The gems were searching through Amethyst's room, scouting for the source of a rotten smell that had infested the entire house. Steven was travelling behind Garnet and Amethyst who were searching under a large pile of trash.
"Why do you guys actually think the stench is coming from my room? Sure, it's flattering that you think I'm that nasty, but c'mon." The purple gem questioned, looking up at Garnet.
"It's the strongest possibility, that's for sure." Garnet answered, tossing a leg lamp across the room.
"Sorry, Amethyst, but out of all the places in the temple only your room and Dad's underwear drawer could ever be the sources of the smells." Steven commented, picking up a picture portrait that laid face down. As soon as he uncovered it, the stench was twice as strong. It was a smell of something stale and fishy.
The two gems beside him noticably gagged before picking uo the item. "Oh! It's my tuna burrito from that one place that closed five years ago!" The long haired gem exclaimed in surprise, alerting Rose and Pearl of her discovery.
"You mean Aqua-Mexican? The one that got shut down for food poisoning?" The boy corrected, and cringed, as Amethyst shoved the moldy food into her mouth and swallowed, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
"Yup. Tastes like a fine gasoline." The gluttonous runt stated, rubbing her stomach. Pearl gagged while Rose just chuckled. Steven flipped the large portrait in his arms over and witnessed a picture of Garnet, Pearl, Rose and.. some other fourth gem who was large, blue and rainbow haired. Definitely not Amethyst
"Is this you guys? You look so old timey." He showed the gems, who except for Amethyst, gasped in surprise.
"Amethyst! Why do you have this?" Pearl asked, flushed. The purple gem shrugged while lying on the floor.
"I saw it on the floor of your room and was like: 'One fools trash is another geniuses treasure.' besides, look at how dorky you look!" She closed her eyes, her hands behind her back. Pearl grumbled something inaudible while Rose grew nervous.
"Have you guys been around that long or was this some modeling thing?" The curious boy asked, looking to his Mom.
"Well, Steven, we're actually over 6,000 years old. Well, except for Amethyst, she's a lot younger." Rose explained, grabbing the photo from his hands. Her eyes wouldn't keep off of the muscular, blue gem from the picture. Steven didn't really seem to notice, as he was too busy gasping in surprise.
"That's like.. A million birthdays! You guys must have a lot of memories from all of those parties." He smirked, nudging Garnet. She was also staring down the painting hard, more importantly the rainbow haired woman.
"Well, we don't really celebrate birthdays, Steven. That's more of a human celebration than a gem one, especially since we can hardly remember the days we were produced." Pearl explained before catching a glimpse of the smirking, thick head of the mysterious gem on the picture.
"Oh, and, can I ask who the mystery gem is on that pic? Cuz I definitely wasn't around back then." Amethyst questioned, stretching before the picture came hurling past her. Rose had thrown it to her trash pile.
"Oh, her? No one of course! As if she was important..!" An awkward laughter from Rose gave Steven and Amethyst a bit of suspicion. They stared each other down with concerned eyes.
"I miss her. Why did she have to go missing in action that day?" Pearl asked herself, clutching Rose's arm tightly. The mother looked fairly nervous.
"If she wasn't important, than I guess I shouldn't ask. What I should ask is why haven't you thrown any birthday parties for each other?!" Steven's childhood innocence snapped the nostalgic gems from their trance.
"Look, Steven. If it makes you feel better, we can celebrate some of those birthdays today. I've never experienced one, but you're a smart kid, I beleive in your power of fun." Garnet spoke to her little buddy, brushing his hair with her huge hand.
"That's a great idea, Garnet! I'll throw parties for each of you, just like the ones Dad gave me!" He snapped his fingers in satisfaction before running out the door. "Come find me on the porch!" He yelled back at them as the door closed.
"Is this really a good idea?" Pearl asked the visor wearing gem who shrugged.
"Let's see how it pans out." The dark red gem responded, beginning her walk out of the room. Amethyst got up and joined Pearl and Garnet while Rose looked back at the picture and gripped her fist.
"I'm.. I'm sorry." She muttered to herself, joining the others in walking out to the living room.
When the gems came to the front porch, they saw Steven digging through a cardboard box labeled 'Birthday Stuff'. "What's going on here?" Rose asked her son with a smile. Steven kept digging.
