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Connie spent her Saturday morning sitting in Steven’s living room, teaching him about the teenage custom of prom. Her audience had to know the institution before she could properly complain about it and its unethical rituals, after all.
This seemed like exactly the sort of thing Steven would have planned for since age 10, had he known anything about it. Apparently his childhood media consumption lay on either the juvenile extreme of Crying Breakfast Friends or the concerningly mature T*H*R*A*S*H, with no room for the adolescent drama. Not her place to judge his choice in television, though, especially not while he entertained her frustrations.
“Ok, so what about a big school dance upsets you so much?”
Steven sat next to her on the couch, one arm slung over her shoulders. He gave her his utmost attention, excited for her latest rant.
“It’s so performative! First, there’s the expectation that you have to have a date. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to date, or you’re too busy or whatever. You’re supposed to go out and find SOMEONE to go with. Doesn’t really matter who.” She was careful not to smack Steven upside the head as she vented, gestures flying. “But it’s also not enough to just have a date. You have to ask them and you have to make it a big public spectacle. In the end you have people going up to their crushes in front of the biggest crowds they can find. Then they ask them to be their ‘prom date,’ which is even more stressful than a regular date. One of three things can happen from there.” Connie sat forward and counted on her fingers. “Either one, they’re both into it and they just invited a bunch of strangers to a personal moment. Two, the person being asked isn’t interested and gets guilted into saying yes to avoid embarrassing the other person. Or three, the person being asked isn’t interested and says no, embarrassing the asker who will then be gossiped about for at least two weeks.”
She flopped back, positioning so the hollow of her neck rested on Steven’s arm. “And then people interrupt class and there’s always screaming in the cafeteria because ‘oh my gosh someone’s asking someone to be their prom date,’ and there’s so much crying for months. People start dating because of it and half the time they break up before prom even happens.”
“Oh, but that’s not all!” Connie turned over and sat on her knees so she faced him, one finger jabbed in his chest. “Then? Then they compete to see who’s the most popular so they can be the next Prom Monarchs.”
She paused, brows furrowed. “Or maybe they compete to see who’s the prettiest couple. I’m actually not sure. Anyway, it’s gross.”
Steven grimaced. “Yeah, ok that’s pretty awful. I see why you don’t like it.” He stretched, returning his arm to her shoulders once his back cracked. “You should only do that kind of stuff if you mean it.”
“Could that kind of shallow behavior ever be genuine, though?” Connie tilted her head.
“Of course! Dressing up, looking your best, taking the person you care about most and showing off your love, infecting everyone else with your happiness in a big room full of smiles. It’s a beautiful idea.” He frowned. “It’s sad that people twist it into something so… fake.”
“But you think it could be real?”
“Yeah, of course. I think it’d be awesome.”
Connie settled back into his arm and retreated into her thoughts as the quiet spread between them. Steven always had a way of making those things she considered frivolous sound appealing, or at least important. Always a hopeless romantic.
She smiled as he proved her point, rubbing small circles on her arm with his thumb.
Connie messed with the zipper of his jacket while she muddled through her thoughts. He made prom sound… nice. Did she want that kind of cheesy romance? Did she really want some grandiose display in front of everyone she knew?
She truly believed most, if not all, of those stock drama stories were disingenuous at best and power fantasies at worst. Still, the best lies held kernels of truth. She’d seen that kernel in Garnet, her parents.
She’d seen it in Steven.
Connie dropped her head to his shoulder and blew some of his curls out of her face. He sat taller so she didn’t have to crane her neck as far. Once they got the heights sorted out, Steven rested his own head on hers. She looked up at him, studying, while he closed his eyes and enjoyed her company.
He had matured so much in the last few years. So had she, but she had always looked older.
At length, Connie came to a decision.
She took a deep breath to banish the butterflies fluttering at the back of her mind and leaned forward. Steven perked up as soon as she moved.
“You know, Steven. You make a really good point. I hadn’t considered that anything good could come out of prom. In light of this new perspective,” Connie turned to look at him. “Would you… like to go together?”
He blinked, face blank. “Like as your date?”
