Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!

Title: 'Cause yeah, we still young, there's so much we haven't done

Summary: A drabble an episode keeps the writer engaged. One peek into Steven's life per episode.

...

GEM GLOW

Steven waits until Pearl's tucking him into bed to ask. "When will I be able to summon my shield all the time like you guys?"

Pearl paused mid-smoothing of the blanket, fingers nervously clenching and unclenching. "Well, we're... not entirely sure, Steven."

"Aww, c'mon! How long did it take you to pull your spear out?"

Three thousand years, she thinks. But this was much, much different. No one had expected a Pearl to have a weapon- not even Pearl herself. Steven was- well, Steven was a human. "It's different for everyone," is what she settles on; technically not a lie. "And things are extra different for you, obviously."

Steven smiled over the covers. "Because Steven is Steven!" he exclaimed. Technically also not a lie. Steven just didn't know what all that entailed.

"Exactly," Pearl says, bending over to kiss his forehead goodnight. "Steven is Steven."


LASER LIGHT CANNON

"When did Rose even put the cannon in there?" Pearl wondered, tracing across the familiar metal with her hand.

Greg, soaked from the waist down, shrugged and twirled a wrench. "Ah, who knows? I gave her a key to the ol' storage unit forever ago. I'm just impressed she managed to stash it without causing a landslide."

"There might be more," Garnet hummed.

"Nothing that big! At least, not that Steven saw. He's got a good eye for zany Gem stuff." Greg rubbed his bald head with a sigh. "Aw, man. I gotta shove all that stuff back in there."

Amethyst broke into understanding cackles.


CHEESEBURGER BACKPACK

"He failed," Garnet said flatly.

"It was a solid seventy-five," Pearl argued. "It was only at the end when..."

Garnet shook her head, perching on the warp pad. It was early that morning, and Steven was off with Greg. A fortuitous bit a luck for the Gems, who'd been hoping to discuss the mission. "All the tricks in the world can't make up for a failure."

Amethyst blew a raspberry. "Oh, c'mon! Like you guys have never forgotten something on a mission." Pearl and Garnet both sent her a blank look. "Humans got all sorts'a junk they gotta bring to missions. Don't rag on the guy for remembering them!"

"We just lost a part of our history, Amethyst."

"The smallest part. An inconsequentially small part," Pearl hastened to add. It wasn't often they agreed these days, but this was certainly one of those rare moments, and Pearl planned to capitalize on that. "Garnet, he's improved so much already with these missions. More than he ever did just living here! If we want to help him learn how to be a Gem, it'd be foolish to stop taking him with now."

The fusion grimaced but conceded. "He's on probation. Nothing too serious for some time."

"That was serious?" Amethyst asked. Everyone ignored her.


TOGETHER BREAKFAST

They have together breakfast on the second day. And the third. Then the fourth. By the fifth Steven can barely look at waffles without feeling a bit ill. It's bad enough that it tried to kill them- did it really have to be so sugary it hurt his belly too?

"We could swing for some pizza," Steven offers- not for the first time.

Garnet shrugs. "S'your breakfast, Steven." She tapped the table with her fist. "We'll all wait together."

"Are we always gonna have together breakfast?" Amethyst eagerly asked, having swallowed the plate in the two seconds of quiet. "This is almost as good as garbage!"

"Always," said Garnet, while Pearl looked queasy at the mere idea of eating. "Steven needs us."

Steven goes to argue- he's a very big boy, thank you very much!- but Garnet's ruffling his hair, and. Yeah. Alright. Maybe he did need them a little bit. And this meant he got to see them every day!


FRYBO

Pearl takes over the shopping most days, as Garnet can be a bit much and Amethyst is waaaay too much. Steven likes to go with her, carrying the basket and generally feeling like her hero for the day. Even if Pearl can take forever reading all the ingredients and other labels; she does it because she loves him, and Steven knows that it's important to her.

He doesn't often veto foods. He does veto the freezer fries she plucks out, remembering ketchup and potatoey goodness being literally crammed down people's gullets. "How about hot dogs?" he asks, a compromise. "They haven't tried to kill us yet. That's a good sign!"

"More hotdogs?" Pearl replies, but she's already putting them back. "It's starting to become the main focal point of your diet. You have been eating your vegetables, right?"

"Lots of greens," he agrees, thinking specifically of sour green candy.

She heaved a sigh of relief and led on. "Honestly, it's all so confusing. I'm thankful Gems don't require the nutritional variety humans do."

Steven doesn't quite understand what any of that means, but he heroically carried the ever-heavier basket and trundled alongside her. " Mmhmm!"


CAT FINGERS

"Amethyst, can you sleep with me tonight?" Steven asks before she can make it to her room. Amethyst feels like the right choice. Garnet's quiet intensity can keep him up, and Pearl just... stares a lot.

"A'course, Steve-o!" she says chipperly. Steven's pretty sure the Gems haven't connected 'sleeping with him' to 'Steven's scared and needs comfort'. She bumps his shoulder and leads the charge up to his loft. "Congrats on the shapeshifting, little man. You're a natural!"

Bile grew his in throat. "N-no. I'm not." Steven pulled himself underneath the covers. "Amethyst, is it... ever scary? Changing your shape all the time?"

Amethyst hums and thinks on it, arms crossed. Steven appreciates that about her. The other Gems can be a little dismissive, but not Amethyst. Even if her answers are weird, she always thinks about it.

"Nah," is what she settles on. "It's scarier for me to stay one shape. I mean, just bein' the person I am? Forever? That's a lot of pressure, dude."

This is one of those answers he doesn't get, then. Steven tries to smile, to comfort her- and he thinks he did a good job. "Aww, but I like the person you are, Amethyst!"

She ruffles his hair. "Ha! Yeah, you do." Amethyst voice turned soft, sad. "Someone has to."