"I'm gonna help you guys celebrate your birthdays, but to do that I need stuff for birthday's. Let's go from youngest to oldest to decide who gets the first birthday, okay?" When Steven turned back, he had a childlike grin that sparkled in the hot sun. Amethyst cracked her knuckles before stepping up.
"That'd be me, little man. Whatcha got planned?" Her expression changed from a playful smirk to a bored expression as she sat in the sand and played with a remote control helicopter.
"This is what you had planned?" The white haired shorty asked, watching as the toy slowly crashed into the ocean. Steven rushed into the water and saved it.
"Whoops.. Sorry, Amethyst, I'll get you a new one." He told her, tossing it into a nearby trash bin.
"Spare me. Watch this," Amethyst transformed into a real helicopter and flew above Steven. He wasn't too amused. "Whaddya think of that, Steven? Cooler than a toy helicopter huh?"
"Sure.. But you have to come down for the second part of your b-day." He stated, waving her down. She scoffed.
"What could possibly be better than this? I can fly, dude!" The live chopper responded.
"There's cake~!" Steven called down as Rose came in with a huge frosted cake. Amethyst's eyes immediately targeted the sweet treat and she fell down to the ground after shape shifting back.
"Cakkkeeeee..~" The glutton swallowed it whole, causing Pearl to gag.
"I don't get the appeal of such a disgusting routine, especially from someone who doesn't need to eat." Pearl complained, wrinkling her nose as Amethyst licked her fingers.
"We shouldn't judge her for her tastes." Garnet said, a party hat over her head.
Next, it's Garnets birthday. The gems are all gathered around at a table inside of Fish Stew with a box of pizza and a bunch of balloons gathered around the chairs. The birthday gem in question was wearing a king's coat and crown. The pizza had seven little candles on it and sprinkled sparks in-between the group.
"Why seven?" Pearl asked, referring to the candles.
"G is the seventh letter of the alphabet, and it's the first letter of Garnet, so it just made sense. Also, sorry for not getting cake, Amethyst ate them all." The half gem explained, the purple gem belching as a response.
"Cake~" Amethyst moaned, rubbing her stomach before passing out in her seat. Garnet looked down at the pizza and twitched under her visor.
"Thanks, Steven.. But I'd rather not eat. Thanks for the crown and cape though." Garnet apologized. Steven nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, that pizza does look pretty.." Steven started, watching as the pizza bubbled and boiled from the candles. "..Gross. don't worry, we still have two more birthdays!"
We cut to Rose blindfolded with a baseball bat in her hands. They were inside of the house with a hung piñata in the middle of the living room. "Okay, this is something tons of people do at parties, a piñata!" Steven said to his confused mother.
"That's great, dear, but why do I have to be blinded?" Rose asked, stumbling a bit. Pearl held out her hands to catch her, but of course that wouldn't have been enough to hold her.
"It's really easy. I'll spin you around, making you dizzy, then you have to hit the piñata! It's a test of strength and grip. Okay, who wants to spin?" The boy asked the group, removing her blindfold.
"Steven, I think we should probably move this outside, or just never do it! Yeah, that's better-" Pearl panicked before being shoved by Amethyst out of the way.
"Dibs!" The shorty called, curling into a ball before spinning circles around her leader, causing her eyes to rotate around until she became dizzy. Steven slipped the blindfold back on and whistles for her to start.
"And strike that piñata!" He gave his Mom a push. She stumbled but managed to stand back up.
"Steven, what did you stuff into that thing?" Pearl asked, concerned. Steven shrugged.
"Just sugar. I couldn't find any candy, and I ran out of allowance money for your birthday. Why?" He said with an innocent smile. Garnet was already outside of the room and looking into the house while Pearl was panicking with her hands on her head.
"You w-w-what?!" As soon as Pearl finished her sentence, Rose swung the bat, crushing the piñata in one strike.
"There she blows!" Amethyst laughed before getting sprayed in the eye. Sugar powder sprayed all over the floor, and onto the faces of Rose, Steven, Pearl and Amethyst. Rose took off her mask and gasped.
