#su au project matriarch

[suau-projectmatriarch]

I live once more [There's going to be a lot of these-]

Hey my dudes, holy shit it's been a long time, becoming an adult threw me for one HELL of a loop- SOOO much has happened and holy wow it's been too long I don't even want to check exactly how long it's been Updates might be rarer and rarer nowadays cause both my passion and motivation for the story has died down again but I'm trying my best to stoke those fires, I also have a LOT less time and more work nowadays, but I'm still determined to finish this little story

[azurereap3r]

I'm absolutely in love with this banner- You can see the banner in the Project Matriarch Blog but I just love it too much NOT to post it to my personal blog as well :DD Nora is T R I G G E R E D

[twitchesandstitches]

in light of the recent SU episodes, here’s an update on the state of the Gems in Crossthicc AU right now!

firstly, Gems in this AU are one of the giant races, and even a Ruby is larger than a canon three-gem fusion. Exact sizes aren’t really established; possibly the more powerful a Gem is, the bigger they get, so one that has more magical power can put more mass into their projection and thus grow larger, and stronger as well. Drain magic, they get smaller. Add magic, they get bigger!

Gems have pronounced curves here, even those who are canonically slender; at minimum they usually have boobs as big as their heads, if not larger, with butts large enough to support at least a few dozen humans or similar beings comfortably. Their body types are still ‘built in’ and Gems of the same type are physically identical, barring the traits of thier Diamond maker; Rubies are buff, Sapphires are hourglasses, Topazes and Bismuths are powerful amazons, Pearls are also hourglasses (though slimmer than others; ‘our’ Pearls hyper boobs is something specific to her, and her alone), and quartzes are unbelievably super thicc. Diamonds have ultra MILF curves so pronounced they probably border on ‘how do they even move’

They are generally bigger than their fellow race, the Transformers, with whom they share a heritage; both of them in Crossthicc were created by the Quintesson alien race as slave labor and tools (at least, the Gems are, and the most extant sub-type of Transforemrs were, after studying the artifacts of several Transformer deities. This is largely irrelevant to both, as Gems and Transformers have a fierce hatred that continues to this age. Among the Crystal Gems and Autobots, this has faded into a more friendly rivalry, and in the fleet, they are kindred spirits and lovers. While Gems tend to be bigger, Transofrmers are absurdly durable; while Gems can be mentally destroyed fairly easily if you aim for their Gem, Transformers are so tough to permanently kill they might be immortal, if you can’t hit the Spark chamber and destroy their processor after they go into a coma.

They are, as mentioned in previous posts, much more genuinely alien looking here, but still pretty. Just not in a, well, human sense.

The Diamonds are literally Matriarchs here, and in old times they gave birth to Gems by ingesting raw materials (organic materials or lifeforms, stone, soil and anything they could shovel down their maws), compressing the digested remnants in factory-wombs, infusing their essence into that dross, and making Gems out of it all and giving birth to them. Over time they refined this process and created the Kintergarten and injector technologies to do it on an industrial scale, but an even more destructive one. Of them, only Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz generally does things ‘traditionally’ anymore.

Homeworld no longer exists in Crossthicc, having being destroyed by wars with many enemies, primarily the Decepticon Empire. For a time, Megatron, the maddened Emperor of Destruction and vessel of Unicron (and speak not the name, for the Unmaker comes, filled with a ravenous hunger and all will die beneath the harvesting of its Reapers) even wore the Diamonds as jewelery after the destruction of Homeworld. Rose Quartz led a daring raid with the MILF Fleet, besting Megatron and fleeing the Diamonds, though none remained at her side. Yellow has since joined the Ringers, intent on bringing some order to the multiverse after the horrors she has witnessed, while Blue Diamond has joined Task Force X in an attempt to find some salvation. Eventually, she may join the MILF Fleet once she feels she has become at peace with what she has done, and/or as an envoy to the task force.

White Diamond’s position is, at the moment, completely unknown. She might be working with an unknown group, attending her own purposes, or perhaps be voyaging deep into the magical realms in search of her own answers.

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Chapter 8: Team

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: Swearing, firearms, graphic depictions of panic and anxiety, threats]

“It just doesn’t add up,” Nora grumbled under his breath, pacing around the room. Stars only knew how much time had passed, and they had nothing else to do but sit and think in the eerie silence of the cold steel prison. There was the occasional strange noise here and there, machinery noises, yelling, clicking, buzzing, and a variety of other weird noises that only made Nora and Steven more anxious and jumpy. Stuck with their thoughts, all they could think about was what happened, why, when, and how the hell it happened. But neither Nora nor Steven could come to a conclusion that made sense.

“I don’t… I-I don’t know what to tell you, Nora.” Steven stuttered nervously, fumbling with the edge of the blanket. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching Nora pace back and forth in front of him, his cold gaze staring holes into the floor. 

Nora gave a forceful sigh, stopping in his tracks. He glanced over at Steven, then at the patient monitors. Steven’s heart rate was still quickened, and he was still shaking. Steven looked like he was about to fall asleep, but he was trying to keep himself awake. His breathing was careworn and raspy, and he had an exhausted expression, even after sleeping so much. Nora frowned, another sigh escaping him as he walked back over to the bed. He sat down next to Steven, who blankly stared at his lap in thought, still fidgeting with the blanket. 

“Are you in pain?” Nora questioned with a slight tilt of his head and a worried look in his eyes. Steven took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes and face, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before responding. “I… I-I don’t know. I don’t think it’s pain, it’s…” Steven trailed off with his mouth parted open, trying to find the right words. He then shook his head and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees as he buried his face in his hands. Nora seemed worried, but he wasn’t too sure what to do. 

“Do you want me to try and heal you again?” Nora suggested, but Steven shook his head again with another sigh, leaning over as he ran his fingers through his hair. 

“You already did, it eased the pain but like I said… It isn't pain, it’s just this, sickening empty feeling. Feels like bricks in my chest and stomach.” Steven said with an uncomfortable expression, staring down at his hands. Nora placed a hand on Steven’s shoulder. 

“I think it’s because we’re separated. I’ve been experiencing a similar feeling ever since I woke up. It gets worse the farther you are. But all we can bet on for a cure for it is that weird mech gemstone Azure made…”

Steven paused when he heard Nora mention Azure, zoning out for a moment. He mumbled a few things under his breath as he glanced at the patient monitor, still deep in thought, his brows furrowing a little. Nora arched a brow with a curious yet concerned look on his face. “I can’t hear what you're saying, Steven.” 

Steven’s eyes stretched open wide as he gasped a little, sitting up straight, turning to face Nora’s concerned and puzzled expression. 

“‘I’m sorry.’” Steven quoted with a look and tone of realization. Nora tilted his head again in confusion. “Sorry? For what?” “No, no, not me. That’s the only thing that the blue gem, no, Azure, has said to me… ‘i’m sorry.’ She said the same thing twice. And the look on her face when she…” Steven trailed off, his eyes lowering. Nora was obviously still confused but he waited for Steven to continue before asking anything else. 

“She’s a prisoner too, Isn’t she?” Steven asked, his perkiness faltering a little. Nora paused, thinking for a moment before nodding. “I’m pretty sure. Unless it’s an act to get on our good side.” Nora grumbled, glaring at the door. Steven however, wasn’t convinced it was a lie. There was a short pause from Steven before he spoke again. “How many other gems do they have trapped here?” Steven said fearfully, looking around before he gave Nora another anxious look. Nora shrugged, seemingly apathetic. Steven was his only priority. Steven was the only one he could truly trust in this hellhole, and the only one he was intent on protecting. But the look in Nora’s bright pink eyes hinted otherwise, and so did the slight frown his lips formed at the thought that there might be more prisoners here. 

“I don’t know… I haven’t seen any other gems besides Azure. But knowing the 2nd Armada, they probably have more. Stars only know how many more…” Nora spoke with a quieter, somber tone. Nora gripped Steven’s shoulder, clenching his teeth. 

“But that doesn’t justify what she did. She sedated you for fuck’s sake- If she hadn’t weakened or distracted you, you would have been able to take them all out.” Nora growled under his breath, glaring at the cameras mounted to the walls. 

“And if it wasn’t for her, you wouldn’t be hooked to that glorified kill switch. Sure it’s keeping you alive, but it can also take your life at any second. We could have fused and been out of here hours ago.” Steven was swept up in his thoughts once more as he stared blankly at the ground. He opened his mouth a few times to talk but never spoke a word. His mind was fighting itself, torn between two thoughts. Part of him wanted to believe there was something or someone good, even in this concrete laboratory hell. But the other part of him knew that Nora was right. They couldn’t take any chances or risks. He and Nora were vulnerable enough already. With another sigh, Steven eventually gave up continuing that conversation. He didn’t need to spend much time with Nora to realize that his other half had severe trust issues and a fixed, apprehensive mindset that was hard to change. But truthfully, Steven couldn't blame his other half for being so cautious.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m too hopeful.” Steven admitted defeat, rubbing the back of his neck with both of his hands in an attempt to comfort himself. 

“Maybe, maybe not. There’s still a chance I’m wrong, I just, I don’t want to risk it. Maybe Azure could be good, but I don’t want to assume, trust her, and then lose you for good.” Nora admitted with a serious expression and tone, leaning forward to look Steven in the eyes, his unyielding diamond gaze sending a shiver down Steven’s spine.

“You’re right. I know you’re right, but…” Steven trailed off again, glancing at the cameras again. Before Steven could finish, Nora spoke up with a small smile. “You have hope. You always have. I’m not saying you can’t have hope, I’m just saying that we have to be careful.” Steven nodded, taking a few deep breaths. Nora reached down and squeezed his hand in a gesture of reassurance, glancing over at the patient monitors every now and then. The steady beeping of the machines made the deafening silence just a little bit less unbearable, but it was becoming repetitive and aggravating. 

There was a sudden spike in his heart rate when a knock sounded from the door. Steven flinched, gripping Nora’s hand tighter. Nora tightened his grip as well, his eyes glowing as he glared at the door. 

“It’s Azure. I’m not here to hurt you, I have some people that Black Diamond wants you to meet.” Nora rolled his eyes and scoffed. Yeah right, like he was gonna believe that weak ass promise. A familiar metal clang echoed throughout the room as the locks in the doors were released. The door slowly creaked open, revealing Azure, followed by two male soldiers Nora had not seen yet. The soldier on the left was taller than Azure and had a muscular build and darker skin. He had short military-style black hair, a chiseled face, and speculative brown eyes. A small chunk of his left ear was missing, and he had various other scars on his torso, face, and arms. He wore an outfit similar to Black Diamond’s, a small communication device in his ear, a Glock 19 pistol strapped to his thigh, and various knives and ammunition attached to his bullet-proof vest. Also attached to his vest was a small metal nameplate similar to Azure’s with the name “Gunner” engraved in the steel. 

The soldier to Azure’s right was a tad shorter than the one on the left, with a similar hairstyle, outfit, and athletic build. He had dark, heavy-lidded eyes and an angled chin spotted with stubble and paired with chestnut-brown hair. His skin was weather-beaten and grayish, marked with scars similar to Gunner’s wounds. He also had a vest decorated with knives, ammunition, and a small silver name tag with the nickname “Echo” written on it. Along with a Glock 19 attached to his hip, he held an M-16 with both hands pulled close to his chest, aiming it at the floor in a low port position.

Azure noticed the disgusted, enraged look in Nora’s eyes as he glared at the assault rifle in Echo’s arms. They sighed, turning to Echo with knit brows. 

“I told you not to bring the gun.” Azure scolded, scowling at the weapon with disdain, their expression similar to Nora’s. Echo glanced at Gunner, who’s gaze was transfixed on the bright pink Gem a few feet away from him. 

“I have orders from Black Diamond, Azure. We know Matriarch is unstable, carrying a weapon is necessary.” Echo asserted, looking Azure directly in the eyes. Nora growled, his eyes blazing pink as he shot daggers at Echo with this irate gaze. “You’re gonna need more than that feeble chunk of metal to get through me you senseless fuckwit.” Nora snarled, his left eye twitching in frustration. His booming voice reverberated throughout the room, cracking the floor and the walls a little. Steven squeezed Nora’s hand again, reaching forward with his free arm to hold Nora’s hand with both of his own; in hopes of calming him down at least a little bit. Nora paused, turning his head to glance at Steven, who gave him a pleading look. 

Azure fought the urge to grab the gun and just shove Echo back out into the hallway. Instead, they frowned with a low grumble, their eyes glistening with irritation. Echo swallowed and avoided Azure’s murderous expression. Gunner placed a hand on Azure’s shoulder to try and avert their attention, speaking cautiously with a gentle monotone voice.

“Easy there, Matriarch. We’re not here for a fight. We’re just here to talk, I promise.” Gunner reassured, easing Azure’s aggravation, but not Nora’s. Nora just scoffed again and rolled his eyes so hard he nearly gave himself a headache. Azure wasn’t entirely convinced either, but they knew starting a fight with a soldier would only make things worse. A lot worse, for all of them.

