Yo I have like 73 pages of this fic in my google doc. Hot Dog man.
ALSO, read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell! It's like Harry Potter, but better UwU.
IMPORTANT!
I added a bunch to the end, this way I can write chapter 26 (I didn't end up deleting much)
Anywho,
Steven
I did not sleep well at all last night… I was having a fitful nightmare, but Stan woke me up. He cooked me an egg and ended up making us some tea. He told me it would help me sleep. We talked for about three hours before I nearly fell asleep. I don't like opening up (my therapist is getting annoyed with me I think…) but Stan was easy to talk to. He told me all that he knew about Bill, and he told me about growing up, and what his mother was like.
"Ya know, you don't have to tell me anything and I can just keep talking all night, but my voice is getting old." He told me. I didn't really understand it, but I figured he meant that I should talk too. So I did. I told him about my mom, and what it was like growing up with the gems raising me.
I knew that he had figured out who I was. And my first thought was to pack up and leave. I've never shown my face on the news, or given my full name, because I don't want to be recognized by people. Especially after my meltdown. But Stan promised not to tell anymore.
"The kids or my brother might figure it out on their own time, but it's not my business to tell anyone anything you tell me." I liked talking to Stan. I wasn't paying him to listen, and I didn't feel like a burden. It was like telling someone a story, and he shared his story with me.
I'm behind the counter at the shop now, the kids are out doing something, Wendy mentioned having a second job at the pool, and Soos is working on maintenance somewhere on the grounds.
An older couple walks through the door. The woman is rather short and has her arm hooked around her husband's elbow. She's wearing a pink knee length skirt and a white collared shirt. Her hair is mostly white with streaks of dusty brown, coiled up in a bun on the top of her head. Her eyes are a soft brown with smile lines around her eyes. The man has short white hair that's almost all gone (he's pretty bald) and he has a bushy mustache. He's wearing tan shorts and a golf shirt with socks that nearly reach his knees.
I recognize them from somewhere, but I can't put my thumb on it. I try not to stare at them as they browse the shop, but I keep looking up. I accidentally make eye contact with the man and look down at my hands awkwardly.
"Look Darling! Isn't this just the cutest!" She's holding up a tiny novelty spoon with a question mark on the handle. They come over to the counter and the woman fishes in her purse for her wallet.
"Are Dipper and Mabel not around today?" The man looks down at me and I can't help but stare at him now.
"Uh now, they're out today." Where have I seen them before? "Do you know them?" I try to smile politely and I put the little spoon in a small paper bag.
"They're mother is our niece!" The woman smiles and me and I feel my stomach drop to the floor. I think I know who they are. The man is squinting at me now.
"Do you mind if I ask your names?" I run one of my shaking hands through my hair. I really should get a haircut soon.
"I'm Alice Demayo and this is my husband,Caleb." There's a worried expression on her face, "Are you alright? You look faint." She places her palm on top of my hand resting on the counter. Her hand is warm.
"Do you know who Greg Demayo is?" Alice draws her hand back and Caleb draws in a short breath.
"That's our son. Do you know him?" He's looking at me with sharp eyes. The skin around my gem feels hot and will myself to not turn pink (I've been in therapy, but that doesn't make the problems magically go away. I've been turning pink less, but it still happens).
"He's," I steady my voice, "He's my dad." As soon as the words escape my mouth their faces turn pasty white. "I'm Steven." I hold out my hand and Caleb gives it a firm shake, but Alice is just staring at me in shock.
"Is he here? Do you live around here?" Alice squeaks out and her eyes are fixated on my face.
"N-no, I'm sorry my house is on the other side of the country, I-" Before I could finish Caleb interrupts me.
"What are you doing all the way over here? That's a hell of a commute!"
"I was on a road trip, and I crashed my car." I hand the bag to them over the counter and Alice grabs my hand and I flinch at her quick movement. This drains her face even more.
"What time do you get off work? Could we take you out for dinner." She squeezes my hand, they're so warm. The gems' hands are always cold (except Garnet). Stan walks into the shop now.
"Well if it isn't Caleb!" Stan laughs so does Caleb. They exchange an awkward sort of hug where they slapped each others backs twice and stepped apart. (Connie says that's called a bro hug. I call it weird). Alice lets go of my hand and gives Stan a quick hug.
"So I see you two have met my newest employee!" Stan nods towards me.
"Yes, and apparently he's Greg's boy." Caleb states and Stan looks at me, one eyebrow arched in a questioning manor.