BUBBLE BUDDIES

Connie's super smart, and she smells like old book pages, and Steven is thrilled! He hasn't had a new friend to add to his roster in- well, ever. Beach City was so small, he rarely got the chance.

"Were they like... your parents?" Connie asks as the Garnet carefully hefts Pearl and Garnet up to the house. She doesn't need to scruff them the whole way, but she is and she does.

"Basically!" Steven agrees. "The Gems don't really believe in labelling, but they always sign as my guardians, so they're more or less my moms."

"Huh," says Connie, gears turning in her head. She flinches and scrubs some sand off her dress. "Oh, and I met them looking like this! They must think I'm gross."

"They like you! Well, I think they do. They were really excited to meet you. The Gems don't have a lot of friends, or even people they know by name, so..."

"Well... what do they like?"

"Huh?"

"They don't like labels and they don't really do friendships. What do they like?"

Steven thinks on that. He's not entirely sure. He only sees them on special occasions, like important missions or going to the store. Pearl usually tucks him into bed, and they all eat breakfast together, but Steven would be hard-pressed to call any of it things they liked doing for themselves.

"Board games," he remembers suddenly. "We play board games sometimes!"

Connie smiles. It's small and a little unsure, and Steven can't wait to see her smiling more. She's got a great smile. "Then let's play board games sometime! Get to know each other."


SERIOUS STEVEN

"Can I come on more missions now? I figured out the spinny thing!"

"Oh, Steven, I don't know," Pearl fussed, picking strawberries from his hair. "You could've gotten seriously hurt."

Steven, starry-eyed, hardly even seemed to notice. "And I got the stone too! I pulled it right out!"

Pearl glanced up at Garnet. It'd been her choice to put him on probation- just as it had been her choice to bring him to the pyramid for a second chance. If anyone could veto or agree, it was her.

Garnet hummed indecisively.

Amethyst lifted Steven up by his armpits, showing him off to the fusion like a kitten. "C'mon! He brings up team morale~" she sing-songed.

"Can't argue with that," Garnet said, flicking some stem off his shoulder. "But only if you bring your ukelele."


TIGER MILLIONAIRE

"I'm tellin' ya, he's gotta be from Ocean Town," Lars said as he dumped a few donuts into Steven's to-go bag. "Tiger Millionaire's a stone cold baddie."

Steven giggled at the unintentional praise. He was so thankful Lars was enjoying the show again. And he didn't mind listening to him infodump, either. It was a nice change from his usual surly, avoidant routine. "You never know!"

"I do know," he insisted. "No one in Beach City's half that cool."

"Not even Buck Dewey?" Sadie called.

Lars spluttered, crossing his arms. "He's too tall. It's a different cool level."


STEVEN'S LION

"We kept Amethyst," Amethyst mocked, rocking a little. "Thanks for the reminder, guys. Really loved that."

Something solid and warm tucked behind her. Lion yawned and snuggled in, jaw sitting firmly on her shoulder. Amethyst laughed in spite of the sting and scritched his muzzle. "Nap time, big kitty?"

Lion let out an affirmative, pulling Amethyst down into his thick fur.

"Whoa! Easy there, fuzzy."

He gave her a few scratchy licks and set his head down. Amethyst shapeshifted into a cat and curled up tight, feeling just a little better.


ARCADE MANIA

"Did my mom have three eyes too?" Steven asked. "Secretly? Under her hair?"

Garnet snorted and pulled him onto her lap. She'd been feeling a bit drug out from using her future vision for a full day, taking to the couch like it was her best friend. "Odd question, Universe."

"Well, Pearl says you're leader because you have good perception- with your eyes! So my mom must've had it too, right?"

Garnet's smile faded a little. She shook her head. "She only had two eyes. Back in the day, Rose would have me use my perception to find answers. When she passed it just felt natural for me to be in charge."

"Huh." He fiddled her with fingers. "So you were kind of always the leader, then."

"I-" She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. "I suppose I was. In a way."


GIANT WOMAN

"He took it well," Garnet said, because she doesn't ask questions.

To outsiders, Garnet looks stalwart. Deadpan. But to Pearl and Amethyst she's vibrating, sitting on the pad with a tiny smile that betrayed a million happy shouts. If Steven weren't home she'd likely be zoomieing around the house, grabbing and shaking Pearl, piggybacking Amethyst. She was happy.

"He was very excited to meet her," Pearl agreed, lacing her fingers together with a smile. "The only concern he had is if Opal knew who he was. He rode on her shoulders the entire trek to the warp pad."

Amethyst gave her a little nudge. "Betcha he'd be ecstatic to meet other fusions, if ya' catch my drift."

"His birthday," she suggested. "S'right around the corner."

"Oh, he would love that," Pearl gushed. "And we do so rarely get to see Ruby and Sapphire. I bet they'd enjoy celebrating with him too!"

She smiled wider. "They would."


SO MANY BIRTHDAYS

"No more Gem birthdays," Garnet announces after Steven's gone to bed. Her face crumples. She turns away.

Pearl is a lot more prone to sobbing openly, and does so, clinging to Amethyst like a lifeline. "We could have LOST HIM!" she wails. "I can't- how are we supposed to go on when he dies? He's not going to live as long as we do!"

"We dunno that," Amethyst snarls, voice tart and eyes cloudy. "Stop acting like you know things! None of us know things! Not about him!"

"That's even WORSE!" she replies, and it is. They could prepare for an eventuality. This was not one of those things. Steven almost died in front of them that night, and they just barely stopped it. "We have no idea what we're doing!"

"We're doing what Steven needs," Garnet bites out. Her lips tremble as she says it, as if she knows it's not true. As if she knows they have no fucking idea what Steven needs. And she does. "We're doing our best."


LARS AND THE COOL KIDS

Lars doesn't apologize. He's too cool to apologize. Even if the cool kids do for ignoring Steven's warnings. They can just... be themselves and be cool. Lars can't do that. Lars has to act.

