Of all the activities I could be doing on a Saturday morning being stared at by Malachite while I tried to feed myself cereal wasn't one I enjoyed. Throbbing pain in my hand had woken me way earlier than usual and rather than tossing and turning I decided to get breakfast. Cold cereal wasn't the most culinarily advanced thing in the world but cooking with a fucked up hand seemed like way too much effort. Malachite staggered in just in time to watch me spill milk across the table because my right hand is a piece of shit. Evolution, why the fuck would you give us two hands but only make one of them actually useful? As far as I'm concerned nature dropped the ball on that shit of course I could just be salty because I'm hungry and only half of my food is making it into my mouth. Malachite's hoarse chuckle every time food sloshed off my spoon was grating on me, "You got something to do or are you gonna just keep staring? You best remember that I got no problem kicking your ass like I did your cousin's."
Real talk; Jasper won our fight hands down, she walked away with a few bruises while I ended up out of commission. Mal might not have her cousin's strength or bulk but the bitch more than made up for it in crazy. People who are trained how to fight usually have tells, ways to predict what they're going to do. Someone like Malachite just went in guns blazing doing whatever it took to hurt the other person. In the end it doesn't matter if you get hit as long as the other person gets hit harder. I'm pretty much the same way, when the din of battle sounds I go balls out and damn the consequences. Thinking about it I wonder if that's part of the reason Malachite and I loathed each other from the moment we met. Maybe in another timeline I was the unhinged rapist and she was the angsty teen trying to find herself? Man multiverse theory is fuckin weird, Hell there might even be a universe out there where Rose, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst are magic space rocks.
"S'a free country Everburn", Malachite sneered barring her unusually sharp teeth, "an last time I checked people who win don't generally need a bib. Face facts Wulfie yer all bark, you let these folks make you into a fuckin lap dog. I hear you cryin at night when you think no one else is up", She screwed up her face in a mock wail. "Daddy I'm scared, daddy you're hurting me, I'll do better next time daddy just please stop. Yer out of your depth when it comes to me Wulfie and I can't wait to tear you apart. I'm gonna make you my fuckin bitch then I'm gonna take ole blue and have my way with her right in front of you." Time went funny then; one second I was at the table with my cereal the next I was in front of Malachite shoving her backwards. Her chair toppled over with a resounding bang that echoed through the silent house.
Greg came skidding into the kitchen less than a minute later wearing nothing but a pair of striped shorts and brandishing a waffle iron. His brown hair was in complete disarray and his eyes were wild, "Who's there? I have a waffle iron", the whole thing was fucking comedy gold and I had to laugh. The pudgy man was no fighter, last i hear he was a few decades behind on his workout routine. "Oh it's just you two", He lowered his makeshift weapon slowly, "I almost waffled your face. Since I'm already up how's about we get started on some breakfast, who wants bagel sandwiches?" Dude this guy could go from home defense mode to lets make some tasty noms in ten seconds flat. Malachite didn't bother answering him she just got to her feet and slouched out of the kitchen. Her rejection made Greg's broad smile falter, "How about you Wulfie?"
I looked over at my soggy bowl of attempted breakfast and nodded, "Hell yeah Greg that sounds awesome. Sorry for wakin you guys up", I bent down to fix the chair I knocked over. Tripping hazard corrected I padded over to dump the sad remains of my cereal down the garbage disposal. The digital clock on the stove read 7:30, Peridot was supposed to come over around noon to help Lapis out with her homework. I was still conflicted on that front so I figured I should probably avoid them until I settled down. Maybe Ruby or Amethyst would want to hang out or something; worse comes to worse I could chill with Steven or Greg. Still pondering things I made my way to the fridge for a morning can of Mountain Dew. Fuck being healthy if I was gonna be up this damn early without being able to make coffee I needed this. "Say Greg, you wouldn't happen to have any workout equipment I could use would you? My gym teacher thinks I've got a good shot at making the field hockey team and I kind of want to give it a shot."
"Oh man that's great to hear", Greg shouted enthusiastically from less than three feet away from me. On the outside he may look like an overweight old man but he still had a rocker's lungs. His zeal was enough to summon a bleary eyed Steven and a scowling Rose from their beds. Oblivious to the malaise of grump surrounding the new additions to the conversation Greg beamed at Rose. "Rose did Wulfenite tell you her coach wants her to join the field hockey team?" Well shit Greg was going all proud parent on me, I should've kept my damn mouth shut. It's not like I was even on the team or anything Opal just wanted me to try out. There was no guarantee I would be good enough to play hell I didn't know the first thing about the game. "I'm gonna go down to the storage shed today and bring home some of my old gym stuff. We could convert the loft out there into our own little fitness center", Greg was grinning so hard I thought his cheeks might break. His little sandwich maker dinged and a bagel and egg breakfast nom was passed to me.
