A soft puff of air on her face gently stirred Connie out of a deep sleep. She rolled her neck slightly, shifting her head back slightly on the pillow.

Pillow?

She blinked her eyes open, finding her vision obscured by a thick, unruly mass of black curls. Her head jerked backwards.

Steven?

The two of them were on Steven's bed, Steven sprawled out like a starfish, her curled up in a ball at his side.

Her best friend was still out like a light, his normally animated and smiling face, relaxed and calm in the throes of sleep.

What am I doing here?

Connie's eyes hurriedly darted around the messy room, taking in the television set, the empty popcorn and candy bar wrappers, Steven's cheeseburger backpack upended haphazardly in a manner that would make her mother scream…

The answer came back slowly to her sleep-addled mind.

The 'Under the Knife' finale…

She and Steven had been agonizing over this all week, counting down the hours until the two-part episode finally aired. Steven had even come up with a fib to tell her parents so they would let her come to his house. Something about a wildlife documentary. To her amazement, her parents had bought it and she had been granted permission to go.

It had been everything they'd hoped for: hilarious, overly-dramatic, and chock full of satirical references to the budget cuts hospitals all over the country were currently facing.

They had watched with bated breath and exploded into excited discussion as soon as it was over.

Connie shifted slightly on the bed, trying not to jostle Steven too much. Sunlight was just starting to spill into the room from the windows next to them, warming up the house and stirring up the dust particles in the air.

We must have fallen asleep.

Someone had covered them with a blanket; Pearl probably. Or maybe Garnet. During the night, it had shifted, Steven half rolling out from under it and her bunching some of it up under her body.

Steven had his arms stretched wide, his shirt riding up as he comfortably slept.

The gem on his stomach was pulsating softly in time with his breaths, the warm light spilling from it enveloping her with a strong sense of protection and a thrill of desire to be dancing. Connie stared at it, her mind becoming lost in her musings.

I wonder if Gems can fuse without dancing…

Being Stevonnie with him had been…fascinating. Even though they had only fused twice (the second time hardly counting, as they'd barely fused before mortification at Mr. Universe seeing them forced them undone) the experience had occupied her curious mind for weeks. It had been impossible for her to think of anything else, even her favorite fantasy series.

She stretched out two fingers and gently touched the glowing gem. It was warm to the touch, like a small animal nuzzling her. The light filled her with warmth and happiness, washing through her and claiming her thoughts.

When they'd fused, their minds had melded as completely as their bodies had, until she had felt herself melting into him and reforming into something new.

The entire experience had felt like she'd been standing there, her forehead pressed against his, watching their adventure through his eyes as he watched through hers. He'd shared every thought, known her every emotion, and moved Stevonnie with her in perfect synchronization.

She could see why the Gems liked fusion so much. It was…intoxicating.

The light pulsed softly through her still, until her breaths matched Steven's. Even as he slept on, Connie swore she saw her friend's mouth twitch slightly in a smile.

I wonder why he can fuse with me…it's supposed to be impossible for humans.

But they had done it. Steven, the gem with a destiny tied so tightly to multiple worlds had fused with her, the nobody human bookworm. He'd chosen to be her friend, even after seeing just how boring and ordinary her life was compared to his.

He'd trusted her and protected her, cared enough to even try to push her away once. She meant something to him.

"You're not nothing. Not to me."

Fighting with him had been the same, their sword and shield a perfect compliment, darting and whirling like they'd been doing it all their lives.

I wonder if Stevonnie would fight like us.

She resolved to try it the next time they fused. That is, if they ever fused again. Steven had always said the gems only did it when absolutely necessary but the two times they had done it had been accidents…thankfully only Steven's father and some strangers at the rave had seen them. Connie couldn't imagine the look on her parents' faces if they'd fused in front of them.

Best not to ever let her parents know she'd accidentally done magic with…

My parents…!

Her fear cut right through her, making her jerk her fingers away from Steven's gem and sit up. Her eyes darted around the room again, looking for a clock but finding none.

Oh no…they're going to ground me for forever!

Even though they'd accepted Steven's unconventional family, her parents were not thrilled with the amount of time she'd been spending with him. And while visiting him was all fine, sleepovers had definitely been on her father's 'absolutely not' list. For some reason, every time she mentioned Steven in front of her father, he gritted his teeth and got very red in the face.

Connie slid out of bed as quietly as she could, throwing her half of the blanket in Steven's direction. Scanning the room, she found her shoes and slipped her feet into them.

Judging by the sunlight it couldn't be too late in the morning. Maybe she could sneak back into the house without waking her parents. It was a long shot but they had said they'd be going to bed before she should have gotten home last night. They may never know she had stayed out.

Steven rolled over slightly, mumbling something to himself as he slept. Connie glanced at him, her panicked mind quieting briefly at the sight of him just being him. He'd cover for her, and he'd always be there for her. Even if her parents grounded her for a month for staying over, he'd still take the time to call her or sneak out with her on magic missions or silly adventures.

I'm so lucky to have you as a friend…

Blushing furiously, she leaned down and gave him a fluttering kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Steven." She whispered. "I'll see you later." Then she silently climbed down the stairs.

The Gems were nowhere in sight, probably in the temple doing whatever they did instead of sleeping. Connie slid out the screen door, catching it to keep it from banging shut. Then she took off for home as fast as she could, hoping today was not the day when her mother decided to wake up early for morning yoga.

Yawning hugely, Steven rolled over in his bed.

And was confronted immediately with his best friend's calm, contented sleeping face.

He stilled his motion and then smiled, closing his eyes again and breathing softly in her direction.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake her up.