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Steven paced back and forth across the warp pad.
“Ok,” he muttered to himself, “ok. It’s been years. By this point, it’s probably obvious. Remember, this is a big deal to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to make it a big deal. I mean, telling people how I feel, that’s like, my whole thing, right?”
He took a deep and steadying breath, then looked to the single, small, pale blue flower in his hands. He turned the stem slowly in his fingers.
“Ok.”
He warped.
Connie paced back and forth across the platform.
“Ok,” she said aloud, “Ok, it’s one, then two, then three...”
With each count, she traced the steps again. Her dark dress flats tapped against the clear acrylic of the dance platform. Her hair moved in time to the wind coming off the evening sea.
“You’ve got it, Connie, no big deal,” Greg assured her from just off the stage, tuning his guitar.
“You’re right, Mr. Universe, it’s not a big deal... to me .” She finished mapping out the steps again, and began straightening her suit and adjusting her little teal bowtie. “I mean, it’s been years. It’s not like anything will change. But this isn’t just about me...it’s also about-STEVEN!” she yelped.
Steven touched down on the platform, having just leapt from the laundry hand above.
“What are doing here?” Connie asked in a hurry.
“I had to...uh...ask you...” he stammered, looking around. “What are you doing?”
“I, uh, I asked you first,” Connie said, stalling for time.
Steven nodded, and drew in a deep breath. “Connie, we’ve known each other for a while, and I...I cherish...no...no I’m not turning this into a speech.” Steven shook his head, and took the pale blue flower out of his jacket. “I know you don’t like big displays. So...Connie...” He handed her the flower, holding her hands in his. “Connie I love you. And I want us to be friends more than anything, but if you...if you want...we can also...” He trailed off, watching Connie chew her lip, desperate for any sign of her response.
Instead of giving one, however, she simply nodded to Greg, who nodded back, and tossed her her tophat.
As Greg began to play the subtle refrain that had carried he and Rose across this very same floor long ago, Connie stepped on the nearby switch pedal. The pink bulbs in the platform exploded to life, filling the air with a pastel rose hue. A few were burned out, and the color had faded from a few more, but Steven could barely keep his balance as the dance began, let alone notice the little flaws Connie has spent weeks worrying about. When the steps reached the middle of the floor, Greg slowed his playing.
“I love you too, Steven.”
And they kissed.
They held the kiss just long enough for Gregs soft smile to crack into just a bit of a smirky grin, but when they broke apart, they both had stars in their eyes.
“...Wow...” Steven exhaled.
Connie bubbled over into a near fit of giggles, free from the pent up anxiety. Why had she ever worried at all?
For the first time, Steven really look around at the dance setup. “Wow...well now I just feel bad,” he said, smirking.
“Steven, don’t you dare,” Connie commanded, draping her arms over his shoulders. “Your flower is perfect. I mean it.” She took it and tucked it into the band of the tophat. “If we both had done a big spectacle, I would have been sick!” The thought of the crowds and marching bands and fireworks that would normally come with a big Steven Universe gesture was all too much for her.
Steven chuckled. “Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t want something...big...”
“You were exactly right.” She took off the hat, examining the flower. “I’m keeping this forever and ever. What...” she squinted, “...what kind of flower is this anyway?”
“Oh, uh,” Steven said, a little sheepish. “I don’t know, I don’t think it has a name.”
Connie starred. “Huh?”
“Well,” he began, “I’ve been thinking about this for...a while...and I’ve spent a lot of time looking for the right flower. If I wasn’t going to get to do a big surprise for you, I knew it would have to be perfect, so I kinda, warped around for a while...”
Connie’s eyes grew. “Steven, did you literally search the Earth for this flower?”
“Well...not just the Earth...There is a reason it doesn’t have a name...”
“Did you search the galaxy !?”
Steven blushed, scratching the back of his head. “Kinda?”
Connie pulled him into another kiss, surprising Steven so much, his eyes didn’t even close. From behind her he saw his father give a proud, approving smile and a thumbs up.
Connie only broke the kiss again when she started giggling.
“I don’t know why I ever expected anything less from you, Steven. I love you. I really do.”
At this, Steven’s smile grew to a toothy, beaming, dumbstruck grin. No longer able to contain himself, he scooped the girl off her feet.
“Woo!” she yelped.
He then leapt into the air with the power of a joy he had never felt before, with Connie screaming a sudden laugh all the way up into the night sky.
As they drifted, Connie placed the tophat atop Steven’s curly hair, and the two of them fell in to another giggly kiss.