“You don’t walk into a room harboring weapons to talk .” Nora spat, gritting his teeth. Meanwhile, Steven’s heart rate and anxiety spiked every time Nora responded with cynicism and malice. 

“Nora, we don’t exactly have the upper hand here- We probably shouldn’t make them mad,” Steven whispered, speaking only to Nora, who couldn’t physically care less about making Azure or either of the soldiers angry. In fact, he wanted them to retaliate, so he had more reason to crush every bone in their body and get away with it. Azure wordlessly looked up at Gunner with a concerned expression that said it all. Nora wasn't necessarily wrong. Even Gunner and Echo knew that even if they wanted to admit it or not. 

“I know, I know. Call it a safety precaution, if you will. Our objective is to talk.” Gunner assured with a calm and collected tone. Nora knew he was making an attempt to be peaceful, but there was no way in hell Nora would trust any of them. 

“Alright, fine. What do you want to “talk” about?”

Gunner opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself, taking a moment to think with a slightly nervous look on his face. Nora arched an eyebrow, tilting his head with cautiously curious expression, mixed with one that could kill. Echo and Gunner exchanged uneasy glances, which only made the anxiety and rage in Nora’s gemstone worse. It didn’t help Steven’s fear either. Steven had to fight the urge to run as the sickening dread twisted up his stomach and chest. Gunner took a deep breath, and began to speak softly again, as if he was talking to a scared animal. 

“Okay, well… Let’s start with this. Azure will be Steven’s assigned nurse, since they are familiar with him. Azure is our most trusted combat medic, and they wouldn’t hurt a fly, believe me.” 

Azure couldn’t help but crack a small smile after hearing Gunner compliment them. It was the first time Nora and Steven had ever seen Azure smile. They usually looked absolutely terrified, angry, or far off from reality. But this time, they genuinely seemed appreciative and somewhat joyful. It melted Steven’s heart a little when he saw Azure’s timid yet noticeable grin. Nora would have been lying if he said it didn't give him some sense of relief too. 

But as soon as Nora felt a brief moment of euphoria, he crushed those feelings and shoved them deep inside the back of his mind. Ensuring his and Steven’s survival was the ONLY priority. He wasn’t about to let himself think about anything or anyone else. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, Nora spoke with cautious curiosity mixed with a hint of irritation. “... Fine. I don’t have a say in this, do I?” Nora grumbled, squinting his eyes at Gunner, who shrugged. 

“Yea, Black Diamond’s orders. But he’ll be in good hands.” Gunner reassured with a confident nod and grin. He glanced over at Steven, who surprisingly did not break eye contact. Steven was still scared, but he knew that Nora was right next to him, and these people seemed a lot more docile than the others. 

“I’ll take care of him as if he was my own, I promise.” Azure avowed sincerely, looking Nora directly in the eyes, which surprised him. They were always afraid of looking at him directly, he could tell. However, they couldn’t hold eye contact for long before they resumed staring at the floor with a scared expression.

“Okay… I can live with that.” Nora muttered, although he wasn’t exactly telling the truth. But arguing and fighting with a soldier right in front of Steven and getting in more trouble was not something Nora was keen on doing. 

Gunner sighed in relief, releasing the breath his nervousness had a fierce grip on. 

“Okay. Now… Black Diamond’s other order…” Gunner trailed off, looking off to the side. He looked scared almost. Worried, definitely, but fearful too. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he saw the murderous look Nora was giving him. “Just spit it out.” Nora ordered, his somewhat neutral expression now morphed back into one of anger. Gunner sighed again, glancing at Echo before he started speaking. “I am the commander of a squadron known as the Force Recon Strike Team. Black Diamond has brought to my attention her plans on integrating you into my team as a reconnaissance sniper. You passed the combat test with flying colors, and I’m sure a person of your caliber would be useful to us.” 

Gunner explained as calmly as he could, but it was clear he was as enthusiastic about the idea as Nora was. Nora’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open. He had to take a moment to process what the hell Gunner just told him. Both Steven and Azure had a similar reaction to the news, however neither of them could match Nora’s fuming temper. 

“No. FUCK no. I won’t ever join your little butcher squad!” Nora swore through bared, clenched teeth with flaming pink eyes and a face contorted with fury, his voice echoing once again.  

“I was afraid you would say that… I’m sorry. But this is a decision you do not have the power to change.” Gunner said with a heavy sigh and a stern expression. 

Steven and Azure looked up at Gunner with horrified looks, while Nora only grew angrier with each response from the commander. He opened his mouth to shout back in retaliation. But he was interrupted by a disturbingly familiar, distorted voice that spoke through the blaring static which echoed from the speaker embedded in the wall.

“He’s right, Matriarch. Don’t act like you have a choice here. If you want to keep Steven safe, follow my orders. You will leave this room with Gunner and follow his lead.” Black Diamond commanded, sending chills down Steven’s spine. Azure shivered, eyes filled with terror hearing Black Diamond’s angry, demanding tone. 

Nora ground his teeth, scowling at the speaker as Steven’s heart rate spiked again. He squeezed Steven’s hand in a silent gesture of reassurance. It was clear that Steven didn’t want to be alone, or at least, without someone he knew for sure he could trust. Nora glanced behind him with a worried look, seeing Steven’s terrified, pleading expression. But deep down, they both knew they had no choice but to split up and follow along. If not, there was a likely chance that they would suffer a fate worse than the one Black Diamond promised. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go- I’ll come back as soon as I can, I promise. They broke a deal with me. They won’t kill you, and they sure as hell won’t hurt you if they want me to obey them.” Nora murmured to Steven with knit brows and a determined expression hinted with anxiety. Steven could only nod shakily in response, trying to keep his breath steady as Nora slowly let go of his hand and stood up. Nora shot Gunner another merciless glare as he walked up to Azure, giving them the same expression. 

“If I see a single wound on him when I get back, I’ll shatter you.” Nora warned with a threatening tone only Azure could hear. Azure swallowed, nodding in compliance. After Nora was done glaring them down, they eventually wandered over to Steven’s side.

The moment Nora was no longer at Steven’s side, the ache and exhaustion from being split apart got worse. Steven watched Nora as he begrudgingly walked up to Gunner’s side, fear taking him in a chokehold. Nora spared one last glance at Steven, who gave him a nervous smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Nora frowned with a worried look, mouthing the words, “I’m so sorry.” Steven took a deep breath, his defeated expression saying it all. He was sorry as well. Nora kept his eyes on Steven, and Steven did the same until Echo sealed the door shut with a hiss and metal clank. 

Nora’s worried, sympathetic, and caring expression immediately switched to a bitter one when Echo shut the door. 

“Follow me.” Echo ordered, gesturing down the hallway with a nod of his head.

Nora ground his teeth and sighed as he marched forward alongside Gunner and Echo, but every inch of his light-composed being was screaming at him to stop and run back to Steven. But he kept himself poised, keeping his eyes on the floor as his feet carried him quickly through the concrete hallways. His form flickered and cracked a little more once he got far enough from Steven’s room, it felt like his gem and body was being violently split into two pieces. He could imagine what Steven was feeling in that moment, and it made the pain all the more worse. Nora just prayed Steven would still be alive by the time he got back. Echo and Gunner exchanged concerned glances, noticing Nora’s obvious discomfort, agony, and rage. Echo’s grip on his M16 grew tighter the more he looked at the furious look in Nora’s eyes. Each time Nora’s form glitched or broke, Gunner and Echo would both jump and stare at Nora, who acted as if they never existed in the first place, even though he could feel both of the soldiers staring holes into him. He could feel the tension and anxiety in the air and didn’t need to look up to know they were whispering and looking at each other. Nora just sighed and tried paying no mind to his surroundings. He was too angry and in too much pain to even see his peripheral vision clearly, much less process the sights, smells, and sounds. Every room in this diamond-forsaken construct looked the same anyway. Claustrophobic, dark, metallic, dreary, gross, and uncomfortable. A Gem could barely handle this place. It made Nora wonder why the hell these humans were still here, why they were still doing this in the first place. These humans really hated Gems this much, didn’t they? Those thoughts continued to swirl around in Nora’s head and haunt him, before they were abruptly interrupted by Gunner’s voice. “We’re here.” Nora nearly bumped into Gunner, his mind so out-of-reach he didn’t even realize Gunner mentioned they had arrived. While Gunner pressed a few buttons into a keypad to the right, Nora slowly lifted his head, eyeing the giant metal door in front of him labeled “Barracks A.” The doors opened with a loud clunk and hiss, revealing another large metal room decorated with what seemed to be sleeping quarters for the soldiers. Bunk beds were spaced evenly along both the left and right walls with metal lockers in between. Surprisingly enough, instead of stone, the floor was made out of a dark, dead-looking wood that Nora had never seen before, even through Steven’s eyes. Various personal items were placed neatly on each of the beds, including backpacks, boots, clothes, suitcases, and bags. Dim lights hung low on the ceiling, barely even illuminating the room. There were no windows, just stone walls, which made the room look more like a decked-out prison cell than an actual living space. Everybody in the room immediately froze when they sensed the diamond’s presence, still as statues, eyes boring into Nora, who simply glared in response. “This is Force Recon Strike Team. Figured it’d be best to introduce you to everybody before we begin any training. You already know me and Echo. Closest to us is Striker,” Gunner gestured to the woman standing a few feet away from Nora. She had long, paper-white hair tied into a high ponytail with a torn black ribbon. Her eyes were a deep hazel, almost red, her dark sienna skin rough and calloused, marked with numerous scars. She had tattoos peeking out from under her clothing, paired with many black piercings on her ears, brow, lips, and nose. Striker didn’t even glance upward upon hearing her name; her piercing gaze fixated on the floor near Nora’s feet. 

“To the right, we have Reaper and Hogs,” Gunner explained with a nod toward the two men to his right. The two looked nearly identical. Messy blonde hair, pale skin, shorter stock build, wide cheekbones, brooding dark gray eyes, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. The only differentiating features were their scars, or lack thereof. The man wearing a jacket labeled ‘Reaper’ had a wide scratch mark across his nose and a burn mark on his left hand. The other guy had no visible scars. Everyone in the room besides Nora wore the same clothing as Gunner and Echo, give or take a few boots, jackets, and vests. 

Nora’s eyes flicked askance, his gaze meeting a cold glare from one of the soldiers near the back of the room. He tilted his head, squinting his eyes, glaring right back at the dude. Gunner noticed Nora’s expression, and followed his look over to the sniper staring at him. Gunner sighed a little, seeing who it was, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing. “And that, over there, is Whiskey.” 

The soldier in question rolled his eyes and turned to the back of the room. His menacing brown eyes were so dark they were almost black. He had obsidian, reddish hair and a scar plastered across his forehead over his left eye. His face was more oval-shaped and he had a lean, muscular build. His skin, similar to the other soldiers’, was rough, calloused, and scarred. It seemed that all of them had been in the business for a while. They had to have been through hell. In a place like this, he didn’t want to imagine what happened to anyone within these walls. “And this, here, is Matriarch.” Gunner declared, dropping a hand onto Nora’s shoulder. Nora growled a little, shrugging Gunner off with a huff. All eyes were back on him, which only made him more defensive. His form cracked and faltered a little again, making everyone tense up. 

“He will be working with us from now on as a fellow recon sniper. He needs a bit of training first, but soon enough he will be an extra pair of boots on the ground.” Every soldier in the room exchanged skeptical and concerned looks, while Nora gave a deep sigh. Clearly, no one in this situation was happy about it. But at the same time, nothing could be done. 

“Alright, fellas, play nice.”

Gunner pats Nora’s back before heading towards his bunk to the right. Nora watched Echo climb onto a top bunk, standing still near the entrance for a moment, searching the room, trying to ignore the looks from the rest of the snipers eyeing him like some sort of weird zoo animal. “Matriarch, you can, uh… Sit down.” Echo suggested, nodding in the direction of an empty bed. Nora scrunched up his nose and grumbled at the horrid ‘nickname,’ taking his time to think if he really wanted to sit down. In the end, he muttered and gave in. 

Carefully maneuvering his way toward the back wall, Nora sat down on a rather cramped bed toward the back left of the room. For the most part, the other soldiers seemed to finally ease up on the staring and whispering, which helped make the scenario slightly less uncomfortable, for Nora at least.

With another long sigh, Nora buried his face in his hands, propping his elbows up on his knees. Finally, he had a moment of peace. He rubbed his face, sniffling a little as his gaze burned holes into the dingy wood floor. Cautiously, he let his mind wander. Nora had an endless amount of questions swirling around behind his light-composed eyes, questions he’d probably never get answers to, the sheer amount and weight of them all giving him a headache. 

What does the 2nd Armada want with him? Do they really only want him as a weapon? How did they get away with staging Steven’s death? How did they even manage it? What the hell was Steven’s family thinking right now? Stars, there was so much, too much. Nora pressed his palms to either side of his head, squeezing his eyes shut, shaking a little as he inhaled through his nose, holding his breath for a moment. 

