This takes place just after "Greg the Babysitter".
Connie loved the beach. The seagulls calling above her, the waves breaking on the shore, the pristine sand that stretched out around her. The salty breeze blowing against her face. What wasn't there to love? Though, to be completely fair, these days walking on the beach tended to also mean something else.
She glanced upwards, towards the giant stone statue that was carved out of the side of the cliff. And nestled at its base, the very familiar white beach house that Connie now seemed to spend so much of her free time at. She couldn't help but grin. It seemed like a year ago she had resigned herself to never having any friends. But now, not only did she have friends, she had probably the-
"Amethyst! For goodness sakes! Be careful with that!"
Connie chuckled under her breath as she walked up the stairs that led to the house's patio. Never a dull day at the Universe household, it seems.
Connie knocked at the screen door and less than a second later, Steven answered it, beaming practically from ear to ear. Not an unusual way to be greeted by Steven, but what was a bit strange was what he did next.
"Hi, Connie," he said, before leaning over to her and quickly planting a kiss on her cheek.
Connie was awestruck by this course action. As soon as Steven had moved away, Connie placed her hand over the spot he had kissed. It still felt warm from his presence. Or maybe that had more to do with her face rapidly reddening.
"S-Steven… Wh-what are…" Connie could barely string together a few words, so… taken was she by Steven's kiss.
Steven, though didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he pretended not to.
"Come on in, Connie. Amethyst found something super cool while she was going through some of the stuff in her room," Steven said as he walked back into the house.
Connie numbly followed him into the house, her knees feeling just a tad unstable beneath her. She felt like her heart must have been going a million beats per second, so hard and so fast she was sure it was going to burst out of her chest. Her throat tightened and for a minute she felt like she couldn't breathe.
O-oh…. I'm… I'm going to pass out. Steven kissed me and-
"You okay, Connie? You look a little tense."
Connie felt a firm hand on her shoulder.
Who-?
Connie turned around to face the person who had spoken.
"Oh, Spinel," she said easily. "Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled as the embarrassment and unease over the kiss drained away from her. "Just… Still getting used to Steven's newer greetings." She cast a sly, but bashful look over at Steven, who could only blush in return.
"Ahh, you humans," Spinel said as she removed her hand from Connie's shoulder and slowly shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand your customs." The Gem brushed some of her light pink hair out of her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, showing her gem on the back of her hand.
"Don't worry, Spinel," Steven said. "If you ever have any questions, you can always ask me and Connie!"
Spinel gave him a lopsided grin. "When it comes to you two, all I need to do is think back to your father and Rose and I'm pretty sure I've got all the information I need."
"Spinel…" Connie groaned, her face blushing a deep red.
"Ooh, sorry, Connie," Spinel said, giving a playful wink. "Forgot that you two are still fairly new at this 'dating' thing." The Gem glanced over at Steven, who's face was the same color of deep red. She shrugged nonchalantly. "You two… Sometimes you're as bad as that show Peridot and Lapis watch. If I hadn't finally intervened you'd be like Pierre and Sophie."
"On TV?" Steven asked.
Spinel shook her head. "Spinning your wheels, hoping the other makes the first move."
"Amethyst! Please! Be gentle with it," Pearl cried, drawing Connie, Steven, and Spinel's attention over towards the kitchen island, where Pearl and Amethyst stood having their… energetic discussion.
"I am being gentle," Amethyst insisted as she ungentely pulled at the small cube in her hands. "I'm just trying to open it."
"But you're going to break it. We just need to wait for Peridot to finish the program she's coding to crack the passphrase," Pearl retorted, trying and failing, to grab the cube from Amethyst's grasp.
"Uh, I thought you said we were on a deadline?" Amethyst asked. She had stopped manhandling the cube, which Pearl took as her opportunity to swiftly scoop it out of Amethyst's grasp. "Hey! I almost had it."
Connie, Steven, and Spinel walked over to the two of them. Pearl turned towards them, a pleasant smile on her face. Amethyst meanwhile crossed her arms sulkily. The matter seemed to have been shelved.
"Hello, Connie," Pearl greeted lightly.
"Hi, Pearl. Amethyst." Connie returned.
Amethyst uncrossed her arms and looked at Connie for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Hey, Connie," she said.
"So… What's all the commotion about?" Connie asked, trying to sound casual. She didn't want the argument the two had been having to flare back up.
