Here he was, staring at an empty and flicking see through fridge with an oddly weird sensation in his chest. He didn't know whether to be bummed out that he was sent back at least a week before his favorite ice cream was discontinued, or just laughing at how bizarre this whole situation was in the first place. 

So Steven decided to just simply stared, shrugged, and started again. He had already grieved and moved on from his childhood treat. Don’t get him wrong, the boy loved the frozen treat a long time ago, but no use crying over spilled milk. He even had placed on making his own homemade Cookie Cats someday when he wasn’t busy with Homeworld. Being faced with the reminder as to why he had to make his own someday was indeed upsetting, but nothing to really cry and scream about in despair. 

He had other, more world bending issues to despair about right now but the hybrid wasn’t known well to let his emotions bother him. Positive emotions means better outcomes. This seemed to have the opposite effect though when he turned to see Sadie looking at him with some concern and Lars not really caring since he was stocking. 

“Steven…” Sadie called to the boy with a concren look on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, oh I’m fine Sadie,” The hybrid turned to the blonde and rubbed his head, giving her a his best sheepish smile. He didn’t think it looked good enough as it felt more like a nervoused force on his face. 

Seeing the two like this again was just so weirdly upsetting. Steven had tried hard to hide his deep frown seeing Lars sulk as he stocked the shelves, or Sadie just giving him her best customer service smile while putting up with her co-workers sulkiness. It was painful to see it all over again, his memories having a big dose of reality that he indeed went back in time. Sure he remembered the two being different from how they grew up to him after Era3, but he couldn’t believe he thought it was decently alright back then. It was like looking at two completely different people wearing his friend’s faces. The brunette felt so out of place, not knowing how to act with these two even though he knew these guys like the back of his hand. He knew Sadie and Lars, but now he felt like he didn’t know these Sadie and Lars. It was just so confusing and soul crushing. 

Should he go back to acting like everything in the future never happened? What is he supposed to do as a child again? Has he already done this before? There were just too many questions to go off on.

“Steven… Steven?” Sadie tried reaching the boy again more loudly, but was quite shocked that he was so deep in thought he couldn’t hear her. Lars grew upset and smacked the boy upside the head, ignoring her yell of protest.

“Snap out of it you little twit,” The mohog teen sneered

That triggered something in him, deep, that showed clearly on his face as Steven snapped harshly at the much taller teen. “Hey! What gives you the right to fucking smack me!?”

Well that even made Sadie flinch back. Lars looked flipped like a switch as his shocked open mouth gaze turned to that of uncomfortable guilt and worry. It only lasted another second of shock before the hybrid covered his mouth in horrifying realization. 

“I-I… Oh Lars I’m so sorry,” He tried to clear up his mistake, his nervousness and fear forcing him to ramble a bit. “I-I just… I didn’t sleep very well last night. I’m sorry I curse! Please don’t tell the gems or my dad!”

“Whoa Whoa,” Lars raised his hands to stop the kid, looking at him more like an oddball than he used to. “It’s cool man. Sorry I smacked you… or whatever.”

As her co worker moved quickly to try to act like that strange outburst didn’t happen, Sadie just looked deeply concerned at the little guy and leaned over the counter. “Sorry about that Steven. I was just worried that seeing the Cookie Cats gone hurt you so much that you grew silent.”

Hoping to move past his outburst as well, Steven chuckled a bit nervously as he stretched his head. “Actually, I grew pretty tired of the ice cream sandwich. I was wondering if I could have a Lion Licker.”

“Huh!?”

Even Lars looked close to packing. Did he just step into a weird ass alternate reality or something this morning? The two older teens looked at Steven like he had just grown a second head and the first one plopped off and rolled away. 

“Steven, that’s a sudden change. I remembered you telling us that they were disgusting,” The blonde teen commented with just confusion and lost in her small voice.

“Just had a change in taste maybe,” He tried to reason with the two with a sheepish grin. He then opened the freezer to get two Lion Lickers, pulling out his change he knew he had in his little bank. “Four Fifty, right?”

“Um… sure yeah.” She took his cash and ranged up the two lickers, glancing at the short boy. “Are you sure you’re alright Steven? You seem a bit different today.”

