Author's Note: Heya! Welcome to Steven 2's inaugural LATE NIGHT chapter. I'm tugging around at the heartstring a little bit with this one, and setting up some stuff that I will pay off further on into the series. Who is your favorite ship in Steven Universe? What about Ben 10, or any of the other series in the DWU? If you've got a particular pairing you'd like to see, let me know in the reviews! This especially applies to crossover couple ideas, since I haven't really begun to think about who I want to pair up yet!

Anyways, enough talk. Let's jump right into it!


Chapter 3 - Steven's Birthday

"Steven!" Shouted Pearl, rushing to the boy's side. "Are you alright"

"Erh, yeah," Steven laughed, rubbing his head where he had thumped it on the ceiling. "I really wasn't expecting that."

"We wanted to do something special for the end of your Gem Trial, and we also wanted to do something special for your birthday," Amethyst said. She stood next to Garnet, who held a begrudging Peridot under her arm like an angry kitten. The two gems had thought it would be fun (and hilarious) to strap a little party hat to the green gems head and drag her along to the festivities. So they had.

"We even invited your friend, Connie!" Pearl said, rubbing Steven's forehead motheringly with a thumb. "I know how you human children like to "hang out" with people your age at this sort of thing."

Amethyst snorted.

"Woah, Connie's here? Where is she?" Steven said, suddenly looking a tiny bit pink.

"She's outside, with Greg," Garnet said, a cool smile on her lips. "He's making hot dogs."

"The one's Amethyst hadn't eaten raw, anyway," Pearl remarked.

"Oh, man," Steven said, his mouth watering. "I'm starving. That super jump must burn up a lot of calories."

"Don't think I forgot about that, mister," Garnet said. Then, she turned towards the door, Peridot still in tow. She had given up struggling a long time ago.

After their fateful encounter on the Hand Ship, and its subsequent destruction, Peridot had become something of a prisoner. She had confined herself to the bathroom (much to Steven's chagrin), and the gems had pretty much just let her shack up in there. The only person who could enter without much grief from the little green gem was Steven, who had made a truce with her, since he had to use the bathroom for various things throughout the day.

For weeks, it was silence, or else insults or murmurs to herself. Eventually, though, she began to speak in short bursts with Steven, though the conversations were rarely pleasant (or polite). As Peridot slowly accepted the fact that she was stranded on the planet for the time being, she let down some of her rigidness. In response to this progressive behavior, the Crystal Gems began to grant Peridot more freedoms. For instance, giving her an old tape recorder Steven had found in Greg's van.

Or bringing her to a birthday party.

The entourage made its way outside, and down to the beachside. As they walked, Steven was hit with the smells of sea salt and grilled meat. He spotted his father, hair blowing gloriously in the wind, and Connie, who was clutching her sun-hat so that it wasn't blown off of her head as a squall from the sea blew past. She turned and smiled, waving at Steven as she saw him approach. He smiled and waved back, and made his away across the sand to met her.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said back.

"Did you know I was coming?"

"Not at all," Steven said, with a laugh. "I didn't even know my dad was."

"Hey, kiddo!" Greg said, as if on cue. "Dogs are almost done. I hope you're hungry. I even bought relish!"

Connie and Steven smiled back at Greg, but then turned back to each other in the way that young people do. Connie's face was full of curiosity, but also concern.

"What happened during the test?" She asked gently.

Steven shrugged.

"Oh, you know. Giant spikey pits, alien pop quiz, and a duel to the death with a clone of Garnet."

"Woah, no way! You beat a clone of Garnet?"

Steven winced, and glanced over his shoulder to where Garnet was in line behind Amethyst to get a hot dog. While she didn't need to eat, she found that sometimes she enjoyed it. Particularly on special occasions, and it was known that she felt rude if she refused a home cooked meal from a human. Amethyst, of course, loved the feeling of eating, and stacked her plate high with sausages.

"No," Steven admitted, turning back to Connie. "It was weird.. She just sort of let me go when I said I didn't want to fight."

Connie gave him a little lopsided frown.

"It just gave up?"

"Well. I mean, she asked if I wanted to fight… and I just… said no."

"So maybe that was the test? Since you knew you couldn't beat Garnet head to head, maybe you were supposed to use your negotiation skills," Connie suggested, with a shrug.

