His Corrupted Self Summary: When Spinel attacked his planet, she didn't bring just a rejuvenator but a corruptor as well. He knew she wanted vengeance against his mom. He didn't know she would slash him with the rejuvenator before ripping his gem free and slashing that with the corruptor. Steven is split in two and his gem half doesn't look right. For one, it's red and not pink. For two, it's gained sentience different from his human half. And not the good kind of sentience either. Now Steven is fully human and fighting not just against a rogue gem, but his corrupted self as well.
WARNINGS – Self-cest, forced marriage, forced submission, Steven suffers, angst, emotional/physical abuse, minor violence, and minor molestation
His Corrupted Self Part 3
A nasty smile darkened the other's face. The torches scattered around the hastily built stage cast eerie shadows over his face. Even though Red was the one kneeling on the stage with Steven standing taller than him for once, he couldn't help but feel smaller. His gaze darted from the other's smug face to the ring in the waiting box. Was this it? Was the fate of his future and, more importantly, the life of his friends dependent on him giving up? Giving in to an evil dictator? Who also happened to be himself but not really and he did not want to think about that anymore.
"Then take the ring."
One last glance to the puzzled gem audience, Steven steeled his nerves and accepted the box. Red rose to his feet while he focused on plucking the ring free of the little cushion. Hesitating just a beat, he slid the jewelry onto his left ring finger.
Several sharp somethings sank into his skin.
"What the heck?" He yelped and flailed, struggling to pry the ring off as it glowed scarlet. "What was that? What did you do? What is this thing?"
"Just a reminder." Red snagged him by the waist. "That you agreed to be mine."
Steven tried to protest but the words died in his throat. He was right. He sagged. The pins retracted but the sting remained. For his friends and family, he had to do this. Red pulled him closer, swiping the box and tucking it away into the formerly pink jacket pocket. He briefly wondered if Ruby and Sapphire's gems were still stored in the red fabric.
"Now…" Red faced the audience with him locked securely at his side. "There's work to be done!"
Steven scanned the crowd and clenched his fists, painfully helpless. The rocks studded around the ring nipped his skin. Gems shifted around until some parted in the front row to reveal a familiar figure noticeable even under the torches and moonlight.
The plump man called. "Steven and uh Steven?"
Steven's jaw slacked as he lurched for his dad, the one person who loved him no matter who he was thought to be. The one person who loved him unconditionally and never blamed him for his mistakes. The only person who had been a constant support in his jumbled, messed up life.
"Dad!" He cried, wiggling free and reaching.
Fingers snatched him by the hip and bodily hauled him back into a suffocating hold. He squeaked and stumbled with the movement, soon pinned in place. Confusion flicked over his dad's expression like the flickering lights. Greg's face shifted from wide and darting eyes to a narrowed sort of determination.
"Hey!" He stepped forwards, craning his neck to look at the doppleganger.
Steven yelped as the grip tightened enough to bruise.
"Hey, whoa! Stop! You're hurting him–er, you?!"
He squirmed just enough to see Red sneer something ugly. "He is mine to do with as I please."
Steven dropped his head and fell limp because it was true. He had just agreed to belong to the other: the rock studded ring on his finger was proof. Though he didn't look up, he could hear the concern in his dad's voice.
"I don't know what's going on. I never do, schtu-ball, you know that. But whatever happened we can work through it! Just talk to me. Please, son. What's–"
"This." Red grabbed him by the hair, yanking his whole head up as if he were something to display. "Is your son."
"Wha–"
"I am not your son. I am the protegé of Pink Diamond, not a disgusting organic like you."
His dad flinched so hard that Steven couldn't help but mimic the movement. The Diamond was being unreasonably cruel to his–or their–or maybe it was just his now–father no less! He fumbled for something to say and diffuse the situation but then his dad was talking and he quieted.
"...All I know is that my son is hurting and I want to help. So," his dad offered a palm, stretching towards the two of them on the stage. "How can I help?"
"How…" Red drawled. "Disgusting. He doesn't need or want anything from the likes of you. Not when he has me."
His dad looked as if he had been personally slapped. Steven was certain the same expression was mirrored on his own face. He twisted and squirmed in the suffocating hold but Red wouldn't let him go, fingers fisting his hair.
"Stop it!" He pushed and pulled but nothing worked. "Stop being so cruel!"