Before Steven could even say anything, Lars just picked up another box and smirked. “Maybe his magic belly button finally changed his whiny attitude,” He said jokingly, back to his old self.

“That’s not how my powers work Lars,” Steven retorted as he rolled his eyes, almost forgetting how cruel his friend could be back then. He turned back to Sadie and just sighed, rubbing her head. “Sorry Sadie. I just wanted to try something different this morning. Thanks for the Lion Lickers.”

Sadie smiled, leaning against the counter. “No problem Steven. Hope you feel better though.

Steven smiled and was about to leave till he turned to look at the now empty Cookie Cat freezer, his head tipping a bit in deep thought again. He kind of remembered why this day was so important besides losing his favorite ice cream treat. 

Wasn’t today the day he met Centi for the first time, before he even became her friend. 

It was so surreal to be repeating this day all over again, but in the grain scheme of things the brunette had already changed a bit with how it first happened before. Sure Steven knew how to curse, but props to his dad, at least the old man taught him some things as a kid in his strange absence. The hybrid bit his lip and crused to himself  though withhow stupid he was being. If there was anything Connie showed him in all of those fantasy books, it is that messing with time is a bad thing. Already he was going out of script. 

He couldn’t help it though. Thinking back on his memories, even Steven could feel himself cringing with how much of a whiny kid he was. Sure he was still friendly to people and what not, but even he wanted to groan at the thought that he actually did cry out in dispair at a stupid ice cream, or even saving the day from an evil mascot butt ass naked. He wanted to curl up and die if he had to do that again! 

Acting like that was just completely off the table, so what could the boy even do now. Should he stick to the old script? Sure he could try, but honestly Steven’s memories on some things were murky at best so that might even be one hundred percent possible. Plus the teen wondered how much he could really change about his past in order to make his future better. He knew things now, things he shouldn’t know, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe he had a chance to make things better. He could save Lapis sooner, he could get the galaxy wrap fixed and make it to Homeworld, he could tell everyone the truth, and he can save Spinel from the garden. He could fix everything and not lose this time. 

He couldn’t help but smile at that thought. The hybrid turned back to the two teens by the counter and poked at the freezer, ignoring their looks of confusion.

“Mind if I take this?”

Sadie and Lars took a glance at each other, wondering what was going on in the kid’s strange head. It took another second or so, but they nodded to the request. Steven, smiling brightly, unplugged the freezer before wrapping it to his back. With nothing but a wave back, the boy ate his second Lion Licker and walked back to the temple. His thoughts more on what was happening as he carefully enjoyed his bitter and sweet treat; about all he had to do.

Oddly enough, it came back to Spinel of all things. His emotions around her were just as complicated and complex as his feelings with his mother. Though nothing could really top those can of alien worms. Steven just couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something when it came from the magenta gem. The hybrid couldn’t help but look up into the clear blue sky and feel his stomach drop completely. He couldn’t even finish his ice cream as he just continued to look up into the sky. Thinking back now, all that time he was playing and goofing off, the poor gem was just standing there waiting for his mother to see her again. She still was standing there, he knew she was standing in that ruined garden for Pink Diamond. It brought rage to his heart.

He wished he knew sooner to help her, to save her from herself before it was all too late. That was all his fault too, as he jerked off the abandoned planets of Era 2 like the plague in his last playthrough. Maybe now, as he is now, Steven could fix his own mistakes with her.

Steven sighed, quickly finishing his ice cream as he raced back to the temple. He could save Spinel, but right now the kid needed to settle into this strange replay of his life and make up a decent plan. If this place was exactly how everything was before, then that means he had experience on his side. Time is on his side, but not for long, and he had to play his cards right. The brunette had all the secrets, all the knowagalde, and he had to use it right so save everyone from the terrible futures ahead. Was telling others even an option? Maybe it was best to keep it all a secret and do things in the background. For now, that was the best course in his mind. Better to leave them all in peaceful bliss before inevitable crap hits the fan.

With that thought in mind, Steven opened the door to his house to greet the gems, only to quickly remember what happened last time. 

“Steven!”

