Hello and welcome readers to my Steven Universe fanfiction. Anyway, I don't own anything except for the OC.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. Steven Universe is owned by Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar. Please support the Official Release.

Lion 3: Straight To Video

—…

The day starts off with Seagulls being seen crying and flying over the beach. Steven and Vergil were inside the Big Donut, and Steven was struggling to make a food decision while Vergil was in front of the counter talking with Sadie, and Lion was napping near the counter.

"So wait, the watermelon Stevens were created because of Steven's magical spit?" Sadie asked, trying to make sense of it.

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that." Vergil replied.

Right now, Vergil was explaining to Sadie the events of what happened the other day when Beach City was overrun with watermelons that took the shape of Steven and Vergil that soon revealed themselves to be alive and sentient.

"—And because Steven inherited his Mom's power to grow sentient plants, all the watermelon seeds he spat around grew into living watermelons that happened to look like him." Vergil explained.

"Well, that explains the watermelon Stevens but why were there watermelon yous?" Sadie asked.

"This all started because Steven and Greg were making a game on how much they could spit around watermelon seeds, and I used my enhancing powers to help Steven spit them around further." Vergil explained again. "My powers mixed with his, so half the watermelons ended up looking like me."

"Ha, you guys always ended up doing the weirdest things." Sadie noted good-naturedly. "So what happened to all those living watermelons?"

"They all migrated to Mask Island." Vergil finished his explanation. "They'll be okay there."

"Hmmm…" Their attention was caught by Steven, who was humming loudly while looking at the different donut options. "Hmmm… Hmmmm… Hmmmm."

Sadie just smiled at him. "You can do it, Steven."

"I'd hope so. You've been at it for a while." Vergil said, crossing his arms.

"Thanks, Vergil. It's just: I could get a donut, which would be tasty, but I always get donuts. Shouldn't I be living life to the fullest and trying new things? So tonight, maybe I'm thinking… Spicy Pretzels?" Steven suggested it, but he didn't sound sure.

"I get what you're trying to say, but I seriously doubt it's a good idea to be experimental when it comes to snakes." Vergil advised him.

"Why don't you ask your little friend?" Sadie motioned to Lion.

After Sadie brings up Lion, he suddenly sits up from his nap. Lion then walks over to the Lion Lickers fridge and presses his face against the glass door.

Vergil didn't seem surprised. "Yeah, that figures."

"Ugh, Lion, those are gross." Steven complained. "No offense."

Sadie smiled at them. "You kids better hurry it up. Lars and I are closing up—"

Lars suddenly entered from the employee room, jazzing to music on his headphones and eating a donut, not caring who was watching or that he was spitting out crumbs, and exited the building without acknowledging anyone's presence.

Sadie narrowed her eyes with annoyance as she corrected herself. "I'm closing up for the day."

Vergil raised a brow. "What song was he even listening to?"

Steven looked back at the fridge and saw several bags labeled "Sadie" in there. "Hey, Sadie! There's a snack named after you?"

"Nah, those are all lunches my Mom packed for me." Sadie told them while laying her head against the counter.

"Aww, that's so nice." Steven cooed.

"Ehh, actually, it's pretty embarrassing." Sadie confessed. "She's been doing it for years. I mean, I know how to feed myself. They just make me feel like a kid, you know."

"Ah, you're at that awkward age where you want to feel grown-up and therefore feel belittled when your parents do things for you that you feel you can do for yourself." Vergil described knowingly. "Another part of being an emotional teen."

"Hahaha." Sadie laughed a bit at his analysis. "Okay "professor", when do you become such an expert on teenagers?"

"You'd be surprised. It's not all that hard to figure out." Vergil told her with a shrug. "Everyone always talks about how "complicated" being a teenager is, but honestly, I don't see it."

"Give it a few years, then you'll see it." Sadie told him knowingly.

"So…" Steven drew attention back to the lunches. "Can I try one?"

"Sure, but choose wisely. Some of those have been in there for a few months." Sadie gave him fair warning.

"How come you didn't throw them out?" Vergil asked curiously.

"They take up the unused space in the fridge." Sadie reasoned.

After leaving the Big Donut, they made their way back to Beach House. Once Steven, Vergil, and Lion returned home with one of Sadie's lunches, they headed for the counter by the kitchen.

"Alrighty, let's see what we've got here." Steven pulls the food items out of the lunch bag on the kitchen counter. While Steven was doing that, Lion stuck his nose into the empty paper bag and got his nose stuck in it as he rolled his head around in an effort to free himself. "Looks like a classic PBJ sandwich cut into triangles. Very nice, it's the only shape a sandwich should be."

