A/N: I am unashamed Steven Universe trash. An official landmark of indication for me falling too deep into a fandom is writing fanfiction, so here I am, touching that landmark. I'm in too deep.
My mind has been constantly daydreaming about the relationship Greg and Rose had. I imagine it being in the middle of the '90s, with a soundtrack of classic rock, and band rehearsals near the temple, and general Greg wonder at the world of the Gems.
So then I started making it... a thing. If this somehow keeps going, it's just gonna be a lot of oneshots connected between each other. And a little more mature than the source material because... I don't know. I like to tone things up. Deal with me here.
Bleh. No more rambling.
They made a strange group, sitting there at the most popular bar in the city.
The bar was strange for them, too. It had been Rose. Rose Quartz had told them all to try it. As she did always, with every human thing that caught her attention. She always brought it to the temple and insisted they tried it, or dragged them to wherever it was.
It was about as human as it could get: Humans sitting, drinking beverages that made them tipsy and caused them to trip on the floor, trip with their own shoelaces, trip with other dizzy people who had drank too much. Humans singing out of tune along the rock music that other humans performed atop a stage. Humans banging their heads to the sound. Humans tending to the humans who drank. Humans. Humans everywhere.
Pretty much the paradise for the permanently observant Rose Quartz, who was fascinated by them, who sought to keep up with the customs they changed with such speed that they, the Crystal Gems, were never in the newest wave of things.
Rose was in the newest wave of things. Mostly. The rest of them didn't care.
Rose had been entranced staring at the human in the lead vocal and guitar. She watched him move along the stage, waving his hands at the public sometimes, causing them to sing along. He was such a performer of that era.
He was watching her, too. And he smiled. And Rose wanted to smile back at him, but the feeling of connection with a human was strange every single time. Just the age difference…
They watched each other, flashing mutual, sly smiles, back and forth, until the band stopped performing, until the stage lights went off.
Rose was pretty sure she was never seeing the guy again, but she was terribly wrong.
"I like music of this era," she said, after the band left. "Has something that the other music didn't have."
"You always like the music of the newest era," a pale, tall Gem responded. She was sitting close to an even taller, rouge-skinned Gem. Close together. Almost in contact if not quite.
It was a good time for those two.
"Meanwhile," she added, smug. "I've always stuck by classical."
The sole short member of the squad laughed. She and the classical music fan stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd of humans, but the shorter Gem even more so. Rose had only seen a human once that was as white as Pearl was. They had a skin condition, though.
But there were no humans like the shorter Gem. Purple humans didn't exist.
"That is," the purple Gem said, leaning back into her seat. "Because you're stuck up like humans were back then. You, like, found your kind. All fancy and boring. Sounds much like you."
"It's not suck up, Amethyst," Pearl responded, mildly frustrated. "Classical music is just beautiful. Has something… Like it tells stories, like it's full of messages to share. Nothing you'd understand. And," she leaned back into the taller-than-her, darker Gem to her side. "I'm probably more fun than you. Garnet says so." She eyed the Gem against her.
And it was that Gem who spoke. "I'm neutral in your discussions." She pushed her shades up.
Rose chimed in. "Well, I like all music humans make, and I like it when they make new music. I like new music because they improve as time goes by, you know? Gem music took forever to change, but they always have new stuff to show and it keeps getting better."
Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
All Gems were silent. They had sought no human interaction. They incrusted their sight in the human in an apron, as if silently asking her to leave.
"Miss?" She looked at Rose smugly. "Mr. Universe sent me here. Said he wanted to give you a drink."
Rose pointed at herself. "Me? A drink?"
The human nodded. "Just order what you want, miss, and he'll pay for it. Simple as that."
Rose turned to the group, nervously stirring one of her fingers in one of the messy pink curls flowing from her head. She was begging for help. They didn't have human drinks. They didn't drink. Rejecting the strange human seemed to be out of the question, too. They had to be polite. They had to blend in.
A waiter had dropped drink menus long ago on the table, and they had been forgotten, being that none of them really wanted to drink. They didn't need to.
The curly Gem scanned the menu, clueless. She ordered the first thing she could find. "I'll have a… um… a Bar Bomb."
The waitress laughed. "Taking risks, are we?"
Eyes that were obviously confused were her only answer. She took the menus that had been forgotten by the customers and crew and headed to the bar, readying the, unbeknownst to Rose, explosive alcohol order.
