(1) Learn How To Love

Prom: Part Two

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Opening your eyes, you felt different. You felt warm, complete... whole. You took a moment to find your balance- ground yourself. Taking a deep breath, you looked around over a sea of shocked and smiling faces... that's right, "over." Because all of a sudden, you were freakishly tall. You squinted at your hands, flipping them back and forth. they were so... big. And your arms were... significantly hairier.

"What is this?" you muttered to yourself. But when the words came out, you didn't recognize the voice.

It's okay.

"Steven?" you asked aloud.

Before you could understand what was happening, you fell to the ground. Suddenly shorter, smaller, and less hairy.

You groaned, rubbing your thigh that you had landed on. "What just happened?" you thought aloud.

"(Y/N)!" Steven appeared above you, his hand outstretched. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," you replied, taking his hand and standing up. "What... was that?" you looked at Steven, still feeling disoriented.

"We fused!" he smiled tentatively, eagerly waiting for your reaction.

"We..." you spoke breathlessly. "That's what it feels like? I had no idea..."

"Pretty cool, right?"

"Very cool," you laughed in disbelief.

"Wanna do it again?"

"Yeah, but... not right now," you looked over your shoulder at the approaching crowd, then back to Steven. "I get the feeling that we're about to get questioned."

Right on cue, you and Steven became surrounded by all of your friends and peers, each one of them full of questions.

Kevin and Jamie made their way to the front of the crowd, with Kevin excitedly leading the way. "(Y/N)!" he hollered, grabbing your arm. "What the fuck just happened?"

"Steven and I- we fused," you smiled brightly.

"Oh my god!" Jamie squealed as Kevin pulled the two of you into a group hug.

You felt like a kid at a sleepover, gossiping about boy crushes over bottles of nail polish and empty bags of chips. You embraced the feeling, getting caught up in the nostalgia and whimsy of the moment. You hugged Kevin and Jamie for a moment extra.

"Wait," Kevin started, pulling back. "So... isn't fusion like... gem sex?"

"NO," Steven said, abruptly cutting into the conversation. "No, it is not."

"I thought only gems could fuse...?" a voice piped from the crowd.

Steven looked every which way, trying to find where the voice had come from; "right, but I'm half human, so-"

"Was that Stevonnie?" said another voice.

"Uh, no- that's only with Connie," Steven smiled tightly.

A voice from the back of the crowd hollered above the rest; "can you elaborate on 'gem sex'?"

"IT'S NOT-" Steven stopped himself, taking a deep breath; in and out. "Look, fusion isn't exclusively a romantic thing, okay? I fuse with my dad!"

"You have gem sex with your dad?"

"NO!"

"So..." a girl you didn't recognize approached Steven. "Does that mean this is your girlfriend, or are you still on the market?"