Chapter Text
He is not gonna think about what he talked about inside of the consulting room, at least not for the moment when he feels exhausted. He ends up crashing next to his mom, that was still talking with the other adult in the room, just stopping when the kid “Universe, Steven” was called to go inside, and his dad smiled at him like his own mom always does, but he prefers to pay attention to his phone, that has a text from Kenny. He doesn’t get to read it when his mom is already trying to include him in the conversation, mentioning how she and Mister Universe are planning to take them to lunch after the other teenager -Steven- gets out of his session. He doesn’t question how his mom could become such good friends with a literal stranger, in such a short time, not when he is too tired to complain. He tries to smile gently but ended up being awkward for sure. There is a silence with his mom waiting him to say something, he doesn’t and maybe Mister Universe notices how uncomfortable it was the whole deal, so he clears his throat to continue the conversation:
“S-So… your mom said that you have a band?” He feels his cheeks get warm at that.
Crimson Dawn was something that his ten-year-old self decided to do to help him distract him from his horrible life, in the same way that he decided to be a superhero and the knight of a princess. Even if they couldn’t make it big, the guys still go to the farm to play from time to time. That’s the only thing that makes him not lose the only contact with other kids his age recently.
“Yeah, I... I mean, we aren’t really good and it was more to win some contests in our town and-“
“Well, you had to begin somewhere, right?” He nods, and that’s how the next hour he and Mister Universe talk about music genres and the life in the scene until the door of the consulting room opens, and Steven comes out, looking stressed.
The therapist mentioned how after the first session the majority of the people would think that nothing changed, and that's because the change is little by little and in the long term. That didn't mean it wasn't stressful all the same.
“Hey, Stu-ball. How... do you feel?” Mr. Universe looks worried at his son.
“Tired.”
"Right," the guy looks apologetically. “Do you want to go back and rest-?”
“I’m more hungry. We should go to that place you and Mrs. Marsh were talking about.”
“Are you sure?” The teenager just smiles at his dad to nod.
Mr. Universe didn’t look convinced, but he sigh either way to thank the therapist and decided that it was time to go. His mom did the same before following Mr. Universe through the door, and him, following her. He hears Mr. Universe say how the place wasn’t far from there so they could walk. So that is how he ended up walking next to Steven in an uncomfortable silence ignoring the conversation the adults were having. There was no way that they weren't gonna talk now, so he decides to take a breath and open his mouth.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He sounds tired but he still smiles at him nicely.
“I’m Stan. I’m sure my mom called me by my full name but that’s too formal.” He said, nervous, looking at the other.
“Oh, well, I’m Steven, and, well, I have always been Steven, I don’t think it sounds too formal.” He hears something else in his tone but is still awkward so he ignores it for now.
“Nice to meet you."
“Nice to meet you too.”
He wants to hit himself thinking about how he sucks at meeting new people. Since when he doesn’t meet new people that didn’t live in South Park?
A ring sound and he knows it is not his phone. “Is that Connie?”
“Yeah, yeah she is... I should-“
“You can reach us later. You know the place.”
Steven nods, smiling at his dad and then giving him an apologetic look before stopping. He shrugs; the guy doesn't owe him anything, they just met and Connie sounds like a close friend. The adults are still talking and he doesn’t have to act nice anymore to not check his phone. So he gets it out of his pocket noticing the new text in the group chat with the goths, and the one that he hasn't opened from Kenny:
[</3]
Michael: Did you die yet?
Me: I’m still here.
Frisk: unfortunately
Me: fuck off
[?]
?: hey dude
?: are u still gettin crazy on the beach
Me: I’m not you.
Me: I just came out of therapy.
?: how was it
?: are u ok
Me: Lame.
Me: But I think is the thing of the first time.
He knows Kenny never does what you would expect of him, he is a mystery that he is just beginning to unravel and he doesn’t mind that. He always was a good friend.