"Yeah, I get back from the barn and you two are arguing with each other," Spinel said, before snorting while continuing, "Not an uncommon occurrence, granted but still…"
"Hey, I was just trying to open the storage thing before it's fuel cells give out," Amethyst defended. "Feh, but you know what Pearl's like."
Spinel glanced over at Pearl, who was wearing a… suspiciously neutral look. "I'm… not going to say anything." She rubbed her shoulder. "Those laser shots she shoots from her spear hurt."
"I did that one time," Pearl said as she lightly stepped away from the group and towards the kitchen's central island, where she placed the cubed device. "And you deserved it."
"Heh, yeah," Spinel chuckled. "I probably did."
Connie and the others joined Pearl by the island. Now that the cube had been placed down, Connie saw that it looked rather… unimpressive. It was dark gray and had a slight sheen to it. It was also rather small, appearing slightly bigger then Connie's closed fist. But other than that, it was entirely unremarkable, no markings or openings on any of its sides.
"It seems rather… simple," Connie said, still eyeing the cube. "And small."
"Don't let its appearance fool you, Connie," Pearl said. "This is a Gem storage cube. Once the passphrase as been spoken, it can store almost any object within it."
"Course it would help if we knew the passphrase," Amethyst mumbled under her breath.
"Where'd you find it?" Connie asked.
"Amethyst found it in her room," Steven answered. "Peridot uncovered it while they were practicing with her ferrokinesis."
"Yeah. After Peri and I messed with her ferro-powers, I had to reorganize a bunch of my stuff," Amethyst explained. "Found the cube on the ground while I was. Looked important so I gave it to Spinel."
"Who gave it to Pearl, who told Peridot, who is now working on a means to open it," Spinel finished.
"I see…" Connie said.
"But that's not the good part," Amethyst continued. "If we don't get this thing open before it's fuel cells die, then anything in it will be wiped."
"Wiped?" Steven asked. "What do you mean?"
Amethyst made a cutting gesture with her hand. "I mean, completely gone."
"The device works somewhat like my Gem, in that it can store a large amount of objects, no matter their size," Pearl explained. "The major difference being that the storage cube needs an external power source. Without it, its contents will be destroyed."
"That seems like a pretty major design flaw," Connie arched an eyebrow. "Why would anyone build a storage device that destroys whatever it holds?"
"It's a fail-safe," Spinel supplied, her voice having just a hint of bitterness. "This thing was used in the Noble's Court. Paranoia reigns supreme there."
Pearl nodded. "Yes. It was made so as to prevent tampering. As I was trying to tell Amethyst," Pearl shot a pointed look over at the short Gem.
Amethyst shrugged in response. "Eh, I wasn't tampering. I was opening it."
"Right," Pearl said simply.
"So what's in it?" Connie asked.
"We're not sure," Pearl sighed. "Since it's been in Amethyst's room for who knows how long, it could be anything really."
"I bet it's something super cool," Steven said, gazing starry-eyed at the cube. "Like the location of a really awesome ancient Gem fortress!"
"I doubt that Steven," Pearl cut in. "All the major Gem strongholds have been marked, explored, and secured by us long ago. I don't think there are any more on Earth."
"I wouldn't be too sure, Pearl," Spinel said. "Homeworld liked its secrets. Bet they still do."
"Regardless, we won't find anything out about it if we don't open it," Pearl said.
"Or if its cells die," Amethyst added.
"Or if its cells die, yes."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Spinel said. "Peridot's good at what she does. She'll have the pass phrase cracked before the cells give out."
"Hmm…" Connie pondered. "So there's not really a whole lot for us to do, right?"
"Besides, wait?" Amethyst gave Pearl a sideways look. "Nope. Not really."
Connie grinned as she turned towards Steven. "Then do you think maybe you'd want to go on… you know… our date?"
Steven seemed surprised by her question. "Date? What do you-"
"You don't remember, Steven?" Spinel interjected as she laid a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Connie asked you yesterday if you wanted to see a movie today." She raised an eyebrow. "You know, a date?"
"Oh! Right! I'm sorry, Connie," Steven said, looking extremely embarrassed. "With everything that's been going on today, I kinda forgot…
Spinel removed her hand, sighing. "You two are hopeless."
Connie just smiled, however. "It's alright, Steven. Sometimes life can get a little… out of control."
A beat of silence.
"So… do you still want to go?"
Steven's face immediately flooded red. "Yeah! Of course! What… What movie are we going to see?"
