Author's notes: I've just recently got into the Steven Universe fandom, which spurred me back into writing fan fiction again. I'll try to update this regularly, but I do have a busy life, so keep your eyes peeled. This story contains a few OCs, with 1 of them as a leading character in the story. Light headcanon here and there, but basically everything takes place within current continuity after the events of SUF. And with that...enjoy the tale...
Dr. Sugar always expected something out-of-the-ordinary from her patient Steven DeMayo Universe. Six years of being his therapist established a great deal of change in both her life and career. Before Steven, she was a license-certified childhood & teen therapist. After Steven, she became a family therapist, obtaining certification to provide better, more potent help to not just humans but also gems.
It started with a theory: rarely was it just one family member that needed help. In her experience, many families unconsciously singled out the diagnosed family member as the problem, neglecting their overall dysfunction, a widespread occurrence within the psychiatric world known as "the identified patient" or "black sheep" phenomenon. Initially, assumed Steven would be another "identified patient." However, when she finally met him and, more importantly, his family (a family that was one-half human and one-half ALIEN), she quickly realized Steven's case wouldn't be typical.
Thankfully, news coverage of the Diamonds' invasion many years ago in Beach City made aliens a somewhat casual topic of conversation. Since Steven was a Beach City resident, Dr. Sugar also assumed she'd be treating him for the same type of "gem trauma" (as it was colloquially known) that other Beach City residents faced. The difference with Steven Universe's "gem trauma" was that some of the gems responsible were also part of his FAMILY.
This realization inspired Dr. Sugar to pursue her lifelong career ambition of becoming a family therapist. Within a year after meeting Steven, she secured certification. Two years later, she expanded her services to the gem community. It required some courage on Dr. Sugar's part to propose this idea to a 19-year-old Steven at the time. While technically, her offer didn't break any codes of conduct, she knew this request was far outside the normal parameters of a professional Doctor/Patient relationship.
However, Steven thought it was an excellent idea. With that, three years into being Steven's therapist, Dr. Rebecca Sugar moved her offices into Little Homeworld & continued living a life of daily surprises.
The surprise she was experiencing today was a solid 8.9 out of 10. She knew something was amiss late last night when she received Steven's texts requesting an emergency session. She called immediately out of concern. However, on the phone, Steven said he wanted a video session planned for the next day. She's always offered this service, but he seldom used it. There had only ever been four emergency video sessions between them, each incident involving Steven's diamond powers to some capacity.
For example, his 1st emergency session occurred when he "went pink" (as he called it) after a date with his longtime girlfriend, Connie Maheswaran, at Jayhawk University. The incident occurred when Steven was 19 and Connie was 17. Connie, naturally being the overachiever she was, had already advanced a grade, making her graduate high school early. Her astounding SAT and ACT scores allowed her admittance into several on-campus PSEO classes Jayhawk offered. Steven asked Connie if he could tag along for the tour & maybe they could grab dinner afterward. If he ever wanted to meet Connie at Jayhawk in the future, he'd have to get used to navigating the campus. Connie thought it was an excellent idea; thus, it was a date!
Steven was actually in amazing spirits throughout the tour and dinner. However, once Steven dropped Connie off, insecurities started to bubble. Although he was two years older, Connie was the one going to college, while Steven never had a "normal" education. He was bright academically. Pearl was a phenomenal teacher, and Steven's knowledge of human history was more profound than any textbook since Pearl was a first-hand eyewitness (one of the many benefits of having a technically immortal teacher). However, it didn't change how his first time on a college campus made him feel small. These insecurities rattled in Steven's brain for many miles; no matter what he did, he couldn't stop it. Eventually, this resulted in him "going pink," which resulted in him losing sleep for a few days because - within the confines of the Dondai - Steven became a high-powered neon night-light from which there was no escape. Eventually, exhausted & giving in, he called Dr. Sugar outside their weekly appointments and requested his first ever emergency video session.
With this being their 4th and now armed with a more thorough understanding of Steven's Diamond Powers, Dr. Sugar thought she had braced herself accordingly for whatever weirdness was about to transpire. However, when the Google Meet screen booted up, realized she had poorly miscalculated.
Displayed was a human version of Steven and a larger, more muscular, pink version of him in the background. This figure looked precisely like Steven's Pink Diamond form. How the hell were there two Stevens in the same room simultaneously?
"Well," Dr. Sugar began after momentarily gathering her thoughts. "This is a…new development."
Human Steven closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, new for you - not so new for me."
"How long has this been going on?" Dr. Sugar inquired.
Steven pondered this for a second, "Well, it's the first time he's allowing himself to be seen by other people. I've been seeing him for a while now."
At this point, Pink Steven became aware of the conversation. With a wicked, mischievous smile, he closed the distance between him and human Steven, picked up the laptop, and introduced himself to Dr. Sugar.
"Why, Hello, Rebecca!" Pink-Steven announced in an almost sing-song voice, his deep, pink, blazing eyes glaring like the sun. "How are you today?! My, you look stunning. Is it possibly those dangly gold earrings Steven likes so much?"
Hearing enough from his Pink counterpart, Steven wrestled the laptop back, shoving the apparition away with a palm to the face and a slight groan of annoyance.
"Sorry about that," Steven grumbled.
Dr. Sugar's response was a chuckle. "You like my earrings?"
Steven huffed, "I mean….yeah, they look nice. But that's not the point." Steven paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look…Pink can just come out and say those things, but for me, saying something like that - while true - it requires major confidence."
