A/N: AppleSpongeCake is back! wooooo! I was getting so worried! now for the rest of you! but, moving on from that, I would like to thank all you who favorited and followed me and/or this story! I REALLY appreciate it! and I hope the link to the song worked properly. It took out the "com", I noticed. ._.

But I digressed! enjoy this new chapter~

A Triangle in the Stars
Chapter Thirty-Four: Shame

Steven soon made himself a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He glanced over at the couch while eating, frowning. Still trying to figure out what was wrong. It felt like it had to do with Lion...

Bipphire sat down silently and curled up a little bit, hugging his knees and closing his eye. He felt so overwhelmed. So conflicted again. He wanted Steven's help, but at the same time he didn't want to be any more vulnerable than he had been recently. And he was still Sapphire. He quietly choked on a sob, hugging his knees even tighter. Steven finished his sammich and then it came to him—Lion wasn't that shade of pink. He realized this was the pink lady from the school. He hadn't seen her at the Zodiac Temple... but through Gabe's eyes. He forced himself to remember, even though he hated those memories. Even though they felt... evil. And he remembered her being bubbled and sent somewhere else. Here? then why didn't he see her when he walked in?

Steven sighed. He decided he'd figure this all out when Bill came back, and went upstairs to his bed. Bipphire waited until it was clear, and then opened the cabinet and stepped out, still rather small. He closed it back, nearly hyperventilating. This was nuts. He shouldn't be acting like this. He wasn't used to this. He needed Steven.

He opened his mouth to call for him, but his mind immediately stopped it, No! don't call him! you're not well, Willia—Bill!

Great. Now his past was on him again. Just what he needed. Tears bubbled in his eye, but he made them evaporate. Bipphire exited the kitchen, still tiny, heading in the direction of the bathroom, hoping to whoever was up there that Steven didn't notice him.

But, as if the universe hated Bill, Steven, of course, did.

"Hey, Sapphire!" he called out, smiling. Of course, that didn't make sense. And then the solution to all of this occurred to him: he was in a dream. No wonder he couldn't go back to sleep. Bipphire froze in mid-step, but this allowed him to recompose himself.

He turned to Steven, and greeted him how Sapphire would, "Hello, Steven."

He realized the boy was thinking this was a dream, so it lifted yet another weight off of him and put the majority of his thoughts on this. The demon, greatly relieved, restored his size, and calmly started walking to the attic, smirking slightly.

"So, what are you doing here?" he sat better in his bed, excited at the thought of talking to Sapphire again, even if it was just a dream.

"I just decided to come and visit, check on you," the shapeshifted demon kept smiling, and soon he reached the attic, walking the way Sapphire would walk instead of the more confident strides he'd taken in this form, "though I knew you'd be doing okay."

That only made him smile, "Thank you..."

"You're very welcome, Steven..." Bipphire's smile broadened. But inwardly, he was starting to feel bad. He was manipulating Steven right now, just so he could stay in this form a while longer, and he felt nothing but shame.

"Everything's so weird here. I really wish you or any of the other Gems were here. I've been having so many dreams with Lapis, where she's been suffering. I would go look for her... but I can't do that on my own."

The shapeshifted demon frowned softly. He knew he was responsible for the first one the boy had since he washed up here. He then sat down beside Steven, crossing his legs, "I think everything will be alright soon enough. They'll fall into place. You just have to believe they will."

He started fidgeting slightly, growing uncomfortable. He was starting to figure out what his answers to those two questions he asked himself were. He just had to find the right time to bail.

"Thanks, Sapphire... but that's not it.." he trailed off, hoping she'd know. Because he didn't. He knew something else was off. Even in this dreamlike state.

"What is it then?" Bipphire asked, eyebrow raised. He was slipping. He knew it. It was only a matter of time before Steven found out, and he was prepared for the hell it'd probably unleash.

"I... I shared minds with a demon. It was like fusion... but I had no control. I was forced to do horrible things... until I realized I did have control. I let my friend get hurt without stopping. In fact, I made them get hurt..." Steven sighed. "Maybe it was just being like that. But everything's different now, it seems."

The shapeshifted demon froze, breath hitching, and he muttered the culprit's name. He looked down at the floor, remembering the fight and the wounds inflicted, both emotional and physical. Tears bubbled in his eye then, and he was thankful it was hidden by his luscious light blue hair. He finally spoke, almost slipping into his normal voice, "I'm sorry that happened to you... but you didn't mean any of that... did you? you didn't mean for B.. your friend.. to get hurt."

He sighed, "I don't know, really... it's all just a big strange blur. I was him and he was me. I didn't understand it... and I still don't."

Bipphire twitched. He didn't know how to answer that. He evaporated the tears once more, and finally replied, "Strange indeed..."

He didn't know how much longer he could keep up this charade. But he was getting interesting information. This was an upside to manipulation. But he still felt shame.

Steven sighed, "You know anything about all this, Sapphire? any advice or anything?"

"Hmm..." he hummed a little in thought. Garnet herself, or Sapphire herself, would be able to answer this question better. But he would be able to as well if he wasn't feeling so out of it. So he finally decided, and said, "First off, I need you to prepare for what I'm about to tell you, Steven... promise me you won't get mad."

"I promise," he nodded, smiling.

