#schtu ball

[octoling-wearing-gauges]

How could you pick just one

[mydearsteven]

Steven universe headcanons where he hasn't told the gems about his relationship with the reader. (Not out of malice it was not something that came up) so randomly when he comes to visit (after the end of the spin-off) he brings the reader and the gems kinda like freak when they learn that's his s/o. Is this too much? If you want you can simply ot or just not write it. It can be like a short story if that's easier.

Secret S/O

featuring: Future!Steven x Reader

a/n: im not really sure what do you mean by ‘spin-off’, but i just made this after the SUF one. Im sorry if what you mean is after the movie..

it’s been a year since he last seen from the gems and/or beach city. He’s been away for such a long time now.

maybe this would be a good time to visit his childhood place now.

don’t get me wrong, he calls the gems here and now, Steven usually keep his family updated on what he’s doing.

if Steven doesn’t atleast call any of the gems or Greg for one day in a week, they would call him nonstop until he pick it up.

what they don’t know is that he finally found his S/O. They didn’t know that he finally moves on from Connie and find the love of his life.

the gems or Greg has never brought up any kinds of stuff related to his love life, they’re afraid if they set him off while he was still healing slowly from his traumas.

so when he told the gems that he’s finally coming back from exploring the country, they were very happy to see how’s their favorite boy was doing!

Steven told you to start packing because we’re going back to see his family. And you happily follow him.

once the infamous dondai was seen by the gems, they immediately rushed to the car and hugged Steven who almost tripped because of their hugs.

“H-hey guys!- WOAH SLOW DOWN!!”

he chuckles at the gems before looking at his dad who had tears in his eyes.

“Schtu-ball! you’re back.”

Steven smiles before releasing the hug given by the gems. Greg ran to him and gave him a bone crushing hug.

they all seem to have a very nice reunion, while you’re just sitting there on the passenger seat. Looking at his gem family and his dad quite awkwardly.

you don’t know what to do so you just went out of the dondai to say hi to them for the first time.

Pearl was the one who saw you first and was quite suprised to see you. She was also confused on who you are.

Pearl asked Steven on who you are and when he told them that you’re his S/O they have their jaws on the floor instantly.

Amethyst screams in happiness that Steven can finally move on and start ruffling his hair.

Steven could only blushed in embarrassment while Garnet, Pearl, and Greg was still staring at you with flabbergasted eyes.

Pearl was not sure about this until she saw Garnet who is already smiling widely and pulled you into a side hug.

this made Pearl and Greg to eventually let it off and accepted you into the family since Garnet seems so sure about you.

Steven was very happy on how well the gems and his dad take you into the family.

[steven1123x]

Steven Universe: The tragic Gem

Greg and Steven were in his father's van being driven by Steven in Las Vegas when they ended up in an accident due to a series of events.

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Accidents happen all the time, right? But this accident almost got them killed.

Steven Quartz Universe slowly opened his eyes, he saw that the road was in front of him and the roof of his father's van. Could they be upside down?

Steven looked out the driver's side window.

You answered your question, Universe. Congratulations….

Steven looked to his right, the man sitting in the passenger seat was in worse shape than he was. Granted Steven was half ailen but it still hurt like heck!

He tried to undo the seatbelt. he pressed the red release button, but it wouldn't click off.

Steven mentally groaned. Great, me and dad are stuck here!

Steven took his phone out of his pocket to find the shattered screen.

What ELSE could go wrong?

He and his dad were taking a road trip out of Delaware. No big deal, but this…

This was bad…. Real bad.

Pearl was going to kill him.

Steven and his dad had gotten into a fight before the accident, this was all his fault… If he wouldn't be driving, they wouldn't be in this mess. And worse of all.

He yelled at Greg.

He wanted to live a normal life and have some ground. But he'd realized that was boring.

Steven saw glass on the road, the windows were shattered from the crash. He — not realizing it, had the steering wheel on his lap. He threw it out and dragged himself out of the window, Steven dragged himself up and ran to the passenger's side. Steven got the seatbelt that kept his father safe, he dragged him out of the van, he almost wanted to throw up at the sight of him.

He had cuts along his face. Steven needed to call the ambulance. But his phone was fried. He needed to think of something fast. He couldn't take him to the hospital. It was too far, they were not in Delaware, they were in Nevada!

Frickin Nevada!

Steven had an idea in mind, He thought this was weird, but. He had to to save him. He licks his hand and puts it on his face. Maybe his healing spit could work. If this doesn't work…. No, Steven, you have your mom's powers! it worked before. It worked on Connie and every gem that was cracked.

He looked at his father once more. he thought…. No, don't say that, your dad won't be mad about the van! Pearl fixes it for him all the time, and he had his van destroyed multiple times, despite all of that. he had it repaired a bunch of times also.

Steven shook away all the bad stuff from his head, licked his hand, and touched his father's cheek.

Please… Let this work…. He thought to himself, Steven saw his eyes twitch a little bit, then open.

Oh, thank the stars! he sighed in relief as Greg sat up and held his head.

"W-What happened?" Greg asked weakly.

"I…. I-" The half-gem tried to talk, but he couldn't. he kept on looking at his hands.

Greg looked at his son for a few seconds, Steven still looked down at his hands, he could tell he still looked shaken up about the whole thing.

"Dude…" Greg said, looking over at the Half-Gem boy. Steven looked at his father and nodded, not saying a word. His heart was still beating out of his chest from the crash. Greg scooted next to the boy. "You alright, Schtu-ball?"

"Bro. how do you think I'm doing? I CRASHED YOUR VAN!"

Greg just smiled and patted his son's shoulder. "So?" That was all Greg said.

Seriously? that's all he has to say? Steven knows that it takes a lot to make his father mad, and he is thankful but… Oh who is he kidding? Normal life is boring to him, and being a normal parent — to him is cliche.

"Steven… I know you're going through stuff, but I can get the van fixed. I'll call a tow truck and we can get a motel. Alright?" his father said. Steven nods and gets up. Steven helped him up. they saw headlights.

"Hey! We need help!" Steven said waving his hands in the air. The driver stopped, he drove an old white beat-up Toyota Camry. The person opened the window, and they saw a mature gentleman with a white beard, wearing a plaid shirt. He is standing in a park and appears to be enjoying his surroundings. The man has a friendly expression on his face and is sitting in the car's driver's seat.

"How can I help you guys?" he smiles.

"We got into an accident, and my van is totaled, do you have a phone so I can call a tow truck?" the older man smiled and then pulled out a small silver Razor flip phone. "You can use my phone."

Steven looked down at his sneakers, how could he have been so dumb? if he didn't get angry and his power let him become unstable, this wouldn't happen!

Stupid diamond powers.

Greg finished talking with a tow truck company and he gave the older man his phone back.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"Why won't you stay with me and my wife until your van gets fixed?" he asked.

"Oh, no, no, we wouldn't want to be in any trouble."

"I insist, my wife and I would love to have you guys over."

Steven and Greg both went into the man's car after the tow truck arrived and took Greg's van to the nearest repair shop. Steven closed his eyes as Greg and the older man were talking to each other.

"So, what's your name?" the older man smiled.

"Greg Universe, and that's my son, Steven."

Yeah…But our last name is a LIE!

"Ah." the older man said, while he drove. "My name is Charlie."

"Nice to meet you, Charlie." Greg smiled and shook the man's hand, as he stopped at a red light. Steven sighed and closed his eyes in the backseat, he mentally felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, he could imagine Pearl texting him to pick it up.

