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Steven bounced around the house excitedly, gathering up different items and piling them in his room. Today was an important day, one he’d been looking forward to the whole week! He had to be completely prepared! He brought the last of the items into his room and stepped back to survey what he’d collected.
He had three different movies to choose from, a bag of cheese puffs and a couple cans of apple juice, three blankets and a couple pillows. Steven grinned. This was exactly what he needed for his and Connie’s movie marathon tonight! It was going to be great!
Because it was Saturday, it meant his best friend Connie could come over and spend the day with him! Connie had a lot less time to hang out with him on weekdays, since she was at school. Steven was homeschooled by his guardians Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, so he didn't have to worry about going out to school, but she did. That's why the weekends were so important to him. He could hang out with Connie more!
Steven heard a knock and gasped, running down the stairs from his bedroom to open the front door.
“Connie!” He greeted, enveloping her in a hug.
“Woah!” Connie chuckled, hugging him back. “Hey Steven! Miss me much?”
Steven released her, beaming. “I’m so happy to see you, Connie! It’s been so long since we last saw each other!”
“It’s only been a week!” Connie replied. “But I’m glad to see you too!”
Taking Connie’s hand, Steven led her up the stairs to his bedroom. “I can’t wait to start our movie marathon! I got a few movies to choose from, some snacks, and some comfy blankets!”
He pointed out each of the items as he spoke before flopping down onto the blanket pile. “It’s gonna be great!”
Connie knelt beside the blanket pile, watching him amusedly. “Yeah, it definitely will be! What movies did you pick anyway?”
“Oh my gosh!” Steven sat up, gathering the movies he’d chosen into his arms. “You’re going to love them! Here, let me show you!”
Steven was right: Connie did end up loving the movies he’d chosen. One was a movie adaptation of Connie’s favorite book series, Unfamiliar Familiar. The other two were movies about dragon riders and how they befriended their dragon steeds in the first place. Steven and Connie had only gotten a quarter of the way through the second movie, when Connie looked at her phone and gasped.
“It’s 6:30? Oh gosh.” She said, grabbing her bag and ruffling through it to make sure she had everything. “Sorry Steven, I have to go!”
"Wait, what?" Steven cried. "But I thought you needed to leave at 8! That's, like, an hour from now!"
Connie sighed. "I know, but I wanted to spend some time getting a gift for my mom for Mother's Day. Don't worry, I won't have to leave early next time. We can finish watching then!"
Steven tilted his head, confused. "Mother's Day? What's that?"
"Oh." She stopped, looking up from her bag to him. "You don't know what Mother's Day is?"
Steven shook his head. "Am I supposed to?"
"I dunno, but I can tell you what it is if you want!" When Steven nodded eagerly, she began explaining. "Mother's Day is a day where, every year, you get or make a gift for your mom. It doesn't have to be big, but it's a good way to show you care!" She zipped the front of her bag closed and stood up. "It's actually tomorrow, which is why I need to leave early to find a gift."
Steven was watching her with star-filled eyes as she spoke. "Wow, that's so cool! But wait..." He paused, frowning. "I don't have a mom I can give a gift to. What should I do for Mother's Day?"
He looked behind Connie at the painting of his mom, Rose Quartz, hanging up above the door. Technically, she was his mom, but since she had to die to give birth to him, he never really got to know her. He couldn’t exactly give her a gift if she wasn’t here!
"Oh, right." Steven turned his focus back on Connie as she spoke. She hummed, tapping her chin. "Well, what about the Gems: Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst? They're your guardians, right? That's kind of like a mom. You could get gifts for them."
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right! I can get gifts for the Gems! Thanks Connie!" Steven jumped up and hugged Connie and she chuckled, hugging him back.
"No problem! I should get going, though."
"Oh yeah!" Steven released her from the hug and she picked up her bag walked over to the door, opening it before looking back at Steven.
"Good night, Steven!" She said, waving. “See you later!”
"Bye Connie!" Steven waved back at her, and she smiled, leaving and closing the door behind her.
Steven turned back to the tv, turning it off before leaning back against the bed to think. The sun had set, but it was still a couple hours before he needed to go to bed. He had plenty of time! It couldn't be that hard to think up good Mother's Day gifts for the Gems, right?
