Author's note: Hey so this is my first time posting on , so if there's
any formatting errors, let me know. Aside from that, I hope you enjoy the fic.
Steven had gotten a little drained from being on the road for so long. It had been about a year and a half since he arrived at Wyoming and despite enjoying those quick stays in every state he'd visited, he wanted a little permanence for a while. It was already summer so he decided to look for a job. Something simple and easy enough for him to relax, but rewarding enough so that it also felt like he was being productive. That was when he saw that poster. "Peace. Solitude. The great outdoors. Volunteer as a lookout." It was everything he wanted and more.
For one, being a fire lookout sounded easy. Steven already had an amazing sense of awareness, plus his floating powers would allow him to get better views of the Forest that no one else could. So he volunteered. He was told to go to the "Two Forks Lookout" which was luckily only a two days hike from where he already was.
He had of course, let the Gems, his dad, and Connie know he was going to be staying in Wyoming for a while. They all took it pretty well. Telling him to enjoy himself. Connie, ever the survival expert, let him know all of the supplies he would need for the hike and just a little extra, in case the supplies he was promised were not enough for him.
Once he had everything he needed, he was off. He tried not to use his powers too much during the hike. Not because it would be somehow unfair to the other lookouts. It was mostly because he just wanted to enjoy it. If he was going to spend the next couple of months in the wilderness, he might as well make the most out of it. Especially before he had to actually start doing "work". Although, from the job description it didn't seem like he'd be doing much. Just sitting and looking out for fires didn't seem like a strenuous task.
Although he didn't want to cut his hike short, he did however want to at least get there a little early. If his time at Little Homeschool was anything to go by, he was a responsible young man and he didn't mind being early to this job. Plus, it would allow him to get acclimated to where he'd be staying for the summer. So he planned on camping one night at the halfway point and then getting to the lookout before dark. Despite his phone not having much reception, or any at all, it still had a little battery left allowing him to keep up with the time. He'd forgotten to bring a watch, which in retrospect might've been a wise decision if they didn't provide him with any outlets.
Those setbacks aside, he made it just before nightfall and boy was he glad he did. Despite having gem powers, he was still fairly tired from the hike. He was half human after all. And the flights of stairs leading up to the watchtower weren't helping in the slightest. He did make it up, eventually, and turned on the power. The singular lightbulb dangling in the middle of the room over a Fire Finder lit up. He turned it off, because it wasn't exactly needed. It was still mostly bright outside, so he could see just fine.
A few moments passed before the walkie talkie behind him came to life.
"Hello Two Forks tower.", the woman on the other end said. Her tone had a hint of anger and unhappiness to it, but Steven picked up the radio and put on the happiest voice he could muster.
"Hello, um, who is this?", he asked.
"I'm Delilah.", she said.
"Oh, you must be my boss right?"
"Yeah.", she almost sighed. "So then, now I get a question."
"Uh sure."
"What the hell are you doing here so early? Actually, better yet, how the hell?", Delilah asked, a little exasperated.
"Well, that's a long story", Steven answered, not wanting to get into his gem heritage at that moment. He would much rather have unpacked his things and lay on the small bed in the lookout tower, preferably forever.
"Right, so then, next question. What's up with the names?", this was something Steven actually could answer in a relatively succinct manner.
"Look, I promise you this isn't a prank. It's just that my dad just decided to change his last name to 'Universe' and I promise that the rest of it is technically right. Well, except for 'CutiePie' I'm pretty sure I just-"
"No no no no no, I'm talking about you having two names, which are, might I say, pretty different.", Delilah interrupted.
"What are you talking about?", Steven asked with genuine confusion.
"I've got two names on my list for Two Forks and I'm assuming either one of them is some kind of stage name or someone made a huge mistake while-", she cut herself off. "Ugh, give me a second.", and she went silent.
Steven then heard Delilah's voice, but it sounded as if she were farther away. He couldn't really understand most of what she was saying, but from what he could hear, she was angry.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUST DEAL WITH IT…DON'T TELL ME YOU...WHY WOULD WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE IN…"
She went on like that for a while, so Steven decided to just start unpacking. He stored all his supplies where he thought they might go in the small living space he was provided. There were a couple of cabinets he could put things in and, thankfully, there were already a couple of supplies in them. There was also a cooler he could keep more perishable items in. Aside from that, he had some clothes and he had brought a couple books to spend the time away.
Since he was done, he decided to go see where he could take a shower, or at least clean himself as best as he could. He didn't see any showers on his way over and he was sure there wasn't one in the tower. However he did hear about a lake in the area so he would have to settle for that. Taking his radio with him, as well as a map he found, he set out to find it. Having used several maps before in his life, he was able to find the lake fairly easily, using his floating powers to hop down some steep shale slides. He also saw a rowdy couple with a tent nearby, but they seemed to be harmless, so he decided to let them be.
He took his little "shower" and made his way back. Since it was already dark out he wasn't that sweaty by the time he got back to the lookout. At least he was feeling more clean than when he arrived.
His radio was still silent so he assumed Delilah was off doing whatever it was she was doing, so he decided to just relax. The bed wasn't as...comfortable as he wanted it to be, but it was what he had. The sounds of the woods outside definitely helped. The quiet chirping of birds and crickets. The slight whistle of the wind. The trees brushing up against one another. It really set the mood for him.
His peace and quiet was swiftly interrupted by a sigh, coming from Delilah.
"Ok, kid, I'm going to need for you to give me your full name.", she said, not a single shred of patience within her voice.
"Uh sure, it's Steven Quartz CutiePie DeMayo Diamond Universe.", he said quickly, afraid he'd lose his job if he didn't answer soon enough.
"Ok, well, 'Steven', I assume you're going to need to hear this, so here goes.", she said, a little less irritated and a little more tired. "When the they were filing the paperwork for you, somebody must've fucked up and now-"
Just as she was about to finish her sentence, Steven heard the creaking of the door. There in the doorframe was a fairly sized man, with a beard, in khakis and a grey shirt. He looked tired, most likely from the two to three day hike he probably just did.
Delilah continued, unaware of the man's entrance, "-well let's just say you're going to be having a roommate."