He lifted his right leg and crossed it over his left. He looked at his hands again and clenched them. Greg looked.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Greg nods and they drive to the Man's house who lives in Jasper.

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Charlie stopped his Toyota in front of a home, it was a nice, small house.

The house is a single-family home with a large garage and a two-story design. The exterior is painted gray, and it has a white front door that leads to the inside. The house is situated on a corner lot, providing ample space for parking and outdoor activities. The home features a large window on the second floor, which allows natural light to fill the interior of it.

"Let's go," he says, the three of them went into the house, They smelled something good. "What's that smell?" Steven asked.

"Oh, my wife is making tacos," Charlie said.

"Charlie, are you home?" The elderly woman asks.

"I am home, Grace," he said. Grace walks out of the kitchen with a towel in her hands. An older African American woman with a gray afro hairstyle, wearing a black and white striped top. She has a friendly and confident expression on her face. Her eyes are looking directly at the two new people that were in their home as she smiles.

"Well, who are they?" she asked kindly.

"Grace, this is Greg and Steven Universe, I saw that they had been in an accident. So I helped them."

"Oh, are they going to stay for dinner?" she asked

"Yes," Greg said, Steven felt visibly uncomfortable, but surprisingly at home here.

Steven and Greg both sat at the table.

"So, Steven," Grace said, grabbing a taco. "What do you do, dear?"

"I run a school for Gems, they learn how to live together peacefully," he told them. Greg nodded, he still didn't understand this stuff eight years later.

"Oh, that's nice, dear." she smiled from ear to ear. Steven smiled also

"What do you do Greg?"

"Me? I run a car wash by the beach." The older couple looked confused. "A car wash on the beach? wouldn't your car get dirty again?"

Greg smiled and chuckled. "It's not on the beach, it's a little community called Beach City Delaware, think of it like Santa Monica Pier or Hollywood Beach, Florida."

"Oh, alright." he smiled.

Greg and Steven were now helping the elderly couple with the dishes. Steven was washing the cups as Greg and the couple were talking. He tuned them out, he didn't have his phone or earbuds to tune them out, so Steven had to make do with what he had.

"Steven?" Greg asked, Steven looked at him.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You okay?" he nods he wasn't paying attention, he got water on his shirt, but he was drenched.

"Oh, dear! let me wash that for you." Grace said. Steven felt uncomfortable taking off his shirt in front of people he didn't know, he went to the bathroom took off his shirt, and handed it to her.

"Hey, Dad? do you have an extra shirt in the—?" he suddenly remembered that the van was totaled, and it was his fault.

It was his fault that they were in this mess.

Steven leaned on the bathroom sink, looking at his reflection for a few minutes then sighing.

Stars… He sometimes wished that he was never born. So this wouldn't happen to him.

This was dumb.

Steven walked out of the bathroom, still uncomfortable without his shirt and his gem exposed. He tried to ignore it, and then Grace smiled and walked out. "Oh, I set up your room for you."

Steven walked inside without saying a word and locked the door, he put his back to the door and put his hands on his face.

He then laid down on the bed, closed his eyes, looked out the window, and sighed

What would my life look like if I wasn't half-gem?

Steven had never had that thought before in his life. But, he truly wondered, would Rose be here? yes. Would he be able to go to school? yes. would he be able to have more friends except Connie, the Crystal Gems, and the Cool Kids?

Yes.

He was grateful for his girlfriend, but she was going to college two years after she'd graduated high school.

And he doesn't have that….

But, what he does is have the support of his family and friends who helped him through this difficult time in his life.

Steven took off his jeans, got under the covers, and went to sleep.

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It was the next day, that Steven got up with a knock on the door. His father stood there with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Schtu-ball. There's breakfast downstairs if you want to come."

"Hey, Dad? can you ask Grace if my shirt is dry?"

"Sure," he said, Steven closed the door and slipped on his pants.

Greg walked back to the room with his black star t-shirt in his hands.

"Here."

"Thanks," he said, putting it on his body, his shirt came out of the dryer so it was warm.

"Mmmm. Warm," he said. Greg smiles and they both walk downstairs for breakfast.

"Oh, Steven! how'd you sleep?" Grace asked.

"Okay." he smiled as he sat down and grabbed a few French toast sticks.

"Thank you so much for helping us." Greg aided in shaking their hands, Steven shook their hands as well. Charlie was taking them to the repair shop so they could get Greg's van and go back home. When they got there, Charlie, Greg, and Steven all were next to the van.

"Again, thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality, Charlie." Greg smiled, and Steven smiled as well as he opened the door to his father's van. Greg went into the van too and started it up. they waved goodbye and drove back to Beach City.

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A/N: Hi guys! I'm back with a new Steven Universe fanfiction. I hope you guys like it!

[ask-steven-d-universe]

It really is nice to see you in Beach City again. Schtu-ball!

~ Mr. Universe

Yeah, agreed!

~ Connie

Thanks, guys~!

~ Steven

[sillysparkly]

Can you write a fic about Little!Steven and CG!Greg?

Little!Steven and CG!Greg

Mentioned: Garnet

Steven and Greg sat close together in the evening, in the back of the van. They were both tired, and finding a sense of comfort in eachother's silence.

Then, Greg pulled Steven close with one arm, and grabbed his guitar with the other.

"Hey Steven, remember this one? When you were little, you asked me to play this for you all the time!" he said, strumming lightly on the strings.

Steven nodded. He sure did remember. He still loved that song, and he knew it.

Listening to his dad play, he felt even more sleepy. And as well as that, nostalgic. He'd missed the nights with his dad. Where'd they'd sit in the back of the van, huddled next to each other. And he'd play classic songs on the guitar for him to listen to. This used to happen every night or so. And it always made it easier for an energetic young Steven to get tired enough to go to bed.

It felt like that all over again.

Leaning sleepily against his dad's arm, he felt himself slip into being little. And he somewhat understood. He and the gems had a conversation about it some nights ago. They talked about what would help Steven, and it was Garnet who brought regression up, after taking on a cg role for him once before. None of them understood it completely, but if it was going to help Steven, they would support it.

"Sleepy, schtu-ball?" Greg looked down at Steven, seeing the tiredness in his eyes

"Yeah.." he mumbled in reply "but I wan.. wanna stay out here.."

"Okay, little man, that's cool. We'll stay out here, yeah?"

They stayed under the stars for another hour, listening to the gentle strums of Greg's guitar-playing.

He felt good in this moment, it was just like it used to be every night. It was tranquil.. and feeling little like this, it was just the perfect mix of happiness and calm for Steven.

Just like it always used to, the strums of the strings put Steven right to sleep. This prompted Greg to put his guitar down, and carry Steven inside.

He'd missed this as much as Steven did. Playing all his favourites for his boy, then carrying him inside to bed. Doing this for him again felt good.

He brought him to bed, and tucked him in, sighing.

"night night, dad.." He mumbled, half asleep now.

"...yeah, night night, schtu-ball." He responded, with a sweet, loving smile.

thought this was fitting image for the prompt i went with heheh

[stevenuniverse-bloginfo]

"I changed. That's the final piece. All those struggles, I learned from them, and I grew! Oh my gosh! It's not just my Gem powers I've forgotten! All this "happily ever after" stuff has made me forget the first power I ever had: the power to change!"

I DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH REBECCA SUGAR

INFO UNDER THE CUT

CHARACTERISTICS:

Name: Steven Quartz Universe

Age: 13-16

Species: Half-Gem and Half-Human

Gender: Male

Gender pronoun: He/Him

Sexuality: Straight

Weapon: Shield

TRAITS:

Birthday: August 15

Complexion: Fair

Height (Not confirmed) from 13-16: 4'11-5'6

Weight: 145 lbs

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Black

Gemstone: Pink Diamond

Gem Type: Diamond

NICKNAME(S):

Schtu-ball

Little Man

Steve-O

The Steven

Ste-van

Star Child Jr

Cutie Pie

Starlight

ALIAS:

Tiger Millionaire/Tiger Philanthropist

Peter Pizzapoppolis

Zoltron

Esteban Universidad

Rose Quartz

Pink Diamond

Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe

Professional Status:

AFFILIATION(S):

Off-Colors

The Great Diamond Authority

OCCUPATION(S):

Guardian (formerly)

Healer (formerly)

Champion wrestler (formerly; as Tiger Millionaire/Tiger Philanthropist)

Fortune teller (formerly; as Zoltron)

Big Donut Cashier/Stocker (temporarily)

Monarch (temporarily)

Teacher (formerly)

Earth's ambassador (formerly)

ALIGNMENT:

Crystal Gems

PERSONAL STATUS:

Status: Alive

Relatives:

Greg Universe (father)

Rose Quartz (mother; deceased)

Greg's Aunt and Uncle (grandaunt and granduncle)

Greg's Parents (grandmother and grandfather)

Deb (grandaunt)

Andy DeMayo (first cousin once removed)

Greg's Grandfather (great-grandfather)

Watermelon Stevens (creations)

Pumpkin (creation)

Cactus Steven (creation)

Topiary Stevens (creations)

WIKI:

Steven Quartz Universe is the titular main protagonist of the Steven Universe franchise. He is the son of Greg Universe and Rose Quartz, the only known hybrid of a human and a Gem and the first Crystal Gem of human descent. As a result of his parentage, Steven is an extraordinarily unique being with innate powers beyond that of normal humans and Gems. While he was only a child, Steven steadily grew from a tag-along to the Crystal Gems into the heart of the team thanks to his kind-hearted nature and resourcefulness.

Steven is devoted to protecting humanity and helping those in need just as Rose Quartz did, and though her monumental legacy once forced Steven to live in her shadow, he has since surpassed her by ending the authoritarian practices of the Great Diamond Authority and establishing peace across the galaxy. However, the consequences of his mother's mistakes continue to haunt Steven and those he cares about to his growing frustration. Additionally, as his friends and family continue to grow and start to go out into the world and beyond, Steven has begun to struggle with his own self-identity and what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He has also started coming to terms with suppressed trauma that he has built up over the course of his years of adventures and near-death experiences with Gems.

At the end of the series, however, after holding his feelings in for so long culminates in him transforming into a giant Gem monster after coming to the conclusion that he is a monster himself, Steven's friends and family manage to get through to him with the power of love. In the months following, he decides to leave Beach City to go on a road trip on his own to see the world and find himself.

[sunshine-zenith]

[gemmedchild]

((I like to think I’m funny))

[gemmedchild]

((Ronaldo look out Pearl’s spear is coming!))

((Oh my God he can’t hear us he has headphones on))

Say goodnight Fryboy

[octoling-wearing-gauges]

quick connverse!! good for the soul

[steven1123x]

Behind The Scenes - Chapter 10: Some Time Apart

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“Rose?” Greg looked at his wife who was still shaking, Rose looked at him and then covered her face with her hands. Rose didn’t want to face her husband like this… Not after all the stuff she has done in her past.

“Rose… Please, look at me. What’s wrong?” Greg said, touching her hand with his. Rose pulled away, and Greg was concerned.

This isn’t like her… I’m worried…

Rose looked at her husband. “D-Do you love me for me?”

Greg was confused by this, he combed his fingers through her hair, which was naturally very soft. “Yes! yes I do, why are you talking like this?” he asked. Rose brought her knees to her chest. She looked at her wedding ring, Rose was wondering why this man chose her. Was it because he felt bad for her, for what she did?

Innocent gems were getting shattered because of her, and this was before they met each other.

Rose looked at him, she wasn’t thinking. Greg saw her slip off her wedding and engagement rings, Rose put them in his hand.

“R-Rose?” his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as he thought the worst.

Rose stood up, Greg could just sit there, she grabbed some clothes and changed into a pair of pink shorts and a white t-shirt, she put on her Converse and opened one of the double doors to their master bedroom.

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She was walking now. She took a cab to Washington Delaware. Rose found a 24-hour Taco Bell and walked inside.

“Welcome to Taco Bell, how may I help you?” the woman asked at the front desk. She ordered her food and used her card to pay for it.

“Here’s your cup, Ma’am.” she went to go fill it up with soda and drank it. She got her burritos and sat down to eat them. She looked at her phone, which said 3:45. Rose sighed, put her phone down, and continued eating.

I can’t go back… Does this mean That was done? no, no. I’m just taking a break. Just a break… Rose sighed and continued eating her burrito. Then she left.

Rose walked as she saw passing cars driving down the streets. She sighed, what did she do? She didn’t mean to do that, she was stupid. But… What if Greg was mad at her for what she did? She couldn’t face him now!

Rose just kept walking until the sun came up.

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Greg was worried. His leg shook with nervous energy. The thought of his wife out in the streets of Deleware alone terrified him, what if she gets poofed, or worse…

Shattered.

He didn’t want to think about that! his head was full of the worst possible stuff Rose could go through, but Greg had forgotten that she was the leader of the Crystal Gem Rebellion, she could take care of herself, he had nothing to worry about, right? Greg unclenched his fist and saw her wedding and engagement rings, still in his hand, he hadn’t let go of them since she’d left six hours ago.

“Dad?” Steven asked. Greg looked at his son, Steven had a hand of Pokémon cards. He and his father were playing Pokémon together. Greg shook his head.

“Oh. Sorry, Schtu-ball, I guess I zoned out.”Greg sighed and put his wife’s rings in his pocket for safekeeping. Steven noticed that his mother was still asleep.

“Dad? Is mom okay? Is she sick?” he asked, looking at the double doors to his parents' room closed, he thought that Rose was in there. Greg smiled nervously at his son and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Um…Yeah, she’s okay.”

Steven could only nod, pushing the worries of his mother aside. He decided to play a game of Pokémon with his father.

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Steven held a GameCube controller in his hands and so did Greg. They were playing Super Smash Bros Brawl. The door opened, and Rose walked inside.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to get soda. Steven, do you want a soda?” he nodded and paused the game, Greg walked downstairs and froze when he saw his wife standing by the door.

“Rose?” Greg asked. Rose stood there and looked at her husband.

“Hey…” Greg said, walking towards her and putting his hand in hers. “Are you okay? you were gone for a few hours.” Rose looked at him and finally spoke.

“Yes, Greg…” she said. Then she looks at her son. “Can we talk outside? I don’t want Steven to hear this.” They walked outside, Rose sat on a chair, and Greg sat next to her. Rose took his hands and looked into his eyes.

“i… I had a dream last night that Steven found out that I was Pink Diamond.” Greg looks at her, he knew about the Pink Diamond stuff and how she found the beauty of this planet and made the decision not to colonize Earth for the Homeworld Gems and gems alike who were made here. Greg opened his mouth to say something, but he found no words.

“Greg?” she said.

Greg shook his head of all of the negative thoughts, he closed his eyes, and exhaled. He opens his eyes and smiles at her.

“Rose… It’s all in the past now, right? w-we can—“

“Greg, just face it. I messed up, I should’ve told you twenty-one years ago… But… It was twenty-one years too late. if you want to file for divorce, you should probably start.”