Dr. Sugar gave a light smile. "Aww, Steven - I'm flattered you think I look stunning today. But I understand your hesitation. It's not the most…professional way to start a conversation with your therapist."
Pink Diamond Steven, now in the kitchen consuming a large bag of cheddar Chex-Mix, loudly proclaimed through mouthfuls of food that sputtered onto the floor, "Who cares if it's professional or not? I'm his subconscious, after all."
Dr. Sugar hummed curiously. "Your Subconscious?"
Steven nodded his head. "That's about the quickest way to describe what this…PINK THING IS." Steven gestured toward Pink in disgust.
Pink stopped his chewing and simply stared at Steven. "Y'know, you've got a lot of self-esteem issues."
Human Steven stuck out his tongue.
Pink Diamond Steven smiled and flipped him off in response.
Then a new figure joined the conversation, "FELLAS! PLAY NICE! Pink, quit agitating Steven."
Pink crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "He's only agitating himself," Pink muttered.
The man who called for peace was none other than Steven's roommate, Jared Homestead - J for short.
Dr. Sugar was familiar with J; however, this was their first time formally meeting. Steven met J two years ago, and the two young men developed a steady friendship that blossomed into a strong friendship since Steven moved in 16 months ago. J's name came up often in Steven's therapy sessions. How could it not? Especially when, to an outside observer, J could potentially be seen as a bad influence.
Anyone who knew anything about J knew him for three reasons.
1. He was a highly trained musician who could play guitar, bass, keys, and drums. He made his living by doing studio work, filling in at live gigs when bands desperately needed a last-second drummer, and by having a few weekly lessons on the side.
2. He was a hyper-active attention & thrill seeker with a kind heart and a very introspective mind for a young adult in his early 20s.
3. He was a massive stoner who loved to party.
Although not in-person, Steven's webcam dutifully captured J's splendid aura in all its glory. Dr. Sugar surmised the best way to describe J's aesthetic was "stoner chic." He was tall but only slightly taller than Steven. He had a very similar body build but with longer arms and thinner thighs. J had long, delicate, light brown hair which parted in the middle in symmetrical waves: one part Kurt Cobain, the other David Lynch. J had a large, square-ish face softened by round, rosy cheeks, a tiny but wide nose, a smile that could stretch for miles, and a butt-chin camouflaged by a goatee. Facial hair-wise, aside from the goatee, he also sported a mustache and sideburns. He wore a large black & white drug rug that perfectly complimented his Adidas sweatpants: Color-coordinated yet comfortable.
"Ahh," Dr. Sugar exclaimed as she got a better look at the young man. "You must be J. Steven's certainly talked a lot about you."
"I hope he hasn't told you everything," J jokingly replied.
"Other than being a great, reliable friend…and a major stoner," Dr. Sugar replied. "That's about all I know about you."
J usually wouldn't be insulted by anyone's observation of his weed habits. However, the slight judgmental tone in Dr. Sugar's voice caught him off guard. "Hey, ma'am, isn't weed, like, supposed to help with anxiety? That's why I offered it to him in the first place."
"Why yes," Dr. Sugar exclaimed with the slightest uptick in volume, responding to J's sass with a bit of her own. "There've been many studies into cannabis as a method to treat anxiety and even CPTSD. If only Steven had…I don't know…a therapist who knew whether or not to prescribe him cannabis & how to regulate it!"
J frowned slightly, knowing he was in the wrong, but accepting it. "I will admit, I may have crossed some lines. But I will say Steven regulates himself pretty well. He's not like me. Don't forget; he's the one who decided to smoke recreationally, even after his bad first experience."
"Tell me about it," Steven mumbled, the memory still somewhat embarrassing.
Dr. Sugar hummed, nodding her head in agreement. It wasn't news that Steven smoked occasionally, and he was very forthcoming about his consumption in therapy. She heard about his "bad trip" in one of their weekly appointments just days after it transpired. Based on her observations, his intake was of no concern. However, the triggering of Steven's diamond powers through Cannabis certainly was a new development.
"Secondly," J continued. "I'm the one who convinced Steven to set up this meeting in the first place."
Dr. Sugar's face on the computer screen turned towards Steven. "Is that true?"
Steven looked at his buddy with a shit-eating grin. "Your screaming coherence me."
"Hey man," J barked back. "I'm cool with you being half alien. But yesterday," he pointed toward Pink on the couch, "This large pink version of yourself just sprouts out your belly-button gem thingy…and apparently, you've been seeing him for a while."
"Back to my initial question," interrupted. "Steven, how long have you seen this…pink version of yourself?"
"My first time seeing him was during," he grimaced for a moment, the horrifying memory slightly searing like an open wound near flame. "my incident with White Diamond."
"Fuck dat bish!" Pink replied in the background. There was a slight strain to his voice. As Steven, J, and Rebecca turned their collective attention toward the apparition, he exhaled a milky-white cloud of pot smoke. He had loaded an ornate bong that casually rested on J's glass coffee table and just took a massive rip, no concern for decency.
"Wait," Dr. Sugar demanded, her brain processing what was said and putting two-and-two together. "You think this is the same pink version of yourself you saw back then?"
"Yep," Steven grumbled, disappointed by how proudly Pink just casually smoked weed in the background - in clear view of his therapist, no less! But Steven knew there were other times to worry. Currently, He had to explain to Dr. Sugar when and where Pink-Diamond-Steven (AKA Pink) started becoming a common inconvenience, and it just so happened all parties involved were present.
"You see," Steven began, "The second time I met Pink was the first time I met J..."
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