The summer after

Chapter 4 - Livin' The Dream

Despite only a few days having passed, and Steven found himself slipping into a routine.

Go to work.
Deal with customers.
Have lunch with Soos.
Deal with customers some more.
Maybe the twins showed up, if it wouldn't be a boring day.
Finish working.
Go home.

And home, home was his car. It wasn't something Steven was proud of, having to sleep in his car. But hey, if his dad could do it for god knows how long, Steven could too.

It was a night like any other when he rolled onto the set of pillows and various clothing items he had made into a makeshift bed, and pulled a blanket over himself. The blanket was a weighted one, given to him by Connie as a small joke about how it would feel like Lion was there with him.

In a way, though, she was right.

Steven pulled a pillow up to his chest, and stared at the car ceiling. This was a tactic to try and get himself to sleep of course- one that usually worked without a hitch.

..so why did he feel so.. awake? Why did it feel like he couldn't close his eyes?

Steven dragged his hands down his face with an annoyed groan. Not at anything in particular- just himself, and his lack of ability to just.. just go to sleep. Why was that so difficult?

He grabbed his phone, wincing somewhat as he was greeted with the brightness of the lock screen. It was a photo of him and his girlfriend, Connie. In the picture, she was giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Steven's irritated expression immediately softened at the sight of her. It was late, but, he could text her. He knew she wouldn't mind.

From - Steven
Hey, Connie. I know it's late, but I was just thinking about you. I miss you a lot, and can't wait to talk with you tomorrow. Love you 💕🥰

Steven hit send, and then turned his phone back to sleep mode. After tossing the object aside, Steven rolled onto his side, and closed his eyes.

He didn't know how long it had taken, but eventually, his body grew heavier, along with his eyelids. Soon, keeping his eyes open proved to be too much, so Steven simply gave in and drifted off to sleep.

...

But for things to end so peacefully would've meant that Steven could go more than a month without an odd occurrence- and this simply wasn't the case at all.

Steven 'awoke' in his dream- and immediately recognized the situation as such. While he had become quite skilled at lucid dreaming over the years, this felt.. different.

When Steven opened his eyes in the dream, it was.. simply a void. Here it was cold. Empty. Soulless.

Not a star in sight save for the one he wore on his shirt, and nobody around.

"Right on time! Man, am I good or what?!" An unfamiliar voice cackled throughout the void, filling Steven with an indescribable fear. It clawed inside of him, and he felt like it would rip him to shreds if it was to continue.

He summoned a shield, looking around with a fearful look in his eyes. "Who are you?! Show yourself!" Steven demanded, and there was a dull laugh.

"Always the same with those hero types. Heck, I can't even count how many times I've heard that line!"  The stranger replied, before sighing through his laughter. "Oh well. If we are going to work together, I guess I should show myself, huh?".