Nora paused, releasing his breath. He could use this. He could use his position to gain intel, to see the inside workings of the 2nd Armada. He opened his eyes, lowering his hands, surveying every crack and imperfection in his form. He curled his hands into fists, pressing his lips into a thin line as he sat up straight with a stern, determined expression.  

That’s what Nora would do. That’s what he had to do. There was no time to sit and mope around, he had to act, and he had to act fast. Steven’s life was on the line, and so was Nora’s. He would search every nook and cranny of the entire facility if he had to. Gain information and weapons then get the fuck out of there, and maybe burn the place down as an added bonus, shut it down for good, maybe even free a few other prisoners while he’s at it. He wasn’t ecstatic with the idea, Steven was his top priority, nothing would change that, and he didn’t particularly care for the other hostages. But he knew Steven would be damned before he didn’t even try to help the others. Nora furrowed his brows, making up his mind. He would play along with Black Diamond’s little game, fall in line, play the role of the perfect reconnaissance soldier, until he had the perfect chance to tear the place down. He had to, there was no other option.

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[suau-projectmatriarch]

Progress on art for the 5th chapter!!

Did I spend way too long drawing PM!Steven's side profile? Yes Am I gonna be lazy and copy and paste and shit his face to PM!Nora's because they are supposed to look the same? Absolutely

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Updated Nora's outfit, forgot to put in the version without the jacket, fixed the gloves, the hand, etc etc

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Finally finished! Did a little doodle with my good friend @readers-main-blog-woowa's Midnight!Steven And yes, the entire reason I drew this is because M!Steven is a smol bean compared to PM!Steven and PM!Nora lmao PM!Steven is excited to meet this tiny verison of himself (who is actually older then him PDOGJSDKFG) because he is, as I said, smol bean M!Steven is confused while PM!Nora is the dissapointed older brother who's been through PM!Steven's shenanigans before

[suau-projectmatriarch]

If anyone ever asks what Steven and Nora's personalities are, Imma just show them this Cause this is pretty much them in a nutshell if they aren't in a serious situation-

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Chapter 6: Gone

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: Swearing, Threats, Gruesome descriptions of blood, Grief, Implied major character death, detailed depictions of devestaion and mourning the loss of a loved one, implications of gruesome violence, detailed descriptions of panic and anxiety]

Connie paced the dark carpeted floor of her dorm room, muttering to herself as she rubbed her arms. Daniel got up from Patricia’s office chair with a worried expression, placing a hand on Connie’s shoulder.

“You alright, Connie?” Daniel queried with an anxious tone. Patricia seemed as worried as both Connie and Daniel combined as she fumbled with her sleeves, glancing at her phone every now and then.

“He should have been here by now…” Connie muttered, more to herself than anyone else. She paused, then looked up, glancing out the window. With a heavy sigh, she slouched into a sitting position on her bed, bouncing her leg as she lowered her head and ran her fingers through her hair. 

Patricia sighed and placed her laptop beside her. Getting up from her bed, she sat down next to Connie, hugging her. She knew she and Daniel were worried, but Patricia also knew she couldn’t even begin to imagine how Connie felt at that moment. 

“He’s not responding to my texts, I-I haven’t tried calling him yet, but…” Connie trailed off, anxiety twisting her gut and drying out her throat as she tried to think of all the logical reasons Steven wasn’t here yet. 

“Maybe he’s in traffic? Maybe the weather? Phone died on him? I don’t know, there could be millions of reasons more likely than him getting hurt.” Patricia reassured as she pulled out her small purple phone, pressing the power button to check for messages. Daniel nodded in agreement, then walked over to the window, crossing his arms as he stared out at the parking lot a few feet away from the dorm building. Connie knew Patricia was right, but she just couldn’t shake the sinking dread in her chest. 

As Patricia scrolled through her phone, Daniel opened the blinds and peered outside the window, pressing his palms against the windowsill as he leaned over. He watched the cars drive by, squinting his eyes, trying to find Steven’s Dondai in the massive wave of traffic. 

“Yeah, he’s tough. Half Diamond, right? He can take care of himself, he’s done it before. Many times, actually.” Daniel chimed in with a small chuckle, eyes still glued to the intersection.

Connie nodded, rubbing her arms again. Patricia stood up, walking over to her desk. Connie slumped backward onto her blanket and pulled out her phone. As Connie pressed her finger against the power button, dread and anxiety sank deep into her chest when she noticed none of her notifications were messages from Steven. She was Connie Maheswaran; she couldn't help but worry. Overthinking and planning was a trait of hers. The trip to Jayhawk was the first road trip Steven had gone on all by himself. Yes, he was tough, he could always shake off the violent, stray anti-gem person with ease, but he was still vulnerable in a sense, even with the powers of a gem monarch. Closing her eyes, Connie silently prayed that Steven was safe. 

Fifteen painstakingly slow minutes passed as the trio grew more paranoid for their close friend's safety. Connie had texted Steven a few times and even tried to call him. Daniel and Patricia did the same, but no reply. Connie’s anxiety was skyrocketing now. No reply from Steven was NEVER a good thing. He was usually pretty quick with replying, and history had proved that when Steven did not reply, something was happening. As desperately as Connie tried to calm herself down by thinking of reasons Steven would not reply that weren’t life-threatening or world-ending, this was Steven she was talking about. She just couldn’t shake the feeling. It only festered and made her even sicker. 

Unfortunately, the anxious paranoia among the three proved justified when Connie got a call from her phone. At first, she immediately sat up with a hopeful expression, thinking it was Steven. But it wasn’t Steven’s phone number calling her; it wasn’t even a phone number at all. It was a direct call from the Diamond Line code that Peridot had implemented into Connie’s phone, so she could call reinforcements off-planet if it was necessary or the other way around. 

But that was only the first red flag she noticed. Once she answered the call, she tilted her phone as a pink holo-screen emitted from her phone’s screen. The image on the holo-screen was of Spinel. But she had a worried expression on her desaturated pink face, and her dark pink pigtails were droopy, a telltale sign of Spinel being upset. Connie felt a lump in her throat when she saw the horrified look in Spinel’s eyes. Connie answered the call, and Spinel was already speaking in a desperate tone of voice, with black tears welling up in her eyes.

“C-Connie, listen friend, W-we need ya back at Homeworld. R-Right now. I know you have ya, college, or whateva it’s called… B-But you need to see this.” 

Daniel and Patricia exchanged worried looks as Connie nodded with a determined look in her eyes. Her knightly instinct took over, overpowering her fear as she braced herself for a fight. As terrified as Connie was, she knew she had to act, especially if Spinel’s emergency involved Steven and why he wasn’t responding. Connie swiftly grabbed her sword from under her bed and an emergency backpack she always had on hand just in case, turning to Daniel and Patricia before leaving.

“Hold down the fort for me, guys. I’ll be back.”

Daniel and Patricia both nodded with worried expressions and quickly went to their laptops to keep an eye on Steven’s activity. Connie didn’t look too excited either but she swore that she would help when she could. It was a job she took seriously and was dedicated to, no matter what. A role she fulfilled with pride and power. 

Connie hurried down the stairs of the dorm building, swerving around other college students as she made her way down the halls and through the double glass doors leading into the dormitory. Lion was already waiting for her under one of the trees in the courtyard. Lion always had a sixth sense of these things; Lion knew when he was needed and stayed by his allies' side. 

“Alright buddy, we gotta get to the Homeworld warp.”

Lion huffed as his pale pink mane began to flow to a nonexistent breeze and nodded as his eyes and hair glowed white. Stretching open his mouth, he roared as loud as he could. Pink waves of energy shot out from the back of his throat, forming a swirling pink portal over the dormitory’s garden. With another huff: Lion leaped into the portal before it shrunk in on itself, leaving the passerby college students and pedestrians both bewildered and terrified. 

A similar pink portal opened up in the greenhouse connected to Steven and Greg’s home. Lion and Connie popped out of the portal, soaring through the air before landing right next to the baby blue, crystalline warp pad embedded in the floor at the far side of the greenhouse. Lion’s mane and eyes stopped glowing white as the portal closed. Lion wandered over and climbed onto the warp pad, flicking his tail as he turned his head and glanced at Connie. Connie pulled out a small blue warp whistle from her backpack, taking a deep breath before blowing into it.

A few moments later, Connie and Lion were on Homeworld’s surface, stepping off of the Diamond Throne Room’s warp pad. Hopping off of Lion, Connie patted Lion’s head with a small smile.

“Thanks, Lion. You have earned your naps for today.” Connie said with a chuckle before kissing Lion’s forehead. Lion yawned and settled down, curling all four paws underneath his fuzzy chest before closing his eyes and curling his tail around his body. 

Connie glanced at the shimmering floors of the Diamond Throne Room, feeling a lump form in her throat. She took a deep breath in through the nose, and exhaled through the mouth as she turned to face the Diamond’s thrones. Four large crystalline thrones sat atop gorgeous white stairs. Connie curled her fingers into tight fists, taking another deep breath before walking forward. Looking around, she arched a brow, noticing there was no one in the giant gem-made room. This room was usually filled with a crowd or two… Where was everybody?

Connie tensed, gripping her sword handle as she slid her left foot back, grounding herself and lowering her body when swift footsteps echoed throughout the hall. She squinted her eyes, creasing her brows as she scanned the room for anything suspicious. Her expression softened however, once she noticed a familiar pink gem running towards her from the entrance behind Blue Diamond's throne. 

“Connie! Thank the stars-” Spinel yelled from across the room as she hurried over to Connie, stopping dead in her tracks mere inches away from Connie. 

“Spinel! What’s wrong?” Connie responded with a worried tone. She stretched out her arms for a hug. Spinel usually liked to hug people as a greeting gesture, but this time Spinel’s hug only lasted seconds; when it usually lasted minutes, accompanied by a few cheerful hellos. 

“I-I’m sorry, Cons, I don’t have time to explain- Just follow me and stay close,” Spinel said under her breath, speaking only to Connie as her anxious gaze darted around the room. A team of Amethyst Guards, Bismuth, and Peridot burst through the door leading to the entrance behind Blue Diamond’s throne with panicked looks on their faces. 

“SPINEL! You can NOT just run off like that in a situation like- Connie!” Peridot exclaimed and immediately hurried up to Connie’s side, grabbing her hand and practically dragging the poor human along with her.

“No time to explain, we gotta go and we gotta go now . White called us all for an emergency meeting, and considering what was hinted in her message, I wouldn’t be surprised if this room was rigged as a trap. Lion!” Peridot whistled and yelled across the room, but Lion was already sprinting his way towards the small huddle of Gems, catching up to them in no time. He stayed at the back, glancing around every now and then as they dashed through the building. 

Connie stumbled and stuttered over her terrified questions as the Amethyst guards and Bismuth surrounded her, Spinel, and Peridot. Connie reached out her free hand and held Spinel’s hand in an attempt to calm them both. The feeling of dread, fear, and impending doom was too strong now. It made her head throb and her chest tighten to a sickening degree. Something was wrong. VERY wrong. The Amethyst Guards and Bismuth already had destabilizers and their personal gem-summoned weapons at the ready, and even THEY looked scared. Bismuth was a tough gem, and Connie had never seen her scared before. But Bismuth barely said a word the whole time. 

As they sprinted through the abandoned halls of the Diamond’s castle, Bismuth led them through a back alley route that led directly to White Diamond’s room. 

White’s room was a room that Connie had never seen before. It was similar to all the other Diamond rooms, as expected. But the difference was the blinding white coloration. Although, there was one spot in the room that wasn’t white. At the center of the room was a pool of fresh crimson and pink blood. The scent of iron and decay hit Connie as soon as she stepped foot in the room. 

The smell in the air made her recoil as she clapped her hands over her mouth in a desperate attempt to filter out the putrid stench. Amethyst guards joined their fellow quartzes, guarding every wall and entrance to the room. Agates and many other powerful gems lined the walls, weapons at their sides. But everybody in the room, even the Agates, were shaking with pure terror in their eyes at the grim sight before them.

Greg, the Crystal Gems, Lapis, hell even the Off Colors were surrounding the devastated diamond on her knees in front of them. White Diamond was knelt down beside the puddle of blood with a blank look on her face, blood slowly seeping through her fingertips as she clutched something in her shaking hands as if it were her lifeline. She glanced at Connie, then to Greg. Her right hand folded over her left: she gave Connie and Greg one more glance, the broken, glazed-over look in her darkened gray eyes sending shivers down the human’s spines. Finally, her gaze rested on the Crystal Gems as she wordlessly lifted her right hand, revealing a gruesome, disturbing image.  

Resting in her ghost-white palm were fragments of a pink gem. Chunks of pink-hued diamond smashed to pieces and coated in blood. But not the blood of a human. The blood was pink and red. The blood in her hand was Steven's. And the broken gem resting in White Diamond's hand was Steven's gemstone. You could barely even tell it was a gem from all the blood. But the mixed hues of crimson and fuchsia pink were a telltale sign that the blood belonged to Steven. 