Greg swore that he felt his heart stop beating. Divorce? what is she talking about? Greg grabbed her shoulders softly and kissed her passionately. Rose was caught by surprise and kissed him back, when Greg pulled away, Rose’s eyes filled with tears.

“Rose?”

“I-I’m sorry, Greg… I know I’m a horrible person. Or gem, it doesn’t matter….”

“Everything’s in the past now… It’s okay. I’ve done some messed up stuff in my life too. I hung out with the wrong people. Thankfully, I didn’t get into any legal trouble. Welt to Delaware and met you and we decided to start a mini family of our own… Sure we could’ve waited for that before marriage but… Oh man, I messed up!”

“Hey,” Rose said. “Like you said, everything is in the past now. And we have an amazing son to show for it.” Rose said. Greg nods. He went into his pocket and got down on one knee, holding both rings in between his fingers.

“Rose Quartz Universe. Will you ride this out with me?”Greg asked. Rose stared at him in shock he was… Proposing Again? kind of?

Rose nodded “Yes…” she said, tears running down her cheeks, Greg slipped her rings on her finger. Rose wrapped him up in her arms and kissed him passionately.

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A\N: Hey guys, Another chapter down. Sorry that this chapter is a little bit shorter but. It’s done and that’s all that matters. Bye, guys!

[inbarfink]

Steven: Well...I think I hate my Dead Mom??? But at least I can take comfort in the fact that I have a wonderful dad who's nothing like her!

Greg: What's up Schtu-Ball! Wanna hear about my shitty overcontrolling, conformist upbrining and ow I changed my name and ran away from my biological family to totally reinvent myself?

[universallywriting]

Prompt: Greg attempts to be a dad to Diamond!

I couldn’t tell if this was intended to be angst or fluff. I went angsty with it. Hope that’s alright! Bit on the long side, as a heads up.

Greg felt like he learned to cope with Steven’s splitting and fusing pretty well. After years of magical hijinks, he had learned to roll with almost anything. Steven was still Steven. Star was really just a more emotional Steven. Diamond was... well, he was still part of his son, even if he was a little harder to understand. Even if it was hard to see that some times.

Greg sat beside the pink boy on the cliff behind the car wash. He groaned, older knees creaking as he came to rest there, and asked, “How you doin’, kiddo?”

“Not well,” Diamond said with a shrug and gestured to himself. “I’m not whole. I can’t be doing well.”

He laughed a little, trying to dispel the flat, tense mood that always came with Diamond. “Well, if you ever want to talk, you know I’m here for you.” He waited for a response, but Diamond merely nodded. “We could talk about anything. Uh, love problems?”

A curt shake of his head. “Connie is wonderful. Things are working fine. Thank you.”

He ran his hands over his thighs a few times, shaking off the awkwardness.  “Alright. Uh, you getting into any hobbies?”

“A few,” Diamond said. His eyes met Greg’s for a moment, his lips parting to speak, and then his gaze dropped away, and his voice sounded flatter than before. “We could talk when I have something to show you.”

"Who doesn’t love a work in progress? You can show me.”

Another small shake of his head. “No. I want to wait until things are done. I’m uncomfortable when things are, um.” He paused, and his hands twisted in his lap. “Incomplete.”

Greg nodded himself, and tried once again to bridge the gap. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I just want to help you with whatever you’re going through.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Diamond whispered. “But thank you, Dad.”

It was always a little odd to hear Diamond call him dad in that flat, nearly emotionless voice. But there was a touch of pain in it, so Greg clapped his hand onto the boy’s shoulder and kept trying. “I know that I’m not always the best at gem stuff, but I want to be here for you, no matter what you might be going through. You can tell me anything.” He chuckled a little. “Even if you’re mad at your other half.”

“I...” His mouth worked, each passing second driving in his failure to find words. His hands twisted in his lap now, harder and faster than before.. “It’s not Star right now. I... he... S-sometimes it’s him, but sometimes it’s me.”

“What do you mean?” Greg leaned a little closer. “You mean you guys split because of something that’s part of you, right?”

He gulped, Adam’s apple bobbing, and nodded hard. “Sometimes we split because Steven is frustrated with the human parts of him. He’s mad about the big emotions. And some days I’m mad at him because of that.” 

Diamond’s eyes, pink and burning, met Greg’s with a heavy shame. “I really hate him sometimes.”

He moved his hand slowly across the boy’s broad back. He wasn’t sure how soothing that was for gems, but it seemed like the right thing to do. “That’s okay, schtu-ball. We all get mad sometimes. We can talk about that.”

“But that’s not the problem right now. We don’t just split because of what Star is. Sometimes, we split because of what I am.” His fingers curled into the dirt, and again he looked away. His eyes scrunched up tight, and his body seemed to hum with pent up energy. “Sometimes Steven thinks about everything his diamond can do, and he doesn’t want it. I’m not subjectively unpleasant like Star. I am objectively dangerous.”

“Hey,” Greg murmured, feeling his heart sink to his stomach. “No, bud, you’re not-”

Diamonds voice shook. The flatness faded, his muted emotions pushing through as they boiled up. He sounded like Steven then, as emotion made his voice creak and body curl up on itself. “We don’t know how to talk to you about it! It’s going to hurt, Dad! It’s going to hurt you, and we don’t want to!”

A sob escaped him as his fingers curled into his hair, a rough tug making him gasp. “But I don’t know how to talk about any of this without telling you that I hate myself! Not part of myself. I hate everything I am. When I wake up as Steven I just try not to think about who I am, because when I look inside I hate everything that’s in there. So how do I...?”

He pressed his hands to his eyes as another sob shook him, and Greg did his best to hold him, wrapping the boy up tight in a hug. He tried his best to gentle him, promising that it was okay as Diamond’s head fell against Greg’s chest.

Diamond cried, and Greg could hear him trying to pull the emotion back in as he spoke. “All you and Mom wanted was for me to be happy, and I can’t even do that right. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m trying.”

Greg held him close, and let him talk.

[starlightrevolution]

The Holy War Begins

Long ago, when the Gods still walked the Earth, there were 88 brave warriors who would face any enemy to protect the Goddess of War, Athena. Those warriors were named Saints. The sacred Saints would battle evil to defend truth and justice. Now, in the modern era, the Earth shall face an evil greater than all others, and so a new generation of young heroes, fueled by their courage and power, must rise alongside the new reincarnation of Athena. They are the Saints of Athena.

“Excuse me.” Steven called as he approached Sour Cream, before trying to hand him a small flyer. “My dad is giving guitar lessons. You just have to show up right after the car wash closes. It’s for free.”

The teenager ignored Steven’s pleas and simply walked away, before Steven turned around and began looking for another person, when Connie calmly walked in from the other side of the street, also holding several flyers.

“Did someone accept one?” Steven asked.

“Yeah.” Connie nodded with a smile. “And then tossed it away immediately.”

The two laughed for a moment.

“Okay, let’s get moving.” Connie commented. “We have to give all of those flyers by sunset. I’ll go to the main street, and you go to–”

The two suddenly heard the sound of screaming, which seemed to come from just a few city blocks away. They looked at each other for a moment, before dropping all of the flyers and running towards the source of the sound as fast as they could. They went around a corner and ran into the small park right on the middle of the city, before they saw their small mayor on the top of a tree, holding onto a branch in fear as a furious dog barked at her from the ground.