Whether it was Pearl’s shout, or the fact that he was quickly attacked by an acid drooling centipeetle, it sent the short boy on attack mode. Steven quickly stepped back before the spat of acid could hit him, quickly grabbing the massive black and neon green creature by the neck. He spun to throw it off, pinned it down with his legs and shoved his elbow into its back to snap its neck. The sickening crack was loud, and its dying screech was the only thing that snapped the brunette out of his flight and fight mode before it poofed to clouds underneath his hold. 

It took only five seconds to realize what the hybrid just did, but already Amethyst and Pearl had noticed.

“Whoa Steve-man,” Amethyst lowered her whip as she looked at the small boy in slight shock, causing him to blush. She smiled and whipped another centipeetle to smoke. “That was cool! Where did you learn that?”

Pearl, slicing and kicking a few of the centi monsters back, turned over to the two with confusions of her own. “Yes.. where did that come from Steven? That was too quick for you to even notice the creature.”

Steven wanted to punch himself in the face at this point. Just like his taste in food, his reflexes are just as different. That's to all the gem fights with corrupts, Jasper, and even a few times with Peridot. With so many gems trying to kill him in his previous life, he always felt like he had an extra pair of eyes behind his head at this point. His reflexes are too sharp for even his own good. He can’t help but be on guard, and the training he had with the gems only improved it more.

Thinking of a quick lie, the hybrid just rubbed the back of his head. “I huh… saw it in a movie.” He quickly answered before looking at all of the tiny centi monsters. “What are these things?”

“Sorry Steven, but we’ll get them out of your room,” Pearl grabbed the one from under the table as it tried to escape. “They’re trying to get into the Temple.”

That’s where she believes her comrades to be. The hybrid couldn’t help but frown at the smaller spawns Centi created spatting out their acids and creating holes in the ground. 

Steven knew why Centi was attacking them and the Temple, as the teen remembered studying Corrupts during the two years of rebuilding with Peridot and Yellow Diamond. Even in broken monster forms, strong memories could play a big part in how they react no matter the years that past. Centi remembers this place due to the fusion craving reminding her of Rose Quartz, the rebel, and the pain she had after losing her comrades brought back her anger to attack her ‘base’ in hopes of finding them. That’s what the teen’s best guess was, but he couldn’t voice such a detailed hypothesis. It would definitely leave the gems confused, shocked, and then on edge with the hybrid male. 

For now, he just had to play naive as best as he could.

“Uh guys,” Everyone turned to Amethyst who had thrown a centi monster against the wall, watching it poof but no gem came from the creature. “These things don’t have gems.”

“That just means there’s a mother somewhere,” Garnet stated bluntly, punching another centipeetle.

Steven frowned, turning over to Pearl. “Can I help find her-it, Pearl? I want to help too.” He put on his whiny voice, which made him so badly want to flinch at how cringy he was being. He already knew her answer though.

“Steven, until you learn to control your gem powers. Let us do the saving okay?” Pearl said in a know it all but happy tone, snapping the monster’s neck on her hands. 

It took even more of his will power not to comment on how he does know how to control his powers, biting his own tongue. Steven almost completely forgot how annoying Pearl can be about these things. Didn’t he save them from Centi from what he can remember, and they don’t want him helping at all. For some reason, this did bug the hybrid a bit. Thinking of it now, it took them about a full year after he asked for them to even start training him, and even then it was after Connie already got far in her own training. The rest of his training was because of the Diamonds on Homeworld. This time though, he wasn’t going to stay as the weak freak boy of Beach City. He can’t stay this way, not with the troubles that would be coming their way soon.

If the gems won’t train him, Steven will do it lone protagonist style!

Then a jar of pickles crashed out of the open fridge, and Steven rushed over to pull the centi monsters raiding his kitchen. “Hey get out of there,” He shouted as he moved to shove and kick the two corrupted clones out of the way, letting Garnet finish them as he turned back to the now empty and ruined fridge. “Aw man, they ate all the food.”

As they finished the rest of the monsters, Amethyst walked over and pulled something out of the freezer before eating it with wrapper and all. Steven was quick to realize that they were the Cookie Cats from before. The purple gem smirked and pulled out another one for the hybrid. “Not everything.”