"I'm very proud of you Wulfenite", Rose wrapped her sizable arms around me in a hug. Months of conditioning had removed the instinctive flinch that normally came with unexpected contact but I was still tense. Hugs seem harmless enough but they could easily be a ploy for someone to get close enough to hurt you. Rose doesn't begrudge my fear, she was always so gentle and patient even when I didn't deserve it. Suddenly my throat is tight with an emotion that I can't place and the hug is suffocating. I needed to break free needed to run and hide, Malachite's words were ringing in my ears. They've turned me into their snugly little lap wolf just as tame and gentle as a lamb.
Careful to restrain my anger I pulled away from the hug, away from soft eyes and kind words. "I'm gonna go now thanks for the breakfast Greg", I placed the half eaten sandwich on the table. Running wasn't an option yet; not until I was out the front door and away from prying eyes. Once I was half way to the barn I put on speed letting the cold wind tear through my clothes. Gray clouds covered the sky threatening to rain but not quite doing so yet. A damp chill hung in the air making every inhale feel sort of like I was drowning. Rounding the corner to the barn I pushed myself harder glad I hadn't bothered putting on my boots. Gravel dug roughly into my bare feet and I reveled in the painful heat of it. Dad would always tell me, "Pain is weakness leaving the body, anguish is weakness leaving the mind." Did having feelings make me weak? If you asked my mom or dad they would say yes but if you asked Rose or Greg they would say no. Thinking was too hard right now, my legs were aching now but I pushed it down. I was well past the barn, past the lake where Lapis and I would bask on sunny days, past the section of field where I paid in blood for my bravado, past everything.
My breath was coming in harsh pants from the exertion, sweat sliding down my face. I felt my strength trying to give out and growled deciding to turn back towards home. By the time I made it back to the barn my legs were burning with white hot agony. Going inside was too much work so I just slumped against the wall fighting for breath. Sleep sounded awesome, I was so tired I could hardly feel how much my body hurt. Maybe this was the solution to my current frustrations I just needed to make myself too tired to think. My weird ginger hair stuck to my forehead and the side of my face; it was getting long again. I slip onto my side snuggling into the still damp Earth, yeah sleep sounded damn nice. Heavy eyelids fall closed and my body curled itself into the fetal position to conserve warmth. Strong arms wrap around me and all of a sudden I'm floating pressed up against something unbelievably solid.
Shoed feet crunching on gravel echoed in my ears followed by a melodious voice, "Is this normal? I thought you said they all had their own beds, why is Wulfenite sleeping outside?" As I became aware of my body again I realized it was fucking cold. Blindly I reached out to pull my blanket over me so I could be warm but all I found was empty space. Okay that was weird, I opened my eyes and all I could see was brown, what the fuck? I pushed myself into a sitting position using my good hand and tried to get my bearings. Right I fell asleep outside after having an early morning freak out in the kitchen. Pearl and Peridot were standing in front of me wearing matching expressions of confusion. Huh well this was awkward as all fuck, I waved rather sheepishly at the two of them.
"Excellent question", Peridot responded busting out her devil may care smirk, "why were you sleeping outside? Did Lazuli kick you out of the bed for snoring?" It could have been my imagination but I swear something like envy crossed Pearl's face at that. "Oh right, as you can tell if you use your vision spheres I brought Pearl along to help with today's study session. Clearly things will be much more efficient if I do not need to pause every minute to record your answers." There was the Peridot I knew, all logic and calculations, none of that silly sentimental crap.
Stiff as all fuck I made my way slowly to my feet wincing at the unhappy snap that came from my bad knee. Mud, dead grass, and dust covered my right side thanks to my choice of resting place. "Bitch we both know Lapis loves me way too much to kick me out of my own bed." I tried brushing off the worst of the dirt more for something to do with my hands than a desire to be clean. "Listen Peri it's not that I don't appreciate the help but I think I'm gonna sit this one out. Me and Greg got a few things we gotta take care of around the barn anyways. Besides this shit is miles over my head dude, if I want to feel dumb I can do that on my own."