Before: the room echoed with terrified whispers, gossip, and questions about what the hell was happening, but as soon as White uncovered the blood-covered shards, a heavy, deafening silence settled in the room.

“We found Pink’s Gem in the throne room. Broken and covered In blood… She’s gone.” White spoke with an empty voice, blankly staring down at the carnage nestled in the crook of her palm. 

Connie’s eyes stretched open wide; as her body trembled and buckled from the weight of the realization, rage, despair, and depression that hit her harder than a comet smashing into the surface of the earth. She had a feeling this situation was about Steven, but she did not expect the news to involve her best friend being mercilessly crushed to pieces. 

Connie fell to her knees, her sword slipping out of her backpack and hitting the floor with a loud clang that made everyone, Gem and human, visibly flinch. Her vision blurred as the horrified screams, crying, and yelling from Greg and the Crystal Gems became muffled, tears streaming down Connie’s face.

Connie looked down at her shaking hands as tears streamed down her face. She was in such a state of shock her brain hadn’t even processed the horrifying news fully, but her body was shutting down. She felt a bile rise in her throat as she clenched her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and pressed her hands into her ears, desperately trying to block out all the mortified and devastated screams from Greg. Lapis, Bismuth, and Peridot immediately ran up to Connie’s side, trying to get her attention and calm her down but to no avail. Peridot, Bismuth, and Lapis struggled to keep themselves composed, shaking and crying as much as Connie was as they tried to reassure her. 

“MY SON! THAT’S MY SON- PLEASE- PLEASE NO… NO!”

Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst tried to hold Greg back from running up to White, but they were struggling too. White cracks were rapidly spreading across their light-composed bodies. Greg eventually gave up, falling to his hands and knees as he sobbed so hard a bone-splitting migraine began to form. He had yelled so much that his voice was shot, and all he could do was mumble and sob into his hands as he leaned over and broke down. 

“Not my son… M-My son isn’t g-gone, P-Please tell me he’s-” Greg begged and choked through sobs, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head as Pearl and Amethyst tried to comfort him. Garnet clenched her teeth, curling her fingers into tight fists as light enveloped her hands and morphed into her gauntlets. Her visor cracked and shattered, poofing out of existence, her petrified, tearful gaze morphing into frenzied rage. 

“Who did this…” Garnet muttered angrily under her breath, her hands trembling with how tense they were.

“WHO DID THIS!?” Garnet yelled with desperation and anger in her voice. She flinched and yelled in pain, her visor disappearing as her body began to crack, distort, then split into two separate entities made up of misshapen light forms with a Ruby Gem on one and a Sapphire Gem on the other. The glowing white lights morphed into Ruby and Sapphire with deep white cracks on their bodies. Sapphire froze the ground around her as she sobbed, while the floor around Ruby went up in flames. 

“DID YOU DO THIS?! I’LL SHATTER YOU! I’LL SH-SHATTER… I-I’ll…” Ruby stuttered, trailing off when she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. It was Sapphire, but her eye wasn’t on Ruby. Her gaze was fixated on the blood. She was shaking with a hand over her mouth. Ruby immediately sobbed and hugged her. Pearl and Amethyst hugged each other, sobbing, seconds away from poofing as deep white fissures continued to spread across their quivering bodies. Neither of them had the strength to even speak. Lapis stood up, her teeth clenched, a dark shadow over her eyes. Tears ran like waterfalls down her navy blue complexion, pure rage in her darkened eyes that shot daggers at White Diamond. 

“White. Answer the fucking question. Who did this to Steven?" Lapis growled through gritted teeth as water shot out from her back, morphing into wings. Volleyball, who was behind White, stepped forward. The cracks over her eye had spread, and she had a sorrowful expression. Holding up her hands in a defensive gesture, she took a few cautious steps closer to Lapis, who glared at her. 

“W-We don’t know what happened, Lapis… M-Me and White walked in here and found P-Pinks Ge-”

“Steven’s Gem . ” Lapis interrupted with a snarl and a manic look in her eyes. Volleyball flinched and trembled in response. 

“Y-Yes, Sorry, S-Steven’s gem. I-It was broken and covered I-In that… Awful smelling s-substance.”

“It’s blood, Volleyball… It’s a liquid inside of humans that carries n-nutrients across their body a-and keeps them alive.” Peridot interjected with a shaken voice, eyes glued to the bloody gem pieces. 

“I-If they lose too much, then…” Peridot shuddered, breaking down into tears as she gripped her wrist and lowered her head. Lapis only grew angrier, but Volleyball body-blocked her from White, desperately trying to ease the water gem’s irritation. 

“L-Lapis please, I was with her, W-White did not do this.”

“THEN WHO DID?! WHO ELSE HAS THE POWER TO SHATTER A DIAMOND!?” Lapis yelled, making Volleyball recoil in fear. Amethyst was the first one to go. She shook her head and screamed in pain, pressing her hands against her ears as the cracks on her body eventually overwhelmed her. Pearl reached out and grabbed Amehyst’s gemstone before it hit the floor, hugging it close to her chest as her body disintegrated into white clouds. 

“PEARL! AMETHYST!” Ruby yelled, dashing forward and catching their gemstones. Sapphire fell to her knees, looking down at her shaking hands. How could she not have seen this? Why couldn’t Sapphire see anything else? She couldn’t focus, couldn’t look forward. She could only focus on the enraged and devastated thoughts swirling in her gemstone: and her lover’s embrace as Ruby hugged her tight with Pearl and Amethyst gemstones in her hand. 

Peridot was the next one to poof. She shook her head, falling to her knees and hands as she cried out before the sorrow destroyed her completely, but her choked sobs got cut short when her body crumbled under the sheer weight of her anguish. Bismuth rushed forward and caught her gem, but the poor weaponsmith was moments away from cracking too. Bismuth held Peridot’s gem close to her, putting her free hand on Greg’s shoulder, but she couldn’t say anything. Words only got caught in her throat, coming out as ever-flowing tears. 

Volleyball shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. “L-Lapis- P-Please-” Volleyball begged as White Diamond’s Agate’s stepped forward, aiming their destabilizers at Lapis.

“This wasn’t us. I-I promise. I swear to the stars, w-we wouldn’t let this happen.”

Lapis growled, her chest heaving as her eyes filled with tears once more. She sighed in defeat, looking down at her hands with devastation in her eyes. 

“W-We think it’s a warning, L-Lapis… Someone killed Steven and p-put his broken gem on display for all of us. We found it, right in the c-center of White's room.” Volleyball stuttered, desperately, practically begging, glancing over to White. White was quiet with tears in her eyes, shaking like a leaf in the wind as she stared down at the pieces in her shaking hand. 

“... Then we find the one who did this. We find them, and we take them out.” Connie muttered through heaving breaths and sobs. Spinel peeked out from her hiding spot behind Lion; and walked up to Connie’s side, kneeling beside her. Connie sniffled and broke down again, hugging Spinel. She was angry and terrified, but most of all, she was heartbroken. Steven was the first friend Connie ever had. The reason she grew into the badass woman she is today. The first lover she ever had. And now he was gone. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. 

She hugged Spinel tighter as the memories flooded back into her head. Memories of them as kids battling monsters, rescuing people, singing, dancing, fusing, and messing around. Meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to her. It didn’t matter what had happened when he grew up. The proposal, the corruption, they’d been through heaven, hell, and back together. Steven wasn’t someone she ever thought she’d take for granted, but the moment Connie realized he was gone, Connie knew that she did. Regrets, nostalgia, rage, fear, and depression stacked up at that moment, hitting her harder than anything that had ever harmed her in the past. And it hurt her a thousand times worse. No monster, sickness, injury, or emotion was as excruciating as the pain she felt at that moment.

It took the group a whole day to calm down and recuperate. Greg was upstairs with Priyanka, Doug, and mayor Nanafua. The Crystal Gems and the Off Colors mobilized on the beach, trying to think of a plan. Connie was with them, but her mind was far off. Her eyes, head, and throat hurt from screaming and sobbing, and she was barely awake. She stared off into the ocean with an exhausted, glazed-over look in her eyes. Amethyst rested a hand on her shoulder in a silent gesture of reassurance.  

“Nanafua will help us with funeral preparations. But we need all hands on deck at all times to track down the one who took Steven.” Garnet said finally, cutting through the tense silence. Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We don’t have anything yet… But we can’t give up. We can’t just let this slide. Steven will not die in vain.” Bismuth added with a shaky voice as more tears welled up in her eyes. The group nodded once more with expressions mixed with enraged determination and sorrow. Pearl clutched the fabric of Steven’s old t-shirt in her hands, rubbing her thumb over the faded star pattern. Furrowing her brows, she squeezed her eyes shut to let out the last bit of her tears before she lifted her head and glared at the floor with seething hatred. 

“I will not stop until we find those monsters,” Pearl growled, looking over at Bismuth while shaking with tears in her wide enraged eyes. From their facial expressions alone, it was clear that everyone shared Pearl’s malevolence toward Steven's assailants. 

“I think we know who to start with.” Garnet spoke up, rage in her voice as she looked over at the sunset. 

“Nanafua, the president, and the military have eyes on the 2nd Armada. But we all know who has the power to shatter a being as powerful as Steven. And it’s the Diamonds themselves.” Garnet said finally. 

Lapis growled and shuddered. Peridot gently held her hand, looking up at her with worry in her eyes. Lapis sighed and crossed her arms as Bismuth nodded in agreement. 

“We will pull together a group to investigate Homeworld. But I think some of our allies need some rest first.” Bismuth commented dejectedly, looking over at Connie, who hadn’t even noticed Bismuth was talking about her. 

Garnet walked over to Connie, kneeling down in front of her, gently taking her hands in her own after removing her visor. She stared at Connie’s hands for a moment, taking a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. All three of her eyes met Connie’s two dark ones, tears welling up in both Garnet and Connie’s eyes. Connie was seconds from bursting into tears once more, but she fought the tears as hard as she could. Squeezing her hands, Garnet gave Connie a small reassuring smile. 

Connie finally got the hint, and glanced over to Bismuth with a determined look in her eyes. 

“No. I can take this. I need to-” Connie was interrupted by Garnet framing her face with her hands. Connie felt Sapphire and Ruby’s gems on either side of her face, the cold, hard, glassy surface making her flinch again. Her eyes filled with tears again when she faced Garnet. All three of Garnet’s eyes had tears in them, but her smile was warm enough to break through Connie’s fragile tough facade.

“I can… I-I can…” Connie began, but choked on her sobs as tears ran down her cheeks. Garnet closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead to Connie’s. 

“Steven loved you. With everything he had. Everything. But you need time to grieve, Connie. A living being such as yourself can only handle so much pain before they break. You’re family to us as well, love. and we can’t lose you too.” Garnet said genuinely, her voice breaking a little. She pulled Connie into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head as more tears began to flow. Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth hugged Garnet and Connie, lowering their heads as they embraced their family. 

“And you know him. He’ll be rolling in his grave if he knew you tore yourself apart to try and avenge him.” Lars said with a sad smile and tears in his eyes. Rhodonite and Padparadscha hugged Lars, Fluorite lowering her head as she spoke. 

“Yes indeed. He won’t rest easy knowing you are under duress, my dear.” 

Connie chuckled, wiping away tears from her eyes. Everyone else did the same. 

“He really would.” Pearl added with a sad smile on her face. Bismuth chuckled once more with a sniffle, wrapping an arm around Pearl’s shoulders. 

“He will live on. In our memory, our hearts, our gems, and in everything he built and stood for. Every gem he saved. Every human he saved. He won’t be forgotten. We will put him to rest, and those who dared to hurt him will face retribution.” Garnet said as she squeezed Connie’s hands once more, looking up at her face-to-face. Connie smiled and nodded, sniffling as she wiped away more tears. 

“Steven will be avenged, and he will rest easy, we’ll make sure of that. I promise” Garnet whispered to Connie, squeezing her hands one more time before the group took a moment of silence in respect and memoriam.

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[suau-projectmatriarch]

UPDATE WOOOOO

Art for chapter 2 have been finished and posted!! Super proud of both of them tbfh, I hope you guys like them too!

[suau-projectmatriarch]

[TRIGGER WARNING: Blood and firearms]

HaHA I bet ya'll were expecting Black Diamond to be a gem, NOPE She's a highly trained and fookin' terrifying human If ya'll were wondering why it was taking so long for me to draw the chapter artwork, this bitch is why It took me way too fucking long to draw her- but I am super proud of this ngl Also the difference between her and Steven's design f l o o r s me Steven's a pink marshmallow and Black Diamond is just V O I D

[suau-projectmatriarch]

[TRIGGER WARNING: Blood]

So guess what idiot wasn't paying attention to her own story and accidently copied the design in the reference sheet even though that's not what the character looks like in the particular scene she's drawing :D Yep, you guessed it lmao Anyways, fixed it!