“Amethyst,” Pearl shouted as she came over with a disapproving look on her face. “Those were a surprise for Steven!”

That’s right, the gems went about three towns over to buy (Most likely steal) all these packets of Cookie Cats for him. Steven couldn’t help but smile at the sight of all the purple cat symbol packages, remembering why these were moments with such fond memories in his mind. 

“No, no. It’s alright Pearl,” Steven smiled brightly at the three, trying to hold back tears. “This is the best gift ever.”

The gems all gave him a smile in return, remarking on how he got the mini freezer from the Big Donut to put them in as he went to plug it up. Steven did put most of them in. Leaving a good few in the freezer, as he knew this little device wasn’t even gonna survive the day. 

Once the young boy got to cleaning up the pickles and vinegar off the floor after Amethyst ate up the glass remains, Garnet turned to Pearl with a grim expression. “We need to find the mother Centipeetle before she makes more spawns.”

“Or worse, those spawn reaching into town,” Pearl stated as she crossed her arms. 

“Can I help,” Steven asked again, honestly wanting to help at least find Centi. 

Pearl sighed and gave the boy a guilty smile. “Now Steven, you know the rules. No missions till you can control your powers.”

The hybrid groaned, rolling his eyes as he remembered why some of things weren’t looked back fondly. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“Would it be best if we explain how to do it,” Garnet asked, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

He sort of remembers the three different lectures he got when summoning his gem weapon, and Steven felt neither of them helped in any way so he turned them down. “Maybe later, finding the big bad monster is more important right now, right?

That reponse made Garnet give him a frown as she seemed to be lost in thought for a second. Amethyst was a bit shocked, even though she was still chewing on glass, and Pearl was just looking like a kicked puppy with the lack of interest the boy was now giving them. 

The fusion hummed after another second, then just bluntly bulldozed him. “I think we should still at least teach you how to summon your gem weapon.”

What? Aw man why!? Steven tried to reason with them. “Guys pleas-”

“I’ll be happy to help you Steven!” Pearl was no longer looking upset and quickly took to wanting to be first. 

Of course Steven had to fight the urge to smack his face at Pearl’s excitement. He already knew how to summon his weapon with his own method, his own feelings, but he simply couldn’t do it now cause his weak body couldn’t handle the push. He did hate saying it but even he knew how overweight he was as a twelve year old. His body is just too weak to handle the stress of summoning his weapon. Plus from his own experience in his previous life, his method was nothing like the lessons the three gems have told him. It wasn’t like how Pearl said with hard work and dedication, something about petals was put in the metaphor. It wasn’t like the contradicting statement of not trying at all and just second nature thinking like Amethyst. It definitely wasn’t like thinking of all forms of matter and unifying it with his mind to push out of his gem like Garnet rushily informed it.

For the hybrid, it was like working with an extra limb or a muscle normally not strong in a human power at first. The best way he can't decide it is like what if he practiced to wiggle his ears or nose on command, or folding his tongue into a U shape. It was a practice with a muscle deep within himself that he just had to get used to pulling and working how he wanted. If he over stresses it, he starts to feel sore and cramped. Pushed over the limit like what happened after Spinel rejuvenated his powers, and he started to feel ready to pass out. Almost like he ran a marathon around the world and back. Knowing this method now, the boy could do some body workouts and get fit a lot earlier than before.

Sadly he couldn’t, again, tell Pearl that and thus was forced to sit in a beautiful green hill under a pink petal flower tree. He honestly didn’t really hear much as the white gem explained the purposes to summoning her weapon. Instead, Steven began to think on what to do next with everything. 

The concept of time and what to do with this new second chance at life was honestly too confusing. One he didn’t know how this happened in the first place, and two was conflicted on what to change and keep the same in this second run of his life. Even though Steven had a bad episode at the Big Donut and even denied the training of summoning his weapon, he still was getting the same results as before. Does this mean that anything different he does has truly no effect on his past repeating like before? No, not really as while the actions seem similar the people around him did show different reactions. If him cursing at Lars was anything to go by. 

