Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the middle of Las Nevas, in the state of Nevaska, it's a cold, and silent night.

Everything seems calm, and the only audible sounds are the footsteps of a short girl with short blonde hair and glasses, wearing a baggy hoodie.

She walks nervously, holding some books, going straight to her room. "Damn, how didn't I notice it was so late?" She thinks to herself.

She walks quickly, only to be stopped by a group of thugs blocking her path.

The leader of them whistles and grins. "Hey, pretty, what are you doing here at this time?"

She takes a step back, evidently intimidated. "I-I was just heading back to my dorm. I stepped into the library to get some books and—"

He interrupts with a chuckle. "Well, that's interesting, but how about a little fun?"

She freezes at the man's words, her heart pounding faster. "I-I'm not interested, thank you."

She tries to leave, but the group pulls her into an alley making her drop her books.

"Lemme break it down for you: Just give in, or it'll be worse for ya."

Terrified, the girl tries to call for help, but the group prevents her from doing it.

They smirk among themselves, but before they could proceed, they hear a rough, deep voice from the end of the alley.

"Oi."

They look toward the source of the voice and see a tall figure staring at them. Only their dark eyes are visible, glowing with a white diamond-shaped outline.

"I see you're busy. I'm not in the mood to talk today, so just let the girl go."

He glares at the figure, annoyed for being interrupted. "This ain't your business, punk. Get lost."

The figure rolls their eyes and passes a hand over their face. "... look, I've got a goddamn hangover today, so let's make this quick." They suddenly lunged at the leader, punching his face hard enough to knock the leader out.

The rest of the group look at the figure with surprise and fear as they knock the leader out. The group draw their knives and prepare to stab him.

The figure shakes their head and let a low laugh. "Goddamn damn…" They crack their fingers and lunge towards the thugs. One of them tries to stab the figure, but they dodge and grab the thug's arm before punching and breaking it, making him scream in pain while another one lunges to stab them. They dodge and punch the thug in the face, knocking him off.

The remaining thugs take a step back, still gripping their knives tightly. The figure cracked his neck and shoulders before pulling two large axes from their forehead.

The group looks astonished at the figure. They hesitantly take their leader and run away from the place.

The figure sighs: "Cowards..." They drop the axes, which disappear in thin air. They walk towards the girl, crouching in front of her abd getting on her eye level, their eyes glancing into hers. The dim light made him unable to see his appearance. "Yo, you ok?"

She stares at him, words catching in her throat. Her hands tremble as she picks up her books. Finally, she nods, her voice barely above a whisper. "Y-Yeah… Thank you.”

They nod. "Cool…"

Silence falls between them for a few moments. She tries to recognize any of the figure’s appearance, but the darkness of the night prevents her to even see his face. "... who are you?"

The figure shrugs. "Call me Steven."

She nods, slowly calming down and getting up. "... Thank you… thank you so much…" She picks up the books from the ground and looks at him curiously. "I'm Fionna."

He looks at her and adopts with a softer tone. "Nice to meet ya."

They look at each other for a moment, the cold breeze of the night hitting them. After a few moments, Steven stretches and assumes in a nonchalant tone: "Eh, I guess that's it. See ya sometime, I guess."

Fionna widens her eyes, she can't believe this guy is just going to go away like nothing happened after everything. She just looks at him surprised. "... Okay… bye."

He nods and walks away. As he tries to leave the alley, he's stopped by a cop pointing a gun at his face. "Freeze! I saw everything that happened, and you're under arrest for assaulting and threatening a group! You're coming with me!"

Steven looks at the officer in silence. He simply huffs and raises his hands. "And there it goes my game night."

Fionna takes a few seconds to process the situation. As she realizes what's happening, she quickly steps forward, saying nervously: "W-What?! S-Sir, he didn't mean any harm. He did it because they were trying to hurt me."

The officer glances at Fionna with an angry look. "Girl, don't try to help this punk. If what you're telling is true, then he's not only going to be arrested for assault, but also for vigilantism."

Fionna gets even more shocked, but Steven shrugs and simply puts his hands behind his back, allowing himself to be handcuffed.

He looks at Fionna, his face still shrouded in the darkness of the night: "Don't worry, I'm more used to this. It won't take one day before I break free."

She opens her mouth, but no words come out. What can she even say? That it isn’t fair? That the world shouldn’t punish people for doing the right thing? Her fingers clench the edges of her books, but all she can do is watch as the car disappears into the night.

She stands in the alley, surprised and shocked by everything that had just happened.

After regaining her senses, she gathers her books and runs back to her dorm.

Arriving at her dorm a ton of questions invades her mind, "Who was that guy? Why did that guy save me? Where did he take those axes?" And the more she thinks about it, the more she feels guilty for not doing anything against his arrest.

She lies on her bed and covers her face with a pillow, the guilt taking over her.

She keeps thinking on what to do, and she lets a sigh, determined to help.

[THE NEXT DAY]

Fionna stepped into the jail, her stomach twisting. A guard led her through the dimly lit corridors, the sound of distant conversations echoing off the concrete walls.

The guard looks at her with a raised brow: "I don't understand. Why would a girl like you want to see a prisoner?"

She quickly speaks up. "He's not a bad person. He saved me and was arrested for it, the least I can do is try to get him out."

The guard shrugs. "Suit yourself then…"

As they approach the cell, they feel a weird scent of smoke and alcohol. They get in front of the cell and see Steven lying on the bed, smoking a joint, drinking beer, and reading a magazine.

The guard quickly bangs the bars of the cell with a baton and speaks in an aggressive tone. "Wimbleton! Where do you keep getting that?!"

Steven laughs and stretches. "Like I was going to tell you."

The guard goes to enter the cell, getting the baton to hit him, but Fionna intervenes. She gulps and steps closer to the bars: "... Hi… D-do you remember me?"

He stops and looks at her: "Oh… it's you… the girl from the last night. Fionna I guess?"

Fionna nods: "Yes, that's me… I came here because I want to get you out."

He glances at her in silence and simply raises an eyebrow: "... why?"

She takes a deep breath and approaches, nervously gripping the bars: "... Because you saved me. This is the least I can do… You… you were my hero, my savior, and I think that I should make it up to you… do something that shows how grateful I am for your… generosity…"

At the end of her speech, a comfortable silence settles down between them… before Steven bursts in laughing.

Fionna steps back. She was expecting anything, any word, but definitely she was not expecting… this.

He slowly stops laughing and shakes his head, taking a drag of the joint. "God fucking dammit… I've never heard such a load of bullshit before…" He gets out of the bed and approaches the bars, revealing his appearance: A tall and muscular guy with dark skin, messy black hair covering his forehead and sharp teeth.

His dark-gray eyes has diamond-shaped irises. He's using a black T-shirt with a white pentagram, a black jacket with white details, gray ripped jeans and black sneakers.

He glances at her with a smirk while gripping the bars: "Do I look like a hero to you?"

She backs down, intimidated by the real appearance of her 'savior'. "... It doesn't matter your look, you saved me, and that's that. You're a good person."

"Ha! Sure! 'A good person'." He shakes his head. "I'd say more… an asshole scoundrel." He nods, his smile widening. "Yeah, that's more like me."

Fionna looks at him with disappointment, her determination to help him slowly fading.

Steven smirked at Fionna through the bars, his sharp teeth visible as he continued to mock her. "So what's the plan, doll? You gonna break me out? Or maybe talk to the big boys and convince them I'm a misunderstood saint?"

Fionna was unsure of how to respond to his sarcasm. Seeing him up close, hearing the way he dismissed her gratitude like it was a joke, she started to wonder if she had made a mistake coming there.

But she couldn't give up now. Not after what happened the night before.

"I don't know what you've been through, but you didn't have to save me, and yet you did... Maybe you don't see yourself as a hero, but that's what you were to me last night. You stopped them when no one else would. I don't care how you act or what you call yourself, I know there's something good in you."

Steven's smirk faltered for a second, but he quickly masked it with a shrug. "You're wasting your time."

"I don't think so. You were arrested for defending me, so even if you're not a good person, I need to find a way to get you free."

Steven raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Heh, 'arrested for defending you'? Girl, lemme break it down for you: I was arrested because that area was guarded by police. Thugs paying cops for protection so they could do whatever they wanted." He takes another drag and flicks the joint to the ground, stepping on it. "I didn't save you because I'm a hero or something, I did it because I'd feel bad to ignore a rape."

Fionna clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Maybe that's true. Maybe you're not a hero. Maybe you don't even care what happens to people like me. But even if you did it just because you 'felt bad,' it doesn't change the fact that you did something no one else was willing to do."

Steven tilted his head, watching her with mild curiosity. "You're persistent, I'll give you that. Most people would've run away or written me off as a lost cause by now."

The guard interrupted with an annoyed grunt. "Alright, sweetheart, your time's about up. And trust me, this guy isn't worth your energy. He's been in and out of this cell more times than I can count. Just another lowlife who thinks the rules don't apply to him."

Steven shot the guard a wicked grin, his sharp teeth glinting. "Aw, Officer Grumpy, you wound me. I thought we had something special."

The guard scowled but didn't take the bait.

Fionna ignored the exchange, her focus unwavering. "There has to be a way to prove what happened. Maybe I can talk to the police chief, or the mayor, or someone who can—"

Steven chuckled darkly, cutting her off. "Girl, if I wanted to leave this place, I'd have already done." He stretches and goes back to the bed. "Now go away."

Fionna looks at him in disappointment, but she stomps the ground and crosses her arms. "I'm not going away until you leave this cell."

Steven pause. He looks at the ceiling and huffs. "... You're really not going away, huh?" He sighs deeply and turns to stare at her. "Fine. You want me to get out, huh? Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." He approaches the bars and grips them. He starts forcing the bars in order to break free.

Fionna gasped as she watched Steven grip the metal bars of his cell with both hands. His muscles flexed, and for a moment, she thought it was a joke. But then the metal started to groan, and to her shock, the bars bent outward under the pressure of his hands.

The guard, who had been standing nearby, whipped around at the sound. "Hey! Stop that!" He raised his baton, ready to strike Steven.

Before the guard could swing, Steven punched him in the face, knocking him out.

Steven let out a low chuckle, stretches, passing through the bars. He looks at her and raises his hands. "I'm out. Happy?"

Fionna stood there incredulous. She definitely hadn't expected he would do… that.

"You… you just bent metal bars with your hands..."

Steven shrugs, as if it was just a regular part of his day. "Yeah, I did that. Well, I get to go to a bar to drink something... and you, doll, go live your life."

Fionna blinked, still processing what had just happened. "You're just… leaving? After all?"

Steven shrugged, walking toward the exit like nothing had happened. "Yup. I'm not sticking around here. You wanna help? Get lost."

Fionna stood frozen for a moment, her mind racing. She knew she was being reckless, but something in her refused to let this go.

"Wait!" She called, taking a few hurried steps after him. "I'm coming with you."

Steven stops in his track and turned to face her. "Coming with me? You wanna tag along with a guy who just broke out of jail?"

Fionna nodded, swallowing her nerves. "Look, I don’t know what you are, but after last night, I can’t just walk away. I need answers."

Steven stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a deep sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. "You really don't know when to quit, do you? Fine, if you wanna follow me, don't say I didn't warn you."

Fionna's heart raced. She knew this was dangerous, everything about him screamed trouble, but she felt like this was her only shot to understand who he really was.

Steven started walking again, and Fionna quickly caught up to him.

"Where are we going?" Fionna asked nervously, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"There's a bar a few blocks down," Steven said casually. "I need a drink. After that, I don't know. Guess you'll have to find out."

Fionna wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or more nervous. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but there was no turning back now. As they stepped out into the cold Nevaska night, she glanced at Steven, trying to figure out what made him so different. His strength, his eyes, the way he carried himself, it all felt unnatural

And as much as she was afraid of what she might uncover, Fionna couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to learn something far bigger than she ever imagined.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

The night air was cold against Fionna's skin as she followed Steven through the dimly lit streets. Every instinct told her to turn back, to head home, to forget about the guy who saved her life. But she was in too deep now, and another part of her was desperate to know more about this mysterious figure.

The bar loomed ahead. A low hum of music and muffled voices spilled out into the night as they approached. As they stepped inside, the smoky atmosphere enveloped them. Patrons filled the room, laughter and chatter blending with the clinking of glasses. 

“Two shots of whiskey.” Steven said, leaning casually against the counter. The bartender raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t question the request. Fionna felt out of place amidst the rough crowd, but Steven’s presence provided a strange comfort.

“What now?” She asked, glancing around as they waited for their drinks.

“Now we drink,” He replied with a smirk, grabbing the two shots as they were placed before him. He downed one in a single motion before handing the second one to her.

“Um, I don’t drink…” She stammered, staring at the amber liquid like it was poison.

“Suit yourself. More for me.” He tossed back the second shot, leaning against the bar with a satisfied sigh. 

She looks at Steven as he drinks, feeling nervous to ask questions. “... How are you so strong? I mean, you bent those bars with your bare hands…”

Steven paused, the glass hovering near his lips as he considered her question. He set the empty shot glass down with a soft clink and turned to her, his expression shifting to one of mild amusement. “You really want to know?”

Fionna nodded, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension. "Yeah, I mean... It's not every day you see someone do something like that."

He chuckled, a dark sound that sent a shiver down her spine. “Well, it is all because of this.” He passes his hand on his hair, moving it from his forehead, revealing a black, pointy horn-like on his forehead.

Fionna widens her eyes and backs down, surprised. “What IS that?!”

They glance at each other for a few seconds in silence until Steven sighs and rolls his eyes. “Understandable yet offensive.”

Fionna's heart raced as she stared at the “horn”, a mix of fear and fascination flooding her senses. The bar seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them locked at this moment. "I— I didn't mean to offend you." She stammered, trying to regain her composure. "It just caught me off guard."

Steven chuckled softly. "Trust me, I get that a lot. Most people see this thing, and they think I'm some kind of monster. Well, at least it gives me power."

"Powers?" Fionna echoed, her curiosity igniting. "How?”

Steven shrugs. “No idea. Everything I know is that I was born with it, and it gives me some cool abilities.”

Fionna stared at him, her mind racing. "So, you were born with it? Like, it's some kind of... malformation?"

Steven chuckles. "Well, medicine say that. Religion say it is a curse.” He leans closer to her. “But to be honest, some jewelers confirmed it is a diamond.”

Fionna blinked, her mind struggling to process the strange revelation. "A diamond...? On your forehead?"

He smirks. “Well, actually it is inside my head. This is just, like, 20% of the whole thing. Wanna see the X-Rays?”

“... You’re joking, right?” She asked, half-hoping he would laugh it off.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Of course not, doll.” He puts his hand into this ‘diamond’ and pulls the X-ray exams from inside it.

Fionna’s jaw dropped as she watched Steven pull out a set of X-ray films from seemingly nowhere. He spread them out on the bar, the faint light illuminating the stark outlines of skull and bone.

“Here you go.” He said nonchalantly, gesturing to the images. “As you can see, there’s a diamond right there, replacing my brain and fulfilling my skull. Kinda hard to miss.”

Fionna leaned closer, squinting at the films. “This is… unreal.” She traced the outline of the diamond with her finger, barely daring to breathe. “How is that even possible? How are you even alive? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Steven watched her with a smug expression as she examined the X-ray films. “Nah. I was born with it, so it’s just part of me, like an extra organ. Though I can’t say I’ve had the most conventional life because of it.”

Fionna straightened, her head spinning with the revelations. “So you’ve lived with this… diamond in your head your whole life? How did your parents react?”

A flicker of something darker crossed Steven's face. “... Heh... Well… I don't have parents. I won't give details, but I’ve spent my whole life in orphanages, jumping from family to family, until I got tired and escaped to live all by myself. And I’ve been doing pretty good since then.”

Fionna felt a pang of sympathy for him, realizing that beneath his bravado was a painful truth. “That sounds… really tough… But you’re not alone anymore. I want to help you, whatever that means.”

Steven laughs. “Help? Seriously? You know how the world treats people like me. You think you can just waltz in and fix everything?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.” Fionna replied, determination creeping back into her voice. “But I want to understand you. You’ve been through so much, and I can’t just ignore that.”

He studied her for a moment, a flicker of interest sparking in his eyes. “You’re different, aren’t you? Most wouldn’t dare to get this close to me, let alone offer to help.”

“I guess I’m just stubborn,” she admitted with a shy smile. “Besides, you’re not a monster. You saved me, and that’s what matters.”

Steven let out a low, almost disbelieving chuckle, his sharp teeth visible as he leaned back against the bar, crossing his arms. "Not a monster, huh? You sure about that?" 

She nodded, her gaze steady. "Yeah. You're not. You're just... different. But that doesn't make you a bad person."

His smirk falters for a moment. He stays quiet for a few seconds and shakes his head. “You’re either incredibly brave or unbelievably naive.” He pauses, and his smirk comes back. “Well, if you insist, how do you intend to help me, doll?”

Fionna hesitated, searching for the right words. Steven's smirk was both a challenge and a mask, and she wanted to peel it back, to understand the person beneath. She took a deep breath. "I don't know exactly how yet. But maybe... maybe it starts with listening. With not running away when things get weird."

Steven raised an eyebrow, his amused expression softening slightly. "Listening, huh? Sounds simple enough. But what if listening's not enough? What if people like me need more than just kind words and sympathy?"

"Then I'll figure it out." She replied, her voice steadier now. "You don't have to do everything alone. Whatever this is, whatever you've been through, you deserve someone in your corner."

He studied her, his gaze sharp and searching. "You don’t even know me, doll. For all you know, I could be dangerous. You sure you're ready for what that might mean?"

Fionna's heart pounded, but she held his gaze. "You had the chance to hurt me and didn’t. You’ve had plenty of chances since. That says a lot more about you than some diamond in your head."

Steven chuckled, a genuine laugh this time, though tinged with disbelief. "You’re a piece of work, you know that? Most people run screaming at the sight of this thing." He said, tapping the diamond on his forehead. "But you? You just keep pushing."

"Maybe I’m stubborn. Or maybe I see something in you worth fighting for." She said, her cheeks flushing slightly at her own boldness.

Steven tilted his head, a flicker of something unspoken crossing his face. "Alright, Fionna. I’ll bite. If you want to stick around, you’re in. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. My life’s not exactly a picnic."

"Neither is mine." She said with a small smile. "But I’m not backing down."

He smirked, shaking his head. "Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got. But first, you’re buying the next round."

Fionna blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what? I didn’t even drink the first round!"

"Exactly." Steven said, standing and motioning to the bartender. "You owe me. Consider it the first step in proving you’re serious."

Fionna sighed, but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. As strange as the night had turned, she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

On the next day, Fionna is at the cafeteria of her college. She’s still thinking about the encounter she had with that guy, Steven. 

She’s not sure if she should try to find him again or something like that, he just walked away after finishing drinking and didn’t tell much more. She sighs and eats her food calmly. 

Suddenly, she feels someone sitting next to her and hears a voice next to her. “Don’t tell me I got a space in your mind.”

Fionna nearly drops her fork in surprise, her heart skipping a beat at the sound of the voice. She looks up to find Steven sitting beside her, a mischievous grin playing on his lips as he casually picks up a piece of her uneaten bread and takes a bite.

She stares at him, slightly flustered. "What are you doing here?" she asks, her voice betraying a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, doing something else?"

Steven shrugs. “Nyeh, I thought on getting fully-high today, but I did that last night, so I decided to follow your track.”

Fionna’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, unsure of whether she should be annoyed or amused. "Follow my track? Are you stalking me now?"

Steven grins, unbothered. “Stalking is such a strong word. Let’s call it... casual observation. I mean, you did make quite an impression on me last night.” He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as he looks at her with a knowing glint in his eyes. "I thought I'd see how the fearless Fionna spends her day after a wild night out."

Fionna can’t help but laugh, despite herself. “You really are something else, aren’t you?” She sets her fork down, leaning forward slightly. “But seriously, Steven... I didn’t think I'd see you again. You kinda disappeared on me last night.”

Steven smirks, his eyes glinting with amusement as he picks up another piece of her bread. "Well, I’m not the clingy type," he says nonchalantly, his tone light but with an underlying mystery. "Besides, I didn’t exactly think you’d be waiting around for me to come back." He shrugs again, looking almost playful. "But here I am. Couldn’t resist seeing how you’d react to me showing up."