[suau-projectmatriarch]

I also updated this doodle cause why not lol

[suau-projectmatriarch]

I Live

Heyo! I'm still alive I promise lmao, Project Matriarch is still ongoing as well, just takin' my time cause holy hell I burned myself out so badly trying to do 15 pages a week, nowadays I can barely do a paragraph a week- But! The AU is not dead, just takin' my time with it Been drawing a lot more recently and finished ref sheets for three new characters which I can't post cause of spoilers but once I finish up the reference photos I can actually post I'll show them to ya'll Have another lil snippet of the 8th chapter, so far I got 8 pages and I am determined to finish it even if I'm struggling with motivation

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Chapter 5: Hello

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence, Firearms, Swearing, Threats, Graphic Depictions of Pain, Misgendering, Identity issues, mentions of kidnapping, detailed descriptions of panic, a character is held down with someone else trying to restrain them]

Steven’s Gem half was sitting on the bench, leaning over with his head in his hands as if he had a bone-splitting headache. Black Diamond had led them back into the cramped locker room to give the Gem more information regarding drafting him as a soldier, but he couldn’t focus on her voice. His ears were ringing, his gemstone ached, and he was shaking. A combat medic helped him clean off the blood from his form and checked to see if his gemstone was cracked. Thankfully, the pink Gem’s gemstone was fine; it was his light-composed body that experienced massive amounts of cracking. But he could still feel the blood on his face. He could still taste it. He could still hear the panicked, pleading voice of the soldier that begged to be spared. The mangled face of the soldier the Gem obliterated, and he despised it with the burning passion of a thousand stars. 

“Matriarch, are you listening?” Black Diamond queried with a tilt of her head, her brows furrowed.

Steven’s Gem half flinched at the nickname. He wasn’t sure if it was worse than Rose or Pink Diamond, but it was pretty damn irritating nonetheless. The Gem forced out a deep sigh, uncovering his face to meet Black Diamond’s annoyed expression. He gave her a merciless glare, his eyes glowing a little as he struggled to speak. 

“Fuck. You.” The Gem hissed with a shaky, enraged voice. Black Diamond rolled her eyes and sighed. 

“I told you, Matriarch. In war, no one is spared. No one is safe. Your morality will only hold you bac-”

“Are you even human ?” The Gem interrupted through gritted teeth. “I know animals and aliens who act more human than you.” 

“I simply have the ability and strength to do what must be done.”

The Gem’s eyes widened. He scoffed, shaking his head, burying his face back into his hands as his leg shook even more. He knew war wasn’t pretty. But it wasn’t necessary. This was supposed to be an era of peace. He didn’t have to hurt anybody. He didn’t want to hurt anybody. Why the hell did Black Diamond want a war so badly? 

As the Gem’s mind ran a thousand miles a minute, Black Diamond crossed her arms and shook her head with a disappointed look on her face. 

“I know a killer when I see one, Matriarch. It’s written all over your face, and there’s blood all over your hands.”

The Gem trembled even more, sliding his hands to the sides of his head, pressing the palms of his hands against his ears as he clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, lowering his head even more. 

“Stop…” The Gem begged silently, white cracks spreading up his body once more.

“If you want to survive in this hellhole, I suggest you awaken that monster of yours.”

“Stop it-”

“I know she’s in there somewhere, Matriarch. The all-powerful diamond that shattered-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The Gem yelled, abruptly standing up in a blur of pink light. He rushed forward, grabbed Black Diamond’s neck, and slammed her against the wall. The soldiers locked and loaded their M16A4s and aimed at the Gem, but he didn’t care. He just needed Black Diamond to stop talking.

Black Diamond barely reacted to the Gem’s sudden violent outburst. She simply looked down at him, returning his glare. The Gem was panting, shaky, teeth bared, eyes wide, and brows furrowed as he squeezed her neck, digging his nails into her skin. 

“Stand down, Matriarch!” The squadron leader commanded, glaring down her laser sight. Black Diamond held up her hand, stopping the squad leader in her tracks.

“No need…”

The squadron leader gave Black Diamond an unconvinced, puzzled expression but obeyed and lowered her gun anyway. Black Diamond looked back down at Steven’s Gem half with scorn, giving him a demented chuckle.

“I told you. You and Steven may be pacifists, but there’s something dark and rotten in both of you.” Black Diamond said with a squint of her eyes as the corners of her lips upturned slightly. 

Steven’s Gem half paused, his infuriated visage morphing into one of horrified realization and worry. He slowly let go of Black Diamond’s neck, his trembling hands hovering over her bruised skin for a moment before he quickly pulled them back, taking a few steps backward. The Gem looked down at his shaking hands, then sighed, wrapping his arms around his torso as he lowered his head in shame, squeezing his eyes shut again. He sat back down, rubbing his arms, trying to calm himself down and ground himself, but it wasn’t easy to do while surrounded by angry soldiers armed with M16A4s pointed directly at his gemstone. 

“Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to kill anybody. Killing everybody off is not my goal. However, as I said, your power will be useful to us. In other ways, too.”

Steven’s Gem half paused, lifting his head. He stared at his shaky, cracked hands as dread seeped deep into his gemstone. He looked up, meeting Black Diamond’s stern look. For a moment, the Gem looked scared, but then his facial expression twisted into one of anger. 

“Oh, great. What other bullshit do you have planned for me?” The Gem grumbled, gesturing to Black Diamond and then himself with a wave of his hand. He dropped his hands into his lap, feeling his leg shaking his arm. 

“You’ll see.” 

The Gem ground his teeth and scoffed, shaking his head. He leaned his head down, carding his fingers through his hair in another attempt to comfort himself and calm down. He did not have the strength to deal with Black Diamond’s shit at that moment. He wondered how Steven took so much bullshit from other people and gems and somehow managed to keep his kindness. 

“Well, I beat your little squadron. Is there any other meaningless crap you need me to do? Cause if you don’t, I’m going back to St-”

Steven’s Gem half flinched when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud metal clang that echoed through the room as a combat nurse burst through the metal door.

“My Diamond, HD-023 is awake.”

Steven’s Gem half immediately lifted his head and turned to the combat nurse. In a pink blur, he stood up and looked over at Black Diamond. “I did what you wanted. Take me to him. Now.” The Gem commanded with intense, glowing eyes. Black Diamond nodded.

“Fair enough. Lead her to the inpatient ward. The rest of you, come with me.”

Steven’s Gem half immediately turned his head and locked eyes with the combat nurse, who was clearly intimidated.

“Th-This way.”

Steven’s Gem half followed the terrified combat nurse into Med Ward A-1. Once they got closer to Steven’s room, commotion and yelling echoed throughout the halls. The Gem’s eyes widened, and he immediately broke into a sprint. He ran down the hallway at impossibly high speeds before he stopped in front of the door to where Steven was. Which, thank the stars, was open. 

Multiple guards were holding Steven down against the bed as another nurse tried to reactivate the restraints as he kicked, struggled, and yelled. The soldiers were gripping Steven’s arms and legs, holding him down and yelling at him to calm down. Which, of course, only made things much worse. 

“UNHAND HIM!” The Gem yelled, his voice reverberating through the room and shaking it. Everyone immediately froze as the Gem glared at the soldiers who still had their hands on Steven. “I said , get your filthy fucking hands, off of him.” The Gem growled as his glowing fingers curled into tight fists and his eyes blazed, shooting daggers at the soldiers around Steven. The soldier’s immediately backed up, and so did the nurse. Steven was frozen still, staring at his gem half with wide eyes. His Gem half’s expression softened as he walked towards the foot of the hospital bed, worry in his eyes.

“You okay?” The Gem asked, his worry rising. 

“He’s in shock.” A nurse spoke up, only to get a seething glare from the Gem. He looked back over to Steven, who was trembling and had tears welling up in his eyes. Steven looked terrified and sickly, and the Gem could tell he was still tired as well, exhausted even. He could barely keep his eyes open long enough to stare at his Gem half in horror. His Gem noticed that he was wearing a clean shirt with no blood on it, thank the stars. But the disturbing part was that the 2nd Armada emblem was now clearly visible, an ominous symbol stitched to the weird plastic laboratory shirt. If that wasn't ironic, the Gem didn't know what was. The 2nd Armada emblem, a sinister symbol of war representing a group of people that wanted Steven dead, was stitched onto the shirt of the person they wanted to eradicate. 

“It’s… I-It’s you.” Steven mumbled as tears streamed down his face. He was in a state of pure shock and fear. His brain couldn’t keep up with the emotions rushing through his system. All Steven could do was sit still and stare at his Gem half with a terrified expression. 

“It’s you -” Steven said, louder this time. As his brain began to catch up to his thoughts and emotion, his heart rate and blood pressure skyrocketed. The heart monitor started beeping quicker and louder as tears ran down his face like tiny waterfalls. 

The Gem immediately rushed forward and hugged Steven as tight as he knew his body could handle. Steven flinched, frozen in place once again. The Gem could feel Steven’s wearied body trembling in his arms, leaning against his Gem for support. Slowly, Steven wrapped his arms around his Gem half, burying his face into the Gem’s shoulder as he cried more.

“It’s okay. I’m right here. You’re safe.” The Gem reassured in a hushed tone, keeping his hold on Steven as tight as Steven could handle as a comforting gesture and an attempt at deep-pressure therapy. It had always worked wonders when the Gems, Connie, Greg, or anybody Steven trusted used deep-pressure therapy. Whether it was through firm hugs, cuddles, or rubbing his back, it had always helped. Steven had always been naturally affectionate, and physical contact with people he trusted and was comfortable with helped him feel safe. 

“What the hell happened!?” A familiar voice called out from the doorway. It was Azure’s voice, but the Gem ignored it. He squinted his eyes, his irises glowing as a diamond-shaped shield manifested around the hospital bed, muffling any noises from the other side. He expected backlash, but to the Gem's surprise, Azure’s angry voice wasn’t directed at him. Their anger; was directed at the soldiers who stared at the flickering pink shield before them in bewilderment and shock. The soldiers turned their heads to Azure, who was fuming with rage. 

“Don’t tell me you idiots tried to restrain him-”

The nurse immediately rushed up to Azure and tried to explain the situation.

“He woke up, a-and panicked, and he-”

“He won’t even have the strength to stand up after the sedative overdose, you didn’t need to restrain him!” Azure yelled, teeth bared and brows furrowed. 

“But he’s a hybrid. We have orders-” A soldier tried to explain, but was quickly interrupted by striking blue eyes burning holes into his head and a stern tone. 

“He’s the human half of the hybrid you idiot.” Azure spat, squinting her eyes, glaring mercilessly at the soldier. They groaned, then pinched the bride of their nose, trying to think.

“Alright. All of you, get out of here.”

“Azure are you su-” The nurse began, but was once again interrupted.

“Get. Out.” Azure demanded, scowling at the nurse in front of them. The nurse glanced at the soldiers, who shrugged their soldiers with irritated expressions but listened to Azure’s command. Azure closed the door as the last soldier walked out, holding their head with their free hand as a deep sigh escaped their lips. 

They turned their head, locking eyes with Steven’s Gem half. They hurried over to the patient monitors, furrowing their brows once they read the readings. They couldn’t see it well through the shield, but 

“Useless fools…” Azure muttered to themselves. They glanced at Steven’s Gem half, who met their gaze with a confused look. 

“Is Steven okay?”

Steven’s Gem half blinked in surprise, staring at Azure for a second before uncovering Steven’s ear and wrapping it around Steven.

“Yeah… Just in shock. Pretty sure he’s a few seconds away from falling back to sleep.”

“I’m not surprised. They put WAY too much sedative in his system… I’m surprised it didn’t shut down.” Azure grumbled angrily, placing their hands on their hips. The Gem tilted his head a little, confused. Azure seemed… Angry. Angry about what they did to Steven? But, that didn’t make sense. Azure was 2nd Armada… A group of persistent assholes who wanted nothing more than suffering for the Crystal Gems. No, Azure was a gem. Then what were they doing here? Then he remembered his thoughts from earlier. Azure may have had a combat medic uniform, but Steven’s Gem half was becoming more and more convinced that Azure may have been a prisoner. Just like Steven and his Gem half. It was the only conclusion that made sense.

“Azure.” The Gem spoke, pausing for a moment as he watched Azure look at him in surprise, before speaking again.

“Are you… Are you a prisoner, too?”

Azure visibly flinched, their body starting to shake again. They looked back to the machines, frantically trying to come up with an answer. Eventually, they gave a deep sigh and nodded. 

“They weren’t lying when they told me you were sharp.” Azure said with a somber tone and smile, sadness in their eyes. Steven’s Gem half was about to speak when a beeping noise from Azure’s communication device interrupted him. Azure pressed a finger to the device. They glanced at Steven as an indistinct, incoherent voice spoke into their ear. 

“Yes, my Diamond.” Azure said with another glance at Steven, which irked his Gem half. With another sigh, Azure dropped their hand to their side and without a word, walked out of the room, securing the door shut behind them. The Gem stared at the door for a moment, until he heard a pained grunt from Steven. He looked down with worry in his eyes.

“Steven? You okay?”