Steven slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Oh, of course! That makes perfect sense!" He said. "Leave it to Garnet to seem the simplest, but actually be the most complicated."

They both laughed a little, and then were ushered over by Greg to receive plates of food. Everyone gathered in a circle then, and enjoyed the meal. Only Pearl refused to eat, though she sat politely beside Garnet. She avoided looking at Greg directly. Steven noticed. Amethyst noticed him noticing, and began to talk to try to fill the void of silence.

"Man… Hard to believe this is the same spot where we were fightin' Jasper two months ago," she said.

"Indeed," Garnet said, picking up on her intentions.

"That was so scary," Steven added.

"I'm glad that we all made it out," Pearl remarked.

"Me too," Greg said, tentatively. Pearl didn't seem to react. "When Steven told me what happened I… Well, I nearly lost my lunch."

"I'm just glad I don't have to keep it secret from you anymore," Steven said.

"So am I, kiddo," Greg said, ruffling his sons curls. "My son's a real Crystal Gem now. Crazy!"

"I wish I could have done something to help," Connie said, returning to the previous topic. "If I was here I would have-"

"You would have gotten in the way," Garnet said.

Pearl glanced at the girl's expression of sad acceptance. She recognized it, but said nothing. The expression soon faded, however, and she turned to Steven.

"Do you want to open your present?" She asked.

Steven's eyes sparkled.

"You… got me a gift?" He said.

"Well, yeah, I couldn't just show up to your birthday party without a present," she said. Steven smiled sheepishly, and Connie produced a flat rectangular box, wrapped meticulously in a light blue wrapping paper and sealed with a bow.

Everyone watched as Steven took the gift, and, with their silent encouragement, began to unwrap it. The box had a lid, and, lifting it, Steven found that there was neatly folded pink fabric in the box. He pulled the button-up shirt out and examined it. It was slightly long for him, he figured. Connie, seeming to read his mind, grinned.

"I figured you'll grow into it. My mom says boys your age will randomly start growing super tall," she said. Then, she blushed and looked off to the side. "I dunno how that works with you being part gem, but, I'm sure you'll at least get a little taller."

"I love it," Steven said, unable to hold back his beaming smile. He filed her comment about height away for another time, as Greg placed his gift down in front of him. Now even the lumbering pink Lion had come to snooze nearby, one eye cracked and lazily watching Steven.

The item was poorly wrapped, and parts stuck out so that it was very clear what it was. However, as Steven picked up the small, guitar-shaped parcel, he giggled and held it up to his ear, shaking it as if he wasn't sure what it was.

"Huh," he joked "I wonder what it is!"

Then, seeing Greg's anxious face, he eagerly tore the paper away and marveled at the instrument. It was a ukulele, of really nice quality. Steven had often expressed interest in Greg teaching him guitar, and the old rocker had always told him that "rocking was a process" and that he needed to start small. This was starting small. The half-gem beamed up at his dad.

"So you'll-?"

"We can start whenever you're free from gem training," Greg said, cracking his knuckles and leaning back in his beach chair. "I've been wanting to get back into practice, myself."

Visibly excited, Steven turned to the gems. Garnet gave him a smile.

"You've passed your gem trial. For the time being, I'd say your skills are up to par," she said. "You can start as soon as you'd like."

"Alright! Finally!" Steven said, thrilled to be learning an instrument.

After this, the party devolved into music, as Greg put on a few jukebox tunes, and reminisced with Garnet and Amethyst. Pearl kept to herself, though she checked on Steven and Connie every now and again, even offering to teach Connie some swordplay if she felt it would put her mind at ease. (Connie had politely declined, due to her schedule being full.) It became a bittersweet, adult conversation as they began to discuss, inevitably, Rose. There couldn't be a talk about Steven's birth without also mentioning the anniversary of Rose's death. She had, after all, given up her physical form to create him.

Connie, sipping a cup of fruit punch, picked up on Steven's somberness, and decided she needed to distract him.

"Hey," she offered, "do you wanna go for a walk? Maybe we can get donuts."

