A Human's Best Friend (Reader X Corrupted!Jasper)

Chapter 9

Once we got back to town, I gave Jasper a quick wash at Buck's backyard and borrowed his old kitty pool to wash away the dirt and grass stains from their midnight adventure. As Jasper lies down on their back, drying off by sunbathing; I show Buck the gemstones. "These are pretty cool." Buck said as he faces the Tanzanite in front of the sun. "And Jasper had them?" "Yeah, it's pretty weird." I continue looking at the other gemstones. They are so beautiful but still. "I mean it doesn't make sense. Why would Jasper run off in the middle of the night only to collect these?" Buck nods, agreeing that he's thinking the same thing. "Yeah...it is rather odd." he says. I look at Jasper who's still enjoying the sunlight. Why would they go through all this trouble? Just for these?  

"So...yesterday, you guys told me that the owners of the house at the beach are familiar with beings like Jasper." I say while looking at the gemstones. "Do you think they could help?" Buck looks at me for a second, "Maybe. But what for?" "I just want to know more about them. Where did they come from? Why are they seen as a threat?" I set aside the gemstones and hug my knees while blankly staring at the ground. I feel like I'm in the dark when it comes to knowing about Jasper, and this town knows more about them than I do. Buck gets up on his feet and grabs his phone from his pocket and makes a call. ".....Yeah? Hey Jenny...Nothing, I just wanted to know if Steven is home yet....He is? Ok. See ya in a bit." He puts his phone back in his pocket and lightly nudges my arm with his leg. "Come on. Jenny said she just saw Steven leave the donut store. He's probably still at the house." I quickly got up. A feel of hope resonates within me, that there's someone that could help me. I nod and call Jasper over and go meet this "Steven".

As we got the board walk, Jenny and Sour Cream were waiting for us. I guess they were just as curious as I am. As Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream were talking while heading towards the house, I stagger behind with Jasper by my side, feeling a little nervous. I mean what do I do when I meet him. Hi my name is (f/n) I was forcefully brought here by this weird creature that was living with me for a while and I heard that you now about them, could you please help?  And there's supposedly a few more people that know about them as well. What are they? Scholars? Professors? If they know so much about creatures like Jasper, it must've taken them years to understand. Sour Cream noticed how nervous I was and started walking beside me. "You alright dude?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm just a little nervous." I reply, pulling a small strained smile. "It's ok. Steven and the others are cool people. I'm sure everything will work out fine." He places his hand on my shoulder to reassure me, which helped me a little less anxious. "Thanks man." I give a small smile. He smiles back to me. When we arrived at the front door, Buck gives a few knocks. I could get a glimpse of the inside since it was only the screen door that was closed, as the second door behind is wide open. It seems rather tidy, kind of not what I expected from them. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a few papers or books on the floor, but I guess they like to keep their research in check; I can respect that. The door opens and I see a small boy approach Buck, Sour Cream, and Jenny. "Hey guys!" the kid said with a big smile and a cheerful tone. "Hey Steven!" Jenny exclaims. Wait! That's Steven?! But he's so young!  The kid known as Steven looks at my direction and walks towards me. "Hello! My name is Steven. Steven Universe." We exchange hand shake which he offers first. What a gentleman. But man, he has a strong grip. "(f/n) (l/n), nice to meet you." He seems rather sweet. "So what are you guys doing here?" Steven asks, looking at Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream. Jenny walks up to him, "Well, you know how you and your friends tend to fight those 'things' at the beach sometimes?" Steven gives a concern look, "Yeah...why?" Jenny answers, "You see, (f/n) came across one at Empire City and now they're here." "Where?" I point to Jasper digging a hole in the sand, probably trying to catch some crab. Steven's eyes widen. "Whaaaaaaaaaat?!" Steven's yelling scares me as well as the other three. He's got a pair of lungs in him as well. Jasper hears him and looks directly at him. They begin to tense up, starting to show aggression. "Where did you find her?!" Steven looks up at me distressed. Her?  "U-uh, at my apartment." Jasper pierces their claws into the sand and begins hunching their back. "I didn't think she would run off that far." What is he talking about?  "Wait, you guys met before?" Jasper lets out a feisty roar, I could feel their blood lust through my body. My limbs begin to shake. "Her name is Jasper. She was a gem warrior that got corrupted. Amethyst and I tried to stop her but she ran off." Gem Warrior?! Corupted?! What the hell is going on?  But hey at least I got the name right. Without thinking, I run down the stairs and head towards Jasper. They begin to growl at me, as a warning to back off. This feels familiar; I continue walking forward at a steady pace. "(F/N) STOP! DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!" Steven yells but I ignore it. I automatically take out my injured arm to show I mean no harm.

"H-hey Jasper, is everything alright?" I say as my voice slightly tremble. They look at me still showing hostility. "It's ok. No one is going to hurt you." I'm only three feet away from them, if I'm careful enough I can calm them down. I faintly hear Steven yell again, "STOP (F/N)! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" I just ignore him and continued walking. Remember, don't look at them in the eyes. Don't look at them in the eyes. Don't look at them in the eyes... I gradually place my hand the side of their face. I keep my eyes down and was able to wrap my arms around their neck. I softly repeat in whispers, "Shhh. it's ok." "You're not in danger." "No one is going to hurt you." It took a while but they were able to calm down. I begin to stroke their hair and that seemed to help as well. Their muscles start to relax and her growling turns to soft grunts. I pull away, looking at her while my hands rest beside their cheeks. "Are you done with your hissy fit?" I ask in a sarcastic tone. They reply by having their bottom jaw lightly bump against the side of my face. I couldn't help but chuckle.

Steven, Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck run towards me with haste when they saw Jasper has calmed down. Jasper starts to growl again but I block them from their sight and calmly proclaim, "Wait here." Though they still appear hostile, they sit down in response to the command. I walk towards the others that share the same expression of terror and concern. "That was crazy!" Jenny exclaims. "Gave us a scare man." Sour Cream says in his monotone voice but his expression shows distress. "Are you ok?" Buck asks. "I'm fine, really." I reply with a smile as if nothing was wrong. Steven by far looked more worried; like a parent who caught their child with a pair of sharp scissors. "What were you thinking?!" he exclaims, "You could've been hurt! Why did you do that?!" It felt weird being lectured by a child; almost degrading. But I guess since he's living with these scholars that study them, he's probably been exposed to how dangerous they are than I have. I kneel down to his level, "I'm sorry that I made you worry but it just felt like it was something I had to do. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. And I would rather be the one getting injured than you guys." Steven looks at the ground but he let out a heavy sigh. "It's ok... But next time, don't do that again please?" He looks at me with desperate eyes that almost broke my heart. "I'll try." I say with a smile, he does the same. "So, can you please explain to me what you meant by 'corruption' and 'gem warrior'?" I ask in a serious tone.

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