"Oooohh that's why people enjoy this!" Rose exclaimed with a giggle, licking the sugar off of her arms and cheeks. Pearl couldn't resist the blush on her cheeks, even if she was covered in an Earth substance.
Finally, it's Pearl's birthday. The group sat close to the lighthouse. Steven was changing into a clown costume in the bushes while the gems sat on a picnic blanket.
"I don't know how to feel about this.." Pearl muttered to Rose who nudged her and smiled.
"It's fun! Have an open mind." Rose simply said. Pearl was ready, or so she thought until Steven waltzed out of the bush with a pie in his arms. He had a wide smile on his face while the tall gem was disturbed.
"Did someone say birthday?" Steven asked in a deep voice, honking his nose while Pearl hid behind Rose.
"S-Steven, why are you wearing that terrifying outfit?!" She said shakily, pointing her long finger at him.
"Terrifying? I'm a clown, Pearl! It's just make up." He squirted a flower filled with water in his face, the make up cleaning off as he smirked and honked his nose. Pearl tried to relax and sat next to Rose instead of panicking.
"A-alright.." She trembled, hugging Rose's arm for dear life.
"Good! Now, Pearl, do you like pie?" Steven asked with a cheeky grin, grabbing a pie from the floor.
"Ooh, I do like pie, or at least the process of making pie." Pearl answered, becoming less and less tense. The young teen began walking towards the group, all sitting around a picnic blanket.
"It would be a shame if something happened to it.." Steven responded with a stifled laugh.
"Oh, I agree." The long nosed gem replied with a smile, hands clasped together. Suddenly, the pie slipped out of Steven's hands and into his face. Needless to say, she was mortified. Steven continued to bash his face into the tray of pie, and while his mother couldn't stop laughing, the other three were sort of uncomfortable, especially Pearl. The tall gem got behind Garnet and shivered in confusion and fear.
"Funny right?" Steven asked the group. Rose clapped at him but Garnet got up and kneeled down close to him.
"Steven, good effort, but we're a bit too old for birthday's." The deadpan gem told him.
"But you're still wearing the birthday cape." Steven pointed out.
"I-I was about to take it off. The point is, we are too old to enjoy this stuff." She responded with a blush. Rose grabbed his shoulder and gave him a sad look.
"Some don't like fun all the time, Steven. C'mon let's go have our own!" His mother cheered, trying to distract him. He sulked and his face dropped as thoughts of adulthood began filling his head.
"No, I'm fine for today. We don't need to do anything else.." With that, he shoved his fists into his pockets and began his way to the town. The gems shrugged, deciding to go back to the temple.
In Beach City, Steven found himself stumbling across the boardwalk and into Funland Arcade. "Too old? They didn't enjoy any of it?! But that's impossible, Dad likes all that stuff, Mom likes it! Is it.. Is it fake? They're old, Mom is thousands of years old. Could it be?" He mumbled to himself, frantically attempting an answer to no avail. With this realization, his form changed with his attitude into a taller, pimply Steven with body hair. He didn't notice how his form had so drastically changed and continued to wander the building.
"It may be time for me to grow up too. Hm.. A job is perfect!" A squeaky voiced Steven told himself, scanning his surroundings. His eyes lingered on the arcade cabinet of a random fighting game. "N-no, games are for children.. Mom and Pa wouldn't like me being immature now." He dismissed, walking out of the building. His form changed once more, this time taller with faded stubble and leaner muscles, as well as slightly longer hair. He waltzed into a clothes store and decided that would be a great place to look for a job.
"It's time for a proper job. But which one?" Steven's voice was even deeper with this form. He searched the shirts for an answer.
"Surf Master? Too improper. Love Doctor? Ah, I'm too squeamish... Perfect." His eyes set on a red shirt with the words 'Professional Beach Hunk' on the front. He exited the store with the new shirt on his back and a bright smile.
"Well, that was productive, and quite fast. I need a pick-me-up." Steven looked at the Big Donut and began his way toward it. Upon arriving he walked up to the counter. "Two of the usual please. I've had quite a day."
Lars looked at Steven and smirked, finding his appearance laughable. "Sorry, pal, you must be mistaken. I've worked here every day and I don't remember ever seeing your mug."