She considered what that word meant. Not a plaything to tote around and make the other kids jealous, not a trophy for everyone else, but as her date. The person she wanted by her side the most, for her. For them.
“Yeah… I’d like you to be my date to prom. What do you say?”
Steven managed a neutral expression until she finished, then a supernova of a grin split his face. It reached his eyes and his ears, his eyebrows practically vanishing into his hair.
“YES!”
He grabbed her by both shoulders and pulled her into a hug, laughing. “Yes yes yes! This is going to be so much fun!”
Connie sat, stunned and ecstatic, as he bolted upright and raced away.
She twisted to watch and listen as he zipped around upstairs, pulling whatever it was he needed out of every cranny of his room. He returned as fast as he left, dumping armfuls of ripped, burned and battered binders on the coffee table. It really was a miracle the man had any sentimental objects left given how often his house got destroyed.
“It’s like a wedding but slightly less formal, and with a lot of people, right?”
“I… suppose?”
“Great!”
Steven cracked the largest, most familiar scrapbook open and flopped down next to her. He began rattling on before she could even make sense of the horse drawn carriages in front of her.
“So how do you want to arrive? Limo? Lion? Drop ship? I could ask Lapis to fly us in. She’ll probably say no but I can wear her down. Oooo, or Amethyst could shapeshift into something cool. What do people normally do for this?”
Warmth filled Connie’s chest as she watched him. She hadn’t seen him turn to anything fun with this kind of fervor in far too long.
She snaked an arm around his waist and leaned in close, clearing her throat to regain her focus. “I think a limo is the standard fancy transport. The question is, do we want to go the traditional route, or do we want to break the mold?”
“We almost never get to do anything the normal way.” He laughed. “At this point being traditional is breaking the mold.”
“I think the point of the limo is to be flashy, though. We have so many better ways to show off than throwing money around.”
“But tradition,” Steven insisted.
“I dunno…” Connie’s mouth twisted to the side, slight apprehension building in her stomach. “It seems like a bit much for two people.”
“What about your friends?”
“What about them?”
“Are they going to prom too? If you want,” he wheedled in closer. “We could bring all of them in the limo.”
Connie untangled herself and sat upright. Steven frowned as she withdrew. “I don’t know, it just feels…. Weird. All that expense for one night.”
“You’re worth it, though,” Steven said. He had that face, the one he got whenever she dared to say she was ‘just’ a human.
“Yeah but… but,” Connie floundered.
“It’s just for a one night. It’s a special occasion!”
“Uh...”
“Sorry, sorry I’m getting too excited,” he said, seeing the deer in headlights look on her face. Steven took a deep breath and steepled his fingers in front of his nose, then let the breath out through his mouth. “What do you want to do? It’s your prom.”
“It’s our prom, now,” Connie said. “Maybe not… super flashy? I think I want to try and blend in?” The words didn’t feel very good coming out.
“Can I ask why?”
“Because, I… why don’t I want it to be flashy?” Connie rubbed her temples. “You know what, no. Let’s go all out!” She balked, realizing the enormity of what she said. Steven raised an eyebrow at her and wiggled one of his most imposing scrapbooks at her. “…Let’s go halfway out! Baby steps!”
“YEAH! That’s my knight! How long until prom?”
“About three months,” Connie said, head spinning with the thought of plans and fun and excitement. She was going to let Steven do all those big, dramatic things he needed to do to show his affection, and she was going to love it. She could enjoy this, because it was real. It was them.
Steven clapped his hands together, beaming. “PERFECT! That gives me time to grow all the flowers. No roses, though.”
She laughed. “No roses, and maybe no limo. It just doesn’t seem like us.”
“You’re right. How about Lion?”
“Think he’ll wander off before we get a chance to go home?”
“Probably! And then we get to figure out a way home from there.”
Connie laughed. “We’ll arrive on our magical pink lion, and then we’re gonna dance when we get there!”
“And we’ll be the best dancers on the floor,” Steven said, standing.
“And we’re going to eat great food and be around a bunch of other teenagers, and it’ll be scary but mostly fun because we’ll be together and we’ll have a great time!”