Bipphire sighed out of relief, "Thank you..." and then he said, bluntly, his own voice underlying Sapphire's, "this isn't a dream, kid."

"Isn't... a dream?" he lost the smile. "Then what about the strange pink lady?"

"She's real, just as everything was when you woke up. And her name is Pyronica," Bipphire parted his bangs, revealing his blue eye, which soon morphed into the hellish pupil he always had. But it was sad. He sighed, "I saw her in the breakage of the Warp Stream, and brought her here by forming into Sapphire. I didn't want to change back because it felt nice having an actual mouth and I'm sorry."

He grabbed his arms like a brace, and shut his eye, preparing for something bad. It was like he reverted to his childhood mentality.

"...That's okay," Steven decided. "Just... forget about everything I said." He felt betrayed. Bill kept it up until Steven had said everything... whilst Steven was sure he was in the safety of a dream.

The demon felt bad. Even though he was safe, Steven sure didn't feel safe anymore. He sighed, reopening his eye partway, and began chewing himself out under his breath, kicking himself for this. Bill abandoned the form once and for all, shivering in his golden triangular frame. This empathy business was becoming bad for his health. Was this how Steven felt all the time? ...he soon sighed, finally saying something, still hugging himself, "No. It's not okay. I manipulated you. Took advantage of you for my own gain. I feel ashamed... h..how can I make this up to you?"

Steven said nothing to Bill, lying down on his side now, not facing him. Maybe he was asleep. Bill blinked, and sighed again, continuing to talk, "Th...the house is fine, by the way... I watched over it, just like you asked..."

Tears once again appeared in his eye, but he made no attempt to get rid of them this time. Steven curled up a little more, and finally spoke, "I... I thought I had finally gotten through to you..."

His eye widened just then. "Y..you did... I... I just... it's... hard, when you've been something for so long..." the tears fell, and he shuddered, drooping slightly, "I.. I'm sorry... if it helps, I didn't want this... and I felt bad..."

This was his fault. He should've seen this through. Kept it up until he could actually bail and come back as himself, just like he first had in mind. Why didn't he? why couldn't he? was this what empathy was like? he didn't know whether to like it or hate it, but he was coming close to hating it again. He hated how it felt like a thousand questions about how best to care for people ran like speeding, runaway freight trains through his mind. He hated how it ate him up inside whenever he did something wrong or failed to properly care for another person, one way or another. But maybe that was just because he wasn't used to it? he didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop.

Steven sighed. "It's okay. We all make mistakes..." he thought of his own. All the mistakes he had made, being too careless. He sighed and hugged Bill from the back. And then he let go.

Bill stiffened slightly, and more tears fell, "Y...you sure, kid...? you seemed pretty torn up..."

This was killing him. He glanced out the window again. The clouds were a lot closer this time, and faint thunder could be heard in the distance. He was starting to feel something he hadn't really felt for a long time.

"I'm sure. I wouldn't say so otherwise... just forget about everything that I said, okay?" this time he smiled. "And can you tell me something?"

The demon nodded. It would be hard to forget, so he just wouldn't bring it up again. He smiled back, albeit weakly, just then, the tears slightly evaporating, "Yeah..? what is it that you wish to know...?"

"Pyronica. She wasn't at the Temple with all the other demons. Where did Gabe send her...?" Steven was just mildly curious—she hadn't said a word to anyone about anything as long as he had been awake.

He blinked, thinking on this for a while. And then all of a sudden he remembered. It was all flashes of images, but he remembered. His eye widened, and he whispered, "The Void..."

"The Void? what's that?" Steven frowned.

"It's... where I had sent Gabriel during the incident with my parents.. y'know..." he sighed, rubbing at his eye gingerly. "He was there ever since... so much so he must have considered it home. It's a dark place. Literally and metaphorically. It used to be just a physical prison... but it seems as if my adopted brother made it into an emotional one as well..."

Bill glanced over at where Pyronica was still lying. He shuddered. He was so glad he'd gotten her and himself out of that place before it got to him. He'd suffered a hell of a lot more, and the Void would have increased that a billion-fold. The demon shuddered again.

Steven stared. "Oh... what happened to her in there...?" he glanced at her too, biting his lip.

"It pretty much reminds you of every mistake you've ever made, every failure, and then shows you a perfect version of yourself," he explained what Pyronica told him in his own words, simplified so that Steven could understand. "It enhances your suffering a billion times over. It's basically depression up to eleven, and maybe more."

"Oh... wow... that sounds really horrible..." he was freaked out for a second.. Because that sounded so familiar to him. He yawned and sighed, "I... I think I'm going to go to bed again."

Bill raised an eyebrow at the boy, confused, "This is like the third time already, kid... did those events really tire you out this much?"

"No. I just don't like thinking about everything that's going on right now. It tires me out," he fell back onto the bed. "Good night."

"Uh, night then..." Bill frowned slightly. It was still in the middle of the afternoon, for Pete's sake. He got up and floated over to the sad bunny again, still staring at Steven curiously. Even with his conscience growing back, this boy was still pretty unpredictable...

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Ace was a wonderful Steven here... and I was Bill Cipher. As usual. Tell me your thoughts please. They'll help. They'll help me know that you're still alive and well! and I would love some discussions. So, yeah. See ya next Thursday unless you wanna drop a review!