Scarlet glowed. "Toss the trash."
"Yes, My Diamond."
"That's–that's my dad!" His heart hammered as a gem closest to his dad grabbed him by the shoulder. "You promised not to hurt anyone if I agreed! And I agreed. So please!"
Despite being manhandled, his dad focused on him. "Agreed to what, Steven?"
His wrist was grabbed and jerked upwards to reveal the crimson ring studded with pink rocks. The fingers stayed tight in his hair. Greg gasped and Steven had to resist averting his gaze because he still needed to make sure his dad wouldn't be harmed.
"Like I said, he's mine." Red growled then spat. "But fine. I'll allow you to keep your organic, little dove. He'll get his own cell and everything once the palace dungeon is built. Will that satisfy you?"
"Yes, just don't hurt him, please."
"Then we're done here." The Diamond waved. "Take that organic to one of the empty houses and lock all exits. If he's smart, he won't try to leave. But if he's stupid..." Here, the hold on his hair loosened and he stumbled towards the front of the stage. He twisted in time to see Red sneer at his father with a dark sort of satisfaction. "...shatter him."
"Red!" Steven shrieked, panic hitting him hard and fast. "The deal–"
"Only applies to your friends." Was the smug response. "Family not included."
He wanted to scream. Because how dare he? How dare this–this stranger wearing his face threaten everything he held dear? How dare this imposter use a distorted version of his voice and say such awful things? Like an electronic recording played back in a different pitch. Why did his gem half have to ruin him? What was wrong with his gem half? Was it even him anymore? Or part of him? How else could this all happen? Why else would his other half be some sort of shatter-ready monster?
Screaming would cause an unwanted scene, especially in front of his already worried father. He could only simmer with rage and clench his fists. A quick glance over the crowd confirmed Greg was being hauled off into a house. He hissed. "Just what do you want?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
Red reached and instinct had him retreating. Only, there was no more floor left. His heel slipped, his weight pitched, and he toppled off the stage head-first. He fully expected to hit the grass and risk a concussion. Maybe even black out. But dark red snapped around him, a dice-like bubble suspending him in midair, and levitated atop the stage. The bubble popped and he fell into Red's waiting arms. Bridal-style.
The Diamond leaned close enough to whisper into his ear. "You are mine, Steven Quartz Universe. My peaceful little dove. My beautiful queen. And my–" teeth nipped his ear, "lovely little wife."
Steven flinched, recoiling from the fangs. Breath fanned across his face. Diamond pupils pinned him in place, dilated enough to reveal his horrified reflection. He blinked fast, a wave of dizziness washing over him as the panicked adrenaline from the day's events finally drained and left him empty.
"I'm…" he struggled for air, black dotting his vision. "I'm not your wife."
"No," Red cooed. "But you will be. Rest now, my little fiancé. I'll take care of you."
Weakly, he struggled to stay awake. But his body couldn't hold out any longer. It was finally shutting down, dragging his awareness with it. The flickering candlelight faded as darkness descended. Red's voice muffled as his body was shifted in the hold to curl against a warm surface.
He slept.
When he woke, it was to a cough seizing his chest and sunlight blinding him. Over the sound of his hacking and sneezing, he vaguely heard a distorted voice barking commands. Blurry vision blinked into clearer focus. Wha…? Muddled thoughts fought for attention. Who's holding me? Even worse came the realization. It wasn't a dream?
The entirety of the previous day seeped into him. His family needed him. He tried to wiggle in the hold but a palm kept him in place by the shoulder while the other held him under the knees. In his squirming, he realized his head was angled to lean into the crook of a neck. His body was still slow to react to the new information. He inhaled the scent of raspberries. Raspberries? He floundered in his own mind. Who smells so tart?
His vision wasn't clear enough. He forced a fist to rub his face. Why were his limbs so heavy? His throat burned as his whole body convulsed with another cough. A low and metallic voice hummed above him. He latched onto the sound, fumbling to get a grip on the colors whirling around him.
"...ove?" The voice echoed slightly as fabric rustled by his ear. "Steven, love, go back to sleep."
"No," he croaked, a sense of urgency pulling his consciousness. "No, need 'o… sa'e Dad…"
Sharp fingertips pricked his skin through the clothes by his shoulder and under his knees. "Shush. Don't speak of him."
