Chapter Text
Steven mumbled and moaned as he slowly regained his consciousness. All around him he felt a comforting sensation that encompassed his entire body. He attempted to move his limbs, finding them restricted. He slowly opened his eyes, his sight accosted by the first burgeoning rays of the morning sun peeking through his window and embracing his face with its warmth.
Before his sight could even fully recover, he already could tell he was not in his own bed from making out the general shape of the stairs to his right. As he finally freed himself to stretch out his arms, he looked down to see what had been his restraints, a simple bed sheet that had been neatly wrapped around him.
From behind, he heard the sound of a gentle snore. He turned to face the noise, greeting the sight of his mother lying beside him, her arm jutting outward past the humble mattress of the futon. Rose’s hair, now returned to its more familiar styling, had frizzed during her slumber. Steven immediately felt himself struck with a litany of questions. What had happened? Where was Connie and Amethyst? What happened to the thing that attacked them?
“Mom?” Steven said, lightly pushing against her shoulder to spur her from her sleep. Rose moaned, tossing and turning under her sheets before finally lifting her upper body up out of her bed. Her movements were sluggish as she rubbed her eyes and yawned. But the moment she saw him awake she gasped in excitement, seemingly rejuvenated from her dreary state. “Good morning, Steven!” She exclaimed, scooping him into her arms before tenderly kissing his cheek.
“Why was I wrapped in a blanket?” Steven asked.
“Oh, because you were a baby.” Rose cheerfully explained.
Steven gave an exhausted sigh, “Moooom!”
“No, Steven, you reverted into an infant after you were injured.” She elaborated.
“Oh…” he plainly responded, feeling his cheeks grow warm from embarrassment, “So you were just looking after me this whole time?”
“Of course! I had to help take care of my little baby bear…” Rose stated, gingerly setting him down into her lap, “With everyone else’s help, of course.” She added.
There had to be more than what she was telling him, something she’d not feel comfortable saying, “I’m… totally grounded, aren’t I?”
Rose sighed, “Steven, you ran away from home against everyone’s wishes and nearly got killed. Grounding was the least of your concerns. But Amethyst and I had a talk with everyone, including Connie’s parents. It sounds like you two are exempt for the time being.”
From the kitchen, Steven could hear the sound of bacon and eggs sizzling. He looked to see Amethyst standing leisurely upon a stepstool by the stove. “Hey Steven! Imma make breakfast, want me to whip you up something?” she offered.
“Oh, no thank you.” Steven said politely, his stomach growling in protest. Rose covered her mouth to hold back a giggle, “Sounds like you’re quite famished. I’m sure being this cute must work up an appetite!” she playfully teased.
“Actually, maybe a little breakfast.” Steven timidly restated. “And, uh, please. No motor oil this time…”
Amethyst gave a halfhearted shrug, “Alright, whatever. More for me!”
“Amethyst and I fused.” Rose whispered, hardly able to contain her excitement. Steven gasped in disbelief, stars dancing in his eyes, “WHAAAAT!” he cried out. Rose grinned and nodded, “It’s true. Maybe one day I could try fusion with the others again.” She pondered, “Oh, maybe with you! Oh my goodness, that’d be so fun if I learned how to fuse with my baby!” Steven admitted he had never thought of the possibility before. But now that she had mentioned it, he did feel a surge of curiosity at the thought.
At this point Steven had noticed something different with Rose. Though no longer in the plain pants and top she wore previously, her outfit had not reverted to her original gown, “Your outfit changed…” she said plainly. “Oh, do you like it?” she quietly asked, caught a bit off guard by his statement. “Do you?” Steven asked.
Rose looked over herself, “It’s a good start, but I feel it’s missing something…” she said. She leaned over the edge of the mattress, pulling up a laundry basket containing a stack of neatly folded clothes. She sifted through its contents, retrieving the ‘Mrs. Universe’ t-shirt he had given her just days ago before slipping it over her top, “I think I’ll keep it this time.” She confirmed with a smile.