He had to play this carefully though. If he changes too much in this second chance, then he runs the risk of making things worse rather than better. Sure he doesn’t want to deal with the Diamonds wanting to kill him, or the mutant monsters wrecking havoc once they were freed by Peridot, but he doesn’t want Earth to run the risk of exploding this time around. Or worse… because another Gem War. He had to play everything carefully.

As Pearl dragged on just a bit longer about the petals again, getting pumped by her own speech, Steven drifted off  to stare down at his hands and his face distant looking as he planned smaller tasks for himself. Like finding time to train his body in secret to get a healthy fit to at least summon his bubble and shield. Those two will come in handy in his future challenges. Honestly, the boy needed a planner to write all of this time. If only he had Peridot to help him with that, and Pink Pearl.

“Steven?” Pearl pulled the boy out of his deep thinking, looking a little bit annoyed that her speech brought up no reaction. “Are you even paying attention?”

“With hard work and determination, I can summon my weapon. Got it.” 

Pearl jumped slightly by the hybrid’s quick answer, watching him silently stand up and walk back to the temple. She went to stop him, calling out, “Wait Steven-”

He cut her off and sighed. “Can’t I just go home Pearl. I’m not in the mood to learn anything right now.”

This is when the white gem looked like she was just punched in the gut, making Steven bite his lip. He didn’t look back as he walked back to the Temple, knowing that she was picking another wrap pad to get home. He felt his stomach hit rock bottom a bit. He knew that might have been a bit rude on his part, but honestly he was just too deep in his muddled thoughts and issues to even try to half pay attention. Was that bad? Was he becoming self centered? 

It caused a shiver to go down his spine again at the thought. He was doing it again, acting like what he did to Spinel. Oh stars, has he really been so self absorbed to fix everything that he is being cold to others? Thinking of making himself and his life perfect is just making things worse? He can’t become too focused on himself, but there was just too much at stake in the bigger picture. He had to get prepared, be ready this time around so he didn’t lose everything in the end. It wasn’t being self centered right? Not if he had to get stronger and finish this all. Not if it meant helping everyone else first all at once, right? 

“Is… I-Is that all you needed me for…” Spinel said so broken, her face twisted in slowly growing hurt. “To turn off my injector…”

“No. I… I mean yeah but,” Steven smiled the best he could, stepping towards her with his hands up. “We can, ya know, forget this whole thing ever happened.”

“Forget this whole thing ever happened… You mean if I forget this whole thing ever happened!? I turned off the injector, then the MOMENT I turned my back, I go poof, BAM, CHANGO!”

Steven trembled at the sudden flash of memory, the faint feeling of that scythe in his hand. No, that would just like what happened with Spinel. He can’t be self absorbed to handle the bigger issues of it meant ignoring everyone else’s feelings. If he needed to make sure this second run goes better than his last, then he can’t go around being distant and manipulate others like that. He can’t be like his mom now. 

“Damn it,” Steven groaned as he grabbed his hair and yanked it a bit. “I need to be better than that. I can’t screw this up now. I have to give everyone a happy ever after. For the gems, for Spinel, and for everyone else.” 

He sighed, finally making it back to the Temple as he rubbed his face. “I should apologize to Pearl. I think I hurt her feelin-”

“Steven! Get out of here!”

Steven blinked, looking up as he heard Garnet shouting in the distance. He backed off just in time to not get pelted with a ward of spit acid, gasping at the sight of the massive green and black Centipeetle wrapped around the temple mountain. It was attacking the gems, realizing that Pearl was indeed there before him most likely due to the wrap pad. Garnet was trying to lure it away from the house while Pearl and Amethyst attacked from behind. The hybrid gasped, rushing to hide behind a boulder as the gems kept attacking the monster. 

Centi… Steven frowned at the sight of his confused but violent Nephrite friend. He wanted to help her, to stop the gems from attacking and just heal her already even if temporarily. Sadly he doesn’t have the right ingredients to cure her, adn as far as he knew his mother’s fountain wasn’t even operating right now. His healing powers haven’t come in yet, and even if he did fix her shortly her mind was so damaged that she would just turn right back. He was no help the way he was now. He felt truly like a little kid again, and it made his body tremble in a sense of rage.