"That's debatable." Vergil argued with that statement. "Personally, I prefer sandwiches cut into rectangles."

"True. I guess those do have their merits." Steven relented to his point. "Either way, Mama Sadie, this lunch is a win. And for dessert, we have…."

Neither of them was paying attention as Lion was still trying to remove the paper bag that was stuck on his face. Lion backs up towards the door, trying to get the lunch bag off his face.

"Woah, look at this!" Steven excitedly ran up to Lion. "Lion, Lion, look! It's a cookie shaped like a star." Steven laughed and compared it to the star on his shirt. "I guess you could say this cookie is… Out of this world, eh?"

In response to his pun, Lion snouts and blows the lunch bag off his nose, hitting Steven in the face.

Vergil walked up to him, also not impressed with that pun. "Yep, you had that one coming."

The lunch bag drifts down, and Steven, unaffected by the bag, bites into the cookie. He then looks at a painting of his Mom—Rose, that hung above the door.

Steven munches before wondering out loud. "I wonder what kind of lunch my mom would've made me." He gasped as Lion walked beside Steven and sat down. "Maybe actual space cookies!"

Both Vergil and Lion said nothing, and Vergil just tilted his head. "What would that even be?"

Steven sighs. I don't know… I just wish…" He stared up at her painting again. "I knew a little more about her."

Lion pokes his nose at Steven's shoulder and looks at him.

Steven looked at Lion and noticed Lion was staring right at him. Steven then became star-eyed. "Blink if this means you love me."

Lion just kept staring at Steven. Steven then blows into Lion's eyes, causing him to blink involuntarily.

Steven was star-eyed again. "He loves me!"

"That doesn't count." Vergil informed him. "That's like using a flashlight on someone during a staring contest."

"Okay, okay, but even if he didn't blink, that doesn't mean he doesn't love me." Steven reasoned while holding out his arms. "Huh?"

Vergil shook his head. "You are impossible."

Time passed, and the sunset as day turned to night, and the boys got ready for bed. Vergil was lying back on the couch in his normal clothes while Steven was in his pajamas and was preparing a makeshift bed for Lion, using the cushions from the couch.

"Thanks for letting me use some of the couch cushions." Steven said to Vergil.

"No big deal, the couch is still comfortable without them." Vergil assured him.

"All done!" Steven finished and looked at Lion. "I made sure to make it extra squooshy, just the way you like it. Wha…? Hey!"

Lion grunts and leaps up above the stairs and into Steven's Room as he crawls into his bed.

"Hey, get out of there!" Steven ran to his bed. "Lion, this is the Steven bed, not the Lion bed!" He grunts as he pulls on the blanket Lion is underneath. "Come on! Whoa!" He fell back on the bed as Lion suddenly got up and walked off Steven's bed, taking the blanket with him. "Ugh! Hey! That's mine too!" Steven takes off the blanket, and Lion has a teddy bear in his mouth. "And Sir Bearington."

Lion drops the teddy bear. Steven then takes it and jumps back into bed.

"Hup! Uhh." Steven wrapped the blanket around his body and hugged the teddy bear as he yawned. 'Night, Vergil!"

"Yep!" Vergil replied before closing his eyes.

"Night, Lion!" Steven did the same for Lion as he rolled on the makeshift bed and fell asleep on his back. "Love you… In the morning." Steven was drowsy and fell asleep as he started snoring.

Some time passes, and Steven suddenly wakes up and finds himself surrounded by pink plants. This place seemed to be a vast savannah with tall pink meadows that had a clear sunny sky.

Steven's head stuck out of the tall grass and stared up at the sky. "Whoa… What is this place?" He thought as he looked around, but when he tried to talk, he couldn't hear his own voice. "I can't breathe!"

Suddenly he could hear Pearl's voice calling out to him in the distance. "Steven! Steven! Steven!"

"Steven!" Back in the Beach House, Pearl shouted with panic. Pearl found Lion sleeping on top of Steven, who seems to be suffocating and struggling to free himself. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Hang on! I got you!" She tries to pull Steven out by his legs. "Ugh, Lion! Let him go!"

In response, Lion lifts his body slightly, and Pearl, pulling at full force, is flung backward with Steven pulled out. She crashed onto the floor by the TV while Steven landed on Pearl's lap.

Steven gasped for air. "What happened?"

