(1 Year later)....
The sun hung low in the sky as night began to creep onto the shores of Beach City, and the tantalising aroma of fries wafted through the air. Steven, with his ever-present sense of wonder and appetite, found himself at the local fry shop, "Beach Citywalk Fries."
Steven called out with a wide grin, approaching the counter.
Steven: "Hey, Peedee!"
The shop owner's son, Peedee, who was busy behind the counter, glanced up with a knowing look. Peedee responded, his tone carrying a hint of amusement
Peedee: "Hey, Steven. The usual, I guess?"
Steven: "Yep! The bits, please!"
Peedee chuckled as he reached for a small box filled with crispy bits of fries, more crumbs than actual fries. He looked at Steven with a playful smirk.
Peedee: "You know, you could always just order actual fries,"
Steven, undeterred by the suggestion, simply shrugged as he leaned on the counter.
Steven: "But the bits are soooooo gooooood."
Peedee rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he handed over the box of bits.
Peedee: "Alright, here you go, Steven. Enjoy!"
Steven: "Thanks, Peedee!"
He waved and bid farewell as Peedee returned to his work.
With his precious bits in hand, Steven decided to share the bounty with his friends. He strolled over to where the three unusual, multicolored women were standing. Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl—members of the enigmatic Crystal Gems—were engrossed in their own discussions.
Steven greeted them, holding out the box of bits.
Steven: "Hey, guys! Want some?"
Pearl, with her precise manners, gracefully declined with a polite nod, and Garnet simply shook her head. Amethyst, on the other hand, grinned mischievously and accepted the offer. She eagerly reached over, her fingers stained with grease as she scooped up the remaining bits and dropped them into her mouth, box included.
As Amethyst munched on the bits with reckless abandon, Pearl couldn't help but scold her for her lack of manners.
Pearl: "Amethyst, really! Show some manners."
Steven laughed heartily at their antics. His joy, however, was short-lived as something caught his eye—a scene unfolding a short distance away. An older boy, with a loaf of bread tucked under his arm, was hurriedly leaving a nearby store, clearly not bothering to pay.
Steven's sense of justice kicked in immediately. He couldn't ignore a potential wrongdoing, no matter how small. Without a second thought, he darted towards the boy, his determination to help overriding the confusion among the Crystal Gems.
Garnet noticed Steven's abrupt change in direction. Her visor gleamed for a moment, seemingly processing the situation.
Garnet: "Gems, after that human!"
In unison, Amethyst burped and Pearl composed herself as they both joined Garnet and began to chase after Steven, who was hot on the heels of the older boy.
The teen, hearing the commotion behind him, slowly turned his head to see a young boy chasing him, an odd group of three multicoloured women close behind. Confusion gripped him momentarily as he scanned the scene. It didn't take him long to connect the dots: he was being pursued by the young boy and three strange, menacing women.
Immediately perceiving them as a threat, he put the loaf into his jacket and made a snap decision, his instincts guiding him to turn and run in the opposite direction. The chase was on, and the older boy was quick to put as much distance as possible between himself and his pursuers.
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The chase led them into the bustling main street of Beach City, with the older boy ahead and the Gems in hot pursuit. As they reached an intersection, the boy made a daring move, veering into a narrow alleyway. It seemed like a dead end, however Steven charged ahead, with the Gems following closely behind.
Inside the alley, Steven looked around, puzzled by the boy's sudden disappearance. But his confusion was short-lived as a noise from above caught his attention. He glanced upward, and there he saw the older boy gracefully vaulting over the tall alley wall. The Gems entered the alley moments later, panting and complaining that they'd lost the older boy. Steven eagerly explained that the boy had climbed over the wall. This idea surprised Pearl.
Pearl: "Are you sure Steven, no human would be able to rea-"
Before Pearl could finish, Garnet was quick to take action. She grabbed everyone and, in one impressive bound, soared over the wall, landing gracefully on the other side. She scanned the area to spot the older boy in the distance, still on the run.
Amethyst decided to take a shot at capturing the boy. Reaching into the purple gem on her chest, she pulled out a black whip which seemed to have small purple crystals along its edges. She launched her whip toward him, intent on tying him up, however with incredible reflexes, the boy turned and blocked the whip by letting it wrap around his left arm.
Seeing an opening, Pearl dashed in, attempting to restrain the teen. However the teen was quicker than she anticipated; with both arms, he grabbed the whip and threw Amethyst, who was still holding onto the whip, into Pearl. As they tried to untangle themselves from the whip, the older boy turned his attention to the direction of both Steven and Garnet, the latter activating her gauntlets.
Suddenly, the boy's right hand began to glow, and in an instant, he cut through the whip that was tightly wound around his left arm.
Seeing this unexpected ability, Garnet stepped protectively in front of Steven, and with Pearl and Amethyst now up, they all activated their weapons, ready for whatever the boy would do next. Steven couldn't help but notice a small scowl on the older boy's face, as if he was in pain. Steven looked down and noticed that the boy's right arm was twitching slightly.
Raising his left arm, the teen seemingly created a palm-sized ball of light. Garnet and the other gems stood in front of Steven, believing that the teen would attack, however the attack never came. Steven looked past the gems in front of him, and towards the teen. For a moment, the older boy made eye contact with Steven.
Shifting his arm down, and before the Gems could react, the older boy fired at the ground, creating a cloud of dust and smoke that engulfed the area.