"I was thinking about the reboot of Dogcopter," Connie said. "It's gotten surprisingly good reviews."
"Oh yeah, I've seen commercials for it." Steven dropped his tone, trying his best to sound serious and graveled voiced. "'They wanted to create the ultimate weapon. They succeeded. Now he's going to make them pay. One mile at a time'."
Connie giggled at Steven's impression of a movie trailer announcer. He alway seemed to know how to make her laugh.
"Wait, is this still based on that book series about a flying dog helping people?" Pearl asked.
"Kind of," Connie replied. "It got rebooted."
"And what's a re- Ah, forget it," Pearl said, giving her head a quick shake. "You two go have fun. We'll call you if anything turns up."
"Which means they'll send me into town to look for you," Spinel added. "So try not to wonder too far."
"We won't," Steven said as he and Connie walked towards the screen door. "I'll be home later."
"Take care now. And be safe," Pearl said.
"Yeah. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Steven," Amethyst added as the two left through the door.
Once they had reached the beach sands and had begun to walk towards the town, Connie felt Steven grab hold of her hand.
She felt her face flush as she looked over at him. Steven looked back, offering only a smile as his response. They both returned their gaze back in front of them.
I could get used to this, Connie thought to herself.
Connie was so glad she had finally just… asked Steven out on a date. It sounded so simple now, but at the time it seemed like such an insurmountable hurdle. But then she had that conversation with Spinel. What the Gem had said still echoed through her.
"You and Steven are made for each other!"
"Well, I mean… we're good friends, but I don't know if we would… you know…"
"Stars, you humans. For a species with such a limited lifespan, you spend a lot of time trying to decide what to do."
"Geez, Spinel. Thanks."
"Look, I'm just saying. I saw a lot during the Rebellion. Even for Gems, life can be too short to spend unhappily."
"I'm not unhappy, Spinel… Well, maybe I was a little before I met Steven-"
"Exactly. Come on. What's the worst he could say?"
"What'cha thinking about, Connie?" Steven asked as they stepped onto the boardwalk.
"Just that I think I owe Spinel the biggest 'thank you' I've ever given anyone," Connie responded with a smirk.
Steven chuckled. "Yeah. Spinel's… Spinel's pretty great."
They continued walking down the boardwalk in comfortable silence. It was a perfect day. The sun was out, the gulls were calling, and the ocean breeze felt nicely refreshing. Honestly, as long as Steven didn't let go of her hand, Connie thought that this would be a perfectly perfect day.
"Well, well. If it isn't Beach City's ultimate power couple."
Their attention turned to the speaker, who was leaning on the counter at Beach Citywalk Fries.
"Hi, Peedee," Steven greeted as the couple approached the fry stall.
"Hey, Peedee," Connie said. "How's it going?"
Peedee sighed. "Can't really complain, I guess. A new batch of fries just came out of the fryer. Perfect crispiness, browning, and just the right amount of seasoning." He pushed up from the counter. "Interested?"
"Not today, Peedee," Steven said as he held up a hand. "Connie and I have a date with some overpriced concession stand snacks."
Peedee let out a low whistle. "Well if I knew you two had somewhere to be, I wouldn't have kept you." He gave an easy, good-natured grin. "Maybe someday, I'll have someone special in my life. But for now, the only one I need is the deep fryer." His eyes then suddenly shot open in realization as he ducked behind the counter. "Ooh! Hold on a second, Steven. My dad made something for you and the Gems… Ah, here it is."
Peedee emerged from behind the counter with a plate with a clear plastic lid over it. On the plate were what looked like many french fries, except they were arranged in such a way so as to look like a star.
"Dad wanted to give this to you guys. As a sort of, 'Thanks for stopping that rampaging monster from destroying the town the other day' gift," Peedee said as he pushed the covered meal across the counter over to Steven.
"Fryman doesn't have to do that," Steven said. "Saving the day's what the Gems do."
Peedee, however, simply rolled his eyes. "Come on, Steven. You, me, Connie, Dad, and everyone in town knows that without the Gems, Beach City would have been reduced to a pile rubble already. Heck, even the whole world might have been." Steven said nothing in return, only looking embarrassedly at the gift.
