Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!
Title: Headspace
Summary: Steven and Amethyst bond over the fact they both almost died
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR CHANGE YOUR MIND MY GUY
…
"You almost died, dude," Amethyst says.
Steven's fingers tangle in her long hair, thoughtful. "You did too."
The Quartz let out a tiny, barking laugh. "I mean, getting turned into a puppet was messed up, sure, but it wasn't like-"
"That's not what I meant." They pause as the wind picks up, lashing them with its cold. Up in the sky arena, all the weather comes off a bit chilly, even the sunlight- but Gem bodies naturally adjust to the temperature, and Steven is used to dealing with odd temperatures, so neither of them can complain. "When your gem cracked."
"Oh." She pauses. "I mean, that was, like, two years ago, dude."
"Yeah, I know." Steven curled his arms around his knees, hugging them to his chest. His stone sits comfortably in his stomach, like it always has and always will. "And I know that Pearl and Garnet probably have had close calls too. But you're the only person I've ever seen almost die. It... makes it a bit more real, I guess."
"That's a bit messed up, Steven."
"Maybe." He shrugs. "It all hurt so bad. I was so scared, and weak, and I couldn't stop crying. My legs didn't work right. Connie had to carry me." Steven's insides roil, wondering how affected his jam bud must be. Carrying a dying friend couldn't be easy on the mind. "Amethyst, how did you... how did you manage to joke through it?"
It's Amethyst's turn to pull up a knee, resting her arm on it in an attempt to appear casual. "Steven, I was... I was in a really bad headspace when that happened."
"You weren't scared?"
"I was terrified. But I was also like... who cares, I guess." Amethyst vaguely moved one of her hands to the side, fingers spread. "All I could think was that it didn't really matter. It wasn't going to be a big deal. It wasn't gonna... you know."
Steven knew. "Be like Rose?"
Amethyst pursed her lips and nodded. "And now, looking back, it's like holy smokes. I almost died." She propped her chin up. "But it's been so long I've distanced myself from it, so it doesn't scare me like it probably should."
"It scared me."
"You scared me. You were screaming and crying and I- I couldn't move. None of us could." The Quartz pulled him close for a half-hug. "We're not doing that again, okay? We're just not."
Steven tried to smile. It came across as tight and strained. "Sounds good to me."
Author's Note: We all know by now that if I can pull an Amethyst-Steven bonding moment out of an episode I will Find a Way lol
-mandaree1