Connie did not think twice before dashing and leaping, back flipping before grabbing Nanefua from the tree and perfectly landing one her feet just a few meters away, before safely placing the mayor on the ground.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Mayor?”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be.” Nanefua yelled as she pointed at the dog, which was angrily dashing towards them. Connie put her hands up as she stared at the dog angrily, before Steven suddenly jumped in front of the dog with his arms up. The suddenly movement of his body made the silver necklace Steven had been wearing shake for a moment, as the angry dog stopped and stared at his with a furious expression.

“Please, stop.” Steven pleaded as he stared at the dog with a worried expression. “I know you’re angry, but you don’t have to be this cruel. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m sure we can talk about it.”

The dog stared at Steven for a few more moments, before the expression of anger vanished for its face and it laid down calmly next to Steven, who carefully approached him and petted him on the head.

“Why was she so angry?” Steven asked.

“She?” Connie wondered aloud. “You can tell it is a she just by looking?”

“I may or may not have stepped on her tail by accident.” Nanefua confessed, as she suddenly heard the dog’s grown and hit behind Connie.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” Steven told as he petted the dog, before carefully taking her in his arms and approaching Nanefua. “Alright, Mrs. Mayor. Now apologize.”

“I… um…” The Mayor hesitated slightly, as the dog looked up at her angrily, before she closed her eyes in fear. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“See? She’s not that bad.” Steven commented as he petted the dog for a few more seconds, before placing her on the ground with great care. The do looked up at Steven for a few moments, before turning around and running away, while Steven gently waved her goodbye.

“Sometimes I wonder, is there any situation in this world that you can’t talk your way out of?” Connie asked sarcastically.

“I hope not.” Steven commented, as the two began calmly walking away from Nanefua. “I think the only thing in this world that I truly hate is violence.”

Steven carefully reached for his silver necklace, the words ‘YOURS EVER’ written in gold on the star shaped pendant, before he hit it under his shirt, and the two peacefully walked away from the park.

===============================================

“Dad, we’re back.” Steven called as he approached his father’s car wash, Connie running closely behind him, before he noticed a tall blonde strange standing right next to his dad, who at the moment was washing a small vehicle. “Look, we got a client.”

“Are you a priest?” Connie asked, as he noticed the robes the man was wearing.

“Indeed. I worked at the cathedral right outside the city.” The man explained. “Although I guess my faith alone won’t keep my car clean, will it?”

Steven and Connie laughed for a moment from the priest’s quick joke, before they heard the sound of an alarm, and Connie reached for her pocket, pulling out her phone and looking at the timer.

“Oh no! I’m going to be late!” Connie declared, before she turned around and ran off, quickly waving goodbye to Steven as she dashed down the street. “Pearl is going to kill me!”

“Anyway, how much will this be for the car?” The priest asked as he showed Greg his credit card.

“Oh! I have one of those credit cards machines things.” Greg explained, before the priest followed him inside.

Steven prepared to follow the two inside, when the sky suddenly turned black, as if the sun had just vanished. The light from a nearby light pole began flickering, before going out in its entirely. Steven looked up at the broken light pole for a few moments, before he heard the sound of footsteps, and turned to see someone approaching him.

“The planet Earth is orbiting around a bright star we call the sun. This sun is the light that illuminates the darkness.” The figure spoke, before she got close enough for Steven to make out a few details. It was a tall woman with dark hair, wearing a black dress. She stared at him with what seemed to be dead eyes. “It is only when we fly away from any star and truly reach the vacuum of the great infinity that we can truly understand the nature of this universe.”

“Who are you?” Steven asked, taking a few steps back, before the woman approached him, her lips approaching his ear, as she began whispering.

“Human with no hate… you’re the one we’ve been searching for…” She whispered. “My name is Pandora…”

The light once again began flickering, and Steven looked up for just a second to see the light pole had once again lit up, just as the sky turned back to its normal blue. He looked around to see the woman had vanished, before he heard the sound of his father coming out of the car wash.

“It was good to make business with you.” Greg explained as he came out of the building alongside the priest. He turned back to Steven, to see a distressed expression on the boy’s face. “Are you okay, Schtu-ball?”

“Yeah… yeah…” Steven breathed as he nodded, slightly nervous. “I’ll be fine.”

===============================================

“I’m here!” Connie yelled as she ran onto the top of a large mountain filled with massive rocks.

“You’re late.” Pearl declared calmly, as she sat with her arms crossed at the top of a massive stone. She leaped and graciously spun in the air, before perfectly landing right in front of Connie. “Were you even serious when you told me you want to become a Saint?”

“I was! I really was!” Connie answered defensively. “I just have my own life, that’s all.”

“Alright, enough talking and more training.” Pearl explained as she pointed towards the massive stone she had just jumped down from. “Destroy it.”

“What? You want me to break this gigantic thing?” Connie asked in surprise. “That’s impossible!”

“You’ll never know until you try.” Pearl declared. Connie stared at the large rock for a moment, before her expression changed into one of purpose, and she punched the rock with all her strength, only to quickly pull back her arm in pain, as blood began flowing from her fist. “You’ve been training with me for three months, and you still can’t break this rock?”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Connie asked angrily as she held her fist.

“You just have to understand the origin of destruction.” Pearl explained.

“Origin of destruction?”

“Everything that exists is made out of atoms, which were scattered through the universe by a massive event we call the Big Bang.” Pearl explained. “We Saints must burn the leftover energy from that event that exists within us, our Cosmo, to create our own miniature Big Bang within ourselves. That way we can tear apart the very atoms that make up the physical universe, allowing our punches to split the skies, and our kicks to tear the earth apart.”

Pearl carefully raised her hand, before punching the massive stone, which glowed in a golden light, before breaking to miniscule pieces and disappearing into nothing, as Connie stared up with her mouth open and her eyes widened.

“Now, since you arrived late, we’ll have to pick up the pace.” Pearl explained as she turned to Connie. “Two thousand push ups today, instead of the regular one thousand.”

“Really?”

“I can make it three thousand if you want.” Pearl declared. “But do it quickly. We don’t have all night.”

===============================================

Garnet walked through the dark mountains as she heard the sound of the waterfall flowing from the Five Ancient Peaks of Rozan. She held onto the large golden box on her back and paid attention to every single step she took, which was why she could so easily identify the sound of the footsteps that closely followed her. She saw a purple light, and quickly leaped away right before the dark cosmos could strike her.

“It appears that I’ve arrived too late.” Garnet commented as she calmly approached the dark figures in the shadows. “You Specters, the disgusting beings from beyond the grave, have already escaped your prison.”

“You’re one of the Saints of Athena?” One of the Specters asked. “I guess we have found our first opponent.”

“Opponent? Oh no, this won’t be a fight.” Garnet commented. “It will be a massacre!”

The golden box in Garnet’s back suddenly opened, as a golden statue in the form of a woman holding a large cup over her head came out. The statue suddenly split to pieces, revealing itself to not actually be a statue, but instead a cloth, which flew and placed itself around Garnet’s body.

“Gold?” One of the Specters asked in surprise. “A Gold Saint?”

“Aquarius Garnet!” She declared, before she struck the air with one of her fists, and a massive blast of cold air struck the Specters, swiftly freezing the surplices of the entire group, as they all fell to the ground defeated. “Diamond Dust!”

“I-I couldn’t see a thing…” One of the Specters complained. “She moved at the speed… of light…”

The Specter fainted, before Garnet looked up to the full moon.

“If the Specters have returned to life…” Garnet commented, more to herself than to anyone else. “I am sure that so has their God.”

The moon would quickly set hours later, making way for the sun, as the hours became days, the days became weeks, the weeks months, and the months years. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, six years of peace passed by, with no sign of the God of the Underworld truly making its return.

