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Honestly, if Greg was here, he would have helped explain the situation. Stevonnie sat at the kitchen table and wished they had thought of bringing him. For now, they watched as Priyanka stirred her tea. In the background, Doug swore under his breath.
There were new pictures around the room. The Maheswarans had gone on an anniversary cruise while Connie was away at school and had some travel photos from there. Connie’s portraits from various ages up to adulthood were hung prominently, along with a couple pictures of Steven and Connie together, mostly from when they were dating through Connie’s school days. Stevonnie looked at the smiling faces and couldn’t help but smile back.
“I have to say,” Priyanka said, “I’m still not sure about how to properly address you.”
“Well, people call me Stevonnie, and I’m not sure about a last name. I might just hyphenate —”
“No, that’s...not what I mean.”
The woman sighed and sipped her tea. She wasn’t angry or upset, but she had that maternal concern that Stevonnie both knew so well and was still intimidated by. The feelings were clashing and fusing like paint in their stomach. Stevonnie knew this house by heart. They had both grown up here and far away from a normal life. They expected this conversation to go smoothly but one could never tell. Every word was fraught with uncertainty. Doug came back with a sheathe of semi-sweet biscuits, setting them out to munch on. Stevonnie took one from the end. The crunch was bitter.
“I’m not going to pretend like you’re my daughter, but you’ve still got my child in you,” the woman said. “And you’re not Steven, either. Frankly, you’re both a stranger and a friend and I’m still not sure how to wrap my head around this. But you’re family, and that’s what matters.”
“And we love both of you! All of you,” Doug added.
“Thank you guys. That helps, a lot.”
Stevonnie swallowed and folded their hands on the table. That was a good opener. They were still nervous. Priyanka watched them expectantly, and Doug helped himself to one of the cookies. There was no easy way to go about this. They needed to get it all over with and tear off the news.
The decision had already been made, after all. With the knowledge they shared with themself, Stevonnie had managed to work on identification, a license, housing, how to go about living a normal Gem-powered life through and through. They could unfuse if need be. That was the easy part. Talking to the Gems about permanent fusion and that choice was easier than they had thought it was going to be. Greg was supportive of what they needed, as expected, and Garnet had actually been surprised. She had said there was a chance, but not a high one. Who knew how long it would last? And who cared, as long as they were happy? Coming over to the Maheswarans had answered that second question, or it would if there were any problems.
“Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran, um, mom, dad, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What’s up, Stevonnie?” Doug said.
“Connie and Steven…”
They sighed and took one deep breath. Everything was going to be fine. The adults here were listening. The air was full of understanding.
“ I have decided that we’re going to stay together as Stevonnie, as a fusion,” they said. “And we’re going to live as we are now.”
There was that uncomfortable silence everyone had been dreading. Doug folded his hands on the table as Priyanka nodded and sipped her tea. The woman placed her mug down and stared into it for a moment.
“I...don’t see how this is an issue, I suppose,” she said.
“So wait — you’re just going to be both of you, together?” Doug said. “Just — as you were, but not as you were, because you’re...you. Is that right? I’ll admit, I’m confused too.”
“No, that’s it! Kind of. Stevonnie — I’m not either of them. And I’m not both. I’m my own person, just made up of Steven and Connie. We love each other just the same. And Gem stuff lets us express it as a fusion! Does… Does that make sense?”
“Actually, yes.”
Priyanka chuckled. The laugh was something unusual coming from her, as far as Stevonnie was concerned. The woman’s smile was warm and tired. She cupped her tea and looked over at Stevonnie with a deep sigh.
“As soon as…Steven and Connie showed that they were in love, truly in love, I knew that their relationship wasn’t going to be normal. Nothing’s normal with that boy. And, well, I’ve worked with enough people who want to express themselves in different ways, and in ways that they need help with. I might not understand Gem things, but we have love for Steven and I love my daughter so, so much.”
Stevonnie felt the tears fall as Priyanka held out her hand. Doug obliged with the other, and Stevonnie reached for both of them. The fingers were warm as they squeezed the fusion’s hand, wrapped around Stevonnie softly. Doug patted Stevonnie’s knuckles and nodded in solidarity.
“So we’re gonna love you just like we love them,” Doug said, trying his best not to sound choked up. “And we’re going to get to know you, and love you, because you’re just as important to us. Okay?”
It hurt to get this over with, but Stevonnie felt the goodness of the hurt in their heart, that knowing ache of having achieved something. They didn’t need to find family, or beg for acceptance, or hide anything about who they were. The fact that Doug and Priyanka hadn’t encountered Stevonnie much didn’t mean that they didn’t understand. Maybe it was that latent fear that had stopped them beforehand. Maybe it was the possibility of failure.
“You’re gonna be alright. You’re brave, just like them,” Doug murmured.
“Thank you,” Stevonnie managed to whisper. “I love you both.”
And they meant it. This was a different kind of love born from a different kind of fear. Connie’s fear and Steven’s fear had different flavors, and neither one of them matched up with Stevonnie’s fear. The fusion was in jeopardy of losing who they were at times, of not knowing how to live with themself while always knowing how to love themself. It was a balance that needed to be remedied with a support system. Connie had her family, and now, Stevonnie had them too. That was what this was all about. Steven could find family like a cloud made rain. Talking to the Maheswarans was different.
And now that it was over, it felt so good. Stevonnie stood up suddenly to their full height and practically pulled Doug and Priyanka with them. The woman was already walking over past her chair for the hug, a glimmer of tears in her eye. Stevonnie had seen Priyanka cry only once, when Connie graduated, and it hurt their heart to see it again. Doug was sniffling without reservation as he pulled his arms around Stevonnie.
“We’re here for you,” Priyanka said. “You’re safe with us. I promise.”
This was what the future looked like: love. Even if Steven and Connie had to split for work and for life purposes, they would always come back together again. Stevonnie was Stevonnie through and through. They could drive anywhere in the world, warp beyond the farthest star, go home to the Gems or the Diamonds or the Maheswarans, and there would always be love waiting for them when they returned.
Stevonnie squeezed their arms around Doug and Priyanka and tried not to keep the tears back too hard. This was a good cry, a cathartic cry. In the warmth of the kitchen, they hugged the adults and sighed with a shuddering, thankful breath. This couldn’t have gone any other way. They were a family regardless of what choices they made. No matter what, this was the right one.