"Do humans offer drinks as an act of courtship?" She asked quickly, her gaze drifting between all Gems. "Do you know? Garnet?"
Garnet was lazily tracing circles on Pearl's shoulder. She had been looking at her, through the shades, the whole time. "I don't know." She pointed at Rose with her free hand. "You know. You know about humans."
"Come on, you guys! You have no idea?"
Pearl and Amethyst shrugged.
"Oh no, and now I don't know what I ordered. I have never drunk a Bar Bomb. I have drunk wine. Some early beer, back in the 1500s. But what the heck is a Bar Bomb?"
"So why didn't you just order, like, a beer?" Amethyst asked.
"I panicked. And now I have to drink that thing. And I don't know if the human means to—" She interrupted herself. She scanned the bar crowd. Then she spotted him.
He was sitting a few tables over with his band. He was looking at her. He was smiling. He was waving back.
"Oh no," Rose whispered, snapping back to the group. "He means to court me."
She looked at him with the corner of her eye. Amethyst smiled, sitting across Rose and getting a far better view of the human. "Oh, look at him, man. He's turning to his friends— Man, he's talking about you. He's smiling. Oops. He likes you."
"This is terrible," Rose said, rubbing her temples.
"It is not as big of a deal as you put it to be," Pearl said. "You make it seem like we've never had humans among out peers."
"You have courted humans before, Rose," Garnet remarked. Her fingers were still tracing various figures in Pearl's arm.
"Yes! Yes." The curly woman smashed her hands on the table. "Let's talk about the— Let's talk about the part in which I tell him that I'm an alien that is fifteen thousand years old. Let's talk about the part in which he knows we're stones with humanlike body projections."
The purple Gem flicked her lilac hair. "Pfft, you can just have a casual fling and never get to that part. You look like a human enough. Hey, say," she smiled. "Why don't you go talk to him and see what he wants?"
Rose turned an even deeper shade of pink. "What?"
Pearl nodded. "I agree with Rose. He's just a feeble human who can play human instruments and no more. There's no reason to interact with him."
Amethyst groaned. "I swear, Pearl, you're no fun ever. Be yourself, man."
The pastel Gem, who had been relaxing as Garnet ran her hands through her short blonde hair, suddenly stood up. Her hands balled into fists and crashed against the table, much like Rose's hands had before. "Oh? I'm no fun?" She groaned, tilting her neck and making it crack. "You know what, I'm tired of your 'you're no fun'. I am fun. I'm going to show you who's fun." She rolled the sleeves of her leather jacket until they rested at elbow level. "Go talk to the human, Rose."
The chubby, curly woman's eyes shot open. "What? But you just said—"
"You just go talk to the goddamn human," Pearl repeated, pointing at the faraway table.
"Yeah!" Amethyst blared. "That's how I like it! Talk to the hu-man! Talk to the hu-man!"
The pastel Gem began making a chorus to the purple Gem's cheer, and Rose turned to Garnet, desperate to be stopped from shaming herself with her alien ways in front of the young, admittedly attractive man. "Garnet, tell me you're not with them. Please, I haven't courted with humans in Geode knows how long. And he's courting."
Garnet shrugged a bit. But she was smiling. She puffed the sides of her cubic 'fro a bit. "I don't particularly care about the consequences of your decisions."
"Talk to the hu-man! Talk to the hu-man!"
"You were my only hope, Garnet."
An almost imperceptible giggle escaped the dark Gem's thick lips.
"Okay!" Rose whined. "I'm gonna talk to the human. Curses to you. All your fault. And I'm never doing it again."
She stood up fiercely, and made huge strides of determination towards the table.
"Hey, lady," was the first thing the human said. "My friends and I were just talking about you."
Rose mentally cursed for, despite her knowledge of humanity, never managing to sound like one of them in conversation. None of them ever truly did. They stammered. They said inappropriate things without knowing. All humans that had fell for Rose had eventually known the causes for all the awkwardness mixed in with her natural charm.
"Hey," she said, trying to recall anything she had heard in mundane conversation when she went out to explore the city. "Funny. My friends and I were talking about you, too."
The man laughed. He had shoulder-length, black hair. He sported a goatee. He wore a leather jacket much like Pearl did, ever since her personal liberation in the '70s. Dark glasses, up to the current fashions, framed his eyes and obscured them from Rose's sight. There was no way she could know what he was thinking.