Fionna narrows her eyes, feeling a mixture of annoyance and intrigue. "You’re really full of surprises, aren’t you?"

"Hey, life's too short for boring encounters," Steven replies, leaning back in his chair, clearly unfazed by her questioning. "You seemed like the type to appreciate the unexpected." He pauses, his gaze softening for a moment. "Besides, you didn’t exactly run away screaming last night. I’m curious to see how far your 'stubborn' attitude goes."

Fionna glances around the cafeteria, realizing that people are starting to notice the unusual presence at her table. She sighs inwardly, feeling a bit self-conscious but unwilling to let Steven off the hook. "I’m not one for drama, you know. And last night was definitely… unusual. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with you popping up out of nowhere like this."

Steven chuckles. "Fair enough. But if you didn’t want me here, you’d’ve already gotten up and left, right?" He raises an eyebrow, challenging her. "You’re still sitting here, so clearly, you’re not as annoyed as you’re pretending to be."

Fionna hesitates, her gaze lingering on him. She wants to be angry at the sudden intrusion, but there's something about Steven that makes her want to understand him more, something she can't quite explain. "I guess you’ve got a point." She says finally, her voice quieter. "But I don’t get you, Steven. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. Why are you even talking to me?"

Steven's grin faltered just a bit, and for a moment, something unguarded flickered in his eyes. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his tone dropping from playful to something more thoughtful.

"Maybe I don't know either." He admitted, studying her carefully. "But you didn't look at me like I was some kind of freak. Most people do. And that makes you... interesting."

Fionna felt her cheeks warm slightly but held his gaze. "So, what? You decided to hunt me down because I didn't scream and run? That's a pretty low bar."

Steven chuckled, the playful spark returning. "Fair point. But maybe it's more than that. Maybe I'm just curious. You seem... different. Most people wouldn't handle what you saw last night so well."

Fionna leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Curious, huh? Well, curiosity killed the cat. Or in your case, maybe something a little bigger."

Steven smirked. "Good thing I’m not a cat. Besides, you asked a lot of questions last night. Figured it’s only fair I get to ask some too."

Fionna raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now we’re playing twenty questions?"

"Nah. Just one for now. Why didn’t you run?"

His question caught her off guard. She opened her mouth, then closed it, considering. Why didn’t she run? She should have. Any sane person would have. But instead, here she was, talking to him again.

"I guess... I don’t know. Maybe I wanted to understand. Maybe I thought there was more to you than some guy with a rock in his head."

Steven's smile softened. "Diamond. It's a diamond. Makes me sound more valuable."

Fionna rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Right. Diamond. Well, whatever it is, I figured there had to be a story behind it. People don’t just end up like you for no reason."

Steven leaned back, watching her. "Smart girl. Most people don't bother thinking that far. But you're right. There's a story. Not sure you'd want to hear it, though. It's not exactly a bedtime tale."

Fionna shrugged. "Try me. I’ve heard worse."

Steven studied her for a long moment before smirking. "Not today. Gotta keep some mystery, don’t I? But maybe... maybe I’ll tell you a bit if you hang around."

Fionna sighed, shaking her head. "You're impossible."

Steven laughed. "And yet, here you are. Starting to think you like impossible things.”

Fionna couldn’t help but shake her head, amused despite herself. "You’re insufferable, you know that?" 

Steven grinned, unbothered by her teasing. "I get that a lot.” He leans back and stretches. “So, is there anything interesting I could know about you?”

Fionna was silent for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She wasn’t used to people asking about her, and certainly not in such an intrusive, unexpected way. It felt different from all the times people had tried to be polite or ask the usual surface-level questions. But there was something about Steven’s presence, the way he didn’t shy away from the weird or the uncomfortable, that made her feel strangely at ease.

"Well," She began slowly, her eyes flicking over to the cafeteria tray in front of her. "I guess I’m studying physics, for one. Not exactly the most exciting thing to lead with, though." She hesitated, then looked back at him, her voice growing a little shy. "And I have this taste for anime and manga."

Steven raised an eyebrow and laughs. “So I’m talking to a weeb? Didn’t expect that coming.”

Fionna’s face flushed at the unexpected comment, her initial embarrassment quickly giving way to a slight smirk. "Hey, don't knock it until you try it," she replied, crossing her arms. "Anime has some pretty deep stuff in it. You wouldn't get it."

Steven’s grin only widened, and he leaned in slightly, as if considering her challenge. “A weeb with physics and anime? I think I’ve found a mystery of my own here.” He shook his head. "Honestly, I would've pegged you as more of a straight-laced, textbook kind of person."

Fionna rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, well, there’s more to me than just equations and physics problems." She hesitated, then added. "And there’s more to you than just a guy with a diamond in his head."

Steven chuckled, giving her a mock salute. "Fair point. You’re one of the few who doesn't just see the weird shit and run." He sat back in his chair, regarding her with a renewed sense of interest. "Guess that makes us even, huh? A weeb and a jerk."

Fionna laughed, feeling a warm sense of connection with Steven despite the bizarre nature of their interactions. She’d never imagined that a conversation with someone like him could feel so natural, so easy, even in its strangeness.

"Yeah, I guess we’re even." Fionna replied, feeling a little more comfortable in the moment. "But you're still not getting my bread."

Steven's eyes twinkled with mischief as he reached for the last piece of her bread anyway. "Oh, I’m definitely getting the bread. This is just the beginning."

Fionna's laughter filled the space between them, but she couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Steven grabbed the last piece of bread. She half-heartedly protested, but the playful glint in his eyes made it hard to stay mad. There was something about his easy confidence that was both frustrating and oddly comforting.

“Are you always this obnoxious?” She asked, her tone light but with a hint of challenge.

“Only when it’s fun.” Steven shot back, taking a slow bite of the bread as though savoring the victory.

Fionna leaned back in her chair, watching him. The cafeteria noise seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in their own little bubble. It felt strange, how easily the walls she usually built around herself were starting to crumble in his presence.

She took a deep breath. “So, what now? You’re just gonna hang around and harass me every day?”

Steven laughs and stretches. “Yeah, that's a good idea. But I guess you got better things to do.” He rises to his feet and stretches. “Can I see something on your hand?”

Fionna raised an eyebrow at Steven's request. "My hand? What for?" 

Steven smirked, his gaze flicking to her hand resting on the table. "Just wanna see something." 

Fionna hesitated for a moment before shrugging, figuring it wasn’t worth making a big deal out of. She extended her hand toward him. "Fine. You’re weird, though."

He grins and take her hand. He pulls a marker from the diamond and quickly write something on her hand before letting go of it. “There’s my number. Call me if you want, but if I was you, I wouldn’t. See ya, cutie.” He turns around and walks away.

The moment Steven walks away, Fionna’s mind races, her hand still tingling where his marker touched her skin. She stares at the number written in black ink across her palm, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Part of her is irritated by his cocky, unpredictable behavior, but another part is intrigued, curious about the mysterious person he’s revealed himself to be, and unsure of what comes next.

She glances down at the number, as though it might hold some kind of answer. Her heart beats a little faster. Why had she let him do that? Why had she let him in this much already?

Fionna shakes her head and grabs her tray, pushing the confusing thoughts to the back of her mind. She has class in a few minutes, and she needs to focus. But as she walks across campus, her hand still feels warm from where Steven had touched it, and she wonders if she’ll ever get the chance to make sense of him, or of what this weird connection could mean.

Later that night, Fionna finds herself at her desk, trying to get through her assignments. But every time she looks at her phone, her eyes inevitably drift to the number Steven had written on her hand earlier. It’s almost like it’s calling to her.

She sighs and places the phone back down, focusing on her homework. But the thought of Steven, his unexpected presence in her life, his playful yet mysterious demeanor, keeps interrupting her thoughts. She stares at her phone for a moment before finally giving in.

With a reluctant breath, Fionna picks it up, unlocking the screen, and taps the number into a new message. Her fingers hover over the keyboard, uncertain of what to say.

“Hey, it’s Fionna. You’re a pain in the ass, but… I guess I’m curious about that story you mentioned.”

She hesitates before sending, her heart pounding in her chest as if it were some huge step.

Almost immediately, the phone buzzes in her hand.

"Didnt expect you to actually text me”

“Im surprised lol”

“Meet me at the park midnight”

“Ill answer whatever you ask”

Fionna reads the messages twice, a mix of excitement and dread rising within her. She looks out of her window, seeing the moon hanging in the sky, and knows that tonight might be the night she finds out more about Steven’s strange world.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

At midnight, Fionna finds herself standing at the edge of a quiet park. The night is cool, the stars shining above her, but there’s a tension in the air. She’s not sure what to expect, but she knows Steven will show up. He’s unpredictable like that.

And sure enough, she sees him leaning against a tree, his figure outlined in the dim light. 

“Heyo.” His voice cuts through the silence, his grin wide as he steps forward.

“You really are a mystery,” She says, taking a deep breath and crossing her arms. “Alright, I’m here. Spill it.”

He shrugs and smirks. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

Fionna takes a step closer, her heart racing as she tries to keep her composure. Her mind is buzzing with questions, but she knows better than to just throw them all out at once. She needs to be strategic, to figure out what makes Steven tick before she dives into his world.

"Alright." She says, trying to sound more confident than she feels. "Let's start with the basics. What's with the diamond in your head?" She gestures toward his forehead, where the shimmering, almost ethereal glow from the diamond still pulses faintly under his skin. "How does that even work? How do you have that?"

Steven whistles. “Wow, you really don’t waste time, huh?” He laughs. “Alright. The truth is: I have no idea. I was born with it and it gives me powers, but that’s all I know.”

Fionna blinks, a little taken aback by his bluntness. "You were born with it?" she asks, her voice a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "How does something like that even happen?"

Steven shrugs nonchalantly, his hands slipping into the pockets of his jacket as he leans against the tree. "I don’t know, alright? It’s not like I asked for it. It’s just there, and it does things. Makes me different, gives me abilities… but beyond that? I don’t have a damn clue why I ended up like this. I just learned to live with it."

Fionna frowns, processing his words. “So, you don’t know where it came from, but you know it gives you powers?” She pauses, thinking. “What kind of powers?”

Steven's grin returns, mischievous and slightly cryptic. "Anything I want, really. Makes me faster, stronger, night vision, and, uh, I can do this." He pulls an axe from the diamond on his forehead. “Besides that, I can store things inside it and make this black energy that can be used for a lotta stuff.”

Fionna’s eyes widen as she watches Steven casually pull an axe from his forehead. It seems like something out of a dream, or a nightmare. Her breath catches in her throat, and she can’t help but take a step back, her mind trying to catch up with what she just witnessed.

"Did you—" She begins, still in disbelief, "Did you just pull that out of your forehead?" Her voice is a mix of awe and incredulity. "How does that even—"

Steven’s grin widens, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Told you, I can do a lotta things." He twirls the axe in his hand effortlessly, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. "The diamond makes it all possible. It’s part of me, but it’s also… like a portal. I can store things, summon weapons, and use it to control the black energy. You could call it a gift, or a curse, depends on how you see it."

Fionna’s mind races, her logical, scientific brain struggling to make sense of what she’s seeing. "But how is this even real?" She mutters, shaking her head. "How can something like that exist? It’s—" She cuts herself off, realizing she’s rambling.

Steven lowers the axe, looking at her with an almost fond amusement. "I get it. It’s a lot to take in. But this is me, Fionna. And if you want to stick around, you’re gonna have to accept it." He gives her a meaningful look. "I didn’t ask for this, and I sure as hell didn’t ask to meet someone like you, but here we are."

Fionna narrows her eyes, her thoughts spinning. "You said you don’t know where the diamond came from… but you’re telling me it gives you all these abilities? So you’ve just been living with this… thing, and never tried to figure it out?"

Steven looks down at the axe in his hand, his expression hardening slightly. "I’ve tried. Trust me, I’ve tried. But the more I dig, the more I realize that there are things about me that no one can explain. Things I’ll never understand." He lets out a slow breath, then looks back up at her, the playful glint in his eyes replaced by something more serious. "I’ve learned to stop asking questions. It’s just who I am now." He drops the axe, making it disappear in thin air.

Fionna watches as the axe vanishes, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and confusion. She’s still trying to process everything, but it’s hard to keep up. Her logical mind is struggling to catch up with the impossible nature of it all.

She takes a deep breath, pushing aside the overwhelming sensation. "So, what exactly are you running from, Steven?" She asks, her voice quieter now, more serious. "You said you didn’t want to ask questions, but there’s got to be something you’re hiding. You don’t just go around with a diamond in your head without something chasing you or hunting you down."

Steven looks away, his gaze flicking to the trees in the distance as if the question itself stung. "Not something." He mutters under his breath. "Someone."

Fionna steps closer, her curiosity piqued, her earlier hesitation forgotten. "Who?" she presses. "Who’s after you?"

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence, the wind rustling through the leaves above them. Then Steven turns to her, his face unreadable.

"I don’t wanna involve any normal person into this shit," He says, his voice low. "But if you really want to know, it’s not just people after me, it is this… organization, G.U.N. I never knew what it meant or why they were after me, but I suppose they want the diamond, my power. They’ve been after me for as long as I can remember. The diamond isn’t just a weird genetic quirk, it’s something more. Something powerful." He sighs. “I managed to escape for now. They probably don’t know where I am, and if they know, they didn’t show up for a few months now.”

Fionna processes the gravity of Steven’s words, the weight of the revelation settling in her chest. An organization hunting him down, after his power. She can feel the tension rising, the sense of danger suddenly becoming palpable.

"So you’re on the run," she says softly, more to herself than to him. "That’s why you’re so... elusive. And you don’t want anyone else getting involved, right?"

Steven doesn’t respond immediately. He just stares off into the distance, as if gathering his thoughts, before giving her a small, resigned nod. "Yeah. It’s been a hell of a ride. And I don’t want to drag anyone else into it, especially not you."

Fionna’s mind races, but she doesn’t look away from him. "But you still told me, Steven. You’re telling me all of this. You didn’t have to." She steps a little closer, her voice gentle yet insistent. "Why are you telling me? Why now?"

Steven looks down at the ground for a moment, his fingers idly tracing the edge of his jacket sleeve. "I don’t really know." He mutters, almost to himself. "Maybe I’m tired of running. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re the first person I’ve met who hasn’t freaked out when they found out about the diamond, and that maybe makes me feel less uncomfortable with you…"

Fionna stands there, processing his words, her chest tight with an unexpected empathy for Steven. His situation, his isolation, it all suddenly feels so real, so raw. It’s clear he’s been carrying this burden for a long time, running from this unknown organization, hiding the truth from everyone around him. And yet, here he is, telling her, someone he barely knows, everything.

She takes a deep breath, her gaze softening as she steps even closer. "You don’t have to be alone in this, you know." She says quietly, her voice full of sincerity. "I’m not just going to walk away because it’s complicated. I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, but you don’t have to keep it all inside. If you need help, or just someone to talk to, I’ll be here."

He looks at her and gives her a small, yet sincere smile. “Thanks, but I’m not worth your time.”

Fionna shakes her head, not buying his words for a second. "Don’t sell yourself short, Steven. You’ve been through hell, and you don’t have to face it alone. Whether you like it or not, I’m not just going to disappear because it’s too complicated. I’m not going anywhere."

Steven’s expression softens slightly, a mix of surprise and reluctant gratitude flickering in his eyes. For a moment, he’s silent, just staring at her, as if trying to figure out what she’s really offering. Then, with a sigh, he looks up at the sky, his voice quieter, more vulnerable than she’s ever heard it. “... Y’know, I can tell you some of my story if you want so.”

Fionna stands there, her heart racing as she processes Steven's words. She’s not sure what it is about him, maybe it’s the vulnerability in his voice, or the raw honesty he’s offering, but she feels the weight of his situation, the burden he’s been carrying all this time.

"You’d tell me?" she asks, her voice a little softer than she intended. “You mean it?”

Steven looks at her, his expression thoughtful, the weight of his experiences pressing on him. He nods slowly. “Yeah. Maybe it’s time. I’ve kept this all to myself for so long. Maybe it’s time someone else knows the truth, even if it’s just one person.”

Fionna’s stomach flips as she steps closer to him, her curiosity piqued but her empathy stronger than anything else. She’s here now. Whatever he’s about to say, she’s ready to listen.

Steven takes a deep breath, his gaze flicking back to the night sky before returning to her. “My full name is ‘Steven Wimbleton’, but my official surname is ‘Pitriadamas’ because I was found in a forest with the same name. I was sent to an orphanage to have a chance to be adopted. Most people didn’t want me because of my skin and because of the diamond. Religious people said it was a ‘devil horn’ while the non-religious thought I’d be an expensive kid.” 

He pauses and sighs. “I was adopted and given back many times. Once I was adopted by a couple. I thought it would be good, but quickly I noticed they were horrible people, being abusive and mean. I barely could look through the window without them screaming at me… I never had anyone to look out for me, just me alone in my own world. When I was 14, I got tired of that place. When my ‘former parents’ were out, I set fire to that house and ran away into the forest.”

Fionna listens intently, her heart aching as Steven recounts the painful details of his past. She can see the weight of the words hanging in the air, the burden he’s been carrying for years. His voice is low, but there's a rawness to it that reveals just how much those experiences have shaped him.

As Steven pauses, Fionna doesn’t say anything right away. She doesn’t want to interrupt his story. Instead, she just stands there, her eyes focused on him, her presence offering silent support.

When he finally continues, the pain in his voice is palpable.

"Some days after I ran from that place, I discovered my powers when I was in a fight with some thugs. I made them surrender and rob them, running away. Then I started living the way I could, stealing wallets, food, having my fun… Until my 17s, when G.U.N found out about me. Then I started to run from them… And that’s basically it."

Fionna stands still, processing Steven's story as it sinks in. The gravity of what he’s gone through, the pain, the loneliness, it hits her harder than she expected. His whole life, he’s been discarded, mistreated, and forced to survive alone. Now, he’s carrying the weight of a mysterious power, an organization chasing him, and years of isolation.

“Steven,” She says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She takes another step closer to him, her words full of sincerity and understanding. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. No one should have to feel like they’re unwanted, like they don’t belong. But you’ve survived, you’re still here. That says something.”

Steven looks at her in silence for a few seconds before he smirks. “Well, thanks, Finn. That… makes me better somehow.”

Fionna gives him a small smile, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. "You're welcome. You don’t have to carry all of this alone. You're not some monster, Steven. You’ve been through hell, and somehow, you're still here. That takes a lot of strength."

He laughs quietly, shaking his head. "I don’t feel strong. I just feel like I’ve been running from one thing to another for so long that I forgot what it feels like to just… stop."

Fionna steps even closer, now standing right in front of him, her gaze steady and serious. "Maybe it’s time to stop running. You’ve got someone who’s willing to help you face whatever comes next. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere."

Steven looks at her, his eyes filled with something unspoken, something vulnerable that he’s rarely allowed anyone to see. He takes a deep breath, and for the first time tonight, his guard lowers just a little. "I don’t know how this is going to go, Fionna," he admits, his voice quieter than before. "But… I think I could use someone like you by my side."

For a moment, the silence between them feels comfortable, not heavy, but full of understanding. The tension from earlier has melted away, replaced by a fragile connection that’s just beginning to form.

"You don’t have to do this alone," Fionna repeats, her voice firm yet gentle. "No matter what happens, I’ve got your back."

Steven nods, the faintest hint of a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Thanks, Finn. I mean it."

Fionna returns his smile, her heart lighter than it’s been in a long while. "Alright then, Steven Wimbleton. Let’s see where this goes."

The two of them stand there, side by side, under the starlit sky. The weight of the night feels different now, not like a burden, but as the beginning of something new. Whatever the future holds, they’ll face it together.

And for the first time in a long while, Steven doesn’t feel quite as alone.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

The following days passed like a blur. Steven and Fionna found themselves hanging out more constantly. Whenever Fionna had a free moment, Steven would show up (mostly unannounced).

In the middle of the night, Fionna's at the library trying to study for an exam in the following day. The soft hum of fluorescent lights filled the near-empty library, casting pale glows across rows of bookshelves. Fionna sat hunched over a thick textbook at a secluded table, her head propped up by one hand while the other lazily twirled a pen.

Her eyes scanned the same paragraph for the third time, but the words blurred together. No matter how hard she tried to focus, her mind drifted elsewhere, to Steven.

