💫Still Not Giving Up💫

Chapter Thirty-One

"get outta here!" Peridot yelled from the front of the barn. "she doesn't want to see you!" she waved Steven off her property angrily.

you sighed, adjusting your shirt before running towards the door. you peeked your head out, smiling when you saw Stevens confused expression. "stand down Peri, i do want to see him."

Steven was wearing his usual attire, accompanied with a small tote bag overflowing with various items. he rolled his eyes at you playfully. "you ready?"

you nodded and grabbed his outstretched hand, sighing at the warmth that engulfed you.

Lapis popped up out of nowhere. "excuse me, what exactly is happening right here?" she gestured to your linked hands.

Steven shrugged. "stuff." he pulled you towards the warp pad, calling over his shoulder. "i'll have her back by 6-" he lowered his voice. "do you still want to get ice cream?" you nodded. "...9 o'clock!"

-.-.-.-.-.-
you two sat in the sand -where you always did-, looking out at the waves. Steven handed you a sandwich and an apple juice.

"so..."  he started.

"yeah... i'm sorry i insulted your mommy issues."

"i'm sorry i threw you against a wall."

You laughed quietly, touching the small scar on your arm subconsciously. "i'm sorry to tried to force you to talk about your feelings."

"sorry for pushing you away."

you both settled into silence, enjoying the blanket of comfort that always appeared when you two were together.

after threading your fingers together anxiously, building up the courage to say something, you opened your mouth. "i think we should analyze our relationship."

he looked at you with wide eyes. "what?"

"you know, see what went wrong, what to fix." you shrugged. "i-i mean if you want to fix it. i just assumed you still wanted to be with me." you buried your reddened face in your hands. "we can just be friends."

Steven gently grabbed your arms, pulling your hands away from your face with a soft smile. "i still care about you, Y/N. i want to make this work."

you nodded. "okay." you started to draw mindlessly in the sand, trying to distract yourself. "we probably could have communicated better." you started.

"i think we moved too fast. i mean, we knew each other for, like, 3 weeks before we started dating."

"i should have tried to commit better. you know, shown more interest in your interests, stuff like that." you glanced over at him apologetically.

"i shouldn't have pushed you so hard. you were under a lot of pressure with work, and your parents..." Stevens hands made their way to yours, grabbing them tightly. "and i should talk about my feelings more, instead of forcing the focus onto yours."

"i shouldn't be so harsh on you, your past was confusing and traumatic. it's normal for you not to be open about it." you shook your head, cursing past-you.

Steven threw his arms up into the air playfully. "there you go, being a therapist again!" he groaned dramatically.

"well, it is my job."

Steven looked down at you with a soft smile, the slowly setting sun illuminating his face and giving it an angelic glow. "i think we can make this work."

you rested your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes. your hands were still intertwined, and Stevens slow, even breaths comforted you. "me too."

(edited!)