_- I Don't Want That For You -_

Steven was staring at the ceiling, and who knows how long he had been doing that. He felt he had made a mistake, but avoiding Connie may be an even bigger one. He had no idea what to do anymore, he was so confused. He hated being confused. His mind wandered back to the mistake in question, the previous afternoon. Why had he done this?

In the past four years they had known each other, Steven and Connie's friendship had bloom, and he hoped it had led to more, but he wasn't sure anymore. After all, he was only seventeen, and she was just fifteen and three quarter. Maybe he had really done a mistake and had gone too far this time.

A knock on the door tore him away from his thoughts. What day was it again? Oh no, he had forgotten about today's mission!

"Steven? It's me."

"Coming!"

His bed was too small for him now, his strong legs sticking out of it. He sat up, and quickly passed a hand though his messy hair, before walking down the stairs. And there she was, on the the other side of the door, as beautiful as usual, so much so that his breath caught in his throat upon noticing her.

He had always found her pretty, but now she was stunning. While he had grown quite tall, gaining in fact the size of his mother, his hair where still as messy and curly as when he was a child. He had grown quite some muscles, going from chubby to burly, and his cheeks and chin where now covered with the shadow of a beard. He had changed, but Connie was the one who had changed for the better, he always thought.

She had always been tall, but now the crown of her head reached his shoulder, and there was little to no chance she would grow taller. Her skin still had this beautiful bronze color it always had, although her hands weren't as smooth as they used to be, years and years of sword training turning them callous. She had tried to keep her black hair not too long, and they reached the middle of her back, and every time she moved the sunlight reflected on them like a mirror. Puberty had given her shape, and her waist curved just enough to drive Steven crazy when she put on a tight shirt.

He opened the door, and Connie walked in, his mother's sword attached to her back. His heart skipped a bit. What was he suppose to do now? He smiled awkwardly, a smile she reciprocated.

"So... hum... where are the others?" she asked.

"Hum... I don't know. I guess they left already. They're probably waiting for us."

"Oh, okay."

They silently walked up to the warp-pad. While Steven's outfit hadn't change, he only had to find the biggest size possible of pink shirt with a yellow shirt, Connie had found her uniform only a few weeks ago, when she had bought a sleeveless denim jacket with a big yellow star on the back. She took a deep breath and couldn't help but look over at Steven, who pretended to need a maximum of focus to activate the pad, when they both knew he could do it in his sleep.

She had excepted awkward after what had happened the previous afternoon, but she at least thought he would address it. Maybe she should have addressed it, and that was what he was waiting for? She promised herself once this mission was over she would confront him.

The pad took them to a snow tundra, which Connie recognized without a doubt as the place she had done her first mission. There was so much snow it was impossible to take a step without sinking. The trees around had been cut, clearing a large area. Connie shivered as vapor came out of her nostrils with every breath she expelled. She should have taken a better jacket, now she was going to be sick.

They found the crystal gems in the middle of the clearing, Pearl still debating with the others whether this was a good idea or not.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't take care of her, but there are others, less dangerous, that we can take care of. Jaspers are just too incontrollable."

"We have already taken care of the majority of the gems in the room, it is time we take care of a few Jaspers." answered Garnet.

The gem's attention then shifted to the two last members of the group, who walked up to them casually, also a bit more apart then usually. This didn't go unnoticed by Garnet, who asked:

"Everything okay you two?"

"Perfect." answered Steven. "Let's cure this Jasper, and then we'll see if we can cure the Jasper."

Pearl frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"I think there are enough of us now to control her if she decides to attack us again."

Indeed, after discovering a way to cure corrupted gems, they had taken it upon themselves to transform back to there usual selves every single gem stored into the Burning Room. Now a large number of them joined the crystal gems, and soon the barn was full, a bit too full for Lapis Lazuli and Peridot's taste. New permanent fusions where made, as gems found once again their partners. At least half of the gems decided to travel the world and help protect it like they did before. They now had crystal gems teams everywhere in the world, which Steven would have never believed possible. He knew his mother would have loved to see this, the rebirth of the Crystal Gems.

Garnet placed the corrupted Jasper in the snow, and they all quickly walked back. Connie drew her sword, and Steven took out his shield. Everyone was ready to attack. The gem on the ground shook, before attempting to take the shape of broad shoulder person. But, as usual, her shape became confused, and trembled, until they extended into the usual monster corresponding to a corrupted Jasper. Two front spiky legs, a mouth full of teeth and a white patch of fur along its back, its eyes replaced by three horns. This one was orange, and Connie wondered if she wasn't the gem they had retrieved from Jasper on the beach, more than three years ago.

The monster let out a cry of agony upon forming again, and quickly Amethyst blocked her legs with her lasso, while Garnet, both hands joined, stunned her. Pearl held in her hand a grenade filled with a combination of Rose's tears, Steven's spit and particles of a stone they had stolen back on Home World, which was used to corrupt the gems.