"What was your mom like?" he asks instead. It feels like a good middle ground.

Steven thinks about it. Shrugs. "I dunno. I don't think I'll ever get to know. I just know what she looked like, and that she laughed like me."

Dangit, he's made it worse. "Oh. W-Well, maybe it's not so bad. You said she was pretty cool, right? So everyone has good memories of her."

"Yeah," he says, surprisingly mature about the whole thing. "Everyone but me."


ONION TRADE

Vidalia answered the door with paint splattered across her face and smock. She set her hands on her hips. "Garnet, Pearl! It's been ages. What's up?"

Garnet held out Onion, currently held by the seat of his pants. "This is yours."

"Wuh-oh." Holding out her arms, Vidalia got the full weight of her child crashing down on her. She hefted him up. "What'd you do this time, you little goblin?" Onion muh-muh-muh-ed in her ear. "Oh, man. That's hilarious."

"It is not hilarious!" Pearl exclaimed, fists shaking. "He pelted us with toy men!"

"It's a little hilarious," Vidalia replied. She pointed at Garnet. "Did you really get blasted with cars?"

Garnet scowled.

"Steven said something about daddy issues and he wandered off," Pearl added. "Then we find out he torched Funland?"

Vidalia booped his nonexistent nose. "Oh, I see how it is. I tell you no to going, so you're gonna burn the whole system down?"

Onion shrugged.

"Touche, little man. Touche."


STEVEN THE SWORD FIGHTER

"Does it hurt?" Steven asks quietly, mumbling into Pearl's lap. They were catching up on Lonely Blade movies, and the fights had reminded him of- well, of her. Standing there. Reassuring him as she died. "Poofing?"

"Oh, Steven," she tutted, gently carding her fingers through her hair. "You don't need to worry about that. You're organic."

"I wanna know!" he insists, trying to gauge how bad he should feel. How guilty. "Does it hurt?"

"Pain is- subjective, to Gems." Pearl hummed. "I know it looked scary, but it was only a few moments. That's like a human paper cut."

Steven stared at his thick fingers. Trying to imagine a paper cut. They stung, and the pain echoed for days after. It hurt a lot. And maybe that wasn't a proper metaphor for being stabbed, but it felt right. "When you turn into a cloud, is it... do you go away?"

"In some ways, yes. But I never stop being Pearl- I'm just... inside Pearl."

Inside Pearl. Steven couldn't imagine being Inside Steven. It sounded terrifying.


LION 2: THE MOVIE

"I like that girl," Pearl decides, folding one of Steven's freshly dried shirts. "She'll be a good influence on him. Oh, but I still don't know what kind of tea she likes. Should we call?"

"No calls," Garnet replies firmly. "Steven deserves privacy."

(They didn't fully understand that that concept applied to the walls, or to his room. Privacy for Gems meant conversations with each other that no one was overhearing.)

"She's such a lil' rebel," Amethyst added, snickering a little. "Perfect for the Crystal Gems. Hey, we oughta give her a star! She'd look good with a star."

"She's not property, Amethyst. We aren't going to play dress-up with her."

"I didn't mean it like that! She's one of us, ain't she?"

Garnet paused mid-fold. "That's up to her," she rumbled, finishing the shirt. The future went a million different ways with young Connie Maheswaran. Garnet couldn't even be sure they'd be friends by the end of today. Best not to get anyone's hopes up.


BEACH PARTY

"Victory pizza!" Steven cries, setting a large down on the counter. The stench of cheese and bread filled the air as he whipped it open, revealing pepperoni and anchovies.

Amethyst pulls half of it out and rolls it up, hucking it into her unending maw. "Still not that good."

Pearl leaned over to inspect it. She was looking more distressed than normal. "Why is it... oozing liquid?"

"It's grease!"

She turned to Amethyst, the most knowledgeable about food, who shrugged. "Leftover cooking stuff. S'like when you boil pasta with salt, but you don't wash the salt off after."

"Abhorrent," Pearl deduced, pulling a towel out of her gem. She began the process of patting the food down. "Just a moment, Steven. If they won't clean their cleaning apparatuses, then I'll have to do it for them."


ROSE'S ROOM

"GARNET," Pearl wailed, clawing fruitlessly at the door. "Do something!"

Garnet hummed, jaw tight with concern. She lifted her palms and the gems lit up on the door. Amethyst hauled Pearl away while she went inside. Shuffling over to the ledge, she formed a gauntlet and hopped down a ledge into a much more dangerous area. It wasn't her favorite place to be. This room, and everything in it- it was sacred. But desperate times.

There was one way to every room in the Temple. And she was pretty sure that included Rose's. Grabbing a vein of the Heart, she dug the gauntlet into the wall and started the process of slowly scaling her way down.

Rock crumbled beneath her grip, crumbling uselessly into the void. No one was completely sure how deep the well went. Rose had planned the Temple to be a living being- that meant it could shift and shape itself to its own will. Whatever planning may have gone into it, it stopped at the door.

(Bismuth would hate this place, she thought. Stars, she missed Bismuth.)

The unending darkness met her visor as she dug her fingers in, coming to a slow, grinding stop. The outside of Rose's room. She put her other gauntlet on and slammed the side, intending on busting in and finding her boy. It didn't even tremble. Actually, it seemed to force the energy away completely, ricocheting up her shoulder. She grit her teeth and punched harder.

The fist bounced right off, landing directly into her face. Garnet groaned and fixed her visor- broken by the impact. She laid a palm on the wall and sent a ray of electricity into it, hoping for a weak spot. The Temple groaned but did not give up its bounty.

She returned with a bruised nose, a bruised pride, and a bruised hand.

"S' on lockdown," she announced. "No one goin' in."

"But Steven!" Pearl argued, trying to unhinge the door with her bare fingers.

