It was a mid-February evening in the Maheswaran household and, by no coincidence, one of the rare weekends Priyanka enjoyed completely free from the hospital.
The reprieve did not extend to housework, however, as the Maheswaran Lifestyle dictates all meals be home-cooked, and after Doug's efforts the previous night, it was only fair that she reciprocate. But after a day's worth of planning and a special trip to the store, her routine was suddenly interrupted when a clamor of cascading trashcans sent her to the front door to investigate.
"Oh, good evening, Steven."
"Good evening Priyanka!" came the immediate, cheery reply.
The giant before her was an odd but welcome sight, and his imposing form might have been unsettling were it not for his innocent eyes and the ever-present, boyish grin she knew so well. Indeed, Priyanka had grown accustomed to his size long ago, rationalizing it as necessary to contain his gentle spirit. She was more concerned with the fact that his visits were already sparse, and it was even rarer to find him alone and unannounced.
He stood shivering at the foot of the steps, face flushed, but privately, Priyanka suspected that had more to do with the state of his attire than the state of the climate. Excluding Connie's prom, she'd never seen him wear a suit before, although she had to admit he wore it quite well. Quickly, she stepped aside to let him in, "You're looking fancy tonight."
With a nervous chuckle, Steven compressed and contorted himself enough to squeeze through the opening as an impatient, pink lion tried to push past. Swinging her arm to block the feline's passage, Priyanka thundered a sharp, "Ahem!" The lion snorted, wiped his feet on the mat, and glumly made for his designated pad in the corner, where his fur would be safely quarantined.
"You should have called ahead; I would have put on some tea."
"Oh, that's OK. I'm probably not staying too long…"
"I suppose you have plans," she stated, her curiosity once more getting the better of her.
Steven narrowly suppressed a "gentleman's giggle," as Connie would say. "Yes, we do! That's actually what I came to talk about. Is Doug here?" The question was almost rhetorical, as Steven knew both the answer to it and that Priyanka was already aware of that fact.
Mystical mind-reading aside, she politely pretended he was asking in earnest, "He is. Did you need to see him?"
"Yes, please!"
Priyanka walked over to the stairs, calling gently, "Doug, Steven's here!"
"I actually need to speak with both of you. There's… something I need to ask you."
Priyanka raised an eyebrow, noting that, although his shudders had ceased, the jovial flush coloring his cheeks yet persisted. Smirking, Priyanka called upstairs again, "Dominoes!"
The steady thuds of Doug's footfalls accelerated. "D-Dominoes!?" he cried. One look at Steven sent him scampering back upstairs, "Yep, dominoes!" and when he thought himself out of hearing, he cheered, "Hah! Finally!"
Steven followed Priyanka into the kitchen, taking his usual spot at the table, "What's that one mean?" As he reclined, stretching out his arms behind him, he seemed to occupy half the kitchen.
"Oh, you'll see," she shrugged, briefly leaving the table to prepare the drinks – water, of course. Steven gratefully accepted his, immediately gulping down most of it. Recalling her own announcement, Priyanka smiled empathically as she refilled the container.
Doug returned along with a stack of colorful fabric only moments later, but before Steven could discern its nature, Doug set it down on the counter, out of sight. As he and his wife took their seats together, across the table from Steven, Doug asked, "So what brings you into town?" While Lion made trips home from school convenient, Steven and Connie typically only visited once per month, on Fridays, and always together.
"Well," Steven began, "yesterday was Valentine's day…" He hummed to fill the silence between words, but he liked to believe it helped him think. His misguided knee bounced in assistance, shaking the table.
"Yes. Yes it was."
Priyanka shot Doug a look that demanded a bit more patience from him yet, nevertheless, betrayed a hint of amusement, "Go on, Steven."
"Right, it was Valentine's day, so we, uhh-" Steven rapidly shook his head, "Never mind! We're getting married!"
They both broke out in laughter, but it was Priyanka who responded first, "What? Just like that?"
"Yep!" Steven scratched the back of his head. "We were gonna wait 'till we finished school, buuuut it kinda of got decided for us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Weellll, like I said, yesterday was Valentine's day, and we were gonna spend it Together. You know, like we usually do – see a movie, grab dinner, maybe do some training – but instead Stevonnie took us to the jeweler's and spent the whole day picking out rings!"
Doug snorted in disbelief, chuckling to himself, "No way!"
"Yeah…" Steven blushed proudly. "We didn't even fully realize what was going on until later that night, long after We placed the order! But we're going along with it! After all, 'there's no significant benefit to waiting,' and this way our diplomas will have the right names on them!"
Priyanka wrapped an arm around her husband, hugging him close, "Well, congratulations!"
"So, you guys approve?" Again, the question was more rhetorical than not. There'd never been any doubt in his mind about how they'd respond.
Doug reached across the table, squeezing Steven's shoulder as best as he was able, "Of course we do! We've always told Connie that she's free to love and marry whomever she wants, and I don't think she could have made a better choice."
"Where is Connie?" Priyanka asked, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. "I want to congratulate her too."
Steven chuckled in a boisterous baritone, "Right now? She's asking my dad for permission. And then the gems."
Priyanka's own chuckles were broken up between sniffs, "Of course she is." Doug returned his wife's embrace. It was very rare for her to get so emotional, but he knew just how much this meant to her.
"And then, I think, we're having a party. She said that was 'traditional.'"
Doug's grin widened further. It was an open secret that he loved spending time with Steven's wacky, alien family – his in-laws, "True, and speaking of which, we have something for you." Motioning for Steven to follow, Doug stood up, gathered the item he'd brought down earlier, and moved to living room, where the lighting was better.
Steven squeezed out of the kitchen to find a vibrant blanket, large enough even for Them, spread across the couch. A young Steven and Connie were depicted standing together in the center, framed against a starry background. Stevonnie sat between them, hugging them close to their chest. Flanking them on the left were Connie's parents, and on their right, Rose and Greg stood reunited. Depictions of Ruby and Sapphire's gemstones occupied the top edge, while Pearl's and Amethyst's decorated the bottom. Finally, in each of its corners, the Crystal Gem's Star was proudly displayed.
Steven could only gape at its beauty.
"We commissioned it years ago," Priyanka explained, "not long after Stevonnie introduced themselves, actually."
Doug nodded, "We knew this day would come."
A blubbering Steven pulled them both into a tight hug, "I-It's a-amazing!" As they enjoyed the moment in silence, Lion hopped up and padded over to join in on the humans' embrace, nuzzling against Steven's side for entrance. Priyanka decided she'd allow an exception, just this once. "I love you." Glancing between them, he added, "Mom, Dad."
The older Maheswarans shared a loving glance in commemoration of their many years together, and they knew the couple would be just as successful together as they themselves had evidently been, "We love you too, Son."