"Of course, he's probably off doing something reckless right now." She thought, sighing.

A soft thud echoed in the quiet room. Fionna stiffened, glancing toward the sound. Nothing. Just shadows stretching between the shelves.

"Probably a book falling…" She reasoned, shaking her head.

Then, from behind a nearby shelf, a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Studying this late? Nerd."

Fionna jumped, her pen clattering onto the table.

"Steven!" She hissed, whipping her head around. He leaned casually against the bookshelf, a crooked grin on his face, hands in his jacket pockets.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded in a sharp whisper, glancing around to make sure no librarian was lurking nearby.

Steven shrugged. "Got bored. Thought I'd check on you. Besides, this place is creepy at night. Figured you could use some company."

Fionna pinched the bridge of her nose. "How did you even get in? The doors are locked after ten!"

He smirked, tapping the diamond on his forehead. "Perks of being me."

Fionna groaned. "You can't just— ugh, nevermind."

Steven sauntered over and leaned against the edge of her table, eyeing the dense pages. "What are you even studying? Looks painful."

"Analytic geometry." She muttered, flipping the page with a sigh. "And yes, it is painful."

Steven squinted at the textbook, tilting his head. "Analytic geometry? Yeah, sounds like torture."

Fionna rolled her eyes. "Well, some of us don't have magical head diamonds to solve our problems."

Steven smirked. "Hey, I could help, y'know. I'm practically a genius."

She shot him a flat look. "Oh, really? Alright, Mr. Genius, explain this." She jabbed her finger at a particularly dense problem on the page, a complex graph full of intersecting lines and equations.

Steven leaned over, studying it for a second. He nodded slowly, pretending to understand. "Yeah… yeah. That's, uh… definitely math."

Fionna snorted. "Thought so."

Steven grinned, unbothered. "C'mon, take a break. This stuff is gonna melt your brain."

"I have an exam tomorrow, Steven." She said, rubbing her eyes. "I can't afford a break."

Steven tapped the table thoughtfully, then smirked. "Alright, five-minute break. You need it. Then you can go back to torturing yourself."

Fionna hesitated, glancing at the clock. Midnight. Her head was pounding, and her eyes burned. Maybe five minutes wouldn't hurt.

"Fine. Five minutes." She muttered, leaning back in her chair. "What do you have in mind?"

Steven's grin widened. "Glad you asked."

Before Fionna could protest, Steven reached up and touched the diamond on his forehead. In an instant, a small, black orb of energy flickered to life in his palm, softly pulsing like a heartbeat.

Fionna tensed. "Steven, this is a library—"

But before she could finish, the orb expanded and shimmered, forming into a small, intricate model of the solar system, with tiny planets orbiting a glowing sun. The planets moved in perfect synchronization, casting faint shadows on the table.

Fionna blinked in surprise. "Wait… you can do that?"

Steven leaned back smugly. "I told you, I can do all kinds of things. Figured a nerd like you would appreciate a visual aid."

Despite herself, Fionna felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. She leaned in closer, watching the tiny planets spin. The soft glow of the miniature sun reflected in her eyes.

"This is… actually kind of amazing." She admitted quietly.

Steven tilted his head. "See? Who says I can't be helpful?"

Fionna snorted. "This isn't exactly helping me with analytic geometry, but… it's cool."

Steven chuckled, watching Fionna's fascination with the miniature solar system. The soft glow of the tiny planets bathed their corner of the library in gentle light, casting faint, swirling shadows on the walls.

"Well, if you're not impressed by that, I could always summon something more exciting," Steven teased, raising an eyebrow.

Fionna shot him a warning look. "Steven. This is a library. And you already broke in."

He smirked. "Fair point." With a flick of his wrist, the solar system dissolved into wisps of black smoke that vanished into the air.

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence between them. Fionna leaned back in her chair, letting her head rest against the cool wood, eyes fluttering shut for a brief moment.

Steven watched her, his usual smug expression softening slightly.

"You know," He began, his voice quieter. "You should sleep. This much studying can't be good for you."

Fionna cracked one eye open. "And what, miss my exam? Not happening."

Steven rolled his eyes, leaning further onto the table. "Yeah, but you're not exactly learning anything when your brain's turned to mush."

Fionna let out a long sigh. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Her focus had been slipping for the past hour. Still, the thought of failing wasn't something she could stomach.

Steven seemed to sense her hesitation and smirked. "Tell you what. You take a quick nap, just twenty minutes. I'll wake you up, and you'll feel like a genius."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And why exactly should I trust you to wake me up?"

He leaned in slightly, his grin widening. "Because I'm extremely reliable."

Fionna scoffed. "Your criminal record disagrees."

Steven's grin didn't falter. "Details."

Fionna stared at Steven for a long moment, debating. The weight behind her eyes and the fog clouding her brain made the idea of a short nap dangerously tempting.

"Twenty minutes." She muttered, more to herself than to him.

Steven leaned back, satisfied. "Atta girl. Close your eyes, nerd. I've got this."

Fionna gave him one last skeptical glance before folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them.

"I swear, if you let me sleep past twenty minutes—"

"I won't." Steven cut her off, his tone unexpectedly gentle. "Promise."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and within moments, the steady rhythm of her breathing softened as she drifted off.

Steven watched her for a few seconds, the usual cocky smirk fading into something more contemplative. The harsh fluorescent lights made the dark circles under her eyes more prominent.

"She's gonna burn herself out." He muttered quietly.

Steven leaned back in the chair, letting his gaze wander around the dim library. The silence was heavier now, interrupted only by the occasional hum of the air conditioning.

He sighs and leans back while stretching. He takes a good look at her, thinking quietly. "... Well, she is cute." He mutters to himself.

The minutes passed by slowly as Steven leaned back in the chair, his eyes drifting between Fionna's peaceful form and the dim, empty library around them. It was rare for him to let his guard down like this… rare for him to care so much about someone. He couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about Fionna that made him want to stick around, even if he couldn't figure out why.

After the twenty minutes, he shakes her gently. "Wakey wakey cutie."

Fionna stirred, her eyelids fluttering open to the sound of Steven's teasing voice. She blinked, her mind sluggish, still tangled in the remnants of sleep. The library's quiet hum greeted her as she straightened up, rubbing her eyes.

"Ugh." she groaned, stretching her arms above her head. "I can't believe I actually fell asleep."

Steven grinned. "Told you, you'd feel better."

Fionna shot him a tired glare but couldn't suppress a small smile. "I actually do." She admitted, looking down at her textbook. The words no longer blurred, and her mind felt less foggy. "That... actually worked."

"Told ya." Steven says with a smirk, his tone more relaxed than usual. He gets up and stretches. "I'm going to a bar. Don't wanna interrupt your studies."

Fionna looked up from her textbook, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "A bar? Really? You're just going to leave me here alone to study again?"

Steven shrugged, a grin playing on his lips. "I figured you've got this now. I mean, you look like you're about to take on the world." He stepped back, giving her a playful salute. "Besides, I'm doing you a favor. No more distractions, right?"

Fionna gave him a tired look. "You're impossible." She stood up and stretched, feeling the lingering effects of the brief nap. "But thanks for… actually helping. I feel more awake, so I guess it worked."

"Anytime, nerd," Steven said with a wink. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

Fionna shook her head but smiled. "Don't get into trouble."

Steven chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Who, me? Never." He turned and started walking toward the library doors, his casual stride betraying his usual confidence. Just before he reached the exit, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. "You're doing great. Don't burn yourself out, alright?"

Fionna's heart skipped a beat at his unexpected sincerity. She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll be fine. Thanks, Steven."

With that, he disappeared out the door, and Fionna sat back down at her table. The library was quiet again, the soft glow of the fluorescent lights above and the occasional flicker of the air conditioning the only sounds in the room.

But there was a warmth lingering in her chest. Despite the exhaustion that still gnawed at her, she couldn't help but feel a little lighter. Maybe it was the nap, or maybe it was the reminder that someone cared, even if that someone was Steven, impossible, unpredictable Steven.

Fionna turned back to her textbook, but this time, her focus was sharper. The problem that had seemed impossible before now looked more like a challenge. And maybe, just maybe, it was something she could conquer.

She smiled to herself, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she muttered under her breath, "Yeah. I've got this."

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

On an island nearby the country, the G.U.N HQ buzzed with tension. In a researching room, a man walks anxiously, waiting for something.

"Colonel Andrew!"

He looks back and see an agent walking at him nervously. Colonel Andrew sighs. "What do you want, 321?"

"The researching area got Steven's location!"

Andrew widens his eyes. "... Proceed."

The Agent clears his throat and shows some documents to Andrew. "Steven was arrested some weeks ago in Las Nevas, city of Nevaska."

Colonel Andrew snatched the documents from Agent 321's trembling hands, his sharp gaze scanning the pages with precision. Each line of text seemed to fuel the tension in the air.

"Las Nevas, Nevaska…" Andrew muttered, narrowing his eyes at the highlighted details of Steven's brief incarceration. "And yet, here we are, still chasing him like a ghost. What happened after his arrest?"

The agent hesitated, fidgeting with his badge. "Sir, he escaped. Local authorities reported he bent the bars with his hands and right after escaping paid his bail to get free. As always, the footages were missing. But locals said they saw a weird guy with a horn on his head.

Colonel Andrew's jaw tightened, his grip on the documents white-knuckled. He turned a glare sharp enough to cut steel toward Agent 321.

"Let me get this straight," Andrew said, his voice cold and measured. "Steven not only escaped custody by bending steel bars but had the audacity to pay bail after escaping? And yet, no footage? No leads beyond 'a guy with a horn'?"

Agent 321 swallowed hard. "Y-yes, sir. The locals are... unreliable. The descriptions are inconsistent, but—"

"But nothing!" Andrew snapped, slamming the documents onto the table. "We've been hunting this anomaly for years, and this is the best our resources can manage? A half-baked sighting and hearsay?"

The room fell silent, save for the hum of the machinery monitoring endless streams of data.

Andrew paced the room like a caged tiger, his mind racing. He stopped abruptly and turned to the agent. "Get me a team on the ground in Las Nevas. I want every contact, every camera, every witness, leave no stone unturned. If Steven so much as breathes in Nevaska, I want to know."

"Yes, sir." Agent 321 said, hurriedly saluting and backing out of the room.

Andrew turned to face the large monitor dominating one wall of the room. A series of images flashed across the screen, grainy photos, blurred security footage, and scattered reports about Steven's abilities and encounters. His fingers tapped a rhythm on the steel surface of the console as he stared at the screen.

"Steven," Andrew muttered under his breath. "What are you planning, you living clock-bomb?"

Some hours later, Steven wakes up inside his place. He stretches and takes a quick shower before dressing up.

He takes his phone to check his messages, opening the home screen and showing the background as a picture of Fionna.

Steven stared at the glowing screen, his thumb hovering over his messages, but his eyes lingered on the background photo—Fionna mid-laugh, probably caught off-guard by one of his jokes. The corners of his mouth tugged upward for a split second before the vibration of his phone snapped him back to reality.

Unknown Number :
"Steven"

"GUN found u"

"Get outta there "

"NOW"

Steven's expression darkened at the messages, realizing it was his informant.

"...G.U.N."

He paced the small, cluttered apartment. It wasn't much, bare walls, a couch that doubled as a bed, a flickering lamp, but it was safe. Or at least, it had been.

Steven ran a hand through his black hair, his fingers brushing the diamond on his forehead. This wasn't the first threat, but something about this one felt different. Too direct. Too close.

His eyes flicked back to his phone. For a moment, he considered calling Fionna, warning her. But what would he say? "Hey, the government's hunting me down, so maybe stay inside?"

No. He couldn't drag her into this.

Steven grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders.

But before he could head to the door, his phone buzzed again.

Fionna:
" Hey, Stevo. I'm free today. Meet me at the café near campus if you're not too busy being a delinquent. "

Steven stared at the screen, thumb hesitating.

Steven:
"Yeah"

"Ill be there"

If G.U.N. was closing in, he needed to think fast. But for now, acting normal was the best cover.

He slipped out of the apartment, hood up, blending into the morning crowd. But his mind was already racing.

Steven moved swiftly through the crowded streets, every shadow feeling heavier than usual. The morning air was crisp, but it did little to cool the rising tension in his chest. His eyes scanned the sidewalks and passing cars, searching for anything out of place—an unmarked vehicle, someone lingering too long, a figure watching him from a distance.

But everything looked normal. Too normal.

"Act natural."

Steven tightened the hood around his face, his steps steady as he headed toward the café near the campus.

Inside a nondescript black van parked near a busy intersection, one agent sat in front of a wall of monitors. The screens flickered with live feeds from various street cameras. One feed focused on Steven, blending into the crowd.

"Target acquired." The agent muttered into his headset.

"Maintain visual. Do not engage until I give the order." Colonel Andrew's voice crackled through the comms.

The agent adjusted the camera zoom, locking onto Steven's hooded figure.

"Let's see where you're going…"

At the café, Fionna sat at a small corner table, idly stirring her coffee, the steam curling lazily into the air. Her eyes flicked to the entrance every few seconds.

When Steven finally walked in, she spotted him immediately. Hood up, shoulders tense.

"Subtle as always." She muttered under her breath.

Steven slid into the seat across from her, his eyes scanning the café before settling on Fionna.

"You look like you're about to rob the place." She teased, sipping her drink.

Steven forced a smirk. "What can I say? Fashion statement."

But Fionna didn't miss the way his eyes kept darting to the windows.

"Steven, are you okay?" She asked, more serious now.

Steven hesitated for a beat. "Yeah. Just… didn't sleep much."

She didn't buy it but didn't press.

"Well, you're here now. So chill, okay?" She leaned back, trying to lighten the mood. "Unless you want me to quiz you on analytic geometry for fun."

Steven huffed a quiet laugh. "Pass."

Their conversation carried on, light and casual, but Steven couldn't shake the prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

As Fionna continued sipping her coffee, she noticed Steven's unease wasn't going away. His gaze flicked between the windows, then down to the table, his fingers drumming anxiously against the surface.

"Alright," She said, leaning forward slightly, her tone turning more serious. "What's going on? You've got that look on your face like you're about to bolt."

Steven looked at her, his eyes heavy with the weight of something he wasn't ready to say. "Don't worry, Finn. It's nothing."

Fionna looks at his face carefully. She takes his hand into hers, brushing her thumb against his palm. "Steven, please. You can tell me the truth."

Steven glances fixedly at her hand in silence for o moment. He sighs and looks up. "... It's G.U.N…. They found me."

Fionna's hand froze in his, her thumb stopping its reassuring motion. For a long moment, there was silence, thick and suffocating. The noise of the café, clinking cups, quiet chatter, faded into the background. Steven's words echoed in her mind.

"You're serious?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah… Dunno how, but they did. My informant never misses this kind of info…" He sighs heavily and shakes his head. "I just came here to say goodbye or something like that."

Fionna's heart skipped a beat. The gravity of Steven's words hit her all at once. The carefree moments they had shared over the past few days, the laughter, the teasing, it all seemed to pale in comparison to the reality he had just revealed.

"You can't just..." She stammered, trying to grasp the enormity of what he was saying. "You can't just leave, Steven. You can't—"

"I have to." He cut in, his voice more resigned than she'd ever heard it. His gaze shifted towards the window, but his thoughts were clearly far from here. "They'll keep coming for me, and I never stuck with anyone for so long, and I don't know what they might do to you if they know you're my friend."

Fionna tightened her grip on Steven's hand, her eyes narrowing.

"Friend?" She echoed, her voice quiet but firm.

Steven blinked, caught off guard by the weight in her tone.

Fionna leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Steven, do you really think I'm going to let you run off and deal with this alone? You should know me better than that."

Steven's throat tightened. He wanted to argue, to push her away for her own safety, but the determination in her eyes made it hard. He grits his teeth and made his best aggressive tone. "Then tell me, what could you do? You're just a normal person. If I, a powerful being that not even me understand fully, couldn't get rid of them what you think you can do?"

Fionna's eyes flashed with something between frustration and hurt. She didn't back away, her grip on his hand tightening as her other hand reached out to touch his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"You think that's what I am? A normal person with no power? Just because I don't have some mystical abilities doesn't mean I can't do something. I may not have a diamond on my forehead, but I have a brain, and I can help you figure this out. You're not alone, Steven."

Steven's chest tightened, the words she spoke cutting through the heavy fog in his mind. He had spent so long trying to keep people at arm's length, to protect them from the danger that followed him everywhere. But here Fionna was, unwavering, her eyes filled with a determination that made his heart ache in ways he hadn't expected.

His mouth opened, but the words didn't come. What could he say to that? How could he explain to her that this wasn't something she could just "figure out"? That G.U.N. wasn't something he could fight on his own, much less with someone who had no idea what kind of power they were dealing with?

He clenched his wrists and teeth and huffs. "You want to stick around? Fine. Here are your options: Run with me and probably die, or you stay here and live another day to breathe. There ain't a 'fighting' option."

Fionna stared at him, her face a mixture of disbelief and resolve. For a moment, the weight of his words hung in the air between them. Her hand still rested on his cheek, her touch grounding him at that moment.

"You think I'm going to run from you?" She asked, her voice calm but fierce. "You think I'm going to turn my back on you just because it's dangerous? That's not how I work, Steven."

Steven stares at her and sighs. "... You're goddamn stubborn…" He shakes his head. "Fine. Come with me." He grabs her arm and pulls her to his arms, carrying her totally.

As Steven pulled Fionna into his arms, her body stiffened for a moment, surprise flashing in her eyes before she found herself securely nestled against him. He was strong—stronger than she had realized, his movements swift and urgent as he made his way out of the café. Fionna's mind raced. She hadn't expected him to actually carry her, but now she realized there was no time for questions.

"Hold on tight." Steven muttered as he moved through the crowded streets, his pace quickening. Fionna wrapped her arms around his neck, instinctively pressing herself closer as they navigated through the sea of people.

Suddenly, he stops his breaths. His legs start glowing a black light, and he jumps onto the rooftop of a building. He quickly starts running in the direction of something.

The wind rushed past them as Steven's legs glowed with a dark energy, the black light pulsing with every step as he propelled himself effortlessly across the city's rooftops. Fionna's heart pounded in her chest as she held onto him, her breath stolen by the sudden, dizzying height and speed. She could feel the tension in Steven's body, the weight of the danger pressing in on him as they moved further away from the café, farther from safety.

"What... what's happening?" Fionna asked, her voice strained against the wind.

"I'm getting us out of here." Steven grunted, his eyes scanning the city streets below. He moved with purpose, leaping from one rooftop to the next, his eyes never staying in one place for too long.

As they reached another building, they heard a helicopter approaching and saw some cars pursuing them, all with the logo of G.U.N.

Steven's grip tightened around Fionna as he pushed himself harder, his legs glowing brighter with each leap. The sound of the helicopter's whirling blades grew louder, and the blare of sirens filled the air as the G.U.N. vehicles closed in.

"Hold on tight!" Steven warned through gritted teeth, his body tensing with the effort. Fionna felt her heart race, the realization of how close they were to being caught sinking in. She looked around, but the city was a blur as they tore across the rooftops.

"Steven… what's the plan?" Fionna's voice cracked through the chaos, struggling to be heard over the wind and the noise of the pursuit.

"I just have to get us to somewhere and everything will be alright." He grunted, moving even faster.

The helicopter's roar echoed in the distance, growing louder as it closed the gap between them. Steven's legs glowed like embers, burning with dark energy as he pushed his body to the limit. Fionna clung to him, heart pounding in her chest, as they leaped from one building to the next, each jump higher and farther than the last. The wind whipped past them, making her eyes water, but there was no time to process the fear.

The G.U.N. vehicles beneath them weaved through the streets, their engines growling as they pursued the pair relentlessly. They were closing in, and it wasn't long before the first bullet whizzed through the air, piercing through Steven's shoulder.

The bullet grazed Steven's shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through his body. He grimaced but didn't slow down. Fionna's eyes widened, her heart racing as she felt the impact vibrate through Steven's body. She looked down to see a small trickle of blood running down his arm, but he didn't seem to acknowledge it.

"Steven, you're hurt!" Fionna cried, her voice panicked. She tightened her grip on him as they leaped across another rooftop, the churning wind roaring in her ears.

"I'm fine." Steven grunted, his voice strained but resolute. "Just keep holding on."