===============================================

“Out of the many Warriors who gathered here in Greece, only the two of you remain.” Connie heard as she looked up the see the Pope, standing on a large platform on the coliseum as he watched over the arena, filled with several knocked-out warriors, with only two still standing, those being Connie and a large muscular man. “Whichever one of you achieves victory will become a Saint of Athena, and be rewarded with…”

Connie looked to the direction the Pope had pointed, and her eyes glowed with stars as she saw the shining bronze box, since she knew exactly what that box contained.

“The Pegasus Cloth!” The Pope declared. “Fight!”

The large man suddenly dashed and struck Connie right on her face, sending her flying onto one of the walls of the coliseum.

“You couldn’t even dodge that attack?” The man asked. “I was expecting more from someone who was trained by a Gold Saint!”

“Dodge?” Connie asked as she got back up, and the man’s expression changed into one of surprise as he realized Connie was completely unharmed. “Why would I bother dodging a punch as weak as yours?”

“Don’t mock me, you little bitc–”

The man suddenly groaned in pain as he flew to the other side of the coliseum and hit a wall before landing on the ground. He looked up while holding his chest in pain.

“What did you just do?” The man asked. “Did you teleport? That’s cheating!”

“This? Oh, it’s just an ancient technique named ‘Walking’.” Connie declared sarcastically as she got into a fighting position. “I trained my body to a point in which I only need a second to deliver a hundred punches on a target that is 3.4 meters away from me.”

“A hundred punches per second while 3.4 meters away?” The man asked in shock. “But that speed is…”

“Mach 1!” Connie declared. “I can punch at the speed of sound!”

“Why you…” The man declared angrily as he got back up and began dashing towards Connie. “The Pegasus Cloth is a Greek relic! I won’t allow a filthy Indian American such as you to take it!”

Connie smiled confidently and began moving her hands around in a seemingly random pattern, which the man ignored as he continued to dash towards her.

“That pattern…” The Pope whispered. “She’s tracing the thirteen stars of the Pegasus constellation. She will defeat him with her next attack.”

“Pegasus Meteor Fist!” Connie declared as she punched the air exactly a hundred times in a single second. Her opponent screamed in pain as a hundred shockwaves of Connie’s punches struck him directly, and his body flew towards a large pillar.

He managed to look up, to see the same pillar has began to collapse, and was about to crush him. He closed his eyes in despair, before waiting a few seconds and opening them, to see Connie had just caught the pillar in midair. Connie smiled at him in a mocking way for a moment, before tossing the pillar away, as the man fainted from shock. Connie made her way towards the Pope and bowed in respect.

“Congratulations.” The Pope declared, before he pointed at the box, which opened to reveal a bronze statue of a Pegasus. The statue divided itself into pieces, before placing itself around Connie’s body in the shape of an armor. Connie looked down upon her cloth in amazement, before smiling confidently. “We have just witnessed the birth of the brand-new Pegasus Saint! Pegasus Connie!”

===============================================

“It’s been six years since you left, Connie… things have changed so much since then…” Steven whispered, as he stood right in the middle of the large hill and held a small dog in his hands. “I have always been good with animals… but ever since you left… in the last six years ago…”

Steven carefully placed the dead dog on the hole he had made on the ground, before carefully filling it with dirt. Steven fell to his knees and tears began flowing from his eyes, as he looked around the hill to see the several dozen other spots, which were all holes just like that one.

“Every animal I touch…” Steven whispered, before looking up towards the full moon and yelling. “They all end up dying!”

“It is only when we fly away from any star and truly reach the vacuum of the great infinity that we can truly understand the nature of this universe.” Steven heard, before he turned around to see Pandora approaching him. “The true nature of this universe is darkness. Nothing but pure and utter darkness.”

“Y-you!” Steven whispered in surprise. “You’re that woman from that day.”

“Your majesty brings the end to all life with your kind touch. That is what makes your touch so sublime. Do you know why?” Pandora asked.

She carefully got on her knees and hugged Steven, as tears continued to flow down from the boy’s eyes.

“Because death is the most beautiful salvation.” Pandora whispered.

“D-death?” Steven asked, before Pandora smiled and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him back to his feet.

“Come with me!” Pandora declared with a smile as she began running and pulling Steven by the hand, who hesitantly followed her down the hill.

“Where are we going?” Steven asked.

“To the cathedral!” Pandora declared joyfully. “It is time for you to discover your real destiny.”

Steven looked up to see they were approaching a large cathedral. Pandora stopped running as they approached the entrance, before a blonde priest, the same one he had met all those years ago, carefully opened the cathedral doors to allow Steven’s entrance. Pandora and the priest stood on the sides of the door, before getting on their knees and bowing before Steven.

“My king, you have finally returned.” The priest whispered, as Steven hesitated for a second, before slowly entering the cathedral. “Our wait has finally ended.”

Steven entered the black cathedral, which was entirely dark, illuminated only by the light of the moon. The place was empty and completely silent. Steven looked up and gasped in surprise as he saw a large statue looming over the room. It was not a statue of Jesus on his cross, or of the Virgin Mary, but instead a statue of a face Steven knew very well.

“That is…” Steven whispered in shock. “Me!”

Steven looked up towards the terrifying statue of himself, wearing a strange black armor and wielding a black sword in his hands, while surrounded by the dead bodies of several children. Steven took a few steps back in fear, before he felt the priest gently holding his shoulders from behind. Steven continued to stare at the statue, not daring to take his eyes off it.

“Behold who you truly are, my king.” The priest whispered. “The true savior of this world.”

“I… don’t... understand…” Steven whispered, as the image before his eyes changed into what seemed to be a dream, and he saw the image of all of the animals he had killed, all surrounding the large statue while joyfully smiling.

“Those animals have been saved by you, my lord.” The priest explained. “They will no longer have to feel any rage or pain. They will no longer feel any hunger or be in any danger. You have given them true freedom.”

“Death…” Steven whispered as he looked down, before his necklace began glowing with a faint purple light. “Death is true freedom… I understand…”

“I am Pandora.” Pandora declared. “High Priestess of the Underworld.”

“I am Hypnos.” The priest declared. “God of Sleep”.

“I am…” Steven whispered, as his eyes changed color to that of the light surrounding his necklace, and a gentle smile formed on his lips. “I am Hades, God of the Underworld.”

===============================================

“Where are we going now?” Connie asked as she followed after Pearl, who was already wearing her Gold Pisces Cloth. “Am I already going on my first mission?”

“This mission is very important. It was given to us directly by Athena.” Pearl explained, as Connie expression changed into one of seriousness. “There have been some sightings of Specters near Beach City. Since you’re familiar with the area, it might be better to have you in the team.”

Connie nodded, as the two approached a small group of other Bronze Saints, which were being led by a single Gold Saint.

“Taurus Amethyst!” Connie pointed in surprise.

“The one and only.” Amethyst boasted, before she turned to Pearl.

“Did you get any word from the Silver Saints that we sent to investigate?” Pearl asked, as she signed for Connie to join the other Bronze Saints.

“None yet.” Amethyst declared. “I’m hoping we can meet them there.”

“So, you’re the new Pegasus Saint?” One of the Bronze Saints asked.

“Yep, Pegasus Connie.” Connie declared pridefully as she showed off the cloth around her body.

“Dragon Jeff, at your service.” The boy in the green cloth declared. “Personal pupil of Libra Padparadscha.”

“I am Cygnus Patricia.” Declared the girl in the white cloth. “I’ve been trained in the use of cold air directly under Aquarius Garnet.”

