Forced Fusion, Gone Right?

63:The Last Bug Race

Onion and his friends climbed on each other to look like a tall man in a trench coat with Onion w the top. "You're gonna pretend to be grown? Can I pretend with you!?" Steven asked with Glee as Labradorite looked at them, confused at the appeal. Onion nodded and Steven jumped up and sat on Onion's shoulders.

The children buttoned up the coat and Onion gave Steven a hat to go with it. "Man we look so grown up!" Steven smiled, Labradorite blinked completely confused. Steven just looked taller. Steven and Labradorite walked the streets as Steven counted off ways to do being 'older' now.

They found their way to Suitcase Sam's and Steven suggested they bump into him to his surprise they walked closer to Suitcase Sam and As Steven started talking the trench coat threw open and a picture was taken making Suitcase Sam run away and shocking Steven a little. They passed the photo to each other and chuckled before passing it up to Steven.

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The photo was posted on a tree back at the clearing where many more were taken just like that one, including Garnet, who just held a thumbs up.

"I always thought when we weren't hanging out you were just sitting alone on the board walk Onion." Steven said as they looked at the countless photos on the tree's bark.

"how long has this been going on?" Steven asked, Onion pulled Steven aside. Onion made a box with six spaces in the dirt.

"What's going on over here? Just drawing in the dirt, eh? That's cool. That's not creepy." Steven said, more reassuring himself than anyone else. Soup came over and sat on the ground, Makin Steven look at them.

"Right Soup?" Steven asked, Soup got up and lifted their pot from their head, bugs scurring from the pot, making Steven unnerved. Soup lifted the pot normally and held them out to the children.

Squash took at bug along with Garbanzo and Pinto and raced over to the box Onion had drawn in the dirt.

Steven and Labradorite walked over to Soup, confused as they held out the pot to them, Onion gave them a nod.

Steven and Labradorite placed their hand in the pot, one more unnerved than the other.Steven grabbed a beetle and Labradorite took a centipede.

They all went back to the box now looking more like a race fit with a twig sticking out of the dirt at the finish line and Onion holding a ruler to stop the bugs from going any further.

"What should we..?" Labradorite started before Soup place their worm on a section and pointed to the two free sections. "Oh, okay." Both gems placed their bugs on the free sections.

"Is this a race?" Labradorite asked, tilting her head, as she looked a the structure Onion had made into the dirt.

"Your racing bugs?" Steven asked, with slight bewilderment. Onion nodded and Steven laughed.  "That's fun!" Steven said with a large smile.

Onion muttered something before removing the ruler from the set, letting the bugs move freely. The bugs moved sporadically, except for Steven's who easily crossed the finish line.

The children cheered for Steven and picked him up, walking over to the tree stump with his beetle in tow. They placed the beetle on the tree stump and Garbanzo gave him a hammer.

Steven thanked him with a smile and all went silent as Soup pointed from the hammer to the beetle wandering aimlessly on the tree stump and punched their fist gently.