But Fionna could feel the tension in his body, the strain of pushing himself too hard. She knew he wasn't fine. He was pushing his limits, and the G.U.N. agents were closing in.

Soon, Steven widened his eyes. He arrived in the city hall. He grips Fionna tighter and jump in the middle of the Hall.

As they landed in the heart of City Hall, the impact jolted Fionna against Steven's chest. For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down, the sound of helicopters and sirens fading to a dull hum. The vast, empty space of the city hall was eerily quiet, its high ceilings casting shadows across the marble floors.

"Stay close." Steven whispered, his voice strained. He lowered himself slightly, still holding Fionna securely, his eyes darting around as he assessed their surroundings.

Fionna's heart was racing, and she could feel the blood pulsing in her ears. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe." Steven replied through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the entrance. He could feel the G.U.N. forces closing in, their pursuit relentless. He looks around until he sees a light-blue, big, crystal-like platform on it and he grins.

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming open echoed through the hall. Steven turned instinctively, his muscles tensing as he prepared to react. A group of G.U.N. agents, fully equipped and ready for a fight, stepped into the room, their weapons raised.

"There's nowhere to run, Steven!" One of them barked, his voice cold and commanding. The agents fanned out, weapons aimed in Steven's direction. "You're under arrest for evading capture and resisting authority."

Steven laughs and hops onto the platform. "Not today, fuckers!" The platform start glowing under Steven and Fionna. "Bye bye, losers!"

The platform emits a beam of light that involves Steven and Fionna. The G.U.N agents try to shoot at the beam, but there's no use. Steven and Fionna just disappeared in the thin air.

The agents look shocked. They take their walkie-talkies. "Colonel Andrew… We lost them."

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

In a strawberry field, everything is calm, gentle breeze, no animals... just strawberries... Until, from a platform on the field, Steven and Fionna are warped there.

Steven slowly sets her on the ground and sits next to her, holding his shoulder tightly.

He pulls a joint of weed from his diamond and starts to smoke to calm his nerves.

Steven exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes squinting against the sun's rays. His shoulders were tense, a lingering reminder of the adrenaline-fueled escape. Fionna, still dazed from the sudden shift in location, watched him quietly, her gaze flicking between the calm surroundings and the injured man beside her.

"You're hurt." Fionna finally said, her voice soft but firm, her hand hovering just above his wounded shoulder. She could see the blood soaking through his jacket and dissolving it like sulfufic acid.

Steven nods. "I know… just… gimme a sec." He closes his eyes and grunts. Suddenly, the wound in his arm starts closing with a black light glow.

Fionna watched in awe as the black light surrounded Steven's wound, slowly knitting the skin together with an eerie, unnatural glow. It was the first time she had seen him heal in such a way, and it sent a shiver down her spine. The blood ceased to drip, and the gaping wound began to vanish as if it were never there. But even as his body healed, the tension in Steven's posture remained.

"You can heal?" Fionna asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Steven took another drag from his joint, exhaling slowly, before answering. "Sort of... it's not really healing. More like a... patch job." He winced slightly as the glow around his arm faded, the wound completely closed. "I can shape-shift enough to change my body into some stuff but not enough to change my anatomy, but I can force my body to close wounds instantly. Doesn't mean it won't hurt like hell later." He looks at his jacket which was dissolved on the shoulder. "Aaand my blood dissolves non-organic stuff for some reason."

Fionna stared at Steven, her brow furrowed, absorbing everything he'd just said. She glanced at his shoulder, now uninjured but still bare where his jacket had dissolved, leaving behind a faint, blackened residue.

"So... your blood is acid?" she asked cautiously, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Steven gave a dry chuckle, tapping the ash from his joint onto the ground. "Not quite acid. It only messes with non-organic materials. Metal, plastic, synthetic fibers… you name it. Organic stuff? Totally fine." He motioned to Fionna's arm, where his blood had accidentally smeared during the chaos earlier. Her sleeve was fine, and her skin was unscathed. "See? You're still in one piece."

Fionna inspected her arm, frowning. "That's... weirdly specific." She crossed her arms, sitting down beside him.

Steven takes another drag and offers the joint to her.

Fionna stared at the joint Steven casually extended toward her, the thin trail of smoke curling lazily into the air. For a moment, she just looked at it, then at him.

"You seriously think now's the time to get high?" She asked, one brow raised.

Steven smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching as he took another slow drag before exhaling. "After being shot at, hunted by a government agency, and teleporting to who-the-hell-knows-where? Yeah. Now feels like a perfect time."

Fionna hesitated, then snatched the joint from his hand. "Fine. But only because I'm trying to understand how you're not losing your mind right now."

Steven chuckled softly, leaning back on his elbows. "You get used to it."

Fionna took a tentative inhale, coughing almost immediately. Steven laughed, a raspy, genuine sound.

"Yeah, it hits hard." Steven muttered, flicking his eyes toward the vast strawberry field.

Fionna took a moment to recover from her coughing fit, her cheeks flushed, whether from the smoke or embarrassment, she wasn't sure. She handed the joint back to Steven, waving off his amused grin.

"I don't know how you do this." She muttered, her voice raspier than usual.

Steven smirked, taking another drag and exhaling slowly. "Practice makes perfect."

Fionna rolled her eyes and glanced out at the field of strawberries stretching endlessly around them. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the sunlight glinted off the red berries like tiny jewels. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful, given the chaos they'd just escaped.

"Where are we, anyway?" She asked, hugging her knees to her chest. "This place… it doesn't feel real."

Steven tilted his head back, staring at the clear blue sky. "Well, according to google maps, we're in Scandinavia. I think this was a battlefield or something like that. There are a lotta big weapons scattered around this place, and I swear I saw floating pieces of ground in some places."

Fionna's eyes widened, her grip tightening around her knees. "Wait—Scandinavia? How did we get all the way here?"

Steven flicked the half-burned joint into the dirt, watching it sizzle out. "That platform back at City Hall. Some old teleportation tech I found a while ago. There are many of these around this world, and I cataloged some of them. Apparently, only I can use them."

Fionna stared at Steven, stunned. "Wait, you found ancient teleportation tech and didn't think to tell anyone?"

Steven leaned back on his elbows, smirking. "What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, Fionna, wanna check out some ancient sci-fi platforms I can magically use'? Sounds insane."

"Steven, you are insane." She shot back, exasperated. "Do you even know how this stuff works?"

Steven shrugged. "Not really. I just know if I stand on it and think of another one of these, it takes me there. Usually."

"Usually?" Fionna echoed, eyes wide. "Steven!"

He chuckled. "Relax. We're here, aren't we?"

Fionna rubbed her temples, muttering under her breath. "Unbelievable."

Steven's smirk faded as he stared out over the endless strawberry fields. The peaceful breeze rustled the leaves, a sharp contrast to the storm in his head. His shoulder still ached despite the "patch job," and the weight of G.U.N.'s pursuit hadn't lifted.

Fionna noticed the shift in his expression. Her frustration softened. "So… what now?"

Steven let out a slow breath. "We lay low. G.U.N. won't find us here, not for a while. But they will eventually." He picked at the torn edge of his ruined jacket. "They don't give up. Not on me."

Fionna hugged her knees tighter. "Why are they after you, Steven? Really."

He was quiet for a long moment. The wind carried the scent of strawberries between them.

"... I suppose it's because they think I'm dangerous." His voice was low, almost a whisper.

Fionna didn't look away. "You're dangerous because you're powerful. That doesn't mean you're the enemy."

Steven gave a bitter chuckle. "Try telling them that."

She frowned. "Then tell me. What are you?"

Steven's gaze darkened. His fingers unconsciously brushed the diamond on his forehead.

"I don't know." His voice was flat, almost hollow. "Not fully. I'm not human. Not completely. I bleed acid, I can bend steel, and I can survive things that should kill me. But I'm not... invincible. G.U.N. thinks I'm some kind of weapon. Or worse, a ticking time bomb."

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "And maybe they're right."

Fionna was silent, the breeze tugging at her hair. Then she shook her head.

"No. I don't buy that."

Steven blinked. "What?"

She pointed a finger at him. "You could've run. Left me behind. Hell, you probably should've. But you didn't. You carried me out of there. You're not a bomb, Steven. You're a person."

Steven stared at her for a long moment, then huffed a laugh. "You're stubborn."

"Yeah, well, so are you." Fionna smirked faintly.

Silence fell between them again, but it was lighter this time.

Steven broke it with a sigh. "Alright. We need a plan." He pulls a world map from the diamond and put it on the ground to take a better look. There are some marked spots around all the world. "Everything I marked is one of these 'warp pads'. There must be some more that I didn't discover yet. There are some which G.U.N already know and watch it 24/7, these are marked with a 'G'."

Fionna leaned over, studying the map as Steven spread it out. The small, carefully marked dots across the world seemed to pulse with potential danger or opportunity, depending on how they approached them. Her eyes narrowed at the 'G' marks, the ones Steven had highlighted as being under constant surveillance by G.U.N. The thought of being tracked by them made her stomach tighten.

"So, we're essentially playing hide and seek with G.U.N. now, huh?" Fionna asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. She ran her fingers over the map, tracing the lines that connected the pads.

"Pretty much," Steven replied, his tone more resigned than anything. "Except, they've got all the tools, and we're just two people with one teleportation system, a powerful diamond craved in my head, some bad luck, and a few informants."

Fionna frowned, studying the map. "Okay, but this isn't just about hiding. We need to do something. If we just run, G.U.N. will keep chasing us forever. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be on the run my whole life." She glanced over at Steven, who was staring at the map as if willing it to offer a solution.

Steven sighed, leaning back slightly. "I've lived my whole life running. What can I do instead?"

Fionna glanced at Steven, her eyes sharp and determined. "You can fight back." She said, her voice firm. "If G.U.N. have been hunting you for years because they fear you for your power. Don't you think that it means something? Have you ever tried to fight back?"

Steven stared at Fionna, the corners of his mouth pulling into a thin line. Her words echoed in his head, louder than the gentle rustling of strawberry leaves around them.

"Fight back?" He repeated, voice low.

Fionna didn't flinch. "Yeah. You've been running, hiding, barely surviving. But if they're this scared of you, maybe it's time they had a reason to be."

Steven's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dangerous behind them. He wasn't sure if it was anger, fear, or curiosity. Maybe all three.

"You think I should just... go to war with them?" He asked, almost incredulous.

"I think," Fionna said, leaning closer, "you need to stop letting them decide who you are. You said it yourself, they see you as a weapon or a bomb. But what if you chose to be something else? Something they can't control or predict?"

Steven stared at the map between them, his mind racing. He traced his finger along the connected warp pad locations, thinking.

"If I hit G.U.N. directly, they'll hit back harder. They've got resources, armies, and tech I've never even seen before. It's not like I can storm their headquarters and tell them to back off."

Fionna leaned in, her eyes sharp. "No, but you don't have to storm their gates. You're thinking too big. Start small. Hit them where it hurts, where they don't expect. Supply lines, surveillance stations, data hubs. Chip away at their power, bit by bit."

Steven stared at her, considering. "Guerrilla tactics…"

"Exactly," Fionna nodded. "They have an army. We need to be ghosts. Hit and vanish. And with those warp pads, we can be anywhere before they know what happened."

Steven leaned back, exhaling slowly. The idea had weight, more than he expected. He'd been running so long, the thought of standing his ground—or better yet, fighting back—felt alien. But it also felt… right.

"They won't stop until I'm dead or in a cage," Steven muttered, his eyes darkening. "So maybe it's time they learned I'm not the one to hunt."

Fionna smirked. "Now you're getting it."

Steven tapped the map, his finger landing on a pad far from any marked G.U.N. surveillance. "There's one here. Middle of nowhere. If G.U.N. has a weak point, it's their remote outposts. Less security, fewer eyes."

Fionna studied the spot. "So, we go there, figure out what they're doing, and tear it apart?"

Steven's smirk mirrored hers. "Something like that."

A breeze stirred the strawberry plants, and for a moment, the world felt still.

Steven folded the map with deliberate care, the paper crinkling beneath his fingers. The plan, however thin and reckless, had solidified. No more running. No more hiding.

"We move at dusk," Steven said, his voice low and steady. "Less chance of satellites spotting us, and it gives us time to prepare."

Fionna gave a sharp nod. "Good. We'll need supplies, weapons if we can find any. Information too. We can't just walk in blind."

Steven smirked faintly. "Lucky for us, G.U.N. has plenty of both. We'll just borrow some."

Fionna chuckled, shaking her head. "Yeah, 'borrow.'"

The air grew heavier as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the strawberry fields. The distant hum of wind whispered through the leaves, but otherwise, the world was still.

Steven's eyes hardened. "If we're doing this, we do it smart. I'm not losing anyone else because I was careless."

Fionna caught the edge in his tone. "Then we make sure we don't. We strike first, and we strike hard."

Steven stood up, stretching his limbs, the soreness in his shoulder a dull throb beneath his skin. He glanced down at the remains of his jacket, tattered and eaten away.

"I'll need new clothes." He muttered.

Fionna snorted. "Yeah, because that's the biggest problem right now."

Steven chuckled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He stared at the horizon, the last sliver of sun bleeding into the sky.

"They've spent years hunting me," Steven said quietly. "It's about time they realize I'm not prey."

Fionna stood beside him, crossing her arms. "Then let's make them regret it."

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of strawberries and the distant promise of war.

And for the first time in a long while, Steven felt ready.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Colonel Andrew sat hunched over his desk, fingers steepled beneath his chin. The dim glow of the desk lamp cast long shadows across the cluttered surface, files, surveillance photos, and reports all centered around one person: Steven.

"That goddamn guy…" Andrew muttered, his jaw tightening. The sound of the clock ticking on the wall seemed louder in the heavy silence. His thoughts swirled with frustration and calculations. Every move Steven made was unpredictable, slipping through the cracks of even G.U.N.'s vast network.

A sharp knock broke through the quiet.

"Enter." Andrew snapped, sitting up straighter.

The door swung open, and a uniformed agent stepped in briskly, saluting. His face was pale, eyes tense.

"Colonel Andrew, we have news."

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "Talk."

The agent lowered his salute and approached, holding out a tablet. On the screen flickered grainy satellite footage, two figures moving through a dense forest near a remote facility. The timestamp was from less than an hour ago.

"We picked up movement near Outpost 17. It's one of the lesser-guarded data relay stations in Scandinavia. We initially thought it was local wildlife, but upon closer analysis..." The agent tapped the screen, zooming in on a blurry figure with a glint of light catching on his forehead.

The diamond.

Steven.

Andrew leaned forward, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Well, I'll be damned…" He muttered. His fingers drummed against the desk before pointing sharply at the agent. "Status of the outpost?"

"Minimal personnel, sir. Mostly automated systems and a skeleton crew for maintenance. No heavy security since it's considered low risk."

Andrew's lip curled into a thin, humorless smile.

"Low risk, huh?" His voice was cold, laced with disdain. "Tell me, Agent, how many times has that label come back to bite us?"

The agent swallowed hard. "Too many, sir."

Andrew leaned back in his chair, staring at the frozen image of Steven on the tablet. His mind was already racing. Steven wasn't there by accident. No, this was deliberate. Strategic.

"He's learning." Andrew's words were quiet but carried a dangerous edge. "He's not just running anymore. He's probing."

The agent shifted uneasily. "Orders, sir?"

Andrew stood up slowly, the chair creaking under his weight. He moved to a large screen on the wall and flicked it on, revealing a map of the Scandinavian sector with Outpost 17 marked in blinking red.

"Scramble Ghost Unit 3. They're close enough to intercept without drawing attention. Full stealth. I want Steven alive. No more near-misses. No more excuses."

The agent hesitated. "And the second figure, sir? Satellite scans show he's not alone."

Andrew's eyes flicked back to the image. The second figure was harder to make out, but clearly human.

"Doesn't matter. They're expendable."

The agent gave a tight nod. "Understood."

Andrew's jaw tightened. "And get me Commander Graves. If Steven's making moves on our data relays, I want countermeasures in place. Double encryption on all sensitive data streams. Anything he learns, we make worthless."

"Yes, sir." The agent turned on his heel and exited swiftly.

Colonel Andrew stared at the blinking red dot on the map, lost in thought. The dim hum of the monitors filled the silence, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. His reflection stared back at him in the glass surface of the screen, stern, cold, calculating.

He's learning.

That thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit. Steven had always been unpredictable, but reckless. Now, this… this was strategy. And strategy was dangerous.

In the cold winds of Scandinavia Steven and Fionna are sneaking into the outpost.

Fionna is shaking, her heart feeling like it's about to explode. She can't quite say if it's the insane fear or the excitement mixed with the cold.

As they sneak, Fionna start thinking on how to get pass the security and invade the outpost. "A- Alright… we can get disguises and— no, they would recognize our faces… or we could try to enter a ventilation— No, it would be too loud… or maybe—"

Suddenly, Steven pulls one axe and infuse it with his energy before striking the outpost wall.

The deafening crash of crumbling concrete echoed through the cold air as the dust settled around the freshly carved hole in the outpost wall. Fionna stared at the opening, her mouth slightly agape, her earlier plans for a stealthy infiltration crumbling as spectacularly as the wall itself.

Steven leaned casually against the jagged edge of the hole, his smirk unshaken. "Problem solved. You're welcome."

Fionna shot him a glare, her voice a sharp whisper. "Are you insane? Subtlety clearly isn't in your vocabulary!" She waved her arms toward the surrounding forest. "We probably just alerted everyone in a ten-mile radius!"

Steven stepped inside, ignoring her protests, his sneakers crunching against the scattered debris. "If they didn't know we were here before, they do now. Might as well skip the sneaking and get to the fun part." He looked over his shoulder, his diamond glowing faintly. "You coming, or do you want to keep brainstorming ventilation plans?"

Fionna hesitated, her hands clenched into fists. She wanted to yell at him, but the sound of distant alarms blaring snapped her focus back. Gritting her teeth, she followed him through the hole, stepping into the sterile, dimly lit corridor of the outpost.

"You're impossible." She muttered under her breath, but Steven's smirk widened as if he'd heard her.

Inside, the outpost was eerily quiet, the hum of machines and faintly flickering lights creating an unsettling atmosphere. Fionna's heart raced as they moved deeper into the facility.

"Alright, Mr. Wrecking Ball," she said, glancing around nervously. "What's the plan now?"

Steven paused, surveying the corridor. "Find the data core, download what we can, and get out. Simple."

Fionna raised an eyebrow. "Simple? You really think they're not gonna send reinforcements the second they realize we're here?"

Steven grinned, his confidence maddeningly unshakable. "That's the beauty of being unpredictable. They're scrambling to figure out what we're doing while we're already doing it."

The sterile corridors seemed to stretch endlessly, the faint hum of machinery and overhead lights their only companions as Steven and Fionna moved deeper into the outpost. Steven walked with a relaxed swagger, his hand occasionally brushing the diamond on his forehead, while Fionna kept casting nervous glances over her shoulder.

The alarms weren't deafening yet, more of a subtle pulse in the distance, a clear sign that the outpost's automated systems were still processing the breach. That wouldn't last long.

Fionna grabbed Steven's arm, forcing him to stop. "Wait. If we're looking for the data core, shouldn't we be heading down? These places always have the good stuff in the basement."

Steven nodded, giving her a small, begrudging smirk. "Not bad. Let's hope your instincts are right."

They turned a corner, and Fionna immediately spotted a set of stairs leading downward. "There." She said, tugging at his sleeve.

"Wow, you're more helpful than I thought." Steven teased.

"Shut up and move."

The staircase was narrow and dimly lit, the air growing colder as they descended. Each step seemed to echo louder than the last, and Fionna felt her stomach twist. They had no idea what was waiting below.

As they reached the bottom, they were greeted by a heavy steel door. A red panel blinked beside it, clearly a security checkpoint.

"Alright." Fionna said, stepping forward. "We'll need to—"

Before she could finish, Steven reached out, his fingers crackling with black energy, and pressed them against the control panel. The screen fizzled, and with a groan of strained mechanics, the door slid open.

Fionna stared at him, exasperated. "Do you always have to brute force everything?"

"Why waste time hacking when you can just short-circuit?" Steven said with a shrug, stepping inside. "Besides, it's faster."

The room beyond was larger than they expected, with rows of servers glowing faintly in the dim light. In the center stood a cylindrical terminal, its interface glowing blue.