“Am I the only one here who didn’t train under a Gold Saint?” Asked a boy in a pink armor with chains around his arms. “I am Andromeda Daniel, trained directly under the Silver Saint Cepheus Daidalos.”

“Very well.” Pearl declared. “We have a long journey ahead of us, so we better start walking.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

===============================================

“Beach City is just a few miles ahead.” Amethyst declared as they ran through the forest during the night.

“Connie, you’re falling behind.” Pearl declared as they began approaching Beach City. Connie nodded, before she turned to see a strange orange light in the distance.

“Is that…” Connie whispered, before her eyes widened and she dashed towards the light as fast as she could.

“Pegasus! Don’t just run in without receiving orders!” Jeff yelled, before they all ran after her.

“That light, it is coming from Connie’s hometown!” Pearl declared. “No matter what, think before acting, Connie!”

Connie swiftly moved at the speed of sound, followed closely by the other Saints as they landed in the middle of Beach City, and looked around in surprise upon realizing what the source of the orange light was. The entire town was on fire.

“Who the hell did this?” Connie asked angrily.

“Specters, obviously!” Jeff answered.

“We have to save the survivors!” Daniel declared.

“He’s right!” Pearl ordered. “Bronze Saints, go search for survivors!”

“The two of us will go after the Specters!” Amethyst declared, before they all nodded and the two Gold Saints vanished in a flash of light, before the Bronze Saints turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

“Beach City is small, so this shouldn’t take long!” Patricia commented. “But we have to be careful. We can run into a Specter!”

“I’m not going to let any Specter stop me from saving anyone!” Connie declared angrily.

“Calm down, Pegasus!” Jeff declared.

“Everybody, watch out!” Patricia yelled, before they all leaped, just in time to avoid several metallic tentacles that came out of the ground. The tentacles quickly pulled a large figure from beneath the ground. “Surplice? You’re a Specter!”

“You’re…” Connie commented in surprise. “Mrs. Mayor?”

The Specter attacked with her tentacles, which the Saints were just barely able to avoid.

“She is the mayor of Beach City!” Connie commented. “Why is she wearing a Surplice?”

“She’s not the person you knew anymore!” Patricia declared, as the others glanced at her. “Once the 108 Malefic Stars awaken, the souls of those that serve the Hades invade the Earth and each of them take over a human body. The human possessed by the evil soul will have both their mind and body altered to fit their Surplice, and will completely abandon their previous lives and live only to serve Hades, thus become a Specter!”

“You got that right, child!” The Specter declared with a sarcastic smile. “I am no longer the worthless human I once was. Nanefua Pizza is dead. I am Worm Laimi, the Terrestrial Star of Submission!”

“Very well! Then let me show you the power of the raging dragon!” Jeff declared as he dashed towards Laimi and threw a strong upwards punch, as the Cosmo around his fist glowed and took the shape of a green dragon. “Rozan Ascending Dragon!”

The roaring green dragon flew towards Laimi, who swiftly avoided it by pulling herself with her tentacles. She trusted her tentacles towards Jeff, who quickly blocked it with the green shield attached to the left arm of his Dragon Cloth, as the metallic tentacles broke to pieces without being able to leave even a single scratch on the shield.

“My mighty tentacles weren’t able to overpower this little shield?” Laimi declared in surprise.

“The Dragon Shield is the most powerful defensive tool among all Bronze Cloths.” Patricia declared, before she leaped over Jeff and prepared to throw a downwards punch from above towards Laimi.

“You fool! Instead of hiding behind the shield you just gave me a chance to attack!” Laimi declared as more tentacles grew from her back and flew towards Patricia.

“Did you really think I’d be this stupid? I will be the one to sculpt your ice coffin!” Patricia declared, as she punched the air, and a large blast of cold air flew from her hands, freezing every single tentacle in place, before flying past them and freezing Laimi’s feet. “Diamond Dust!”

“What? Impossible!” Laime screamed in surprise.

“Don’t bother waiting for it to melt. Even with all of this fire surrounding us, my ice is as powerful as the unbreakable icebergs from Siberia.”

“We don’t have time for this!” Daniel declared, before he extended his chain in a circular pattern on the floor. “My chain can detect all nearby life forms, no matter how they try to hide! Thunder Chain!”

The chain suddenly extended and flew from house to house at the speed of sound, swiftly entering every single house on the street, before carefully pulling out several civilians from within the burning houses.

“What’s with that chain? It is like it is alive!” Jeff asked in surprise.

“Alright! Let’s get done with this Specter and go save everyone!” Connie declared, as she began punching the air a hundred times to create her meteors, but instead of punching randomly, she threw every single one of her punches into the same spot, as the meteors merged together into one single comet, which struck Laime with a hundred times more power. “Pegasus Comet Fist!”

“Gah!” Laime screamed in pain as she spit blood, and her Surplice broke to pieces alongside all of her tentacles, before she fell to the ground dead.

“Alright, guys! Let’s get moving!” Connie declared confidently, before they all nodded and ran towards the next street.

They dashed around the corner, only to suddenly stop as they saw their way being blocked by three bodies on the ground. They could tell just by looking at the Silver Cloths around the bodies that those were Silver Saints.

“Those are…” Daniel whispered in shock.

“They’re the Silver Saints that were sent by the Sanctuary before our group!” Patricia declared in surprise.

“One of them is still breathing!” They heard Connie declaring, before they all ran towards one of the Saints on the ground, who looked up at them while spitting blood. “Are you okay?”

“He’s drowning on his own blood, Pegasus, of course he’s not okay!” Jeff yelled.

“Who are you? What happened to your group?” Patricia asked.

“I’m… Cerberus Dante…” The Silver Saint struggled to speak, groaning in pain in between almost every word. “We were attacked… such a terrifying force… we couldn’t advance… we couldn’t attack… we couldn’t retreat… we couldn’t even defend ourselves…”

“Can you identify the enemy?” Patricia asked. “How many of them were there?”

“It was just… one man… he was… Hades…” Dante whispered, before his eyes went completely white and he stopped speaking as his breathing fully stopped. Before the Bronze Saints could react, they suddenly felt a powerful darkness engulfing them, and looked up to see a dark figure hoovering above them.

“Watch out!” Patricia yelled from the top of her lungs. “I think that is Hades!”

“Hades?” Connie asked as the figure carefully floated down and landed in front of them, and Connie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Steven?”

“It’s been six years, Connie… I mean… Pegasus Connie!” Steven commented with a smile.

“Why? Steven… how…” Connie asked in shock. “How can you be Hades?”

“Everybody, be careful!” Patricia yelled. “The person right before us is the reincarnation of Hades! We’re all in danger just by being near him!”

“Hades?” Jeff yelled, before he dashed towards Steven.

“Jeff, stop!” Daniel yelled, but it was too late, as Jeff approached Steven and threw an upwards punch.

“Rozan Ascending Dragon!” Jeff yelled as the dragon flew towards Steven, only to suddenly stop in midair without touching Steven’s body. “What? The dragon stopped! It’s like there is some sort of gigantic Cosmo holding the dragon back!”

The green dragon suddenly changed color to purple, before he turned around and flew towards Jeff. Jeff yelled tried to defend himself with his shield, only for the dragon of darkness to break right through their most powerful defense and strike Jeff directly, his shield breaking to shards as he fell on the ground right next to the others.

“My own attack… turned against me…” Jeff whispered in pain.

Attacking a God is an act of blasphemy. Any mortal who dares to raise their fists against a God will be punished by having their own blows turn against them.

