Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe

Title: Take a Chill Pill

Summary: Amethyst takes Steven for a fun rock-n-roll weekend in hopes of cheering him up.

...

The rumble of the dryer vibrated against Steven's side, numbing it slightly. In the distance the sun had begun to sink, leaving the sky a bright orange and the ocean beneath dark and endless, splashing against the sands. The hybrid took in a deep breath, settling a little with the salty sea air, but not enough so to be surprised when the warp pad sounded behind him.

Amethyst's voice, surprisingly gentle, broke into the scene. "Heya, Steve. Got room for one more?"

Steven nodded. Stone scraped under her boots as the Gem slid down, dangling her legs over the edge of the hand. If Steven fell, he could float. If Amethyst fell, she could get hurt. They both knew it, but neither of them bothered to acknowledge it.

"How's it going, little man?" she asked finally. "With the whole... y'know."

"I could ask you the same thing."

"You could," Amethyst agreed, somber. "But I asked you first."

Steven sighed, pressing his forehead to his arms. It was unnaturally warm to the touch, but he didn't feel sick. Well, he did, but not that kind of sick. "I just... I don't wanna think or talk about it," he confessed quietly. "Not right now."

She shrugged, pursing her lips. "'Kay."

"Your turn."

"You just said you don't wanna talk about it, duder."

A flicker of a smile went across his face. "Yeah, but it's different with you. I mean, she was more your mom than mine. You're probably really torn up, huh?"

"I'm..." She paused. "I dunno what I am yet, honestly. A lot of things are adding up- I always thought that, like, the reason she and I were so different was because she was older. And then, when Peri told me I was defective, I figured it drew back to that. But it's none of that. We weren't even the same kind of Gem." Amethyst's eyes darted to his form, suddenly realizing. "Steven, we're not the same kind of Gem."

"Don't say that!" he cried, thrusting his arms up in a manner that made her jump. "I mean... I guess I'm not. But I dunno anything but being Steven Quartz Universe. That's who I am." Steven glanced down at the smooth sands. "At least, it was."

The dryer chimed a tune. Steven reluctantly stood and went to test the clothes, finding them sufficiently dry. Amethyst watched him as he worked, propping her arm on the metal side.

"Y'know what?" she asked suddenly. "We should take off for the weekend."

Steven, up to his wrists in warm towels, stopped to boggle at her. "Can we really do that? Like, right now?"

"Why not?" Amethyst shrugged. "There's a Math Minors concert Saturday- we could go. Get outta the Temple for a bit."

"Yeah," he said; then repeated it, more excited, warming up to the concept. "Yeah! We should! We've earned a break!"

"Absolutely not," Garnet said. "We might need you two."

"Awwww, what?" Amethyst scoffed, crossing her arms. "You've never had a problem with me going off before."

"Homeworld wasn't threatening to attack before," the fusion responded, crossing her arms. "I can't have you so far away. There's too many variables."

"Ugh, fine." She waved a hand for Steven to follow her up the stairs. "Is your tent still where it was last time?"

"Yes?"

"Cool." Amethyst hefted the tent bag onto her shoulder with a determined frown. "I said you were gonna have a weekend vaca, and I meant it."

"Oooooh!" His eyes lit up with stars. "Are we going sand camping?"

"You bet we are!"

Garnet smiled. "That, I can allow."

Amethyst and Steven were in decently good spirits as they put together the tent. They ate some hotdogs for dinner, then sat by the sea until nightfall, during which they crawled in for the night. Garnet and Pearl both went to their individual rooms within the hour, and it was then that they made their move. It was a short walk to Vidalia's house, where the cool kids were waiting with the Pizza family van.

"Be safe now, ya' hear?" the woman called as the duo climbed in the back. "Amethyst, I'm putting you in charge of protecting my baby's safety. Try not to scar him too much, okay?"

"Mom," Sour Cream complained, but he was smiling.

The humidity was in full-force as they pulled onto the highway, but none of them complained. Rather, they embraced it, whooping and pumping their fists into the night air. Jenny cranked up the radio and they were truly off.

"I feel kind of bad," Steven whispered as he drifted off, snuggled contently into the back seat. "For running off without permission, I mean."

Amethyst scoffed. "It'll be fine, Steven. Garnet's just a worry-wart."

The Math Minors were sold out by the time they arrived. Jenny, shrugging, turned the car around and drove to a small garage band performance instead. Amethyst quickly lost sight of the teenagers as they melted into the medium-sized crowd. Amethyst followed them and lost sight of Steven for about an hour, eventually finding him next to the van, sitting against the metal side.

"Heey, mini-man." She plopped down next to him. "Want a sip of my punch?"

"Naw, I'm good. I just don't think I'm in much of a party mood after all."

Amethyst leaned on his shoulder. "You wanna go back to sand camping?"

Steven shook his head. "I don't think I'm in the mood for sand camping either. Can I... not be in the mood for anything?"

"Heck yeah you can, Steven."

He looked at her with a watery half-grin that made her heart constrict. "You know you don't have to baby me, right? It's okay for you to be honest with me, even if that means you honestly just wanna go party."

"I am being honest with you," she insisted. "I brought you here hoping you could take your mind off things for a bit. And, well, that just didn't happen."

Steven leaned back, bonking his head on the side of the van. "Remember when I first started going on missions? It was fun. A lot of fun. But now things keep getting more complication, and I keep wondering if, in a way, I'm to blame for it." He pressed a hand to his chest. "I've always pressed. I've always gone to the places you guys told me not to go. And I'm here, and I know all these secrets, and I just dunno if it was worth it."

Amethyst breathed out a sigh and leaned on his arm. "Growing up sucks, huh?"

"Yeah," he said, slouching a little. "It really does."

Author's Note: I was originally hoping this would be longer, with maybe a battle or smth in the middle, but I realized this fit best as a short little exploration into how Steven's handling the news right now.

I'm hype about the coming bomb! Here's to the new episodes coming out!

-Mandaree1