I began pounding my fist against the door for the third time, completely losing the little patience I had left. "Steven! You were supposed to drop me off ten minutes ago!", I hollered. "If you don't get out soon, I'll be late and you'll have face pounded in!".

"J-Just a second!", he responded, his voice slightly muffled. I knew he had a hefty breakfast but who spends this much time in the toilet. I let out a sigh of exasperation and sat down on the floor, reclining my back against the bathroom door. I dug my hand into my pocket, wanting to scroll through my phone to kill time. I caught a glimpse of what time it was and immediately started to grow anxious.

"What do you mean I should return it? I found this artifact unattained on the ground, therefore, I revoke the previous owner of the ownership of it!".

That voice. It sounded so vaguely familiar. It came from inside the bathroom, where I knew Steven was. I began to chuckle aloud, "Wow! How long have you been working on that", I asked him.

"What?", he responded.

I clarified for him, "Your Peridot impression, it's spot on!".

Steven fell in silence for a moment, before he began chuckling restlessly, "Uh, about that...You see--".

The door suddenly swung open, pushing me forward as landed on the floor with a thud. "Oi! Watch it!", I exclaimed, picking myself up.

I turned around, expecting to see Steven, but instead saw someone that made my heart stop. Peridot was by the door, her face pinched with confusion she held one of Steven's toothbrushes in her hand. I was so struck with shock I didn't even notice that she had been stripped of her gear and was a lot less menacing and shorter. Acting on impulse, I slid my backpack off my shoulders and raised it over my head, threateningly.

"Y-You! Why are you here?!", I cried, tripping over my own feet, trying to back away from her.

"EEEP!!", Peridot shrieked, slamming the bathroom door in my face, then the lock click. I started pounding on the door once more, "Steven! Ar-Are you ok?! Steven!!".

There was a moment of whispering from behind the door creaking open to be ajar slightly. Steven popped his head through the gap. "How should I say this?", Steven muttered, sheepishly, meeting my eyes with a somewhat timid expression.

"Peridot is kind of staying with us".

I raised a brow, lowering my backpack. "Why? She's an evil gem who tried to destroy the world!", I pointed at him.

"I know, I know! But...", Steven opened the door a little wider and leaned in closer, "She knows something. Something called 'The Cluster'. Something dangerous that's going to hatch and emerge and only she knows about it".

"And how do you know she's not just making it up", I asked him, eyeing Peridot in the back who was cowering inside the bathtub. "How do you know what she's saying is true?".

Steven glanced over his shoulder, "I don't think she'd make it up. She seems pretty worked up about it when we were at the Homeworld Warp Pads".

Steven slid through the gap in the door and held out something in front of me. It was my bracelet. He dropped it into the palm of my hand. Steven must've made her give it back to me. But either way, it doesn't me that I trust her words for a second. Steven must've realised that I was getting agitated.

"Let's get you to school. I really don't want my f-face pounded in...", Steven shut the door behind him, leaving Peridot inside the bathroom, with a surprising amount of confidence that she would be ok left alone in there. Steven began to walk outside towards Lion, as I followed him, snatching a quick glimpse at the bathroom door, just in case Peridot was planning something.

~

Owen began shuffling through the contents of his backpacks before cursing under his breath.

"What's wrong?", Frankie asked him.

Owen's eyelids dropped, "I lost my school binder! It has all my handouts in it!".

Frankie raised a brow in doubt, "You lost it?".

"Are you implying someone stole it?".

I didn't hesitate to have a general idea of who would stoop that low. I could practically see Mable's smug grin projecting in my head. I didn't have any proof, but my gut feeling was enough to convince me. We all walked out the school doors, along with other kids who took off to the car park to get picked up, the bus stop or the kids who began walking home. My eyes darted around for Steven, as we agreed to meet up after school. My eyes then locked onto a sight that stunned me.

"Wow! You have a real lion?! So cool!".

Steven grinned widely, standing next to Lion as Mable was sucking up to him, giggling at almost everything that he said. Since when did they know each other? And, why was Mable talking to him? It then clicked, she was up to something. I could tell when her eyes shifted over to me with a taunting smirk on her face.

Jerry's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Woah! There's a lion! Are you guys seeing this?!".

I jogged up to Steven, tapping a finger on his shoulder as he turned to face me. "Oh, (Y/N)! You're here!", he smiled.

