Chapter Text
Dark.
Everything was... so dark around you.
You barely heard distant cries.
Even then, they were so faint that you had to wonder if it was another one of your auditory hallucinations. You tried opening your eyes.
Still dark.
Maybe your brother decided to play a joke on you and turned them out while you were watching that creepy movie you've been meaning to.
Except... you didn't watch any movies in the past... week, you think?
So what was happening?
You tried flexing your hand.
It...
Did not work...
You started to get scared.
Where were you? Why is it so dark? Why can't you see anything, even as you try to?
Questions flooded your mind.
You felt more overwhelmed by the minute.
In fact it was almost as if someone turned all of your emotional distress up by like... a thousand percent.
You burst with cries, confused, scared... Nothing made sense.
Then warmth enveloped you.
It was... comforting. Even when you didn't know what was happening or where you were...
The warmth was like coming home.
You curled into the warmth.
You felt safe.
(When was the last time you felt safe?)
***
And that's how the next few months went.
With strange dreams that probably didn't concern you (and it wasn't like you were able to remember them anyway) your vision slowly became more focused, your hearing sharpening.
You learned that you were reincarnated.
(You refused to think about it. About how you went)
That your name was Steven. That you had a father named Greg.
It sounded familiar to some extent, to be honest. You couldn't really place where you'd heard that...
Anyway, Greg was... kind of nice. And well. Nice fathers are an unfamiliar territory to you. Also your new father was a dork. And soft. And all the ways you were taught not to be. You wonder why the man chooses kindness.
Not for a very happy reason, probably.
(Not like yours was happy.)
He was different from him– long hair, no beard... a kind smile.
You still couldn't help but flinch everytime he reached for you.
You know fundamentally that Greg is different.
You know it with your brain, not with your heart. So that doesn't really matter.
Also you learn that Greg is in some dire situation– not enough pay to have a house. Because of that his friend – Vidalia – agrees to house the two of you.
She also, for some reason looks familiar.
You brush it off.
Vidalia also has a kid of her own – one much older then the body you are now occupying. His mom just calls him SC so you don't really know his name. You do know that SC is... six, if you remember correctly?
He's kinda fun to hang around with when Greg goes to his thousand plus one little odd jobs to pay Vidalia as much as he can.
You feel sad, seeing how much he works himself into the grave.
Still, you don't do much.
The months at Vidalia's are a bit boring but you don't really notice with the way you get consumed by the grief for your old life.
You... no matter how stupid and mean your brother acted, you do miss him. You miss your mother, even when she screamed at you. Even when she didn't accept you.
You don't think about your father.
You think about your friends. Friends that would be devastated. That would lose hope.
You wish you could've done more for them.
Greg is starting to get worried that even as you reach 10 months old you still haven't made many sounds, even when his parenting books tell him that this is the typical age babies babble at, or say their first word.
You stay silent.
SC, even while with a bit of an attitude for his mom, gives you his gamepad.
You love to play with him sometimes. Or watching him play. It reminds you of your old life.
You appreciate SC's kindness.
No one in this house has to choose it and yet they do.
Even Vidalia, who seems kind of scary at first sight is gentle with you.
She makes the best soup.
And SC's music taste is nice.
And... and you find Greg's hugs nice. And warm. And safe.
You only find out where you truly are when on a wintery, cold day The Crystal Gems show up at your door, ready to help Greg raise his child.
You scream.