"He's a smart lil' boy. He'll make it out." Garnet returned to her place between them. Who knew? Maybe this would be a good test for him. "And we'll be here when he gets back."


COACH STEVEN

There are things Pearl cannot say. Things that- though Rose didn't realize it- she could no longer even think. When Pi- when the D- when she asked her to never speak of it again, that meant that Pearl could not physically piece the words together ever again.

She cannot call Steven by his true gemtype. She cannot tell him she once held Rose's sword. She cannot even- can't even think of that name.

But she wants to! Stars, does she want to. She understands that this isn't something that only applies to Rose anymore. This applies to Steven, and she loves Steven more than she ever expected to. In some ways, she loves him more than Rose. The feelings weren't the same, though the name was, and she wanted to protect him.

But she can't.

She can't.

But she can hold him, and she can hug Amethyst and Garnet close, and she can pretend she is strong. Pretend that she's not locked out of the truth and unable to deny her own code. She can tell him "I'm proud of you," and that, at least, is not a lie. That isn't something she has to re-think. That makes it precious.


JOKING VICTIM

"You coulda just asked me to stay," Lars said as they boxed up the last donuts for the day.

"You didn't let me," Sadie reminded him. "What was I supposed to do? It's common decency, Lars."

"It's not like you ever take a day off. What's wrong with me doin' it?"

"Nothing is wrong! It's just.." She sighed, pinching the ridge of her nose. "Look. I know this is all fun and games for you, but I need this job, Lars. I don't want to live in my mom's basement forever. So, please, just... only do it when you actually need it?"

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "How'd you even figure it out, anyway?"

"Oh. Steven 'n me went to bring you donuts. To make you feel better. Then we saw you and the other kids playing around."

"Oh," Lars echoed, beginning to realize just how badly he might have donked up. "Man, Sadie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry about me. I forget you're... well..."

"Player Two?" she offered with a small smile. "It's a support role for a reason, Barriga."


STEVEN AND THE STEVENS

"Should we be reading into those lyrics?" Pearl asked after the show. Steven was surrounded by other, older humans, all congratulating him on his set. "I mean, 'watching myself die' is a little... odd."

Amethyst waved her off. "Nah, man! It's a metaphor. Like ego death or something."

"He's fine," Garnet agreed, adjusting her shades. "Nothing's happened to that Steven all day."

"That Steven?"

"Sorry. Misspoke."


MONSTER BUDDIES

Centipeetle had such a lovely screech.

Steven thought of her broken call as she died, turned over, and sobbed into his pillow. He barely even knew her. He didn't even know what a corruption was! All he knew is she was a big monster, then a little monster, and she'd made baby monsters once. It felt like too little. It felt like not enough.

Did the Gems know where she came from?

It didn't matter, he thought bitterly. The Gems had always been vague about corruptions. They just- came. And fought. Like video game bosses. And he'd been fine with that until Centipeetle had quietly hung out on the floor with him. She had feelings. She had wants and fears. Maybe they all did.

Why were they always attacking? Why did the Gems bubble them? How many more would have gladly jumped in front of an icicle for him?


AN INDIRECT KISS

The glasses were a no-brainer, as far as Connie was concerned. She slipped them on and had dinner.

Because, well. She's already not telling her folks Steven's magic. Letting them know her eyes got magically healed was definitely a top ten 'great way to never see your best friend again' move. Besides! These things cost money! Even with insurance! She can't just. Not use them. And isn't it better this way?

(It's better for her, anyway.)

Connie picks up her violin and wonders if there's a spark of truth to the old adage that nosy parents create great liars. She plucks a few strings and remembers the warmth of Steven's hug and thinks it's definitely worth it.


MIRROR GEM

Garnet carries him back into the house. Steven honestly isn't sure if it's to comfort him or to make sure he doesn't flee again. Her grip is always feather-light, but the thing about super strength is that he couldn't shift even if he wanted to. It's a soft iron wall.

"I've never seen another Gem before," he confesses quietly. As if this is news. "I thought you guys were the last ones."

Pearl flaps her hands a little. "Well... we never said that, exactly."

"But we never saw any! If there was more Gems, I woulda met them."

"It's complicated, dude," says Amethyst. It's her first time meeting a new Gem as well, but saying as much would lead to questions. Questions Garnet had specifically told Amethyst not to answer. "We ain't exactly neighbors. Can't stop by for a thing of sugar or to chit-chat."

"She was right there! And she... she was angry at you." Steven frowned. "Did you... really know she was in there?"

"Sort of," Garnet replies. "We knew there was a gemstone in the mirror, but we had no proof that she was sentient or alive." (Pearl remembered living walls and living combs with a small shudder). "We would've got her out if we knew."

"She really never talked to you guys?"

"Never." Garnet opened the door, holding it for the others to cross. "And she'll want to keep it that way."


OCEAN GEM

They congregate in Garnet's room late at night, glowing orange against the lava. Amethyst tugged at her hair nervously while Pearl fiddled with her fingers. Garnet, currently neck deep in lava to try and relax, sighed and hopped onto the edge.

"We need to talk about this," she announced, as if they hadn't planned it beforehand. "Lapis is off-planet. We don't know how long it'll take her to return to Homeworld, but my future vision puts it at around a month."

"Is that concrete or an average?" Pearl asks.

Garnet scowled. She didn't know Lapis well enough to make a concrete estimate. "Average."

"Is she gonna tell on us to head honchos?" Amethyst demanded. "Because, like, we are not battle-ready my guy."

"I can't be sure," she admitted. "But I don't believe so. Telling the Diamonds of us puts fault on Lapis. It implies she failed to eradicate us. And she seemed to like Steven."

"So Steven's good word is all that's keeping us from destruction?" Pearl whined, wringing her hands.

Garnet stiffly shrugged. "More or less."


HOUSE GUEST

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Greg pulled Steven into a tight hug. "I just miss you, is all."

