Holy Hickity Heck! It's way easier for me to write in first person lmao. I'm gonna keep writing in this style until I get stumpted again. Rawr XD (ew gross)

Gore and/or trigger warning.

Steven

I can't breath. I can't breath! There's a pressure on my chest, it's pushing down on my rib cage and shoving me down. I feel my skin burning, my power rippling up to my skin. The monster has it's jaws locked on me. I think it's shaking me.

I finally open my eyes. My skin is glowing pink and the monster is pushing me with it's nose farther and farther down below the surface. I focus on my hands and think about forming a diamond shaped shield. It forms out of my palms and I shove it forward. The edge glides against the beast's face, cutting deep against it's scales.

I wince. I want to heal the poor thing, it was just defending it's lake. It lets out a screech and spins around in the water. It's tail whips me in the gut and my back slams against the sandy lake bottom. The air gets knocked out of my chest and rises up in round innocent bubbles.

A pink bubble forms around me, pushing the water away so I can breath. I gasp in, gulping up air. I nearly pass out, but I focus on the feeling of my fingers. I move them slightly, my joints are stiff, but they aren't broken.

Once my mind is more steady, I look around. It's really dark. I hope the others are ok. That monster came out of nowhere, but I don't think it hit the boat.

I feel my skin start to cool and my power dulls. My head is throbbing now and I hold it in my hands, leaning over my knees. Why does my head hurt so bad!? It's like someone's screaming in my ear. It feels like all of the cracks in my skull are splitting apart.

"Geez, you look horrible." An oddly familiar voice makes my head snap up. (I moved too quickly and I think the pain is gonna make me throw up) Bill is sitting on the other side of my bubble, staring at me.

"How did you get here?" My voice sounds like a horrid, harsh whisper.

"I'm everywhere." He laughs and inspects the bubble walls, he's still sitting. Bill snaps his fingers and my head feels cleared and better.

"How-"

"Listen kid, you have some sort of power from your gem. And I think I know more about it than you." My face flushes red.

"How would you know more about me than me?" I snarl.

"I know everything."

"If you know everything, what do you want from me?"

"I want to fuse again." A wave of shear fear passes over me. I don't want to fuse again. I don't think so anyway. I wonder if this is what Lapis felt. No I was fused for only a little bit

"Why?" My stupid voice is shaking. I have to sound steady. Common Universe!

"My body doesn't really fit in this dimension. So I've always had to take a body that was never mine." Why do I feel sorry for him? "So when we fused, I got my own body."

"It wasn't fully yours." I grumble.

"Yeah yeah. No need to get caught on the little details." He closes his eye and waves his hand "So what d'ya say?" He extends his arm out to me. I flinch back. I can't take his hand. I lost control last time. He-I hurt people. Like Sugilite.

"No!" I smack his hand and Bill hisses at me. He floats up and turns red.

"Fine! But I hope you think about it. See you around Diamond." He sizzles away into thin air. My lungs feel tight and my gem is burning. No it can't burn me. Yes, I think it is. I think it's actually burning me. I lift up my shirt to touch my gem and squeak. The bubble pops and the sudden pressure of the water around me makes me cough.

I try to inhale, but suck in a mouthful of water and panic. I don't have any more air to breath out. My eyes glance around wildly. The water is so still around me, there aren't even bubbles. Just my arms and legs flailing around.

I open my eyes and look up. The water is a greenish color and I can barely see the light of the sun above me. I coil my legs and push against the lake bottom, shooting upwards. I almost make it to the surface before I slow down. I think I'm close, I reach up, but there's no air above me. The edge of my vision is getting blurry. Everything is getting so blurry… I need air… I'm so close…

Dipper

"There!" Soos points to something near the surface of the lake a few yards away from the boat. It's Steven! He's underwater, floating up to the surface, but he isn't moving.

"Wendy, bring us close so we can grab him from the back of the boat!" I shout, trying to keep my voice steady. I glance over at Mabel and I think she's crying. Wendy pulls the boat close and I run to the back, where a ladder goes down to the water.

"Ok, I have a rope, can you help me get back up?" I toss one end to Mabel and Soos. I'm about to go to the ladder.

"Hang on Dipper, I was a lifeguard last summer. I was trained for this." She throws her life jacket aside and dives into the water.

Wendy

Steven must have been swimming up, but he's sinking back down into the depths of the lake. I can hold my breath for a long time, but not for several minutes. And Steven was dragged under over ten minutes ago.

I'm so close to grabbing his hand. Just. A little. Closer. Got him! I kick the water and pull him up to the surface. I take in a deep breath of air, I wish Steven would do the same. I latch onto the ladder (which is pretty short, only two steps) and haul Steven and I up onto the deck of the boat. Mabel lets out a small cry as I drop him onto the floor.

I place my hands on the center of his chest and lock my elbows before pushing down with all my weight. That's all it takes, one push and he starts coughing. That was easy.

Steven starts coughing up water and he turns so that he's on his elbows, his head hanging low. I smack his back to help get the water out of his lungs. Steven lets out a sharp yelp and I draw my hand back.

"Are you ok?!" Dipper's eyes are wide with panic.

"Yeah." Steven says in a scratchy voice. He keeps coughing and taking in deep gulps of air.

Dipper

Steven's eyes are bloodshot and his arms are shaking.

"Are you guys ok?" He asks in between coughs. I look up at Mabel.

"Yeah, we're ok!" Mabel laughs (a very nervous laugh) and crouches down next to Steven.

"Dude, what happened?!" Soos looks pale and he's fidgeting with his fingers.

"The, uhm-" Steven coughs up more water, but this time it's lightly tinted red, "The monster pushed me." He coughs again. Yup, he's definitely coughing up blood. I think his gums are bleeding. Mabel tugs on my sleeve and motions to Steven's arm.

"Steven did it bite you?" Mabel's voice is quivering and Wendy walks over.

"Probably" He sits back and takes in a deep breath.

"Can I check for bite marks?" Wendy touches his drenched sleeve and he nodds. She rolls up a little bit of his sleeve and I can already see blood. Mabel looks away but stays next to Steven. Wendy inhales sharply through her teeth and winces. Steven's face is scrunched up and I peek over Wendy's shoulder.

My stomach churns and I feel my breakfast rise up in my throat. There's a deep gash on Steven's arm that (visibly) gones down to his bone. I think Soos is about to throw up or pass out.

Steven turns his head to examine the wound. There's blood running all the way down his arm and onto the deck.

"Gross." He sticks out his tongue and wrinkles his nose, "Sorry about the mess."

"The what? Oh." Wendy looks at the ground, "That's literally not a problem right now. You're kinda bleeding out." Her voice is weirdly steady. How is she so calm?!

"Ack" Steven lifts up his opposite hand and picks his palm. I coil back in disgust as he smacks his hand onto the huge gash. Soos is definitely puking over the side now. What the heck? Is it- I think his wound is closing up. It definitely is. Mabel's eyes are huge with wonder. Within moments the huge, bleeding, wound is reduced to a hairline scar. It's barely noticeable.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?" I didn't mean to shout, but Steven responds by lifting up his shirt and tapping on his gem. He coughs again, coughing up more blood. Wendy notices this time and opens her mouth to say something, but Steven answers her un-asked question.

"I keep biting my tongue. It's nothing." Steven looks around, "Did anyone get hurt? What happened?" His eyes are round with curiosity.

"Maybe we should go home and get some lunch or something first. I want to get off this lake." Mabel stands up and wipes her face off with her arm.

Thanks for readinggg! Oofda, their second adventure was crazy. I wonder what will happen next 0w0