"That's my cue to leave!", Mable said, batting her eyelashes as if she was innocent. "I'll see you around Steven!".

She took off, but not before sending me a discrete smirk.

"She's really nice!", Steven smiled in her direction, as I could only glare at the back of her head. Glancing down, I noticed Steven holding a blue binder with colourful sticky notes and sheets of paper sticking out. On the front, a name was written in big, bold writing.

"My binder!", Owen was now next to me, pointing at the binder in Steven's hand. How did Steven have Owen's binder? He couldn't have entered the school, and there's no way he stole.

"Where did you get that?", I asked him, his expression didn't falter.

"That nice girl, Mable, gave it to me. Sorry, was it yours?", he handed it over to Owen who took it out of his hand with a sceptical glance. So, our suspicions were correct. Mable stole Owen's binder, but why? And more importantly, why did she give it to Steven? Was she trying to frame him?

Cutting off the uncomfortable tension, Frankie extended her hand out, "You're Steven, right?". He nodded, gripping her hand and shaking it firmly. She glanced up at Lion, who returned a lethargic look back. "When (Y/N) said you had a pet lion, I thought she meant a stuffed animal", she took a couple of steps back with caution.

"Does anyone ever tell you, you have a babyface?", Jerry asked, leaning closer to examine all of Steven's features. Steven's face flushed with a hue of pink when he noticed the obvious difference of how Jerry looked much older. He had to look up at him, and his voice was lower, it made Steven feel a little self-conscious. "How old are you, anyway?"

Steve pushed down the insecurities and smiled, "I'm turning 14 next week!", he chirped happily. It suddenly hit me like a big, red bat. Steven's birthday was coming up, and I forgot. I remember him rambling about it for ages the last time we met up and it totally slipped my mind. Steven could read me like a book and he honestly wasn't offended or surprised at all. At least, he pretended he wasn't.

"It's ok if you forgot, (Y/N)", he smiled, causing me to frown.

"I didn't forget!", the lie seeped through my mouth so easily, it was unsettling. "I already got you a present", that was another lie.

Despite seeing through my obvious fib, Steven decided to play along for the time being. "Really? What is it?", he asked, with his fraudulent obliviousness.

"Nice try, but it's a surprise", I responded.

"You guys are welcome to come to!", Steven turned to Owen, Frankie and Jerry. They all politely declined and I couldn't blame them. They barely knew Steven, and turning up to some stranger's birthday party would be a little bit awkward. Steven and I hopped on the back of Lion, he didn't need any treats to be manipulated into moving. I couldn't help but smirk when I caught a glimpse of the awestruck expressions on each of their faces as we took off.

Once coming out of another portal, we arrived outside of the sushi restaurant my mum and I go to. Steven was already impressed by the glowing neon fish sign outside the establishment, flashing on and off. We left Lion outside, confident that he won't be bothered to go anywhere. A chime played as the sliding doors opened. I instinctively tuned in to all the conversations around me as we found a table near the window to get a view of the street and keep an eye on Lion. Steven's eyes wandered around to admire his surroundings. His face flushed as soon as his mind processed something.

Is this a date?

It was just the two of us eating sushi together and chatting. He didn't know much about dates, but based on the books he's read and the movies he's watched, they look exactly like this. He swallowed hard, fiddling with his thumbs under the table. Maybe he was overthinking all of this. Maybe this was just a normal hang out and his crush on me was causing his mind to project the idea of us going on a date. He hated how infatuated he was feeling. Even though he really liked me, a part of him wished his feelings for me would just suddenly vanish one day. He wanted to be able to spend time with me without assuming it was a romantic gesture. But that day didn't seem to be coming any time soon. He felt like he was struck with cupid's arrow and it wouldn't budge. Steven sunk in his seat, using the menu on the table to shield his face from me

"So?", I asked. Steven's head perked up.

"So...", Steven copied me. I gave him an eye roll.

"Are you going to talk about the Peridot issue?", I asked him, playing with the menu in front of me. I didn't need to look at it, I already knew what I wanted. Steven wearily glanced at the menu in front of him, scanning through the dishes without taking the time to actually read them.