“Yeah!”
Now they both stood, hands interlocked, dancing in wild circles the middle of the living room. They fused in the excitement, leaving a shrieking Stevonnie to try and cobble together the rest of their plans.
Their (mostly Steven’s) ideas were too grand to be contained in the miniature of an evening. Steven took to the planning with wild abandon, always checking in and keeping everything just within her comfort zone. It was all a bit overwhelming with the tux rentals and the flowers and the dance practice, but Connie stayed true to her promise and tried to enjoy herself.
They had saved the world. They deserved a little teenage normalcy.
Soon the day arrived. Connie stood on her doorstep in her black suit and powder blue tie, her parents patiently waiting behind her. She had always felt more comfortable in pants and she needed every scrap of comfort she could find. The old anxieties reared their ugly heads and laid siege to her stomach and the back of her mind. She leaned into her mother’s hand on her back as she waited, grateful for the steadying pressure.
A familiar roar tore a hole in reality. Out stepped her ride and her Universe, banishing her monsters with the promise of fun.
Connie cheered and raced down the steps to greet Steven. He met her halfway, picking her up and swinging her in a full revolution before setting her back down. She caught the smell of his cologne, the same one she offhand mentioned liking once a long time ago.
“Connie! You look incredible!”
“So do you!” She looked him up and down. Steven had a matching suit, a pink bow tie and a boutonniere of baby’s breath and blue fabric. She knew his outfit in advance, they got the suits fitted together after all, but it was very different to see him in it for real.
“I got the last touch for you,” Steven said and ran back to Lion. He reached in his mane and pulled out a corsage of pink carnations.
He returned and gravely nodded. Connie took a knee, offering her hand. Steven slipped the corsage onto her outstretched wrist.
“With the power vested in me, I declare thee… date knight Connie.”
She laughed and punched him in the shoulder. “That was terrible.”
“It was amazing and you know it.”
They hugged, then looked up expectantly at the Maheswarans standing on the porch. Doug beamed. Priyanka smiled with her posture, if not her face.
“I trust you’ll take lots of pictures,” Priyanka said. Steven pulled out his phone and grinned.
“Of course! Let’s do one now,” he said and followed Connie back towards her parents. The teenagers ignored their protests and pulled them into frame for a selfie. Steven left the flash on, momentarily blinding the four of them and producing a photo that had them all wincing.
“Ew.”
They laughed while Steven fumbled with the settings.
“Let’s try that again.”
The second photo came out much better. Once satisfied they had catalogued this part of their night, Connie gave her parents hugs goodbye and ran to Lion’s side. Steven was about to join her when Doug coughed.
“Hm?”
“No hugs for us? Where are your manners, young man?”
Stars lit Steven’s eyes as he threw himself at the Maheswarans. It took their combined strength to stay upright, laughing. Connie bounced in place, hands clasped at her chest as she watched them.
“You two have fun, now,” Priyanka wheezed, politely patting Steven’s back in a silent plea to spare their spines. “Try not to stay out too late.”
Steven released them and ran back to his knight, readjusting his tie as he did.
“Just let us know where you’re at in case something happens... Not that there’s anything you two can’t handle,” Doug said as they mounted Lion.
“Will do, Dad!”
“We will Mr. Maheswaran!”
Connie and Steven waved goodbye as Lion roared, their hearts warm with the parents’ approval.
Lion delivered them to the parking lot of Connie’s high school. The lot swarmed with vehicles and Connie felt her heart jump to her throat, trying to take in the enormity of people attending. A few limos and party buses relinquished their occupants as they waited.
“You ok?” Steven asked.
Connie loosened her death grip around his waist and tried to blink away her apprehension. “Y-yeah. Want to go in?”
“Hey, we’ll be alright.” He half turned on Lion and cupped her face. “I got your back.”
She chuckled, trying to calm her breathing. “Right, right.”
Steven watched her for a moment, concern and something else playing behind his eyes.
He took a breath of his own, then leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
The new screaming in her head drowned out the anxious chatter from before. She nearly fell off Lion and would’ve if Steven hadn’t grabbed her and pulled her upright.