It was the next day, and Steven still had yet to figure out what to give the Gems. He was laying sprawled out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, expression more exasperated than thoughtful by this point. He groaned, sitting up and putting his hands on his face.
"I still don't know what to give the gems! Nothing's good enough!" He sighed, letting his hands fall back down.
Steven glanced around his room, and then out at the rest of the house, which was empty now. This was serious! If Mother's Day only came once a year, he had to do something huge, not something he did every day!
He glanced up at his mom’s portrait, frowning. Maybe he didn't have a mom he could give a gift to, but he had the gems, and they deserved something special! Something they would really, really love. Something they would love as much as they loved her.
As he was staring out at the rest of the house, something walked into view. Steven gasped. It was Lion, his pet lion! He had found the lion a while back and they'd been friends ever since. Lion used to be his mom's, which was why he was so friendly and smart. Steven wasn't sure how his mom befriended a lion, but he was sure glad she did! With Lion's help, they would find gifts for the Gems in no time! He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to where Lion was.
"Lion! Lion!" Steven called, running up to the feline. "I need you to help me find gifts for the Gems for Mother's Day! It has to be something important, something the Gems will really care about."
Lion yawned and lied down, closing his eyes and stretching out. It seemed like he didn't want to do anything but lay around for the rest of the day.
Steven frowned. "Aw, come on, Lion! Please? It would really mean a lot to me." He paused, thinking. "I'll give you some Lion Lickers if you help me."
Lion lifted his head to look at him and Steven grinned. "Maybe one Lion Licker ice cream for each gift we find?"
Lion stared at the boy for a moment and then huffed and stood up. Steven pumped his fists into the air.
"Yes! Woohoo!" He cheered, Lion watching him celebrate with mild amusement. "Wait here, I need to get my backpack!"
Steven bolted up to his room, grabbing his backpack and dumping out whatever was already inside before putting it on.
"Okay, I'm ready!" He said as he leapt down the stairs, two at a time. Lion was waiting for him and he hopped up onto the feline’s back. “Alright, let's find Pearl's gift first!"
With a roar, Lion created a portal in front of them which would take them where they needed to go. Lion leapt into the portal as Steven cheered, the portal disappearing behind them.
They arrived in a field which stretched far in all directions. Flowers were scattered all around the field, some in bushes and some in patches. Steven's nose immediately started to run and he sneezed.
"Aw, man." He grumbled. "Pollen allergies are the worst." He glanced around, climbing off Lion. "Where are we?"
Lion stared around as well before bounding off, coming back a second later with something clamped in his jaws. Steven looked at the object and then raised an eyebrow. "Lion, what is this?"
Lion pushed it into his hands and he grimaced at the slobber on it, holding it up closer. It was a flower, petals going from a light pink on the outside to a darker pink inside.
"Woah." Steven said. "Pretty flower." Then he shook his head. "Lion, I was looking for a magical sword or something, not some flower." He peered at the flower, trying to see the importance in such a common object. "Why would... How would..." He sighed. "Never mind." Steven carefully placed the flower in his backpack and climbed onto Lion's back. "Let's just go find a gift for Amethyst." Lion roared, creating a new portal, and went through.
The next place they arrived at was the boardwalk near Steven's house. Lion came to a stop in front of a store, one Steven recognized as soon as he saw it.
"The Big Donut?" He asked, staring at the pastry shop. "I know Amethyst likes donuts, but I was hoping we could get something more special for her. She gets donuts like, every day."
Lion stared at him silently, not moving.
"Come on Lion! Please?" Steven pleaded, tugging at Lion's mane. "I need a better gift than this! The Gems need something better than this!"
Lion huffed and sat down. It didn’t seem like he was changing his mind anytime soon, no matter how much Steven prodded him.
"Fiiine. " Steven said, slumping in defeat. "I'll get her some donuts."
Steven went into the store, greeting the store clerks, Sadie and Lars. He bought some donuts, making sure they were Amethyst's favorite, and stuffed them into his backpack with the flower.
"Alright, I'm back." He said to Lion, clambering back onto the feline. "Time to get Garnet's gift."
Lion opened a portal and they were off.
When they came back out of the portal, Steven was surprised to see that they were at what looked like a junkyard. There were dark clouds above them and rain was lightly falling around them, turning the dirt into mud.
