Ch 4: Associates

Steven and Carlos had been staring at each other for the past minute, still digesting what they've recently learned. In the span of 5 minutes, they met under weird circumstances, introduced themselves, and now they know that they are both Hybrids.

Carlos: "You're..."

Steven: "... Just like me."

Steven was simply awestruck. He didn't think it was possible. Well, more like he thought it wasn't likely that there was another Hybrid like him out there. It was just very hard to believe. Another Gem, willing to give up their life to birth a human baby? It seemed very unlikely. But now, there was someone with a gem on his chest who looked very much human right in front of him. He didn't know how to feel about this, or even what to feel.

Carlos was also thinking the exact same thing. But while he didn't know how to feel about it at first, he eventually did start feeling one thing in particular.

Excitement.

Carlos: "This... is... Awesome! Ha ha ha, I didn't think there was anyone else like me!"

Steven: "..."

Carlos: "I mean, I figured that it was possible for there to be more Hybrids, but I've never seen another one up close and personal."

Steven: "..."

Carlos: "I always thought to myself 'there's no way I'm the only one, right?'. I mean the fact that I even exist to begin with means it's totally possible. And low and below, it's actually true!"

Steven just continued to watch Carlos ramble on and on about how incredible this whole revelation was. In truth, Steven would probably be feeling the same way as this guy, or similar, if not for the things that were already going through his head before this even happened. There was already a lot going on in his mind, and now this guy shows up and just so happens to be a Hybrid like him? How? What kind of Gem does he have? Do the Gems know about this? Have they always known?

Carlos: "Uh dude... you alright?"

Steven gasped quietly in surprise when he realized he began glowing pink in front of this person. He took a few seconds to steady himself, his pink glow diminishing again.

Steven: "I'm fine... it's just some baggage. That's all."

Carlos: "You sure you're fine? The look on your face and pink glow tell me otherwise."

Steven: "It's fine. It's just... something with my powers."

Carlos: "Huh... alright then. But back to my previous question, what kind of Gem do you have?"

Steven just stood there curiously, wondering when he had been asked this question. The dark blue haired boy must've asked him while he was stuck in his own thoughts.

Steven: "What?"

Carlos: "I said what kind of Gem do you have? It looks like a rose quartz from what I see. A very pink one too."

Steven almost flinched from the wording. The other teenager couldn't have been anymore accurate, even when he didn't really know what Gem he had. Since the boy was already asking, Steven figured telling him wouldn't hurt much. It didn't seem like this guy had any gripe with any Gem.

Steven: "It's... a bit complicated."

Carlos: "Why?"

Steven: "While it does look like a rose quartz, it's not. It's actually... a diamond. At least, that's what my mom was."

Carlos seemed confused for a bit, but shrugged it off like it didn't mean much, which almost surprised Steven.

Carlos: "Cool! Must mean you've got a bunch of different abilities. You seem pretty lucky."

Steven: 'You don't... you have no idea, do you?'

Before Steven could think about the question he asked himself, he heard a loud growl. He looked around to try and find the source, only to look back at the other hybrid and see him slightly rubbing his stomach area while smiling sheepishly.

Carlos: "Heh heh, sorry. I'm just a bit hungry. You... wouldn't happen to have any food or money on you, would you?"

Steven knew what the other boy was asking for. He felt conflicted. On one hand, this person was a complete stranger, and he barely knows anything about him aside from the fact he's a hybrid like him. On the other hand, this guy doesn't seem too bad. He did just save him and the Cashier back at the station. Plus, he was a hybrid like him. This might be Steven's only chance to make a new friend with someone that isn't a Gem. Or at least, not all Gem.

Steven: "Well... I mean... I have a few snacks back at my car if you want some..."

Carlos: "Yes, please! I am famished."

Steven almost chuckled at the dramatic response. He began walking back, making sure to remember the way he came in with Carlos walking beside him. The two walked in awkward silence, not knowing what to say to each other at the moment. Steven decided to break the ice and try to start up a conversation.

Steven: "So uh... what were YOU doing in the middle of the words?"

Carlos turned his head to the side to look at Steven.

Carlos: "Me? Well I was just running around, trying to test my limits and see how fast I could run. But I kinda got distracted, and... well, you saw me on the ground, so you can probably guess what happened."

That was mostly true. Carlos was indeed trying to figure out how fast he could go, and see if he could go faster than even that, but there was another reason. One that Carlos would rather not talk about at the moment right now.

The silence resumed, but only for a few seconds as Steven decided that it'd be better to keep talking instead of walking quietly.

Steven: "Well what gem do you have? I don't think I've seen one like yours."

Carlos raised a brow at him. What did he mean by that exactly? He decided to just shrug it off for the moment, and just answer the question.

Carlos: "Mine's a Cobalt. Not as cool as a diamond like yours, but the powers I get are still very awesome."

Steven ignored the irritation that was building up by the mention of diamonds in favor of thinking about Carlos's gem.

A Cobalt.

