I didn't mean to write this... Fair warning, brace for the feels. Also, this is an A/U simply because I'm way behind on the episodes (I've only seen the very beginning of season 3) and I keep getting distracted from catching up.
Stevonnie sat upon one of the temple hands suspended over the beach, their knees tucked up against their chest, and watched the waves crashed against the shore. The sun was hovering on the horizon, sinking below the waves and staining the water in shades or orange and red. Their face was pinched and there was a tightness around their eyes, but they sat perfectly still as the air chilled with approach of night.
This is where Garnet found them. Not that it was a surprise; almost every evening Stevonnie returned to their perch to watch the sunset. The Crystal Gems had tried to give them space because they seemed alright during the day, but Garnet knew something had to give.
"Stevonnie, don't you think it's time to unfuse," she said quietly.
Their shoulders tensed. "He's not ready- I'm not ready," they bit out tightly, but they sounded more tired than angry.
Garnet crouched down next to them. "Fear is not enough to sustain a fusion." Though that Stevonnie had lasted so long was impressive. "And Connie's parents are worried."
They tucked their head against their knees and curled up even tighter. A shudder wracked through their frame.
Garnet wrapped an arm around their shoulders, gently rubbing circles on their shoulder blade. Neither Steven nor Connie were children at this point, but comparatively they felt so young to her. Time affected Gems so minutely and it still felt like yesterday that she had held the tiny baby that Rose had brought into the world, and she hadn't wanted to force Steven to face what that which he didn't want to accept. But it wasn't helping them.
"Greg wouldn't want you to live like this, to live your life afraid."
Stevonnie's breath hitched. "But he's gone," they whispered, voice thick with tears. "He's gone and never coming back."
"Death happens to everyone-" Garnet began.
"Not to gems, at least-" they raised their head to glare with teary eyes, "-not from old age. He, we- I don't want to lose anyone else. Is that wrong?"
Garnet stared at them in silence for a moment, her shades hiding away her expression. "No. It's not wrong," she said and raised a hand to cup their cheek. "But do you want to spend the rest of your life running away from a future pain, or do you want to cherish the time you have together? To make your existence solely about avoiding pain instead of loving each other?"
Stevonnie's lip trembled as they stared back, their expression wavering for a poignant moment. Then, for the first time in three years, Stevonnie defused and Garnet found her arms full of two sobbing adults.
I'M SORRY. This popped into my head today and I had to write it out to escape the feels. It was both cathartic and painful to write since my dad passed away 8 years ago.