#kibbles-bits

It was a glorious cacophony of sound and energy. Electric guitars wailed, drums boomed, and fans cheered along as their favorite bands played. The concert had been going for many hours already, but all in attendance were prepared to celebrate for hours more, heedless of the cool night air that surrounded them.

Outside the concert park, atop a distant hill, a single figure could be seen from the venue. She looked human at a glance, but it was only because of her unnaturally white skin and enormous statue that she could be seen at such a great distance at all. In truth, she wasn’t alone. Far less visible to the far-off concert goers was a normal sized man.

The two of them sat side by side looking up at the stars. From here, the near-deafening sound of the concert grounds was but a gentle melody. The man strummed absentmindedly on a guitar, sometimes playing along with the distant concert, and sometimes inventing his own tunes and bringing them into harmony with the echoing chords.

“I like this band,” said the woman suddenly. “I don’t think I’ve heard them before.”

“That’s Insolent Children,” the man said looking up at her. She was more than twice as tall as he was and even while sitting down towered over him.

“That’s strange,” she said thoughtfully, “They don’t sound like children.”

“No, no. That’s just their band name.”

“I know,” said the woman cracking a smile. “I’ve gotten used to all of the funny names you humans like to give yourselves, Mr. Universe.”

“Hey! What about all of the ‘funny names’ you have? The Lady in White, Wandering Giant, Thunder God, Thunder Queen, Thunder Maid, Thunder – I guess there are a whole lot of ‘thunder’ ones.”

“You forgot my favorite one: the Patron Saint of Rams.” Both of them chuckled at the mention of her second favorite species on the planet. “And besides, HUMANS were the ones who gave me all of those names. Just White is good enough for me.”

“You got me there.” The two of them slipped back into comfortable silence for a few minutes.  The young musician – no older than his mid-twenties – wore a tan jacket over his star emblazoned t-shirt. The woman next to him was far too tall to be human, and her skin was a pure shade of white that stood out in the moonlight. She was still wearing her band merch from the concert – a black t-shirt with the words “Mr. Universe” across the chest. At her size, the shirt still left her with an exposed midriff, but she seemed not to be bothered by the cool night air. It was hard to say what her most striking feature was, whether it was her too sharp teeth, her intense pale purple eyes, or the large white gemstone that sat on her forehead below a loose mess of hair.

“So White, how come you brought me all the way out here after my set? I thought you’d want to stay for the rest of the concert.”

“I thought it might be a good idea to get away from things. I did TRY to stay inconspicuous while you were on stage Greg, but that didn’t really work out.”

“I thought I saw someone fleeing in terror,” said Greg, dryly. “What happened there?”

White gave him a sly grin. “He kept trying to hit on me, so I showed him my teeth. ALL of my teeth.”

Greg stifled a laugh. “Yup, that’ll do it.” Greg thought about the intimidating row of shark-like teeth that his friend possessed (and the row behind it, and the row behind THAT one, and the row behind-). “But you LOVE messing with people like that. Besides, I thought you hated stargazing.”

White’s eyes had drifted back towards the night sky, but she looked back around at Greg’s last comment. “What?”

“Stargazing,” Greg continued. “Last time I suggested it, you said, ‘I spent enough time looking at those stultum stellas,’ and then you made a scary face.”

“Oh… yeah.” White’s eyes lingered on the starry field once again.

“Hey, come on, you’re acting really weird tonight.” Greg set aside his guitar and edged closer to the giant woman.

“I’m millions of years old, darling. I’m always acting weird.”

“You know what I mean. What’s going on?”

White lay back as she considered her words. “I don’t know,” she finally answered, “tonight they just make me feel… unlonely.”

“I’m pretty sure that isn’t a word.”

“Language evolves, Greg! Remember Sumerian? Of course you don’t! Nobody does! Give it a few centuries and I’ll MAKE unlonely a word!”

“Okay, okay!” Greg never could follow along once White got started on one of her language diatribes. “So it feels familiar?” asked Greg, quickly changing the topic.

