#suf fic

[wastefulreverie]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

“I just maybe have a really weird question. You um, wouldn’t happen to be Mr. and Mrs. DeMayo, would you?” There. Steven said it, and then were going to tell him he was being ridiculous and that they’d never heard that name before— “How’d you know that?” the man said in a low voice. “Have we met somewhere?”

Or: Post-SU:F Steven meets his grandparents on the ferry to Florida Island.

[intrepidember]

A little thing for @cryinghour ‘s new fic (something like) what i've been missing

———

My heart has been melting for nonbinary Steven lately... and this story was just so lovely I had to switch up my art style to match!

[dimonds456-art]

Beautiful Morning

(Read on Ao3!)

 Steven awoke to blinding sunlight shining in his eyes. He squinted, bringing a hand up to block the rays as he tried to assess his surroundings. It took a moment to adjust, but once he did, he could see that he was sleeping in his car, curled up on the backseat on the Dondai. Not the most comfortable spot, but he knew last night that he wouldn’t want to wake up outside.

It was a year ago from today that he’d transformed.

He couldn’t remember much. What he did know was that he’d confessed everything before falling on his hands and knees. “I’m a monster,” he remembered saying, coming to that realization, before suddenly, pain. Lots, and lots of pain. His family told him that it started from his back, but Steven himself felt it everywhere. 

Then, bits and pieces. He remembered looking down, seeing his family as specks below him. He remembered slamming his face into the cliff in an effort to stop the raging thoughts in his mind, the ones about him slamming his head into a pillar, what he’d wanted to do to White. He remembered being in the water, and the Cluster, being restrained...

A lot of that day had been spent outside. But, the thing he knew would have set him off would be that when he finally woke up from his meltdown, when he was back to normal size, he was outside, surrounded by family. 

He knew he’d feel better if he woke up in the car.

It only took a few minutes to get ready for the day, and once he did, he debated getting out. He’d filled up on gas last night, he’d grabbed breakfast and put it on the front seat, he had his clothes out and ready for himself- he’d gone to every measure to make sure that if he didn’t want to leave the car today, he wouldn’t have to. 

Though, sitting here now, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay cramped up in the car all day. 

To test the waters, he rolled down the window. The soft breeze blew in, and it felt... nice. It definitely reminded him of that day, but it was probably just because he’d been thinking about it a lot recently. He took a deep breath, and let it calm him. He felt... serene. 

Gathering himself, he opened the door. Nothing happened. He stepped out, and let the sunlight from the rising sun bathe over him, warm and welcoming. He smiled. He did it.

A few months ago, he’d have stayed in the car, no questions asked. Last month he probably would have, too, if a bit more reluctantly. But now? He was able to just exist naturally again. He was getting better. 

It was silly, wasn’t it? Being afraid that you would be afraid to go outside? But, he had a lot of triggers from that day, and his therapist had repeatedly told him that it didn’t matter how small or “stupid” a trigger was- it was still a trigger, and he was still valid. So no, he wouldn’t let his anxiety over this day a year ago get to him. He was okay. 

He climbed on top of his car, standing on the roof. He grinned, looking up at the sky. A few golden clouds dotted the air, standing out against the orange of the backdrop behind it. A few pine trees were rendered black against the bright sky, and a few birds flew in a V formation over his head. None of it bothered him at all. 

It was a beautiful morning. 

It happened. He was able to just exist with that fact. Would other things potentially upset him today because of that fateful morning a year ago? Probably. But for the moment, he allowed himself to enjoy this. Those things could wait. He would deal with it as it came. 

He wondered how pretty it had been that day. He couldn’t remember. He didn’t think he wanted to. He was sure it was beautiful then, too, like a canvas painting. But, it didn’t matter. He acknowledged the thought, then dismissed it. 

It really was a beautiful morning. 

[moominquartz]

rating: G fandom: Steven Universe prompt: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time warnings: None Apply word count: 2.3k requester: @koffiepop​

Apple Farms and Missed Calls

Connie has a great idea.

Set between the episodes "Growing Pains" and "Mr. Universe,” but is absolutely NOT canon compliant.

This oneshot features Connverse, mutual bonding over purposelessness, and also, their respective relationships with their parents. Enjoy!

-

It’s Connie’s idea. Which, really, only makes it seem like a fantastic idea, because she’s usually the one to talk him down from this kind of thing.

“Let’s run away,” she says with complete sincerity. “Let’s get on a bus and not look back.”