Steven sat up, holding his head with one of his hands. He was still shaking like a leaf and wheezing a little. He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his head as more tears welled up in his eyes.

“What… What happened?... Why are you, you…” Steven mumbled, desperately fighting to keep himself awake. The pain of the migraine and the depth of the situation was keeping him awake, but he was still seconds away from passing out again.

“I can’t hear you, bud- you have to speak up.” Steven’s Gem half said in a hushed tone, a hint of desperation in his voice. Steven blinked a few times then rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to wake himself up. His alertness was slowly coming back to him, but shaking his head only made the pounding headache even worse. He kissed his teeth in pain, pressing his palms into the side of his head to try and ease the pain.

“Headache?” Steven’s Gem half queried. Steven nodded in response, blinking a few more times. The Gem raised his hand, still hugging Steven with the other as he flicked his tongue across his thumb and gently pressed it to Steven’s forehead. Steven flinched, feeling a wave of energy surging through his system as the headache slowly began to dissolve. Steven pressed a hand to his forehead with a confused and half-conscious look on his face. 

Steven looked up, meeting his Gem half’s gaze.

“W-Why are you… Where…” Steven mumbled, looking around with panic in his eyes. Steven’s Gem half noticed that Steven was about to look down at his clothes and immediately grabbed his shoulders, making Steven flinch and look up at him instead. The Gem knew Steven was going to notice it at some point. But, right now, Steven did not need another reason to panic. 

“Steven, look at me. Listen to me, I need you to stay calm, bud. I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep you safe, I promise. But I need you to listen to me,” The Gem could feel Steven trembling in his grip, and his chest was heaving with each wheezing pant. He was still terrified and confused, but he shakily nodded in response. “What’s the last thing that you remember?”

Steven’s eyes flicked askance as he desperately tried to remember what the fuck happened to him. He could barely remember anything. All he remembered was… The sound of the gun firing. A glimpse of a blue gem, a muffled baritone voice, and a searing pain in his neck and stomach. 

“I don’t… I don’t know, I… I only remember bits and pieces.”

“We were sedated. Back at the hotel. You were driving to Jayhawk, going to meet up with Connie, Daniel, and Patricia. Do you remember that?”

Steven sat there with a thoughtful look, then slowly nodded as the memories came back. Steven paused, then looked up at his Gem.

“Wait… How long have I been out? Connie is probably worried sick-”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Steven’s Gem half interrupted with a sigh, loosening his grip on Steven. 

“I don’t know how long we’ve been here. I couldn’t reform right after they split us up, whatever the hell they put in your system, I think it affected me too. Or maybe it was the GLSS…” The Gem mumbled in thought, Steven raising a brow in confusion. The Gem met his gaze, then shook his head, trying to focus. 

“Okay, yes, we were kidnapped. But they want us alive. Both of us. They haven’t shattered me and they haven’t killed you, and so far it seems they want to keep it that way. I don’t know how long it’s been, I have yet to see a clock in this glorified bunker…” The Gem grumbled, looking around the room. 

Steven scanned the room as well, feeling tightness in his chest and an intense discomfort and fear that made him feel sick as his eyes roved over the steel-reinforced walls. This entire room looked like a containment chamber for a monster. There were so many questions in his head. So many possible outcomes. What did they want? How did he survive? Who were these people? Why did they want him? What did they want to do- His racing thoughts came to a screeching halt once he heard his Gem talking to him.

“Steven? Steven, hey, come back to me-” The Gem said, framing Steven’s face with his hands, carefully turning his head; so that his eyes met his Gem’s. Steven’s wheezing breath quickened, and he started shaking more as more thoughts flooded his head and tears filled his eyes again.

“It’s okay. I’m right here. I’ll keep you safe, I promise. Just breathe.” The Gem reassured with a worried expression and a whispered, sincere tone. Steven swallowed and sniffled, rubbing tears from his eyes with a slight nod of affirmation. 

“Like I said, they want us alive. And it’s only a matter of time before someone notices that you’re gone. You’re Steven Universe- the whole EARTH is gonna be hunting the galaxy looking for you once they realize you’ve been taken. I will find a way out of here, we’ll meet up with the Gems, and they’ll blow this place to hell.” The Gem said with a small reassuring smile. 

Steven’s breath hitched, but he chuckled and smiled as well. Sniffling, he rubbed his eyes again before nodding in agreement. His Gem sighed in relief and pulled him into another hug. Steven hugged him back as a few more tears cascaded down his cheeks. His Gem muttered a few more reassuring words, gently rocking them back and forth. It was what Greg and the Gems always did when Steven was upset, and his Gem half hoped it would work now. After a moment of silence, Steven’s Gem half glanced at the steel door. 

“I haven’t explained everything… I don’t know how much time I have before they drag me out of here again.” The Gem let go of Steven and let out a deep sigh. Steven let his Gem go, meeting his anxious gaze.

“I think they want me to be some sort of soldier. When I first woke up, we were both in some sort of containment zone. Similar to this room, but it was just a big concrete box with bulletproof glass and a destabilization field in between us. You were pretty out of it, do you remember any of that?”

Steven glanced aside, biting his bottom lip as he tried to think. A few seconds later, his brows furrowed as he shook his head.

“No, well, not much anyway. I heard voices… I think one of them was yours. And I remember something cold being pressed against my head.” Steven said as he raised a hand, scratching the back of his head.

Steven’s Gem half tensed up, remembering the sight of Black Diamond pressing the barrel of a gun into the back of Steven’s head and enunciating her threats by barely scraping the trigger with her index finger. He ground his teeth, furrowed his brows, and glared at the floor. 

“... Anything else?” The Gem questioned, keeping his annoyed gaze on the floor.

“Um… A lot of pain? That’s about it. There was yelling too, and this… power surge that cracked the floor underneath me. Was that you?”

The Gem fumbled with the edge of his jacket.

“Yeah… Yeah, that was, that was me. They threatened you with… I-I just couldn’t control myself for a second.” The Gem admitted shamefully. 

Steven tilted his head with a brow raised and a worried look in his darkened eyes. He was tempted to ask what happened but figured it was probably best if he didn't know. It seemed to stress his Gem half out quite a bit. Whatever happened to him was severe, and not even his Gem half wanted to discuss it. 

“You said they wanted you as a soldier… Is that why you’re wearing some sort of uniform? It looks organic too.” 

Steven’s Gem half panicked for a moment, looking down. He sighed in relief, thanking the stars that his past self had closed up the jacket and covered up the 2nd Armada emblem. 

“Yeah. I think they’re trying to cover up all the pink. I stick out like a sore thumb otherwise.”

“Do you know who they are? You said they tested you for… Combat. And, if I’m not mistaken, that’s a marine’s uniform. I thought the military was on our side?”

Steven’s Gem half swallowed, grinding his teeth again. He gripped the fabric of his jeans, his hands shaking a little as he desperately tried to come up with a response that WOULDN’T make his human half panic. But what the hell could he say to make this easy?

“Steven…” The Gem took a deep breath, looking up, staring Steven dead in the eyes. “It’s the 2nd Armada.”

Steven’s eyes widened. Part of him wasn’t surprised, and part of him was terrified. The 2nd Armada were notorious for being violent with their demands. lethal, even. Stars only knew how many crimes they committed during their journey to erase the Gems for good. They’ve done some fucked up shit. But now they take the savior hostage? Take a CHILD hostage? Restrain him to a containment chamber? What the hell were they planning? How did they even pull this off? 

Steven’s Gem half gestured to Steven’s outfit. Steven had been panicking too much to notice that he wasn’t wearing what he usually wore either. He looked down at his shaky hands, eyes roving over his outfit. He didn’t need a clear look to recognize the symbol on his shirt. There was no mistaking it. It was the 2nd Armada emblem. Steven’s Gem half reached over, squeezing Steven’s hand in a comforting gesture, thanking the stars that Steven took a diamond serum dose before all of this happened. The Gem could see black veins forming in Steven’s eyes and skin, but they weren’t spreading and it didn’t seem to cause him any pain.  

“Th-They, how did they do this?- Where is- Wh-Who…” Steven stuttered, panic rising, twisting his gut and making him choke on his words.

“I don’t know the answer to why yet… But they clearly want you alive.” Steven’s Gem half said, gesturing to the pharmaceutical machines around them with a nod. 

“They created some sort of gem tech component to keep you alive. They called it the GLSS. I think it’s supposed to be a mechanical version of my gemstone. Thankfully it seems to be working pretty well. How do you feel physically?” Steven looked down at his shirt, pulling up the edge of the fabric. His Gem half was right; it was some sort of crude version of his gemstone, a small circular machine embedded in his stomach with a diamond-shaped, glowing pink cartridge on the face of the apparatus. 

“I don’t know… I-I mean, surprisingly, it doesn’t hurt. I just feel weaker. Tired, shaky, all that.” Steven said with confusion and concern in his voice.

“Well, it’s not the real thing. I doubted it was gonna work as well as when we were fused.”

Steven pulled his shirt down, fumbling with the plastic-like fabric as his mind began to race again. 

“So… You’re my Gem. You were the person I saw when White…” Steven trailed off, shuddering a little. His Gem half didn’t look too ecstatic about that topic of conversation either. 

“Yes. That was me.”

Steven shifted uncomfortably, chewing his bottom lip anxiously, unable to meet his Gem half’s gaze. 

“So, y-you… You’re, Pink?” Steven questioned with a scared, stuttering voice. His Gem half visibly flinched, his eyes widening. He knew he hated that name, but hearing it come from Steven, felt like he was being split in half and kept intact to feel the pain. After a moment of pure shock, the Gem stuttered, then vigorously shook his head, the rage and discomfort from before clawed at the back of his gemstone and made him feel nauseous.

“No. No no no no - I am not Pink , I am not Rose , I’m… I’m not them.” The Gem said finally with a stern voice, his face twisted with anger and distress. 

“S-Sorry. But then… Who are you?” Steven asked cautiously with his hands held up in a peaceful, defensive gesture, tilting his head a little with worry in his eyes. Some part of him was surprised, relieved even, to know that someone else hated being called Pink Diamond just as much as him. Someone that understood what it was like on a personal level. His Gem seemed to feel as conflicted towards Rose and Pink as Steven did. 

The Gem paused, then looked down at his hands. “Um… You?” Steven’s Gem half muttered, but was clearly as unsure of his answer as Steven was. He had never really thought about it much. Granted, he was busy with trying not to get shot, or worse. 

“That can’t be right though. We’re some sort of fusion, right? Fusions are two separate people combined… And you don’t seem to be, well, an exact copy of me.”

The Gem stared at Steven with wide eyes, then looked down at his hands again. Steven was right, wasn’t he? But if his Gem hated the names, hated the people associated with his gemstone, then who was he? The Gem flinched, his racing mind abruptly interrupted by Steven putting a hand in his Gem’s.

“Do you, not know who you are?”

The Gem stared blankly at Steven’s hand, his mind now devoid of thoughts due to shock and realization. He mumbled a few incoherent words, then shakily turned his free hand over to stare at his palm. 

“I… I don’t know. I guess I haven’t really… existed until now. I never thought about it. I just knew I was a part of you… I had some thoughts and feelings, but you were the priority.”

Steven raised a brow, confusion and worry in his expression. 

“Wait, why am I the priority? You’re a person too, you’re important too.” 

The Gem blinked, bewildered. Then he remembered, this was Steven he was talking to. Of course Steven wouldn’t be happy with his Gem half’s self-sacrificial state of mind. The Gem shook his head.

“No, Steven, you are the one who-” The Gem was interrupted by a hand pressed over his mouth and a pissed, yet worried expression from Steven. 

“ No. You are important too. I did not spend two years trying to get better just to hear some other part of me spout the same crap that I did cause he’s stuck in the headspace that I was in.” Steven said finally with a stern tone and furrowed brows. 

The Gem’s eyes widened in surprise, hearing the seriousness in Steven’s voice and seeing the expression on his face. Steven sighed and pulled his hand back, glancing aside with a saddened look, leaving his Gem half frozen still and speechless. Steven took the Gem’s other hand in his, staring at their hands in thought before meeting the Gem’s gaze with a sincere look again. 

“I don’t care if mom left you behind to protect me. I don’t care if you are seen as her, or Pink, just like others saw me as her. She erased herself and created me, and you. Both of us are important. And I'm not gonna let you make the same mistake that I did.”

Steven’s Gem half stared at Steven in wonder and shock for a moment before a small smile formed on his face, and a look of genuine appreciation in his eyes. He glanced down at his lap, stuck in thought for a moment. 

“I… You’re right. But I still don’t know who I am.” The Gem admitted with a somber tone.

“Well, you are another creation of mom’s. Like the other Rose Quartz’s. So that means you’re like… My brother, right? Technically? Well maybe more like a twin…” Steven muttered to himself in thought. Steven perked up a little, getting an idea.