Steven quickly nodded, and the two of them took off across the sand, towards the path that led into town, stopping in with Pearl only briefly to tell her where they were off to. The walk to the Big Donut was quiet, and it wasn't until they were out of earshot of Greg and the Crystal Gems that Steven started to talk.

"I just don't know if they trust me, you know?" He said. "Like. They give me this huge trial, but they won't tell me practically anything about my mom, or the war, or anything that isn't useless trivia. Am I a Crystal Gem or not? I mean, I guess I understand them wanting to keep me in the kiddie pool. After all, I was sort of useless in the fight with Jasper… and the fight with Peridot."

Connie waited for his outburst to finish, and then chided him slightly.

"Quiet beating yourself up," she said. "You did your best on the Hand Ship. You saved Garnet, and Amethyst and Pearl."

Steven pouted a bit more, and Connie shook her head.

"Listen, it's the same way with my mom and dad. Parents just… don't want you to grow up too fast," she said. Then, she giggled. "Honestly, Pearl and my mom would get along… Ya know, if Pearl wasn't an alien."

They both laughed at that. They had arrived at the Big Donut now. It was a small chain shop located near the edge of Beach City, and it was one of Steven's favorite places to get snacks. In front of the lavender awning of the shop entrance were several umbrella tables. At one of these tables, a group of teenagers was gathered around, sipping soda and listening to music being played out of a speaker. One of them, a lankier boy with shaggy white hair, held the speaker in his hand, nodding enthusiastically. As they approached, Steven and Connie began to overhear some conversation.

"Ah man, this is gonna sound so good coming out of your sound system," one teen, a cute Black girl, said. Another teen, who wore sunglasses and had pinkish sunkissed skin, nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, Sour Cream, this is gonna go hard at the dance tonight," he said.

"Woah, a dance party?" Steven suddenly said, tuning into the conversation as he and Connie walked past. "Where?"

The teens glanced at each other, and then another girl spoke up. She looked similar to the first girl, but her hair was longer, and she seemed a bit younger.

"Sorry, Steven," she said, "it's for older kids only."

"Yeah, no shorties allowed," the boy called Sour Cream said, "sorry man."

"Oh. Uh, no worries," Steven said, turning and walking towards the entrance to the store. "See ya later!"

"Bye Steven! See ya. Etc."

The little bell jingled as Steven pushed the door open, and the two kids were greeted with the warm smell of fresh baked donuts and roasted coffee. The store was cozy and artsy, with a blackboard for the menu and a few nooks with shelves of books to sit and enjoy coffee and a good read. Two teens stood at the counter.

The first was a taller Latino boy, with the sides of his head shaved, and his ears pierced in that way that made his earlobes look really dangly. Gauges, Steven remembered him calling them. He looked eagerly past Steven and Connie, watching the teens outside as they walked away. The other teen was much shorter, a somewhat plump blond girl with a kind smile and pretty eyes. She waved at Steven as he entered.

"Hey, Steven," she said.

"Hey Sadie," Steven said.

"Who's your friend?"

"I'm Connie," Connie said, "it's nice to meet you."

Sadie smiled.

"Nice to meet you too! So, two donuts?" She asked.

"Yes, please," Steven said.

"And a lemonade, please. Oh! And it's Steven's birthday," Connie added a little hastily.

"Oh-hoho!" Sadie said, suddenly looking taking on a coy expression. Steven became bashful, poking his toe at the floor as she smiled at him across the counter. "A lemonade and two free donuts, then. Happy birthday, buddy!"

"Aw, man, thanks Sadie!" Steven said, his eyes twinkling. "You rock!"

"Yeah, yeah," the boy said, suddenly leaning forward to stare at Steven. "What were you and the cool kids talking about?"

"Wha- Lars! You can't even wish the kid a happy birthday?" Sadie scolded him, accepting Connie's cash and handing her a lemonade while she went to fetch their donuts.

"Well? Was it about me?" Lars prodded, ignoring her. Steven suddenly looked a little pouty.

"They were talking about a cool dance party they're going to later," he said sourly, "but I can't go. Even though I just turned fourteen."

Connie choked on her lemonade.

"A dance? Tonight?" Lars said, suddenly intrigued. He turned to Sadie. "Did you know about this?"

Sadie's cheeks turned pink.