As the dust began to clear, Steven coughed as he saw Garnet standing where the older boy had originally been, her gauntlets extended in front of her. Pearl and Amethyst dusted themselves off, looking bewildered by the boy's abilities. Amethyst couldn't help but comment sarcastically.
Amethyst: "Ummm, since when could humans do that?"
Pearl turned to Amethyst, equally perplexed.
Pearl: "Since NEVER! No human should be able to do... THAT."
Steven, growing more curious and concerned, approached Garnet and asked where the boy had gone. Garnet smiled as she ruffled his hair.
Garnet: "He escaped, but don't worry, we'll find him."
Determined to help, Steven climbed up a nearby hill to get a better vantage point. From there, he spotted the older boy in the distance, running along an empty road. He shouted back toward the Gems.
Steven: "Guys! I see him!"
With that, Steven slid down the hill, his resolve undeterred. The other Gems, except for Amethyst, hurriedly followed. Amethyst grumbled and threw her arms in the air.
Amethyst: "UUHHHGGG... can't we just take a bre-"
Before she could finish however, Pearl slid down the hill and promptly dragged and threw her in the direction of the boy. There was no time for rest, not when their pursuit was still very much in progress.
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The chase continued, leading the group to the outskirts of Beach City, where the local Junkyard stood as a sprawling maze of discarded items. Exhaustion was visible on all members of the group, except for Garnet, who remained as stoic as ever.
As they pushed forward, Steven found himself a few meters ahead of the Gems. With determination in his eyes, he reached out to grab the older boy, but his fatigue caught up with him. Steven tripped over himself, gasping for breath as he fell to the ground.
The older boy, seemingly having a change of heart, stopped abruptly and turned to look at Steven. He muttered something under his breath before approaching the fallen boy. With a gentle yet urgent motion, the older boy pulled Steven off the ground and sat him down. Their eyes locked for a fleeting moment before the older boy looked up and abruptly raced off toward the junkyard.
Soon after, all the Gems returned to Steven's side, their concern evident. Pearl rushed to Steven's aid, bombarding him with questions about whether the older boy had harmed him.
Pearl: "STEVEN! Did he hurt you!? If he did, Oh so help me!"
Steven, still catching his breath, assured Pearl that he was fine. He pushed her aside and, with a worried glance, watched as the older boy jumped high over the tall junkyard fence, leaving the group in shock, except for Garnet, who remained unfazed.
Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet were ready to chase after the older boy, but Steven stopped them, pointing to a sign warning that entering the junkyard was illegal. Amethyst shrugged it off, showing no regard for rules. Pearl however, simply pulled the sign off of its post.
Pearl: "How exactly will a sign stop us from entering?"
Steven: "Because it's illegal Pearl.
Steven turned to Garnet with pleading eyes, silently asking her not to pursue the older boy further. After a few moments of contemplation, Garnet relented.
Garnet: "...I can't say no to that face."
Amethyst: "So everything we just did was for nothing? Lame."
Pearl: "Garnet, how can we stop now? That human nearly hurt Steven!"
Steven, feeling oddly protective of the older boy, defended him.
Steven: "Sure he stole from that store, but I don't think he was going to hurt me."
Amethyst couldn't contain her laughter.
Amethyst: "BWAAHAHAHA!!! One human steals a bit of bread, and its the EnD oF tHe WoRlD, AHAHAHAHA!"
Steven blushed with embarrassment but stood by his belief that stealing was wrong. Pearl smiles as she looks to Amethyst.
Pearl: "That's right Amethyst! If that human has the capacity to steal so boldly in public, who knows what he might be capable of!"
Amethyst gets up off of the ground and looks at Pearl with a thrown up eyebrow.
Amethyst: "You do know I was joking about the whole "end of the world" thing, right P?"
Pearl looks at Amethyst for a second before becoming embarrassed and looking away.
Pearl: "O-of course I did! i was simply "adding to the joke"."
Garnet, noticing how late it was getting, decided that it was time to go home.
Garnet: "Alright, now that we're done with this, let's get Steven home."
As the group left the Junkyard behind, Steven cast one last glance at it. Something caught his eye, a faint glimmer, and he squinted to focus better. He saw a pair of eyes briefly staring back at him. Startled, he rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the eyes had disappeared.
Amethyst, noticing Steven's preoccupation, turned around and teased him.
Amethyst: "Yo Ste-man, do ya miss that thief already?"
Startled, Steven quickly rejoined the Gems.
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As the group walked away, a silhouette moved among the piles of trash and discarded goods in the Junkyard. The figure peered through a repurposed telescope and focused on the entrance. Seeing the group departing, he released a held breath.
With cautious steps, he moved further into the junkyard until he reached a small clearing. In that clearing sat a half-couch, a rundown car with smashed windows, and a large slab of metal strewn with various items. He opened his jacket and removed the loaf of bread, placing it on the makeshift table.
(Here's what the 'clearing' looks like lol)
Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain coursed through the figure's right arm, causing them to stumble and lean heavily on the makeshift table. Gritting their teeth, the figure propped their arm onto the table and examined it closely. Small, angry cuts were forming on their forearms, as if some unseen force was at work.
With a resigned sigh, the figure pulled the worn bandana down and off their face. As if practiced, they used the fabric to carefully wipe away the drops of blood oozing from the fresh wounds. As the pain gradually subsided, they retied the bandana around their neck with practiced ease and sank down onto the worn, decrepit couch nearby.
With their head cradled in their left arm, they gazed up at the endless expanse of the sky. A moment of solitude passed before they spoke.
Y/N: "Y/N, what have you gotten yourself into now..."