"Lion?" Steven asked, sliding off his back and casting an apprehensive look around him. "Why are we in a junkyard?"
Lion leapt off into the piles of trash, digging around for something.
"Liooon," Steven complained, "we can't give Garnet trash! That's just mean!"
Lion didn't pay him any mind, tugging something out of a trash pile and dropping it at Steven's feet. It was a frog plushie, covered in mud, but still intact. Steven picked it up, staring at it.
"It's just... a plushie." He said.
Lion sat and began to lick his paws, clearly proud of himself.
Steven growled, gripping at his hair with one of his hands. "This isn't a special gift at all! I wanted to get them good gifts that would be important to them! This is just junk you found in the trash! Why would the Gems care about this?" He glared at the plushie, which was still held tightly in his hands. "The gifts for the Gems were supposed to be special! They deserve more than just this from me, especially after I..." He trailed off, staring at the plushie for a moment longer before shoving it into his backpack, the legs sticking out the top.
It was raining harder now. He didn't care.
"Lion." He called and the lion stood, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. "I want to go home." Lion bent down to allow Steven to climb on before creating a portal and running through.
When Steven and Lion finally made it back home, the sun was just beginning to set. They landed just outside the house, Steven sliding off Lion as soon as they came to a stop. Steven climbed up the stairs to the house, glancing in through the window.
The Gems were all there. Pearl was making dinner in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot with a spoon, while Amethyst and Garnet were in the living room. They all looked so... happy. He didn't want to ruin the mood.
Steven turned around, but bumped into Lion, who was now standing right behind him. He yelped and jumped back. "Lion! Don't scare me like that!"
Lion just snorted at him before looking in through the window. Steven followed his gaze. Garnet had looked over at them, a smile forming on her face when she saw Steven. She beckoned at them, inviting them inside.
Welp, no turning back now. Steven took a deep breath and entered the house.
Pearl and Amethyst both turned when he came in, looking happy to see him.
"Steven! I was wondering where you went!" Pearl turned back to the stove, glancing at the clock on the wall before turning the heat off. "I was just making stew for dinner. Amethyst said I should make something more interesting, but this is a healthier option!"
"Yeah, and it's boring!" Amethyst replied, as Pearl moved the pot to the side to cool. She chuckled, waving at Steven. "Sup Steeb!"
"Hi guys..." Steven said and shuffled closer so he was standing in front of the living room, his gaze to the floor. This was not how he had wanted Mother's Day to go at all.
Garnet tilted her head. "You seem upset." Steven lifted his head to look at her. Was he being that obvious?
"Yeah, dude. What's up?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "And why are you all wet?"
Steven looked down at his clothes, still sopping wet from being in the rain and sighed. "It's a long story..."
Garnet held up a hand. "Wait here." She said, before walking over to the bathroom. A minute later she was back, draping a large towel over Steven. "Wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
“Good thinking Garnet!” Pearl said, still in the kitchen stirring the stew as it cooled. “While being wet won’t necessarily give you a cold, you’re more susceptible to catching a cold if you don’t dry off!”
Steven hugged the towel around his shoulders with a small smile. "Yeah, thanks Garnet." Garnet sat back down and Steven pulled off his backpack, holding it in front of him.
"So," Steven began, "Connie told me that today was a day called Mother's Day, where you give gifts to your mom to show that you love her. I know you guys aren't my moms, but I wanted to get you something anyway."
"Oh, that's so sweet, Steven." Pearl said.
Steven grimaced. "I wasn't sure what to get, so I asked Lion for help, but I couldn't find anything that was good enough." He could hear Lion give an indignant snort behind him, but he ignored it. "You guys deserve something really big and special, but all I could find was stuff you probably already have, or, at least, can easily get."
Garnet gave him a warm smile. "I'm sure whatever it is, we'll love it anyway."
Steven looked at her searchingly, not sure whether to believe her or not. After a moment, he looked back down at the floor, setting the backpack to the side. "I know, but it still doesn't feel like enough."
Steven gripped the front of his shirt tightly with one hand. "You guys work so hard to keep me safe and I wanted to make up for that. Especially since..." Steven hesitated, his voice small as he continued. "Especially since I'm the reason Mom's gone in the first place."
He didn't look up to see the Gems' expressions, but he knew they were probably upset. This was confirmed when he heard Pearl's wavering voice. “Steven... no... Why would you think that?"