Connie grinned amusedly at her companion. She loved that the town appreciated its protectors, especially considering what Spinel and Pearl had told her once. That, before Steven was born, the Gems tended to stay away from the townsfolk and they, in turn, stayed away from the Gems. But then Steven had started to facilitate connections between the two groups and… well, the Gems started to get handcrafted meals from the Frymans, as well as other gifts of thanks as appreciation from people in town.
It meant a lot to her personally, as well. Connie knew what it was like to try and make someone understand the importance of the Gems work. But finally, after a rocky start, Connie's parents had come around to the idea of their daughter helping the Gems. So much in fact, that Connie had nearly passed out last time she had left her house for training with Pearl and her mother had told her, apropos of nothing, how proud she was of Connie for helping the Gems. When she had told Steven what her mother had said, Steven had thought that Connie was kidding, but she hadn't been.
Her parents were proud of what she was doing. It was like a…
Like a dream had come true, really.
"Peedee, I can't really take this with us," Steven said as he held the covered fries. "The movie theater doesn't allow outside food or drink."
"But you got to, Steven," Peedee insisted. "If you don't, my dad is gonna be really cross."
Steven said nothing, only looking down at the fries in silent contemplation.
"How about this," Connie said, an idea forming in her head. "Can you bubble it, and then you send it back to the temple?"
"That's a great idea, Connie!" Steven exclaimed. He sat the fry plate back on the counter and, with only a flick of his fingers, surrounded it with a pink, transparent bubble. Steven picked it up, causing it to float gently a few inches above his hands.
"Man, I never get tired of seeing stuff like that," Peedee said as Steven tapped the top of the bubble, causing it to disappear.
"Then you certainly live in the right town," Connie said.
"Yeah, that I do…" Peedee trailed off while making a "shooing" motion with his hand. "Get going. You don't want to miss the previews."
"Right, thanks, Peedee!" Steven said as the pair began to walk off. "And say thanks to Fryman for me."
"Will do, Steven. Have fun you two!"
"Two for Dogcopter, please."
"Uh… yeah, I can't do that," the teen girl behind the ticket window said.
"Why not? Are you sold out?" Connie asked.
"No…" the cashier arched an eyebrow. "The movie's rated PG-16. No one under sixteen is admitted without an adult."
"PG-16? Why is the Dogcopter movie rated PG-16?" Steven asked.
"I dunno," the cashier replied indigently. "Probably because some movie studio executive decided it should be." She sighed as she leaned against the counter. "Look, I don't make the movies, I just sell tickets to them. And I can't let you two in without an adult. I'm sorry."
Steven sighed in resignation. "Alright, thanks anyway." He turned from the ticket window and walked to the edge of the curb. He sat on it, resting his head in his hands. He sighed again as Connie sat next to him. "I'm sorry, Connie."
Connie grabbed his hand and held it firmly. "It's alright, Steven," she said as he turned towards her. She smiled brightly as she continued, "I'm the one who asked you to go to the movies, after all. We can just… go do something else."
"Like what?"
Before Connie could answer, however, she noted three long shadows covered them.
"Steven and Connie. What are you two doing, all sad on the sidewalk?" asked a low and leveled voice. Connie turned and saw the tall visage of Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream. The Cool Kids.
"Oh, hey guys," Steven said, not bothering to turn around. "Connie and I were going to see a movie, but we can't… I mean, why is a Dogcopter movie rated PG-16 anyway?"
"Feh, just a desperate attempt to pander to my generation," Sour Cream said simply.
"Wait, hold on a minute," Jenny said, holding up a hand. "Steven, did you say you and Connie were gonna see a movie?"
Steven turned towards The Cool Kids and nodded.
"So… Does that mean you two are on a… date?" Jenny asked, her voice dropping to a whisper on the last word.
Steven and Connie said nothing, though the looks on their faces must have been enough of a confirmation.
Jenny squealed with delight. "I knew it, I knew it! Spinel ran into us the other day and she mentioned that she had a talk with Connie about Steven and I told these two, 'I bet they're gonna go on a date soon'." She looked over at Sour Cream. "And you said they weren't going to."
The teen grimaced as he responded, "I didn't say that. Only that I wondered if they could make time in between hero work with the Gems."
"Today was a light day," Connie said. "Not much to do really…"
"The day is only what you make of it," Buck said cooly. "You shouldn't let your youthful drive die away like this."
"But we can't get into the movie," Steven said. "And this was supposed to be a special day together…"
Buck crouched down to their level and laid a hand on either of their shoulders. "The day can still be special if you're willing to make it that way."
