A look into the soul.
Chapter 8
The forest floor was mucky and smeared with rotting leaves. The musky, dense smell choked Connie and Steven as they travelled towards the road.
"Okay, we've gone pretty far. Let's take a break," Connie panted, a little out of breath. Steven crawled to the ground, swimming in his own sweat.
"Let me have a look at your gem,"
Connie rolled Steven on to his back, and lifted his shirt to examine the gem shard stuck to his gem.
"What do think, doctor?"
"We've either got to chop your body in two, or we can try the tickle treatment!"
Connie mercilessly tickled Steven's stomach and neck, having partly planned this ambush in advance.
"No, stop! How was I so stupid to fall for this!"
Steven yelled,between each breath of laughter.
"Okay really, we should sit down."
Connie giggled as she sat on a sturdy log conveniently close to them.
"Does it hurt you at all?"
She was beginning to understand that this was a serious matter to be dealt with accordingly.
"No, but it looks like it's spreading..."
The grey haze was now covering a larger radius and was slowly becoming more intense in colour.
"What about your healing powers? Will they help at all?"
"I guess I could try,"
Steven licked a finger and placed it on his gem. The shard stuck stubbornly nonetheless.
"Nothing changed,"
He said disappointed.
"Well, it's okay. When we get back to the gems they will hopefully know what to do. We should keep walking if we wanna reach the road by this evening."
"We just sat down!"
Steven moaned, exhausted.
"Oh come on! Your supposed to be the fit one here!"
"Hey! These guns are pretty heavy and are weighing me down!"
Steven exclaimed, flexing his arm at Connie.
"You know, if we, fused, we could use less energy and move more efficiently. What do you think?"
Connie suggested, however still a little nervous about the whole experience.
"That's a good idea… do we need music?"
Steven asked, pulling out his phone.
"It would make it easier,"
Connie replied.
Placing his phone in the ground speaker side up, Connie put out her hand to pull Steven from the ground. Swaying side to side, they danced energetically before Connie swing Steven so he hung in her arms, and unexpectedly placed a quick kiss on his forehead. In the fits of giggles, Steven's gem glowed brightly and Stevonnie formed out of bright light.
"Feels nice to be back!" They said, examining their body, remembering the last time they were formed.
They began to run towards the forest edge, suddenly energized from the burst of excitement.
"Look, we're almost there!"
Stevonnie continued to jog along the forest, covering ground faster than before.
After an hour or two, they finally reached the barren dirt road.
They ran right up to the edge,
"Woohoo! We're here!"
Before a large truck came flying past. Stevonnie yelled in shock of the near collision with the truck, lost their balance and unfused.
Steven and Connie fell flat on the ground, weak and tired from Stevonnie working their bodies a little too much.
"Ugh, my head aches..."
Connie groaned, gripping her head and squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
"My back is broken! Ugh please Connie carry meeeee!" Steven whined, rubbing the pain in his lower back.
"No, we have to keep moving,"
She began to began to follow to walk up along the road, heading north.
"I wonder if there's any signal here.."
She pulled out her mobile.
"Ugh, still nothing."
"Connie, please can we take a proper break? It's getting dark now, we could camp right here, in the trees." Steven suggested.
"Okay, I am really tired anyway."
They retreated a little bit into the density of the forest, and lied down on pillows of leaves.
"How's the gem now?"
Connie asked, pulling up his shirt to see.
"Uhh, it's covering my stomach now!"
Steven said, panicking.
"Don't worry, when I find a phone signal I'll be able to call my parents, and, this will all be sorted. I know it will."
"Ugh, this is all my fault. All this stupid gem stuff, getting lost out here, we're probably gonna die. I can't understand why you even hang out with me! I-I mean your just getting into these unnecessary problems, and, and-"
Steven stuttered and babbled, panic rising up his throat.
"Shh, it's okay. Believe me, if I didn't want to hang out with you, I wouldn't! Thing is, I like you the way you are, and if I were you, I wouldn't change any of it. Your perfect by being you."
Connie placed her hand on his, and affectionately stroked his cheek.
"Connie, why do people fall in love?"
Steven hummed, a smile pasted along his face once more.
"Well, I theorise its related to securing a mate and is an evolutionary trait humans gained for higher chances to reproduce and- wait, that was just a pick up line, not a question."
Connie blushed as she chattered on.
"Reproduce?"
Steven said, completely confused.
"Hey, not my job telling you. I only know cuz my mom's a doctor,"
Connie said, somewhat surprised that he had never learned about 'the birds and the bees'.
"Well, I don't care why it happens, all I know is that I'm in it..."
Steven shyly whispered, inches away from Connie's face.
"You've really matured, you know? At least now you can understand what your doing now..."
Connie blushed, then kissed the tip of his nose.
Steven giggled and his eyes grew bigger, having a very youthful, cute look on his face.
"But then again, your still Steven!"
She kissed his cheek, but then Steven unexpectedly pulled her into a tight hug.
"Hey! Give me a proper one! I know you want to,"
He said about the kiss, then kissing her directly on her lips.
"For someone who's never really kissed before, your excellent at it."
Connie sighed, still feeling the sensation on her lips.
"Really? I feel so awkward when I do..."
He said, lying down onto their bed of grass.
"We should probably go to sleep now,"
He yawned, then wrapping his arms around his love, his warm arms feeling incredibly comfortable around Connie.
"We leave in the morning, Ok?"
"Sure, good night Connie."
Connie was already snoring, so Steven cuddled up to her, and dug his head in to her beautiful, warm, curly locks, breathing in her soft scent.
"I think I really do love you..."
Sorry for the long wait! Writers block is getting to me.😰 hope you like the chapter!