“Yes? No? I don’t know. After I came to earth, I never wanted to look at the stars again. There was never anything worthwhile out there, just maddening emptiness for what felt like an eternity. Tonight feels different, though. It feels like there’s something waiting for me. It almost reminds me of one of your songs.”

“My songs?”

“Yeah! You always manage to make space sound so evocative. I don’t know how you do it, but it’s amazing.”

“Aww, come on,” said Greg blushing. The sounds of the concert had died down in between sets. Greg picked up his guitar and began a sedate version of one of White’s favorites: Like a Comet.

“Hey, look!” said Greg, “A shooting star!”

White glanced in the direction Greg was pointing just in time to see a light red streak close to the horizon.

In an instant, White was on her feet. She didn’t stand up. One moment she had been sitting down, and with a flash of light she wasn’t.

“What is it?” asked a startled Greg.

“That’s it!”

“It?”

“That’s the something!”

“That’s it?”

“Yes!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes!”

“Okay! Now what?”

“I don’t know!”

“You should go find it.”

“I should?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes!”

“Okay!” And in another flash of light, White was gone.

Greg sat alone on the hill in stunned silence for a moment. With a slight smile, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head. As he packed away his guitar, he quietly started counting down, “Four… three… two…”

White appeared once again on top of the hill. “I should probably get you back to the concert first.”

“I would appreciate that, thanks.”

Greg rolled over on the bed and surprised himself when he felt a large body beside his own. He blinked open his eyes and smiled when he saw the face of Jasper lying next to him. He moved to cuddle up close to her and put an arm over her. She shifted a bit in response and made a soft sound before opening her eyes and looking down at her little man. She smiled and leaned down, kissing the top of his head.

“Morning Greg.” She pulled him close. “Did you sleep well?” She ran her hand through his hair, smiling as she blinked the sleepiness from her eyes.

“Yeah, did you?” He sat up slowly and stretched. He looked at the clock. It was still early in the morning but of course he had to get up and get ready for the day.

“Yeah.” She glanced at the clock. “I should take a shower.” She sat up and grabbed Greg, pulling the small man against her. “Do you want to join me?” She asked teasingly.

Greg blushed and looked at her. “I appreciate the offer, but somebody has to make breakfast.” He smiled and pulled away. “But maybe later okay?”

Jasper looked a little disappointed but she nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you downstairs.” She kissed the top of his head then got up and went to the bathroom.

Greg got up and went downstairs. He turned on the stove and pulled out some eggs and bacon, tossing them into a skillet and cooking them. After the food was done he set the plates at the table and poured glasses of orange juice for Jasper and himself. He was hugged from behind as he was placing the silverware.

He smiled and tilted his head back to look at the large woman embracing him from behind. “Hey.”

She kissed forehead. “Hey.” She smiled and looked at the food. “It looks delicious.” She pulled back reluctantly and sat down.

Greg joined her at the table and they ate. Greg glanced at her occasionally to see if she was enjoying the food. They had only been living together for about a month now and he was still trying to determine what kinds of things she liked.

Jasper glanced at him and smiled. “It’s very good.” She truthfully had a weak sense of taste that came with her lack of a sense of smell. She had not been able to smell since she was quite young so she had trouble tasting her food, this meant that she needed strong spices to even get a bit of taste.

Greg smiled. “I’m glad.” He looked back at his plate and had a bite of food before starting a conversation. “So we’re going out today if you remember?”

Jasper nodded. “I do, we were going to that amusement park right?” She struggled a bit to remember.

“Yes, we’re taking Steven as well.” Greg commented.

Jasper looked at Greg and frowned. “We are huh?” She was hoping for a nice day alone with him, and she wasn’t particularly used to Steven either.

“Yeah, is that okay?” Greg knew the two were still uncomfortable around each other and he wanted them to be closer.

Jasper hesitated. “Yeah, but do you think he’ll be okay with it?”

“Actually he was the one who suggested it.” Greg let out a nervous chuckle.

Jasper started and looked at him in surprise. “Oh… Well um, good.” She nodded to herself. “Should we get ready to go?”

“In just a bit, I need to get some things taken care of first.” He finished his meal and rose, taking his plate to the sink and running water over it. After that he went to his computer and turned it on, sitting down and doing some work.