"So we're stealing him from you, because I've been deprived from grandchildren for years!" Alice stamps her foot.
"Alright, as long as you give him a ride back." Stan nods to me and I step out from behind the counter. Truthfully, I don't want to get in a car with them. They're family by blood, but total strangers to me.
"I saw the cutest little diner that was shaped like a log on the way here!" Alice grabs my arm and leads me out. All I'm wearing is shorts that reach my knees, flip flops, and a shop t-shirt. I feel under-dressed, like I should be wearing full golf attire.
Alice
I should have read the letters… Greg stopped sending them years ago. He just up and left one day, took that ratchet van and drove off. I never heard his songs on the radio, or heard much from him.
He had a child. He's sitting in the backseat now, and his face looks a lot like Greg's when he was a boy. Steven. I wonder who Steven's mother is… Oh I have so many questions, I should wait until we're facing each other. Why didn't Greg come to visit?
Why didn't I open those letters?
Steven
We pull into the restaurant parking lot after a short, quiet, and awkward ride. I wish I had time to fix up my hair. We sit down at a booth (I think Connie would really like this place) and a waitress with one eye closed brings us our menus.
"Does Greg still have his van?" Caleb starts.
"I, uh… crashed that too. I swear I'm not usually a bad driver! I was just really upset." I look from the menu up to their faces. This is horribly awkward. "Actually I was upset because I just found out about you guys." Alice looks so confused and hurt.
"Oh?"
"Well a couple months back, he broke into your house to get stuff from his old room, and I didn't know you existed before then. I really wish I would have grown up knowing you…" I look up at Alice sincerely and she grasps my hand again.
"I wish we could have known about you too. I suppose this is our fault. Greg wrote us letters that we didn't respond to." She looks so close to tears and lets go of my hand to pick up her menu.
"I don't think it's really your fault. I met Andy a few years ago, he didn't know I existed either. That's when I figured out that Dad's last name used to be Demayo."
"He changed his name?" Caleb sounds horrified and annoyed.
"Yeah, his last name is Universe now, so is mine."
"From that song!" Alice tries not to groan, but I can tell she's displeased.
"Well, tell us about your childhood, Steven." Caleb changed the subject and places a hand on Alice's shoulder for a moment.
"Well, I mostly grew up in the van and moved into a house with my moms friends when I was thirteen. They have helped raise me since I was young, they're my family." I really miss them, and the house, but I love the freedom out here.
"What town did you say you were from?" Caleb sets his menu down, so I figured he picked something.
"Beach City in Delmarva." I say and the waitress comes back to the table. We place our orders (I decided to go with a stack of pancakes) and Alice looks at me wide eyed.
"Isn't that where the new gem settlement is?" She asks in a hushed voice, like it's some kind of secret.
"Yes it is. I founded Little Homeworld." I decide to be bold. No secrets, I don't have a lot of time with them today, I have a lunch, so I need to be bold. Alice sits back in her seat and her eyes look watery. Ah shoot, maybe I shouldn't have been bold.
Alice
"You're the one that saved the universe?" Caleb looks like Steven caught him off guard.
"Yup." He's fiddling with his thumbs, Greg used to do that when he got nervous. This explains his eyes. This also means that he has a gem. Caleb and I have a new neighbor who's a gem! She's a Pearl but she likes to be called Sally.
She's an adorable being and she comes over for tea a lot. One afternoon she said to me; "I don't think any other gems have chosen human names, but I like being different. There are so many other Pearls… I want my own name!" Sally likes to wear clothes too, even though I'm told that gems don't need too.
I grab Steven's hands and hold them,"There's no need to be nervous." Steven smiles at me, not an awkward smile, but a genuine smile. I'm not going to point it out, but he has fangs. I wonder if that's a gem thing too…
"You're too young to have saved the universe…" I say in almost a whisper. The poor lamb. He's so young, too young. The stress of saving the whole universe shouldn't be on the shoulders of a child.
"It was a lot of work." He confesses, "But it's worth it!"
"Of course it's worth it," Caleb leans his elbows on the table, "but it has its baggage. You can't save the universe and have a normal childhood." Steven looks like he was slapped across the face. His eyes are wide and I feel his hands quiver in mine. Caleb leans back and gives Steven a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure you had to drop out of school to have time for it." I offer, but I think of Greg wanting to drop out. Maybe Steven was glad to leave school.
"Dad never put me in school." Steven huffs. He looks upset about it. That's when the pancakes interrupt us. Beautiful, fluffy, pancakes.