"You lied! You always told me not to lie!"

"I know. It was bad of me. I oughta ground myself."

Steven slowly shook his head. Grounding sucked, and he didn't wish it on his dad, even if it still stung that he tried to worm his way into the Temple. Why not just ask for a sleepover? His powers had taken the hit today, and though he didn't have the words, it definitely hurt a lot.

"It's okay," he lied, tacking on a truth to make it go down easier; "I love you, dad."


SPACE RACE

Steven didn't sleep much the few nights afterwards.

It'd been so much fun! Building a rocket ship, blasting off, coasting gently down to shore. It hadn't been until Greg had all but ripped the seatbelts off to hold him close, sobbing, that he realized just how dangerous it really was. The suffocating hug of his dad somehow made it more real than the metal of the ship falling to shreds, the void of space ready to engulf him.

Pearl loved him.

Pearl loved the stars.

Pearl loved him enough to kidnap him for the stars.

He shook and shook and shook until it didn't feel like vibrating anymore.


SECRET TEAM

"When did we get so distant?" Pearl wonders, but she's not looking for an answer. She doesn't think there is one.

But Amethyst knows there is. She crosses her arms. "Prolly when you screamed at me for Rose getting pregnant."

Pearl flinches back. "I was- emotional. And you were spending so much time with Greg and Vidalia, I just assumed you gave her the idea." She patted her fluffy head. "It was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

She batted the hand away. "I've always hung with humans! I was in all three of the human world wars, Pearl! Three of them! I didn't do it for the fun and upliftin' tear gas. I did it because I like our squishy pals. This ain't news. But the moment Rose decided to have Steven, suddenly I was all wrong and bad and gross." Amethyst tsked. "S'like you were looking for an excuse to hate me."

"It wasn't like that," she argued. "I just never understood-"

"I don't understand a lotta junk! That's life, P. Why was it suddenly okay for you to razz me about it? Why was it a-okay for pick on Amethyst day?"

"Because... because..." Pearl slumped. "Because I needed someone to blame."


ISLAND ADVENTURE

Sadie decides right away to keep the scar. She doesn't do much to it other than avoid infection, adding a few drops of antiseptic and going to work with it unbandaged. It feels right. It feels like a reminder.

Jenny comes in for her usual order and whistles at the sight. "Daaaaanng, girl! What happened to you?"

Sadie laughed and touched the scratch, feeling the warmth underneath. "I went adventuring with Steven."

"Oh, man," she hummed understandingly. "I almost got choked out by some plants with that boy. Then a pufferfish ruined our cookout! He's a great kid- it's a shame he got monsters on his tail twenty-four-seven."

She privately agreed, though she thought Steven would object. He'd always found it pretty neat. "He's a sweetheart, really. He comes by every day to tell us about his adventures."

"S'once a week at the pizza shop. You're a lot closer. And lookit you! Getting cool scars. Chicks dig the scars, man."

"Yeah," Sadie echoes, remembering the terror of stabbing a sentient being. "Cool."


KEEP BEACH CITY WEIRD

Peedee is casually handling a potato as he hands Steven the bits, and Steven can't help but flinch away a little. It's silly. He's been through so much worse. But this is the first major human trauma he's had, and it scares him still.

"Don't go bonking me with that, alright?" he jokes nervously. "It hurts a lot."

"Hit you?" Peedee looks at the potato, then him. His face fell into a flat line. "What did he do this time?"

"Whaaaatt? Who? I mean-"

"What did Ronaldo do?" he insists.

Steven laughs again and describes, in very brief detail, Ronaldo smacking him with the tuber and dragging him off in one big misunderstanding. "But it's okay! I'm fine, he's fine, the Gems took care of it."

Peedee had put the veggie down to rub the bridge of his nose about halfway through. He threw his head over his shoulder. "DAAAAAADDDD! Ronnie did it again!"

"Again?" Steven can't help but wonder, but there's no reply.


FUSION CUISINE

Priyanka waited until they were in the car. Connie thought she might, holding her breath and crossing her fingers and toes. She hoped the punishment wouldn't be too severe. She could handle a grounding, but she didn't want to never see Steven again.

She set the keys on the dashboard, sighed, and twisted around in her seat. "You didn't have to lie to us about Steven's mothers," she said. "I'm sorry we gave you the impression we weren't accepting."

Connie felt her brain just. Stutter. Absolute error noises. Dialup between her ears. A soft, confused little, "Ma'am?" left her lips.

"Of LGBT+ identities," Priyanka tacked on. "I won't admit to understanding it, but if they want to live as a poly lesbian thruple with their son, good on them."

"Or bisexual," Doug added.

"Or bisexual. It's not right of me to assume."

Connie stared at them both. She'd expected a lecture about the magic, not- whatever this was. "I didn't- it's not about- I just worried about the magic stuff. Not that."

Priyanka scowled. "I won't pretend to get any of that," she admitted, grabbing the keys to start the vehicle. "They aren't trying to force you to do it, are they?"

"Humans can't do magic, ma'am."

"But they aren't trying to make you do anything?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. Then we'll pretend this is average human fare and move on." Priyanka flicked on her turn signal. "So long as you understand that we are in no way homophobic or transphobic. But I will fist-fight a flat-earther."


GARNET'S UNIVERSE

The corruption didn't go down easy. Gems didn't need sleep, but their physical forms did feel exhaustion, and occasionally that meant they needed rest. Garnet wasn't usually the one who needed a break, but the past few days had been a bit stressful, and now she had a gemstone floating casually around the living room.

She wanted to go take a lava bath. Or even a nap.

But Steven was in her arms, and he was so excited as he explained an imaginary training segment that she wouldn't dare stop him. Stars, he was so cute. Garnet would occasionally break into his very serious story by kissing his forehead (no future vision- just love) or shifting him onto her hip to give her tired arms a break.

Rest could wait. She had a child to appreciate.