"Oh, hardy har, Lars!" Steven spat in frustration, causing the two to look at him odd. They genuinely had no idea who he was. "I used to make jokes. And you know what? I've had a lot of time to think today and sometimes you gotta smarten up." The two behind the counter were not amused.
"Act like an adult, cause if you don't, one day, everyone is going to turn on you and get twice as old and mature as you in no time. And you won't have little Steven to pick on, cause I'll be a grown up too!" He said, slamming his palms onto the counter.
"..Steven who?" Sadie asked with a brow raised. Steven was extremely frustrated now.
"Steven Quartz Universe! And I want that donut!-" Steven exclaimed, pointing on the glass only to see this stranger who was him. He fell to the floor in shock.
"Sir! Are you okay!?" Sadie asked in concern, a hand on Lars' chest.
"I'm old!" Steven yelled back, tears in his eyes.
"Uh.. Yeah and nuts." Lars replied with a weirded out expression.
"I'll have to eat fiber cerial, and my teeth will fall out, and all of my friends will think I'm creepy cause I look like Dad!' The once young boy clamered, his form changing again so he had more facial hair and longer hair like Greg's. He sat on a chair, going into hysterics as he began crying into his hands. Sadie ran up to him and grabbed his arm for support, but she was honestly super scared.
"I need to reverse this! I need.. A reverse birthday. Quick, Sadie, get me into my birthday suit!" A silence filled the room and Lars grabbed a bat from under the counter while Sadie grabbed a chair. Immediately, Steven began to dash out of the door as he was chased into the night.
"Stay away from us!" Sadie screamed at him, stopping in her tracks while Steven continued to run, until his form changed into an old, wrinkly elder. He began limping toward the beach house before crashing to the sand.
"I'm too.. Old.." He grumbled, a shadow loomed over him however. "L-lion?" It was of course his pet Lion, Lion. The beast picked him up with his teeth, running towards the gems.
Meanwhile, Pearl, Rose, Garnet and Amethyst were cleaning up from the parties near the temple. "Y'know, I think you guys could have tried a bit more to at least pretend to like the parties. Steven really wanted us to have fun today, and you can't say he didn't do well." Rose scolded as Pearl picked up a foldable table.
"Look, I'm sorry, I just found that act of his so..-" Their chat was interuppted by Lion spitting Steven out by Garnets feet.
"Hey, look, an old man!" Amethyst shouted, pointing at the decrepit Steven. Rose and Garnet knew exactly what had happened though.
"Steven!?" The two said in disbelief, getting to the ground to help him.
"C'mon guys, that ain't the Steven I know!" The purple gem replied with a snicker. Pearl pulled up his shirt and saw went wide eyed, his gem was right there. "Oh, it really is Steven.." Amethyst muttered.
"G-guys.. Help.." The elder Steven gasped, trying to hold his mother's face but being too stubby.
"Oh my gosh.. My baby boy, hold on, we're gonna fix this!" The pink haired woman struggled to cry but couldn't. "Why can't I cry now!?"
"Screw that! Let's just go to your garden!" Amethyst yelled, starting to panic.
"Can't. It's overgrown, we've been spending too much time on missions and Steven." Garnet muttered, taking off her visor. Steven's form changed to an even older, weaker version. His arm fell to his side and he was barely able to speak.
"We can't be out of options yet.. I-I couldn't handle this before he was born and I certainly can't now!" Just like that, Pearl began bawling, hugging his still body.
"Re-rever..se.. Birth..day." He breathed, pointing one index finger toward the almost cleaned up pie across from him. Rose dashed towards it and smashed it onto his face, and this action brought her down ever further.
"I can't do it! I can't hurt you!" Rose sobbed loudly, even Amethyst and Garnet were crying now. With one touch of her tears, Steven woke up just as he felt himself fading. His form went pink for a splint second before reverting back to a child. The gems watched in complete shock, but as soon as Steven was back it was even more tears and one huge hug.
"You.. You saved me.." Steven whispered to them, hugging back with the same abundance of tears as Rose.
"Of course, lil' dude.. We uh.. Don't make me say it-" Amethyst struggled.
"We love you, Steven. We couldn't lose you." Garnet finished for the short one, holding him the hardest, behind his Mom.
"I love you guys too.."
The end!