"Steven, are you all right?" Pearl placed Steven on his feet. "Why was Lion sleeping on top of you?"

"I don't know. He's being a little clingy today." Steven said while Lion walked up to him and nuzzled his head against Steven. "But that's cause I'm his favorite! Oh!" Lion then pulled Steven's face into his mane. "See? Wait…" He pulled his face out of Lion's mane. "Why are you here, Pearl?"

Pearl started sweating. "Me? Nothing. I was just uh…." She averted her eyes nervously. "Well, you know how I always say…" Pearl kept fishing for an excuse. "Um, I just uh…." Finally giving up, she confessed the truth. "I like to watch you sleep sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean often."

Steven blinked, not knowing how to respond to this information. "Okie-Dokie, it's time for everyone to leave Steven alone." He decided while marching back to his bed. "I'm a growing boy, and I needs my rest."

Steven lies down back in his bed but then sees Lion sitting at the side of the bed and watching over him.

Steven narrowed his eyes. "Lion, that means you too."

Steven closes his eyes briefly and opens them again, finding Pearl joining Lion in, watching over him too.

"Rah! Rah! Rah!" Steven loses his patience and chases Lion and Pearl away with a pillow while barking at them. "Rah! Rah!" He sighed once they were gone and flopped back on his bed before he fell asleep.

"Mmm…" Vergil murmured, still half asleep but slowly starting to wake up from all the noise. "W…What's going on…?"

Pearl went downstairs and kneeled beside him as she softly whispered. "Nothing, go back to sleep."

"Hmm…" Vergil obliged and delicately drifted off into sleep again. "…Okay… Pearl…"

He rested peacefully as Pearl stroked his cheek with her hand.

As he slept, Steven's mind entered a dream. The dream world was a world surrounded by a blue ocean with several small Islands that each had a cartoonish-looking palm tree. The sun was yellow with a cartoonish-looking sun along with blue cartoonish-looking clouds. Steven begins his dream of himself and Dogcopter playing checkers on one of the tiny Islands. Steven moves a piece.

"Hm!" Steven looked confident in his move.

Dogcopter responded by placing a chess piece on one of Steven's checker pieces. "I win." Dogcopter speaks without a mouth and has a deep, mature male voice.

"Oh, what?" Steven was surprised but accepted it. "That was a good move!"

"Thanks." Dogcopter said.

"Dogcopter, how do you do it?" Steven asked curiously.

"How do I do what?" Dogcopter questioned back.

"I mean, what's your secret? How'd you get so talented?" Steven clarified his question.

"Don't focus so much on talent, Steven." Dogcopter advised him while he used his leg to scratch behind his ear. "Making art is all about communication. A piece of art is a conversation. Every choice you make is a statement." He then picked the chess piece and ate it. He proceeded to talk while chewing. "Don't worry about labels or conforming to a standard. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty." He finally swallowed it and gulped. "Ah."

Steven became star-eyed at that insightful but ultimately nonsensical advice. "Woah. Thanks for the advice."

"And take a deep breath." Dogcopter left him with that last bit of advice before he flew away.

"What?" Before Steven could ask what that meant, everything suddenly faded to black. Steven then finds himself falling into a void and quickly takes a deep breath.

He soon finds himself surrounded by the pink plants again. He gets up and finds himself in the middle of a plain of pink grass.

"Here again?" This time, Steven stood up, and the grass was so tall that it reached up to his torso. "I don't know what this place is, but it feels… Familiar. Why can't I breathe?" Steven suddenly realized why. "Wait a minute. Lion!"

Back in the Beach House, Steven struggles and pulls himself away from Lion, who is sleeping atop him again. Steven soon frees himself and gasps for air again.

"Ungh! Lion, my face is not your bed! What's going on with you?" Lion responded to Steven's question by rolling over on his back, exposing his belly, similar to a dog. "You just wanted a belly rub?" Steven asked, and Lion just grunted softly. Steven gasped happily and started stroking Lion's belly. "You never let me touch your belly! Oh!"

Lion then pulled Steven in closer and into a hug as he shoved his face into his mane once again.

Steven struggles around to break free. "It's a trap!" He's pushed back in and struggles again. "An adorable trap!" He struggles some more. "Okay, you got me!" He slowly lifted his head and puffed at Lion. "Will you let me go?" Lion just silently stared at him. "Come on now!"

Steven strained to pull himself free, but Lion hugged him tightly and brought out his claws before sinking his claws into Steven's back.