WATERMELON STEVEN

The ocean is cold and full of dangerous fish. The watermelons find themselves adrift in the elements, picked off one by one by large serpents and even a few corruptions. But they kept marching. Their orders were to 'go'- not how far, or to where.

It's a number of days before the sand begins to slope upwards. They climb and climb, coming out onto Mask Island. A true paradise. The melons looked out across the lush greenery and decided it was home. They built ramshackle houses, gardens, and leafy-clothes. They made a home.

Their land was theirs. But, more importantly- they set up a stone statue of Baby Melon, so that they will never forget. So that they will always think about what they've done.


LION 3: STRAIGHT TO VIDEO

Lion thinks he's pretty low maintenance, as far as pets go. When he was brown he'd been very needy, wanting extra snuggles and needing to eat meat. Now he's pink and he doesn't really mind the quiet. Rose comes and goes in rare intervals, leaving him to guard a strange stone hut and the giant pink bits that look like him.

Today she comes for him holding a VHS tape. Her belly is swollen with her future cub. Lion nuzzles into the belly, taking a good sniff. The better to find them later.

"Oh, Lion," she had said, cupping his cheeks and giving him a little nose kiss. "I'm going to miss you so much."

Lion didn't understand those words, but he understood the somber tone. He let out an answering growl and bowed like she taught him; the better to climb inside his mane. He remembered every object stored inside- the shirt, the chest, the bubble, the sword and flag. He knew they were precious items he was protecting- just like the little stone hut.

Though he didn't feel the weight literally, Lion couldn't help but think the VHS tape felt like the heaviest of them all.


WARP TOUR

Pearl stumbles off to the edge of the galaxy warp, breathing rapidly. Tears streamed from her eyes as Amethyst carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently quieting her. The pale Gem began to rock.

Steven, staring at Garnet, didn't notice.

"What do they want?" Steven demanded. "They're Gems, like us! Why can't we make friends?"

"They aren't like us," Garnet rebuffed, phasing off the giant gauntlet. "We're reasonable."

"You just shattered the warp!"

"And I'll do it again. What's been broken can't be fixed, so we should move on. That's reasonable." She patted the shards and walked over, bending to be on his level. "Steven. Other Gems are dangerous. I know you want to be kind to them, but they wouldn't be kind to us."

Steven stared up at her, unsure. "How do you know that?"

Her lips twitched. "S' a long story and we have more important things to do. We need to calm down Pearl, and we need to get you to bed."

"But this matters more!" he argued, knowing that if he didn't get the info now he likely never would.

"It doesn't," Garnet replied, brushing past him. "It's fixed now."


ALONE TOGETHER

The second time they form Stevonnie, they're having a sleepover. Steven had rolled over in his sleep, or maybe Connie had scooched too close, and what had originally been an accidentally snooze during the movie portion of the night became a fusion fun time.

Stevonnie snorts awake maybe half an hour later as the final credits roll. They yawn, stretching, and stretch out to unload the tape. They glance down at their bigger hand and wiggled the fingers.

"I'm... me again?" they wondered. Stevonnie smiled big. "I'm me again!"

They fell back onto the side of the bed with giggles. Stevonnie bounced their leg chipperly as they checked themselves over. Being Stevonnie was like a full-time hug, and though Steven and Connie weren't quite here they were still happy and comfortable.

"I'm glad we can do this together," they admitted. "Sometimes I worry... it's too much." Stevonnie sat up. "Too much! I love it! From what the Gems have said, we're basically a one-of-a-kind pair! I think that's really special and cool."

They smiled, flattered. "Yeah. I guess I am pretty special and cool, huh?"


THE TEST

The Gems loved him. Steven knew that. Knew it as a solid fact of life. The sky is blue, rain falls from clouds, the Gems would do anything for him. He vividly remembered being read bedtime stories by Pearl, and playing in the sprinklers with Amethyst, and stargazing with Garnet. They were precious memories of the times before he moved in.

But they don't trust him. Not really. People who trust him don't rig tests in a bad attempt at fixing his confidence. People who trust him don't worry about him being controlled. And he knows that Gems aren't supposed to be parents, but they are, and shouldn't that be enough?

They lie. A lot. Today was another big one. But today Steven had an ace up his sleeve- he's a liar too. And it made them happy. And if they were happy, and proud of him, that was almost enough to will the sting away.

Wasn't that enough?


FUTURE VISION

"So you know, like, everything that could happen?" Steven asks after being toweled off, climbing into Garnet's lap.

She clucked her tongue, long fingers carding through his hair. "I can make a good guess. I need to know the person whose future I'm looking into, and then pair down futures that are impossible or out of character. It can take some time."

"Then you need to know everything about the person?" Steven stared blankly down at the couch, trying to recall everything about a single person. There's a lot in a person. "That's a lot of work."

"I need to know their story. The real story," she both agreed and disagreed. "I think my best predictions are..."

Garnet hummed in the back of her throat, looking out to her closest friends. The future with Rose had always been impossible to pin down, with everything from 'I'm a Diamond' to 'I was secretly in love with a Diamond' in the mix. That's the disaster of possibilities- they go into places that make no sense.

Pearl, likewise, was difficult. Pearl had never been comfortable talking too much about her time on Homeworld, and any talk about it would almost forcibly cram her mouth shut. She didn't know what her master had done, exactly, but Garnet held no fondness for them.

"You and Amethyst," Garnet decided. She'd known Amethyst since she emerged, and Steven since birth. "I have good luck with the wild cards."


ON THE RUN

The Kindergarten might be a brand to the others, but to Amethyst it's a tattoo. Permanant, and so telling.

She doesn't regret telling Steven. It's relief. To be able to look him in the eye and admit she doesn't know, that she's just as clueless as him. Those pensive looks he gives them will fade from her features as he recalls that she is, at her core, an Earthling.