"That's it," Steven said, striding toward the terminal.

Fionna followed, her eyes scanning the room. "This is too easy."

"Maybe they didn't expect anyone dumb enough to bust through the wall," Steven muttered, pulling a small device from his diamond. He plugged it into the terminal, and streams of data began pouring across the screen.

"Alright." He said, watching the progress bar crawl upward. "This should take a couple minutes."

"Minutes we probably don't have." Fionna's tone was sharp, her nerves on edge. "Do you hear that?"

Steven tilted his head, his expression darkening as he caught the faint sound of boots echoing down the corridor.

"Reinforcements." He muttered. "They're faster than I thought."

He pulls two axes from his diamond and infuses his energy into them.

"Finn, stay here and take care of the data. We'll need that to know what G.U.N. has to offer." Steven says, looking at Fionna over his shoulder.

Fionna's heart pounded in her chest as she nodded, swallowing her fear. She turned her attention back to the terminal, her hands trembling as she tapped at the interface to speed up the download. The steady progress bar moved agonizingly slowly, each second stretching into an eternity.

Behind her, Steven positioned himself at the door, his dual axes glowing with dark energy. The faint hum of his power filled the room, mingling with the approaching sound of boots and muffled commands. His smirk was gone now, replaced by a sharp, focused expression.

The first set of shadows appeared at the far end of the corridor, and Steven raised one axe in a mock salute. "Welcome to the party," he muttered, his tone darkly amused.

The soldiers advanced quickly, their weapons drawn and ready. The leading agent raised a hand in signal. "Stand down and surrender!" His voice was authoritative, but Steven didn't flinch.

Instead, he stepped forward, twirling his axes in a lazy arc. "Surrender?" he echoed, his voice dripping with mockery. "That's cute."

Before the agent could respond, Steven hurled one of his axes, the weapon spinning through the air in a blur of dark energy. It struck the ground in front of the squad, erupting in a shockwave that sent them stumbling back.

The agent barked orders, and the soldiers opened fire.

"Steven!" Fionna's panicked voice called out, but Steven was already moving. He darted forward, a blur of motion, deflecting bullets with precise sweeps of his remaining axe. Each clash of metal and energy echoed through the corridor as he closed the distance, his strikes deliberate and devastating.

Back at the terminal, Fionna's fingers flew across the interface. The progress bar hit 50%, and she cursed under her breath. "Come on, come on…"

The clash behind her intensified. Steven leaped and twisted with an almost feral grace, his laughter cutting through the chaos. "You guys really thought this would work?" he taunted, disarming one soldier with a swift kick before sending another sprawling with a backhanded strike.

But the reinforcements kept coming. For every agent he incapacitated, another two seemed to take their place.

"Steven!" Fionna yelled again, glancing back. "We've got to go—"

"Not until we get what we came for!" Steven interrupted, his voice firm but edged with strain.

Fionna clenched her jaw, forcing herself to focus on the terminal. She glanced at the progress bar, 75%. The room felt smaller, the air heavier with tension. She could feel the vibrations from the battle behind her, each clash of weapons and burst of energy rattling her nerves.

Suddenly, a new sound cut through the chaos, a low, mechanical whirring. Fionna's stomach dropped as she turned to see a towering, armored drone entering the fray. Its multiple gun barrels began to spin, the soft hum of its targeting systems locking onto Steven.

"Steven, look out!" she screamed.

Steven's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he saw the drone. "Oh, now this is getting interesting."

He charged the drone head-on, his axes crackling with power. It unleashed a torrent of bullets, but Steven spun and dodged, the diamond on his forehead glowing brighter. He leaped, swinging one axe through it and slicing the drone in two.

Fionna kept watching the progress bar load, her nerves taking the best of her. Finally, the progress bar reaches 100%, completing the upload.

Fionna unplug the device and calls out for Steven. "Steven, it's finished! Let's go!"

He grins and goes to her, grabbing her hand. He infuses one axe with energy and swings it at the soldiers, sending an energy blast that send all of them to the ground.

He grips her hand tighter and start running to the exit with her.

The corridor was a blur of chaos as Steven and Fionna sprinted toward the jagged hole he'd made in the outpost wall. Alarms screamed, their shrill wail echoing through the metal halls, while distant shouts and heavy footsteps signaled the pursuit closing in behind them.

They get to the stairs and get out of the basement, going outside the base of the outpost.

As they leave, a dozen of soldiers are waiting for them, all of the soldiers with pointed rifles at the duo.

"Drop your weapons and surrender!" barked the squad leader, stepping forward with a steely glare. The soldiers tightened their grips on their rifles, their postures rigid and ready to fire.

Steven glanced around, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then he grinned, his diamond glowing faintly on his forehead as he raised his axes, both humming with dark energy.

"Really?" Steven drawled, his voice tinged with mockery. "After all this, you think that's gonna work?"

Fionna tugged on his arm, her voice low but urgent. "Steven, there's too many of them! We can't fight all of them and get away clean!"

Steven glanced down at her, his grin softening for just a moment. "Don't worry, Finn. I've got this."

He stepped forward, but before he could go any further, he start hearing an helicopter sound.

The soldiers also look at the helicopter in confusion. The leader of them grab a walkie-talkie, asking with a firm tone. "Central, what's going on? Air reinforcements weren't required."

The central immediately responds at the walkie-talkie. "This isn't air reinforcements. Commander Graves ordered us to deliver this."

The helicopter above them suddenly release a steel container at the outpost. The container starts shaking and sounds come from it, as if something was hitting it from inside.

The leader widens his eyes, realizing what it is. "Men, run!"

The door of the container is suddenly launched away and from inside comes a huge creature that ressembles the form of a wolf with orangish-brown skin, three horns on the face and light beige hair and an orange gemstone on the chest.

The beast stepped out of the shattered container, its claws digging into the frozen ground as it surveyed the chaos around it. Its glowing orange gemstone pulsed like a heartbeat, casting an eerie light over its towering form. The soldiers froze in place, some dropping their weapons in sheer terror.

Steven's cocky grin faltered slightly as he stared at the creature. "Well, that's... new," he muttered, tightening his grip on his axes.

The wolf-like creature let out a deep, guttural growl, its glowing eyes locking onto Steven and Fionna. Without warning, it charged with incredible speed, the ground trembling beneath its massive paws.

"Steven, MOVE!" Fionna screamed, yanking on his arm.

Steven barely managed to sidestep the first swipe of the creature's claws, its momentum tearing through the space he'd just occupied. The impact sent a shockwave that knocked nearby soldiers off their feet.

"Guess they're done playing game.," Steven said, his voice strained but still carrying a note of dark humor. He raised his axes, their energy flaring brighter. "Stay behind me, Finn."

The creature snarled, its gemstone glowing brighter as it reared up, ready to strike again.

Fionna's voice trembled as she whispered, "What the hell is that thing?"

Steven's smirk returned, but this time it was tinged with unease. "A problem."

Before either could react, the creature lunged again, its claws aimed directly at Steven. The air crackled with tension as he raised his axes to meet it head-on.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Steven quickly dodged the attack from the creature, its claws slashing through the air where he had been moments before. The sheer force of the swing sent a gust of wind that nearly knocked Fionna off her feet. She stumbled back, eyes wide with terror as the beast snarled, its glowing orange gemstone pulsing ominously.

"Okay, that's definitely not your average guard dog." Steven muttered, rolling his shoulders as he steadied himself. He twirled one of his axes, the dark energy crackling along its edges.

The creature turned to face him. It crouched low, muscles rippling beneath its orangish-brown skin, readying itself for another charge.

Suddenly, the leader soldier throws a grenade at the creature. It explodes, sending the creature backwards. 

Steven looks at the soldier with a raised brow. “So now you’re helping us, huh?”

The leader sighs. “Don’t get me wrong. The orders we received are to take you alive to G.U.N HQ. This thing will kill you and then all of us if we don’t stop it. If Commander Graves sent it, she made a dumb move.”

Steven smirked at the soldier’s reluctant alliance. “Guess even you guys know when the real monster’s in the room.” He twirled his axe and readied himself as the dust from the grenade settled.

The creature rose slowly from the crater the explosion had created, its horns glinting in the dim light. The orange gemstone on its chest pulsed brighter, sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air around it. The beast let out a guttural roar, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

“Yeah.” Steven muttered, glancing back at Fionna. “This just got a whole lot worse.”

The leader barked orders to his squad. “Form a perimeter! Just don’t shoot the gemstone! We need it alive!”

The soldiers scrambled to form a semi-circle around the creature, rifles trained on it but hesitating to fire. The leader’s voice cut through the chaos, his tone sharp and commanding. “Focus your fire on its legs! We need to slow it down!”

As the soldiers fired the beast, Steven used that opportunity to attack the beast with a blast of energy from his axe.

The blast of energy from Steven's axe collided with the creature's flank, sending it stumbling sideways. The force of the impact created a shockwave that rippled through the air, knocking a few of the soldiers off balance.

The creature roared in pain, its glowing gemstone flickering erratically as the blast of dark energy ripped through its side. It staggered but quickly regained its footing, its claws digging into the frozen ground to steady itself. The soldiers, though hesitant, kept their fire on the beast’s legs, their bullets tearing through the air, but it barely slowed the creature down. Its immense strength and resilience were becoming more apparent with each passing second.

“Focus, people!” The squad leader shouted, his voice strained. “We need to wear it down! Don’t stop shooting!”

The creature, now enraged and reeling from the combined firepower, charged again, its eyes locked on Steven as if sensing the threat he posed. With a guttural roar, it lunged, its claws swiping at him with terrifying speed.

Steven dodged to the side, the creature’s claws slicing through the air mere inches from his body. He spun, his energy crackling in his hand as he swung his axe towards the beast’s flank. The dark energy hit its target, but the creature barely flinched. Instead, it pivoted and snapped its jaws at him, the sharp teeth gleaming like daggers in the dim light.

“Damn, this thing’s tough,” Steven muttered, twisting out of the way just in time.

Behind him, Fionna’s voice was barely audible over the roar of the battle. “Steven! We can’t keep this up! It’s too strong!”

He grinned through the sweat dripping down his face, his eyes glowing faintly from the exertion of channeling his energy. “We don’t have a choice, Finn. Just keep safe. I’ll deal with this thing.”

Fionna didn’t have time to argue. She kept her distance, moving quickly between cover, her eyes darting around as she analyzed the situation. The soldiers were still firing, though their efforts seemed futile against the beast’s sheer size and durability. They needed something more.

The creature lets a wild roar and lunges at Steven with an impressive speed. Steven tries to dodge, but the thing catches him and throws him to the ground.

Steven crashed hard into the snow-covered ground, the impact rattling his bones. He barely managed to twist his body before the creature pounced, its claws digging into the earth beside him as it prepared for another strike. 

“Steven!” Fionna shouted and tried to approach to do something, but one of the soldiers held her, preventing her from approaching.

His mind raced at the sight of the creature about to strike again, thinking only about his probable death. He tried to get up but failed. As the creature was about to strike Steven, time seemed to slow down. 

Steven looks around with his eyes, his body suddenly so heavy he couldn’t move. “T… The fuck?” He manages to mutter. 

Without warning, he feels a presence behind him, a hand gripping his cheeks with the fingers.

“Infuse the energy into the ground.” A firm female voice says onto his ear.

Steven's heart pounded in his chest, his body paralyzed beneath the weight of the creature above him. The impending strike of the beast was mere moments away, its claws glistening like razor-sharp blades. Then, that voice.

“Infuse the energy into the ground.”

The command was sharp, the tone unyielding. His eyes darted to the source, but all he could see was the fog of panic clouding his vision. The world around him felt suspended in time, as if everything was moving in slow motion. The creature’s jaws opened wide, its growl rumbling in his chest, but Steven’s focus shifted.

His breath quickened. The voice. He knew that voice.

He didn’t know who it belonged to, but there was something strangely familiar about the command. It felt like a lifeline. He had no other choice. His fingers twitched as they reached for his remaining axe, still pulsing with dark energy.

"Infuse the energy... into the ground." He muttered to himself under his breath.

He put his hands onto the ground, and they start glowing. As he infuses the energy onto the floor, the energy flows like roots, targeting the ground beneath the creature and exploding under it. The creature explodes in a cloud of mist and the gemstone falls onto the ground alone.

The air was thick with the aftermath of the explosion. The soldiers stood frozen in shock, staring at the spot where the creature had once stood. Their rifles hung loosely at their sides, no longer sure of what to make of the situation. All that remained was the glowing orange gemstone still on the ground.

Fionna, her eyes wide with disbelief, rushed forward despite the soldier holding her back. “Steven!” She cried, her voice trembling with relief. She quickly knelt beside him as he struggled to sit up, his body aching from the collision with the ground. His axe was clenched in his hand, but he seemed more drained than ever.

The soldiers quickly advance to the gemstone of the creature. The leader take a device that transforms into an energy box. He puts the gemstone into the energy box and sigh in relief.

As the leader secured the glowing gemstone in the energy box, the rest of the soldiers seemed to relax, though their eyes remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings. The air was still thick with tension, and the quiet aftermath of the battle felt almost surreal.

Fionna carefully helped Steven sit up, her hands trembling as she checked him over. “You’re alive,” she whispered, her voice a mix of awe and relief. “I thought... I thought you were done for.”

Steven groaned, rubbing his aching side where the creature’s claws had grazed him. "Yeah... barely," he muttered, grimacing. His face was pale, sweat mingling with dirt on his forehead, but his grin was as confident as ever. “But you should have seen the look on that thing’s face when I hit it with the ground burst.”

Fionna chuckled nervously, though she was clearly relieved. She glanced back at the soldiers, who were still processing what had just happened. "You really think they’re just going to let us go after all that?"

Steven’s smirk faded slightly, replaced with a thoughtful expression as he observed the leader of the squad. The man was inspecting the device holding the gemstone with a wary look, his posture tense as though expecting the gemstone to suddenly react or transform again.

The leader didn’t look up as he spoke, but his tone was weary and resigned. “... We owe you. We’re not taking you to G.U.N, not this time. Now go away, we’re saying you escaped when we tried to capture you.”

Steven raised an eyebrow at the squad leader's words, his body still aching from the encounter. "You're letting us go?" His voice carried a note of suspicion. "What happened to dragging me to G.U.N HQ alive?"

The leader glanced at him, his eyes hard but his expression reluctant. “Don’t make me regret this, kid. You saved our skins back there, even if I don’t like you. Commander Graves may have sent that thing, but it’s way beyond what we signed up for. We’re cutting our losses.”

Steven chuckled weakly, leaning on Fionna for support as he stood. “Guess you guys aren’t all bad after all.”

“Don’t push your luck.” The leader snapped, though there was no real malice in his tone. He gestured sharply to his squad. “Move out! We’re done here.”

The soldiers began to retreat, their boots crunching against the snow as they faded into the misty forest. The tension in the air remained thick, but it was slowly dissipating, replaced by the cold stillness of the wilderness.

Fionna let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Steven, what do we do now?”

He winced as he adjusted his grip on his axe, his eyes scanning the area where the creature had been. "We don’t stick around, that’s for sure. They might be letting us go, but I doubt this ‘Commander Graves’ nor Colonel Andrew will be so forgiving.”

Colonel Andrew's boots echoed through the pristine, sterile hallways of the G.U.N. HQ, his face twisted in a scowl. Agents and personnel quickly moved out of his way, avoiding eye contact as he stormed toward the operations room. His coat swished with each determined step, and the surrounding air seemed to vibrate with his barely-contained anger.

He quickly enters a room and see a woman sitting on a command chair and eating some chips. He growls and clench his fists. “Commander Graves.”

Commander Graves lounged in her command chair, her posture utterly relaxed despite the tense atmosphere. The room hummed with activity, monitors displaying live feeds, schematics, and data streams that filled the air with a soft buzz. A half-empty bag of chips rested on her lap as she lazily reached in for another handful.

Andrew sighs and walks closer to her, trying to contain his rage. “Ashley.”

Ashley didn’t look up immediately. She chewed deliberately, savoring her snack before finally acknowledging him with a languid glance. “Ah, hi Andy.” She said, her tone playful and unconcerned. “What brings you to my humble command room? Don’t tell me you’re here to criticize my dietary choices again.”

Andrew’s eye twitched at her casual demeanor. He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice level. “I’m not here to discuss your habits. I’m here to ask why you authorized deploying one of the beasts in the field.”

Ashley popped another chip into her mouth, her lips curling into a lazy smirk. "Oh, that." She drawled, brushing crumbs off her fingers. "I figured the team would need help on capturing that guy you’re chasing for years. It’s called being proactive, Andy."

Andrew's fists clenched tighter, his voice rising despite his effort to stay composed. "’Being proactive’? It is one of the research objects, we can’t risk losing it! What if it killed all of our men and Steven? Or do you just not care?" He sighs. “We’re lucky the soldiers could retrieve it back without damages.”

Ashley leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she lazily swirled the now-empty chip bag in her hand. Her smirk only grew as she tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Oh, come on, Andy. Where's your sense of adventure? The soldiers got the job done, didn't they? And Steven’s still breathing. So, no harm, no foul."

Andrew's patience snapped. He slammed his fists onto the control console in front of her, the room briefly falling silent as agents nearby froze in place. "This isn’t a game, Ashley! These 'beasts' aren't toys you can throw around whenever you feel like it! Do you have any idea how much damage you could have caused? How close we were to losing control of the situation entirely?"

Ashley’s smirk faded slightly, her eyes narrowing as she set the chip bag aside. “Relax, Andy. I knew what I was doing. The team on the ground was perfectly capable of handling it. Besides…” Her tone shifted, dripping with cold confidence. “You’ve been chasing Steven for how long now? Years? I figured you needed a little push to finally wrap things up.”

Andrew stares at her and take a deep breath, trying to calm down. “... You’re so lucky we’re siblings. I should demote you.”

Ashley chuckled, the sound soft but mocking as she casually leaned back in her chair. “Oh, please. If you demoted me, who would you have left to actually get things done around here, huh? Besides,” She added, her gaze sharpening as she finally locked eyes with him, “you know I don’t do anything without purpose. You might not like my methods, but they’ve gotten results. And whether you admit it or not, Steven’s on your radar now like he’s never been before.” She takes a tablet and shows it to Andrew. “One of the soldiers put a tracking device on the girl with him, so now we know exactly where they are and where they go.”

Andrew stared at the tablet, his jaw tightening as he took in the flashing beacon on the map. His fury simmered beneath the surface, but the glint of opportunity in his eyes was unmistakable.

“You better hope this works.” He said through clenched teeth, snatching the tablet from her hands. “If this backfires, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Ashley shrugged, her smirk returning with a playful air. “Relax, Andy. Everything’s under control. You’ll get your golden boy soon enough.”

Without another word, Andrew turned on his heel, storming out of the command room with the tablet in hand. Ashley leaned back in her chair, popping another chip from a hidden stash.

“Always so serious.” She muttered to herself, watching the map as the tracking beacon pulsed steadily. “Let’s see how this little game plays out.”

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Steven and Fionna warp back to the strawberry field after the fight in the G.U.N outpost. 

Steven steps out of the platform and walks one side to other in nervousness. “Holy goddamn shit, we almost died! I wasn’t in control of the situation not for a second. Holy shit!”

As he walks, Fionna sighs, sitting on the platform and curling slightly in sadness.

Steven doesn’t notice at first, but when he does, he calm down. He took a seat next to her, putting a hand on her back to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Finn, everything will be alright. We’re still alive.”

She shakes her head and looks away from him. “... It’s not that, Steven.” 

He raises a brow. “Huh? So… what’s it?”

Fionna takes a second to answer, choosing her words very carefully. “... I’m a burden, ain’t I?”

Steven froze, his hand still resting on her back as her words hit him like a punch to the gut. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

“A burden?” He repeated softly, disbelief in his voice. “Fionna, what are you talking about?”

She still wouldn’t look at him, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her jacket. “Back there, you were the one keeping us alive. And me? I’m just… standing on the sidelines. If that soldier hadn’t held me back, I might’ve just made things worse. I don’t have your powers, your instincts, your experience. I’m just dead weight.”

Steven blinked, taken aback. He opened his mouth to argue, but her words stopped him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back slightly on the platform. “Fionna, you’re not dead weight. Not even close.” He sighs. “You’re way too far from being useless.”

Despite his words, she remained quiet.