They were silent for a moment, each pondering their own ideas, when Sour Cream spoke, "Why don't you just do that thing you do? You know, that… thing." He pushed his hands together, interlocking his fingers.
"Oh, yeah. That thing where you two become one person," Jenny said. "They'd probably be able to get in."
Steven immediately perked up at the suggestion. "Of, course! Stevonnie could get in easily." He stood up, offering a hand to Connie, who took it kindly. "Thanks, guys. You just saved out movie day."
"It's not a problem, Steven," Buck said, returning to his full standing height. "You and the Gems save the town every day."
"Yeah, the least we can do is return the favor every now and then," Jenny added. "Besides… you two are just too cute together," she said with a smirk.
Connie could feel her face begin to flush.
Partly because it felt good to see Beach City appreciate Steven and the Gems.
And partly because she loved being called a part of a cute couple.
"Alright, we should probably give you privacy to do your thing," Buck said. "We'll catch you later, Steven. Connie." The Cool Kids began to walk away, waving back to them as they did. When they had finally disappeared down the street, Connie turned towards Steven, who already had a small smile on his face.
"Let's turn the corner before we fuse," Connie said. "So we can get a little…'privacy'." Both of them giggled together. It felt like they were in a movie themselves. A RomCom where two childhood friends reunite and fall for each other.
This… this does feel like a movie. Everything happened so… perfectly.
Steven once again took Connie's hand into his own as the two walked down the sidewalk and quickly turned the corner. As expected, the small side street they found themselves on was completely deserted. A perfect fusing location.
There was no need for a quick fusion. There was no enemy (or Holo-Pearl) bearing down on them. There was only themselves.
Neither said anything as they began. They just smiled at each other and… began to dance. Slowly, a bit unassuredly at first. Not because they were fearful, at least not of each other. But this was their first fusion dance as…
…a couple? Is that what we are now? We are out on a date now… But…
Steven drew Connie close and, for a moment, just held her there. He was going to do… something.
No. Connie knew what it was. The way his eyes locked on her and his mouth trembled revealed that.
Without even fully processing the thought, Connie leaned in and kissed Steven on the lips.
His lips are really soft, she thought as she closed her eyes and felt her heart flutter in her chest. Connie felt Steven's hand brush against her shoulder. For a moment, Connie was afraid he was going to pull away, but he didn't.
Instead, it felt so right. Everything about the kiss did.
But in that moment, what struck Connie the most was that she didn't realize how much she had wanted to kiss Steven until she did. But now that she had, she couldn't imagine feeling any other way.
Just like in a movie.
—
As soon as they had fused, Stevonnie felt like they needed to sit down. They could feel their heart pounding away in their chest and their knees quaking under them.
"That… was an incredible fusion," Stevonnie said softly to themselves as they pressed their back against the side of the wall in order to hold themselves up. "That was… so incredible…" Stevonnie repeated.
After several minutes of gathering themselves, the fusion pushed off against the wall and stood fully on their own two feet. "The movie," they said. "I still need to see the movie." They took their first step, only to feel the warm concrete of the sidewalk on their bare feet. "Steven and Connie's shoes…" Stevonnie moaned as they gathered both Steven's flip-flops and Connie's tennis shoes. "I need to do something with these… Oh! I know." The fusion held both pairs of shoes in their hands and with only a little concentration, formed a pink bubble around them. "Heh, off you go," they said as they lightly tapped the bubble, causing it to disappear. Stevonnie waited a moment as they grinned to themselves. "Hopefully Garnet doesn't notice these new additions until Steven and Connie get back to the temple." They then turned delicately on their heel and turned the corner towards the theater.
As they approached the theater, Stevonnie did their best to calm the butterflies in their stomach. Part of the reason said butterflies were fluttering in their stomach was just the residual… feeling of their fusion. The other was because Stevonnie was kind of nervous the girl in the ticket window will know somehow that they were a fusion. And that their two components weren't old enough to see the movie. But that would be ridiculous. Only Steven's dad and Sadie knew anything about fusion.
"Can I help you?" the girl asked from behind the glass.
"Yes, I'd like tw- I mean one for Dogcopter," Stevonnie said, trying to sound as mature as they could manage.
"Of course," the girl said. She pressed a button and a ticket was dispersed out the window. Stevonnie grabbed it and held it tightly. "That will be seven dollars and twenty-four cents" Stevonnie silently reached into their pocket, removed several bills and handed them to the ticket teen, who handed back some coins as change. "Enjoy the show," she said.
