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It’s so tiring.
Homeworld has been a stressful experience, no matter how much it was needed.
Every part of him aches to go home, and the second that he stands on the warp pad and the flash of light surround him, he feels a weight lift off of his shoulders. The light still hurts, just a little; he’s not used to his enhanced eyesight yet, and he screws his eyes closed until he feels solid ground beneath his feet, hears the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore.
Steven blinks slowly. Once, twice, and then smiles, tips of sharp teeth protruding over his lip just a little. “Are you here?” he asks, and he’s answered by the sound of rustling pages and a short hum, a hand reaching out to wave at him from behind a pot of pink flowers.
“I missed you.” Three words is all he manages to say before there’s arms around him and a bundle of hair in his face, Connie’s book left sitting on her floor as she hugs him tight. He’s shocked for a split second; it’s the first time she’s hugged him since his change, and he wasn’t sure she’d ever want to. There hadn’t been time when he’d left, it hadn’t been possible. Hugging requires contact, and contact had sent him crazy.
He remembers it all too well.
The terror in his voice as he had pleaded Connie to stay away, please stay away, I don’t want to hurt you. The sadness in her eyes as she had backed away, clutching her hand to her chest.
The way she’d been his last thought before it overtook him, tearing apart his mind and destroying every part of him.
Except, it didn’t.
He’s here.
He’s here.
He’s okay.
He’s back on Earth, he’s home, he’s with Connie, and he’s okay.
“You’re you!” she says, and when she pulls away he can see tears of happiness shimmering in the corners of her eyes. The pressure of her arms doesn’t leave, she still holds onto him in a loose hug, and he leans into the embrace, needing it desperately. “A slightly different you,” she smiles, one hand shifting to point at his face. “Can I touch them?”
He nods, tilting his head forward, and when she touches a hand to his horns he finds that he doesn’t entirely hate it. It’s a strange feeling, one he’s going to have to get used to, but it doesn’t hurt, which is what he’d been expecting. He’d been expecting more pain, more agony, but instead there’s only a calming softness, the tips of her fingers tracing over the point of the horn lightly. “Did you find out what you needed to?” she asks, and Steven shakes his head slowly.
“No, the Diamonds didn’t know much. I don’t think they really understand corruption. Still, I think I- I think I needed to get away, y’know? Just a little time, where I wasn’t a danger to any humans.”
She nods, smiling, and he finds himself smiling back. “I know. I missed you, though. Three months with no Steven was the worst.”
“It was only one month,” he says with a raised eyebrow, and he laughs when she waves a flippant hand at him.
“Felt like longer.”
“Tell me about it.”
Connie grins, one of her arms suddenly slung over his shoulder, fake concern lacing its way through her features. “Did the Diamonds bother you the whole time? Are they moving in now?” She gasps, “Are you moving in with them?”
Steven groans. “Absolutely not.”
“Did everyone call you their Diamond?”
Another groan, louder this time. “Yes, and it was so awkward. I... don’t think they’ve really grasped the whole ‘my name is Steven’ thing.”
“That sounds rough, my Di-”
“Don’t!” he says, flicking a finger against her nose, and she pulls back with a laugh, crossing her arms against her chest.
“Do I need a different name for you? Your Highness?”
Steven rolls his eyes, pulling his jacket tighter around him, and he lets his voice drop a little lower, mouth twisting into a crooked smirk. “You can call me your boyfriend,” he says, and he sticks his tongue out between sharp fangs when she bursts out laughing, walking over to him to envelop him in another hug.
“I missed your dumb jokes. And your dumb flirting.” She buries her face into his neck, and he wraps his arms tightly around her, lifting her up so that the toes of her shoes just barely graze the floor. “And your hugs.”
“My flirting is amazing, thank you very much.” There’s more he wants to say, more he wants to tell her. That he missed her too, missed looking into her eyes and hearing her laugh and feeling her arms wrapped around him, but he can’t figure out how to get the thoughts out of his brain. It’s just a jumble of emotions, a mess of words that he can’t say without getting tongue-tied, so he just hugs her tighter and breathes, letting himself sink into the contact, letting himself receive the love that he’s been craving for so long.
“Ice cream,” she murmurs against his skin, and he glances down at her with mild amusement.
“What?”
“Ice cream,” she repeats, and her head tilts back to look up at him, hopeful light shining in her eyes. “We should go get ice cream. I haven’t been on a date with you in a month.”
“I’m thinking about how much I love you, and you’re thinking about ice cream.”
“I’m thinking about ice cream because of how much I love you.”
“...Sure.”
“So, what do you say?” She breaks the hug but reaches a hand down to lace their fingers together, careful not to touch any of the pink-purple splotches that run down his arm. “Ice cream date, your Highness?”
“Not if you call me that.”
“Just say you’ll go on a date with me, Steven.” She swings their hands between them a little, leaning in closer. “Can I get a yes, your Majesty?”
“Majesty?”
“My love,” she says, and Steven feels his cheeks burn. “My darling.”
“Alright, alright, enough,” he says, but he can’t stop the shy smile that’s playing at his lips, and he’s sure that Connie’s noticed. “Ice cream time.”
Her eyes get brighter in a way that he didn’t think was possible, and a laugh escapes him as she pulls him in a path through the plants, racing to the door of the observatory.
He’s okay.
He can’t stop thinking it; the fact that he’s here, she’s here, they’re together, they’re okay.
He can’t stop seeing her smile, feeling her hand in his, he can’t stop loving her, and he knows that he doesn’t ever want to.
“Let’s go,” she says, the door opening behind her, and he smiles as she plants a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling him along again, salty sea air blowing against his face.
They’re okay.
They’re going to be okay.
He’s home.