What Lies Beneath

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe Future. Rebecca Sugar does. I only own the OC characters.

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Pearl's unholy screech ripped through Destiny's eardrums. The sound was akin to a squacking hen. The young woman had to wait for her ears to stop ringing once she was able to tell what the gem on the other end was saying.

"We're so worried about you!" Pearl wailed. "Where are you? Are you alright? Is Steven there with you?" The questions bombarded the poor girl, who could barely get a word in edgewise.

"Pearl, calm down! We're okay," Destiny interjected. The white gem was flustered, spluttering every syllable that came out her mouth. At some point, the blubbering became background noise, as someone else took the phone. "Destiny," Garnet said. "Where are you right now?"

Destiny gulped. "We're... at the Prime Kindergarten," she answered, trying to keep her voice steady. It was silent on the other end. Several agonizing seconds passed before she heard a soft noise in acknowledgement. "I figured as much," Garnet muttered. "You said 'we.' Is Steven there with you?"

"Yes, he is. And he's completely safe, don't worry." Shuffling could be heard on the other end. "Can we talk to him?" Amethyst's voice cut into the conversation, desperate. Destiny clenched her fist, looking back at the slumbering beast behind her. She didn't know how to explain this to them. So, she didn't. "You can't right now," she said, a somber tone in her voice. "You'll just have to get here to see."

"That's alright," Garnet replied, as if she knew what the girl was referring to. With her future vision, she probably had. "We'll warp over as soon as we get back."

Before Destiny could ask what "get back" meant, the call ended. She lowered the phone, staring at its blank screen. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the mess that was on its way.

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The Crystal Gems were greeted by Destiny standing below the warp platform. As soon as she saw them, she spread her arms in a placating gesture. "Hey," she droned, trying, and failing, to set up a light mood. She was disheveled; dirt was smudged everywhere on her body, her clothes were ripped in places. It looked as though she spent the weekend in Peridot's and Lapis's barn.

Amethyst and Pearl rushed to the ground, tackling Destiny in a tag-team hug. They talked over one another, recounting about how they nearly panicked once they had discovered that her and Steven were missing. She did her best to console them, an arm slung around Pearl's shoulders and the other ruffling Amethyst's hair.

Then it was Garnet's turn to approach. Destiny instantly become nervous, fiddling with her hands. The permafusion remained emotionless and stoic, making her seem much more intimidating. "Destiny," Garnet deadpanned, "you directly disobeyed us and knowingly put yourselves in danger." The girl flinched, the other two gems staring at the former rebellion leader with wide eyes. She had expected this, even if the others didn't. She started to tremble, waiting for the blame that she knew was coming. Garnet was right. Steven had gotten hurt because of her. She would never forgive herself for that. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She was almost glad that the visor hid the sheer contempt that the permafusion most likely reflected in her eyes.

Instead, she was surprised when she felt hands clamping themselves on her shoulders, gently. She looked up at her reflection in the visor, shocked to see Garnet smiling. "You protected him," the fusion said. "You did what you could. And it was enough."

Destiny stared in disbelief, trying to comprehend Garnet's words. Once it finally sunk in, the tears she was trying to hold back spilled over. The permafusion immediately pulled her into her arms, strong arms holding her delicately. She returned the embrace, sobbing into Garnet's chest, the stress from the last few days rising to the surface. The other two gems joined in, their own tears adding to the display.

After several minutes, they all pulled away, rubbing their eyes. Even Garnet ran a hand under her visor to dispel some stray water underneath. Once they had all composed themselves, Amethyst was the first to speak. "So, where's Steven?" she asked, nearly bouncing on her toes. "Can we see him?" They all stared at the young woman intently.

Destiny cleared her throat. The air suddenly became uncomfortable again. "Yeah, you can," she said. "Just... don't freak out, okay?" The gems all stared at each other discontentedly, not liking what that entailed. Nevertheless, they followed the gem host into the bowels of the Prime Kindergarten.

Perhaps they should have imagined something worse.

It was hard to believe that the monstrosity before them was Steven. He snored peacefully, nearly disturbing loose debris around him. The little sunlight that managed to peek through the dense cloud cover cast his scaly hide a light shade of pink. His six limbs were curled underneath him. His claws and spikes were razor sharp.

Destiny walked up to the beast's side, seemingly undaunted by sheer size that could crush her instantly. She laid her hands on his skin, a forlorn expression on her face. "He wanted to come here. He was too ashamed to face any of you." She looked back at the gems, who stood frozen at the sight of the monster before them. Mouths were agape, eyes were wide. It was the most devastating display that the girl had ever witnessed. She perked up when Garnet started hugging herself. "Garnet," she called, "are you-"

"I'm fine," the fusion said through grit teeth. She took a few deep breaths before she lowered her arms back to her sides. "I'm not going to fall apart on you. Not now." Destiny nodded at her before moving to Steven's snout. "Hey, Even Steven," she called. "C'mon, wake up. Someone's here to see you."

The monster's eyes blinked open at the familiar touch, a snort blowing up dust. But as soon as he saw the gems, they went wide. He started to scramble backwards, his massive paws reaching up to cover his head. He moaned and wailed, restlessly shifting.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Destiny cooed, trying to calm the beast down. "They know that it's you. They won't hurt you." Steven cautiously peeked through his claws, whining. "That's it," the girl coaxed. "They're your family, remember? They love you."

She didn't notice Garnet until she was right next to her, spreading her arms to hug him as best she could. "Steven," the fusion muttered, "when I split apart, you were there for me. I'll be there for you now."

Amethyst and Pearl joined her, turning it into a group hug. "Look, man, I get it," Amethyst choked out. "Sometimes it feels like you're never gonna like yourself, but... it's possible man." It ended with a loud sniff.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled. "I know what it's like to keep a part of yourself secret. You shouldn't have to hide anything from me!" She clenched her fists against the monster's hide, tears streaming down her face. Destiny could see the impact they were having on Steven. He started grunting in confusion, his face twisting up with emotion. Tears returning, she leaned against the beast's massive head, sealing the deal. "Steven," she whispered, "I've lost so much of my family already." Her breath caught in her throat. "You're my family," she said, confidently. "And I don't want to lose you, too."

With that, the dam was broken. Tears rolled from the monster's cheeks, dripping and soaking into the ground. He cried with his family, his chest heaving with his sobs. It felt like ages, but he finally knew, and felt, that he was loved.

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Author's Note: The next chapter will be the last. It'll be an epilogue. To be honest, I thought that this story was poorly written. But, people are still  reading it.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

It's a crazy world out there.

-The_Mayflower