Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!

Title: Uncomplicated

Summary: Connie and Steven from years thirteen to eighteen.

Warnings: Fluff. Literally fluff. I haven't written this much fluff in a long time. (also a bit of blood but not much) Loss of limbs.

...

Connie's thirteen, slowly closing in on fourteen, and the summer heat on top of her head is in direct opposition to the drying dew on the grass as she lays sprawled out by the cliffside. There's flowers blooming and bees darting around, trying to get some final bits of pollen before hiding away from the full bite of the sun.

Steven's hand is propping up her head. He lacks the same level of warmth a normal human would, but he's solid and soft. While her form of stretch is tight and monitored, his is full-bodied and haphazard. Connie prefers the comforts of her own skin and muscle, but she can't knock that he looks mighty at ease himself.

Connie scans the sky. The screeching of seagulls seem far away, muted by the waves. She files away a reminder to check in with her parents if she could swim later.

"Have you ever kissed someone before?"

Connie blinks at him. She feels embarrassed, as she always does, but somehow topics like these had never felt wrong to discuss with him. "My parents? Y'know, to say goodnight. Why?"

"I was curious. Lots of people seem to like it."

"You make it sound like you've never been kissed before."

Steven shakes his head. "Garnet loves kisses! Amethyst too, I guess. But I always see couples, and it's all romantic or whatever. What's it like?"

"I don't know, Steven. I'm thirteen. Can't you ask your dad?"

"I could, but then he'd get sad, 'cause he misses mom."

Connie feels Steven's shame like it's a blanket, covering them both. She knows the bitter taste of it from Stevonnie, the tightening in their gut. She rolls over and touches their lips together for a half-second, then rolls back.

"There." She said triumphantly. "Now we know."

Steven doesn't say anything for a few minutes, lost in thought. They watch clouds flow across the hot sky.

"Huh." He mused. "That wasn't different at all."

She's fourteen and it's spring, and she's not there right now.

Stevonnie has the strength of Connie with the inhuman touch of Steven, solid and powerful. They stretch, but most of their force is in kicking, pulling themselves from the depths of the ocean, laughing when they emerge, hair clinging to their neck and back.

Being together is one of the best feelings in the world, on part with a full belly, only there's no danger of it emptying with no chance of substance later on.

Connie's fifteenth birthday is one she spends helping the gems on missions. It's also the day she loses her eye.

It's her right one, and all she really remembers is claws raking down the side of her face and a sudden nothingness there. Blood trickles down her chin. It's winter, and she felt her butt hit snow.

Pearl is dragging her away, hands gripping her biceps. Later, Connie would wonder if she forgot her true strength, or if she were scared she might break a few bones in her present state if she picked her up.

"Connie, listen to me." She pleads, lifting her chin. "Connie, you mustn't panic."

But she didn't feel like she was panicking at all. She felt numb, and in pain.

Connie's living at the beach house at sixteen. The skin has completely healed over her socket, spurned on by Steven's healing spit. Lines darken her face.

They cuddle together and sleep, when they can. It's nice. She misses home sometimes, but she'd feel bad for making her parents see her scarred form every single day. They don't deserve the reminder.

At seventeen Connie feels like she's falling to pieces, losing both of her middle fingers, plus the index on the right.

Steven kisses them constantly, but there's no way to repair nubs. They're gone, and they will never come back.

"There's nothing wrong with retiring from knighthood." Pearl soothed, gently digging her thumb into Connie's shoulder. "Not everybody has to die a knight, you know."

"Ma'am," Connie says, "being a knight is what's kept me sane through all of this."

Seeing how they're fighting a war, and in turn have little time for even the quickest of things, they go to the Justice of the Peace as soon as Steven is physically old enough and get married. Steven has a scar on the left side of his chin that he kept especially for her to show his support, and she finds it oddly sweet, if useless.

"Forever is a long time." He says. "And I really want to figure it out with you."

Connie squeezes his hand with her remaining two fingers and smiles.

Author's Note: So... I might not... do romantic stuff often. This is kinda the best I get. I like it, though!

-Mandaree1