When Connie first tried out for Beetlejuice, she wasn't really expecting to get the role. It was a fun experience, and she met a lot of really cool people. At the very least she'd be ensemble and she was totally okay with that.

After her parents had let up a bit on extracurriculars and summer let out, a poster caught her eye and now here she was standing in front of the theater doors and staring at her name next to the role of Lydia, exactly what she'd wanted. She grinned and went home cheerful. Her parents were thrilled and proud, but deep down she knew her mother wouldn't be able to make it with her long shifts at the hospital.

As a sophomore, Connie had some freedoms to wander around during the day and that's what she did. The sun was shining, the sky was stark blue and the clouds were fluffy just like how she felt inside. She must have been thinking about the musical too hard because she ended up there again and bumping into–

Holy shit this guy is tall! "Holy shit you're tall!" She blurted. Immediately she felt like a complete fucking idiot as she stumbled back apologetically and fell.

Well, she almost did, but a lightning quick hand shot out and caught hers. He pulled her back up carefully and gave her a friendly smile. "Usually the way to greet someone is by saying 'hi' or 'hello'," He informed her. "I'll go first: hello. My name is Steven Universe." He bowed slightly and kissed her hand. "You have beautiful hands."

"Uh, thanks?" Steven Universe. Where had she seen that name and guffawed? She glanced back at the cast list. "You're Beetlejuice?"

He chuckled and dropped her hand. "I have a funny feeling you must be Miss Connie Mahe..." He shut his mouth and shook his head. "No sense in butchering it."

"Maheswaren." She allowed herself to feel a bit more at ease with the apparently charming and talkative giant. "Hi. It's nice to meet you. Is that your real name?" It was like she couldn't act like a normal person. All of her social skills (which admittedly didn't amount to much) flew right out of her as soon as they'd touched.

He nodded emphatically. "It was supposed to be De Mayo, but my dads a Broadway hotshot so–,"

"You're the son of Greg Universe?!" She shouted. A bird nearby flew off and she cringed. She needed to avoid this guy at all costs if he was going to make her this much of an idiot.

Her antics only made his smile grow. "I'm right here, Connie. And yes, I am."

"What..." She made sure to compose herself and stand a little straighter. "Do you live here?"

His smile wavered a little as he shook his head. "N-no. I stay with my aunts during the summers near the beach." He seemed like he was going to tell her something else but caught himself. "Do you live here?"

"Yeah, I live on Flanders. We used to live in Ocean Town but–,"

"It's on fire?" He finished. "Yeah, those people are exclusively pyromaniacs I swear. If Hell on Earth exists, that's where it is."

She laughed. Gosh he was kind of funny in a goofy sort of way. His loose curls fluffed out into a pompadour that she kind wanted to touch. Weird.

He glanced up. "You're staring at my hair."

Her face was starting to catch fire now and she sighed. "Sorry. I typically don't talk to people."

"And you're gonna be in a musical? That's awesome."

Oh my gosh, that little quirk of his eyebrow was going to be the very demise of her. "I-I have to go." She spun around on her heel and took off, ignoring the goodbye he called out as she did.

*

Steven Universe wasn't surprised when he got the role. His name held power, as did his voice. He loved to sing, he loved to dance, he loved to act. He'd been acting his entire life from the age of 5 until now, 17.

Hanging around the beach house got to be boring with his aunts always off somewhere doing God knows what so he decided to take another lonely walk.

Greg Universe had started off as a failed rockstar, and then moved into producing. Now he was up there with the stars, making the music for the best musicals out there and quite happy. Too bad he was a pretentious asshole. Not to Steven, well mostly, but to everyone else. His dad knew he was the shit when he walked into the room, and his attitude stunk like he was too. Steven wasn't really into all that.

He stopped when he got to the theater and snapped a picture to send to his father, knowing he wouldn't respond until after the very last performance. Wishing his father would come had died out a very long time ago, but there was no use in giving up when he had literally nothing else to do until practice started.

And then he'd run into Connie Maheswaren. Or rather, she ran into him. Quite hard actually, and then she'd exclaimed he was tall before she almost fell flat on her ass. It was stupid of him, but as she fell he did too. He fell in love with this awkward and excitable girl unlike anyone else he'd ever met. Most girls who saw him were instantly flirting with him and twirling their hair as they giggled at just about anything he said. They wanted him wherever they could have him, ticked off their box and disappeared into thin air. Every one was the exact same. But not this girl, she just kept blurting the first thing that came into her mind and when he kissed her hand, she'd barely acknowledged it.