He looked at her and sighed. He shifted on his place his voice softer now. “Just so you know, you saved me from doing something stupid the moment we met.”

Fionna’s head snapped up at Steven’s words, her brow furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Steven gave a small, tired smile and leaned back slightly, trying to find the right words. "Remember when we met? Those guys were going to rape you and I saved you, then the corrupt cop arrested me, and you came to the prison to get me free.”

Fionna's face softened, her eyes flickering with a mix of surprise and understanding. She leaned back slightly, thinking over his words. "Yeah, I remember… but I don’t see how—”

“I was going to rob a bank.” He interrupts her. “I was going to rob a bank with my own hands, then I’d just run away with my powers and take something for fun. I was already tired. I thought that the world had enough of me. When I saw you, I decided to save you because I wanted to do at least one good thing in my whole life. When the cop arrested me, I regretted saving you, but when you came to take me outta the cell…” He chuckles. “I felt my heart tight. You must remember I was in denial at first, but you insisted… and this insistence… this insistence to take me outta trouble made saving you worth it. The time we passed together is the longest I ever stuck with anyone and…” He sighs and looks away blushing a little. “And I guess you’re the first person I ever actually cared about and didn’t kick me away.”

Fionna’s eyes widened slightly as Steven's words hung in the air. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that, especially not with such vulnerability. For a moment, she remained silent, her mind racing as she processed what he'd just shared.

She shifted slightly on the platform, her hands clasping tightly together in her lap. "I... didn’t know." She said softly, her voice almost a whisper. "I always thought I was just tagging along for the ride, you know? Trying to keep up with someone like you, who's so... strong ."

Steven chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Strong? Well, what is ‘being strong’? I’m good at beating people up, that’s for sure, but that’s not all. Atenas considered the physical strength and combat experience extremely relevant, but Esparta was more philosophical and preferred intelligence…” He looks away. “Or it was the contrary?” He shakes his head. “What I mean is: You’re not dead-weight. You have your own strength, everyone does, you just need to discover it.”

Fionna took a deep breath, letting Steven’s words settle in her chest. The weight of what he said didn’t quite lift her sadness, but it definitely gave her a new perspective. She’d always seen herself as a little too weak, too fragile compared to Steven’s strength. But hearing him talk like that… it made her feel like maybe she wasn’t as invisible as she thought.

“Thanks, Steven.” She murmured, though her voice still carried the weight of lingering doubts.

He smiles. “Anytime…”

A comfortable silence settles between them. Steven slowly moves closer to her, their fingers brushing a little, the air between them seemed to shift. Steven could feel his heart race just a little faster, the warmth of Fionna's presence grounding him after the chaos they'd just faced.

Fionna, still a little unsure of herself, didn’t pull away. Instead, she hesitated, then gently placed her hand in his.

"Finn…" Steven started, his voice softer than before, his thumb brushing lightly across the back of her hand. "You’ve been through a lot, more than most people could even handle. Don’t ever think you're not strong enough, alright?"

Fionna squeezed Steven's hand gently, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at his words. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time since the battle, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn’t feel so alone in her struggles. “I’ll try,” she said softly, her voice a little steadier now, though there was still a hint of uncertainty lingering.

Steven gave her a reassuring smile, the kind that reached his eyes and made her feel a little lighter. “That’s all I can ask for.” He said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

They sat in silence for a while, the gentle hum of the world around them a stark contrast to the chaos they had just experienced. The strawberry field, bathed in soft twilight, felt peaceful, almost like a moment of respite after a storm. But as much as they both needed the quiet, the weight of what had happened still hung in the air.

Some hours have passed already and Colonel Andrew and Commander Graves are watching the screen that displays Fionna’s location.

They keep staring to the screen in silence until she sighs. “C’mon, Andy! Can’t we go attack him already? We know where they are and where is that warp pad!”

Andrew sighs and shakes his head, turning his head to Graves. “No, Ashley. We need to wait. If we attack him right now we’ll make him use the platform. If he uses it, and we keep heading after him, he’ll eventually realize that we’re tracking them and will destroy the tracking device, and we’ll lose our best chance. We have to wait for him to use the most platforms he can and then surround every single one of these to make him lose his escape routes.” He stares at the screen. “Taking information from that outpost was strategy, but Steven wouldn’t do something like that. He’s either learning or that girl is helping him. No matter what it is, we have to be careful.”

Back at the strawberry field, Steven and Fionna are holding the device and searching for useful info… but they only find useless stuff.

Steven stares at it with gritted teeth. “... Seriously? That’s all we got from that PC?”

Fionna takes a second to think and sighs. “Steven, I think that’s planted information.”

Steven groaned in frustration, tossing the device onto the grass as he leaned back, resting his head in his hands. "Planted information? So, we risked our necks for a decoy?" His voice carried an edge of bitterness, the adrenaline of the earlier mission still lingering in his veins.

Fionna nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the small screen of the device. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? The outpost was too easy to infiltrate, and the defenses… I mean, they weren’t weak, but they weren’t what you’d expect from G.U.N.” She looked at Steven, her expression conflicted. “They were leading us to find this, Steven. They wanted us to think we got something important.”

Steven rubbed his eyes, still frustrated by the dead end. “So they set us up… fantastic. We just walked right into their trap.”

Fionna stared at the device for a moment longer, then her eyes narrowed. “Wait. I think there’s still hope.” She glanced over at Steven, her voice quieter now, more focused. “I’ve heard from programmer friends that even if deleted, archives can remain on the database. Maybe there is still something useful for us in that.”

Fionna’s words made Steven pause, his frustration momentarily overshadowed by a glimmer of hope. He looked at her, studying the determination in her eyes. “You’re saying we can recover something from this mess?”

She nodded, her fingers already moving across the device's buttons with renewed focus. "Yeah, I’ve seen it happen before. Sometimes files are just hidden or buried deep in a system, even after they’ve been deleted. If we can access the right backup or trace the data flow, we might still find something useful."

Steven sat up straighter. “So, how do we do it?”

Fionna bit her lip, her eyes flicking back and forth across the screen. “We’ll need to bypass a few layers of security. It’s gonna take a bit of time, but I can try running a deeper scan for residual files. If they tried to erase everything, they might have overlooked something.”

Steven shrugged. “Well, feel free to try. We have nothing better to do now”

With a deep breath, Fionna set to work, her fingers dancing across the device with a kind of practiced precision. Moments passed in tense silence, the quiet hum of the device the only sound between them.

Then, just as Steven was about to ask how much longer it would take, Fionna’s eyes widened. “Got it.” She muttered under her breath, tapping a few more keys. A small, encrypted file appeared on the screen, its contents unreadable at first glance.

“Is that it?” Steven asked, stepping closer, his voice filled with both hope and surprise.

Fionna bit her lip. “It’s encrypted, but I can crack it. They wouldn’t expect someone to dig this deep.”

A few tense seconds later, the file’s contents began to reveal themselves, lines of code and encrypted messages slowly turning into readable data. A map of locations flickered to life on the screen, alongside a list of names and dates that seemed to reference upcoming operations.

Fionna scanned the data quickly, her eyes narrowing with recognition. “This… this is a list of G.U.N’s active bases. And here—” She pointed to a specific section of the screen. “This looks like a scheduled operation. They’re developing something. If we intercept this, we could get a significant advantage.”

Steven stepped closer. “You’re saying we just hit them before they hit us?”

Fionna nodded, her gaze steady. “Exactly. We might have just found the biggest opportunity we’ve had since we started this.”

A slow smile spread across Steven’s face. “You did it, Finn. You really did it.”

Fionna managed a small, relieved smile of her own, feeling the weight of the previous hours finally start to lift. “We did it. Together.”

Steven paused for a moment, his expression turning serious once more. “Alright, let’s make sure they know we’re not the ones being hunted anymore. We’ve got a fight ahead of us.”

Fionna clenched her fists, the fire of determination lighting up her eyes. “Let’s finish this.”

With that, they stood together, ready to face the storm that was about to come their way, knowing that for once, they were the ones with the upper hand.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Days have been passing smoothly. While Steven and Fionna have been gathering info, Colonel Andrew and Commander Graves have been watching them closely.

At the command room, Andrew and Ashley look at a map, marking several spots. Ashley looks at the map carefully. “So there are platforms all around the world? Sahara Desert, Antarctica, Greenland, Scandinavia… Even in the Pacific. All of them only for him to use…”

Andrew just stares at it and gives a small smirk. “Just for now. When the Project Warp is finished, we will finally be able to keep up with him.”

Ashley turned to Andrew, her arms crossed, eyes narrowed in thought. “And what exactly is the timeline on this ‘Project Warp’? Because we’ve been waiting for ages.”

Andrew sighs. “Ashley, it is not that simple. It takes a long time of research and a longer time of development.”

Suddenly, one of the agents bursts through the door. He Salutes in the direction of Andrew. “Colonel!”

Andrew raises an eyebrow and gestures for the agent to speak. "What is it?"

The agent nods. “The Project Warp was finished this morning, the testing was successful.”

Andrew's expression shifts from casual smirk to a more focused one as the agent's words sink in. He straightens up slightly, his tone sharpening. "Successful? Are you certain?"

The agent nods quickly, a look of urgency in his eyes. "Yes, Colonel. The final tests were completed earlier today. The technology is stable, and the systems are operational. We’re ready to deploy."

Ashley watches the exchange with growing curiosity, her arms still crossed but her posture now more alert. "So it's finally done?" She asks, her voice tinged with both anticipation and frustration. "No more waiting?"

Andrew gives a slow nod, his eyes scanning the map again. "For now, yes. With Project Warp finished, we’ll be able to follow him wherever he goes, and this time, we won’t lose him. We’ll have the upper hand."

Ashley uncrosses her arms, now fully invested in the conversation. "What’s the next step then? We move in immediately?"

Andrew takes a look at the map displaying Fionna’s location and think for a second. “... That’s not exactly a bad idea…”

Steven and Fionna warp to the strawberry field again and walk out of the platform holding some devices.

They sit on the ground to check the stuff they got. 

Fionna is nervous, unsure of the next steps. “... Steven, do you really think they are coming?”

He nods. “Yeah. According to the computers, the Project Warp is supposed to be finished today. Besides,” He shows the tracking device on his hand. “They weren’t very subtle. They are definitely coming in the next hours.”

She sighs and looks to the horizon in silence.

Steven looks at her calmly and smiles. He takes a strawberry from the bushes and hands it to her.

Fionna takes the strawberry from Steven's hand, her fingers brushing lightly against his. She looks down at it for a moment, the soft pink fruit a stark contrast to the tension building inside her. Her fingers gently turn the strawberry over, but her thoughts are miles away.

"You really think we can handle them?" she asks, her voice quiet, almost to herself.

Steven takes a deep breath, sitting down beside her. He watches her for a moment before answering. "I think we have no choice but to try. But I’m not going to let them take you, Finn. You’ve got more fight in you than you realize." He pauses, his expression softening. "And it can’t get much worse, right?"

Fionna gives him a small, hesitant smile, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. "I don’t know if that’s reassuring or terrifying, Steven."

He chuckles softly, wrapping an arm around her neck gently. "It’s probably a bit of both. But we’ve been lucky so far, right? We’re still here."

Fionna blushes a little and leans into Steven’s touch for a brief moment, her eyes closing as she lets out a slow breath. Despite the weight of everything they’re facing, the warmth of his arm around her gives her a fleeting sense of calm.

Later, several units in the HQ of G.U.N are facing one of the platforms, their guns ready.

Colonel Andrew steps above them. “Soldiers, this is the day. We are going to capture Steven once for all. This is our trump card.”

The G.U.N. soldiers stood in tense formation, their weapons trained on the inactive warp platform. The cold, metallic hum of the room seemed to resonate with the collective anticipation of the mission. Colonel Andrew surveyed his troops from his elevated position, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Remember." Andrew barked, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "This is not just another mission. Steven has eluded us for too long, but today—today, we have the element of surprise. Thanks to Project Warp, we are no longer playing catch-up. Stay sharp, and follow orders to the letter."

Commander Graves, standing beside him, smirked as she adjusted her gloves. "And when we do capture him, I’m calling dibs on putting him in restraints," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "He’s caused us more paperwork than anyone I’ve ever dealt with."

Andrew gave her a sidelong glance. "Focus, Ashley. We can’t underestimate him, or that girl with him. She’s not as insignificant as she appears."

Graves rolled her eyes but nodded, her smirk fading into a more serious expression. "Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get this over with."

Andrew nods and turns to the battalion. “Advance.”

The soldiers moved in calculated precision, taking their positions around the warp platform. The first soldiers get on the platform and warp to the strawberry field.

As the soldiers are warped, the leader call Andrew on the walkie-talkie. “Colonel, we made it to the Strawberry field.”

“Great. Then we will send Unit 3 to your position to help on the capture. The others will go to the other platforms in case of Steven get away.” Andrew answers.

“Yes, sir.” The leader confirms before getting his gun back

They quickly raise their guns and search for Steven and Fionna. They get their GPS and start following the tracking device.

The GPS guides them to a nearby bush. They pointed their weapons at it, but as the leader approached, he saw the tracking device laying down on the ground.

The leader stopped in his tracks, his boots crunching against the grass as he stared at the tracking device lying innocently on the ground. His brow furrowed in confusion before he bent down to pick it up. Turning it over in his hands, he muttered under his breath, “It’s… just the tracker.”

One of the soldiers behind him spoke up, his voice uneasy. “Does that mean... they know we’re here?”

The leader clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on the device. He pressed the button on his earpiece. “Colonel Andrew, we found the tracking device. It’s been abandoned. I think they’re onto us.”

Back at the command room, Andrew’s calm exterior cracked slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Stay alert, Unit 1. If they abandoned the tracker, they could be planning an ambush. Proceed with extreme caution. Unit 3 is en route to back you up."

“Yes, sir.” The leader replied before turning back to his squad. “Spread out. They’ve got to be nearby. Keep your eyes open, and report any movement.”

As Unit 1 spread out cautiously through the strawberry field, the tension in the air was palpable. The soldiers moved in pairs, scanning the area with their weapons raised and eyes darting to every shadow and rustling leaf. The serene beauty of the field felt almost mocking in contrast to the danger they knew could be lurking.

Meanwhile, Steven and Fionna crouched low behind a thicket of dense bushes a good distance away, watching the soldiers fan out. Steven leaned closer to Fionna, whispering, "They took the bait. Your plan worked, now what do we do?"

Fionna glanced at Steven, her nerves showing despite her attempt to stay composed. "Now, we stick to the plan."

He nods. 

Some moments later, the soldiers are spread in duos. Steven grins. “Perfect. It will make things easier.” He put his hand on the ground and infuse his energy into it. The energy makes its path towards one of the duos that is more distant from the others.

As it reaches the duo, they receive a huge shock that knock them out.

Steven grins at Fionna and take her hand before heading to the unconscious soldiers.

Fionna, her heart racing, squeezed Steven’s hand tightly as they moved quickly and silently towards the downed soldiers. She felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, her nerves still on edge but steadied by the familiarity of their teamwork.

They stood before the soldiers. He smirks and looks at her. “You’re smarter than I thought, Finn.”

Fionna gives a small, sheepish smile, though it’s tinged with a mix of relief and anxiety. "I was just trying to think ahead. Didn’t want to leave too much to chance." She glances at the unconscious soldiers, checking that none of them are stirring. "I don’t like the idea of hurting people, but we need to make sure they don’t have the upper hand."

He nods. Quickly, he starts removing their armor to dress it. 

He takes a look at Fionna and grins. “I don’t think it will fit ya.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

Steven takes a look at her. “Well… I think your body format…” He pauses. “Why am I trying to be polite? You have big tits and ass besides being slightly chubby. I hate to explain my jokes.” He turns back to put on the armor like it was normal to say that.

Fionna's face turns bright red at Steven's blunt comment, her jaw dropping slightly in disbelief. She crosses her arms and glares at him, her embarrassment quickly turning into irritation. "Steven! What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just say stuff like that!"

Steven glances at her over his shoulder as he adjusts the armor. "I meant the sexy type of chubby. My bad, made it sound bad."

Fionna takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I don’t care what you meant, Steven. That was totally unnecessary." She snaps, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest.

Steven looks at her in annoyance. He opens his mouth to say something sarcastic or a joke, but her just sighs and looks away. “Sorry… Meant to be funny and thought it was a compliment…”

Fionna's expression softens a little at Steven’s apology, though she still glares at him. She huffs and uncrosses her arms, brushing her hair back awkwardly. "Well… just think before you talk next time, okay? Words matter."

Steven nods, adjusting the armor he’s now wearing. "Noted. No more unnecessary comments."

Soon, Fionna and Steven walk to the transport platform wearing the armor.

As Steven and Fionna approach the transport platform, their disguises mostly intact, Steven glances sideways at her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Just stick close and keep your helmet on. They won’t suspect a thing unless you start acting nervous."

Fionna swallows hard, nodding. "Easier said than done. Let’s hope this works.”

They approach the platform, standing over it. They take the GPS devices the soldiers had and search for G.U.N HQ’s location.

Steven glances at Fionna calmly. “You really think we should go there? I mean, we’ll be in the lion’s den.”

Fionna glances at Steven, her expression a mixture of determination and worry. "I know it’s risky, but it’s our best shot. If we stay out here, they’ll just keep sending more soldiers.”

Steven nods. “And how are we supposed to finish this once for all?”

Fionna bites her lip, her brow furrowed as she tries to think of a strategy. "We need leverage. Something that forces them to back off, or at least gives us a chance to bargain." She looks at the GPS device in her hand, scrolling through the map of the G.U.N. HQ. “Perhaps if we showed them that you’re stronger than what they can handle, they would stop.”

Steven smirks, his confidence unwavering. "Stronger than what they can handle, huh? I like the sound of that." He glances at Fionna, his tone softening. "But this isn’t just about showing off, Finn. If we’re going in there, we’re doing it smart. No unnecessary risks."

Fionna nods, her grip tightening on the GPS. "Agreed. We’ll get in, find something, information, technology, anything, that shifts the power dynamic. Then we get out."

Steven presses the coordinates for the G.U.N. HQ into the transport platform’s controls and looks at her one last time before activating it. "Alright, let’s crash their party. Just don’t forget to breathe."

The platform hums to life, surrounding them in a bright glow. As the warp begins, Fionna takes a deep breath, her resolve hardening. "Let’s finish this."

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Steven and Fionna warp to the G.U.N HQ in their disguises, and are quickly welcomed by some remaining soldiers in the area.

The leader of the soldiers look at them with a raised brow. “Why did you return? Anything wrong?”

Fionna widens her eyes behind and takes a second to think. “.... We’re feeling bad. We’re not feeling well after the warps… We can’t catch that guy if we’re sick.”

The leader of the soldiers narrows his eyes slightly, scrutinizing them. He crosses his arms, looking at them both with suspicion. “Feeling sick, huh? I don’t blame you. The warping tech still messes with people, even after the final tests.” He exhales sharply. “Fine. Get yourselves checked at the medical bay. But don’t slack off too long, we need every soldier out there hunting that bastard down.”

Steven nods quickly, lowering his voice to sound more like a tired soldier. “Understood, sir.” He grips Fionna’s arm lightly, giving it a subtle squeeze to urge her forward. “Let’s go, before we throw up in our helmets…”

The leader waves them off, already turning his attention to another set of incoming sick soldiers.

As soon as they were out of the soldiers’ direct sight, Steven let out a quiet chuckle under his breath. “Feeling sick? That’s the best you could come up with?”

Fionna shot him a glare as they walked down the hallway, keeping up the act of exhausted soldiers. “It worked, didn’t it? Besides, it’s not like I had time to come up with something better.”

Steven shrugged. “Fair point. Now, where do we start looking?”

Fionna scanned their surroundings. The G.U.N. HQ was massive, with sleek metal walls, bright LED lights, and an almost clinical sterility to its hallways. Soldiers passed by them in small groups, too busy with their assignments to pay much attention. 

Signs labeled different sections of the facility: ARMORY , RESEARCH LABS , SECURITY ROOM , COMMAND CENTER , and MEDICAL BAY .

“The command center would be the best place to find classified intel.” She whispered. “But it’s probably crawling with high-ranking officers. Too risky.”

Steven takes a second to think and smirks under the helmet. He takes Fionna’s hand and drag her to the Armory Sector.