Jasper washed her plate off and went to fix herself up for the day out, doing her hair and makeup, being sure to put wings on her eyelashes. She then dressed in jeans and a tank top and went downstairs. She grabbed a book and started reading it while she waited, humming softly to herself.

Greg came to get her after a bit and touched her shoulder, pulling her from her book. She smiled up at him and grabbed him, pulling him onto her lap and hugging him. Greg let out a soft yelp as she did this and then chuckled as he hugged her back. They remained in each other’s embrace for a few moments until Greg pulled back and slowly got up.

“Come on tiger, we should get going.”

Jasper blushed at the nickname and got up, following Greg out of the house after grabbing her jacket. They drove for a little bit before arriving at the house where Steven lived with his three “aunts” and parked.

Jasper didn’t fully understand the arrangement Greg had with these three but because of it Greg’s son was staying with a crazy neat freak named Pearl, a stoic woman named Garnet, and worst of all Jasper’s own cousin, Amethyst. They reached the door and knocked. It was opened after a few moments by Amethyst who was eating a calzone that looked freshly made. She had some grease on her face. She swallowed the food in her mouth before smiling and taking a deep breath.

“Hey Greg! Hey blockhead!” She snickered and stepped aside. “Come on in, Steven said he was going to get himself ready so he should be down in a little bit.”

Jasper’s face didn’t show any amusement at what the other called her as she stepped through the door. Amethyst had always been annoying ever since they were little and their mothers made them spend time together. Jasper leaned against the nearest wall, waiting patiently for Steven to come down.

“Thanks Amethyst. How have things been going recently?” Greg asked, keeping his usual cheery demeanor.

“Pretty good, Garnet and Pearl are off doing their own stuff today so it’s just been me and the shorty today. He’s really excited to be doing this. He barely went to sleep last night.” She chuckled and smirked. “He’s all ready to go, even planned out what he would take.” She glanced at Jasper for a few moments before looking at Greg again. “I’m honestly sorry I can’t go but I’ve got some errands to run.”

Greg nods. “It’s alright, we’ll try to win something for you.”

Amethyst smiled. “Sweet! I’ll expect it.” She looked at Jasper. “What are you gonna get for me sis?”

Jasper frowned at her. “I’ll get you a candy apple.” She did care for her, even if Amethyst was annoying.

“Aww, you do care!” Amethyst teased her.

Jasper rolled her eyes and looked down.

Greg looked at the two and was about to open his mouth to say something when Steven ran down the stairs and went over to him, hugging him.

“Hey dad!” He smiled up at him.

Greg knelt and returned the hug. “Hey Shtoo-ball! How have you been?”

“Great! I can’t wait to go to Funland!” He looked at Jasper then ran over to her and held a hand out towards her.

Jasper looked around the room and saw everybody was watching her. She blushed lightly and took Steven’s hand in one of her massive ones, shaking it. “It’s good to see you Steven.”

Steven smiled as he shook her hand. “It’s good to see you too Jasper!”

She pulled her hand back and nodded. “Yeah, um, do you want to get going?” She wasn’t certain what to talk about with him.

“Just as soon as I get my sandals on.” He went over to the door and slipped on his sandals. “Alright, I’m ready!”

Greg chuckled and opened the door. “We’ll be back after dinner time Amethyst. Don’t work too hard.”

“I never do!” She watched the trio leave then started getting ready for the trip she would have to make soon.

Jasper sighed as she followed the two and got in the car, buckling up. They didn’t have to drive for very long before they reached the boardwalk. It was busy, the denizens of beach city were mingling about the area, children were laughing and playing, teens were hanging out near some of the more stable attractions, and the adults were a mixture between exhausted and pleased. After finally finding a parking space the trio exited the car and walked towards the fairgrounds.

“So Steven, what do you want to do first?” Greg asked, looking at his son.

“Well I don’t know.” He looked up at Jasper. “What do you want to do Jasper?”

Jasper rubbed the back of her neck. She was looking at the attractions as they approached Funland. “Maybe go on a ride?” She wouldn’t admit it but she liked going to the amusement park. It was something she had always liked to do when she was younger.