Lapis chose that exact moment to make her grand entrance, flinging open the barn door hard enough to catch me right on the cast. I howled in pain jerking instinctively away from her when she rushed forward to help. "Sorry, sorry, sorry oh shit Wulifie I didn't know you were out here; are you okay?' My scream brought Amethyst and Ruby crashing through the door a few seconds later, the shorter of the two brandishing a baseball bat. Tears were brimming at the corners of her eyes ready to fall at any moment; shit man sometimes I forget how hard she feels. Ignoring the best as best I could I let Lapis pull me into a hug that I'm pretty sure was more for her benefit than mine. Judging by the fact that she was fully dressed, in a baggy black t-shirt and dark jeans, I assumed she'd been awake for a while. Her fluffy blue hair was sticking up at weird angles, she either hadn't brushed it or it simply refused to stay combed. Looks like I wasn't the only one who was overdue for a trim.
"Everything's cool Lapis I'm okay", I gingerly patted her back with my not wrapped hand. "I promise I'm okay and I'm not like going to hit you or anything, it was an accident." Shit man it wasn't working, she was starting to cry and everyone was looking at me like I was an asshole. This is why I wasn't a social creature as soon as something happens everyone always jumps to the worse conclusions. "C'mon Lapis don't cry I mean it I'm fine", I looked pleadingly over at Peridot. Ruby lowered her improvised weapon and fled back in the direction she came from. Couldn't blame her though I wanted to run away too but because this was my fault I had to stay until it was fixed. Amethyst came around my other side to join in the impromptu hug fest that was happening. "Too much contact", My brain screamed, "Too close they're all too close we need to flee."Lapis was pressed too close for me to slip away without upsetting her more.
Salvation came in the form of Peridot awkwardly clearing her throat, "As touching as this all is we should really get started." Lapis released her death grip on me and by Odin I could have kissed Peri. Pearl was looking between the four of us like she had no clue what the fuck was going on. To be fair she probably didn't, Lapis was rather good at acting normal in front of crowds. Normalcy may be relative in theory but there were still unspoken standards that everyone was held to. There's a branch of philosophy called Social Contract Theory that basically says society as a whole has wordlessly agreed that we all need to act the same. You really had to look close to notice the cracks in her facade and most people couldn't be bothered to do that. Her ability to blend in where the rest of us couldn't was Lapis' greatest weapon. Provided Higgins makes good on his promise and seals her record she shouldn't have any trouble integrating back in with the normals.
"Bird Nerd, wasn't expecting you today", Amethyst stood in front of Pearl with her hands on her hips. Unlike Lapis the purple haired one among us was still in her pajamas, a purple tank top and black sweats with stars cut out of the knees. Her waist length hair was tied back from her face in a sloppy ponytail that kind of reminded me of Coach Opal. "Lappy here said P-Dot was comin to science up the place with her high powered nerd brain. Let's go over to the house; I'm starvin and Sleeping Beauty over here looks like she needs coffee." Great they hadn't forgotten about me, so much for slipping away before I was missed.
Enthusiastic as ever Amethyst bounded down the worn path that connected the house to the barn. Lapis, Peridod, Pearl, and myself all fell in line behind her at a more sedate pace. Pearl hung back slightly so she could fall into step beside me offering a small smile. Given that this was a casual occasion she was dressed really weird, she had on a white button down short and black dress pants. I have to admit the clothes complemented her well showing off her trim waist and long legs. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, no one will blame you for leaving." She placed a pale hand on my less dirty shoulder and squeezed in a way that was oddly reassuring. I responded by bending down and bumping the side of my face into her arm like an over sized cat. She giggled softly, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound, and we walked side by side in easy silence.
Studying was tedious as all fuck; we were up in the loft splayed out between the two couches and the floor. Textbooks were opened and scattered around the room along with bits of scrap paper. Before we got started I had swapped out my dusty clothes for a green tank top and some jeans. The top did an excellent job of showing off the muscle that had been steadily building in my arms and shoulders. Opal hadn't been kidding when she said she wanted me doing one handed push ups. Hell the fitness crazed woman was dropping hints about having me take on chin ups as well. As physically demanding as everything was I couldn't argue with the results. By the way Pearl's eyes seemed to travel over me when I flopped across the floor I figured she appreciated the fruits of my labor. "Peridot", I whined, "this is soooo boring can't we take a break or something? We've been at this for like six hours", I put on my best puppy dog expression.
"Actually we have only been working for two and a half hours not factoring in snack breaks." Peridot lifted her eyes from the formulas in front of her to look around the room. I was sprawled on the floor in front of the couch with my legs under the coffee table. Lapis was on the couch with her head in her hands looking fried, Amethyst was next to her staring at the ceiling. Pearl was on the other couch next to Peridot, tongue between her teeth as she worked through a problem. "Very well we have accomplished an adequate amount of progress for now, what do you suggest we do?"
Author's Note: I know I'm ending in a weird spot but this was a long chapter and I need some chill. As always reviews are appreciated.