That's certainly another Gem that Steven wasn't familiar with. Not only that, but he's never seen one anywhere. Not on Earth, Homeworld, or even former colonies during his time liberating them.

Steven began to wonder if the Crystal Gems knew anything about a Cobalt. If they didn't know, then the Diamonds would. But he'd rather NOT go back to Homeworld and ask them. Heck, he'd prefer to avoid them as much as possible if he could. Despite what some might think, he never really forgave the Diamonds for what they did. He wasn't sure if he could. After what they did, and what they put him and his family through. After what WHITE did to him.

She nearly killed him, and all he had wanted was to talk. Sure they did end up talking, but it didn't erase the pain that he felt. He'd never be able to forget that, and it made him angry.

Angry at White Diamond.

Steven snapped himself out of those thoughts, suddenly feeling a bit scared.

Steven: 'Woah... where did that come from?'

Thankfully, he didn't have to dwell on those thoughts for long as he spotted his car up ahead.

Carlos: "So I'm guessing that's your car?"

Steven: "Mhmm."

He opened the door, and started grabbing his snacks to show to Carlos as to give him options on what he could have.

Steven: "Okay, So I've got a few bags of Chaaps, some trail mix, a few candy bars, and a couple of juices. Is there anything in particular you want?"

Carlos took some time to ponder on what he wanted. There weren't that many options, but all of them were pretty tasty. He just needed to figure out which ones would be more tasty and satisfying. The chips were a no brainer, but he needed more than just that. After a few more seconds, he made his coice.

Carlos: "I'll just take a bag of potato chips, one candy bar, and a juice."

Once Steven handed him the requested snacks, he wondered what he should do now. He allowed the other hybrid to have a few of his snacks and let him follow him back to his car, but he wasn't sure what to do now that it was done. He could continue on driving once he got the car starting again, but what about Carlos? What would he do?

Carlos: "Thanks for the snacks."

Steven: "Sure. If you don't mind me asking, where are you heading?"

Carlos: "Honestly, I have no real idea. I'm just going wherever the wind takes me. Or at least, that's what I was doing. Right now, though, I'm heading to New York, Manhattan. It's right up ahead actually. You headin' there too?"

Steven was almost surprised by the coincidence. That's exactly what he was doing when he was driving. Except he was following the road he was traversing, and wasn't originally planning on going there.

But since it is up ahead, or at least thirty minutes away on car, he might as well head there too

Steven: "Well I also wasn't going anywhere in particular either, but I figured that I might as well go there too. And if you're going there anyway, then would you like to, uh... head there together?"

Carlos blinked in surprise. He didn't think that this guy was also just going wherever the wind took him, but apparently he was. And to top it all off, he was invited to join him on his trip to Manhattan. Carlos was actually feeling a little excited, and a different feeling he couldn't describe right now. He had been feeling rather lonely while he was running around. Maybe he could finally make a friend here.

Carlos: "Yeah, actually. I wouldn't mind heading into the city with someone. That is, if you're alright with it."

Steven nodded, indicating that he was. Carlos walked to the other side of the car, and got on the front passenger seat. Once Steven entered the drivers seat, he twisted the keys to try and start the car again. After a few more attempts, the car finally started, and Steven began to continue onward.

Carlos: "Roadtrip! Whoooo!"

Steven turned his head to look at the excited teen next to him, then back to face the road in front of him. A small smile crept onto his face.

Steven: "Yeah... I guess this is a roadtrip now."

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Meanwhile in a secret lab at an unknown location, a man looking to be in his late 50s to early 60s was looking at radar that showed a sudden energy spike in a forest.

????: "Hmm, this again. Last time this spike occurred was at least a year ago, and it was far bigger."

The old man brought up what appeared to be holographic map of the United States. A holographic explosion occurred on the map, simulating the energy spike.

????: "Not to mention it also occurred at Nashville, Tennessee."

The man stared at the simulation of the exploding blue energy, and then brought up an image of a camera recording the events of a robbery. From the camera, it showed a man holding a gun to a young boy wearing a pink varsity jacket. Then suddenly, the camera shows a blue blur appearing and stopping the thief. The old man paused the footage, then rewinded it so that it was paused at the moment the blue blur appeared. The camera couldn't see the person who was behind the blur, but the blur itself was very visible.

The old man wore a wide smug grin on his face.

????: "So that's where you are now. I couldn't find you last year because you barely left a trace after that stunt you pulled. But this time... you're mine."

A/N: This was a very difficult chapter to write. Not just because of how sad I became after watching the SUF Finale, but also because I suck at writing social interaction. But hey, now it's done, and I've had time to come to terms with the show being over. I would also like to answer Ironchef13's question by saying yes, I'm mostly keeping the story the way it is. However, I am gonna try to make it more like Canon too, while also adding my own twist. Think of it as an AU, but also not really an AU.

And with that said, I hope you found this chapter tolerable at least. And if you have any thoughts, feel free to leave a review and let me know. Any criticism is welcome as long as it's not harassing anyone. Peace.