"She's terrified of thunderstorms and thinks my toothbrush is a weapon, she can't cause that much trouble", he explains to me, his face showing uncertainty. He was a little unsure of his own statement. A waiter walked up to us with a pen and notepad in her grip as she took our orders. "Plus, we got rid of all her limb enhancements so, even if she wanted to cause trouble, she can't".

I narrowed my brows as I handed both our menus to the waiter. Without them in front of him to shield him from me, Steven felt vulnerable. "What about Jasper?", I asked, the name rolling off my tongue filled me with a sense of dread. All I could remember when I said her name was hands around my throat and her bashing Steven's skull. The memory was devastating and the thought that I could've died that day didn't sit cozily in my head.

Steven's eyelids closed halfway and wanted nothing more than for the food to come so he could have an excuse not to talk about this.

He sent me an apprehensive grin that crept up his face, "Did you know I'm having my birthday party at a barn?".

I raised a brow, "Uh, I didn't. But--".

"I'm also gonna wear a birthday suit!", he swiftly cut me off. "I wear it every year".

"That's cool, I guess. But, I need to talk to you about--".

"The birthday suit also comes with a cape and crown! It's not a real crown, but you can't tell the difference--".

"Steven!", I snapped, causing him to shut his mouth immediately. "Are you trying to change the subject?".

Steven swayed slightly in his chair, "No...".

I let out a sigh. It was obvious Steven didn't want to talk about Jasper, so I decided to drop it.

"A-Are you going to tell me what my present is?", he once again, subtly attempted to switch topics.

I shook my head, firmly, "Nope! I'm not telling".

"Can I guess?", Steven asked, his excitement shining through his smile, forgetting all about our previous conversation.

"Sure, but only three guesses".

He tapped a finger on his chin, not wanting to blurt out something ridiculous. He really wanted to guess his non-existent present from me. He bit his lip, hard in thought. "Is it a G.U.Y.S. collectible?", he guessed once.

"That sounds stupid. I'm not spending money on something stupid", I responded, making an 'X' with my fingers to show he was wrong.

Steven smiled, "Good, cause I already have the whole collection. Except Ranger Guy. I gave him to Onion, he needed it more than me".

Steven went in for another guess, "Is it stickers?".

I scrunched up my nose, "Why would I waste time on getting you dumb stickers?".

"I could decorate my ukulele with them!", he responds. "Ok, um...Did you--".

"Nope, that's all the guesses you get", I said, turning to face the window. Lion still hadn't moved from his previous spot and was lying on the pathway, soaking up the sunlight.

Steven was perplexed, "But, you said I got three guesses".

I lied through my teeth, "I said two guesses. You just don't know how to listen".

"Oh, ok".

At least now I had a better idea of what to actually get him. Something dumb that a five-year-old would enjoy. Suddenly, I vibrate came from my bag that startled both me and Steven. I picked up my phone without looking at who was calling me.

"Hello?", I intuitively responded. Steven faced another direction, not wanting to listen in on my conversation. After all, it didn't concern him, he assumed it was just my mother calling me.

"Jerry? Why are you calling?".

Steven's ears suddenly perked up.

"...Uh, no. You're interrupting anything. I was just asking".

Steven raised a brow in bewilderment, unsure why he cared. But, we're hanging out. He is interrupting.

He pouted, hoping that I would notice, but I didn't.

"What...You--", I let out a chuckle, "You don't have to do that. I told you it was no big deal".

That's when he felt it. A painful prick in his chest as his fingers began to curl up. An unfamiliar burning sensation crept up his throat as a sudden bitter taste fogged up his mouth. All his muscles and skin tensed up and he couldn't loosen them. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he had a hypothesis. He attempted to convince himself it wasn't what he thought it was. When I let out a second laugh, the prick was more severe. A shadow cast over him as the colour of green flashed before his eyes.

"Um, (Y/N)?", he whispered to me, though I didn't acknowledge him. He didn't want to bluntly interrupt, but he felt a desperate need for my attention back. So, he was willing to risk provoking me. He reached out to me and gently traced his fingers on the back of my hand. I sharply glanced up from my phone.

"Can you--...We were talking, remember?", he muttered once again. A groan left my lips as I pressed my phone back onto my ear.

"Sorry, Jerry. I have to go. We can talk about this later".

Once I hung up, Steven finally felt at ease. His tense body finally relaxed and his fingers uncurled and rested on the table.

Sorry, this is short, but don't worry. The next chapter will be longer.