He grumbled and rubbed his eyes. As his senses opened, he felt fabric gliding along his skin in an unfamiliar way.
"Wha's… 'his?" Fingers curled into the fabric, blindly fumbling down from his rib cage down to his waist and then, "no pan's?"
"It's not the prettiest," metal clicked with a scoff. "But it'll do."
Like swimming upstream, Steven struggled to focus. "Dress, why?"
"A Queen wears dresses." The one holding him kissed the crown his hair. "And you are mine."
Clarity spidered along his spine and up to his skull. The corrupted version of his gem was holding him, wasn't he? A cough surged and snapped his eyes open. His body curled sharply inward and the hold around him tightened. The same fingertips from before pierced, this time tearing the fabric. One pained whine prompted them to loosen.
Blinking fast, he scanned his sunlit surroundings. The stranger with his face held him bridal-style. Pale skin rosied with embarrassment as the realization that Red had indeed decided to carry him, presumably the entire time he'd been asleep, settled in. The sun continued to glare from its spot in the morning sky. One day. One whole day had passed since the previous morning when Spinel had attacked the planet. And now? Now this corrupted lookalike was in the middle of seizing control.
"Soldier!" Red barked, neck craning to the side to look at someone Steven couldn't see. "Move faster. Inefficiency is not an option. Not for my Queen!" The other looked to someone else. "Focus! Or are you a defect? Work harder."
He sucked in air through his mouth, becoming fully aware of its dryness. His voice cracked incoherently as he tried to speak.
Diamond pupils snapped down to him, tone eerily gentle. "What do you need, love?"
Ignoring the pet name, he rasped. "W-water…"
Red cracked his head up, expression cold. "You! Fetch your Queen a glass of water and do that now."
The change from soft to rough nearly gave Steven whiplash. He couldn't stifle a cough and his lungs burned. Red returned to fussing over him, absently lifting him higher along the shirt. Steven blinked. When did he change? The other no longer wore a replica of his organic half's clothing. Instead, sometime between the night to now, Red must've shape-shifted a formal outfit.
A button-down rose-tinted shirt covered by a crimson vest, complimented by a rose knotted bowtie. Steven almost wanted to feel insulted by the rose motif. Especially given the other was a corrupted version of him and not the actual "protege son' of Pink Diamond. He could only assume the other wore dress pants and, presumably, dress shoes. Otherwise the fangs were the same. The horns had grown just a bit though, he noticed.
The gem he had commanded appeared within Steven's line of sight: one of the bulkier gems, a zebra jasper. She held a glass of water firmly in one hand and, though he couldn't see her eyes beneath the teal colored hair, her mouth had formed a fierce scowl. Steven shrank beneath the intensity and her expression softened while Red's own tightened. Red freed a palm, though the arm itself was still hooked beneath his shoulders, and waited expectantly.
A beat passed. When she didn't pass the glass, the atmosphere dropped. "Hand it here, soldier."
Her lone gray and white striped horn tilted as she looked them over despite her eyes hidden behind her bangs. His brows furrowed while lips curled into a dark scowl.
"Here, soldier." Red tried once more. "Do I need to give an order?"
Steven squirmed in place, the air nearly suffocating. Zebra Jasper tucked her chin to study the glass and then the corrupted Diamond once more.
Silence passed, until she spoke. "Who do you think you are?"
Steven winced as Red practically flared with anger. "I didn't tell you to think, soldier."
"No," she agreed. "But you are not Steven. And you are not Pink Diamond. So." she propped one hand against her hip, the other holding the glass carefully enough to avoid spillage. "Who are you?"
With that, Red slowly slid his head to the side. And with the movement, the atmosphere warmed. The tension thickened as Red hummed. Steadily, almost lazily, the Diamond scanned the area.
Ruby irises glowed. "Pause." They dimmed. "Am I to assume there are more uncertain of my status?"
His tone was light, as if he were making a passing comment about something humorous. A playful, off-handed joke. Not a thinly veiled threat. When the other gems halted in their jobs, the call in the diamond's tone allowing them to do so, a smile stretched his face. Steven sweated as he realized nearby gems were exchanging uneasy, wary looks.