"Um, actually, yeah. I was gonna ask you to go with me after our shift was done…" She said, her voice trailing off a little as she spoke.

"So you have an invite? Nice!" Lars said. "You rock, P2."

Sadie went red straight to the tips of her ears.

"Oh, heh, it was nothing. Jenny and I have Calculus together."

"OK, well. Thanks for the donuts! Have a good night, guys," Steven said.

"Oh- Bye, Steven. Happy birthday again!" Sadie said.

"Yeah. See ya," Lars said.

With that, Connie and Steven left, making their way back down to the beach. At this point, the sun was getting low in the sky, casting a beautiful pink and orange glow over all of Beach City. They each took out a donut from the bag, and munched on them happily. Steven ate his much faster than Connie, and she giggled at the fact. Then, after swallowing a bite of donut, she paused, looking up from her shoes in the sand and glancing to Steven. He looked back.

"I didn't know you turned fourteen until just now," she said. "I didn't think you were so much older."

"Older?" Steven said, seemingly confused. "Wait. How old are you?"

Connie rubbed the back of her neck.

"Almost 13," she said.

"Woah! You're actually like a year younger? But- you're so much smarter than I am. I just sort of assumed-"

"There you go again, selling yourself short," Connie said, chuckling and nudging him with her shoulder. He grinned too, and it was his turn to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. They had reached the shore, and Connie set down her half-eaten donut, and the bag, on the shoreline. Then, she slipped off her shoes, and waded ankle deep into the water. Steven rolled up his jeans and joined her.

"I guess you're right," he said. "Thanks… For listening to me, and cheering me up… And just for making my birthday awesome."

Then, to his shock, he was suddenly splashed with cold, salty water! He turned and saw Connie, stooped over, one hand in the ocean, the other covering up her face as she laughed uncontrollably.

"That's what friends do!" She said.

Steven grinned, and then reached down to fling some salty sea water at her! She squealed, and threw up her hands to protect herself, but she couldn't fully stop the onslaught. Her glasses were splattered with water, and she laughed out loud, returning the splash and prompting a brief splash war, resulting in both kids becoming totally soaked. Eventually, they came out of the water, finished playing. They sat on the beach, catching their breath and watching the sun set over the hills.

Eventually, Connie looked over to Steven.

"Sucks that we didn't get to go to the dance party," she said.

Steven sighed, and nodded, looking over to her. She was sitting cross-legged across from him, and something about the intent look in her eyes prompted him to mirror her.

"Steven," she said, her voice trembling a little. "Tell me one last thing you want to try on your birthday."

Steven blinked.

His brain was suddenly empty.

He tried to think of an answer. What could he really want? He had just spent an awesome night with his best friend. Before that, he had overcome a significant gem trial, and even learned an entirely new gem power he had never known he had. His dad and Pearl had even sat in the same general area as each other.

There was only one thing that he could think of.

"It's silly," Steven said, blushing a bit.

"Well, tell me."

"Nah…"

"Steven! You gotta tell me now!"

"I'm not even sure its possible," Steven said.

Connie stood up defiantly, offering Steven a hand.

"Come on. I've seen you fight a giant glowing sea monster! Anything is possible with you!"

Steven accepted her hand, and was hauled to his feet by her surprising grip. They were suddenly standing very close to each other, hands still clasped together. Steven sucked in a breath and Connie's eyes went a little wide. They both looked down, and realized, to their amusement, they sort of looked like ballroom dancers.

"You know…" Steven said, suddenly taking on a cheesy grin. "We might not be able to go to that dance, but…"

He shuffled his foot forward, and Connie, who had taken ballroom dancing lessons but was caught unawares, shuffled back in response.

"We could have our own dance," Steven said with a little eyebrow waggle.

Connie made a small, audible snort. Then, she suddenly took on a determined grin. She ran over to where she set down her things, and grabbed her cellphone. She messed with the settings, and then suddenly, a cute, electronic tune came on. Dropping the device in the sand, Connie came dancing over to Steven. Steven smiled back, and soon, the two of them were jamming out to the song. Then shimmied and shaked, lost in their own little moment.

Lost in the dance. In the mutual security their friendship brought each other.

They barely even noticed when the white-pink light began to emulate from beneath Steven's shirt, and engulf them both.