“I’m so sorry! I thought that would be ok!”
Connie blinked, her cheeks burning. She blathered out a nonsense string of syllables before her speech faculties returned.
“It definitely was. It was ok. It was great.”
“Are you sure?” Steven slid off Lion and helped his dizzy knight down. She obliged, taking his hands in her own.
“I’m sure. I’m 100% sure. I kissed you first, remember?”
He nodded and Connie noticed his own furious blush. She took a step closer. “Want to try that again once I’m not going to fall off Lion?”
“Like now?” he said in a voice so tiny, his eyes lighting up.
Connie made the move this time, heart fluttering as their noses and lips touched. They squeezed their interlocked hands, keeping them a bit spread to the sides. They didn’t do anything more than stand with their faces squished together, but it was a perfect third kiss nonetheless.
They eventually broke apart, both starry eyed and breathless. They stared at each other without speaking for a moment, just admiring the other, the way the night lights played with their hair and faces. Steven slowly knitted his fingers with hers and they were off without another word, confidently striding towards the open doors of the gymnasium.
They took a very quick detour back to Lion to take a selfie with him before he wandered off, laughing all the way.
Once their picture duties were attended to, the pair returned to the gym. Nobody paid them any mind, all too absorbed in their own little worlds. Connie and Steven’s interlaced hands swung between them as they walked, laughing and chatting and at peace. Connie had her Universe on her arm and Steven had his Knight at his right hand.
They walked in on a prom in full swing and Connie didn’t even blink. Who cared what they thought. She just had her second and third kiss. She outclassed all these losers and they hadn’t even been there ten minutes. She dreamily stared out at the sea of people, only snapping back to reality when Steven poked her shoulder.
“Hm?”
“What’s PDA?” he asked and pointed at the banner strung from the doors. It read Welcome to Prom! Absolutely no PDA whatsoever.
“Are you kidding me,” Connie hissed, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “PDA stands for ‘Public Displays of Affection.’”
Steven squinted at the banner, offended. “How are they even going to enforce that?”
Connie pointed to the hawkeyed chaperones standing guard at every corner of the room. Many of the shier, lonely kids had taken shelter near them.
“Aww that’s lame. So, no Stevonnie?”
“I guess not.”
Steven threw his hands up, fake anger on his brow. “That was like half our act! Oh well,” he pouted. “Guess I’ll just have to have the best time of my life spending the next couple hours with you.”
She hummed and chastely brushed against his shoulder. “If you must. We can’t be seen being too friendly, though, lest we be banned from this establishment.”
“I would never endanger your honor so, my knight.” He offered his hand, grave expression on his face. “So for the night, we are as business acquaintances.”
“Absolutely,” she nodded.
They stood with eyes closed for a moment before dissolving into giggle fits.
“Oh, there’s Jeff and his date! And there’s everyone else!”
Connie grabbed Steven by the sleeve and drug him along to meet her very small cluster of school friends. None of them looked to be having half as good a time as her and Steven.
“Hi Shreya! Hi Anna, and Alex! Hi Jeff! This is Steven!” She yelled over the music and held his arm up to demonstrate. He waved.
Connie’s gaggle of friends paused their conversation and turned to them.
“He does exist!” Shreya said and introduced herself. They shook hands.
Steven moved down the list of friends, shaking hands and smiling at each one. “How are you guys doing?”
“Eh,” Jeff shrugged. “It seems a little dull.”
His date Sam nodded, heavy eyeliner dark in the colored lights.
The group of them chattered for a bit, mostly about school and science and homework. Steven hung by Connie’s side as the conversation went over his head, though it eventually swung back around to post-prom plans.
“That’s if we don’t leave early. I’m not planning on sticking around much longer,” Shreya said and stretched.
“You guys have barely danced or anything, though,” Steven said.
“Don’t know how.”
“We can show you!” Connie said. “It’s easy!”
She pulled Steven and they stepped in time to the music. This wasn’t their routine, just something freestyle, but it was them. The group watched them goof around.
“Pff, we can’t-” Shreya started, but Anna grabbed her and Alex by the hand. She dragged them both next to the pair and led them in their own little dance.