Steven turns to face her, startled. She isn’t looking at him. She is sitting on his balcony with a soft look on her face as she watches the moonrise, and he’s watering a few of his potted plants that he’s kept outside the greenhouse.

Since the greenhouse… isn’t exactly the best place for him right now.

“We could go live on an apple farm. Just like you used to say.”

“I think I said that once.” He laughs, but Connie doesn’t join him. Her eyes close and she leans back against the wall of the house, her knees folded up to her chest and arms folded across them.

“Seriously?”

“What’s the alternative?” Connie giggles, but it isn’t genuine. “Go to college a thousand miles away for something I’m not even sure I’ll like?”

“…Huh?”

She sighs. “Oh, I don’t know what I’m saying. Never mind.”

“No, no, wait.” Steven’s heart skips a beat as he sets his elephant-shaped watering can down on the ground, and kneels next to her. It’s the first time he’s ever, ever heard her doubt college, and it’s so intensely relatable that he can hardly believe it’s coming from her. “I thought you really wanted to go to Jayhawk.”

“I do.” She hesitates. “I did? I…”

A frustrated groan tugs itself out of her throat, and she puts her head in her hands. “It just isn’t fair. Why am I being expected to decide something that will shape my entire future? Our brains aren’t even done developing, Steven! We’ve still got nearly a decade!”

“Uh, well—”

“How do I even know that the thing I really want to do, the thing I’m really interested in right now, is going to be something I’m always interested in? Or should I be going for a hobby, like art, something I really enjoy but I’m not necessarily good at, but that’s an extremely competitive field, and…”

“Why don’t…”

“And Mom thinks I should be preparing for grad school already, like I have any idea how that could benefit me. I just… want to get away from all of it for a bit. Get a breather. Not have anyone breathing down my neck about something I haven’t even had time to think about, because I’ve been too busy with school!”

Connie gives a great sigh, leaning her cheek into her hand as she stares up at the moon overheard. “An apple farm has never sounded better.”

It’s getting late. The gems won’t be home for another day or two, if they’ll even notice he’s gone with how busy they’ve been. And Connie, in this lighting, has never looked so beautiful.

But then, he thinks that every time he sees her.

“Okay.”

She blinks. She looks at him with confusion written all over her face. “What exactly are you ‘okay’-ing?”

“Okay, let’s run away.” The look on her face is eerily close to the time he proposed, so very quickly, he adds, “Not forever. Not even all the way to an apple farm, if you don’t want. But just for a night or two, maybe. Let’s go pretend none of that stuff exists.”

“Mom’ll have my head.”

“So?”

That gets a bark of laughter out of her. She shakes her head… and then she grins. “Okay. Let’s go be rebellious teenagers.”

Steven giggles. “Can’t be rebellious if no one told us not to do this.”

“Ooh, I like the way you think, mister.”

She takes her hand in his, and they both laugh.

This is a far better idea in theory than it is on paper.

-

Rather than take the bus, they pile into Steven’s car. Steven grabs a few things to keep them overnight — mostly just a change of clothes, his toothbrush, only the basics. They swing by Connie’s house, where Steven grabs her and floats up to her window so she can grab what she needs.

They’re like ninjas.

His heart’s thudding in his chest, anticipation rising. The last time they did something like this, it had been over in an instant. Alexandrite chased down the bus and forced them out, and he’d lost his TV privilege for one thousand years.

Hard to believe it’s been three years since then.

But now, no giant woman pursues them. They drive out of the city, radio on, Connie gazing at the scenery with an expression between adoration and awe, and Steven’s heart softens at how the only other time he’s seen her with that look is when she looks at him.

It’s such a cheesy thought that he blushes, eyes back on the road immediately. 

“I think there’s some campgrounds about an hour out,” Connie suggests, almost startling him. “Do you wanna stay there for the night?”

“Oh. Sure.” He grins. “Getting back to nature, huh?”

“I haven’t been camping in so long.” Her voice is nostalgia colored in melancholy, and Steven knows she needs this.

“Camping it is, then.”

-

They do not have a tent.

They lay down on the top of his car and watch the stars.

“You know,” Connie murmurs, “I used to dream of being an astronaut. Of exploring planets in other solar systems, documenting everything, enjoying it maybe way too much.”

“Yeah?”

“Then everything happened.” Dread sinks into his stomach like lead, mouth drying, as he realizes what she means. “And… I don’t know. Maybe that’s not what I’m meant for.”