"AAH!" Steven cried out in pain. "That's it!" He snapped before leading Lion out the door as he stepped outside the house. "Let's go, Lion. You're on a time-out!" Lion just stood in the doorway and looked at it unresponsively. "I said, you're on time out!" He proceeded to push Lion outside. "You're gonna stay out here and think about what you did!"

Steven closed the door and angrily locked Lion outside on the porch as he headed back to his bed. As he does so, Lion begins to yowl sadly and looks at Steven with pitiful puppy eyes, grasping his attention and mesmerizing him. At first, Steven tried to resist him and continue upstairs, but ultimately, he couldn't and fell for Lion's stare.

Steven gasped while star-eyed. "He loves me!" He goes back outside to Lion and hugs him. "Aww, I just can't stay mad at you. You're a wonderful pink human being. Except you're not, 'cause you're a lion."

Steven sinks his face into Lion's mane and finds himself back with the unbreathable pink plain again. He quickly pulls his head out and gasps for air. Lion glares at Steven as he places his palm on Lion's mane, causing it to glow pink on the spot he is touching. Steven then takes a deep breath and dunks his head back into Lion's mane, back into the pink plain.

Steven thought to himself with realization. "I'm inside Lion's mane?!"

Steven proceeds to dunk his head in and out of Lion's mane repeatedly and laughs in entertainment, causing Lion to growl and glare at him in annoyance.

Steven smiled mischievously. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

The front door opened, and Vergil—Now awake, stepped outside to join Steven and Lion. "Hey, why are you awake?"

"Oh, sorry, did we wake you up?" Steven asked.

"It was kinda hard to sleep through all the yelling and growling." Vergil told him. "How come your outside?"

"You're not going to believe it. I just discovered something crazy." Steven said enthusiastically.

"Is this about Pearl watching us sleep?" Vergil hazarded a guess. "Because you know, it's not really a problem, and it isn't hurting anyone."

"Just look!" Steven grabbed Vergil by the shoulders.

Steven took a deep breath before shoving Vergil's head and his own into Lion's mane. With that, now they both entered the pink plane, and Vergil looked around through the pink grass.

"Whoa. what is this place?" Vergil asked, filled with wonder.

"Hmm?!" Steven grunted with surprise.

They both pulled their heads out, and Steven gasped for air before he looked at Vergil with surprise. "Wait, you can talk in there?!"

"…Yeah, can't you?" Vergil asked, not seeing the problem.

"No, I can't even breathe in there." Steven informed him. "How come you can breathe in there, but I can't?"

"Steven, like the Gems, and unlike you, I don't need air to breathe." Vergil reminded him. "We already established this, remember? You saw me talking while we were underwater?"

"Oh yeah." Steven quickly remembered that detail. "Well, wait here for a second."

Steven takes another deep breath and climbs all the way into Lion's mane.

Back inside Lion's mane, Steven thought to himself. "Am I… Supposed to do something here? Wha-?" Steven looked around and saw a pink tree on a hill in the distance and advanced toward it. "Mm…" After quickly running out of breath, Steven sticks his head out of Lion's mane briefly to breathe and goes back in.

Steven kept making his way through the grass before he soon reached the hill and walked up to it until he reached the tree and looked around at the various things around the base of the tree, such as a Battle Flag with Rose Quartz's symbol, a bubbled Gem, a Pink Sword minus the scabbard, an XXL Mr. Universe Shirt, a treasure chest, a framed photograph of Rose and Greg, and a VHS tape. Steven picks up the VHS tape and finds it labeled in cursive, reading "For Steven".

"For me? Who would put this here?" Steven wondered. "And how does this huge place fit inside of Lion's mane anywa—"

Steven started to sweat, and his face turned red as he began running out of breath again. He then realizes he cannot exit Lion's mane and starts to panic. He starts running back to the pink grass when he trips over a rock. He tumbles down the hill and into the pink grass, successfully exiting Lion's mane.

Steven fell out of Lion's mane and landed on the porch outside the Beach House. He gasped heavily for air.

"So, what'd you find in there?" Vergil asked nonchalantly.

Just then, before Steven could answer, they both heard Pearl as she was seen exiting the Temple Gate with Amethyst and Garnet.

"—And he keeps sleeping on Steven's face!" Pearl informed them of what had been happening. "But Steven doesn't want me watching him anymore, so one of you two has to do it. I'll keep watching Vergil."

Steven saw the Gems from outside the house and decided to quietly slip away from them, bringing along the VHS tape with him. He motioned for Vergil to follow him, and so he did, and Lion followed as well as the three of them left the Beach House.

