I had enough on my mind to write another chapter for this story, though I'm not too certain about how it flows. Hope you guys like it.
It won't be a completely plot driven story, mostly just Slice-of-life stuff between characters. The most I plan to go with this is 5 or 6 chapters.
Next Chapter will have Steven in the Boiling Isles.
"Wait, you actually liked the ending of Unfamiliar Familiar?" Luz, the boo loving fantasy geek, gasped in abhorrence of such a thought.
Steven, deciding to stay in town for a while longer to get to know his new young, spunky, and possibly crazy, friend, rolled his eyes as they sat across from each other at the local library in town. A noteworthy fact that Steven observed from the magic loving girl was that she was an avid book lover, more specifically, a fan girl of the fantasy genre, the realms of swords and sorcery, and the world of wizards and witches. It really was like looking at Connie when he first met her, combined with his own past youthful excitement.
(For a brief moment, he though about Connie and what their children would look like before realizing this was probably one of those cases where he shouldn't dwell on it too much least he freak his girlfriend out. Besides, Stevonnie was already a great reference guide.)
Steven consider himself a bit of a fan of books, mostly due to his short-live grounding of T.V for a thousand years, but not enough to actively seek out specific titles or series, mainly due to living in a van from 0 to 10 and being in the middle of space battles from 10-17. He mainly read whatever Connie recommended for him or whatever book had the most interesting title. Luz, upon hearing this, considered a crime that he knew so little about 'fine' literature, though he somehow doubted the series about glowing wear-wolves counted as anything 'fine'.
When she asked about the few books he did read, he mentioned how he loved Connie's favorite book series, a subject Luz was all on board for, raving about it's revolutionary spirit and trope subversion, until he mentioned the apparently 'dreaded' Destiny's End, the black sheep of the series as Luz put it. "What can I say? They were able to find joy despite all the trouble they went through, and I happen to be a bit of a sap for a happy ending."
"Yeah, but it didn't make any sense! I'm all for mush and romance, but it just ignored everything and focused only on that. Where was the build up to their relationship? Why did the hawk turn human at the end? Who suddenly decides that they should get married right on the spot out of no where?!" She calmed her breath. "I mean, did the author just think people decide to get married right on the spot without any hesitation or planning? Who does that?" She laughed.
Steven however paled, losing his train of thought and stared blankly ahead at that statement. "Y-eah, So, so silly. Who'd ever think it was a good idea to get married so soon when they have their entire future ahead of them."
"That's not exactly what I was going for." Luz stared intently at her nervous teen friend. "Wait, you didn't get married, did you?",
"What!? No, of course not! I'm not married, and I definitely didn't propose to my girlfriend, who at the time me was planning for College, at the beach expecting her to say yes on the spot and then fuse together during her classes so that we could never be separated!" Luz's face was a mix of unconvinced and freaked out. "I mean, hypothetically, that's what I would've done if I didn't know better and..you're not buying any of this, are you?"
"You actually proposed! That's-That's pretty ballsy, I'll admit." Luz gleed. "So, spill the juicy deets! How'd you do it? Where did it take place! Did she say yes? She had to say yes, right? You said she was your girlfriend and not your ex, so she must have said yes!" She gasped once more. "Can I be your best man?"
"Whoa, stop, stop! We're not engaged! We're not married. Yet." Steven tried to hide himself behind his arms, feeling embarrassed for bringing up this rather unpleasant memory in his mind. Luckily, it didn't seem to trigger any pink episodes like last time, so he at least had gotten better at processing bad memories. "I wasn't in the right headspace to make such a big choice, and Connie, as much as I loved her, has a life outside of me with her education." He tried to pass it off with a shrug, wanting to stop this conversation as quickly as possible. "It was stupid of me to even think about it at the time."
"You're still dating each other?" That seemed to be the only thing that stuck with the younger teen out of everything he just said.
"..Yes. I don't see why we wouldn't be?"
"It's just, usually when one half of a couple tries to push the relationship to the next level, and the other declines, the relationship ends up strained and the two start to gradually grow apart, the breakup appearing once a friend of both parties expresses an interest in one of them, leaving everyone feeling betrayed, hurt, and usually miserable for a season or two."
"Is that how human relationship's usually go?" He asked in all honesty, and Luz, not that much knowledgeable than Steven in the long run, wavered her hand giving him a so-so gesture. "Well, either way, we didn't break up. In fact, after a.." What was the best way to describe his increasing depression, growing insanity, and eventually monsterization? "...rough minute, our relationship ended up stronger than ever. Besides, most of my other friends were either older than me, family, or had their own thing going on most of the time, so there was never really anybody else I liked in a romantic sense."