“What if I called you Nora? You remember where that came from, right? It was the other name mom and dad chose for us if we were a girl. Well, technically you’re a boy though…”

Steven trailed off, hearing his Gem half, now Nora, speak up. “Nora… I like it.” He said, his body glowing a little as he smiled. Steven smiled a little too. Letting go of Nora’s hands, Steven scooted backward and held out his hand for a handshake with a big excited smile on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Nora!” Steven announced, his eyes sparkling a little. Nora blinked, then laughed for the very first time and reached out, shaking Steven’s hand. He knew there were more important things at stake in that moment, but if this was distracting Steven and making him happy, he was happy to do it. It made him feel a little better as well, a nice change from the crude audience of the facility. 

“Nice to meet you too, Steven.”

Previous | Next

[suau-projectmatriarch]

Chapter 7: Remembrance

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mentions of Violence, Funerals, Mourning, Threats, Swearing]

Seconds, minutes, and days passed by painfully slow as the Gems organized a funeral plan for Steven. They had close to zero information, all they possessed was his bloodied gemstone, but it would have to work. Bismuth pushed all her projects off to the side and dedicated all her time, her resources, and her energy to creating a memorial for Steven. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst worked with Bismuth to hand-make a beautiful glass case containing a metal frame to hold Steven’s gemstone together. Close friends and family watched Greg and Connie closely. Sadie, her friends, and the Off-Colors stayed in Beach City to help out anywhere they could. They were all advised not to make his death public knowledge just yet. Only to tell people they knew for certain they could trust. None of them needed another warning, considering past experiences. 

Before long, the day of the funeral came. The sky was darkened and dismal. The oceans roared and crashed against the sandy beachside, and gray clouds formed and twisted in the sky, heavy with rain as if the world itself was anguished with the murder of its beloved savior as its people were. But it would have taken the galaxy meeting oblivion face-to-face to hinder Steven's family and friends from going through with the commemoration. As everyone else was getting ready, Connie stood alone in the center of Steven’s room, her arms crossed over her chest, hugging herself tightly. The memories were flooding back to her like a tsunami, nearly knocking her out with the intense emotions attached to them. She could hear the faint call of Steven’s voice, distant, ringing in her ears like a blown-out speaker. 

Connie’s eyes were darkened and empty, a shadow cast over her face. Her cheeks and nose were red and puffy, and her head throbbed with pain from crying. She felt like she had completely lost it: her mind, her will, her heart, everything. It was gone, and it wasn’t coming back. It had died alongside the person she loved the most. 

Connie flinched a little when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Patricia, wearing an outfit similar to Connie’s. They both wore deep black clothing, close-toed shoes, and socks in preparation for the coming funeral dedicated in memoriam and respect to Steven. Patricia wore a long-sleeved high neck shirt, an ankle-length skirt, and a black hijab, while Connie donned a simple, collared, knee-length dress with a dark ribbon around the waist and elbow-length sleeves. Although, she was fighting the urge to wrap one of Steven’s jackets around herself, to mimic at least a semblance of his embrace and warmth. Steven always hugged Connie when she was sad or cold. At that moment, she was freezing and torn to shreds. But she knew she would never be wrapped in his arms again and that it was foolish to hope for it. But stars be damned if she did not miss him and need him so much it physically hurt. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Connie?” Patricia asked with concern in her voice. She was also upset at losing one of her closest friends, but she knew Connie had taken his death hard. Connie was his partner after all. And Patricia was worried that the funeral would be even harder. 

Connie sighed then turned her head to meet Patricia’s worried gaze with her lifeless one, attempting a composed facade. 

“I have to, Patricia.” Connie said finally with a broken voice.

Patricia wasn’t convinced, but she decided not to fight it. Patricia retracted her hand but immediately hugged Connie tightly afterward. Priyanka gently knocked on the door with Daniel at her side to announce her presence. They wore similar attire to Connie and Patricia’s clothing, and both Priyanka and Daniel seemed just as worried as Patricia was for Connie’s wellbeing. 

“They’re waiting for you downstairs, honey.” Patricia spoke gently, giving Connie a warm, reassuring, yet concerned expression once Connie turned around to face her. Connie glanced over to Daniel, then looked back up at her mother. With a deep breath, she nodded. 

“Okay. I’m ready.” Connie said, but even she did not sound convinced. She rubbed her eyes, then walked over to Priyanka and Daniel. Priyanka put a hand on Connie’s shoulder, while Patricia squeezed her hand in a gesture of reassurance. 

Connie led the small group down the stairs, glancing over at the small crowd in the living room. Greg and the Crystal Gems were huddled around the coffee table, all wearing funeral attire. Black suits, dresses, pantsuits, paired with close-toed shoes. Garnet wasn’t wearing her visor, and neither was Peridot. Greg was sitting in the center of the couch, clutching the intricate glass case that held Steven’s gemstone, which had been pieced back together, held in place in a gorgeous hand-crafted silver frame that Bismuth had created. Greg’s hands were trembling, and he was trying to fight the tears threatening to well up in his eyes. He looked about as worse for wear as Connie and the gems did. Amethyst was at his side with a hand on his shoulder, and Pearl was standing at his other side with her eyes askance and downcast. 

Greg looked up, his eyes meeting Connie’s broken torn and anxious expression. The Gems soon followed his gaze, looking up at Connie, standing on the stairs with Daniel, Patricia, and Priyanka beside her. Daniel looked out the large window near the staircase, seeing all the townsfolk crowded at the shore waiting for them. Close friends, new friends, complete strangers, and former enemies stood at the shoreline. Hell, every gem and every human that could attend the funeral was there, except the Diamonds. They were advised to stay in their palace and watch the broadcast instead, due to the possibility of their powers affecting everyone else. As well as other more personal reasons Steven’s family would rather not discuss with the Diamonds.

“I’m pretty sure everybody that can be here is here,” Daniel said, glancing over at Connie and Greg. Amethyst wandered over to the screen door, pressing her palms against the glass. With a sigh, she nodded, turning to Garnet. Priyanka put a hand on Greg’s shoulder while Amethyst walked over to Pearl, helping her up off the couch. All of the gems still had cracking on their bodies, but they were able to manage a somewhat stable form. But it was clear that trying to keep their light-composed forms from poofing was an extremely difficult task.

Holding her mother’s hand tightly, Connie was the first to step outside Steven and Greg’s home. She led Priyanka, the Gems, and Greg down the hill to the shoreline. Near the edge of the crashing waves was a small stone statue of Steven covered in vines and flowers. Bismuth had carved a hole into the hands of the statue to hold his gemstone encased in glass and silver. Everyone had surrounded the memorial with flowers, framed photos of him, his family, and friends, some of his personal belongings, and the gifts he had given to his family before the road trip on his 17th birthday. A gesture of reassurance, love, and respect to the ones who raised and protected him even at his darkest moments. 

Nearby the statue, the Gems had set up seating arrangements for the attendants. And with the help of Sour Cream, a speaker and microphone was also placed near the statue so the family could speak clearly to everyone. Unfortunately, the Gems had sorely underestimated the number of people who planned to be there. But the visitors didn’t mind. Instead, they sat in the sand without complaint in respecting silence. Everyone directed their attention to the grieving family as they made their way down the split in the crowd in pairs of two, holding hands. Daniel and Patricia sat down near the front, keeping a close eye on Connie. Patricia couldn’t help but note all of the guards. Agates, quartzes, fusions, you name it, they were there. 

Lapis lazuli’s were stationed beside the guards, holding back the rainwater and the ocean. Among the Lapis Lazuli were the two who had fought against Lapis and Steven. One Lapis was fighting tears and shaking violently, whilst the other had better composure. But it was evident she was grieving as well. Steven never gave up on either of them, even when they attacked him and his friends and tried to destroy a planet he was trying to save. They owed him a lot. More than either of them were willing to admit. 

Each Gem, Connie, and Greg stood near the statue, forming a line. One by one, they stepped forward, taking one last glimpse at Steven’s gemstone before sitting beside the statue in front of the flowers and belongings. Peridot sat next to Lapis, Pearl sat next to Amethyst, Bismuth sat next to Garnet, and Connie sat next to Priyanka. 

Greg gently placed the glass casing in the hands of the statue, staring at it for a moment, cupping his hands around the stone ones, shaking. After a moment, he rubbed tears from his eyes, whispered one final apology and goodbye, then finally managed to walk away from the statue and to the microphone stand. Blue Pearl set up a holo screen that projected the ceremony across the earth and galaxy. But she made sure to keep a distance from the group to be respectful. Greg wasn't keen on broadcasting his son's funeral, but it wasn't just a funeral. It was a warning to his enemies. A call to their allies. They wanted whoever killed him, so they could pay for their unforgivable actions. A statement made, and a message to the people that they had lost the one who saved them, the one who did not deserve to be slaughtered. 

“Thank you, to everyone here. To everyone listening. I know this isn’t easy to witness.” Greg spoke with a shaky voice, trying desperately to keep himself together. 

“Steven would have wanted to say goodbye to you all at least one last time. As much as we will love and miss him, he will love and miss us just as much, if not, more. His gemstone will not be buried here, but kept and guarded closely in the Diamond Palace instead. But for this ceremony, his gem will be inside the statue that Bismuth made.” 

Greg gestured over to Bismuth with a nod as he spoke. Bismuth gave him a small, grateful smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Greg turned back to the microphone, glancing down at the little cards Priyanka, Peridot, and Garnet wrote down for him. 

“Each of us will be giving a speech. After which, Steven’s gem will be relocated in the room dedicated to protecting it. If you wish to leave any parting gifts beside his statue, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all, again.” Greg looked up and gave everyone a small, broken smile. Mostly everyone had already placed something beside the statue, but a few townspeople, including gems, stood up to place a flower or two near the stone figure. 

There was a moment of tense silence when a familiar, small pink gem stood up and walked down to the statue, placing a large pink carnation at the feet of the sculpture. It was Spinel, one of Steven’s greatest enemies. Lapis tensed up, grinding her teeth and glaring at Spinel as she walked closer. Everyone else was tense as well. Peridot placed a hand on Lapis’ shoulder, giving her an expression that said, “Please don’t.” Bismuth and Pearl did the same for Garnet, who had curled her fingers into tight, quivering fists and gritted her teeth. She knew there was no use in senseless violence, but seeing that horrid reminder of one of her worst memories made it a struggle. Although the others would be lying if they said they weren’t struggling as well. 

They all knew why Spinel was here. She was here in place of the Diamonds. She wore a dark dress with the Diamond emblem embroidered on the back. While it was undeniable that Spinel had gotten much better, everyone was still on guard around her. Especially since she was walking around with the diamond emblem so bravely presented during Steven's funeral. Yet she wasn't wearing it of her own accord. Some part of her hated it too. But nowadays, she trusted the diamonds and wanted to show her loyalty to the ones who took her in as one of their own.

Spinel stood in front of the stone statue with her left hand folded over her right, resting on the front of her skirt. She lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment, muttering something under her breath before turning around, hurrying back to her spot next to the Yellow Agate guard in the back corner, trying to disregard the awkward, piercing stares from everyone else.

The gem behind Spinel walked up to place flowers at the memorial; was Nephrite. The very same Nephrite that Steven tried to heal when he was young, Centi. The name Centi was a name she wore with pride and joy. She carefully sat down on her knees, gently placing a bouquet of gladioli flowers near all the other flowers. There was a variety and abundance of flowers. Carnations, chrysanthemums, orchids, and hydrangeas. The unspoken rule, however, was that no one was allowed to place a rose near his memorial. Flowers of varying colors, shapes, and sizes were among the bouquets, but not one single rose was in sight. 

Centi placed her hands in her lap, staring at the cracked pink gemstone in the hands of the carved stone. She lowered her head, closing her eye for a moment. She muttered a few words before standing up, blinking away a tear forming in her eye. Another nephrite, Centi’s co-pilot, Nephie, walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Drawing a deep breath, Centi placed her hand on her co-pilot’s. She glanced over at Peridot, who gave her a weak, sad smile in return. 

Taking Centi’s hand, Nephie led her commander back to their seating arrangements. As the last of the gems and humans placed their parting gifts and took their time to say goodbye, Greg stood up and walked over to the microphone. He took a deep breath, reading the papers in his hands before speaking once more.

Steven groaned, clenching his teeth as he slowly opened his eyes. He was met with a dim, flickering white ceiling light. The room was silent and eerie, and his shaking body was achy and weak. And he felt an intense, sinking empty feeling clawing at his chest, making him nauseous. The pain in his stomach didn’t exactly help with the nausea or fatigue. He glanced around, scanning his surroundings as some memories slowly drifted back to him. Right, still stuck in this glorified prison cell. Unfortunately the events that transpired weren’t a nightmare. There was a buzzing in his ears, followed by the faint beep of the patient monitor. Steven didn’t even have the energy to panic again. His head was throbbing, his eyes red and puffy, everything hurt, and he was completely drained, mentally and physically.

“Steven? You awake?” 

A familiar voice called out to Steven, his voice. He squinted, his vision blurring a little. He squeezed his eyes shut and pursed his lips. He didn’t have the energy to be shocked or confused either, even at hearing his own voice talking to him. 

