okay but steven in a dress was adorable i love how non-gender conforming he is. in this store i just sort of see him as challenging gender norms but if you like trans!steven that is great and i think it'll work too! supportive gems yay

Most of the time, Greg paid for Steven's living costs. He didn't mind- most of the money he made went in to paying for his son, but he was doing okay. But every now and then, Garnet or Pearl could convince Amethyst to sell some of the junk from her room and the gems could spend a day out with Steven.

On one such day, the gems and Steven were at a mall in another town. It was still a small town, but it was considerably larger than Beach City. Garnet held Steven upon her head and Pearl was to one side. Amethyst was, humiliatingly, forced to hold Pearl's hand because of what had happened last time they went out- She may or may not have stolen a bunch of toys.

They walked into the children's clothing store, and Garnet pulled Steven down from her hair and set him on the floor. He was small, still only 5 or 6 years old. Just lost his first tooth.

"Okay, Steven," Pearl chirped lovingly, "What do you want?"

Steven nervously pointed in the direction of the dresses. "I like th' pink ones."

Amethyst chuckled. "Just like your mom, huh Steven?"

He smiled and walked over, running his hands along the shelves. The gems waited back a little into the store, but keeping a very close eye on him. He reached for one of the dresses he liked so much, and gently touched the purple lace on the collar.

Steven was about to grab it and return to the Gems when he felt hands under his armpits. It wasn't the cool temperature of one of the gems, but rather the warmth of a human. He looked over his shoulder and another woman, maybe Greg's age, had begun to pick him up.

In an instant, Garnet came running. "Drop him." The woman looked intimidated and somewhat embarrassed but didn't drop him yet.

Pearl and Amethyst came up slightly after the tall gem. "What does she want?" Pearl questioned. "Why does she have Steven?"

"Sorry, didn't realize he was yours. I was just going to find his mother and let her know she needed to keep a closer eye on him, keep him in the boys' section." Steven began to struggle a little as the woman spoke. "You know how it goes. He was going to grab one of the dresses."

Garnet practically snatched him away, taking him out of the other's arms. "Yes. He wanted that dress." We were watching him, and there was no reason for you to intervene."

"Ah. Well. I'd recommend putting a stop to that as early as possible." The woman gained confidence as she spoke. "You wouldn't want to raise a sissy."

Amethyst stared blankly, dropping her hand away from Pearl. "Wait, so is this chick saying we can't give Steven what he wants to wear?" She looked up at her companions. "Cause I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter."

The woman calmly raised a hand. "No, I'm just saying that fostering this behavior at such a young age can lead to him having some more... effeminate qualities. I'm looking out for you, parent to parent." Her nerves must have been made of steel, because she didn't back down despite the obviously frustrated women in front of her. "You have to raise your children right. You don't want to confuse them, you know, with their gender. I'm trying to help you be a better parent."

Pearl had a disgusted look on her face. "Excuse me? Steven is being taken care of excellently, and we are buying him that dress. He can be as, ah, effeminate as he desires to be."

Garnet nodded, and pulled Steven close to her body. He looked slightly upset. The three walked away with the dress being held by Amethyst. As they approached the cash register, Steven looked up at Garnet, sadness in his eyes. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

Garnet gently ruffled his hair. "No. You did fine."

Later, as they left the mall at the end of the day, Amethyst got a look of realization on her face. "Oh! Wait, wait, wait. Did the lady in the store think we were going to turn Steven gay? That's hilarious!"

if you liked it please fav/review, thank you so much!