Far, Far Away

A Steven Universe Fanfiction

Chapter One

A/N: This is a human AU, and hoo boy is it an AU. The ages you need to know right now are; Steven is 10, Greg is 42, Garnet is 30, Pearl is 29, and Amethyst is 26. I'll tell you other ages as characters are introduced. This fanfiction contains Pearlmethyst from the very beginning, so if you don't like this ship this might not be for you. I'm going to try and include most if not all canon characters in this. It's all a slice of life fanfiction, so if you have any ideas for a future chapter, let me know.

Normally, Steven Quartz-Universe found it easy to sleep, but tonight seemed to be an exception. The chubby boy quietly slid out of bed, straightening his shirt over his bellybutton before creeping out of his room. Upon passing a mirror, he was able to find that his dark curly hair was matted and tangled with bedhead. He yawned sleepily and shrugged, moving past it to head to the kitchen and get a drink of water, hoping his father was at least asleep by now.

However, these hopes were dashed when he heard the familiar voice of his dad in the very room he was aiming for. The child ducked to behind the wall, ready to just head back to his room and go back to bed, but just as he was tiptoeing out he heard his name.

He peered at his father with his dark eyes – so much like his late mother's – and eavesdropped carefully, figuring out rather quickly that Greg was talking to his graceful and perfectionist "aunt," Pearl Gemstone.

Steven's mother was long dead, so he had largely been raised by his father, two of his mother's closest friends, and his older half-sister.

Greg Universe was in his early forties, a sweet man with a seemingly permanent sunburn, long but thinning hair, and a potbelly that he no longer had any will to get rid of. He had been married to Rose Quartz for many years before Steven was born, and had been hit hard by her death, losing much of his self esteem and, for a while, his will to play music. He had taught Steven how to play the instruments he knew, and had done his best to raise his son without Rose.

Pearl Gemstone was thin, lithe, and graceful. She had pale skin and light peach hair that Steven had been told used to be black, then pink, and finally its current color. Though she and the other two guardians lived a few cities away, she had always done her best to supply for her "nephew," sending a nearly inappropriate amount of money until a year previously. Why she had stopped sending was unknown, but she had.

Garnet Crystal was tall and bulky, with beautiful dark skin and big black hair that she wore proudly. Where she lacked in communication skills, she made up for in strength and protectiveness. She had been raised in the most loving environment possible by her two mothers – Ruby and Sapphire – and it showed in nearly everything she did.

Amethyst Quartz was short and chubby, with long white hair that reached down to her knees and tan skin that rarely burned. She was Rose Quartz's first child, born sixteen years before Steven, and she was one of the funnest people Steven knew; with her loudmouth attitude and tendency to be as reckless as possible, it was a wonder she had never accidentally hurt him.

The boy considered those four adults to be his own little family, and it had not gone without extensions; Ruby and Sapphire – Garnet's parents – treated him like their grandson, and he had two little nieces. Opal was the daughter of Pearl and Amethyst, only a year old, and Sugilite was the product of a very drunken New Year's between Garnet and Amethyst that was nearly five years old. Opal's existence made sense – he couldn't quite remember the term for people like Pearl, maybe it was "transgender" or something of the sort – but Sugilite was a mystery that nobody could seem to solve.

Steven had lived in Empire City for much of his young life, with two visits to his other three guardians twice a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they came to visit him every year around his birthday. It was normal for him, a routine and two places he felt comfortable keeping to.

The way the conversation was going, however, he couldn't help but feel as though that nice little routine and way of life was going to change, and he couldn't tell if he was more scared or excited for that. Mostly scared.

"Pearl, I know I said I could handle it. And I have for the most part, haven't I? But I just lost my job. I can't support him- yes, I know I could just get a new job, but I don't want to leave him home alone all day while I'm job hunting."

Greg sighed heavily, and Steven swore he could hear Pearl's voice – high with stress, probably – speaking on the other end.

"Look, aren't you the one that wanted custody of him when he was first born?- Yes, of course I'll stay nearby and provide some child support! I still own that car wash.- Pearl, he's ten. He's better behaved than Sugilite. Shouldn't you know this, being a teacher and all?"

There was silence for a minute, silence that threatened to crush the boy under its weight and leave nothing but dust where he once stood.

"Thank you. Yeah, August. We'll be there then."

The phone was hung up, and Steven still stared at his father, the breath ripped out of him. The man turned and saw his son, a small smile finding its way onto his face.

"I guess you heard that, huh?" Greg asked tiredly, coming over to hug him. "Don't worry, it's gonna be alright. We just have to move to Beach City. I'll live in the truck by the town, and you'll live with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Doesn't that sound fun."

"... Yeah." Steven replied quietly and ever so slightly reluctantly.

"Alright... now, let's get you to bed. You have school in the morning. Last week, right?"