As Steven pulled Fionna toward the Armory Sector , she stumbled slightly before catching up to his pace. "The armory? Steven, why here?"

Steven kept his voice low but confident while grinning. “They are dangerous because they have resources. If we destroy their reserves they will be unarmed for a while, specially considering this is an island.”

Fionna’s eyes widened slightly as she realized what Steven was getting at. “You want to sabotage their weapons? That’s risky as hell.”

Steven glanced at her and smirked under his helmet. “Yeah, but it’s also effective as hell.”

As they approached the Armory Sector , the air grew colder, the metallic scent of gun oil and steel filling their noses. The hallway leading to the storage facility was heavily monitored, with cameras perched in each corner and guards stationed outside the reinforced entrance. The sign above the sliding doors read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Steven and Fionna slowed their pace, acting as naturally as possible as they approached the guards.

One of the guards, a stocky man with a deep scar on his cheek, glanced at them lazily. “What do you need?” he asked, clearly uninterested in small talk.

Steven, thinking quickly, adjusted his posture to seem as casual as possible. “Got orders to check the reserves. Colonel Andrew wants a full inventory updated in case of emergency redeployments.”

The guard raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t we just do an inventory sweep this morning?”

Fionna cursed internally. Steven, however, didn’t hesitate. He exhaled as if exhausted, shaking his head. “Yeah, well, tell that to the Colonel. You know how he is. Wants another one. We’re just following orders.”

The guard grumbled under his breath, muttering something about "bureaucratic bullshit," before sighing and pressing a button on the security panel. The heavy metal doors hissed open. “Get it done quick. I don’t want Andrew breathing down my neck.”

Steven gave a lazy salute. “Understood, sir.”

As soon as they stepped inside, the doors slid shut behind them with a heavy thud. Fionna let out a shaky breath. “That was close,” she whispered.

Steven, already scanning the rows of weapon crates, smirked. “Please, that was nothing. Now, let’s wreck this place.”

Inside the armory, rows upon rows of weapon racks lined the vast chamber gleamed under the artificial lighting. Heavy-duty ammunition crates were stacked high, and a separate locked section housed experimental gear.

Fionna’s eyes darted around. “How do we even start? There are too many to destroy all at once.”

Steven cracks his neck and put his hands on the ground. “I’ll just use my energy again.”

Fionna nods. “That’s smart…” She starts to think. “Steven… How did you discover this ability back there? I mean, infusing your energy into the ground in the middle of a battle isn’t exactly strategy when you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Steven pauses, the memory of the voice that talked to him at that moment. “... I don’t know.” He responds before infusing his energy in the ground.

Steven focuses on the weapons and ammo and the energy follows a root-like path to them. The weapons quickly to rust them in an insane rate, practically falling apart.

Fionna watched in awe, eyes darting between the shelves of rapidly deteriorating weapons. "Holy crap… that’s way more effective than I expected."

Steven smirked, dusting his hands off as he stood. "Told you. Now they’re gonna have a real hard time keeping up with us." He grabs her hand and drags her out of the armory section. “Now let’s get outta here before anyone notice.”

As Steven and Fionna made their way toward the Command Center, the tension in the air thickened. They kept their pace steady, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Every step echoed against the sterile metal floor, and with each passing soldier, Fionna felt her heart hammering in her chest.

Steven, however, remained calm—too calm. He glanced at her, sensing her nerves. “Relax,” he whispered. “We just pulled off the first part without a hitch. We’ll be fine.”

Fionna exhaled sharply. “We just sabotaged their entire armory. ‘Fine’ is not the word I’d use right now.”

Steven grinned under his helmet. “Details.”

As they neared the Command Center, the security presence increased. More guards patrolled the halls, and cameras were positioned at every corner. The entrance to the Command Center was marked by reinforced steel doors, with two guards stationed outside.

Steven stopped a few feet away, turning slightly to Fionna. “Okay, same strategy,” he whispered. “Bullshit our way through.”

Fionna shot him a skeptical look. “We got lucky last time.”

Steven smirked. “Luck’s just skill people don’t understand.”

Rolling her eyes, Fionna adjusted her posture, mimicking the confidence she’d seen in real soldiers. They walked up to the guards, who immediately straightened at their approach.

The taller of the two guards narrowed his eyes. “What’s your business here?”

Steven exhaled like he was already over it. “Colonel Andrew wants a direct report on the latest surveillance data regarding Steven. He said to bring it to him ASAP.”

The shorter guard frowned. “Strange, I thought Commander Graves was handling intel delivery.”

Fionna spoke up before Steven could. “She was, but the Colonel overruled it. Said he wanted fresh eyes on it. Something about too many close calls.”

The taller guard exchanged a look with his partner before nodding. “Makes sense. The Colonel’s been on edge all day.”

He turned and pressed a code into the security panel. The heavy doors slid open with a hiss. “Get in and out fast. We’re on high alert.”

Steven gave a sharp nod. “Understood.”

The moment they stepped inside, the doors sealed behind them. The Command Center was massive, with rows of terminals displaying surveillance feeds, tactical maps, and mission updates. Officers moved between stations, focused on their work.

They quickly walked deeper into the Command Center, the scale of G.U.N.’s operations becoming even clearer. Giant holographic screens flickered with surveillance feeds from across the island, displaying live updates on troop movements, warping platforms, and high-priority targets, one of which was Steven himself.

Fionna tensed as she spotted his name flashing red on the largest monitor. "They’re tracking everything." She whispered. "If we weren’t wearing these disguises, we’d already be surrounded."

Steven, unfazed, smirked under his helmet. "Good thing we look great in stolen armor."

They moved carefully, weaving through the maze of consoles and operators. A handful of high-ranking officers paced back and forth, barking orders into their headsets. Fionna gestured subtly toward an open console near the far side of the room. "That terminal might have access to classified data. If we can download something incriminating—"

Before she could finish, a familiar, commanding voice cut through the air.

"—And someone explain to me how the hell we lost those two at the strawberry fields?"

Both Steven and Fionna froze.

Colonel Andrew stood at the center of the room, flanked by two officers. His back was turned, but his presence alone radiated authority. His sharp uniform was pristine as always, his posture rigid with frustration.

Commander Graves stood beside him, arms crossed, looking equally irritated. "I told you, Andy, this isn't just incompetence, this is sabotage." She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "I bet Steven’s already made his way inside. If I were him, I’d be heading straight for—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Andrew and Graves slowly turned their heads toward the two common "soldiers" standing in the middle of the Command Center.

Fionna quickly tries to explain herself, but she only stutters in nervousness, but Steven… He stands in silence, not even flicking at the sight of Andrew and Commander Graves.

Andrew’s cold eyes narrowed, assessing them both with a quick glance before his sharp gaze fixed on Fionna, who was still caught in her nervous stutter. “Well?” Andrew barked. “Explain yourselves.”

Fionna glanced at Steven, her voice trembling. “W-We were sent by Colonel Andrew.” She said, trying to sound more confident. “He, uh… sent us for the surveillance data… for a… update.”

Before Fionna finishes her sentence, Steven walks towards Andrew without a word. When he’s towering the Colonel, Steven looks down at him and takes his helmet off, staring Andrew coldly. 

Andrew widens his eyes and step back, the soldiers raising their guns at Steven. Before they can shoot, Steven grabs the face of one of them and throw against the other one, knocking both of them off. 

The other soldiers in the room point their weapons at him, but Steven quickly pulls his axe and swing it in the direction of them, sending them all back. 

Andrew grabs Ashley’s arm and tries to escape, but Steven is quicker and throws the axe at the terminal, closing the door and blocking their escape.

Andrew and Ashley look at Steven in surprise while he calmly walks closer to them. Once he’s face-to-face with Andrew again, he takes a deep breath. “... Hello, Colonel Andrew. Long time no see…” He clenches his fists and pulls his axe again. “We got a lot to talk about, and you have way too much to explain…”

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Andrew's jaw tensed as Steven closed the distance, his axe humming faintly with energy. The Colonel’s sharp eyes darted to the fallen soldiers scattered across the room, then back to Steven. His usual composure faltered for just a second before he straightened, locking gazes with him.

Ashley, still gripping Andrew’s arm, let out a sharp breath. “You’re bold, I’ll give you that.” She muttered, glancing between Steven and the sealed exit. “But do you have a plan here, or are we just skipping straight to the part where we shoot you full of holes?”

Steven chuckled, twirling his axe once before resting it against his shoulder. “Wouldn’t be the first time someone tried,” he said casually, his voice low but filled with unmistakable menace. He tilted his head slightly. “But we both know I’m not here to fight, not yet, anyway.”

Andrew scoffed. “Then what? You expect me to just hand over classified intel? Surrender?”

Steven nods. “Yeah, pretty much like that.”

Fionna stood behind Steven in nervousness and fear. She slowly walks towards Steven and grip his arm. “S-Steven—”

“Not now, Finn.” He interrupts. He looks back at Andrew and Ashley with anger. “I want first the truth.”

Andrew’s expression darkened. “Truth?” he repeated, voice edged with contempt. “What do you know about the truth?”

Steven’s fingers clenched around his axe handle. “I know G.U.N. isn’t just after me because I’m a ‘threat to global security.’ I know there’s something bigger at play here.” His eyes burned with intensity. “And you’re going to tell me what it is.”

Andrew clench his teeth and sighs. “... You truly have no idea, no? You’re not human, Steven. At least, not entirely.”

Steven’s grip on his axe tightened. His breath hitched for just a moment, but he masked it with a scoff. “That’s a hell of a way to dodge the question, Andrew.”

Andrew’s expression was unreadable, but the weight behind his words lingered in the air. “It’s not a dodge. It’s the truth. You’re half human and half alien, a species we called ‘Gems’.”

Fionna’s breath caught in her throat. “What?” She whispered, looking up at Steven.

Steven, however, didn’t react immediately. He simply stared at Andrew, eyes unreadable. His grip on the axe didn’t loosen, but he didn’t speak. The silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

Ashley narrowed her eyes. “You mean to tell me he didn’t know?” She huffed a humorless laugh, shaking her head. “Unbelievable. You’d think someone with powers like his would’ve figured it out by now.”

Steven finally moved, he took a step closer, lowering his voice to something even more dangerous. “You’re lying.”

Andrew met his gaze evenly. “I’m not. And I can show you the reason we are trying to capture you.”

Steven stares at them and sighs. He infuses his energy into the axe and break a hole through the wall. He looks at the Colonel and the Commander. “Show me what you mean.”

Andrew nods and begin walking deeper into the facility.

Steven and Fionna follow him closely, the soldiers looking at them incredulous and even pointing their guns at them.

Soon, the four of them stand ahead to a steel door with a sign CONTAINMENT SECTOR . Colonel Andrew sighs and inserts a password into a terminal, making the door open.

In the section, dozens and dozens of cells. They walk into the sector, analyzing them.

Fionna looks around in awe and dread. “What is this…?”

Andrew looks at Fionna and clap his hands, making the lights turn on and revealing what’s inside the cells: Several creatures with gemstones on their bodies, one in each. Most of the creatures look like animals and are clearly hostile.

Steven's breath hitched at the sight before him. Rows of containment cells stretched down the long, sterile hallway, each one housing a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. Their glowing gemstones pulsed faintly, embedded in various parts of their bodies, foreheads, chests, even limbs. Some resembled distorted animals, others were monstrous amalgamations of different forms, their eyes gleaming with raw hostility.

Fionna swallowed hard, her grip tightening on Steven’s arm. “What… the hell are these things?” 

Andrew stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. His expression remained cold and unreadable. “These are what remains of the other Gems we’ve captured. Or at least, what we call ‘Wild Gems’. Gems that have these animalistic features and no rational mind.” Andrew pauses and look at one of the ‘Wild Gems’. “We call them ‘Wild’ because we got evidence that there are sentient Gems, although we never have seen any… not until we discovered you.”

Steven stood frozen, his gaze locked onto the eerie sight before him. The creatures, Wild Gems, as Andrew called them, snarled and clawed at the reinforced glass of their cells. Their glowing gemstones pulsed erratically, as if reacting to his presence.

Fionna shuddered. “So you’ve just been… keeping them locked up? Experimenting on them?”

Ashley crossed her arms. “Containment is necessary. You’ve seen what they’re capable of. We can’t risk letting them run wild.”

Steven turned his head slightly, his voice dangerously low. “And what exactly are they capable of?”

Andrew gestured toward one of the cells. Inside, a creature resembling a massive, wolf-like beast prowled restlessly. Its fur shimmered unnaturally, and a jagged gemstone jutted out from its forehead. “That one wiped out an entire recon team. Took fifteen heavily armed soldiers to take it down, and even then, it didn’t die. It just… reformed.”

Fionna stiffened. “Reformed?”

Ashley nodded. “They don’t die like we do. Their bodies explode in mist leaving only the gemstone, and after some time, they return.”

Steven looks at her in annoyance. “Yeah, like that one you sent to go after me.”

Ashley smirks. “C’mon, it was necessary to tag you.” She says playfully.

Steven rolls his eyes. “And what do you mean when you say I’m only ‘Half-Gem’?”

Andrew's gaze turned cold as he spoke, his voice measured. “Because you are. We got exams with some strands of your hair a few years ago, and the exams showed you have human DNA, more specifically, you’re a son of a man called ‘Gregory DeMayo’, but we have no sign of your mother. We believe you’re a hybrid of a sentient Gem and this ‘Gregory’.”

Steven’s mind raced, his heart pounding in his chest as Andrew’s words hit him like a freight train. Half-Gem? The revelation was jarring, like a puzzle piece he’d never known was missing finally slamming into place. His grip tightened around the handle of his axe, his knuckles turning white. He wanted to lash out, to demand more answers, but the weight of the information left him momentarily speechless.

Fionna looked up at him, confusion and concern in her eyes. “Wait… you’re saying you have alien blood in you?” She asked, voice barely above a whisper. Her words cut through the heavy silence, but they barely seemed to reach Steven’s ears. His mind was still reeling.

Steven stands still, lost in thought, trying to process everything. He unconsciously grips Fionna’s arm and puller her closer seeking something to ground himself.

The silence in the containment sector hung heavy, broken only by the muffled growls and screeches of the Wild Gems from their cells. Steven, still processing the bombshell Andrew had just dropped, barely registered Fionna’s presence next to him. His thoughts were racing, memories and fragments of his life swirling in a chaotic storm.

Half-Gem. Half-alien. His very identity was now in question. The revelation sent a jolt of cold fear through his veins, but it was quickly replaced with a deep, simmering rage he couldn’t quite put into words.

“Steven...” Fionna’s voice cut through the haze in his mind. She was looking at him with a mix of confusion and concern. Her fingers gently pried his hand away from her arm, her touch grounding him.

He blinked, slowly looking down at her, his grip loosening. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding her so tightly. “Sorry.” He muttered, voice hoarse. His throat felt tight, and his jaw clenched as if to keep the flood of emotions in check.

Before Andrew could say anything further, Ashley pulled him away from them out of the section and closing the door quickly.

The Colonel look at the Commander confused and serious. “Ashley, what is the meaning of—”

“Andrew, this is our chance!” Ashley protests, showing the control to the Wild Gems’ cells.

Andrew’s gaze flickered to Ashley, his brows furrowing as he processed her urgency. “What are you talking about, Ashley?” he demanded, his voice tight with suspicion.

Ashley glanced back toward Steven and Fionna before locking eyes with the Colonel. Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “Think about it. Steven doesn’t know the full extent of his powers. He’s been using energy on instinct, and we’ve seen how it affects the Gems. What if we could use him to control them? To harness their abilities for our own purposes?”

Andrew’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. “You want to use him as a weapon?”

Ashley nodded sharply. “Why else do you think we’ve been tracking him all this time? He’s the key to something bigger than just an experiment. We’ve had success with the ‘Wild Gems’, but imagine what we could do if we unlock Steven’s true potential.”

Andrew clenched his fists, visibly torn. “We can’t just use him like that. We can’t risk letting someone like him get out of control.”

Ashley’s eyes flared with impatience. “It’s already too late for control, Andrew. The question is whether we can control him before he figures it out himself.”

Steven and Fionna, unaware of the conversation behind the doors, stood in tense silence. Fionna kept her eyes on Steven, her hand hovering near his shoulder as if ready to steady him at a moment’s notice.

Steven’s thoughts were still spinning from the revelation. Half-Gem? Alien blood? The information felt like a heavy weight-bearing down on him, threatening to crush whatever sense of identity he had left. He could feel his emotions bubbling just under the surface, anger, confusion, betrayal… all jostling for attention.

Fionna watched him closely, noticing the tight set of his jaw, the way his fists trembled as if wanting to lash out at something, anything.

"Hey..." Fionna whispered, her voice low and gentle. "Are you okay?"

Steven exhaled through his nose, trying to steady himself. "I don't know." He muttered, his voice hoarse. "I don't even know who the hell I am anymore."

Fionna looks away and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. “W-Well… At least for me, you’re Steven…” She smiles at him shyly.

Steven glances at her in silence. This simple sentence and gesture made all the weight feel much, much lighter. His expression softened, and his voice sounded quieter. “... Finn…” He suddenly pulls her for a tight hug. “... Thanks.”

Fionna was caught off guard by the sudden embrace, her breath hitching for a moment. But she quickly relaxed, her arms hesitating before they gently wrapped around Steven. She could feel the tension slowly easing out of him, even as his heartbeat was still erratic, like a storm still raging beneath the surface.

"You're welcome." She whispered softly, her voice warm and steady despite the chaos that surrounded them.

Andrew and Ashley watch from the door window. Andrew sighs and start typing on the terminal to open the door and go talk to Steven and Fionna, but Ashley quickly stops him and opens the cages of all the Wild Gems.

The heavy clank of locks disengaging echoed through the containment sector, followed by the slow hiss of reinforced steel doors sliding open. A moment of silence stretched between them, tense, foreboding. Then, the Wild Gems moved.

The wolf-like creature Andrew had pointed out earlier was the first to react, stepping cautiously from its cell, its glowing gemstone pulsing in response to the change. The other Wild Gems followed, creeping into the open with twitching limbs and glowing eyes. Some moved on all fours, others upright, their forms unnatural and unsettling.

Fionna stiffened. "Uh... Steven?" she whispered, her fingers instinctively gripping his sleeve.

Steven turned toward the cells just in time to see the first creature snarl, its gemstone flaring brighter. His entire body tensed as realization dawned. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Andrew turned sharply to Ashley. "Ashley, what the hell are you doing?!"

Ashley smirked, stepping back toward the door as her hand hovered over the terminal. "Like I said, Colonel, control. Either he stops them... or they tear him apart."

Andrew's eyes widened in horror. "You just put the entire facility at risk!"

"Correction, I put him at risk," Ashley said coldly. "And if he really is the key to all of this, he’ll survive. If not… well, at least we’ll have our answer."

The creatures let out a chorus of guttural growls and hisses as their predatory eyes fixed on Steven and Fionna. One of them, a massive feline-like beast with jagged crystalline claws, let out an ear-splitting screech before lunging forward.

Steven barely had time to react. He shoved Fionna back, raising his axe just in time to block the creature’s swipe. Sparks flew as the claws clashed against the charged weapon, the force of impact sending a shockwave through the air.

Fionna stumbled but quickly regained her footing. She looked in fear and desperation. "Steven, what do we do?!"

Steven gritted his teeth as the feline-like Wild Gem pressed against his axe, its crystalline claws screeching against the energized metal. The pressure was immense, but he forced his muscles to hold steady.

Without him noticing, another Wild Gem comes and slashes at him, sending him back.

Steven grunted as he hit the ground, pain jolting through his body. His axe skidded across the floor, landing just out of reach. The Wild Gem that had struck him, a reptilian creature with jagged crystal scales, let out a guttural hiss, its gemstone pulsing ominously.

Fionna gasped and scrambled toward him. “Steven—!”

Before she could reach him, another Wild Gem, a hulking bear-like beast with a jagged amethyst embedded in its shoulder, lunged between them. It let out a deafening roar, its massive claws swiping dangerously close to her. Fionna barely managed to roll out of the way, her heart hammering in her chest.

Andrew cursed under his breath and reached for his sidearm, but Ashley grabbed his wrist. “Ah-ah, Colonel. Let’s see what he does first.” Her tone was smug, but her eyes gleamed with sharp interest.