“C’mon! This is fun!”
Jeff and his date watched for a bit longer before Sam took his hand and led him as well. Soon the seven of them had carved out their own little section of the dance floor. A few people gave them glares as they spun and thrashed and acted silly, but most ignored them.
“Oh I love this song,” Steven said once the music changed. He gestured from some room and then started headbanging.
Connie belly laughed as he threw his hair out of shape, then staggered as the dizzying motion caught up with him. They carried on that way until the others grew bored.
“We’re gonna get some horse orders,” Anna said. “Do you want anything?”
“You mean hors d'oeuvres?” Shreya asked.
“You know I don’t speak Spanish.”
“I’m good on the horses. Bring me some cheese balls, though,” Alex said.
Steven and Connie continued twirling as the rest of them drifted back into conversation. Connie yelled a few words to them each time Steven swung her around.
“Ok guys!” she spun. “We’re going, to keep dancing! We’ll talk later!”
“Bye Connie!”
“Nice meeting you, Steven.”
“Bye guys!” he said and smiled. “Nice meeting you too!”
The pair disappeared into the shifting crowd as the music picked up.
“They’re cute,” Sam said. Jeff nodded.
Once Steven and Connie made their way to the dance floor proper, they took a moment to get their bearings. The music thrummed with a steady beat, something smooth and easy to sing along to. Their neighbors chanted the chorus each time it played, swaying and stomping and having a good time.
Neither of the pair knew the words to this one, and that was just fine.
Connie took the first step in their routine, one hand on his chest, poise perfect. She pushed him back a step and he complied, bending back at the waist as she extended her hand in a languid flex. They made a quarter turn to avoid an oblivious bystander, then Connie took another step.
She placed her feet within his stance, forcing him back and away. He ducked and dodged away with each step, coy smile on his lips. Soon she had relinquished the lead to him.
He backed and sidestepped, forcing her to keep up. They marked out their territory this way, dancing around a perimeter until their neighbors subconsciously gave them their space. Once they had some breathing room, they began their dance in earnest.
Onlookers paused as they picked up speed. Connie stepped in close, sliding past her partner with a flourish. He caught her outstretched hand and used her weight as a counterbalance, sweeping along with her. They twirled and spun, breaking contact just long enough to switch hands. They followed a pattern written on their hearts, carefully practiced steps born from years of fighting, growing and loving alongside one another. It was uniquely them. It was childish, graceful and powerful all in one.
They broke apart as the music intensified, the earlier song long since finished. They danced in sync, arms waving with the music and with their hips. A member of their audience whooped and Steven laughed.
“Isn’t that the nerdy girl from Calculus?”
Connie broke focus long enough to take stock of the crowd forming around them. A few couples continued unaware of them, but the floor had thinned to practically just her and Steven and one other couple dancing.
A wall of faces and recording phones hemmed them in.
“Relax,” Steven whispered as his mouth brushed by her ear. She shivered as he took the lead, sensing her unease. “Don’t worry about them.”
“Right. Right.” She dropped her chin to her chest, breathing deep. Steven pressed his forehead to hers.
“It’s just us. We’re together. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Connie nodded and he hummed. She looked up to see his eyes sparkling, his face lax in that loving, nearly simpering way. What did it matter if people stared? They were here to be the best dancers on the floor and if people wanted to watch, let them. Her gaze hardened and she grinned.
In a burst of confidence, Connie blew the crowd a kiss. They took it with a chorus of oooos. She took the lead, now, pushing them into a more frenetic dance as the music changed. Soon they were stomping and thrashing in sync, looking for all the world like two warriors back to back, keeping the horde of onlookers at bay.
The two of them traded places, roles, seamlessly shifting from a liquid grace to rhythmic, powerful gestures while the crowd egged them on. Steven dipped Connie down low on a backstep, then released her waist and held her upright by her tie. She fell backwards into a handstand to the howls of the crowd, then flipped to her feet. Steven’s face hovered just before hers as they transitioned into their finale.