"Right, thanks," Stevonnie returned, using all of their willpower to not breaking into a run as they entered the movie theater.
The smell of popcorn and fake butter sauce assaulted Stevonnie's nose immediately. Since it was during a weekend, a number of people milled around the lobby, waiting for their movie to start and wasting quarters at a claw machine game.
They began to make their way to the theater where the movie was going to be. Standing at the entrance to the hall leading to all the theaters was another bored looking teenager. He seemed to perk up a little as Stevonnie approached.
"Hello," he greeted lightly. "Ticket?" Stevonnie handed him their ticket. He glanced at it before tearing it slightly and handing it back to them. "Theater six, on your right. Enjoy the movie."
Stevonnie gave the teen a nod as they walked past him.
Theater four, theater five, theater- Ah! Here we are.
Stevonnie entered theater six. The previews had just begun. As they made their way to the center row, Stevonnie glanced around the theater. No one else was here.
"Guess Dogcopter isn't doing as well as Connie thought," Stevonnie said to themselves. After picking out the row that was perfectly in the middle of the theater, Stevonnie sat down in the surprisingly comfortable seat. They thought briefly about diffusing but ultimately decided against it, partly out of fear that Steven and Connie could be caught in a movie they weren't supposed to be watching and partly because… well, they didn't want to. This was their date after all. They could enjoy it how they wanted.
Date.
The word made Stevonnie blush deeply. They were on a date with themselves, basically at this point.
Though, if Garnet were here, she'd probably say that Stevonnie was the date. Or something like that.
Note to self: Ask Garnet about her thoughts on fusion dating, Stevonnie grinned to themselves as the lights in the theater dimmed and the movie began.
Stevonnie ended up watching the movie twice. Not because the movie was good, quite the opposite. The movie had not just been bad, but it had been laugh-out-loud terrible. So much so, Stevonnie had decided to stay and watch the movie through again just to confirm how bad it was. And indeed, it was just as laughably terrible as it had been the first time. Not that Stevonnie was complaining. They had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The movie had, at several points had them on their knees in the aisle laughing so hard the couldn't breathe. Even as they now walked along the beach, they were giggling to themselves, questioning who thought this movie was a good idea.
"It must have done something right," Stevonnie said to themselves. "I watched it twice in a row."
They looked over at the ocean. The sun was hanging low in the sky. Connie needed to get home soon, before her parents started panicking.
As Stevonnie came to the stairs that led up to Steven's house, they paused, looking down at sand covered bare feet and saying, "This was… fun. And… really nice. It was great," they said awkwardly. "Here, let's diffuse. Then we can… talk face to face." Stevonnie closed their eyes, letting the familiar tingling sensation wash over them
—
Steven caught himself as he stumbled back from the diffusion. He looked over at Connie, who was also regaining her balance.
For a while, neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other.
Finally, Connie broke the tension. "Well, I had a great time, Steven," she said with a small, shy smile.
"Yeah, me too," Steven agreed. "That was… that was probably the best time I've had seeing a movie."
Connie seemed a little surprised. "Really?" she asked.
Steven nodded his head. "Sure," he replied. "I mean, the movie wasn't that great…"
"It was terrible," Connie laughed.
Steven laughed in return. "Yeah. It was," he admitted. "But I still had a really great time."
"Yeah. I did too, Steven," Connie returned.
Silence.
"So…" Steven said.
"So…?" Connie replied.
Steven was silent for a beat. "I guess we should get your shoes before you head home."
"Yeah. Good idea," Connie said simply.
Steven made his way to the stairs and had placed a foot on the first step when he heard Connie say softly, "Steven. Wait." He stopped and turned around. Connie had her eyes planted firmly on the ground and an… upset look on her face.
"Steven," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I'm… I'm sorry about the kiss… If… you think I went too far…"
"W-what?! No, I don't-…." Steven stumbled over his words, unable to fully structure how he felt. "I mean… I don't think you went… you know. Too far."
"Y-you don't?"
"No, of course not! Why would I?"
Connie looked up from the ground, tear stains distinctly visible across her cheeks. "Because… I mean… we were just standing there and… I thought you were going to and… then you didn't…"
Steven walked over to Connie's side. "We both kinda got wrapped up in the moment. And… we kissed."
"A real kiss," Connie added.
