Characters created by: Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 8: 13 Birthdays Ago

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The Barn-Steven's Fourteenth Birthday

Steven gazed over at his younger self. His kid self was smiling, since this was the day of his fourteenth birthday. Older Steven reminisced of his past.

"I will always remember this day especially. This was the day I-"

Suddenly, he saw Greg's van pull up. Steven lowered his head a little bit into the bush, but still could peek through.

Then, he saw her…

He saw twelve year old Connie step out of the van, wearing that red dress and straw hat. Older Steven looked on with a smile.

"Connie. She looks so good in that dress."

Steven's face suddenly turned red. He turned and sat behind the bush, putting his hand on his head.

"Steven, you're 27! Why did you just say that?! That sounded so awkward coming from a man my age! Then again, that is my future wife. And I'm also spying on young me. I thought the same thing that day about her dress… Eh, still sounds a bit awkward when these words are rolling off the tongue… Maybe I should stop talking."

Steven peeked over the bush again. She saw Connie next to younger Steven, drinking from a juice box.

"Looking back at younger Connie, knowing I'm going to marry her, makes me feel even better."

He turned and sat by the bush again.

"Heh… "This one goes out to the birthday boy, and his best friend". "Best friend". No. More than that. Oh my God, when she laid her head on my chest all those years ago, I was just totally frozen. I was sweating from my sudden feelings of love- No wait, that was the stretching- Oh yeah! I stretched to make myself look older for her! Wait…"

Steven peeked over the bush again to see his younger self look up at Amethyst, who stretched her legs to hang a Happy Birthday banner over the barn. He then saw Greg walk up to younger him and hand him his birthday king cape and crown. His younger self then walked out of sight into the barn.

"Here's the part where I stretch."

After a minute of watching the door of the barn, it finally opened, revealing his younger self, taller than Connie now, and with a neck. Steven turned his attention to Connie, who was very surprised.

"This day will always be fixed into my memory."

Then, Steven had an idea.

"Aha!"

Steven closed his eyes, and his gem glowed. Now, as an adult, he learned how to master his shapeshifting powers, though he doesn't use it much, after his first experience with shapeshifting.

He shapeshifted into a tiny mouse, with a light brown tint to his fur. He went over to the group. He overheard a conversation between younger him and Connie.

"I had a magical growth spurt, just now. Cool, right?"

"Oh. Right, it's totally cool!"

Older Steven in mouse form spoke quietly.

"Oh jeez."

Later

Mouse Steven watched Connie give younger him a present. Younger him opened it, and it was a pink shirt. It wouldn't fully fit on the front for younger Steven's stretched out body.

"Oh." said Connie, "I guess it doesn't fit, since-"

Younger Steven spoke.

"Oh, don't worry. It fits fine just like this. Ehehehm."

Suddenly, Lion, who was laying behind Steven, laid his paw next to Mouse Steven. Mouse Steven jumped away.

"Ah. Lion…" whispered Mouse Steven.

Later

Mouse Steven looked from afar at Connie, Steven, Pearl, and Amethyst playing badminton. Amethyst hit the shuttlecock too hard, causing it to get launched into a nearby tree. He saw Connie run over to it and attempt to jump up and get it, but she was too short. Then, younger Steven came over and jumped onto the branch, shaking the shuttlecock, and Connie catched it.

"Thanks, Steven." said Connie.

Younger Steven let go of the branch and looked to Connie.

"No problem, Connie."

Just then, Amethyst called out from nearby.

"Yo, bring back that shuttlecock!"

Connie ran back over to the court, leaving Steven there. Suddenly, Mouse Steven saw his younger self grunt. Younger Steven's right arm began to shorten.

"Oh no!"

Younger Steven's gem and arm glowed. He grunted loudly as his arm stretched out again. He sweated and breathed heavily before walking back over to the court. Mouse Steven put his paw to his cheek.

"And then my plan totally backfired from here on out."

Even Later

Mouse Steven was watching younger him and Connie dance. He smiled. Then, Garnet spoke, giving out the last song. Now, younger Steven and Connie were holding hands while doing a slow dance. Mouse Steven overheard their conversation.

"I still can't believe all this time you were older than me." said Connie, "You should sneak me into a PG-13 movie some time."

Younger Steven replied, heavily sweating, trying to hold in his shapeshifting.

"Oh, yeah. Hah. Haha."

Connie laughed.

"Haha! No, I'm just kidding. I would never ask you to break the law."

Mouse Steven laughed softly. Connie continued.

"It's funny that I have to look up at you now, though."

Younger Steven replied.

"Funny good or.. Funny bad?"

She replied in a soft tone.

"Funny good."

Then, she rested her head on his chest. Younger Steven's eyes widened. Mouse Steven looked on with tears.

"This part always made me cry in my head."

Then, Younger Steven cleared his throat.

"Excuse me for a moment, Connie. I'm gonna go.. Freshen up… Be right back…"

Connie put her left hand on her right wrist. Mouse Steven looked at her. He could barely make out a sentence she whispered to herself.

"Was I being too awkward?"

Mouse Steven looked over at Younger Steven, who disappeared behind the barn. He went over to behind the barn to see his younger self arguing with Amethyst and Greg.

"When Connie grows up and becomes President, what is that gonna make me?! First Boy?!"

Mouse Steven sighed and spoke quietly.

"Don't worry, young me, you'll grow, and you'll find happiness with Connie. Just you wait."

Mouse Steven crawled away from the barn and down a hill, talking to himself in the process.

"And then soon, you and Connie will be looking up at the stars, and you'll turn into a baby. Not the weirdest stuff I've been in, but worthy of being up there."

Then, Mouse Steven saw a figure and a bunch of parts laying around the figure.

It was Peridot, working on the Cluster machine. Peridot noticed Mouse Steven and grunted.

"Go away! Don't interfere with my work!"

Mouse Steven stared at Peridot. Peridot quickly picked up a wrench and threw it at Mouse Steven.

"Go away! You foul creature!"

Mouse Steven dodged the wrench. Peridot came running at him. He ran and jumped over parts, trying to escape Peridot.

Peridot leaped forward and caught him in her hands.

"I could crush you right now! Hahaha!"

Peridot stopped laughing and stuttered. She uncupped her hands, staring at Mouse Steven.

"I-I-I-"

Mouse Steven looked into her eyes. Peridot started to calm down.

"A little Earth mouse. You're actually kind of, how you say? Adorable, as the Steven says…"

Peridot screamed and threw Mouse Steven to a bush.

"What is this planet doing to me?!"

She sighed and decided to get back to work. Mouse Steven was a bit stunned by this, but decided to crawl off. He stopped behind a tree and shapeshifted back to his original form. He took the hourglass out of his pocket. It glowed once again.

Steven suddenly found himself in Beach City. He looked around.

"Is this the present day, or am I still in the past?"

He noticed what seemed to be a boy, sitting at the edge of the boardwalk, looking at the sea. He saw the boy had many curls on the back of his hair. He seemed to have been wearing a red flannel jacket. Steven suddenly realized who this boy was.