"I guess that's a step I have closer to fame, then," he said, and took a swig from a can of beer in his hand. "You know, you get famous when folks talk about you."
Rose had nothing to say to that. "Guess you're right." Awkward.
The man seemed to overlook her discomfort, or if he did notice it, he tried to soothe it by being as smooth as he could possibly be without sliding off his chair. "You know, your friends and you make quite the group here. Never seen people like you. You're strange."
Thoughts about Amethyst's natural purple-ness flashed in the curly Gem's mind. She wasn't supposed to know if that was a compliment. What did the man think of the huge rose quartz on her abdomen, visible as is supposed to be with a Crystal Gem's gemstone?
"I like weird people. That's the life of a rocker, of the people who come here, you know? We aren't what other people are, with their cleanliness and their social norms. We're different. And you and your crew are different even here between all these different people."
He took another swig. Rose's fingers were fumbling. "I like you, girl. Do you like rock?"
"I was recently introduced to it," she started. It was a half-lie. She had only known rock for thirty of her 15,000 years of life, but then again, she had known rock when rock was invented. "But, you know? I like it. I like the music…" She had to mentally rephrase that, so she didn't just spit out "You humans" in front of them. That'd just blow it. "I like the music people make, and this new music, with all the electric guitars, and the different vocals, and the electronic sounds… So different from all the music. I really dig it."
The guy smiled, and she chose to dot her sentence with a "by the way, nice performance up there."
"Thank you," the guy responded. He seemed pleased. "Gotta give the patrons a good show. You know, one day I'm not gonna be playing at bars and small gigs. I'm gonna be making records. And I'm gonna remember talking to you right here about how good-weird you are."
Was everything he had just said supposed to flatter her? She didn't understand this form of flattery. It seemed so subtle, so hidden among layers of other content. She wasn't sure of what to say.
"What was your favorite song?"
She smiled. "Definitely that one about the rock… and the lobster. Really nice guitar there! And the lyrics were so… unique."
"Rock Lobster? The man said, stifling a laugh. Oh yeah, B-52s, all '70s and '80s rock. I listened to them when I was younger. Back before I really started to try and be a musician myself."
"Well… Nice one," the Gem responded, unsure of how else to keep the conversation going. "I'm sure you're going to be a great musician someday. Who knows, maybe I'll buy your records."
The man smiled. It was a genuine, if flirty, smile. He was liking her. He was liking her even more. And oddly, hearing him here, talking of his aspirations, and how he liked rock, and how he liked outcasts… He didn't seem like a bad guy. Not anything she'd court, but likable enough for a conversation. Even if she was unsure of how to approach it.
"I saw you got a Bar Bomb," He said. "You like living life to the extreme, huh?"
It wasn't like that was a lie. She did slay monsters for a living. She didn't understand what that had to do with the drink, however. She was wondering what exactly she had ordered.
"Kind of," she answered, oddly comfortable that she was saying the truth.
The man was about to reply, when a bandmate tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, and what Rose remembered was the drummer whispered to his ear.
Just then, he turned to her. "Listen, lady, my boys and I have to go now. All about not staying up that late so we can rehearse and all that."
"Okay," Rose said. "Goodbye." That was the key word for humans bidding farewell. There was nothing left to say.
"Wait, wait!" he exclaimed. "Can you make a little promise? For me?"
Rose was mildly confused, as promises were only supposed to be made for people you had a connection to. "What exactly?"
"Promise me you'll be here tomorrow again. We'll be performing here all week. Heck, took you a little long to get to my table, but we can have all night to talk after the show. And I can get you more drinks." She was sure that had to be a wink under his glasses that she couldn't see.
She wanted to say no. She wanted to never have to feel awkward around a human like him again.
But there was a primal impulse on the guts of her projected body. "Okay. I'll try my best."
"Now that's how you do business, lady." He laughed. "Say, I never asked your name."
"Rose," she answered. At least that was an easy one. "Rose Quartz."
"See, even your name is weird. Never saw someone with the last name Quartz." He offered his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
Rose, remembering what she had observed, gingerly grabbed the hand in the correct way. It was hot, and mildly sticky. Not exactly all that great.
"Nice to meet you, Rose Quartz. You see, I have a weird last name too. Name's Greg. Greg Universe."
Rose couldn't hold back a smirk. "I thought the Mr. Universe thing was just because you liked space, or something like that. I know I like space." She wished she could have added a I come from space, haha, but it was quite obviously better to restrict it.