"Yeah. A real kiss. But now that it's done…" He gave a smile, bashful smile. "I think I liked it."
Connie's breath caught in her throat as her face began to turn bright red. "You… Well, I think I liked it too." Connie looked away from him for a moment before saying, "We probably need to… talk about this… about us more."
"What do you mean?" Steven asked.
"Like, are we dating now? Is that… something we want? We're already really good friends, but… is there something more between us?"
Steven was silent in return.
Dating Connie.
It was an idea Steven had already had, though he never gave it any real thought. Not because he found the idea disagreeable, but because even in the confines of his own mind, the idea of being Connie's… boyfriend was a little… unnerving. More so than anything Steven could think of.
"I guess… we should talk more," Steven said finally. "But it's getting late. And we don't want your parents to drive over here looking for you. Again," he added with a sly smile.
Connie grinned in return. "No, we really don't."
"Come on," Steven beckoned as he began to head back to the stairs. "Let's grab your shoes and see if we can find Lion so I can take you home on the express route."
Connie followed closely behind him. "Thanks, Steven," she said.
The two made their way up the steps in somewhat comfortable silence. They reached the screen door, Steven pushing it open and allowing Connie to go in first, him following behind her.
"Goodness, there you two are." Steven had barely entered the house when Pearl frantically rushed over to them.
"'Bout time you got back," Amethyst said as she lazed on the couch. "Pearl's been pacing for over an hour now."
Pearl shot her a look. "I was just… hoping they were okay," Pearl countered.
"Pfft. Yeah, sure," Amethyst blew off. "Face it, you wanted to know how their date went."
"D-date?!" Connie and Steven stuttered in near unison.
"Heck yeah, dudes," Amethyst said, rolling off the couch and onto her feet. "Gotta give those juicy details now."
"Amethyst, please," Pearl chided. "They've no doubt had a long day." She turned back to face the two. "Connie," she said lightly. "I've already called your parents. They know you're going to stay the night here."
"Wait…" Connie replied slowly. "My parents said I could… spend the night?" She glanced over at Steven, who had an equally confused look on his face. "And they didn't rush over with… like an overnight bag, or something?"
Pearl chuckled. "Connie, your parents know we'll take care of you. It's just one night." She stood up and began to head into the kitchen. "Are you two hungry? I could make you something to eat if you want."
"Ooh, you can make me something to eat, P," Amethyst said. "I'm starving."
"Uhh, that's alright…" Steven said, the extreme confusion and unease about the situation apparent in his voice. "Where's Garnet? We need to get into the Bubble Room."
"Uh, who?" Amethyst asked, giving him a lopsided look.
The question was so unexpected, Steven found himself unable to make a response.
"Garnet. You know, tall, sunglasses, always stays fused? That Garnet?" Connie asked.
"And she's a Gem?" Pearl asked as she shut the refrigerator door. "Are you sure?" she asked confusedly.
"Y-yeah. She's a Crystal Gem!" Steven said as panic began to surge throughout his body.
W-what's going on?! Where's Garnet?! Why don't Pearl and Amethyst know who-
"I don't know what you two were doing on your date," Amethyst said as she gave Steven a strange look, "but just a refresher. Assuming we're not counting Peri and Lapis, the Crystal Gems are you, me, Pearl, and-"
The sound of the warp pad activating cut Amethyst off.
"Hey, guys. What's going on?"
"Yo, Spinel," Amethyst greeted. "Nothing much, 'cept Steven and Connie are acting all weird."
The completely unfamiliar person-
No, a Gem. Her gem is on the back of her hand.
The completely unfamiliar Gem, brushed some wayward strands of hair out of her eyes as she spoke, "Oh yeah?" She smirked at the two of them. "The date go that well?"
"We're not really sure," Pearl responded. "They came in and after I told them Connie's parents said she could spend the night, they started asking for a Gem named Garnet."
The unfamiliar Gem was silent for a beat. Her face still had a pleasant expression on it, but her eyes… A shadow had crossed over them.
"Are they now?" the gem asked, slowly folding her arms across her chest. "How… odd."
Steven gulped as he felt sweat crawl down the side of his face. He tried to look brave and unaffected in the face of this… situation, but…
He knew he was failing.
A/N: I've had the idea for this fic for a while now and thus, I'm super excited for it. Hopefully it will all turn out well in the end.
Thanks for the read and, as always, critical feedback is welcomed!