"What do you mean, not safe?" Connie whispered, stifling her laughter as she climbed through the window.

"What if the Gems catch you?"

"They won't, Steven."

The Gem boy tugged in the rest of the rope that Connie had used to rappel up the side of the house. The rocks at his window had surprised him at first, but it was no worse than having pizza thrown up there. Onion would have lent her a grappling hook if she had asked, probably.

Connie took off her bike helmet and shook out her hair, putting it on the boy's comforter. "I just came to check in on you," she said. "You sounded really down over the phone."

Steven sat back on his bed, rubbing his eyes. It wasn't like he had been sleeping well anyway. He covered his mouth as he yawned.

"I was just really looking forward to our arcade trip," he said, "and I feel bad about all of this. It's my fault. I got… I said some stuff, to the Gems."

"What…kind of stuff?"

The voices were raised, the fingers were clenched, and the tempers had flared up enough for Steven to be grounded for a more sensible amount of time - one week, at Greg's discretion. What had he been so nervous about, anyway? Steven rubbed his head and wondered why he was remembering himself as nervous. If he had seen himself, he might have called his behavior angry, bratty even, but not nervous.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled.

Connie sat on the bed next to her best friend, gently running her fingers through her hair as she watched him stew. Steven kicked his legs back and forth as each second of silence made him regret this interaction.

"Steven, I'm - I know it sucks to be grounded, but it'll be over before you know it, and then we'll go out then! We could even bring the Gems if you want, you know, make it kind of a family thing?"

It was supposed to be a friend thing. Steven rested his face in his hands and let out a small sigh. That response snapped too quickly into his head. It was too mean, too direct. Of course it was supposed to be a friend thing, but what did it matter?

"Hey, I understand if you wanna just rest tonight. I'm sorry for - for biking here, and throwing rocks at your window, a-and I know it's silly, I just - "

"What? No! No, I do want to rest, but I don't want you to feel bad about this!"

Was there something in her tone to tip him off? Was it the edge of a word, a particular consonant that made him defend her presence? Connie looked surprised, and Steven wasn't sure what he had said.

"I don't feel bad?" Connie said. "I mean, I'm a little nervous because we're sneaking around. But I don't feel bad."

"Oh, I - Oh."

Both of the kids giggled as quietly as they could, trapping the sound of their conversation in the open bedroom. Steven reached to rub the back of his head, one foot bouncing gently. He cleared his throat.

"Connie, it's good to see you. And I…I appreciate you being here. I feel better now about this whole thing. It is only a week, right?"

"Six and a half days, one hundred and fifty hours. But who's counting, right?"

In the mental image of their time together, Steven had been so excited to spend a day just with Connie. He loved going out places with the Gems and with his dad and with the friends of Beach City, but with just Connie, things were simpler, with only one person to watch out for, one person to talk to and to feel and to respond. Somehow, when that one person was Connie, a new feeling emerged in Steven's head. Whatever it was, he realized now that it had been there when he had yelled at the Gems earlier, and it was here now.

"…right?"

"Yes! Yeah, no, I'll - I'm counting down too. Just don't stay awake like me, though."

"It's a promise, Steven Universe."

Moments later, the rope was flung out the window, with Steven as its anchor. Connie deftly scaled her way out the window, feet planted on the side of the house. Steven gripped the cord from inside, and when he felt the two tugs, he leaned out the window to smile at Connie below, tossing the rope back to her. The friendship heist had been a success.

"Night!"

"G'night, Connie!"

Both whispers were just enough to carry them to their rightful recipients. Steven watched Connie's bike disappear into the night. She cared, even risking the safety against the Gem's possible interruption or even her parents' wrath. Steven closed the window and checked his clock.

One hundred and forty-nine, he thought.