Doesn't make listening to Garnet try to avoid the situation any easier. Or how Pearl clings to her like a lifeline, rubbing her shoulders like she's gonna tighten into a ball and never return. The attention is agony in its kindness, painful for its sorrow. She'd meant to tell him about the Kindergarten. She hadn't meant to bellow out her deepest insecurities. But that's just how her emotions go, and she has no control over it.

Steven gets her a bracelet with a globe on it and she puts it in the pile for the prettiest, bestest objects, hidden deep below. It sits, stalwart, next to silver and curling roses. Another gift- another person. The meaning was still there.


HORROR CLUB

Lars is at the counter when Ronaldo goes to buy his usual donuts. He almost walks back out. But horror night has given him new confidence- at least in the fact that he can yeet Lars as needed- and he tries his best for casual as he orders.

"You never told me why you did it," he says, dropping all of the casual stuff on his metaphorical toe.

Lars' eyes flick towards him from the register. "I couldn't look stupid, dude."

"Okay, but that literally can't be it," Ronaldo needles. "We could've blurred your face!"

He sighs, like this is all some big deal he shouldn't have to deal with. But he should. "Why do I need to explain myself to you? It's private."

"Because you threw away our friendship! For- for some stupid photo!"

Lars leans back a little. "I threw away our friendship because I wasn't out of the closet yet, Ronnie. I didn't even know if that was gonna be my name yet!"

Ronaldo pauses. It's easy for him to forget that part of their childhood. It felt like it had always been Ronnie and Lars. Maybe he'd used different pronouns, but what child thinks twice about that? His best friend wanted to be a boy so he remembered him as such.

"Oh," he says, feeling dumb. "I... I don't think about that."

"I know you don't. But I do." Lars handed him his bag. "I think about it constantly."


WINTER FORECAST

Snow looks soft and warm until you touch it. The same could be said of Garnet's gentle kiss.

Steven's neck ached against the armrest as he watched the flurries. He wondered what the Gems were doing. Would they really fiddle with the Shooting Star? Pearl had been extra careful to tell him how dangerous it was. Garnet needed her gauntlets just to touch it! He was deeply, darkly terrified he'd wake up to no beach house, no Gems. No nothing.

All for what? A warp that Garnet had destroyed?

Scared of what was to come, Steven slid a hand out from under the blankets, finding it almost immediately in Connie's. He squeezed. She squeezed back.


MAXIMUM CAPACITY

They don't talk about it.

Amethyst sprints out of that storage unit like a woman on fire, skidding as she turns. Her form sickens her- even now, even when she's herself, she's still just this pudgy little monster that Did That- so she turns into a wolf. She runs faster that way.

There are things they can't tell Steven, and things they won't tell Steven. This is both. This is nights in the storage unit, baby Steven sleeping in his crib nearby. This is a lot of beers, something Amethyst had long had the ability to get drunk off of with her setup. This is about one night, years ago, where Greg almost kissed her.

(The almost is because he stopped. Amethyst would've allowed it.)

But that night is a curse. It follows her everywhere. There's no bigger disrespect to Rose. There's no bigger disrespect to Greg for holding Rose's memory above his living, actual choices. But what's there to say? To do?

Amethyst hasn't drank anything since that day. But she really wishes she could start up now, erase the look on her son's face in her mind. Erase the horrible things she's done.


MARBLE MADNESS

Oh. A video from Yellow. Blue shifts in the current, nestled deep inside the old bath house. She'd been hoping to be alone. But Yellow only calls when it's important- she comes in person for the little things, doing her best to spend time with her fellow Diamond.

She hit answer. "What is it this time, Yellow?"

Yellow is surrounded by screens. Her hands are darting to and fro as she tries to keep up with the demands of her colonies. Part of Blue felt bad- Yellow was taking on her workload as well- but not enough to do anything.

"I was hoping to steal that Lazuli of yours," Yellow said. "I need an informant for a quick jaunt to a little planet."

"Which Lazuli?"

"You know. The old one."

Blue did, vaguely. They'd recently had an Era 1 appear on Homeworld, claiming to have been lost and placed in a mirror. Yellow had kept her up to date on it despite her disinterest. "Oh, she's really under your command, Yellow. You can do as you like."

Yellow pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course. Why do I bother asking for permission." She waved a hand. "Anyway. I'll be taking the old one alongside a Jasper and dispatching them to check on the Cluster. I have a Peridot claiming her tech keeps getting destroyed."

She perked up at the mention of the geo-weapon. "Oh! You didn't mention it was..."

"And get you into a deeper funk? Please, Blue. The planet's going to explode and I don't need you on it."

"Of course," Blue echoed, already planning a trip.


ROSE'S SCABBARD

Garnet's waiting for them when they return. Amethyst is off somewhere, likely sulking from her own high emotions of earlier. Pearl takes the top hat off and hands it to Steven, gingerly approaching.

"I- yelled," Pearl said. "A lot. I shouldn't've done that."

"You shouldn't've," Garnet agreed, arms crossed. Her voice was flat but gentle. "You said a mean thing to Steven."

"Aw, it's okay-" Steven tried to intervene, not wanting another argument to ensue. He just wanted to go to bed.

"S'not okay," she shot back, stunning him into silence.

"She's right," Pearl murmured, turning on heel. She crouched so they were on eye level. "Steven, I'm very sorry for yelling at you. I was caught up in the moment, and I took it out on you."

Truthfully, that had hardly phased him. It was the rest of it that burrowed into Steven's heart. Seeing Rose through his eyes. Did she ever see Steven? "It's fine, Pearl. Really. I'm not upset."

Lithe arms pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad."

Steven wondered if the Rose she saw in his eyes was feeling the same way.


OPEN BOOK

Connie was so strong, Steven marveled. She took out her evil self! And she still smelled like old books and used her big brain to think up alternate endings to the Unfamiliar Familiar. His best friend was the whole package, is what he's saying.

