As the sun began its decent over Beach City, so too did the inhabitants of that quaint coastal town begin to turn in for the oncoming night. The summer air was warm and clean, supported by the fresh sea breeze that came in to dance along the sand before disappearing into the hills beyond. Streetlights and lamplights from inside homes began to flicker on, and the sky was painted in rosy shades, the stars beginning to twinkle into existence above.

On the crest of the blade shaped beach, at the head of a large cliff, remaining stony and stoic as it had for centuries, was the face and body of a woman, carved out of the very stone itself, four arms raised high. Time and weather had eaten away at her façade, three of her arms having long since fallen, but she remained; a watch guard for this place, a sentinel upon which a lighthouse had been erected for those at sea. The lighthouse stood as hope for mankind, and she, as hope for gemkind.

Just down the beach, away from the small but unique house that been built at the statue's base, a lone figure sat just at the edge of the waves. A young man of quite some repute in this small town, black curly hair and expressive eyes, looking out towards the sea, as the sun touched the far-off horizon. His jeans were rolled and cuffed up to free his feet and ankles, pink thong sandals sat a ways behind him, along with a pink jacket. His toes were left to let the soft waves lap at them, as he sat quietly, arms crossed over his knees, his gaze moving across the blue waters.

Steven Universe had taken a moment to himself, away from his friends and family, to reflect. It was something his new therapist had charged him in doing, part of his new self-care routine; physical exercise, clean diet, keeping a journal, and quiet reflection; and so far, so good. Steven had not felt this at peace in quite a while, but he knew that it would be some time yet before he was truly himself again. The trauma of his past and his recent decent into depression and madness made into a grotesque physical form had taken its toll on the seventeen-year-old, but now he had the tools and resources he needed to move forward and get better.

With a small sigh, Steven moved to sit cross-legged, feeling the soft sand shift under his weight. The silence, save for the soft rhythm of the waves, was soothing to him. But, being a musician, when a song came on, he was not one to stop himself.

His voice came off quiet, unsure, but clear; "I don't need you to respect me, I respect me-"

He paused, it was strange to hear himself sing, and he realized it was the first time he had done so since… well, everything had happened. It felt weird, but good; his therapist had told him that feeling good was alright. With a small smile he took a breath to continue.

"Steven!"

A familiar voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and he turned around to see his best friend… his girlfriend…. Connie running across the beach towards him from the house; a smile blossomed on his face. He hadn't seen her in about a week, and her sudden appearance was a welcome one, "Connie!" he called back.

Before he could stand to greet her the young woman slid down next to him in the sand, in her hand she clutched a paper bag, the bottom of which was soaked in grease, "There you are," she said, slightly out of breath but with a smile on her face, "I went looking for you at the house but your dad said you were out here having some quiet time."

Her smile faltered for a moment, "I hope I'm not disturbing you." She said.

Steven was quick to raise his hands, "No, no, you're not bothering me at all. I'm glad you're here." He said earnestly, "Did you… bring me something?"

Connie seemed surprised that she had forgotten the bag she was holding, "Oh! Yes, I went by the Hot 2 Tot and got some tater tots we could share. Peedee also threw in some bits for you." She grinned.

Steven chuckled, "Great, thanks."

The two of them spent the next couple minutes in silence, save for their crunching of the tater-tots and bits. The sun was now nearly halfway under the horizon, and the sky was awash of umber red and purple. The bag of treats was quickly devoured by the two teenagers. Satisfied, Steven leaned back, his hands in the sand, "Thanks Connie, that was great."

The Indian girl smiled, "No problem."

Once again, a quiet settled between them. It was almost a tense quiet, one that had been there since the day Steven had turned into that monster. They really hadn't had the chance to talk about it, about anything, but Steven wanted to work through it himself before he brought Connie into the mix. She seemed to understand that, but it was still a difficult thing, the whole ordeal hung over them like a cloud.

After a moment, Steven felt a soft touch on his hand, and he looked down to see Connie had placed her hand on his. She was blushing, and looking into the sand, "I've missed you Steven."

The boy felt his own blood rush up to his face and he realized this was the first time he had been alone with Connie since that other day on the beach, during a sunset much like this one. His heart began to pound, and he could feel his skin prickling with nerves. Was he turning pink? He didn't think so, at least, Connie didn't react negatively as she looked up at him with her doe-like eyes.

"Connie… about the last time, when I… proposed to you…" He began, his words calculated and nearly painful to speak.

A twinge of fear flicked over her eyes, but it was so brief he was not sure he had even seen it. She raised her hand from his and placed a finger onto his lips. The sensation startled him, or, at least caused his nerves to burst into butterflies in his stomach. Being around her recently always seemed to cause this reaction in him; it was confusing and exciting, he wondered if she felt the same way.

"Shh," She said, before removing her finger, "You don't need to apologize. I understand why you did what you did; you were scared, worried about the future, about me leaving… I get it Steven, I really do-"

Now it was the boy's turn to cut her off, to surprise her, by taking her hands in his, "No, that's not what I was going to say." He began, his face hot and rosy as he looked her in the eyes, "What I was going to say was that… it was silly of me to propose to you."

Connie's face fell, it was obvious she was not expecting that, but Steven gripped her hands more tight, "What I mean is, it was silly for me to propose to you… before I told you that I loved you."

Steven's heart was pounding a million miles a minute at this point, his whole body felt like it might just explode, but it was all worth it as he watched the smile creep back on Connie's face, "Oh Steven, I love you too!"

Drawing close, the two embraced deeply, Steven burying his face into her hair. They of course had always known that they loved each other, but over time that love had changed, it had grown, and now it felt like something new… something good.

After several moments, they finally released their hug to look at each other, both their faces were flushed red with emotion and they couldn't stop smiling. Steven reached up and touched Connie gently on the cheek, "I love you so much, Connie, I always have, from the moment we met on this beach those years ago. I don't know why I haven't said it before now."

He could see her eyes glisten with tears, and felt his own begin to well up. Raising his other hand to her face, he smiled gently and then took a breath.

"It also would have been strange to get married, before doing this…"

Steven drew Connie's face to his and kissed her. It wasn't a small, friendly peck like she had given him on the cheek before, but a true, full kiss. He felt Connie place her hands on his back, and her form relax into his touch, and that was it.

It was like magic, like a warm hug, like the first day of spring; Steven's heart raced to the point it felt like his whole body was pounding. Behind closed eyelids, he could sense a glow begin to come over them, but all he could think of was the feeling of her lips, the smell of her hair, the warmth of her closeness.

And then, they were so close that neither could tell where one started and one began. Embracing figures became one, and sitting in the sand where Connie and Steven once were was Stevonnie.

Arms wrapped around themself, a smile on their face, a single joyful tear ran down their cinnamon cheek. Eyes opened to watch as the last hint of the sun disappeared into the sea; and with it, any doubt of their feelings. Stevonnie felt the love for both Connie and Steven within their heart, and their love for each other, and it made them whole.

Drawing their knees up to their chin, they took a breath of the crisp evening air, and then released it.

"I don't need you to love me, I love me… and I want you to know that I know me… and I can change my mind."

"I can change my mind…"

"I can change my mind."

"I've changed my mind"