"We're going to need Stevonnie." declared Pearl upon analyzing the size of the monster.

Connie looked over at Steven, and he nodded, and extended a hand to her, before making her twirl in his arms. During this simple act, she found Steven again, not the awkward guy that had opened the door, but Steven , the real one. She couldn't help but smile as his gem started to glow, and they fused.

Stevonnie was there the following instant, all of her energy focused on the task at hand.

"What do you need?"

"A large bubble, to trap the monster."

"On it."

She extended her arm, and a bubble big enough to contain the monster emerged from the ground. Garnet quickly jumped back, and Amethyst waited until she was sure the monster wouldn't escape to make her whip disappear. The monster growled and pushed against the bubble, but it was useless.

"Now where is its gem? Stevonnie, could you..."

But as Pearl turn to address the fusion, she saw something was amiss. Her eyes were unfocused, and her hands led by her sides.

"Stevonnie?"

Inside the fusion's mind, the battle had completely disappeared, leaving her in the middle of the street, close to Connie's house.

"Oh no... breathe..."

She took a deep breath, and their they appeared, Steven and Connie, the previous afternoon.

"They really should have stopped at Dogcopter 5. This was really too much."

"I know, right?"

Stevonnie's breath caught in her throat, as the two teenagers stopped in front of Connie's house. Their conversation became a blur, as if it had been fast-forward, until finally, they were close, too close for comfort. Their eyes met.

"No, this was a mistake!"

"What do you mean, a mistake?"

"I never... I shouldn't have..."

Stevonnie broke apart as the illusion showed Steven delicately kissing Connie, the girl on her toes to reach him.

Both Steven and Connie fell into the snow, and the bubble exploded. The beast roared, and the gems jumped on it instantly, just as the two teenagers got back to their feet. Steven seemed lost, as if his secret was out. Connie looked to him with concern, before yelling over the ruckus of the battle:

"We need to talk."

Steven didn't answer, he nodded only and turned his attention to the battle. But it was too late.

Amethyst tried to control the beast with her whip, but it quickly got out of hand and tried to hit the teenagers. They rolled out of the way, but apart, Steven's shield at the ready. However, Connie's sword was left in the snow, and the moment she rolled to get it back the monster gave another stroke with its claws, and caught Connie on her side. She didn't have the time to shield herself from the attack, and was sent flying against the trunk of a large cedar. Steven watched, horrified, as Connie hit the tree, and didn't make a move to get back up. In this instant, he was torn. Make sure his best friend was alright, or finish this fight.

The choice was made for him, as Garnet gave a strong uppercut to the gem monster, who poofed the next second. Steven, along with Pearl, ran to Connie instantly. She was not doing well. Her face was groggy with pain, and she had a hard time opening her eyes.

"Oh god, Connie, are you okay?"

She smiled as he lightly rolled her so she'd lay on her back, and winced. Blood had come to stain the snow. Quickly, Steven found the wound on her arm, and he had no idea if it was deep or not.

"Steven, we need to take her to a hospital." declared Garnet as she joined them.

"And tell them what? She got attacked by a monster?"

Connie seemed to be coming back to herself, as she declared in a feeble voice.

"Not the hospital, please. My mum's working today..."

"Then what?" Pearl pondered.

Connie was loosing a lot of blood, and Steven believed that it was a really deep wound.

"What do we do?" he asks, panicky.

"Why don't you use you're healing powers?" suggested Amethyst.

"What? But we don't know if it's going to work, and she's not a gem!"

"No, this is a good idea." added Pearl.

"Come on, lick it!" howled Amethyst.

"What? No! I won't lick it!"

"Lick it! Lick it!"

Connie's hand shot to his wrist and she tugged on his sleeve. His attention quickly got back to her.

"Do it Steven..."

He took a deep breath, and nodded. Suddenly his mouth went dry and he tried to salivate as much as possible. Then he bended to Connie's arm, and gave it the slimiest lick he could muster. The taste of bloody copper came to his tongue, and he spit it out into the snow. They all stared longly, until Connie's wound closed out, and she took a deep comforting breath. She was pale from the blood loss but at least she wouldn't lose any more.

"We still need to take her to a hospital." declared Garnet.

"Why?" asked Steven.

"Because she may have broken bones, or a concoction. Come on, take her to the hospital, and we'll take care of the Jasper."

Connie let out a sigh. Her leader was right, in fact she still felt pain when she breathed, and her head was fuzzy.

"Come one Steven, take me to the hospital. But let's try to avoid my mum."

He took her in his arms, and she looked so fragile and small resting in his arms that way. She let her head rest against his shoulder, and he blushed. She felt so hot in his arms, it was crazy. He whistled, and a portal opened beside them, Lion gloriously walking out of it. He jumped on his back, Connie seated in front of him. He was holding her as delicately as he could, both afraid that she would slide off or that he would crush her.

"Come on buddy, take us to the hospital."

Lion roared again, and walked through the new portal.

