Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!
Title: Mother Doesn't Know Best
Summary: Pink and Steven have never agreed on his choice in friends. Then she actually met them.
Setting: AU where Pink kept the Earth safe as herself
…
Steven very rarely sees his mother sitting, and even rarer is it that she's fiddling with paperwork in his presence. She does a lot of it, he knows, but she prefers to keep that part of her workload away from him entirely. She only ever does it to make a point, and that point is usually that he's grounded.
He swallows, hands tightly clenched at his sides. "Hey, mom."
Pink paused, her eyes never leaving the screen. A heavy silence followed. "Steven, did I ever tell you what all I went through to create you?"
"Yes, ma'am," he grunted, smothering the urge to roll his eyes. Pink's story was moving, of course, but it seemed like every time she was angry she threw it in his face. She took risks to get the Earth, she took risks to meet and fall in love with Greg, and she took risks to have him. It was her thing. "Your Gem almost split in two."
"I've never regretted it. You're the greatest thing I've ever made, Steven."
That made him smile.
"And I expect you to act like it."
Steven flinched back as if struck, though he wished he hadn't when his mother's eyes flickered over to him. There was a million different feelings nestled in her pink irises. Loss. Love. Anger. An untouched dam of frustration. "Mom, I know you don't like my friends, but-"
"My feelings on your friends is irrelevant," she interrupted. "You're the son of a Diamond, Steven. A concept far beyond anything Homeworld could have ever expected or prepared for. Do you really want to pave the way for that title to be related to defects and fusions?"
"Does it really matter?" he replied with a hesitant shrug. "I'm the only me there is. No one wants a second act."
"Steven-"
"I've seen how they look at me, mom. Yellow and Blue think I'm, like, your pet. I don't think White thinks about me at all. I'm a nobody here. But I'm not a nobody to my friends." He frowned at his flip-flops. "Can't I have that, at least?"
The ground shook a little as Pink rose from her throne, crossing over to him in three easy steps. She sat down, unintentionally almost squishing the boy along the way, her legs bent underneath her. The Diamond carefully lifted him up and into a hug.
"I love you," she said.
"I know."
"I'm trying to be a decent mother. I'm trying to do better." Steven let out a tiny wheeze as she squeezed. "It was so cold on Homeworld. So empty. I hated everything, even myself. I... don't want that for you."
"I know," he repeated, not knowing what else to say.
"If you aren't careful, they'll pull you back to that place. I can't protect you there."
"We can be careful."
Pink tilted her head to the side. "We?"
Steven paused. "If you wanted to meet them, I mean. I think they'd like you."
"I think I'd like them back," she responded. "I've... always liked seeing Earth from the ground."
It had been many years since Pink had been on Earth. She'd missed the smell of the leaves, the soft dirt, the strange ways its creatures grew and reproduced. Striking a balance between saving the planet and being a Diamond hadn't been easy on her, and stars knew that her fellow Diamonds were far from fond of the planet and the odd Gems it harbored, but moments like this made it worthwhile.
"Don't be nervous," Steven murmured, lacing their fingers together. "Everyone is really nice, I promise."
They crested the corner of a large stone to find a group of Quartzes and Rubies hanging out near the waves. Pink recognized a handful of them; her newer Pearl, for instance, laughing along with a fusion she'd only heard about in stories. The Garnet that broke up Blue Diamond's entourage. A small Amethyst was directly in the center, flopped back in the sand without a care for tangles. Beside her was a human, her fleshy attributes stark in the otherwise all-Gem crowd.
"That's Amethyst," he said, catching her gaze. "She's the baby, but everybody listens to her."
"I know her," she replied. "She's in my military. They all are." She didn't add that she'd never met a single one of them- even the knight-in-training, destined to protect her son.
The human stood and did a little bow, smiling ear to ear. "Steven's back!"
"Eeeeeyyyyyy!" the short Amethyst cried, waving them over. "We were starting to think you got offed by her majesty."
"Nope! Got grounded, though." Steven shook their conjoined hands. "Meet my escort! She's a Rose Quartz."
Pink, hidden behind a mirage (though this one more physical than most), waved sheepishly. "Don't mind me. I'm just here to watch over the prince's health."
"Just Steven," the Garnet broke in, but her voice was gentle, like it was a normal slip-up. "We're all friends here."
"Right," Pink said, trying to decide how she felt about that. "Steven."
The two settled into the sand. It was hot to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. The human immediately went to Steven's side, pressing close to his hip. Pink examined the young knight; she was scrawny, taller than Steven, with hands covered in cuts and arms blanketed in scratches. She was clearly working hard.
"This is Connie," Steven tells her, the look in his eyes painfully vulnerable, as if he expects her to rebuke him for having human friends.
"Hey," she said.
Connie squinted at her. "New batch?"
"Something like that."
"Thought so. Most Roses I've met aren't quite so curly." Connie seemed to realize that she didn't like the way the conversation was headed, and nudged Steven's stomach. "Is she okay?"
Steven looked at her. Pink smiled and nodded, internally having a meltdown.
"I think so," said Steven. "She just needs some time to adjust."
Day has faded into evening when Pink stirs from a nap. Amethyst had been rather insistent that she try it, citing her stiff shoulders- and, sure enough, she felt much more relaxed.
Most of the others had dispersed back to their duties, leaving the beach empty and almost lonely to the eye. The sands were a dark brown, almost muddy to the untrained eye, while the ocean was dark and unfathomable. And in the water...
In the water was her son, if he had grown multiple feet, gained longer hair, and was a fusion.
"That's Stevonnie," Garnet says, making her jump. She hadn't realized the Gem was so close until their elbows were brushing. The fusion was smiling. "Steven don't usually break them out on a first visit. He must really trust you."
"Maybe," she said, rubbing at an eyelid. "Or he just wants to prove a point."
Garnet tilted her head slightly, regarding her from behind blank shades. "Maybe."
"What's with that look?"
She shrugged. "I'm jus' remembering my first time on the beach." Garnet let out a tiny laugh. "It's hard to look out and see so many Gems living such interesting lives, and you're just... you. Doing your thing. Alone."
"You've been a fusion far longer than Steven's been alive."
"Wasn't talking about just me. Everyone has that dilemma when they realize that Gems can coexist without boundaries. No one is better or worse. Everyone is different, but that doesn't mean they should be treated different- just with kindness."
Pink turned and met Garnet's gaze. Or, at least, tried to. "What if Pink Diamond finds out? Aren't you afraid she'll ban this?"
Garnet slowly reached a hand up, lowering the sunglasses. A single purple eye regarded her. "I'm pretty sure she already knows."
She swallowed, clenching some sand between her fingers. "Was I that obvious?"
"Earth is a place to be free," she answered with a shrug. "If Rose is who you want to be, then be it."
Somewhere, deep inside Pink Diamond, something stirred. Something rose-shaped. It smiled.
"I think I'd like that, Garnet."
Author's Note: Bit late posting this to my fanfic account, but I really liked how this one turned out. It was for a buddy who'd prefer not to be named.
-Mandaree1