“Oh how about the tilt-a-whirl?” Greg suggested.

Jasper hesitated, looking at the rides. There were quite a lot to choose from. She nodded. “Maybe something smaller first?” She was nervous about fast moving things like those.

Steven nodded. “How about the carousel?” He suggested, pointing to the small rotating ride.

Jasper nodded. “Yeah, let’s start with that.”

Greg nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” He went with them to the ride and stood in the line for a short bit before they were allowed on. Steven chose a brown horse and climbed onto it. Jasper stood next to him while Greg stepped back, letting the two have a few moments while everybody else climbed onto the ride.

Jasper looked at Steven. “So, you like these kinds of rides?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty fun. What about you Jasper? Do you like rides?”

Jasper nodded. “Yeah, actually I think the kind around here are fun, they’re a little tame though.”

“I don’t think so, some of them are really fast!” Steven stated.

Jasper smiled. “That’s what makes them fun isn’t it?”

Steven nodded. “Yeah. Do you want to ride the rollercoaster with me after this?”

Jasper was a bit surprised and she hesitated. She did want to get closer to Steven, for Greg’s sake if not her own. She looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

Steven smiled. The ride finally started and he grabbed onto the pole before him to steady himself as it lurched forward. He was soon smiling and waving to the people standing around the ride.

Jasper smiled a little and waved too. Greg watched them and was happy to see they were getting along. He knew that Jasper could be a little stiff at first but if anyone could get through to her it was Steven. Steven had this strange ability to bring out the best in others and to make friends with anybody he came across.

The ride soon came to a stop and they walked out the exit so the next group of people could get on. They walked through the amusement park to the rollercoaster next. The line for this one was longer and that gave them plenty of time to talk.

Greg leaned against Jasper who put an arm around him and pulled him a bit closer. She liked how cuddly the other was, it made her feel good to have the man close. Steven looked up at them.

“Jasper, do you love my dad?” Steven suddenly asked.

Jasper nearly had a heart attack at the question. Her entire face turned red and she pulled away. “Love?!” She covered her mouth when she realized she had yelled that. A number of people glanced in her direction but they turned away after a few moments. She looked at Steven and lowered her hands.

Greg blushed as well and rubbed the back of his neck. “Steven, that’s um, a little personal to ask Jasper that without any warning or…” He looked at her then blushed and looked away.

Steven frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He looked down.

Jasper knelt and put a hand on his shoulder. “I like your dad a lot Steven, but I don’t want to talk about it here okay?”

Steven looked up at her and nodded. “Okay. Can we talk about it later?”

Jasper nodded. “Alright, we’ll talk about it later.”

Steven wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her.

Jasper hesitated before hugging back.

Steven pulled back after a few moments and took ahold of her hand. He smiled and pulled her up to where the line had moved. Greg moved to keep up with them. They started talking about having lunch after they got off the ride, deciding to have some pizza and hot dogs at one of the stands they had passed.

It didn’t take much longer before they reached the front of the line and decided where they would get on. They went for a place on the second car and sat down when the gates opened. Jasper sat beside Steven and helped him to get secure in the seat. The ride started up after a few moments.

They leaned back as the coaster ascended up the incline, the soft clanking of the metal as they grew higher and higher.

Steven grabbed onto Jasper’s arm and pointed out as they got higher, exclaiming about how high they were. Jasper smiled and looked out, chuckling softly. Soon they reached the top of the peak and hovered there for just a moment before inertia took hold and pulled them forward.

They rocketed down the slope and raised their arms into the air, screaming as the wind whipped past them. They careened to the left and went upside down, then they cheered as they went down a spiral. The ride kept going, sending them around curves and over hills until it came to an easy stop back at the gates. Steven cheered as he jumped out of his seat and left through the exit, followed closely by Jasper and Greg who were holding hands.

The trio went to the stand and bought large slices of pizza along with soda and some cotton candy. They took their food and sat at the picnic tables which had been set in one of the clearings. They sat down and ate. Greg leaned against Jasper, smiling as he ate his pizza and enjoyed the softness of her hair.

“Thanks for bringing me today! This is so fun! We should try and win something for Amethyst, and Pearl. Oh! We should get something for Garnet too!”