“How would you know?” He swallows, unable to look at her. His gaze remains fixed on the cloudless night sky, as he struggles to withhold what he can already tell would be his pink glow. “What you’re meant for?”

“I don’t know.”

In the silence that follows, Steven prays for what he isn’t meant for.

-

They sleep in the car. Connie on the backseat, and Steven in the driver’s, pushing the back far enough for him to at least sleep at an incline. He drapes his jacket over Connie to use as a blanket when he thinks she’s out, but she opens her eyes and offers him a smile that devastates him.

-

The next morning, when they’re back on the road, they get just enough reception for Connie to see she’s missed eight calls and has three voicemails.

“Shit.”

It’s the first time Steven’s heard Connie curse.

“Don’t worry about it.” Steven smiles, hoping to assuage her fears. “This is about you right now. Not them. So we’ll only go back when you’re ready to go back.”

Connie bites her lip. “No, I must’ve really worried them. I can’t believe I didn’t even text them to let them know what I was doing… I’m gonna call them.”

“No, don’t worry about it!” He laughs and hates how forced it sounds, for the look Connie sends him. He keeps his eyes on the road. “We could go another night. They’ll be fine.”

“Steven, they’re clearly not—”

“It’s not like they’ve even noticed!”

“They clearly have—” Connie cuts herself off this time. She furrows her brow, and then she reaches for his phone.

“Uh, hey…”

“You haven’t had yours even on.” She boots up his phone without asking him. “Steven, if you’re worried they won’t notice, you have to give them the chance to show it.”

He bites his tongue. Connie presses a few buttons on his phone, and then there’s a voice.

“You have one new message. First message:”

“Hey, Schtu-ball.” It’s Greg. The relief is so immediate and so intense that his eyes water and he doesn’t get why. “I don’t know what’s going on, but both you and Connie are missing, and the Dondai’s not here… I know things have been pretty rough lately, so. Call me when you can. I don’t want to push you, but I’m worried about you. I love you, kiddo.”

“End of message.”

Steven pulls over, pressing his wet, snotty face into the sleeve of his jacket, and Connie puts her arm around him and pulls him in.

No messages from the gems, even though both Amethyst and Pearl have phones by this point. But it’s fine.

Maybe Garnet foresaw his return.

“I don’t want to go back yet,” he tells Connie. “Is that… okay?”

“... Yeah.” It’s hesitant, but Connie gives a gentle sigh and rubs his back. “I’m gonna call my mom and explain what’s going on. But we don’t have to go back just yet.”

“Thanks.”

-

The next night is spent at a run-down motel that Steven recognizes a little too well. They’re on the border of Delmarva and Keystone, and they spend the evening with their bare feet dipping into the swimming pool.

“What are you going to do if the gems don’t call you?” Connie asks.

Steven huffs. “I don’t know.” He doesn’t want to think about it.

He’s not even sure if he wants them to call at all.

“Well…” Connie’s fingers interlace with his. His heart skips a beat. “It’ll be nice to sleep in an actual bed tonight. You know?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “I know.”

Her phone buzzes. Connie glances at it, the phone turned away so Steven couldn’t sneak a peek even if he’d wanted to. “Oh, it’s my mom.” She pulls her feet out of the water, sighing. “I’ll be right back. You stay here, okay?”

He nods. Connie smiles and pulls her hand from his, grabs her shoes, and heads on back to the room with her phone pressed to her ear.

Steven groans and flops back against the pavement. What is he even doing? What point does this serve, to just… run away from all his problems? Why is he dragging Connie with him?

It’s better to run away with someone else than to do it alone.

No, Connie was the one who suggested it. It’s just that Steven’s the one prolonging it. He’s hijacked her journey, and he definitely shouldn’t have done that. He knows what that’s like.

Maybe he should go home. Even if none of the gems have noticed he’s gone, maybe that’s for the best. If he goes back now, he won’t have to explain himself to them. Or maybe they’d ask where he’d been, he’d say he’d gone for a walk, and they’d just shrug.

But Connie’s parents had noticed right away when she didn’t come home.

Pink explodes out of him, too bright, turning himself into a beacon in this poorly lit swimming pool in the middle of a poorly lit parking lot. He winces and struggles wildly for a moment to contain it—

Then a sound interrupts him. There’s the screech and stench of burning rubber, a sudden brake, and then the sound of a door opening and slamming shut. He turns, anxiety spiking — pink refusing to disappear — and sees the Maheswarans’ car pulled up beside the pool.