“We are here!” Mr. Universe says getting his attention. They got to a pizzeria that looks just like a hipster kind of thing, and he just knows that if The Goths hear about it, they are gonna laugh at him for months.
He feels his phone vibrate in his hand so he looks at it when they enter.
“A table for four, please.”
“Stanley, put that down.”
“Kenny is texting me, mom.” His mom likes Kenny. better than The Goths, so he knows he win after saying that.
“Fine, say 'hi' to him for my part.”
“Of course.”
Me: My mom says hi.
?: tell her that she should post more photos in that swimsuit
Me: Gross dude!
He knows Kenny is joking, his humor is pretty gross sometimes but he gets it. He sometimes has the mood for that humor.
?: just saying... when is she gonna search for a better man than stupid Randy
And isn’t that the question that he asks himself too?
He looks up and notices how the adults are still talking with so much ease and enjoyment.
Me: Maybe she just did.
?: what? are u serious?
Me: She made a friend in the waiting room, and now we are having pizza in a hipster place.
?: gonna tell henrietta that
?: really, their first date
Me: Nope. I'm here, and the son of the guy too.
?: he has a son
Me: Yep, was in therapy too.
?: a mess like you for sure
Me: You mean us.
?: we are talking about u, not me
The little bell by the door sounds again and a pretty sweaty Steven gets on their table.
“Sorry, dad. I forgot where was the place.”
“You should have called.”
“My phone... kind of died.” The tone of that last thing and the flinch give him another idea and Mr. Universe notices too so maybe that’s why they change the subject pretty fast.
“Don’t worry, we were just talking.”
Steven sits in front of him, next to his dad. He looks tense and still tired.
His cellphone vibrates again and his mom nudges him.
“Put that thing away, Stanley.”
“Let me say 'goodbye' to Kenny, mom.”
?: well, this conversation was illuminating, but it's time to get the bread
Me: dude
?: text me later and have fun with the date of ur mom
He makes a face to look up at his mom and just puts his phone away.
“Sorry.”
His mom just sigh, to look at the menu that was already in her hands.
He blush embarrassed at not noticing that before taking his own and begin to look at it, it didn’t take him much time before he read 'vegetarian hamburgers'. He takes a relieved breath, he didn’t want a salad if the case that nothing vegetarian was on the menu. The waitress appears seconds later and after his mom and Mr. Universe order, he says his, which is echoed by Steven's. They look at each other, making him yet more embarrassed.
"Two 'Vegetarian Hamburgers', got it," says the waitress and giggling a little, saving them to say anything else. She goes away to come back with a couple of glasses of water. It was a good distraction for the situation until Mr. Universe mentioned it again.
"Vegetarian too, eh, Stan? I could never, but I get it completely."
"Stanley is an animal lover," if anyone else said that, would sound like they were mocking him but his mom said it almost sounding proud making him feel warm, just hopes she doesn't mention- "one time he tried to save these baby cows-"
"Mom!"
The adults laugh at his reaction, and from the corner of his vision he sees how Steven shows a little smile, and ok, maybe he is getting what the adults are trying to do. He would prefer to not have his mom help him make friends, but again, he doesn't know how to do that anymore.
The conversation after that goes pretty well, more than that when Mr. Universe -"Greg, call me Greg, Stan."- mentions how he is some kind of manager that could 'help Crimson Dawn get some concerts around the country'. And, the thing is that his friends and he were at the age to not know exactly what they would do after, specifically after high school, and playing has been a good distraction so maybe-
"I think... I think we would like that, Mister Universe," he would still have to talk with his friends about it, and he said that to the guy, making him nod a couple of times.
"Of course, of course, and would be fair that I got the chance to hear you and your band, don't you agree?"
"Yeah, of course."
The adults share another look, this was getting ridiculous.
"Hey, Stu-ball, what do you think in going to Colorado to continue our road trip?"
"What"
"We will be happy to have you, Greg."
He blinks, well, that took a turn.