"So the one stupid mistake you made didn't mess up your whole love life?"
Steven felt a tiny sting at her blunt assessment. "No. People are allowed to make mistakes, whether or not things will work out depends on how we process them and learn from it. I mean, I told you about my friend Garnet, right?"
"The super awesome British sounding afro mom that's actually a fusion between two polar opposite personalities?"
"That's the one. When we found out the truth about Pink Diamond, she started questioning herself about all the life choices she's made, whether or not she chose to be Garnet by her own choice or by Rose's insistence. It messed her up and she ended up splitting into Ruby and Sapphire for a short while. I initially assumed that the world would end if I never saw Garnet form again, but fusion is dependent on the willingness of both people. And because we gave Ruby time, she and Sapphire can still be Garnet while also being themselves."
"Huh, nice to now I can make mistakes and it won't ruin me forever."
"Believe me, I've seen others make terrible, TERRIBLE mistakes, and have made quite a few on my own. If we let one mistake define us, then we'd never get anywhere in life."
"You're really good with the whole life lesson thing, aren't you?"
"I'm just a bit more experienced then some."
The two sat quietly for a moment, allowing the peacefulness of the library to set in. Truthfully, Steven couldn't recall a single moment where he had so much fun in a library, save for the time he and Connie discovered Buddy Budwick's secret journal. "You're thinking about your girlfriend again." Luz said with a teasing tone, and Steven had very little to defend himself, so he didn't bother trying. "She really means that much to you, huh?"
"Very. She was the first human friend I put effort into making, the first person I ever fused with, and the first one to really fully embrace the not-so-natural side of my family. She's, very special."
"Special enough to propose to twice?" She teased again, and Steven rolled his eyes, knowing he walked into that one. "So what was fusing with her like? You said she was the first, so does that mean you were able to fuse with the other's? Were they the same? Was it different? How different? Can you fuse with anybody? What would our fusion look like!?"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down! I didn't inherit magic hearing from my mom you know." Steven chuckled at Luz's barely restrained enthusiasm, despite the nearby librarians trying to shush them. It was nice to see her get lost in the little world she kept herself in. "In opposite order, there's no telling, probably, each fusion is it's own experience, yes, and.." He thought back to the night on the beach where they danced together for the first time. He was happy and supportive, she was awkward but willing, and they both were pretty laughable dancers, clumsily moving to their own rhythms, but somehow finding the balance to keep up with the other. When one would trip, the other would be their to catch them always.
"Every time that I've fused with someone, it was always about taking what similarities we had, and compromising through our differences. Each one differed depending how our relationships in real life world. Amethyst was the first gem I fused with, and the first time we fused, we were both struggling to be better than what we were currently. Neither of us could beat Jasper by ourselves, because she was literally born the perfect soldier. She and Amethyst both came from earth, but she came out 'overcooked', while Jasper came out more than right."
"But she was able to prove her wrong, right?" Luz questioned. This had the classic rivalry written all over it! This time she couldn't be off the mark!
"No. No matter what she tried, Jasper was just that stronger than her. She would've hurt herself to no end it I didn't step in to tell her how much I cared for her. To me, she was funny, caring, playful, a bit too goofy at times but more than willing to get serious when the time called for it. Out of all the Gems, I probably emulated her the most. She was like the sister I never had.." not to mention the sorta sisters he did have in the other Rose Quartzes, but that's another can of worms he'll tell Luz about later. "..and Smokey Quartz reflected that. We could kick her butt and still have fun while doing it, which is probably why our weapon turned out to be a giant yo-yo."
"Not that I don't totally want to see that.." Luz's pupils formed stars, similarly shaped to the ones he would make in his eyes "..and trust me when I say you HAVE to show me that one of these days, in fact, introduce me to the Gems while you're at it.."
"I'll squeeze it into my schedule one of these days.."
"But what about you and Connie!? Did fusing with her give you more magic? Or because she was human, did it give you super-human powers? WAIT! DOES SHE HAVE MAGIC BECAUSE OF FUSION?!"
"No, at least as far as I know." He never really asked her. Something to think about later? "But yeah, with Connie, it, I won't lie, it was a bit scary at first. It took a second to find the right footing, and suddenly being taller and everybody else staring at us weirdly didn't help matters." That's not even getting into Kevin and how uncomfortable he made the BOTH of them feel. To this day, he's still the one guy Steven can say with certainty he'll never like. "You feel like there's just you at first, but when everything seems bleak, there's a sudden warmness, a confirmation that you're never alone, that you're with someone who'll go to the ends of the earth for you, and reassurance that everything will be okay no matter what."