But it isn’t the Maheswarans that are charging him right now.

“STEVEN!”

Amethyst slams into him, knocking him into the chlorine pool water. Steven gasps as he surfaces, the water seeping through his organic jacket, but then Amethyst’s arms are gripping his shoulders, shaking him. “What the hell, man! What are you doing?!”

“H...huh?” At least she’s stuck in the water with him.

“You can’t just leave without any sort of notification,” Pearl says. Steven looks up to see both Pearl and Garnet standing on the pool’s edge, bizarre expressions on their face. He hasn’t seen anything like it before. Anger and… something else.

… Concern? Or is that just him hoping, projecting?

“You guys could’ve called me,” Steven mutters as he moves to the edge of the pool, pulling himself out. “I would’ve answered.”

“No, you wouldn’t have.” Garnet’s voice is resolute, firm, unyielding.

“I might have!” he snaps. “You can’t just -- just decide that for me! I didn’t even know you guys were coming, I didn’t even know you guys cared, I…!”

“Dude.” Amethyst swims on over, hopping out of the pool right next to him. “Are you… okay?”

Steven blinks.

“I…” He works his throat, but despite everything, he can’t find it in himself to articulate an answer. His eyes water, and he tries very, very hard not to let them see. “W...what are you even doing here? How’d you know I’d be here?”

Pearl smiles, though it doesn’t quite seem genuine. “Your location was on.”

“Huh…?” He could’ve sworn he turned it off before he turned off his phone. 

He tries not to think about what that means.

“C’mon,” Amethyst beckons, grabbing his hand. “Let’s head home, okay?”

“You are in big trouble for just up and leaving us, young man.” Pearl’s voice is stern, hard. “Connie’s going to go home with her parents, while we are going to walk to the nearest warp pad. All four of us. And we’re taking away your TV privileges again.”

“I don’t even really watch TV anymore,” Steven mutters in resignation.

He hasn’t done anything he likes to do in a long time.

“W-well… We’ll…” Pearl blushes, flustered, and quickly tries to recover. “Well, we’ll find something to take away from you! You can’t just do whatever you want!”

For a moment, the anger builds in him again. What are they even doing? Are they trying to — to discipline him? After years and years of letting him solve their problems for them, now they’re trying to do parenting right?

… Oh.

They’re trying.

“You ready?” Garnet asks.

His eyes water again, and somehow, slowly, his pink glow fades. “Yeah,” he murmurs, exhausted. “Yeah.”

He’s been ready for this for a long time.

[allet-art]

Homeworld Bound: Aftermath

(plays wayyy after the episode, pretend it’s all resolved. Steven and Connie talk about the past and complicated feelings.)

The night sky hangs beautifully, the stars gazing down on the soft green and blue hues of the planet. Steven shifts a little. He’s laying don on the lush grass, his jacket under his head to be more comfortable. Connie is stargazing with him, laying not too far away.

Their eyes watch the universe stretching out into the infinite in silence for a while, until Steven speaks up.

“Connie?”

“What is it?”

“How do you feel about... White Diamond?”

“White?” She asks, slightly confused on how specific the question is. “She’s... pretty weird, I think. I mean, the diamonds came miles ever since, you know.“

“...yeah.”

“It’s so weird to see Spinel take over her.” Connie lets out a small laugh, thinking back to the huge, dancing diamond. “I never thought I’d see her do those things. I guess she really took it all to heart. Kinda goes to show the diamonds were still made to be there for their gems, yknow?“

Questions and thoughts and arguments lay at the tip of Steven’s tongue, but he bites them back and forces himself to listen. She’s not wrong.

“What about...?” He trails off deliberately at the end, and glancing to the side, he can see from Connie’s face expression that she knows exactly what he’s alluding to.

“About, the past?“ She looks over, and he nods, listening intently. “I mean, it was pretty terrifying, of course. She had her whole weird own philosophy about color and all that stuff.“

“But-” Steven stops himself from interrupting her further, but Connie stops.

“But what?”

“But aren’t you, I don’t know... mad?”

“It’s been 2 years.” Connie brings a bit more lightness into her voice. “Kinda hard to be mad after so long. She really got a lot better, she’s making up for it, I think.”

Silence. Steven stares at the sky, lost in thought, and Connie’s quiet voice catches him off guard.