Steven cast her away with a rough shove. She spun a few steps back and settled into a swordsman’s stance, legs wide, shoulders squared. She lowered her head before taking a running lunge at him.
He put his hands up, then deflected her to the side. They circled each other in defensive postures before meeting once more. They moved in a blur of choreographed strikes and kicks, ducks and near misses. It culminated in Steven pushing her away once more.
Connie slunk into a crouch, smiling, before she stood up tall. She opened her arms to her partner.
They took a pause as the music intensified and the crowd chanted, waiting for the climax. Once near the perfect moment, Steven took a running start towards her. He lightened himself and pushed himself up on her shoulders. She lifted and held him, suspended him over her head. They spun once, twice, three times before striking a pose together.
The crowd screamed.
Their routine complete, Steven tumbled forward and landed on his feet. Connie nearly lost her balance as his weight pitched behind her, but he was there to catch her. Soon the song ended, leaving the two panting in their own spotlight.
It didn’t land quite the same without Stevonnie, but they made do. They had fun.
The crowd had gone quiet, waiting for more.
Connie held onto Steven’s arm and partly hid behind him. “It’s a lot easier to ignore them when we’re doing something.”
“You ok?” he asked out of the corner of his mouth, face set in a perfect poker grin.
The crowd erupted into applause before she could answer, startling both of them. The other couple made their way closer, their dresses flashing red and gold in the dim light.
“EY DJ!” some jock screamed, silencing the straggling claps. “LET’S GET A BEAT FOR A DANCE OFF!”
“WHAT?!” Connie shrieked, but the music had already started. Her and Steven looked over at the other couple glaring daggers at them.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” he muttered.
“This can’t be happening,” she whispered.
The other couple took a dramatic step as the first beat hit, chests out and arms thrust back. Their heads snapped to face each other with mechanical precision on the next. They stepped side to side, bodies contorting to flow between the methodical, rigid steps.
Steven and Connie had no choice. They put their backs together and cracked their knuckles before meshing their hands, shoulders raised against their opponents. The other couple sneered.
The dance off began.
The two sets of teenagers matched the music in timing and energy. Steven and Connie’s dance took an organic, fluid form while the others followed a structured set. Both pairs moved in perfect sync.
Connie and Steven’s breath caught in their throats as they ducked and twisted, somersaulted and embraced. The Knight caught her liege as he fell backwards, pulling him upright. The Universe cradled her and spun her round and round.
They had the fitness advantage over their opponents, but the other couple outshone them in technical prowess. Every step was perfect, emotion etched into every line of the man and woman in red and gold.
The song came to an end, leaving the panting couples scrambling to match the next. It was beyond clear they couldn’t choose a winner just from the couples dancing, so Steven spun Connie away and stepped back, snapping fingerguns at her.
She took the center without missing a beat, messing with her hair as she freestyled alone. She couldn’t believe she was doing this in public. It wasn’t nearly so impressive as them together, but she pumped her fists and rocked her hips to her own tune.
“YOU GO NERD GIRL!”
She gave the faceless voice a cute wave and ran back to Steven, her short solo complete.
The other couple took notice of the change and rushed to take over. The stocky girl in the red dress threw a stamping tantrum of a dance, ruffles flying in a spectacle of color and motion. She passed behind her partner, the thin man in the gold robes. He moved with violent, quick movements, each calculated and nearly robotic. The two finished their solos and returned to their whirlwind of color. Once they gave up the space, Connie passed off her spotlight to Steven.
He did the macarena.
The wall of people roared laughter as he wiggled his hips, biting his lip and giving them all a sultry look. Connie laughed and hugged him when he finished. They bobbed in time to the music, bumping their hips together with the slam of the drums.
They stole a glance at the rigid couple, faltering in their own dance as they witnessed the frustration on their opponent’s faces.
“They… don’t look like they’re having a good time,” Steven said.
“Yeah.” Her eyes flicked up to his. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
He smiled and nodded. They danced closer to the unhappy couple, waiting just long enough for them to take notice before they made their move.
As one, Steven and Connie broke apart and reached for the others. The other couple hesitated for a moment, taken aback by their earnestness.