"I know you guys miss mom and I know you guys blame me for her being gone." Steven clenched his hands into fists, trembling slightly. "I know it's my fault and I wanted to make up for that, but I don't know how." His voice broke at the end and he scrubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears before they even formed.
"What are you talking about?" Amethyst cried, anger evident in her voice. "That's not your fault! Why would we blame you?"
Steven lowered his hands from his face, blinking. He hadn't expected that. "I... but-"
"Steven," Garnet spoke and he fell silent, "look at me."
Steven slowly lifted his head to meet Garnet's gaze. She was in front of him, having stood to walk over to him. She crouched down, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"What Rose did is not your fault." She said, her voice calm and steady. "It was her choice to have you, not yours. We don't blame you for her being gone. We love you."
"Yeah, dude!" Amethyst hopped over next to Garnet, leaning against her shoulder and casting a comforting smile towards Steven. "It's not like you asked to be made!"
Steven gazed at them with wide eyes and then turned to look at Pearl. She was still in the kitchen, looking away from them with a sad look on her face, her hands covering her mouth. "...Pearl?"
Pearl looked over at him when he spoke, hesitating a moment before sighing and crossing the room to them. She crouched down on Garnet's other side, still not completely looking at him.
"Steven," she began, "I know I've been... harsh to you in the past. I wasn't thinking about how that might make you feel." She finally lifted her head to face him, a more determined expression on her face. "I promise, I don't blame you for... for Rose being gone. It isn't your fault. I'm sorry if I made you feel like it was."
Steven's eyes welled with tears and before he knew it, the Gems had all enveloped him in a hug.
After they released each other from the group hug, they all had dinner, the warmth of the stew making Steven sleepier than ever. When dinner was done, he got ready for bed, climbing under the covers. He expected to fall asleep quickly after the long day he'd had.
Which was why it was so strange that now, at 11:00 at night, he was still awake. Blinking tiredly up at the ceiling, he sighed, rolling over onto his side. It wasn't like he wasn't tired, but his thoughts wouldn't quiet down enough for him to sleep.
Despite what the Gems said and how sincere they seemed to be, Steven couldn't help it if a small part of him still didn't believe them. He wanted to believe them, but he just... couldn't. They had lied to him in the past; for all he knew, they could've been lying to him then too.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Garnet climb up the stairs to his bedroom, only noticing her when she was already at the top of the stairs.
"Oh, hi Garnet." Steven said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Garnet moved to sit on the side of his bed. "You're still awake."
Steven hummed, looking away.
"You must have a lot to think about if you're up this late." Garnet prompted.
Steven sighed, folding his hands together in front of him. "Kinda. It's just..." He hesitated, unsure what to say. "Um..." He glanced up to see Garnet waiting patiently for his response, which only served to make his stomach curl tighter. Why couldn't he just trust her?
"You can take as much time as you need." Garnet said. "There's no rush."
Steven sucked in a breath before fully turning to face Garnet. "Did you... really mean it? What you said earlier?"
Garnet nodded. "Of course, Steven. You are not your mother. We won't blame you for her choice in having you."
"But you guys really miss her." Steven said. "You're always so sad about it."
"Yes, we do miss her. In fact, we might always miss her." Steven started to speak, but Garnet held up a hand to silence him. "But that doesn't mean we don't care about you too. We'll always love you, no matter what your mother did."
Steven looked away, his brows furrowed. "I don't know... I feel like you're just saying that to make me feel better."
Garnet hummed and, after a moments pause, spoke. "Then we'll prove it."
"Huh?" This got Steven to look back up at her, confusion written on his face.
"We'll prove that we don't blame you for your mother's actions," Garnet said, "and we'll keep proving it until you can believe us.”
Steven watched her for a moment and then nodded slowly, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Ok."
Garnet gave him a warm smile. "Did that help you feel better?"
"A little." Steven paused, looking down. "Do you... think you could stay here with me? Just for tonight?"
"Of course, Steven." Garnet said. "I'll stay here as long as you need me."
Steven smiled. He lied back down, Garnet pulling the covers over him. She stayed by the side of his bed to keep him company. With the warmth of the blankets and Garnet's comforting presence, Steven drifted into a peaceful sleep.