“Are you?”

“Wh-what?”

“Mad at her?”

Steven doesn’t know how to respond. He gulps. The endless sky stretches, and if he focuses, he can feel himself get lost in the endless spaces between the stars.

“Connie... would you be mad at me if I... I mean, is it bad that...”

“Come on, whatever it is, spit it out. You can’t change how you feel.”

“I...“ He rolls over onto his side, facing away from her. “I hate her! How can you just... pretend it’s fine like that!”

Connie goes quiet, and Steven wraps his arms around himself. He didn’t mean to yell, but at least he didn’t do it in her direction. He hears Connie sit up to look over to him with worry.

“Steven... I’m not pretending. It’s fine to me, but... that doesn’t mean it has to be fine for you.”

“But I’m... I’m supposed to forgive her, and forget everything.” He sits up as well, looking at his own hands. The same hands that shattered Jasper. The same hands that forced White Diamond to do a motion that could’ve killed her, if he’d done it right and not been so lost in her mind. “How can I stay mad at her for something like that? That’s just- that just makes me a hypocrite. I’ve done so much wrong.“

“Steven, you’re not a hypocrite for being mad at people who hurt you.”

“But I shouldn’t be. I should forgive her. I should be proud of her progress.”

“Well- you can’t control that.“ She pauses, turning to the dark, rolling fields stretching to the horizon. “But you can learn to cope with that. It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” He looks to the sky. “I- I almost hurt her.“

“Almost?”

He goes quiet. Connie shifts behind him, and he feels her place a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to talk about it today. Just... It’s okay to feel bad about some people. You have your own limits. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine around her. You can maybe... tell her, or at least, avoid her.”

“That... would just be mean.”

“No, because you’re doing it to protect yourself.”

Steven feels her move to hug him. After an agonizing moment of sitting there stiffly, he quickly gives in and turns around to hug her back.

“You really think it’ll be okay? You think it’s okay to... feel like this?”

“It is. You don’t have to like her, Steven. And whatever happened, I’m still sure you would never want to hurt someone you don’t like, not on purpose.”

He tenses a bit, but lets her continue.

“I think you’re mature enough to just, avoid someone and keep living, you know? Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

“Yeah.” His gaze goes from the endless stars to the fields, the trees, the distant light of houses in the distance. It’s a pretty scenery, too.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

[intrepidember]

‘“Hey, Nora—“

. . .

“Got your gem!”

(He split)’

I drew this scene from chapter 6 of my all time favorite time travel au fic: If I Were (Same But Different) by hueue on ao3. Not sure if they’re on tumblr... But y’all should seriously check it out if you haven’t read it, here’s the link!

[wolfinshipclothing]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

All the Colors of Light (and a few more)

Chapter 1.

Summary: It has been three weeks since he'd hit the road, when Steven is invited to a party. Once there, he meets a lady that needs a hand.From then on, he is dragged into a chaotic night when he learns three things:

One, his powers are still growing;

Two, drinking is no fun when you have to drive;

And three... there is people out there weirder than him.

Why did nobody told him 'being human' was so difficult?

Excerpt:

Steven tried to make like a turtle, tucking his curls inside the tiny pink bean hat. He was feverish and assaulted by palpitations. Did they look at him —I mean did they have a real good look at him? Did the horns poke out from under the hat?

No, you idiot. They were staring because you're dressed like the world pinkest snowman, Steven reasoned.It was hard to deny he was unusually covered for an early autumn night.

Besides the hat covering his head, he had black gloves concealing his hands, jeans and white sneakers. His usual pink letterman covered a turtleneck shirt —a winter variant of his trademarked Star t-shirt.Maybe it wasn't the clothes. Maybe they noticed the pink colored patches spread out over his face, making him look like a stained canvas. Out of all the scars of his 'incident', these were the hardest to hide.

Uff, i cant believe i am finally uploading this fic. You know, i actually wrote this when SUF ended, but it took me a long while to make up my mind about publish it.Finally, i decided ‘what the hell’, and here it is!

Essentially, this is a Fic about Steven Post!Corruption, still looking part human, part horned-humanoid with pink skin, dealing with the human world during his road trip.I’ll try to update often, but i made no promises! (also it has ocxsteven, but its one sided, so dont worry about it)

(YOU CAN ALSO READ IT ON FF, I JUST DONT KNOW WHY I CANT PUT THE LINK HERE!)