“Come on, we shouldn’t fight! Let’s put on a show for everybody.”
The others shared a nervous glance before the man shrugged. He took Steven’s outstretched hand and was led into a smart tango while Connie took the girl. They didn’t dance as in sync, being total strangers, but their joy was infectious. The crowd went ballistic.
“Why’d you do that?” Connie’s new partner asked, blushing.
“Prom is about having fun, right?” She led her in parallel with Steven and his partner, swooping him low and raising her high. “This is fun!”
“Yeah, yeah I guess it is!”
They danced for a bit longer. The music tensed for a drop, the crowd clapping in time. The four stars looked between themselves, to the crowd and then back to each other as the music throbbed faster. They all nodded.
When the beat dropped, the four of them rushed out and grabbed onlookers from the wall. Their new partners shrieked and laughed as they were drug, spinning, into the spotlight. They turned long enough to teach them the steps, then rushed the wall again. Soon everything erupted in blissful chaos as neighbors pulled each other into wild, messy dancing. The infection spread to the edges of the gym so that even the shyest wallflowers were welcomed in. The sound of their laughter nearly drowned out the music.
Steven and Connie eventually made their way back to each other after their separation, sweating and out of breath. They raced to meet in one of the few open parts of the floor and embraced. Steven lifted Connie clear off her feet and spun her around once before hugging her close.
“That was incredible!” Connie screamed. “Look at everyone!”
“I know!” Steven had stars in his eyes, grinning so wide it must hurt. “They’re all having so much fun! I’m having so much fun!”
He looked at her in his arms. She touched her nose to his, holding him tight around his neck.
“I’m having so much fun too. Thank you for coming, Steven.”
“No, thank you for bringing me as your date.”
She rested her forehead on his shoulder, smiling. “I can think of something else fun we could do.”
“Oh?”
“Let’s break a rule,” Connie whispered. Steven’s eyes went wide at the suggestion, a playful grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“Are you sure?!”
“Yes! Keep your voice down.” Connie pulled him closer. “You can’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t, I promise,” he vowed. He lowered his head to press his forehead against hers, looking deep in her eyes. “Anything for you.”
Connie nodded, then kissed him. He closed his eyes and savored it before pulling away for a moment. He cast a furtive glance around, making sure the chaperones and everyone else were focused on the dancing.
Just as Connie was about to protest, Steven pulled her close and kissed her.
She was ashamed to admit she melted, going limp as he tightened his arm around her waist and cradled the back of her head with his other hand. He lowered her in a graceful dip and she clutched his back to keep from losing her balance.
He had done research on this. He had to. There was no way someone could kiss that good without practice.
She blinked back into this plane of existence as Steven relaxed his grip on her, his head cocked to the side. He had a shy smile, an almost embarrassed expression.
“Was that ok?”
Connie just gave him a thumbs up.
“Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered. Connie blinked, then laughed. Then he laughed.
They leaned on each other and turned to watch the happy mass of teenagers, their arms interlocked and heads resting together.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he eventually murmured in her ear. She nodded and led him away to the hors d'oeuvres table. They piled their plates with cheese, vegetables, fruits and all sorts of delicious things while they settled down to watch everyone else.
“We did that,” Connie said.
“Well they did, but we started it.”
Connie took a sip of water just as Anna jumped her from behind. Steven thrust a napkin at her as she choked, but she waved him off after wiping her face.
“YOU NEVER TOLD US YOU COULD DANCE LIKE THAT!”
Connie finished her coughing fit and chuckled. “Yeah, well… I normally don’t. We practiced a lot.”
“I bet,” Shreya said, eyebrows raised. “You don’t do anything halfway, do you?”
“Nope,” Steven said. “It’s one of my favorite things about her.”
She blushed and ducked down, ineffectively hiding behind her little plate of cheese. “Steeeeven.”
He grinned and leaned back in his chair. “She’s also super smart, funny, sweet, stylish, brave and beautiful… but I’m sure you know that already.”
Shreya rolled her eyes. “Ok, ew. Too much. I’m going to go throw up now. Bye.”