Luz ears soaked up every word Steven said, making sure to not let a single word be forgotten as he relayed his experience. "Never being alone?" It made her wonder how Steven felt before then, before he met Connie. He of course told her about his life with the Gems, a picture that on paper sounded like the ideal family to her, but he also talked greatly in depth about his father with great respect. He talked about the Gem's struggle to understand what he was while his dad wavered back and forth on how much control and input he had over his son's life.
She had to admit, she felt some slight envy that he was literally born with something she's been told wasn't even real, and he felt the need to downplay that side of his life, yet he seemed so elated and alive whenever she mentioned group assignments and essays. It was confusing and a bit hilarious at the same time. "If you had the chance to relive your life again, would you chose to be more Gem or more human?"
That wasn't a new question to Steven, but it was one he was pretty weary on answering, because even after all this time, he couldn't find himself to have a definitive answer. One might think after everything he's been through, he would chose human in a heartbeat-no obligation to fight Rose's battles, no traumatizing battles, no panic attacks, maybe a house that both he and his dad could've lived in, sounded pretty ideal to him. "Maybe? That's kind of a loaded answer to be honest. If you'd asked me at 14, I would have said more gem, but a few months ago, I would've said more human. And now.." His face wavered, his uncertainty matching Luz's.
"And now..?"
"Now, now I'd probably wouldn't change anything." Luz looked a bit stumped, which Steven caught on to. "There's a lot that I'm glad happened, and there's so much I wish didn't happen. I can argue the pros and cons of being 100% either, but in the end, I'm not all Human or Gem. I'm me. The good times, the bad times, the fun, the pain, it's all me. It's my life, and it belongs to nobody but me."
"So in a way, you're your own fusion." Luz concluded, and Steven ruffled her hair, smirking on how accurate she really was. "Have you ever considered growing a beard? Because with the right tweaks, you could totally pull off the wise wizard mentor look, see?" Luz grabbed a pencil and paper, quickly sketching up a small doddle of Steven in wizard garb. It was titled 'Universo: The Diamond Wizard.'. "I've had this on my mind for a while."
"Not bad. You're a pretty good artist, Luz." He picked up the drawling, smiling at the simple yet detailed drawling. Despite having a slight interest, Steven himself couldn't draw beyond anything decent to save his life. He had a lesson or two with Validia, but he never really stuck with it. "And you did it so fast too."
"When inspiration hits you, you gotta strike while it's hot and fresh!" The magic wannabe proclaimed. "When you can't do magic for real, you do the next best thing!"
"Read Fantasy Books?"
"The 2nd best thing! Art. With this you can picture yourself going anywhere and being anything! Like this one I made!" This one had a drawling of them by a ledge, armed with swords and shields, battling it out with Manticores breathing fire. "This one was inspired by a dream I had last night, and I was hoping it was some sort of premonition and you'd happen to know where any Manticores were."
"Not Manticores, no." Steven smiled, an idea popping in his head. "But I may have something better."
"I take it you're enjoying this." Steven commented as Luz exe. had finally stopped working upon seeing the pink glory that was his favorite animal companion, Lion. A quick text to his girlfriend and that's all it took for Lion to find his way to him. Steven couldn't figure out if Lion could just magically sense his presence or his sense of smell was just that good, but either way, he figured the laid back feline was exactly the type of magical experience she was looking for.
"I. AM. NEVER. LETTING. GO." Luz had her head buried deep into the soft fur of the ferocious feline, an act that said beast could hardly bring himself to care about, which only enabled Luz to nuzzle him furiously, only stopping to breathe ever 5 minutes or so. "It's like a pile of cotton candy came to life and had a baby with the world's softest pillow.
"Careful Luz, dig any deeper, and you might fall into his pocket dimension, and there's no air there."
"THIS BEAUTIFUL CREATURE HAS HIS OWN POCKET DIMENSION!?" Luz jumped onto Steven and shook him. "TAKE ME WITH YOU!"
"Maybe later. Right now, there's a few things I'd like you to see first." He grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her firmly on the lion's rump, before getting on himself. "Feel free to hold on tight, the ride can get pretty bumpy quickly."
"I've gone horseback riding like twelve times Steven, and I only fell 3/4 times, which means I know exactly.."
Lion took off at blazing speed, wasting no time rushing past oncoming cars and inconveniently placed trash and roadblocks.
"Okay, this is nothing at all like riding a horse!" Luz found herself gripping Steven's torso as he calmly kept his position like it was his life-long profession, while she had to stop herself from flying off multiple times. "Although, since this is a magic pink lion, I suppose that's a good thing!"
"Yeah, it's quite the experience. Found him in the desert where he was guarding a corrupted gem. After we dealt with it, he just decided to stick around." He explained out loud as the rushing wind only got fiercer and fiercer. "He also belonged to my mother because she hung around a pride of Lions for some reason and never told anyone, though to be fair, this was probably one of the few GOOD secrets she kept."