“You’re the one who commanded the Specters and destroyed Beach City?” Connie asked angrily, as she began walking towards Steven. “How could you do something like this?”

A powerful Cosmo suddenly glowed from Steven’s body, as Connie suddenly stopped walking. She stared at Steven in confusion for a few seconds, before she looked down at her own legs, which were completely still, even through she was trying to move them with all of her strength.

“This Cosmo coming from his body is huge! I feel like it encompasses the entire universe! It is still expanding!” Jeff declared in shock. “This powerful Cosmo is preventing us from approaching him or retreating! We can’t move!”

When exposed to the Cosmo of the Gods, all six senses humans naturally possess are negated and rendered useless.

“Oh, Connie. You haven’t changed a thing.” Steven declared with a kind smile. “You promised me that you would be a Saint the next time we meet, and so you did.”

Connie felt as if the entire universe was shaking as Steven took a few calm steps towards the Bronze Saints.

“I finally discovered, the true secret behind the universe. I finally know how to find true salvation.” Steven declared in a kind tone of voice as he approached Connie, their faces almost touching. Connie felt a liquid hitting her feet, and the Bronze Saints looked down to see the ground was completely tainted by a large pool of blood from the same civilians they had just a minute ago. “It is death. It is only in death that one can truly rest and be happy forever, without any worries or anxieties. Death is the secret behind it all. Death is salvation.”

“Get away from them!” Steven heard, turning his head just slightly to see two Gold Saints running towards the scene. Steven’s distraction lasted only one moment, but was more than enough for Connie to leap away from him, landing several meters away, followed shortly by the other Bronze Saints, and then by the two Gold Saints that landed in front of them.

“So that’s Hades, hm?” Amethyst asked with a serious expression as she crossed her arms. “I thought he would be taller.”

“That is…” Pearl whispered as she held a blood red rose in between her fingers. “Connie’s childhood friend, Steven! He is Hades’ reincarnation in this era?”

“Be careful!” Patricia warned. “His Cosmo is devastating! I don’t think we’d be able to match it, even if we all attacked together!”

“Maybe not, but we have to try! Feel the painless death of my gentle poison roses!” Pearl declared as she fired her rose towards Steven, and several hundreds of other poisoned roses formed around it, all flying towards Steven at once. “Royal Demon Roses!”

“Cower before the devastating power of the fastest attack among all twelve Gold Saints!” Amethyst declared, as she uncrossed her arms and attacked faster than the speed of light, before immediately crossing them once again, giving the illusion that she was able to attack with her arms crossed, as a golden raging ox of energy dashed towards Steven. “Great Horn!”

The two attacks flew towards Steven, as the God of the Underworld simply stared of them calmly, without even bother to defend himself in any way. A shadow suddenly appeared right in front of Steven, and violently punched away both of the Gold Saints’ attacks.

“It’s you, Kagaho?” Steven asked, slightly surprised but still calm.

“I will not allow either of you to even try to attack his majesty, Lord Hades.” The Specter declared, opening his dark wings as if they were a shield to protect Steven. “My human name was Peedee Fryman, but now I am Bennu Kagaho, the Celestial Star of Violence!”

“Stay out of my way, Specter!” Pearl declared, as she fired a large barrage of black roses towards Kagaho. “Those black roses will instantly tear apart anything that comes in contact with them! Piranian Roses!”

“You’re attacking me with roses? Is this some sort of joke? I’ll show you what a killing move is truly like!” Kagaho declared angrily, as he opened his wings, and released the burning energy equivalent to that of an exploding sun. “Corona Blast!”

The two attacks struck each other, creating a large explosion of fire and sending burning black flower petals flying all over the battlefield.

“This Cosmo! It matches that of a Gold Saint!” Amethyst declared in surprise. “That Specter is incredibly powerful! He’s not even one of the Three Judges of the Underworld, but he surely is a force to be reckon with!”

“You think that was impressive?” Kagaho asked mockingly. “Just wait until you see this one!”

“That is enough, Kagaho.” They heard Steven’s voice, before Kagaho turned to see his king staring at him with a serious expression. “Our job here is done. Let’s go.”

“Lord Hades, I am sure I can defeat them all!” Kagaho insisted.

“Did I stutter?”

“No, my lord.” Kagaho declared, before he began walking away right behind Steven.

“Steven!” He heard, before he looked back to see Connie staring at him angrily. “After all of that, you’re just walking away?”

“I already got everything I needed. The destruction of this village, the beginning of the Holy War…” Steven explained. “The disappearance of the human named ‘Steven’. There is nothing else for us to do here. But don’t worry, Pegasus, we will meet again. This war is just beginning.”

Before they could react, a large black light engulfed both Steven and Kagaho, and the two disappeared out of thin air. Connie stared at the spot where they had stood, before she fell to her knees, and crunched both of her hands into fists.

“Steven…” Connie whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

“I am sorry.” She heard, before she looked up at Pearl, who had a bitter expression on her face. “Hades was right here, yet I couldn’t do a thing…”

“What now?” Connie heard Jeff’s voice from behind her. “What are we supposed to do now? What about the Silver Saints? What did they die for?”

“I… I…” Connie whispered as tears began flowing from her eyes, before she carefully got back up, looked up into the rising sun, and yelled from the top of her lungs. “I want to become stronger!”

[kraviolis]

hi. here’s an excerpt of a fic i’ve literally been working on since 2018 but havent finished for some reason but im so desperate to finish it because WOW i love the concept so so so much

--

Greg feels his phone vibrate, making Steven hum and blink open his eyes. “Eh?”

“I think our ride’s here, Schtu-Ball.” He says quietly. Steven rubs at his eye and sighs in relief. “Come on. You look ready for some breakfast and an actual bed.”

“Yesssssss.” He cheers sleepily, shrugging on his hotdog duffle bag as Greg grabs the three other bags.

They walk out of the main entrance, both of them squinting in the sun. Steven grunts in displeasure. “It’s so… warm?”

“It’s California, Steven, it’s warm all year round.”

“Why can’t we move to California?” He complains, sleep deprived and teenage-cranky, which is so new and yet so familiar. “It’s got beaches-- oh hey!” He gasps and starts speed walking, crankiness forgotten, having spotted a familiar figure in the lineup. 

“Uncle Andy!” He calls out, waving as Greg trails behind.

“Steven! Greg!” Andy calls back, grinning. He grunts when Steven throws his arms around him and pats his head. “It’s good to see ya, big guy! How’s it goin’? Are yer aunts doing well? And what about that school of yours?”

“They’re doing great!” Steven pulls away, a genuine smile on his face. “Little Homeschool is better than ever, last I heard!”

“It’s good to see you, Andy. Thanks for picking us up.” Greg says as Andy begins to load their luggage into the back of his old pickup. “I would’ve taken my van all the way here but--”

“Heh, I get it. That thing was so old you’d probably break down before ya got outta West Keystone.” Andy laughs as he slams the tailgate closed. “But hey, don’t thank me. I’m not the one drivin’.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s driving?” Steven asks, tilting his head.

Pretty much on cue, the driver’s door opens. A tall, familiar figure exits and circles around to stand on the curb with them. Steven makes a curious noise but Greg feels like he’s got the wind knocked out of him.

“Oh,” Greg says, standing in front of his older brother for the first time in over twenty years. “Hey, Wirt.”

[gemmedchild]

((Here, have a little edit I made using scenes from the episode “Familiar”))

((Feel free to use as a header/icon. Credit isn’t necessary, but appreciated!))