Rome wasn't built in a day. There were architects and builders and funding, and you couldn't rush them, or they could shut down and lock you out and maybe even stop being your friend which would be really bad because Rome's an amazing friend and the only one you've ever had and Rome was friends with everyone but who would Connie have? She's an Alexandria, and nobody liked Alexandria! That's why they burnt it down! And okay, maybe she's lost track of the metaphor somewhere, but the point is, she understood. Steven had been through a lot (yeah, understatement of the year, right? For Connie 'a lot' was her best friend not answering her phone calls; for Steven it was fighting off an alien invasion, seeing a mother figure kind of die in front of him and a friend banish herself beneath the sea, and getting headbutted). And it meant a lot that he decided to share anything with her at all. But one talk didn't solve everything, and she still had some follow up questions. But it couldn't be anything too stressful right off the bat.

'Hey, Steven, so how exactly did it make you feel to see Garnet be eviscerated right in front of your eyes? Remember to use 'I feel' statements!' See? That would be terrible! It needed to start with a safe topic. Something good out of the bad. And Steven loves Garnet, right, so. She took a breath, turning to look at him. She took notice of the grassy hill beneath them. Good. This was a relaxing, soothing environment. Her therapist always told her a safe environment was important, and-... okay, so there wasn't really anywhere safe in Beach City, considering what Steven's told her, and considering her own experiences, but it was the thought that counts.

"...So, Garnet's made up of two gems?" Steven looked away from the city view, drawn out of his reverie. Part of Connie regretted speaking at all. She lov- S-Steven's energy and enthusiasm was great! But… it was so rare to see him in a quiet moment. And the way he looked at this town...he looked so proud of everyone, for coming back and rebuilding. He needed that, she thought. He needed to see that no matter what was thrown at Beach City, it would get back up again. His home was indestruct-... well, no, it was destroyed practically every week. But it was unstoppable. It and Steven had that in common, really. No matter what happened, they'd bounce back, as cheerful and unabashedly them as they were before. Not for the first time, she thought that Steven was the most inspiring person she's ever known (Emphasis on known; no offence to Steven, but if she knew Ida B. Wells for example, Steven would be lower on the list).

He turned to her, smiling, and there was the temptation to look away that she so often felt around Steven. It was like the Sun, deciding to focus all of its light and energy on you. It was almost blinding, but… in a good way. In a really, really good way. His hair was lightly blowing in the gentle breeze, and Connie stopped to think how fitting that was. That even when he was sitting still, he was never sitting still, energy coiled up and ready to go. Like the grass on the hill. Right now, he's rooted to it, taking its support. But the wind was always blowing, and he was always swaying and ready to go, and any moment it was going to uproot him and sweep him away to another spot.

Nobody ever thought about the hill the grass left behind.

"Yeah," Steven started, breaking Connie out of her reflection. "She is."

"Like, all the time?"

"Yup! Ruby and Sapphire!"

"Have you talked to them yet?" she asked. "You know, separate. Not counting the sp-" stressful topic, she's pushing, abort, abort! "-The first time?" Nice save, Maheswaran.

"Nah. They're waiting for my birthday. It's gonna be the best surprise ever!"

"But… you already know," Connie pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna pretend I don't. It makes her happy, you know? Plus I want to see them anyway."

"Oh, so it's like when I figured out my parents got me A Wrinkle In Time for my birthday, but I pretended I didn't know because they were so excited about it, and I really wanted the book anyway?"

"Yeah! I feel bad for time though, people pointing out its wrinkle. I like to call them laugh lines!"

"A laugh line in time?" she questioned, amused.

"Yup! Great sense of humor, time! Don't worry, it's really attractive, it shows your experience!" Connie giggled, and Steven got that smile he always got whenever he made her laugh. This sort of satisfied, happy smile, like making her laugh was the highlight of his day, his biggest accomplishment, even though he probably like, beat a radioactive rainbow unidog earlier or something. Nobody had ever smiled like that at her before.

"...But they've been fused for thousands of years at the least, right?"

"I think so? Definitely as long as I've known Garnet, she's been fused."

"...Wow. Can you imagine? Trusting someone else that much, being so close to them that you can be with them forever. That you want to. How much do you have to believe in that person? How well do you have to know them to… to fit together like that? How much do you have to… to... love that person? ...It's incredible."

"...Yeah." Silence washed over them, and Connie began to fear if she said something wrong. Before she could say anything, apologize or ask what was wrong or… anything, Steven looked at her, with those eyes focused on nothing but her, open and unguarded, an unsure but… but so assuring, so caring, so… so Steven smile on his face. It was breathtaking. "...But we did okay, didn't we?"

She let out a slight gasp of surprise at the mention. Stevonnie. She remembered how easily they had fused, completely by accident. She remembered how seamless they were, how right it felt. How somehow, it had felt so easy to let Steven hear her every thought, to let her thoughts bleed into his until it was their thoughts. How she didn't even need to decide to trust him. She just… did. They were confident, strong, perfect. They weren't one person, or two. They were an… an experience.

They fit.

She looked in his eyes, smiling back. "...Yeah. We did." They both broke the gaze, blushing, shy little smiles on their faces.

Maybe... Maybe Steven won't float away from her after all.