"A mystery pet/familiar to guide your way!? Okay, is there anything about your life that could possibly get any cooler?"
Almost by cue, Lion leapt into the air and let out a might 'ROAR', echoing out a pink energy, creating a portal.
Steven took the lack of silence as his answer, as Luz could only spout inaudible but happy gibberish as the two descended into the portal. The flashes of colors Luz say would make you think she was seeing the secrets of creation itself as they were completely washed over by the dazzling lights that occupied the space between spaces. The moment of awe didn't last very long, because the next thing they knew, the world around them was a nightly blue, the sky, the ground, which was because they were currently above an endless ocean, with no boat or island in sight.
"Ahh! Why aren't you freaking out!" Luz screamed. "Please tell me you have some sort of 'no drowning' power that you haven't talk about yet!"
"Sorta, but you don't have to worry! Lion's got it all covered!." He assured her as the fell straight into the dark, murky depths of the ocean below...at least they would've, if Lion didn't continue running on top the water as if it were normal ground. "He freaked me out the first time he did this to me!"
"He can walk on water too! Steven! Why haven't you told me about all the things that you do?!"
"Hey, I've been trying to. I have a lot of stories to tell. It gets a little hard knowing what I have and haven't told you yet." Steven half lied. He didn't want Luz to lose her enthusiasm, so he had to pick and chose what stories he could tell while omitting certain dangerous and traumatizing details. "Besides, isn't it better when you're surprised by something magical instead of being told?"
"Can't really argue with that." Luz accepted, keeping her gaze out on the vast ocean floor. The small town girl couldn't compare the sight to anything she had experienced before, not even the 1 or 2 times her mama took her to the beach and they spent the whole day making sandcastles (or in her exact words, a magically reinforced super fortress ruled by the wizard king and his trusty pupil Luzali!). The beauty of the all blue environment was so breathtaking, she almost failed to notice the shiny sliver object in the distance. "What's that?"
"Where I hoped Lion would take us."
"Hope?"
"He's not the easiest animal to predict, which is why I see him more as a friend then a pet. He does his own thing, but comes around when I need him, isn't that right, buddy?" The beast gave a soft moan in response as they reached their destination. "Well, anyways, thanks buddy. There's a lion licker in your future."
"Lion Lickers. The poor man's Cookie cat."
"I thought there was a reason why we became such fast friends." The two shared a quick fist pup before he showed off where they were. "Welcome to the original Galaxy Warp Hub: The place for all your intergalactic transportation needs."
"G-galaxy w-warp!?" Luz practically danced her way to the biggest one she could find. "So any one of these can take me off planet?" A planet full of danger, mystery, and cuties to meet and/or rescue?
"Well, that's what they were originally made for, but that was back during the war, and we had to destroy them so no one from homeworld could come here. Heh, who even know if the planets they lead to are even habitable now. Connie and I once went to the jungle moon, and it looked like not a single gem had been there for centuries."
"Oh."
"But since that whole mess has been taken care of, we've fixed them, and even placed a few more pads across the globe. I had this idea where we could set up our own little travel service few humans. All you need is a single gem, a destination set in mind, and poof! There in an instant! No need for travel fees or backseat drivers ever again."
"Wow, that sounds both revolutionary and convenient!"
"Exactly! And I was thinking.." He gave a telling smile. "You're about to go on summer break in about a month, and I'm not too set on finding a permanent home just yet..
"Are you saying what I think you're saying!"
"We could make it a whole day, or even a whole week! We can go wherever you want around the world, see whatever you want, eat what you want, or meet who you want."
"That's, that's practically everything I could ask for!" She couldn't believe it. It felt as if all her dreams were being served to her on a silver platter. A whole week to travel anywhere in the world with her magical (currently only) friend! She couldn't wait to tell her mother. "Yes! Yes, I would love to go! I, I don't, I don't know what to say." Was she about to cry from joy? Absolutely. Did she care? Not one bit. "I don't know what I did to deserve this."
"You're you, and you're my friend. That's enough for me." He reassure her, place his arm around her shoulders. "I was planning on checking out something out of town for a while, but if want, I can stay a little longer and.."
"Oh no, don't change your plans because of me!" She was gifted an amazing friend from the stars itself. She would not take this for granted. "We can worry about all that planning summer rolls around. I got to finish my report pronto anyways before than."
"So it's a deal, Ms. Noceda?" He held out a hand, which she graciously accepted
"It's a deal, Mr. Universe." She beamed. "It's going to be the best summer EVER!"
She would be right.
It just wouldn't be in the way she expected.