Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!
Title: It Is What It Is
Summary: It's not that Connie doesn't understand. She does. But, even still, it's a bit daunting to be twenty one and Steven have the body of a teenager.
Warnings: Asexual!Steven and scarred Connie
...
It's not that Connie doesn't understand. She does. It'd taken some time, and some goof-ups, but she'd come to terms with the fact that Steven would always age slower than the average human. Than her. It's come to her attention that he'll easily outlive her, and that's okay. They'll deal with it when it comes to that point.
But, even still, it's a bit daunting to be twenty one and Steven have the body of a teenager.
She gets it. Gems don't age, and he's only half human- his aging is going to be permanently wonky. Heck, he's twenty three, by human standards, so there's that.
Oh, who was she kidding? He still has acne, for pete's sake. Once in awhile, his voice has the audacity to crack. He's back to only being shoulder height. (Although, he's probably always going to be a bit shorter than her when they're at the same physical age. The last time he was taller than her, he had the body of a fourteen year old and she hadn't even been thirteen.)
And here she is. Her body following the rules of normal yearly aging. Twenty one, hanging out with a teenager.
She's turning into one of those creepy women you see on TV, she thought grimly, crossing her arms subconsciously, only she wasn't. Because life is complicated. Her life is complicated.
"Ooh!" Steven points at the screen, his other hand coming to rest on her knee. It's not sexual- it never is sexual- but she feels the urge to pull away regardless. "That was awesome!"
"Yeah, awesome." She grunts uneasily, jerking her legs to her chest. She wraps her arms around them, vaguely noting that he'd brushed one of her scars.
She'd been stabbed, she remembered distantly. It'd hurt, but it wasn't deep enough that she couldn't gimp her way over to a medical tent- that wasn't a good day. No deaths, but civilians were hurt- while Steven healed the people who were worse off. She was under the distinct impression that he was angry that she'd shooed him away, but priorities are priorities. It wasn't the first or last scar she'd gain in such a manner.
(Scars are cool, okay? Cut her some slack.)
"Is something wrong?" He asks, immediately able to tell something was wrong. Connie cursed herself for being so easy to read.
"Nope." She answered, injecting fake lightness into her tone. She reaches behind them on the bed and pulls his blanket towards them. "But it's not a real movie night without a blanket, am I right?"
Steven thrusts his hands into the air. "Blanket snuggles!"
"Right." She grit out flatly, forcing her shoulders to remain lax. It wasn't the first time she'd ever felt randomly self conscious about all of this. Most of the time, blanket snuggles sounded amazing, but right now... "Blanket snuggles."
It's not creepy, she tells herself, assisted by the half-gem to pull the covers around them. They've been doing this since they were small. It's okay.
And it's not like they're doing anything weird, she reminds herself. She's fairly sure that Steven- while being fully aware of sex- has no personal interest in it himself. Connie isn't bothered by this. She liked the easy comfort they gave each other.
Snuggling under a blanket isn't strange. Not at all.
Besides, it won't be this way forever. Steven just needed to spend some extra time working through puberty, is all. (Although, if she were able to control how fast she grew up, puberty would have long become a thing in the past, but she knows it doesn't work like that.)
"Connie?"
"Huh?" She blinks at the screen. "I'm sorry, I blanked. What?"
"Is something wrong?" He asked, brown drawn in concern. "You're a bit out of it today."
"I'm fine." Connie mentally shakes herself and loosens any muscles that might have inadvertently tightened. Appearing unnecessarily stiff would only make him more suspicious.
"Is it the movie?"
"No, no. It's a good movie, I promise."
Steven leans against her shoulder, starry-eyed. "I know, right?"
Connie forces those thoughts out of her mind and leans back. She doesn't care about how Steven ages. She doesn't. It's his body, and he has every right to be comfortable in it. The problem is, without a doubt, her.
She can't help that she ages normally. She can't help that a lot of people would find this creepy. She can't help being concerned about what her parents would say. It's in her nature to seek out any and all criticism directed towards her and amplify it. It drives her. Makes her stronger.
She needs to focus on that. On their strength. On her strength.
"Connie?"
"Hmm?"
Steven glances away. "Am I... bothering you?"
"What? No, of course not! It's just..." She trails off, searching for something to say, before finally surrendering with a sigh. "It's just me, Steven. I'm being stupid."
"You're not stupid." He replied, eyes serious. His face softens. "It's the age thing again, isn't it?"
"I'm happy you're comfortable. Really, I am." She says in lieu of an apology. She wants to, but she knows he wouldn't accept her words over something like this. Believe her, she's tried. "It makes me realize just how short my life really is."
"I'm not gonna live as long as the gems." He answered, staring at the screen. "I still age and grow like a human. Just at my own time. My life is just as short as yours, in a way."
"Of course you do. I'm glad you do. This is who you are, Steven. I don't want you to be anything less."
"But it bothers you."
"It upsets me." She admits. "But not because you've taken longer to grow up. I'm the one growing up too fast."
He smiles a bit and grabs her hand, rubbing his thumb along a scar there. A bad incident with a steak knife, she thought. Not every scar has to come from a battle.
"Normal people do kinda shoot up, huh? It looks so... scary."
Connie chuckles. "We really do."
"I'm kinda glad I don't have to do that."
"Me too. Being human is weird."
"Weird is good." He hums. "I'm glad everyone is weird."
"Yeah." She gently drapes an arm around his shoulders, relaxing into the embrace with a shy smile. "Me too."
Author's Note: On an unrelated note, I can't be the only one who loves the idea of Connie with scars, right? Right?
Also, maybe it's because he's a child in the show (slightly doubtful- I have no issue with aged up works- but it could play a part in it) but I can't see Steven as anything but Asexual. Like, cuddles and such are amazing, but that's all he wants. Connie would be perfectly happy with that.
Written because there isn't nearly enough speculation on how things like puberty will affect Steven's aging and no one has mentioned how it affects their relationships save for the 'her face is the fandom's face' thing. (Which it is, don't get me wrong.)
-Mandaree1