Steven gritted his teeth, pushing himself onto his knees. His pulse pounded in his ears as the creatures closed in. His fingers twitched, instinctively reaching for his axe, but it was too far. The reptilian Wild Gem slithered closer, its crystal fangs gleaming in the dim light.

Steven glances at Fionna and widens his eyes at the sight of another Wild Gem lunging at her. In a surge of energy, he props himself to his feet and rushes at Fionna, dodging other Wild Gems that try to strike him. 

At the last second, he manages to strike a charged swing from his axe at the creature, cutting its head and puffing it. Steven quickly grabs Fionna and goes inside an empty cell, using his energy to lock them inside.

The Wild Gems swarmed the containment sector, their glowing gemstones pulsating like sinister beacons in the dim light. Some prowled the perimeter, their twisted forms barely distinguishable from the shadows, while others stalked closer, their hostile gazes locked onto the sealed cell where Steven and Fionna had taken refuge.

Steven exhaled sharply, his back pressed against the cold steel wall of the cell. Fionna clung to his sleeve, her breathing unsteady. Outside, the Wild Gems prowled, their low growls reverberating through the air. The gemstone fragments left behind by the fallen one shimmered briefly before vanishing into mist.

Fionna's grip tightened. "Steven, what now? We're trapped!"

Steven ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. His body still buzzed with the aftershock of channeling his energy into his axe. He hadn't even realized he could do that until now. His eyes darted toward the other creatures, still lurking outside the cell. He gulped and glanced at Fionna in anxiety. “Finn, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to put you into this. I’m so, so sorry. I…” He groans. “I wouldn’t have put you into this if I knew. You’re an incredible person, brave, intelligent and kind, way too kind for someone like me.” He looks to the ground, to avoid her gaze.

Fionna blinked, stunned by Steven’s words. For a moment, the chaos outside the cell seemed to fade into the background. She stared at him, watching as he clenched his fists, his jaw tight with frustration. The way he avoided her gaze, as if ashamed, sent a strange pang through her chest.

"Steven…" She hesitated, then took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her hands curled into fists before she reached out, gently touching his arm. "Stop. Don’t do that."

Steven finally looked at her, confusion flickering in his stormy eyes. "Do what?"

"Talk like you’re some kind of burden," Fionna said firmly. "Like I shouldn’t be here. I chose to follow you, to help you. You didn’t force me into anything. And honestly?" She let out a breathless chuckle, shaking her head. "For a guy who just took down a monster with glowing axe magic, you’re really bad at seeing your own worth."

Steven’s lips parted slightly, his expression unreadable. He had no idea how to respond to that.

Fionna smirked despite the situation, nudging him slightly. "Besides, I’m not ‘way too kind’ for you. If I were, I wouldn’t be here, would I?"

Steven let out a short, shaky laugh. He ran a hand through his hair before exhaling sharply. "You’re insane, Finn."

"Yeah, well, takes one to know one." She grinned.

He grins back at her and hugs her tightly. Suddenly, their bodies glow for a fraction of a second and a black mist explode from them, filling the cell.

The Wild Gems keep trying to break in when the door was suddenly launched, hitting some of the creatures and poofing them. As the black mist dispel, a figure comes from the cell. A tall figure with long, dark-blonde hair, light-brown skin, diamond-shaped pupils and Steven’s diamond on their forehead, wearing a black and white hoodie with a pentagram star in the center, a black leather jacket over it, and jean shorts over black pants.

Andrew and Ashley look at the figure through the cameras. Ashley widens her eyes. “Who is this one?”

Andrew hesitates but shakes his head. “It isn’t just one… I think it is Steven and Fionna… I think…”

Andrew pauses to think.

“I think they fused…”

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

The fused figure took a slow step forward, their diamond-shaped pupils gleaming in the dim light. The Wild Gems hesitated, their instincts screaming at them that something was different, something more powerful stood before them now. The air around the fusion pulsed with energy, a strange mix of both Steven’s raw strength and Fionna’s sharp agility.

One of the Wild Gems, the massive feline-like beast, let out a guttural snarl and lunged.

The fusion moved like a specter, a blur of dark energy and gleaming steel. Each teleportation left behind an echoing shimmer in the air, the sheer speed and precision overwhelming the Wild Gems before they could even react.

The feline beast was the first to fall, its form bursting into a cloud of mist as the fusion’s axe cleaved through its gemstone with ruthless efficiency. Before the others could comprehend what had happened, they were next, each creature struck down in a flawless, merciless rhythm.

Andrew and Ashley watched through the cameras, their expressions shifting from intrigue to unease.

"This power…" Andrew muttered. His grip on the console tightened. "Steven never showed this power. The fusion amplified his power in a large scale."

Ashley’s eyes gleamed with excitement, a sharp grin forming on her lips. “Amplified? No, this is something far beyond just an amplification.” She leaned closer to the monitor, watching as the fusion moved with deadly efficiency. “This isn’t just Steven or Fionna. This is something new , a perfect blend of both.”

Andrew’s jaw clenched. “And something we don’t understand.” He countered.

Meanwhile, the fusion kept poofing the Wild Gems, but soon they noticed the Gems were quickly reforming. They smirk and jumps onto the ceiling, pulling an axe and infusing their body with the dark energy. The fusion finally launches themselves into the ground, making a huge explosion of the dark energy that poofs every Wild Gem and overdrive the energy of the entire island.

Andrew and Ashley lose the camera vision due to the energy overdrive. They try to turn on the cameras again, but it’s no use.

They look at each other in silence, the darkness making the moment feel longer than it is.

A faint hum echoed through the facility as emergency power flickered to life, casting dim red light across the control room. The screens remained dead, the data feeds scrambled with nothing but static. Andrew furiously tapped at the console, his fingers moving with urgency. No response.

Ashley leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Well, that was something ," she mused. "Overdriving the entire island’s energy grid? That’s not just power, that’s domination ."

Andrew shot her a glare, his nerves on edge. “We just lost all visual. All of it. We have no idea what’s happening out there.” He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "This is beyond anything we predicted."

Before Ashley could respond, the energy returns and they regain the camera view. They turn the monitor on and check the cameras, widening their eyes at the sight.

Every gemstone from the Wild Gems are inside black bubbles while the figure is sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall, touching their own body in disbelief and awe.

The Colonel and the Commander keep watching the cameras, their eyes widening at each second seeing that the Wild Gems aren’t reforming.

Ashley let out a low whistle, leaning forward as she tapped a few keys on the console to zoom in on the figure. The fusion was still, their fingers tracing along their arms, chest, and legs, almost as if they were trying to understand themselves. Their diamond-shaped pupils flickered between sharp focus and dazed wonder.

"They’re… testing themselves," Ashley murmured, fascinated. "Like they’re waking up for the first time."

Andrew, however, wasn’t so easily impressed. His jaw was tight, and his fingers drummed anxiously against the desk. "Forget that, look at the Wild Gems." He said, pointing at the black bubbles floating eerily in the air. "They’re not reforming. These bubbles are preventing them to reform."

Ashley smirked. "Oh, I love when things break the rules."

Andrew keep looking at the cameras in silence until he sighs and open the door to the containment sector, going straight to talk to the figure.

The heavy metal doors slid open with a groan, the dim red emergency lights casting long shadows down the corridor. Andrew’s footsteps echoed as he stepped forward, his expression locked in a careful mask of control. Behind him, Ashley followed, her arms still crossed, eyes gleaming with excitement.

The fusion remained seated against the cold metal wall, still tracing their fingers over their own form, their breathing slow and steady. The air in the room was thick with residual energy, an eerie hum lingering in the atmosphere. The black bubbles containing the Wild Gems floated motionlessly around them, flickering slightly with trapped energy.

Andrew stopped a few feet away, his voice steady but edged with caution.
“Can you understand me?”

The fusion lifted their head, their diamond-shaped pupils locking onto Andrew with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. They tilted their head slightly, as if considering his words.

Then, finally, they spoke, their voice something new, a mix of Steven and Fionna’s. “…Yes.”

Ashley grinned. “Well, that’s a start.”

Andrew kept his composure, but inside, his mind raced. This was something new. Something neither human nor Gem had ever witnessed before. His instincts told him to be careful.

“Are you Steven or Fionna?”

They looked at Andrew and shook their head. “... Neither… yet… Both at same time…? I mean, I… We… This is weird. We can feel feel each other, but it’s like we’re alone. We have no control over this form, but it feels as natural as breathing.”

Andrew nods, scratching his chin calmly. “This is new. We’ve never seen anything like this… this… fusion … We would love to study this and—”

The fusion widens their eyes. “What?!”

They start glowing and they unfuse, making Steven and Fionna fall on the ground.

Steven quickly gets up and lunges towards Andrew, grabbing him by the back of his head and put an axe right in front of his face. “That’s it! I’m done with you!”

Ashley and Fionna widen their eyes at the sight. 

Ashley raises a pistol, pointing it to Steven. 

Fionna grabs Steven’s sleeve and tries to pull him away from Andrew. “S-Steven, please, stop!”

Steven grit his teeth. “You’ve been chasing me for years! Running my whole life because of you! Now I just have to kill you and all of this will be over!”

Fionna’s hands trembled as she pulled harder on Steven’s sleeve, trying to break his focus, but the fire in his eyes only grew more intense.

Ashley kept her pistol aimed at Steven, her finger hovering near the trigger, but she hesitated. The situation was spiraling fast, Steven was completely out of control, and she had no idea how to diffuse the madness that had been unleashed. 

“Stop, Steven!” Fionna’s voice was desperate, her tone breaking through the tension. “This isn’t the answer. Please, think about it!”

Andrew groaned and looked up at Steven, nervous yet firm. “... Steven… I understand your anger, you have every right to be mad at me… But I ask you to calm down. Even if you kill me, G.U.N will just put someone else in my position to capture you, and this person can be someone like her,” He points at Ashley. “Someone who doesn’t mind if you’ll live or die. I understand you’ve been running, but I’ve never tried to kill you.”

"You don’t get it, Andrew," Steven spat, his voice seething with anger and frustration. "You’ve never seen it from my side. Every step I take, every breath I draw, you’re there. You and your team, always hunting, always chasing! I can’t even have a moment of peace without worrying about what comes next."

Fionna, her hands shaking, pulled harder, trying to ground Steven in the present, her voice barely a whisper. “Steven… please… don’t let them control you. This is not you.”

Andrew’s voice was calm, but his mind was racing, trying to find the right words. "You’re right. You’ve been through so much, and I can't pretend to understand the pain you've gone through. But if you kill me, you’ll be an official enemy of G.U.N. And even if you destroy the whole G.U.N somehow, you’ll become an international enemy, every single nation will come after you and whoever you love. And if you destroy every nation, what will be left for you?"

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of truth. Steven’s grip on Andrew’s head tightened, his pulse quickening as the intensity of his emotions boiled over. But Fionna’s voice, soft but insistent, cut through the haze of rage.

“Steven… you don’t have to do this,” she said again, her voice breaking. “This isn’t the way. Killing him won’t fix anything. It won’t bring you peace.”

Steven’s breath came in harsh gasps, his eyes wild as they flickered between Fionna and Andrew. The axe hovered inches from Andrew’s face, trembling in Steven’s grip, as if the weapon itself was caught between two warring impulses, one of destruction and one of doubt.

With a huff, Steven drops the axe making it disappear and he releases Andrew.

Andrew exhales in relief, but before he could say anything, Steven punches his stomach. The colonel falls to the ground holding his stomach in pain while Steven huffs and grit his teeth. “You better never hunt me ever again.”

Andrew gasped for air, his hand clutching his stomach as the pain radiated through him. He winced, pushing himself up from the ground with a strained grunt. His vision was slightly blurred, but he could still see Steven’s burning eyes, filled with anger and exhaustion.

"Understood…" Andrew coughed, trying to steady his breath. "What about… Instead of being hunted to be explored, you volunteer to studied?"

Steven’s gaze flickered to Fionna, her pleading expression softening his anger for a moment. His shoulders dropped slightly, but the fire in his eyes never fully faded. He spoke, his voice heavy with frustration.

“Studied?” Steven’s tone was skeptical, almost as if the word itself was an insult. “You want me to just sit there and let you poke and prod at me? You’ve been chasing me for years, trying to make sense of what I am, of what I’ve become. You think you can understand this? You think this is something you can control?”

Andrew sighs. “Hear me out, as I just said, if you killed me, G.U.N would keep hunting you to study and have your power, but if you run now, we’ll also have to hunt you. My proposal is: Allow yourself to be studied you would finally have your peace, live a life.”

Steven stood there, tension radiating from his body, his fists clenched at his sides as he tried to process Andrew's words. Fionna stayed close, her hands still trembling as she hovered protectively near him. The room was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional hum of the emergency lights.

"Studied... for peace?" Steven repeated, his voice low, as if the concept itself was foreign to him. "You think I could have peace by letting you experiment on me? You think that’s what I want? To be caged and poked by people who see me as nothing more than a subject to exploit?"

Andrew took a cautious step forward, sensing that Steven was on the edge of something. “I don’t want to control you, Steven,” he said quietly, his voice sincere but weary. “I’m not asking you to be anyone’s lab rat. But think about it, if you run, you’ll never have a chance to stop running. There will always be someone else after you. If you’re studied, at least you’ll have a chance to live without being hunted. You’ll be free to control your own future. We just need to understand you."

Steven grit his teeth and clench his fists, but he looks at Fionna and his anger begins to fade away. After some moments, he grabs Fionna’s hand and sighs. “By any chance, can I put conditions over being… y’know, studied?”

Andrew took a moment to process Steven's question, considering the weight of what was being asked. This was a significant shift in the dynamic, and it was clear that Steven wasn’t ready to trust anyone fully, not yet. But this was a step forward, and Andrew needed to tread carefully if they were to find a solution that didn’t lead to more violence or chaos.

"Conditions?" Andrew repeated, his voice calm but with a hint of curiosity. "Of course. We’re not looking to force you into anything. What are your terms?"

Some days later, Fionna is in front of her college after finishing some exams to recover the lost classes. 

She’s waiting patiently for something… or better, someone.

While she waits, she talks to some friends.

One of her friends, Sunny, a girl with pink hair, a pony-tail and yellow eyes, raises an eyebrow. “Seriously, Fionna, how are we supposed to believe you were spending the last weeks with a guy running from a global organization that was hunting him?”

Fionna rolls her eyes a little. “I know it’s hard to believe, Sunny, but it’s the truth.”

Another friend, Mari, a girl with a gothic attire, scoffs. “Yeah, it’s hard to believe because it’s absurd. Just tell us what you were actually doing, nobody’s judging you.”

And another friend, Valentine, a tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, put a hand over her chin with a smirk. “Well, was this guy hot?”

Fionna blushes a bit. “No— I mean, yes, but what does it matter?”

Valentine chuckles. “Well, it is important to me. Why don’t you introduce him to us?”

Fionna's face turned a deeper shade of red, caught between embarrassment and mild annoyance at her friends’ teasing. She crossed her arms defensively, her eyes darting toward the college gates as she tried to redirect the conversation.

"You’re all impossible." She muttered, but a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

Sunny leaned in, her bright yellow eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Come on, Fionna, just give us a hint. What was his name? You can’t leave us hanging like this."

Fionna sighed dramatically, trying to hide the warmth spreading across her cheeks. "His name’s Steven. I think he’s about to arrive…”

Suddenly, they hear a tire skidding sound and in an instant, someone in a motorbike literally appears in front of them with a flash of black energy, the bike slamming to the ground with some sparks.

The turns off the motor and hops off the bike and approaches Fionna, grinning at her. The person is a tall, muscular man with dark skin, fangs, a long wild hair and diamond-like pupils. He’s wearing a black shirt with a white pentagram star and a G.U.N jacket. “Heya, cutie. G.U.N gave me more missions than expected, but here am I.” He approached her and leaned forward being face-to-face with her. “Free to go now, or I have to charm you up first?”

Fionna blushes a bit but chuckles. “You just love making a scene, don’t you?”

He laughs. “And you love it.” He takes her onto his arms and pulls her for a kiss.

The kiss was brief, but intense, leaving both Fionna and Steven a little breathless as they pulled apart. Her friends stood there, stunned into silence, staring at the sight before them. Sunny’s mouth dropped open in surprise, while Mari raised an eyebrow, her smirk turning into something more impressed. Valentine was practically grinning from ear to ear.

Fionna, still a little flustered, wiped her lips and looked at her friends with a sheepish smile. “Okay, okay, I know you’re all going to make a big deal out of this, but can we not right now? I’ve been through enough.” She glanced at Steven, who was still holding her in his arms, looking far too smug for her liking.

Steven glanced at Fionna’s friends, his grin broadening as he took in their stunned reactions. “So, you must be the friends she’s always talking about,” he said, voice smooth and self-assured. “Nice to finally meet you all. Name’s Steven.” He reached out a hand, the gleam of his diamond-shaped pupils catching the light.

Sunny blinked rapidly, trying to find her voice. “H-Hi,” she stammered, still processing the flashy entrance and the fact that Fionna’s wild story was apparently true. “I’m Sunny… Uh, nice bike you’ve got there…”

Steven chuckled, giving the bike a proud glance. “Thanks. Got it as a ‘sorry for hunting you down’ gift from G.U.N. when they decided to play nice.”

Mari crossed her arms, her gothic jewelry clinking slightly as she eyed Steven up and down. “So you’re the guy Fionna was ‘running from a global organization’ with?” Her skeptical tone was softened by a hint of curiosity.

Steven nodded, his grin unwavering. “Yup. Sounds crazy, right? But I guess the world’s just full of surprises.” He glanced back at Fionna, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Luckily, I had this stubborn girl with me to keep me from making too many reckless decisions.”

Valentine let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. “And here I thought Fionna was just being modest. You’re a total badass. And pretty hot too.” 

Steven laughs. “Yeah, I know, but I’m already reserved. Same thing for the cute nerd here.” He pats Fionna’s back and laughs.”

Fionna groaned, lightly elbowing Steven in the ribs. “Don’t get cocky.”

Steven chuckled, his fangs flashing as he threw an arm around her shoulders. “Too late for that, cutie.”

Sunny, Mari, and Valentine exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“Okay, I’ll admit it,” Mari said, shaking her head. “That entrance? The whole ‘global fugitive turned mysterious agent’ thing? It’s kind of badass.”

Sunny nodded in agreement. “And totally insane. But somehow, it fits you, Fionna.”

Valentine smirked. “Yeah, yeah, all that’s cool, but let’s get back to the important part, how good of a kisser is he?”

Fionna’s face burned bright red. “Valentine!”

Steven only grinned wider and leaned closer to Fionna. “Yeah, Finn, how good of a kisser am I?”

Fionna smacked his arm, but she was smiling despite herself.

Before their teasing could continue, Steven’s communicator buzzed in his pocket. He sighed, pulling it out and glancing at the message.

“G.U.N. is calling.” He muttered.

Fionna frowned. “Another mission?”

Steven exhaled through his nose and shrugged. “Probably. They still don’t trust me completely, but at least they’re not trying to dissect me anymore.” He slipped the device back into his pocket and looked at her. “We can go on our date later. Wanna join me on the mission?” He offers a hand to her.

Fionna hesitated for only a second before grinning and taking Steven’s hand. "You know what? Why not? Someone has to make sure you don’t get into too much trouble."

Steven smirked, pulling her close. "Oh, you wound me, cutie. I’m a professional now.

She chuckles, and they lean closer, kissing again and glowing a black light. Soon, they fuse again, the fusion already chuckling at themselves.

Sunny, Mari and Valentine widen their eyes and try to mutter something.

The fusion glance at them and smirks, waving playfully. “Heya. Stionna here. Steven and Fionna will be back soon.”

They hop onto the motorbike and ride it away, going to G.U.N.’s new operation base.

[THE END]

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Somewhere, far, far away from Earth, a small woman with green skin is analyzing something on a screen. 

She starts recording a message on a screen. “This is Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, entry 401. We received a powerful gem energy trail from the planet Earth. We believe it is a signal from the Cluster. I’m going there and check the situation with taking Jasper Facet-1B4D Cut-1C9T-Beta in case of an unexpected encounter.”

She makes a diamond symbol with her arms and the screen is turned off. She sighs and enters a hand-shaped ship, followed by a tall, muscular woman with orange skin.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Chapter Text

Yo, if you think this is over, there is a new season. Season 2. Go read it if you liked this :3.