“Ugh… Sort of.” Steven grumbled, almost incoherent with another pained grunt. He wrapped an arm around his stomach, rubbing his eyes with the other as he tried to wake himself up. 

“Trust me, you aren’t the only one.” 

Hearing the voice again, it suddenly clicked. Steven paused and blinked, his hand hovering over his wide eyes for a moment before he quickly propped himself up on his elbows. He nearly had a heart attack when his eyes were met with piercing diamond ones. He stared at the pink figure in front of him, his frazzled, probably still sedative overdosed mind trying to decipher what he was seeing. 

“... Nora?” Steven said with confusion in his voice, slurring his words a little. His sentence seemed to be more of a question than a statement. 

Nora blinked, staring at his human half with perplexion and slight concern. He glanced over at the patient monitor, then looked back at Steven. 

“Did you forget about me already? I’m hurt.” Nora snarked with a raised brow, cracking a small amused smile after giving Steven a mock pout. It was obvious Nora was being sarcastic, but Steven immediately panicked, shaking his hands dismissively with a guilty look on his face. 

“W-Wait! No! I-I’m sorry, I-I just-” Steven was interrupted by a chuckle from Nora.

“Relax, it’s okay. I’m just messing with you.” Nora reassured with another amused smirk, crossing his arms as he leaned against the metal frame behind him. He was sitting cross-legged, facing Steven at the foot of the bed. 

“How are you feeling?” Nora asked, his smile fading, his expression morphing into one of worry. As much as he wanted to try and lighten the mood, he couldn’t help but be concerned. 

“I’ve… Been better. But, I’m alive, right?” Steven said with a nervous laugh, sitting up straight. Pulling his legs up to his chest, Steven hugged his legs close, resting his chin on his knees. Nora sighed a little and nodded, recognizing Steven’s posture as an anxious, defensive one. Steven was chewing at his bottom lip too, which was never a good sign.

“Yeah, I figured… Don’t chew your lip, you’ll make yourself bleed again.” Nora commanded sternly with furrowed brows. Nora had good intentions, but unlike his human half, he was very intimidating and standoffish. Even when he didn’t mean to be. Steven gulped, nodding a little as he tried to fight the urge to fidget again.

There was a short moment of tense silence between the both of them before Steven finally spoke up.

“What about you?” Steven asked, looking up at his Gem half. Nora blinked in confusion once more, arching a brow.

“What about me?”

“Are you hurt?”

“I don’t see why that’s impor-” Nora cut himself off, seeing the pouty glare Steven was giving him. Nora didn’t need him to speak his mind to know what he was thinking, or feeling.

“...I mean, I’m fine. It’s kinda tough to hurt me anyway.” Nora said with a shrug.

“That’s true. But-” Steven was interrupted by a loud metal clang of the room’s door opening. Steven gasped and flinched as if he heard a gunshot, his eyes stretching open wide in horror when he saw who was behind Nora. Nora whipped his head around, following Steven’s gaze. Nora immediately scowled, his joy and gentleness rapidly switching into violent animosity as he growled and shot a ruthless glare at the people standing in the doorway. 

It was Black Diamond, Azure, and the same woman from before, the officer that looked identical to Black. Somehow, she looked even more terrified and broken than when Nora saw her in the observation room. Azure seemed to be as scared as the smaller woman was. Their eyes were wide, their arms crossed, their body trembling. 

“What the hell do you want now?” Nora hissed, his eyes glowing menacingly as Black Diamond glared right back at him. Nora shifted his gaze to the large radio in Black Diamond’s hand, confusion overriding his seething hatred for only a moment before Black Diamond spoke.

“I have a little surprise for the both of you. Want to see?”

Steven looked over at Nora with a terrified look in his eyes. Nora and Steven’s answer was already obvious, but so was Black Diamond’s intentions. She was going to show them whether they wanted her to or not. 

Steven shuffled backward as Black Diamond took a few steps forward. Nora did the same, watching Black like a hawk as she got closer. He could feel Steven shaking behind him. And it only pissed him off even more. The patient monitor’s beeping grew more and more rapid as Black Diamond got closer and closer. Azure raised their head, a worried expression on their face when they heard the quickened beeping. But they didn’t dare move or speak out of line so close to their commander. 

Black Diamond placed the radio in front of Nora, who was still scowling at her, seconds away from tearing out her spine. She reached down, pressing the power button. Blaring static rang throughout the room, making Steven flinch again and clasp his hands over his ears. Black Diamond turned the dial, the static noise shifting and distorting until it started to sound like a voice. A very familiar voice. Greg’s voice. Steven and Nora both froze, hearing the voice of their father, his tone soaked in despair. 

Black Diamond grinned with a tilt of her head when she saw their expressions. Turning another dial, she raised the volume of the broadcast. Greg’s voice distorted and glitched out now and then, but they could still make out what he was saying, if just barely.  

“I-I still remember the day Steven was given the opportunity to move in with the Crystal Gems. He was so excited that day, and from that day forward until he moved, it was all he could think about. Picked up the ukulele faster than I could teach him and w-wrote a whole song for them and everything. And the day he showed me his p-powers that he had finally mastered, each and every accomplishment on every mission, a-all of his friends… Couldn’t stop talking about it, he was so proud of himself and he was so happy. I could have listened to him ramble for hours.” 

Nora and Steven could hear the dejected smile in their father’s voice, but they could also hear the absolute devastation. Steven looked up at Black Diamond, confused, panicked, and frozen with fear. Black met his gaze, and a cold chill ran down his spine. There was something about her eyes that made him feel sick from a kind of alarm he had only felt a few times before. Steven has faced fear, death, and worse when he was younger. He had even grown accustomed and completely numb to it. But the expression and the presence of this woman alone awakened a kind of terror Steven had not felt in a very long time. 

Static hissed through the radio speaker, Greg’s glitched and distorted voice breaking through it. 

“Ever since then, he worked himself to the bone. S-Saved Earth, saved the galaxy, even saved the people who didn’t d-deserve it. I knew he was going to be strong, but I’m sure he impressed all of us with the feats he managed to accomplish. I-I just wish that I could have been there to save him …”

It was evident that Greg was trying not to cry. His voice was shaking, he was stuttering, and it only became more and more difficult not to break down. They heard him take a deep, trembling breath before continuing. 

“This morning, W-White Diamond called for a meeting at her palace. She had found my son’s sh-shattered gem in her old throne room. C-Covered in his blood, s-smashed to pieces l-lying on the f-floor.”

There was a moment of silence as Greg tried to compose himself, his breath hitching. Steven could see it now, his father standing there with tears running down his face like waterfalls. But his mind had no time to process that image before something clicked. Steven’s eyes stretched open wide as he stared at Nora with pure shock and terror. Nora turned his head to face Steven. Nora seemed as surprised and panicked as his human half was, if not more so.  

“What… But-” Nora began, but was immediately interrupted by the radio broadcast. 

“Steven has a-always been a good kid. Kind, thoughtful, s-strong, determined, brave, empathetic, a-and so much more... Even while fighting m-monsters of his own. After everything he went through, he put others first, even when it broke him. He didn’t deserve to die like this.”

Greg’s voice cracked as a broken sob escaped him followed by more static hissing from the radio. Nora and Steven could only stare at the radio with wide, panic-stricken eyes. They heard another distorted deep breath, then Greg continued. 

“We don’t know who hurt him yet. But we need your help to find them. We need to find them and make them pay .” Greg spoke with desperation and anger in his voice. 

Black Diamond held in a laugh, glancing at Azure and the woman behind her. Azure had cracks spreading throughout their body, and they couldn’t look Black Diamond in the eye. The woman gave Black Diamond an unnerved look, still shaking as much as Azure was. 

“Oh, come on. It’s a little funny.” Black Diamond said with an amused smile. Nora was shaking with pure rage, while Steven was frozen statue-still in horror with a thousand questions racing through his head. The woman lowered her head again with a defeated expression. Black Diamond turned to Nora, her eyes glimmering with malice as she returned his murderous expression with a glare, still smiling. There was a distorted shuffling noise and incoherent conversations from the radio before another familiar voice spoke after a long, tense pause and another shaky breath. 

“I-I remember the first time I met Steven. H-He was trying to ride a bike. Yes, in the sand…” Connie said sadly with a small chuckle. When Steven heard her voice, he finally snapped out of his trance and gasped, tears streaming down his face. 

“Conni-” Steven exclaimed, but was cut off by Black Diamond switching off the radio with an audible click. He flinched once more when he heard the noise, and looked up at the looming death in front of him. He clenched his teeth, trembling. He wanted to scream, to yell, to fight, but he couldn’t move. Black Diamond rested her chin on her hand, smirking like the cat that ate the canary. Nora finally snapped out of his rage-induced catalepsy, his eyes blazing bright pink as the floor cracked and the machines malfunctioned under the sheer pressure of his hate. But before he could say or do anything, Steven grabbed his wrist, trembling.

“Nora. Don’t. Please.” Steven pleaded, the panic in his wide eyes made Nora stop immediately, his vicious scowl switching to a worried look. Steven slowly shook his head and whisper-begged the words “Please don’t.” Nora stared at his horrified human half, pink tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Listen to your little pet, Matriarch. You have no power here.” Black Diamond commented with a snarky tone. 

“They’ll come for you, Black. They will tear this place apart. And after, I will tear you apart.” Nora growled, his manic, fuming eyes meeting Black Diamond’s half-lidded gaze that was brimming with pride. His voice echoed and reverberated throughout the room, the walls and the floor cracking under the pressure. Black Diamond held in another chuckle and leaned over, resting her forearms against the frame at the foot of the hospital bed. She glared right back at Nora once again, her words soaked with venom.

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be just fine.” Black Diamond reassured with a smug expression and a cocky, leering tone. It was clear she was enjoying making Nora uncontrollably enraged. 

“They won’t find this place, Matriarch. We’re tucked away in the corner of the galaxy on a looong forgotten planet. And I know better than to not have tricks up my sleeve. My favorite diamond has such little faith in me?” Black Diamond mocked, arching a brow, her smile making Steven’s stomach churn. Steven held onto Nora’s arm in a silent gesture of reassurance, trying to keep him from doing something that they both would regret. 

“Maybe HD-023 isn’t the pet after all. He’s got you leashed like a dog .” Black leered again as she insulted Nora with another sick grin. 

“Don’t fucking call him that you insufferable-” Nora began, jerking forward with the intention of lunging and shredding Black Diamond into chunks of gore. But he was interrupted by Steven, who held onto his arm and raised his voice, glaring at Black Diamond.

“L-Leave us alone.” Steven demanded with shaking, stuttering words. Black Diamond’s eyes roved over Steven for a moment before she held in another laugh. She stood up, curling her fingers around the handle of the radio before picking it up and swinging it like a purse as she turned to walk out of the room. 

“I’ve had enough fun with them. Lock them up, we have work to do.” Black Diamond ordered, giving Azure a disgusted look. Azure flinched and trembled in response. They nodded hastily, saluting Black Diamond with a diamond salute as Black walked out of the room, taking the radio that Black shoved into their chest. 

Azure paused just before closing the door, turning to Steven and Nora. Nora shot daggers at them with his expression as soon as she turned around. 

“I’m sorry.” Azure whispered, blue tears welling up in their eyes. Steven looked confused, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked up at them. But Nora was having none of it.

“Get the fuck out.” Nora growled, making Azure flinch once more and hurry out of the door, securing it closed behind them with another loud metal clang. 

“Nora…” Steven began, but paused when Nora turned around to face him. Nora was completely irate, with wide eyes, furrowed brows, and bared teeth. Steven gulped. He was scared, but he knew deep down that Nora wouldn’t hurt him. He took a deep breath before returning Nora’s furious expression with a warm, worried one. 

“B-Breathe, buddy.” Steven ushered, enunciating his words with a squeeze of his hands around Nora’s arm. Nora gave a forceful sigh, his haggard breathing evening out as the rage turned to shame and fear. As much as he hated Black Diamond, scaring his human half would break him completely, and he had a sinking feeling in his gem hearing fear in Steven’s voice.

“... I could tell you the same thing,” Nora muttered with a guilty look on his face. Steven shrugged with a “that’s fair” expression. He was still shaky and huddled up in a defensive position, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared, upset, and angry too. 

“I’m sorry,” Nora admitted with a heavy heart, looking Steven in the eyes. Shame, worry, and defeat was written all over his pale pink face.

“Me too.” Steven mumbled in defeat as he lowered his head, tears in his eyes. Nora shook his head, the feeling of guilt and shame building, nearly cracking him. He quickly reached forward and pulled Steven into another tight hug.

“You don’t have to apologize, I’m not angry at you. And I’m gonna get us out of here. I promise .” 

Nora reassured, enunciating his last words by hugging Steven just a little bit tighter. Steven hugged him back wordlessly, taking another deep, shaking breath in an attempt to calm himself. They couldn’t give up, they had to fight this together and stay positive.. It was the only way they would persevere and survive.

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