Dawn broke, and the sun was starting to rise over Beach City as the two half-Gems made their way to the Big Donut as Lars and Sadie were opening up for the day.

"Sadie! Sadie!" Steven called out as they arrived in front of her.

"Guys, you know donuts aren't ready for another hour." Sadie informed them while unlocking the front door as Steven whispered into Sadie's ear. "Really? Come on." She opened the door and led them inside.

Steven, Vergil, and Sadie sit in the employee room as Steven puts the VHS tape on the TV in the room. They all begin watching the tape as it starts to play. The screen crackled with static and flashed between different shots of the ocean waves and the Crystal Temple when a younger Greg appeared across the screen on the sand and was dancing like a crab.

The sound of someone chuckling was heard on the tap.

{What are you doing?}

"Steven, that voice." Sadie said quietly with a smile.

"Could it be?" Vergil wondered while Steven just stared at the screen with a glow in his eyes.

The screen flashes again, now showing Greg napping and snoring on the beach with a seagull on his stomach.

The voice chuckles and whispers in a soothing, gentle, and maternal voice. {Greg made a friend.}

The seagull squawks, waking Greg up, and flies off.

{What?! Ah!} Greg flailed around before panting.

The screen flashes again, showing just Greg on the screen looking nervously into the camera.

The voice laughs. {Go on…}

{Sorry, I'm getting stage fright here.}

{Tell us about yourself.}

{Well, let's see here. My name is… Greg. No, no, no! This is all wrong!} Greg waved his arms around.

The screen flashes, opening with a blue crab on the sand.

{Okay, go!} Greg announced.

The screen pans towards him, posing on the beach. {They call me…" He strums his guitar. {Mr. Universe! Get ready, baby. You're gonna have the coolest Dad on this side of the cosmos!} Greg mimics a guitar riff. {Press the button, Rose!}

{Oh, right!} After pushing the button, a colorful stream with stars then washes across the screen. {Was that the right one?}

{Uh… Maybe.}

{Oh, what does this one do?}

After pushing that, The iconic star iris then zooms in on Greg, and the screen flashes, showing Greg playing his guitar on the beach while the voice narrates over the shot.

{Isn't it remarkable, Steven? This world is full of so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear. The lives they live are so complicated… A-and so simple. I can't wait for you to join them.}

Steven watched the tape with nothing but sheer happiness as his smile grew bigger and his eyes kept sparkling. Soon the camera turned towards the one narrating, and Rose Quartz finally revealed herself. She looked just like her painting on the wall at the Beach House, and yet, Steven felt like he was seeing her for the first time.

{Steven, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me loving you and loving being you. Because you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being.}

{Hey, Rose!} Greg called out in the distance.

{Take care of them, Steven.}

With those last words, the screen flashes again, showing a pregnant Rose setting the camera down and running up to Greg. Greg caresses Rose's belly, and they lean in for a kiss when the screen flashes for one last time, crackling in static as the tape ends.

At that point, Lars entered the employee room. "Hey, Sadie, come on, we gotta open up—"

Lars stopped when Vergil, Steven, and Sadie turned around to look at Lars—The latter of the two with tears in their eyes, causing him to back up in awkwardness. Steven steps out of the room with the tap in his hands, high-fives Lars' chest, and leaves. Vergil and Sadie then step out of the room, too. She wiped away her tears while Vergil didn't have any tears but inhaled from his nose and exhaled from his mouth.

"What in the world did you guys watch?" Lars asked, being both confused and baffled.

"Something that was a little overdue." Vergil told him softly.

He and Steven walk out of the Big Donut, and Steven hugs Lion with gratitude. Sadie then went over to the counter, picked up the phone there, and dialed a number.

"Hey, Mom?" Sadie started to blush. "You know how I said you didn't have to make me those lunches anymore?"

And that's the chapter. First off, I wanted to make a chapter about the watermelon Steven's, but I honestly just put it into words in a way I liked, or at least where I felt I could make it into an actual chapter, so just picture it based on how Vergil explained it to Sadie.

And, for those of you who were hoping that you'd get to see something about Vergil's Gem parent, like how Steven got to see Rose, I decided to not do that. I didn't want to have Vergil's moment piggyback off of Steven's moment. The time when Vergil gets to see something left behind by his parent will be on a different occasion and will be more original.

Anyways, thanks for reading hope you enjoyed. If you want more, then be sure to leave a review. If you like the story, click follow or favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.