No doubt about it, she was The One.

As soon as rehearsals started, he used every chance he could find to spend time with her and get to know her. It was funny, he was chasing a girl for the first time in his life and the more oblivious she acted, the more he was enamored with her. He liked the way she pushed her glasses up her nose every once in a while. He liked how when she spoke her lines, she got that cute little bounce to her voice as she slipped into being a completely different person. Her apparently shy demeanor melted right into Lydia's sarcastic (and minutely suicidal) personality. But most of all, he looked forward to practicing their main song together, Say My Name.

As he teased and implored him to take his offer, she turned him down cleverly. That's what she was, Miss Connie Maheswaren was so clever. Even though he wanted to flirt with her until the end of time, he had a duty to not take a hot shit on his dad's credibility.

When the night came to perform their duet in front of a real crowd, his palms grew clammy. Her stage makeup was immaculate, her dress was cute, and her excitement was adorable. She kept peeking out the curtain though, and growing a bit saddened. A few minutes would pass and she would do it again. He knew that face, he knew that behavior. She was looking for someone who likely wouldn't show up. She did wave at someone and mouth something closer to the start. They must have responded with bad news because she slumped.

He couldn't bear it. "Hey."

She turned to him. "I knew you were there. You've been off stage left watching me for half an hour with your mouth hanging wide open."

Oh god, he hoped she was wrong because that would be so embarrassing, but this was a very honest girl he was talking to. "I was just disassociating to get into my showstopping and mind blowing performance persona."

She tipped her head. "Right. And lions are pink."

He giggled and pulled her into a hug. "I know what it's like, but I'm quite certain they love you and wish they could come."

Connie let him rock her a little. This was so nice to be comforting her on what probably felt like the biggest day of her life thus far. "How do you know?"

"How do I know they love you?" He said in disbelief. "Because I–." Every bit of blood in his body rushed to his face as she pulled away in shock. "Cause I think you're a... real bomb person." He watched her glance around in bewilderment and quickly added, "Anyone who doesn't is an idiot."

She smiled just as lights flashed, signaling five minutes. "I guess that's us, huh?"

"Break a leg."

Her jaw dropped in horror. "Dude, why would you even say that!"

He did his best not to laugh at her. "It's theater talk for wishing you luck."

She nodded her understanding slowly before a grin broke out on her face too. "I hope you break every limb you have?"

"Oh my stars." His heart swelled painfully. He was so in love with her it was causing him physical pain, and he was addicted to it.

The show was spectacular and flawless, at least that's what he thought until he and Connie were pulled aside. "Nix the chemistry!"

She frowned and looked up at him. Ugh she was so sweet it was giving him tooth rot. "What's that?"

Steven nodded to the director and pulled Connie away, barely resisting sending a glower the directors way. It would've worked too, he could have her job for breakfast. "She thinks we're flirting onstage, but we're not."

As far as he could tell he'd played his part well, and after the show he got a dozen bouquets from people he had no idea who they were.

Connie bounded backstage with a bouquet of baby's breath and bluebells and a smile that knocked the wind out of him. "My mom came just at the end!"

His heart grew melancholy but he could drown it in his infatuation for her easily. "Congratulations. I'm sure they're proud."

"She said if I keep my grades up I can be in next years' performance too! Isn't that awesome?" The stars in her eyes was his kryptonite.

Steven held up a finger and carefully pulled out a red rose. He heard her giggle before he stood upright again and offered it to her. "It is."

Now he knew for sure he was coming back next year to audition, no matter what it ended up being. He'd beg on his hands and knees just to see her again, and the impending end of their time together made him ache inside. He was so lonely normally. During the school year at his stuffy academy he quickly fell into the motions. His life was miserable even with the money they had. Money couldn't make you laugh. Money couldn't hold you when you were depressed. Money couldn't bring his mom back from the dead. He hated money, and that's all life seemed to have to offer him so he kind of hated life too.

But with Connie he felt so happy. It wasn't something he was used to, but her tendency to say exactly what she thought was wildly appealing to him. Every curl was a blessing. Every giggle was his favorite song. He loved when she would say his name, it drove him crazy.

Before he could kiss her, she thanked him for the rose and took off toward her parents.