She looked back to him, his expression evidently causing her smile to slowly whittle away. She sighed and gave him a look that showed hints of discomfort masked by resolution, “Steven, I imagine you must be very upset with me right now. I want to say that I’m sorry for scaring you. I would never have wanted to frighten you like that.”
“Mom, I’m not like the Diamonds. You don’t need to apologize about this.” Steven reassured, “It’s sort of my fault. I should have talked to you about all this stuff on Homeworld sooner…”
Rose’s grip on Steven tightened in response, “It’s not your fault, Steven.” She gently reassured.
“Mom… That part of me, what he said… I may not really know how you were in there, but I do know that as long you are here that I don’t want you gone. I’m still me. You being here doesn’t change that.” He said, trying to calm her with some measure of a smile.
“I know. I guess neither of us really know how your gem really works then…” Rose admitted.
“I guess not…” Steven surmised, “Mom, I really want you to stay. And I really, really don’t ever want you to think I’d want you to… you know…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the word, especially not in relation to her. He felt his own hold on Rose’s arms stiffen as his hand began to ever so lightly tremble, “I was so scared I’d lose you back there. Please Mom, if you ever feel that way again, you have to tell either me, or Dad, or the gems. Alright?”
Rose nodded, “I promise, sweetheart.”
With that, Steven felt at least a bit more at ease. The stress of the past few days at last fading away in his mother’s embrace. “Mom, I know you’re not perfect. But you don’t have to be. Not for us. You try so hard to be a better person every day. I want you to know there’s honestly nobody else I would rather have to be my mom than you.”
“Oh stop, you’re going to make me blush…” She said, her cheeks already taking on a rosy complexion before lifting her hands to cover them. Steven chuckled, relieved to see a sincere smile on her face again, especially after the last time he had seen her. Rose looked down to him, her arms crossed over his chest as he sat comfortably in her lap, “You know, somedays I wonder if you get tired of me smothering you like a Teddy Bear…”
“I’m fine, Mom. You know I don’t mind hugs…” Steven insisted. Rose lifted Steven closer to her to leave another kiss, “Thank the stars for that…” For a few moments, Steven simply basked in the calm of the moment. The radiant glow of the morning sun leaking into the temple, Rose’s soft embrace enveloping him with a sense of security and comfort. The very room itself grew quiet as Amethyst’s clattering over in the kitchen seemed to die down.
After everything they had both went through, all he wanted was a day for them to relax. Maybe take the time to enjoy the nice summer weather to visit Funland, maybe pay Lars a visit, assuming he and Sadie weren’t busy with plans of their own. Perhaps even just spend the day helping his father at the car wash. Anything that would help return some sense of normalcy to their lives, whatever meaning that word meant to either of them. With his mind deep in thought, he had barely noticed a new sound begin to fill the empty void in the room. The sound of Rose singing.
“If I could begin to be half of what you think of me, I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love.”
The means by which she carried the verse was so gentle and quiet it was scant different from a whisper.
“When I see the way you act wondering when I’m coming back, I could about anything, I could even learn how to love like you…”
Her means of singing carried a tone of reassurance and comfort that stood out all the more as it turned to a more somber note towards the end of the verse.
“I always thought I might be bad, now I’m sure that it’s true ‘cause I think you’re so good, and I’m nothing like you. Look at you go, I just adore you I wish that I knew what makes you think I’m so special.”
The stress she placed on each syllable echoed with sincerity. Steven looked up to see Rose staring back at him, a warm smile present on her lips and tears streaming down her eyes.
“If I could begin to do something that does right by you, I would do about anything, I would even learn how to love.”
She paused only briefly to wipe the tears from her eyes, her smile persisting.
“When I see the way you look, shaken by how long it took, I could do about anything I could even learn how to love like you. Love like you. Love me, like you.”
The grace and poise in which she finished her song was nothing short of beautiful, and the intent behind it not lost on Steven. He stretched out his arms as much as he could to embrace her into a hug of his own. “I love you so much, Mom.” He whimpered.
Rose lifted Steven closer to her face, leaving a kiss on his forehead, “I love you too, Steven. Thank you for giving me another chance to be a part of your family.”
Steven wiped his eyes and grinned, “Don’t forget, this is your family too.”