“Steven!” He turned to see Centi looking down at him, only to growl and try to spit out another acid shot at him. 

Steven yelped and quickly rolled out of the way, seeing the builder melt to gary goo. His flight and fight kicked in again, and he had to dodge more acid shots at him. He tried screaming up at his friend, “Centi stop! It’s me, Stev- Whoa!” He had to tuck and roll away from a much too close tail swap.

Pearl screamed in deep worry and fright. “Steven! Get Inside now!”

Inside… Of course!

Pushing his weak body, Steven dodged another acid shot to then jump and run up the stairs of the temple. Inside, he quickly moved to grab the mini Cookie Cat freezer. Honestly, he still felt bad about destroying the ice cream when the gems went through so much to get it again, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing the thing and rushing back outside. If he had to repeat history again at some points, this moment covered it.

As he rushed back out to see Centi too focused on melting the gems alive, Steven frowned and shook. He didn’t want to hurt Nephrite again, but right now this was his best shot. With a deep and determined look, the hybrid shouted, “Hey you! Take this!”

Before the corrupted gem could even turn around, Steven had grabbed the freezer by the cord and swung it right on the gem’s back. He flinched and stepped back as bright flashes of white and yellow covered the shrieking corrupted monster like fireworks. He wanted to close his eyes to the sight, trying to block out the tortured screams his friend was making, but he couldn’t. That flash of light, the screaming and fireworks brought a sharp pain to his head. It was a good thing that the much louder shrieks blocked out the hybrid’s own shout of pain as he gripped his head. Something was flashing behind his brown eyes, the white and yellow explodes turning pink and smoke in his line of vision. The screaming sounds more human, but still in utter anguish.

“Spinel!?”

The light was white now, the rumbling stopped, he made it to grab her arm. She looks at him in shock and realization, completely covered in fear.

“Steven!”

He clung to her. The injector exploded. The world went black.

No… He remembered falling, in pain, burning. He felt the acid eating into his burning flesh, and his back suddenly blooming with a white searing pain that left his body numb afterwards. He knew, just knew, that he was still in pain with the organic eating poison but felt nothing but his body falling more numb. His chest filled up with a strange warm liquid.

He heard her crying, screaming in agony but not her own.His hand was out to her, mouth unable to move. His vision was swallowed by the black void.

“N-No! No! Someone… help! Someone help!”

She grabbed his ruined hand, seeing flesh and bone he shouldn’t be able to se-

He was choking, he was dying.

“D-Don’t die! D-D-Don’t die on me!”

Everything hurts. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breath, couldn’t see, only heard her screaming.

Then… her hand was gone.

Steven gasped, opening his eyes as his chest heaved and took in the air he was oddly enough not taking in well. Had he stopped breathing just now? He didn’t even know he was kneeling at this point, looking up to see the Gems poofing Centi just in time. 

What just happened now? A vision, a dream? Why did it seem so real and yet like it was meant to be a nightmare all at once? Steven’s head was too dizzy to fully figure out what he just said, but he knew enough to know it was before he woke up here. He was still panting, trying to calm down his rapid heartbeat as the gems rushed over to him in worry.

“Steven! Dude are you okay,” Amethyst kneeled down and looked at the boy in worry, making him smile a bit at the sliver of his sister caring for him. 

Pearl came over and checked him over for any marks or injuries. “It didn’t get you, did it!?”

“No. No Pearl… I’m just fine I promise.” Steven rubbed his head, looking down to see the burned out and destroyed Cookie Cat freezer about 5 meters from him. “Looks like that’s ruined.”

Garnet nodded. “We’re sorry Steven.”

Steven frowned, placing his hand over his gem as he looked at the ice cream not melting black out of the ruined freezer. “Don’t be Garnet. There are more important things than candy.” 

He was too lost in the memory he just had to even notice the others holding him in comfort. Steven felt like grieving, but how could one grieve for themself with a death that no longer happened?

_____________________________________
Yeah... I just feel like the the explodsion wouldn't straight up kill Steven in this different take.

The fall didn't make it any better though. Hope I didn't make any of you too upset. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

High Five The Sky!