"Hah, unfortunately, that's just the last name I was born with. Space is cool, though. Space photos make awesome album covers."
He stood up, letting go of the Gem's hand after shaking it a bit. "Well it is time for me to go, Rose. But see you tomorrow. Don't fail me, ok? Bye."
She nodded. "I'll try. Goodbye."
As he walked away, he turned around for just one split second, while she was still observing, and he bid farewell with one last remark. "Hey, Rose? I love your hair. And I'm really digging that bellybutton piercing you got there."
Then, he had just left.
When she went to sit with the peers of her correspondent species, the Bar Bomb was already sitting, awaiting her, on the table. It almost glowed menacingly, the lights of the bar drawing menacing sparkles from it and the glass it was contained when they hit its glossy surface.
It wasn't the center of attention, though. Her peers observed her, one question on their eyes. It wasn't like she was unwilling to answer. They had drawn her into it.
"So, how was it?" Amethyst started. "Was he weird? Cool? Cool-weird? Awkward like about, eighty percent of humans or so?"
"It was weird," Rose highlighted. She quickly shook her hands, signing them to not interrupt her. "But not because of the guy. I haven't been so close to humans in so long, I didn't know what to say, and you know how strange they act when you talk like older generations used to."
There was no answer, and Rose became bashful. "The human was actually quite smooth talking. Also, I'm in trouble now."
The question didn't escape anyone's lips, but Rose knew it was there. "Because… I kinda… Told the human I'd come to see him again tomorrow. He said he would buy me drinks, and… I don't- I don't know how he did it. But now I have to come back again tomorrow." It seemed to suddenly dawn on her. She put her face between her hands. "Oh, no, what have I done."
Pearl, to the surprise of them, laughed. "Oh, my!" she said, actual… mischief in her voice. "How quick are you to make commitment! I would like a tape of the type of conversation the humans and you will engage in tomorrow. You have to promise you will come. If only so we can laugh at you later." She eyed Amethyst. She was obviously waiting for a certificate that she was 'fun'. Rose couldn't help but understand her— She was trying to be free.
Amethyst was beaming. "P knows where it's at!" She said, a roar of laughter following the statement. "You liked him, huh? You liked the human."
Pearl chimed in. "You liked the human enough to subject yourself to a second visit."
Garnet smirked. "You liked him enough to receive his courtship drink."
"Stop!" Rose whined, turning pink. "I was being polite. The human was doing an offering, I didn't want to be rude, I didn't want to start a fight. Now, I don't even know what I will do with this."
The purple Gem shrugged. "You gotta drink it."
"No, I can't do it. Everyone keeps calling me reckless when I tell them I ordered this thing. I'm not sure about what it is. It must be very strong. I don't want it."
A sly grin spread on the pastel Gem's face. "Oh? So the expenses of the human go to waste?" That made Rose reflect. He must have paid for the drink after the order and before they conversed. "You will just reject it after he spent his money? You know how important money is to humans, even if we don't understand it so well."
The curly Gem could practically feel Pearl liberating herself with all the teasing and the relaxed behavior. Now, she wished the pastel Gem was in her previous, stuck up form, if only so she left her alone.
The rouge Gem interrupted her thoughts. "The human offered you a gift. Now you must consume it."
"Augh, fine!" Rose exclaimed, exasperated. If it was for her, she could just accidentally drop the drink. "I'll drink the stupid thing. Maybe you will stop teasing me about my dumb decision to converse with a human?"
"No, babe," Amethyst said. "It won't stop until tomorrow, when you see him again."
The other two were stifling giggles. Rose was mortified. She angrily gripped the glass in one swift motion and gulped it down aggressively.
The regret settled just a second afterwards.
The alcohol burned her form as it coursed it. Intense heat exploded in her innards. It was as if something had set a fire inside her—
It was as if a bomb had exploded.
Well, that certainly explained the name.
A fit of coughing followed this brief reflection. Her throat was on fire. She needed something cold. She needed to be saved. She looked up to her fellow Gems for aid.
They were laughing. Rose wanted to summon a vine so she could strangle them, but no— not in front of the humans.
That would have to wait until the temple.
Final A/N: whether or not this keeps going heavily depends on how motivated I am and how good the reception for this thing is.
It'll most likely go on because sometimes I don't want to draw or think, so I just write.
Eh.