"Fascinating." A chuckle rolled through Red's system. Steven tried to swallow back rising nerves but his throat was too dry. "Perfect." Red purred, gaze lidding. The sly smile coupled with the slanted gaze prompted Zebra Jasper to retreat a step. "I've been meaning to offer a… public example."
Steven frowned, scrambling within his mind to uncover the meaning behind the words. Zebra shifted, body wired with confusion. She asked. "What do you mean?"
Ruby light flared. "Gather!"
Steven blinked fast as he was nearly blinded. Gems within earshot snapped into salutes and approached. Once a circle had formed around Zebra Jasper and Red, the light dimmed. The Diamond rolled his shoulders back, hefting Steven higher in the hold. Zebra Jasper straightened.
"Observe," Red called to the crowd with a grin. "What happens to insubordinates."
The Little Homeworld gems shot glances towards one another, concerned. Zebra Jasper tossed the glass of water and braced her stance, fists raised. The second it took for Steven's eyes to track the glass as it shattered against the ground, a scarlet bubble lined with spikes snapped into existence around Zebra. Steven jerked as the bubble steadily shrank. Despite her swinging punches and soon her summoned weapon, the spiked bubble easily decreased.
"Red." Steven growled as the bubble's various tips pierced her form. "Red, stop." Soon enough, the bubble had forced her into a tight crouch.
Steven wriggled in place but claw-like fingers kept him pinned. His legs flailed uselessly, only succeeding in hiking the dress' hem up from his ankles and over his knees. His skull throbbed from the movement. He grasped at the Diamond's vest lapels, tugging as hard as he could. When Zebra finally poofed, he sagged. Red wouldn't go farther than that, he knew.
But the bubble didn't stop.
Steven's gaze shot wide, jaw dropping. "Red!" He shrieked. "Red, wait! You've made your point!" When a cough snagged his throat, he continued to writhe. "Y-you'll kill her!"
"Exactly."
Steven choked on air. "Y-you can't be serious!" When Red's grin darkened into a satisfied sneer, he screamed. "N-no!"
A sneeze shot pain through his skull. Mutters rippled throughout the crowd. The bubble had shrank to be lethally close to Zebra's gem. The observing gems, still locked in salutes, could only watch as the bubble's interior spikes pricked the stone.
"Stop!" Steven stumbled over a cough. He forced himself to grab the lookalike's cheeks, accidently slicing himself on the other's fangs. "Please, stop! We have a deal!"
"True," the bubble paused and the crowd exhaled. "But only in reference to your friends." The bubble snapped.
The gem shattered.
Notes: Thank you to those who have read, favorited/followed, or commented. They encourage and motivate me! Even though it's been FOREVER since I've updated this fic, you all have been so patient!
I'd also like to thank the Steven-cest Discord members for bouncing ideas back and forth with me to help brainstorm where to go next for this fic. The art that a lot of them draw is an extra bonus!
Shia Rephic: Ahhhh the petnames are so much fun! And I definitely dig possessive yandere. And, btw, Red is so hot. But he's MORE hot when he's possessive over his little dove. Hue hue hue. Thank youuu!
Lily Armest: Well I'm glad you enjoyed it so far! And yes! Helpless Steven is my jam. No other choice but for him to surrender is yummy. And though this last chappie took forever to write, here it is!
Wolfspirit2996: Hey again! As a warning, this will only get darker and darker! Otherwise, if a dark verision of me ordered me to marry her, I'd flip out and run the other way.
Elias Taisei: Hrnnn Yandere is the best. I love possessive characters fiercely coveting another, usually soft or kind character. As for whether or not the Crystal Gems get their memories back... hue hue hue. Guess we gotta wait an' see!
MLPlover: Oh ho ho! If they re-fused and Steven became a yandere? That'd be a wild ride! Definitely fun to watch it like a train-wreck exploding as Steven is torn between his human, kind self and his corrupted, villainous gem half.
DanielCampp: Bows. Thank you! Thank you, I'm glad you've enjoyed the ride so far! Keep in mind, it'll only keep more twisted and more darker as we go along!
MowsTrap: Thank you bunchies! Hopefully the story stays interesting.
Guest: All the suspense! And so far we've seen Greg, now, but not Connie or any other humans just yet! As for Spinel and thee Diamonds, guess you gotta wait 'n' seeee. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks again for reading! Feel free to comment or join the Steven-cest Discord! We always welcome newbies.