He didn't think much of it when he kissed her knuckles to rid the bruising, but when he looked up her face was on fire and so was his? And he hoped he hadn't made things weird by doing it, he just wanted to heal her.

Steven stared at the bruises and remembered, distantly, that his healing power wasn't working.

"MY BAD!" he blurted, backing off five feet. "I- I was gonna heal them! Like I healed your eyes! And- and I didn't think about it, and funny story but I don't actually have the power to do that right now, so this really looks bad, and-"

"It's fine, Steven."

"But it's not! I shoulda asked first."

"I mean, yeah, you should've," Connie started, leaning forward to hug him. "But considering we can fuse, this isn't that big a deal."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The Gems found Stevonnie cheerfully giggling over the pages that morning.


SHIRT CLUB

"Dad!" Buck cried as he toddled up to his father. "Look, look!"

Dewey dropped the cooking spoon and turned off the stove. "What's up, kiddo?"

Buck proudly presented a photo of himself holding hands with his father, the crooked letters reading 'Vote for my Dad'. "I made this in school today! Everyone said it was sooo cool!"

"Buck," Dewey said, but it came out more like a sob. He lifted the boy off the floor and squeezed him close. "It's perfect! I love it so much! Oh, we just have to stick it on the fridge. And the wall. And the town!"


STORY FOR STEVEN

As Steven giggled and blushed over the story, Greg set the photo on the sideboard. He wondered if Steven noticed the lack of pictures of his parents. He wondered if- when?- Steven would ask about them. It was the one story that didn't have a song made by him.

Greg had never regretted leaving home. Even with Marty, and the long nights, and the days he had no food or gas. It was still better than home. And as Steven sprawled out across the van floor and giggled, he knew he'd done better than his parents. At least, he hoped he had.

The story with no song would be lit up by Kerry Moonbeam when he found out that, at the end of the day, he really hadn't.


THE MESSAGE

Lapis has barely stopped the recording before she's escorted to meet her consorts. The Peridot is Era 2 at its core- limb enhancers, holographic screen, plenty of tidbits she can't comprehend. The Jasper is exactly how she remembers them, though she's got a cape. That might mean something these days.

"Introductions," the Peridot grouses, clearing her throat. "I'm Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-"

The Jasper swats her over the head. "We don't need to know your whole story. We probably won't be seeing each other after this mission."

"If we're lucky," Lapis grumbles.

The Quartz snorts. "I like you," she says. It feels like a curse. "You spot Rose Quartz down there?"

She shakes her head.

Jasper sighs, whooshing her cape. "Got this for nothing." She grabs the Peridot and manually turns her toward the ship. "C'mon. This is your stupid mission. Let's see what's got a puny Peridot so worked up."


POLITICAL POWER

They plot whenever Steven is busy. Pearl takes Garnet to get the light cannons, and Amethyst takes care of any leftover weapons in her room. Finds a few old cannisters of things banned in the Geneva Convention, but it does nothing for Gems. She sighs and closes the box, locking it.

"What kind of Gems should we be expecting?" Pearl is muttering as she emerges from inside the Temple. "Back in the day it'd be a Nephrite."

Garnet shakes her head. "Too many possibilities. Could be somethin' we know. Could be a whole new kind of Gem." She tilts her visor towards Amethyst as she hops onto the counter. "Told you you wouldn't find anything."

"Thanks for rubbin' it in, G," Amethyst whines. She'd been hoping for some basic grenades, at least, but they'd all been taken apart. "What kind of Gem is a Peridot, anyway?"

Garnet tilts her head a little. "They're... newer. Tech-support."

"...So you're guessing?"

She shrugs.

"All we're doing is guessing!" Pearl snaps at her. "That's why this is so dangerous! We don't know what's coming!"

"Steven's coming," Garnet says suddenly, as if in answer to her cries. "Up the steps."

They immediately began to do busywork. Steven didn't need this. He never needed to know this.


THE RETURN

Ruby reformed alone. That in and of itself was unnatural. She'd always had the other Rubies, or Sapphire, or at least the other Crystal Gems. But today she was alone, standing stiffly in a pod that was guarded by a glowing yellow field.

Homeworld. Right.

They'd been stolen by Homeworld.

"Sapphire," Ruby whispered, realizing with a sudden terror that she was far, far away. Somewhere Gems could hurt her. Somewhere Ruby could not see.

Invigorated, she slammed her fists against the barrier. They came away buzzy and stinging. She tried all the other walls- the material was strong, built to survive a small Ruby's assault. That meant Pearl and Amethyst were likewise unable to budge it. Steven was... Steven was a baby. A small baby. He couldn't break a wall yet. He could barely walk.

A gentle humming caught her ears. Ruby's eyes welled up as Sapphire's melody reached her. Letting her know she was okay and alive. Ruby's singing was too quiet, but she had another way.

She threw her head back and screamed.


JAILBREAK

If Pearl loved him enough for the stars, then Homeworld hated him enough for the inky, suffocating death in the blackness between them.

The ocean tickled the sides of his feet as he stood, halfway in one of the clawmarks left by Malachite. The fusion was gone. It felt like an eternity and a second between her appearing and her being dragged beneath the waves.

Jasper was... scary. But Steven knew they could beat her.

The giant green monstrosity boiling the ocean with hatred? Not so much.

Peridot was still loose, which was troublesome. Steven never got particularly malicious vibes from her, but she was scared and cornered on the planet- chances were good she'd kill him if she felt she needed to. And they had absolutely no idea where she was.

Stomach dropping, Steven heard a familiar ringtone and thought maybe, just maybe, he'd be safer amongst the cosmos. But Steven is Steven, and Steven is staying right here. They needed him.

Author's Note: I posted these an episode at a time on ao3, but it felt ridiculous to make individual drafts per drabble lol. So here's season 1 of my drabble per episode!

-Mandaree1