Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!
Title: Counting Time
Summary: Of all the ways to go out, rotting in Gem jail never crossed Connie's mind.
Setting: While Steven's asleep in Escapism
…
The first hour is the longest. Connie checks Steven's pulse occasionally, half-afraid he stretched so far his sleeping form would give out on him. She expects him to burst awake at any moment, good or bad news on his lips, and she honestly couldn't say if she would've preferred no help or the knowledge that they were bringing more people into this, but thankfully (not really) nothing happens.
Connie spends hour two on her phone, scrolling through the fanfics she'd kept open in the tabs. Unfortunately, that kind of thing sucks the battery, so she calls it quits and pockets it. She contemplates eating another protein bar, but Connie knew they should save them only for emergencies. They could- they could be here a long time.
Of all the ways to go out, rotting in Gem jail never crossed Connie's mind.
Hour three is spent the most productively; crying. Connie tries to hold it in, scolding herself on wasting her body's water supply, but even after all she's seen and heard and done she's still just a kid and they might die here and that's terrifying. The Crystal Gems have been free for thousands of years; and, yes, things had been more complicated as of late, from Steven getting kidnapped to their entire reason for rebelling falling apart, but they were moving past that and growing stronger and leaving Rose Quartz respectfully behind them. They couldn't go through all that just to be shattered and for her and Steven to starve to death despite all their efforts. It's not fair.
Connie says screw it and reads more fanfiction hour four. Her phone dies. Connie wonders how the Pebbles are doing. She wonders if Steven's phone has died yet under all those selfies.
She wonders if they think they've been abandoned all over again. They kind of have.
Hour four is all math. She counts the seconds and the minutes that have gone by- too quickly, probably, and the numbers themselves are unquantifiable, seeing how Homeworld doesn't work like Earth, but it's something to keep her from going mad or sad. She counts the days in a year, and how many days she's been alive. She tries to do the same for the Gems, but she'd need paper for that. She tries to trace back eons to the first Gems and form a rough timeline of their rise to space and conquering, despite knowing almost nothing about any of it. It's a bit like writing fanfiction for her life- which, honestly, gets her bawling again at the reminder of how short it's been.
Connie cards her fingers through her greasy hair and hopes that everyone will forgive her if- no, when- this is over. And that Homeworld get some showers instead of pools and saunas. She eats another protein bar. This somehow takes her an hour and a half.
She's asleep by hour seven.
Author's Note: This is probably overdramatic af but in my defense being stuck alone and basically motionless in a dark cell for stars-knows-how-long can't be very fun and uplifting.
-Mandaree1