The light gently began to shine through the windows of the beach house as the sun slowly rose from over the horizon. The billowing drapes and curtains twirled the tendrils of light, as they carved a path of light through the remnants of the evening's dusk. A dusty Cookie Cat alarm clock. A faded Lonely Blade II poster. An ornate silver mirror, the glass had shattered in another time and world. No, nothing was the same. The past had come and gone; a midsummer's wind blowing away. The writhing coils of light had reached the cozy bed and the unmoving lump that lay under the covers. The man grumbled at the intrusion and readjusted his body to face away from the light. Time passed. A cool breeze began to circulate from across the vast ocean. A bird began to sing. Saline waves crashed upon the sandy shore. Slowly, the man began to wake from his slumber. He leaned a leg on the wooden floor, humming as the wood creaked under his weight. Slowly, he rose from the bed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His hands plucked ingredients from the shelves and cabinets, following a routine they'd memorized a lifetime ago. Soon, he had a bowl of oatmeal before him. He took a bite of the goopy mixture and chewed, watching the beach waves crash, one after another. His gaze slowly drifted to the crystalline door on the other end of the abode. He twirled the spoon around in the bowl, churning its contents. Sighing, he reluctantly put down his breakfast and began to walk towards the beckoning door. At its entrance, he traced the facets of the gems embellishing the doorway. A gentle glow accompanied the top gem, as the door glided open to accompany the man's frame.
"Good morning," he whispered to the empty room. He continued walking across the rose-tinted room, walking through one hall and down another, until he reached a single crystalline heart.
"Hey, Garnet. Hey, Amethyst. Hey, Pearl." He said, seemingly to nobody. In response, four gems began to glow from within the heart. Blue. Red. Purple. White. He laughed.
"Of course I'm fine, Pearl." The white gem shimmered, as if in relief. The purple gem began to flash voraciously, demanding an answer.
"There's no way I can feed you, Amethyst." he sighed. "Without a physical body, it's impo-" He stopped. The purple glow faded, as it had regretted asking the question.
"It's just not possible." He finished. There was a long pause.
"Well, I've got to go now, so I'll see you later, I guess." He called out, scratching his neck awkwardly, as he backed out of the room. As the room was shrouded in darkness once more, the glow faded to match the darkness surrounding it.
The ocean breeze was wet on his face as he strummed chords on his ukulele. As if carried by the breeze, a familiar tune caught in his brain. He moved his arm to strum the first chord and began to play.
"If you're evil, and you're on the rise!
You can count on the four of us taking you down
'Cause we're good and evil never beats us
We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas!
We are the Crystal Gems,
We'll always save the day
And if you think we can't
We'll always find a way!"
The Gem War had not been a fun twelve years. Gems and humans, fighting against a matriarchy. For twelve years, broken and disfigured gems realized they were in fact, perfect and as good as any other. For twelve years, Beach City became an interstellar harbor, directing spaceships into battles across the cosmos. Oh, the horror! Thousands of gems and humans alike lost, shattered, broken. It was truly despicable.
Steven laughed. It was a selfish thought. To think that such an era could be justified, and be valued. But how could he help himself? A single thought couldn't hurt.
For those twelve years, Steven had her.