“Shreya!” Alex moaned. “C’mon, they’re about to announce prom king and queen. You can’t throw up for that if you’re throwing up over them!”
“Where did you find him?” Anna whispered in Connie’s ear while the other two play argued. “Does he have a sister? Or brother? Cousins? I’m not picky.”
Connie laughed. “No, I’ve got the keys to the only available Universe.” Steven beamed and nodded.
“I never told you guys how we met, though, did I?”
Steven went pale. “No. Please don’t.”
Connie grinned and hunched over, fingers steepled. It was times like this she missed her glasses and their convenient reflecting of all light like an anime villain. “I was 12 and sitting in a seaside cove, reading the latest Unfamiliar Familiar. I was unsupervised when, lo, a boy approached.”
“Connnnie.”
“He rode his trusty bicycle through the sand to see me, braving grit and the salty sea breeze to save me from a falling rock that surely would’ve crushed the life from my broken corpse.”
Steven made a face. She probably shouldn’t be so blasé about that.
“His noble effort left us both stuck in a nigh-indestructible forcefield. We tried everything to pop it, eventually getting trapped at the bottom of the ocean for our troubles.”
Anna’s eyes steadily widened over the course of story.
“Down in the deepest dark, the young Connie broke. I was cold, hungry and scared that I’d disappear without ever leaving a mark on the world. I knew I would die unloved, unknown and friendless. That’s when Steven pulled out the glowstick bracelet I had dropped a year prior and presented it as an offering. He promised himself as my very first friend.”
She got a faraway look in her eyes. “Aaaand here we are. That’s how I met this lovely, kind, shining gem of a man.”
“Wow. That’s deep,” Anna breathed.
“We almost got eaten by a corrupted gem later, but that’s not nearly as important as meeting Connie,” Steven added.
“So you’re saying I need to get hit by a rock to find someone like him.”
“No.”
An announcement cut through the music, saving the pair from having to talk Anna out of throwing herself in front of a bus to meet a Steven of her own. A crowd formed at the stage tucked away in the back corner of the gymnasium. The group followed, dumping their finished silverware in a trashcan on their way.
A spokesperson made the speech on what it meant to be prom King and Queen, how difficult the selection process had been. The crowd still buzzed with the chaotic energy from earlier, cheering for every honorable mention with equal zeal. Connie and Steven lost the names in the uproar, but they screamed their lungs raw when they saw the red and gold couple ascending the steps.
The couple caught sight of them in the crowd and waved. Steven and Connie hugged each other and waved back.
“They look so happy,” she said.
Steven nodded against her head as the coronation began. Tears stood out in the couple’s eyes as they accepted their crowns and flowers, to the uproar of the student body.
At last they were handed the microphone for some final words.
The girl stepped forward. “You guys are really great. This has… this has been more than I ever hoped for my last year of high school and it’s because all of you.”
The boy gently leaned down and she held the mic up to him. “We’re honored to be prom King and Queen. We have one decree we’d like to make before we let you all go. We want all of you…”
The couple glanced at each other before they took the bouquet together and threw it into the crowd. “To have a great night!”
The students fell into another frenzy of dancing with strangers as the music picked up again. Steven and Connie spent the next hour mingling, taking pictures, eating and drinking before eventually the noise grew too much.
They went out to the basketball field for a breath of fresh air, then laid down together. Clouds covered the sky, obscuring all but the brightest stars. They still made a point of picking out Homeworld’s galaxy and the centers of all their favorite constellations.
They eventually lapsed into a comfortable silence, only broken when Connie rubbed Steven’s shoulder.
“I want to do stuff like this more often with you.”
Steven looked over at her and took her hand. “I do too… You’re my favorite person to go on dates with.”
“You’re my favorite person to go on dates with too!”
They giggled. Steven sighed and rolled onto his side.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. I really would like to spend more time together.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Connie said. “We’re best friends. I’ll make time for you.”
Steven scooped her up and tucked her into the crook of his arm. She settled in, her head resting on his chest. His frantic heartbeat betrayed his peaceful face as he rubbed her back.
“Want to go for a moonwalk before we head home?”
“I can’t think of a better way to end this night.”