Greg nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He looked at Jasper. “How are you at carnival games tiger?”

Jasper blushed darkly at the nickname and looked away. “I, um, I’m alright with them…” The other was far too cute for her to take.

Steven smiled. “Great! I’ll bet we can win lots of prizes!” He ate some more and then stood up. “Let’s go get those prizes!”

Jasper hesitated. “Well alright, are you ready to go Greg?”

Greg sat up and stretched. “Alright, let’s go find some games.”

They walked through the fair looking for the games and soon found one which was the kind where you knocked down bottles with a ball to win the prize. The person there told them that they needed to knock over one stack to win the prizes which were medium sized stuffed bananas in funny hats.

Jasper paid and picked up one of the balls, tossing it into the air and catching it. She took a step back and got into a pitching position. She took a breath then threw the ball, knocking over the stack in one go.

Steven cheered. “Way to go Jasper!”

The person running the stand grabbed one of the bananas and gave it to Jasper who accepted it with a smile on her face. Greg stood on his tiptoes and kissed Jasper’s cheek. “Great job tiger.”

Jasper blushed darkly and covered her face, smiling under her hands. They moved on, going to win more prizes and get on more rides. The day went wonderfully and they enjoyed every moment of it.

-

Jasper carefully lifted the sleeping Steven out of his seat in the back of the car and took him to the door of the beach house. She knocked on the door and it was answered by Pearl who looked at her with a stern face. “So here you are, what time do you call this exactly?”

Jasper frowned and held a finger over her lips. “Shh, he’s asleep.”

Pearl grumbled but closed her mouth and carefully took Steven, holding him against her chest. “Thank you for taking him out today.”

Greg walked up, carrying a small pile of prizes they had won at the fair and a single candy apple for Amethyst. He smiled. “Good evening Pearl. Do you have somewhere I can put these?”

Pearl sighed and then beckoned to Amethyst who was sitting on the couch playing a video game. She reluctantly paused the game and got up, going to take the prizes. “Hey, some of these are pretty sweet!” She smiled and took them back into the house, setting them on the counter inside.

Pearl looked at them. “Thank you again. Did he have fun?”

Greg nodded. “Yes, he was so excited. He fell asleep almost immediately after getting in the car.” He smiled and patted Steven’s head then leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “See you again shtoo-ball.” He smiled and stepped back.

Jasper smiled a bit and patted Steven’s head as well. “See you around runt.” She pulled back.

Greg took a hold of Jasper’s hand and waved to Pearl. “We better get goung. Have a nice night.”

Pearl nodded and waved back as they got in the van and drove back to their home. Jasper looked over at Greg. “That was a good day.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Greg smiled. “Thank you, I think Steven really liked it.” He looked at her. “I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you too.”

Greg had an idea. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Do you mind if we go back to the fair?”

Jasper shook her head. “No, I’d be fine with that.”

Greg turned the car around and drove to funland again. Once there he got out and took ahold of Jasper’s hand, pulling her through the grounds until they came to the Ferris wheel. He looked up at her. “What do you think?”

Jasper chuckled. “God you’re such a nerd.” She put her arm around him and pulled him closer, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “I love you.”

Greg chuckled and hugged her. They soon reached the front of the line and got in a seat, holding hands and leaning against each other. The sun was rapidly setting and the stars were becoming visible. The ride started up and lifted the two up into the air. The looked out and watched as the sun disappeared past the horizon.

Greg gently rubbed Jasper’s hand, enjoying being so close to her. Once they were at the top Jasper looked over at him and gently caressed his cheek. She then leaned down and kissed him lovingly.

Greg returned the kiss and held her hand, losing himself in the moment. They kept kissing, forgetting about the world until they reached the bottom and the person operating the ride had to touch them to get them to pull away. They blushed and started laughing as they left the ride and went to go back home. They stopped however on the way to the car and had one more make out session.

When they pulled back they took a moment to hug each other and just enjoy the soft noise of the amusement park and the cool breeze of the night. When they pulled away they couldn’t help but smile as they went back to the car and drove home, knowing that this was a great day.