They parked Lion on the parking lot of the hospital, and Steven, taking once again Connie in his arms, trotted to the entrance to the emergency hall. Connie already felt a bit better, as her head became less foggy.

"Don't think this will stop us from talking."

Steven had a small smile.

"We'll talk, I promise. But right now, let's avoid your moth... Oh, hi Mrs Maheswaran!"

He froze as they came upon Connie's mum, who had stopped talking to the receptionist to stare at her daughter and her best friend.

"Hi mum..." Connie managed.

"Young lady, I want some explanations this instant." the doctor declared as she turned fully to them and crossed her arms.

"It was just and accident during training!" replied Connie. "I can walk just fine."

As proof, she slid out of Steven's arms. The shock had passed, and while her side was still in pain, she could stand on her own, which at least reassured Steven a bit.

"Come on, I'll take a look. But don't think you're out of trouble just yet!"

Connie nodded, and followed her mother to one of the auscultation rooms, Steven trailing along behind them. As soon as they reached the door, Ms Maheswaran let her daughter in, and shot a deadly look to Steven, who froze and sat on one of the chair against the room. While he didn't saw what was going on inside, he could hear their conversation clearly.

"Now, what really happened?"

"I told you, it was an accident during training. I slid and fell from pretty high, so we thought it was better if we got someone to check on me."

"You fell? Is that why your shirt is torn and there's blood on it?"

Steven winced. They should have thought about that, but then again she couldn't have show up at the hospital without a shirt on. Steven could feel his head boiling at the thought of Connie without her shirt, and it made him feel even worst. None of this would have happened if he hadn't kiss her. Now, he could ask her to retire from the fight, like he had tried already a number of times when things got dangerous. He knew it was useless. Connie loved fighting, and she loved being on the front of the battles with him. He crossed his arms and listened in.

"You're lucky, just a few bruises and your ribs are not broken."

"So no concoction?"

"No."

Connie let out a joyous cry, which her mother didn't take too well.

"There is nothing to rejoice about, Connie. Maybe it is time you stop fighting with those aliens, and find yourself a better hobby."

"What, mum, no! They need me. We've done so much since I joined the Gems. We saved the Earth again and now we're healing all the Gems that had been broken."

"Yes, I know, and I'm proud of you for that. But you are not as strong as they are, and it seems you haven't realized it yet."

Connie didn't answer, and her mother let out a sigh before declaring:

"I'll call your father to pick you up. You need to rest at least for a few days."

She walked out the door only to find Steven seated on the wooden chairs. He thought she was going to glare at him again, but she merely ignored him, and walked to her office.

Steven hesitated before walking in, only to find Connie putting her sleeveless jacket on again. He stood by the door as she was seated on the edge of the bed.

"I heard you're okay."

"Yes, although we'll have to wait until we can try to cure a Jasper again."

She was about to jump off the bed, but instead patted the spot beside her.

"Come on, we really need to talk."

His gaze went from Connie to the bed and to Connie again, who smiled. His feet managed to walk up to the bed, and he sat, although keeping as much distance between him and Connie without it being too awkward.

"Yesterday you just left after we kissed, and I didn't know what to think of it. Why did you say it was a mistake?"

It took some time for Steven to focus his mind as to why this kiss was not a good idea.

"Because I feel like I ruined our friendship. You're so much younger than me, it didn't matter before but now it does."

She chuckled.

"Steven, you're just a year and a quarter older than me. In less than four months I'll turn sixteen, and you're already are seventeen. It's not such a big difference."

She bit her lower lip, before she made her choice. She took his large hand in hers, their contrasting skin tone more than obvious in this instant.

"And about our friendship, I feel like we both knew this would happen one day. Actually, I always thought it would happen sooner."

"What do you mean?"

Her first answer didn't come through words. Instead, she entwined her fingers with Steven's and got out of the bed, just to place herself in front of Steven, and kiss his lips lightly. He stiffened under the surprise, but didn't have the time to kiss her back, as she pulled away.

"You and me, Steven. Us. I always thought it would happen sooner. That's why Stevonnie is so important to the team. Because she's like Garnet, held together by love."

Her words rang true in Steven's mind. The older they got and the easier it got to form and hold Stevonnie. He always thought it was because they were used to it, but now he knew there was something else.

"So, what now?"

His smile was back and brigher than ever, and Connie couldn't help but chuckle.

"You tell me. Will you stop acting awkwardly all the time if I ask you to be my boyfriend?"

Steven was overwhelm with feelings. He felt happy, but also more than happy, so much more than happy that he couldn't place a word on it. He was also a bit afraid, but not as much as he thought he would be, and he felt hot, and his heart had sunk into his stomach, before being caught in his throat. It was awful, his stomach was so flipped he thought he wouldn't be able to eat anything else in his life. And yet he was so light, like when he floated, but even better.

His only answer was to hug Connie, first with all his might but when she coughed something about her ribs he soften his hold and she hugged him back.