inside the van, surveying the mess further.
A few minutes later, Greg came back carrying two folded cardboard boxes. "Okay, let's do this." He said eagerly to the two.
The three of them would need to spend the entire day cleaning out Greg's van. Steven didn't mind this though, provided that they get to rest every so often. He loved looking at his father's things. Usually, he finds something of interest- letters, books, old records and other things from his father's past. It seem pointless to a lot if people to hold on to so much stuff, but he knows every single item from his father's stash holds some value. However, he knows that his father's hoarding tendencies and - should not be emulated. Nevertheless, he understands why his father collects.
In that particular instance, he found a polaroid camera. It looked to be an old model- it didn't appear to be one of the modern instant cameras that has just become a trend as of recent. He wiped the dust off of the lens and looked at the object further.
"Ah, you found my old camera. I thought I had placed it in storage." Greg commented upon seeing his son with the device.
"Does it still work?" Steven asked, still focused on the camera.
"It should. I have some film for this camera in the storage I think. I'll look for it later after we're done with the van. Do you want it?" He asked, upon noticing his son's interest on the device.
"Can I have it?" He asked.
"Of course, we just have to make sure it works." He replied.
"So, do the two of you want to spend your whole evening cleaning up all this?" Pearl asked sarcastically as she noticed the two of them "slacking off".
"Oh-uh right! Back to work!" He told her with an apologetic smile.
"You can hold on to that camera for now, son." He whispered into Steven's ear.
He placed the camera in his bag and went back to work. Other than the camera, Steven didn't find anything worth of interest to him. Nevertheless, he didn't mind the work. His father made the work fun and Pearl make sure that they organized all of the things properly. Storage boxes and makeshift shelves helped in putting everything into order.
The sun had already went down when they finished and they were all exhausted. Steven sat down on the edge of the van next to Pearl. His father walked towards them and handed him a worn-out old looking box. He opened it and his eyes lit up when he saw that it was filled with packs of film that were compatible with the camera he found earlier that day.
"What are those, Steven?" Pearl asked.
"I think these are films for the camera I found earlier. It's one of those that prints out the picture seconds after you took it." He said as he took out the camera from his bag.
"Why would you need that? Your phone has a camera." She asked.
"Yeah, I guess I just like the novelty of it and the nostalgic properties it holds." He said in reply.
"Wanna test it out?" Greg asked.
"Okay!" He said in excitement.
His father showed him how to load the film into the camera and he also taught him how to take a picture with it. After learning the basics he asked Pearl and his father to pose for a picture. The two of them sat at the edge of the back of the van. Greg placed his arm over Pearl's shoulder and she gently leaned her head against his shoulder. The two of them smiled at the camera and Steven took the picture. After a few seconds, the camera printed out the picture and Steven watched as the blank film slowly revealed the image of Greg and Pearl, their figures were gently illuminated by the light from the van. This one's a keeper, he thought to himself.
"It works!" He exclaimed gladly as he handed his father the polaroid picture.
"Wow, I can't believe the camera and the film still work after so many years." Greg said as he showed the photo to Pearl.
"This is lovely. You're quite the photographer, Steven." She said.
"Thank you. Maybe I can bring this on our missions." He said.
"Uhh, I'm not sure that's a good idea though..." She told him.
"I guess not..." He agreed as he placed the camera and a pack of film into his bag.
"So what do you want to have for dinner, Steven?" Greg asked.
"I feel like having pizza." He said in reply.
"Pizza it is then."
"Okay, but I have to go to the bathroom. You guys wait up for me okay?" He said right before rushing towards the nearest bathroom.
"We'll be here." Pearl reassured him.
As soon as Steven was out of view, Greg moved a bit closer to Pearl, he can feel the heat rise to his cheeks. "So uhh, remember when you confessed to me and uhh..." He began.
"How can I forget about that day? It was one of the happiest moments in my life." She looked at him with love and happiness.
"Well, uhh… You remember that r-right before Steven returned t-that we were just about to…" He said as he reached out to touch her hand.
"Oh, right. We haven't exactly…" She said as she unconsciously leaned a bit closer to him.
"Only if it's okay with you…" He said as he used his other hand to cup her cheek.
"Of course…" She said with a smile.
They closed their eyes as they slowly leaned in closer towards each other. For the first time their lips touched and at that very moment they both knew that they were really meant for each other. There was definitely a spark between them that they never thought would exist. For both of them, it felt as though they were the only two people in the universe, sharing a moment they wish could last forever.
They suddenly heard a click of a camera and in shock both of them immediately moved away from each other and looked towards the source of the sound.
"Steven!" They exclaimed in unison.
The camera soon printed out the image. Steven smiled upon seeing the picture. "This one, is definitely a keeper." He said.
Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a good time and please stay safe. Be cautious when lighting fireworks and firecrackers, be careful when you're walking in the street and look out for stray bullets. I know I'm treating this like the freakin Purge but one can never be too careful. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next update :)